Thursday, April 27, 2006

DOE Announces New Policy for Contractor Benefit Reimbursements
The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced new policy measures for the reimbursement of contractor pension and medical benefit plan costs that are based on sound business practices and market-based benchmarks for cost management. The Department will continue to reimburse contractors for costs for current and retired contractor employees’ defined benefit pension plans and medical benefit plans under existing contract requirements. For new contractor employees, the Department will reimburse contractors for the costs of their market-based defined contribution pension plans (similar to 401(k)) and market-based medical benefit plans. The new policy will improve the predictability of contractor benefit costs and mitigate the growth of the Department’s long term liabilities for these costs.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

More Evidence for “Stripes” in High-Temperature Superconductors
An international collaboration including two physicists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory has published additional evidence to support the existence of “stripes” in high-temperature (Tc) superconductors. The report in the April 27, 2006, issue of Nature strengthens earlier claims that such stripes — a particular spatial arrangement of electrical charges — might somehow contribute to the mechanism by which these materials carry current with no resistance.

Model Car Race Tests Students' Engineering, Design Skills.
Chicago area middle school students will race to see who has built the best model car at a Fuel Cell Car Competition Saturday, April 29, at the Museum of Science and Industry, located at 57 th Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and racing begins at 11:15 a.m. in the Museum's West Pavilion. The competition is part of the Chicago Regional Science Bowl sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Seeking Answers to the Puzzle of Proton Spin
Thanks to a series of machine upgrades, researchers at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the newest and largest particle accelerator at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, are making progress in answering a fundamental question that has long puzzled physicists: Where do protons get their spin, a property of elementary particles as basic as mass and electrical charge?

eRHIC Gets to the Heart of the Matter.
At the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists have proposed a new way of studying the structure of matter down to a level never before observed. Their proposal is the “eRHIC” collider, a planned upgrade to Brookhaven’s giant particle accelerator, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).

Friday, April 21, 2006

Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab Sign Collaborative Agreement Aimed at Multi-billion-dollar Project; Governor Blagojevich Proclaims Illinois Particle Accelerator Day.
Two U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation between the two laboratories on R&D projects. This cooperation has the potential to increase the possibility of siting the International Linear Collider (ILC), a proposed international, multi-billion-dollar project, in the United States. Jack Lavin, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, signed the MOU as witness for the State.

IPNS' Success Paved Way to Newest Neutron Source for Materials Research
When the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory began operations in 1981, few could envision that it would lead to the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source, beginning operations this spring on the grounds of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

DOE Gasoline Price Watch Website and Hotline
Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman is reminding consumers about the Department of Energy’s (DOE) gasoline price reporting system. Consumers can report activity at local gasoline filling stations that they believe may constitute “gouging” or “price fixing” by visiting http://gaswatch.energy.gov/.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

DOE Issues Request for Proposals Seeking a Contractor to Manage and Operate Argonne National Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the issuance of a final Request for Proposals (RFP) for the competitive selection of an approximated $2.54 billion, five-year management and operating contract for Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), a DOE Office of Science multi-program research facility located near Chicago, Illinois.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Children's Science Adventures at Fermilab Offer Summer Fun - and Learning, Too!
Summertime is a bright season of adventure and discovery for children, and now is the perfect time to add Science Adventures to your children's schedule of discoveries for June, July and August at the Lederman Science Center at Fermilab, a U.S. Department of Energy lab.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Argonne Researchers Find 217 New Targets for Anti-cancer Drugs
By identifying novel genes critical to cancer progression, biologists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have expanded the number of drug targets researchers have available for study to find ways to stop tumors in their tracks. The report is published today in Cancer Research.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Jefferson Lab Contract to be Awarded to Jefferson Science Associates, LLC for Management and Operation of World-Class Office of Science Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, as the contractor for management and operation of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The contract, which has a potential value of $2 billion, becomes effective on April 17, 2006.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Fermilab Offers Tours of Antimatter Production Site, April 23 and May 21
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are offering special "Antimatter Tours" on Sunday, April 23 and May 21, starting at 12:45 p.m. The two-hour program includes a 45-minute presentation by Fermilab scientists followed by a tour, led by Antiproton Source head Keith Gollwitzer, through a section of the accelerator tunnel that is used to produce antiprotons.

Thursday, April 6, 2006

DOE Announces $52.5 Million Solicitation for Basic Hydrogen Research Supporting President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative
Secretary Bodman announced a three-year, $52.5 million solicitation to support new innovations in hydrogen technology. The solicitation, to be released later this month, supports President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative - which seeks to reduce dependence on foreign oil - and will support research to assist in overcoming the scientific challenges associated with the production, use and storage of hydrogen. Secretary Bodman made the announcement while speaking to the 2006 SAE World Congress today.

Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Dennis Spurgeon Sworn-in as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy
Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman announced the swearing in of Dennis Spurgeon as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. Assistant Secretary Spurgeon was nominated by President Bush on February 13, 2006, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 27, 2006.

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