This is the second in a series examining Cornell’s underground hot spots.

Last week’s electrical fire brought unexpected attention to the Wilson Synchrotron Laboratory, making it quite literally an “underground hot spot”. The synchrotron itself, originally constructed in 1967, was the world’s largest electron synchrotron at its opening and was considered the largest single construction project at Cornell. But despite the prestige it held at its inception, Cornell students know little about its purpose or even its existence.