|
(Knoxville News Sentinel) David Keim, public affairs chief at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant for the past couple of years, has accepted a new position as director of communications at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. According to Tuesday's announcement from ORNL Director Thom Mason, Keim will begin his new job March 28...3/7 |
(Energy.gov) A team of researchers led by ORNL’s Juan-Carlos Idrobo studied intrinsic defects in graphene, a flat material of rising potential. Graphene consists of pure sheets of carbon atoms, arrayed in hexagonal, chicken-wire like rows. It’s stronger than steel and more electrically conductive than copper. The ultra-thin sheets have incredible possibilities, which researchers supported by the Energy Department’s Office of Science are striving to work into new applications...3/7
|
|
DOE
(Nature News) This could be the year the National Ignition Facility (NIF) finally lives up to its name. The facility, which boasts the world’s largest laser, is designed to trigger fusion by imploding a target pellet of hydrogen isotopes, thereby releasing more energy than will go into the shot...3/7
(Knoxville News Sentinel) The 10-Year Site Plan for the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge makes a number of assumptions in projecting the plant's workload over the next decade. The first assumption on the list is: "Life Extension Program production will be at or above the current level."...3/7
(AIP) Energy Secretary Steven Chu testified before two important panels in the last week: the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. As expected, most questions centered on energy prices and nuclear waste disposal, and to a lesser degree, DOE’s science programs...3/7
|
National
(Forbes) ...increased factory automation would reduce the primary attraction of outsourcing to China. Those robots will work just as well in American as in China—eliminating the desire for low-cost labor...3/7
(NPR) Rising gas prices have been the big energy story of the past several weeks. But many energy experts say that's a sideshow compared with the really big energy event — the huge boom in oil and natural gas production in the U.S. that could help the nation reach the elusive goal of energy independence...3/7
East Tennessee
(Oak Ridger) A team of about 20 students from Oak Ridge High School won the Top Rookie award at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition held in the Knoxville Convention Center on Saturday...3/7
(Knoxville News Sentinel) From March to December 2011, the number of charging stations in Knoxville grew from one to 105. That's second in Tennessee only to Nashville, and greater than Memphis and Chattanooga's respective totals, according to a U.S. Department of Energy report...3/8 |
Laser fusion nears crucial milestone
Is U.S. Energy Independence Finally Within Reach?
A Fuel Cell That Cleans Water and Makes Electricity Simultaneously