SNS News Archive - 2004

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December

UT-Battelle to get 5-year lab pact (Knoxville News-Sentinel 12/13) UT-Battelle is getting a new five-year contract to manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory...ORNL’s research budget has grown 56 percent over the past five years, from $563 million in 2000 to a projected funding level of $878 million in fiscal 2005, the lab director said. He also pointed to progress on the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source, the nation’s largest science project that is nearing completion on 90 acres. The SNS is under budget and ahead of schedule, with first operations expected in mid-2006, he said.

November

SNS targets power upgrade (Oak Ridger, 11/29) The Department of Energy has OK'd a power upgrade that would more than double the neutron output of a research facility still under construction atop Chestnut Ridge in Oak Ridge...According to Oak Ridge National Laboratory spokesman Bill Cabage, the power upgrade would allow researchers to perform more difficult and sophisticated experiments with the same suite of instruments. Though ORNL oversees the SNS, it is actually a six-lab effort within DOE that carries a $1.4 billion price tag.

Nanocomposites in the automotive industry (High Performance Composites, 11/29) The U.S. federal government has included a nanoscience research center in its new $1.4 billion Dept. of Energy Spallation Neutron Source project under DoE at the Oak Ridge National Labs (Oak Ridge Tenn.), at which 3,800 employees and 3,000 research guests reside.

OR facilities get piece of '05 bill (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 11/23) The 2005 spending bill passed over the weekend by Congress includes important funds for the government's Oak Ridge facilities, including $113.6 million for the Spallation Neutron Source and an equal amount for a new storage facility for bomb-grade uranium. The SNS funding sets the stage for completion of the $1.4 billion science research facility, which is under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

New instruments at ORNL reactor will lead to an increase in users (Oak Ridger, 11/16) Four new instruments installed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor this year make the facility an even more attractive destination for researchers around the world, according to officials...The new instruments consist of two diffractometers, one reflectometer and a Spallation Neutron Source test station...The test station is a temporary instrument to screen components that will be used at the $1.4 billion SNS, which is being built on Chestnut Ridge and is scheduled for completion in 2006.

October

Science brings world to East Tennessee (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10/15) Nanoscience may be all about small things, but it's a really big deal in Oak Ridge. The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a $65 million nanoscience research facility, is halfway finished at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It's to be the first of five nano research centers funded by the federal government to be completed...The presence of the SNS program made the nanophase center possible. Scientists will be able to create samples in the research labs at the center and study them at the SNS. And the two programs situated together in Oak Ridge will allow officials to recruit other programs and research from around the world.

SNS workers honored for safety, community efforts (Oak Ridger, 10/14) Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source, the Department of Energy's largest science construction project, recently received two awards from the Tennessee Labor Management Conference - the Award of Excellence in labor-management relations and the Horizon Award for community service.

Researcher to get $1.5M for work on Oak Ridge SNS (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10/2) John Larese, a researcher in the University of Tennessee's chemistry department, will receive more than $1.5 million to work on design and engineering of scientific instrumentation for the Spallation Neutron Source. Larese is receiving funding from the National Science Foundation.

September

Nanoscience facility will have huge impact (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 9/28) Small and mighty, it's a nano world. Construction of a $65 million nanoscience research facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is halfway to completion, and the excitement is building..."The excitement around nanoscale science and technology is that we believe it is the basis for the next industrial revolution," Jim Roberto, the lab's associate director for physical sciences, said Monday during a visit to the construction site on Chestnut Ridge.

ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source "Warms" Up for 2006 (Newswise, 9/24) With the recent "warm commissioning" of its linear accelerator, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) has passed a crucial test and milestone on its way to completion in 2006..."The successful commissioning of the warm linac is another step toward the 2006 completion of the SNS, and again demonstrates the success of the collaboration of national labs in keeping the project on time, on budget and on scope," said SNS Director Thom Mason.

Instrument may unlock 'mysteries of universe' (Oak Ridger, 9/20) Fundamental questions that particle physicists have pondered for decades might be answered when a $9.2 million neutron physics beam line is built at the Spallation Neutron Source, which is also under construction in Oak Ridge.

Ready for Sprawl II? (Metro Pulse, 9/2) Jobs at the Department of Energy facilities in Oak Ridge began the urban sprawl in West Knox County...The Spallation Neutron Source and the ORNL supercomputer have the potential to cause explosive growth. If you are working at the subatomic level to develop new materials, you need a snapshot of the inside of the material, which is the whole point of SNS. Once it’s completed, everyone who works in material science will be interested in doing experiments in Oak Ridge; companies all over the world will need a presence in Oak Ridge to consider experiments using the Spallation technology.

August

Scientific Springboard (Metro Pulse, 8/26) The UT/ORNL Joint Institutes could vault Tennessee into the ranks of the nation’s top research universities ...The ballyhoo surrounding the Spallation Neutron Source makes it sound like the biggest thing to happen in Oak Ridge since the original Manhattan Project. The SNS’ capacity for generating brighter, more intense streams of neutrons for probing the properties of the materials at which they are aimed is expected to yield more insight into the nature of matter and its behavior under varying conditions. The results can yield dividends in a number of fields.

SNS plays a vital role in fusion win (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 8/23) [Requires Registration] The success of the Spallation Neutron Source is paying other dividends for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In the most recent instance, it helped ORNL land a key role on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.

Future bright with neutrons for Ruiz (Oak Ridger, 8/18) [Requires Registration] Mariano Ruiz didn't expect his summer internship with the Spallation Neutron Source project to end with a job offer. But, it did. Louis Santodonato, who served at Ruiz's mentor, credits the good job the 27-year-old did during the internship for getting him the permanent position. "It's quite unusual for somebody to show up for just a summer appointment and get offered a job," added Linda Holmes, a group manager with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. "It doesn't end up that way all that frequently for undergraduates or people who've just graduated with a bachelor's degree."

July

Lab modernization going ahead (Oak Ridger, 7/15) [Requires Registration]...Other construction projects in the works include ORNL's $60 million Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences and the Joint Institute of Biological Sciences. According to Bates, design work on the Biological Sciences facility is currently under way, and it will be built near the new "Mouse House" or what's officially named the William L. and Liane B. Russell Laboratory for Comparative and Functional Genomics.As for the nanophase center, it will be located atop Chestnut Ridge with the Spallation Neutron Source - a research facility that will be completed in 2006.

Bush tours Oak Ridge lab (Scripps Howard News Service, 7/12) President Bush delivered a 35-minute talk Monday that defended the administration's campaign against terror after he inspected crates of nuclear-weapons parts and equipment, including gas centrifuges for uranium enrichment, from Libya...Oak Ridge has been in the national spotlight regularly during the Bush administration. The $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source, the nation's largest science project, is under construction a couple of miles from the main ORNL campus. The construction work is more than two-thirds complete, and the project remains on time and within its budget.

Oak Ridge returns to roots to explore the neutron (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/11) [Requires Registration] Sometimes, scientists have to think big to see small. On an 80-acre site atop Chestnut Ridge in eastern Tennessee, the Energy Department is building something really big — in hopes of seeing atomic-scale structures more clearly than ever before.

False alarm for Spallation Neutron Source (Oak Ridger, 7/02) Emergency personnel responded to what turned out to be a false alarm Thursday afternoon at the Spallation Neutron Source construction site.

June

Funding looking positive for Oak Ridge (Oak Ridger, 6/18) Projects impacted range from neutron research to the construction and demolition of facilities....Full funding of $113.6 million for continued construction of the Spallation Neutron Source, which will be the world's most powerful neutron research facility when completed in 2006.

Officials eye lab's scientific agenda (Oak Ridger, 6/16) Department of Energy headquarters officials paid a scheduled visit Tuesday to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for an on-site review of the research complex's scientific agenda...As part of the annual program, the DOE officials were briefed on a variety of topics including the Spallation Neutron Source project and the area of computational sciences - among other things, according to the lab's communications chief, Billy Stair.

Jacobs Celebrates 3 Million Injury-Free Workhours at Doe Facility (Scotsman.com, 6/02) Engineering Group, Inc. announced today that they recently celebrated 3 million craft workhours without a lost-time injury at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge, Tenn...The project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which started on December 19, 1999, is over 80 percent complete. Jacobs is part of a joint venture with Lester B. Knight & Associates that currently includes approximately 400 craft employees; the joint venture has contracted with over 60 subcontractors throughout the project.

May

High Flux Isotope Reactor Marks 400Th Cycle (Newswise, 5/14) Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), one of the world’s most powerful research reactors, is marking a milestone this month -- its 400th fuel cycle since it began operation in 1966...Researchers from all over the world come to Oak Ridge to perform experiments at the HFIR. In 2006, the reactor will be joined by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) to make ORNL the world’s leading center for neutron research.“SNS and HFIR are complementary. The combination of a world class research reactor with SNS, the world’s most powerful pulsed neutron source, is unbeatable,” said Jim Roberto, Associate Laboratory Director for Physical Sciences.

'Smartest kid' now top scientist; Ex-Cheyenne man oversees neutron science (AP, Cheyenne, WY, 5/4) Jeff Hoy always had an interest in science, but he didn't know where it was going to lead him. Several degrees later, he is now the program manager for Spallation Neutron Source, a $1.4 billion neutron science facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

April

SNS testing continues (Oak Ridger, 4/30)
Officials are currently testing the second phase of the Spallation Neutron Source's linear accelerator.In the grand scheme of things, the SNS will fire an ion beam down the linear accelerator tunnel toward a mercury target; a beam that, at 80 percent of the speed of light, could reach the moon in 1.5 seconds. The resulting protons will bombard a mercury target, generating neutrons for use in research.

Reactors in demand (NYNewsday.com, 4/27) After Brookhaven Lab closed its reactor, scientists are having a harder time accessing a few remaining sites...Work is under way on a large, new neutron source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, scheduled to come on line in 2006. It will be the world's most intense source of pulsed neutrons and will complement the work being done in Gaithersburg and elsewhere with continuous beams of neutrons.

ORNL partnered in major network project (Oak Ridger, 4/13) Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working with National LambdaRail on a project that would connect researchers via high-speed networks that live up to their guarantee...Not only will the network provide access to ORNL's computing facility, but the Spallation Neutron Source will be added to the effort once the research facility is completed in 2006.

$2.5B UT-Battelle, lab deal nears end (Oak Ridger, 4/8) With UT-Battelle now on the last year of its contract to manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the inevitable question is whether or not the company will continue to manage the federal research facility...In making a decision on the contract, Stair said DOE will be looking for a record of accomplishment by UT-Battelle. As examples to support that record, Stair noted the construction of the Spallation Neutron Source, which is on time and on budget, as well as the modernization work that's been done at ORNL and the safety improvements the company has made at the lab.

Our View: Hats off to SNS project; open house (Oak Ridger, 4/5) Friday's annual open house at the headquarters of the Spallation Neutron Source certainly emphasized the rapid progress of construction on site during the past year, as has been reiterated by those associated with the $1.4 billion project.

'We'll be best in the world' (Oak Ridger, 4/2) Oak Ridge National Laboratory is going for the gold in what the facility's director calls the three "early 21st century research themes."...The Oak Ridge lab is well on its way to being a leader in the research area of nanoscale science and technology. According to Wadsworth, this will involve some world-class tools like the High Flux Isotope Reactor, the Spallation Neutron Source and the Center for Nanophase Materials Science.

March Telling the Oak Ridge story (Oak Ridger, 3/31) What sites truly tell the Oak Ridge story, but not necessarily just the World War II portion? Judy Randall, president and chief executive officer of North Carolina-based Randall Travel Marketing, said her company is trying to help answer that question in hopes of developing a Heritage Tourism plan for Oak Ridge...One point some audience members made was that current or future Oak Ridge sites should also be considered in the plan. For example, the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source research facility is one of the largest scientific facility construction projects that the United States has undertaken in several decades.

SNS 80% complete (Oak Ridger, 3/25) From a tree-covered ridge to a cleared-off construction site to the 80 percent completion mark: That's the story of the Spallation Neutron Source. More than $1 billion has been spent so far on the construction of the research facility, which is within budget and on target to meet its 2006 completion date. "Everything we do everyday is aimed at making sure that continues to be the case," said Thom Mason, the SNS director.

Amazing Facts! (Oak Ridger, 3/25) Here are some facts and figures on the Spallation Neutron Source construction project...

In early tests, SNS performs 'like a champ' (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 3/8) The next big milestone for the Spallation Neutron Source is expected later this month when Oak Ridge officials commission two more stages of the drift-tube linac. I know that sounds like gobbledygook to everybody except those involved in the SNS, but it's important to the overall development of the $1.4 billion science project

$6.61M fee for UT-Battelle (Oak Ridger, 3/5) Although UT-Battelle's overall rating dropped, the company still earned $6.61 million from the Department of Energy for managing Oak Ridge National Laboratory in fiscal year 2003...One of the science and technology projects garnering praise was the Spallation Neutron Source, which will generate neutrons for research once it's completed in 2006. Although it was developed as a partnership of six national labs, ORNL is managing the SNS, which is on time and on budget as far as construction is concerned.

February

Alexander raising his voice for top science endeavors (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 2/25) U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander has become a torchbearer for science - or so it seems lately...The Spallation Neutron Source is a big, expensive project. Everyone knows that. The price tag is about $1.4 billion.

Oak Ridge nears completion of $1 billion project (Williamson County Review Appeal, 2/17) More than $1 billion has been spent so far on one of the nation's most expensive science projects, and officials say the Spallation Neutron Source accelerator is nearing completion..."For us to do this well means so much for future missions," said Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. "The science is so important to our country."

Neutron lab zips toward finish (Knoxville News-Sentinel , 2/17)
The government has now spent more than $1 billion on the Spallation Neutron Source, which is 76 percent complete, within its budget and ahead of schedule...Thom Mason, the SNS director, said it's important for the federally funded project to sustain momentum all the way to the end. The project is spending about $1 million a day.

Also, WATE.COM and WBIR

DOE's proposed Oak Ridge budget totals $1.9B for FY 2005 (Oak Ridger, 2/4) Gerald Boyd, manager of DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office, said there were no surprises in the proposed FY 2005 budget . . . According to Boyd, proposed funding for Oak Ridge National Laboratory in FY 2005 is $697 million, which is the same as the FY 2004 figure. The Spallation Neutron Source research facility, which is being managed by ORNL, is on target to get around $113.6 million.

Bush budget to benefit state (The Daily Beacon, 2/3) The energy budget also calls for $113.6 million to continue building the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge. The neutron source is a linear accelerator for studying the composition of living and inorganic matter. Scientists say the project could lead to the creation of new medicines as well as improved paints and plastics. The president's request for the science project is down from the $143 million slated to be spent this year. However, it is the figure scientists need, said Billy Stair, a spokesman for Oak Ridge National Lab, which is managing the project.

SNS maintains funding support in '05 budget (Oak Ridger, 2/3) The Department of Energy's $24.3 billion budget request for fiscal year 2005 includes around $113.6 million for the Spallation Neutron Source. "That's what we were expecting," said Jeff Wadsworth, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is managing the SNS project. The funding request includes $80.5 million for construction work and $33.1 million for operation of the SNS, which is being built atop Chestnut Ridge in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge escapes cuts in Bush budget: Full funding recommended for Spallation Neutron Source (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 2/3)  The Bush budget recommends continued full funding for the Spallation Neutron Source, the $1.4 billion project under construction at ORNL. The proposed 2005 allotment - $113.6 million - would keep the project on schedule. "It's crucial for us to be able to stay on track," said Thom Mason, the SNS project chief. First operations are planned for 2006.

SOME TENNESSEE PROGRAMS GAIN, OTHERS LOSE UNDER BUSH BUDGET (WBIR.COM, 2/3) The Bush administration's proposed budget calls for increases as well as cuts for Tennessee programs. . . .The Energy Department said 215 million of that would be spent at Oak Ridge, up from an estimated 163 million this year. The energy budget also calls for more than 113 million to continue building the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge.

Bush budget blueprint calls for cuts and increases in Tennessee (WMC-TV, 2/3) The energy budget also calls for $113.6 million to continue building the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge. The neutron source is a linear accelerator for studying the composition of living and inorganic matter. Scientists say the project could lead to the creation of new medicines as well as improved paints and plastics. The president's request for the science project is down from the $143 million slated to be spent this year.

January

$2.6M contract awarded for SNS work (Oak Ridger, 1/26) A Nashville company will provide a key component for the Spallation Neutron Source thanks to a recently awarded $2.6 million contract. According to officials with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the contract awarded to RTS Nuclear Solutions International represents one of the largest procurements for the SNS target systems.

Fiscal year 2005 budget looking good for DOE's local missions (Oak Ridger, 1/23) On the science front, things are looking good for continued funding of the Spallation Neutron Source project - a $1.4 billion research facility scheduled for completion in 2006. The SNS will fire an ion beam down its linear accelerator tunnel toward a mercury target; a beam that, at 80 percent of the speed of light, could reach the moon in 1.5 seconds. The resulting protons will bombard a mercury target, generating neutrons for use in research.

Area work force benefits from good educational institutions (Oak Ridger, 1/22) Where are my kids going to go to school? . . . [Billy] Stair said officials with the Spallation Neutron Source are already fielding the school question as they recruit people to operate the research facility, which is scheduled for completion in 2006. ORNL is overseeing the SNS project.

Commission will settle West Knox land dispute (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1/21) . . . Business growth along Pellissippi Parkway has been slower than expected in the 20 years since the Technology Corridor was created to capitalize on technology moving from Oak Ridge to the private sector. Now with a commitment from UT-Battelle to move technology from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create jobs; construction of the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source; and marketing dollars from the Jobs Now! campaign to advertise the region, the corridor could finally become an economic catalyst, Edwards said.

Reversing the flow on the brain drain (Toronto Star, 1/10) . . .The 39-year-old Mason, the man in charge of the world's most expensive scientific construction project, is a native Nova Scotian who was a University of Toronto physics professor before being lured to Oak Ridge Nuclear Laboratories in 1998 to plan the scientific instruments for the neutron microscope. . . .

What's ahead for Knoxville? (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1/04)  [From an interview with Bill Haslam, Knoxville's new mayor]: . . ."More R&D dollars come in to be spent in Oak Ridge than anywhere in the country (with) the world's largest science project going on there. And we're not getting any bounce back out of that business. As technology is developed, it has market application. Are there things that we can do to encourage those businesses to stay right there? I think there should be. You know, the Spallation Neutron Source is the world's largest science project."

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