Seven researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) participated in the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) February 16-21 in Atlanta, Ga.
The ORNL researchers spoke in numerous sessions on a variety of topics. On the subject of the Information Age and how software quality problems cost consumers, James D. White of the Instrumentation and Controls Division presented a talk entitled "Challenges to Industry in Improving Software Quality."
ORNL Associate Director Bill R. Appleton organized a symposium entitled "Industry-University-Government Collaboration in Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing." The session was designed to bring scientists and engineers from academia, industry, and government together to discuss their complementary roles in nationally important advanced materials research and development.
Curtis C. Travis, director of the Center for Risk Analysis, addressed a session on environmental remediation with a talk entitled "Problems with Remediation of Contaminated Soils."
A series of talks on the subject of neutrons for basic and applied research, organized by former ORNL Associate Director Alexander Zucker, explored how neutrons are used to obtain information about matter and why researchers are increasingly turning to neutron scattering research. The session included a lecture on complex fluids by John B. Hayter, who played a leading role at ORNL in the design of the proposed Advanced Neutron Source.
Robert S. Turner, of the Environmental Sciences Division, presented a topical lecture entitled "Can Integrated Assessment Link Science and Policy for a Sustainable Future?" His talk included lessons learned from acid rain studies conducted at ORNL as well as current studies of global climate change.
Elias Greenbaum, a researcher in the Chemical Technology Division, organized a session of talks for the AAAS Science Innovation and Organizing Committee on the subject of Nanotechnology and Biomolecular Electronics. He also presented a talk entitled "Photosynthesis, Biomolecular Electronics, and Renewable Fuels Production."
The AAAS is the world's largest federation of scientific and engineering societies, with more than 134,000 members from 292 organizations. The society publishes Science, a prestigious and closely watched weekly magazine of science-related news, issues, and presentations. ORNL, one of DOE's multiprogram research laboratories, is managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., which also manages the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant and the Oak Ridge K-25 Site.