Oak Ridge Today

ORICL has 20th anniversary celebration Thursday

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Members of an early ORICL board are, standing from left, George Jasny, Janet Evans, and Martha Hobson; sitting from left, Jeannie Cole, Reeva Abraham, Harwell Smith, and Murray Rosenthal, founder and first board president. (Submitted photo)

Members of an early ORICL board are, standing from left, George Jasny, Janet Evans, and Martha Hobson; sitting from left, Jeannie Cole, Reeva Abraham, Harwell Smith, and Murray Rosenthal, founder and first board president. (Submitted photo)

 

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL), a celebration will take place on Thursday (September 7) at its home base, the Oak Ridge Branch Campus of Roane State Community College (RSCC).

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally will read a proclamation in honor of ORICL’s 20 years of providing educational experiences for hundreds of retirees in and around Oak Ridge.

RSCC President Chris Whaley will speak on “Lifelong Learning: the Roane State Commitment to ORICL and Oak Ridge.” He will mention Tennessee Reconnects, the state-funded program that will start in fall 2018 to provide a free two-year education to willing adults in Tennessee who have no degrees. [Read more…]

Roane County Democrats sponsor East Tennessee Democrats’ Labor Day Picnic

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Submitted photo

Submitted photo

 

The Roane County Democrats are sponsoring the annual East Tennessee Democrats’ Labor Day Picnic on Monday, September 4.

The picnic is scheduled from 12-3 p.m. at the Roane County Park on Highway 70.

Candidates for office will speak, organizers said. The picnic will include free food and a petting zoo for children.

This press release was submitted by Sherry Paris.

GAO: DOE has more than 80 percent of U.S. government’s environmental liabilities

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Workers clean 5,700 feet of piping on Alpha-4’s west side at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Photo by U.S. Department of Energy)

Workers clean 5,700 feet of piping on Alpha 4’s west side at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. Alpha 4 was built in 1944. It was used first for enriching uranium as part of the Manhattan Project and later for thermonuclear weapons production. It was shut down in 1987 and will be demolished. (Photo by U.S. Department of Energy)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3:20 p.m. September 4.

The U.S. Department of Energy is responsible for more than 80 percent of the U.S. government’s estimated $450 billion in environmental liabilities, a federal agency said in a report published this year.

The agency, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, added the government’s environmental liabilities to a high-risk list of federal programs and operations in a report published in February.

Total environmental liabilities for the federal government are estimated at $447 billion. DOE is responsible for about $372 billion of them, or 83 percent, according to a fiscal year 2016 estimate, the GAO said.

Most of DOE’s environmental liability is related to nuclear waste cleanup, the GAO said. Fifty percent of it is at two cleanup sites: the Hanford Site in Washington state and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

The GAO—an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress—said DOE’s total reported environmental liability has generally increased since 2000. It’s roughly doubled from a low of $176 billion in fiscal year 1997 to the higher estimate of $372 billion in fiscal year 2016.

“In the last six years alone, EM (environmental management) has spent $35 billion, primarily to treat and dispose of nuclear and hazardous waste and construct capital projects to treat the waste, while EM’s portion of the environmental liability has grown over this same time period by over $90 billion, from $163 billion to $257 billion,” the GAO said.

In the past few fiscal years, DOE environmental management has spent about $6 billion per year. The budget request submitted to Congress by President Donald Trump in May asked for $6.5 billion for the DOE Office of Environmental Management, the largest request in a decade.

Oak Ridge has a DOE environmental management program. It received more than $400 million in funding per fiscal year between 2013 and 2016. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has major cleanup projects at the East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Y-12 National Security Complex. Cleanup work depends upon funding, but it could continue into the mid-2040s. Although they might be in various stages, projects that are under way now include finishing demolition work at ETTP by 2020, disposing of uranium-233 at ORNL, addressing high-risk excess facilities at ORNL and Y-12, building a Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12, and shipping transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. [Read more…]

ORNL: Neutrons peer into a running engine

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Researchers used neutrons to probe a running engine at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source, giving them the opportunity to test an aluminum-cerium alloy under operating conditions. From left, researchers Orlando Rios, Ke An, and Eric Stromme show off a cylinder head made from the new alloy. (Photo by ORNL/U.S. Department of Energy)

Researchers used neutrons to probe a running engine at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source, giving them the opportunity to test an aluminum-cerium alloy under operating conditions. From left, researchers Orlando Rios, Ke An, and Lt. Eric Stromme show off a cylinder head made from the new alloy. (Photo by ORNL/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

By Ashley C. Huff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In a first-of-a-kind experiment, researchers used neutrons to investigate the performance of a new aluminum alloy in a gasoline-powered engine—while the engine was running.

A team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory worked with industry partners to perform the test, which looked at whether a high-performance alloy that is promising for automotive applications held up under the heat and stress of an internal combustion engine.

Researchers used neutrons to probe a running engine at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source, giving them the opportunity to test an aluminum-cerium alloy under operating conditions.

The feat was a first for the Spallation Neutron Source, said Ke An, lead instrument scientist for the facility’s VULCAN instrument.

“This was the first time an internal combustion engine has been run on our diffractometer, and, as far as we know, on any other,” he said. [Read more…]

ORNL researchers turn to ‘deep learning’ to solve science’s big data problem

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Scientists will use Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s computing resources such as the Titan supercomputer to develop deep learning solutions for data analysis. (Photo credit: Jason Richards/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy)

Scientists will use Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s computing resources such as the Titan supercomputer to develop deep learning solutions for data analysis. (Photo credit: Jason Richards/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy)

 

By Scott Jones, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A team of researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been awarded nearly $2 million over three years from the U.S. Department of Energy to explore the potential of machine learning in revolutionizing scientific data analysis.

The Advances in Machine Learning to Improve Scientific Discovery at Exascale and Beyond (ASCEND) project aims to use deep learning to assist researchers in making sense of massive datasets produced at the world’s most sophisticated scientific facilities. Deep learning is an area of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to enable self-learning devices and platforms. The team, led by ORNL’s Thomas Potok, includes Robert Patton, Chris Symons, Steven Young, and Catherine Schuman.

While deep learning has long been used to classify relatively simple data such as photographs, today’s scientific data presents a much greater challenge because of its size and complexity. Deep learning offers the potential to truly change the way in which researchers use massive datasets to solve challenges spanning the scientific spectrum.

For example, neutron scattering data collected at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source contain rich scientific information about structure and dynamics of materials under investigation, and deep learning could help researchers better understand the link between experimental data and materials properties.

“This understanding can help scientists build and support new scientific theories, and help to design better materials,” Potok said. [Read more…]

ORNL’s Salil Mahajan: Gaining perspective on climate variability with high-resolution modeling

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Computational climate scientist Salil Mahajan simulates the complex and chaotic aspects of climate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo by ORNL/U.S. Department of Energy)

Computational climate scientist Salil Mahajan simulates the complex and chaotic aspects of climate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo by ORNL/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

By Ashley C. Huff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Simulating the global climate in high resolution at multiple scales will help answer questions about future global and regional climates. However, as performance expectations increase for Earth system models, so do computing challenges.

Salil Mahajan, a computational climate scientist in the Computational Earth Sciences group at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is tackling some of these challenges in high-performance computing for climate science.

Climate is a chaotic system. It includes complex interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, sea ice, and land.

“As we include more dynamic, coupled interactions among these spheres and incorporate more biological, chemical, and physical processes in our models, the computations become more complicated,” Mahajan said. “We have to take a step-by-step approach to understand cause and effect and ensure that our simulations are accurately representing our observational measurements.”

Model validation and verification are now the bread and butter of his daily routine. But Mahajan’s affinity for atmospheric science and computing architectures developed along a circuitous route.

From architecture to atmosphere [Read more…]

Anderson County Republican Party has candidates forum on Thursday

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Anderson County Republican Party Logo

The Anderson County Republican Party will have a Republican Candidates’ Forum in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, September 7, at Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, at 101 Bus Terminal Road in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

“The Anderson County Republican Party has elected primaries to welcome growth and opportunity into the party,” the press release said. “Candidates running as a Republican must adhere to the standards and practices of the Republican Party. The Republican Party is an earned label, not a charitable distribution of the representation that it holds. In addition, the Tennessee Republican Party is not a public entity. It is to be revered and respected. The name, logo, reference and (R) belong to the party. Therefore, the state party is required to list the candidate as an approved ‘bona fide Republican.'” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Community Band has Labor Day concert on Monday

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Dale Pendley directs the Oak Ridge Community Band on July 4, 2017. (Submitted photo)

Dale Pendley conducts the Oak Ridge Community Band on July 4, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Community Band has its last outdoor concert of the summer at 7 p.m. Monday, Labor Day, in Alvin K. Bissell Park. There is no admission fee, and everyone is encouraged to bring chairs or blankets for outdoor seating, a press release said. To make things even “sweeter,” Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab will be in the park to provide cool refreshments, the press release said.

Along with the concert programs handed out at the tables around the performing pavilion, audience members can also pick up brochures outlining the Community Band’s 2017-2018 indoor concert season with performances scheduled from October through April. And as an extra bonus, tickets for free admission to the October 8 concert will be also be available.

Among the highlights of the Community Band’s Labor Day program will be the clarinet section’s performance of Wim Laseroms’s fast-paced “Claribelle,” the tubas and flutes in Henry Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk,” and the trombone section in Henry Fillmore’s “Ham Trombone.” [Read more…]

Nuclear engineer receives two years in prison for violating Atomic Energy Act

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U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice

KNOXVILLE—On Thursday, Szuhsiung Ho, also known as Allen Ho, 66, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan to serve 24 months in prison and one year of supervised release. Upon his release, he will be supervised by U.S. Probation for one year. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $20,000.

Ho pleaded guilty in January 2017 to conspiracy to unlawfully engage or participate in the production or development of special nuclear material outside the United States, without the required authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy, in violation of the Atomic Energy Act, a press release said.

An April 2016 indictment charged Ho; China General Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), the largest nuclear power company in China; and Energy Technology International (ETI), a Delaware corporation, with these offenses. At the time of his indictment, Ho was a nuclear engineer, employed as a consultant by CGNPC, and he was also the owner of ETI. CGNPC specialized in the development and manufacture of nuclear reactors and was controlled by China’s State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the press release said. [Read more…]

Federal board recommends five cleanup priorities for Oak Ridge Reservation

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The fiscal year 2017 Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board is pictured above. (Photo by SSAB)

The fiscal year 2017 Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board is pictured above. (Photo by SSAB)

 

A federal board has recommended five cleanup priorities for the Oak Ridge Reservation: offsite groundwater monitoring, future waste disposal capacity, the disposal of excess facilities, mercury in East Fork Poplar Creek, and remaining debris at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

The recommendations were made by the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board. That’s a federally appointed citizens’ panel that provides independent advice and recommendations to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

The recommendations are for the fiscal year 2019 environmental management budget, which begins October 1, 2018.

“ORSSAB has identified five priorities for Oak Ridge Reservation cleanup, and recommends that the FY 2019 Oak Ridge EM program budget request reflect adequate funding to keep these projects going,” the board said. “Also, when additional funds from suitable plus-ups and savings become available, it recommends that these funds be targeted for these projects.”

Here is more information from the SSAB recommendation: [Read more…]

Robertsville Middle School vice principal appointment announced

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Tonya Childress

Tonya Childress

 

Tonya Childress was selected to serve as the Robertsville Middle School assistant principal beginning July 11, 2017.

Childress holds both doctor of education and educational specialist degrees from Lincoln Memorial University. She received both her master of science and bachelor of science degrees from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in Technology Education.

During the past 18 years, Childress has served as a teacher and administrator with Knox County Schools.

This press release was submitted by Holly Cross.

Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra celebrates 73rd season with free concert

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Part of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Civic Music Association)

Part of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Civic Music Association)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will celebrate the beginning of its 73rd season with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra’s Free Family Concert on Sunday, September 17, at 3 p.m. at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

This year’s concert, titled “String Fling,” will celebrate the string instruments of the orchestra, including a special opportunity for local string players to join the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra on stage for a play-along, a press release said.

“The Free Family Concert is perfect for families and music lovers of all ages and includes informative pieces and instrument demonstrations so that first-timers can learn about the symphony orchestra,” the release said.

“I am always excited to conducting the annual Free Family Concert with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra,” Music Director Dan Allcott said. “We look forward to performing alongside string players of all ages and giving young people a chance to get their hands on a variety of string instruments at our instrument petting zoo!” [Read more…]