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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Tours April 18, 2002 |
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(See Registration Form to make tour selection.) TOUR DESCRIPTIONS 1. LIFE AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES TECHNOLOGIES Life Sciences Research--MicroCat/Voice Recognition/Scanning Electron Microscope Demos Life sciences include research on mammalian genetics and the search for new technologies for DNA sequencing. See mice that look normal but carry subtle mutations and are being monitored in the same ways as hospital patients. These monitoring technologies are helping biologists rapidly identify which mice have particular mutations, saving time and money and producing interesting scientific results. See the ultra-high resolution imaging tool--the MicroCat--a three-dimensional image with over 10 times the resolutions of conventional X-ray-computed tomography systems and used to study "fat mice," and mice with polycystic kidney disease. Engineering Science/Advanced Instrumentation--Voice Recognition Project "What Does My Voice Look Like?" To answer this question, see a voice-recognition project that allows you to see a computer generated picture of your voice and demonstrates how forensic voice comparisons are conducted by law enforcement agencies. Scanning Electron Microscope Tour participants will see the many applications of using this important research tool. 2. NEUTRON SCIENCES RESEARCH Tour of the Spallation Neutron Source The Spallation Neutron Source, an accelerator-based neutron source being built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is a one-of-a-kind facility that will be completed in 2006. It will provide the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development. The tour will emphasize how neutron-scattering research has a lot to do with the materials we use in our everyday lives. You will hear an overview of the whole project and take a windshield tour of the construction site. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Tour of Environmental Sciences Division Researchers in this division conduct environmental research and analysis associated with energy technology and the interaction between humans and the environment. Basic and applied research, environmental engineering, environmental assessments, advanced technology demonstrations, and environmental regulatory compliance studies are conducted. Visitors will learn about the many facets of environmental sciences, including tours of the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, where researchers determine the health of a stream and surrounding environs through biological monitoring; and Bioenergy Feedstock Development Program, where researchers are evaluating the use of dedicated crops (grass and trees) as an alternative energy source for fuel and electricity. 4. ADVANCED MATERIALS RESEARCH Tour of High Temperature Materials Laboratory Many of the technological advances of recent years have come about as the direct result of materials advances such as the stealth bomber, fiber optics, CD-ROM and other high-density information systems. New materials evolve through the accumulation of information about mechanical and thermal properties, interactions of materials with the environment, and structures of materials down to a microscopic scale. The tour of the High Temperature Materials Laboratory, a national user facility, will show possible uses of ceramics and the joint projects between ORNL and industry to develop high technology ceramics for automobile and other vehicles. 5. ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES This field is responsible for wide-ranging research in all phases of energy use and development. You will visit the Buildings Technology Center, where there are three recognized centers of excellence: the Buildings Envelope Research Center (research in roof, wall, and foundation technologies); the Heating and Cooling Center (research in cooling, heating, and refrigeration); and the Existing Buildings Center (auditing, retrofitting, and monitoring existing buildings). 6. HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING Cheetah Demo ORNL is in the process of implementing a new supercomputer system that will give ORNL researchers and scientists a state-of-the-art computing resource for solving complex problems. Named for the fleetest of mammals, the new "Cheetah" supercomputer will serve research communities including astrophysics, biology, chemistry, climate, fusion and materials. The tour will feature ORNL's Main Computing Center, where the Cheetah is located. CAVE Demo ORNL's CAVE is a simulation science resource using an 8' square room constructed of walls and ceiling that are large rear projection screens. Stereo graphics are projected onto these walls, creating an immersive, visually seamless exploration environment. The CAVE is driven by a large workstation that facilitates exploration of scientific data through sight, sound, voice, and touch. It helps the participant understand the role of supernovae in the genesis of life and ORNL's contributions to the field. During the tour, visitors will be able to transport themselves with hand-held peripherals to explore cosmic explosions. 7. PHYSICS RESEARCH Tour of Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility Research involves the study of nuclear collisions initiated by beams of unstable nuclei. The HRIBF has capabilities that exist nowhere else in the world, allowing physicists to pursue forefront research into the properties of exotic short-lived nuclei with unusual properties, and into the origin of elements in nature and cataclysmic stellar explosions in the cosmos. The tour includes a visit to the world's largest electrostatic accelerator used in these "atom smashing" studies. |
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