Top Story Archive
Outpacing climate change with atmospheric research collaboration
Tiny particles in air called aerosols create smog, seed clouds, and control how much of the sun's heat makes it through the atmosphere. And yet these particles are the least understood aspect of climate research. Now, two research institutions are working together to tackle the role of aerosols in climate change -- specifically how aerosols from pollution, oceans and wildfires contribute to shifting weather.
9.4.2008
Chemists make beds with soft landings
Bedsprings aren't often found in biology. Now, chemists have succeeded in making a layer of tiny protein coils attached to a surface, much like miniature bedsprings in a frame. This thin film made of stable and very pure helices can help researchers develop molecular electronics or solar cells, or to divine the biology of proteins.
8.18.2008
Multithreaded supercomputer seeks software for data-intensive computing
The newest breed of supercomputers have hardware set up not just for speed, but also to better tackle large networks of seemingly random data. And now, a multi-institutional group of researchers has been awarded $4.0 million to develop software for these supercomputers. Applications include anywhere complex webs of information can be found: from internet security and power grid stability to complex biological networks.
7.14.2008
PNNL scientists receive four R&D 100 awards
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have won four of R&D Magazine's prestigious "R&D 100 Awards" for their contributions to developing a smart power grid, enhancing the quality of research materials, reducing environmental impacts of deicing activities, and improving the economics of biofuel production.
7.8.2008
PNNL researcher selected for prestigious symposium
Eric Smith, a radiation detection instrumentation specialist at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been invited to participate in the 2008 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium in September.
7.2.2008
PNNL named to CIO 100
CIO magazine has named the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to its 2008 list of the top 100 organizations worldwide that "exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology."
6.25.2008
PNNL to break ground on two new research facilities
Construction contractors will break ground later this week on two new, privately financed research facilities at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory campus in north Richland.
6.9.2008
Professional society honors PNNL scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory chemist Julia Laskin has received the Biemann Medal, the highest honor granted to a young scientist by the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Laskin accepted the award at the ASMS annual conference June 3 in Denver, where she also delivered a lecture on her research to the nearly 7,000 scientists attending the conference.
6.3.2008
PNNL, WSU to advance biomass research in new facility
Washington State University and the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory today dedicated a new building for the advancement of biomass research.
5.8.2008
Mike Kluse named director of U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Battelle announced today that Mike Kluse has been named as the new director of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Battelle manages the lab for DOE, which also approved Kluse as the permanent choice for this position.
5.1.2008
Seeing clearly despite the clouds
Satellites taking atmospheric measurements might now be able to see blue skies as clearly as optimists do. Researchers have found a way to reduce cloud-induced glare when satellites measure blue skies on cloudy days, by as much as ten-fold in some cases. The result might lead to more accurate estimates of the amount of sunlight penetrating the atmosphere. Because clouds represent one of the largest areas of uncertainty, eventually this could lead to improved climate models.
4.17.2008
Ceramic, heal thyself
A new computer simulation has revealed a self-healing behavior in a common ceramic that may lead to development of radiation-resistant materials for nuclear power plants and waste storage.
4.17.2008
Research collaboration seeks blood test for aggressive breast cancer
Mammography and biopsies help find breast cancer, but even biopsies won't tell the doctor if the cancer will spread. Now, a two-year research project hopes to find proteins in blood that could alert doctors to patients harboring not just breast cancer, but the nastiest versions of the disease.
4.16.2008
Key to using local resources for biomass may include waste
The Northwest can have a sizeable biofuels industry based primarily on local resources -- if non-traditional feedstocks, such as municipal waste, and new conversion technologies are used, according to a report issued today by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
3.17.2008
PNNL at top of biotech, high-tech firm lists for Washington state
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one of Washington state's top companies in the fields of biotechnology and high-tech, according to the latest rankings from Washington CEO magazine.
3.3.2008
Catalysis discovery takes aim at NOx emissions
A discovery in molecular chemistry may help remove a barrier to widespread use of diesel and other fuel-efficient "lean burn" vehicle engines. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have recorded the first observations of how certain catalyst materials used in emission control devices are constructed.
2.21.2008
Mission critical for carbon management
Integrating science and public policy with the needs of consumers and the global economy is critical if we have any chance of reducing the effects of carbon on the climate, say scientists at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
2.17.2008
You can't teach old materials new tricks
A more sensitive, more selective and easily deployable radiation detection material is necessary to meet complex 21st century challenges. In the AAAS symposium "Radiation Detectors for Global Security: The Need for Science-Driven Discovery," researchers addressed some of the technical challenges and gaps and proposed a science-driven approach to uncovering novel materials that will benefit national security and medicine.
2.16.2008
Coal Gasification - Myths, challenges, and opportunities
There is a growing consensus that increased demand for electricity will cement coal's place in the energy portfolio for years to come. In fact, more than half of the electricity produced in the United States comes from coal. With demand for electricity expected to double by 2050 and renewable resources still years away from offsetting increased demand, it is clear -- coal is here to stay.
2.15.2008
All alone, ammonia and hydrogen chloride use negativity to get attached
Electrons -- bits of negative energy that shock you when you touch a door handle -- spur the chemical reaction between an acid and a base, according to new results in the journal Science. The findings may help researchers someday precisely control chemistry in systems ranging from biology to energy technology.
2.14.2008
New sensor system improves detection of lead, heavy metals
The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed a new rapid, portable and inexpensive detection system that identifies personal exposures to toxic lead and other dangerous heavy metals. The device can provide an accurate blood sample measurement from a simple finger prick, which is particularly important when sampling children.
2.12.2008
PNNL recognized for innovations in energy efficiency technology, materials science
The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been recognized for transferring to the marketplace a technology for diagnosing energy use in buildings, an improved design of reflector-style lamps for the growing recessed can and compact fluorescent lighting industries, and a breakthrough titanium injection molding technique for high-quality parts.
2.11.2008
'Hot' oxygen atoms on titanium dioxide motivated by more than just temperature
Like two ballroom dancers waltzing together, the two atoms of an oxygen molecule severed by a metal catalyst usually behave identically. But new research reveals that on a particular catalyst, split oxygen atoms act like a couple dancing the tango: one oxygen atom plants itself while the other shimmies away, probably with energy partially stolen from the stationary one.
2.8.2008
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at AAAS
Leaders from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been selected to conduct four key symposiums at the 2008 American Association of the Advancement of Science conference held in Boston, MA, February 14-18.
2.4.2008
Department of Energy putting power in the hands of consumers through technology
The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory announced today the results of a year-long effort to put the power grid in the hands of consumers through technology. The Pacific Northwest GridWise™ Demonstration Project found that advanced technologies enable consumers to be active participants in improving power grid efficiency and reliability, while saving money in the process. On average, consumers who participated in the project saved approximately 10 percent on their electricity bills.
1.9.2008