Oak Ridge Today

ORNL has reception for Zacharia, departing deputy director

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Thomas and Sindhu Zacharia

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has a reception for departing Deputy Director Thomas Zacharia, front center, on Wednesday afternoon. Also pictured, at front left, is Zacharia’s wife Sindhu, and in the background are ORNL’s Sylvia Davis and University of Tennessee Executive Vice President David Millhorn. (Photos by ORNL’s Jason Richards)

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory had a reception Wednesday afternoon for deputy director Thomas Zacharia and his wife Sindhu, who are leaving at the end of the month.

Zacharia, ORNL deputy for science and technology, is leaving to take a leadership position at a science and education foundation based in Doha, Qatar.

He has worked for the lab for 26 years.

Zacharia will become executive vice president of research and development for the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

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DOE public bus tours in Oak Ridge end Aug. 31

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Public bus tours of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge facilities end for the year on Friday, Aug. 31.

The tour includes stops at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, and East Tennessee Technology Park. The tour includes historical commentary on the transformation of the Oak Ridge Reservation during the past 65 years, a press release said.

So far this season, 1,099 visitors from 36 states have participated in the three-hour summer tour.

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ORNL awarded $1 million for battery research

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory is expected to receive about $1 million for battery research as part of a national project to improve the storage of energy.

The grants were announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Energy, which announced a total of $43 million for 19 projects across the country.

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Zacharia leaving top ORNL job for Qatar Foundation

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Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia, a top administrator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is leaving to take a leadership position at a science and education foundation based in Doha, Qatar.

Zacharia, ORNL deputy for science and technology, will become executive vice president of research and development for the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

He starts Sept. 1.

He has worked for the lab for 26 years.

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ORNL researchers start wireless network company

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ORNL Radio Channel Simulator Software

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers Phani Teja Kuruganti, left, and James Nutaro develop the Radio Channel Simulator software. (Photo submitted by ORNL)

A Tennessee company has licensed award-winning software from Oak Ridge National Laboratory that will help industries install wireless networks more cost-effectively in challenging environments such as mines, offshore drilling platforms, and factories, a press release said.

The company is called Networcsim, and it was founded by ORNL researchers Phani Teja Kuruganti and James Nutaro.

The two signed an agreement Friday to license the Radio Channel Simulator software, which won an R&D 100 Award this month.

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New search engine improves access to online environmental data

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Eastern Bluebird Map

New search software from DataONE helps map predicted occurrences of the eastern bluebird in August 2008. (Photo submitted by ORNL)

A team that includes researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released a search engine that provides easy access to environmental data.

Called ONEMercury, the “one-stop” search engine can be used by environmental researchers who investigate climate change, invasive species, infectious diseases, and other data-intensive topics, an ORNL press release said. It queries data centers around the world for relevant earth science information.

“This search system enables researchers to discover, access, and explore data that exist at many different repositories around the Internet,” ORNL’s Robert Cook said. “Previously there’s been no ‘federation’ of all these different data centers that would allow someone to come in from one place and search of all these resources.”

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Hanson, Sales named UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows

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Paul Hanson and Brian Sales

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers Paul Hanson, left, and Brian Sales have been named UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows. (Photo submitted by ORNL)

Two researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been named UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows for their contributions to science and technological fields.

The election of Paul Hanson and Brian Sales means there are now 33 researchers who are active corporate fellows at ORNL, a press release said.

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Students from Appalachia attend high school science camp

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High School Summer Science Camp

Three dozen high school students from 12 Appalachian states participate in a math, science, technology institute this month. (Photo submitted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities)

Three dozen high school students and 14 teachers from 12 Appalachian states spent two weeks in East Tennessee this month for a math, science, and technology camp.

The camp was hosted by two local organizations, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Oak Ridge Associated Universities, as well as the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The students and teachers were able to work with mentors at ORNL during the hands-on camp, the 23rd annual High School Summer and Math-Science-Technology Institute. They also participated in East Tennessee tours and activities.

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New ORNL steam plant part of project that could save $200 million

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ORNL Central Biomass Steam Plant

A new steam plant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory burns wood chips rather than fossil fuels, and officials say it will save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo submitted by U.S. Department of Energy)

New energy conservation measures in place at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could save an estimated $200 million during a 25-year period, the U.S. Department of Energy announced this week.

The centerpiece of those measures is a biomass plant that burns wood chips and not fossil fuels to produce steam for heat and humidity control on the lab’s main campus, DOE said in a press release.

Officials had a dedication ceremony for the Central Biomass Steam Plant on Thursday.

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ORNL steam plant burns wood chips, saves energy

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ORNL Central Biomass Steam Plant

A steam plant that burns wood chips at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is expected to help save energy and reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. At right is a blue wood chip hopper, at left in background is the exhaust stack, and at right in background is the steam plant.

A new steam plant that burns wood chips at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will save energy, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and cut greenhouse gas emissions, officials said Thursday.

The Central Biomass Steam Plant can produce 60,000 pounds of steam per hour. The steam is used to heat buildings during cold winter months and support research applications at ORNL.

The 21-megawatt plant is the flagship project in a $94 million, four-year-old Energy Savings Performance Contract with Johnson Controls Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis.

Officials had a dedication ceremony for the steam plant Thursday.

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Bacterial research at ORNL could aid biofuel production

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Bacteria

Researchers at the BioEnergy Science Center analyze bacteria that could aid in the production of next-generation biofuels. (Photo submitted by ORNL)

Submitted by ORNL

The identification of key proteins in a group of heat-loving bacteria by researchers at the Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center could help light a fire under next-generation biofuel production.

Scientists have long been on the hunt for cost-effective ways to break down complex plant material such as switchgrass in order to access sugars that are fermented to make biofuels. Conventional processes involve the addition of commercially produced enzymes to break down the cellulose.

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ORNL home to new battery manufacturing R&D facility

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Future automotive batteries could cost less and pack more power because of a new manufacturing research and development facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The $3 million U.S. Department of Energy facility is located off Hardin Valley Road at the National Transportation Research Center.

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