Parts of it are now at Ames Laboratory still working for researchers. Although early speculation that the contract changeover to UT-Battelle would be moved up hasn t panned out, the transition is getting a little head start. LMER and UT-Battelle have agreed to move the official beginning of transition activities up from the original February 1 to January 18. Meanwhile, Bill Madia, who will direct ORNL come April 1, has made several appearances at the Lab to speak to various groups. Among subjects he has addressed most recently is a desire for a new campus for the Lab, which means new facilities to replace ORNL s aging buildings.
Customers walk into an old lab and think old science and technology.
It s hard to convince someone that you re on the cutting edge, he told a group of managers last month. Madia says his top three priorities are, first, getting the SNS on a stable footing, then looking over the rest of the Lab s portfolio and strengthening areas such as materials science and computational biology. Third, he says, is the new facilities plan. ORNL has worked hard on improving the quality of the water in its streams over the years, and it s paid off. Many of the creeks, such as White Oak Creek, teem with little fish and other wildlife.