Y-12 Blog
A chemist performs an initial sample analysis.
The Analytical Chemistry Organization (ACO) at Y-12 recently received good news from Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) that ACO completed the annual laboratory requalification to continue supporting nuclear Navy reactors through June 30, 2022. The recertification ensures that Y-12 can continue to process the highly enriched uranium used to help fuel reactors in the Navy’s nuclear powered aircraft carriers and submarines under an agreement with NNSA’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
Local and global impacts
Comprised of seven laboratory groups within Analytical Chemistry Enterprise and Mission Operations, ACO performs chemical analyses on a wide variety of samples gathered throughout Y-12.
Impurities in weapon materials, isotopic analysis, waste and environmental sample analysis, beryllium and bioassay for worker health and safety, and reactor material supply are just some of the areas from which the ACO receives samples.
“ACO analyzes virtually every part and process at Y-12,” said Rob Kring, former senior manager of Y-12 Analytical Chemistry Mission Operations. “The work we do every day in ACO has global impacts. It’s not just a sample we are analyzing — we are ensuring the U.S. nuclear stockpile, helping to power the nuclear Navy and commercial nuclear reactors, and are doing our part to help protect our Y-12 coworkers.”
The Y-12 Analytical Chemistry Operations group completed more than 102,000 tests in 2020. Click for a larger image.
A yearly review
Each year, ACO participates in a recertification exercise run by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, which is a part of the greater Naval Nuclear Laboratory. During the exercise, KAPL sends samples with different and unknown concentrations of impurities to Y-12 and ACO then has to recover those impurities at the targeted levels within strict accuracy constraints well-below the parts per million level. The ACO team prepares eight samples along with blanks and quality control. Both the samples and the individual components are analyzed and then re-analyzed on additional instrumentation to verify results.
Results are collected, compiled, calculated, and reviewed over several days before a report is produced and submitted. KAPL then evaluates the report and recertifies ACO based on the results.
Overcoming challenges
The previous year brought many challenges to working environments all over the world, and the ACO recertification process was no different.
“Communication is key to all customer relationships, and COVID-19 drastically increased the difficulty of all interactions,” explained Kellye McGhee, lead chemist for the Inductively Coupled Plasma team.
“Keeping up with daily customer samples and lab qualifications is challenging even in a stable environment, but finding a way to complete necessary tasks while dealing with all the uncertainties COVID-19 brought our way was even more complicated,” McGhee stated. “Thanks to the critical thinking skills of our group, collaboration with other subject matter experts within ACO, and a deep motivation to succeed for our customers, we continue to support the Y-12 mission.”
Participants followed pandemic controls that were active at the time of the photographs.
Jan West (left) and Jeff Barnard (right) stand in front of the new flag at Post 5.
While the Stars and Stripes is easy to spot at multiple locations around Y-12, one employee noticed a place on site that seemed to be missing a flag. Because he brought attention to the issue, Old Glory is now proudly displayed at this prominent location.
For months, Jeff Barnard, a painter at Y-12 for more than 40 years, drove past a bare flag pole at the old Post 5 on the east end of First Street twice every day.
“As I passed through Post 5 and noticed the flag pole with no flag flying on it, I thought it was really sad, especially with what our mission is and what we do here at Y-12.”
Barnard took his concerns to his Joint Labor Management team where members Calvin Gallaher, Frank Lyles, and Jan West initiated a plan to run a flag up the pole. Infrastructure’s Roads and Grounds crew provided a new rope and a flag. Power Operations made sure that the flag would be properly illuminated in accordance with the lighting code and to protect its integrity.
“It made me realize that in America, sometimes we get so busy we forget what the flag stands for,” said Lyles, director of Plant Services. “It represents our nation, our future, our families, and our mission. And part of the mission at Y-12 is to make sure a flag is always flying.”
Jan West, senior director of Y-12 Environment, Safety, and Health, and an Air Force veteran, agreed. “It is the bigger picture of why we are here, and I would like to think a large portion of our workforce connects because of what the flag stands for,” she said. “It is very symbolic for what we do here and for our mission.”
West is one of many veterans who, along with still serving military personnel, work at Y-12.
Major John Toliver, who served 15 years of active service before transitioning to the Army Reserves, believes that our flag represents our nation and its people.
“The American flag is a symbol of what we’re defending every time we step across that blue line and come to work,” said Toliver, Special Operations Command - Strategic Partnerships.
“It should be flown at every corner of Y-12 for all to see. Our mission is to ensure a safe and effective U.S. nuclear weapons deterrent and to reduce global threat of weapons of mass destruction,” he said. “We are each called upon to strengthen our national security and what we do every day matters for the nation and we should all be very proud of that.”
Students from as far away as New York participated in the cybersecurity camp sponsored by Y-12 National Security Complex.
Knowing how to be safe online is important for anyone old enough to use a computer or smartphone. Y-12’s educational outreach program is doing its part to make sure students know how to protect themselves, while also encouraging them to grow and maintain an interest in cybersecurity that could lead to a potential career.
For the second summer, Y-12 National Security Complex partnered with Roane State Community College to offer an innovative approach to cybersecurity education through a virtual camp for middle and high school students who are considering careers in Information Technology. The camp was designed to engage today’s hyper-connected young people with firsthand examples of mobile forensics and the damage a cyberattack can do.
George Meghabghab, director of the RSCC Computer Information Technology program, led the camp. “I loved each minute of the camp, and the students felt the same way,” he said.
The first four-day camp, held for high school students, was conducted in early June. The July camp was held for middle school students from as far away as New York and Maryland. Students attending the camps from closer to home were from Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Spring City, Rockwood, Kingston, Oliver Springs, Maryville, Oakdale, and Clinton.
The students were given opportunities to apply their individual skillsets in a group setting in hopes of realizing that they’re always going to be learning and finding new ways to identify solutions to problems. Meghabghab said the students wanted to know how a cybersecurity breach can happen.
“I felt students wanted to do hands-on work more than ever before, which is why I do what I do,” Meghabghab said. “I feel interest in this camp is exploding,” he continued. “I believe the virtual outreach is critical, and I am glad we did it this way. I hope we can use the same format next year.”
In a time of heartache and abuse, organizations like the Knoxville Family Justice Center are there for victims of domestic violence
Consolidated Nuclear Security continues to look for ways to help our communities toward recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The company recently turned to the East Tennessee Foundation and its Neighbor to Neighbor Fund to join with the CNS Community Investment Fund. Together, CNS and ETF were able to quickly get much needed resources to several nonprofit organizations in East Tennessee.
Knoxville Family Justice Center’s Navigator Program
Imagine being isolated and alone with only an abusive partner at your side. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic only increased the stress caused by abusive relationships. Safer at home orders, furloughs, and unemployment left many victims of domestic violence trapped with nowhere to escape.
Carmen was in that situation. Her boyfriend, with whom she had a history of explosive fights, had been laid off and his angry outbursts had escalated. He became even more controlling, threatening violence to her and her dogs.
Fortunately for Carmen, she found the website of the Knoxville Family Justice Center, a hub of 47 collaborating organizations including shelter, advocacy, and law enforcement. She cried out for help through an email.
“Our navigators responded immediately, and we asked if she had a safe phone number so we could text her,” said Kathy Hatfield, the Family Justice Center’s grant writer.
Through text messages, KFJC navigators connected Carmen with advocates from its partner agencies. Through their help Carmen was able to escape her abuser.
Hatfield said the pandemic created obstacles for everyone. For the Knoxville Family Justice Center, it required the Center to adapt quickly to COVID-19 safety protocols. Its trained volunteers could not be used, increasing the work of paid staff.
Thanks to a $2,500 CNS grant, coupled with $4,700 from the East Tennessee Foundation, KFJC was able to provide funding for its Navigator Program for Survivors of Domestic Violence and address the needs of survivors.
Staff members were also repurposed for victim care, coordinating appointments, and ensuring a sterile facility for in person meetings when necessary because of extreme danger in a victim’s situation. When possible, survivors were encouraged to call ahead so on site visits could be staggered.
Hatfield said the support of CNS and East Tennessee Foundation’s Neighbor to Neighbor Fund allowed KFJC to perform vital services for survivors of domestic violence during the pandemic.
“Your support resulted in survivors reporting improved safety, better access to resources, and a better understanding of abuse,” Hatfield said.
Kami Bush, who supports CNS’s VMware virtual infrastructure, stands in front of a Y‑12 server rack in Building 9117.
Think about your daily routine for work. Often, technology plays a role that is front and center. As a collection of hardware, software, applications, and networks, it has undoubtedly grown to serve as a gateway to how we connect with others, find information, track data, or essentially solve problems.
As end users, we infrequently question how or why technology works; it only matters that it does. Yet, behind the secured doors of an internal server room or the screen of a computer supervising our CNS network is an IT systems administrator ensuring that we’re operational and online.
“Our team of administrators are critical to how we connect and perform as an enterprise,” said Brad Burdett, director of IT Operations, who leads a team of more than 50 systems administrators.
From monitoring computer servers and data storage, maintaining virtualization and VPN capabilities, deploying new applications, to solving unplanned system outages, Information Solutions and Services’ systems administrators touch every point of technology at Pantex and Y‑12.
“The most essential skill an IT systems administrator can have is critical thinking,” said IT systems administrator, Kami Bush, who specializes in hardware, storage, and virtualization at Y‑12. “Planning a deployment, creating architecture, or troubleshooting a problem all require critical thinking skills. It’s important that we’re able to see not only the ‘forest,’ but also the ‘trees’ within.”
Keeping attention to detail, the scope of IT systems administrators requires that they look beyond the big picture and into to the ”trees” to monitor operational risks to existing and newly procured hardware, software, or applications connected to our internal network. With more than 2,000 servers and 2,4000 applications connected to the network, it is no easy task.
“The most challenging part of my career is keeping up with the technology. As soon as you get well‑versed in a version or architecture, a new one that is more efficient or powerful replaces it,” Bush said. “That constant advancement means you never get bored, but you also are always challenged to read up on the cutting edge as it will eventually be the new normal.”
Ask any systems administrator and most will agree that change is inevitable in technology. After 15 years at Pantex, IT systems administrator Edmond Keller has served witness and contributor to its growth at the site.
“I have been in the technology industry since 1985. While that does not quite qualify me as ancient in the industry, I am a bit of a dinosaur,” Keller said.
For point of reference, 1985 was also the year the .com domain was born.
“The technology industry consistently reinforces that when you think you have something figured out, there will be an event or situation which proves you really don’t know what you think you know. It is guaranteed humility training,” he said.
Entering the era of digital transformation across our nation and our sites, technology will continue to evolve to better serve the lives and work of our people. As we move from wired to wireless or cords to clouds, you can guarantee that an IT systems administrator will be behind it. In recognition of the 22nd annual IT Systems Administrator Appreciation Day this year, we thank all of you for your work and dedication at Pantex and Y‑12.