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Phil Oldham
The UTC SimCenter has partnered with the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge to research the movement and flow of toxins in the case of chemical warfare, officials announced Monday.
WHO IS THE PARTNER?
The Y-12 National Security Complex was constructed as part of the World War II Manhattan Project in 1943. After World War II, it became a high-precision manufacturing and inspection facility while maintaining the nation’s uranium and lithium technology base.
“This is an exciting day for all of us,” said Phil Oldham, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga provost. “We will work on projects of national significance.”
Through the partnership with Babcock and Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, the SimCenter, a center for computational engineering, will develop simulations of chemical releases that will show how toxins would move based on different variables such as wind, hills and buildings, said Dr. Dave Whitfield, director of the SimCenter.
There also will be joint projects on chemical processes, metal processing, safety and engineering, Dr. Whitfield said.
The SimCenter has one other partnership with B&W Y-12, which operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Along with stressing the significance that joint research projects will have in regard to national security, officials said the partnership saves research dollars.
“Modeling is becoming more and more important because there are fewer dollars out there to do research, development, test and evaluation,” said Randy Strickland, vice president and executive director of science, technology and partnerships at the Y-12 National Security Complex. “By utilizing the SimCenter’s advanced computing technologies, we’ll be able to save taxpayers money and increase safety.”
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said computer simulations are cost-effective and the new frontier of science.
“You don’t have to experiment with things when you can simulate them,” he said.
Joan Garrett McClane has been a staff writer for the Times Free Press since August 2007. Before becoming a general assignment writer for the paper, she wrote about business, higher education and the court systems. She grew up the oldest of five sisters near Birmingham, Ala., and graduated with a master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism from the University of Alabama. Before landing her first full-time job as a reporter at the Times Free Press, ...
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