Lab Manager 3/23
The U.S. Department of Energy has extended the contract for the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute to co-manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory for another five years. Energy Secretary Steven Chu was joined by Gov. Phil Bredesen, UT Interim President Jan Simek and Battelle President Jeff Wadsworth in announcing the new contract on Tuesday. UT-Battelle, a joint venture between the two institutions, first won the management contract for the lab on April 1, 2000. The contract was renewed in April 2005. "I'm extremely pleased by Secretary Chu's announcement today," Bredesen said. "The success of the partnership between UT and Battelle has brought our state world-class expertise in research, high-performance computing, nanotechnology and other areas of science. This announcement ensures Tennessee will be well-positioned to continue to attract research investments and other economic benefits generated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory." ORNL's modernization included a major upgrade in science and technology facilities. The most prominent is the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source, the world's most powerful pulsed neutron accelerator used in the study the structure of materials at the molecular level.
