 EM Senior Advisor William "Ike" White highlights cleanup accomplishments by employees at the Portsmouth Site during his address at the site's recent Past, Present, Future Celebration.
PIKE COUNTY, Ohio – EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White recently joined elected officials, local stakeholders and nearly 2,000 employees at the Portsmouth Site to celebrate the gaseous diffusion plant’s 70th anniversary.
White commemorated the occasion by honoring the important work of the past, paying tribute to employees carrying out the site’s mission for safe cleanup, and looking forward to the future reuse of the site.
“We are here today to celebrate a key step to ensuring a bright future for the site and the communities around it. We’re completing a second major land transfer totaling 200 acres. This is in addition to the 80-acre parcel in 2018,“ said White. ”By successfully cleaning up and returning land to the local community, we’re working to ensure the site can continue to play the same strong role it did for 70 years for the next 70 years.”
 Visitors and employees of the Portsmouth Site gather to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the site, completion of the X-326 process building demolition and transfer of 200 acres of land at the site to the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative, a community reuse organization.
 Sen. Rob Portman, at center, and Rep. Brad Wenstrup, at bottom right, speak to site employees following the recent Past, Present, Future Celebration at the Portsmouth Site.
Construction of the plant began on Nov. 18, 1952. It was one of three such facilities in the U.S. capable of enriching uranium for defense and energy needs during the Cold War and beyond. Enrichment operations at the Portsmouth Site ended in 2001. The facilities are being safely decommissioned and removed for final cleanup and turnover to the community for reuse.
Earlier this year, crews marked the most significant cleanup milestone at the site when they completed structural demolition of the X-326 process building, the first of three massive site structures.
 Portsmouth Site employees and other attendees of the site's Past, Present, Future Celebration listen to speakers at the event, including EM Senior Advisor William "Ike" White, Sen. Rob Portman and several others.
Sen. Rob Portman, who first became involved with the site as a congressman in 2001, reflected on the importance of the cleanup.
“I’m proud of the progress you have made. I know this is hard work but it’s really important work, and it’s important we get it cleaned up and cleaned up safely, particularly for the community,” said Portman. “The community needs to know this is being done in a safe way for the long term and I’m proud of the technology and all the work that went into ensuring that would happen.”
In addition to White and Portman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup, Ellen Smith with Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office, Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office Manager Joel Bradburne, and Portsmouth Site Lead Jeremy Davis also participated in the celebration and reflected on the 70 years of success at the site.
EM has selected a director from the Office of Naval Reactors (NR) with over 26 years of experience in program management, policy and technical experience to serve as the cleanup program’s new principal deputy assistant secretary, effective this January.
Jeff Avery will replace Candice Robertson, who has held the senior leadership role on an interim basis. Robertson is moving to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where she will work as chief of staff for commissioner Brad Crowell.
“With his solid technical knowledge and expertise, and experience working with EM, Jeff will be an invaluable member of the EM leadership team,” EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White said. “I look forward to working with him as we tackle the remaining challenges in our cleanup mission.”
As EM’s principal deputy assistant secretary, Avery will enable the safe and successful execution of the EM cleanup mission while providing management oversight of activities, operations and program integration across EM field sites.
In his work at NR, Avery has collaborated with EM on several projects. He helped develop a strategic partnership to draw from the EM team’s experience and expertise to dismantle legacy radiological facilities at several NR sites.
Avery has a long history working for NR, a joint organization of DOE and the Department of the Navy. He currently serves as director of Regulatory and Security Affairs, responsible for regulatory and policy matters, security programs, environmental affairs and associated stakeholder engagement, oversight of NR work at the Idaho National Laboratory, and nuclear facility life-cycle management.
In past NR roles, Avery was responsible for nuclear powered ship port entry worldwide, nuclear propulsion technology exchange programs with the United Kingdom and strategic communications. Earlier in his career, Avery served in several technical and quality assurance roles supporting the Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered ships.
Avery holds a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University, Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University and Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. He also is a graduate of the Bettis Reactor Engineering School.
-Contributor: Kim Kweder
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 EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White delivers his plenary address at the 21st Annual Intergovernmental Meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy on Nuclear Waste Cleanup in New Orleans, Louisiana last week.
NEW ORLEANS - The 21st Annual Intergovernmental Meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy on Nuclear Waste Cleanup last week brought together EM and six intergovernmental groups to discuss priorities and strategies to advance the cleanup mission.
DOE and EM senior leaders gave updates on navigating the future of the waste management consent-based siting process, planning for the future workforce, climate resiliency preparations, protection of cultural and historical landscapes and an emerging contaminant migrating into the environment from chemicals used in all types of materials called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Attendees also participated in an interactive budget development exercise.
In his plenary address, EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White reflected on a successful past year that saw the cleanup program achieve the bulk of its ambitious calendar year priorities, from the launch on the Main Plant Process Building demolition at the West Valley Demonstration Project to the startup of the Hanford Site’s Tank-Side Cesium Removal System, the cornerstone of the site’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program, removing radioactive cesium and solids from tank waste.
“With a budget of over $7 billion, a top-notch workforce and strong state, tribal, community and regulator partners, EM has been able to achieve the vast majority of 2022 priorities,” White said. “EM is delivering results that lead to safer and cleaner sites. These collective successes put us on a positive path forward for the next decade and beyond.”
Faced with an aging workforce and looming retirements, EM leadership, tribes and local communities are working to ensure a new generation is ready to carry forward the cleanup mission.
White said that EM is identifying ways to retain and develop the workforce already in place and recruit the next generation.
“We’re exploring options that could allow for expedited hiring of new employees to get qualified people on the job sooner,” White said. “EM recently expanded the Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program. We are increasing internships, developing technology curriculum and boosting research activities in order to attract new talent.”
Looking to the future, White discussed planning tools to evaluate opportunities to overcome remaining challenges and achieve more in coming decades. They include the new EM Program Plan laying out a decision roadmap to serve as a guide over the next two decades, a calendar year priority list to focus on near-term progress and a strategic vision that provides an outline that guides EM priorities over the next decade.
It was the first in-person Intergovernmental Meeting in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices hosted the event.
-Contributor: Lee Tucker
 University of Tennessee (UT) Nuclear Engineering Department Head Wes Hines, right, introduces members of the “Engineering Day Diversity Panel” to UT students. From left are Harold Conner, a longtime leader in the EM complex, Dari Gabriel, a UCOR environmental scientist, and Jasmine Toy, a UT senior. They talked about overcoming challenges and visualizing a path to a successful engineering career.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) cleanup contractor UCOR is expanding initiatives to build its future workforce while maintaining cleanup and reindustrialization efforts at DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation.
“As we compete for talent, UCOR is expanding our existing partnerships and creating new efforts to recruit students and other job seekers,” said UCOR Chief of Staff Sam Dolynchuk, who leads the company’s workforce development strategies.
That includes continuing apprenticeship programs with labor unions and local community colleges and expanding university partnerships, which resulted in doubling the number of participants in UCOR’s summer intern program this year.
UCOR employees recently participated in “Engineering Day” at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. Students from 70 regional high schools attended the 110th annual event that provides future engineering students an opportunity to hear from UT students and faculty, learn about engineering careers and participate in STEM-related competitions. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
The contractor’s employees also joined the UT Department of Nuclear Engineering’s inaugural “Engineering Day Diversity Panel” last month. Dari Gabriel, an environmental scientist with UCOR, and Harold Conner, a longtime leader in the EM complex, served on the panel alongside UT student Jasmine Toy. They discussed how to overcome challenges and visualize a path to a successful engineering career.
 Harold Conner, a longtime leader in the EM complex, discusses engineering careers with high school students at the University of Tennessee’s recent “Engineering Day.” Students from 70 high schools in the region attended the event.
Representatives with the cleanup contractor recently hosted approximately 30 students and faculty members from UT’s nuclear, civil and environmental engineering departments as part of an ongoing partnership with the school. Students learned about OREM’s cleanup and internship and post-graduate career opportunities.
UCOR and its employees support the nation’s first nuclear decommissioning and environmental management minor degree program at UT. The company also sponsors senior design projects, provides scholarships and helps with a nuclear engineering colloquium series at UT.
“This partnership began to flourish as we saw how UCOR’s East Tennessee Technology Park cleanup success is attracting companies that are jump-starting the commercial nuclear industry here at Oak Ridge,” UT Nuclear Engineering Department Head Wes Hines said. “UCOR has provided presentations, tours and internships that have started a true ‘feedback loop.’”
Hines added: "Students are gaining valuable experience, and they’re sharing with fellow students and our faculty. They see these as great careers.”
 Representatives from EM, Tennessee State University (TSU), Fisk University, Meharry Medical College and UCOR are shown during a recent tour of TSU’s College of Agriculture Building.
Last month, UCOR accompanied Nicole Nelson-Jean, EM associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations, on a tour of Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville, Tennessee. They visited the campus with Fisk University and Meharry Medical College leadership.
Also in November, DOE announced $30 million in financial assistance grants to Minority Serving Institutions in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, including a $5 million grant to TSU, Fisk University and Meharry Medical College to expand collaboration on DOE-related careers in environmental science, student projects on soil, water and conservation research, and other initiatives.
-Contributor: Chris Caldwell
 Students from Chiawana High School in Pasco, Washington stand alongside a Hanford Fire Department fire engine at the Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center, during STEM Day at the Hanford Site.
RICHLAND, Wash. – About 50 students from an area high school recently visited the Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center for STEM Day, an interactive event educating local students on the EM mission, the Hanford Site and career opportunities available to the next-generation workforce.
“I had so much fun,” said Selah Gutierrez, a ninth grader at Chiawana High School in Pasco, Washington. “I never really thought about how many different job opportunities there are at the Hanford Site and getting to meet some of the workers firsthand was a really neat experience. The visit gave me a lot to think about, including avenues I can explore after high school.”
HAMMER, which stands for Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response, is located on the Hanford Site and managed by EM Richland Operations Office contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS). STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
 Tanner Hickman, center, and Ben Culver, far left, with Hanford Mission Integration Solutions demonstrate hoisting equipment used to train Hanford Site workers, highlighting various career opportunities for the next-generation workforce.
The students’ visit kicked off with a welcome from HAMMER Director Paul Vandervert.
“HAMMER delivers safety, health and emergency responder training, which is focused on meeting current and future workforce needs,” said Vandervert. “It’s exciting to share Hanford Site career options with students, especially when you see them actively engaged in a realistic work setting. It’s exciting to speak with students about career opportunities at Hanford. Ultimately, we want them to consider working at the site, and visits like this help us make that initial connection.”
Students divided into smaller groups for in-depth, hands-on demonstrations and instruction during the visit.
Throughout the day, they learned about various HMIS organizations, their capabilities and training protocols. Hanford Patrol highlighted the Patrol Training Academy, Emergency Vehicle Operations course and K-9 program. The Hanford Fire Department gave students a fire response overview, including a visit to the six-story training tower on the facility. The day concluded with information on career and intern opportunities at Hanford and how DOE prepares its future workers.
“It was really interesting learning what happens at Hanford and getting to see the various operations that go on here,” said Ryan Abastillas, a Chiawana High School student.
 Hanford Mission Integration Solutions employee Scott Downing, left, shows high school students some of the respiratory equipment used at Hanford and other EM sites to ensure worker safety.
The experience also left an impression on teachers.
“With every trip I take to HAMMER and the Hanford Site, I learn more about the vast opportunities available to students in STEM-related fields,” said Angie Jarvis, a Chiawana High School teacher. “There are so many career opportunities for our students. I am motivated to help them become aware of these opportunities and connect them to resources to make their success in STEM a reality.”
Events like STEM Day support DOE’s STEM Rising initiatives by encouraging science education, outreach efforts and workforce development in disciplines that support the overall DOE mission.
-Contributor: Amber Peters
 IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The U.S. DOE Idaho Operations Office and its contractor partners, Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) and the Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC), collaborated to host the DOE/ Energy Facility Contractors Group Fire Protection Workshop at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site recently. Over 100 DOE federal and contractor fire protection and fire service professionals from across the DOE complex attended. With the theme of “Passing the Torch — Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going,” the workshop included topical sessions on lessons learned from past fire-related events throughout the DOE complex, breakout sessions, networking and tours of INL facilities. BEA is an Office of Nuclear Energy contractor while IEC supports EM. DOE also worked with UL Solutions to conduct a one-day educational session addressing topics on mitigating electrochemical, fire and explosion hazards associated with energy storage systems. DOE’s Office of Environment, Health, Safety, and Security sponsored the course, which provided training and development for federal and contractor fire protection professionals.
-Contributor: Taryn Couchman-Cates
 Rebecca Trujillo recently joined Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos (N3B) as a field execution technical lead after attending an N3B job fair at Northern New Mexico College. She represents EM’s sought-after next generation of employees to continue its environmental cleanup mission across the DOE complex.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – A series of recent job fairs hosted by the EM Los Alamos Field Office cleanup contractor have resulted in 26 new employees supporting the mission to address environmental impacts from legacy operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
The new employees join Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos (N3B) at a crucial time — when much of EM’s workforce is at or near retirement age and environmental cleanup remains more important than ever.
Among those new hires is Rebecca Trujillo, a mother of three who placed her professional ambitions on hold for several years while her husband pursued a career on the Navajo Nation.
Trujillo’s first step back into the workforce was attending N3B’s job fair in June at Northern New Mexico College in Española, New Mexico.
She was subsequently hired as a field execution technical lead for N3B’s Environmental Remediation team. Now, Trujillo is coordinating the work of N3B subcontractors tasked with investigating and removing contaminated soil associated with historical laboratory operations.
Well prepared for her role, Trujillo has bachelor’s degrees in secondary education and geology from New Mexico State University and a master’s degree in geology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology.
While in school, the Española native completed internships and fieldwork that took her to the Caribbean island of Dominica to study volcanos, Ohio to work with the U.S. Forest Service on a mineral rights project, western Colorado for geochronology analyses, and Craters of the Moon National Park in Idaho to work as an interpretive park ranger.
It was after her stint at the park in Idaho that family responsibilities placed Trujillo’s career on hold.
As Trujillo described her education and work history at N3B’s job fair, Mike Erickson, a director in N3B’s Environmental Remediation Program, became confident she would be an excellent candidate for his team. He described a job opening to her and encouraged her to apply online.
“I was very impressed with Rebecca, especially her dual bachelor’s degrees and master’s degree, hands-on experience and professional presence,” said Erickson, one of many hiring managers who participated in the job fairs. “I also admired her priorities and initiative — taking time off to raise a family and then shifting gears to reengage in a technical career.”
EM has made it a priority for prime cleanup contractors like N3B to recruit and train a new generation of employees to conduct environmental cleanup related to Manhattan Project- and Cold War-era weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear research.
In his keynote address at the National Cleanup Workshop earlier this year, EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White said that building a qualified, diverse workforce is a critical strategic issue for the EM program nationwide to allow cleanup work to continue for years to come.
Trujillo represents that next generation of employees.
“I think younger environmental professionals have an important perspective and passion for preserving our land and resources,” she said. “Our ideas and energy will help carry missions like the legacy LANL cleanup well into the future and ultimately to completion.”
N3B will host job fairs in 2023 and promote them through local colleges and universities, workforce organizations and social media. Anyone interested in learning about these events is encouraged to follow N3B on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Click here for information on job openings at N3B.
-Contributor: Brian Leugs
 The crane and rigging crew at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant plans and performs delivery and installation of equipment ranging from 300-ton melters to crawler cranes.
RICHLAND, Wash. – Whether by barge, truck or train, when large pieces of equipment arrive at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) on the Hanford Site, the crane and rigging team is trusted to plan and perform delivery and installation.
“We’ve been involved with the installation of just about every piece of major equipment that comes into the plant, from 300-ton melters to tower cranes and 275-ton vessels,” said Sean McGaughy, the crane and rigging team superintendent with the Waste Treatment Completion Company (WTCC), a subcontractor to project lead Bechtel National Inc. “Melters, vessels, structural steel; we’ve installed it all.”
Their work has included assembling three tower cranes and nine heavy-lift crawler cranes and, in what McGaughy calls one of the team’s most challenging projects, disassembling the low-activity waste tower crane, which the team did 200 feet in the air.
“The difference between doing work in the air and on the ground is if you pick something up and you’re a little off and it’s only six inches off the ground, you can set it back down and reconfigure,” he said. “You have to be spot on in the air.”
The size of the rigging crew used for a task varies by the job but usually includes McGaughy, who has been with WTP since 2002; Ryan Hoff, the WTCC rigging engineer who creates plans for equipment that weighs more than 10 tons or is of high value to the project; and as many as 10 operators, six ironworkers and nine truck drivers. The team creates an engineering lift plan, gathers the rigging hardware, determines which crane or equipment should be used for installation, performs load tests and safely installs the equipment.
“I look back at everything this team has done and who’s done what to get the plant up and running, and this team has been a huge part of the success,” said John Andreatta, the High-Level Waste Completion manager. “During the startup and commissioning phase of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program, the team led the way on the lift planning, load testing and testing of the low-activity waste permanent operations cranes.”
Most of the equipment arrives at the site on trucks, but the heavier, larger items — such as two massive vessels that weighed 170 tons each — arrive on barges on the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, to the Port of Benton in Richland, Washington. There they are offloaded onto hydraulic platform trailers and transported to the jobsite at Hanford.
“Everything we do has a schedule,” said McGaughy. “We need to have our work done before the project can proceed with the next activity. We do our best to meet the schedule, but we never sacrifice safety for schedule.”
One of the greatest challenges was installing two 300-ton melters, the largest nuclear industry melters in the world, which are key to the plant’s DFLAW process.
“Our involvement with the melters has been a pretty big chunk of work,” said Hoff.
“We’ve been involved with the melters since about 2010,” said Andreatta. “It’s been gratifying to see it come to completion. This is a megaproject, and these are the team members getting it done in the background.”
-Contributor: Patti Jones
An EM director joined other federal government representatives last week to focus on succession planning and the “great resignation” in the final installment of the 2022 FEDTalks Key Executive Leadership Programs Speaker Series held by the American University School of Public Affairs.
Kristen Ellis, EM director of regulatory, intergovernmental and stakeholder engagement, and the other panelists discussed the growing need for succession planning and the great resignation seen across federal agencies in which people have voluntarily left their jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. They emphasized the importance of attracting early career professionals to jobs in civil service during the virtual panel discussion.
EM has about 1,200 federal employees currently, with almost 200 open positions. Only 15 employees are under the age of 30, Ellis said. About 25% of EM employees are currently eligible for retirement, and that percentage rises each year.
The panelists joining Ellis were Kara Cotsalas, chief of the Workforce Management Branch for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Russell Robinson, senior advisor for Training & Engagement for the Program Support Center at HHS. Like Ellis, Cotsalas and Robinson noted that the federal agency where they work struggles to increase the number of employees under 30.
Government work appeals to early career professionals, but they struggle to figure out where to begin.
“Once we get them, they’ll stay,” Ellis said. “But we’ve got to get them over the hump of getting brought into the mission.”
EM is experimenting with ways to recruit early career professionals. Ellis shared ideas, such as shortening the hiring process and using social media to connect potential hires with employment opportunities.
“We can’t have one solution,” Ellis said. “We’ve got to try 20 different things and see what sticks.”
EM sites are in mostly rural, diverse locations across the country, which has proven to make recruiting employees difficult. Contractors at these sites struggle to get jobs filled. Ellis emphasized how these sites and EM need local and state officials to help tackle this challenge. She said that working closely with local communities and taking the time to listen to what the needs of those areas are, and having the data to back up the needs of the EM sites is a step in the right direction.
On the topic of long-term planning for recruiting new and early career professionals, Ellis said targeting middle school students is essential because they are the next generation entering the workforce. Getting them invested in EM’s mission and the work that takes place at the sites across the country is key.
The panelists said they’re hopeful about the future of succession planning and recruiting early career professionals.
“We’ll be looking back in a few years from now and look at how everything has changed,” Ellis said.
The 2022 Key FEDTalks Speaker Series focused on the future of excellence in leadership and public service.
-Contributor: Carly Howard
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 PIKE COUNTY, Ohio – EM’s Portsmouth Site recently evaluated the use of electric mowers to provide a safer, greener future for grounds maintenance activities. Emissions from gas- and diesel-powered mowers are an estimated 30 times worse than emissions from cars and trucks, and mower engine efficiencies hover around only 20%. Using a gas or diesel mower up to 400 hours per year can produce emissions equivalent to operating over 400 passenger cars. Electric mowers would contribute to the federal goal of climate resilient infrastructure and operations. The electric mowers also would enhance safety for the workforce. Due to the low noise of the machines, workers would be able to mow without cumbersome hearing protection, thereby improving awareness of their surroundings and ensuring they hear the nuclear facility's sirens, horns and instruments. Employees also would no longer be at risk for exposure to hazardous fuels, oils and fluids from the gas and diesel mowers. Powered by lithium batteries, the electric mowers can operate eight hours on a single charge. The electric mower demonstration was conducted by North Wind Dynamics (NWD), the Portsmouth Site infrastructure support services contractor. NWD is aiming to purchase two of the electric mowers for use in spring next year, and may buy more in the future. Pictured from left are NWD employees Chris Davis, Mark Barnett, Roy Lucas and Kim Cremeans, along with EM Portsmouth Site employee Noah Lawson.
-Contributor: Noah Lawson
 Idaho Environmental Coalition engineer Kevin Young explains how engineers use infrared cameras to look for unwanted heat generation in machines at an Earth Day event in Idaho Falls earlier this year. In the world of engineering, unwanted heat usually means wasted energy.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – EM technical staff at the Idaho National Laboratory Site are doing their part to pass the baton to the next generation of aspiring scientists and engineers by emphasizing the importance of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) disciplines and promoting innovation and problem-solving with area students.
Kevin Young, an engineer with EM contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition’s (IEC) Calcine Disposition Project, recently taught students about kinetic and potential energy at the Museum of Idaho’s Night at the Museum event, which gives students an opportunity to spend the night at the museum and learn new STEAM concepts.
Young and other IEC engineers set up a station with rubber-band helicopters to help the students learn about energy properties. Young said seeing the excitement in the student’s eyes as they experience the science is one of his favorite parts about volunteering at STEAM events in the community.
“It is so exciting when you can see the lightbulb come on for the students when they understand a scientific concept,” he said.
Young said he likes to show the students the scientific process of starting with an idea, creating a design for the idea and then testing the design to see how it works.
“There is always an excitement to see how the test will work, and I like to help the students experience that and show them that this is something that scientist and engineers get to do everyday as a job,” he said.
 Idaho Environmental Coalition engineer Kevin Young instructs students how to make an electromagnet at STEAM Day at the Idaho Falls Zoo earlier this year.
Young said a major part of his outreach is to help students have a positive experience with science and engineering so it can help them to be interested in those fields in the future.
“The students may not fully grasp the concept of kinetic and potential energy that day, but hopefully the excitement they felt is something they will remember, and maybe they can apply that excitement to becoming an engineer in the future,” he said.
IEC has committed to support STEAM initiatives in eastern Idaho, such as Night at the Museum, Engineering Day, Earth Day and other events. Young volunteers at those events, too.
The company also purchased a gas chromatograph recently for a local high school. Students use the gas chromatograph to separate compounds by vaporizing samples to identify and analyze the components of a liquid mixture and to determine the relative concentration. Chromatography can test drug and food purity, among other things.
Around 100 students a year will get to use the gas chromatograph in the classroom to help them better understand intermolecular forces, which in return also helps them to be better prepared for college and internships they may have in the future.
The EM project that Young supports must be complete by 2035 to meet a milestone with the state of Idaho. It’s possible that one or more of the students he instructed at a STEAM event could eventually intern with the project or help to bring it across the finish line.
-Contributor: Erik Simpson
 Savannah River Mission Completion covered Diversion Boxes 5 and 6 with concrete to permanently close the boxes from future use. Box 5 is shown at top prior to it being entombed in concrete. Box 5 is pictured immediately above after workers placed concrete over and around the structure.
AIKEN, S.C. – EM and its liquid waste contractor at Savannah River Site (SRS) have safely and successfully entombed in concrete two previously radioactive structures.
Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) placed concrete over and around two concrete structures called diversion boxes that contain a series of connection points that allowed high-level radioactive waste to be transferred from one tank or facility to another.
The two structures have been out of service for more than 30 years. As part of the closure process, both structures also were filled with grout previously, rendering them inoperable.
The two diversion boxes were the first ancillary structures closed in this way under SRMC’s liquid waste contract. They are located in the F Tank Farm, which is a grouping of large underground waste-storage tanks. The liquid waste program at SRS has closed eight of the site’s 51 massive waste tanks by filling them with cementitious grout.
 State regulators and officials with DOE-Savannah River (DOE-SR) and Savannah River Mission Completion gathered to observe the placing of concrete surrounding Diversion Box 6. DOE-SR Manager Michael Budney, center, discusses the work performed on Box 6, which is shown in the background.
DOE-Savannah River Manager Michael Budney said closure of the diversion boxes is another step in the overall goal of the liquid waste program.
“Although there is still much to be done at the site’s tank farms, this closure marks another step in that process,” said Budney. “The safe handling and closing of structures such as these enables us to further reduce our total footprint.”
SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson said the integrity of the concrete placed over and around the diversion boxes provides additional protection to workers, the public and the environment.
“As we continue to execute our mission, an important value will always be the safety of our people and protection of our surroundings,” Olson said. “Every job must be performed properly so that we can continue to live up to our standards.”
-Contributor: Jim Beasley
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