World Takes Notice of Oak Ridge Tech Initiatives
Published Apr 08, 2002
Oak Ridge isn’t just one of Tennessee’s technology treasures – it’s a global leader in high-tech initiatives.
The eyes of the science world are on a massive construction project in Oak Ridge, where the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is about 40 percent complete. The $1.4 billion project, funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, should be open for business in 2006. The one-of-a-kind facility will provide the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development. Neutrons are a tool used by scientists for a variety of disciplines to study the structure of materials at an atomic level.
“If you understand materials, you can make new materials that are lighter, cheaper and have special magnetic properties,” says Thomas E. Mason, associate laboratory director.
The SNS is being built by a consortium of six Department of Energy labs, which draws from the talent pool of a larger system. Once complete, Mason predicts the SNS will attract users from around the globe. The SNS is expected to have a staff of 110 with an operating budget of $150 million annually.
Another technology venture, founded in 1997 in nearby Knoxville, is the National Safe Skies Alliance (NSSA), a nonprofit organization of airports, airlines, national laboratories and manufacturers that impartially tests aviation devices and systems. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a founding member of the organization, which is funded by its member institutions and by the Transportation Security Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“We’ve tested nearly everything that’s in common use in airports today,” says Tom Jensen, president and chief executive officer.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks augmented NSSA’s workload and its challenge. Jensen notes that the Federal Aviation Administration has received 30,000 inquiries since the attacks about new devices or procedures to be tested.
NSSA’s home testing site is at McGhee Tyson Airport in Alcoa, with a second permanent location at Orlando International Airport. The organization has tested devices at 24 other airports and expects to add other permanent testing sites.
Story by Sharyn Matthews
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