November 2007
Cancer risks of CT scans
A new study on the cancer risks of CT scans is drawing wide attention, including a story by the Associated Press.
Owen Hoffman, an internationally recognized risk analyst who heads SENES Oak Ridge Inc., said the study in the New England Journal of Medicine raises important issues.
Under the microscope
An article in the news section of the British journal Nature raises questions about the Dept. of Energy's oversight of an investigation that involved allegations of scientific misconduct at ORNL. Here's the link.
Nuke defense chief
Retired Major General Robert Smolen was sworn in today as the NNSA's deputy administrator for defense programs.
He will oversee the nuclear weapons program for the National Nuclear Security Adminstration, including the activities at Y-12 in Oak Ridge.
ORNL's Poster Boy
Thomas Zacharia, ORNL's computing guru, is featured in a snazzy new ad in Fortune magazine.
To take a look, click the link and then type in 96 (at the top where it says C1 of 207) and then hit enter.
It's very Zacharia.
Reprieve for BJC retirees?
A Dept. of Energy spokesman today said a jump in insurance costs for Bechtel Jacobs retirees, which was scheduled to take effect at the first of the year, has been put on hold and is being reevaluated.
John Shewairy of DOE said, "Our involvement with BJC has led to the understanding that they're going to reevaluate this approach."
He added: "My understanding is that anything that was initially scheduled for the first of the year has been put on hold by Bechtel Jacobs."
Neutrons galore
Congratulations to the operations folks at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor and the designers of the reactor's new cold source, which is reportedly performing above expectations.
Based on test results, the reactor may have established a new world record for the concentration of cold neutrons available for research. Here's the story.
Good news for ITER
On Nov. 19, President Bush signed an executive order designating the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization as as a "Public International Organization."
I don't understand exactly what that means, but it's reportedly good news for Oak Ridge, which is home to the U.S. involvement in ITER -- International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
Bigger than Rocky Flats?
According to Gerald Boyd, the Dept. of Energy's manager, the proposed Oak Ridge cleanup program -- called the Integrated Facility Disposition Project -- would be bigger than the massive cleanup and closure effort at the Rocky Flats Plant in Colorado.
That's pretty amazing, given that the takedown of Rocky Flats (a plutonium parts factory in the foothills of the Rockies) was pretty much the gold standard for difficulty in nuclear cleanup.
Geek Fest on Rocky Top
What do physicists do before a football game? Well, some probably gather in parking lots, trash talk opponents and mash their mouths with hotdogs and three-layer bean dip like the rest of us.
But others, such as former ORNL deputy director Lee Riedinger (now back on the Physics faculty at UT), amuse themselves by playing a hotly competitive game of Ubi.
I'll let Lee share his story:
The Way They Were
The Dept. of Energy hosted a shindig in September to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its Oak Ridge office, and a few hundred former employees turned out for the event.
DOE staff also put together a collection of historical photographs and documents to stir the memories, and now there's a Website where folks can view and dowload the stuff. Take a look.
ORNL Awards -- The Whole Shebang
A reader wrote to complain that only Vinod Sikka (scientist of the year) and a couple of other honorees were noted in news item about ORNL Awards Night. Actually, the lab didn't send out the entire list to the news media, but I requested and got it.
Here's a cut-and-paste on the whole shebang. Find your friends and neighbors. Enjoy.
BJC Retirees -- Update
Dennis Hill, a spokesman for Bechtel Jacobs Co., today said that 547 pre-65 retirees are affected by changes in the medical and dental benefits program that shifts more of the cost burden from the company to the retirees.
As noted in earlier post, the change would double the cost for some retirees with the dual plan, with monthly payments going from about $400 to $800.
Childcare at ORNL?
From the time of its arrival as managing contractor in 2000, UT-Battelle has been grappling with the idea of an on-site daycare facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Seven and a half years later, it's still not a reality.
It's not for a lack of trying, according to ORNL's deputy director for operations, Jeff Smith.
Vinod Sikka, superstar
Congratulations to Sikka for taking top honors at the annual ORNL Awards Night. He was recognized for outstanding individual accomplishment in science and technology, as well as inventor of the year.
Sikka said he was totally surprised at Friday's banquet at the Knoxville Convention Center. "I had no clue this was going to happen. I was really taken. I guess I should have known something was up. When I walked in, I was at the head table with all the big shots!"
The Molten Salt Inve$tment
According to new information provided by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge office, the cost of the Molten Salt Reactor cleanup project will reach $224 million by the end of fiscal 2008. The work began in 1994 when it was discovered that fissile uranium had migrated to unsafe areas of the facility.
The tab for Molten Salt isn't petty cash, even by DOE standards, especially when you consider that it doesn't even include the future cost of removing tons of highly radioactive fuel salts stored in the basement of the reactor since 1969 -- when the experimental reactor was shut down permanently.
The ultimate price tag could be much bigger.
Off to Vienna
Susan Gawarecki, executive director of the Local Oversight Committee, which reviews environmental activities for local governments, is taking on a new role in conjunction with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In 2003, Gawarecki contributed to an IAEA report, "Revelopment of Nuclear Facilities After Decommissioning." Now she's going to be part of a follow-up effort.
Here's the scoop from her:
BJC retirees take a big hit
Some retirees from Bechtel Jacobs, DOE's cleanup contractor since 1998 (when the environmental work was spun off from the Lockheed Martin contract), aren't the least bit happy with the latest news from the company.
For pre-65 retirees, the medical and dental insurance premiums are going to double at the first of the year. Instead of paying 75 percent of the premium, BJC is only going to pay half. That means, for dual coverage, the monthly premium will go from about $400 a month to $800. Ouch!
Here's the response from a Bechtel Jacobs spokesman:
Layoffs at Y-12?
Everybody keeps waiting for the fallout from the FY 2008 budget hold and how many Y-12 jobs will be cut.
A report circulated that BWXT, the contractor at Y-12, had received approval for a VRIF (voluntary reduction in force) program, but plant spokesman Bill Wilburn said that's just not the case. At least not yet.
Dolly & The Eggheads
What do Tuan Vo-Dinh, the former ORNL scientist who now heads a research institute at Duke University, and Dolly Parton have in common? Not much, of course, except they both made a list of the World's Top 100 Living Geniuses. They were joined by such diverse luminaries as Bill Gates and Osama Bin Laden (tied with Vo-Dinh at No. 43).
I haven't talked with Parton, No. 94, who was joined on the list by another Dalai (Lama), but I did catch up with Vo-Dinh by telephone.
Welcome
It's here.
After a couple of years of prodding (from editors, etc.), I've decided to join the blogosphere and provide a broader forum for Oak Ridge news and discussion. I expect it to be a bit of a free-for-all. Hopefully, it'll be fun, informative and -- maybe -- entertaining.
We'll see how it goes . . . Welcome.
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. 