News By Location

A team of scientists from the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory earlier this month reached a major milestone with the successful production of hydrogen through High-Temperature Electrolysis. The milestone was reached when the Integrated Laboratory Scale experiment started producing hydrogen at a rate of 5.6 cubic meters per hour. The achievement was announced in Idaho Falls Sept. 18. "This is by far the biggest achievement we've had," said Carl Stoots, the experiment's principal investigator.

Research proven to safely detect hidden nuclear materials smuggled into ports and across borders has earned the 2008 $25,000 Homeland Security Award sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and AgustaWestland North America Inc.

Researchers have devised an inexpensive way to produce plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantennas that collect heat energy generated by the sun and other sources. The technology, developed at the Idaho National Laboratory, is the first step toward a solar energy collector that could be mass-produced on flexible materials, say the researchers, who report their findings Aug. 13 at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2008 2nd International Conference on Energy Sustainability in Jacksonville, Fla.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, in partnership with three other science and engineering powerhouses, reached a major domestic milestone relating to nuclear fuel performance on March 8.

Researchers at Montana State University and Idaho National Laboratory embarked on one of the first comprehensive, long-term characterizations of hot pool ecosystems in Yellowstone National Park. The results help shed light on how viruses survive in hostile surroundings, migrate from pool to pool, and may help control hot pool environments.

Along with researchers from three Idaho universities, geologists from Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in Idaho Falls will test how well the volcanic rocks abundant below the Columbia and Snake river plains store carbon dioxide. Researchers from INL, the University of Idaho, the Boise State University, the Idaho State University in Pocatello and the Battelle Pacific Northwest Division in Richland, Wash., are now making preparations to inject the gas into the subterranean volcanic basalt rock and monitor whether the rock can hold it.

To help a NASA rover eventually hunt for life on Mars, scientists are writing a chemical guidebook to aid the search for extraterrestrial life.

The United States is moving forward decisively on its commitment to destroy thousands of chemical munitions, thanks in part, to the efforts of engineers, scientists and technicians at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

INEEL's tests of remotely-operated unmanned aerial vehicles has caught the interest of NASA scientists and U.S. Forest Service personnel. They are looking at the possibility of using these small, robotic planes to support fire fighting. The planes would be equipped with sensors or cameras for surveillance. The information they provide could help detect forest fires and help the Forest Service make decisions about where to place firefighters and equipment.

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Director Paul Kearns and INEEL Chief Scientist Richard Jacobsen have jointly announced five INEEL scientists and engineers honored as Laboratory Fellows.