Analyst digs deeper into the garbage to reduce laboratory’s landfill emissions
In 2021, Idaho National Laboratory committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2031. But reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions at an organization the size of INL is no easy task. The laboratory occupies a space roughly 85% the size of Rhode Island. In terms of people and infrastructure — roughly 6,000 employees, 700 vehicles, 300 […]
GAIN helped Kentucky clear the runway for nuclear energy. Now the coal-dependent state is waiting for the plane to land
Kenya Stump, an executive with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet for over 17 years, has seen the volatility of coal as an energy source: shrinking demand, plant closures, job losses and tougher pollution controls. Utilities have responded to that pressure by relying more on natural gas plants because they are cheaper and cleaner than […]
From WWII bombers to desert drones: INL’s aviation history predates atomic energy
Matthew Balderree first encountered drones in 2004 as a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force working with an early warning and airspace management radar system in Iraq. For Balderree, that airspace included predator drones, unmanned aircrafts used in numerous military conflicts starting in 1995. In the Air Force, new technology wasn’t always user friendly, […]
U.S. Air Force fellows study cybersecurity at INL
Since 2010, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has partnered with the U.S Air Force Fellows Program to advance national security proficiencies in our military leaders. The latest participants, Lt. Col. Kurando “Claude” Mensen and Maj. Rachel E. Donoho, said they have gained new skills and information they never anticipated when their tours started in August 2023. […]
Daughter of World War II airman killed in training accident visits Idaho crash site
In late June, Roberta Armstrong came as close as she would ever get to her father, Lt. Robert W. Madsen, a U.S. Army Air Corps member who died in a World War II training accident on the Idaho desert. Armstong’s mother didn’t even know she was pregnant in January 1944 when she learned her husband […]
Artificial intelligence in nuclear: How computer and data scientists are enhancing the industry
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) feature prominently in advancing technological development across many industries. Data is used to train algorithms, which are a set of digital rules, so tools can perform tasks that can imitate human behavior or enhance tasks generally performed by them: Think ChatGPT and how it can help plan a […]
The path to fusion energy: Collaborative intern-scientist research at INL
Imagine a future where the energy powering your home is the same energy that lights up the stars. This isn’t science fiction. It’s the promise of fusion, and it’s closer than you think. Fusion is the process of combining atomic nuclei to form heavier atoms, releasing substantial amounts of energy. Unlike stars, which fuse regular […]
Hydro School: Engaging the next generation in hydropower discussions
For Idaho National Laboratory (INL) researchers, success in technology development requires research and effective outreach. Outreach efforts include creating spaces where open dialogue about novel technologies and their positive and negative implications is encouraged. Education is vital to advancing more efficient, economic and environmentally friendly technologies while also empowering the communities these technologies serve with […]
DOE unveils public database featuring intellectual property from national labs, plants and sites
Idaho National Laboratory contributed more than 1400 pieces of intellectual property to site Thousands of the treasures developed by scientists working for the Department of Energy—ideas, methods and software created to address some of the world’s biggest challenges—are now available in one place for entrepreneurs, researchers and others interested in learning more and developing them […]
Fabrication underway for the MARVEL test microreactor
There’s a 12-foot-deep pit in the floor of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Already home to a test reactor that puts up to 20 gigawatts of power into nuclear fuel in a short pulse to test its safety, the TREAT building is awaiting another nuclear reactor that will occupy the […]
