Oak Ridge Today

Mason named president of Triad, which will operate Los Alamos National Lab

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Thom Mason May 23 2016

Former Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason is pictured above on Monday, May 23, 2016. (File photo by ORNL)

 

Thom Mason, former director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named president of Triad National Security LLC, which has been awarded a $25 billion contract to manage and operate the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Mason, who is senior vice president for global laboratory operations at Battelle, will also serve as director designate of the lab during the transition period, according to a press release issued by Battelle in Columbus, Ohio.

Battelle and its partners on the Triad team announced Monday that they can officially begin the transition to operating Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the nation’s premier scientific and nuclear research facilities.

In the press release, which is posted on its website, Battelle said Mason will work closely with the laboratory’s current director, Terry Wallace, to ensure a smooth changeover between operating teams. [Read more…]

ORHS student wins National Merit Scholarship

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Oak Ridge High School student Lara S. Blokland has won a National Merit Scholarship. The scholarship winners were announced this week by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Blokland is one of two area students to win a National Merit Battelle Scholarship. The other is Nalin H. Varma of Farragut High School.

Blokland’s probable career field is physics, a press release said, and Varma could study chemical engineering.

This week’s announcement was the first announcement of National Merit Scholars in 2017 by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, or NMSC. NMSC will name recipients of National Merit $2,500 Scholarships on May 10 and winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 7 and July 17. [Read more…]

Mason leaving ORNL for Battelle

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Thom Mason May 23 2016

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason is pictured above on Monday, May 23, 2016, in Chattanooga. (File photo by ORNL)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3:05 p.m.

Thom Mason, the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2007, is leaving the lab for a job at Battelle.

Mason announced the move in an email to employees on Friday morning.

He will become senior vice president for laboratory operations at Battelle in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle, in partnership with the University of Tennessee, has managed and operated ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy since April 2000.

“I’m privileged to take on the challenges that lie ahead,” Mason said. [Read more…]

Engineer, Army veteran, community volunteer running for City Council

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Hans Vogel

Hans Vogel

Hans Vogel, current vice chair of the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, is running for one of three seats on the Oak Ridge City Council in the November 8 election.

Vogel is also a member of the Board of Directors for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, and he is a graduate of the Leadership Oak Ridge 2015 class, a press release said.

He is also an engineer and Army veteran, according to the press release.

The release said Vogel has a strong vision for the city of Oak Ridge that centers around working together to achieve a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable community where people choose to live, work, and play.

“Oak Ridge has unlimited potential if the City Council, business community, and Department of Energy can join together with our citizens to address community priorities,” Vogel said in the release. “In order to achieve this goal, the city must have a plan.” [Read more…]