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Monday, May 05, 2008

 

OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Oak Ridge to be site for next mystery
(Oak Ridger) A sleuth investigating a death in modern-day Oak Ridge stumbles across a murder from the Atomic City's Manhattan Project days. And a new chemical "sniffer'' invented by scientist Arpad Vass to detect gases emitted from burial sites is used to help crack that decades-old cold case. That's the plot line for the fourth novel in a best-selling series. The yet-to-be-named thriller is a work in progress and will be published in February, Dr. Bill Bass said last week...5/5

Nu-Energie biodiesel business set to hold grand opening
(TimesNews.net) Where the Tennessee Valley Authority planned to turn nuclear power into electricity 30 years ago, a start-up company today turns virgin soybean oil into diesel fuel. But in the future, officials of Nu-Energie LLC predicted the operation might turn other feedstocks — including new or used animal fats, switchgrass and even algae — into biodiesel...As for future technology, Nu-Energie is working with Oak Ridge National Laboratories on a new process to be unveiled next year...5/3

Utilities, Plug-In Cars: Near Collision?
(The Wall Street Journal) Car makers are preparing to introduce plug-in electric cars in 2010, but their success will depend on players beyond their control: the electric utilities...A study by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory agreed that the number of plug-in vehicles in use and when they recharge could profoundly influence power-generating costs...5/2

community:

New 'Manhattan Project' proposal
(Oak Ridger) ..."I am going to Oak Ridge on May 9 to propose a new Manhattan Project to deal with clean energy independence. But our secret weapon in the TVA region is the Tennessee Valley Authority. That is how we get our clean air so we're in compliance with clean air laws and new jobs can come in. It is how we deal with climate change...5/2

state & regional :

Bredesen: State must tighten like a business
(The Tennessean) Gov. Phil Bredesen wants to take a businesslike approach to the budget cuts needed to fill a more than half-billion-dollar shortfall in the state's upcoming spending plan...5/5

Life at LeConte Lodge
(Knoxville News Sentinel) A pot of grits simmers on the propane stove, and coffee is brewing on all six burners. There are 40 guests to feed. Breakfast at LeConte Lodge will be served in an hour. This is Chris Virden's favorite time of the day...5/4

ut:
Building campus a complex project
(Knoxville News Sentinel) University of Tennessee officials see the Cherokee Farm campus as a stepping stone to national leadership in research, a place that could become an example of energy efficiency and conservation and a way to boost the region's economic development...5/4
 

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL:

Iraq Says It Has Proof Of Iranian Meddling
(Washington Post) The Iraqi government said Sunday that it has "concrete evidence" Iran is fomenting violence in Iraq and that a high-level panel had been formed to document the proof...5/5

ENERGY & SCIENCE POLICY:

Hearing on National Nuclear Security Administration
(American Institute of Physics) About two weeks ago, the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing with a witness panel rarely seen by the subcommittee. In addition to National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Tom D'Agostino, the witness list also included all three of the Directors of the weapons labs: Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia...5/2

The nuclear option
(Twin Cities Daily Planet) Legislators are beginning to reconsider nuclear power as a possible means of meeting energy needs without producing greenhouse gasses...5/4

Inside Energy Extra - 5/2 A daily report on U.S. energy policy [pdf file; ORNL subscription - internal use]

doe:

Supercomputer To Simulate Extreme Stellar Physics
(Science Daily) Robert Fisher and Cal Jordan are among a team of scientists who will expend 22 million computational hours during the next year on one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, simulating an event that takes less than five seconds...The Blue Gene/P supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory will serve as one of their primary tools for studying exploding stars...5/3

science & technology:

Will Global Warming Take A Short Break?
(Science Daily) Improved climate predictions suggest a reduced warming trend during the next 10 years...The improved predictions suggest that global warming will weaken slightly during the following 10 years...5/5

workforce:

Why U.S. job market has not plunged
(CS Monitor) Despite the burdens of record oil prices and a housing bust, the US economy has been avoiding a sharp downturn where it matters most – in jobs...5/5

security:
Homeland Security to test high-tech buoys
(USA Today) The federal government is preparing to test high-tech buoys adapted from Cold War-era Navy technology that could act as an offshore early warning system against a terrorist attack by sea...5/5

other stories :
'Smart' power meters herald future of our electricity use
(AP) As more utilities install "smart" power meters that track how much electricity flows into a home in real time, they are freer to offer alternatives to the average monthly rate that they traditionally charged to consumers...5/4

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Librarians are Mark Dickey, Tim Gawne, and Bill Myers.

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Last Updated:  Monday, May 05, 2008  -  59