HISTORY

By the close of World War II, it was dramatically evident that fundamental knowledge of atomic and nuclear physics had tipped the balance of world power. The Manhattan Project, which gave rise to the atom bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, vividly demonstrated the importance of basic research and its linkages to some of the most urgent national priorities.

After the War, there was a need to continue the research and development activities of the Manhattan Project and to take the opportunity to turn some of them towards nonmilitary purposes. With the nuclear genie out of the bottle, the U.S. Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, which transferred responsibility for atomic energy research and development from the War Department to an independent civilian agency. On August 1, 1946, President Truman signed the bill into law, and the transfer of the Manhattan Engineer District’s activities to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) became effective at midnight on December 31, 1946.

Many of the Commission’s activities were unprecedented and exploratory. The Commission’s charter directed it, in part, to ensure continuity of the ongoing activities and to carry out a diversified program of basic research. Specifically, the charter directed the Commission “to assist in the acquisition of an ever expanding fund of theoretical and practical knowledge” relating to the Commission’s mission, including the peaceful use of the atom.

Basic research programs in atomic, nuclear, and radiation physics, and in related disciplines of chemistry and applied mathematics, were foremost among those brought forward from the Manhattan Project. The work was carried out in much the same way as it is today, by universities and National Laboratories, in conjunction with selected commercial and industrial collaborators.

In 1971, with early concerns about rising petroleum imports, the charter of the Commission was expanded to include other forms of energy and related technologies. During the period of expansion, additional focus was given to “more efficient methods for meeting the Nation’s energy needs.”

On December 31, 1974, as part of a larger series of energy related national policy initiatives, the Atomic Energy Commission was abolished. Its functions were reorganized under the newly created Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA). The Energy Research and Development Administration was chartered with an expanded research mission. In addition to research on nuclear energy, basic research responsibilities were broadened to include solar, fossil, conservation, and geothermal research.

Finally, in 1977, the establishment of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) gathered under one authority most of the energy related activities that had evolved during the 1970s among a number of Federal agencies. Included in the reorganization were not only the technical missions of the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Bureau of Mines, but also the energy policy and planning activities of the Federal Energy Administration (FEA) and the regulatory responsibilities of the Federal Power Commission. With the creation of the Department of Energy, the Carter Administration formulated a comprehensive energy policy. Energy technologies were not divided by fuel type, such as fossil, nuclear, or solar, but grouped under assistant secretaries according to their evolution from research and development through application and commercialization. The joining of policy, planning, and regulation with research and development again served to broaden the agency’s basic research mission. Today, the original focus in 1946 on nuclear and related science is now approximately one third of a large and diversified portfolio of basic research activities. Others have joined the portfolio. Collectively, these activities aim to maintain scientific and technical leadership across a broad spectrum of important research areas.

The Office of Energy Research was established by the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-91). Section 209 of the Act stated that “…There shall be within the Department an Office of Energy Research to be headed by a Director, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and who shall be compensated at the rate provided for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5.” The Act further stated that the duties and responsibilities of the Director of the Office of Energy Research, now the Office of Science, shall be to advise the Secretary of Energy on DOE’s R&D programs; gaps or duplication in DOE R&D programs; management of the Department’s nonweapons multipurpose laboratories; education activities; and grants and other forms of financial assistance for research activities.

The name of the Office of Energy Research was changed to the Office of Science by language in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 1999 (Public Law 105-245, dated October 7, 1998, and codified in 42 U.S.C. 7139). As a result of the Department’s field realignment in May 1999, the Director of Science assumed line management responsibility for the DOE Chicago and Oak Ridge Operations Offices, as well as the Berkeley and Stanford Site Offices. To more effectively provide leadership and oversight of these field and site offices responsibilities, the Director of Science established the Deputy Director for Operations position, who reports to the Director.