SRNL Connect September 2023
SRNL K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education
Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC (BSRA), the manager and operator of Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) awarded $125,000 in SRNL K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education to Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) schools to advance activities and programs relating to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Grants of $2,500, $5,000 or $7,500 were awarded to 29 teachers at schools in the Georgia counties of Burke, Columbia Lexing- ton and Richmond, and in the South Carolina counties of Aiken, Barnwell, Edgefield and Orangeburg, during a recent reception at Newberry Hall in Aiken, South Carolina. The Battelle Foundation Fund at The Columbus Foundation provided funding for the grants, which will impact more than 6,200 students in the CSRA this year.
SRNL Movers and Shakers
Daren Timmons, Ph.D., was recently appointed as SRNL’s director of Industrial and Strategic Partnerships, a position that will lead the creation of a framework for greater collaboration between SRNL, industry and other non-academic entities. Timmons will work directly with SRNL staff, industrial partners and the Department of Energy (DOE) to identify SRNL innovations that will advance the economic, energy and national security interests of the nation. Timmons’ primary goal is to accelerate the transition of those innovations into deployment by industry and eventually into the marketplace. Timmons comes to SRNL from the University of South Carolina Aiken (USC Aiken) where he was most recently the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, a role he held since 2019.
SRNL researcher Carol Eddy-Dilek received the honor of laboratory fellow, the highest scientific/engineering achievement. As a senior technical adviser in the Environmental and Legacy Management Directorate of SRNL, Eddy-Dilek contributed significantly to SRNL, the Savannah River Site (SRS), and the Department of Energy (DOE) missions since joining SRNL in 1989. She successfully applied her knowledge of geology and environmental sciences and her program management skills to advance SRNL’s competencies in environmental characterization and reme- diation. Her responsibilities included leading and supporting high-quality applied technology development research, as well as strategies to support high-priority needs for the DOE – Office of Environmental Management (EM) and Office of Legacy Management (LM).
SRNL researcher Holly Flynn, Ph.D., was selected as a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Early Career Research Program awardee and will receive $2.5 million over five years to fund research associated with fusion energy. The Early Career Research Program awards are part of DOE’s long-standing efforts to develop the next generation of STEM leaders to solidify America’s role as the driver of science and innovation around the world. Flynn is one of 93 early career scientists chosen from across the country who will receive a combined $135 million in funding for research covering a wide range of topics, from artificial intelligence to astrophysics to fusion energy.
Intern Poster Session
Interns play a crucial role at SRNL as they bring new energy, fresh perspectives, and innovative ideas to SRNL. This year, nearly 70 students interned at SRNL from universities and colleges across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. At the annual SRNL Summer Intern Poster Session, held at the Applied Research Center, the SRNL interns showed off their projects and accomplishments to SRNL leaders and others at the laboratory.
Good luck to all our summer interns as they go back to school!
MSIPP Achievement Workshop
More than 265 minority serving institutions (MSI) faculty and students, DOE personnel and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) employees recently gathered in Augusta, Georgia, for the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (EM MSIPP) Achievement Workshop. The SRNL managed pro- gram provides students and graduates of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) with hands-on education and experience by supporting collaborations between MSIs and DOE national laboratories. Student opportunities under EM MSIPP include:
- Competitive Research Awards
- Internships
- Savannah River Environmental Sciences Field Station
- Technology, Curriculum and Professional Development
- EM/Minority Serving Institutions Shared Interest Research Partnership
- Postdoctoral fellows
- Graduate fellowships
SRNL in the Community
Team SRNL Summer STEM Demonstrations
Team SRNL partnered with local Quest Zone summer programs with interactive STEM demonstra- tions for 110 K-5 grade students. Students engineered structures from pasta and marshmallows or launched balloon rockets. Quest Zone partner locations included North Augusta Elementary, East Aiken School of the Arts, Millbrook Elementary, and Chukker Creek Elementary schools.
