Friday - May 3, 2024
Federal Tipoffs Involving Tennessee Newsletter for Sunday December 24, 2023 ( 16 items )  

Advincula elected National Academy of Inventors fellow
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Rigoberto "Gobet" Advincula, a scientist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named a 2023 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, or NAI. Advincula has been recognized for his 14 patents and 21 published filings related to nanomaterials, smart coatings and films, solid-state device fabrication and chemical additives. His patent  more

Alexey Serov's inventions pave the way for green hydrogen fuel cells
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: ORNL's Alexey Serov researches ways to improve hydrogen fuel cells and materials and the electrolysis process. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy In ORNL's battery materials laboratory, Alexey Serov makes a battery catalyst that contains no platinum group metals. A pending patent on the process will join his extensive portfolio of inventions. Credit: Ca  more

Energy IG: 'Allegation Regarding Computing Facilities Maintenance & Calibration at Oak Ridge National Laboratory'
WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (TNSrep) -- The Energy Inspector General issued the following report (No. DOE-OIG-24-08) on Nov. 29, 2023, entitled "Allegation Regarding Computing Facilities Maintenance and Calibration at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory." Here are excerpts: * * * UT-Battelle, LLC manages and operates the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which is a multi-program research laboratory in Eastern Tennessee for the Department of Energy. ORNL provides computing facilities, which include  more

FDIC: Guidance to Help Financial Institutions and Facilitate Recovery in Areas of Tennessee Affected by Severe Storms and Tornadoes
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation issued the following financial institution letter (No. FIL-66-2023) on Dec. 21, 2023: * * * The FDIC has announced a series of steps intended to provide regulatory relief to financial institutions and facilitate recovery in areas of Tennessee affected by severe storms and tornadoes. Statement of Applicability: The contents of, and material referenced in, this FIL apply to all FDIC-supervised financial institutions. Highlights:   more

IRS: Tennessee Taxpayers Impacted by Storms and Tornadoes Qualify for Tax Relief
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Internal Revenue Service issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2023: * * * Various deadlines postponed to June 17 * * * The Internal Revenue Service today provided tax relief for individuals and businesses in parts of Tennessee affected by severe storms and tornadoes that began on Dec. 9. These taxpayers now have until June 17, 2024, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The IR  more

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Announces Winners of Its 2023 Future of Science Awards
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education issued the following news release: The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) announced the winners of its 2023 Future of Science Awards. These prestigious awards recognize excellence performed by ORISE participants in the areas of scientific achievement, professional growth, project contributions and leadership in three categories: undergraduate student and post-baccala  more

Oak Ridge Keeps Pace of Progress in 2023
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release: DOE's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) logged another successful year, achieving all of its EM priorities for 2023 and advancing cleanup across the site. OREM and cleanup contractor UCOR continued transforming Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) central campus by tearing down the Low Intensity Test Reactor. This project marked Oa  more

Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Innovation Crossroads Puts A Charge In Battery Startup, Accelerating Path From Lab To Market
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 19 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: After several years starting a company to produce a unique solvent-free battery component for manufacturing, Rajan Kumar joined Innovation Crossroads at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to build his entrepreneurial skills. Kumar, an engineer and the chief executive officer of Ateios Systems, is a Cohort 2022 fellow in Innovation Cros  more

OLCF announces SummitPLUS allocations for open-science projects
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 19 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility has informed the recipients of high-performance computing time through the SummitPLUS allocation program, which extends the operation of the Summit supercomputer through October 2024. Over 19 million hours of compute time will be distributed among 108 projects covering the gamut of scientifi  more

ORNL to lead project on remote maintenance and repair for fusion power plants
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory will lead a new project designed to accelerate bringing fusion energy to the grid. Rising energy demands, the need for zero-carbon generation and energy security concerns are driving research on fusion energy production to provide an abundant, inherently safe, non-carbon-emitting energy source. Fusion is the s  more

Revolutionizing resource renewal: Scaling up sustainable recycling for critical materials
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: From left, researchers Syed Islam and Ramesh Bhave discuss the nickel sulfate recovered from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries using the membrane solvent extraction process they co-invented at ORNL. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy A critical-materials recycling technique pioneered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory by researchers in the Department of E  more

SBA: Deadline to Apply for Economic Damages Approaching in Mississippi
ATLANTA, Georgia, Dec. 23 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2023: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) encourages businesses and residents of Mississippi with economic damage from the severe storms and tornadoes on March 31 through April 1 to apply to before the Jan. 25 deadline. The disaster declaration covers DeSoto County and the adjacent counties of Marshall, Tate and Tunica in Mississippi; Crittenden in Arkansas; and Shelby in Tenn  more

Tenn. U.S. Attorney: Counterfeit Prescription Drug Distributor Sentenced to Federal Prison
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Dec. 19 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee issued the following news release on Dec. 18, 2023: A federal judge has sentenced a Texas man to more than 17 years in prison for his involvement in a counterfeit prescription drug distribution operation. Kevin Olando Ombisi, 34, of Katy, Texas, has been sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and related offenses. U.S. District Court Judge Mark S.   more

Tenn. U.S. Attorney: Mississippi Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison on Medicare Fraud Conspiracy Charges
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Dec. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: Vernon Sanders, 57 of Meridian, Mississippi, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, as well as restitution of more than $3.3 million, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. Sanders also was ordered to forfeit $383,260. In December 2020,  more

Tracking roadway savings from coast to coast
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have identified the most energy-efficient 2024 model year vehicles available in the United States, including electric and hybrids, in the latest edition of the Department of Energy's Fuel Economy Guide. The annual online resource compares fuel costs for two-seaters up to large sedans, small and midsize station wagons, miniva  more

Tracking roadway savings from coast to coast
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have identified the most energy-efficient 2024 model year vehicles available in the United States, including electric and hybrids, in the latest edition of the Department of Energy's Fuel Economy Guide. The annual online resource compares fuel costs for two-seaters up to large sedans, small and midsize station wagons, miniva  more