Oak Ridge Today

Climate study finds human ‘fingerprint’ in Northern Hemisphere greening

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North Hemisphere Greening

Earth system models simulate Northern Hemisphere greening. The figure shows the spatial distribution of leaf area index trends (m2/m2/30yr) in the growing season (April–October) during the period of 1982–2011 in the mean of satellite observations (top), Earth system model (ESM) simulations with natural forcings alone (lower left), and ESM simulations with combined anthropogenic and natural forcings (lower right). (Image by ORNL)

 

A multinational team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Climate Change Science Institute has found the first positive correlation between human activity and enhanced vegetation growth.

The research team, led by Jiafu Mao of the Ecosystem Simulation Science group in the Environmental Sciences Division, used new environmental data and strict statistical methods to discover a significant human-vegetation interaction in the northern extratropical latitudes, the section of the planet spanning 30 to 75 degrees north, roughly between the Tropic of Cancer and the North Frigid Zone above the Arctic Circle.

“This is the first clear evidence of a discernible human fingerprint on physiological vegetation changes at the continental scale,” Mao said. [Read more…]

Learn about secrecy, security, spies at Turnpike Gatehouse on July 8

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The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

 

Learn about secrecy, security, and spies in a program presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge on Friday, July 8. The program will start at 3 p.m. July 8 at the Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse on the west end of town.

“The program will give visitors some insight to what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project, with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the worry of spies,” a press release said.

It’s free and open to the public. Parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible. The gatehouse is also at a trail head for the North Boundary Greenway, and visitors can go for a self-guided hike after the program.

Visitors that are taking the U.S. Department of Energy public tour are encouraged to attend the program after the tour. [Read more…]

AC students team up with veterinarian, dogs to study, protect state reptile

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CRESO and DOE OREM Turtle Hunt with Boykin Spaniels 1

Pictured above at right is John Byrd, director and co-founder of the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization, or CRESO. At center is Dr. Matt Allender, DVM (zoo veterinarian from University of Illinois). He operates the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, or W.E.L. They worked with Boykin Spaniels and Anderson County middle and high school students to collect information about the state’s reptile, the Eastern Box Turtle, at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (DOE photo/Lynn Freeny)

 

Anderson County middle and high school students contributed to long-term ecological field studies at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, using Boykin Spaniels to help a veterinarian and an education and research program collect information about the state’s reptile, the Eastern Box Turtle.

The Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization, or CRESO, is leading the “turtle hunts” with the students this week, from June 27-30 in Oak Ridge. More than 20 students will participate in the program and experience hands-on field research, a press release said.

Collecting information about box turtles is a priority for CRESO to learn how local human activity is affecting their health and habitat, the press release said.

The Boykin Spaniels involved in the turtle hunt are a dog breed that has an uncanny ability to sniff out turtles. Boykins can swiftly find four to 12 turtles in an hour compared to the human ability of finding one every four hours. The Boykin’s soft mouth and calm, easy temperament ensures the turtles are not harmed. [Read more…]

Keppens takes over as head of UT-ORNL Joint Institute of Advanced Materials

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Veerle Keppens

The University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Joint Institute for Advanced Materials has named Veerle Keppens as its new director. (Photo courtesy UT)

 

The University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Joint Institute for Advanced Materials has named Veerle Keppens as its new director.

Keppens, current head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in UT’s College of Engineering, brings a knowledge of advanced materials—substances with properties that go beyond the norm in one or more aspects, such as electronically or chemically—that will allow her to transition to the new role without a learning curve, a press release said.

“Dr. Keppens carries a wealth of materials science knowledge to this position along with a well as a passion for broadening our understanding in these areas of research,” said UT Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “She has worked well in research partnerships with ORNL and will be a strong leader of the institute.”

UT and ORNL established JIAM in 2005 as a way of bringing together researchers studying those materials, with the impact of that research being as varied as the materials themselves. [Read more…]

Scottish professor visits Children’s Museum for Weinberg research

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Sean Johnston and Alvin Weinberg Papers at Children's Museum

Professor Sean Johnston, a professor of science, technology, and social studies from the Dumfries Campus of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, searched through the papers of Alvin Weinberg, former director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as part of a two-year project funded by the British Academy titled “Trusting the Technological Fix.” (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is well known as a center of play and learning for the young and young at heart. The museum’s lesser-known collections of historic papers recently brought a senior academic historian from Scotland to Oak Ridge for several days of research.

Professor Sean Johnston, a professor of science, technology, and social studies from the Dumfries Campus of the University of Glasgow, searched through the papers of Alvin Weinberg, former director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as part of a two-year project funded by the British Academy titled “Trusting the Technological Fix.”

His visit highlights the value of the collections the museum began gathering in the 1970s to tell the cultural and social history of the area for its Regional Appalachian Center.

“Not only was Weinberg the prominent head of the national laboratory (1955-73), and very much a member of the establishment, but he was somebody who was curious and worried about the wider social implications of nuclear technology,” Johnston said. [Read more…]

DOE announces $16 million in funding to move energy technologies from labs to marketplace

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

Photo by ORNL

 

The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced nearly $16 million in funding to help businesses move promising energy technologies from DOE’s national laboratories to the marketplace. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is among the labs receiving funding, and ORNL received funding for nine projects.

It’s the first department-wide round of funding through the Technology Commercialization Fund, or TCF, a press release said. It will support 54 projects at 12 national labs involving 52 private-sector partners.

The TCF is administered by DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions, or OTT, which works to expand the commercial impact of DOE’s portfolio of research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities, the press release said. In February 2016, OTT announced the first solicitation to the DOE national laboratories for TCF funding proposals. It received 104 applications from across the laboratory system, for projects in two topic areas:

  • Topic Area 1: Projects for which the technology must become more mature to attract a private partner; and
  • Topic Area 2: Cooperative development projects between a lab and industry partner(s), designed to support the commercial application of a lab-developed technology.

All projects selected for the Technology Commercialization Fund will receive an equal amount of non-federal funds to match the federal investment, the press release said.

“Deploying new clean energy technologies is an essential part of our nation’s effort to lead in the 21st century economy and in the fight against climate change,” said Lynn Orr, DOE’s under secretary for science and energy. “The funds announced today will help to accelerate the commercialization of cutting-edge energy technologies developed in our national labs, making them more widely available to American consumers and businesses.” [Read more…]

Scientists seek new physics using ORNL’s intense neutrino source

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Neutrino Experiment at High Flux Isotope Reactor

The High Flux Isotope Reactor, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility that creates continuous neutron beams, is the site of a new neutrino experiment. Yale-led PROSPECT will probe neutrinos formed as a byproduct of radioactive decay processes. (Image credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, DOE/Photographer Genevieve Martin)

 

By Dawn Levy

Soon to be deployed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is an experiment to explore new physics associated with neutrinos. The Precision Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment, or PROSPECT, is led by Yale University and includes partners from 14 academic and governmental institutions. The DOE High Energy Physics program will support the experiment at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at ORNL. The neutrino, the subject of a 2015 Nobel Prize, remains a poorly understood fundamental particle of the Standard Model of particle physics.

These electrically neutral subatomic particles are made in stars and nuclear reactors as a byproduct of radioactive decay processes. They interact with other matter via the weak force, making their detection difficult. As a result of this elusiveness, neutrinos are the subject of many interesting and challenging detection experiments, including PROSPECT.

“Unique capabilities of ORNL will enable us to broaden the understanding of neutrino properties,” said David Dean, director of ORNL’s Physics Division. “The expansion of neutrino experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a win for the lab because we have a new scientific focus area, and a win for the scientific community because ORNL has unique neutrino sources that physicists will utilize to explore neutrino science.” [Read more…]

DOE remains interested in transferring Clark Center Park to city

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Clark Center Park Water View

A view of Melton Hill Lake near a boat ramp and between two picnic areas at Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge in July 2014. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy remains interested in transferring Clark Center Park to Oak Ridge, and the city continues to discuss that possibility with the federal government even though it could be a strain on municipal finances, officials said Tuesday.

The property could be transferred at no cost to the city. But one of the questions raised two years ago about the potential property transfer was whether Oak Ridge could afford to take over the 80-acre park.

That appears to remain a concern. It costs DOE about $300,000 per year to operate the park, which is in south Oak Ridge on Melton Hill Lake.

“Monetarily, it’s difficult for us right now,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said Tuesday.

In 2014, there were Oak Ridge City Council meetings and public meetings about the future of the park and the potential transfer to the city. [Read more…]

New Chinese supercomputer named world’s fastest; ORNL’s Titan drops to No. 3

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Jeff Nichols and Titan at ORNL

Jeff Nichols, associate director for computing and computational sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in front of Titan, which was the world’s fastest supercomputer in November 2012 but is now ranked No. 3. (File photo courtesy ORNL/October 2013)

 

China maintained its number one ranking in the latest edition of the TOP500 list of the world’s top supercomputers, but with a new system built entirely using processors designed and made in China.

China now has the top two supercomputers on the semiannual TOP500 list, and Titan at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has dropped from number two to number three.

The new Chinese supercomputer, Sunway TaihuLight, is capable of 93 petaflops, or quadrillions of calculations per second, a press release said.

It displaced Tianhe-2, an Intel-based Chinese supercomputer that had claimed the number one spot on the past six TOP500 lists. Tianhe-2 achieved a speed of 33.86 petaflops, or more than 33,000 trillion calculations per second, in a test known as the LINPACK benchmark.

Titan, a Cray XK7 system installed at ORNL, a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, achieved 17.59 petaflops.

Titan was the top system for a short time. It was number one in November 2012, but it was bumped to number two behind Tianhe-2 in June 2013. This is the first time it has been number three.

The latest list marks the first time since the start of the TOP500 that the United States is not home to the largest number of systems. With a surge in industrial and research installations registered over the last few years, China leads with 167 systems and the U.S. is second with 165. China also leads the performance category, thanks to the number one and number two systems, the press release said. [Read more…]

TVC honors Earl Gohl, Wayne Cropp for commitment to region

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Earl Gohl

Earl Gohl (Submitted photo)

 

Two long-time supporters of the Tennessee Valley Corridor were presented the organization’s top award at the TVC’s National Summit held June 1-2 on the campus of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl and Chattanooga attorney J. Wayne Cropp were honored with the Corridor Champion Award in recognition of their leadership to enhance the TVC’s national visibility, high-tech economic development, and collaborative efforts within the five-state region, a press release said.

“Wayne Cropp chaired the TVC first two Summits in 1995 and 1996 in Oak Ridge and Chattanooga and has been an active leader since,” said Board Chair Steve Cope from Tullahoma. “He has been a true champion for our region’s efforts to promote its federal missions and to leverage those investments for high tech economic development. [Read more…]

Some of nation’s most accomplished STEM teachers selected as Albert Einstein Educator Fellows

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Teachers representing 10 states, District of Columbia will apply classroom experience to congressional, federal executive branch offices

Thirteen accomplished K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, teachers from across the United States have been named 2016-2017 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows. The fellows will spend 11 months serving in a federal agency or U.S. congressional office in Washington, D.C., engaged in the national STEM education arena.

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Education Fellowship, or AEF, Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 STEM educators to apply their extensive classroom knowledge and experience to their host offices to inform federal STEM education efforts.

The 2016-17 Einstein Fellows are as follows: [Read more…]

Council agrees to negotiate on AMSE property for Main Street; DOE wants to dispose of museum

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The American Museum of Science and Energy property is pictured above in central Oak Ridge. The wide road running vertically at center-right through the aerial photo is South Tulane Avenue. The proposed Main Street Oak Ridge would be on the right side of South Tulane Avenue at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The road running horizontally at bottom is South Illinois Avenue. AMSE is the brown-roofed building at top-center.

The American Museum of Science and Energy property is pictured above in central Oak Ridge. The wide road running vertically at center-right through the aerial photo is South Tulane Avenue. The proposed Main Street Oak Ridge would be on the right side of South Tulane Avenue at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The road running horizontally at bottom is South Illinois Avenue. AMSE is the brown-roofed building at top-center.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m. June 16.

The Oak Ridge City Council agreed Monday to allow the city manager to negotiate with federal officials and the company redeveloping the former Oak Ridge Mall for the transfer of the American Museum of Science and Energy property—if the federal government wants to get rid of it.

And it appears that the federal government does want to dispose of the museum. The U.S. Department of Energy has asked the federal General Services Administration, which disposes of federal property, for help with that process, said Claire Sinclair of Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office Public Affairs. GSA took on that role last week.

But the transfer of federal property such as AMSE usually takes a few years, Sinclair said, and if a new use were proposed for the museum property, adequate public notice would be given. ORNL manages AMSE for DOE.

In the meantime, AMSE is expected to continue operating, officials said.

Under the resolution approved by Council on Monday, the 17.12 acres of federal property at the AMSE site could be transferred to the city. Or RealtyLink, the company redeveloping the mall, could negotiate directly with federal officials. The U.S. Department of Energy owns the museum, and it would work on any proposed transfer through the General Services Administration. [Read more…]