ORNL Review, Insulators Will Be Multicompo Commonly Thought of As Being Winter 1979, P
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory ./ I I ( I _,l. irevie l 1 \ ( Volume 12 Number 2 Spring 1979 1 State of the Laboratory By HERMAN POSTMA THE COVER: Laboratory Director Herman Postma summarizes the Year of the Visit in his annual State of the Laboratory Address, delivered on 24 Communications Between Hard & Soft Sciences: January 23 at the Museum of Science and Challenges and Avenues Energy in Oak Ridge. There was standing By TOM WILBANKS room only, the conflict with the State of the Union Message notwithstanding. Postma's message begins on the opposite page. 33 Doughnut Hotter than the Sun Editor Reaching Fusion Temperatures with ORNL Neutral Beams BARBARA LYON By CAROLYN KRAUSE Staff Writer CAROLYN KRAUSE Consulting Editor 45 The Oak Ridge Science Semester ALEX ZUCKER By KAREN CROMER Art Director BILL CLARK DEPARTMENTS Publication Staff: Technical Editing/ LaRue Foster; Typography/ Linda Jeffers; Books 22 Makeup/ Shirley Boatman; ORNL Pho Information Meeting Highlights 30 tography and Reproduction Departments. Lab Anecdote 32 Take A Number 44 The Review is published quarterly and Awards and Appointments 52 distributed to employees and others asso ciated with the Oak Ridge National Lab oratory. The editorial office is in Building 4500-North, Oak Ridge National Labora tory. P.O. Box X, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830. Telephone: Internal 4-7183; com OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY mercial (615) 574-7183; FTS 624-7183. OPERATED BY UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION · FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY By HERMAN POSTMA ach year, in summarizing and people in supporting roles, for dent Carter's visit on May 22. In E the work of the Oak Ridge which funding totals almost a retrospect, it was an exciting time, National Laboratory or any insti third of a billion dollars. one that brought the science and tution, there is a great tempta Before covering those selected technology of the Laboratory to tion to designate "The Break examples, I would like to give the personal attention of the first through," or to attempt to find some quantitative indicators of President to visit us, as well as to that truly important and revolu changes and events that have the attention of many national tionary event that might change happened at the Laboratory. politicians, the national press, the the course of mankind. But sci Then I will turn to some of the scientific advisor to the President, ence really doesn't work that way. past year's findings. Finally, I most of the new Department of What I will emphasize here are will try to predict some future Energy (DOE) officials, and, in many of the ways in which events and to provide some ideas evitably, to the public. Our initial science and technology really do of the directions toward which it objective was to make sure that work- a quiet evolution of change is important for the Laboratory to the President saw not just what rather than the drama of a move. we are doing but also how science revolution. and technology help to maintain In reality, science builds The Event the national strength of the usually slowly and always care Having expressed disclaimers United States-and how impor fully-on prior events. To illus about really big happenings, I tantly that strength depends trate that, I had to make difficult must renege slightly to discuss upon facts and a rationale, in choices in selecting appropriate one very large and important which science and technology examples from among the more event in 1978. It was not a sci have an important role. I wish to than 700 separate projects carried entific event- but perhaps it thank all of you who worked very out by some 5000 professionals was an engineered one-Presi- hard to make that visit a sue- SPRING 1979 1 Because an increasing amount of work is done by subcontractors, ORNL operating budgets have grown more rapidly than ~ EMPLOYMENT 300 employment. IE] BUDGET cess-those who prepared and 6 FULL- TIME 200 5 OPERATING presented and all of you who were EQUIVALENT BUDGET EMPLOYMENT 4 being represented by those who (in millions) did the presentations. President (in 1000's) 3 Carter made the sta.tement that 100 he was "coming to Mecca." That 2 is flattering-and a high tribute to those whose hard work 0 and contributions throughout the 1974 75 76 77 78 1979• many years of ORNL's existence FISCAL YEAR have given it the worldwide •EXPECTED reputation that I believe the President expressed so well. lished, representing productivity Energy, the international energy per person for the institution, has agencies, the State Department, Some Indicators remained nearly constant over and particular programmatic The drama and flurry of the the last ten years. It is, of course, areas. President's visit stand in sharp much harder to measure directly Another trend this year which contrast to the many other events the quality of this work. There are involves ORNL is DOE's inclina and changes that constitute an indicators-awards, honors, peo tion to designate lead laboratories evolution which occurs quietly at ple nominated for the best papers in certain areas. These are areas the Laboratory daily, not only at meetings, IR-100 Awards-and in which DOE says it will rely visible in science but also evi they have all been increasing in upon a particular laboratory as its denced through other indicators. the last few years. Other mea chief agent of technological com Last year, I attempted to outline sures of the Laboratory seen by petence, programmatic direction, some of those changes; this year, I others concern our ability to set and development of a technologi will describe different ones. and to meet difficult goals and cal base. The chief products of the Labo milestones and to make our Many years ago, growth in the ratory are the ideas it has, the commitments come true. When we Laboratory's employment could data it generates, the papers that promise to measure, particularly be linked to growth in money. Re are written, the analyses result in the technologies, some impor cently (and intentionally), mon ing from the data, and the tant phenomenon, by such-and etary growth has not been synthesis that comes from com such a time and at such-and-such attended by a commensurate pilations and evaluations. These a cost, and reach conclusions growth in people. This is so papers, reviews, and assessments from such data, we do it! Those because more and more of the cogently represent the Labora goals and milestones have been work at the Laboratory uses, tory's ideas, innovations, creativ achieved at a faster rate and at a through subcontracting, the ex ity, and inventions- the focus of higher percentage of completion pertise available elsewhere in the "The State of the Laboratory." In every year. I am increasingly country-at other laboratories, in spite of the always-impending impressed with the degree to industry, and at universities. As I crunch of paperwork and red tape, which we accomplish what some emphasized last year, that is an and in spite of the incomprehen times seems nearly impossible area which has grown increas sible amount of information that within very stringent time sched ingly and for which we project needs to be handled and synthe ules and in very difficult tech close to $40 million for the present sized, and in spite of the changes nological areas. fiscal year, a factor of 10 greater that have taken place at the We have also seen a noticeable than that four years ago. Laboratory as we have moved increase in Laboratory members A continuing consolidation is into new areas, some of which we and staff with particular exper taking place at the Laboratory are very new at, we fmd that, in tise who are being called for around fewer themes and in fact, the number of papers pub- consultation to the Department of greater depth, particularly in the 2 OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Review • PROGRAM MANAGEMENT established a limit of 5150 full time-equivalent staff for FY 1979, 3000 fm :~s~~~~~~!!.~i~~~~~RYICES iZL3 R & D PROGRAMS The level of effort in paper studies, beyond which we cannot go assessments, and program management without special permission, re is increasing. gardless of the amount of money 2000 RESEARCH that might come to the Labora DIVISION PERSONNEl tory. This, of course, requires the personnel (although a lot of some innovative management by money) at the Laboratory. Fur 1000 all of us as we attempt even more thermore, because of the change difficult missions under these in the nature of the government constraints. funding of R&D and its estab This year also saw ORNL, and lishment of priorities, much more 1974 1979 national laboratories in general, FISCAl YEAR effort has been going into studies continue to be much-studied enti and evaluations than in the new areas of coal and conserva ties. A General Accounting Office past. tion. In keeping with that trend, report urged that the laboratories the shift in the sciences continues be more utilized by DOE. The from nuclear to nonnuclear in Other Impacts Buchsbaum report to the Presi support of those technologies, Other events in 1978 of con dent's science advisor, Frank particularly in areas where we siderable importance were not so Press, said that the missions of have been given lead responsibili readily distinguished by data and the national laboratories need to ties or into which we wish to move quantitative information. For ex be restored and better focused. ill the future. ample, in 1977, DOE was a Congressional hearings were held Finally, there are other changes promise; in 1978, it became a by the House Science and Tech that must be viewed in a larger reality.