News from April 2023


Hanford Works Quickly to Restore Power After Fierce Windstorm

News Release: RICHLAND, Wash. - A well-coordinated effort by EM Richland Operations Office contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) quickly restored power, repaired fallen utility poles and replaced transformers following a severe windstorm that hit the Hanford Site in late February.


A minute with Holly Lett, head of talent development

I’m the department head for Talent Development in human resources for the laboratory. In collaboration with other leaders, I’m responsible for Fermilab’s talent development strategy.I see my role as helping people get to their next level, career-wise.


Structure of 'Oil-Eating' Enzyme Opens Door to Bioengineered Catalysts

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have produced the first atomic-level structure of an enzyme that selectively cuts carbon-hydrogen bonds—the first and most challenging step in turning simple hydrocarbons into more useful chemicals.


What can we do about all the plastic waste?

Plastic pollution is a global problem that continues to grow.


Teachers Invited To Jefferson Lab For Science Showcase

All upper-elementary and middle school teachers of the physical sciences are invited to participate in the annual Virginia Region II Teacher Night.


Scientists measure laser-heated plasma using Doppler weather forecasting technique

Scientists have used a common weather forecasting technique for insights into how powerful lasers turn hunks of solid material into soups of electrically charged particles known as plasmas.


DUNE collaboration ready to ramp up mass production for first detector module

Preparations for the construction of the first detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment are rapidly progressing.


Congressional Republicans Call for Reconsideration of Administration’s Anti-Innovation Drug-Price Policy

News Release: Washington, D.C. - Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO), and and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Mike Crapo (R-ID), raised concerns with the Biden administration’s initial drug price-setting program implementation guidance document.



Tiny movements, deep inside a battery

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have used a cutting-edge X-ray technique to view the movements of components inside an operating battery cell.


Women Making History: UK researcher uses computational science to solve Kentucky’s health challenges

Throughout March, the University of Kentucky is spotlighting Women Making History during Women’s History Month.


Top EM Leaders, Stakeholders From Eight Cleanup Sites Discuss Mission Work

News Release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - EM senior leaders met with stakeholders from eight cleanup sites across the DOE complex recently to discuss current and planned mission work and other topics from a jam-packed agenda during the two-day EM Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) National Chairs meeting in Washington, D.C.


Signaling proteins shown to play key role in TB biology

A set of 10 signaling proteins found in the microbe that causes tuberculosis [TB], play a far larger role in regulating the bacterium’s growth, development and behavior than previously thought, according to recent research.


Recent BGSU alumnus involved in ‘next generation’ AI research as undergraduate

Chase Somodi ‘22 wasn’t entirely confident he’d succeed as a physics major at Bowling Green State University.


DOE Renews CABBI Five More Years

Earlier today the DOE announced a five-year extension of funding for the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), to a total of $262.5 million for the period from 2017 to 2027.


UChicago Medicine research finds hospitalizations for older adults are higher near fracking sites

Anew University of Chicago study examining Medicare claims found older adults living near fracking sites in Pennsylvania were more likely to be hospitalized for cardiovascular diseases than those who lived in nearby New York state, where fracking is banned.


Semiconductor lattice marries electrons and magnetic moments

A model system created by stacking a pair of monolayer semiconductors is giving physicists a simpler way to study confounding quantum behavior, from heavy fermions to exotic quantum phase transitions.


NJIT Alum Ogo Enekwizu Brings Soot-seeded Clouds into Brookhaven National Lab

Tiny particles in Earth’s atmosphere can have a big impact on climate.


UNLV Study Sheds Light on Ancient Microbial Dark Matter

International team of scientists reveals first in-depth look at Omnitrophota, one of the world’s oldest and tiniest bacteria.


GLBRC receives five year funding renewal

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a University of Wisconsin–Madison based research center another five years of funding to develop sustainable alternatives to gasoline, diesel and other hydrocarbon fuels as well as products currently made from petroleum.