Proposals now being accepted from educators in five East Tennessee counties; deadline is April 19
ORAU is accepting applications for its Education Grants program for 2024, offering $30,000 in grant funding for teachers in five East Tennessee counties.
Educators in Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, Roane, and Scott county public schools are invited to submit proposals to fund programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), a press release said.
[Read more…]A historical walk through Jackson Square with the Manhattan Project National Historical Park has been rescheduled to February 10 due to the winter weather in January.
The walk with the National Park Service is titled “Building America’s Secret City: Ranger Walk Through Jackson Square.” It is now scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, February 10.
“Explore what it took to shape the farms and mud of East Tennessee into the Atomic City,” an event notice said.
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Employees of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory donated more than $828,000 to local nonprofits through the lab’s employee giving programs in 2023, a press release said.
ORNL’s managing contractor, UT-Battelle, provided an additional $139,600 in support of employee efforts, bringing the total to more than $967,000.
In addition, ORNL employees recorded more than 1,497 volunteer hours while serving 56 nonprofits, the press release said. With the value of these volunteer hours estimated at $36,232, total employee-led contributions for 2023 were valued at more than $1 million.
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Workers have finished major pre-demolition work on a wartime building at Y-12 National Security Complex.
The deactivation work at the Beta-1 building included removing asbestos; old, brittle thorium-contaminated piping; and more than two million gallons of water.
The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor UCOR have been working toward the deactivation milestone since 2020, a press release said. Workers finished deactivating the above-ground floors of the Beta-1 facility in December. Now, only deactivation work in the basement remains before the teardown can begin. Demolition of Beta-1 is expected to begin in 2026.
Beta-1 was built in 1944 to enrich uranium for the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That federal project built the world’s first atomic bombs. Beta-1, a 210,000-square-foot, two-story building, was later converted to laboratory space for fusion-energy technology.
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Oak Ridge Schools will be closed again on Monday due to unsafe road conditions, and City of Oak Ridge offices will open three hours late.
The schools were closed four days after the holiday last week due to the winter weather, as were many other schools, offices, and businesses. Some roads were also briefly closed. The winter weather has included more than eight inches of snow, freezing temperatures, below-zero wind chills, and slippery roads and sidewalks.
On Sunday, the Oak Ridge Police Department and City of Oak Ridge said many roadways were still very icy despite being treated and plowed.
“Conditions are expected to worsen once the sun goes down,” they said. “Stay home, if possible.”
The schools said temperatures are projected to warm on Monday.
[Read more…]City of Oak Ridge offices and facilities, Y-12 National Security Complex, and the Anderson County Courthouse will be closed Wednesday due to winter weather.
Only essential personnel are to report in the City of Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge City Council work session scheduled for Tuesday night was canceled.
In Anderson County, crews have been working around the clock, but side roads are still in bad condition as are parking areas.
“The temperatures are expected to be very low tonight, and the main roads that are currently passable will most likely be ice in the early morning hours,” a press release said.
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Y-12 National Security Complex is closed Tuesday to everyone but essential personnel.
The Uranium Processing Facility project is also closed, Y-12 said.
“Teleworkers should continue to work remotely,” the plant said. “The Information Line will be updated with current information.”
Roads, schools, government offices, and businesses have closed due to the winter weather that started Sunday night, including snow, cold temperatures, and hazardous driving conditions.
City of Oak Ridge offices and facilities and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be closed Tuesday due to winter weather.
The city said only essential employees are expected to report to work. The Oak Ridge City Council work session scheduled for Tuesday will be postponed and a new date published later.
[Read more…]AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX MATERIALS MANUFACTURING MISSION (DOE/EA-2218)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the availability of this Draft Environmental Assessment (EA), which analyzes the potential impacts associated with materials manufacturing at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. NNSA invites the public to review and submit comments on the Draft EA. Copies of the document are available for public review 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/public-comment-opportunities). Public comments on the Draft EA should be submitted no later than November 30, 2023. Comments may be submitted via regular mail to NNSA NEPA Document Manager, Attn: MM Draft EA, P.O. Box 2050, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; or by email: [email protected]. Comments will not be accepted over the telephone.
Consolidated Nuclear Security presented the small business of the year award to Master Machine Incorporated during a recent Partners in Excellence supplier outreach event. The Chattanooga-based business focuses on machining, weld fabrication, and engineering services.
MMI has been a supplier to Consolidated Nuclear Security for more than five years, starting with Y-12 National Security Complex and adding the Pantex Plant in 2022.
“Master Machine consistently demonstrates the ability to identify and implement manufacturing methods needed to address complicated projects,” said Rick Hillert, senior director of Supply Chain Management. The company also made $1 million in plant and equipment improvements to address tool needs for CNS, a press release said.
The company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, was nominated by Roger Aigner, subcontract technical representative for Packaging and Transportation Engineering at Y-12. In his nomination, Aigner noted: “They are professional, capable, and a pleasure to work with. They understand the CNS mission and are well deserving of this award.”
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A research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Tuesday will discuss the expected impacts of climate change on extreme weather and cities.
Melissa Allen-Dumas is a research scientist in the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Her talk at Lunch with the League is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Those who attend can bring a lunch or purchase a boxed lunch. Coffee and tea will be served. The presentation will begin at noon, a press release said.
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The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—already the world’s most powerful accelerator-based neutron source—will be on a planned hiatus through June 2024 as crews work to upgrade the facility.
Much of the work—part of the facility’s Proton Power Upgrade project—will involve building a connector between the accelerator and the planned Second Target Station at SNS, a press release said. When complete, the PPU project will bring the accelerator up to 2.8 megawatts from its current record-breaking 1.7 megawatts of beam power.
Workers will add about 3,000 square feet of concrete tunnel, the “stub,†which will integrate with an existing tunnel. Construction tasks include associated structures, roofing, geomembrane liner, tunnel waterproofing, electrical, fire alarm, ventilation systems, and controls.
“The construction crews have performed all of the excavation work and are transitioning to tunnel base and wall construction,†said ORNL’s Mark Champion, PPU project manager.
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