  U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program staff members are pictured with Claflin University students.
Program managers from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP) recently visited a number of South Carolina historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) receiving grant funding under the EM MSIPP.
Across all eight schools, 792 students have been directly impacted by the EM MSIPP grant, along with other students who have and will benefit from general improvements at their colleges, such as new course and degree offerings, laboratory renovations and equipment upgrades.
The EM MSIPP team viewed improvements made over the past two years to the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs at the HBCUs. The team also received updates on additional improvements set for 2025 as the institutions enter the third and final year of the $20 million grant. The fiscal year 2022 EM MSIPP funds have allowed the eight HBCUs to further develop their STEM programs and provide critical support to ensure student success.
 U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program staff members are pictured with Cleveland Wilson, far left, grant liaison for Claflin University, Ronnie Hopkins, third from right, president, Voorhees University, and Corey Amaker, far right, vice president of Strategic Planning, Assessment and Technology, Voorhees University.
The EM MSIPP team visited Voorhees University, where President Ronnie Hopkins discussed the tremendous impact of the grant funding on students and retention rates. Scholarships funded by the grant money have created opportunities for students that would have otherwise been unrealized. Similarly, EM MSIPP funding supports the university’s ability to expose students from the rural community it serves to career opportunities in computer science. Voorhees University has used EM MSIPP funds to host seminars, open to all students and faculty, on cutting-edge topics such as artificial intelligence.
At nearby Denmark Technical College, faculty shared that the scholarships they have been able to offer with the EM MSIPP grant funding have dramatically increased enrollment in computer technology and cybersecurity programs. To complement their academic initiatives, Denmark Tech also created the Security Operations Center (SOC).
During the visit, students such as J’Shawn Stukes — Student Government Association president, SOC apprentice and scholarship recipient — shared details on their experiences.
“The internship has let me apply my book knowledge to real-world experiences,” Stukes said. “The [EM] MSIPP scholarship has changed my life.”
Additionally, two Denmark students have been hired into the EM complex since the start of the grant performance period.
 J’Shawn Stukes, a student at Denmark Technical College in South Carolina, shares his experiences during a visit by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program team.
Claflin University awarded 171 scholarships to students across several STEM majors.
“Every single one of the natural science programs have been touched by this grant,” said Verlie Tisdale, acting dean of the School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics.
The impact of EM MSIPP funds extends to students at the beginning of their Claflin careers through the Pre-Matriculation Summer Bridge Program. Not only did the students who ultimately enrolled in Claflin receive full scholarships for their summer courses, several students reported that the program was instrumental in helping them to declare a major.
This past summer, South Carolina State University held the Radiation Science Summer Experience to increase interest in this declining field. Ten students received scholarships, housing and a stipend while taking courses in radiochemistry and health physics.
The EM MSIPP program at Benedict College revolves around research as a vehicle for experiential learning.
Over the summer, Adrian Gale, assistant professor for environmental engineering and co-principal investigator on the EM MSIPP grant, mentored his student, Daniel Dean, in a project developing resins for ion-exchange to treat hard water as a model for ion-exchange remediation of the more dangerous chemical, mercury, which is found at several EM sites. Gale trained Dean on the use of a 3D printer to develop the resins.
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Daniel Dean, a student at Benedict College, was trained on the use of a 3D printer, pictured here, for a project under the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program. |
The EM MSIPP team met with representatives of Allen University, which recently held a STEM day camp for 17 high school students, helping foster interest in the sciences at a secondary school level.
EM MSIPP staff were not able to visit Morris and Clinton colleges due to Hurricane Helene. However, faculty did present on their recent accomplishments at a Sept. 25 meeting.
This past summer, 16 Morris students participated in faculty-mentored research. Clinton College will engage in a large scholarship initiative later this fall to support the growth of its new cybersecurity bachelor’s degree program.
The EM MSIPP hopes to support more students through its most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity number DE-FOA-0003422 posted here on Sept. 12.
-Contributors: Emily Himmelfarb, Genia McKinley
 A waste transport delivery truck carrying three casks containing transuranic waste is shown en route to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.
CARLSBAD, N.M. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) recently announced a major accomplishment in safely delivering nuclear waste over 17 million miles.
“The safety of our nuclear waste shipments is paramount,” said Mark Bollinger, manager for EM’s Carlsbad Field Office, which oversees the underground repository. “WIPP’s 17 million safe miles is extremely impressive and highlights the dedication of the men and women who transport these shipments on our nation’s roadways — they deserve our gratitude.”
CAST Specialty Transportation is the contractor hauling waste shipments from EM sites to WIPP. Drivers must meet stringent driving and background requirements. WIPP drivers receive about 200 hours of training before transporting their first waste shipment. Training includes use of package securement devices, radiation detection equipment and emergency management procedures.
Since beginning operations in 1999, WIPP has received over 14,170 transuranic waste shipments from 22 EM sites across the country. Transuranic waste is comprised of gloves, clothing, residue, soil and other items contaminated with radioactive elements — largely plutonium — that have numbers greater than uranium on the periodic table.
Transuranic waste is transported to WIPP in specially designed casks certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These casks must pass rigorous safety requirements prior to receiving this certification, including drop, burn, puncture and pressure testing.
Located in southeast New Mexico about 26 miles from Carlsbad, the WIPP repository is 2,150 feet underground and carved out of an ancient sea salt bed formed over 250 million years ago.
-Contributor: Bobby St. John
 The Hanford Site’s largest groundwater treatment plant was recently expanded to increase flow rate from 2,500 to 3,400 gallons per minute, allowing the facility to treat an additional 475 million gallons of groundwater each year.
RICHLAND, Wash. — The scores are in, and the Hanford Site received a perfect 10 — that is, 10 consecutive years of treating more than 2 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater, an achievement that highlights continuous, consistent cleanup progress.
For fiscal year 2024, which ended Sept. 30, Hanford contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) treated 2.3 billion gallons. Hanford has treated nearly 35 billion gallons since the site’s award-winning groundwater remediation program began in the 1990s.
“Hanford’s groundwater program has been a model of consistency and one of the biggest success stories in our ongoing cleanup mission,” said Naomi Jaschke, Hanford Field Office project director for the Soil and Groundwater Division. “But the job is not finished. We are continually seeking more efficient and cost-effective solutions to improve our systems, with protection of the nearby Columbia River our ultimate goal.”
 The Hanford Site has treated more than 2 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater for 10 consecutive years.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, this summer the Hanford Site completed a significant expansion of the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility, the largest of its six groundwater treatment plants.
The facility, which began operations in 2012, increased its flow rate to more than 3,400 gallons of groundwater per minute, a 35% increase over its original design capacity of 2,500 gallons per minute. The expanded capacity will allow the facility to treat an additional 475 million gallons annually.
The ambitious expansion project required the installation of 54,000 feet — more than 10 miles — of specialized plastic piping to connect the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility to a dozen new groundwater extraction wells. The goal of the expansion was to optimize the extraction well network by decreasing the plume size and concentration. This more effectively increases the removal of radioactive and chemical contamination under the site’s Central Plateau.
 Workers with Hanford Site contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company pull groundwater samples from a well at the site. In many areas of the site’s Central Plateau, groundwater is more than 300 feet below the surface.
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The Hanford Site’s groundwater treatment expansion project required the drilling and installation of a dozen new extraction wells, which were connected to the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility, one of Hanford’s six operating groundwater treatment plants. |
The extraction wells pump contaminated water from the aquifer, which is often more than 300 feet below the surface. The water moves through the system, which removes contaminants and then injects the treated water back into the ground. This helps push the yet untreated groundwater toward the extraction wells, continuing the cycle.
“This is the largest expansion of our treatment network to date,” said Mark Cherry, CPCCo Soil & Groundwater Operations director. “The pump-and-treat systems have already removed nearly 700 tons of contaminants from the aquifer over the life of Hanford’s groundwater treatment program, and completion of this critical project allows us to more efficiently increase that number as we continue to reduce risk to the river.”
 U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management crews are completing final decontamination and demolition work to the adjoining laboratories, office spaces and hot cell that supported the Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse prototype during its operation.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) decontamination and demolition (D&D) crews are using innovative technologies and techniques to safely and efficiently demolish two defueled naval nuclear propulsion plant prototypes at the Naval Reactors Facility at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site.
At the Aircraft Carrier 1st Generation Westinghouse (A1W) project, workers are using a sponge-blasting technology to remove polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing paint that was applied to facility equipment and components. PCBs are complex chemical compounds that are highly toxic and carcinogenic, and removal of the PCB paint allows the project to recycle metals and avoid disposal in landfills. Sponge-blasting media is reusable, increases efficiency and generates less waste than other paint removal processes.
 A crew with U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition tests sponge-blasting material on nonhazardous metals before crews begin work at the Aircraft Carrier 1st Generation Westinghouse prototype.
Nearby at the Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse (S1W) prototype, D&D crews restored a previously inoperable 125-ton overhead bridge crane to support removal of large steel components from the building. The restored crane has eliminated the need to hire a subcontractor to perform hoisting and rigging work. To date, crews have successfully performed over 2,500 lifts with the crane.
To address the S1W’s thick, rounded hull and shielding, crews have employed an arsenal of tools — both innovative and conventional — to reduce the size of the metal. Diamond wire saws, plasma torches, reciprocating saws and even electric chainsaws are used by the D&D crews.
Mike Swartz, D&D director with Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC), EM’s cleanup contractor at the INL Site, said the problem-solving abilities of his crews continue to impress him.
“Our team is very talented and has demonstrated incredible efficiency in performing D&D at the S1W prototype,” he said. “Through our experiences and ability to find solutions to complex D&D problems, our team has developed best practices that will allow us to continue increasing efficiencies at the Naval Reactors Facility on the other prototypes.”
 This sponge media is an abrasive material used to remove polychlorinated biphenyls and other hazardous materials through a process called sponge-blasting.
In coming weeks, crews will remove critical components of the S1W, such as a hot cell and reactor vessel. The hot cell, a thick, heavily reinforced concrete structure, was used for high-radiation work and materials inspection.
IEC began D&D work on the S1W legacy naval nuclear propulsion plant prototype, including its defueled reactor vessel, in fiscal year 2022. This prototype served as a training ground for approximately 14,000 U.S. Navy submariners and plant operators. IEC anticipates completing the S1W project in fiscal year 2025 before completing D&D work at A1W.
EM, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state of Idaho propose a new D&D effort at the nearby Submarine 5th Generation General Electric (S5G) prototype. They will initiate a public comment period and hold a meeting in coordination with the Idaho Cleanup Project Citizens Advisory Board meeting at the end of the month in Sun Valley, Idaho.
-Contributor: Carter Harrison
 Remaining scrap metal from the C-611-R High Pressure Fire Water Tower demolition debris is removed for transfer to the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization.
PADUCAH, Ky. — The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s Paducah Site recently transferred more than 765,000 pounds of equipment and recyclable metal to the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization (PACRO) for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, marking a significant opportunity for regional economic growth. The estimate market value of this year’s transfer is nearly $175,000.
PACRO, in turn, uses the transferred property or proceeds from its sale to attract new jobs to the community.
A significant portion of the recyclable material was 463,120 pounds of scrap metal from the demolition of the C-611-R High Pressure Fire Water Tower earlier this year. The structure had long been a prominent feature of the site’s skyline, and its safe and successful demolition was a highlight for the Paducah Site.
“Paducah and its surrounding communities have supported the DOE mission for a long time,” Portsmouth Paducah Project Office Manager Joel Bradburne said. “We will continue to find ways to support the community in turn through property transfers — like those in this and previous years — as reindustrialization of the site continues to be evaluated.”
 One of the support legs of the C-611-R High Pressure Fire Water Tower is loaded into an awaiting truck for transfer to the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization. Crews with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management safely demolished the structure earlier this year.
In addition to the scrap metal, Paducah transferred heavy equipment, trailer chassis and other industrial equipment assets to PACRO for recycling and reuse, bringing value to local industry, supporting future economic development and promoting environmental sustainability. Property transfer at the Paducah Site also showcases DOE and PACRO’s shared commitment to benefiting the regional economy while reshaping the landscape at the site.
“The strategic partnership we have with DOE continues to have a positive impact in our region,” PACRO Executive Director Greg Wiles said. “This community appreciates the focus from DOE and its contractors to ensure PACRO continues to have a pipeline for economic development. The PACRO board is encouraged by the property transfers this fiscal year and looks forward to additional economic opportunities from the transfer of recyclable material and potential future land transfer at the DOE Paducah Site.”
-Contributors: J.T. Crawford, Dylan Nichols
 Workers prepare grout in containers to send to the processing area at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center at Oak Ridge. The grout is used to encapsulate cellulosic material before it is characterized, certified and shipped for final disposal.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) Transuranic Waste Processing Center is one of the first locations in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) complex to initiate a new treatment process for cellulosic waste approved by EM’s Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO).
Cellulosic waste contains plant-based material, such as cotton and wood. In Oak Ridge’s case, it involves items such as cotton rags and paper towels.
The new process, developed by OREM contractor UCOR, stabilizes non-compliant cellulosic waste that potentially contains oxidizing chemicals. These materials have the potential to combust if left untreated.
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Workers at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center at Oak Ridge place cellulosic waste into premixed grout containers. After the material cures for 24 hours, the containers are placed into waste drums along with other compliant waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to be reposited in the underground. |
UCOR will now be able to process more than 100 waste drums from Oak Ridge’s remaining inventory of transuranic waste that were set aside after a similar waste stream combusted in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s (WIPP) underground repository in 2014. CBFO oversees WIPP.
That event at WIPP was caused by organic waste interacting with surrounding chemicals, generating an exothermic reaction inside a closed waste drum. CBFO has established new waste acceptance criteria to prevent any future potential occurrences.
“Getting to this point required approval from the state and submitting test results and receiving concurrence from the Carlsbad Field Office,” said OREM Project Manager Mike Vestal. “It was a long leadup to get to this point, but our team is excited to move forward knowing we can safely address and dispose of this waste.”
 Protective waste overpacks contain select waste streams as they await processing at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center at Oak Ridge. They contain more than 100 drums containing cellulosic waste that now has an approved treatment process for disposal.
Workers will segregate non-compliant cellulosic materials from the compliant waste. The cellulosic material will then be encapsulated in grout, placed in a container, and repackaged into a new container for characterization, certification and shipment for final disposal.
“This is a great collaborative effort between the Transuranic Waste Processing Center, Carlsbad Field Office, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s Central Characterization Project,” said Gio Barton, Transuranic Waste Processing Center Environmental Programs and Central Characterization Project interface with UCOR. “We have more technically challenging waste ahead of us, and this sets a precedent to follow for future approvals.”
Employees at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center began processing cellulosic waste for disposal last month.
-Contributor: Susanne Dupes
 The West Valley Demonstration Project recently conducted a full-scale exercise based on a hypothetical incident designed to test the skills and response of onsite and offsite emergency response personnel. Sean Lafferty, radiation control technician, pictured at right, surveys an area for contamination during the exercise. Jon Nehl, radiation protection supervisor, acts as a controller to provide the scenario information and observe Lafferty’s response to the hypothetical event.
WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – Disasters can occur at any time, and a knowledgeable, well-trained emergency response team can significantly improve the outcome of any event.
That’s why the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management and its cleanup contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project recently undertook an exercise in response to a hypothetical emergency scenario. The mock event provided real-world training and constructive feedback for improvement.
Held annually at the West Valley site, the large-scale exercise was based on a hypothetical incident involving a contamination event due to sabotage by an insider threat. The exercise was designed to validate the team’s response to the unannounced hypothetical incident and its ability to minimize the potential impact on employees, the public and the environment.
“Exercises allow us to safely test the knowledge and response of our organization through a real-life scenario that includes challenging situations,” said Jennifer Dundas, West Valley’s assistant director of the Office of Technical Services. “We understand the importance and benefit of having trained emergency responders working at West Valley.”
West Valley team members helped develop the scenario and supported the exercise as controllers and evaluators. This included coordinating many tasks to make it more realistic and truly test responders from beginning to end.
Kevin Murray, senior emergency management specialist with West Valley cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, stressed the importance of being prepared for any situation through training and drills and exercises.
“You can never predict the future or what will happen tomorrow; however, by being prepared, we can effectively deal with any situation to minimize or prevent its impact on people, property and the community,” he said. "This is why we continue to train, learn and evaluate our performance.”
Area firefighters, 911 dispatch center employees and other emergency services representatives took part in the exercise. Several teams and organizations from the site participated, including the Radiological Controls and Environmental departments, Emergency Medical Response Team, Security Force and Operational Response Team, Technical Support Center and Emergency Operations Center. Also joining the mock incident response were employees from DOE headquarters and DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, which delivered mock social media and news coverage.
-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere
RICHLAND, Wash. — The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management and its Hanford Site contractors joined with the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council and the Central Washington Building and Trades Council to establish the Hanford Workforce Engagement Center in 2018 to provide current and former Hanford workers and their families free assistance in addressing occupational health concerns.
Sponsored and funded by the Energy Department, the center assists in navigating the complex systems of compensation and medical care reimbursement offered through federal, state and Hanford contractor programs.
Located in Richland, the center is staffed with workforce specialists who have extensive Hanford experience in the various programs and options available to current and former workers with occupational health questions.
Specifically, the center offers assistance related to the following areas:
- The Department’s Workers’ Compensation Program;
- The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act;
- The Former Workers Medical Screening Program;
- Beryllium sensitization, or chronic beryllium disease;
- The state of Washington Workers’ Compensation Program; and
- Hanford contractor-specific programs.
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