Neutron Science In the News – 2003

December

ORNL hopes for expanded funding: Talks are under way on private financing

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 12/18

Alex Fischer, technology transfer chief at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, told business and government leaders Wednesday that negotiations are under way to allow private funding for technology transfer projects in addition to government financing…Other economic development initiatives that Fischer said are being pushed at the laboratory include…Determining ways to attract industries to the Nanoscience and Spallation Neutron Source facilities that are under construction.

Pass or fail, Frist grade depends on who gives it

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 12/7

…In East Tennessee, the largest new research facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Spallation Neutron Source, won $143 million for continued construction. Congress approved $5.4 million to start work on a replacement lock for the crumbling Chickamauga Lock on the Tennessee River.

Compact accelerator neutron generators

The Industrial Phyicist, December-January 2003/20004

For industrial applications that require neutrons, users have three primary sources from which to choose: nuclear reactors, radioisotopes, and accelerator-based neutron sources…Particle accelerators are the third source of neutrons for industry. These systems vary in size and diversity, and they include large installations such as the Spallation Neutron Source under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORNL gets new lease on life

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 12/1

Today the lab has new management by the University of Tennessee-Battelle; new leadership from Dr. Bill Madia and Dr. Jeff Wadsworth; a solid political coalition led by Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Chattanooga; and smart project management headed by Dr. Thom Mason. As a result, Research Ridge has been reborn with a capital investment rivaling the original Manhattan Project…Not only is the lab nearing completion of one of the world’s largest science projects – the $1.4 billion SNS; it also will soon move into a $300 million office-laboratory complex.

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November

WW II vet still on job at 82

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 11/30

At age 82, [Ray Waldrop] recently celebrated 50 years of service at the Oak Ridge warhead plant, where he’s earned a reputation as a problem-solver with supreme skills for electroplating metals onto the surface of bomb parts and other components…He’s now consulting on the Spallation Neutron Source, a $1.4 billion science project under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Tuan Vo-Dinh named outstanding ORNL scientist: Many recognized at lab’s Awards Night

Oak Ridger, 11/26

The Director’s Award for outstanding team accomplishment was presented to a group from the Spallation Neutron Source’s Accelerator Systems Division for important contributions in overcoming a critical roadblock for the low-level RF control system. The work was performed under constant scrutiny by an oversight board, according to a press release. The team was composed of Jeffrey Ball, Mark Champion, Mark Crofford, Taylor Davidson, Hengjie Ma, Maurice Piller, Thomas Shea and Craig Swanson.

School Board talks Foundation

Oak Ridger, 11/25

Oak Ridge School Board member Tracy Larabee gave an update of the Education Foundation during the Board of Education meeting Monday evening in the conference seminar room of the School Administration Building. Larabee said the foundation is up to 19 members and the chairman is Thom Mason, the director of Spallation Neutron Source.

OR mayor sees bright days ahead

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 11/23

Oak Ridge Mayor David Bradshaw painted a bright economic picture of the city’s future in his "state of the city" talk to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. From the Spallation Neutron Source science experiment now being built near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to new homes, to sweeping changes at the former K-25 site, a number of factors are aligning themselves favorably, Bradshaw said.

FY 2004 budget draws to a close

Oak Ridger, 11/21

And, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, seems pleased with the figures designated for Department of Energy-related work in Oak Ridge. The spending bill was approved by the House and Senate earlier this week. Most notable is the funding for the Spallation Neutron Source…The project received the full funding request of $143 million – a figure that’s much lower than the previous fiscal year.

Recent gains are amazing for ORNL

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 11/16

Federal research work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has grown dramatically the last three years in both expense and prestige…The Spallation project is under construction, getting full funding that it needs, and still is expected to reach completion in 2006. Federal energy officials last week said they want within 20 years two major upgrades of the project, which already is called the world's largest civilian science project.

ORNL science ranks in DOE priority plan

Oak Ridger, 11/11

Oak Ridge is clearly marked on a roadmap for keeping the United States at the forefront of the scientific frontier…Ranking at No. 14 is a second target station for the Spallation Neutron Source and a 4-megawatt upgrade in power for the SNS – a $1.4 billion research facility scheduled for completion in 2006.

“Day of Science” Program introduces 300 students to ORNL science

Oak Ridger, 11/18

Around 300 students from more than 40 colleges and universities took part in the science-related program…Amber Roberts, a junior who is dual majoring in computer science and electrical engineering at Spelman College and Georgia Institute of Technology, both in Atlanta, Ga., spent a lot of time talking with Jeff Holmes about the Spallation Neutron Source – a research facility under construction in Oak Ridge.

Special panel gets this tip: State should expand TIIPS

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 11/11

The state of Tennessee should increase funding for its Tennessee Industrial Infrastructure Program and broaden its scope, members of a special legislative study committee were told Monday…Gerald Boyd, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation, said the new Spallation Neutron Source research facility under construction near Oak Ridge and scheduled for completion in 2006 will bring in 2,000 to 3,000 researchers and support personnel each year.

More big projects in store at ORNL: U.S. science priority list includes upgrades at Spallation facility

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 11/11

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham on Monday praised the promise of the Spallation Neutron Source accelerator, which is being built at ORNL and is scheduled for completion in 2006… Thom Mason, director of the Spallation project, said the two proposed upgrades, if funded by Congress, could add perhaps 150 employees and likely double the number of scientists from various countries using the facilities from about 2,000 to 4,000 a year.

Frist, Alexander Announce Support For Tenn. Energy And Water Projects

Chattanooga.com, 11/10

U.S. Senators Bill Frist and Lamar Alexander today announced that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 Energy and Water Appropriations Conference Report includes significant funding for Tennessee energy and water priorities, including support for Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant…$143 million for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) for continued construction, the same amount as the President’s request.

Sec. Abraham Announces Dept. of Energy 20-Year Science Facility Plan; Sets Priorities for 28 New, Major Science Research Facilities

U.S. Newswire, 11/10

In a speech at the National Press Club today, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham outlined the Department of Energy’s Office of Science 20-year science facility plan, a roadmap for future scientific facilities to support the department’s basic science and research missions. The plan prioritizes new, major scientific facilities and upgrades to current facilities… The Spallation Neutron Source, scheduled to be completed in 2006, is the last, large-scale DOE user facility under construction.

ORNL to compete for GTL-3 facility

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 11/03

ORNL plans to compete for one of four research facilities envisioned under a $1 billion federal program [associated with the government’s Genomes to Life research program]…GTL-3 would be built on Chestnut Ridge, a worthy addition to the big projects already under construction there – the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source and the $65 million Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences – and still others being planned.

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October

SNS beam line pipeline popping

Oak Ridger, 10/27

Over half the beam lines at the Spallation Neutron Source have been claimed. That's $164 million worth of neutron real estate atop Chestnut Ridge. The funds will be spent both in Oak Ridge and at research institutions. According to Thom Mason, SNS director, 16 beam lines have been approved, with 13 funded. A total of 24 beam lines are available for use with the first target station.

ORNL, UT hosting 150 journalists, scientists

Oak Ridger, 10/27

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee is hosting approximately 150 journalists and scientists as part of the New Horizons in Science Briefing presented by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing through Wednesday…briefings will be at the lab, including a tour of the Spallation Neutron Source, during the conference.

A neutron’s life span: important to some, not to others

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10/26

…after reading about the newly characterized life of a neutron, I couldn’t wait to call up one of my favorite neutron scientists, Herb Mook, and ask him what this 886.8-second life span meant for Oak Ridge experiments. “It’s irrelevant,” Mook said, swiftly piercing my bubble of interest. “That’s for people who worry about fundamental particle physics.”…

Oak Ridge Corridor has flourished since it began 20 years ago

The Tennessean, 10/21

A "technology corridor" linking the brainpower and resources of the Oak Ridge nuclear weapons and research complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Tennessee is still a work in progress, officials said yesterday…Several factors point to greater growth and new business spinoffs in the future, notably the $1.4 billion being spent by the Department of Energy at the Oak Ridge lab on the Spallation Neutron Source, a catalyst for advances in new materials and medicines set to open in 2006.

Tech corridor lauded, re-examined

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10/21

Touting everything from the national lab's big science project to Monday morning’s fall sunshine, a lineup of government officials lauded the 20th anniversary of the Tennessee Technology Corridor – an effort designed to transform the Oak Ridge/Knoxville/Maryville region into a mecca of high tech development…The group also pointed to the growth of national lab science projects, including the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source and a project to build the world's fastest supercomputer.

Coverage in the Canadian press

• Canada gives $15M to neutron research lab

  Toronto Sun, 10/18

  The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is being given a $15-million boost from the Canadian government as part of an effort to improve Canadian university collaboration with the lab… Project director Thom Mason, a native of Canada, said the partnership is “an indication of the tremendous scientific potential of the facility that is attracting the attention of the research community worldwide.”

  Also available in the Edmonton Sun (10/18), Canoe News (10/18), Canada.com (10/18)

• Canadian foundation investing $15 million in Oak Ridge project

  The Tennessean, 10/19

  An Oak Ridge project in which the world’s most intense beams of neutrons will explore the structure and properties of materials by slamming into them just got a $15 million boost from the Canadian government.

• Canada invests $15 million to enhance research at SNS

  Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10/18

  The Canadian government is investing $15 million in research equipment at the Spallation Neutron Source to enhance university collaborations at Oak Ridge. The Canada Foundation for Innovation announced Friday it is spending the money for design and construction of one of the highly instrumented beam lines at the SNS, a $1.4 billion research facility under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

• One SNS beam line contract goes to a Canadian team

  Oak Ridger, 10/17

  Canadian Foundation for Innovation in conjunction with McMaster University will build a beam line at the Spallation Neutron Source. CFI announced Friday its intention to invest $15 million in international beam research.

• Canada invests $15 million to enhance research at SNS

  Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10/17

  The Canadian government is investing $15 million in scientific instrumentation at the Spallation Neutron Source to enhance research collaborations at Oak Ridge.

The CFI to Announce Canada's Participation at the Spallation Neutron Source in Tennessee

Canada NewsWire, 10/15

On October, 17, 2003, Carmen Charette, Senior Vice-President of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), will announce a CFI investment towards an international collaboration involving McMaster University, for the design and construction of one of 24 beamlines at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee.

Doubling the power, doubling the fun

Oak Ridger, 10/02

There’s a reason the underground accelerator tunnel at the SNS is 250 feet longer than necessary. “We want to make sure we stay in the forefront internationally,” said Thom Mason, Spallation Neutron Source director. “So we deliberately built the linac (tunnel) longer than the accelerator. That left room to install additional superconducting cavities so we can increase the beam energy, which will increase the current you can store in the ring.”

SNS fires string-of-pearls research

Oak Ridger, 10/02

Think of it as a long, long string of pearls. That’s how Norbert Holtkamp, director of accelerator systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, thinks of the ions that will be fired from the front end of the Spallation Neutron Source starting in 2006.

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September

Lost SNS worker: Can you hear me now?

Oak Ridger, 09/30

Boy, folks at the SNS really push to keep that project on schedule.

Slava Danilov, accelerator physicist, was lost without food or cover for about 50 hours in the Cherokee National Forest last week.

But that didn’t stop him from grabbing some cheese crackers, a bit of ointment for his scraped up body, and heading back to the Spallation Neutron Source project within hours of being picked up about an hour’s drive (and likely 30 to 40 miles of walking) from his car.

ORNL $3.9M grant plugs in scientists

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 09/30

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use a $3.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish high-speed computer connections that disseminate science data to researchers across the United States. The money will be used specifically to help researchers get massive amounts of data coming from Oak Ridge experiments at the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source - currently under construction - and the High Flux Isotope Reactor.

ORNL merges onto high-speed network

Oak Ridger, 09/29

The National Science Foundation was to announce Monday its intent to send a $3.9 million grant to Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Center for Computational Sciences, according to Thomas Zacharia, the lab’s associate director for computational sciences …The high-performance network connesctions will send data from the Spallation Neutron Source, the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Center for Computational Sciences to researchers across the nation.

Senator Frist Tours Oak Ridge Facility

WVLT-TV, 09/28

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist tours a billion dollar project at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Frist joined the director of ORNL on the site of the world’s biggest spallation neutron source.

Senate OKs money for SNS, other OR projects

Oak Ridger, 09/17

The Senate on Wednesday passed its version of the Energy and Water appropriations bill with $143 million for the Spallation Neutron Source, which was expected and matched President Bush’s request.

$143M OK’d for SNS

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 09/17

WASHINGTON – Despite a tight budget year, the Senate voted Tuesday to provide $143 million in 2004 to keep Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s top research project on its planned construction schedule with completion by mid-2006.

Accelerator tube fires first ions

Oak Ridger, 09/03

Researchers fired ions inside the first portion of a newly-installed accelerator tube atop Chestnut Ridge on Thursday, taking the nation’s largest science project another step toward completion.

Russell Lab is nearing completion

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 09/01

The $14 million, 36,000-square-foot facility is just one of several facilities approaching completion as the first phase of modernization takes shape at ORNL…[Jeff] Smith said the lab has money this year to begin planning for the Joint Institute for Biological Sciences, which ORNL hopes to use to leverage its role in the national Genomes to Life program. The institute may be situated on Chestnut Ridge, where the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source and the $65 million Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences are under construction.

University of Pennsylvania scientist joins UT, ORNL

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 09/01

Dr. Takeshi Egami, a top materials scientist from the University of Pennsylvania, has joined the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory…Egami headed the Materials Characterization Center at Penn, where he was involved in neutron-scattering studies…(See 8/21 below for additional coverage of this story.

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August

Citizens’ group regrouping

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 08/31

Gerald Boyd, manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation,…said, “the construction of the Spallation Neutron Source research project near Oak Ridge National Laboratory would offer a huge potential for spin-offs that we need to be paying attention to.”

Planning not yet out of the woods

Oak Ridger, 08/26

Land use planning: The Department of Energy says it has enough land transfers to chew on for a while; Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation say start planning now for the future…Boyd noted that it’s important to keep large chunks of land available for DOE missions, such as the Spallation Neutron Source project going up atop Chestnut Ridge. “Oak Ridge is one of the very few places the SNS could have been built,” said Boyd. “We want to make sure that over the next 10 years or so, as there are decisions made about placing new facilities, that Oak Ridge is very, very competitive.”

AIP FYI #110: Marburger’s Views on Future of High Energy Physics

Space Ref, 08/25

At a Fermilab users meeting in June, OSTP Director John Marburger discussed the future of high energy physics and the nation’s science enterprise in general…“Two important aspects of these emerging opportunities elsewhere in science are important for the future of particle physics. First, some of the new capabilities require investments in apparatus on a scale that formerly occurred only for high energy and space physics. Thus there are new competitors on the scene for large scale, expensive facilities. These include intense photon sources based on electron accelerators, intense neutron sources such as the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge, scanning electron microscopy, high field NMR devices, and specialized super-computing facilities…”

Boyd’s outlook optimistic for Oak Ridge

Oak Ridger, 08/25

With $2.1 billion for local missions expected to roll into Oak Ridge in 2004; with the nation’s largest science project materializing atop Chestnut Ridge; with ongoing modernization; and with local federal offices preparing to take on new missions, things are sitting pretty in the Atomic City.

Penn scientist joins UT, Oak Ridge National Lab

Penn Live, 08/21

A top materials scientist from the University of Pennsylvania [Dr. Takeshi Egami] has joined the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory…Egami headed the Materials Characterization Center at Penn, where he was involved in neutron-scattering studies into superconductivity that could lead to improvements in energy production, medical imaging, electroplating and other fields.

See also, NEPA News, 08/21

Mayor sees possibilities for Applewood Property

Oak Ridger, 08/14

A new development located in the center of Oak Ridge could provide housing for lease by future visiting scientists and their families…[Mayor} Bradshaw is referring to the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source that is scheduled for completion in June 2006 and the number of visiting scientists that it is projected to bring. He explained that some scientists would only stay for a short time, while others would stay for months and bring their families.

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July

Mayor gives top ten Oak Ridge traits

Oak Ridger, 07/30

Mayor David Bradshaw named 10 reasons on why he is "bullish" about Oak Ridge during a speech at the Oak Ridge Rotary Club Thursday…reason number 10, Bradshaw said the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source will soon be completed and will bring 2,000 visiting scientists and their families to Oak Ridge each year.

Lab hiring exceeds layoffs: ORNL: No plans for large-scale layoffs

Oak Ridger, 07/30

An Oak Ridge National Laboratory official said Wednesday that there are no plans for major involuntary layoffs at the facility in the near future…From April, 2002 to March 2003, ORNL laid off 116 workers and hired 192…Significant hiring during that time occurred in computing (34), facilities and operations (34) Spallation Neutron Source activities (32), and physical sciences (25).

Orbach: Take the SNS opportunity and run

Oak Ridger, 07/21

Opportunity knocks: Some of the most remarkable scientists in the world will visit the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge and the nation’s science chief says both his office and the community can reap the benefits.

Testimony of Dr. Raymond L. Orbach Director, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, July 16, 2003

“…We have begun construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on the first of five Nanoscale Science Research Centers located to take advantage of the complementary capabilities of other large scientific facilities, such as the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge, our synchrotron light sources at Argonne, Brookhaven and Lawrence Berkeley, and semiconductor, microelectronics and combustion research facilities at Sandia and Los Alamos. When complete, these five Office of Science nanocenters will provide the Nation with resources unmatched anywhere else in the world.”

DOE chief visits SNS

Oak Ridger, 07/21

Thanks from the top: On behalf of President Bush, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham thanked Oak Ridge workers for their contributions to national priorities.

Energy secretary speaks of importance of mission

Oak Ridger, 07/21

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham told a crowd of government and University of Tennessee officials Friday that the contributions of the facilities in Oak Ridge are important and couldn’t come at a more important time…Abraham said he was excited about the future of the new nanoscience center located in Oak Ridge. The center will be located adjacent to the Spallation Neutron Source atop Chestnut Ridge.

Energy chief calls feats of Oak Ridge unequaled

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 07/18

Like an old-fashioned revival, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and other sweat-soaked VIPs gathered under a tent Friday to preach the gospel of science and technology…Abraham came to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for a groundbreaking ceremony on a new $65 million facility for nanoscience research, but he also wanted to praise Oak Ridge workers for "achievements quite unparalleled" – beginning with the World War II Manhattan Project. The 80,000-square-foot research center will be constructed adjacent to the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source on Chestnut Ridge, and the two facilities will complement each other in multiple ways, officials said. The SNS will produce intense streams of neutrons for studies of the basic structure of materials.

Energy secretary breaks ground for new Oak Ridge center

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 07/18

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials Friday in breaking ground for a $65 million nanoscale research center…The 80,0000-square-foot center will be located next to DOE’s Spallation Neutron Source, which uses neutrons to analyze materials at the atomic level to help improve everyday products like aircraft, computers and drugs. The SNS remains under construction.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham Breaks Ground On Nation’s First Nanoscale & Nanotechnology Research Facility at Oak Ridge National Lab

U.S. Newswire, 07/18

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today broke ground on the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at the Oak Ridge National Lab, a $65 million dollar research and development facility dedicated to the study of nanoscale research. The Oak Ridge facility will be the first of five Energy Department centers…The Oak Ridge facility will be built adjacent to the department’s Spallation Neutron Source, thus providing researchers ready access to the world’s most powerful neutron source for samples analysis and characterization of nanoscale research.

Energy Secretary Breaks Ground for New Oak Ridge Center

WATE.com, 07/18

Oak Ridge Funding In Senate Bill

The Chattanoogan, 07/18

U.S. Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today announced that the Fiscal Year 2004 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which passed the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday, includes significant funding for Tennessee energy and water priorities, including significant funding for Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant…“The Spallation Neutron Source, a world-class science user facility, is fully funded and will stay on time and on budget. ORNL will be the first DOE lab to build a nanoscience research center, focusing on the next frontier of scientific research….”

Secretary Abraham to Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Oak Ridge Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences

U.S. Newswire, 07/16

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham will join U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) Director Dr. Bill Madia and other dignitaries at a groundbreaking ceremony for the ORNL’s new Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences…The groundbreaking will be held on Friday, July 18, at 2:00 p.m. at the ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) project on Chestnut Ridge in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Energy chief to visit

Oak Ridger, 07/10

The Secretary of Energy is expected to visit Oak Ridge National Laboratory on July 18.Joe Davis, Energy Department spokesman, confirmed Thursday that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham tentatively plans to visit the newly-opened center for computational sciences and the Spallation Neutron Source project.

UK Scientists Eye Half Mile-Long Microscope

Reuters, 07/11

Scientists are lobbying to build the world’s most powerful microscope, an instrument so advanced that it can see individual atoms moving [The European Spallation Source (ESS)]…Britain already has the world’s most powerful matterscope, of 200 kilowatts, at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory in Oxfordshire, he said, but the United States and Japan are about to eclipse it. It will be dwarfed by a 1.5 megawatt Spallation Neutron Source in Tennessee, and by Japan's one megawatt J-Parc, both of which should beready around 2006.

Other news services reporting this story included: Daily Times, Pakistan; Yahoo News; Gulf Daily News, Bahrain; MSNBC; CNN.

DOE science funding looks good

Oak Ridger, 07/10

About $169 million up, if the Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee mark holds. The committee approved Tuesday funding DOE science programs at $3.48 billion, an $169 million increase over the budget request, and $219 million above 2003 levels…The $143 million for the SNS, the world's largest science project, was expected news for keeping the project on track.

Chickamauga Lock Funding Included In Bill

The Chattanoogan, 07/09

The bill included $143 million, which is full-funding, for the continued operation and construction of the nation’s largest science project, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) in Oak Ridge. “The full-funding level keeps the project on schedule and on-budget for the coming year,” said Wamp. “Upon completion in 2006, premier scientists from all over the world will travel to Oak Ridge to work with the SNS on everything from medical miracles to transportation breakthroughs.”…$20 million for ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS). The CNMS will be used in conjunction with SNS and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) in Oak Ridge for research in the areas of energy conservation and transmission.

Alignment of interests: Madia’s secret tool

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 07/07

DR. H. LEE MARTIN: The revitalization and physical change brought to ORNL in the past three years by its departing director, Dr. Bill Madia, are nothing short of remarkable…A new ORNL is emerging that has been financed by a staggering capital investment that dwarfs any other public or private effort in our region. More than $1.7 billion in new facilities are under construction, including the Spallation Neutron Source (the world’s largest science facility), the new ORNL research and office facility (replacing more than 80 percent of the current ORNL, allowing antiquated facilities to be mothballed), an upgrade to the HFIR Reactor, construction on the new Mouse House, and building the fastest super computer in the "nonsecure" world…

Understanding Oak Ridge

Oak Ridger, 07/03

Tennessee Commissioner of Revenue Loren Chumley on Thursday checked out the fruits of the state’s labors in granting a sales tax exemption to the Spallation Neutron Source project…Chumley, on a short afternoon tour, noted that the new facilities to be developed around the SNS, the jobs created by the SNS and the state’s blossoming partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory will benefit the lab, the region and the state.

Our View: A new director and a new community leader arrives

Oak Ridger, 07/02

The lab has a new director, let’s all welcome him to Oak Ridge…Wadsworth will have a full plate – the massive Spallation Neutron Source research facility and the ongoing lab modernization projects to name two. These are exciting times at both the lab and in Oak Ridge and we need a steady and experienced hand at the helm.

Wadsworth ready for ORNL challenge

Oak Ridger, 07/01

Jeff Wadsworth acknowledged that he had big shoes to fill, taking over for Bill Madia as director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. However, it sounded a little odd coming from a man who’s a few inches taller than the departing lab chief. “This doesn't worry me at all,” a confident Wadsworth said in his British accent. “I feel extremely privileged.”

ORNL director named: Jeff Wadsworth picked to succeed departing Bill Madia on Aug. 1

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 07/01

The 53-year-old scientist, a former deputy director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, will succeed Bill Madia as the ORNL chief, effective Aug. 1. Madia is leaving Oak Ridge to assume a top position at Battelle headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

ORNL officials involved with 2005 science conference

Oak Ridger, 07/01

The 2005 Particle Accelerator Conference has been officially secured by the Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation to take place at the Knoxville Convention Center. Officials with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and its Spallation Neutron Source project will be involved in the conference.

Scientists want world’s biggest neutron microscope

The Guardian, 07/01

Yorkshire scientists are to meet the science minister Lord Sainsbury today in a renewed bid to build a £1bn microscope 10 times as powerful as any in the world, on a disused airfield in Selby…The Americans are building a 1.5Mw instrument in Tennessee, the Japanese could have a 1Mw machine by 200.

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June

AkinsCrisp Public Strategies teams to open OR office

Oak Ridger, 06/23

AkinsCrisp Public Strategies, a Knoxville company, has opened an office in Oak Ridge…AkinsCrisp has been involved in many efforts to benefit Oak Ridge over the years including managing the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit, Inc. for the past eight years, helping generate early regional support for the Spallation Neutron Source through its management of Tennesseans for the SNS.

Oak Ridge lab’s power boosted

Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/20

SNS logs 2M safe work hours

Oak Ridger, 06/19

Workers at the Spallation Neutron Source celebrated Wednesday atop Chestnut Ridge 2 million work hours without a lost work day incident. Knight/Jacobs Joint Venture thanked rank-and-file members of the Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council, UT-Battelle and construction subcontractors and suppliers for their efforts in making safety a high priority.

TVA sends oomph to SNS

Oak Ridger, 06/19

Power: SNS will double power needed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and lab will become an annual multi-million dollar Tennessee Valley Authority customer…TVA and ORNL officials on Wednesday dedicated a new $7.15 million 161-kV substation that will, along with $2.2 million in power lines, deliver 50 egawatts of oomph to the SNS to meet the increased demand. TVA will supply power to the substation located adjacent to the SNS site.

TVA-built substation will boost power to SNS

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 06/19

TVA put up much of the $9 million cost to build a substation and install transmission lines to meet the power needs of the Spallation Neutron Source…the new substation will deliver about 50 megawatts of power to the 75-acre site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. That’s enough electricity to run a small city, and it will more than double the energy used at ORNL.

TVA Boosts ORNL’s Power at New Research Center

WATE-TV, 06/19

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is preparing to double its power consumption with the opening of the Spallation Neutron Source research center.

TVA BOOSTS OAK RIDGE LAB’S POWER

WBIR-TV, 06/19

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is preparing to double its power consumption with the opening of the Spallation Neutron Source research center.

Chattanooga, Tenn., Seeks to Strengthen Ties with Nearby Research Facilities

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, 06/09

Along the Chestnut Ridge overlooking where scientists built the first atomic bomb during World War II, the nation’s biggest civilian science project is taking shape…Ninety-six miles to the southwest, Chattanooga officials are eager to capitalize on those benefits.

ORNL’s loss may be a gain

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 06/02

Ying Xu, one of the nation’s leading researchers in bioinformatics and omputational biology, is leaving Oak Ridge National Laboratory to accept an endowed position at the University of Georgia… The University of Georgia has one of nine NIH-funded centers for functional genomics, and that was attractive to Xu. But the scientist said Oak Ridge has super tools for biological research, including some of the world’s fastest computers. The research reputation will be enhanced when the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source begins operating in 2006. The SNS will provide unprecedented neutron intensity, allowing researchers to evaluate materials on an atom-to-atom basis.

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May

Push for science funding is on

Oak Ridger, 05/23

Could the Spallation Neutron Source be the last major user facility built in the U.S. for the foreseeable future? Absent significant additional dollars, the answer is yes, said Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Bill Madia. “But the hope is that with this new energy bill Š we'll see nearly a doubling of science funding,” Madia said, adding that “lab directors across the country are very optimistic” the money will materialize intime for 2005 budgets.

DOE payroll: $751M for ′02

Oak Ridger, 05/14

…Contracts and procurement associated with DOE’s operations in Oak Ridge totaled $765,010,043 in obligated funds, or money actually spent on a given contract during the year, according to DOE. Obligated funds for Anderson County totaled $566,613,988; Knox County, $131,141,769; Roane County $36,517,854; and other counties $30,736,432… The Spallation Neutron Source contributed another $14.6 million in total payroll in the Oak Ridge area in 2002, which was not included in the above tally.

Phoenix, ORNL can fly with funding

Oak Ridger, 05/14

The first installment of the new Cray X-1 configuration has experienced only one freeze since arriving March 18 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, according to Mark Dobbs, operating manager for the lab’s central computing facility…Orbach in August called for $300 million per year, and stressed funding would need to be maintained on “the same magnitude of the SNS.”

Storms put damper on waste operations

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 05/08

Waste operations were suspended this week at the government’s nuclear landfill, as workers concentrated on handling the heavy influx of storm water…Meanwhile, construction operations at the Spallation Neutron Source were taxed by this week’s rainfall, according to Frank Kornegay, the project’s environment, safety and health chief. “We’ve had some real challenges to our erosion control,” Koregay said.

Tennessee business winners

Oak Ridger, 05/02

Al Guidry senior contract administrator for Oak Ridge National Laboratory and small business program manager for the Spallation Neutron Source, has been selected as Tennessee’s 2003 Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year.

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April

ORNL chief Madia to leave post: Director credited with lab's turnaround is taking job at Battelle

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 04/29

Madia is leaving the lab’s directorship to take a top position at Battelle headquarters in Columbus, Ohio…In his new job, Madia will manage all of Battelle’s business with the U.S. Department of Energy, which includes the management or co-management of four national laboratories – Oak Ridge, Brookhaven, Pacific Northwest and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He will become a member of the UT-Battelle Board of Governors, which oversees the administration of ORNL.

Knoxville to host major scientific forum: Particle Accelerator Conference will be held here in 2005

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 04/19

The Knoxville Convention Center will host the Particle Accelerator Conference in May 2005, beating out larger cities and joining past hosts New York and Chicago…The 21st biennial conference will attract more than 1,200 scientists to Knoxville to present new developments in particle acceleration technology, according to a press release from the convention center.

ORNL Press Release

The Spallation Neutron Source held its annual open house April 15, pulling in several hundred local citizens, officials and members of the media. The SNS is near the peak of the project construction activity, with completion of the $1.4 billion facility on schedule and on budget for 2006.

NEUTRON SCATTERING FACILITY MORE THAN HALFWAY COMPLETE

WBIR-TV, 04/16

Construction is 60 percent complete on a one-point-four billion-dollar research facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Spallation Neutron Source is set to be complete by June 2006.

Science project quickly coming to life

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 04/15

Construction of the Spallation Neutron Source is now 60 percent complete, and the $1.4 billion science venture is on schedule and well within its budget, according to project officials. The conceptual design has left the drawing board and is rapidly coming to life, sprouting across 75 acres on Chestnut Ridge near Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

SNS: Seeing Is Believing

Oak Ridger, 04/11

Wonderment: Not only is the SNS science cool, the project is on scheduleand on budget and touted as good for the community.

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March

Research reactor blinks: Wiring Glitch

Oak Ridger, 03/13

About six weeks ago one of the world’s most powerful research reactors [the High Flux Isotope Reactor] was shut down due to a wiring glitch, officials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced to area media Friday…“The HFIR and the SNS will be complimentary,” said Roberto. “Some kinds of neutron-scattering experiments are better for the reactor and some kinds are better for SNS. The important thing is that we will have the best facilities for both.”

Grants totaling $4.7M will fund UT-ORNL Neutron Institute

Oak Ridger, 03/13

Grants totaling $4.73 million to researchers at the University of Tennessee College of Engineering and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will establish an international center at UT to study neutron sciences and materials research.

Grants fund UT institute of neutron scattering

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 03/13

Armed with $4.73 million in research grants, the University of Tennessee will establish a new institute for studies of materials with neutron-scatteringtechniques. The International Materials Institute will be funded with grants that UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers received from the National Science Foundation and other sources.

UT-Oak Ridge Neutron Center Planned

WBIR.com, 03/13

Grant winners to be announced Wednesday

Oak Ridger, 03/12

Grants totaling $4.73 million to researchers from the University of Tennessee College of Engineering and Oak Ridge National Laboratory were to be announced Wednesday afternoon. The funding from the National Science Foundation and other sources will establish an international materials institute at UT called the Advanced Neutron Scattering netWork for Education and Research, or ANSWER, a UT news release stated.

$4.7 Million Funds UT-ORNL Neutron Institute

Grants totaling $4.73 million to researchers at the University of Tennessee College of Engineering and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will establish an international center here to study neutron sciences and materials research…“Neutron scattering is one of the most powerful techniques available for materials research,” Tompkins said. “The Spallation Neutron Source in nearby Oak Ridge provides a unique opportunity for UT to partner with SNS and lead the nation in the science and education of the application of neutron scattering in materials research, specifically in the study of mechanical behavior of advanced materials.”

$4.7 million funds UT-Oak Ridge neutron center

NEPA News, 03/12

The University of Tennessee College of Engineering and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced Wednesday they will establish a neutron sciences and materials research center. The center will be linked to the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source research facility due to open in 2006 at the Oak Ridge lab.

Lab looks to boost workforce by 1,000

Oak Ridger, 03/05

One thousand new employees, a $280 million new genomics facility, expansion of the Spallation Neutron Source, leading the supercomputing race and much more are all in the cards for Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

‘Day on the Hill’ founders pleased with event’s status

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 03/04

This year’s 300-attendee, technology-focused “Day on the Hill” began six years ago as an early morning breakfast that attracted just a handful of state legislators and featured one presentation… Arms said the forum also helped create awareness and support for high tech efforts in Oak Ridge. That, he said, resulted in state funding of a Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in conjunction with the construction of the Spallation Neutron Source and a later waiver of state sales taxes on items bought for construction of the $1.4 billion facility.

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February

Wamp relieved with 2003 budget

Oak Ridger, 02/18

Tucked within the 3,000-page, $397.4 billion 2003 omnibus spending package passed in Congress last week are more than a few items for Oak Ridge programs…$225 million for construction of the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This was the expected amount of funding to help close out construction, as the SNS is on schedule for completion in 2006…

SNS research in Nature Materials

The February 2003 issue of Nature Materials highlights the collaborative research of a group from the University of Tennessee and the Spallation Neutron Source’s Xun-Li Wang. Wang is part of SNS’s Experimental Facilities Division and is the lead instrument scientist for VULCAN, an engineering materials diffractometer being developed for SNS. Nature Materials 2, 65-126 (2003)

Y-12 still stores mercury: Stockpile now declassified, but under extremely tight security

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 02/16

…There also are infrequent withdrawals to meet government needs. The most recent example was the 40,000 pounds transferred to the Spallation Neutron Source, the big science project under construction near Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The heavy metal will be used as a beam target to produce neutrons for research…

East Tennessee Gets Most Of $1 Billion In Federal Money

WVLT-TV, 02/15

…$225 million for construction of the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory…

Oak Ridge projects included in new U.S. spending bill

Oak Ridger, 02/14

A $105 million increase for environmental cleanup work, full funding for the nation’s premier science project, the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge, and a substantial increase for nuclear weapons work at the Y-12 manufacturing facility highlight the new spending bill overwhelmingly approved by Congress Thursday.

Spending bill to benefit area: Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Great Smokies all have items in bill expected to pass today

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 02/14

Several East Tennessee projects, including a new mass transit terminal for downtown Knoxville, will receive millions of dollars from a huge spending bill slated to get final approval in Congress today…For the Oak Ridge federal reservation, a $105-million increase for environmental cleanup of waste from the Cold War, about $50 million for modernization of the Y-12 Plant, and $225 million to continue construction of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS).

ORNL 60th Anniversary Celebrations

• ORNL marks 60th year: Graphite Reactor was at core of Manhattan Project that brought early end to WW II

  Oak Ridger, 02/07

  … Madia calls the Graphite Reactor the grandfather of the Spallation Neutron Source, the $1.4 billion science project currently under construction near ORNL. The first neutron-scattering studies were done at the Oak Ridge reactor, and then transferred in the 1960s to ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor. When the SNS is completed in 2006, it will become the world's premier site for material studies with neutrons.

• Oldest Operating Nuke Reactor Turns 60

  New York Times, 02/07 – First time users must register

  … The Oak Ridge complex, with 3,800 scientists investigating everything from new materials to the genetic code is experiencing a rebirth…the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source, the county's biggest nonmilitary science project, is set for completion in 2006.

  See the 27 newspapers that carried this AP 60th Anniversary story on Google News.

2004 budget tank mostly full

Oak Ridger, 02/04

…“The bottom line is that from weapons to cleanup Oak Ridge looks very good across the board,” U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, said Tuesday. He noted that Oak Ridge National Laboratory held essentially flat, even with the expected decrease in funding for the Spallation Neutron Source; and the Y-12 plant and environmental management programs were increased.

2004 federal budget contains $2.1B for OR programs

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 02/03

…Under the Bush plan submitted to Congress, funding for the Spallation Neutron Source would drop from about $225 million to $143 million. But the decline in 2004 was expected because construction of the big science project will be past its peak at that point…“The SNS is in very good shape,” Madia said.

Spallation Neutron Source Update

WBIR-TV, 02,03

A $1.4 billion federal project being built in Oak Ridge could mean safer airplanes and more fuel-efficient cars. It’s called the Spallation Neutron Source.

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January

Jefferson Lab technology takes center stage in the construction of SNS accelerator

EurekAlert, 01/28

Jefferson Lab scientists, engineers and technicians are mobilizing to provide what eventually will be 81 niobium cavities for 23 cryomodules for the Spallation Neutron Source.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory earns top rating from DOE

Oak Ridger, 01/23

UT-Battelle and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have received the laboratory’s first-ever "outstanding" rating for overall performance from the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2002, according to an ORNL press release…The $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source project was included in the Science and Technology portion of the DOE evaluation. The fact the enormous project is on time and on budget without compromising its original scope contributed to the outstanding rating, according to the release.

Oak Ridge boosts global SNS vision: European spallation team arrives Jan. 27

Oak Ridger, 01/22

…“We fully support the fact that the Europeans are building a spallation neutron source,” said Ian Anderson, director of experimental facilities at the SNS. “Our SNS will serve the American community but it cannot serve all the research at universities and laboratories in Asia and Europe. They need their own neutron source.”

Oft-heard good-news SNS refrain heard at OR League luncheon

Oak Ridger, 01/22

An oft-heard refrain was heard at Tuesday’s Lunch with the League meeting at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. “The SNS is on budget and on schedule,” said Judy Trimble, manager of the Spallation Neutron Source human resources office.

ORNL to request more SNS funding

Oak Ridger, 01/20

Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials will soon request a $350 million expansion for the Spallation Neutron Source, a $1.4 billion project scheduled to open in 2006. The additional money would be used to build a second target station, which researchers say is needed based on the demand for the first station.

Oak Ridge seeks funding for Neutron Source project: $350 million to be requested for expansion

gomemphis.com, 01/20

Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials will soon request a $350 million expansion for the Spallation Neutron Source, a $1.4 billion project scheduled to open in 2006.

More big things could come together at ORNL

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 01/20

…The trifecta is a series of $3 billion projects Wamp and Madia want to bring to ORNL. Two of those projects are in the fold or thereabouts. Construction of the Spallation Neutron Source is more than halfway to completion on nearby Chestnut Ridge, and ORNL is working with Cray Corp. to develop the world’'s most powerful computer, a big venture that should bear fruit within the next two years. The best chances for another billion-dollar project apparently involve fusion energy. At least that's the targeted area, according to Madia.

Expansion is already in cards for SNS poject: Demand at research facility is expected to quickly exceed capacity

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 01/19

Construction of the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source is barely past the halfway point, and operations won’t begin until 2006 at the earliest. But project officials already are pushing for a $350 million expansion.

Oak Ridge to Request Additional Funding for Neutron Source

WATE.com, 01/19

Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials will request a $350 million expansion for the Spallation Neutron Source.

SNS topic of Tuesday’s Lunch with the League

Oak Ridger, 01/15

[Next Tuesday, January 21,] The public is invited to hear Judy Trimble, manager of the SNS Human Resources Office, describe construction activities and present an overview of the Spallation Neutron Source.

Physical evolution of ORNL is on fast-forward

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 01/15

…Construction of the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source continues to run ahead of schedule on Chestnut Ridge, which now is considered an extended part of the laboratory domain. The science project reached a construction peak on Jan. 3 with more than 800 workers engaged. For those who haven't visited the 75-acre site, the size and scope of facilities is astonishing. The SNS itself will be bigger than some major research laboratories in the United States…

Spallation Neutron Source seems well on its way

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 01/13

Big federal projects don’t succeed without a bit of luck, and it appears the Spallation Neutron Source has luck on its side… the timing of SNS construction has matched up almost magically with the fiscal outlook of the nation, helping the expensive project maneuver its way through the U.S. budget process virtually unscathed – at least to this point. And the future path looks to be unobstructed.

OR firm gets $22M contract with SNS: Number of jobs will rise from 175 to 250

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 01/04

An 8-year-old Oak Ridge company [Advanced Integrated Management Services Inc.] has won a $22 million contract to provide labor and materials for the Spallation Neutron Source over the next three years.

SNS project hands out $22 million subcontract

Oak Ridger, 01/02

The Spallation Neutron Source project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has awarded a $22 million multi-year subcontract for craft labor and materials in support of technical equipment installation for the SNS Accelerator Systems and Experimental Facilities divisions. The contract was awarded to Advanced Integrated Management Services Inc. of Oak Ridge.

Page provided by ORNL Research Libraries.

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