Archived News Releases for 2004

For more information on ORNL and its research and development activities, please refer to the resources listed below or to one of our Media Contacts. If you have a general media-related question or comment, you can send it to news@ornl.gov.

 
ORNL's LandScan helps tsunami relief
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 28, 2004 — Relief agencies working to assist victims of Sunday's tsunamis in the Indian Ocean are using a demographic database developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Seven from ORNL honored by physics societies
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 21, 2004 — Four researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected fellows of the American Physical Society (APS), and another three have joined the fellowship of the Institute of Physics.

Energy-efficient house a wish come true for Santa
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 20, 2004 — Christmas costs can make us all a bit less jolly, but there are a number of ways even Ole St. Nick can save money throughout the year and help offset the high cost of the holiday.

Southeastern physicists, Scientific American cite ORNL's Thundat
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 16, 2004 — A regional professional society of physicists and a leading science publication have recently honored Thomas Thundat, of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for excellence in scientific research.

DOE to extend UT-Battelle management contract of ORNL
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 13, 2004 — The U.S. Department of Energy has announced its decision to extend the UT-Battelle contract for operation of the Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory for an additional five years.

Data intensive computing leads to biological discoveries
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 10, 2004 — Sophisticated computational technology is enabling biologists to collect data that could lead to all types of science breakthroughs.

ORNL's Roberto receives National Materials Advancement Award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 8, 2004 — Dr. James B. Roberto, deputy director for science and technology at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has received the National Materials Advancement Award from the Federation of Materials Societies.

Knoxville home school team wins state LEGO championship
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 7, 2004 — A middle home school team from Knoxville won the Tennessee FIRST LEGO League Tournament Saturday at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.

Tennessee teams compete Saturday in FIRST LEGO League Tournament
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 3, 2004 — More than 40 Tennessee middle school teams will compete in Saturday's fifth annual state FIRST LEGO League Tournament at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.

Four ORNL researchers named AAAS fellows
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 30, 2004 — Four researchers working at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are among the 308 to be elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Isotron licenses ORNL cancer treatment technology
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 24, 2004 — Patients with cancers previously next to untreatable may have new hope because of a license agreement between Isotron of Norcross, Ga., and UT-Battelle, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

New instruments at ORNL reactor will lead to dramatic increase in users
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 15, 2004 — 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.

ORNL's Joseph-Reel chairs International Instrumentation Symposium
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 15, 2004 — Susan Joseph-Reel of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been selected general chairman of the 51st International Instrumentation Symposium. Reel, who works with the laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) project, is the first woman selected as the symposium's general chair.

ORNL project earns top honor from Southeast tech transfer group
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 3, 2004 — A technology that can scan living small animals and other biological objects has been honored as project of the year by the Southeastern Region of the Federal Laboratory Consortium.

Liu named ORNL’s outstanding scientist
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 1, 2004 — Chain T. Liu, a senior corporate fellow of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has earned the laboratory Director's Award for Outstanding Individual Accomplishment in Science and Technology.

Ex-ORNL director earns DOE's Gold Award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 25, 2004 — Former Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Bill Madia received a Gold Award Oct. 25 from Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham during a ceremony in Washington.

ORNL corporate fellow to chair global change committee
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 21, 2004 — Corporate Fellow Tom J. Wilbanks of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been named chair of the Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change of the National Academy of Sciences.

ORNL system eliminates perchlorate, helps scientists trace source
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 20, 2004 — An award-winning system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to clean up perchlorate pollution is now also helping scientists determine whether the contamination is natural or man-made.

Porto to head technology commercialization at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 19, 2004 — Catherine "Casey" Porto, associate vice president for technology transfer and executive director of Case Technology Ventures at Case Western Reserve University, has been named director of technology commercialization for Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL United Way campaign raises record amount
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 18, 2004 — This year's United Way campaign at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has raised nearly $825,000 for East Tennessee agencies, far exceeding the goal and setting a record with the largest amount ever for an ORNL drive.

ORNL is a major player in DOE artificial retina project
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 14, 2004 — Restoring sight to millions of people is the vision of a project that combines the assets of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Second Sight, Doheney Eye Institute and other Department of Energy national laboratories.

Spallation Neutron Source receives two state labor-management awards
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 12, 2004 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), 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.

Former ORNL Deputy Director Culler Dies
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 1, 2004 — Floyd Culler, deputy director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1970 to 1977, died Wednesday, Sept. 29, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. He was 81.

Vanderbilt joins ORNL core universities
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 30, 2004 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced today that Vanderbilt University has joined the laboratory's "core universities." ORNL's core universities—which now number seven—assume a scientific leadership role in working with the laboratory to help shape the research agenda for more than one billion dollars in science and technology programs.

ORNL scientist one of nation's top black researchers
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 24, 2004 — Johney Boyd Green Jr., a researcher with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been recognized as one of the 50 most important black research scientists in America, according to the September issue of Science Spectrum magazine.

ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source warms up for 2006
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 24, 2004 — 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.

Sequencing of poplar genome giant step for research community
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 21, 2004 — Sequencing the Populus genome represents a huge international success, and scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory expect it to sprout big gains in research involving alternative energy production and environmental restoration.

ORNL's Delmau joins Technology Review's list of top young innovators
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 20, 2004 — Lætitia Delmau of the Department

ORNL microscope pushes back barrier of 'how small'
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 17, 2004 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers, using a state-

Neutron physics instrument may unlock mysteries of universe
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 16, 2004 — 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 Department of Energy's Spallation Neutron Source on Chestnut Ridge.

ORNL’s Shen receives Presidential Early Career award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sep. 9, 2004 — Jian Shen of Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a Department of Energy recipient of the latest Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), presented today in a White House ceremony.

ORNL’s High Temperature Materials Laboratory assists NASCAR teams
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 31, 2004 — You might say some scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Sensors at Watts Bar being evaluated by ORNL
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 24, 2004 — Hundreds of barges, tow boats and recreational craft passing

Homeland security initiative takes Memphis' ORNL technologies to the nation
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 23, 2004 — The Department of Homeland Security's recent selection of Memphis as a "best practices" model for high-tech security measures could speed the implementation of similar technologies in other cities.

ORNL to host Small Business Day Aug. 30
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 16, 2004 — Small businesses interested in working with four Department of Energy national laboratories managed or co-managed by the Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, may participate in a two-day conference Aug. 30-31 at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Tennessee teams sought for FIRST LEGO League
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 12, 2004 — Teams of children from across Tennessee are being sought for the FIRST LEGO League state tournament Saturday, Dec. 4 at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville.

Near-zero-energy buildings blessing to owners, environment
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2004 — An electricity meter that sometimes runs backwards is just one

Vo-Dinh elected fellow
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 5, 2004 — Tuan Vo-Dinh, a UT-Battelle corporate fellow, director of the

Ferrell elected American Physical Society fellow
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 5, 2004 — Thomas Lee Ferrell of the distinguished research staff in the Life Sciences Division of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Burtis granted honorary doctorate from Purdue University
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 5, 2004 — Carl Burtis, chief of clinical chemistry in the Health Services

ORNL, sister DOE lab technologies making a difference in North Carolina
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 29, 2004 — After just two months, a partnership between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Institute at Biltmore has hit full stride in support of entrepreneurs and economic development in Western North Carolina.

White House recognizes Battelle, ORNL for environmental stewardship
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 20, 2004 — Environmental sustainability and reduction of waste at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have helped Battelle Memorial Institute earn a White House Closing the Circle Award for environmental stewardship.

ORNL nanoprobe creates world of new possibilities
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 14, 2004 — A technology with proven environmental, forensics and medical

Oak Ridge National Laboratory joins science education effort
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 8, 2004 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director

Sensors, detectors for homeland security are focus of workshop
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 7, 2004 — National security technologies and some of the people who could

Beene, Zinkle named UT-Battelle corporate fellows
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 1, 2004 — Physicist Jim Beene and materials scientist Steve Zinkle have

ORNL adds three R&D 100s to DOE lab-leading total
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 1, 2004 — Researchers and engineers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have won three R&D 100 Awards, pushing their national lab-leading total to 119 since the awards began in 1963.

Jackson receives transportation and logistics award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 29, 2004 — Retired Army Maj. Gen. Dennis Jackson of the Department of

UT-Battelle presents $10,000 gift to Oneida High School
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 29, 2004 — Oneida High School has received a $10,000 gift from UT-Battelle that will be used to enhance and upgrade the school's science programs.

ORNL researcher elected organization's treasurer
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 28, 2004 — Gary Van Berkel, group leader and senior research staff member in the Chemical Sciences Division of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected treasurer of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS).

Wadsworth says U.S. must regain supercomputing leadership
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 24, 2004 — Regaining world leadership in high-performance computing is critical to U.S. science and technology, commercial competitiveness and economic growth, the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory told the Senate Energy Subcommittee on Tuesday.

ORNL, industry partnership could make summers more bearable
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 22, 2004 — Schools, hospitals, dormitories and theaters could be a lot more comfortable during steamy summers because of a partnership between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and industry.

Team of ORNL ‘agents’ working to keep people safe
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 16, 2004 — Thousands of special agents created at the department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are on missions 24 hours a day as they work to uncover threats to national security.

UT-Battelle supports Nine Counties. One Vision. goals
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 9, 2004 — UT-Battelle has donated $150,000 in support of the Nine Counties. One Vision. recommendation to help improve the region's science education.

UT-Battelle restoring New Bethel Baptist Church
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 7, 2004 — The sounds of roofing, carpentry and some modern restoration processes are being heard at the historic New Bethel Baptist Church on the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation.

ORNL, UT-Battelle receive Small Business Diversity Achievement Award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 7, 2004 — UT-Battelle, the managing contractor for the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has received an award from the federal agency for the laboratory's record of promoting diversity in subcontracting work to small businesses.

New ORNL project takes aim at heart of air quality, health issue
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 4, 2004 — A study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners might help explain whether there is a relationship between inhalation of small particles, reduced heart rate variability and death.

TVA, ORNL partner to help link valley universities
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 1, 2004 — TVA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have formed a partnership that will soon allow researchers and scientists at colleges and universities across the Tennessee Valley to connect to ORNL's supercomputer center to further strategic collaborations, enhance academic excellence and leverage economic impact.

Lenoir City High School’s Alvaro receives 2004 UT-Battelle scholarship
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 24, 2004 — Wesley Nicholas Alvaro has received the 2004 UT-Battelle

ORNL-state partnership lauded at dedication of computational facility
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 21, 2004 — Touting potential economic benefits to Tennessee, the state's

High Flux Isotope Reactor marks 400th cycle
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 13, 2004 — 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.

Department of Energy Awards $25 Million to Oak Ridge National Lab to Lead Effort in Building World’s Largest Computer
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 12, 2004 — The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been chosen to lead a partnership with a goal of building the world's most powerful supercomputer by 2007, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced today.

ORNL dedicates Russell genomics lab
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 7, 2004 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory began the latest chapter in its rich history of genetics research with the dedication Friday of the William L. and Liane B. Russell Laboratory for Comparative and Functional Genomics.

ORNL's Blackmon among nation’s top young scientists
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 4, 2004 — Jeffery C. Blackmon of Oak Ridge National Laboratory is one of five Department of Energy recipients of the latest Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), presented today in a White House ceremony.

Wadsworth cites ORNL, Memphis ties in FedEx speech
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 30, 2004 — Oak Ridge is a long way from Memphis, but Oak Ridge National

SNS commissioning moves to next phase
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 29, 2004 — This month the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) began

ORNL kicks off participation in diversity walk
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 28, 2004 — An enthusiastic crowd of Oak Ridge National Laboratory staff assembled here Wednesday to hear lab Director Jeff Wadsworth launch a community charge for diversity.

ORNL’s nanobiosensor technology gives new access to living cell’s molecular processes
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 27, 2004 — Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a nanoscale technology for investigating biomolecular processes in single living cells. The new technology enables researchers to monitor and study cellular signaling networks, including the first observation of programmed cell death in a single live cell.

ORNL researchers focus on the CO2 big picture
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 22, 2004 — Spring's lush green lawns and hot pink shoes contribute at least in a small way to the world's total carbon picture, say researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Atom-scale images give materials researchers new tool for developing advanced ceramics
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 15, 2004 — New atom-scale images from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory promise to provide researchers the ability to predict and model the properties and behavior of advanced ceramic materials.

Bird walks planned three consecutive Saturdays
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 14, 2004 — The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Environmental Research Park will host a series of walks for birdwatchers to be held from 7 until 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, April 24, May 1 and May 8.

ORNL, National LambdaRail partners in major network project
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 13, 2004 — Scientists and researchers at universities and Department of Energy labs around the nation are closer to being connected via high-speed networks that live up to their promise because of an agreement between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and National LambdaRail.

Brown earns prestigious geography award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 1, 2004 — Marilyn Brown, director of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has earned the 2004 James R. Anderson Medal of Applied Geography.

ORNL director to deliver first State of the Lab address
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 24, 2004 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Jeffrey Wadsworth will deliver his first State of the Laboratory address at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1, in the main auditorium of the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

SNS open house April 2
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 24, 2004 — With the Spallation Neutron Source rapidly progressing toward its 2006 completion, SNS staff members will provide the public with an opportunity to visit and learn about the project Friday, April 2.

SensorNet proposed as system to protect millions nationwide
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 12, 2004 — Tennessee could become a model for the nation when it comes to protecting the public from chemical, biological or radiological releases.

ORNL, NCAR are official partners in climate studies
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 8, 2004 — More accurate global climate models are in the forecast because of a collaboration between the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Liu elected to National Academy of Engineering
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 2, 2004 — C.T. Liu, a senior UT-Battelle corporate fellow and a researcher in the Metals and Ceramics Division of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

ORNL earns four Federal Laboratory Consortium awards
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 27, 2004 — Four of the 24 awards to be presented in May for outstanding work in the process of transferring a technology to the commercial marketplace will go to the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

New ORNL complex wins award for green construction
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 27, 2004 — Building a "green" mega-facility posed many challenges, but Oak Ridge National Laboratory wants to lead by example, and the effort has paid off with a 2003 Excellence in Construction award from a major contractors association.

DOE lauds ORNL, Battelle environmental efforts
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 25, 2004 — Battelle Memorial Institute's commitment to environmental awareness at Oak Ridge National Laboratory -- among other facilities -- has been recognized by the Department of Energy with a Best-in-Class Pollution Prevention (P2) Award.

Carbon dioxide fertilization is neither boon nor bust
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 19, 2004 — Trees absorb more carbon dioxide when the amount in the atmosphere is higher, but the increase is unlikely to offset the higher levels of CO2, according to results from large-scale experiments conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and elsewhere.

Davison leads ORNL's Life Sciences Division
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 9, 2004 — Brian Davison has been named director of the Life Sciences Division at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Jacobs named Environmental Sciences Division director
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 9, 2004 — Gary Jacobs has been named director of the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Two from ORNL named by National Academies
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 9, 2004 — Two UT-Battelle corporate fellows from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Tom Wilbanks and David Greene -- have been designated lifetime national associates of the National Academies of Science.

Contract awarded for SNS inner plug assembly
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 9, 2004 — A contract for $2.6 million has been awarded to a Nashville company to provide a key component for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Governor's proposed budget includes $7.6 million for ORNL-UT Joint Institute for Biological Sciences
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 3, 2004 — Funding for the Joint Institute for Biological Sciences, a research collaboration between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, is included in Gov. Phil Bredesen's proposed 2005 budget released Monday evening.

ORNL earns Small Business Administration award
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Jan. 16, 2004 — The Small Business Administration has presented its Award of Distinction to the Small Business Program office of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.