February 2000


Lab activities take President’s Awards

ORNL and Energy Systems handed out the latest round of Presidents’ Awards for Continuous Improvement on January 20. These awards reflect the innovation and extra efforts of the recipients. This time eight ORNL teams were honored.

A Plant and Equipment Division and Office of Environmental Protection team including Glen Anderson, Tim Brown, Betty Cale, Angie Hamby, Eddie Justice, Vickie Langley, Tim Russell and Elizabeth Wright was cited for its efforts with the Buffer Zone Enhancement project, which has improved the appearance of the streams around ORNL as well as made them compliant with environmental regulations.

Phil Sklad and Srinath Viswanathan of the Metals and Ceramics Division were congratulated for developing an activity in casting for lightweight materials. The program, which they built from zero to $1 million a year, has also forged ties with professional casting societies.

The team that developed the Lab’s new Web-based Performance Assessment and Development Systems, or PADS, was cited for flexibility, creativity, initiative and dedication to meeting ever-changing requirements during a demanding implementation. They are Don Cross, Nancy Getsi, Ron Parr and Rick Phillips.

The Robotics and Process Systems Division’s Paul Singh learned of a planned reduction in weapons activity at the Avangard nuclear weapons facility in Russia. He quickly coordinated with DOE on a reindustrialization vision for the facility that became a $1 million project that enhanced national security.

ORNL e-mail users have been enjoying a new server thanks to the efforts of Shui Chang, Joe Foust, Dave Giles, Susan Hicks, George Hill, Jamey Maze, Larry Rosenbaum and Brian Wallace. The new server consolidates six servers into one and shields users from viruses. It also avoids an estimated $100,000 in costs.

Rick Stephens of the Computing, Information and Networking Division provided key technical leadership in coordinating the ORNL Data Warehouse project, which gave the Lab a copy of the Corporate Information Center.

Until recently, documents published at ORNL were created electronically and printed on paper. Printing a technical report required an arduous permission process that included 10 signatures. CIND’s Mike Aaron, Barbara Ashdown, Bill Clapper, Bob Conrad, Jamie Crigger, Jeanne Dole, Dave Hamrin, Becky Lawson, Dami Rich and Deborah York streamlined the process into an electronic and automatic process that saves $50,000 a year and, more importantly, makes it easier for Lab researchers to access information.

Claretta Sullivan and Barbara Summers got a database and electronic information system up and running for the Office of University and Science Education. The new system allows OUSE to track and expedite applications in educational programs. That sort of work isn’t normally their jobs, but their efforts have made a dramatic impact on the office’s operations.


      



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