Feature Articles

The smarter our buildings become, the more data they generate. Lighting controls data, in particular, could prove valuable for facilities managers, manufacturers, and lighting designers. But as valuable as the data are, the buildings industry is still learning how to interpret and leverage the data.

Los Alamos National Laboratory this week announced the selection of Evelyn Mullen as the new executive officer of the Weapons directorate, effective April 25.

Morris Bullock has led PNNL's pursuit of the efficient conversion of electrical energy and chemical bonds through control of electron and proton transfers.

Because next-generation biofuels will depend on the growth and hardiness of woody feedstocks, scientists have sought to better understand how leaf cells quickly respond to environmental cues such as light, temperature and water. Scientists at the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, have studied rapid molecular changes in leaves from poplar trees during normal daily cycles of daylight and darkness. Until now, the effect of these modifications at the cellular protein level was not well understood, partly because of the technical limitations of the analytical tools available.

Tackling the climate crisis and achieving an equitable clean energy future are among the biggest challenges of our time. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the largest Department of Energy science and energy laboratory in the country, is deeply invested in the big science capabilities and expertise needed to address the climate challenge on multiple fronts.

Earth Day presents a good opportunity to help clear up some essential questions about climate change; what it is, what is responsible and how we know it’s real.

Researchers from Sandia, ORNL, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville used neutron scattering and additional experimental techniques to study a series of materials called metal organic frameworks (MOFs) made from the entire list of rare earth elements. The researchers established a comprehensive approach to evaluating large numbers of MOFs and also made an important discovery about a defect that can be useful in building technologies to mitigate toxic gases such as nitrogen and sulfur dioxides.

Argonne physicist Karen Byrum has been named a deputy project manager for the Mu2e experiment, an expansion of her current role.