Oak Ridge Today

Larry Kelly, manager of DOE Oak Ridge Office, dies

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Larry Kelly

Larry Kelly

Larry Kelly, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office since July 2012, has died.

“Words cannot describe the sadness we feel with the passing of Larry,” said ORO Deputy Manager Kevin Hall. “The loss of our leader is heavy on our hearts, but it is the loss of a friend that leaves an emptiness that will be difficult to endure. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Rubenia, and daughter, Kristyn. Anyone who spent time with him knew the admiration he had in his wife, and the pride he took in his daughter.

“During his tenure, I was always impressed with Larry’s emphasis on our people and our mission. It was the driving force behind all of his decisions, and it led to a workforce that cared for him very deeply. He made a lasting impact on the Oak Ridge Office and each one of us personally.” [Read more…]

Closings: City Hall, ORAU, Chamber, OSTI, DOE-ORO, Y-12; no trash pickup

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Note: This story was last updated at 11:39 a.m.

Here are more closings announced for Tuesday, as well as a few that were announced previously. Some previous announcements have been revised, mostly changing from a late opening to a closing.

The City of Oak Ridge offices will be closed today, Tuesday, February 17, due to icy roads. The Oak Ridge City Council work session scheduled for tonight has also be canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date.

Waste Connections will not be conducting trash pick up today and will be on a one-day delay.

The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office (the Federal Building) and DOE’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information will be closed due to hazardous weather conditions. Employees with situational telework agreements in place are expected to telework. [Read more…]

DOE proposal to build new waste facility subject of Wednesday meeting

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Oak Ridge Reservation Waste Disposal

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The U.S. Department of Energy has made great strides in cleaning up the Oak Ridge Reservation of outdated and contaminated buildings and soils. But since more work has been added to the original cleanup scope, additional landfill space is needed to handle the additional waste.

DOE has proposed an area near the current low-level waste landfill on Bear Creek Road near the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Join us for a presentation on DOE’s proposal to build a new facility that will handle all waste expected to be generated by the remaining cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation. [Read more…]

DOE East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl at Roane State on Feb. 7

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U.S. Department of Energy Logo

The fifth annual U.S. Department of Energy’s East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl will be hosted on Saturday, February 7, at the Roane State Community College campus in Oak Ridge. It starts at 9 a.m.

Students from 12 local middle schools will participate in a fast-paced academic competition offering students the opportunity to match their wits in math and science, a press release said.

This year 16 teams are registered for the competition. Each team includes four student competitors, an alternate, and a coach. The competition covers numerous disciplines including astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, general science, mathematics, and physics, the press release said. [Read more…]

Cange named cleanup manager at DOE Oak Ridge

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Gov. Bill Haslam Visits ETTP/K-25

During a March 2014 tour, Sue Cange, center, gives Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, right, an update on the then-almost completed demolition of the K-25 Building, which was once used to enrich uranium in west Oak Ridge. (File photo)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that Sue Cange will serve as the new manager for DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann said.

“Sue has a strong background in environmental management and has done a great job as acting manager,” said Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican. “I look forward to continuing to work with her on nuclear cleanup in Oak Ridge.”

Fleischmann is chair of the Nuclear Cleanup Caucus, a group of lawmakers who have U.S. Department of Energy cleanup sites in their districts. Fleischmann’s district includes Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

UT engineers helping ORNL with key sustainable energy riddle

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Alexander Papandrew and Gerd Duscher

Gerd Duscher, left, of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Alexander Papandrew, of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—One of the key holdups in the march toward more efficient sustainable energy could soon be answered, thanks in part to researchers at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

The College of Engineering’s Alexander Papandrew and Gerd Duscher are part of a broader Oak Ridge National Laboratory-led team that recently received a $2.75 million U.S. Department of Energy grant for work on improving fuel cells, $1.4 million of which went to their project.

The basic premise of their work is to find a far more efficient way to turn chemical energy—in this case natural gas—into electrical energy. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle extends American Centrifuge agreement for uranium enrichment

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American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center

The American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center in south Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy USEC/Centrus Energy Corp.)

UT-Battelle, the contractor that operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has added another six months to an agreement being used to develop new uranium-enrichment technology through operations in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Piketon, Ohio.

The six-month extension was announced Friday by Centrus Energy Corporation, formerly known as USEC. UT-Battelle has exercised its option to extend the American Centrifuge Technology Demonstration and Operations Agreement, or ACTDO Agreement, by six months from March 31 to September 30, 2015, Centrus said.

ORNL had previously exercised an option to extend the agreement through March 31, 2015.

The six-month extension allows the continued demonstration and operation of the only uranium enrichment technology in the United States, Centrus said in a press release. [Read more…]

Company licenses ORNL cyber security technology that recognizes malicious software

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R&K Cyber Solutions Joseph Carter and Thom Mason of ORNL

R&K Cyber Solutions LLC has licensed Hyperion, a cyber security technology from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory that can quickly recognize malicious software even if the specific program has not been previously identified as a threat. Pictured above are ORNL Director Thom Mason, left, and R&K Cyber Solutions CEO Joseph Carter. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

A company based in Washington, D.C., has licensed a cyber security technology from Oak Ridge National Laboratory that can quickly recognize malicious software—even if the specific program has not been previously identified as a threat.

Named Hyperion, the cyber security technology has been licensed by R&K Cyber Solutions LLC, or R&K.

The ORNL technology can look inside an executable program to determine the software’s behavior without using its source code or running the program, according to one of its inventors, Stacy Prowell of ORNL’s Cyber Warfare Research team. Hyperion computes and analyzes program behaviors associated with harmful intent, a press release said.

“These behaviors can be automatically checked for known malicious operations as well as domain-specific problems,” Prowell said. “This technology helps detect vulnerabilities and can uncover malicious content before it has a chance to execute.” [Read more…]

Guest column: President Obama’s manufacturing announcement—what it means for UT, ORNL, East Tennessee

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Jimmy Cheek and Martin Keller and Shelby Cobra

University of Tennessee Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, right, stands with Martin Keller, associate laboratory director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in front of a Shelby Cobra printed as a collaboration between ORNL and UT personnel. The car served as a highlight of President Obama’s visit to the area on Friday. (Photo courtesy UT) 

 

KNOXVILLE—President Obama’s announcement on Friday that the University of Tennessee in Knoxville would be the lead institution in a $259 million advanced composites manufacturing project known as the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, or IACMI, was met with applause, but also a few questions.

Many wondered what advanced composites manufacturing really means, why the UT-led consortium was selected, and what the impact for the area might be.

Here are some answers.

What is IACMI?

IACMI is the newest federally funded institute for manufacturing innovation. Its focus is on advancing innovation in the manufacturing of composites used in automobiles, wind turbines, and compressed gas storage tanks. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge elementary schools’ Hour of Code blends learning, mentorship

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Hour of Code

Roane State webmaster Jeremy Pulcifer mentors second-graders during Hour of Code at Glenwood Elementary School. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Learning to code teaches students more than they realize, and they have fun at the same time.

That is why the week-long Hour of Code campaign last month was a valuable experience for elementary school students in Oak Ridge.

“Kids learn best with games,” said Aleshia Wensell, K-4 technology teacher at Glenwood Elementary School. “When they can have fun with learning, they learn faster and have a deeper understanding. That’s what code does. Students are doing a process of elimination. They are doing higher thinking skills. All of this is important for their math or reading comprehension. Code helps in all aspects of their education.”

Glenwood, Linden Elementary School, Willow Brook Elementary School and Woodland Elementary School hosted activities for Hour of Code, a nationwide initiative to excite children about computer science. Code.org, a nonprofit organization that promotes computer science education, provided Hour of Code resources for educators. [Read more…]

DOE Oak Ridge has MLK program Tuesday featuring Beck Center CEO

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office will hold its annual observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with a program entitled “Change Starts with Me.” The program is free and open to the public.

This year’s event features a keynote address by Reverend Reneé Kesler. She is the president and chief executive officer of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center Inc. and a licensed ordained associate minister at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. Kesler is also a professional instructor with the University of Tennessee’s Department of Professional and Personal Development in Continuing Education. [Read more…]

DOE Oak Ridge environmental management employees retire

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Eddie Holden

Eddie Holden

Two U. S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) employees retired last month after a combined 34 years of federal service.

Eddie Holden, a traffic management specialist for the Facilities Operations Division at OREM, retired on December 31 with 10 years of federal service.

Holden oversaw transportation activities for the agency, leading the effort to maintain compliance and keep hazardous materials off public roads and was responsible for the Haul Road Transportation Program, a press release said. He played a critical role in the development of DOE’s Radio Frequency Identification Transportation System, used for paperless shipments and electronic tracking of vehicles, which cuts costs and improves security. [Read more…]