Department of Energy

Feds@Work: A Critical Role In Weapons Disposal

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the National Security and International Affairs medal, Joyce Connery, director for Nuclear Energy Policy at the National Security Council in Washington, D.C.

A summit of 50 world leaders hosted by President Obama in 2010 resulted in important steps to prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear materials such as plutonium and highly enriched uranium that could be used to make radiological bombs. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 7, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Lab Breakthrough: Record-Setting Cavities

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The Lab Breakthroughs series is a collection of digital features accompanied by a Q&A from a lead researcher showcasing how innovation at National Labs have shaped our world, and how they are defining the technology of the future. The series originally appeared at Energy.gov.

At Jefferson Lab, researchers have fabricated a niobium cavity for particle accelerators that has set a world record for energy efficiency. Gianluigi “Gigi” Ciovati, a superconducting radiofrequency scientist, discusses how he and colleagues Pashupati Dhakal and Ganapati Myneni developed the technology, and how it will be used to impact the energy industry. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 5, 2012 at 7:00 AM

DOE Wants Big Data To Mix, Blend Information For Users

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Big data can mean a lot of things to different federal agencies. To the Department of Energy, big data not only means managing an information sharing network to promote big science, but also making the results of that research available to the public.

This information can be blended together in a variety of ways, depending on the end users’ needs, explained Robert Bectel, CTO and senior policy advisor at the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Speaking at a recent federal IT event, he explained that as one of the department’s technology evangelists, his goal is to make sure that taxpayers get the most out of their money by allowing federal workers to do the most on the job. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 29, 2012 at 9:00 AM

Lab Breakthrough: Asteroid Killer Simulation

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The Lab Breakthroughs series is a collection of digital features accompanied by a Q&A from a lead researcher showcasing how innovation at National Labs have shaped our world, and how they are defining the technology of the future. The series originally appeared at Energy.gov.

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Bob Weaver took some time recently to talk about how his research would help avert a catastrophic asteroid impact; saving the world from complete destruction and rescuing humans from mass extinction. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 29, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Lab Breakthrough: Neutron Science for the Fusion Mission

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The Lab Breakthroughs series is a collection of digital features accompanied by a Q&A from a lead researcher showcasing how innovation at National Labs have shaped our world, and how they are defining the technology of the future. The series originally appeared at Energy.gov.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist Robert McGreevy explains the accelerator’s role in the complex, seven-country consortium to develop an experimental fusion reactor. Fusion power technology is tricky, though with Oak Ridge’s help the international team anticipates the first commercial fusion energy reactor to be online by 2050. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 15, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Information Technology: Cost Or Opportunity For Agencies?

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More federal managers view information technology as an opportunity than as a cost, according to a new survey released this week. But with so many other priorities on executives’ plates, and the sense that IT departments could be delivering more effectively than many are, technology leaders have their work cut out in demonstrating that IT can contribute to real cost savings or to better decision making.

More than two thirds of federal executives believe their IT departments understand their agency’s missions and grasp their agencies core challenges. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 10, 2012 at 4:31 PM

Lab Breakthrough: ADM Leads to Petroleum-Free Glycol Production Facility

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The Lab Breakthroughs series is a collection of digital features accompanied by a Q&A from a lead researcher showcasing how innovation at National Labs have shaped our world, and how they are defining the technology of the future. The series originally appeared at Energy.gov.

Pacific Northwest National Lab’s Alan Zacher, engineer within the Energy and Environment Directorate and 2011 Inventor of the Year, recently took some time to discuss how applied research in renewable propylene glycol is changing the way major companies do business. Zacher and his team developed a soy-based substitute for a petroleum-based product that’s found in everything from lipstick to plastics. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 8, 2012 at 7:00 AM

DOE Takes Next Step Towards Best Supercomputer

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Computers can’t simulate the Earth’s ever-changing climate in real time, the interaction of the human heart with each of thousands of different drugs, or the tiniest details of a nuclear weapon’s detonation.

But that could soon change. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 1, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Lab Breakthrough: Fusion Research Leads to Antiterrorism Device

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The Lab Breakthroughs series is a collection of digital features accompanied by a Q&A from a lead researcher showcasing how innovation at National Labs have shaped our world, and how they are defining the technology of the future. The series originally appeared at Energy.gov.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory‘s Charles Gentile, Lead Developer of the Miniature Integrated Nuclear Detection System (MINDS), took some time to talk about how his device distinguishes normal radiation from the kinds that signal a potential nuclear threat, like a “dirty bomb.” Keep reading →

 /  Published August 1, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Lab Breakthrough: Microelectronic Photovoltaics

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The Lab Breakthroughs series is a collection of digital features accompanied by a Q&A from a lead researcher showcasing how innovation at National Labs have shaped our world, and how they are defining the technology of the future. The series originally appeared at Energy.gov.

Sandia National Lab semiconductor engineer Gregory Nielson and postdoctoral appointee Jose Luis Cruz-Campa recently took some time to discuss their breakthrough in photovoltaic technology. Their small, flexible photovoltaics are highly efficient and cost effective – the perfect combination for a game-changing technology. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 25, 2012 at 7:00 AM
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