Mr. Kempthorne. Mr. President, I take the floor today with some sadness, but also with a great deal of gratitude. I rise today to mark the retirement and celebrate the career of one of our Nation's great leaders in science, my constituent and my friend, Dr. Charles Till.
At the end of this year, Dr. Till will conclude more than three decades of outstanding accomplishment at Argonne National Laboratory. For the past 13 years, Chuck has served as associate laboratory director over engineering research. Dr. Till's leadership, his vision, and his good humor will be sorely missed.
Chuck Till sprang from humble beginnings, with little early indication of the opportunities and demands that lie ahead. He grew up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan, and by his own admission, and his father's observation, showed no outstanding aptitude for technical and mechanical things. This would change.
Chuck entered the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned a bachelors degree in engineering physics and a masters degree in physics. He then attended the University of London, where he earned his doctorate in nuclear engineering. Apparently, somewhere along the way, this small town farm boy developed an aptitude for technical matters.
Dr. Till's first job out of college found him in the unlikely, but not surprising, position of being in charge. He was hired by the Canadian General Electric Co., as reactor physicist and given responsibility for the start of the first prototype heavy water reactor in Canada--no small task for a first professional job. And of course, Chuck excelled.
In 1963, Dr. Till joined Argonne National Laboratory as a reactor physicist. His rise in this great organization is best traced by his accomplishments rather than the positions he has held.
Early on in his career, Chuck got the attention of scientists worldwide with a breakthrough advancement in fast reactor measurement techniques. The Doppler Effect was known to be crucially important, but its measurement was uncertain. Dr. Till completely revamped the heated sample Doppler technique, and an order-of-magnitude improvement in the measurement resulted. The technique became the standard worldwide, and essentially has not changed to this day.
Dr. Till soon became responsible for all fast reactor work at Argonne, and continued to emerge as a leader in his field. Chuck wrote several important works examining technical issues of nuclear physics and engineering. Dr. Till has also served on several advisory committees and evaluation boards, and testified numerous times before congressional committees. Notably, Chuck served as technical director and a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation, and was largely responsible for the United States retaining its leadership role in fast-reactor technology.
But his greatest contribution, to both his discipline and to the world, lies in the development of the Integral Fast Reactor, the IFR. This inspired source of electrical power has the capability to achieve incredible efficiency in fuel use, while significantly lessening problems associated with reactor safety and nuclear water. In 1986, the IFR showed that it can protect itself from overheating and meltdown. It does so through the natural physical properties of the materials used rather than by relying on operator intervention or an engineered safety system. The IFR was also designed to burn most of its own waste, as well as that of other reactors and the material from dismantled weapons. Unfortunately, this program was canceled just 2 short years before the proof of concept. I assure my colleagues someday our Nation will regret and reverse this shortsighted decision. But complete or not, the concept and the work done to prove it remain genius and a great contribution to the world.
Through his work on the Integral Fast Reactor program, Dr. Till demonstrated that his technical solutions out paced the ability of the political process to appreciate them. Dr. Till also demonstrated that technical leaders can take scientific material and present them in a manner understandable by citizens and Members of Congress. This skill is what makes Chuck Till such a valuable asset to me in my duties as a Member of the U.S. Senate.
I am pleased and gratified that my work in the Senate has allowed me to get to know Chuck Till and his lovely wife Kay. I cannot question that this is the best decision for them, but Chuck's talents will be missed at Argonne National Lab.
Perhaps the greatest legacy that one can leave is knowing your ideas and work are important enough to be carried on when one departs. We will do that with Chuck Till.
I want to wish Chuck and Kay the very best in retirement and on behalf of a grateful nation, I want to say thank you for your unmatched contributions and service.
-- 30 --