April 2008
Kudos: Y-12's Beard gets Bronze
Anna Beard, a senior project manager with the NNSA's site office at the Y-12 National Security Complex, received the Bronze Medal Award of Excellence for distinguished service to the nation's security. Beard received the award during a recent ceremony at the Oak Ridge plant.
She came to Oak Ridge in 2001 and has managed more than $200 million in construction projects, including the recently completed updgrade to the compressed air systems at Y-12.
Capitol Hill boys: This run isn't for reelection
U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, Sen. Bob Corker, Rep. Bart Gordon and Rep. Zach Wamp ran in today's 27th Annual ACLI Capital Challenge in Washington. The three-mile run raises money for the District of Columbia Special Olympics. No word yet on how the Tennessee delegation finished.
Faith-based rejection of nuclear blueprint
More than a dozen religious organizations join to ask the government not to rebuild and revitalize the nuclear weapons complex. Here's the link to their letter.
Going to bat for sick nuclear workers
Will a power push from the Metal Trades Department make a difference in the campaign to help sick nuclear workers get their due? That's a topic in today's column. Also a little Oak Ridge perspective on the controversy regarding possible imports of Italian n-waste.
Fleck's take on transformation
Today is the deadline for submitting comments on nuclear complex transformation, and John Fleck of Albuquerque offers an interesting perspective on his blog.
"I'll be honest. If I were you, I wouldn't sweat a whole lot of bullets about this. There are nine months left in the Bush Administration, and whoever runs the show beginning next Jan. 20 will almost certainly rethink this. That said, however, this is the pageant of democracy, and I could be wrong, in which case you would have missed your chance to play a role."
Nuke cleanup proposal 'on track'
Dept. of Energy spokesman John Shewairy said agency is "on track" to meet the Sept. 30 deadline to submit plan on how to clean up the Bear Creek Burial Grounds -- the 350-acre tract that historically served as a dump for Y-12's rad wastes.
The DOE proposal will be sent to the Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The three parties are then expected to negotiate a final plan for valley restoration over the next year.
Japan honors ex-Ambassador Baker
photo/Michael Patrick
According to a release from Howard Baker's law firm, Japan's Emperor Akihito today awarded Baker the country's highest honor for foreign civilians _ the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers. Baker was recognized for his service to Japan as a senior statesman. The decoration will be formally presented to Baker May 22 at a reception in Washington, D.C., the release said.
Senator to push 'Manhattan Project' for energy
Michael Collins reports from Washington that U.S. Lamar Alexander will lay out a program for energy independence in a speech May 9 at Oak Ridge.
Union boss wants probe of sick-worker program
Metal Trades leader Ron Ault calls for an investigation into the way the sick nuclear workers compensation program has been carried out.
Rad incident report
Dirk Bartlett, director of government relations for EnergySolutions, today released a copy of the incident report the company submitted to the state earlier this year following a contamination incident at the Bear Creek Road waste-processing facility.
The worker who opened the package received by far the highest radiation dose (about 2.8 rems), although a few others were in the area at the time.
Extended maintenance for ORNL reactor
Roughly a year after installation of a Cold Source at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, Oak Ridge workers are performing a bunch of maintenance activities that will keep the reactor out of operation until June 4.
"It's kind of our first annual preventive maintenance on the Cold Source itself, so we'll be changing one of the (three) hydrogen circulators," Ron Crone, research reactors director at ORNL, said today.
ANS topic: nuke safeguards
Bert Rollen, deputy operations manager of the ORNL Safeguards Laboratory, will speak at the May 6 meeting of the American Nuclear Society. The dinner meeting is held at the Bearden Banquet Hall in Knoxville, with dinner at 6:30 and program an hour later. For more info or to make reservations (at $20 per), contact Thomas Miller at 574-9909 or millertm@ornl.gov.
Honor roll for ORNL subs
Oak Ridge National Laboratory honored seven small businesses during annual awards program for subcontractors.
The winners were: Material Fabrication and Testing (small business); Sentech, Inc, (small disadvantaged business); National Resource Management (woman-owned business); ESG Construction (HUBZone Small Business); Bentco Office Solutions (AVID Small Business); XCEL Engineering, Inc. (Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business); Lone Peak Production, Inc.(Veteran-Owned Small Business).
Flipping the bird nests
photo/Bill Cabage
Oh, those vista-loving ospreys, always wanting to nest on top of power poles where they get free rent and a 360-degree panorama of their preyful surroundings.
About three or four pairs of the birds starting building nests like that this spring in an area near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and that just wouldn't do. "It creates two problems," said Jim Evans of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "One, it can short-circuit lines and cause power outages, and oftentimes the birds gets entangled in the lines and get killed."
Here's the chorus: Don't worry, be happy
Even if Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's vow to block Italian nuclear waste from entering his state is successful, that doesn't doom Tennessee to be permanent host for the radioactive material. That's the word from Tisha Calabrese-Benton, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation.
"We understand the NRC would not approve the import license (for EnergySolutions) without knowing the waste had a disposition route," Calabrese-Benton said.
E-85 only at DOE
The fuel depot at the Oak Ridge Federal Office Building now stocks only E-85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) for the Department of Energy's fleet of vehicles.
Actually, that makes the situation sounds a little greener than it is, because only 55 percent of the vehicles at DOE's office are E-85 compatible. DOE spokesman Ben Williams that the other vehicles will have to fuel up at commercial facilities in town.
ITER update: Sauthoff keeps his chin up
Conceptual look at International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
Ned Sauthoff, director of the U.S. project office for ITER, seemed to be in good spirits yesterday evening as he talked about how the U.S. team is tackling technical issues on the giant project and addressing a budget shortfall on the homefront. (Congress supplied only $10.6 milliion this year, instead of the requested $160 million.)
Sauthoff was scheduled to leave today for a series of meetings in France, where the fusion test reactor is being built.
Nuke 'transformation' deadline nears
April 30 is the last day to submit comments on the draft supplemental programmatic environmental impact statement (whew, what a mouthful) on plans to transform the U.S. nuclear weapons complex.
If you want to make a comment, click here and follow the directions.
Eliminating nukes
The NNSA announced this week that a joint U.S.-Russian initiative had reached another milesetone, downblending 10 metric tons of highly enriched uranium to eliminate its weapons capability. The converted material is then used to fuel Russian reactors _ power and research.
Oak Ridge workers, including contractors at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and contractors and federal staff at the Y-12 National Security Complex, are playing a big role in the program.
'Unexpected thermal reaction' in can of enriched uranium
A March 28 memo from Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board staff stationed at Y-12 noted there was a reaction in a can used to store briquettes of enriched uranium.
Operators first identified a lid "raised above the normal seated position." The cans are used to store the uranium later used in casting operations.
A formal investigation is under way.
Continue reading "'Unexpected thermal reaction' in can of enriched uranium"
Congrats to Katie Sloop
Katie Sloop, an Oak Ridge High School senior with a 4.111 grade-point average and reserve champion at this year's Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair, is winner of the UT-Battelle Scholarship.
Consumer tips for saving energy
Here's a bunch of useful advice from the Dept. of Energy. Click on the different options on the left column for tips.
Energy efficiency is not yesterday's news
A new study by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Edison Electric Institute shows that improvements in the U.S. power sector could reduce electricity consumption by 7 to 11 percent. The draft report is part of ongoing effort to stem the growing demand for electricity, which is projected to grow 30 percent by 2030.
Click here for more info on that and other reports at the Edison Foundation website.
Academics for peace
Twelve academic leaders from area colleges and universities have drafted an open letter asking the Dept. of Energy to consider a no-weapons-production alternative as part of its plans to transform the U.S. nuclear weapons complex.
Excerpt: "The Y-12 Plant should get out of the bomb production business; money currently expended on Stockpile Life Extension should be re-directed to environmental restoration, weapons dismantlement and disposition operations."
Welcome, space visitors
image/B&W
Yes, folks, these soon-to-be installed water towers at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant should make quite a landing beacon for Martians and others saucer-riders in search of a U.S. warhead factory.
The twin towers will be 220 feet high, reportedly higher than nearby Pine Ridge, and will be visible from downtown Oak Ridge. Once in place, they'll also likely make Y-12's sensitive work areas more identifiable via satellite imagery.
Security? Hmmm.
Mining not in DOE's plans
Asked if DOE is considering mining Bear Creek Valley, where about 41 million pounds of uranium is buried, Oak Ridge spokesman John Shewairy said, "The short answer is no."
He added: "We have not considered that, and I don't know at this point if that is a path we would go down."
OK, I peeked
Here is the second question on the Y-12 survey referenced below.
"Which one of the following best describes the relationship between the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory? If you are not sure, simply indicate that you are uncertain or don't know."
Will Italian waste become permanent Tenn. resident?
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman today indicated he would try to block the transportation of Italian nuclear waste into his state, which is home to the landfill owned and operated by EnergySolutions. If that's the case and if EnergySolutions proceeds with plans to import the waste, does that mean the radioactive residues would be stuck in Oak Ridge after processing at the company's plant on Bear Creek Road?
Biz search: Anybody need a mentor?
B&W Technical Services, the government's managing contractor at the Y-12 National Security Complex, is seeking applications from small business owners to participate in Y-12's mentor-protege program.
Applications are due by May 31, and those selected for the 2009-2011 class will be notified by the end of June, according to info from B&W. For more information, click here.
Jumping the gun (so to speak) on W76
I was thumbing through a back issue of the quarterly "Y-12 Report" earlier this week, and came across some info that just didn't look right. The Fall 2007 issue, under a section titled, "Getting the Job Done," indicated that the first production unit (FPU) of the W76 warhead was delivered in September 2007.
Well, that was news to me and surely would be to many others, because Y-12's federal boss, Ted Sherry, has repeatedly stated that the life-extension work on the W76 warheads -- deployed on Trident missiles -- has been stalled due to technical issues.
Flattery will get you a blog item
I was amused and a little surprised to get a letter in the mail from Y-12 general manager and B&W Prez Darrel Kohlhorst asking me to participate in a survey on the Oak Ridge plant's image.
"As we work to achieve our strategic objectives for the Y-12 National Security Complex, we need the valuable input and feedback regarding impressions, opinions and reactions that you, as a key community leader, have about who are and what we do," Kohlhorst's letter said.
Uranium mining in Oak Ridge
That's the topic in today's column on the main Knoxnews.com site.
James Carroll of the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., had an interesting article April 6 that said the thousands of canisters of depleted uranium at Paducah and Portsmouth (Ohio) could be worth a fortune. Some nuclear die-hards, of course, have been trying to make that case for decades.
Will Y-12 ever look like this?
This is the image put together by Y-12 contractor B&W, based on plans for transforming the nuclear weapons facility in Oak Ridge. Notice that many of the 200-plus buildings that exist today are gone by 2025, replaced by a scant few facilities for offices, uranium storage and warhead-building work. The green stuff reportedly is grass. Some folks didn't care for my earlier comment that Y-12 historically has used parking lots as landscaping.
Oak Ridge environmental data
DOE's Oak Ridge office has released the Annual Site Environmental Report for 2006, which apparently is the latest one available (in a comprehensive form).
A summary document and more detailed reports are available at this website. Also, copies of the report can be had at the DOE Info Center, 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Got questions? Call DOE's public affairs office in Oak Ridge at (865) 576-0885.
Be warned: there are four pages dedicated just to the acronyms and abbreviations used in the reports.
Y-12 engineers: giving back
It's satisfying to report that 19 engineers from the Y-12 National Security Complex took the time during Engineers Week in late February to visit more than 40 classes at 15 schools in East Tennessee to share their expertise and enthusiasm for their work.
Here's some applause for Kevin Alexander, Peter Angelo, Donna Bennett, Preston Cloud, Beth Green, Jason Finney, Ryan Hay, Ernie Lamb, Kevin Lamb, David Linney, Jason Maycock, Steve Mead, Michael Murray, Jim Rollins, Michael Sandstrom, Elijah Shekinah, and Joel Shor.
Small flood at Y-12 facility
A Feb. 8 report by Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board indicated that a leak associated with an overhead chilled-water system resulted in at least 200 gallons of water leaking into a room that supports "special processing operations" in the Enriched Uranium Operations Building.
Well, the idea of water entering a facility where enriched uranium is processed doesn't sound good, but the plant's contractor -- B&W Technical Services -- assured me it wasn't exactly a disaster, although officials took a heck of a long time supplying additional info.
David Michaels ready to hit the bookstores
David Michaels, DOE's asst. secretary for environment, safety and health during a portion of the Clinton administration, called the other day, and we had nice chat about his new book (soon to be released by Oxford University Press).
He wanted to make sure I had received my advance copy of the book, which I hadn't.
Continue reading "David Michaels ready to hit the bookstores"
Pro2Serve gets safety kudos
As part of ongoing Dept. of Energy safety initiative, Pro2Serve Professional Project Services was recognized for performing more than 3 million work hours (over a 12-year period) without a lost-time injury. The record dates back to the technical and engineering services company's creation in 1996. Most of the work was done on DOE's Oak Ridge reservation, the fed agency said in a release.
Wamp & WMD
photo Brett Pate/B&W
I was out of town much of last week and missed Congressman Zach Wamp's tour of a unique Y-12 facility, where folks use radioactive materials and survey equipment to train military personnel and civilians for response to weapons of mass destruction.
In above photo, Wamp (with badge blurred to meet some security requirement) is shown with Lt. Col. David Seitz, commander of the Ohio National Guard's 52nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, which was training at the Oak Ridge facility. In background is Darrel Kohlhorst, Y-12's general manager, and Ted Sherry, the NNSA's site manager at Y-12.
Earth Day doings
On Tuesday, DOE manager Gerald Boyd will recognize the Karns High School students who helped the federal agency with preparation of the Annual Site Environmental Report in Oak Ridge. The students actually help bring the document down to Earth, because it can get a bit technical.
Activities will begin at 4 p.m. at the high school, including school administrators and faculty, the English II Honors class and some parents. Students will discuss their experience on the project.
120 hourly jobs targeted at Y-12
B&W Technical Services announced today it wants to reduce its hourly payroll by 120. NNSA has approved the buyout package for the program.
Meanwhile, the contractor indicated that layoffs probably won't be necessary to supplement the 220 salaried workers who opted to leave the payroll under a voluntary program. B&W earlier said it hoped to get 300 to 400 volunteers from the salaried ranks.
Rad Italia: update
Here's a link to my monthly column in the Knoxville Biz Journal. It's about EnergySolutions and the ongoing controversy over the company's plan to import Italian nuke waste, etc.
Rogers migrates to ORNL
Tom Rogers, long-time exec with Technology 2020, is joining staff at ORNL as director of Industrial and economic development partnerships.
Corker rings the bell in Big Apple
Tennessee's junior senator does the deal at today's opening of NASDAQ.
In an unrelated issue, here's what the Republican from Chattanooga said about President Bush's speech on climate change.
"I think it was important for the President to address the issue of climate change and present some general principles for what a good policy might do. This issue is not going away, and Congress will probably be debating legislation as soon as June. I have spent a lot of time reviewing various legislative proposals and the positive and negative impacts of cap-and-trade programs in other parts of the world. I hope the policy our country pursues will be sound, enabling us to become more energy secure and grow our economy while being good stewards of our environment."
Strong voice for Oak Ridge retirees
Dub Shults, retired director of ORNL's Analytical Chemistry Division and all-around good guy, makes a persuasive argument for a pension
increase in Sunday's Knoxnews.
Back in the saddle . . . sort of
I've been out of pocket for a few days and am trying to catch up on things. Ahhh, Mondays (with a multiplier factor in effect).
What's a Hot Storage Garden?
photo/Joe Howell
Oh, that nuclear nomenclature. In this case, it's an old facility on the back side of ORNL that was used for some storage of really hot materials in underground wells. Work started on a cleanup a couple of years ago, but it got put on hold because workers apparently weren't sure exactly what they were dealing with and some of them got exposed to the bad stuff.
The incident raised a number of safety issues, but Bechtel Jacobs and subcontractors returned the site to a stable condition (working under a protective tent with filtration systems to prevent migrating materials), and final cleanup is scheduled to resume around 2012-2013 -- if funding comes available.
Creamer's commitment on U-233 project
"We will deliver that contract -- on price, on schedule," EnergySolutions CEO Steve Creamer said recently during an interview at the News Sentinel's offices.
The Dept. of Energy apparently applied considerable pressure on EnergySolutions, which heads the Isotek Systems partnership that's making preparations to down-blend the stocks of weapons-capable uranium-233 stored at ORNL and prepare the nuclear material for disposal. The cost of the project is estimated at $384 milllion.
Weigand wins Schlesinger Award
Gil Weigand, who joined ORNL last year as the director of strategic programs and planning for computing and computational sciences, has won a big award from the Dept. of Energy -- where he once worked.
Weigand was recipient of the first-ever James R. Schlesinger Award, named for the first energy secretary. Among his achievements was conceiving and implementing ASCI (Accelerated Strategic Computing Intitiative), which helped put the United States in a competitive position in supercomputing for science.
ORNL scientist's hot paper
Robin Graham, a research group leader in ORNL's Environmental Sciences Division, is author of one of the most cited research papers during the past couple of years in the field of agricultural sciences.
The paper, "Current and potential U.S. corn stover supplies," was published in Jan.-Feb. 2007 issue of Agronomy Journal. Other authors included John Sheehan, Lynn Wright, Bob Perlack and Richard Nelson.
Atomic Vandy
Vanderbilt University is reported to be the first university to have a campus chapter of the American Nuclear Society without having a nuclear engineering program. ANS President-elect William Burchill visited Nashville March 14 to present the student section with its charter.
Nuclear workers: studies done by ORAU
Below is a full list of the epidemiologic studies done by scientific staff at Oak Ridge Associated Universities since 1979.
This may be useful in evaluating the conclusions of those studies (most of them funded by the Dept. of Energy) against the studies done by the same organization (ORAU) in support of the compensation program for sick workers.
Warming up for hot waste
photo/Joe Howell
Warm-up activities began over the weekend at the TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) Incinerator in Oak Ridge, and the facility will probably be burning waste by week's end, according to Dennis HIll, a spokesman for DOE contractor Bechtel Jacobs. Workers are testing the apparatus and new materials and equipment following a lengthy shutdown for maintenance and repairs.
A fact sheet says the incinerator's kiln operates at a minimum temperature of 1,572 degrees Fahrenheit, with a maximum temp of 2,200 degrees in the secondary combustion chamber. That higher temp is reportedly needed for destruction of polychlorinated biphenyls.
Sunday's protest at Y-12
Staff writer Darren Dunlap covered Sunday's protest organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. He also shot video of the event, including the arrests at Y-12 entrance.
ANA's nuke complex report card
The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability today released its Radioactive Report Card to DOE and the nuclear weapons complex.
The group awarded the Dept. of Energy a D for complex transformation; an A+ for provocative weapons production; F's for funding environmental obligations, Global Nuclear Energy Partnership and nuclear power revival; and a C- for waste management.
De-goosed at ORNL
Oak Ridge geese getting ready to go for a ride (photo/ORNL)
OK, maybe that's not exactly the right terminology, but about 520 of those pesky Canada geese have been relocated from the government's Oak Ridge reservation during the past three years.
That's interesting, but maybe the most interesting fact is that not a single one of the geese was overly radioactive. That's according to Neil Giffen, the wildlife management coordinator at ORNL.
Waste burn delayed at Oak Ridge
The government's TSCA Incinerator was supposed to restart April 8, but it didn't. Now, the plan is to begin warming up the apparatus tomorrow (Saturday, April 12) and resume burning operations soon thereafter.
That's the word I got today from Dennis Hill, a spokesman for Bechtel Jacobs Co., the Dept. of Energy's environmental manager in Oak Ridge.
Weapons world: W76 & nuclear gibberish
Jerry Talbot, the NNSA's new assistant deputy administrator for nuclear safety and operations, was in town earlier this week, and aside from getting a Sunday tour of the Graphite Reactor, he spent most of his time getting the low-down on operations at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant.
I asked if Talbot received a briefing on the W76 and the troubled warhead rehab program at Y-12, but a federal spokesman wouldn't comment.
When asked for an update on the W76, Steven Wyatt of the NNSA office said, "Work is ongoing." Asked what that meant, he repeated, "Work is onging" -- apparently the only phrase that had been cleared for public release.
Milestone at Molten Salt Reactor
Inside the Molten Salt Reactor (photo/BJC)
The fissile uranium-233 has reportedly been extracted from the fuel salt tanks at the Molten Salt Reactor, completing what's been an extraordinary difficult, lengthy and expensive campaign. Work was restarted last fall after a long delay.
Dennis Hill, a spokesman for Bechtel Jacobs Co., the Dept. of Energy's contractor, said, "We're in the process of shipping it to a safe and secure location." He was referring to Building 3019 at ORNL, where the material will be co-located with other stocks of U-233, which is of potential use in nuclear weapons.
More time to comment on nuke complex
The National Nuclear Security Administration has extended the comment period on weapons complex "transformation" to April 30. (It was supposed to end April 10.)
According to the NNSA, more than 85,000 comments have already been received, and more than 600 oral comments were made during a series of public hearings, including Feb. 26 in Oak Ridge. You can submit comments via e-mail at: ComplexTransformation@nnsa.doe.gov
Here's a link to the programmatic environmental impact statement and other documents.
Recruiting never stops
A couple of students from the Merrimack (N.H.) High School team that made a splash at the recent Global Venture Challenge have contacted ORNL's Thomas Zacharia and may take him up on scholarship offers at UT (where he's also vice president for science and technology).
One student wrote: "The fact that ORNL and UT have collaborative relationships was very appealing. I am a junior this year and am planning on getting a science major (I'm still deciding exactly what specific major) and then continuing by going into medical school. I feel that your university is extremely promising for the direction I want to head in. I plan on applying to UT this fall and I knew to take you seriously when you offered your assistance. I'd like to take you up on your offers of the full tuition and graduate research as an undergraduate."
Radioactive Report Card
The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability plans to release a Radioactive Report Card on DOE nuclear weapons sites next week, with a briefing titled, "Nuclear Weapons Reform: Agenda for the Next Administration." The press briefing will take place in Washington on Monday (April 14)
Y-12 layoffs?
Still no word about whether layoffs will be required in order to trim the salaried workforce at the Oak Ridge warhead facility. Plant spokesman Bill Wilburn said a management meeting related to that issue was taking place today and more information should be available at the first of next week.
As noted in an earlier story, only 230 people applied for the incentive-laden voluntary-departure program and 10 of those later backed out. B&W, the government's managing contractor at Y-12, had hoped to get 300 to 400 volunteers from the salaried ranks.
Neutron-seeking cougar
I've received dozens of phone calls or messages from folks following Monday's story about cougar sightings on the government's Oak Ridge reservation. Suffice it to say, a lot of people have seen something out there, cougar or not, and I won't recount them all here.
However, I will pass along the report of Tom "Rico" Carty, an electrical designer at the Spallation Neutron Source, who said he saw a cougar as he drove to work last fall. Carty said he encountered the big cat as he rounded a curve near the SNS. It was still dark, at about 5:20 a.m., and Carty said the cat froze in the car's headlights.
'Think Outside The Bomb'
That's the name of a not-for-nukes conference to be held this weekend in Washington, D.C., one of the string of regional conferences to be held this year. Here's the agenda.
The conferences were started in 2005 by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
Deer in the road
Deer hunts have done their job in thinning the population on the federal reservation in Oak Ridge and reducing the number of deer/vehicle collisions.
In 1985, there were 273 vehicle accidents involving deer, according to Neil Giffen, ORNL's wildlife management coordinator. Last year, the number was 123, which still seems like a lot of roadkill. (Those numbers include the city of Oak Ridge as well as the DOE reservation.)
"It's a nationwide problem," Giffen said.
Protest Sunday at Y-12: rules of engagement
The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance will stage a protest Sunday, with activities at Bissell Park between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by a cross-town march to the Y-12 entrance on Scarboro Road.
Here's a link to video from last year's Hiroshima Day protest.
Continue reading "Protest Sunday at Y-12: rules of engagement"
Quotes from computing lovefest
photo/Michael Patrick
Nice turnout for Thursday's celebration of the $65 million Track II award from the National Science Foundation for a petaflop computer.
Here are a few of the words uttered at the newly named National Institute for Computational Sciences:
Kiwi or Esquire, Mr. Talbot?
Jerry Talbot, the NNSA's asst. deputy administrator for nuclear safety and operations, is going to get an eyeful of Y-12 for the first few days of next week, and apparently that means big-time prep for the folks at the Oak Ridge warhead facility.
Everything is dicey right now in the nuclear weapons complex, what with reconfiguration plans still up in the air and hoped-for dollars for modernization at stake, and so every visit by big-wigs from Washington and influential folks of any ilk seems to take on extra importance.
Does that make sense? It does if you're at Y-12.
Young, (very) bright, and bankable
Merrimack's Bio-Buddie 2000 prototype (photo/Michael Patrick)
The winner of the Global Venture Challenge held this week at ORNL was a team from the University of Tennessee (Volantis), with a grand prize of $25,000 for their project -- involving a superhydrophobic ship hull coating.
But maybe the biggest news was that a New Hampshire high-school team -- competing against students from major universities -- finished in a tie for second. Another UT team (Airflow Hybrid) shared second place.
More job cuts at Y-12
There's a story posted on the latest announcement, and this program will target the Oak Ridge plant's hourly workforce.
The CORRE issue
Some folks with the Coalition of Oak Ridge Retired Employees were unhappy when B&W Technnical Services, the government contractor, discontinued the retiree newsletter a few months ago. One associate with CORRE said the newsletter was one of the best ways to reach the group's full membership and thousands of other retirees.
Bill Wilburn, a B&W spokesman, said the move was about saving money and was not a negative action against CORRE.
In support of ITER
U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., were among the signatories of a March 17 letter seeking a supplemental appropriation for the U.S. commitment on ITER and support other science activities.
For those who didn't see it at the time, here's a link to the letter from Alexander, Corker, etc.
Change at EnergySolutions
Miles Smith is the new senior vice president and head of EnergySolutions' Oak Ridge-based Eastern Operations Division. He succeeds Pat Hopper, who has left the company.
The company's Eastern Operations includes all federal contracts in the eastern United States, including work for the Dept. of Energy, Defense and Army Corps of Engineers, EnergySolutions said.
Frank Munger will be covering the Dept. of Energy's Oak Ridge facilities and other things nuclear. The blog will include random thoughts and opinions, behind-the-scenes tidbits, and expanded coverage and analysis of Oak Ridge news. 