2002 Conference Summary

April 18-19, 2002 

Thursday afternoon was spent in small group tours of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  Conference participants were welcomed at the laboratory by Dr. Lee Riedinger, Deputy Director for Science and Technology.  Dr. Riedinger provided a comprehensive overview of the many types of scientific research done at ORNL.  Participants then proceeded on one of four designated tours within the laboratory.

LIFE AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES TECHNOLOGIES

Life Sciences--MicroCat/Voice Recognition/Scanning Electron Microscope Demos

Life sciences include research on mammalian genetics and the search for new technologies for DNA sequencing.  Participants saw 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.  Participants saw 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, participants saw 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 saw the many applications of using this important research tool.

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.  Participants learned 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.

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 featured 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 were able to transport themselves with hand-held peripherals to explore cosmic explosions.

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 included a visit to the world's largest electrostatic accelerator used in these "atom smashing" studies.  

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