Archived News Releases for 2009

For more information on ORNL and its research and development activities, please refer to the resources listed below or to one of our Media Contacts. If you have a general media-related question or comment, you can send it to news@ornl.gov.

 
New ORNL building observes top-off ceremony
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 22, 2009 — Construction crews have installed the final girder at the new Chemical and Material Sciences building being constructed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

UT-Battelle community giving tops $2 million in 2009
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 22, 2009 — Led by two legacy gifts and a record United Way campaign, UT-Battelle and ORNL staff contributed more than $2 million to a variety of local projects and initiatives in 2009.

UT-Battelle employees increase efforts to help communities
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 21, 2009 — More than 800 employees of UT-Battelle have provided volunteer time to community service projects in East Tennessee during 2009.

UT-Battelle's delivery of science highlights strong DOE performance ratings
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 16, 2009 — Led by a number of scientific breakthroughs and operational milestones at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, UT-Battelle has again earned high performance ratings from the Department of Energy.

Knoxville team wins Tennessee Lego Tournament
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 15, 2009 — A group of Knoxville students ages 9 to 14 will head to Atlanta in April to compete in the World First Lego Tournament after winning the state tournament Dec. 5 in Cookeville.

ORNL receives Recovery Act funding for Carbon Fiber Technology Center
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 4, 2009 — A new, stimulus-funded research center at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could help strengthen the very 'fiber' of America's automotive and energy industries.

ORNL again tops $1 million in United Way giving
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 2, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory is charting big numbers again, but this time it's not megawatts or petaflops. The Department of Energy laboratory for the second time has topped the $1 million mark in its 2009 United Way campaign.

DOE science poster competition at Oak Ridge National Laboratory boasts top student winners
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 1, 2009 — Eighteen top national undergraduate science students, including one grand prize winner, have been named at the U.S. Department of Energy's second annual Science and Energy Research Challenge (SERCh,) held recently at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL "deep retrofits" can cut home energy bills in half
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 25, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory has announced plans to conduct a series of deep energy retrofit research projects with the potential to improve the energy efficiency in selected homes by as much as 30 to 50 percent.

ORNL, Los Alamos pioneer new approach to assist scientists, farmers
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 19, 2009 — Sustainable farming, initially adopted to preserve soil quality for future generations, may also play a role in maintaining a healthy climate, according to researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories.

ORNL, partners helping scientists deal with data deluge
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 18, 2009 — Vast amounts of information that could hold the key to breakthroughs in environmental research will be made readily available through a network created by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners.

UT's Kraken Named World's Third Most Powerful Computer, ORNL's Jaguar No. 1
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 16, 2009 — KNOXVILLE - East Tennessee is now home to two of the world's three fastest computers, according to new rankings released today.

NSF Dedicates Athena Supercomputer to Climate Research
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 16, 2009 — OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 16, 2009 --Thanks to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute for Computational Sciences's (NICS's) Athena supercomputer is hosting one of the largest climate simulations in history.

Oak Ridge 'Jaguar' Supercomputer is World's Fastest
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 16, 2009 — An upgrade to a Cray XT5 high-performance computing system deployed by the Department of Energy has made the "Jaguar" supercomputer the world's fastest. Located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Jaguar is the scientific research community's most powerful computational tool for exploring solutions to some of today's most difficult problems. The upgrade, funded with $19.9 million under the Recovery Act, will enable scientific simulations for exploring solutions to climate change and the development of new energy technologies.

ORNL wins Tennessee award for saving water, helping environment
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 13, 2009 — Activities that are saving water and helping the environment have earned UT-Battelle, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory, honors from the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

ORNL celebrates second safest year in history
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 13, 2009 — The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory finished Fiscal Year 2009 in September with the second safest year in its history, according to Herb Debban, ORNL's associate laboratory director for Facilities and Operations.

Retired Army general praises military response at Fort Hood
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 11, 2009 — Retired U.S. Army Major Gen. Warren Edwards told an Oak Ridge National Laboratory Veterans Day audience Wednesday that military personnel acted heroically in response to the recent Fort Hood shooting.

Microbiologist and Environmental Engineer Loeffler Named Sixth UT-ORNL Governor's Chair
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 9, 2009 — Frank Loeffler, a leading expert in environmental microbiology and the use of bacteria to clean and protect environmental resources, has been named the sixth University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor's Chair.

Cole garners ORNL's top individual award in science for 2009
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 6, 2009 — David Cole, a group leader in the Chemical Sciences Division of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has earned the UT-Battelle Director's Award for Outstanding Individual Accomplishment in Science and Technology.

ORNL wins Tennessee award for saving water, helping environment
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 29, 2009 — Activities that are saving water and helping the environment have earned UT-Battelle, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory, honors from the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Scientists Develop New Method to Quantify Climate Modeling Uncertainty
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 21, 2009 — Climate scientists recognize that climate modeling projections include a significant level of uncertainty. A team of researchers using computing facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has identified a new method for quantifying this uncertainty.

ORNL, Da Vinci sign licensing agreement
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 20, 2009 — An Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology for analyzing automotive engine oil has been licensed to a Texas firm that specializes in a broad suite of combustion engine lubrication and emissions testing services and equipment.

Suzanne Herron named deputy project director at U.S. ITER
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 16, 2009 — Suzanne A. Herron has been appointed deputy project director for the U.S. ITER Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She previously was senior manager for Project Controls for U.S. ITER.

Key new ingredient in climate model refines global predictions
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 9, 2009 — For the first time, climate scientists from across the country have successfully incorporated the nitrogen cycle into global simulations for climate change, questioning previous assumptions regarding carbon feedback and potentially helping to refine model forecasts about global warming.

Former ORNL researcher wins Nobel Prize
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 7, 2009 — One of the winners of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry spent the early part of his career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL hosts fourth annual Global Venture Challenge
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 5, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory will host the fourth annual Global Venture Challenge on March 24-26, 2010.

U.S. ITER awards contracts worth $33 million for materials for ITER's largest magnets
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 5, 2009 — The U.S. ITER Project Office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has awarded two contracts totaling $33.6 million for 8,270 km of niobium tin strand and 4,795 km of copper strand for the Toroidal Field Conductor, a major component of U.S. contributions to the ITER Project. ITER's Toroidal Field Magnets will fill the plasma volume (~1000 cubic meters) with a magnetic field roughly 100,000 times the Earth's magnetic field.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has sharp increase in visitors
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 2, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory provided tours of the laboratory for more than 5,000 visitors in 2009, an increase of nearly 50 percent over the previous year. The number of visitors to the laboratory was the largest since the world's fair in 1982.

UT Knoxville and ORNL Researchers Reveal Key To How Bacteria Clear Mercury Pollution
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 1, 2009 — Mercury pollution is a persistent problem in the environment. Human activity has lead to increasingly large accumulations of the toxic chemical, especially in waterways, where fish and shellfish tend to act as sponges for the heavy metal.

Spallation Neutron Source first of its kind to reach megawatt power
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 28, 2009 — The Department of Energy's Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), already the world's most powerful facility for pulsed neutron scattering science, is now the first pulsed spallation neutron source to break the one-megawatt barrier.

ORNL hosting 28 bright students from Governor's Academy
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 17, 2009 — Twenty-eight high school juniors, who are among Tennessee's brightest students, are beginning an academic year long program through the Governor's Academy for Math and Science.

Clarksville student hopes to develop new energy source
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 17, 2009 — Cameron Wainright is a highly motivated Clarksville High School junior entered in this year's Tennessee Governor's Academy for Math and Sciences being held at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee.

ORNL director see bright future for clean energy jobs in state
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 17, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason told the Governor's Economic Development Conference in Nashville that clean energy companies appear to have a bright future in Tennessee.

ORAU Seeks Proposals for High-Performance Computing Grants
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 14, 2009 — Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) announces a call for proposals for a series of high-performance computing grants that would allow faculty and student research teams the opportunity to participate in research with the benefit of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) computing resources and staff. The competitive grant program, open to ORAU's 97 member institutions, provides potential funding of up to $75,000 for three years, allowing participant teams the opportunity to take full advantage of ORNL's ultrascale computing resources for scientific discovery in any discipline.

ORNL-MTSU collaboration brings new instrument to HFIR
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 9, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory is part of a collaboration with Middle Tennessee State University, North Carolina State University, and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute to bring a state-of-the-art neutron analysis instrument to ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor.

UT-Battelle Wins 2008 DOE Mentor of the Year Award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 31, 2009 — UT-Battelle has been named the winner of the 2008 DOE Mentor of the Year Award. The honor was presented recently at the Department of Energy's 10th Annual Small Business Conference in Long Beach, Cal.

UT-Battelle donates $175,000 to restore Oak Ridge Playhouse
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 31, 2009 — UT-Battelle has announced a gift of $175,000 to the Oak Ridge Playhouse to help restore one of the oldest community theaters in the Southeast.

ORNL scientists hone technique to safeguard water supplies
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 28, 2009 — A method to detect contaminants in municipal water supplies has undergone further refinements by two Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers whose findings are published on line in Water Environment Research.

Audio Spot: ORNL employees learn about green technology alternatives
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 27, 2009 — Personnel at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory learned about practical green technology alternatives during a lunchtime program.

Ex-Knoxvillian wins Oak Ridge bicycle race
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 26, 2009 — Former Knoxvillian John Hart came home to East Tennessee to win the Oak Ridge Velo Classic bicycle race Sunday around Oak Ridge's historic Jackson Square.

Singh, Kreykes named UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 12, 2009 — UT-Battelle has added two researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to its list of UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows. David J. Singh and Jon A. Kreykes have been recognized for sustained outstanding achievements in their scientific and technical fields.

Audio Spot: ORNL to assist Nissan with electric car power recharge needs
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 6, 2009 — Nissan's plan to build 5,000 short-haul electric cars with a range of 100 miles will get a boost from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Audio Spot: Knox science teachers receive ORNL science briefings
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 6, 2009 — A number of science teachers in Knox County Schools are receiving briefings this summer on research taking place at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Forest response project FACEs the end
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 28, 2009 — After 12 years, an experiment focused on forest growth and climate change comes to an end, and researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are eager to collect and analyze data to see if their predictions match results.

Spallation Neutron Source sees first target replacement
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 27, 2009 — Having outlasted all expectations of its service life, the original mercury target of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science's record-setting neutron science facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is being replaced for the first time.

Goyal earns World Technology Network honor
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 27, 2009 — Amit Goyal of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Materials Science and Technology Division has been elected fellow of the World Technology Network for his innovative work in the materials science field.

Spring cold snap helps with stream ecosystem research
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 23, 2009 — A rare April freeze in 2007 provided researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory with further evidence that climate change could have negative effects on stream and forest ecosystems.

ORNL advances therapy for Parkinson's, other diseases
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 22, 2009 — By miniaturizing a device that monitors the delivery of healthy cells, researchers at Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing a powerful instrument for physicians to use in treating patients with Parkinson's syndrome, brain tumors and other diseases.

Work begins on first Recovery Act funded demolition project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 20, 2009 — The Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has begun cleanup and demolition of the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory, a long-vacant facility on the Laboratory's central campus. Contractors expect to employ approximately 30 workers for the project, which is slated for completion by January 2010.

ORNL researchers win eight R&D 100 awards
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 20, 2009 — Researchers and engineers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have won eight R&D 100 Awards, which are presented each year by R&D Magazine in recognition of the year's most significant technological innovations.

Oak Ridge Supercomputers Provide First Simulation of Abrupt Climate Change
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 16, 2009 — At the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the world's fastest supercomputer for unclassified research is simulating abrupt climate change and shedding light on an enigmatic period of natural global warming in Earth's relatively recent history. The work, led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), is featured in the July 17 issue of the journal Science and provides valuable new data about the causes and effects of global climate change.

ORNL's Blue, Qu, Robinson recognized
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 14, 2009 — Three researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been recognized by national societies for their recent accomplishments in science and engineering.

President cites ORNL's Gary A. Baker as leading early career scientist
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 10, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Gary A. Baker has been named to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Baker is one of 12 Department of Energy scientists to receive the presidential award.

H.T. Hackney, Knoxville Area Transit team with ORNL, DOT
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 7, 2009 — Local distributor H.T. Hackney and Knoxville Area Transit have teamed up with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Department of Transportation to help improve national highway safety, energy efficiency and performance of America's medium-class 6 and 7 trucks and transit buses.

Power Grid Expert Liu Named Fourth UT-ORNL Governor's Chair
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 6, 2009 — Yilu Liu, an expert in the technologies used to monitor power grids and a researcher in ways to create the next generation "smart grid," has been named the fourth University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor's Chair.

Keller to lead ORNL's Biological and Environmental Sciences
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 29, 2009 — Martin Keller has been named to lead the Biological and Environmental Sciences Directorate (BESD) at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The appointment is effective July 1.

Four supercomputers at Oak Ridge computing complex among world's 25 fastest
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 24, 2009 — Jaguar XT5, a Cray high-performance computing system component at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, remains the world's fastest supercomputer for unclassified research, according to a roster released this week in Hamburg. The TOP500 list named four machines at the ORNL computing complex among the world's 25 swiftest. All told, five Oak Ridge machines made the list.

ORNL kicks off 2009 United Way campaign
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 23, 2009 — University of Tennessee head football coach Lane Kiffin helped the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory kick off its 2009 United Way campaign with a rally in front of hundreds of employees.

ORNL appoints first Alvin Weinberg fellows
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 23, 2009 — Four early-career researchers have received the first Alvin M. Weinberg Fellowship appointments from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Nuclear engineering program prepares future researchers
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 18, 2009 — An Oak Ridge National Laboratory program for nuclear engineering students is helping provide the workforce to produce carbon-free nuclear power for the future.

WKU Students Work On Project With Oak Ridge National Lab
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 18, 2009 — WKU Students Work On Project With Oak Ridge National Lab

ORNL welcomes a record number of summer interns
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 17, 2009 — A record number of undergraduate and graduate students at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are learning firsthand about science and technologies that could change lives.

ORNL finding could help electronics industry enter new phase
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 16, 2009 — Electronic devices of the future could be smaller, faster, more powerful and consume less energy because of a discovery by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL partners with GE on new electric water heater
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 4, 2009 — About 400 jobs will be created at a Louisville General Electric plant where a new electric water heater will be built.

Chemical Science Building Groundbreaking
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 29, 2009 — Officials of the Department of Energy and UT-Battelle broke ground today on a $95 million Chemical and Materials Sciences facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Construction of the new laboratory facility is supported by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enacted by Congress earlier this year.

ORNL to assist in Syracuse wall testing effort
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 28, 2009 — The Buildings Technology Center of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is joining an effort in Syracuse, N.Y., to gather information on the effectiveness of new energy efficient wall technologies.

ORNL begins work on stimulus-funded research facility
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 27, 2009 — Officials of the Department of Energy and UT-Battelle broke ground today on a $95 million Chemical and Materials Sciences facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Construction of the new laboratory facility is supported by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enacted by Congress earlier this year.

Governor's School for Math, Science concluding for year
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 13, 2009 — High school students from across Tennessee enrolled in this academic year's Governor's Academy for Math and Science are concluding their work at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory almost nine months after they started, according to academy director Craig Green of the University of Tennessee.

Wider truck tires can result in carrying more cargo
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 13, 2009 — Tractor-trailers may be able to improve fuel efficiency and increase the amount of cargo with single wide tires instead of the more conventional and thinner dual tires.

Bredesen Proposes Volunteer State Solar Initiative
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 13, 2009 — Governor Phil Bredesen today proposed the Volunteer State Solar Initiative, a comprehensive solar-energy and economic-development program that will use up to $62.5 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to advance job creation, education, research, and renewable-power production in Tennessee.

UT, ORNL, TVA partner in Volunteer State Solar Initiative
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 13, 2009 — The University of Tennessee will join Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Valley Authority as a partner in Gov. Phil Bredesen's proposed Volunteer State Solar Initiative announced today.

GE to Market SNS-Designed Electronics
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 8, 2009 — GE Energy, manufacturer of Reuter Stokes radiation detection equipment, signed a technology transfer agreement to market the electronics and software associated with the SNS 8Pack neutron detector system, an award-winning design for a system of sensitive neutron detectors developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

DOE to establish Energy Frontier Research Centers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 28, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be home to two of 46 new multi-million-dollar Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) announced today by the White House in conjunction with a speech delivered by President Barack Obama at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences.

Senate Energy Chairman Bingaman visits ORNL
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 25, 2009 — OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 24, 2009 - U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, (D-New Mexico), who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, visited Oak ridge National Laboratory today said research taking place at the Spallation Neutron Source at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory works in concert with work taking place at the two national laboratories located in his state of New Mexico.

ORNL employees encouraged to make Earth Day choices
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 22, 2009 — A focus of Earth Day 2009 at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is encouraging employees to make environmentally friendly choices, according to the laboratory's Earth Day coordinator, Ramie Wilkerson.

Knoxville Hosts International Conference on Neutron Scattering 2009
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 15, 2009 —

Researchers discover primer to plant defense system
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 3, 2009 — By identifying a novel compound that primes a plant's immune system, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Chicago may be on a path to developing disease-resistant plants.

ORNL hosts future young women scientists
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 2, 2009 — Several hundred college and high school women wanting to pursue science or engineering careers, met other women working in these fields - present and past - during a recent conference at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Lenoir City High School student wins UT-Battelle Scholarship
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 1, 2009 — Jeremy Buckles, a student at Lenoir City High School, is this year's winner of the four-year UT-Battelle Scholarship to the University of Tennessee.

UT-Battelle names six Small Business Awards winners
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 1, 2009 — Six businesses that provide services from computer technology to construction were honored recently by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the 10th Annual Small Business Subcontractor Awards Program.

ORNL, St. Jude track neurons to predict and prevent disease
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 30, 2009 — Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are looking at how developing nerve cells may hold a key to predicting and preventing diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Purdue team wins ORNL Global Venture Challenge
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 27, 2009 — A Purdue University students' business plan for making low-cost, energy efficient lights has won first place in the Global Venture Challenge Idea to Product Competition at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Geographers honor ORNL's Tom Wilbanks
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 24, 2009 — Tom Wilbanks, a social scientist and researcher on the human dimensions of climate change for the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been recognized by the Association of American Geographers (AAG) for his service to geography and the general scientific community.

Bioenergy classes focus on elementary students, parents
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 23, 2009 — A program to educate elementary school students and their parents about the importance of bioenergy for the future has been undertaken in a joint effort by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Creative Science Museum of Chattanooga.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory to receive $71.2 million in Recovery Act funding
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 23, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials announced today that construction will start in eight to 10 weeks on a major research facility made possible by $71.2 million from President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Knoxville site of global Quark Matter Conference, March 30-April 4
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 20, 2009 — Physicists from 35 countries and nearly 200 institutions are coming to Knoxville, Tenn., March 30-April 4, for the International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus Collisions, hosted by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL, Southern Cal set sights on preventing blindness
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 19, 2009 — Blindness in millions of people with diseases that starve eye tissue and nerves of oxygen might be averted with a procedure being developed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Southern California and the University of Tennessee.

Spring nature walks include variety of topics
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 18, 2009 — Observations of wildflowers, birds, animal inventories, invasive plants and history highlight topics to be focused on this spring during six weekend nature walks in the Department of Energy's National Environmental Research Park.

ORNL researchers talk to middle schoolers about science
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 10, 2009 — Sixth graders at Lenoir City's North Middle School are still be a few years away from their career pursuits, but they had some career seeds planted in their heads during a recent visit by Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers.

Karsner to speak at ORNL's Global Venture Challenge 2009
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 10, 2009 — Andy Karsner, former Assistant Energy Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Competitiveness, will be the keynote speaker for the 2009 Global Venture Challenge at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORAU and ORNL Announce Winners in First-Ever High-Performance Computing Grants Competition
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 27, 2009 — Oak Ridge Associated Universities and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have announced four winners in the first high-performance computing grants competition.

ORNL's Minter honored for promotion of higher education
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 27, 2009 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Will Minter has been presented with a 2009 Black Engineer of the Year Award for Corporate Promotion of Higher Education.

ORNL paving 'Smart Freight' technology path
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 26, 2009 — With calls for a mass upgrade of the nation's infrastructure - especially in transportation - the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is leading the way with technology involving the term smart freight, according to Oak Ridge's Randy Walker.

Global Venture Challenge 2009 semi-finalists named
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 20, 2009 — Students teams from 15 universities have been selected to advance to the semi-final round of the 2009 Global Venture Challenge 2009 March 25-27 at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL, UT project could save vision of millions
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 17, 2009 — In the blink of an eye, people at risk of becoming blind can now be screened for eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

Solar Array at ORNL
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 13, 2009 — Click the link above to see and hear an audio slide show of the ORNL solar array dedication.

New ORNL tool gets handle on cropland CO2 emissions
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 9, 2009 — For the first time, farmers have data that tracks at the county level on-site and off-site energy use and carbon dioxide emissions associated with growing crops in the United States.

ORNL, Morehouse College offer supercomputing class
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 2, 2009 — Students at Morehouse College will get a super-close look at the world of supercomputing through a long distance learning class this spring semester being taught in conjunction with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL to host third Global Venture Challenge in March
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Jan. 26, 2009 —

Spallation Neutron Source gets initial go-ahead on second target
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Jan. 16, 2009 — The U.S. Department of Energy has given its initial approval to begin plans for a second target station for the Spallation Neutron Source, expanding what is already the world's most powerful pulsed neutron scattering facility located at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Two ORNL researchers designated AAAS Fellows
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Jan. 12, 2009 — Two scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are among the 486 to be elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at the 2009 Annual Meeting next month in Chicago.