Oak Ridge Today

More than 1,000 turn out for Y-12 Volunteer Day

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Y-12 Volunteer Day with SARG

Jim Haynes, B&W Y-12 deputy general manger for programs and projects, far right, joins other volunteers to give a rescue dog a bath for Shelter Animal Rescue Group of Oak Ridge during Y-12 Volunteer Day. (Photo submitted by B&W Y-12)

More than 1,000 people turned out for the Y-12 National Security Complex’s annual Day of Volunteering last weekend to help nonprofit agencies in the region with about 60 projects. This was the program’s largest turnout in 10 years,  according to a press release from B&W Y-12.

The work benefits local individuals and organizations.

“Our folks volunteer year-round, but this annual event is a great reminder of how individuals working together can make a big difference in our communities,” said Darrel Kohlhorst, president and general manager of B&W Y-12, which buys the supplies for volunteers to use on the projects.

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TDEC ensures radioactive waste secure at shut-down company

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Tennessee officials have received reports that IMPACT Services Inc. has closed its waste processing operation at Heritage Center, and state workers are at the site this week to ensure the low-level radioactive materials are safe.

The company has about one million pounds of waste at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge, said Tisha Calabrese-Benton, director of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of External Affairs.

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Sponge has potential to help in oil spills

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Carbon Nanotube Sponge

A carbon nanotbue sponge developed with help from Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers could be used to help clean up oil. (Photo submitted by ORNL)

A team that includes researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a carbon nanotube sponge that can soak up oil in water.

The sponge could be used to help clean up oil spills, an ORNL press release said.

It was developed with help from computational simulations performed at the lab.

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Oak Ridge oral histories available online

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More than 150 oral histories of residents who played roles in Oak Ridge before, during, and after the top-secret Manhattan Project are now available online.

The histories are available through the Oak Ridge Public Library’s website, and there will be a May 29 ceremony to celebrate the launch of the online collection. Hosted by the Center for Oak Ridge Oral History (COROH), the reception will be in Oak Ridge Public Library auditorium from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

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ORNL scientist gives lecture on exploding stars Thursday

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Michael Smith

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist Michael Smith will give a lecture on exploding stars and atom smashers on May 24 at American Museum of Science and Energy.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist Michael Smith will give a free presentation on exploding stars and atom smashers on May 24 at the American Museum of Science and Energy.

During the lecture, find out how atom smashers are used on Earth to investigate the mysteries of exploding stars. Some of the effects discussed include cosmic cannibalism, thermonuclear traffic jams, and stellar alchemy.

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Decision on preserving K-25’s North Tower could come soon

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ETTP Preservation Meeting

National Park Service employee Jeff Durbin, left, outlines three options for preserving the North Tower at East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site. Also pictured, at right, are Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and, second from right, City Manager Mark Watson.

A decade worth of discussions over whether to preserve a part of the historic K-25 uranium-enrichment building in west Oak Ridge could conclude at the end of this month.

A final plan has not been presented, but a final memorandum of agreement could be drafted by May 31, said Susan Cange, acting manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management program in Oak Ridge.

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ORHS senior wins UT-Battelle scholarship

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Thom Mason and Adam LaClair

Oak Ridge High School senior Adam LaClair, right, has won a four-year, $20,000 UT-Battelle scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee. LaClair is pictured above with Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason. (Photo submitted by ORNL)

Oak Ridge High School senior Adam LaClair has won the 2012 UT-Battelle Scholarship, a $20,000, four-year award.

The scholarship from UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is given every year to a graduating senior who has a parent who works at the lab and who plans to study science, engineering or mathematics at the University of Tennessee, a press release said.

The son of Tim and Sabina LaClair, Adam LaClair is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honors Society and is active in the Science Olympiad and Scholars Bowl. He has taken advanced placement courses in calculus, physics, chemistry, and English.

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Award-winning Y-12 documentary available online

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Nuclear Family

A Y-12 National Security Complex documentary called "A Nuclear Family" is now available online.

An award-winning Y-12 National Security Complex documentary that aired on public television earlier this year is now available online.

The four-part miniseries is called “A Nuclear Family: Y-12 National Security Complex,” and it was broadcast by East Tennessee Public Broadcasting System.

The documentary was conceived and produced by Y‑12 Historian Ray Smith and Y‑12 Video Services, a press release said.

“It gives viewers never-before-seen glimpses into the world-changing work done in Oak Ridge, Tennessee,” the release said.

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DOE to discuss ETTP historic preservation Thursday

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Management program is hosting a Thursday morning meeting to discuss preservation plans for the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site.

This public meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the conference room of Building 2714-G, which is located across from the Federal Building in Oak Ridge. There will be an opportunity for the public to provide comments.

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ORNL superconductivity researcher wins prize

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Herbert Mook Jr.

Mook

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Herbert A. Mook Jr. has won the 2012 H. Kamerlingh Onnes Prize, which is awarded for outstanding experiments in the study of superconductivity. He shares this award with O.H. Fischer of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and T.K. Klapwijk of the California Institute of Technology.

Mook was cited “for several decades of important neutron spectroscopy and diffraction experiments on superconductors, especially those with magnetic tendencies,” an ORNL press release said.

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Solar farm in west Oak Ridge can power 20 homes

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Brightfield One Solar Array

The new Brightfield One 828-panel solar farm at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge can generate enough electricity to power about 20 homes.

A solar array that began operating in west Oak Ridge in April can generate enough electricity to power about 20 homes, officials said during a ceremony Tuesday.

Developed by Restoration Services Inc., the $800,000 solar farm uses four rows of south-facing panels on 1.5 acres at the front side of Heritage Center, the former K-25 site.

“We wanted it right here at the entrance to make a statement about clean energy and the Department’s commitment,” said Rick Ferguson, RSI vice president, referring to the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Fleischmann, Hastings support cleanup work, national park

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Fleischmann and Hastings

Congressmen Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., and Doc Hastings, R-Wash., talk to the media before a Friday tour of the three local U.S. Department of Energy sites.

During a brief press conference this morning, Congressmen Chuck Fleischmann and Doc Hastings said they are advocating for more money for cleanup work at U.S. Department of Energy sites and a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that could include Oak Ridge and Hanford.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

“There’s so much history that was involved in what we did,” said Hastings, a Washington Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

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