CELS Tour Request Form

ALCF tours are offered for visitors at all levels and will be delivered by a laboratory researcher(s) depending on the tour location, visitor background and interests, and the Argonne host's preference. Tours range in duration from 45 minutes to a half-day, depending on the number of tour areas visited. Tours are generally available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

VIP – The person (or group) is a senior executive and is interested in the facilities strategy, funding, and management. The tour guide is typically a senior leader from ALCF.

General – The person (or group) is interested in a general overview of ALCF resources and capabilities. The tour guide can be from any part of ALCF.

Operations – The person (or group) is an engineer or systems administrator interested in how ALCF operates and maintains the computing resources. The tour guide is typically from the ALCF operations group.

Science – The person (or group) is a scientist working in a specific field and is interested in how ALCF resources are used in research for that field. The tour guide is typically an ALCF computational scientist with knowledge of that field.

The Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), a U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility, powers revolutionary discoveries across many fields of science, from climate and environment, to materials, to quantum information science, to nuclear science and engineering. Aurora, a next-generation exascale supercomputer, performs over one quintillion calculations per second and is the fastest AI computer in the world. Built in partnership with Intel and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and funded by DOE, this powerful machine along with similar machines at two other national laboratories are instrumental to the United States’s global leadership in supercomputing.

NOTE: Data Center - Main Machine Room (Visitors must be 18 years or older)

The Visualization Laboratory at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility allows visitors to see simulation data computed on some of the largest supercomputers in the world as well as data collected from instruments like Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source. Watch blood flow in the brain, the evolution of the universe, how climate could impact neighborhoods, and more. The space features the Active Mural, a 28-foot-by-8-foot wall of video monitors used for displaying and interactively exploring scientific data.

The Argonne Testbed for Multiscale Observational Science (ATMOS) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is home to cutting-edge instruments and world-class experts that observe, record, and interpret complex data to help the country become resilient to changes in climate. The nearly 20-acre site houses up to 60 instruments taking measurements on temperature, wind, rain, radiation, and the interaction between greenhouse gases like methane and CO2 with the surface. ATMOS is the heart of instrumentation for the Community Research on Climate and Urban Science (CROCUS) Urban Integrated Field Laboratory and is integral to several projects from numerous governmental agencies such as the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation.

The Rapid Prototyping Laboratory (RPL) is a testbed for Argonne's Autonomous Discovery initiative, where scientists design and try out new equipment and new ways to speed up discoveries using self-driving labs. Researchers embrace a maker culture approach to integrating robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. A hub for cross-lab collaboration, the RPL is a sandbox environment where scientists break down experimental processes, hack robotic arms, and 3D print items that meet the needs of scientific workflows.