Y-12 Blog
All employees have a role in meeting the Pantex and Y-12 mission, but it’s easier to see that role when you hear about how it all comes together. Take the FY19 record-setting year for Y-12 in purified metal production. For the year, 512 kg of metal was produced, exceeding the goal of 500 kg — the highest of in specification material produced since 1992.
There were many teams working to meet the goal and then striving to surpass it. It comes as no surprise that working in 70 year old buildings is tough.
Glen Culver of Enriched Uranium Production said, “When you’re processing material in an old facility and have to apply the appropriate and different rules for each discipline, it can get tricky. One item can have nuclear criticality safety rules, another have nuclear materials control and accountability rules, and another item have waste management rules. It doesn’t matter what type of rules; they all have to be met.”
Culver’s teams (the reduction team just one of them) receive and process highly enriched uranium salvage to an accountable state. “The teams prepare the material for one of three paths: process in wet chemistry and make uranium metal, prepare it for long-term storage, or discard it as low-level waste,” he said.
When their coworkers on the UO3 and UF4 teams experienced challenges, it filtered down to Culver’s crews, causing them to be delayed in making uranium metal.
“Once the UO3 and UF4 teams resolved their challenges and had produced enough feed (UF4),” Culver said, “our group had a short timeframe to meet the FY19 deliverable of 500 kg of metal.”
But meeting the goal is what they did. “If we didn’t have a team that believed what they did was important and went out and made things happen,’ we wouldn’t have met the goal. Teamwork is what EUO is all about,” he said. “The work is essential to our nation, and we take that to heart and always aim for success.”
Because Culver’s teams are also responsible for disposition of enriched uranium materials, there are many additional forms of material that the teams process during the year. They have to balance what works across the year, and in FY19, they delivered again, meeting or exceeding all milestones for the Material Recycle and Recovery Program.
Eric Sampsel, Material Recycle and Recovery Program manager said, “Without processing these materials in a timely manner, 9212’s operations would rapidly run out of space for delivering on its multiple missions.”
As work gets underway for this calendar year, the team is prepared to support CNS and the nation while getting EUO ready for the Uranium Processing Facility.”
Y-12 employee Meghann Parrilla was named a 2019 40 Under 40 honoree by Knox.biz magazine. |
Pacesetter Meghann Parrilla is making her mark on her workplace and community. For this reason, Knox.biz magazine recently named Parrilla a 40 Under 40 honoree, selected for her leadership, innovation, service, and drive.
As a volunteer gym coach, Girl Scout mentor, and leader at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Parrilla has one goal: make a difference.
“I love being that encouraging voice to adults and youth, motivating them to accomplish goals they thought were challenging or impossible,” she said. “It doesn’t matter whether that goal is achieving one pull-up, learning wilderness survival skills, or completing a tedious risk assessment.
“It’s important to me to help someone in their growth as an athlete, young lady, employee, or all-around person.”
Parrilla, employed for 11 years at Y-12, serves as a team lead in the site’s Safeguards and Security organization. Her group analyzes the Y-12 security protection strategy against policy- defined threats. She oversees the development of a vulnerability assessment report to advise senior leaders on the most efficient and effective site security strategy.
She and her team developed a process to identify and document the impact an insider threat could have on Y-12’s protective posture. The Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration designated this process as a best practice for the Nuclear Security Enterprise.
For her leadership, DOE recognized her as the outstanding contractor security professional of 2017, and NNSA honored her with the 2017 Bradley A. Peterson contractor security professional of the year.
“These awards and the 40 Under 40 honor validate us a group,” said Parrilla, who started her Y-12 career as a security police officer. “I work with a great group of people, the best security professionals in the Nuclear Security Enterprise. They are just as deserving of these recognitions as I am.”
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That team approach carries over to her community service work. As a Girl Scout mentor, she inspires troop members at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge to take a girl-led approach to serving their community.
“One project the girls choose to do every year is to wash and clean Barbie dolls that have been gently used and reclothe and accessorize them,” she said. “They then give the dolls as Christmas presents to children who wouldn’t otherwise receive gifts.
“It’s important to provide opportunities for these girls to step up and lead,” she said. “I want to instill in them responsibility, respect, kindness to others, and a commitment to integrity.”
As a volunteer coach at Secret City CrossFit, Parrilla developed and teaches fitness programs for kids, teens, and adults. She also organizes an annual workout event to raise funds for local families financially burdened by cancer treatments or loss.
“Now that we’ve conducted this fundraiser for a few years, area businesses are coming forward and asking how they can help,” she said. “I love organizing and watching something come together and grow. That’s what I’m good at.”
Parrilla and other 2019 40 Under 40 recipients were featured in Knox.biz magazine and honored at a gala in January.
Have you ever tried to teach a six-year-old about business, economics, entrepreneurship, or ethics? What sounds like an impossible task is exactly what six Y-12 volunteers did through the Junior Achievement of East Tennessee program. For 100 years, Junior Achievement has been giving kids the real-world skills and knowledge to be 100% ready. For work. For financial success. For life. For the future.
One Y-12 employee decided to jump in and get involved after she learned about the need for volunteers. “I knew I would love to get involved; however, I was always hesitant to just make that leap and sign up,” she said. “Finally, I took a leap and did something I had been wanting to do for a while.”
Junior Achievement volunteers, in cooperation with the teacher, lead structured activities and discussions on work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills. Volunteers who teach in the classroom provide students with positive adult role-models. These volunteers also impact students through building self-confidence, developing skills, and offering encouragement needed to promote a learning environment and healthy bonds.
She chose a first grade class at Clinton Elementary School and taught them throughout the fall semester, once a week for eight weeks.
“The kids were able to learn about needs, wants, businesses, and communities. The students created their own business, drew an advertisement to market their business, took in a customer, and were ‘paid’ for their services,” she said. “At the very end, they could turn in their ‘salary’ for a fun snack mix that they got to create.”
Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Their hands-on, experiential programs teach the key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy to young people all over the world. Today's East Tennessee students are tomorrow's CEOs, entrepreneurs, innovators, and game-changers.
This new volunteer encourages other Y-12ers to jump in, volunteer, and help empower and teach the next generation. “It was a far greater experience than I could have ever imagined and highly encourage anyone who is hesitant to just take the leap and get involved.”
Employees drove United Way toward a better future with donations raised from a car show and “Flock Your Friends”
Y-12ers again showed their giving spirit during the 2019 United Way campaign. Donations determined the winner in the car show. Scott and Mary Lou Underwood’s 1972 Corvette Stingray and Mike Antonas’ 1975 AMC Pacer won first and second place, respectively.
New this year was the opportunity to “Flock your Friends.” In exchange for a donation to United Way, bright, pink flamingoes of all sizes flocked to your coworkers’ offices. Employees could pay to flock an office yourself, or for a healthy donation, they could anonymously flock a friend with “certified flamingo technicians” delivering the birds. The more than $2,000 in donations was added to employees’ contributions through payroll deduction.
“I have seen the heart of our employees consistently in the nearly 20 years I’ve been at Y-12, and it still fills me with pride every time I see it,” said Amy Wilson, the 2019 Y-12 United Way campaign chair. “I had the opportunity at the kickoff to see a lot of laughter and a lot of giving. I love that even our awesome volunteers were having a good time while serving the community.”
Members of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council and the Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council share insight with students about career opportunities in the crafts/trades fields within the Nuclear Security Enterprise.
During the school year, CNS employees have opportunities to volunteer with students and share their knowledge. This year, Y-12 has added several educational outreach events that focused on the various trade careers available within the enterprise.
Students from Meigs County visited Y-12 this fall and explored tools of the trade and asked questions. Y-12 employees and members of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council and the Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council staffed the booths allowing students to interact with electricians, carpenters, insulators, painters, and machinists.
“With today’s need for skilled labor, it’s good to have kids see their options aside from college,” Jared Kesterson, a carpenter and volunteer, said.
Monica Lewis, a carpenter at Y-12 for 29 years, said, “By working and volunteering these events, I hope to inspire and encourage young women to enter this primarily male dominant field.”