Award Archive

Bryant and Lumetta join three other PNNL scientists honored previously by the ACS: Jean Futrell, Bruce Kay and Yong Wang. They are among the 567 Fellows within the organization of more than 163,000 members. ACS is the world's largest chemical science professional society.

The 2011 Fellows will be recognized at an induction ceremony on Aug. 29 during the society's 242^nd National Meeting & Exposition in Denver.

The complete list of ACS Fellows can be found in the Aug. 8 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, and online.  (Posted 8/1/2011)

Eva Hickey elected Health Physics Society Fellow

Eva has been selected as a Health Physics Society Fellow. The Health Physics Society is a 5,000-member scientific organization of professionals who specialize in radiation safety.

Fellows are elected by peers as a result of their significant scientific, educational and/or administrative contributions to the health physics profession. This honor also recognizes Eva's extensive service to HPS, which includes serving on multiple committees and on the Board of Directors, leading the local chapter as president, and most recently serving as an HPS Parliamentarian.  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Chongxuan Liu Elected Fellow of Geological Society of America

Chongxuan Liu was selected as a Geological Society of America Fellow. This professional society, which boasts more than 24,000 members in 97 countries, honors those who have made significant contributions to earth sciences. Liu was chosen for his outstanding contributions in microscopic reactive transport in porous media and applying geosciences in understanding and solving environmental problems, including the movement and fate of radionuclides and contaminants in Hanford's groundwater.

More information available at http://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=964  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Moe Khaleel Selected as ASCE Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Moe Khaleel, director of the Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division, and a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Fellow, on his selection as a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

He was recognized for "distinguished contributions to the field of computational engineering sciences, particularly computational multi-physics modeling of complex systems." The ASCE is the oldest national professional engineering society in the United States. The organization's mission is to "provide essential value to our members and partners, advance civil engineering, and serve the public good." ASCE fellows are legally registered professional engineers who have made significant technical or professional contributions and have demonstrated notable achievement in responsible charge of engineering activity for at least 10 years following election to the ASCE grade of member. As director of PNNL's Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division, Khaleel leads the effort to provide scientific and technological solutions through the integration advanced computing, mathematics, and computational sciences to advance the Laboratory's science, energy, and national security mission areas. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Eric Richman selected IES Fellow

Eric Richman has been selected as a 2011 Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Fellow. He was recognized at the society's Annual Conference, October 29 - November 1, in Austin, Texas. Eric also is a 2010 recipient of the Presidential Award for his exemplary efforts in support of IES, and is a past recipient of the Taylor Award for "An Empirical Data Based Method for the Development of Lighting Energy Standards."

IES is a collegial community whose mission is to "seek to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public."  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Seven PNNL Scientists Elected 2010 AAAS Fellows

Seven scientists from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their exceptional efforts to advance science and apply it to real–world problems. The PNNL honorees and the AAAS sections that elected them are: Leonard Bond, engineering; Liem Dang, chemistry; César Izaurralde, atmospheric and hydrospheric sciences; Allan Konopka, biological sciences; Jun Li, chemistry; Bill Morgan, biological sciences; and Greg Schenter, chemistry. This year's elections bring a total of 47 PNNL researchers who have been named AAAS fellows.

Leonard Bond

Elected for his contributions to engineering.

Bond specializes in developing methods and instruments that use ultrasound, a high-frequency sound that's inaudible to humans, to examine everything from cells to power plants. Often used to view a fetus inside a pregnant woman's belly, ultrasound hits an object and bounces back a signal that helps describe the object's makeup. He also uses computer models to better understand ultrasound wave movement and behavior. Bond currently uses ultrasonics to help inspect both aging nuclear power plants and advanced nuclear reactor systems, but he has also employed it to examine gas pipelines, rocket motors and defense systems, among other applications.

Bond is a PNNL laboratory fellow. He was also the founding director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies at Idaho National Laboratory. He's a fellow of the U.K. Institute of Physics and a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Liem Dang

Elected for his contributions to chemistry

Dang develops and uses computer models to study how molecules interact at liquid interfaces. His models specifically focus on the potential for molecules to be polarized, or have slight differences in electric charge, and how that affects molecular behavior at liquid interfaces. Dang and his then-postdoc, Tsun-Mei Chang, developed a widely used and cited chemical model called the Dang-Chang model, which accurately portrays the properties of water-based systems in changing environments. His research helps explain how pollutants react in the atmosphere and how toxic metals are transported across liquid interfaces.

Dang is a member of PNNL's molecular theory research group and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He's also an adjunct professor in chemical engineering at the University of Queensland, Australia, and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Physical Chemistry.

César Izaurralde

Elected for his contributions to atmospheric
and hydrospheric sciences

Izaurralde researches how carbon and nitrogen cycle within agricultural soil, and how soil, water and plants are affected by human actions and climate change. He has helped develop and improve computer models that examine climate change in agricultural systems and biogeochemical cycles in soil. Izaurralde has also contributed to several climate change assessments and is often asked to provide scientific information regarding climate change to policymakers. His research has advanced scientists' understanding of soil carbon sequestration as a tool to mitigate climate change and sustainability issues associated with biofuels production.

Izaurralde is a PNNL laboratory fellow at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a collaboration between PNNL and the University of Maryland. He's a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy and an adjunct professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland.

Allan Konopka

Elected for his contributions to biological sciences

Konopka examines the ecology of microbes to understand how they adapt to changes in their habitats, including water and soil that's either above or below the Earth's surface. For example, he investigated how cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, produce sugar polymers to sink so they can access nutrients lower in the water column and then get rid of the polymers to rise and take advantage of the sunlight they need for photosynthesis. He currently studies how microbial communities in below-ground soils affect the movement and chemical form of contaminants like radionuclides at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington state.

Konopka is a PNNL laboratory fellow and is an associate director in PNNL's biological sciences research division. Before joining PNNL, he was a biological sciences professor at Purdue University for 30 years. He's on the editorial boards of the scientific journals Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Microbial Ecology and The ISME Journal.

Jun Li

Elected for his contributions to chemistry

Li focuses much of his research on lanthanides and actinides, heavy elements with the atomic numbers 57 to 71 and 89 to 103 on the bottom of the periodic table. To understand compounds made of these and other elements, Li develops computational models and considers the effects of relativistic quantum mechanics. He also uses theoretical models to explore metal clusters, surfaces and nanomaterials. His research can be used to advance methods that produce clean energy and remove pollution from the environment.

Li currently splits his time between EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory on PNNL's campus, and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He's an editorial board member for the Journal of Cluster Science and Current Chemical Biology.

Bill Morgan

Elected for his contributions to biological sciences

Morgan's research focuses on the biological effects of low-dose radiation on human health. He and his PNNL colleagues examine radiation's effects on humans by using a 3-D skin model. Morgan's research in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry and other fields helps protect people against radiation's adverse effects.

Morgan directs PNNL's radiation biology and biophysics low-dose radiation research program. He serves as a scientific representative for several national and international regulatory agencies. He is a consultant for the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. He's also an adjunct professor at Washington State University Tri-Cities, the University of Washington and the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore.

Greg Schenter

Elected for his contributions to chemistry

Schenter develops mathematical models to advance how scientists simulate molecular behavior. He calculates how small, light molecules and atoms move and react in solids and in solution. To do this, he considers the effects of quantum mechanics, a branch of physics. This research is helping build better batteries and alternative fuels. Schenter also developed a theory of how droplets form, or nucleate, that improved on previous theories and is changing the way scientists see cloud formation, fuel cells and more.

Schenter is a PNNL laboratory fellow, as well as a fellow of the American Physical Society. He has been a mentor to many scientists and students at the postdoctoral, doctoral, graduate and undergraduate levels.  (Posted 1/1/2011)

2011 Elected Positions and Offices

Dave Senor elected to Executive Committee for the ATR National Scientific User Facility

Dave Senor has been elected to serve on the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) National Scientific User Facility (NSUF) User's Working Group Executive Committee. Dave's involvement in irradiation experiments at the ATR makes him well suited as a member of the five-person committee.

The ATR NSUF is a DOE user facility located at the Idaho National Laboratory. Nuclear energy researchers collaborate through the ATR NSUF to make advancements in basic and applied nuclear research and development to address the nation's energy security needs  (Posted 2/1/2011)

Mikey Brady Raap Elected ANS Treasurer

Mikey has been elected to serve as Treasurer of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in a national election. She will join a team of three other officers and a board of directors in the governance of the Society. Her term begins at 2011 ANS Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Florida on June 26.

ANS is an international, non-profit organization with a membership of more than 11,000 individuals representing more than 1,600 entities. Mikey has previously served as the chair and vice-chair of the ANS Nuclear Criticality Safety Division, and is a long time member of the education committee.  (Posted 6/1/2011)

PNNL's Ron Jarnagin installed as president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory engineer Ron Jarnagin was installed as president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, at its 2011 Annual Conference in Montreal.

As president, Jarnagin will direct the Society's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

ASHRAE's 50,000 worldwide members conduct research, analysis, continuing education courses and other services that advance the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industries. Much of ASHRAE's research is used to create governmental and industry standards. His term will last for one year.  (Posted 6/1/2011)

Amanda Casella elected to Executive Committee of the Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division

Amanda Casella has been elected to the Executive Committee of the Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division (FCWMD), a Professional Division of the American Nuclear Society (ANS). The nominees for committee positions are selected by their peers and determined during the yearly ANS elections.

FCWMD is one of the most active divisions within the ANS. In support of program development for national ANS meetings, the Executive Committee is tasked with providing a forum for technical discussions on topics relevant to the nuclear industry.  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Jun Liu Selected to Lead Prestigious Materials Meeting

Congratulations to Jun Liu, Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, on being chosen to lead the 2012 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting. This meeting provides 5,000-plus people from around the world the opportunity to discover and discuss the latest developments in materials research. Scientists from different disciplines present more than 50 top-notch scientific symposia.

Jun was selected as one of the four meeting chairs for this event because of his reputation in materials research. He is known for his contribution to nanomaterials, self-assembly, catalysis, and large-scale energy storage research. At PNNL, Jun leads the Transformational Materials Science Initiative, which is elucidating the underlying materials phenomena for vehicular and grid-scale energy storage. His research has appeared in numerous journals, received patents, and earned him awards, including an R&D 100 Award for self-assembled nanoporous materials.  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Praveen Thallapally Invited to Join CGD Network

The American Chemical Society has recently launched a new initiative - Crystal Growth & Design Network, or the CGD Network - and Praveen Thallapally, Energy and Environment Directorate, has been invited to join its Board of Community Editors.

The CGD Network is part of social networking and community website created by ACS. It provides users with a forum for interaction and collaboration on the topic of crystalline solids structures and the science of "crystal engineering." As a member of the board of editors, Praveen will make contributions to the community, initiate discussions monthly in his area of expertise, collaborate with other members of the board on strategic direction and advocate strongly on behalf of his CGD Network colleagues at conferences.  (Posted 3/1/2011)

Ranata Johnson to serve on IEEE Standards Committee

Ranata Johnson has been appointed Executive Secretary for the IEEE Software & Systems Engineering Standards Committee (S2ESC). She will be responsible for taking and maintaining minutes from teleconferences and meetings, and supporting the election ballot process.

Ranata has been an IEEE member since 1995. In addition to her role with the S2ESC, she also serves on the Configuration Management working group to update the 828 standard.

S2ESC strives to be essential to the global software and systems engineering community of technical professionals everywhere, and to be internationally recognized for the timely development and management of a comprehensive and integrated set of software and systems engineering standards of proven utility. The committee is part of the 85,000-member IEEE Computer Society, the world's leading membership organization for computing professionals.  (Posted 1/1/2011)

David Atkinson Co-chairs Gordon Research Conference

David Atkinson has been selected as a chair of the Gordon Research Conference entitled: "Detecting Illicit Substances: Explosives & Drugs – Countering the Adaptive Adversary: The Revolution of New Materials and Creative Concealments" beginning June 26 in Lucca (Barga), Italy. David was the vice-chair of the 2010 conference.

As PNNL's Chief Scientist of Explosive Detection research, David provides leadership for PNNL's technical strategy in explosives detection. He is instrumental in engaging and advising government clients, influencing national priorities, and in multi-disciplinary program building. Because of his expertise in explosives detection, David is a sought after speaker at national conferences and society meetings.  (Posted 6/1/2011)

Bill Morgan Elected to Main Commission of International Commission on Radiological Protection

Congratulations to Dr. William Morgan, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who was elected to the Main Commission of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) at its Main Commission Meeting April 17-21 in Seoul, Korea. He was also named Chair of the ICRP's committee on Radiation Effects. Morgan will succeed Dr. Julian Preston, Associate Director for Health, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on October 31, 2011.

The ICRP is an independent, international organization that advances the science of radiological protection for the general public; in particular, by providing recommendations and guidance on all aspects of protection against ionizing radiation. The Radiation Effects Committee considers cancer and heritable disease risk together with the underlying mechanisms of radiation action. It also considers the risks, severity, and mechanisms of induction of tissue/organ damage and developmental defects. The committee consists of 20 radiation experts from 12 countries. Morgan has served on the committee since 2005 and is currently vice-chairman.

During his 30-year career, Morgan has gained an international reputation as a leading researcher in the fields of radiation biology and the long-term biological effects of radiation exposure. He is Director of Radiation Biology and Biophysics at PNNL, where he leads PNNL's Low Dose Radiation Research Program Scientific Focus Area, sponsored by the Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The PNNL program is focused on the effects of radiation exposure on human skin. Morgan also holds adjunct appointments at Washington State University-Tri-Cities and the University of Washington. He has authored or co-authored 130 publications and 53 book chapters, and proceedings papers.  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Pak Chung Wong selected member of editorial board for IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications

Pak Chung Wong, scientist in the Visual Analytics Group at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been selected as a member of the Editorial Board for IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications. The peer-reviewed publication, with an international circulation of more than 2,200 industry professionals, covers topics ranging from virtual reality to multimedia analytics. In his role, Wong helps determine the content of the journal by inviting peer reviews of content submitted by many of the computing graphics field's distinguished professionals.

IEEE is the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology. Their highly cited publication, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, bridges the theory and practice of computer graphics. Published six times a year, CG&A is indispensable reading for people working at the leading edge of computer graphics technology and its applications in everything from business to the arts.  (Posted 4/1/2011)

Xuesong Zhang Named JAWRA Associate Editor

Xuesong Zhang, Fundamental and Computational Science Directorate, has been named by the Journal of the American Water Resources Association as an associate editor for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing.

Associate editors are responsible for assigning reviewers and evaluating reviews, and encouraging submissions in their area of expertise. The appointment is for three years. Xuesong is a research scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute.  (Posted 4/1/2011)

Nathan Baker appointed Editor-in-Chief

Nathan Baker, National Security Directorate, has been appointed editor-in-chief of Computational Science & Discovery. In his role Nathan will oversee peer review, lead the editorial board, and take responsibility for the scientific content and development of the journal. Nathan has served on the CSD editorial board since 2009 and will take up his new role May 1.

Nathan's diverse research background and interests make him a natural fit to lead a multidisciplinary computational science journal like CSD. He currently is chief scientist for Signature Science at PNNL. He is well known for his Adaptive Poisson-Boltzmann Solver software, which is freely available to the scientific community and now has more than 15,000 registered users.  (Posted 4/1/2011)

Bruce Napier elected to NCRP Board of Directors

Bruce Napier has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). Bruce has been a member of the council for nine years and, during that time, has been on a variety of committees. As a board member, Bruce serves in the Environmental Radiation and Radioactive Waste Issues position.

The mission of the NCRP, an exclusive group of scientific experts, is "to support radiation protection by providing independent scientific analysis, information, and recommendations that represent the consensus of leading scientists."  (Posted 1/1/2011)

Robbie Tidwell - Elected to IHMM Board of Directors

Robbie Tidwell has been elected to a four-year term on the Institute of Hazardous Materials Managements Board of Directors. IHMM, a nonprofit organization, is the credentialing body for the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) designation. Robbie's position on the board began January 1.

IHMM's goal is to protect public health and safety through the administration of credentials for government, private, and corporate sectors. Institute members must demonstrate a high level of knowledge, expertise, and excellence in the management of hazardous materials.  (Posted 1/1/2011)

Jerry Johnson named to advisory board for InformationWeek

Jerry Johnson, PNNL Chief Information Officer (CIO), was named to the advisory board of InformationWeek, a publication focused on the business value of technology. The advisory board provides InformationWeek editors with insight into the issues and trends that are shaping business technology. For more info, read InformationWeek Announces New Advisory Board Members.  (Posted 1/1/2011)

2011 Impact on Scientific Community

Deb Frincke chairs IEEE Symposium

Deb recently chaired IEEE's Symposium of Security and Privacy. In its 32nd year, the symposium is "the premier forum for presenting developments in computer security and electronic privacy, and for bringing together researchers and practitioners in the field." The symposium was co- sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Security and Privacy and The International Association for Cryptologic Research.

In the week following the symposium, there were more than a dozen articles published worldwide covering papers or work presented at the symposium in media outlets including the New York Times, New Scientist, IEEE Spectrum and PhysOrg.com.  (Posted 6/1/2011)

Richard Moss Appointed Chair of NRC Committee on Human Dimensions of Global Change

Richard Moss, Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, was appointed Chair of the Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Moss is a scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), a partnership between PNNL and the University of Maryland. The National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences prepares scientific reports and advice for the U.S. government.

At JGCRI, Richard studies methods to support applications of global change research including scenarios, characterization and communication of uncertainty, and adaptation to climate change. Richard has served on other NAS committees such as the America's Climate choices science panel and is active on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Previously, Richard served as Director of the Office of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (2000-06), Director of one of the IPCC's Technical Support Units (1993-99), and while on leave, as Vice President, Climate Change, of the World Wildlife Fund (2007-2009). Richard received the DOE Distinguished Associate award in 2003 for leading preparation of the U.S. government's 10-year climate change research plan.

"Richard has extensive experience working with federal global change agencies and has connections to international research activities. I value his ability to work with constituents of diverse perspectives," said Dr. Paul Stern, Staff Director at NAS, concerning Richard's work leading the committee.

The Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change includes both natural and social scientists and focuses on interdisciplinary research to inform global change policy. Examples of the committee's current interests include accelerating deployment of low-carbon energy technologies, integrating social and environmental data for research on vulnerable communities, assessing the potential climate and sustainable development benefits of reducing deforestation, and developing valuation methods to support environmental policy and decision making.  (Posted 8/1/2011)

Chris Mundy Gives Plenary Lecture at Theoretical Chemistry Conference

Congratulations to Chris Mundy, Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, on being invited to give a plenary talk at the American Conference on Theoretical Chemistry in July. This conference, held every three years, featured innovative ideas and new research. The event, which grew from a Gordon research conference, is widely attended by chemists from the United States and abroad.

In his plenary talk, Chris discussed the benefits and pitfalls of using density functional theory to understand the behavior of charged particles in water and at the air/water interface. Chris was chosen to give this talk based on his work in equilibrium and non- equilibrium statistical mechanics. He is also known for his work in ab initio and classical molecular dynamics development and applications. In addition, he leads large-scale simulations on leadership-class computers through a Department of Energy INCITE award.

"It feels good to be recognized by your peers—to be chosen to give a plenary lecture at the ACTC. It is quite an honor," said Chris.  (Posted 8/1/2011)

Greg Exarhos to Present Brazilian Scientific Congress Plenary Lecture

Congratulations to Dr. Greg Exarhos, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, on being invited to give a prestigious conference-wide talk at the Brazilian Congress on Applications of Vacuum in Industry and Science. At this annual event, held this year in Itajubá, in the Minas Gerais state of the Federative Republic of Brazil, fundamental and applied researchers exchange information on vacuum technologies and applications, including alternative energy solutions.

In his plenary talk, Exarhos will discuss how thin film vacuum deposition technologies and post deposition film modification have enhanced the performance of conjungate property films. Such materials combine multiple properties together in a non-intuitive way. For example, a conjungate property film could be both transparent and conduct electricity, making it ideal for use in solar photovoltaic or solid state lighting applications. In addition to giving his talk, Exarhos will actively participate in the graduate student poster session.

"Getting to talk with the students and being able to answer their questions, really engaging with them, makes the trip worth it," said Exarhos.

Having Exarhos give the talk was a natural choice because of his pioneering research in thin film deposition and properties modification. His studies have opened up venues in optical and electronic coatings and nanoscale material design. He is also active in the scientific community. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Governance Committee for AVS, a U.S. scientific society. He has served as AVS President, Board of Directors member, Publications Committee Chair, and Long Range Planning Committee Chair.  (Posted 8/1/2011)

Elizabeth Malone Appointed to NRC Committee on Himalayan Glaciers, Climate Change, and Implications for Downstream Populations

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth L. Malone on being appointed to the Himalayan Glaciers, Climate Change, and Implications for Downstream Populations Committee for the National Research Council. The committee will explore how climate change affects glaciers in the Himalaya, and how that will impact regional water supply systems. Glaciers are at the headwaters of several of Asia's major water systems and have an impact on drinking water, irrigation, food, and hydropower for billions of people.

As a scientist, Malone works on the areas of vulnerability and resilience to climate change. Looking across geographical boundaries, Malone studies the environmental and social aspects of global climate change. Glaciers are a large component of climate change, especially in Asia. Malone has expertise in addressing the impact of glaciers on the water cycle, combined with how precipitation may change in quantity and timing, which come together in the Himalaya. Malone was the principal author on a U.S. Agency for International Development report, Changing Glaciers and Hydrology in Asia: Addressing Vulnerabilities to Glacier Melt Impacts, which assessed how USAID programs could respond to the effects of climate change in this region of the world.

"Dr. Malone has a history of working across disciplines," said Dr. Maggie Walser, NRC study director for the committee. "Her expertise, particularly in the area of the human dimensions of climate change, will be quite valuable as the committee begins its work."

Malone is a scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute , a partnership between PNNL and the University of Maryland. The NRC, as part of the National Academy of Sciences, prepares scientific reports and advice for the U.S. government.  (Posted 6/1/2011)

Jim Fredrickson and Moe Khaleel Elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences

Congratulations to Jim Fredrickson and Moe Khaleel, both of Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate, on being elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences. Jim and Moe are also PNNL Fellows.

Jim was chosen for his outstanding record of scientific accomplishments and national and international recognition. His research on environmental microbiology provides understanding of the roles of microbes in the biotransformation of radionuclides in the subsurface and in the cycling of metals. Results from his research have provided new mechanistic insights into how microbes alter the mobility of environmental contaminants at locations such as the Hanford site as well as how they weather and form minerals. He is co-principal investigator on two of PNNL's Scientific Focus Areas for the Department of Energy's Subsurface Biogeochemical Research Program and Genomic Science Program.

Moe was selected based on his international leadership in computational engineering sciences and fuel cell technology. He is known for his contributions to the development and deployment of solid oxide fuel cells and superplastic forming of aluminum alloys. As director of PNNL's Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division, Moe leads the effort to provide scientific and technological solutions through the integration of advanced computing, mathematics, and computational sciences to advance the Laboratory's science, energy, and national security mission areas.

The Washington State Academy of Sciences provides expert scientific and engineering analysis to inform public policy-making. Also, the Academy works to increase the role and visibility of science in the State of Washington. The Academy was established in 2005.  (Posted 6/1/2011)

Heida Diefenderfer, Richard Anderson and Joshua Adkins invited to National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Conference

Three researchers from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will convene with about 140 of the nation's top scientists and engineers to discuss how the world can develop a sustainable food supply while preserving the environment.

Restoration ecologist Heida Diefenderfer, risk and decision scientist Richard Anderson and systems biologist Joshua Adkins have been invited to participate in the ninth annual National Academies Keck Futures Initiative conference, to be held Nov. 10-13 in Irvine, Calif.

The conference brings together the country's leading researchers in diverse scientific fields to jointly tackle a complex, pressing problem with a multidisciplinary approach. This year's conference will focus on how to best balance the benefits that humans receive from ecosystems with the planet's environmental needs. Attendees can also compete for grant funding to pursue new ideas generated during the conference.

Diefenderfer has conducted research out of PNNL's Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim since 2000. She holds a doctorate in forest resources from the University of Washington, a master's degree in English from Western Washington University and two bachelor's degrees, one in Native American studies and professional writing from The Evergreen State College, and the other in biology from Reed College in Portland, Ore.

Anderson has conducted research from PNNL's main campus in Richland since 2010. He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering mechanics, a master's degree in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in environmental systems analysis, all from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

Also based in Richland, Adkins has conducted research at PNNL since 2001. He holds a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., and a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colo.

The conference is supported by the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the W.M. Keck Foundation. More information is online at http://www.keckfutures.org  (Posted 6/1/2011)

Changyong Zhang, Mart Oostrom, Nancy Hess and Thomas Wietsma author paper selected one of "10" Best Papers of 2010" by Environmental Science & Technology journal

A paper authored by PNNL – EMSL researchers was selected by Environmental Science & Technology as one of the journal's 10 "Best Papers of 2010." Of the nearly 1,500 papers that ES&T published last year, the editors nominated 70 to be among the very best. This list was narrowed to the top 10 and then divided between three categories: Environmental Science, Environmental Technology and Environmental Policy. In March, the paper, "Pore-Scale Study of Transverse Mixing Induced CaCO₃ Precipitation and Permeability Reduction in a Model Subsurface Sedimentary System," was named second runner-up in the Environmental Technology category. The paper documented the team's work to provide insights into carbon sequestration and contaminant cleanup, and how, due to mixing, changes in groundwater chemistry affect subsurface mineralization. Specifically, researchers examined under what conditions pores within underground rock formations become clogged with newly formed minerals due to changing groundwater chemistry. They found that calcite mineralization can sometimes block pores and prevent further reactions by stopping groundwater mixing—which has implications for immobilizing contaminants in the groundwater or geological storage of greenhouse gases such as CO₂.

The team is composed of PNNL researchers Changyong Zhang and Mart Oostrom, EMSL researchers Nancy Hess and Thomas Wietsma, and four researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Karl Dehoff, Albert J. Valocchi, Bruce W. Fouke, and Charles J. Werth.  (Posted 5/2/2011)

Guan Lin invited to Give Poster Presentation at SciDAC Conference

Dr. Guang Lin, a computational mathematics researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been invited to give a poster presentation at the prestigious 2011 Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) conference in July. In conjunction with the invitation to present, he has also been invited to prepare a five-page paper for the peer-reviewed conference proceedings.

Lin is a staff member in PNNL's Computational Sciences & Mathematics Division. His talk "Modeling and Simulation of High Dimensional Stochastic Multiscale Partial Differential Equation Systems" will focus on research efforts to address current limitations on the science of uncertainty quantification (determining the variation of the likely outcome of research in a probabilistic way for risk assessment and decision support when not all the model input data is known) and to develop novel methods for modeling and predicting systems for use in extreme scale computing.

Along with highlighting successes from the SciDAC program, the conference is also slated to be a "general celebration of computational science." The conference brings together computational scientists from different nations, agencies, programs, and scientific fields to highlight recent advances in computational science in important areas – from understanding our universe on its largest and smallest scales, to understanding Earth's climate change and its ramifications, to developing new energy sources.  (Posted 5/1/2011)

John Holladay named FY10 PNNL Inventor of the Year

More than 140 staff members were honored at the PNNL annual Recognition & Rewards Banquet—held May 19 at the Three Rivers Convention Center—for their contributions to the creation, development and commercialization of intellectual property. Honorees received patents, developed commercially valuable software products, made key contributions to technology commercialization efforts, and received Federal Laboratory Consortium and R&D 100 Awards in FY10. Jay Grate, Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate, was recognized for becoming a Battelle Distinguished Inventor last fiscal year.

John Holladay, Energy & Environment Directorate, received the highest honor of the night when he was named PNNL Inventor of the Year for FY10. Each year, the recipient of this award is selected by PNNL management based on their innovation over the previous two fiscal years that has resulted in the creation of intellectual property, or the potential to create intellectual property.

John received six patents in FY10 alone for work in diverse areas, all unified by the use of renewable feedstocks for the creation of value-added chemicals. Several of his most recent patents were for work to convert sorbitol—available from corn—to isosorbide for creation of novel polymers that are sought after for hot fill beverage containers, replacements for hot filter juice and beer bottles, and engineered thermoplastics.

During his 10 years with the Laboratory, John has overseen significant growth in research volume, particularly in catalyst capability at the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, and in sustainability analysis as PNNL seeks to improve the science base for conversion of biomass with respect to understanding water and land use impacts. Much of his research to date has involved the development of new catalysts and processes for conversion of a variety of biomass feedstocks to chemicals. His current research continues down this path, specifically directed at using combinatorial techniques to solve problems in the area of condensed phase heterogeneous catalysis.

John is responsible for PNNL's $18 million research portfolio including biofuels, products and energy—ranging from sustainable utilization of terrestrial biomass and marine systems to fuels and chemicals via chemical and biological catalysis. He has 10 granted U.S. patents and 22 U.S. and foreign patents pending.  (Posted 5/1/2011)

Mark Murphy: Article and cover photo in Fertility and Sterility Journal

Mark Murphy's research into protecting fertility in cancer patients has been published in Fertility and Sterility, including a photo on the cover. The results of the study, conducted in partnership with Oregon Health and Science University, demonstrated incredible promise for a drug treatment that may positively impact tens of thousands of women every year. Mark additionally developed a device to protect monkeys during radiation treatments throughout the study.

Fertility and Sterility is an international journal for doctors, scientists and others who treat and investigate problems of infertility and human reproductive disorders. Mark's article appeared in the March 15 issue.  (Posted 3/1/2011)

2010 Awards

U.S., Swiss Team Earns INCITE Award Around Complex Reactions

Scientists from PNNL and Switzerland's University of Zurich received 20 million hours of computing time to answer fundamental questions about catalysts, thanks to the 2011 INCITE Leadership Computing award. Managed by the DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, the awards provide large, computationally intense projects with time on certain supercomputers. The acronym INCITE stands for Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment. This is the second INCITE award PNNL has received.

Using the Cray XT at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the team will investigate processes that occur at the liquid/air interface of titanium-and nickel-based catalysts. Specifically, the team will perform intense calculations to accurately estimate reaction free energetics, the internal forces that drive a reaction towards equilibrium, in complex chemical environments. The researchers believe this work will show that the combination of electronic structure, statistical mechanics, and leadership-class computing will assist in controlling and creating catalysts that are essential for renewable energy.

On this INCITE award, the team members are Shawn Kathmann, Simone Raugei, Roger Rousseau, and Greg Schenter, all of Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, and Juerg Hutter and Joost VandeVondele of the University of Zurich. The team is led by Christopher Mundy, also of Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate.

This INCITE award and our previous one establish PNNL as a player in large-scale calculations for computational chemistry, said Bruce Garrett, director of Chemical and Materials Sciences at PNNL.  (Posted 11/1/2010)

Jamie Holladay receives 2010 Merit Review Award from DOE's Hydrogen Program

Jamie Holladay is the recipient of a 2010 Annual Merit Review Award from DOE's Hydrogen Program. As the awardee in the Production and Delivery category, Jamie was recognized for his outstanding contributions as part of DOE's Fuel Cell Technologies Hydrogen Production and Delivery Team, including the development of the Hydrogen Production Roadmap - Technology Pathways to the Future.

Each year, hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Hydrogen Program are reviewed for their merit. This year's awards were presented at the Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting, June 7 - 11, in Washington, D.C.

Guang Lin receives 2010 ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge Award

Guang Lin, a computational mathematics researcher in the Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been selected to receive a 2010 ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC) award.

The ALCC program allocates up to 30% of the computational resources at the Leadership Computing Facilities at Argonne, Oak Ridge, and NERSC and for special situations of interest to the Department with an emphasis on high-risk, high-payoff simulations in areas directly related to the Department's energy mission in areas such as advancing the clean energy agenda and understanding the Earth's climate, for national emergencies, or for broadening the community of researchers capable of using leadership computing resources.

Lin's proposal "Stochastic Nonlinear Data-Reduction Methods with Detection & Prediction of Critical Rare Events" will be allocated five million processor hours over the next year on the Jaguar supercomputer located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The project focuses on extracting and reducing data from massive volumes of information to quantify and reduce the uncertainty in the climate models. If successful, this research project will have a revolutionary impact on how scientists analyze petascale, noisy, incomplete data in complex systems and ultimately lead to better future prediction and decision-making.  (Posted 7/1/2010)

Wei-Jun Qian Receives DOE Early Career Research Grant

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist Dr. Wei-Jun Qian for receiving an Early Career Research Award from the Department of Energy. He will develop a suite of quantitative proteomics technologies to gain understanding of the spatial and temporal regulation of cellular functions. Funding for this 5-year research grant is under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Qian will receive $500,000 a year to cover year-round salary plus research expenses.

In this project, called "Spatial and Temporal Proteomics for Characterizing Protein Dynamics and Post-Translational Modifications," PNNL researchers will demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology suite on environmental eukaryotes-organisms whose cells contain complex structures inside the membranes-such as Aspergillus niger, a fungus that plays an important role in biofuel production and global carbon cycling.

Qian has been at PNNL since 2002. His research involves developing and applying novel mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics approaches for accurate and sensitive quantification of protein dynamics in cells, tissues, and biofluids. He is currently focusing on developing more sensitive targeted protein quantification based on selected reaction monitoring (SRM)-mass spectrometry to complement global proteomics discovery. His work has enabled broad applications in various biological systems, and a number of the developed technologies have been applied to study cell signaling and biomarker discovery involved in different diseases such as diabetes.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Catalysis Researchers Named First Distinguished PNNL Post-Doc Fellows

Congratulations to Dr. Grant Johnson of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Dr. Xiao Lin of the Fritz Haber Institute on being selected as the first recipients of the Pacific Northwest Distinguished Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Through the fellowship program, they will receive funding to conduct their catalysis research at PNNL for the next 2 to 3 years.

"We believe strongly in building the next generation of scientists and in advancing the frontiers of science," said Dr. Steven Ashby, deputy director for science and technology at PNNL. "I'm pleased we'll be able to expose these scientists to the unique capabilities, instrumentation and experts at PNNL while we also learn from their new ideas."

Johnson completed his doctorate in chemistry at Pennsylvania State University . There, he focused on analyzing the use of different types of oxygen in reactions stemming from metal oxide catalysts. At PNNL, Johnson's research will focus on using mass spectrometry to create new catalytic materials.

Lin has most recently worked as a Humboldt Fellow at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Germany. He received his Ph.D. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. While at PNNL, Lin will develop a molecular-level understanding of how metals catalyze reactions involving carbon monoxide and dioxide. These reactions are vital to supplying energy, global warming, and the chemical industry.

In 2009, PNNL created the Pacific Northwest Distinguished Post-Doctoral Fellowship to attract outstanding researchers and build the future of scientific leadership for the Laboratory. These post-doc fellows receive a competitive salary, benefits, and relocation expenses. In addition, they have the potential to receive extra funding for travel and conferences. Both will conduct research at the Department of Energy's EMSL, a national scientific user facility at PNNL  (Posted 3/1/2010)

Wendy Shaw, William Gustafson, and Uljana Mayer to receive five-year grants

Three scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will receive an Early Career Research Award from the Department of Energy, including funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for five-year research grants. All three researchers will receive grants for at least $500,000 a year to cover year-round salary plus research expenses.

The three PNNL researchers receiving this award and their grant titles are:

• Wendy Shaw, "Catalyst Biomimics: A Novel Approach in Catalyst Design," funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences
• William Gustafson, "Reducing Scale Dependence of Physics Parameterization for Global Cloud Resolving Climate Models," funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research
• Uljana Mayer, "Targeted Imaging Probes for Systems Biology," funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

As part of the DOE's new Early Career Research Program, this new effort is designed to bolster the nation's scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early years, when many scientists do their most formative work.

To be eligible for an award, a researcher must be an untenured, tenure-track assistant professor at a U.S. academic institution or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory, who received a Ph.D. within the past ten years.

Awardees were selected from a pool of 1,750 university- and national laboratory-based applicants. Selection was based on peer review by outside scientific experts.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

PNNL Postdoc Wins DOD Breast Cancer Fellowship Award

Congratulations to Dr. Hongjun Jin, a biochemistry postdoctoral fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who won a U.S. Department of Defense postdoctoral fellowship for breast cancer research. In this 3-year, $250K project, he will determine post-translationally modified biomarkers for the early detection of breast cancer. The research will further strengthen PNNL's protein microarray platform.

Thousands of top breast cancer postdoctoral researchers from across the U.S. applied for this fellowship, out of which 43 were recommended for funding. Jin, who joined PNNL in 2008, received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Texas A&M University and bachelor's degrees in Radiochemistry and Medicine from Lanzhou University and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, respectively.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

Team Earns 2010 INCITE Award from DOE

Scientists from PNNL and two Swiss institutes received 12 million hours of supercomputing time, thanks to the 2010 INCITE Leadership Computing award from DOE. Now, the team will be able to continue running calculations that explain the physics of reactions in bulk and at interfaces.

"Understanding the reactions that occur in the vicinity of interfaces have far-reaching implications in many disciplines," said Christopher Mundy, Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate. Furthermore, the supercomputers will be put to use to elucidate how water behaves around ions at the air/water interface. The results of these studies will be used as leverage to help scientists control processes for hydrogen storage, biofuel production and other reactions.

The members of this research team are Christopher Mundy, Roger Rousseau, Greg Schenter and Shawn Kathmann, all of Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate; Allesandro Durioni of IBM Research-Zurich and Joost VandeVondele of the University of Zurich.

The INCITE award grants access to supercomputers to model complex processes and analyze large data sets. The team received a total of 12 million hours on two DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Research supercomputers: the Cray XTs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the IBM Blue Gene/P at Argonne National Laboratory.

More Info  (Posted 2/1/2010)

Researchers to receive five-year grants

Three scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will receive an Early Career Research Award from the Department of Energy, including funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for five-year research grants. All three researchers will receive grants for at least $500,000 a year to cover year-round salary plus research expenses.

The three PNNL researchers receiving this award and their grant titles are:

• Wendy Shaw, "Catalyst Biomimics: A Novel Approach in Catalyst Design," funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences
• William Gustafson, "Reducing Scale Dependence of Physics Parameterization for Global Cloud Resolving Climate Models," funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research
• Uljana Mayer, "Targeted Imaging Probes for Systems Biology," funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

As part of the DOE's new Early Career Research Program, this new effort is designed to bolster the nation's scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early years, when many scientists do their most formative work.

To be eligible for an award, a researcher must be an untenured, tenure-track assistant professor at a U.S. academic institution or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory, who received a Ph.D. within the past ten years.

Awardees were selected from a pool of 1,750 university- and national laboratory-based applicants. Selection was based on peer review by outside scientific experts.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

Jordan Smith to Receive Best Postdoc Publication Award

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory environmental toxicologist Dr. Jordan Smith who will receive the 2011 Best Postdoctoral Publication Award from the Society of Toxicology (SOT). The award recognizes exceptional papers in the field of toxicology published from postdoctoral research in 12-month period.

His publication "Pharmacokinetics of the chlorpyrifos metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) in rat saliva" appeared in the February 2010 issue of Toxicological Sciences. Smith will receive his award at the SOT Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in March.

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide widely used in U.S. agriculture. Smith's research uses experimental and computational methodology to investigate pharmacokinetics and biological effects of pesticides, specifically regarding biosensor development and risk assessment of potentially sensitive populations, such as children.

Reference: Smith JN, J Wang, Y Lin, and C Timchalk. 2010. "Pharmacokinetics of the Chlorpyrifos Metabolite 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-Pyridinol (TCPy) in Rat Saliva." Toxicological Sciences 113: 315-325.  (Posted 12/1/2010)

Bill Bair Receives Health Physics Society Top Honor

Battelle retiree Bill Bair (1994) has received the Robley D. Evans Commemorative Medal from the Health Physics Society. The society's highest award, the Evans Medal is not awarded every year. Bill is the ninth to receive the medal since its inception in 1997, and the first researcher from a national laboratory.

The award presentation read in part, "Dr. William J. Bair, the 2010 recipient of the Robley D. Evans Commemorative Medal, has been a pioneer and mentor in the field of radiation biology and health physics all of his professional life: he is now in his seventh decade of service and leadership in the toxicology of and protection from internally-incorporated radioactive materials."

"It was quite an honor to be nominated by the local HPS chapter," Bill says. "PNNL deserves credit for providing me the opportunity to do everything that led to this award. Credit also is due the many staff members who supported me through the years."

Bill retired in 1994 as the manager of the Life Sciences Center following a 29 year career with Battelle and ten years with General Electric Hanford Laboratories.  (Posted 11/1/2010)

Jerry Allwine to Receive Prestigious Helmut E. Landsberg Award

Congratulations to Dr. Jerry Allwine, who was selected as the recipient of this year's Helmut E. Landsberg Award from the American Meteorological Society. Allwine, who retired from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2008, will accept the award in January at an AMS gathering in Seattle. Allwine served more than 25 years as a PNNL senior scientist in the fields of atmospheric sciences, fluid dynamics, and mathematics.

The Helmut E. Landsberg Award is given to an individual or team for outstanding contributions in the fields of urban meteorology, climatology, or hydrology. This includes measurements or modeling that provides an improved understanding of atmospheric processes in urban environments, and/or enhanced urban meteorological or air quality forecasting capabilities.

Allwine's contribution to the field of meteorology was cited: "For his work as chief scientist and manager of the four urban field experiments carried out under the Urban Dispersion Program, and for sustained research contributions to applied dispersion model development and testing."

Allwine led four multi-scale, atmospheric dispersion studies in diverse urban areas from 2000 to 2005. The studies involved national and international scientists who sampled, studied, and modeled the complex patterns of atmospheric and meteorological contaminant dispersion around buildings, through urban areas, and into surrounding regions. The results of this work made a significant contribution to understanding the complex processes of atmospheric dispersion of contaminants in urban areas, which helped create emergency response models, evacuation, and cleanup plans for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Defense.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Nik Qafoku selected to receive Citation of Excellence from Soil Science Society of America Journal

Nik Qafoku received a Citation of Excellence for Associate Editors related to his service as an Associate Editor for the Soil Science Society of America Journal. Nik is serving his fifth year as an Editorial Board Member and Associate Editor of the discipline of soil chemistry. Soil Science Society of America Journal is ranked number one in the world for the number of citations (2008 Journal Citation Report, ISI Web of Knowledge).  (Posted 7/1/2010)

George Deverman, John Fulton, Dean Matson, and Clem Yonker Receive ACS Northwest Regional Innovation Award

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's John Fulton, George Deverman, Dean Matson, and Clem Yonker on winning the American Chemical Society's Regional Industrial Innovation Award. The award celebrates innovations that have contributed to the good of society. The team was chosen for their e-RESS coating process which is being used by Micell Technologies to create vascular stents that are less likely to become blocked by tissue.

"I get very excited that this research could have an impact on the quality somebody's life," said Fulton, one of the lead researchers on this project.

In the e-RESS or Electro-static Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions process, a tissue-inhibiting drug is dissolved in a supercritical fluid at high pressure and temperature. The solution is expanded through a small nozzle into a chamber at atmospheric pressure. The expansion produces nanoparticles of the polymer/drug coating.

The nanoparticles are electrostatically "harvested," free of the solvent, and precisely layered onto the stent. The drug slowly elutes, preventing tissue growth from re-blocking the artery. When the drug is gone, the underlying polymer slowly degrades. By the time the polymer is gone, the body has adjusted to the bare metal stent. Clinical trials are planned for the end of 2010.

The e-RESS process was born of research done by Fulton, Deverman, Matson, and Yonker for the U.S. Department of Energy's Basic Energy Sciences . They were conducting research to expand U.S. knowledge of supercritical fluids, such as carbon dioxide and water. This BES-funded research was instrumental in conceiving the e-RESS process.

The award was presented at the 65th Northwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society.  (Posted 7/1/2010)

Dan Strom Receives American Academy of Health Physics National Service Award

Dan Strom received the National Service Award from the American Academy of Health Physics (AAHP). The award, presented at the annual Health Physics Society (HPS) meeting in July, recognizes meritorious service and is awarded to individuals deemed most helpful to an Academy president during their term of office.

Special recognition was also given for Dan's work to organize and implement the AAHP Special Session on Radiation Dose Reconstruction for Epidemiology at the HPS annual meeting.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Ron Jarnagin earns ASHRAE Exceptional Service Award

Ron Jarnagin received the Exceptional Service Award on June 26, 2010, at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers 2010 Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ASHRAE is an international organization of 51,000 persons.

The award recognizes Ron for serving the Society faithfully and with exemplary effort, which has helped ASHRAE contribute technological advances for the benefit of industry and the public.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Deb Frincke Selected for IEEE Award

Deb Frincke, National Security Directorate, has been selected for the IEEE 2010 Northwest Area Outstanding Leadership and Professional Service Award. The award recognizes IEEE members who "through their professional and technical abilities have made outstanding and noteworthy contributions to the Institute, their communities, fellow professionals and fellow man."

Deb is a key contributor to the Laboratory's research agenda development in cybersecurity research at PNNL. She is also a recipient of numerous teaching/outreach awards, and is currently working with the University of Washington and has supported the successful development of the institution's application for NSA/DHS Center of Excellence status. Deb is a member of several editorial boards and many national and international program committees  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Local IEEE-PES chapter wins High Performing Chapter Award

Yousu Chen, chapter chair, accepted a 2009 award for a High Performing Chapter in the IEEE Power and Energy Society. Chapters qualifying for this award must demonstrate leadership in membership and chapter website development, student and educational activities, and membership recognition programs just to name a few.

Other PNNL staff members contributing to this outstanding effort are Jason Fuller, Zhenyu (Henry) Huang, Steve Widergren, Ning Zhou, Hong (Amy) Qiao, Yan Shi, and Frank Tuffner.  (Posted 5/1/2010)

Jerry Posakony Honored with AAES John Fritz Medal

Jerry Posakony, National Security Directorate, has been honored by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for his pioneering contributions to the fields of ultrasonics, medical diagnostic ultrasound and nondestructive evaluation technologies.

AAES has awarded the John Fritz Medal annually since 1902 as a memorial to the engineer and 15th president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers who bears its name. Past recipients include Alexander Graham Bell (1907), Thomas Edison (1908), Alfred Nobel (1910), Orville Wright (1920) and Guglielmo Marconi (1923).

Jerry has devoted much of his career to developing important technologies that have touched nearly everyone's life, from medical diagnostics to industrial applications that help ensure product quality and safety.

He devoted nearly 60 years of his career to designing, developing and deploying first-of-a-kind nondestructive evaluation inspection and measurement systems, in particular ultrasonic transducers and the associated circuits and systems. Jerry was also involved in developing industry standards for that type of instrumentation. Most recently, Jerry's research and consulting efforts are in the field of sonochemistry and sonoluminescense, the emission of short bursts of light from imploding bubbles in a liquid when excited by sound.

More Info...
Contact: Geoff Harvey, 509 372-6083  (Posted 3/1/2010)

Siva Pilli "New Faces of Engineering 2010" honoree

Congratulations to Siva Pilli, who is one of 13 "New Faces of Engineering 2010." Siva and the other honorees were recognized as part of National Engineers Week activities and were prominently featured in a USA Today ad on February 16 2010.

The New Faces of Engineering program highlights the interesting and unique work of engineers 30 years of age or younger, and the resulting impacts on society.

Siva's current research focus is on developing seal materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, conducting structural integrity evaluations of underground nuclear waste storage tanks, and assisting with reviews of license renewal applications for nuclear power plants.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

Wally Weimer accepts NWFPA 2010 Cluster Partner of the Year

Wally Weimer recently accepted the "2010 Cluster Partner of the Year" Award on behalf of Battelle/PNNL. Awarded by the Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA), the award recognizes the Laboratory for its work to develop a rapid pathogen detection technology for food processors.

Tests currently available to detect the food pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, can take up to 36 hours to produce results. The NWFPA hopes to reduce this detection time to only eight hours with the use of PNNL's technology. Wally, manager of the Hydrocarbon Conversion product line, has been the primary PNNL point of contact with the NWFPA.  (Posted 11/1/2011)

Dick Smith Named R&D's 2010 Scientist of the Year

Parkinson's disease, cancer, and biofuels production are just a few problems Dick Smith has helped untangle in his long career of technological innovation and scientific insight. Now, R&D Magazine has honored Smith, PNNL's Director of Proteomics and Battelle Fellow, as 2010 Scientist of the Year for his many significant contributions to science.

Smith is one of the most-published scientists in the field of proteomics, which seeks to understand biology by the complement of proteins at work within organisms, tissues, or cells. Since the Human Genome Project developed a blueprint of all human genes in human chromosomes earlier in this century, proteomics researchers have pushed to understand how the blueprint creates life.

Over the last 15 years Smith has led the development of measurement platforms that have made proteomics practical. In the last few years, he has driven efforts that trimmed analytical steps from days and hours to minutes. The increase in speed has opened important new areas for study. Smith led other advances in sensitivity and accuracy that greatly improved clinical researchers' ability to find rare proteins, bringing proteomics technology to their doorstep.

Smith and collaborators applied the technology to liver disease and cancer in the hopes of finding rare markers of disease in blood, making diagnosis or treatment safer and faster. Smith also looked at how bacteria and viruses might cause illnesses, investigated traces in the blood left behind by breast cancer that in the near future may be exploited by doctors, led studies for DOE into possible roles for microbes in making biofuels and examined how large environmental communities of microbes function in our ecosystem and affect our environment.

Much of Smith and his group's cutting-edge technology — including mass spectrometers beefed up with ion funnels, electrospray ionization and other new technologies he has been key in developing — is housed at EMSL, DOE's Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory on the PNNL campus, and a number of the developments have been licensed to private companies.  (Posted 11/1/2010)

Jennifer States Earns 2010 Rising Star Award from Women of Wind Energy

Jennifer is the recipient of the Rising Star award from the Women of Wind Energy. The award, which was presented at the American Wind Energy Association's WINDPOWER 2010 Conference in May, honors women relatively new to the wind energy field who demonstrate unusual talent, dedication and innovation in the industry.

WoWE recognizes Jennifer as "a motivated individual who has the skills, interest and passion to address the barriers to wind energy through private activity and public sector work."  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Tarang Khangaonkar, Zhaoqing Yang and Stephen Breithaupt contribute to award-winning fish protection project

Tarang, Zhaoqing and Stephen are recognized for their roles in Portland General Electric's Selective Water Withdrawal Project, a recipient of the Edison Electrical Institute's Edison Award. The team was instrumental in the design development of the world's first floating surface fish collection facility coupled with power generation. The facility is located at the Round Butte Dam in Oregon.

The Edison Award is the electric utility industry's highest honor and recognizes outstanding leadership, innovation, and exceptional contributions to the field.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Jennifer States earns Women of Wind Energy's 2010 Rising Star Award

Jennifer States is the recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Women of Wind Energy. The award, which was presented at the American Wind Energy Association's WINDPOWER 2010 Conference in May 2010, honors women relatively new to the wind energy field who demonstrate unusual talent, dedication and innovation in the industry.

WoWE recognizes Jennifer as "a motivated individual who has the skills, interest and passion to address the barriers to wind energy through private activity and public sector work."  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Four PNNL Scientists Elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences

Four scientists from PNNL have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences. They join other scientists and engineers from across the state who have been recognized for outstanding scientific achievement. As members, they will review and assess initiatives and provide state policymakers with scientific counsel.

initiatives and provide state policymakers with scientific counsel. The newly elected WSAS members are: Allan Konopka, Fundamental and Computational Sciences, Richard D. Smith, Fundamental and Computational Sciences, and Ron Thom, Energy and Environment Directorate. The award was also presented posthumously to James Thomas, formerly of National Security Directorate, in recognition of his significant scientific accomplishments.

The academy was created in 2005 and is made up of more than 100 members from diverse academic disciplines and industries, including aerospace, agriculture, computer science, energy, engineering, ecology and transportation.

More Info...  (Posted 9/1/2010)

Zachara Receives Highest Battelle Honor

Veteran geochemist John Zachara has been named a Battelle Fellow, a rank shared by only three other scientists at PNNL.

The honor recognizes John, who's been at PNNL for 31 years, for his scientific accomplishments, leadership and long record of service as advisor to multiple DOE offices.

John, Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, is a nationally recognized expert on how contaminants such as uranium or chromate flow underground and react with sediments, rocks and water. For decades he has studied the complex subsurface environment below Hanford where years of weapons-grade nuclear materials production released radioactive and chemical materials to the ground and subsurface. In the process, he solved many perplexing issues.

For example, John has led a team trying to determine why a decades-old uranium plume underneath Hanford hasn't dispersed as predicted 15 years ago. The team found that high Columbia River flows in the spring cause fluctuations in the groundwater water table that allow uranium to move from sediments above the aquifer. And when the nuclear fission byproduct known as cesium 137 traveled faster underground than anticipated at another location, John found that residual heat and high salt concentrations from the wastes unexpectedly affected how water and minerals reacted with the cesium.

John also has collaborated with microbiologists to understand how bacteria and other tiny organisms influence the movement of contaminants in harsh geochemical environments that were previously thought to be lifeless. Some microorganisms can slow down or stop contaminants by packing them inside newly formed minerals, in the process removing the toxic substances from water.

"He's gotten a handle on some of the most extreme environments with respect to chemistry, temperature and radiation," said Doug Ray, Associate Laboratory Director for Fundamental & Computational Sciences. "And what he's learned can be generalized to many other legacy waste sites, as well as applied to the challenge of understanding geologic and terrestrial sequestration of carbon dioxide and other fossil fuel emissions."  (Posted 9/1/2010)

Nathan Baker Receives National Cancer Institute's Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG ) Connecting Collaborators Award

Nathan Baker received the award at the 2010 caBIG Awards Ceremony for his work in expanding the Nanotechnology Working Group from a few academic institutions to over 20 different organizations, including several federal agencies, standards bodies, international coalitions, and academic institutions.

The caBIG Connecting Collaborators Award recognizes an individual or organization working to connect multiple institutions in support of collaborative research. The award reflects the significant contributions by individuals or teams that have been made to the program.  (Posted 9/1/2010)

Jewel Adgerson Receives Technology Rising Star Award

Jewel Adgerson, National Security Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is among 138 women recognized by the Career Communications Group and Women of Color magazine as a "Technology Rising Star." Awarded annually, the industry-recognized "Technology Rising Star" award is presented to young, minority women working in the technology arena who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in their workplace and communities. Jewel's colleagues nominated her for the award for her outstanding contributions to the Laboratory in the two years she has been here. Wayne Martin, National Security Directorate, commented, "Jewel is one of the young up-and-coming engineers in NSD."

Jewel is recognized for her research in electrical and materials applications. Jewel's work to understand these complex processes has contributed to an understanding of the issues related to system engineering. Jewel has conducted research work related to analog and digital electronic system design. She has proven herself extremely valuable to her research team and continues to grow. Jewel also has discovered another talent - mentoring students and other young scientists and engineers. She has found several opportunities to engage students assigned to her organization. Because of these abilities, she is now involved the NSD Minority Serving Institution Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to establish research and development relationships with professors to develop joint research projects and identify hiring prospects for our research groups.

Additionally, Jewel has been involved with many community service projects. She has a focus on minority and other underrepresented individuals in the fields of science and engineering. Both during the year and summer, Jewel personally mentors students in programs such as Mickey Leland.

When asked what her reaction was when she received the news about the award, Jewel responded, "I have learned so much about the needs of our nation and how I believe I best fit into the solution. I am truly thankful for all of my mentors and those who I have worked with and have gleaned knowledge from. My hope is that I continue to make my mark throughout the Lab and in the community."  (Posted 8/1/2010)

Dave Heldebrant Named Among Best and Brightest Innovators in the Energy Labs

Dave Heldebrant was named one of 12 Best and the Brightest Innovators in the Energy Labs by Innovation, America's Journal of Technology Commercialization. Dave, whose photo appeared on the cover of the publication's April/May 2010 issue, was featured in the article "How to Control Coal Emissions."

Dave's work focuses on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, particularly in coal-fired power plants. Dave and his team have developed a liquid carbon capture solution, CO2BOL, that shows promise in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and help combat global warming.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Dick Smith Named One of Innovation Magazine's "Best and the Brightest"

Congratulations to Wiley Research Fellow Richard D. (Dick) Smith on being named 1 of the 12 Best and the Brightest Innovators in the Energy Labs in the April/May 2010 issue of Innovation, a journal of technology commercialization. The article "Dick Smith: A Most Prolific Inventor" can be viewed online at http://innovation-america.org/index.php?articleID=638.

Smith, chief scientist and director of proteomics at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, holds 37 U.S. patents, 9 of which have resulted in R&D 100 Awards for high technology products. Among his numerous other awards are the recent 2010 Eastern Analytical Symposium Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Fields of Analytical Chemistry, the 2009 HUPO (Human Proteome Organization) Discovery Award in Proteomics Sciences, and the 2003 Award in Analytical Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Terence Critchlow invited to participate in 2010 NAE Frontiers of Engineering Symposium

Terence Critchlow, a chief scientist in the Computational Sciences & Mathematics Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering's 16th Annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium. The event brings together the country's outstanding young engineers from industry, academia, and government to discuss pioneering technical and leading-edge research in various engineering fields and industry sectors.

"As we face the challenges the next century brings, we will rely more than ever on innovative engineers," said NAE President Charles M. Vest. "The U.S. Frontiers of Engineering program is an opportunity for a diverse group of this country's most promising young engineers to gather together and discuss multidisciplinary ways of leading us into the economy of tomorrow."

Terence is one of 87 engineers selected from among approximately 265 applicants. His research interests are focused in the areas of large-scale data management, data analysis, data integration, meta-data, data dissemination and scientific workflows. In particular, current projects for both science and security customers include research in multi-dimensional data dissemination, OLAP, link analysis, and extending workflow capabilities within the Kepler workflow engine.

The symposium will be held Sept. 23-25 at the IBM Learning Center in Armonk, N.Y., and will examine cloud computing, autonomous aerospace systems, engineering and music, and engineering inspired by biology.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Guo-Shuh John Lee honored with Parravano Award for Excellence in Catalysis R&D

Congratulations to EED's John Lee, who was honored with the 2010 Michigan Catalysis Society Parravano Award for Excellence in Catalysis Research and Development. The society recognized John for his outstanding work in all aspects of catalytic process chemistry, with particular emphasis on contributions to mordenite related chemistries. The society also applauded his ability to facilitate interactions between the R&D and business communities toward the development of novel catalytic processes. John joined PNNL in fall 2009 after a distinguished research career at The Dow Chemical Company. At PNNL, his work currently is focused on developing techniques for upgrading the quality of oil produced from biomass.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

2010 Fellowships

Liem Dang Named American Physical Society Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Liem Dang at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being selected a Fellow in the American Physical Society. Dang was honored for his contributions to the physics community. Specifically, he was chosen for developing and applying molecular dynamics simulation methods and reliable polarizable potential models for studying processes in solution and at liquid interfaces. In addition, he was recognized for modeling ionic and organic molecule transport.

A member of the Chemical Physics and Analysis Group at PNNL, Dang is active in the scientific community. He has written or co-written 100-plus articles on chemical physics and theoretical chemistry. He is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Physical Chemistry. Also, he works with students, mentoring new scientists as adjunct faculty at the University of Queensland, Australia.  (Posted 12/1/2010)

Greg Kimmel Named American Physical Society Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Greg Kimmel at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being elected a Fellow in the American Physical Society. He was recognized for his seminal contributions to understanding the structure and electron-stimulated reactivity of interfacial water. His studies, using low-energy electrons to mimic radiochemical reactions on surfaces, provide a detailed understanding of the physical and chemical processes occurring there. Kimmel is also known for his work on the structure of nanoscale water films at surfaces and interfaces. His research has identified a "hydrophobic" water layer that grows on a hydrophilic substrate, and a novel two-layer crystalline ice that grows on hydrophobic substrates. His research provides insights into the behavior of water, whether it is in fuel cells or on the icy moons of Europa.

"In a lot of cases, water gets pretty complicated pretty fast," said Kimmel. "That's what keeps this research so interesting."

His research has resulted in invitations to give talks at national and international conferences. For example, he gave an invited talk on electron stimulated reactions in thin water films at a recent Gordon Conference. Also, he spoke on hydrophobic water monolayers at ECOSS24 in Paris, France. His research has appeared in Science, Physical Review Letters, and numerous other journals.  (Posted 12/1/2010)

Yong Wang Named Fellow of American Chemical Society

Yong Wang, associate director of the Institute for Interfacial Catalysis at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Voiland Distinguished Professor in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at Washington State University, has been named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, or ACS.

Fellows are recognized for their exceptional accomplishments in chemical science and the profession, as well as their service to the ACS.

Wang, an internationally known researcher in the area of energy and renewable energy, has a joint appointment with the Department of Energy national laboratory and WSU. A portion of Wang's appointment also is funded by WSU's Agricultural Research Center, the state's agricultural experiment station.

He is a leading researcher in the area of catalysis and biorenewable energy, where his work has had a significant impact on improving energy efficiency, particularly in the chemical and fuels industries.

Wang's work spans from fundamental to applied research in clean energy conversion, including fundamental studies of structure and functional relationships of transition metal oxide and bimetallic catalysts, development of novel catalytic materials, and innovative work in reaction engineering to improve the conversion of biomass and hydrocarbons to fuels and chemicals. He also developed novel and durable materials for fuel cell applications.

Wang is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Chinese Institute of Engineers also named him the 2006 Asian American Engineer of the Year. He is the recipient of three prestigious R&D 100 awards, which annually recognize 100 of the most significant and innovative technologies that have been introduced in the marketplace. He is recipient of the Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 1999 and was twice named PNNL Inventor of the Year, in 2004 and 2006. He was honored as a Battelle Distinguished Inventor in 2004. In 2005 he received the PNNL Laboratory Director's Award for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. Wang earned a master's of science degree and doctorate in chemical engineering from Washington State University in 1992 and 1993.

Wang has co-authored more than 130 peer reviewed publications, has given more than 60 invited presentations over the past five years, is an inventor/co-inventor of more than 100 issued patents, and has edited six books and topic journal issues on novel materials and reaction engineering for fossil and biomass conversions. ACS is the world's largest chemical science professional society, with more than 161,000 members. The group publishes 38 professional journals.  (Posted 7/1/2010)

PNNL's Bruce D. Kay named American Chemical Society fellow

A second scientist at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been named a 2010 American Chemical Society fellow, Chemical & Engineering News reported this week.

Experimental chemical physicist Bruce D. Kay is among 192 researchers nationwide who the American Chemical Society, also known as ACS, is recognizing for their outstanding contributions to science and the profession of chemistry.

"Whether it's making new materials, finding cures for disease or developing energy alternatives, these fellows are scientific leaders, improving our lives through the transforming power of chemistry," Chemical & Engineering News quoted ACS President Joseph Francisco as saying.

Kay joins chemical engineer Yong Wang, who has a joint appointment with PNNL and Washington State University, in this year's list of ACS fellows. PNNL and WSU announced Wang's election in July.

Kay's research seeks to gain a basic understanding of how chemical reactions occur on surfaces. In particular, he examines the molecular behavior of glassy, flash-frozen water, called amorphous solid water. He freezes ultra-thin layers of water vapor onto super-cold surfaces to understand how ice molecules move and interact with others molecules. Amorphous solid water is thought to be the most common form of water in the universe, though it's not prevalent on Earth. Better understanding its behavior will help astrophysicists in their studies of stars and planets. And studying how amorphous ice behaves as it's heated is providing important information that could unravel the mysteries of terrestrial liquid water.

Kay's research also focuses on catalysis, or chemical reactions driven by catalysts. The work could make current energy sources more efficient, help the world tap alternative energy sources and reduce the environmental impact of energy use. Kay specifically explores how catalysts help break the molecular bonds of certain chemical compounds and then form other bonds to make new compounds. He looks at how oxide catalysts can more efficiently speed up reactions involving water and alcohol, among other materials.

Kay is also a fellow of several other scientific societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, the American Vacuum Society and the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry, also known as IUPAC. He joined PNNL in 1991 and is a PNNL Laboratory Fellow. Kay has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers. He earned a doctorate in chemical physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

ACS is the world's largest chemical science professional society. The complete list of 2010 ACS fellows can be found online at http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/88/i31/html/8831acsnews4.html  (Posted 7/1/2010)

Theva Thevuthasan named AVS Fellow

EMSL Capability Steward Theva Thevuthasan has been named a Fellow of AVS, the American Vacuum Society. The honor recognizes scientists who have made sustained and outstanding technical contributions to AVS and the scientific community for at least 10 years.

The AVS cited Thevuthasan's "significant and sustained contributions to the understanding of physical and chemical properties of surfaces and buried interfaces."

He is a recognized leader and author in ion beam modification and analysis of oxide materials with applications in resolving energy and environmental issues. In addition, Thevuthasan is well-recognized within AVS for his service to the professional society. For example, he has served as chair of the Short Course Executive Committee for AVS. In that role, he's focused on developing education programs that will increase participation in these short courses. He also is lead organizer for a two-day topical conference in in-situ microscopy and spectroscopy.

Mike Henderson, a Laboratory Fellow in PNNL's Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate and also an AVS Fellow, nominated Thevuthasan for the honor. Thevuthasan will receive his award at a ceremony during the AVS 57th International Symposium and Exhibition scheduled for Oct 17 - 22 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This is an honor reserved for no more than .5 percent of AVS membership each year.

Thevuthasan leads EMSL's Interfacial Spectroscopy and Diffraction Group. He has been with EMSL since 1993. He has authored or coauthored more than 175 peer-reviewed scientific journal publications, 40 peer-reviewed proceedings papers, numerous technical reports, one patent, and two invention reports in his areas of expertise.  (Posted 7/1/2010)

Gene Carbaugh Elected Health Physics Society Fellow

Congratulations to Gene Carbaugh on his election to Fellow status in the Health Physics Society. He'll be inducted at the HPS Annual Meeting in late June in Salt Lake City. Fellows are senior members of the Society who have been nominated and elected by peers for making significant administrative, educational, and/or scientific contributions to the profession of health physics.

Gene joined PNNL in 1980 and currently manages the Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program. He's a Certified Health Physicist who has established himself as one of the leading applied internal dosimetrists in the nation and is known for his many contributions to the health physics profession.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Michael Brambley and Srinivas Katipamula honored as ASHRAE Fellows

Two staff members in the Energy & Environment Directorate, Mike Brambley and Srinivas Katipamula, were elevated to the grade of Fellow in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). ASHRAE bestows Fellow status on members who have attained distinction in the fields of heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, ventilation or the allied arts and sciences. Honorees must have made substantial professional contributions and have been a member in good standing for at least ten years.

Mike's elevation to Fellow was based on contributions in research and development, technical publications, and significant technical contributions to the arts and sciences.

His expertise in developing, testing and evaluating technologies for improved building energy efficiency has yielded multiple innovations. Mike shepherded the development of the first energy design tool fully integrated into a commercial building computer-aided design environment, and led a team that created foundational elements of the Energy Expert building efficiency software tool. He also has been a pioneer in the study of self-correcting, fault-tolerant controls for heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems.

Srinivas was recognized by ASHRAE for research, development and deployment in areas related to applied heat transfer, energy conservation, and demand response, as well as energy end-use technologies.

He's known for his expertise in the field of automated fault detection and diagnostics for building systems. He has made significant contributions in this discipline through his algorithms and software tools, a number of which are in use today in the field. His RD&D, technical publications and software development all have a common focus-improving the operating efficiency of existing buildings.  (Posted 1/1/2010)

2010 Elected Positions and Offices

Deb Frincke joins National Media Advisory Board

Deb Frincke joins the GovInfoSecurity Advisory Board, bringing a research perspective to the editorial content on this highly visible website for Information Security professionals. GovInfoSecurity.com is an educational portal specializing entirely on information technology risk management. GovInfoSecurity has 15,000 registered users, representing all walks of government, primarily senior management and technical personnel from local, state and federal agencies of the U.S. government.

Deb Frincke is a Chief Scientist in Cyber Security at PNNL, and is the Initiative Leader on the Information and Infrastructure Integrity Initiative. The goal of this research is to extend the Laboratory's research and development capability related to the resilience of large-scale digital computer and control infrastructures, the communications within those infrastructures, and the soundness of information contained/ transported by the infrastructures.  (Posted 11/1/2010)

Jim Morris and Kathy Ertell Appointed to National DOE Human Research Board

Congratulations to Dr. James Morris, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, on his recent appointment as Chair of the Central Department of Energy Institutional Review Board, or CDOEIRB, DOE's national Institutional Review Board. Ms. Kathy Ertell, PNNL Operational Systems, was also appointed to the board. The CDOEIRB reviews and approves all DOE complex-wide human research.

The CDOEIRB assures that risks to human participants involved in DOE beryllium-related studies, the Former Worker Medical Screening Program, and future research involving emerging issues and/or technologies under the board's purview are minimized and reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The board also assures that the rights and welfare of study participants are protected in accordance with applicable Federal regulations, state laws, DOE directives, existing ethical principles, and professional practice standards.

Morris has chaired PNNL's Institutional Review Board since 2007. He holds a Ph.D. in immunology, and has conducted research in biological monitoring and modeling at PNNL since 1973. Ertell manages PNNL's Human Research Protection Program, holds a M.S. in environmental health, and has 20 years of experience in environmental and occupational health research and consulting.  (Posted 5/1/2010)

Dave Atkinson and Dave Thurman Appointed to Key Roles in Homeland Security

In support of Homeland Security programs, Dave Atkinson and Dave Thurman have been appointed leadership roles in multi-lab, aviation security working groups established in response to the December 25 airline bombing attempt. Dave Atkinson is co-leading the emerging technology team of the Interagency Aviation Security Working Group. Dave Thurman is a key member of a multi-lab data & information analysis team supporting the National Counterterrorism Center.  (Posted 1/1/2010)

Ron Jarnagin President-elect of ASHRAE

Ron Jarnagin is President-Elect of ASHRAE. An international organization of more than 52,000 persons, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers strives to advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration for the betterment of mankind and to promote a sustainable world. With a focus on the energy aspects of buildings and building systems, Ron has long been active in ASHRAE. He has previously served on the Board of Directors and as both an officer and director.  (Posted 11/1/2010)

Kelly Sullivan Elected Sigma Xi President

For the second time, a scientist at PNNL has been elected president of Sigma Xi, one of the largest and most prestigious international science and engineering honor societies.

At Sigma Xi's annual meeting in Raleigh, N.C., Kelly Sullivan, PNNL institutional partnerships and postdoc program manager, was elected president of the 125-year-old society. Her term as president-elect will begin July 1, 2011 and she will become president on July 1, 2012.

With nearly 50,000 members in 100 countries, Sigma Xi associate members are invited to join only after showing potential in scientific research. Full membership is granted to those who have demonstrated noteworthy scientific achievements. Society membership has included renowned scientists Albert Einstein and Linus Pauling, DNA discoverers Francis Crick and James Watson, physicists Enrico Fermi and Richard Feynman and geneticist Barbara McClintock, along with more than 200 other Nobel laureates. "It is quite humbling to be recognized by such a prestigious body, and I feel particularly honored, because the last PNNL scientist elected president of Sigma Xi was Bill Wiley," Kelly said in reference to the former PNNL director. Bill served as Sigma Xi's president-elect, but passed away in 1996 before he became president.

Bill and Kelly are the only DOE national laboratory scientists to be elected to the Sigma Xi's top office.

"Sigma Xi is a true trans-disciplinary organization with a rich blend of scientists who share ideas from different fields. This is a very nice compliment to our research approach at PNNL," Kelly said. "It is an important organization, particularly for younger researchers who find an instant professional network, both within and outside of their disciplines."

Before becoming director of institutional partnerships at PNNL, Kelly's research focused on the electronic structure and stability of small molecules and ions of atmospheric and mass spectrometric interest. More recently, she played a key role in the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable at the National Academies, leading efforts in STEM education. She is active in Sigma Xi, serving in several leadership roles, as well as president of the society's Tri-Cities, Wash. Chapter.  (Posted 11/1/2010)

Kathy Hibbard Appointed Chair of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting Program Committee

Congratulations to Dr. Kathy A. Hibbard, who recently accepted the honor to serve as chair of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting Program Committee. Her three-year term of office begins in January. She will also serve as an ex-officio member of the Meetings Committee through 2013.

Hibbard has more than 25 years of experience in the atmospheric sciences. With more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, and book chapters, and more than 1600 citations since 1991, Hibbard is recognized for her expertise in the consequences of human activities with terrestrial biogeochemical cycles and their interactions with the climatic and ecological systems. She holds a Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M University. Hibbard has been an AGU member since 1994.

In her role on the Meetings Committee, Hibbard will help guide the organization in responding to the needs of the geophysical community and collaborate with established partners to plan, structure, and manage AGU meetings, fulfilling the strategic goals of the Union.

Established in 1919, AGU promotes the science of Earth and space in cooperation with national and international scientific organizations. AGU publishes more than a dozen peer-reviewed journals and technical publications, sponsors scientific meetings and scientific and educational events to promote understanding from Earth and oceans to atmosphere, space, and planets.

For more information about AGU, visit their website.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Jim Fredrickson Elected to International Society for Microbial Ecology Board

Congratulations to Dr. Jim Fredrickson on his election to the board of directors of the International Society for Microbial Ecology. He was elected to a 4-year term at the close of the ISME's general meeting in Seattle August 22-27, which Fredrickson chaired.

ISME is the principal scientific society for the burgeoning field of microbial ecology and its related disciplines. The society fosters the exchange of scientific information by organizing international symposia and workshops, sponsoring publications, and promoting education and research.

Fredrickson, an international leader in environmental microbiology, is a Laboratory Fellow and Senior Chief Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology and serves on the Editorial Board of Geobiology, Environmental Microbiology, and Microbial Biotechnology.  (Posted 9/1/2010)

Steve Ghan Reappointed to Journal of Geophysical Research Editorial Board

Congratulations to Steve Ghan, recently re-appointed to another 4-year term as editor for the Atmospheres section of the Journal of Geophysical Research, published by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). In his role as editor, Ghan has the authority to accept or reject papers, as well as the responsibility for attracting new and interesting research to the journal. He and his co-editors have emphasized timeliness in the manuscript review process, consequently reducing the review time by two weeks.

Ghan is highly recognized for his expertise in developing, evaluating, and applying parameterizations for climate models, including aerosol interactions with clouds. He holds a Ph.D. in Meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The AGU is a worldwide scientific community that, through cooperative research, advances the understanding of earth and space for the benefit of humanity. It publishes more than a dozen peer-reviewed journals ranging from earth and oceans to atmosphere, space, and planets.  (Posted 8/1/2010)

Bing Liu elected Chair of project committee

Newly elected Chair of the project committee to develop the 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small to Medium Offices

In order to achieve 50% energy savings over the minimum code-compliant buildings, ASHRAE, DOE and their partner organizations are developing a series of design guides. Bing has been elected as the Chair of the project committee for the 50% AEDG for Small to Medium Offices. The AEDG provides recommendations to building owners, design professionals and consultants so they may design buildings with low energy use and high performance without having to resort to detailed modeling analyses.

Bing has worked for a number of years on the 30% AEDG guides and is well known for her expertise and contributions in building energy savings.  (Posted 7/1/2010)

Karin Rodland Named U.S. HUPO Board Member

Congratulations to Dr. Karin Rodland on being selected for the U.S. Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) Board of Directors. HUPO is an international scientific society representing and promoting proteomics through international cooperation and collaborations. As a member of the U.S. Board of Directors, Rodland will planning strategic and scientific meetings. In addition, she will work to increase HUPO's membership. Her term on the board lasts for three years.

Rodland, lead for National Institutes of Health programs at PNNL, is known for her outstanding proteomics research. Her reputation in applying proteomics to biomarker discovery is evidenced by highly cited review articles and her prominent role in organizing sessions at scientific meetings, such as the International Association for Cancer Research. Her publication record includes 56 peer-reviewed publications, 5 invited review articles, and 5 peer-reviewed publications from 2006 to the present. She holds two patents in DNA technology.  (Posted 3/1/2010)

Debbie Dickman Appointed INMM Chair

Debbie Dickman, National Security Directorate, has been appointed chair of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management's (INMM) newly established Education and Training Committee. PNNL's leadership role in nonproliferation and international safeguards/security education and training was recognized by Debbie's recent appointment to this position. The INMM created the committee to address long and short-term strategies to grow and sustain core competencies in the nonproliferation and nuclear materials management workforce. The newly created committee has a number of components, including international education and training collaboration, student career fairs and INMM student chapter initiatives, student scholarship programs, and student paper competitions.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

Daniel J. Gaspar named chair of ASTM International Committee E42

ASTM International Committee E42 on Surface Analysis has named Daniel J. Gaspar, technical group manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as its chairman. Committee E42 develops concepts and approaches that help improve quantitative surface analysis, and its 67 members currently oversee 30 ASTM standards in this area. A member of ASTM International since 2001, Gaspar works on several E42 subcommittees, including the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC 201 on Surface Chemical Analysis.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

Matthew Barnett and John Glissmeyer Part of ANSI N13.1 Committee

Matthew Barnett, Operational Systems Directorate, has been selected as a member on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) N13.1, Sampling and Monitoring Releases of Airborne Radioactive Substances from the Stacks and Ducts of Nuclear Facilities. This standard is an air monitoring standard of radioactive effluents in the United States and has also been adopted by other countries that do not have standards (e.g., South Korea, Argentina).

Because of technology and knowledge capability changes, each standard has a lifespan of 10 years. Matthew will be part of the reformed committee to take the 1999 version and refine, implement and address core areas. The committee is a cross-section of different types of organizations that use the standard. Matthew represents the DOE user community. He is the Radioactive Air Task Lead at PNNL; he is also an adjunct faculty member at the Washington State University Tri-Cities. He actively supports DOE's implementation of 40 CFR Part 61, Subpart H.

Another PNNL staff member, John Glissmeyer, Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, chairs the N13.1 working group for the Health Physics Society. He also chairs the corresponding working group for the International Standards Organization. While an employee of PNNL, John has performed research and development of air monitoring solutions for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission/DOE sites, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the U.S. Department of Defense since 1975.

ANSI has served in its capacity as administrator and coordinator of the U.S. private sector voluntary standardization system for more than 90 years. Throughout its history, ANSI has maintained as its primary goal the enhancement of global competitiveness of U.S. business and the American quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems and promoting their integrity. ANSI also promotes the use of U.S. standards internationally, advocates U.S. policy and technical positions in international and regional standards organizations, and encourages the adoption of international standards as national standards where they meet the needs of the user community.  (Posted 12/1/2010)

Jim Fredrickson and Allan Konopka Join Editorial

Congratulations to Dr. Jim Fredrickson and Dr. Allan Konopka, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who recently accepted invitations to join the advisory board of The ISME Journal for a 3-year term. As members of this international board, Fredrickson and Konopka will help define the journal's scope and provide scientific input.

Fredrickson is recognized internationally for leading research programs investigating the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of geologically diverse subsurface environments. He is a Laboratory Fellow and Senior Chief Scientist at PNNL and was recently elected to the ISME's board of directors.

Konopka, an internationally known microbial ecologist, is a Laboratory Fellow at PNNL. He heads PNNL's Microbiology Group and is leading efforts on analysis of microbial communities and the development of novel technologies to develop a mechanistic understanding of microbial community ecology.

The ISME Journal is the official journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology. It publishes research and reviews in the rapidly expanding area of microbial ecology. The journal is a member of the Nature family of journals and has an impact factor of 6.379 in only its second full year.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Dick Smith Elected to Second Term on HUPO Board

Congratulations to Dick Smith on being elected to a second 3-year term on the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) board of directors following the HUPO World Congress in Sydney, Australia, in September. HUPO is an international scientific organization representing and promoting proteomics through international cooperation and collaborations by fostering the development of new technologies, techniques, and training.

Dr. Smith, a Battelle Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has extensive experience in developing new approaches and platforms for proteomics, as well as in the broad applications of proteomics in biological research. He is Director of the National Institutes of Health Biomedical Technology Resource Center for Integrative Biology and the U.S. Department of Energy High Throughput Proteomics Facility at EMSL, a Department of Energy scientific user facility located at PNNL.

Dr. Smith has presented more than 350 invited or plenary lectures at national and international scientific meetings, and is the author or co-author of more than 750 publications. He holds 38 patents and has been the recipient of ten R&D 100 Awards, the 2003 American Chemical Society Award for Analytical Chemistry, and the 2009 HUPO Discovery Award in Proteomics Sciences.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Chuck Henager Joins Advisory Editorial Board of The Journal of Nuclear Materials

Chuck Henager has accepted a position on the Advisory Editorial Board of The Journal of Nuclear Materials. In this position, he will provide paper reviews and recommend or author papers on key topics, as well as have opportunities to influence the Journal's future directions. In his invitation letter, Dr. Mansur, Chairman of Editors, wrote: "I hope that such an appointment would be an indication of your own high level of personal accomplishment." The Journal of Nuclear Materials publishes high quality papers relevant to nuclear fission and fusion reactors and high power accelerator technologies.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Charles Long to Serve on The Open Atmospheric Science Journal Editorial Board

Congratulations to Dr. Charles Long, who accepted an invitation to be on the editorial board of The Open Atmospheric Science Journal , published by Bentham Science Publishers. The journal is a relatively new open-access online peer-reviewed publication, free to readers worldwide. Using an all-electronic format, the journal rapidly publishes original research articles, short articles, and review articles in all areas of climate research and atmospheric science.

Long specializes in the study of clouds and their effect on the surface radiation energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system. He is the Tropical Western Pacific Site Scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. He is internationally sought after in the scientific community based upon his reputation in the field. Long currently has 51 published papers in peer-reviewed atmospheric science journals, 17 technical reports, and over 80 conference proceedings publications. He is also an invited coauthor for the World Meteorological Organization Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment's (GEWEX's) Radiative Flux Assessment chapter on surface observations, and an appointed member of the Global Energy Balance Working Group of the International Radiation Commission (IRC).  (Posted 10/1/2010)

David Koppenaal Appointed to Editorial Board of Metallomics

Congratulations to David Koppenaal, who has been named a member of the Editorial Board for Metallomics, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Metallomics publishes research on the role of metals in biology. The Editorial Board sets journal policy and advises the RSC about themed issues, reviews, tutorials, and other issues. Dr. Koppenaal is a Fellow of the RSC, the largest organization in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences.

Dr. Koppenaal will serve a 2-year term on the Board. This follows his recent service on Metallomics' International Advisory Board. He is a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Fellow who leads the Biological Separations and Mass Spectrometry Group within PNNL's Biological Sciences Division. Dr. Koppenaal also serves as Chief Technology Officer at EMSL, a Department of Energy scientific user facility located at PNNL. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and currently serves as program chair of the Analytical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society. He co-edited the recently published second edition of the Encyclopedia of Spectrometry and Spectroscopy.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Cesar Izaurralde Appointed as Editorial Board Member of a New Peer-Reviewed Journal

Congratulations to Cesar Izaurralde, who recently accepted an invitation to be an editorial board member of new peer-review scientific journal called "Advances in Climate Change Research," sponsored by the National Climate Center and supervised by the China Meteorological Administration.

A soil scientist with more than 30 years of research experience in agronomy, soil science, and ecosystem modeling, Izaurralde's expertise and research is critical to a greater understanding of anthropogenic climate change, one of the central scientific and political issues of the 21st century.

This new quarterly journal seeks to improve the scientific understanding of adaptation and mitigation policy making; enhance the implementation of scientific research in socio-economic sustainable development; and enhance international cooperation and negotiations regarding climate change.  (Posted 9/1/2010)

Sriram Somasundaram selected ABET Program Evaluator

Sriram Somasundaram has been selected as a program evaluator with ABET, the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, engineering, and engineering technology. In this role, he will help evaluate Mechanical Engineering departments around the world.

Sriram recently completed his first campus visit to the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. ABET accredits over 3,000 programs worldwide and in their latest cycle, has over 315 requests in 19 countries.  (Posted 9/1/2010)

Evangelina Shreeve Named to Governing Board for Pacific Northwest Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation

Evangelina Shreeve, Organizational Development Directorate, has been named to the Pacific Northwest Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PNW LSAMP) Governing Board. The PNW LSAMP is funded by the National Science Foundation and is a collaborative effort between educators, universities and STEM diversity advocates in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The goal of PNW LSAMP is to increase the underrepresented student participation in STEM majors through enhanced recruitment, internships, workshops, scholarships and research opportunities.

For over 18 years, Evangelina has provided leadership in diversity and higher education for a variety of organizations including the University of Washington, Columbia Basin College and most recently with PNNL.

At PNNL, Evangelina is responsible for providing leadership, direction and assessment of the STEM Education efforts in pre-college, secondary and post-secondary programs, including the DOE Workforce Development for Scientists and Teachers; work-based learning programs, such as internships and fellowships, and also inclusion and engagement strategies that relate to education programs and early career development at PNNL.  (Posted 8/1/2010)

Subhash Singhal Elected to WSAS Board

Subhash Singhal, Energy and Environment Directorate, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Washington State Academy of Sciences. WSAS, a non-profit organization created by the state legislature, conducts commissioned studies and prepares scientific reports on issues of public importance to the state of Washington.

Subhash is a world leader in solid oxide fuel cells. He provides senior technical, managerial and commercialization leadership to the PNNL fuel cell program. In 2008, he was named one of 104 founding members of the WSAS. The scientific academy represents many academic disciplines and diverse industries, including aerospace, agriculture, computer science, energy, engineering, ecology and transportation.  (Posted 8/1/2010)

Darrell Fisher invited member of AREVA Med's High-Level Science Advisory Committee

Darrell Fisher has been named as one of five members of a new, high-level science advisory committee formed by AREVA Med to support rapid development of new radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment. AREVA Med LLC is a subsidiary of the French nuclear energy company AREVA. As a specialist in isotope production and medical radiation dosimetry, Darrell will provide strategic advice and scientific guidance for product development and testing leading to regulatory approval of new radioimmunotherapy drug products targeting ovarian and breast cancer. The new drugs employ lead-212/bismuth-212-labeled antibodies.  (Posted 8/1/2010)

Guang Lin Invited to Serve on Editorial Board for International Publication

Guang Lin, a computational mathematics researcher in the Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been invited to serve on the editorial board for the prestigious International Journal for Uncertainty Quantification. The publication features information in the areas of analysis, modeling, design, and control of complex systems in the presence of uncertainty across all areas of physical and biological sciences. Lin will lead the team that reviews submissions and makes recommendations on which manuscripts to accept for publication. The 11-member editorial board includes representatives from other national laboratories, as well as universities and industry.

Lin is a member of PNNL's Computational Mathematics group. His research focuses on high-order numerical methods for stochastic partial differential equations, uncertainty quantification, computational fluid dynamics, petascale data analysis and dimensional reduction techniques, extreme-scale computing, and multiscale modeling.

Lin has been highly involved in investigating high-order numerical methods for stochastic partial equations, uncertainty quantification and petascale data analysis. He is the principal investigator on a project funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) that focuses on extracting and reducing data from massive volumes of information to quantify and reduce the uncertainty in the climate models. He also is strongly involved in studying multiscale modeling and has been a key investigator of the Northwest Consortium for Multiscale Mathematics project.

Lin is also active in the eXtreme Scale Computing Initiative at PNNL, in which he is a co-PI of a extreme-scale computing project focusing on restructuring STOMP, a multiphysics subsurface code, so that it can scale to extreme-scale computing nodes.

Lin holds a Ph.D. from the Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University.  (Posted 7/1/2010)

Chuck Long Appointed to International Radiation Commission Committee

Congratulations to Dr. Charles N. Long, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, on his recent appointment as a member of the International Radiation Commission (IRC) Global Energy Balance (GEB) Committee. The IRC, founded in 1896, is a global network of scientists engaged in atmospheric radiation research and related disciplines.

As the primary driver of the Earth-atmosphere system, the global energy balance is critical in understanding the climate system and climate change. Yet large uncertainties still exist in measuring its different components.

The IRC Global Energy Balance Working Group aims to assess the magnitude and uncertainties of the global energy balance, the decadal changes and underlying causes, as well as their significance for other climate system components and climate change. Another purpose of the working group is to be a forum for discussing to what extent the datasets currently available to the scientific community are adequate for advancing the state of knowledge on the Earth's energy balance.

The appointment of Dr. Long is based upon his outstanding expertise in radiative flux measurements and diagnostics. Long's expertise is widely known for his research on clouds and their effect on the surface radiation energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system, partly through his extensive association with BSRN, the international World Meteorological Organization Baseline Surface Radiation Network. Specifically, he developed the Radiative Flux Analysis (RFA) methodology, techniques that infer cloud properties using surface radiometer and meteorological measurements. In addition, he specializes in development of surface-based instrumentation and systems for measuring cloud and radiative properties. Dr. Long has been a scientist at PNNL for 10 years.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Cheryl Cejka appointed to two positions in technology transfer world

Technology Commercialization director Cheryl Cejka has been appointed to two positions in technology transfer world.

In April, Cheryl was elected as one of three new Members-at-Large for the Federal Laboratory Consortium's (FLC's) executive board. The FLC is a nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides a forum for developing strategies and leveraging opportunities to link laboratory innovations with the market. PNNL's Technology Commercialization Office is highly participative in various FLC efforts, including regular submission of PNNL nominations for the coveted annual Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards. To date, the Lab has garnered more of these awards than any other federal lab which, along with Cheryl's new role, helps PNNL and its researchers maintain visibility as leaders in transferring innovative technologies into commercial use.

She also recently was appointed Chair of the Industry-University-Government Interface (IUGI) sector, one of five sectors in the Licensing Executives Society. In this role, she will lead the IUGI sector committee and interested members in providing a forum for education, discussion and networking regarding technology transfer and licensing between industry and universities or government laboratories, among other responsibilities.

Cheryl continues to be a respected technology transfer professional at a national level. Last fiscal year, she served as Executive Chair of the Department of Energy's Technology Transfer Working Group, which provided recommendations on many topics, including priorities for a new DOE Technology Transfer Coordinator. Numerous other appointments and speaking opportunities keep her directly engaged with technology transfer activities across a broad spectrum and help build and maintain PNNL's reputation as a leader in commercializing innovations.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Dehong Hu Selected Senior Editor for International Journal

Congratulations to Dr. Dehong Hu at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being chosen as a senior editor for Nano Reviews, a new, international scientific journal. Released in February 2010 by Co-Action Publishing, the publication organizes the deluge of nanoscience, nanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, and single molecule studies, providing researchers with the information they need. The journal is supported by five senior editors and an advisory board.

As a senior editor of a newly launched journal, Hu's priority is to select and invite high-profile scientists to write articles for the journal. In addition, Hu will coordinate peer reviews on submitted manuscripts.

The only representative from a national laboratory, Hu was selected because of his expertise in single-molecule spectroscopy research. Recently, Hu led the installation of two new microscopes at the Department of Energy's EMSL, a national scientific user facility. These microscopes will aid Hu and other scientists in studying interactions and fate of nanomaterials within living cells.  (Posted 5/1/2010)

Wayne Martin named Trustee of the Year

Columbia Basin College trustee Dr. Wayne Martin has been named Trustee of the Year by the state's Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges.

Martin has been on the CBC board since 2000. He's also on the WSU Tri-Cities Advisory Council and is a founding member of the Tri-Cities Reading Foundation.

Martin, an environmental research engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was a driving force in establishing CBC's Office of Diversity, leading to millions of dollars in federal grants for the college and its students.  (Posted 5/1/2010)

Bill Morgan Elected to NCRP Board of Directors

Congratulations to Dr. Bill Morgan on his election to the 2010 Board of Directors of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). NCRP was chartered by Congress in 1964 to support radiation protection by providing independent scientific analysis, information, and recommendations that represent the consensus of leading scientists. The Board of Directors is the NCRP's policy-making body. It consists of the President, the Vice Presidents, and nine other members, all of whom are elected by the voting members. Dr. Morgan is Vice President of NCRP's Program Area Committee-I (PAC-1) that covers basic criteria, epidemiology, radiobiology, and risk.

Dr. Morgan, who is Director of Radiation Biology and Biophysics at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is a leading researcher in the fields of radiation biology and the long-term biological effects of radiation exposure. He leads PNNL's Low Dose Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Morgan is a scientific representative for regulatory agencies such as the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the International Commission on Radiological Protection, and the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board Radiation Advisory Committee.  (Posted 4/1/2010)

Mikhail Alnajjar Named to Editorial Board of Safety and Health Journal

Congratulations to Dr. Mikhail Alnajjar at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being selected for the editorial board of the Journal of Chemical Health and Safety. This bi-monthly journal is designed to provide the latest news on safety and health in the laboratory. As a member of the board, Alnajjar will review manuscripts and, with his background and skills, provide perspectives to the editorial board of the journal. Also, he will be involved in article submission to the journal on an annual basis during his initial 2-year assignment on the board.

Alnajjar was asked to join the board because of his expertise and his passionate efforts to ensure that the tragic laboratory incident that took the life of a person at the University of California, Los Angeles, does not occur at PNNL. Working with scientists and other safety experts, Alnajjar wrote guidelines for managing pyrophoric materials for PNNL, and shortly thereafter, submitted a paper to Elsevier's Journal of Chemical Health and Safety. As the result, he was invited to give a presentation at the American Chemical Society's National meeting in March 2010.

"It was a lively discussion," said Alnajjar. "And, the editor happened to be at the meeting. Shortly thereafter, I was invited to join the board." Alnajjar will add this new role to his already full schedule, including his work as the Chemical Hygiene Officer and the Lead for the Chemical Management System at PNNL, while completing a master's degree in industrial hygiene.  (Posted 4/1/2010)

Ward TeGrotenhuis named co-director of the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute

Ward TeGrotenhuis, Energy & Environment Directorate, has been named co-director of the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute.

The institute, located in Corvallis, Ore., is a joint effort between PNNL and Oregon State University to develop and commercialize microchannel technologies for energy applications. Microchannel technologies are effective for process intensification, increased efficiency and improved control of processes such as those used to make and deposit nanoparticles. The MBI is co-directed by one representative each from PNNL and OSU.

At the institute, researchers from PNNL currently are focused on reducing solar cell manufacturing costs and developing cooling systems powered by waste heat. Eight staff from PNNL work at the MBI.

Ward will continue to be based in Richland. In addition to his co-director responsibilities, he will continue to lead the thermal and reaction systems research team.

More information about the institute is available at Microproducts Breakthrough Institute.  (Posted 2/1/2010)

2010 Impact on Scientific Community

Jim Dooley Briefs White House Task Force on Status of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage

Jim Dooley, Senior Staff Scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute , was invited to provide his insights at a major public meeting of the White House Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage. The event gave the public the opportunity to provide input on what actions the government should take in the near, mid- and long-term to accelerate the commercial deployment of carbon dioxide capture and storage projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and Deputy Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Bob Perciasepe attended the meeting and delivered remarks.

The Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage, co-chaired by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, is developing a plan to overcome the barriers to the widespread, cost-effective deployment of carbon dioxide capture and storage within 10 years. The plan is due to President Obama in August 2010. The Task Force is also working on recommendations to bring 5 to 10 commercial demonstration projects online by 2016.

Dooley, an internationally recognized expert on this class of greenhouse gas emissions mitigation technologies, was selected to speak to the Task Force at this public meeting because of his extensive knowledge on carbon dioxide capture and storage and the role of this class of technologies in addressing climate change. Dooley was both a Lead Author and the Cross-Cutting Chairman for Market Deployment for the 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage. He is also the Associate Editor for the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, the first peer-reviewed journal to focus on carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies.

The meeting occurred on May 6, 2010, in Washington, D.C.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

L. Ruby Leung and Jae Edmonds to Serve on NRC Study Committee

Dr. L. Ruby Leung, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) research scientist, and Dr. Jae Edmonds, chief scientist and Laboratory Fellow at PNNL's Joint Global Change Research Institute — a partnership between PNNL and the University of Maryland-have been selected to serve as members of the National Research Council's "A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling" study committee. The committee is selected by the National Academy of Sciences with oversight by the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate. The study is designed to develop a strategy for improving the nation's capability to accurately simulate climate and related Earth system changes. As two of the 15 committee members, a number of Leung and Edmonds' duties will include:

• Discuss the status and future of climate modeling over the next decade and beyond.
• Assist in the development of a strategic approach for identifying the priority observations, research, and decision support activities that would lead to the greatest improvements in the understanding and ability to monitor, model, and respond to climate change.
• Provide recommendations for developing a comprehensive and integrated national strategy for climate modeling over the next decade and beyond.

Leung is widely considered one of the top few researchers in the United States and the world in regional climate modeling, and is internationally recognized for her research on regional climate change and the hydrological cycle. She led important efforts in defining research priorities and needs in regional climate modeling, and coordinated community efforts to develop capabilities in community models to simulate regional climate. Her research crosses scientific disciplines to advance the state-of-the art in predicting climate change and its regional impacts.

Edmonds is well known for his contributions to the field of integrated assessment of climate change and the examination of interactions between energy, technology, policy, and the environment. He has contributed to numerous assessments including those of the UN-convened Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. During his 35 years in research and teaching, Edmonds has written or co-written hundreds of publications and presentations.

As part of the National Academies, the National Research Council advises the nation on scientific and technical matters. They bring together committees of experts in all areas of science and technology. These experts address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public.  (Posted 12/1/2010)

John Wacker Selected for National Academies Committee

John Wacker, National Security Directorate, has been selected to serve as a member of the National Academies Committee "Assuring a Future U.S.-based Nuclear Chemistry Expertise" study committee. The committee is selected by the National Academies with oversight by the Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology.

This team will examine supply and demand for nuclear chemistry expertise in the U.S. compared with the production of experts with these skills, and discuss possible approaches for ensuring adequate availability of these skills, including necessary training platforms.

John's insights into the field of nuclear signature analysis and nuclear forensic analysis are highly sought after by government and scientific leaders alike. Nuclear signatures–or chemical and radiological indicators of nuclear processing–are of particular interest to national security officials monitoring nuclear activities and in the emerging area of nuclear forensics. His research has supported the monitoring of radioactive contamination in the environment. He often serves as an advisor in radioanalytical chemistry and nuclear forensics for government agencies.  (Posted 12/1/2010)

Bill Morgan and Marianne Sowa Honored by Mutation Research

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Drs. William F. Morgan and Marianne B. Sowa have one of the Top Ten Cited papers in 2007 and 2008 in Mutation Research: Fundamental & Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis. They authored the article "Non-targeted bystander effects induced by ionizing radiation."

They were also recognized for "exceptional contributions to the quality of the Mutation Research series" by Jennifer Whittaker, Executive Publisher, Elsevier, USA. The series consists of three journals on mutagenesis, chromosome breakage, and related subjects.

Morgan, who is Director of Radiation Biology and Biophysics in the Biological Sciences Division, provides scientific leadership at PNNL in the area of effects of low-dose radiation exposure to human health. Both he and Sowa are researchers in the field of radiation biology and the long-term biological effects of radiation exposure.

Reference: Morgan WF and MB Sowa. 2007. "Non-targeted bystander effects induced by ionizing radiation." Mutation Research 616(1-2):159-164.  (Posted 12/1/2010)

Zelenyuk Invited to Speak at National Academies Workshop

Congratulations to Dr. Alla Zelenyuk on being asked to speak at the National Academies workshop titled Challenges in Characterizing Small Particles. This event will focus on the challenges of and possible approaches to understanding particles ranging in diameter from a few nanometers to tens of microns. Large gaps remain in our understanding of these ubiquitous particles, linked to environmental and health issues.

Zelenyuk will be speaking about the challenges of analyzing and imaging particles. She was selected for reputation in developing and applying instruments to study the basic processes that govern nanoparticle chemistry and microphysics. For example, she developed a one-of-a-kind single particle mass spectrometer known as SPLAT II. With this instrument, scientists in the lab and in the field can measure simultaneously the size, chemical composition, shape, and other properties of individual particles. The instrument provides data on particles as small as 50 nanometers in diameter.

The workshop is occurring on October 25-26, 2010, at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Morris Bullock edited a book on replacing precious metal catalysts with iron, nickel and other earth-abundant metals

Rare and expensive, precious metals such as platinum, rhodium and palladium are used extensively as catalysts on a large scale in preparing pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals, as well as for applications in energy sciences.  For example, platinum catalysts effectively break the H-H bond of hydrogen in clean, efficient fuel cells. However, the need for platinum limits fuel cells from contributing as effectively to the global energy solution. A new book edited by Dr. Morris Bullock of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory summarizes the progress and challenges of designing catalysts from less expensive, more abundant metals.

The handbook, Catalysis without Precious Metals, is written for chemists in industry and academia. The 306-page hardcover book summarizes recent progress in the field, pointing to how new catalysts may ultimately supplant precious metals in some types of reactions. Also, the book goes on to highlight the remaining chemical challenges and areas in need of further study. The book was written by experts from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and China.

Bullock was asked to edit because of his expertise in homogeneous catalysis, which has both the feedstock and catalyst in the same phase. Bullock's research focuses on reactivity of metal hydrides, including the transfer of protons, hydrides, and hydrogen atoms. He has also made substantial contributions to developing molecular catalysts that create and use hydrogen as fuel. Bullock currently serves as the Director of the multi-million dollar Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis.

Bullock RM (editor). 2010. Catalysis Without Precious Metals. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany. ISBN: 3527323546. Order copies from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble , or other book retailers.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Charles Peden and Janos Szanyi Serve as Guest Editors on Special Issue of Physical Chemistry Journal

Congratulations to Dr. Charles H.F. Peden and Dr. Janos Szanyi at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Institute for Interfacial Catalysis on serving as guest editors for the Festschrift issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. This special issue honors Professor D. Wayne Goodman , Texas A&M University, College Station, TX on the occasion of his 65^th birthday.

As guest editors, Peden and Szanyi along with co-editors Dr. Jose Rodriguez at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Professor Mingshu Chen at Xiamen University solicited, reviewed, and edited 47 scientific papers. These papers were written by Goodman's former students, postdoctoral associates, colleagues, and collaborators. Scientists from the IIC contributed 7 articles.

"Professor Goodman's intellect, rigor, and wit is evidenced throughout his distinguished scientific career. His influence can be seen in much of our work at the IIC," said Peden, Interim Director for the Institute. "I was Wayne's first post-doc and Janos his first Ph.D. student. As such, it has been a special honor for us to work on this special issue."

Peden is best known for his fundamental and applied studies of catalytic automotive exhaust emission control. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow and AVS, he has contributed to more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications, and leads professional society activities including his recent service as the first Chair of the new Catalysis Science and Technology Division (Probationary) of the American Chemical Society.

Szanyi is recognized for his experimental surface chemistry and catalysis research on metal and metal oxide surfaces. He has extensive experience in kinetic and spectroscopic studies of heterogeneous catalytic processes. His research earned him a 2009 Fulbright Fellowship to conduct studies in his native Hungary on reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from cars and trucks.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Kleese Van Dam Invited to Talk on Real-Time Analysis at NOBUGS

Parkinson's disease, cancer, and biofuels production are just a few problems Dick Smith has helped untangle in his long career of technological innovation and scientific insight. Now, R&D Magazine has honored Smith, PNNL's Director of Proteomics and Battelle Fellow, as 2010 Scientist of the Year for his many significant contributions to science.

Smith is one of the most-published scientists in the field of proteomics, which seeks to understand biology by the complement of proteins at work within organisms, tissues, or cells. Since the Human Genome Project developed a blueprint of all human genes in human chromosomes earlier in this century, proteomics researchers have pushed to understand how the blueprint creates life.

Over the last 15 years Smith has led the development of measurement platforms that have made proteomics practical.  In the last few years, he has driven efforts that trimmed analytical steps from days and hours to minutes. The increase in speed has opened important new areas for study. Smith led other advances in sensitivity and accuracy that greatly improved clinical researchers' ability to find rare proteins, bringing proteomics technology to their doorstep.

Smith and collaborators applied the technology to liver disease and cancer in the hopes of finding rare markers of disease in blood, making diagnosis or treatment safer and faster. Smith also looked at how bacteria and viruses might cause illnesses, investigated traces in the blood left behind by breast cancer that in the near future may be exploited by doctors, led studies for DOE into possible roles for microbes in making biofuels and examined how large environmental communities of microbes function in our ecosystem and affect our environment.

Much of Smith and his group's cutting-edge technology — including mass spectrometers beefed up with ion funnels, electrospray ionization and other new technologies he has been key in developing — is housed at EMSL, DOE's Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory on the PNNL campus, and a number of the developments have been licensed to private companies.  (Posted 10/1/2010)

Koppenaal Co-Editor-in-Chief of New Edition of Spectrometry/Spectroscopy Encyclopedia

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. David Koppenaal is co-editor-in-chief of the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Spectrometry and Spectroscopy. He and 17 other PNNL scientists also authored several chapters. They are Doug Duckworth, Greg Eiden, Jean Futrell, Kim Hixson, Ryan Kelly, Julia Laskin, Daniel Lopez-Ferrer, Ioan Marginean, Tom Metz, Kevin Minard, Jason Page, Ljiljana Pasa-Tolic, Errol (Robbie) Robinson, Alex Shvartsburg, Anil Shukla, Keqi Tang, and John Wacker.

The three-volume, 3312-page set is published by Elsevier and covers theory, methods, and applications of these key scientific areas for researchers, students, and professionals. The encyclopedia combines proven techniques and new insights for comprehensive coverage of the field.

Koppenaal is a PNNL Laboratory Fellow who leads the Biological Separations and Mass Spectrometry Group within the Biological Sciences Division and is Chief Technology Officer for EMSL, a Department of Energy user facility located at PNNL. He currently is chair of the Analytical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society, is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society of Chemistry, and is a member of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.

Spectroscopy is the use of light, sound or particle emission to study matter. Spectrometry is the spectroscopic technique used to assess the concentration or amount of a given chemical species. Spectroscopy and spectrometry are often used in physical and analytical chemistry to identify substances through the spectrum emitted from or absorbed by them. EMSL and PNNL house state-of-the-art capabilities in these important analytical areas  (Posted 9/1/2010)

International Climate Change Assessment Gains Five PNNL Scientists

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) named five Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) scientists to play significant roles on its next report. The IPCC is a group of experts tasked with evaluating the science, underlying climate change, its impacts, and potential responses. The scientists will join 831 researchers on the three working groups.

Working Group I, "The Physical Science Basis":

Phil Rasch, lead author. An American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow and Laboratory Fellow at PNNL, Rasch is internationally recognized for his contribution to climate modeling and connecting cloud formation, atmospheric chemistry, and climate. Rasch is a consistent contributor to IPCC reports.

Working Group II, "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability":

Tony Janetos, coordinating lead author. Janetos is a Laboratory Fellow at PNNL and Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), a partnership between PNNL and the University of Maryland. Janetos is frequently called upon to give testimony to Congress and participate in other policy forums to provide scientific insight and perspectives on climate change and its impacts to a wide range of audiences. He has contributed to chapters in each of the previous IPCC reports, and the special report on Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry.

Richard Moss, review editor. Moss, a Senior Staff Scientist at JGCRI, has been with PNNL since 1993. During a business leave of absence from 2006-2009, he served as Vice President and Managing Director for Climate Change at the World Wildlife Fund and Senior Director of the U.N. Foundation Energy and Climate Program. He has been a lead author and general editor of a number of IPCC Assessments, Special Reports, and Technical Papers, and remains active in the IPCC, co-chairing its Task Group on Data and Scenario Support.

Working Group III, "Mitigation of Climate Change":

Jae Edmonds, lead author. Edmonds is a PNNL Laboratory Fellow and Senior Staff Scientist and Technical Leader of Economic Programs at JGCRI. Edmonds is internationally known for his contributions to the field of integrated assessment of climate change and the examination of interactions between energy, technology, policy, and the environment. He served as lead author on 14 IPCC chapters and reports.

Leon Clarke, coordinating lead author. Clarke is a Senior Research Economist at JGCRI; his current research focuses on the role of technology in addressing climate change, scenario analysis, and integrated assessment model development. He contributed to two previous IPCC reports.

Their selection to serve in integral roles in the next IPCC assessment highlights their worldwide leadership in the climate science community. The IPCC was established by the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the current state of knowledge on climate change. The IPCC Climate Change Assessment Report is scheduled to be released in sections in 2013 and 2014.  (Posted 8/1/2010)

Satish Nune and Praveen Thallapally Research featured on cover of Chemical Communications

Materials research conducted by PNNL's Satish Nune and Praveen Thallapally served as the cover article for the printed edition of Chemical Communications in June. The research demonstrates synthesis of hexagonally shaped nanoparticles, which could have applications in the optics and magnetic industries. Also, the sorption properties of the material and its selectivity offer potential for carbon dioxide capture and various industrial applications.

Other PNNL staff who contributed to the research were Alice Dohnalkova, Chongmin Wang, Jun Liu, and Gregory Exarhos.  (Posted 7/1/2010)

Evangelina Shreeve named to National Science Foundation National Girls Collaborative Project

Evangelina Shreeve, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Science and Engineering Education Manager, has been named to the National Science Foundation's National Girls Collaborative Project. This project brings together organizations from around the nation to encourage girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

PNNL is nationally recognized as a leader in STEM education and is also active in the local MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement) Program and sponsors a Young Women in Science Program.

Shreeve brings over eighteen years of leadership in diversity and higher education to the NGCP Board. From 2001-2007, Shreeve served as the Vice-President for Diversity and Grants Administration for Columbia Basin College. Prior to joining PNNL in 2008, Shreeve was the Director of Community Partnerships for the University of Washington where she was the primary liaison for the UW Yakima Valley Community Partnership office and Educational Outreach Program.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Research featured on cover of Dalton Transactions

A new class of catalytic material has been studied by lead researcher Praveen Thallapally along with fellow Energy and Environment Directorate scientists Carlos Fernandez, Radha Motkuri and Satish Nune. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) display a unique three-dimensional structure that is highly selective and reactive, with performance that is up to 50 percent better than commercial materials in the tested reactions. The catalyst's high shape selectivity points to energy, environmental, and other applications for this new class of materials. This breakthrough research was featured as the cover of Dalton Transactions in February 2010. Additional staff at PNNL involved in the research were Jun Liu and Chuck Peden.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

Carolyn Pearce Writes Chapter on Microbial Production of Metalloid Nanoparticles

Carolyn Pearce, Fundamental and Computational Directorate, on contributing to a chapter in a new book, Microbial Metal and Metalloid Metabolism: Advances and Applications. The study of microbe-metal interactions has led to innovations and discoveries, such as development of microbial fuel cells, pili that function as "nanowires," and new, enhanced approaches to bioremediation.

Scheduled for release in June, the American Society for Microbiology publication reviews the current state of research in the field, as well as emerging developments and applications, and forecasts future research directions.

One of five authors, Carolyn lent her expertise in microbial synthesis of nanominerals to the writing of "Nanoparticles Formed From Microbial Oxyanion Reduction of Toxic Group 15 and Group 16 Metalloids." Written as a review chapter providing background information, the chapter also includes snapshots of current research in this up and coming area. Read the full article.  (Posted 6/1/2010)

XSCI Invited to Give Presentations at IPDPS Conference

Representatives from the eXtreme Scale Computing Initiative (XSCI) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory were invited to give a Global Arrays presentation at the prestigious 2011 IEEE International Parallel & Distributed Processing Symposium (IPDPS) in Anchorage, Alaska in May. In addition to the invitation to present a Global Arrays tutorial and host a full-day workshop to discuss the readiness for exascale computing of data-centric programming models, five XSCI Principal Investigators were invited to speak about their research for the Initiative: Daniel Chavarria, Darren Kerbyson, Manoj Krishnan, Bruce Palmer, and Abhinav Vishnu. XSCI's mission is to develop methods, algorithms, and software that can be efficiently used on the next generation of supercomputers with a 1,000-fold increase in computational power compared to what is available today. High-performance computing is working to solve problems our society is facing in areas such as energy, the environment, and national security.

IPDPS is an international forum for engineers and scientists from around the world to present their latest research findings in all aspects of parallel computation. IPDPS represents a unique international gathering of computer scientists from around the world.  (Posted 5/1/2010)

Steven Smith Served Key Role in National Academies Workshop on Climate Change Mitigation

Congratulations to Dr. Steven Smith of the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) on the success of the National Academy of Sciences. Modeling the Economics of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Workshop. As a member of the event's planning committee, Smith and his colleagues focused the 2-day workshop on the economics of carbon offsets, bottom-up supply curves, technological learning curves, and long-term scenarios. Around these topics, the committee brought together leading researchers, including Dr. Jae Edmonds also from JGCRI. The workshop was attended by members of the policy and modeling communities.

Smith chaired the panel session titled "Storylines, Scenarios, and the Limits of Long-Term Socio-Techno-Economic Forecasting." This panel was designed to start discussions on creating and using new socio-economic scenarios, which are the starting point for analyzing mitigation costs. Dr. Richard Moss, also from JGCRI, spoke at this session, discussing the new community-based process for developing and using future scenarios for emissions and climate change.

Held April 15-16, 2010, at the National Academies of Sciences Headquarters in Washington, DC, this workshop was requested by the Department of Energy to better understand the models used to estimate the economic impacts of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is the second National Academies of Sciences workshop DOE has requested on this topic.  (Posted 5/1/2010)

Marianne Sowa Serves as Guest Editor for Special Issue of Mutation Research

Congratulations to Dr. Marianne Sowa, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, for serving as Guest Editor for the May 10 issue of Mutation Research: Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis. The issue theme is "NOTE: Towards a New Paradigm for Evaluating the Effects of Exposure to Ionizing Radiation."

This special issue of Mutation Research contains several papers that were presented at the NOTE annual meeting in Galway, Ireland, as well as other complementary contributions. The NOTE project is a European Union-funded integrated research effort designed to address non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation and to consider the implications of these effects on radiation protection. The journal features research that addresses cell signaling, epigenetic effects and the role of the tissue microenvironment in radiation-induced responses. As Guest Editor, Dr. Sowa solicited manuscripts, oversaw the peer-review process and worked with the journal staff to finalize all submissions.

Dr. Sowa was chosen to serve as Guest Editor on the basis of her expertise in the effects of ionizing radiation on cells and complex tissue models. She is currently working to understand the role of radiation induced signaling in matrix remodeling in a human skin tissue model. Dr. Sowa has a joint appointment as an adjunct full professor at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, Baltimore, and is currently course coordinator for Radiation Biology at Washington State University-Tri-Cities. Her work is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Low Dose Radiation Research Program and NASA's Ground Based Biology Program.  (Posted 4/1/2010)

Article on Molecular Simulation of Water Named Highly Innovative by Journal

Congratulations to Dr. Soohaeng Yoo and Dr. Sotiris Xantheas at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Professor Xiao Cheng Zeng at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln on having their article on water properties chosen as of one of the top chemical physics papers in 2009. The article was selected by the editors of the Journal of Chemical Physics. Each year, the editors select a few notable articles published in the journal that year that present ground-breaking research.

The article demonstrates a key problem in two of the most popular DFT or density functional theory models in predicting the correct phase diagram of water. The DFT models describe the underlying interactions between water at the molecular level, incorporating the interactions between the nuclei and the electrons of the system. Both of those DFT models suggest that the melting temperature of ice is too high, almost 150°F higher than the value that nature has settled on.

"So if you use those models to describe water at room temperature, you do not get the regular liquid but instead a supercooled glassy state that does not look like nature's most ubiquitous solvent," said Dr. Sotiris Xantheas, the principal author on the paper. This finding will help researchers fine tune DFT models to achieve a closer match to what's observed during experiments.

This seminal article is freely available online until the end of August 2010.

Reference: Yoo S, XC Zeng, and SS Xantheas. 2009. "On the phase diagram of water with density functional theory potentials: The melting temperature of ice Ih with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof and Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr functionals." Journal of Chemical Physics 130:221102.  (Posted 3/1/2010)

Jim Dooley Edits Special Issue of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control

Congratulations to Dr. James Dooley at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on the publication of the Special Issue of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control: The Ninth International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies. Dooley served as the Managing Guest Editor for this special issue. He worked together with Associate Editors Sally Benson (Stanford University), Anhar Karimjee (US Environmental Protection Agency) and Ed Rubin (Carnegie Mellon University) during the 12-month process. Together, the team selected, arranged peer reviews, and edited the articles. The issue was published on March 3, 2010.

The Special Issue includes 34 invited papers which were originally presented at the 9th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, held in Washington, D.C. in November 2008. The papers covered all aspects of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), including detailed analyses of fully integrated CCS systems and descriptions of lab-based advancements relating to individual process steps. The special issue captures important new hard-won and invaluable field testing data about how CCS systems work in practice. Other papers in the Special Issue address a wide range of economic, public policy and environmental aspects of future large scale CCS deployment.

"The body of knowledge that is summarized in this Special Issue represents a profoundly more mature and nuanced understanding of the technological readiness of CCS technologies and their ability to make significant contributions to addressing climate change. The scientific and technological progress represented by these papers is something that all members of the CCS community can take pride in," said Dooley.

The International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control is the first peer-reviewed journal to focus on CCS technologies. The journal covers developments in greenhouse gas control in the power sectors and in the major manufacturing and production industries. It aims to cover all greenhouse gas emissions and the range of abatement options available, and comprises both technical and non-technical related literature in one volume. Dooley is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Green House Gas Control.

Dooley is an internationally recognized expert known for his cutting-edge research on CCS and the role of this class of technologies in addressing climate change for PNNL's Joint Global Change Research Institute and Global Energy Technology Strategy projects. He was also a lead author and the Cross-Cutting Chairman for Market Deployment for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (2005).  (Posted 3/1/2010)

Carol Kessler Selected for National Academy Committee

Carol Kessler, Director of PNNL's Center for Global Security, has been selected to participate on a National Academy Committee on Homeland Security and Export Controls. The first meeting was held March 2-3, 2010. The committee will be reviewing suggestions from several studies on modernizing U.S. export controls from the standpoint of the Department of Homeland Security.  (Posted 3/1/2010)

Liem Dang Named Adjunct Professor at Australian University

Congratulations to Dr. Liem Dang at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being named an adjunct faculty member of the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland, Australia. In this role, Dang will work with students who are inventing, designing, and managing products and processes that transform raw materials into valuable products via biology, chemistry, and physics.

Dang was selected because of his expertise in designing and implement simulations to study molecular properties and processes at aqueous interfaces. His research, including numerous publications focused on the transport of ions and molecules between interfaces of hydrogen-bonded liquids. Of particular interest is his research at interfaces of water with vapor, other liquids, and solids.  (Posted 1/1/2010)

Frank Greitzer Authors Book Chapter on Combat Identification

Frank Greitzer, Knowledge Systems group, authored a book chapter titled "Training Strategies to Mitigate Expectancy-Induced Response Bias in Combat Identification: A Research Agenda" in Human Factor Issues in Combat Identification, which was published in January 2010.  (Posted 1/1/2010)

Jian Ma Co-authors New Book

Jian Ma, Energy & Environment Directorate, co-authors a new book, Emerging Techniques in Power System Analysis. The book presents emerging techniques including data mining, grid computing, probabilistic methods, phasor measurement unit and how to apply these techniques to solving new challenges facing the power industry following the deregulation. The book is intended for engineers and managers in the power industry, as well as researchers and graduate students in power engineering. The book will be published by Springer in February, and is available on Amazon.com. More Info  (Posted 1/1/2010)

2009 Awards

Jerry Johnson Named One of Top 50 Government CIOs

Jerry Johnson, PNNL Chief Information Officer (CIO), was named one of the Top 50 Government CIOs by Information Week. This is Information Week's first-ever compilation of top CIOs in federal, state and local government.

This is not a recognition that was applied for or for which there was a formal nomination process. Rather it's based on the feedback from the network of government CIO peers that Jerry routinely interacts with. Jerry is the only CIO from a DOE national lab among the Top 50.  (Posted 9/1/2009)

Beat Schmid Receives Dual Honor from DOE Office of Science

Beat Schmid recently was honored with two awards by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. These two awards recognize Beat's leadership contributions to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program, a DOE multi-laboratory, interagency program for global climate change research. The awards honored Beat's three-year terms as a member of the ARM Climate Research Facility Science Board and as leader of the ARM Program's Aerosol Working Group.

Dr. Beat Schmid, foreground, points out a feature on a research aircraft used in ARM field

The Science Board is composed of highly respected ARM-supported scientists and the external climate research community. During his term, Schmid reviewed large user facility proposals and made funding recommendations. Dr. Wanda Ferrell, Program Director of the ARM Climate Research Facility, included these words on the plaque: "Your contribution has established a solid foundation for ensuring that the best quality science is conducted at the ACRF."

The Aerosol Working Group comprises national and international climate experts whose research is quantifying the impact of aerosols on clouds that affect the Earth's climate system. Dr. Patricia M. Dehmer, Acting Associate Director of DOE's Office of Science, included these words on the award: "Because of your dynamic leadership, the Working Group has made a significant scientific contribution to the ARM program's aerosol science and climate community at large." Beat received the Working Group award at the annual ARM Science Team Meeting in April.  (Posted 4/1/2009)

Kevin Rosso Received Best Paper Award at Geosciences Symposium

Kevin Rosso received the Best Paper from a National Laboratory Award at the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences Geosciences Symposium. The symposium brought together 50+ U.S. experts in geosciences and related fields to discuss ongoing and future research. Every year, the symposium's committee of observers awards two best paper awards: one to a national laboratory researcher and one to a university researcher.

The award-winning paper Rosso presented was on redox transformations of the iron oxide hematite. Rosso showed that under certain conditions interfacial electron transfer can couple to bulk conduction of electrons yielding transformation to unique crystal morphologies. These results with iron oxide are relevant to water quality, corrosion science, soil evolution, and environmental cleanup.

Rosso is active in the scientific community, having authored or co-authored 90+ peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He is a frequent speaker at universities and international symposia. In addition, he is a life fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America and a member of the Geochemical Society and the American Chemical Society. The symposium was held March 12-13, 2009, in Annapolis, Maryland.  (Posted 3/1/2009)

Tom Cook and Team Awarded the CIA Directorate of Science & Technology's 2008 John A. McCone Award

Tom Cook and a team of others were awarded the CIA Directorate of Science & Technology's 2008 John A. McCone Award. The award honors agency employees who bring science and technology to bear on the nation's most challenging intelligence problems. It is presented to teams or individuals whose dedication and accomplishments exemplify the tradition of the Directorate of Science and Technology – deep technical expertise, disciplined program management, and responsiveness to mission. The award acknowledges the importance of teamwork, creativity, innovation, initiative, risk-taking, persistence and determination.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Donna Magruder and Casey O'Leary Receive DOE Secretarial Honor Award From Secretary Bodman

They were honored for their extraordinary achievement in identifying and neutralizing cyber threats to the DOE. The ceremony recognizes a number of department employees for their outstanding leadership, accomplishments, commitment to excellence and contributions benefiting the organization and our nation.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Robbie Tidwell Earns Special Leadership Acknowledgment

Robbie Tidwell earned special leadership acknowledgment from the Eastern Washington Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials for serving a second term as president.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

PNNL team wins award from Eastern Washington Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Management

The Eastern Washington Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Management recognized PNNL's Mike Truex, Vince Vermuel, Mart Oostrom, Rob Mackley, Donny Mendoza, and Brad Fritz with the 2009 award for Hazardous Material Identification and Control Research for their development of Iron Particle Catalysis to Dechlorinate TCE at Ft. Lewis, WA.

The team worked with industrial partners to develop a method to inject 2-micron-diameter iron particles into an aquifer at Fort Lewis, Washington, contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE). When the test zone temperature was increased, using electrical resistance heating (also previously developed by PNNL), TCE dechlorination dramatically increased. The TCE was destroyed quickly enough to prevent vapor-phase TCE from escaping before being treated. The combined heating and chemical reaction treatment technique is expected to cost less than other approaches to contaminant source remediation.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Michaele (Mikey) Brady Raap Recognized

Michaele (Mikey) Brady Raap, a Chief Engineer in Nuclear Materials & Engineering Analysis, was recognized by the American Nuclear Society (ANS) for "Distinguished Service to the American nuclear Society Nuclear and Criticality Safety Division in governance and international work." Mikey has served as the NCSD Vice Chair and Chair. She is a long-time member of the Education Committee and was a contributor to the development of the white paper process. Mikey has led international NCS technology studies and serves in the development of ANS and ISO NCS standards. She has served on the Program Committee of several ICNC meetings and recently as the General Chairman of the 2009 NCSD topical meeting.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Mike Truex, Vince Vermuel, Mart Oostrom, Rob Mackley, Donny Mendoza, and Brad Fritz win award from Eastern Washington Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials

Mike Truex, Vince Vermuel, Mart Oostrom, Rob Mackley, Donny Mendoza, and Brad Fritz received the 2009 award for Hazardous Material Identification and Control Research for development of Iron Particle Catalysis to Dechlorinate TCE at Ft. Lewis, WA.

The PNNL team worked with industrial partners to develop a method to inject 2-micron-diameter iron particles into an aquifer at Fort Lewis, Washington contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE). When the test zone temperature was increased, using electrical resistance heating (also previously developed by PNNL), TCE dechlorination dramatically increased. The TCE was destroyed quickly enough to prevent vapor-phase TCE from escaping before being treated. The combined heating and chemical reaction treatment technique is expected to cost less than other approaches to contaminant source remediation.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Richard Smith Selected for Analytical Chemistry Award

Congratulations to Dr. Richard D. Smith at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being chosen for the 2010 Eastern Analytical Symposium, Inc., award for "Excellence in the Fields of Analytical Chemistry. "Smith was selected for developing and applying high-resolution separations and mass spectrometry methods and instruments to the analysis of complex biological samples.

A Battelle Fellow, Smith is an internationally recognized scientist. His work spans a wide array of applications. For example, his group is uncovering how microbial communities inside termites turn wood into useful chemicals, serving as a possible basis for developing new fuel sources. Other efforts are related to health, such as discovering functions of salmonella, hepatitis C, and influenza.

Smith has written or co-written more than 750 publications and book chapters. His research has garnered 36 U.S. patents and 32 foreign patents since he joined PNNL in 1976. He has received numerous honors including eight R&D 100 Awards, the 2003 American Chemical Society Award for Analytical Chemistry, and the 2009 Human Proteome Organization Discovery Award for Proteomics Sciences.  (Posted 11/1/2009)

Dick Smith Receives HUPO Award for Advancements in Proteomics Technologies

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. Richard D. Smith, who received the 2009 Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) Discovery Award for Proteomic Sciences. The award is for a single discovery in the field and consists of a plaque and $3000. Smith was honored at the HUPO 8th Annual World Congress September 26-30 in Toronto, where he presented a major lecture on some of the proteomics developments that earned him this recognition.

HUPO is an international scientific organization representing and promoting proteomics through international cooperation and collaborations. Smith is a member of the HUPO Board of Directors.

Smith, a Battelle Fellow and Chief Scientist and Director of Proteomics at PNNL, is the author or coauthor of more than 700 peer-reviewed publications, holds 33 patents and has received eight R&D 100 Awards. He is also the Director of the NIH Research Resource Center for Integrative Proteomics within the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy national scientific user facility located at PNNL.

See the PNNL news release.  (Posted 10/1/2009)

Don Baer wins prestigious AVS Nerken Award

Don Baer, Lead Scientist for Interfacial Chemistry at the Department of Energy's EMSL, has received the 2009 Albert Nerken Award from the AVS.

The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the solution of technological problems in areas of interest to AVS. Baer was cited "for seminal contributions towards advancing the application of surface-sensitive techniques to understand environmentally important materials and interfacial processes."

Baer largely attributes the award to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's rich history of multidisciplinary, team-oriented research that enables significant progress on complex problems. "Although the award is presented to an individual, much of my research has involved participating on and leading teams," he says. "These teams have made important advances in understanding stress corrosion cracking, oxide and mineral surface chemistry, and dynamic behaviors of nanoparticles, as well as in developing and applying interfacial tools in EMSL that facilitate such advances."

The award was established in 1984 by Veeco Instruments, Inc., in recognition of Albert Nerken for his role as a founding member of AVS, his early work in the area of high vacuum and leak detection, and his contributions to the commercial development of that instrumentation. Presentation of the award takes place at the AVS International Symposium, which this year is in San Jose, California, in November.

Baer is a Laboratory Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, on whose campus EMSL resides, and a Fellow of AVS. He also is an adjunct professor of physics at Washington State University, Tri-Cities, and an adjunct professor of chemistry at the University of Washington. Baer graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and received his doctorate from Cornell University. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific journal publications and edited three books and four special journal issues. He is also Reviews Editor for Surface and Interface Analysis, a refereed journal devoted to publishing papers and applying techniques for characterizing surfaces, interfaces, and thin films.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Mark Morgan Receives Supporting Friend of IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Award

Mark Morgan, Energy & Environment Directorate, received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 2009 "Supporting Friend of IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Award" from Leonard Bond, director of IEEE Region 6 (Western USA), during a senior management meeting May 28.

IEEE is the world's largest technical society with nearly 400,000 members worldwide, including areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics among others. Mark has been consistently supporting the activities of the IEEE local Section and the Power & Energy Chapter and encouraging his staff to participate and play leadership roles in the technical society.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Terence Critchlow Inducted Into World's Largest Computing Society

Terence Critchlow has been elected a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ACM, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society with about 92,000 members, delivers resources that advance computing as a science and a profession. ACM provides the computing field's premier digital library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources.

Terence, Associate Director of Scientific Data Management, is one of 395 members inducted into the ACM Senior Member program this year. The program, initiated in 2006, includes members with at least 10 years of professional experience who have demonstrated performance that sets them apart from their peers through technical leadership, and technical or professional contributions. ACM Senior Member status recognizes the top 25 percent of ACM Professional Members for their demonstrated excellence in the computing field. ACM's Senior Members join a distinguished list of colleagues to whom ACM and its members look for guidance and leadership in computing and information technology.  (Posted 5/1/2009)

Scott Stephens Recognized by CCHPS as Radiation Safety Technologist of the Year

Scott Stephens, Operational Systems Directorate, has been recognized by the Columbia Chapter Health Physics Society (CCHPS) as the Radiation Safety Technologist of the Year. The CCHPS is a professional organization whose members are specialists in radiation safety and are dedicated to maximizing the beneficial use of radiation while minimizing the risk to people and the environment.

Scott has been at the Lab for the last ten years as a senior radiation protection technician (RPT) in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL). He has had the opportunity to interface with several top research scientists in the nation and has developed an excellent working relationship with the RPL staff members. One of Scott's colleagues stated, "Scott is an outstanding RPT and staff member at the Lab. He is consistently recognized by our research customers for his outstanding support, skill, attitude and personal caring."  (Posted 5/1/2009)

Henry Huang Receives IEEE Power & Energy Society Outstanding Young Engineer Award

Henry Huang will receive the 2009 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power & Energy Society (PES) Outstanding Young Engineer Award. The award recognizes engineers 35 years of age or under "for outstanding contributions in the leadership of technical society activities including local and/or transnational PES and other technical societies, leadership in community and humanitarian activities and evidence of technical competence through significant engineering achievements."

As a recipient, Henry will designate a college or university to receive a $2,000 electrical engineering scholarship from the society. He is scheduled to accept this award at the awards luncheon July 28 at the IEEE PES General Meeting in Calgary, Alberta. The IEEE is the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology, with more than 375,000 members in more than 160 countries.  (Posted 4/1/2009)

Heather Colburn and Jon Schwantes Selected to Attend IUPAC Meeting as 2009 Young Observers

Heather Colburn and Jon Schwantes were selected as 2009 Young Observers to attend the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry General Assembly and Congress Meeting.

The U.S. National Committee (USNC) sends U.S. Observers under the age of 45 from industry, academia, and national laboratories to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) World Chemistry Congress and General Assembly, held every two years. The IUPAC will hold its 45th General Assembly and 42nd Congress in Glasgow, Scotland in August 2009. Established by the U.S. National Committee (USNC) for IUPAC in 1977 to foster interactions with internationally acclaimed scientists in various fields, the Young Observer Programs strives to introduce the work of IUPAC to a new generation of distinguished researchers and to provide the opportunity to address international scientific policy issues.  (Posted 2/1/2009)

Siva Pilli Selected for ASME Early Career Leadership Internship

Siva Pilli, Energy & Environment Directorate, was selected for ASME's Early Career Leadership Intern Program to Serve Engineering (ECLIPSE). Siva has been an ASME member since 2007 and currently serves as peer reviewer for ASME journals. The goal of ECLIPSE is to engage, identify, and begin developing potential leaders for ASME by placing early career engineers in highly visible and productive roles within the ASME organization.  (Posted 2/1/2009)

Evelyn Hirt receives IEEE 2008 Robert S. Walleigh Engineering Professionalism Award

Evelyn Hirt recently was selected by the IEEE-USA board of directors as a 2008 recipient of the Robert S. Walleigh Engineering Professionalism Award for enthusiastic leadership and contributions in a wide range of IEEE-USA professional activities. IEEE is the world's leading professional association dedicated to technological innovation and excellence the benefit of humanity.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Former PNNL Interns Receive Honors for Research

On November 8-9, 100 student researchers convened in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to present their research in poster form during the annual DOE Science and Energy Research Challenge (SERCh) Poster Competition. SERCh showcases the research projects of DOE-funded undergraduate students and interns at national laboratories. Kirsten Meyer and Mike Larche, former PNNL interns, received top honors for their scientific research.

Kristen Meyer, a WSU Tri-Cities science major, worked in the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL) on the WSU Tri-Cities campus. DOE's Office of Biomass Program funded Kristen's research under the guidance of molecular biologist Kenneth Bruno in PNNL's Fungal Biotechnology group. She placed first in the life sciences division and earned a $3,000 scholarship.

During her internship, Kristen dove into the genetics of a black mold commonly found in soil, Aspergillus niger—a filamentous, or fuzzy, fungus. Her efforts greatly improved the efficiency and speed of lab processes. She worked with Ken to advance how researchers delete genes from A. niger. The work could provide a way to use mold to make plastics and other chemicals from broken-down plant matter, called biomass. With Kristen's help, this method dramatically sped up the whole process for A. niger. "Instead of being able to delete target genes just 18 percent of the time, the new method does it 95 percent of the time, "Ken said. Now PNNL researchers only need about a week to identify genes, enabling them to study several groups of genes at once.

Mike Larche placed third in the energy division, earning a $1,000 scholarship. Mike studies physics at Eastern Washington University. This past summer he supported the Reactor Aging Management LDRD project. This project is attempting to develop new diagnostic and prognostic methods to permit life extension of the U.S. nuclear reactor fleet. The project involves development of sensing methods (eddy current, acoustic microscopy, magnetic sensing), which will detect fatigue-induced flaws in reactor components (piping, pumps, pressure vessels, etc.). Flaw data will be used to develop prognostic models to estimate the remaining lifetime of the components.

Mike worked on the "magnetic Barkhausen noise" task. In this method, steel samples are immersed in a strong magnetic field to "listen" for movement in the material. The movement is caused when tiny magnetic domains (microscopic magnets) attempt to orient themselves within the imposed field. If the steel sample is damaged due to fatigue, the magnetic domains have a harder time orienting themselves with the imposed field.  (Posted 11/1/2009)

Kerri Pratt Awarded NOAA Fellowship

Congratulations to Dr. Kerri A. Pratt on her selection for a postdoctoral fellowship in climate and global change from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Pratt was one of ten researchers that NOAA chose in 2009 as part of its national program to create and train the next generation of climate research leaders. Pratt decided to spend her two-year fellowship, which began in October 2009, at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Pratt relishes the opportunity to work with Dr. Dan Cziczo, who leads measurement and instrument research for PNNL's Aerosol Climate Initiative and with PNNL climate physics scientist Dr. Jennifer Comstock. Pratt already had been familiar with Cziczo because of their related research in cloud-ice formation, a little understood yet important aspect in predicting global climate change. "When I was awarded the fellowship, I knew I couldn't find a better place in the United States than PNNL for this field of research," she said.

Pratt is part of a PNNL group that will travel to Colorado this winter to study cloud ice formation at the Storm Peak Laboratory. Accustomed to flying through the clouds with measurement instruments, Pratt says, "In Colorado we'll let the clouds come to us on the mountain top." Pratt and PNNL postdoctoral researcher Dr. Gourihar Kulkarni will study ice formation using an environmental chamber, as well as particle analysis by laser mass spectrometry (PALMS) to measure ice residue chemistry. Pratt will then work with Comstock to model the clouds observed in Colorado.

Pratt received her B.S. in chemistry at Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in chemistry at University of California, San Diego. While Pratt was finishing her doctoral degree at UCSD, PNNL established an Aerosol Chemistry and Climate Institute with the university. Pratt is a past recipient of the National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's STAR graduate fellowship.  (Posted 11/1/2009)

PNNL Researchers Honored by Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum

Robert Dahowski

Jim Dooley

Casie Davidson

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Robert Dahowski, Jim Dooley, and Casie Davidson, with their Chinese and U.S. collaborators, for receiving a recognition award from the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum. The team recently completed an intensive five-year research project that revealed that China has enough geologic storage capacity to capture and store carbon dioxide from industrial sources for at least a century.

The Forum is a Ministerial–level international climate change initiative focused on the development of carbon capture and sequestration technologies. The Forum presented the award during its 3rd Ministerial Meeting in London in October 2009. The award went to the research team comprising Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, and Leonardo Technologies, Inc.  (Posted 10/1/2009)

Carbon capture shows major potential in China

Unprecedented study identifies 100 years of carbon storage reservoirs

An international carbon sequestration organization recognized a team of PNNL scientists for their unprecedented research to identify and quantify China's potential capacity for capturing and storing carbon dioxide and to determine its potential viability and cost effectiveness for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

On Oct. 13, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terie Riis-Johnansen presented a Recognition Award to Bob Dahowski, Energy & Environment Directorate, at the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum's 3rd Ministerial Meeting held in London. Bob accepted the award on behalf of his colleagues, Casie Davison, EED, and Jim Dooley, Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate, and their partners at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics and Leonardo Technologies, Inc.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu also spoke at the conference and highlighted the team's research in his presentation.

The award came as the team was finishing its report on the five-year study. Their results showed that China has enormous and widely distributed deep geologic CO2 storage formations that could allow for cost-effective, large-scale deployment of capture and storage technologies for at least 100 years.

"For the first time ever, we have quantified the potential for future large-scale carbon capture and storage deployment within China," Bob said. "Our work suggests that CO2 capture and storage can provide a key element of China's portfolio of options for cost effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

These findings are important as the international community looks for ways to balance economic growth and the resulting demands for energy with the need to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions globally.

Support for this research has been provided by the DOE Office of Fossil Energy, Leonardo Technologies, Inc. and the Global Energy Technology Strategy Program.  (Posted 10/1/2009)

Jim Thomas Receives Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation 2009 Homeland Security Award

Jim Thomas was recently awarded the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation 2009 Homeland Security Award at the US Capital. This significant honor recognizes his international leadership and outstanding scientific achievements in founding and establishing the growing science of visual analytics and the numerous associated technologies that aid in detecting, predicting, preventing, and responding to acts of terrorism.

Jim's scientific leadership in visual analytics has resulted in the emergence and deployment of new information technologies critical to our nation's security. Visual analytics innovations developed under Jim's leadership have been deployed to national and regional analysts and first responders at a number of homeland security agencies and organizations. For example, the Scalable Reasoning System has provided law enforcement investigators with visual tools to discover patterns, trends, and relationships when and where it matters most—where lives are at stake. This technology has been deployed to front-line law enforcement and counter-terrorism personnel at the San Diego area Automated Regional Justice Information System (ARJIS), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Seattle Police Department. The ARJIS Executive Director described this capability as "critical" to officers on the ground.

Other deployed science enables understanding and management of our critical infrastructures e.g. power grid, cyber analytics to detect intrusion and other attacks on our communication networks, financial analytics to detect fraud and money flows, pandemic analytics to detect and plan for likely flu expansions, immigration analytics on applications to speed processing while enabling better detection of potential terrorists, to a host of intelligence applications through visual analytics of blogs and open source information in multiple languages with text, images and video.

This technology also provides far more effective analytics for applications such as energy, environment, economy, health, finance, and other critical parts of our society to every day access and dealing with masses of information on the Web. A unique capability has been developed under Jim's leadership to build test data sets with embedded threats (ground truth) now being used through international contests by IEEE that allows researchers and industry around the world to test and measure their technology, turning Jim's vision into a calibrated science enabling our knowledge workers to detect the expected and discovery of the unexpected^TM.

Equally important to the contributions Jim has made to this scientific field, he has played a critical visionary role in educating our next generation of scientists and engineers. He has led the development of a series of visual analytics workshops and tutorials at the university level. He has inspired degree and certificate programs, academic research programs and classes, workshops, summer camps, and faculty fellowships. His impact on future generations of visual analytics researchers helps ensure a steady pipeline of discoveries and technology solutions that can address homeland security challenges.

These advances would not be possible without the critical funding support from the Science and Technology Directorate of Department of Homeland Security, other members of the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense, U.S. National Science Foundation, our international partners protecting freedoms around the world and the professional society IEEE for providing the international science forums to build, publish and calibrate these new technologies.

Congress established the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation in 1992 to "encourage and support research, study and labor designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind." Each year, the foundation honors American citizens who improve the world through scientific endeavors. Recipients are selected from hundreds of nominations and are chosen by a panel of science, policy and other experts.  (Posted 9/1/2009)

Wei-Jun Qian Receives New Innovator Award from NIH Director to Develop Dramatically Improved Biomarker Research and Clinical Diagnostic Tools

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. Wei-Jun Qian, who received a 2009 National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. The award is given to stimulate highly innovative research having the potential for significant impact and support promising early-career investigators.

The award, which includes a $1.5 million, 5-year grant, will support Qian's drive to make new research and clinical diagnostic tools that are dramatically more sensitive, reliable and faster than current technologies. His application was for "A Universal Multiplex Assay System for High-Throughput Clinical Applications."

Qian's research involves developing and applying novel mass spectrometry-based proteomics approaches for quantifying changes in proteins from mammalian cells, tissues and biofluids. This work is helping the scientific community gain a better understanding of cell signaling and discovering novel mechanistic or diagnostic protein biomarkers for human diseases.

For more information, see PNNL's news release.  (Posted 9/1/2009)

Ted Poston earns 2009 Battelle Community Spirit Award

Battelle presented its 2009 Community Spirit Award to Ted Poston. This award provides staff an opportunity to recognize their peers for outstanding volunteer spirit. Nominees were evaluated on the level of their volunteer involvement and impact to the community.

Since 1985, Ted has volunteered as a coach, referee, and board official in TCJSA soccer, Columbia Little League in Richland, youth basketball in both Richland and Kennewick, and assisted as a general volunteer in both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Between 1985-2001, Ted dedicated over 2,400 hours to these youth sports activities.  (Posted 8/1/2009)

Bonnie Williams Recognized with 2009 National Mentor Award

Bonnie Williams has recognized with the Adecco 2009 National Mentor Award. Adecco S.A. is a Global Fortune 500 company and the world leader in workforce solutions. The Mentor Award recognizes the top administrative professional who shares their time and talents with their colleagues.

Bonnie was nominated by PNNL's Executive Assistants National Awards Committee. Through her mentoring, Bonnie helps colleagues learn the importance of professionalism and how to apply their skills to future interactions with the Laboratory's national and international clients. Bonnie was honored for mentoring she provided to staff in EED as well as across the Laboratory and even to those outside of PNNL.  (Posted 8/1/2009)

Alexandre Tartakovsky Wins Presidential Early Career Award

Congratulations to Dr. Alexandre Tartakovsky, a computational mathematician at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, for winning a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The award honors Tartakovsky's research on subsurface flow that addresses past and future energy needs: cleaning up buried nuclear or toxic contaminants and storing carbon dioxide from fossil fuels underground. Tartakovsky is an acknowledge leader in the field of computational mathematics for subsurface flow and transport in heterogeneous media.

The PECASE is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers who are at the start of their careers.

Alexandre Tartakovsky's research uses dozens of monitoring wells to characterize the subsurface.

Tartakovsky was recognized for his work trying to understand how contaminants move through the subsurface, that subterranean environment made of rocks, air, liquids like water or oil, and bacteria. Ultimately, such work will help reduce the impacts that nuclear and fossil fuel energy use have on the environment. Tartakovsky develops mathematical models to help researchers clean up nuclear or toxic contaminants from past practices or help future waste managers store carbon in the subsurface.

Tartakovsky joined PNNL in 2004. He received his doctorate from the University of Arizona in 2002 and completed a two-year, post-doctoral research program at Idaho National Laboratory before joining PNNL.

For more information, see the PNNL news release.  (Posted 7/1/2009)

Bill Weber Named Distinguished Alumnus by University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Dr. Bill Weber of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being selected for the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest University of Wisconsin Oshkosh alumni honor given. Weber and eight others will be honored for their professional and civic achievements during homecoming weekend, October 16-17, 2009.

Weber is an internationally recognized expert in defects and radiation effects in materials. His research, often done at the Department of Energy's EMSL, is essential for advanced electronic devices that operate in extreme conditions, developing radiation-tolerant materials for nuclear power, as well as for space exploration and research.

He received his bachelor's degree in physics from University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. While there, he was part of educational programs that allowed him to work and study at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. With this experience, he went on to get a master's degree and doctorate in nuclear engineering from University of Wisconsin Madison. An active member of the scientific community, he is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Ceramic Society, and the Materials Research Society. He is a prolific author, having written or co-written more than 420 peer-reviewed publications and 51 technical reports. He is also an outstanding editor, currently serving as a principal editor for the Journal of Materials Research.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Kim Fowler Receives LASER Science Education Advocate Award

Kim Fowler is one of five a recipients of a LASER Science Education Advocate Award for exhibiting outstanding advocacy for science education in the state of Washington by promoting the importance of science education among the general public or the education system. LASER is the Washington state Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform. Specifically, Kim was recognized for her development of a set of energy, environment and sustainable related activities she brings to classrooms. Each award recipient receives $5,000 to be awarded to the not-for-profit organization or public education entity of their choice for use in its efforts on behalf of science education. Kim has selected the Yakima Valley/Tri-Cities Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program.  (Posted 5/18/2009)

Janos Szanyi Wins Fulbright Fellowship to Conduct Catalytic Research in Hungary

Janos Szanyi received a Fulbright Fellowship to spend 5 months in Hungary studying catalysts that may reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from cars and trucks. The Fulbright Fellowship is sponsored by the U.S. State Department. The fellowship provides opportunities for U.S. scientists to conduct research and exchange ideas with their new international colleagues.

During his stay in Budapest, Hungary, Janos will conduct in situ and operando studies aimed at understanding the kinetics and mechanisms of chemical reactions catalyzed by supported platinum/barium oxide systems. He will work at the Chemical Research Center, operated by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In addition, he will continue to lead his research at PNNL's Institute for Interfacial Catalysis.  (Posted 4/1/2009)

Sotiris Xantheas Receives Humboldt Award to Collaborate in Germany

Sotiris Xantheas has received an international award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to study the ubiquitous solvent: water. The award, presented by German President Horst Keller at the presidential residence in Berlin in early June, will cover Sotiris' travel to the Technical University of Munich at Garching and local expenses during his stay.

While at the university, Sotiris will work with Professor Alfred Laubereau and his students in the Physics Department on interpreting the infrared spectra of aqueous salts. This research into the molecular-level understanding of the interactions of water with various ions and how their presence alters the local structure of water has resulted in numerous scientific articles and stronger collaborations between U.S. and European institutions. This award to Sotiris closes out a series of studies he began 5 years ago as the recipient of the 2004 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award.  (Posted 4/1/2009)

Xin Sun Receives Alumna Award

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. Xin Sun, who received the prestigious Alumni Society Merit Award from the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. The award recognizes Dr. Sun for her outstanding professional achievements and her contributions to the society.

Dr. Sun has a broad range of experience in the areas of applied mechanics and computational materials. Her expertise lies in applying the mechanics and materials' basic principles in solving practical engineering problems associated with solid oxide fuel cell design and analyses, advanced laminated armor materials development, joining and forming of advanced lightweight materials for automotive and heavy vehicle applications, advanced high strength steel modeling development, and lightweight automotive glazing design and development.

Dr. Sun, a Staff Scientist in PNNL's Computational Sciences & Mathematics Division, received her undergraduate degree in naval architecture and ocean engineering from China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1990. She then went on to earn two master's degrees and her doctorate, all from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.  (Posted 3/1/2009)

Jerry Posakony elected Eminent Member of Eta Kappa Nu

Jerry Posakony was recently elected an Eminent Member of Eta Kappa Nu. Eta Kappa Nu is a unique membership organization dedicated to encouraging and recognizing excellence in the electrical and computer engineering field. Members consist of students, alumni, and other professionals who have demonstrated exceptional academic and professional accomplishments. The designation of Eminent Member is the organization's highest membership grade and is conferred upon those select few whose outstanding technical attainments and contributions through leadership in the fields of electrical and computer engineering have significantly benefited society.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

PNNL Team Selected for 2009 Incite Award - Earns 4 Million Hours on Supercomputers to Study Water's Chemistry

DOE has awarded a team of researchers at PNNL a 2009 INCITE award. The award provides access to powerful supercomputers to model complex processes and analyze large data sets.

The team, which includes Shawn Kathmann, Chris Mundy, Roger Rousseau and Greg Schenter, all of the Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, and a researcher at IBM Research-Zurich, received a total of 4 million hours on two of DOE's Advanced Scientific Computing Research's supercomputers. The team will have 2 million hours on the IBM Blue Gene/P at Argonne National Laboratory. In addition, it will get 2 million hours on the Cray XTs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The 4 million hours is a significant increase from the 1.5 million hours the team received from the 2008 INCITE award and will immensely enhance the team's research, according to Chris, the team leader and principal investigator of the INCITE research.

With the new award, the team will be able to continue running statistical and quantum mechanical calculations to explore the chemical physics of reactions that occur within and at the interface of hydrogen-bonded liquids, like water. The calculations and resulting models will accurately portray reactions under experimentally relevant conditions.

This research requires the processing speed and power of supercomputers. Standard desktop systems are simply incapable of running the proposed calculations.

This research could provide insights on reactions that occur in water and other hydrogen-bonding fluids. "Understanding the reactions that occur in water have far-reaching implications in many areas of science," Chris said. Elucidating the solvation of ions in the vicinity of interfaces and in bulk will help us control many processes in chemistry, atmospheric science, and biology.

This work supports PNNL's mission to strengthen U.S. scientific foundations for innovation by

• developing transformational tools, techniques and facilities, including those for advanced modeling and computation, for the biological, chemical, environmental and physical sciences via EMSL and other user facilities.
• developing tools and understanding required to control chemical and physical processes in complex multiphase environments.

2009 Fellowships

Greg Schenter Appointed American Physical Society Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Greg Schenter of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being named a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the world's second largest organization of physicists. Schenter earned this honor for his contributions in chemical physics.

In his research, Schenter has uncovered mysteries surrounding the physics of molecules and atoms. "I started my career as a physicist and became a chemist," said Schenter. "These days disciplines are becoming melded."

Examples of his research include developing accurate methods for calculating how small, light molecules and atoms would move and react in solids and in solution.

These methods are vital to those building better batteries and alternative fuels. Another example is his theory of how droplets form or nucleate, improving previous theories and changing the way scientists see everything from cloud formation to fuel cells.

Schenter's work has appeared in top journals. In fact, nearly half of his publications land in top 5 journals. He is among the most highly cited authors at PNNL.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Six PNNL scientists elected AAAS Fellows

Six scientists from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their exceptional efforts to advance science or its applications.

The PNNL honorees and the AAAS sections that elected them are: Scott Chambers, physics; Moe Khaleel, engineering; Yuehe Lin, chemistry; Philip Rasch, atmospheric and hydrospheric sciences; John Wacker, chemistry; and Sotiris Xantheas, chemistry.

Scott Chambers

Chambers researches crystalline oxide films that can be used in the semiconductors that enable most modern electrical devices. He's known for growing these films and exploring their structure. He examines the electronic and magnetic properties of crystalline films, or their ability to transform electricity from chemicals responding to light. These films have the potential to be used to make microelectronic devices, convert energy and make energy by splitting water. They're also studied for the field of spintronics, where scientists are trying to harness the magnetic properties of electrons.

Chambers is a PNNL laboratory fellow who works in interfacial chemistry and engineering at EMSL, a DOE national scientific user facility located at PNNL. He's also an American Vacuum Society fellow and an affiliate professor of chemistry, materials science and engineering at the University of Washington.

Yuehe Lin

Lin's research delves into nanotechnology, or devices made with tiny particles that are a hundred thousand times smaller than a human hair. He's developing chemical and biological sensors made with nanomaterials like protein cages, nanoparticles, graphene and carbon nanotubes that interact with enzymes, antibodies and DNA. The technologies he's developing can detect important molecules in biological systems, explosives and pesticides and could deliver drugs to fight diseases like cancer, among other uses.

Lin is a PNNL laboratory fellow at PNNL. He has edited and co-edited several books on nanotechnology. He also is the associate editor of the Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, as well as a member of the editorial advisory boards for several international scientific journals.

Moe Khaleel

Khaleel specializes in computational engineering, which involves designing and developing computational tools to solve engineering and scientific problems. He focuses on computational models for solid oxide fuel cells and advanced lightweight materials. He develops methods and computational tools that allow scientists and engineers to build and test fuels cells and their material components, which speeds up the development of energy technologies like fuel cells. He also created a cost-effective process for forming aluminum sheet materials that are now used to make lightweight vehicles.

Khaleel is a laboratory fellow who leads PNNL's Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division. He's also an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Washington State University and an American Society of Mechanical Engineers fellow.

Philip Rasch

Rasch is recognized for his contributions to climate modeling - or designing computational programs that mimic the atmosphere - and connecting cloud formation, atmospheric chemistry and climate. He has developed and improved many atmospheric circulation models, some of which simulate the movement of water vapor, sulfate and other tiny, unseen particles of gas, water and matter called aerosols. He also studies geoengineering, or the intentional manipulation of the atmosphere to counteract global warming.

Rasch is a laboratory fellow and chief scientist for climate science at PNNL. He has contributed to scientific assessments for the World Meteorological Organization, NASA and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

John Wacker

Wacker's insights into the field of nuclear signature analysis are highly sought-after by government and scientific leaders alike. Nuclear signatures, or chemical and radiological indicators of nuclear processing, are of particular interest to national security officials monitoring nuclear activities and in the emerging area of nuclear forensics. His research has supported the cleanup of radioactive contamination in the environment. He often serves as an advisor in radioanalytical chemistry and nuclear forensics for government leaders.

Wacker is a PNNL laboratory fellow and a nuclear materials technical advisor for DOE. He began his career in planetary science, for which he characterized and determined the origin of meteorites.

Sotiris Xantheas

Xantheas' highly accurate electron structure calculations on water-based molecular clusters are used widely in the physical chemistry community. He combines data gathered in the lab and with computer theories to refine scientists' understanding of aqueous systems and water. His work helps scientists better understand the structure of latticed hydrates in the ocean's floor that store the greenhouse gas methane, among many other applications.

Xantheas is a PNNL laboratory fellow. He's also a fellow of the American Physical Society and was given the Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

See news release at http://www.pnl.gov/news/release.aspx?id=761  (Posted 12/1/2009)

L. Ruby Leung elected AMS Fellow

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. L. Ruby Leung on her election as Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. The Society awards the distinction of Fellow to only two-tenths of one percent of its membership each year. Leung was cited for her outstanding individual contributions and leadership in the development and application of regional climate models. She will be recognized in January 2010 at the Society's 90th Annual Review and Fellows Awards in Atlanta, Georgia.

Leung is a Laboratory Fellow in the PNNL Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In his nomination letter, Dr. Gerald R. North of Texas A&M University cited Leung's work in regional climate models, an impressive citation record, and her outstanding leadership role within the U.S. Department of Energy climate science community. In addition, he praised her leadership with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in advancing the Weather Research and Forecasting model for climate research, and in projects such as the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program, as demonstration of her prominence in the atmospheric and climate science community.

Leung is recognized in the international scientific community for her pioneering contributions in regional climate modeling and research on land-atmosphere interactions and their roles in climate variability and change. Her work on regional climate projections was included in scientific assessments done by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. In collaboration with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Leung has been developing and applying advanced regional climate models that will help improve the predictions of climate change and its impacts. Her research on climate change effects has been featured in Science, Popular Science, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and many other major news outlets.

The AMS, founded in 1919, has a membership of more than 14,000 professionals, professors, students, and weather enthusiasts. The AMS produces nine atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic journals, sponsors multiple annual conferences, and directs numerous education and outreach programs and services.  (Posted 10/1/2009)

Steve Mladineo named Fellow of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management

Steve Mladineo joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in 1993 and has managed the Nuclear Arms Control and Nonproliferation Product Line, has been the PNNL Account Manager for DOE Nonproliferation Offices and has also provided technical support to nonproliferation programs at DOE headquarters. He is currently Senior Advisor within PNNL Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Programs Sector and provides technical support to the Office of National Infrastructure and Sustainability within the Office of International Material Protection and Cooperation at the National Nuclear Security Administration.

He is a long-time supporter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) having become a regular member of the Institute in 1994 shortly after beginning his career with PNNL. He became a Senior Member of the Institute in 2000 and has been active with both the Northeast and Pacific Northwest Chapters.

Since joining INMM, Steve has demonstrated sustained leadership and commitment. He has served on the Technical Program Committee, has presented papers and chaired many sessions at the Annual Meetings and has been Chair of the Nonproliferation and Arms Control Division since 2000. He has participated in four quadrennial INMM/ANS International Meetings on Facility Operations-Safeguards Interface and served as the General Chair of the 2008 International Conference held in Portland, Oregon. Additionally, he was awarded the INMM Meritorious Service Award in 2007.

His experience with the INMM has permitted him to interact with colleagues from a broad cross section of the INMM membership, including international colleagues. The INMM mission aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Security mission, as well as the mission of other client-funding sponsors who are represented by PNNL.  (Posted 7/1/2009)

Jean Futrell Elected Fellow of American Chemical Society

Congratulations to Dr. Jean Futrell of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being selected for the inaugural class of American Chemical Society Fellows. The American Chemical Society, with more than 150,000 members, is one of the world's largest scientific organizations. This prominent honor, given to only 0.1% of the society's members, reflects Futrell's scientific achievements and his contributions to the research community.

His research focuses on the theory and practice of mass spectroscopy. His work has answered fundamental questions about mass spectrometry, including the behavior of ions. He has developed or modified instruments for specialized research, creating high-pressure and chemical-ionization mass spectrometers. His invention of tandem mass spectrometry is deployed in nearly every commercial mass spectrometer.

In the scientific community, Futrell is a quiet, diplomatic, and highly effective leader. He has served as chair and past chair of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry; he is currently on the society's executive committee. He has also served as president and past president of the Council for Chemical Research, which advances scientific research to benefit society. The first director of the Department of Energy's EMSL, Futrell is a prolific writer with more than 400 refereed articles and invited reviews to his name.

Throughout his career, Futrell has been recognized by his peers. As a mass spectrometry expert, he was named the German Mass Spectrometry Society's Wolfgang Paul Distinguished Lecturer-the fourth American to receive such an honor. He won the FH Field and JL Franklin Award, the ACS's top honor for fundamental science in mass spectrometry. Further, he is a Fellow in three societies: the American Physical Society, the American Society for the Advancement of Science, and the World Innovation Foundation.

Futrell and the other ACS Fellows will be honored at a special ceremony during the ACS National Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday, August 17, 2009.  (Posted 7/1/2009)

Gary Yang Selected Fellow of ASM International

Gary Yang was elected a 2009 ASM International Fellow. This honor recognizes members of the nearly 100-year-old professional society for their distinguished work in materials research and engineering. Yang was chosen for his contributions in developing materials for energy conversion and storage, and his work on understanding metallic interconnections with electrodes in solid oxide fuel cells.

At PNNL for the Transformational Materials Science Initiative, Yang and his team are developing nanostructured electrodes and electrolytes as well as synthesizing novel structures. These materials could fix the Achilles' heel of wind and solar energy: their intermittent nature. Using new materials and designs, Yang and his team are working on batteries that will move wind and solar from alternative to mainstream power sources.

In research circles, Yang is known for his focused approach to research and his easy-going nature. "Gary doesn't take setbacks to heart," said his manager Darrell Herling. "He just rolls with the punches."

As to his focus, it is obvious in his outstanding publications record. He has written or co-written 140+ scientific papers and book chapters. He has organized or co-organized a dozen of seminars and conferences, and served as editor on numerous proceedings. He has also edited four special issues of journals.  (Posted 7/1/2009)

Gary Yang elected Fellow of ASM International

Gary Yang was recently elected an ASM International Fellow. This honor recognizes members of the nearly 100-year-old professional society for their distinguished work in materials research and engineering. Yang was chosen for his contributions in developing materials for energy conversion and storage, and his work advancing the understanding of metallic interconnections with electrodes in solid oxide fuel cells.

At PNNL, for the Transformational Materials Science Initiative, Yang and his team are developing nanostructured electrodes and electrolytes as well as synthesizing novel structures. These materials could fix the Achilles' heel of wind and solar energy: their intermittent nature. Using new materials and designs, Yang and his team are developing batteries that will move wind and solar from alternative to mainstream power sources.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

SK Sundaram Named Fellow of the Society of Glass Technology

SK Sundaram, Energy & Environment Directorate, was recently named Fellow to the Society of Glass Technology, UK. Fellowship of the Society is awarded to members who have reached prescribed levels of attainment in the business of glass and associated industries and for recognized contributions to the science and technology of glass.

Over the past 15 years, Sundaram has conducted research on various aspects of energy and environments. He is internationally recognized for interdisciplinary research in the areas of millimeter/THz wave technology, nanomaterials/toxicity, integrated infrared photonics, multi-scale materials processing, and materials and sensors for energy conversion.

Dr. Sundaram is now leading a multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists in a quest to understand degradation mechanisms, protect materials, and develop sensors in challenging gasification environments under the Energy Conversion Initiative at PNNL. He has won numerous awards and honors, including two R&D100 awards.  (Posted 3/1/2009)

David S. Smith Elected Fellow of ASCE

David S. Smith was elected Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The ASCE Fellow award is a prestigious honor held by fewer than six percent of its 75,000 regular members and another 60,000 associate, affiliate or student ASCE members. David was recognized for being an outstanding "practitioner, educator, mentor and most of all leader." The ASCE is a non-profit organization dedicated to having engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward building a better quality of life.  (Posted 3/1/2009)

Bruce Garrett Elected Fellow of Royal Society of Chemists

As director of Chemical and Materials Sciences Division, Garrett has primary responsibility for PNNL's work in developing the tools and understanding to control chemical and physical processes in complex multiphase environments. His major accomplishments in physical chemistry are in developing theoretical approaches to determine rates of molecular processes in gas and condensed phases, including the first consistent molecular theory of gas-to-particle nucleation.

The Royal Society of Chemistry has more than 44,000 members worldwide. The largest chemical society in Europe, the organization works to promote the development, practice, and application of the chemical sciences across the world. In particular, the society encourages the participation of students and young people in chemistry.  (Posted 2/1/2009)

2009 Elected Positions and Offices

L. Ruby Leung Elected to Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee

Dr. L. Ruby Leung, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist who has long been at the forefront of climate modeling research, was recently elected to serve on the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC), where she will provide advice on a continuing basis to the Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy, on the many complex scientific and technical issues that arise in the development and implementation of the biological and environmental research program.

Leung is widely considered one of the top few researchers in the United States and the world in regional climate modeling, and is internationally recognized for her research on regional climate change and the hydrological cycle. In alignment with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) missions, her innovations cross scientific disciplines to advance the state of the art in predicting climate change and its regional impacts. By delivering more accurate and geographically specific insights for making decisions and taking action, her work has helped DOE and the scientific community to address some of the toughest problems in climate science.

Dr. Leung has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Meteorological Society. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters; her research on climate change impacts has been featured in Science, Popular Science, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and many major newspapers.

The Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee advises the Secretary of Energy and Director, Office of Science, on biological and environmental science issues of concern. BERAC is responsible for periodic reviews of and recommendations for elements of the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) Program; providing advice on competing long-range plans, priorities, and strategies; giving guidance on appropriate levels of funding to develop priorities and strategies; and maintaining balance between competing elements of the BER Program.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Cheryl Cejka Picked to Head DOE Tech Transfer Group

The Department of Energy has named Cheryl Cejka, technology commercialization director at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), executive board chair of the agency's Technology Transfer Working Group.

The group is creating a policy framework to streamline technology transfer activities such as licensing at all DOE national laboratories. Laboratory-developed technologies can be used in commercial products after being licensed to outside businesses. The working group's members are from across the DOE's national laboratories.

Cejka has led PNNL's portfolio development and investment, intellectual property management and technology commercialization activities for eight years. PNNL's annual returns from intellectual assets have increased since then. Cejka also oversaw the creation of many technology licensing arrangements, which resulted in new business ventures based on PNNL technologies. Many of these transactions received national recognition for excellence in technology transfer.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Kathy Pryor elected president-elect of the Health Physics Society

Kathy Pryor, chief health physicist in the Operational Systems Directorate, has been elected president-elect of the Health Physics Society (HPS), a nonprofit scientific organization whose mission is to promote excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety.

As president-elect, Kathy will be responsible for assisting the society president in administering the affairs of the society, and will automatically take office as president in July 2011 for her three-year term. In her capacity as president-elect, Kathy will visit the approximately 40 chapters of the HPS. Kathy has been a member of HPS since 1980 and served the society through her participation in numerous committees, as a director and as secretary.

For the past 28 years, Kathy has provided management and technical support to radiation protection programs at radiological facilities regulated by DOE, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Agreement States. Currently, Kathy has responsibility for technical support and improvement of PNNL's Radiation Protection program. She is also the chief radiological engineer in the design of the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility project, a major component of the surplus plutonium disposition strategy for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Kathy is responsible for coordinating the PNNL Environment, Health, Safety and Security Division management systems for Radiation Protection, Worker Safety and Health, Safeguards and Security, and Environmental Management. She is a trained causal analyst and has led a number of cross-disciplinary teams in the investigation of events at PNNL.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Ron Jarnagin Elected ASHRAE Treasurer

Ron Jarnagin will be assuming the office of Treasurer of ASHRAE for the 2009-2010 Society Year – an opportunity given by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, an international organization of 51,000 persons. The Treasurer position is one of three senior officers of ASHRAE; the other two are President Elect and President. The term of office is one year for each of the senior positions and it is expected that the candidate will move through the positions to assume the Presidency.

As Treasurer Ron will chair the Finance Committee which is responsible for ASHRAE's $20 million annual budget; will serve as Vice Chairman of Members Council, which oversees all of the volunteer activities in ASHRAE's 14 global regions; will serve as the Vice Chair of ASHRAE's Advocacy Committee, which informs and influences the decisions of Congress on technical matters related to ASHRAE's mission; will serve as a member of the Board of Directors; and also will serve on ASHRAE's Executive Committee, which provides strategic leadership for the Board.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Mathew Milazzo Named 2009 ANS Glenn T. Seaborg Science and Engineering Congressional Fellow

Matthew D. Milazzo, a nuclear engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washshington, was selected as the 2009 ANS Glenn T. Seaborg Science and Engineering Congressional Fellow. During his one-year term beginning in January 2009, Milazzo will work as a special legislative assistant on the staff of Sen. George Voinovich (R., Ohio), where he will serve as a scientific and technical resource on issues related to nuclear energy.

Milazzo believes that his role is to bridge the gap between those who understand science and technology and those who create and influence policy. "I hope to be an honest broker who can create positive changes in perceptions of nuclear power and technologies one person at a time," he said. Milazzo's goals stem from his firsthand experience on Capitol Hill, meeting people who are misinformed about nuclear technology and industry.

Since August 2007, he has served as the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science Congressional Fellow assigned to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.). There he provides technical expertise in the areas of energy, climate change, and national security. On the staff of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory since 2005, Milazzo has also delivered programmatic and engineering analysis support to several U.S. government clients. Previously, he served as a business process analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, D.C.

Milazzo also spent six years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear mechanical operator aboard the USS South Carolina, a guided missile cruiser. He then earned a bachelor's degree in bioengineering and economics from the University of Pittsburgh in 2000 and master's degrees in nuclear engineering and public policy and management from Ohio State University (OSU) in 2004. Milazzo joined ANS in 2002 while a graduate student at OSU, and served as the student section vice president. He now serves on the ANS Public Policy Committee.

Milazzo plans to further the Society's contribution to national policy dialogue. "As climate change legislation continues to take form, the ANS fellow should keep ANS involved by leveraging the organization's substantial technical expertise to secure nuclear power's role in climate change policy," Milazzo stated. Through the coordination of informational briefings to connect government officials with nuclear industry experts, Milazzo hopes to provide direction for programs that aim to expand the peaceful use of nuclear energy while minimizing proliferation risks.

Milazzo, one of four candidates interviewed this year by the ANS Congressional Fellowship Committee, is the ninth person chosen for the fellowship since the program's inception in 2000. ANS is one of more than 30 science and engineering societies that participate in the Partner Scientific Society-sponsored Congressional Fellowship Program administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Richard May Named IEEE VAST Symposium Co-chair

Richard May has been unanimously approved by the IEEE VAST (Visual Analytics Science and Technology) Steering committee as the IEEE VAST symposium co-chair with Jörn Kohlhammer from Fraunhofer in Germany. IEEE VAST is one of the fastest growing national and international scientific communities.

IEEE VAST is the first international symposium dedicated to advances in Visual Analytics Science and Technology. The scope of the symposium, co-located with the annual IEEE Visualization Conference (IEEE Vis) and the IEEE Information Visualization Conference (IEEE InfoVis), includes both fundamental research contributions within visual analytics as well as applications of visual analytics, including applications in science, security and investigative analysis, engineering, medicine, health, media, business, and social interaction.

As Deputy Director for the Department of Homeland Security's National Visualization and Analytics Center (NVAC), Dr. May develops opportunities to transfer technologies to meet the needs of regional preparedness experts and coordinates visual analytics research across government and academic partners. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Washington State University and his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington.

Throughout his career, Dr. May has focused on designing new technologies and protocols to generate and interact with complex, massive data sets. He has conducted research in video and image processing, information visualization, virtual and mixed reality and visual analytics. In the early 1990s, he transitioned his research from visualizing science to interacting with the visualizations, to better understand the complex nature of the problems being studied. This new focus led to research in both the logical and physical aspects of interacting with electronic information and eventually to looking at analytical processes and visual analytics.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

PNNL principal engineer Steve Widergren has been appointed plenary chair of the newly formed Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP)

The SGIP will support the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology's effort to coordinate the expedited development of technical standards for smart grid implementations throughout the nation. Widergren will set the agenda for the SGIP's twice yearly meetings and pick leaders for the group's architecture and testing/certification committees.

The SGIP is a public-private partnership with more than 400 member organizations. The group has three primary functions including:

• Overseeing activities intended to expedite the development of interoperability and cyber security specifications by standards setting organizations;
• Providing technical guidance to facilitate development of standards for a secure, interoperable smart grid; and
• Specifying testing and certification requirements necessary to assess the interoperability of smart grid-related equipment.

For more information about the SGIP visit www.nist.gov/smartgrid.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Jerome Fast Appointed NCAR Affiliate Scientist

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. Jerome Fast on his appointment as an affiliate scientist for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Board of Trustees appointed Fast to the three-year position starting November 1, 2009. As part of his appointment, Jerome will work in Boulder for at least three months, collaborating with scientists in the Atmospheric Chemistry Division of NCAR on aerosol modeling projects.

He will coordinate the implementation of improved representations of secondary organic aerosols in models and how they are evaluated using field measurements. Other research will include coordinating the implementation of new process modules developed by PNNL and NCAR staff into the community Weather Research and Forecasting model.

NCAR is known worldwide as one of the premiere centers for improving the understanding of atmospheric and Earth system processes. Only a select number of scientists are appointed to the prestigious position of affiliate scientist there. PNNL's Dr. Ruby Leung also serves as an NCAR affiliate scientist.  (Posted 11/1/2009)

Ted Bowyer Appointed Member on National Academy of Sciences Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Panel

With the Obama Administration already pushing for Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the National Academy of Sciences has again convened a panel to study technical issues related to the treaty. The 10-member NAS panel, chaired by University of Maryland physics professor Ellen Williams, has been tasked by the National Nuclear Security Administration and the State Department to update the 2002 NAS study on the CTBT. The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments for military or civilian purposes.

The NAS panel will include two members of the 2002 study and eight other members, including Ted Bowyer, NSD. Ted is a nuclear explosion monitoring expert at PNNL and a former Department of Energy/NNSA scientific adviser on the CTBT.

Ted has worked at PNNL in a variety of nonproliferation programs related to nuclear weapons material production detection, nuclear testing detection, and nonproliferation policy. He spent several years in the Office of Nonproliferation Policy at DOE/NNSA where he served as a scientific advisor on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and related Nuclear Testing Limitations treaties and agreements, as well as the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty. He has spent significant time serving the U.S. Delegations to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and CTBT Working Group B (WGB) in Vienna as a technical advisor. Currently, Ted serves as the chair of the CTBT working group B (WGB) Radionuclide Expert Group and chair of the U.S. Radionuclide Subgroup of the Verification Monitoring Task Force.

For more information about the study, visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49131.  (Posted 8/1/2009)

Irv Schultz Nominated to NRC Committee on Tetrachloroethylene

Irv Schultz was nominated to the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Committee on Tetrachloroethylene, which is conducting a review of EPA's toxicological assessment of tetrachloroethylene. His research interests cover both ecological and human health issues and uses toxicokinetic methods in conjunction with molecular/biochemical tools to understand the cellular mechanisms and physiological processes determining the retention and adverse effects of contaminants. Highlights of his research efforts include studies of the disposition of drinking water disinfection byproducts in human volunteers, non-human primates and rodent models; development of computational models for the salmon brain-pituitary-gonadal axis and the metabolism and disposition of environmental pollutants in fish, with an emphasis on interspecies scaling.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Dick Smith Named Editor-in Chief of Journal of Proteomics & Bioinformatics

Richard D. Smith has accepted an invitation to become Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Proteomics & Bioinformatics. Smith sets the direction for the open-access journal and gives final approval for each issue.

Founded in 2008, the Journal of Proteomics & Bioinformatics strives to provide rapid review and publishing of research in the proteomics and bioinformatics fields. The journal disseminates its articles freely for research, teaching and reference purposes.

Smith, a Battelle Fellow and Chief Scientist of Proteomics at PNNL, is a world leader in developing mass spectrometry for proteomics. He was recently named PNNL's Inventor of the Year for Fiscal Year 2008. Smith has received 36 U.S. patents and 32 foreign patents, seven R&D 100 Awards, the 2003 American Chemical Society Award for Analytical Chemistry and induction as a Battelle "Distinguished Inventor."  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Liem Dang Serves as a Guest Editor of Special Issue of Physical Chemistry Journal

Liem Dang was invited to serve as guest editor on a special issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry A . This issue was dedicated to the Max Wolfsberg, a leader in theoretical chemistry. Wolfsberg's early work led to the Wolfsberg-Helmholtz approximation, widely used in calculations of molecular electronic energy levels. His descriptions of isotope effects on chemical reactions are widely used by experimental chemists.

As a guest editor, Dang solicited, reviewed, and edited many of the 40 scientific articles that grace this March 2009 issue. Dang is a respected researcher and author on molecular dynamics simulation techniques to study ionic solvation, ion-ligand complexation, and properties of liquid interfaces. This special issue was made possible because of his close work with Wolfsberg during Dang's doctoral research at University of California, Irvine.  (Posted 5/1/2009)

Joshua Adkins Named to NIH Study Section

Joshua Adkins was invited by the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review to serve as a member of the Enabling Bioanalytical and Biophysical Study Section. His term is from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2013.

This study section reviews grant applications focused on developing new bioanalytical and biophysical tools, emerging techniques and instrumentation. Emphasis is on research that probes the molecular aspects of biological systems using novel technologies or enhancements on existing techniques.

Dr. Adkins' research centers on comprehensive characterization of proteins through space and time to better understand biological systems. His particular interests are challenging biological studies that require bridging the gaps between technology development and biological application. Currently, he is Director for the Center for Systems Biology of EnteroPathogens, the aim of which is to develop therapeutics for the causative agents of Typhoid Fever and the Black Plague.  (Posted 5/1/2009)

Steven Wiley Invited to Join National Research Council Review Panel

Steven Wiley, Lead Scientist for Biology at the Department of Energy's EMSL, was selected to serve as a reviewer on the 2009 National Research Council Research Associateship Programs. The programs fund postdoctoral fellows, senior scientists and engineers, and faculty to work on research problems of their choice in federal laboratories. The Council receives around 800 applications every year for these programs. The NRC selects about 300 of these applications for funding based on a competitive process that includes a review by one of five NRC panels.

One of the five panels is the Life Sciences panel, where Wiley will serve. On this panel, he will evaluate the impact and the approach of the research proposed in the applications four times a year. Also, he will discuss his recommendations with his colleagues on the panel, working to promote only the best possible research. Wiley will serve on the panel for three years.

Wiley was chosen because of his scientific expertise in molecular and systems biology, such as the research into large-scale protein-protein interactions and cell signaling networks. In addition, he is an experienced leader, currently working as the steward for EMSL's Biological Interactions and Dynamics science theme and as Director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Biomolecular Systems Initiative. Further, he has experience with advisory committees, including the National Institutes of Health and Burroughs Wellcome Fund.  (Posted 2/1/2009)

Todd Halter Appointed to SciDB Advisory Board

Todd Halter has been appointed to the SciDB advisory board. SciDB is an open source data management system designed to support the needs of scientists across a variety of disciplines. As a member of the advisory board, Halter will be helping to establish the requirements for a new database technology specifically targeting scientific applications.

SciDB grew out of the 1st Extremely Large Databases (XLDB) Workshop and the subsequent Science-Database Workshop. SciDB is designed to meet the growing demands of data-intensive scientific analytics in the public and private sectors. User communities expected to benefit include sciences such as astronomy, biology, geoscience (geology, oceanography, atmospheric science, environmental science), medicine, and physics; science-based industries such as remote sensing, resource extraction (oil, gas, minerals), medical imaging, and pharmaceuticals; and other organizations with vast amounts of data and complex analytical needs such as Internet, telecommunications, and financial services.

Halter, whose appointment began in November 2008, joins Gordon Anderson (PNNL); Tim Axelrod, LSST Corporation; Dirk Duellmann, (CERN); Tim Frazier, Los Alamos National Laboratory; James Frew, University of California, Santa Barbara; Michael Godin, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute; and Bill Howe, Oregon Health & Science University, on the SciDB advisory board.  (Posted 2/1/2009)

Wenning Liu Appointed to the Editorial Board of Advances in OptoElectronics

Wenning Liu has been appointed to the Editorial Board of Advances in OptoElectronics as an associate editor. Liu's appointment began November 2008. Advances in OptoElectronics is a peer-reviewed open access journal aimed at accelerating worldwide recognition, dissemination, and utilization of the most recent findings and achievements in optoelectronics.

Liu Joined PNNL in 2005 and has more than 18 years of research experience in the fields of computational material, computational mechanics, and mathematics with related expertise in: finite element analysis, fatigue/failure/fracture tests and analyses; thermal-mechanical design; dynamic simulation of high speed impact; and CAD/CAM/CFD design and modeling. In the area of optoelectronics, Liu's research is focused on the reliability analysis, and design of optoelectronic packaging, including failure analysis of optoelectronic packaging, development of automatic alignment algorithm of optoelectronic packaging, and stress analysis of various IC packaging.

Liu has a doctorate from the Harbin Institute of Technology's School of Aerospace Engineering in Harbin, China.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Kelly Sullivan Elected to Governing Board of Council for Chemical Research

Kelly Sullivan, Office of the Deputy Director for Science and Technology, was elected to the Governing Board of the Council for Chemical Research (CCR) in December 2008. Kelly Sullivan was nominated for the position and her appointment was confirmed by vote from the CCR membership. She will serve a full term of three years and represent the Laboratory and other government and national laboratories on the board.

The Council for Chemical Research, headquartered in Washington, D.C., aims to benefit society by influencing the success of chemistry-related science and engineering research. It promotes cooperation in basic research and encourages high-quality education in the chemical sciences and engineering. The Council's membership comprises more than 200 companies, universities and government laboratories with a combined research and development budget of more than $7 billion.

Kelly Sullivan, who leads the Laboratory's Office of Institutional Partnerships, was already active in the Council for Chemical Research before receiving the current board appointment. She serves as co-chair of The Council's Annual Meeting Planning committee and she co-leads the Graduate Education Action Network.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Bruce D. Kay Invited to Join Journal of Chemical Physics Editorial Board

Bruce D. Kay has accepted an invitation to join the editorial board of the Journal of Chemical Physics. As a board member, Kay will referee submissions and help monitor the journal's editorial policy in terms of scope covered and paper quality. His three-year appointment begins in January 2009.

The Journal of Chemical Physics, published by the American Institute of Physics, contains articles on research in methods and applications of traditional and newer areas of chemical physics. The institute publishes content online daily and in 48 printed issues a year.

Kay is an international expert in condensed phase chemical kinetics and molecular dynamics. His work provides a detailed understanding of the molecular-level interactions responsible for phase transitions and catalytic reactions. Kay conducts much of his work at the Department of Energy's EMSL, a national scientific user facility at PNNL.

Kay is also known for his experience as a noted author and conscientious reviewer. Kay has written or co-written more than 120 journal articles and technical reports. He mentors many postdoctoral fellows at PNNL both in research and in preparing manuscripts for publication.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Yanwen Zhang joins Editorial Board of Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research

Yanwen Zhang, a scientist at the Department of Energy's EMSL, has been invited to serve a 3-year term on the advisory editorial board of Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research, Section B. This journal, published by Elsevier, is one of the top-10 journals by impact factor in the field of nuclear science and technology and covers all aspects of the interaction of energetic beams, such as ion, electron, and photon beams, with solids. Related topics, such as applying ion beam analysis to biological, archaeological and geological samples, are covered. Notable conferences publish their proceedings in this peer-reviewed journal.

At EMSL, Zhang leads materials analysis and modification research projects in the ion accelerator laboratory. Her work covers topics such as single ion impact, nanoscale defect engineering, ion/electron-solid interaction, radiation detector physics, ion-beam modification and synthesis of materials, electrochemical oxidation of nuclear reactor fuel cladding, and application of ion-beam analysis techniques. Because of her research and experience, Zhang has participated in prestigious symposiums, including the 2008 German-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium and the 14th Annual German-American Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium. Also, she has won several awards, including the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers and the docent title from the Lund University in Sweden.

With her collaborators around the world, she has written or co-written more than 120 journal articles. She is a co-editor for a book Ion Beams in Nanoscience and Technology (Springer Verlag, Berlin). She regularly mentors her postdoctoral fellows and collaborators in writing articles and is known as an outstanding reviewer.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Eric Richman Joins Canadian Task Group on Lighting and Electrical Power

Eric Richman was invited to become an official member of the Canadian Task Group on Lighting and Electrical Power as they gear up to update Canada's Model National Energy Code for Buildings.

He is lending his expertise to help Canada make its buildings more energy efficient—thus saving energy, saving money and lowering their carbon footprint. Eric, a lighting expert for the DOE's Building Energy Codes Program (BECP), has informally supported the Canadian Task Group on Lighting and Electrical Power since July 2008.

In his work with BECP, Eric supports DOE's Commercial Codes Initiative by helping the primary commercial code-making body in the U.S., American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, increase the stringency and applicability of energy standards for new buildings. In its invitation to Eric, the Canadian group wrote "Your input to date has been invaluable to the Task Group and is greatly appreciated." More Info... (.doc)  (Posted 1/1/2009)

2009 Impact on Scientific Community

Kukkadapu Recognized as International Leader in Mössbauer Spectroscopy

EMSL research Ravi Kukkadapu recently received two international honors in the Mössbauer spectroscopy community. At the International Conference on the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect in Vienna, Austria, he was featured as an emerging leader in the Mössbauer community. He received this honor from distinguished Professor John Stevens, Director of the Mossbauer Effect Data Center, a research institute at the University of North Carolina.

In addition, Kukkadapu was invited to give a keynote talk at the upcoming Clay Minerals Group of the Mineralogical Society in the United Kingdom. At this annual conference, he will discuss the effect of iron-mineral (bio)transformations on remediating contaminated aquifers that contain radioactive metals such uranium, technetium, and plutonium. Contaminated aquifers, which can occur during nuclear material production and weapons development, are a problem worldwide.

At the Department of Energy's EMSL, Kukkadapu oversees the facility's ₅₇Fe-Mössbauer spectrometers. These instruments are ₅₇Fe-specific and provide information, such as valence state, coordination geometries, and magnetic hyperfine interactions, on iron-containing materials.

His work focuses on how (bio)transformation of iron-minerals present in the subsurface impact radioactive metal remediation under different biogeochemical conditions. This data will provide insights necessary to develop biogeochemical models for long-term monitoring of contaminated aquifers. He is also active in a number of other projects funded by DOE's Environmental Remediation Sciences Program.

In the last few years, he has written or co-written more than 35 papers on research done on the Mössbauer instruments for high-impact environmental journals. He is a frequently requested speaker at conferences and seminars.  (Posted 7/1/2009)

First Book on FAIMS Published by PNNL Scientist Alexandre A. Shvartsburg

Field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry explored in CRC Press publication

Though it may never reach the New York Times' bestseller list, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist's book on an analytical technology for complex mixtures is making an impact on spectrometry research.

Differential Ion Mobility Spectrometry: Nonlinear Ion Transport and Fundamentals of FAIMS by PNNL chemist Dr. Alexandre Shvartsburg is the first book on field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry, or FAIMS. This relatively new technique is, in several important aspects, superior to conventional ion mobility spectrometry.

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is used to separate, identify, and characterize ions based on their gas-phase transport in electric field. Conventional IMS has been used since the 1970s, originally to detect atmospheric vapor traces. Current applications extend from homeland security, national defense, and forensics to environmental monitoring and quality control in industry to analyses of biological materials, and medical diagnostics.

In conventional IMS, ions are separated by their absolute mobility. FAIMS, developed in Russia in the 1980s, sorts ions based on the difference between their mobility at high and low field intensities. This renders FAIMS separations quite independent of both conventional IMS and mass spectrometry and has made FAIMS/MS and FAIMS/IMS hybrids into powerful platforms for complex sample analyses.

Shvartsburg is an accomplished researcher and developer of ion mobility-based methods and instrumentation, including both conventional IMS and FAIMS. However, even having authored many scientific papers in the field, he found that writing this book deepened his understanding.

"My father liked to quote his senior colleague, (Nobel Laureate) Lev Landau, who said, ‘If you don't understand something, write a book about it. This has proven to be true for me, at least," said Shvartsburg.

"When writing a book, especially the first-ever one in a field, you have to start from the foundations. Once you probe them in depth, you realize that a lot of key assumptions have never really been questioned, proved, or disproved. I needed to re-learn things from the first principles to understand FAIMS in a way that could be well communicated to a broader audience than that of a specialized journal. In that process, I've found out that some major concepts accepted in the IMS field were actually incorrect."

Shvartsburg's book, published by CRC Press and available from Amazon, relates the fundamentals of FAIMS and other nonlinear IMS methods to the physics of gas-phase ion transport. It supplies the foundation to understand the new technology of nonlinear IMS methods.

Reference: Shvartsburg AA. 2009. Differential Ion Mobility Spectrometry: Nonlinear Ion Transport and Fundamentals of FAIMS. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Background Highlight: Researchers Develop, Improve and Enhance Technologies for Rapid Analysis of Complex Samples.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Bill Weber Invited Speaker for National Academy of Sciences Committee

Dr. William Weber of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory spoke to the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Waste Forms Technology and Performance. With hundreds of nuclear reactors operating worldwide, disposing of nuclear waste and used fuel is a growing issue. Weber spoke on the application of state-of-the-art computational methods to the design and performance of radionuclide-containing waste forms. Of specific interest was how the waste form behaved both during the initial cooling phase and over the thousands of years the waste would be stored.

Weber was asked to speak because of his internationally recognized expertise on waste forms, radiation effects, and the application of advanced computational methods to understanding material behavior. His research focuses on the radiation stability of nuclear waste materials, computer simulations, and the performance of materials in high-radiation environments. He currently leads a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team studying defects and radiation effects in high-tech ceramics.

A Fellow of the Materials Research Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Weber has written extensively. He has authored or co-authored 5 book chapters and more than 480 publications. Many of these publications have been cited extensively. He is currently a principal editor and member of the editorial board for the Journal of Materials.  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Jay Grate Named Battelle Distinguished Inventor

Congratulations to Dr. Jay Grate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being named a Battelle Distinguished Inventor.

This award is given to Battelle staff who have 14 or more U.S. patents to their credit as a result of their work at Battelle or Battelle-operated national laboratories.

More info...  (Posted 12/1/2009)

Xiao-Dong Zhou invited to NAE's 2010 Indo-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium

Xiao-Dong Zhou was invited by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to attend the 2010 Indo-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (IAFOE) to be held in March 2010 in Agra, India. The Indo-U.S. FOE brings together approximately 35 outstanding American and Indian engineers ages 30-45 from industry, universities, and other research institutions to discuss leading-edge research and technical work across a range of engineering fields. Participation is by invitation only.

Zhou is leading research on materials for energy conversion, including cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells and thermoelectric oxides. He has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator of several materials development programs related to energy science and technology, and thermoelectrics.

The Indo-U.S. FOE is a bilateral program held once every two years. It will facilitate an interdisciplinary transfer of knowledge and methodology that eventually could lead to collaborative networks of engineers from the two countries.  (Posted 11/1/2009)

Carolyn Pearce Appointed Senior Lecturer at University of Manchester

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. Carolyn Pearce on her appointment as an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester, School of Earth, Atmospheric & Environmental Science. The school is one of the largest atmospheric and environmental academic research centers in Britain. Pearce, who came to the Laboratory in 2009, is investigating how minerals and microbes affect technetium and other radionuclides in the soil at a former plutonium production site in southeastern Washington State.

As a Research Councils UK academic fellow at Manchester, she investigated the microbial production of selenium-based nanomaterials linked to bioremediation strategies for selenium-contaminated soils. The appointment as senior lecturer recognizes Pearce for her outstanding value in geochemical research. The position offers her an opportunity to access resources at the University of Manchester and to continue supervision of graduate students.

As a Research Councils UK academic fellow at Manchester, she investigated the microbial production of selenium-based nanomaterials linked to bioremediation strategies for selenium-contaminated soils. The appointment as senior lecturer recognizes Pearce for her outstanding value in geochemical research. The position offers her an opportunity to access resources at the University of Manchester and to continue supervision of graduate students.

Pearce has authored or co-authored 29 papers in a range of disciplines including geochemistry, mineralogy, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. She is the recipient of 33 peer-reviewed synchrotron radiation beamtime allocations. Pearce also has received access awards to Department of Energy facilities such as the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Pearce received academic development accreditation from The Higher Education Academy, UK.  (Posted 11/1/2009)

Xiao-Dong Zhou invited to NAE's 2010 Indo-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium

Xiao-Dong Zhou was invited by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to attend the 2010 Indo-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (IAFOE) to be held in March 2010 in Agra, India. The Indo-U.S. FOE brings together approximately 35 outstanding American and Indian engineers ages 30-45 from industry, universities, and other research institutions to discuss leading-edge research and technical work across a range of engineering fields. Participation is by invitation only.

Zhou is leading research on materials for energy conversion, including cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells and thermoelectric oxides. He has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator of several materials development programs related to energy science and technology, and thermoelectrics. The Indo-U.S. FOE is a bilateral program held once every two years. It will facilitate an interdisciplinary transfer of knowledge and methodology that eventually could lead to collaborative networks of engineers from the two countries.  (Posted 11/1/2009)

Frank Greitzer Invited to Present at National Academies Workshop on Usability, Security, and Privacy of Computer Systems

Frank Greitzer, NSD, was invited to be one of six "provocateurs," selected internationally by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to participate in planning of, and present to a National Academies workshop on Usability, Security, and Privacy of Computer Systems Workshop held July 20-22, 2009 in Washington D.C. The workshop was organized by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council of the National Academies.

The aim of the presentations was to offer provocative or even controversial topics and out-of-the box thinking to stimulate ideas and discussion at the workshop and to help identify future research agendas for participating organizations and government stakeholders. Frank's contribution was discussion and presentation material on insider threat modeling, human factors/usability research methodology and metrics, and thoughts on privacy/security considerations relating to human interaction in virtual worlds.

At PNNL, Frank leads a R&D focus area of Cognitive Informatics that addresses human factors and social/behavioral science challenges through modeling and advanced engineering/computing approaches. With over 30 years of applied research and development experience in cognitive psychology, human information processing, and user-centered design, his research interests include modeling human behavior with application to identifying and predicting malicious insider cyber activities, modeling socio-cultural factors as predictors of terrorist activities, and human information interaction concepts for enhancing decision making in domains such as intelligence analysis or electric power grid operations. In the area of cyber security, Frank serves as a science advisor for PNNL's Information and Infrastructure Integrity Initiative.

In addition to his work at PNNL, Frank serves as an adjunct faculty member at Washington State University, Tri-Cities campus, where he teaches courses for the computer science department (interaction design) and for the psychology department (human factors). He also is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Cognitive Informatics & Natural Intelligence.

The National Academies CSTB was established in 1986 to provide independent advice to the federal government on technical and public policy issues relating to computing and communications. It is composed of leaders in the information technology and complementary fields from industry and academia. CSTB conducts studies of critical national issues that recommend actions or changes in actions by government, industry, academic researchers and the larger nonprofit sector. CSTB also provides a neutral meeting ground for consideration of complex issues where resolution and action may be premature.  (Posted 7/1/2009)

Jason Zhang Invited to write a chapter for the Handbook of Battery Materials

Congratulations to Jason Zhang on being invited to write a chapter for the Handbook of Battery Materials. This second edition is being published by Wiley-VCH. Zhang's 20-page chapter will focus on recent findings in metal air batteries and will illustrate the technology, barriers, and potential of such devices.

Zhang was selected because of his expertise in lithium batteries. Through PNNL's Transformational Materials Science Initiative, he studies nanostructured materials for energy storage, especially for transportation and portable electronics applications. His work and willingness to share it with the scientific community will advance the frontiers of nanostructured electrochemically active materials in energy storage devices.  (Posted 7/1/2009)

David Atkinson Vice Chair of Gordon Research Conference Entitled: "Detecting Illicit Substances: Explosives and Drugs"

PNNL's leadership role in explosives technology became evident once again when David Atkinson, a research scientist in the Chemical and Biological Sciences group at PNNL served as vice-chair of the Gordon Research Conference entitled: "Detecting Illicit Substances: Explosives and Drugs" held in June 2009 in Les Diablerets, Switzerland. Because of the seminal nature of the research, the Gordon Conference is very highly regarded in the scientific community.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Marvin Warner Selected to Attend the 2009 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium

Marvin Warner was one of the 88 engineers selected to take part in the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) 15th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium. The participants–from industry, academia, and government–were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations and chosen from approximately 240 applicants.

"In today's challenging economic times, we look more than ever toward our engineering innovators," said NAE President Charles M. Vest. "The U.S. Frontiers of Engineering program brings together a diverse group of this country's most promising young engineers and gives them a forum to discuss multidisciplinary ways of addressing the issues that will carry us into tomorrow's economy."

Marvin's expertise lies in the chemistry and engineering of nanomaterials for applications ranging from detection and environmental remediation to national security challenges. His research is interdisciplinary in nature, and he has demonstrated success in developing business, leading interdisciplinary teams, and establishing collaborations with scientists outside PNNL. He has 18 peer-reviewed publications, 3 book chapters and 2 patents, all related to the development and application of nanomaterials to solve challenging problems in energy, the environment, and national security.

The symposium will be held September 10-12 at the National Academy's Beckman Center at the University of California, Irvine, and will examine engineering tools for scientific discovery; engineering the health care delivery system; nano/micro photonics and new applications; and resilient and sustainable infrastructures.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

PNNL's Tony Janetos Co-authors White House Climate Report

Dr. Tony Janetos speaks at the White House news conference about climate change impacts in the United States. At left is Dr. Katharine Hayhoe from Texas Tech University and ATMOS Research & Consulting; at right is Dr. Jerry Melillo from the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

PNNL scientist Anthony Janetos was a key spokesperson at a White House news conference announcing the release of a major new climate change assessment on June 16, 2009. "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States" summarizes current climate change science and projects regional and national consequences of the changing environment. It also discusses some of the actions society can take to respond to the climate challenge.

The White House Office of Science and Technology, which released the 200-page report, called it the "most comprehensive, authoritative report on global climate change impacts in the United States." The purpose of the report is to increase understanding of climate change and to provide a framework for decision making. The report received widespread media coverage, including from the Associated Press, The New York Times, the Washington Post, Time magazine, National Public Radio, numerous climate change blogs, and Twitter.

Janetos directs the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a partnership between PNNL and the University of Maryland. He wrote the ecosystems section and served on the author team for the full report. The ecosystems chapter concludes that, "Human-induced climate change, in conjunction with other stresses, is exerting major influences on natural environments and biodiversity, and these influences are generally expected to grow with increased warming." Ecosystem impacts include changes in basic processes such as photosynthesis; large-scale shifts in the distribution of plants and animals; and increased threats from fire, pests and disease. These effects are occurring now and are likely to grow, especially in desert, coastal, and arctic environments.

Why it matters: "The most important thing in this report is that the impacts of climate change are not something your children might theoretically see 50 years from now," Janetos told reporters during the news conference. "The thing that concerns me the most is that we have a whole host of impacts that we now observe in the natural world that are occurring sooner and more rapidly and that appear to be larger than we might have expected 10 years ago. If anything, we might have underestimated the rate and the impact of changes in the climate system."

Method: The report summarizes an extensive body of scientific information in layperson-friendly language. The authors drew primarily from 21 synthesis and assessment reports of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).

The USGCRP is a 13-agency group that includes the Department of Energy. PNNL's atmospheric scientists and other researchers contributed to several USGCRP climate studies cited in the report. Also included were other peer-reviewed assessments and research, as well as government statistics, publicly available observations, and advice from expert reviewers.

What's next: This work is part of PNNL's quest to transform the Nation's ability to predict climate change and its impacts. Janetos is now working on expanding the JGCRI's research agenda on integrated assessment to include more sophistication on climate impacts and adaptation. The Global Change Research Act of 1990 requires the USGCRP to conduct an assessment of the impacts of global change in the United States at least every four years.

Acknowledgments: Janetos' work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, as part of the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Research team: In addition to Janetos, the report was authored by 30 people from Federal agencies, universities, national laboratories, and other research institutions.

Reference: Thomas R. Karl, Jerry M. Melillo, and Thomas C. Peterson (eds.) 2009. "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States." Cambridge University Press, New York.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Jim Amonette Writes Chapter in New Biochar Book

Jim Amonette wrote a chapter in a new book that is likely to become the definitive reference work on biochar. Published in March, Biochar for Environmental Management is the first book to bring together the expanding research literature on the potential environmental applications of biochar. The material biochar is a form of charcoal that is produced when biomass is burned under low-oxygen conditions to release energy. The book's interdisciplinary approach covers engineering, environmental sciences, agricultural sciences, economics, and policy aspects.

The book's editors selected Amonette to write the chapter entitled "Characteristics of Biochar: Microchemical Properties" because of his reputation as a soil mineralogist and chemist, his interest in soil-carbon sequestration, and his current research in the characterization and usage of biochar. Amonette's chapter focuses on the chemical makeup of biochar at the microscopic and molecular scale.

Generation and storage of biochar in soil may offer a long-term soil-based solution to the global climate change problem. The process transforms the biological matter into a more stable form of carbon, slowing the release cycle and thereby keeping more carbon out of the atmosphere. Amonette's work focuses on what happens when the biochar is added to soil. "The potential for biochar to permanently sequester atmospheric carbon is on the order of a billion tons per year, if sustainable practices are used," said Amonette.

Amonette has 29 plus years of research experience and has been with PNNL since 1986. He has authored or co-authored 57 plus peer-reviewed scientific journal publications, 20 book chapters, 40 technical reports, and 6 patents.  (Posted 6/1/2009)

Xiao-Dong Zhou Leads Organization of Important Symposium at Electrochemical Meeting

Dr. Xiao-Dong Zhou of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Transformational Materials Science Initiative is organizing a symposium on Advanced Materials and Concepts for Energy Harvesting. This high-visibility symposium will increase awareness of the grand challenges and emerging opportunities facing researchers seeking ways to more effectively generate and store electricity for applications such as hybrid automobiles.

Dr. Zhou was asked to organize the symposium because of his personal and leadership skills. At PNNL, he performs leading-edge research on cathodes for solid-oxide fuel cells, thermoelectric oxides, and nanocomponents for more effective solar cells.

For the symposium, Dr. Zhou has invited speakers, including twelve members of the National Academies, who will present discoveries at the frontier of high-temperature materials and of conversion and storage of energy, including fuel cells, solar cells, and batteries. Technical discussions will focus on which technologies are most promising for further study.

This event is part of the 215th meeting of the Electrochemical Society, which will take place in San Francisco, California, May 24-29, 2009.  (Posted 5/1/2009)

Yuehe Lin Co-Edits Nanotechnology Book

Yuehe Lin, a Laboratory Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is a primary editor of the Handbook of Electrochemical Nanotechnology. Recently released by American Scientific Publishing, the two-volume set was written as a reference for researchers, students, and professors.

Comprehensive and up-to-date, the books contain a total of 20 chapters written by leading researchers from academia and research institutes. The first volume contains an overview of this emerging field. The second volume explores potential applications, including nanoelectronics, sensors, and energy storage and conversion. In addition, the texts demonstrate that electrochemical nanotechnologies can solve significant technical barriers and potentially revolutionize research in emerging areas.

Lin was selected as primary editor based on his contributions to the fields of electrocatalysis, chemical sensors, biosensors, and biomedical nanotechnology. He has distinguished himself through his outstanding program development skills, his mentoring activities, and his publication excellence. Lin has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and has more than 10 patents, half of which have been licensed to industrial partners for commercialization. Lin is a section editor of the Encyclopedia of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics. He also serves as editor and editorial advisory member of 18 international journals.  (Posted 5/1/2009)

Tim Scheibe Chosen Darcy Distinguished Lecturer

Timothy D. (Tim) Scheibe has been selected as the 2010 Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecturer in Ground Water Science. Scheibe, a staff scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was invited by the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation to spend next year lecturing at colleges and universities to educate and create interest in groundwater science and technology.

He will give lectures and meet with students and faculty at 30 to 50 host institutions across the United States and internationally. The lecture series has reached more than 70,000 students, faculty members, and professionals since 1987. Scheibe will offer each host institution the choice of two lectures:

• Beyond the Black Box: Integrating Advanced Characterization of Microbial Processes with Subsurface Reactive Transport Models
• Quantifying Flow and Reactive Transport in the Heterogeneous Subsurface Environment: From Pores to Porous Media and Facies to Aquifers.

Since joining PNNL in 1992, Scheibe's research has focused on characterizing and modeling natural subsurface heterogeneity and its impacts on contaminant transport in groundwater systems. Recently, he worked on subsurface biogeochemistry problems, including microbial transport in groundwater and bioremediation of metals and radionuclides. Scheibe is currently working on simulations of coupled flow, transport, and biogeochemical processes. Most of his research has been for the U.S. Department of Energy's Environmental Remediation Sciences Program and its Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program.

The Darcy Lecture Series was established in 1986 in honor of Henry Darcy, a French engineer whose investigations established the physical basis on which groundwater hydrogeology has been studied since 1856. The National Ground Water Association is a nonprofit organization of more than 13,000 U.S. and international groundwater professionals.  (Posted 5/1/2009)

Jason McDermott Plays Major Role in Book Publication

Jason McDermott played a leading role as primary editor of Computational Systems Biology . Recently published by Humana Press, the book was written for molecular and cellular biologists, bioinformaticians, and geneticists.

Comprehensive and up-to-date, Computational Systems Biology serves to motivate and inspire all those who wish to develop a complete description of a biological system. In the book, expert investigators contribute chapters which bring together biological data and computational and/or mathematical models of the data to aid researchers striving to create a system that provides both predictive and mechanistic information for a model organism.

Enlarged View

The volume is organized into five major sections involving network components, network inference, network dynamics, function and evolutionary system biology, and computational infrastructure for systems biology. More info...

McDermott, along with Computational Sciences & Mathematics Division's Haluk Resat, Ron Taylor, and Mudita Singhal, all contributed to several chapters in the book, as well.  (Posted 4/1/2009)

Yanwen Zhang to Serve as Guest Professor at Peking University

EMSL researcher Yanwen Zhang has accepted an invitation to serve a two-year term as Guest Professor of Peking University. In this capacity, she will monitor Ph.D. students at EMSL who are mainly supported by the Chinese government and help strengthen materials research at the university, until March 2011. Zhang will visit Peking University approximately twice yearly, and the university professors, researchers and students will also visit EMSL as part of the collaboration.

The invitation was extended by Professor J. F. Zhou, the President of Peking University.

At EMSL, Zhang leads materials analysis and modification research projects in the ion accelerator laboratory. Her work covers topics such as single ion impact, nanoscale defect engineering, ion/electron-solid interaction, radiation detector physics, ion-beam modification and synthesis of materials, electrochemical oxidation of nuclear reactor fuel cladding, and application of ion-beam analysis techniques. Because of her research and experience, Zhang has participated in prestigious symposiums, including the 2008 German-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium and the 14th Annual German-American Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium. Also, she has won several awards, including the 2005 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers and the docent title from the Lund University in Sweden. With her collaborators around the world, she has written or co-written more than 120 journal articles.  (Posted 3/1/2009)

Julia Laskin Honored in Prestigious Russian Journal

Julia Laskin was honored in Mass-Spectrometria, a prestigious Russian mass spectrometry journal. The tribute honored Laskin's 2008 Biemann Medal given for outstanding achievement in mass spectrometry by a young scientist.

Dr. Jean Futrell, a renowned expert in mass spectrometry, wrote the tribute, which can be found in volume 5, issue 4 of the journal. Futrell honored Laskin for her internationally recognized contributions to mass spectrometry, ion chemistry, and ion surface reactions. Her research in these areas provides an important background for the development of new analytical approaches in tandem mass spectrometry.

Laskin also is actively involved in building the next generation of scientists. She hosts and advises visiting scientists and graduate students from U.S. and foreign universities at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a DOE national user facility at PNNL. Also, Laskin mentors post-doctoral fellows and undergraduate summer interns. She has authored or co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles.  (Posted 3/1/2009)

Bill Morgan Named Scientific Director of NASA Summer School

Bill Morgan has been named Scientific Director of the 2009 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Radiation Summer School (NSRSS). The school, which is held at Brookhaven National Laboratory, June 1-20, offers graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty the opportunity to learn about the unique characteristics of space radiation and how to perform experiments exposing targets to high-energy, high-charge particles. The NSRSS was designed to provide a pipeline of researchers to tackle the challenges of harmful radiation exposure to humans traveling on space exploration missions.

Morgan, who is Director of Radiation Biology and Biophysics at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will select and invite lecturers, coordinate the courses, and ensure attendees learn all the chemistry, physics and biology of radiations commonly encountered in space. He is also featured in the NASA Space Radiation Program Winter 2008/2009 Newsletter Space Radiation Spotlight on William F. Morgan.

Morgan is a leading researcher in the fields of radiation biology and the long-term biological effects of radiation exposure. He leads PNNL's Low Dose Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Morgan is a scientific representative for regulatory agencies such as the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the National Council for Radiation Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board Radiation Advisory Committee.  (Posted 2/1/2009)

Changing Paradigm of Data-Intensive Computing Makes Journal Cover

A PNNL-authored article by Richard Kouzes, Gordon Anderson, Stephen Elbert, Ian Gorton, and Deb Gracio on the Changing Paradigm of Data-Intensive Computing was selected as the cover feature for the January IEEE Computer Society journal.

The article describes PNNL's leading-edge research to develop new classes of software, algorithms and hardware to provide timely and meaningful analytical results from an exponentially growing tidal wave of complex scientific, energy, environmental and national security related data in the new information-dominated age.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

Wayne Martin Recognized as One of America's 2008 Most Accomplished African American Engineers

Wayne Martin has been recognized as one of America's 2008 most accomplished African American engineers by the Black Equal Opportunity Employment Journal.

Over the past 30 years, Wayne has served as a environmental scientist and program manager for technology development for complex environmental problems and conducted an extensive array of experiments related to the study of contaminant migration in the subsurface using numerous analytical instruments. He has worked predominantly on national problems associated with hazardous waste management, although he has had international involvement with the International Atomic Energy Association working with an international committee for developing procedures for radioactive tracer techniques and studies in understanding contaminant migration mechanisms and problems. These approaches are instrumental in the investigation and identification of the environmental fate of radioactive and inorganic species in the subsurface.

His recognition also includes his efforts to increase involvement of under-represented minorities in the engineering and scientific fields and for his leadership and significant contributions to the Tri-Cities community.  (Posted 1/1/2009)

2008 Awards

Larry Runyon Receives Deputy Director's Award for Individual Excellence from DOE Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence

Larry Runyon received the Deputy Director's Award for Individual Excellence at the second annual DOE Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence Award Program April 30, 2008, in Washington, D.C. Larry was recognized for his outstanding performance in executing his responsibilities as the Deputy Senior Counterintelligence Officer for the PNNL Counterintelligence Program, and in particular, for his diligence, aggressiveness, thoroughness and overall professionalism demonstrated during his investigation of two high-profile cases of national impact that ultimately became models for the entire DOE counterintelligence community.

Larry's efforts over the last six-plus years investigating the two unique, complex and high-profile CI cases, and his ultimate application of the facts developed in those cases into a successful case study workshop were the basis for the award  (Posted 5/1/2008)

Jerry Posakony named recipient of 2009 IEEE Honorary Membership

Jerry Posakony has been named the recipient of the 2009 IEEE Honorary Membership "for pioneering contributions in ultrasonic techniques for medical diagnosis and nondestructive evaluation."

Each year the IEEE Awards Board recommends a select group of recipients to receive the IEEE's most prestigious honors. As of Dec 2007 there were only 27 IEEE Honorary members worldwide out of more than 376,000 IEEE members.

The grade of Honorary Member is a significant honor bestowed by the Institute and is awarded for life to an individual. It was established through the Bylaws of the IEEE, with the following description: Honorary Members are elected by the Board of Directors from among those who have rendered meritorious service to humanity in the IEEE's designated fields of interest and who are not members of the IEEE.

Through its global membership, IEEE is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics among others.  (Posted 12/1/2008)

Bill Samuels Shares ACS Regional Industrial Innovation Award

A new technology that de-ices planes and airport runways and pavements with less impact to the environment has garnered its development team the Regional Industrial Innovation award from the American Chemical Society.

The technology – D3: Degradable by Design Deicer – was created by a team of scientists from Battelle and PNNL. D3 is a family of non-toxic biodegradable fluids used to remove and prevent the formation of snow and ice on aircraft, airport runways, roads and pavement. It also can prevent snow from sticking to deiced surfaces, providing additional protection.

The team members are Bill Samuels, Fundamental and Computation Sciences Directorate; and Satya Chauhan, Nicholas Conkle and Melissa Roshon, Battelle.

D3 was developed to be more environmentally friendly and is manufactured primarily from bio-based materials. The award-winning deicing — EcoFlo for aircraft deicing/anti-icing and Battelle-RDF for runway pavement deicing/anti-icing — substantially reduce toxicity levels and potential environmental damage as well as corrosion of aircraft materials while providing the same performance and benefits of other commercial deicing products.

The technology is available for use by the military and commercial airlines for aircraft and runway deicing and also is potentially available for consumer deicing products. The evaluation of these products for military use was partially funded by two Defense Department programs — Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. D3 also received a 2004 R&D 100 Award for aircraft deicing/anti-icing as well as a 2008 R&D 100 Award for runway deicing/anti-icing.

Moe Khaleel Named Mechanical Engineer of the Year by ASME

Moe Khaleel, director of the Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division and a PNNL Fellow, received the "ASME Setting the Standard 2008 Mechanical Engineer of the Year award" from the Columbia Basin Section of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) International.

Khaleel was recognized for his leadership and contributions to computational engineering, specifically in increasing thermal efficiency of data centers, and fuel cell technologies. Khaleel's current research interests are tuned to world energy systems and the future role for fuel cell systems. He is the national coordinator for a program dealing with the modeling and simulation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell as part of the Solid Energy Conversion Alliance. His work in this area is highly cited by the engineering and scientific communities.

As director of PNNL's Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division, Khaleel leads the effort to provide scientific and technological solutions through the integration of high-performance computing, data-intensive computing, computational sciences, mathematics, scalable data management, and bioinformatics to advance the Laboratory's mission areas.

PNNL's Lu Verdugo selected top mentor in the country

Lu Verdugo received the inaugural National Mentor Award at The International Association of Office Professionals (IAAP) annual meeting in New Orleans on July 30. The award was sponsored by Adecco, a national personnel recruiting firm. The Mentor Award recognizes the top administrative professional who is willing to share their time and talents with their colleagues. Lu was honored based on the mentoring program she created and implemented among administrative staff in the Physical and Chemical Sciences Division as well as for her mentoring activities with staff lab-wide. Her accomplishments were judged best in the country by the panel which received 275 nominations. She is the lead administrator for the Physical and Chemical Sciences Division of the National Security Directorate and was this year's recipient of the Laboratory Director's Award of Administrative Excellence and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Administrator of the Year.  (Posted 7/1/2008)

Julia Laskin Awarded Biemann Medal for Achievements in Mass Spectrometry

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory chemist Julia Laskin has received the Biemann Medal, the highest honor granted to a young scientist by the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Laskin accepted the award at the ASMS annual conference June 3 in Denver, where she also delivered a lecture on her research to the nearly 7,000 scientists attending the conference.

The international award recognizes Laskin's contributions to better understanding the activation, fragmentation and deposition of large molecules when they collide with surfaces. Her research is of interest to the broad scientific community and directly advances Department of Energy goals to develop biomaterials and biological processes for clean energy production, as well as to create biologically inspired systems, novel catalysts and biosensors. Other findings by Laskin and her collaborators provide fundamental insights into the analysis of complex molecules present in biofuels, petroleum and aerosols.

"Julia is a leader whose research is expanding the frontiers of science and contributing to vital DOE missions in energy, environment and national security," Laboratory Director Mike Kluse said. "Her accomplishments exemplify the dedication and impact of our outstanding young scientists."

Laskin also received the Department of Energy's Office of Science Early Career Scientist and Engineer and the Presidential Early Career Achievement Award in fall 2007.

Laskin earned a master's degree in physics from the Physico-Mechanical Division of the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute in Russia in 1990, and a doctorate in physical chemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel in 1998. She joined PNNL as a postdoctoral research associate in 2000 and earned the laboratory's M.T. Thomas Award for outstanding postdoctoral achievement in 2002. She is now a chief scientist.

Laskin's work is funded by DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences and takes place at the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a DOE scientific user facility at PNNL. EMSL is one of the world's foremost resources for mass spectrometry experts and instruments.  (Posted 6/1/2008)

Michael Brambley Receives ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award

Michael Brambley received the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Distinguished Service Award. The award salutes members for giving freely of their time and talent to the Society.  (Posted 6/1/2008)

SK Sundaram Recognized for Contributions in Ceramics Field

SK Sundaram was honored with a "Profiles in Excellence" from the American Ceramics Society. This distinction spotlights division members who have been selected by their peers as a person of excellence.

SK, a Chief Materials Scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is internationally recognized for interdisciplinary research in the areas of millimeter/THz wave technology, nanomaterials/toxicity, integrated infrared photonics, and materials in extreme environments.

He has won numerous awards and honors, including two R&D100 awards. SK has held visiting appointments at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton. As a AAAS Fellow, he was honored for his "leadership and innovative contributions to a diverse cross-section of materials sciences, particularly new tools for synthesis and characterization of novel materials, diagnostics, and nanomaterials."  (Posted 2/1/2008)

Evelyn Hirt Receives Distinguished Service Award for Excellence in Nanotechnology

Evelyn Hirt was presented with the 2008 Nanotechnology Council's Distinguished Service Award. Evelyn was recognized for her outstanding service for the benefit and advancement of the IEEE Nanotechnology Council.

The IEEE Nanotechnology Council is a multi-disciplinary group whose purpose is to advance and coordinate work in the field of Nanotechnology which is carried out throughout the IEEE in scientific, literary and educational areas. The Council supports the theory, design, and development of nanotechnology and its scientific, engineering, and industrial applications. Between 2001 and today, Evelyn has held over ten positions with the Council, making her an excellent choice for this honor. The award garners Evelyn a $1,000 honorarium and a commemorative plaque.

At PNNL, Evelyn is a Principle Professional and Engineer with subject matter expertise in systems (hardware, software and integration) and controls. She will be formally presented the award at the IEEE NANO 2008 conference to be held in Texas this August.  (Posted 2/1/2008)

Bing Liu Receives 2008 Engineer of the Year Award from Washington Society of Professional Engineers

Bing Liu was named 2008 Engineer of the Year by the Washington Society of Professional Engineers. Bing was presented with this prestigious award at an Awards Banquet on February 22, 2008.

While nominations are submitted by the local chapters of professional societies such as ASHRAE, IEEE, and ASME, the Engineer of the Year Award is sponsored by the Washington Society of Professional Engineers. WSPE is a professional association, established in 1937, representing over 600 engineers from all fields of practice.

Bing, a senior research engineer, has focused her research primarily on the areas of Building and HVAC system energy efficiency, building energy use, and energy efficiency standards. Bing and her team have provided support through their analysis to DOE's decision making that will result in more stringent federal standards for packaged terminal air conditioners and heat pumps.  (Posted 2/1/2008)

Rob Pratt Receives IEEE Region 6 Northwest Area Outstanding Engineer Award

Rob Pratt received the IEEE Northwest Area Region 6 Outstanding Engineer Award. Rob received this award for his leadership in the Lab's Energy System Transformation Initiative which formed the DOE GridWise program.

IEEE is the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology. This Award is designed to recognize IEEE members of Region 6 who have made outstanding contributions to their profession. It recognizes the development of new technical concepts, significant patents, development of new devices, development of applications, new designs, and significant cost reductions using known techniques.

Rob is a research scientist for Energy Technology Development. His leadership in the Lab's Energy System Transformation Initiative which formed the DOE GridWise program has also been instrumental in establishing the "smart grid" Movement, including smart grid legislation in the recent federal energy bill. Rob has also made significant contributions to the Grid-Friendly Appliance effort, the Pacific Northwest GridWise Demo, and the Energy Infrastructure which have all helped to advance electrical engineering in the region.  (Posted 1/1/2008)

Kevin Rosso named Virginia Tech Collefge of Science's Outstanding Alumnus

Kevin Rosso was honored by Virginia Tech for his outstanding research and contributions to the scientific community. Each year the university's alumni association selects, from each academic college, a gifted person who has graduated in the past decade. Rosso received the award from the College of Science, where he earned a doctoral degree in geochemistry in 1998. As a user of EMSL, Rosso leads internationally recognized research in environmental spectroscopy and biogeochemistry. He is an expert in mineral-water interface geochemistry, combining scanning probe microscopy and ab initio molecular modeling. He is known for his insightful models of electron transfer kinetics in environmental systems. His recent studies illuminate the relationship between bacteria and environmental metals, such as iron and uranium.  (Posted 12/1/2008)

Wei-Jun Qian Named "Rising Star" by Genome Technology

Dr. Wei-Jun Qian is one of 30 "rising young stars" named by Genome Technology magazine in its third annual "Tomorrow's PIs" special edition. The magazine offers readers a chance to see large-scale biological research through the eyes of some of the best and the brightest young scientists who are poised to make significant contributions to their areas of interest.

Qian, a senior scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is an expert in the rapidly growing field of proteomics—the study of proteins. He was chosen because of his contributions toward the development and application of innovative techniques that have enabled large-scale, quantitative investigations of proteins in challenging clinical samples.

His current research involves developing and applying novel mass spectrometry-based proteomics approaches for quantifying changes in proteins from mammalian cells, tissues, and biofluids. This work is helping the scientific community gain a better understanding of cell signaling and discovering novel mechanistic or diagnostic protein biomarkers for human diseases. Qian has authored or co-authored 57 peer-reviewed publications and three book chapters.

The young investigators were nominated by scientists who are established leaders in the field today. Dr. Richard D. Smith, PNNL's chief scientist for proteomics and Battelle Fellow, nominated Qian. An interview with Qian entitled "Step by Step, a Better Mass Spec" appears in the December 2008/January 2009 issue of Genome Technology.  (Posted 12/1/2008)

PNNL Researchers Earned Top Honors at SuperComputing Conference

Christopher Oehmen, Lee Ann McCue, Bobbie-Jo Webb-Robertson, Scott Dowson, Justin Almquist, Jason McDermott, and Chandrika Sivaramakrishnan won this year's SuperComputing (SC08) HPC Analytics Challenge. The Analytics Challenge encourages innovative and sophisticated analysis and visualization techniques in a meaningful application that supports the discovery of knowledge. This high-visibility venue provides a great opportunity to showcase PNNL's leadership in data-intensive computing, scientific visualization, and HPC scientific applications "Our entire team is thrilled that we won, "Oehmen said, who led the winning team. "It's an honor to be a part of this international competition. We could not have completed the challenge without the support of our sponsors at the Department of Energy, National Science foundation, and internal investments from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory."  (Posted 11/1/2008)

Alan Waltar Receives World Nuclear Association (WNA) Award for "Distinguished Contribution to Peaceful Worldwide use of Nuclear Technology"

Alan was one of three individuals to receive the WNA Award on September 4th in London for his influence on and commitment to the value of nuclear technology.

He was honored for his "committed belief in nuclear technology, a strong and creative intelligence, a remarkable lack of ego, and a great generosity to his fellow man" according to the WNA Director General. Alan's long history in nuclear education was highlighted by his leadership at the WNU Summer Institute. At PNNL, Alan provides consult for various initiatives as a senior advisor.

The WNA Director General, John Ritch, described Alan as a "superlative educator of our future nuclear leaders" and an "educator to his bones...a charismatic inspiration."  (Posted 9/1/2008)

Gary Spanner Named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by CBC Foundation

Gary Spanner, Tech Deployment and Outreach Directorate, has been named the CBC 2008-2009 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by the Columbia Basin College Foundation. Gary manages the PNNL Economic Development Office. Gary, who attended CBC in 1972 and 1973, received this award from the CBC Foundation board chairman, Don Paddock, Sept. 17 in front of more than 300 CBC faculty and staff. He was honored for his professional achievements, civic leadership, community service and support of the college.  (Posted 9/1/2008)

Subhash Singhal receives the 2008 Grove Medal

Subhash Singhal received the 2008 Grove Medal for sustained advances in fuel cell technology. He accepted the honor at the Fuel Cells Science & Technology 2008 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he gave the opening address. The medal commemorates Welsh judge, inventor and physicist Sir William Robert Grove, who created the first fuel cell in 1839. It is the fifth international award to recognize Subhash's contributions to fuel cell research. As a Battelle Fellow at PNNL, Subhash provides senior technical, managerial and commercialization leadership to the Lab's fuel cell program.  (Posted 8/1/2008)

EMSL researcher to receive International Immunology's Outstanding Merit Award

EMSL researcher Ljiljana Paša Toli? was among the authors of a paper that was selected to receive International Immunology's Outstanding Merit Award for the article of exceptional value for 2007. The paper is "Preferential Recognition of a Microbial Metabolite by Human V2V2 T Cells INTIMM-06-0286.R1" [19(5):657-673, published May 2007], authored by Kia-Joo Puan, Chenggang Jin, Hong Wang, Ghanashyam Sarikonda, Amy M. Raker, Hoi K. Lee, Megan I. Samuelson, Elisabeth Märker-Hermann, Ljiljana Paša Toli?, Edward Nieves, José-Luis Giner, Tomohisa Kuzuyama, and Craig T. Morita, the latter an EMSL user from the University of Iowa. The editors of the journal present this award in special recognition of the article deemed to exhibit the highest distinction in immunological research.  (Posted 7/1/2008)

Aircraft Operations Receive Gold Standard Recognition

A prestigious national award recognized the stellar safety program of PNNL research aircraft used around the world for atmospheric research. The federal Interagency Committee for Aviation Policy awarded its highest Gold Standard Certificate to the Department of Energy for PNNL's excellent safety and operations management of the Research Aircraft Facility. The award recognizes the three-decade record of Bob Hannigan and his team of John Hubbe, Bill Svancara, Dick Hone, Rich Barchet, Ruth Keefe, and Bev Johnson for safe operations of the G-1 aircraft at PNNL and other research aircraft worldwide under contract to PNNL.
More details  (Posted 7/1/2008)

Yong Wang awarded 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award

In recognition of his outstanding career and tireless support to the School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Yong Wang, Energy and Environment Directorate, has been awarded the Washington State University 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award. Yong is an adjunct professor in chemical engineering and bioengineering at WSU and a guest professor at Tianjin University (China); Sichuan University; Dalian University of Technology; and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. He currently serves on the editorial board of Catalysis Today and the Journal of Nanomaterials and is the program committee chair for the American Chemical Society's Petroleum Division (2006-2008).

He has organized numerous international and national conferences and has more than 100 peer reviewed publications, more than 50 invited presentations, 52 issued U.S. patents, and two books focused on microreactor and process intensification.  (Posted 6/1/2008)

Zhenrong Zhang Receives M.T. Thomas Award for Postdoctoral Research

A scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Dr. Zhenrong Zhang was selected as the 2007 recipient of the M.T. Thomas Award for Outstanding Postdoctoral Achievement. This award recognizes her breakthrough science regarding the reactions on the surface of titanium dioxide, TiO₂(110), a promising material with applications in catalysis and other areas. These breakthroughs are the result of her refinements to experimental instrumentation, allowing atomic-level measurements.

The award, first presented in 1996, acknowledges outstanding accomplishments by postdoctoral fellows who conduct their research in the Department of Energy's Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national scientific user facility at PNNL.  (Posted 5/1/2008)

Dick Weller Earns Honorary Professorship for International Scientific Collaboration

Dick Weller of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was awarded a diploma by the Scientific Council of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Veterinary Science in Kyiv, Ukraine, conferring upon him the title of "Honorary Professor of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine." Weller is only the second person ever to be so honored in the history of the Institute. Weller received the diploma while at the Institute to deliver an invited presentation, "Veterinary Oncology: A Short History."

Weller promotes scientific collaboration between PNNL and other U.S. institutes and supports veterinary education. Over the last five years, he also has worked closely with the Ukraine Academy of Agrarian Science, in particular with its major veterinary institutes—the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (in Kharkov) and the Institute of Veterinary Medicine (in Kyiv)—both educational centers as well as research and development (R&D) institutes.

Working with professional colleagues at each institute, Weller has helped determine how to upgrade their biosecurity and biosafety practices related to R&D conducted to improve ways to diagnose, treat, and control animal diseases that could affect food safety and pose a public health concern. He helped develop plans for how to manage and safely handle disease-causing organisms used when conducting research activities at the institutes. Together, they have developed proposals for different but related ways of improving biosecurity and biosafety practices such as the proper use of protective clothing, the proper use of biological safety cabinets, and changing work flow patterns to minimize the number of people coming in contact with potentially dangerous microorganisms.

Engaging with peers in the biological world to build bridges that will sustain common understanding and mutual respect over time has been particularly rewarding for Weller. "I listen as a scientific peer, because my personal and professional interest is in trying to help solve professional problems," he said. "We have laid the groundwork for trust and a dogged stewardship of what we think they [the Institutes] deserve to have done" in the interests of biosecurity and biosafety.  (Posted 4/1/2008)

Yanwen Zhang Invited to Attend Prestigious Kavli Symposium in Germany

A world-leading reputation for advancing the frontiers of materials science has landed a PNNL researcher a prestigious invitation to attend a renowned international science symposium. Yanwen Zhang, PNNL senior research scientist at EMSL, a DOE scientific user facility, has been selected to attend the 14th Annual German-American Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium June 11-14, in Potsdam, Germany.

Zhang's research includes theoretical and experimental materials science and engineering. She works closely with computational scientists, biochemists and nuclear engineers worldwide to develop models that predict the performance of materials. For example, she led a project that is critical to research on materials science and radiation physics involving ion-solid interactions. The project developed a new capability to accurately measure ion-slowing processes in solids, leading to better predictions of ion-stopping. This capability is important for rapidly expanding applications in nuclear reactors, fusion technology, and radiation detection.

Author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and other publications, Zhang also has received several prestigious awards and fellowships, including a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation and the U.S. National Academy of Science. It is designed to provide an overview of opportunities in a wide range of scientific disciplines and to enable future science leaders to build networking relationships with their colleagues. Since 1989, more than 100 past attendees have been elected to the National Academy of Science and eight have received Nobel Prizes. Additional information can be found at www.nasonline.org.  (Posted 3/1/2008)

Ron Walters receives National Intelligence Medal of Achievement

Ron Walters received the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement from the Director of National Intelligence. Ron was recognized for his extraordinary technical leadership as the architect of several groundbreaking efforts that have substantially increased the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to acts of bioterrorism and natural disease outbreaks.  (Posted 1/1/2008)

2008 Fellowships

Six PNNL scientists elected AAAS fellows

Scientific association honors researchers for advancements in chemistry, engineering, physics and atmospheric science.

Six scientists from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Election as a fellow recognizes the researchers' exceptional efforts to advance science or its applications.

The PNNL honorees and the AAAS sections that elected them are Don Baer, physics; Michel Dupuis and Chuck Peden, chemistry; Cindy Bruckner-Lea and Yong Wang, engineering; and L. Ruby Leung, atmospheric and hydrospheric sciences. They join 28 PNNL researchers previously chosen as AAAS fellows.

Don Baer
Don Baer specializes in the use of spectroscopy and other advanced techniques to reveal the behavior of atoms and molecules at or near the surfaces of materials. AAAS honored him "for research and capability development that significantly advance molecular-level understanding of environmentally important interfacial processes relevant to nanoparticle reactivity, mineral dissolution and stress corrosion cracking."

Baer is a laboratory fellow and lead scientist for interfacial chemistry at EMSL, a DOE national scientific user facility located at PNNL. He also is an adjunct professor of physics at Washington State University, Tri-Cities, and an adjunct professor of chemistry at the University of Washington. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and received his doctorate from Cornell University.

Cindy Bruckner-Lea
Bruckner-Lea was recognized "for groundbreaking contributions to the field of bioengineering, particularly for development of biosensors and bioanalytical systems at the interfaces between chemistry, biology and engineering."

Bruckner-Lea manages PNNL's chemical and biological sciences group. Her research focuses on the development of biodetection systems for national security, environmental and medical applications. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Davis, and her doctorate in bioengineering from the University of Utah.

Michel Dupuis
Dupuis pioneered the use of information technology to address fundamental problems in chemical theory and research. The AAAS fellowship recognizes his "distinguished contributions to the fields of computational and theoretical chemistry, particularly for the development of electronic structure methods and computer codes for the simulation of molecular properties and reactivity."

Dupuis is a laboratory fellow and associate director in PNNL's Chemical and Materials Sciences Division. He completed his undergraduate work in engineering at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and earned his doctorate in theoretical chemistry at the State University of New York, Buffalo.

Ruby Leung
Discovering unexpected impacts of climate change, such as changes in water resources in the United States and East Asia, has brought international recognition to Leung. AAAS honored her "for outstanding contributions to the development and application of regional climate models."

Leung is a laboratory fellow in the PNNL Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division. She holds a bachelor's degree in physics and statistics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a master's and doctorate in atmospheric science from Texas A&M University.

Chuck Peden
Peden is at the forefront of research to control emissions from diesel and other fuel-efficient engines. He was selected "for distinguished contributions to the fundamental understanding of catalyst materials and processes for vehicle emission control that have enabled the implementation of new technologies."

Peden is interim director of the laboratory's Institute for Interfacial Catalysis. Author of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and presentations, Peden received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from California State University, Chico, and his master's degree and doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Yong Wang
Wang was honored "for groundbreaking contributions to the fields of reaction engineering and catalysis innovations that enable novel approaches to process intensification in important energy areas." Holder of more than 100 issued and pending U.S. patents, Wang is an authority on the development of chemical processes to produce hydrogen for fuel cells and on the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals.

Wang is a laboratory fellow and associate director of the laboratory's Institute for Interfacial Catalysis. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Chengdu University of Science and Technology, China, plus a master's degree and a doctorate from Washington State University. Wang is an adjunct professor of chemical engineering at WSU and recipient of the university's 2008 Alumni Achievement Award  (Posted 12/1/2008)

John Vienna Elected ACerS Fellow

John Vienna, Energy & Environment Directorate, was named as Fellow in the American Ceramics Society. Dr. Vienna has published over 150 journal articles, conference papers and technical reports in materials science and its applications to waste management. He has performed independent research in basic waste form materials chemistry, nucleation and growth kinetics, waste form processing, and thermodynamics of multi-component, multi-phased waste forms. Dr. Vienna has developed waste forms for excess nuclear materials and wastes at several US and international nuclear waste sites.  (Posted 9/1/2008)

Greg Piepel Elected Fellow of the American Society for Quality

Greg Piepel, Lab Fellow of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Fellow of the American Statistical Association, was elected as a Fellow of the American update tblAward Society for Quality (ASQ) in recognition of his significant contributions to quality.

In September 2008, the Board of Directors of the ASQ elected Piepel a Fellow of the Society for his "outstanding contributions to the experimental design and analysis of mixture experiments; for important applications of statistics and quality to nuclear waste immobilization; and for service to the profession."

Greg has worked for over 30 years developing and applying statistical methods for mixture experiments. A mixture experiment involves mixing ingredients of an end-product in various percentages (which must sum to 100), and measuring properties of the end-products. Greg has developed and applied statistical methods for designing mixture experiments as well as understanding, modeling, and optimizing. Applications have included immobilization of nuclear waste in glass and grout, alloys and other materials, pharmaceuticals, and food. Greg is one of the top-two experts in statistical methods for mixture experiments, and has taught short courses in the topic for many years.

ASQ is a knowledge-based global community of quality experts, with nearly 85,000 members dedicated to the promotion and advancement of quality tools, principles, and practices in their workplaces and in their communities.  (Posted 9/1/2008)

Kathy Pryor Recognized as Fellow by Health Physics Society

Kathy Pryor, a Chief Health Physicist at PNNL, was recognized as a 2008 Fellow by the Health Physics Society (HPS) committee. This prestigious recognition is designed to honor senior members of the Society who have made significant administrative, educational, and/or scientific contributions to the profession of health physics.

Kathy has been a member of HPS since 1980 and served the Society through her participation in numerous committees, as a Director and currently as Secretary. Kathy is a Certified Health Physicist and has also advanced the professionalism of Health Physics through her continuing work with the American Board of Health Physics and the American Academy of Health Physics  (Posted 5/1/2008)

Bill Weber Elected Fellow of Materials Research Society

Bill Weber was selected as an inaugural Fellow in the Materials Research Society. This is the first year, since being founded in 1973, that the society has honored notable members for their contributions to advancing materials research. Weber received this honor for his "seminal contributions, leadership, mentoring and innovative research on defects, defect properties, ion-solid interactions, radiation effects and models of radiation damage processes in glasses and ceramics."

Weber's research is focused on the fundamental understanding and accurate modeling of the effects of atomic-level defects and radiation on ceramics. This research is essential for advancing electronic devices, developing radiation-tolerant materials for new nuclear power reactors, and addressing concerns regarding the stability of nuclear waste.

Because of his belief in sharing the results of his work with the broader scientific community, Weber has authored or co-authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and 50 technical reports, many of which have been cited extensively. For example, in the MRS Journal of Materials Research and MRS Bulletin, his 21 articles have earned more than 840 citations. Currently, he is finishing a 6-year stint as a principal editor and member of the editorial board on the Journal of Materials Research.

In addition to his research and publishing, Weber takes the time to mentor new scientists at PNNL. While reviewing papers and discussing comments is a painful chore to some, Weber enjoys the stimulating conversations and watching new scientists grow during their career.  (Posted 2/1/2008)

2008 Elected Positions and Offices

Bruce Kay Appointed to DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Dr. Bruce D. Kay recently accepted appointment to the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee. This committee helps solve complex scientific and technical issues for Basic Energy Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. Through BES, researchers expand the scientific foundations for energy technologies and understand and mitigate the environmental impacts of energy use.

As a part of the 25-member committee, composed of experts from academia, national laboratories, and other institutions, Kay will provide recommendations on research and facilities priorities, appropriate balance among scientific disciplines, and collaboration among research institutes and industries. Undersecretary for DOE's Office of Science Dr. Raymond Orbach selected Kay for this assignment.

Kay was chosen for his internationally recognized leadership in the chemical sciences. His research at PNNL examines condensed phase chemical kinetics and molecular dynamics aimed at gaining a detailed physical understanding of the molecular-level interactions responsible for phase transitions and catalytic chemical reactions. A Fellow of the American Physical Society, AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Kay has written more than 120 journal articles and technical reports and given nearly 200 invited lectures at forums around the world  (Posted 2/1/2008)

Evelyn Hirt voted 2009 president-elect for IEEE-USA

Evelyn Hirt has been voted 2009 president-elect for IEEE-USA. IEEE is the world's leading professional association dedicated to technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. Evelyn's work focuses on technology systems and controls that are applied to a broad range of research, development and deployment and management system activities.

Evelyn will begin her three-year term Jan. 1. She will serve one year as president-elect, one year as president and chief executive officer, and the final year as past president.

"It's a huge honor," Evelyn said. "I view this as the perfect opportunity to help raise general awareness of how math and science contribute to the overall success of the country."

Earlier this year, Evelyn received the 2008 IEEE Nanotechnology Council Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her outstanding service for the benefit and advancement of the council.  (Posted 12/1/2008)

Yong Wang serves second term on editorial board of Catalysis Today

Yong Wang, Associate Director of the Institute for Interfacial Catalysis, has been invited to serve a second term on the Catalysis Today Editorial Board. Wang joined the board in 2005. He was recently invited by the journal's publisher, Elsevier, to continue the service due to his effort on editorial issues and encouraging his peers to publish in the journal.

A Laboratory Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Wang is active in the scientific community. He is the author or co-author of 100+ peer-reviewed publications and has 54 issued US patents. He served as co-editor of two books. Also, he is an Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering at Washington State University.  (Posted 12/1/2008)

Brian Hatchell elected to executive committee of American Nuclear Society Robotics and Remote Systems Division

Brian Hatchell was elected to the executive committee of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Robotics and Remote Systems Division. During his three-year term Brian will attend executive committee meetings and will be the editor for the Division's newsletter. Brian has been a member of ANS since 1999 and was the technical program co-chair for the 9th Topical Meeting on Robotics and Remote Systems in 2001.  (Posted 10/1/2008)

Steven Baker Appointed Chair of ANSI N 13.6 Working Group

Steven Baker, Energy & Environment Directorate, was appointed chair of an American National Standards Institute Working Group. Baker is an accomplished Health and Safety Manager specializing in radiation protection support services with proven ability to direct technical operations and lead employees in support of company goals and vision. The working group will evaluate the current occupational radiation exposure records systems.  (Posted 10/1/2008)

Leonard Bond elected Director, IEEE Region 6 (Western USA)

Leonard Bond, Laboratory Fellow, National Security Directorate, has succeeded to the position of director, IEEE region 6 (Western USA). In this position he has leadership of the nearly 60,000 members of IEEE in 12 western states. He also serves as a director for IEEE (09-10), the world's largest technical society with near 400,000 members worldwide and on the board of directors for IEEE-USA, the U.S. IEEE Regions. Leonard began his two-year term as director on Jan. 1. Since his election, he already has served two years as director-elect and after his time on the board of director he will serve two years as past-director. "After 34 years of membership in IEEE it is an opportunity to give back to an organization which was invaluable in my career development. It is a real privilege and honor to be serving on the board of directors," Leonard said. "In 2009, which is the 125th anniversary of IEEE, I view this as an opportunity to increase awareness of the importance of science literacy and the role of technology in meeting global energy needs and addressing climate change challenges."  (Posted 10/1/2008)

Eric Nyberg selected as Editor of TMS proceedings "Magnesium Technology 2009"

Eric Nyberg has been selected as Editor of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) proceedings, "Magnesium Technology 2009." Eric was also elected as the 2009 Chairman for the TMS Lightweight Metals Division committee on Magnesium and organizer for the 2009 Magnesium Technology Symposium to be held in San Francisco next February. Eric is the U.S. Technical Committee chairman for a unique 3-country automotive project, "Magnesium Front End Research and Development," a D.O.E. funded collaboration between the U.S., China and Canada on developing enabling technolgies for a magnesium intensive front end vehicle.  (Posted 7/1/2008)

David King Elected Secretary of ACS Division of Fuel Chemistry

David King of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was elected Secretary of the American Chemical Society's Division of Fuel Chemistry. This division of the world's largest scientific society helps the research community share results that promote efficient and environmentally acceptable fuel production and use.

As the Secretary, King will supervise elections for the division. The process currently involves mailing out hundreds of paper ballots, encouraging responses, and tallying the results, a time-consuming process he plans to modernize. In addition, he will take the minutes at meetings and will oversee various communication products.

His involvement in the division was a natural, given his catalysis research at PNNL. As part of PNNL's Institute for Interfacial Catalysis, King is the Executive Secretary for the annual advisory committee meeting for the Laboratory's Catalysis Initiative.

In addition, he is conducting research in producing hydrogen fuel from biomass, designing solid oxide fuel cells to use natural gas directly, and removing undesirable sulfur molecules from liquid and gaseous fuels. He provides technical leadership for PNNL's Energy Conversion Initiative, facilitating environmentally friendly coal gasification and coal combustion processes. Finally, he serves as team lead for catalysis science and application in the Hydrocarbon Processing Group of the Energy and Environment Directorate.

King's term began in the spring 2008 and lasts through spring 2010.  (Posted 5/1/2008)

Joel Pounds and Thomas Weber Appointed Committee Chairs for Society of Toxicology

Dr. Joel Pounds

Dr. Thomas Weber

Pounds will serve as Chair of the Society's Research Funding in Toxicology Committee. This committee is charged to identify, formulate, and recommend strategies and mechanisms to the Council to increase conventional and alternative sources of funding for research and training in toxicology. Pounds' appointment is through 2011.

Pounds is director of the Center for Novel Biomarkers of Response at PNNL, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health. He also leads the Systems Toxicology of Nanomaterials focus area of PNNL's Environmental Biomarkers Initiative. Pounds' research has focused on the cellular and molecular toxicity of lead and other metals, metal-metal interaction, and mathematical modeling of the response to metal mixtures. His current research includes use of mass-spectrometry based proteomic and NMR-based metabonomic instrumentation for characterization of biological responses to environmental stressors including nanomaterials.

Weber will serve a 2-year term as Chairman of the Society's Contemporary Concepts in Toxicology Committee. The committee is charged with identifying and developing strategic conferences for the Society. He is a scientist within PNNL's Environmental Biomarkers Initiative and is actively engaged in research supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's Low Dose Radiation Research Program. His work focuses on the intersection between effective wound healing and carcinogenesis with the long-term goal of identifying key regulatory steps that can be exploited to improve human health. Other research interests center on new frontiers in protein kinase regulation.  (Posted 4/1/2008)

Theva Thevuthasan Appointed Chair of AVS Short Course Committee

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory researcher Theva Thevuthasan was appointed Chair of the Short Course Executive Committee for AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing. Through this committee, the international society provides scientists, engineers, and technicians with classes in vacuum and equipment technology, materials and interface characterization, and materials processing.

A frequent volunteer and long—time mentor, Thevuthasan served on the Short Course Executive Committee for about 10 years in different capacities. As the committee chair, Thevuthasan ensures the quality of more than 60 courses, such as "Comprehensive Course on Surface Analysis" and "Fundamentals of Vacuum Technology."

During his 3-year appointment, Thevuthasan is eager to continue the society's work to increase short course participation, which began to decline in 2001 based on changes in the semiconductor business. He is leading the committee in developing four focused educational programs this year, based on input from potential and past students.

At EMSL, Thevuthasan is well known for his design and development of experimental instruments with new capabilities. He is a recognized leader and author in ion beam modification and analysis of oxide materials with applications in resolving energy and the environmental issues.  (Posted 2/1/2008)

Baer Elected to Third Term as ASTM International Committee Chair

Don Baer, Laboratory Fellow and Lead Scientist for Interfacial Chemistry at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, was elected to a third term as Chair of the ASTM International Committee E42 on Surface Analysis. The committee has jurisdiction over some 25 standards for surface analysis methods and is one of 136 ASTM technical standards writing committees. He began serving the 2-year term—his final—on January 1.

Baer is internationally known for the application of surface analysis methods to examine corrosion processes and the reactive properties of oxide and mineral surfaces. Since joining the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—on whose campus EMSL resides—he has specialized in the use of surface-sensitive techniques to study how the interactions of a material with its environment alter material properties. Much of his research has involved understanding the roles of surface impurities or contaminants in chemical reactivity, and his current work involves understanding the reaction properties and environmental variability of nanoparticles.

In addition to his EMSL role and research activities, Baer serves as the PNNL coordinator for a series of nanoscience and nanotechnology courses offered at the Laboratory. He is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at Washington State University; an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at the University of Washington; and a member of the American Vacuum Society (Fellow), the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, the Electrochemical Society, and the ISO Technical Committee 201 on Surface Chemistry. He has served in a variety of leadership roles within those professional societies.

Baer has been a member of ASTM International since 1980. ASTM (originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) International is one of the largest standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems, and commercial transactions around the globe.  (Posted 2/1/2008)

Mark Engelhard Selected to Chair Publications Committee for AVS

Mark Engelhard, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researcher in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, was appointed Publications Committee Chair for AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing. Founded in 1953, this international society was focused on vacuum science and technology, critical to developing vacuum tubes, enabling radio broadcasting, radar, and other technologies. Today, the society has broadened its scope to surface science, electronic and magnetic materials, nanoscience, biomaterials and other relevant areas.  (Posted 1/1/2008)

Jason Tomlinson to Lead Interagency Coordinating Committee for Airborne Geosciences Research and Application

Jason Tomlinson was appointed to lead the prestigious national group, Interagency Coordinating Committee for Airborne Geosciences Research and Application. The committee works to increase the effective use of the federal airborne fleet for geoscience research, including national and international field campaigns. The organization consists of federal agencies that sponsor aircraft and related instruments for geoscience research. Members include DOE, National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Naval Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and United States Geological Survey.  (Posted 12/1/2008)

John McCoy elected vice president of regional network consortium

John McCoy was elected by the participants of the Northern Tier Network Consortium (NTNC) to serve as vice president. The NTNC is a regional initiative aimed at creating robust network connections for participating research institutions in the northwestern states. The goals of the NTNC and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are aligned in their focus to improve network connectivity through investments in regional optical networks. John's work with the consortium will ensure the alignment of PNNL's network implementation with NTNC's plans to create an integrated research and education network capability.

PNNL is proud of John's commitment to educational, research, and economic vitality of the Northern region through his appointment with NTNC.  (Posted 11/1/2008)

Dave Koppenaal to Serve on International Advisory Board for New Journal

David Koppenaal has been invited to serve a 3-year term on the International Advisory Board for the new journal Metallomics: Integrated biometal science. The journal is a Royal Society of Chemistry publication that will be launched in January 2009. Metallomics is the integrated study of metals and metal species and their interactions, transformations and functions in biological systems. The subject is receiving great attention as a new frontier in the investigation of trace elements in biology and is expected to develop as an interdisciplinary science complementary to metabolomics and proteomics.

Koppenaal is a Laboratory Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who leads the Biological Separations and Mass Spectrometry Group within the Biological Sciences Division. His research has been principally focused on the development of atomic mass spectrometry for inorganic and isotopic characterization, and the demonstration of new analytical techniques and instruments for environmental, nuclear, non-proliferation and biological/health problems.

Koppenaal and co-workers at PNNL have pioneered the application of inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry as a powerful and relevant radioanalytical tool and demonstrated its use for radioactive waste characterization, ultra-trace nuclear forensics use and, most recently, metallomics applications.

His more than 75 publications include several invited review articles, and he is a frequent keynote and plenary lecturer at major conferences. Koppenaal recently completed a 7-year term as Editorial Board member for the RSC publication Journal of Analytical and Atomic Spectrometry. Koppenaal is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society of Chemistry and a member of the American Chemistry Society and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.  (Posted 11/1/2008)

Michael Dupuis Appointed to Journal of Physical Chemistry Advisory Board

Dr. Michel Dupuis has accepted an invitation to join the advisory board of the Journal of Physical Chemistry. As a member of this international board, Dupuis will consult with the board on questions about the journal's policy and future while continuing to referee manuscripts submitted to the journal.

Dupuis was selected for his more than 30 years of expertise in theoretical and computational chemistry, a field of research where he develops and applies theories, methods and computer algorithms to the study of chemical problems. His research deals with the electronic structure and reactivity of molecules, clusters, and materials involved in gas phase and condensed phase chemistry, catalysis, electrochemistry, and biochemistry.

In addition, Dupuis strongly supports the scientific community. He publishes extensively, having authored or co-authored 170+ journal articles. He lectures at many national and international conferences. Also, he routinely mentors college students and post-doctoral fellows and serves as adjunct faculty at Washington State University-Tri Cities.

Founded by the American Chemical Society in 1896, the Journal of Physical Chemistry was recently divided into three journals because of the growth in the field. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A covers experimental and theoretical research on the structure, dynamics, and spectroscopy of molecules and clusters. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B focuses on material chemistry, thermodynamics, and related fields. It is in the top 20 journals of the physical chemistry field. The newest journal, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, focuses on nanoscience. Each journal is published weekly.  (Posted 11/1/2008)

Baer Named Reviews Editor for Journal

Don Baer was selected to serve as the Reviews Editor for Surface and Interface Analysis. This international, refereed journal is devoted to publishing papers on developing and applying techniques for characterizing surfaces, interfaces, and thin films. As the Reviews Editor, Baer will work with world-leading scientists to obtain articles on topics of interest to the journal's audience of materials scientists, physicists, physical chemists, and others. In addition to traditional review articles, he will encourage leading scientists to prepare perspectives on current research directions and technology