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S&T's science base is expanding to accomplish the Laboratory's mission of ensuring the nation's energy security with safe, competitive, and sustainable energy systems. The Laboratory has taken steps to establish the capabilities, resources, and infrastructure necessary to support the robust science base needed to create and foster the level of inquiry that breaks through the unknown to yield bold scientific discoveries.

Five nationally and internationally recognized 'distinctive scientific signature' research capabilities form the foundation of the Laboratory's science and technology research initiatives. These signatures impact all of INL's major programs and projects by developing advanced systems for power and energy security; enhancing the reliability of energy systems by integrating physics-based material degradation models; providing predictable microbiological systems to resolve energy and water security issues; sustaining the nuclear fuel cycle by addressing economic, environmental, safety, and security issues; and improving computational models of engineered and natural systems.

Ultimately, nine INL research centers will be created to facilitate scientific collaborations with DOE national laboratories, other agencies, major universities and industrial partners. The S&T organization hosts the Center for Advanced Modeling and Simulation that brings together INL's resources and those of the National and Idaho University Consortia — to build world-class computational capabilities in modeling and simulation of advanced energy systems.

INL is known across the DOE complex for its systems science approach to integrate and manage complex projects and for its specialized applied mechanics capabilities, chemical and material sciences research, and its exploration of advanced analytical chemistry and physics.

Additional scientific and engineering skills in INL's science portfolio include managing and protecting humans and the environment from hazardous and radioactive wastes; conducting biological research; understanding chemical and geophysical processes in subsurface environments; researching the composition, properties, structures, energy and reactions of known and unknown substances; developing synthetic polymers; fabricating and testing structural materials and welding technologies; and devising measurement systems and non-contact sensors.

As a national multiprogram laboratory, INL advances the science of liquefied and compressed natural gas and transportation technologies; high-powered batteries and ultra capacitors; integrated fuel processors and fuel cell systems; fossil and renewable energy systems; and carbon capture and sequestration. Other scientific research projects involve hazardous waste management and treatment; advanced offgas treatment systems; advanced welding systems; surface and subsurface monitoring systems and geosciences; sustainable building design; and human/robotic systems.

Detection & Measurement Science

Detection and Measurement Science (D&MS) encompasses an envelope of S&T capabilities and activities ranging from molecular detection to non-destructive evaluation techniques, from gamma spectroscopy to protein sequencing. INL has historically been strong in D&MS in several areas. The term "world-class" is an overused colloquialism but is accurate for INL in the areas of radiation measurement, isotopic analyses. . .more

Integrated Environmental S&T

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published its Strategic Plan in 2003 with four strategic and seven general goals for the nation. These include strategic goals aimed at defense, energy, science, and environment. The initial premise of the Idaho National Laboratory Strategic Plan is that "Nuclear energy holds enormous potential for the future and will benefit America and. . .more