Feature Stories

The IBM Power System AC922 Summit supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility was scheduled to be retired in 2023, but program managers had other ideas. A new DOE Office of Science-backed allocation program called SummitPLUS extended Summit's services for another year. What did we learn during Summit’s bonus year of scientific discovery? Here are five sample projects with impactful results.

Early forms of recycling shredded old wool and spun it with new wool to form a fabric. Nearly two centuries later, textile recycling still follows a similar process. But today’s textiles are blends of different materials, from synthetics to natural materials. Additionally, garments are dyed or include hardware such as buttons or rivet closures. When clothing is sent to a textile recycler, the consumer might assume their item will be repurposed, however without knowing what a shirt or pair of socks is made of, the textile recycler is at a loss. This gap is where Brian Iezzi, founder of Fibarcode, sees opportunity. 

When building a one-of-a-kind particle collider filled with groundbreaking technologies, it's extremely helpful to have a place to test things out. Thankfully that's the case for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, where physicists are using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) to test key accelerator strategies for a new state-of-the-art Electron-Ion Collider (EIC).

Argonne’s scientific, analytical and technological expertise serves communities in times of stress or change and helps communities plan and adapt to future challenges.

The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit now features updated software and firmware and new companion hardware called QICK box. This Fermilab-developed system combines everything a scientist might need to conduct mind-bending research in a pizza-box-sized case. Expanding on QICK’s ability to drastically improve quantum computer performance, QICK box offers flexibility for users to customize the system to their needs.

A team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers reached a significant milestone by building and testing an entire 6.5-foot turbine blade tip using fully recyclable materials that can withstand lightning voltage. ORNL’s recent demonstration highlighted the possibilities of a new approach to protecting blades using conductive materials or coatings.

Argonne scientists will be part of the new APEX materials research center led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

ORNL's Peter Fuhr continues pushes boundaries of optical and sensor technology in applications ranging from fighting wildfires to operating the immense floodgates protecting Venice, Italy. Fuhr’s path is marked by an oddball creativity that can’t confine itself to challenges in a single field. No idea is too far out to try out. His many inventions and start-ups before joining ORNL proved his ability to bring bold ideas to life. His influence is likely to be lasting, as his imagination and infectious zeal have driven him to mentor generations of new engineers. 

Mark Kevin Jones is a true Renaissance man in nuclear physics. Throughout his career, he has garnered many accomplishments, and he’s even worn quite a few hats in his three decades at Jefferson Lab. Now, Jones has been recognized for his work by his peers by being named a Fellow of the American Physical Society “For scientific leadership in experimental studies of the fundamental nucleon electromagnetic form factors, including the surprising discovery of significant variation in the large momentum behavior of the proton electric form factor, and for developing new detection systems enabling the studies.”

Check out the second of a two-part series exploring how artificial intelligence helps researchers from around the world perform cutting-edge science with the lab’s state-of-the-art facilities and instruments. In this part you’ll learn how AI is playing a key role in helping SLAC researchers find new galaxies and tiny neutrinos, and discover new drugs.