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Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, whose district includes Argonne-East, hosted a town meeting Monday, July 16, in the Argonne-East cafeteria to highlight the Bush Administration's energy plan.
Abraham and Biggert told 200 DuPage County residents that gasoline prices may have dropped, but the United States still needs to become less dependent on foreign oil.
"The same kind of pattern happens with gas prices," Abraham said. "When the prices drop, people think we are done talking about it. Then they go up again. They've done it too many times."
In addition to increased domestic energy production, Abraham emphasized the need for conservation. He also said emerging technologies such as fuel cells, superconductivity and geothermal energy could make significant contributions.
The past several years have brought a steady increase in Argonne's revenues from licensing of laboratory-developed inventions and software, resulting in a record $2 million so far this fiscal year and an expected $2.5 million by the end of the year. This is far beyond the previous high of $1.3 million in 1998.
Contributing to the $2 million mark were substantial royalties from biomedical technologies and cumulative royalties from an ever-increasing number of licensing agreements. Many Argonne-developed technologies have also recently made it to the marketplace, so sales royalties are contributing to Argonne's licensing income.
Twenty-five percent of laboratory royalties are distributed among the inventors or software authors. The rest goes to their divisions, which may use it for scientific research, development, technology transfer or education.
Argonne's licensing activities are focused in the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT). "It's truly a pleasure to return money to the divisions to allow them to pursue their R&D goals," says Steve Lake, OTT's manager of business development and marketing. "The amount of money going back to the divisions has grown to the point where it's now `serious money'."
Some of the first uses of license-derived income are the construction, purchase and operation of new scientific equipment. According to Frank Fradin, associate laboratory director for Physical, Biological, and Computing Sciences, the bulk of the royalties money in his divisions has gone to support the Basic Energy Science Synchrotron Radiation Center Collaborative Access Team at Argonne's Advanced Photon Source. He says the facility, which comprises two sectors of the APS, "is exceedingly important to our programs in materials sciences and chemistry."
Harvey Drucker, associate laboratory director for Energy and Environmental Science and Technology, agrees that licensing income provides an important avenue for enhancing laboratory research facilities — such as the new mass spectrometer purchased for the Biochip Technology Center.
"An equally valuable outcome," he said, "is that the licensing income has allowed us to extend our collaborative relationships in some areas that we think will have great public benefit, such as our work with the Illinois State Police to provide faster, more accurate DNA testing." (See www.anl.gov:80/OPA/frontiers/b3excell.html)
Technology transfer has evolved over approximately 20 years as the result of several key pieces of legislation. The first, in 1980, encouraged federal laboratories to share information about technologies with potential applications to industry.
Subsequent laws expanded the way the federal laboratories could work with industry, enabling the laboratories to license valuable intellectual property and conduct business more like their industrial partners.
Lawmakers continue to enact legislation aimed at providing the maximum value for the technologies developed at taxpayer-funded research laboratories. Argonne has responded to these changes by continually expanding the way technology transfer is conducted. The result is a long list of satisfied industrial customers and success stories.
To read about some of Argonne's technology transfer successes, to learn more about royalty distribution and invention reporting, or to report an invention or software, visit www.techtransfer. anl.gov/internal/index.html.
Employees interested in learning more about intellectual property, CRADAs, work-for-others agreements and other aspects of technology transfer, may attend OTT's seminar series, held in Building 201 approximately every two months.
The next seminar should be scheduled for late July or early August. Details are available on the internal tech transfer web site at www.techtransfer. anl.gov/internal/intouch/ottseminars.html.
The Department of Energy has asked for funding in FY 2002 for the nanoprobe portion of Argonne's proposal for a Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM). This involves building a new beamline at the Advanced Photon Source.
The request accelerates the first step in the center's construction even though DOE said funding for the rest of the project will not be considered until FY2004.
Argonne previously received $300,000 for precon- ceptual planning, and the State of Illinois appropriated $2 million in its FY 2002 budget to support construction of the center at Argonne.
"The X-ray nanoprobe is a unique aspect of our proposed center, which will attract users from around the world, and we are excited to get started on building it," said J. Murray Gibson, director of the Materials Science Division and acting director of the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne. "Meanwhile, we continue to develop the strongest technical case for the center as a whole."
The center is one of five that DOE is looking to build in different parts of the country as part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative.
Argonne's CNM will support research and nano- fabrication, including programs and industrial efforts in many of Argonne's divisions and throughout the region. Collaborators include researchers from the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University and a range of high-tech industrial firms.
The CNM builds on the APS and Argonne's strengths in materials science, chemistry, physics, biology and engineering. Its aim is to understand the behavior of nanostructures as they are formed or processed.
Initial plans incorporate tools for making and studying materials on the micro- and nanoscales. These include X-rays, electron microscopy, micro- and nano-electro-mechanical systems [MEMS and NEMS]), micro- and nano-fabrication, high-throughput methods and computation. The plans provide about 40,000 square feet for offices, research labs and lab support.
The CNM is expected to house some 80 staff and 40 post-doctoral researchers, as well as 30 technicians.
The Argonne-West 50th annual picnic will be held Saturday, July 28 at Tautphaus Park. This year's theme is Hawaii Five-0 in honor of the picnic's 50th anniversary. In keeping with the Hawaiian theme, the main menu item will be roast pig. Other menu items are corn on the cob, baked potatoes, rolls, salad and dessert.
Entertainment will include ancient and modern Hawaiian hulas. Guests will also participate in Hawaiian hula line dancing. There will also be music and games, including a limbo. Numerous kids' games include a jumping castle.
"Everyone should wear their favorite Hawaiian shirt to show their spirit for the picnic celebration," said Jeff Shelton (ENT-AW).
The picnic committee still needs volunteers. Anyone interested may call Shelton at ext. 3-7877 for information.
Argonne and IGC-SuperPower, the wholly owned subsidiary of Intermagnetics General Corporation, have signed a $1.8 million collaborative development agreement to accelerate technological advances in manufacturing cost-effective, second-generation high-temperature superconductors.
Under terms of the new two-year agreement, Argonne will assist IGC-SuperPower in scaling up the second-generation superconductor fabrication processes to commercial manufacturing levels. Argonne will also contribute its advanced materials characterization capabilities such as the Advanced Photon Source, the nation's most brilliant research X-ray source, to ensure that the superconducting materials are properly fabricated and that the long lengths that are manufactured are uniform in property.
The Department of Energy laboratory partnership with Intermagnetics General "has produced several successes, and this new agreement promises to accelerate progress on research into this new generation of superconducting wire," said Robert K. Dixon, Deputy Assistant Secretary of DOE's Office of Power Technologies.
"We believe superconducting technology is a significant step to solve the pressing energy supply problem the nation faces," said Harvey Drucker, Argonne's associate laboratory director for Energy and Environmental Science and Technology. "This agreement with IGC-SuperPower helps to expedite the development and eventual commercialization of superconductor technology. The laboratory also has several other technologies that will be useful to this country's electric power distribution systems."
"This collaboration," said Balu Balachandran, director of Argonne's Superconductivity Technology Program, "is an exciting opportunity to accelerate commercial production of new and improved second-generation superconducting wires that will enable efficient electric power applications such as transmission cables, transformers, motors, generators, current limiters and storage devices."
Argonne's Superconductivity Technology Program is focused on developing processing science and technology needed by industrial partners to scale up and manufacture high-temperature superconductors. The program is also focused on developing practical applications of superconducting materials and transferring them to the private sector. Argonne and Intermagnetics have been collaborating in the development of superconducting material and technology since 1992.
"This agreement represents an extension of our long-term relationship with Argonne National Laboratory," said Glenn H. Epstein, president and chief executive officer of Intermagnetics. "We believe Argonne will help position us to become the first company to develop a cost-effective, commercial-level manufacturing process for superconducting material. The expertise and capabilities they provide will help accelerate our commercialization of superconducting materials and devices."
Argonne is a world leader in high temperature superconductivity research as applied to the generation and distribution of electricity. Argonne researchers have developed several innovations in the synthesis of superconductor powder, fabrication of superconducting wire, and design and fabrication of current leads, fault current limiters and flywheel energy storage systems. This technology is being transferred through partnerships with industry along with licensing of Argonne's intellectual property.
Intermagnetics is a leading developer and manufacturer of superconducting materials, radio-frequency coils, magnets and devices utilizing low and high temperature wire, cable and tape, and related refrigeration equipment. Through its own research and development programs and in conjunction with industry partners, Intermagnetics is committed to further commercialization of applied superconductivity and refrigeration systems, including high-temperature superconductor applications for the electric utility industry.
Argonne's Superconductivity Technology Program receives support from DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Power Technologies.
To tighten cyber security, new password requirements will affect Argonne computer users with accounts in the ANL Windows domain.
Starting Sunday, July 22, new passwords will have to contain at least eight characters including one or more from at least three of the following four categories:
The system will no longer accept new passwords that do not meet these standards. Users with accounts in the ANL Windows domain are required to change passwords every six months.
For advice on how to select a qualified password, see www.ect.anl. gov/computersecurity/pwadvice.html and secure.winguides.com/password.php. To change your ANL Windows domain password, see credentials.anl.gov.
In another cyber security tightening measure, `Guest' access to the Windows file share \\PUBLIC\ PCPUBLIC will be discontinued. Effective July 22, access will be granted only to authenticated ANL domain users.
Employees who need access to PCPUBLIC may obtain a free account by contacting Acct. Services at 2-5425 or acctserv@anl.gov.
For more information about passwords or the PCPUBLIC volume, contact Mike Thommes at 2-5461 or mthommes@anl.gov.
Argonne-West's United Way Campaign will start Thursday, Aug. 2, with a "Western Roundup" barbecue and lots of other activities, including a golf pitching contest, basketball hoop shoot and drawings for prizes.
Raffle tickets will be available for purchase, and jazz saxophonist Kevin Young of Bechtel-Idaho will provide music.
"The United Way's national theme is appropriate as Argonne-West again `Leads the Way' for the Southeast Idaho campaign," said David Duncan (ETD), chairman of the Argonne-West United Way drive. "We're one of the first organizations in Bonneville County to start their campaign." Additional fundraising activities being scheduled include a car wash, lunchtime fun walk/run, and a silent auction.
