Oak Ridge Today

ORHS student wins first place at Tennessee Junior Science & Humanities Symposium

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Oak Ridge High School student Daniel Joy won first place at the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Poster Presentation Competition held virtually in March, the school system said in a press release.

The competition was March 4-5. Daniel, son of Ingrid Busch and Ken Joy, presented his poster, “Using Data Science to Explore Historical Trends and Predict Future Rates of COVID-19”. His research involved analyzing COVID-19 case rates around holidays using regression analysis. Dan worked with Chad Steed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory through the Math Thesis course at Oak Ridge High School, the press release said.

Jessica Williams, co-teacher of Math Thesis at ORHS, said: “We’re thrilled that (the University of Tennessee in Knoxville) was able to provide this opportunity to students this year. TJSHS is a unique opportunity for high school students to present their scientific research in a professional setting. We appreciate the support from our administration and the community to provide this course to our students.”

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ORNL names operations deputy

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Alan Icenhour has been named deputy for operations at ORNL. (Photo credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy)

Alan Icenhour has been named deputy for operations at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He will succeed Jeff Smith, who is retiring this spring after serving in the role since UT-Battelle began operating the lab in 2000, a press release said.

Icenhour joined ORNL in 1990 as an engineer, and he served most recently as associate laboratory director for the Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate. He led the Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate from 2014 until the isotopes directorate was formed in October 2020. Icenhour has held a variety of other leadership positions as well as an assignment as senior technical adviser to the National Nuclear Security Administration, the press release said.

“Alan is a disciplined, thoughtful leader with broad experience at ORNL and proven success in a variety of roles,” ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said in the press release said. “His ability to evaluate complex problems, find creative solutions, and build highly productive relationships will ensure the operational excellence necessary to support world-leading research and development.”

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ORNL names associate lab director for physical sciences

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Cynthia Jenks has been selected as associate laboratory director for Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Physical Sciences Directorate. (Photo credit: Argonne National Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy)

Cynthia Jenks has been selected as associate laboratory director for the Physical Sciences Directorate at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She will start at the lab April 19, a press release said.

Jenks comes to ORNL from Argonne National Laboratory, where she has directed the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, overseeing the contributions of 17 research groups, the press release said.

Before she worked at Argonne, Jenks served in a variety of roles at Ames Laboratory, including as assistant director for scientific planning, the press release said. During her career in the national laboratory system, Jenks has developed strong relationships within DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences, or BES, one of the nation’s largest sponsors of research in the physical sciences, the press release said.

The research she leads at Argonne is also supported by DOE’s offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the press release said.

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UT-Battelle Development Corp. contributes $500,000 for proposed airport

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Pictured above is Jeff Smith, president of UT-Battelle Development Corporation and vice chair of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge said it has received a $500,000 contribution from the UT-Battelle Development Corporation to help with the planned airport at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge.

The contribution is meant to provide funding that can be used to secure state and/or federal grants that require a local funding match, a city press release said.

Thomas Zacharia, president and chief executive officer of UT-Battelle and director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Jeff Smith, president of UT-Battelle Development Corporation, presented the contribution to Oak Ridge City Council at its March 8 meeting. Smith is also vice chair of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

“I believe the presence of a new airport will be a key differentiator for this community because it supports existing trends so clearly: The airport will make Oak Ridge more attractive to companies and professionals interested in low-cost, high-quality communities with easy access to other cities,” Zacharia said, according to the press release.

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Hear from ORNL scientists who worked on Perseverance mission

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Video published on YouTube by Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Three scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss their work this afternoon on technologies for the Perseverance rover, which uses plutonium-238 produced at the lab and will touch down on Mars on Thursday.

Perseverance is scheduled to make its final descent into Jezero Crater on the surface of Mars on Thursday. It’s the first NASA mission that uses plutonium-238 produced at ORNL.

The plutonium-238 is encased in iridium-alloy cladding, and it is insulated by carbon-bonded carbon fiber. It’s used in the heat source module that fuels Perseverance’s multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator. As the plutonium decays, the heat that is released is converted into electricity, charging the rover’s batteries and powering the onboard advanced imaging and sensor systems. (Learn more about the Mars mission here.)

The online event today featuring the three ORNL scientists is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, and it is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

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Bienvenue named first executive director of Oak Ridge Institute

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Joan Bienvenue

Joan Bienvenue has been selected as the first executive director of the Oak Ridge Institute at the University of Tennessee.

“The institute was established last year to align the expertise and infrastructure of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the university in support of world-leading research and talent development,” UT said in an announcement to students, faculty, and staff on Tuesday.

As director, Bienvenue will also serve as a vice provost. She will begin her new position on March 8.

She will develop a strategy for establishing new interdisciplinary graduate research in emerging fields, build programs using UT and ORNL’s capabilities, and lead recruitment of faculty, staff, and students, the announcement said.

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For members: Summit at ORNL remains second-most powerful supercomputer

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Pictured above being interviewed by a CNBC television crew before a ceremony on Friday afternoon, June 8, 2018, for the then-new Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are Ginni Rometty, left, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of IBM; Rick Perry, second from right, former U.S. Department of Energy secretary; and Jensen Huang, right, founder, president, and CEO of NVIDIA. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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

The Japanese supercomputer Fugaku is still number one in the world, according to a TOP500 supercomputer ranking released in November.

Pictured above being interviewed by a CNBC television crew before a ceremony on Friday afternoon, June 8, 2018, for the then-new Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are Ginni Rometty, left, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of IBM; Rick Perry, second from right, former U.S. Department of Energy secretary; and Jensen Huang, right, founder, president, and CEO of NVIDIA. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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

The Japanese supercomputer Fugaku is still number one in the world.

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ORNL engineer dies of COVID-19

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William “Bill” Lee Collier

An engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory died of COVID-19 on Saturday.

It’s the first death of an ORNL employee due to COVID-19.

The engineer, William Collier, 59, became sick the last weekend of August. He appears to have contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the community, the lab said Tuesday.

Collier worked in the Nonreactor Nuclear Facilities Division at ORNL. His obituary said he grew up in Oak Ridge, graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1979, and graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He worked for 37 years at ORNL and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

“The loss of a coworker was a possibility we have feared since the pandemic began, and our hearts go out to their family, friends, and colleagues,” ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said in a message to staff members Tuesday. “This news tragically underscores the significance of the lab’s efforts to understand and combat COVID-19 and hardens our commitment to preventing its transmission and spread, through our own behaviors on campus and through research that is aiding the global fight against the virus.”

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Updated: Former DOE research director, CROET founder dies at 91

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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.”

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Japanese supercomputer displaces ORNL’s Summit as world’s most powerful

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A Japanese supercomputer has displaced the Summit supercomputer, pictured above at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as the world’s most powerful. Summit is a 200-petaflop IBM system. (Photo courtesy Katie Bethea/ORNL)

Note: This story was last updated at 3 p.m. June 24.

A Japanese supercomputer has displaced the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the world’s most powerful and bumped other U.S. and Chinese machines down one spot on a semiannual list of the fastest systems.

Summit had been ranked the world’s most powerful supercomputer on the semiannual TOP500 list since June 2018. It was bumped to number two when the new TOP500 list was released Monday.

The new top system is installed in Kobe, Japan, and it is named Fugaku. In a high-performance test, it performed at 415.5 petaflops. A petaflop is a quadrillion floating-point operations per second.

Fugaku’s performance was 2.8 times better than Summit’s, according to TOP500. Summit delivered 148.8 petaflops on the high-performance test.

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ORNL in limited operations, seeks quotes for PPE, cleaning supplies

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

Oak Ridge National Laboratory remains in limited operations, a spokesperson said Monday.

The lab will remain in that mode “for the immediate future,” ORNL spokesperson Morgan McCorkle said.

“No timelines have been set, and ORNL will continue to adapt its plans to the developing situation,” McCorkle said.

She said the lab will continue to be informed by guidance from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Trump Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state and local authorities.

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

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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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