DOE Archives - Page 4 of 49

Summit at ORNL remains No. 2 in world

Posted at 10:48 am June 30, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

*The Summit supercomputer, a 200-petaflop IBM system that is the world’s second most powerful, is pictured above at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy Katie Bethea/ORNL)*

The Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory remains the fastest supercomputer in the United States and the second most powerful in the world.

Summit, an IBM system, was the world’s most powerful supercomputer from June 2018 to November 2019, when the U.S. Department of Energy had the two fastest systems in the world.

DOE still has two of the three fastest supercomputers, Summit at ORNL and Sierra at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. And it has three of the top five systems in the world. DOE has a new supercomputer, Perlmutter, ranked at number five. It’s at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in Berkeley, California. Perlmutter was the only new system in the top 10 in the semiannual TOP500 list released Monday.

Summit was bumped from the top spot on the TOP500 list by a Japanese supercomputer, Fugaku, in June 2020.

Fugaku, which is in Kobe, Japan, remained in the top spot on the TOP500 list released in November and again on the list released Monday. The TOP500 list uses a benchmark test to rank the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

[Read more…]

ORISE receives DOE silver award for GreenBuy program

Posted at 4:35 pm March 1, 2021
By Amy Schwinge Leave a Comment

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.— The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education was recognized recently as a silver-level recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy’s GreenBuy award for fiscal year 2020. The GreenBuy Award Program recognizes DOE sites for achieving stringent sustainable acquisition goals which extend beyond the government’s “green” minimum compliance requirements.

ORISE received the bronze level award in the fiscal years of 2019, 2018 and 2015. The sliver level achieved this past fiscal year required meeting more stringent goals of select products in categories. For example, the bronze level required that ORISE meet the goals of four products in at least two categories. Under the silver level, those requirements increased to six products in at least three categories.

“Environmental stewardship is fundamental to ORISE and our commitment that all programmatic and business functions will operate in a way that is both safe and environmentally sustainable; we are also proud that we have recycled more than we threw away for the past several years,” said ORISE Director Jim Vosburg. “ORISE is honored for our purchasing efforts to be recognized with DOE’s silver-level GreenBuy award; we were able to achieve it through exceptional multi-departmental coordination to integrate sustainable products and energy-efficient equipment and systems into our facilities and operations.”

ORISE’s silver-level award is based on six products/goals: 1) Mobile Phones, 2) Imaging Equipment (Copiers, Multifunctional Devices, Printers), 3) Computers & Displays (Desktops, Integrated, Monitors, Notebooks, Tablets, Thin Clients, Workstations), 4) Chillers, 5) IT Calculation Goal, and 6) IT Recycling Goal. These products spanned three GreenBuy Program product categories; 1) Construction, 2) Electronics, and 3) Other.

Fiscal year 2020 products had to meet one, and in some cases multiple, environmental standards, including Energy Star® certified; EPEAT GOLD, SILVER and/or BRONZE registered; and Federal Energy Management Program standards. The IT Recycling goal, new to the GreenBuy Program in fiscal year 2020, was achieved by ORISE since 100 percent of the electronic equipment sent for recycling was recycled by R2 Certified Recyclers, which is the leading standard for electronics repair and recycling. The R2 Standard provides a common set of processes, safety measures, and documentation requirements for businesses that repair and recycle used electronics.

For more information on the DOE GreenBuy Award Program, visit https://www.energy.gov/ehss/greenbuy-awards

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science

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Visit our website: https://orise.orau.gov

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REAC/TS receives U.S. Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award

Posted at 11:34 am February 25, 2021
By Amy Schwinge Leave a Comment

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.— Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) team members, who provided consultation during a breached radioactive source event at the University of Washington’s Harborview Research and Training Facility in 2019, received the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award for their contribution.

As a member of the Seattle Response and Recovery and Cs-137 Joint Investigation Teams, REAC/TS members were recognized for their part in the “successful emergency response, recovery, stabilization, and investigation of the breached radioactive source event at the University of Washington’s Harborview Research and Training Facility. The Response and Recovery Team’s focused and tireless efforts in responding to a radiological emergency at the facility and removing the breached radioactive source led the way for facility remediation efforts and minimized any harm or negative impacts to the public,” according to the award materials.

“The extensive investigative work performed by the Cs-137 Joint Investigation Team identified the underlying cause of the event and will help prevent recurrence of similar events in the future as well as improve the efficiency and effectiveness of future radiological event responses,” the award materials included.

The DOE Secretary’s Honor Awards states that it formally recognizes the outstanding achievements of individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond in fulfilling the DOE’s mission and serving the nation.

For more details, visit https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-announces-secretary-s-honor-award-recipients

About REAC/TS
REAC/TS is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education facility managed by ORAU for the U.S. Department of Energy with the mission to strengthen the medical response to radiological and nuclear incidents. REAC/TS provides 24/7 medical support and deployment to provide emergency medical consultation for incidents involving radioactive materials and ionizing radiation worldwide. REAC/TS also conducts ongoing research into the biological effects of radiation and provides continuing medical education for healthcare providers, other professionals and students. For more information, visit https://orise.orau.gov/reacts/

About ORISE
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is a U.S. Department of Energy asset that is dedicated to enabling critical scientific, research, and health initiatives of the department and its laboratory system by providing world-class expertise in STEM workforce development, scientific and technical reviews, and the evaluation of radiation exposure and environmental contamination. ORISE is managed by ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science
Like us on Facebook: ORISE Facebook
Follow us on Twitter: ORISE Twitter
Connect with us on LinkedIn: ORISE LinkedIn
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oriseconnect/
Visit our website: https://orise.orau.gov

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Controlled burns start this week on DOE land

Posted at 2:03 am January 15, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Energy is starting a series of controlled burns of grassland areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation this week.

The controlled burns could continue through mid-April, depending upon weather. The burns will be on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Three Bend Area off Pump House and Bull Bluff Roads, and other managed grassland areas off Bethel Valley Road and off Highway 58, a press release said.

The controlled burns will take place at:

[Read more…]

Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) (DOE/EA-2144), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings

Posted at 8:24 am November 12, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the availability of the ORETTC Final Environmental Assessment (EA), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings.

The Final EA analyzes the potential impacts of constructing and operating the ORETTC to train first responders and other experts in nuclear operations, safeguards, and emergency response.

The proposed site for the ORETTC is on the Oak Ridge Reservation, approximately 5 miles west of the Y-12 National Security Site, across from the Horizon Center Industrial Park on the Oak Ridge Turnpike, and approximately 1.5 mile east of the State Route (SR) 95—SR 58 interchange. Copies of the documents are available on the NNSA NEPA web page (https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room) and/or the DOE NEPA web page (https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doe-environmental-assessments).

Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site launches new app for a variety of resources on the go

Posted at 5:59 pm October 13, 2020
By Amy Schwinge Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge, Tenn.—REAC/TS launched its new RadMed app, providing a wide range of resources on the medical management of radiation incidents that can be downloaded free on mobile devices and utilized while on the go.

“The REAC/TS RadMed app offers healthcare professionals, emergency responders and planners, public health professionals and health physicists easy access to essential medical information and resources when dealing with a radiation incident,” said REAC/TS Director Carol Iddins. “We created the RadMed app with our target audiences in mind to provide easy access to the resources they need.”

The REAC/TS RadMed app provides numerous resources, including an updated eGuide version of The Medical Aspects of Radiation Incidents and a platform to remain engaged, connected and informed about upcoming REAC/TS events.

Visit https://orise.orau.gov/resources/reacts/radmed-app.html to learn more about the RadMed app, and download it for free by searching for REAC/TS RadMed in the Apple and Android app stores.

Like us on Facebook: ORISE Facebook
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Updated: Former DOE research director, CROET founder dies at 91

Posted at 1:44 pm July 18, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Joe Lenhard, right, is pictured with Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch at the dedication of Main Street Oak Ridge in July 2016. (Photo courtesy Warren Gooch)

Note: This story was last updated at 11:10 a.m. July 19.

Joe Lenhard, a former U.S. Department of Energy research director and founder of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, died Friday of COVID-19, a family member said. He was 91.

Lenhard died Friday evening at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, his daughter Andrea Lenhard said in a Facebook post.

My father, Joseph Lenhard, died Friday evening at MMC of Covid. He went quickly. Rest in peace, Daddy. You were always my hero.
Posted by Andie Lenhard on Friday, July 17, 2020

Lenhard was a research director for the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge. He had oversight of DOE research activities and served as the federal contracting officer for major federal facilities in the city, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, according to his LinkedIn page. He worked for DOE for about 32 years, from 1957 to 1989.

Lenhard served as president of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce in 1992, and he was chair of the East Tennessee Economic Council in 1993 and 1994.

He helped found CROET in 1994, and he was the founding chairman. CROET helps find ways to re-use former federal property, not just real estate but also equipment and other federal assets. A tribute to Lenhard’s service is noted on a plaque in the Horizon Center Industrial Park in west Oak Ridge.

His daughter Andrea said her father loved the natural world, and she became a biologist and veterinarian because of him. Her father used to take them on long rambles in the woods, Andrea said, and he would pick up animals like snakes and frogs and tell the children what he knew about them.

“He loved nature, and that was very infectious,” she said.

Andrea said Oak Ridge was very important to her father.

“He always wanted to promote Oak Ridge and take care of Oak Ridge,” she said. “He was very devoted to the city.”

Lenhard could often be found walking in local grocery stores. He was very conscious of his health, Andrea said, and he would walk every day at stores that included Walmart, Kroger, and Food City. He would sometimes stop to talk to people, including an Oak Ridge Today reporter.

Andrea said her father was a lot of fun, full of life, and he loved everybody.

She recalled the trips her family used to take to Norris Lake on weekends when she was a child—playing in the water, climbing trees, telling jokes—and she said her father spent as much time as he could with his grandchildren as well.

A statement from the family of Lenhard’s daughter Michele said Joe Lenhard was very supportive of higher education.

“He gave substantial sums of money to the University of Tennessee and Roane State Community College,” the statement said. “Roane State dedicated a room to Joseph Lenhard for his outstanding contributions. Joe came from an economically disproportionate background and saw the benefit of higher education. He wanted to provide educational opportunity for the young people of East Tennessee.”

[Read more…]

Public notice: New document available to the Oak Ridge Community

Posted at 6:56 pm June 22, 2020
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Updated DOE Oak Ridge Reservation Property Boundary Map

The U.S. Department of Energy has recently published an updated map of the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) that shows DOE property boundary demarcations for all areas of the ORR, and it is now available to the public.

The updated map is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) product developed using records for land holdings the Department of Energy maintains ownership of. The GIS map provides a depiction of DOE property boundary lines throughout the ORR and can serve as an additional reference for current, or future potential non-DOE landowners to understand DOE property demarcations.

[Read more…]

UCOR cleanup contract extended

Posted at 4:28 pm May 29, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The East Tennessee Technology Park (the former Oak Ridge K-25 Site), which is pictured above, is being cleaned up by UCOR for the U.S. Department of Energy. (Photo by UCOR)

The UCOR contract to clean up federal sites in Oak Ridge has been extended one year to July 31, 2021, and the consideration of a new cleanup contract won’t be considered until November 2020 at the earliest.

The UCOR contract could be extended one additional year, to July 31, 2022, using two six-month options, depending upon contractor performance and progress.

Before the extension, UCOR’s contract had been scheduled to expire July 31, 2020.

UCOR works on cleanup projects for the U.S. Department of Energy at the East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Y-12 National Security Complex. The work includes the demolition of old, contaminated buildings that are no longer used. The cleanup work is called environmental management, or EM.

[Read more…]

For members: ORNL contract extension valued at up to $8 billion

Posted at 5:35 am May 5, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The main entrance at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

The five-year non-competitive contract extension at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has an estimated value of up to $8 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

In March, the DOE Office of Science explained why it did not have a full, open competition for the extension.

The five-year non-competitive contract extension at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has an estimated value of up to $8 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The DOE Office of Science has explained why it did not have a full, open competition for the extension.

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For members: CNS violated nuclear safety requirements at Y-12, NNSA says

Posted at 6:00 pm May 3, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Building 9212 — A low-level aerial shot of Building 9212 at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

A federal contractor violated nuclear safety requirements at the Y-12 National Security Complex, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The violations are associated with the accumulations of uranium-235 in a glovebox, furnace, and casting line in Building 9212 at Y-12. The equipment is used to recover and process uranium-235, a fissile material that can be used in nuclear weapons and reactors.

A low-level aerial shot of Building 9212 at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

A federal contractor violated nuclear safety requirements at the Y-12 National Security Complex, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The buildup of enriched uranium, discovered after hydraulic lines leaked in a glovebox, exceeded limits established by a safety program meant to help prevent a nuclear chain reaction.

An investigation of the uranium accumulations found weaknesses in five areas, according to the NNSA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy and overseas nuclear weapons work at sites like Y-12. Among the deficiencies were procedural compliances, evaluations of process changes, the analyses of causes, the establishment of roles and responsibilities, and the implementation of a program meant to prevent inadvertent accumulations.

“The National Nuclear Security Administration considers these deficiencies to be of high safety significance,” Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty wrote in an April 6 letter. “Although there were no actual consequences to the public, workers, or the environment, these deficiencies eroded the barriers preventing a nuclear criticality and could, if left uncorrected, adversely impact nuclear and worker safety at the Y-12 National Security Complex.”

The letter was sent to Morgan Smith, president and chief executive officer of Consolidated Nuclear Security. CNS manages and operates Y-12, as well as the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, for the NNSA.

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ORNL researcher helps discover new species of cave snail

Posted at 11:59 am April 20, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Researchers discovered the Tennessee cavesnail, *Antrorbis tennesseensis*, in caves near Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The snail is less than two millimeters long. (Photo credit: ORNL/Nathaniel Shoobs and Matthew Niemiller)

A researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory helped discover a small cave snail.

The new snail species has been named the Tennessee cavesnail, or Antrorbis tennesseensis. Its name honors the state where it was found and the fact that several researchers involved in its discovery are affiliated with the University of Tennessee. A paper describing and naming the species was published in December.

The snail, which is less than two millimeters long, was found in two caves in Roane County a few miles south of the Oak Ridge Reservation. The reservation includes ORNL and parts of the city of Oak Ridge.

The snail is found on or under rocks far inside the caves, usually in streams that aren’t too muddy or silty, ORNL said. Researchers recommended that the species be listed as endangered.

The ORNL researcher is Evin Carter. He is a research associate and wildlife ecologist at ORNL, which is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory. With only a handful of surveys completed so far, Carter has plans to survey the 40 or so other caves on the Oak Ridge Reservation, ORNL said.

[Read more…]

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