News and Events
The MSSE Division participates in sponsor-funded research and development and supports a number of conferences in scientific and technical areas. Recent events and information regarding our research, publications, proposals, awards, technical directions, conferences, staffing, and student and faculty visitors will be posted here on a regular basis.
April 2012
ISML Group Book Chapter in Medical Imaging edited by Okechukwu Felix Erondu released online
The chapter entitled "Large-Scale User Facility Imaging and Scattering Techniques to Facilitate Basic Medical Research" was developed by members of ISML and the SNS staff at ORNL and provides an introduction to large scale user facilities and their application to medical research challenges. In particular, neutron imaging and scattering techniques are introduced and potential medical applications of these techniques are presented. Click on link below to access the book chapter.
http://www.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/large-scale-user-facility-imaging-and-scattering-techniques-to-facilitate-basic-medical-research
Oak Ridge Teens Recognized by Legislature
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Oak Ridge High School seniors Ziyuan Liu and Cassee Cain have been recognized in two resolutions recently presented by state Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, according to a late Tuesday afternoon release. “(Rep. Ragan) recently passed two resolutions honoring this year's winners for the highest science honor high school students may be awarded,” the release stated. “Ziyuan Liu and Cassee Cain, two Oak Ridge High School seniors, won the $100,000 grand prize in the team category at the prestigious 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology —America's premier science research competition for high school students. “The duo will share a $100,000 college scholarship for their winning bioengineering project. The seniors used Kinect for Xbox 360 and Computer Vision to Analyze Human Gait, which uses gaming technology to analyze human walking patterns. “According to the judges of the project, an accurate understanding of a person's motion is important in prescribing treatment for those with injuries or ailments that affect movement, such as amputees or people with joint replacements. It is believed Liu and Cain's work could ultimately contribute to prosthesis design.” In recognition of their achievement, Ragan filed House Joint Resolutions 569 and 583 to demonstrate Tennessee's gratitude for their hard work. The two HJRs passed the General Assembly with unanimous votes in both the state House and Senate. In his release, Ragan said he believes more students should be encouraged to explore and develop new methods for confronting age-old medical problems and questions of science. “Oak Ridge and all of Anderson County have some of the brightest minds from the next generation,” Ragan stated. “It is due to our community's unique belief in excelling in science and math that Ziyuan and Cassee were able to pursue their dream of creating a one-of-a-kind bioengineering project. “I believe other areas of Tennessee should follow Oak Ridge's lead, and do all they can to foster an environment of innovation and achievement for our students.” Ragan’s release stated that Ziyuan dreams of becoming the head of a software company or a banking firm, and he is the founder of a committee to educate others in his school and community about solar energy. A member of the International Relations Club and French National Honor Society, Ziyuan enjoys playing the alto saxophone and swimming, the release stated. Cassee is the drum major of her high school marching band and costume designer for the Drama Club. Long interested in health care, she dreams of becoming an oncologist, Ragan’s release stated. A National Honor Society National Achiever, Cassee plans to major in chemical engineering. The team's mentors on the project were John K. Mueller and Boyd McCutchen Evans III of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
February 2012
Virginia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory collaborate on wireless research
UT-Battelle, which manages and operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), will be working with Wireless@Virginia Tech, one of the largest university wireless research groups in the U.S. Wireless@Virginia Tech, which was formed in 2006, includes several notable laboratories of wireless technologies.
The aim of the collaboration is to pursue and execute joint programs in wireless communications and to create joint intellectual property in the form of software, algorithms, and research papers. Special emphasis will be on developing cognitive radio systems, radios that incorporate artificial intelligence into their operation. Both groups have a strong research program in this area, yet have pursued different applications for the technology.
UT-Battelle will be able to provide Wireless@Virginia Tech with third party resources, such as waveform-specific wireless testbeds and hardware development, said Mark Buckner, director of the ORNL cognitive radio program.
In addition to the research partnership, we look forward to the opportunities that will be afforded to students and postdocs to work with the talented and experienced engineering staff at ORNL, said Robert McGwier, director of research for the Hume Center for National Security and Technology and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech.
Wireless@Virginia Tech, a research center within the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, brings together researchers, facilities, equipment, and expertise from across the university to focus on multidisciplinary solutions to Invent the Future of wireless. While expertise lies deep within electrical engineering, such as antenna design, wireless networking, communication systems, micro-electronics, radio frequency electronics, and system integration, disciplines outside of electrical engineering, such as computer science, mathematics, economics, and business, also make up the Wireless@Virginia Tech team.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth's most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 215 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 30,000 students and manages a research portfolio of nearly $400 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
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Susan Trulove 540-231-5646 br>strulove@vt.ed Information Source: PressZoom
Published February 15, 2012
ORNL Today
Energy Secretary Steven Chu signs a contestant's robot in the Robotics FIRST competition.
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was at ORNL Feb. 15 on a quick, nuclear-themed visit that included a tour of the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors on the top floor of Bldg. 5700 and a stop at the new Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Hardin Valley Road.
He had earlier in the day visited the site of the the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Ga., billed as "the first of the next generation of passively safe nuclear reactors to be built in the United States."
Chu noted how computing at ORNL is being used to address the nation's problems and challenges. In a computing environment where speed and power are growing by leaps and bounds, "we are the undisputed leader in problem solving with supercomputers," he said at CASL.
On his way to the airport he stopped at the MDF for briefings on battery research and advanced manufacturing, and met students who are competing in the national Robotics FIRST competition with coaching from several ORNL researchers.
ORNL Scientists Mentor Students for FIRST Robotic Competition
Published on February 13, 2012 at 2:41 AM
By Andy Choi
Scientists and engineers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will mentor and assist students from eight schools for the FIRST Robotic competition, which invites science and engineering high school students. For the purpose of the competition, students make use of additive manufacturing to create components and systems for their robots.
ORNL previously assisted students from Hardin Valley Academy for designing, fabricating and testing components. Three other senior students from the Academy went on to carry out their senior projects at the university with particular focus on additive manufacturing. Their experiments and their work resulted in an invention and many robotic companies expressed their interest in licensing their technology. The Academy was chosen as one of the top rookie teams.
For the current year, ORNL is supporting eight schools by providing work space at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and providing financial assistance. The university will also encourage more and more of its staff to mentor and assist the students in additive manufacturing. Students gather on every Saturday to discuss the progress achieved and the challenges or issues faced in the development of robots. Additive manufacturing enables the manufacture of robots and its components through procedures such as laser, fused deposit modelling and electron beams.
Additive manufacturing depends on building from scratch and adding complicated features unlike subtractive manufacturing which involves cutting and turning.
Source: http://www.ornl.gov
DOE Announces the Successful Demonstration of Low-Cost Wireless Sensors for Industrial Processes
February 09, 2012
WASHINGTON, D.C .– The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program (BTP) has sponsored Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of an easy to deploy and inexpensive wireless sensor system that assesses energy usage in order to optimize industrial facility operation.
Alcoa, the world’s leading producer of primary aluminum and fabricated aluminum, approached ORNL to address their high priority need for finding an inexpensive way to increase their energy and productivity efficiency throughout their many plants. Alcoa needed sensor instrumentation that would disaggregate each end use and show them where and how their energy and money was being used.
Alcoa’s facility in Warrick, Indiana was chosen as the test site for the sensor technology due to its diverse industrial environments, and the project was completed in less than one month. A wired instrumentation package to outfit this specific facility would cost approximately $1.7 million, but the DOE developed wireless system cost only $70,000. This translates to a savings of $1,630,000 every time a wireless sensor system is installed.
The wireless sensors designed by ORNL were coined “The Suitcase,” referring to the ease with which they could be deployed and redeployed to measure energy usage parameters as well as provide information pertaining to the health of assets such as machinery. “The Suitcase” combines current commercially available state-of-the-art wireless devices, low-cost devices designed and built at ORNL, and a software application that presents a visualization of the measure parameters and information integration with human-machine interface software. The sensors measure parameters such as temperature, pressure, humidity, air/gas/water flow, and energy submetering.
Alcoa estimates they incur $9 million per quarter in unaccounted for energy expenditures at their facilities. They forecast that they can upgrade their processes using this new technology and save at least half of this energy per quarter, which would equal savings of about $18 million per year. The savings get much larger when applying this instrumentation solution to other processes and areas of their businesses.
“These inexpensive sensors were up and operational within 30 minutes. We were taking energy related measurements on the other side of the plant in an electrical substation, and then relaying the readings across the plant within an hour,” said Ray Chatfield of Alcoa. “This demonstration shows that wireless sensors for energy measurements can be inexpensive, quick to deploy, and work in tough environments.”
The sensors are designed for harsh industrial environments at about a tenth of the cost of current commercially available systems. For the BTP project, a portable system of wireless sensors, network communication architecture, and an interface to a laptop was developed that is easily deployable at a fraction of the cost of other methods to gather data and diagnose energy losses.
“The Alcoa experience produced convincing evidence of the feasibility of systems based on low-cost, wireless sensors that can be temporarily installed in industrial processes to quickly and inexpensively identify energy saving opportunities,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “This innovation could translate to huge monetary savings for business with very little investment up front.”
Industrial processes present significant opportunities to save energy, and portable low-cost wireless sensor systems have the potential to capitalize on these prospects - along with providing reliable information from data collection about the costs and savings from process optimization.
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Learn more about EERE's support of building technologies.
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