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Upcoming Friday Programs

All meetings occur from 7:30-8:30 a.m. in the UT Outreach Center unless otherwise noted.

September 13 - Chancellor Donde Plowman, UT

September 20 - LaToya Myles, NOAA Air Resources Laboratory

September 27 - Board of Directors

Events

Sep 12 - TSBDC: Social Media Marketing
Sep 19 - GEM Technologies, Inc. Celebrating 25 YEARS

Sep 19 - ANS Oak Ridge/Knoxville: September Dinner Meeting
Sep 20 - TSBDC: Small Business Start-Up Seminar
Sep 23 - DOE/NNSA Hiring Event
Sep 23-27 - Innov865 Week 2019

Sep 24 - Innov865: Start-Up Day 2019
Sep 26 - Innov865 Investor Series: Malkes and Vanderhoofven

Oct 1-2 - 2019 Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Forum & Expo
Oct 8-10 - ETEBA: Business Opportunities and Technical Conference
Oct 8-10 - GRIDSMART: INTERSECT Conference
Oct 16 - TSBDC: How to do Business with the Government
Oct 17 - TSBDC: Marketing on a Shoestring
Oct 24-25 - Governor’s Conference: Economic & Community Dev.

News

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Senate Committee to Release Energy-Water Bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee will unveil its first fiscal 2020 spending bills of the year this week, including the measure to fund the DOE and water projects. The committee appears poised to forgo a subcommittee markup on the measure and take up the bill during a full committee vote Thursday. The same may go for the State and Foreign Operations proposal, which funds international energy and environmental programs.

Secretary Perry Stands Up AI and Technology Office

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced the establishment of the DOE Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office (AITO). The Secretary has established the office to serve as the coordinating hub for the work being done across the DOE enterprise in Artificial Intelligence. This action has been taken as part of the President’s call for a national AI strategy to ensure AI technologies are developed to positively impact the lives of Americans.

A Y-12 Intern’s ‘Sublime’ Experience

Y-12 National Security Complex recently hosted 29 interns. Colleen Hyer, a junior majoring in chemical engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, found her 10-week internship an “awesome opportunity.” Interns worked on projects ranging from making ceramic radiation detectors to building a procurement website to designing the circuit for a probe to detect the liquid and conductivity of molten salt to developing an app for a machine indicator light.

Demolitions Close Another Chapter at ETTP

EM’s latest cleanup progress in Oak Ridge has brought the end of an era at ETTP. With the demolition of K-131 and K-631 there are no buildings that conducted or supported gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment operations for the first time since 1943. During peak operations, the site contained five massive gaseous diffusion plants and numerous support facilities. Those buildings housed operations, as well as workers, to help end World War II and produced highly enriched uranium for national defense and commercial energy production until the site was permanently shuttered in 1987.

TVA Seeks Federal Partnership to Build SMRs

The Tennessee Valley Authority is poised to receive the first early site permit for America's first small modular reactors proposed to be built in Oak Ridge. But TVA's new president, Jeff Lyash, isn't rushing to test out the smaller versions of nuclear plants being developed by NuScale Power and other energy companies. Lyash, who was formerly a licensed senior reactor operator and spent over eight years with the U.S. NRC as a senior reactor inspector, said TVA has no immediate plans to build any more nuclear plants and probably won't pursue the Small Modular Reactor project without more federal assistance.

Firestone, Dow, ORNL Contribute to Energy Modelling Tool

Dow will collaborate with Firestone Building Products LLC to create an energy modelling tool for analysis of the use of polyurethane roofing insulation from Firestone. The tool will accurately describe reductions in cost, energy and greenhouse gas emissions of commercial structures using the Isogard-brand insulation material, according to a Firestone news release. The modelling tool, which will be available on Firestone’s website in 2020, is being developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory with funding support from Dow, Firestone said.