April 30, 1998 — Vinod K. Sikka of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been selected by Renew America and the National Awards Council for Environmental Sustainability to receive a Certificate of Environmental Achievement and to appear in Renew America's 1998 Environmental Success Index in the energy efficiency category for his Exo-Melt (TM) Process for Melting Nickel Aluminides.
The Index contains information on more than 1,600 outstanding environmental programs from around the country and provides replicable examples of effective environmental solutions to government agencies, companies, environmental organizations and civic groups seeking to improve their communities. Programs are evaluated on the basis of four criteria: program effectiveness, natural resource conservation, economic progress and human development.
Sikka joined ORNL in 1974 and has been leader of the Materials Processing Group in the Metals and Ceramics Division. He holds a doctorate in metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
He developed a steel that is commercially available worldwide and has authored more than 150 publications. Sikka received a NOVA Award in 1997 and five R & D 100 Awards from Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp. He is a member of the American Society of Metals International and the Hindu Community Center of Knoxville.
Sikka and his wife, Veena, live in Oak Ridge. They two children, Neal and Monica.
On Earth Day, April 22, Renew America presented Sikka with his award and held its fourth annual National Town Meeting video teleconference, Global Warming: Local Solutions, the only nationwide Earth Day event.
ORNL, one of DOE's multiprogram national research and development facilities, is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation.