Saturday - September 7, 2024
Federal Tipoffs Involving Tennessee Newsletter for Sunday May 19, 2024 ( 16 items )  

AI researchers are challenging the science behind securing AI systems
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory met recently at an AI Summit to better understand threats surrounding artificial intelligence. Organized by ORNL's Center for Artificial Intelligence Security Research, referred to as CAISER, the event was part of ORNL's mission to shape the future of safe and secure AI systems charged with our na  more

Army Corps of Engineers Contractor Prioritizes People With Kentucky Lock Safety Milestone
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, May 18 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Detroit District issued the following news release: By Kelsie Steber, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District in partnership with project contractor, Thalle Construction, surpassed one million man-hours without a lost time accident on the Kentucky Lock Addition project May 3, 2024. In simpler terms, for every hour worked by a construction contractor employee at the jobsite   more

Breaking benchmarks: Frontier supercomputer sets new standard in molecular simulation
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 13 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: When scientists pushed the world's fastest supercomputer to its limits, they found those limits stretched beyond even their biggest expectations. The Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory set a new ceiling in performance when it debuted in 2022 as the first exascale system in history -- capable of more than 1 quintillion c  more

Carbon-capture batteries developed to store renewable energy, help climate
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing battery technologies to fight climate change in two ways, by expanding the use of renewable energy and capturing airborne carbon dioxide. This type of battery stores the renewable energy generated by solar panels or wind turbines. Utilizing this energy when wind and sunlight are u  more

Chapman recognized for work as peer reviewer
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 13 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: An ORNL researcher was recognized by a major publication for his commitment to a critical role for the scientific community. Joseph Chapman, a research scientist in quantum communications at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was given the Physical Review Applied Reviewer Excellence 2024 award for his work as a peer reviewer for the journal Ph  more

Decades of nuclear expertise guides global nonproliferation innovation today
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Researchers tackling national security challenges at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are upholding an 80-year legacy of leadership in all things nuclear. Today, they're developing the next generation of technologies that will help reduce global nuclear risk and enable safe, secure, peaceful use of nuclear materials worldwide. ORNL's rich  more

Going big: World's fastest computer takes on large language modeling
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: A team led by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory explored training strategies for one of the largest artificial intelligence models to date with help from the world's fastest supercomputer. The findings could help guide training for a new generation of AI models for scientific research. The study led by ORNL's Sajal Dash, Feiyi W  more

Ion swap dramatically improves performance of CO2-defeating catalyst
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory found an unconventional way to improve catalysts made of more than one material. The solution demonstrates a path to designing catalysts with greater activity, selectivity and stability. A catalyst normally uses a support to stabilize nanometer-sized metal particles that speed import  more

Justice Department Secures Agreement With Shelby County, Tennessee, District Attorney General to Cease Enforcement of State Law That Discriminates Against People With HIV
WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on May 16, 2024: The Justice Department announced today that the Shelby County, Tennessee, District Attorney General (DA) has agreed to cease prosecution of individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) under Tennessee's aggravated prostitution law. The DA will also adopt reforms to correct discrimination against people living with HIV who were subjected to discriminatory and harsher penalties un  more

New analysis platform shines light on utilities' solar energy future
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 13 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with three other national labs, have developed a free online platform to help utilities understand how solar energy projects will affect the operation of their power systems. This capability can increase utilities' confidence in expanding their solar portfolios, protecting reliab  more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 57126) involving Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tennessee: * * * Facility: Watts Bar Region: 2 State: TN Unit: [2] [] [] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: Paul Blakely HQ OPS Officer: Thomas Herrity Notification Date: 05/13/2024 Notification Time: 16:40 [ET] Event Date: 05/13/2024 Event Time: 09:17 [EDT] Last Update Date: 05/13/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Sec  more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 57126) involving Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tennessee: * * * Facility: Watts Bar Region: 2 State: TN Unit: [2] [] [] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: Paul Blakely HQ OPS Officer: Thomas Herrity Notification Date: 05/13/2024 Notification Time: 16:40 [ET] Event Date: 05/13/2024 Event Time: 09:17 [EDT] Last Update Date: 05/13/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Sec  more

Oak Ridge Completes First Phase of New Disposal Facility Project
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release: The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR have completed the first phase of construction for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF). EMDF will provide the waste disposal capacity OREM needs to complete cleanup at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Field w  more

Quantum experts review major techniques for isolating Majoranas
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Named after an Italian theoretical physicist, Majoranas are complex quasiparticles that could be the key to building next-generation quantum computing systems. Most materials contain many electrons, each of which has a negative charge and a type of intrinsic quantum momentum known as spin. Interactions between electrons in some materials can produce emergent particl  more

Researchers compile US's most comprehensive power outage dataset
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 13 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: In a new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Data, researchers from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have produced the most comprehensive power outage dataset ever compiled for the United States. This dataset, showing electricity outages from 2014-22 in the 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, details outag  more

Tractor Supply Company to Pay $75,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination, Retaliation Lawsuit
JACKSON, Mississippi, May 16 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release on May 14, 2024: * * * Federal Agency Charged Company Disclosed Employee's Confidential Medical Information and Fired Her for Complaining * * * Headquartered in Tennessee, Tractor Supply Company, the nation's largest rural lifestyle retailer with over 2,400 stores and more than 50,000 employees, has agreed to pay $75,000 and provide other relief to settle a disability discrimination   more