Oak Ridge Today

ORAU and American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation formalize partnership to advance Manhattan Project 2.0

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Oak Ridge, Tenn. — To conclude Nuclear Science Week, ORAU and the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation (AMSEF) formalized their commitment to advancing nuclear science education by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This partnership is designed to support the development of the next generation of nuclear professionals, ensuring Oak Ridge and the United States maintain their leadership role on the global stage in the nuclear sector.

Meghan Millwood, ORAU president and CEO, and Alan Lowe, AMSEF executive director and CEO, signed the MOU to establish a collaborative framework between the organizations. By leveraging existing education and training resources, the partnership addresses the critical need for workforce development in the nuclear field. ORAU’s Tennessee Nuclear Energy Workforce Center (T-NEWC) is uniquely positioned to drive this mission forward, preparing the nation to meet the demands of a growing and evolving nuclear workforce.

“Our world is experiencing a nuclear renaissance that many in Oak Ridge are calling the Manhattan Project 2.0, and ORAU is part of the solution needed to help ready our workforce for the challenges,” Millwood said. “This partnership also aligns with our ORAU STEM Accelerator, which was created to develop and accelerate solutions to address U.S. STEM workforce gaps. Together with AMSE, we’re building on our strengths, aligning education and workforce development in key STEM areas, such as nuclear science, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.”

“Both AMSE and ORAU were founded in the immediate post-World War II era as a part of the original Manhattan Project’s legacy,” Lowe added. “In fact, ORAU managed our museum for the Atomic Energy Commission, now the Department of Energy. We’re thrilled to be working together so closely again as we align our efforts to preserve Oak Ridge’s history and help produce highly skilled workers for the future.”

The signed MOU is a three-year agreement with strategies for collaboration that include:
• AMSE utilizing space at ORAU’s main campus to conduct educational programming and also providing the opportunity for AMSE representatives to be co-located with the ORAU T-NEWC facility.
• Joint efforts by ORAU and AMSE educators to develop K-12 workforce initiatives.
• Programming focused on science, engineering and historical communications.
• Hosting summer camps and workshops.
• Offering joint tours of ORAU’s Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity.

This partnership represents an innovative approach to addressing the big picture of the challenges that lay ahead for this nuclear renaissance. By leveraging people, facilities and existing training programs, while also identifying new opportunities and infrastructure, the agreement aims to streamline the nuclear workforce pipeline and help position Oak Ridge as a hub for nuclear education and innovation.

AMSEF, working in cooperation with the Department of Energy, is responsible for the operations of AMSE and the K-25 Atomic History Campus, and works to advance the mission of both institutions.
ORAU integrates academia, government and industry to advance the nation’s learning, health and scientific knowledge to build a better world. Through our specialized teams of subject matter experts, decades of experience, and collaborations with our consortium of more than 160 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU is a recognized leader when the priorities of our federal, state, local, and commercial customers require innovative solutions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORAU is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and government contractor. For more information, visit https://www.orau.org/.

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Pictured in Photo: ORAU President and CEO Meghan Millwood and AMSE CEO and Executive Director Alan Lowe sign the MOU.

NNSA marks 10th anniversary of Global Threat Reduction Initiative

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Frank Klotz

Frank Klotz

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Nuclear Security Administration on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, GTRI. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, reducing the threat of terrorist acquisition of nuclear or radiological material has been a core mission of NNSA, and it is a mission that will continue into the future.

“The Global Threat Reduction Initiative’s history demonstrates how seriously we take this mission and our commitment to fulfilling President Obama’s nuclear security agenda,” said U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator Frank G. Klotz. “However, the threat to national and global security from state or terrorist acquisition of nuclear and radiological materials is far from gone, and our focus now is on addressing the substantial threats that remain.”

GTRI, an NNSA nuclear nonproliferation program, works with partners around the world to reduce and consolidate global stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, or HEU, and plutonium, and to secure dangerous radiological sources both at home and abroad. GTRI and its predecessor programs have removed and secured more than enough material for 980 nuclear weapons and tens of thousands of radiological dirty bombs by converting HEU research reactors and isotope production facilities to the use of low enriched uranium, or LEU; removing or confirming disposition of HEU and plutonium; and securing nuclear and radiological sites around the world. [Read more…]

Spotlight: REAC/TS gives tour to radiologic technology class from Roane State

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Roane State REAC/TS Tour

The Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) leads a recent tour of the REAC/TS facility with a radiologic technology class from Roane State Community College. (Photo courtesy ORAU)

Submitted

A former REAC/TS participant and current professor at Roane State Community recently led a radiologic technology class on a tour of REAC/TS.

REAC/TS is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education facility managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities 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.

Pictured above from left are nurse/paramedic Rob Beauchamp from the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS); Julie Hall, right, Roane State Community College radiologic technology program director and assistant professor, and one of her students, Drew Campbell, back. Hall is a former student of the Roane State Radiologic Program who went to REAC/TS as a student for assistance in her research and studies.

TVA retiring eight coal units at three plants

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Colbert Fossil Plant

The Tennessee Valley Authority is retiring all five coal units at the Colbert Fossil Plant on the Pickwick Reservoir on the Tennessee River in Alabama. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors recently approved a plan that will retire eight coal units at three plants with more than 3,000 megawatts of combined generating capacity.

The retirements affect all five coal units at the Colbert Fossil Plant in Tuscumbia, Ala.; one of two operating coal units at Widows Creek Fossil Plant in Stevenson, Ala., and two of three coal units at the Paradise Fossil Plant near Central City, Ky. Paradise Unit 3, one of TVA’s largest coal units, will continue to operate.

A number of these units were already idled or scheduled for idling and/or retirement based on an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, TVA said in a press release. [Read more…]