Welcome to MCLinc’s April 2015 Newsletter

Spring has finally arrived in East Tennessee. The beautiful weather makes everyone feel better and gives us cause for celebration. Here in the western part of Oak Ridge there is much to celebrate with the advent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Sites in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico and Hanford, Washington have been designated as a new three-site National Park. Congratulations to those who have worked diligently to bring this memorial to the Manhattan Project to a reality.

The West has another new landmark – the world headquarters of CVMR Corporation. MCLinc is pleased to welcome our new neighbor and looks forward to working with them. It took a Community to bring this important economic development to this area. Many thanks to all who played a role in this recruitment.

In this issue of our newsletter, we feature MCLinc’s capabilities in electron microscopy. A couple of events brought this capability to the forefront – the installation of MCLinc’s newest electron microscope and MCLinc’s recognition by ORNL as an Innovator. We invite you to read more about how these two events are related.

MCLinc continues support of local charitable causes – CASA, the Literary Luncheon, Boys & Girls Club capital campaign, Roane County STEM robotics, ADFAC’s and ORUD’s “Have a Heart, Heat a Home” and more. We also find time to appreciate our friends and customers. Join us when you can.

Thank you for your support.

Barry

MCLinc Acquires New
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

Electron microscopy is a material analysis technique that utilizes a focused beam of electrons to evaluate specimens of interest. In general, two types of electron microscopes exist: scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and transmission electron microscopes (TEM). SEMs generate images by collecting secondary electrons generated through interactions of the electron beam with the specimen’s surface, or back scattered electrons reflected back by the charged subatomic particles that comprise the specimen. TEMs, like MCLinc’s new JEOL 2010 TEM shown below, instead generate images by collecting electrons that have passed through a thin specimen.

Figure 1. MCLinc’s JEOL 2010 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM).

Both types of electron microscopes are capable of attaining nanoscale or better resolution of microscopic structures, allowing for analysis of topography and morphology. In general, TEMs offer better resolution at higher magnifications over SEMs, and they have found use in numerous fields, ranging from material research, geology, and metallurgy to applications in the medical field, biology, nanotechnology, and forensic analysis. Transmission electron microscopes are regularly used to study the structures of crystalline materials and the morphology of metals and to assess the production and manufacturing of semiconductors and materials such as carbon fiber, where their abilities can be used to assess micro-scale flaws and defects in parts. Interactions between the electron beam and the sample also generate x-rays of characteristic wavelengths dependent upon the elements present within the sample, allowing for compositional analysis of an unknown specimen when used in tandem with tools such as energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Using the imaging capabilities of the TEM and the elemental data gathered by EDS it is possible to identify asbestos fibers within a sample. Below, images of two types of asbestos, chrysotile and tremolite, are shown. EDS is the key factor to distinguishing between the two materials because they appear very similar in structure, but possess different x-ray spectra.

Figure 2. TEM Image of Chrysotile Asbestos Figure 3. TEM image of Tremolite Asbestos

Additionally, diffractions patterns may be obtained by adjusting the lenses of a TEM. These patterns can be used to gather information on the crystalline nature of the specimen along with information of the specimen’s lattice orientation, with respect to the electron beam, and identify the space group symmetry of the material being analyzed. For example, the regular pattern of spots shown in the image below identify the material, which is amosite asbestos, as crystalline in nature. All of these features and more make the transmission electron microscope a versatile tool for research and analysis.

Figure 4. Electron diffraction pattern for Amosite (Grunerite) Asbestos

Imaging Carbon Fibers at MCLinc

Carbon Fiber is a strong, lightweight material used in the manufacture of many products. The characteristic of being lightweight results from the low atomic weight of carbon, and its strength is derived from the arrangement of long, graphitic crystals aligned parallel to the length of the fiber. Carbon fiber is usually manufactured from a synthetic fiber precursor such as rayon or polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The precursor fiber is heated to 300ºC in air, thus oxidizing the material. The oxidized fibers are then heated to 2000ºC in an inert (argon, or nitrogen) atmosphere to induce graphitization of the material. The result is a fiber consisting of graphene sheets aligned parallel to the long dimension of the fiber. The chemical bonds connecting individual carbon atoms in the graphene sheet are exceedingly strong. The strong carbon-carbon bonds contribute to the high tensile strength of carbon fiber.

Carbon fiber manufacturers routinely measure tensile strength of their products using physical testing methods. However, manufacturers also want to know the causes of variations in tensile strength and need methods which can detect and document defects in carbon fiber that can reduce fiber strength. Direct observation of carbon fiber (and precursor) defects can be made using the microscopy facilities at Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (MCLinc). Being transparent, the internal features of precursor PAN fibers can be imaged using polarized light microscopy (PLM), which is an optical microscopy method. Because carbon fiber is opaque, its internal features can’t be imaged using PLM. The internal features of carbon fiber can be imaged using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Carbon fibers typically have a diameter of 5 to 10 microns. For most materials, this would be too thick to transmit electrons through the material. However, since carbon has a low atomic number, carbon has a low electron density. Because of this, a high energy electron beam can penetrate a carbon fiber so that internal features can be directly observed. Surface features of both precursor material and carbon fiber can be imaged using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The MCLinc microscopy department is equipped with a full line of optical microscopes, two SEM instruments (JEOL 840 and Hitachi 4500), and two TEM instruments (JEOL 2000EX and JOEL 2010). MCLinc’s newest instrument, the JEOL 2010 TEM, is a high power (200Kv) high resolution instrument that provides high resolution images to 1,000,000X magnification. With this new TEM, MCLinc can now offer a full range of microscopy services to the carbon fiber industry. The following example images, a sort of annotated guide to carbon fiber microscopy, illustrate some of what MCLinc can offer to the carbon fiber industry.

Author of the Imaging Carbon Fibers article is MCLinc employee, Mark R. Colberg, Ph.D. Dr. Colberg (left) is the Technical Manager for Microscopy and Project Manager at MCLinc. He has a B.S. degree in Geology with a minor in Chemistry from Auburn University; a M.S. degree in Geology from Auburn University and a PhD in Geology from the University of Georgia.

Author of the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) article is MCLinc employee, Blake Dunaway (right). Blake obtained a B.S. in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with his M.S. degree in Bioengineering/Materials Science and Engineering.

ORNL Small Business Impact Award.

ORNL team who nominated MCLinc for the Innovator award. Back row left to right: Jim Schubert, Derek Miller, Karoly Magda.

MCLinc is very honored to have received the 2015 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Small Business Impact Award in the “Innovator” category. This award honors a small business that has developed an outstanding idea, process, project management mechanism or technology that proved crucial to the success of the ORNL client’s project.

MCLinc won the Innovator Award for developing a process to analyze water filters from a recirculating water system at ORNL. For several years, MCLinc has monitored filters at intervals to characterize materials trapped by the filters to reveal the origin of the material(s). Early in the project, MCLinc suggested using Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to examine the water filters because this technique reveals shape and size of particles found in the filters along with the elemental composition of individual particles. Particles were subsequently analyzed by X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD) which gives insight into their origin from erosion of a surface versus corrosion in the system. Results of the monitoring have been used to predict impending pump failure prior to their actually shutting down the system.

CASA BBQ and
Bluegrass Bash

MCLinc congratulates CASA of the Tennessee Heartland on the success of the 12th annual CASA BBQ and Bluegrass Bash. The event was held on January 27, at a new location, 205 Main Event Center, located at 205 Main Street in Clinton, Tennessee.

Wonderful music was provided by the Ridge City Ramblers. Those who braved the ice and snow were rewarded with an evening was full of delicious BBQ, and silent and live auctions. MCLinc is proud to be a corporate sponsor of CASA.

If you would like to know more about CASA, or how you can get involved, please follow this link for more information.

MCLinc Supports Boys & Girls Club

The Boys and Girls Club of Clinch Valley operates two campuses: the Lawrence A. Hahn Club in Oak Ridge and the Roane County Club located at Harriman Middle School. The organization’s mission is to enable young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The Oak Ridge Unit and organization’s operations are based out of the Lawrence A. Hahn building in Oak Ridge, named after the Club’s founder and Executive Director Emeritus, Lawrence Hahn, who remains an active volunteer.

Pictured above, Jim Haynes of CNS presenting a check to Lawrence Hahn of the Boys and Girls club for much needed renovations to their current building. CNS did a $25,000 matching program of which MCLinc donated $1,000.

The Boys and Girls club invites you to tour the facility to “see the need” and consider how you can become part of the great future of the Boys and Girls Club. For more information, or to download a pledge card, please visit bgcor.org or call Jennifer Pettyjon at (865) 244-6073 to learn how you can get involved.

MCLinc Customer Appreciation Pancake Breakfast

MCLinc’s Thomas Dyke and his Heart Shaped Pancakes.

Thanks to all who attended the annual MCLinc Customer Appreciation Pancake Breakfast on February 12th.

The morning was filled with wonderful food and company as the MCLinc crew prepared a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and bacon for their guests. The event provides an opportunity for the MCLinc staff to meet our customers and say “Thank You” for their business with MCLinc. In addition, the casual atmosphere at the Heritage Center provided an opportunity for attendees to visit with each other.

MCLinc again invited Oak Ridge Utility District (ORUD) to sell Valentines gifts at the event to support the “Have a Heart, Heat a Home” campaign. All proceeds make it possible for needy families to keep their heat on during the winter months. MCLinc appreciates ORUD’s work on this worthwhile mission. Many thanks to all who made contributions.

MCLinc will be hosting a Customer Appreciation Ice Cream Social, featuring homemade waffle cones, in July. Watch your e-mails for more information. We hope to see you there!

Supporting Robotics

MCLinc helped Roane County in raising funds for their STEM Robotics team. Roane County High School first established a robotics team in 2013 and since then has placed within the top ten and twenty spots for local and national robotics competitions. This team that previously only encompassed students from Roane County High School now includes students from across the county, as well as, homeschooled students. The students involved in this program have also reached out to local elementary and middle schools to help students establish Lego Robotics programs to entice younger students into the STEM fields.

The Roane County Robotics team allows students to gain hands-on knowledge and greater opportunities for scholarships in the STEM field.

Every donation is tax deductible. There are several levels of sponsorship to choose from. MCLinc is proud to be a Platinum level sponsor for this program and hope that you decide to become involved as well.

To make a donation or if you have any questions, you can contact Mr. Jason Young at (865) 258-8020 or by email at rchsstemteam@gmail.com.

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.
www.MCL-inc.com

Industrial Hygiene and Environmental
• Asbestos
• PCB’s
• Metals
• Beryllium

Specialty
• Uranium
• Highly Corrosive/Reactive Materials
• Method Development
• Radiological
• Waste Treatment
• Industrial Forensics

Microscopy and Characterization
• Scanning Electron Microscopy
• Transmission Electron Microscopy
• Optical Microscopy
• X-ray Diffraction
• Ion Chromatography

Contacts
Michele Sanders, Laboratory Manager
(865) 574-3896
msanders@mcl-inc.com

Barry Stephenson, CEO
(865) 576-0201
bstephenson@mcl-inc.com

Mary Hall, Quality Assurance Specialist
(865) 576-5632
mhall@mcl-inc.com

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.
East Tennessee Technology Park, Building K-1006
400 Heritage Center Blvd.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

WELCOME TO MCLINC’S DECEMBER 2014 NEWSLETTER

Employees of Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (MCLinc) welcome you as a reader of our December 2014 newsletter. This newsletter continues the theme used for the December issue for the past two years: “MCLinc Employees Celebrate the Christmas Season by Giving – Collectively and individually.” We are utilizing this issue to bring you stories about some of our favorite charities and to share with you the joy we find in being able to give to others.

While MCLinc employees are finding time in their busy laboratory schedules to plan our annual Christmas Party at the Heritage Conference Center, we have asked them to contribute a short paragraph about their family’s experiencing the joy of giving during this holiday season. Their stories will possibly acquaint you with some new ideas about sharing with those in need. Each of us invites you to share in that joy.

Contributions to charitable causes are part of the corporate culture of McLinc. While this past year has not been as profitable for McLinc as some others, we have continued to share our resources and the articles this month highlight some of the organizations we support. We continue to be a corporate sponsor of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. During the 26 years the agency has served this area over 3500 children have had someone to sit in court with them, to speak up for them and to advocate for a forever family for them. MCLinc salutes the volunteers and supporters of CASA who have made this possible. We are proud to be a corporate sponsor of CASA and ask you to join us in this work.

Collectively, the employee-owners of MCLinc will again this year provide gifts for Oak Ridge children who would otherwise not be able to have gifts this Christmas season. If you are not familiar with the work of the Oak Ridge Schools Resource Center, please take time to learn more about the agency’s work in this month Newsletter.

The newsletter is not long enough for us to comment on all the worthwhile organizations supported by MCLinc and our employees. A few that we will mention include: Boy Scouts; Girl Scouts; Boy and Girls Club of Oak Ridge; Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge; CASA of the Ninth Civil District; Girls Incorporated; Oak Ridge Public School Education Foundation; Roane State Foundation; United Way; Second Harvest; Rotary International; and Roane Imagination Library. We appreciate the work of these organizations and of the hundreds of volunteers who deliver the services they provide.

Finally, we express our gratitude to you – our friends and customers. Your friendship and patronage are essential to the continued success of MCLinc. Thank you and please let us know your thoughts about how we can serve you better.

We hope you enjoy the Newsletter and pass it along to anyone you think may be interested. We invite you to visit our laboratory here at the Heritage Center (ETTP) (K25) or learn more about us at our website – www.mcl-inc.com. As you make plans for 2015, please reserve some time on February 12, 2015 to enjoy our Customer Appreciation pancake breakfast at MCLinc’s Heritage Conference Center

We wish you a Merry Christmas. Enjoy the Holidays.
Barry

MCLinc Helps Emory Valley Center
with New Facility

MCLinc is proud to make a contribution to the Emory Valley Center located in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Emery Valley Center recently received approval to tear down an old facility on its property. Before the building can be torn down, samples must be analyzed to assess the levels of asbestos, PCB’s and lead present in the structure. MCLinc and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) have teamed to provide sampling and analysis services for this project at no cost to the Emery Valley Center. This contribution makes it possible to complete this portion of the project without taking money from the Capital Campaign. MCLinc and ORAU want to be a part of the new building for Emory Valley and we encourage your support of the Capital Campaign.

The Emory Valley Center is a non-profit agency that services children and adults with disabilities. Their mission is to enhance the lives of children, adults, and families in an environment that promotes independence, dignity, and respect. The Emory Valley Center is currently located in the Daniel Arthur Rehabilitation Center building. This facility will be torn down in early 2015 due to the cost for maintenance and continued operation of the old and inefficient building. Many of the clients at the center, who have faced many obstacles and challenges in their lives, have outlived their parents and are dependent on the Emory Valley Center for their total support. Emory Valley has embarked on a major Capital Campaign to replace the building and continue their legacy that began more than 50 years ago. Emory Valley says, “We are losing our building and must turn to the community for help so that these services may continue.” If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift to the Emory Valley Capital Campaign you may do so by visiting their website donation page at http://www.emoryvalleycenter.com/, or by contacting Dottie Thompson, Emory Valley Center Campaign Committee Co-Chair by email dathompson6@comcast.net or at (865) 483-3659.

MCLinc Employees Sponsor Zambian Children

MCLinc employee Kassie Perkins traveled to Zambia, Africa this summer to attend Camp LIFE with fifty American volunteers and five hundred orphan children. This camp specifically works to address the needs of the orphaned and vulnerable children of this country. Zambia is home to more than one million orphans, giving it the highest per capita orphan rate in the world. Through Family Legacy Fathers Heart sponsorship the children who attend Camp LIFE are given the opportunity to attend school and receive food and medical care through the Family Legacy organization and the sponsorship of Americans. Kassie and MCLinc employee Diann Hall sponsor two children, Mary and Joanna. These children are in stable housing and are receiving an education thanks to their sponsorships. If you would like to make a life changing sponsorship to a child in Zambia that desperately needs your help you can do so by following this link, http://familylegacy.com/, or by giving the Family Legacy organization a call at 972-620-2020. Also feel free to contact Kassie Perkins about her experience at Camp LIFE or about sponsoring a child at (423) 223-5273.

MCLinc Employees and Families Celebrate Christmas

MCLinc hosted its annual employee Christmas Party on Saturday December 13th. It was a great time for employees to meet coworker’s family members and share in wonderful food catered by Gloria Jean’s. There was a surprise visit from Santa, who brought gifts for the children in attendance. It was a wonderful time to celebrate the closing of the MCLinc business year and the friendships that exist between MCLinc employees.

MCLinc’s Perkins Named Miss Food City

Congratulations to MCLinc employee, Kassie Perkins, who was crowned Miss Food City in early September. Kassie received one thousand dollars in cash, a thousand dollar scholarship, and will represent Food City at the Food City 500 NASCAR race in Bristol, Tennessee. So far, Kassie has signed autographs alongside racing legend Richard Petty and has been a part of a $100,000 check donation to the Paralyzed Veterans of America Association. Kassie is very excited to partner with Food City this year and is anxious to see what new events are in store along this journey.

MCLinc Employees Sponsor Oak Ridge Family Resource Center Angel Tree

Employees of Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. are helping to sponsor the Oak Ridge Schools Family Resource Center (FRC) Angel Tree project for the third consecutive year. This program is directed by Jo Bruce who is assisted by Jessica Bivens. By utilizing over 25 corporate sponsors and many caring individuals the FRC will be able to provide over 700 children with the magic that comes in believing in Christmas. If you would like to partner with the Family Resource Center, please call Jo Bruce at 425-3205 or Jessica Bivens at 425-9401. You may also reach Ms. Bruce through email atjbruce@ortn.edu.

Some of the MCLinc staff wrapping the gifts and getting them ready for their sponsored children to open on Christmas morning.

Mark Your Calendars
for the Pancake Breakfast

Save the date! MCLinc will be hosting its annual Pancake Breakfast on February 12, 2015 from 6:30 to 9:30 am. Stop by to meet the friendly MCLinc staff and have a heart shaped pancakes on us! ORUD will be selling Valentines gifts again this year. All proceeds support the “Have a Heart, Heat a Home” campaign which makes it possible for needy families to keep their heat on during the winter months.

The employees of MCLinc enjoy meeting and visiting with our customers and friends. Please drop by sometime between 6:30 and 9:30 for breakfast.

Book Orders to Raise Money for Imagination Library

At the Stephenson Pig Roast, the Imagination Library was featured alongside the children’s book written by Kassie Perkins, Miss Tennessee International 2014. MCLinc pledged to donate two dollars to the Imagination Library for every book sold. Kassie’s children’s book, “Where there is a Will, there is a Way,” would make a great gift for any child. The cost is $10, including shipping, and all books come with an autographed photo from Miss Tennessee and the book signed and personalized with the child’s name. If you would like to place an order, you may do so by following this link, http://misstnint.com/book, or by placing your order with Kassie at (423) 223-5273.

KARM, Crisis Center for Women of Lenior City and The Salvation Army

MCLinc employee, Jack Hall, donates to three main charities during the Christmas season. Jack says that he has chosen to support KARM, Crisis Center for Women of Lenior City and the Salvation Army because these programs strive to help “the total person.” “These programs feed, cloth, and help individuals get back into society thus making a life changing impact.” KARM stands for Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries. This program provides rescue services of food and shelter, and then KARM offers healthy supportive relationships. KARM says their ultimate goal for the individuals they serve is restoration. Learn more about KARM and how you can get involved at http://karm.org/. The Crisis Center for Women of Lenior City helps women in need by providing a safe environment for them and their children while offering them support and counseling. This program also helped women affected by domestic violence with legal aid. The Salvation Army provides services ranging from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. To learn more about this organization and how to become involved visit http://www.paradisedivision.org/knoxville/.

Stephenson Supports Rotary International

Donating to Rotary International is Barry Stephenson’s preferred way to support international missions. R.I. focuses efforts in six areas: promoting peace, preventing diseases, providing access to clean water and sanitation, enhancing maternal and child health, improving basic education and literacy, and helping communities develop. All this in addition to a dedication to ending polio in our lifetimes. Volunteers in Rotary find the problem, identify the cause, and implement the solution.

The system works so well because of the worldwide distribution of Rotarians. Solutions are implemented with the help of Rotarians from local clubs. Nearly 90% of money donated to R.I. is used to directly fund project expenses. Working with fellow Rotarians on projects outside the United States gives Barry confidence that money is being applied directly to the solution of problems in a responsible way. Learn more about Rotary International at www.rotary.org or visit a local Rotary Club.

Sustainability Matching Challenge for Roane Imagination Library 

MCLinc Sponsors Sustainability Matching Challenge Grant for Roane Imagination Library
The Roane Imagination Library is an initiative that mails one free book per month to children under the age of five that are enrolled in the program. While this program was created by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, all funds for the organization must be raised through the communities which it serves. In Tennessee, there has been a partnership established with the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation which matches each fundraised dollar for the Imagination Libraries across the state. The goal of the Imagination Library is to create reading readiness in the children that it serves. The children enrolled in this program begin school with book handling skills and an understanding of letter and word concepts, thus, ready to learn to read. Since 2004 over 20 million books have been delivered, more than 384,000 five-year-olds have graduated from the Imagination Library and 407,813 children under the age of five have access to the Imagination Library.

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory proudly sponsored the Sustainability Matching Challenge Grant this year for the Roane Imagination Library. For this challenge, MCLinc match donations for all donors that pledged to donate for three years. At a local level Pro 2 Serve also matched donations. All together $15,837, almost 20% of the Roane Imagination Library’s annual budget, was raised. The total was then matched by the Governors Books from Birth Foundation. Thanks to Roane Imagination Library Coordinator, Jill McMaster, and her volunteer staff this program is constantly growing to encompass more children. If you would like to become a volunteer with this life changing organization or make a donation you can contact Jill McMaster at roaneimaginationlibr@gmail.com.

Sanders Supports
Missions of Hope

MCLinc Laboratory Manager, Michele Sanders, is giving to Missions of Hope this Christmas season. Missions of Hope is a ministry that extends a helping hand and strives to bring hope to those who might not have much otherwise. This ministry concentrates on families living in rural Appalachia where a lack of jobs and opportunities can cause long lasting financial hardships. Michele is donating shoes and socks to Robbins Elementary school. If you would like to learn more about Missions of Hope, or become involved in the program you can visit their website at http://missionofhope.org/.

November 2014 MCLinc Newsletter
This month’s MCLinc Newsletter features employees – past and present. Two of the founding members of MCLinc, Larry Harris and Jim Shoemaker, continued to work with MCLinc until the past year when we lost Larry to death and Jim to retirement. Each of these gentlemen leaves behind a legacy of knowledge passed on to members of the MCLinc staff who worked with them over the years. Another founding member, Bob Stevenson has gone from full time to part-time employment.

We are pleased to introduce three additions to the MCLinc staff – Mark Colberg, Blake Dunaway, and Cory Hensley. We want you to know who they are and, hopefully, you will meet them at one of the functions that MCLinc sponsors. The service we provide depends on the quality of our employees and we strive to employ people who put the customer first.

In closing, I want to thank those of you who attended the 31st Annual Pig Roast at the Stephenson Farm on October 12. We had a great time despite the threat of rain. Watch for our holiday edition of the Newsletter in December.

Thanks for your support,
Barry

31st Annual Pig Roast Success

The 31st Annual Pig Roast was another great success, in spite of the threat of rain. The event was held Sunday, October 12 at the Barry and Lucy Stephenson Family Farm just east of Kingston. Attendees gathered around the Stephenson barn to enjoy great bluegrass music from the Avery Trace Band and plenty of barbeque.

Barry Stephenson,
President and CEO of MCLinc, was delighted to see many return guests and new ones. Barry’s famous Pig Roast quote is, “once invited to the Pig Roast, always invited!”

If you were able to attend we hope to
see you again next year and if not, well, we hope to see you next year as well!

On September 4, 2014, MCLinc hosted James L. Shoemaker’s retirement party in honor of his 49 years of service at the K-25 site. Jim was a founding member of MCLinc and worked as a chemist for MCLinc from 1998 to 2014. He received his B.S. from Austin Peay State University with a double major in Chemistry and Mathematics.

Jim also completed one year of graduate studies at the University of Tennessee in Inorganic Chemistry. He has over 30 years of experience in performing hands-on work with radiological, hazardous, and/or classified materials. As a chemist, Jim has extensive operations experience, including the evaluation of new waste treatment technologies, processes, and disposal options for mixed waste. Jim has provided technical support and process problem resolution for most K-25 Site plant operations, facilities, and functions as part of his work on the K-25 site from 1965 through 2014.

Upon retirement, Jim was presented with two awards by Barry Stephenson, President and CEO of MCLinc, and by Bill Bostick, Senior Technical Scientist at MCLinc. The first award was in recognition of Jim’s near fifty years of service to the K-25 site. The other award was in recognition of Jim being a founder of MCLinc and member of their staff for 16 years. MCLinc is proud to have had James Showmaker as an employee and congratulates him on his retirement.

MCLinc Welcomes New Employees

Blake Dunaway
Blake is MCLinc’s newest employee joining the Company this month. He is a native of Crossville, Tennessee and obtained a B.S. in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In December of this year, he will graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology with his M.S. degree in Bioengineering/Materials Science and Engineering. His Master’s thesis focuses on the development of a colloidal based therapeutic delivery system using DNA aptamers. Blake has joined MCLinc’s microscopy department to work with Dr. Mark Colberg in building that department in some new areas of service and strengthening those currently offered.

Blake was born and raised in Tennessee and is excited to return home as a member of the MCLinc staff. In his free time, he enjoys playing and listening to music, hiking, and hopes to one day publish a novel. Blake says, “I’m looking forward to working on the large variety of projects offered at MCLinc; after devoting two years to the development of a single overarching project, the chance to delve into some new mysteries is a welcome change of pace.”

Dr. Mark Colberg
MCLinc welcomes Dr. Mark Colberg to our staff! Dr. Colberg is a Technical Manager for Microscopy and Project Manager at MCLinc. He has a B.S. degree in Geology with a minor in Chemistry from Auburn University; a M.S. degree in Geology from Auburn University and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Georgia. He has technical expertise in microscopy and chemical analyses, mineralogy, igneous and metamorphic petrology, geochemistry, structural and field geology, and thermodynamic modeling. Dr. Colberg has extensive experience in polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy (EDS and WDS), X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption spectroscopy, ICP/MS and wet chemistry. Dr. Colberg applies his expertise and experience for material and waste characterization, identification of unknown materials, application of polarized light microscopy (including asbestos identification), corrosion evaluation, evaluation of nanoparticles and carbon fibers, and image analysis.

Mark lives in Claxton with his wife Marla, son Joseph, and their three dogs. Marla has a B.A. in Business (Marketing) from the University of Georgia. She is attending South College studying elementary education with 4 weeks of course work left before she starts student teaching. Joseph attends the third grade at Linden Elementary School. The family’s three dogs are Duke, Heidi, and the newest member Lucky. The family enjoys camping, fishing, rock hunting, and computer games.

Corey Hensley

In October, MCLinc proudly welcomed Corey Hensley as one of its newest employees. Corey graduated from Maryville College in 2009 with a B.A. degree in Biology. He comes to MCLinc from Microbac Laboratories, Inc., in Maryville, where Corey gained three years of experience in Wet Chemistry analysis.

Corey is the proud father of two year old Canaan. Corey says, “Coming from a production focused lab, I enjoy the change of pace that MCLinc offers. MCLinc has the ability to focus closely on the needs of their customers and treat each, whether it is a routine or a special project, with diligence and care. I am very excited about my new position at MCLinc and eager to learn and grow with this company.”

MCLinc’s “Dr. Bob” Continues Part Time

Dr. Robert J. Stevenson, a founding member of MCLinc, has converted from Microscopy Department Manager to part-time employment. Bob received his B.S. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and moved to the University of Minnesota-Duluth to study for his M.S. in Geology. After a year, the U.S. Army drafted him and he served two years in Vietnam. He returned to the University of Minnesota-Duluth and finished his M.S. degree. Bob moved to Minneapolis to obtain his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Minnesota.

Bob has more than 30 years of experience since obtaining his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Minnesota in 1982. He is a nationally recognized microscopist with extensive experience in a variety of microscopic ad related analytical techniques. These techniques include scanning electron, optical, and transmission electron microscopes, X-Ray fluorescence, and X-Ray Diffraction. He has expertise in the application of microscopic and X-Ray technologies to the characterization and understanding the components of airborne contaminants, wastes, and potentially contaminated soils. Bob managed the MCLinc Asbestos Laboratory group which performs routine to complex asbestos analyses. He has since passed this title to Dr. Mark Colberg who trained under Bob.

Bob returns to MCLinc on a regular basis to lend a hand with new projects and to help with instrument set-up and training. Everyone is glad to see “Dr. Bob.” He always brings a cheerful smile, a joke or two (mostly recycled ones) and a loaf or two of that delicious bread his wife Jean makes.

Remembering Larry Harris

Larry Harris worked as a consultant for MCLinc from 1999 to 2013 when he passed away. Larry was a WWII infantry veteran who fought in the European arena and was part of the Dachau Concentration Camp liberation forces. After returning home to Brooklyn, New York, he received his B.A. in geology from Brooklyn College. Larry later moved to Knoxville, with his wife Diana, and received his M.S. from the University of Tennessee in geology and metallurgy. He was pursuing his Ph.D. when he accepted a post at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he worked from 1956 until his retirement in 1990.

During his career, he published nearly 100 scientific papers, many of them on microscopy and X-ray techniques. In addition, he was an exchange scientist at Harwell Labs in the United Kingdom from 1968 to 1969, and served as adjunct assistant professor in the Geoscience Department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, from 1974 to 1981. Larry was a founding member of MCLinc in 1998. He served as a mentor to many over the years that he served in a consulting capacity.

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.
East Tennessee Technology Park, Building K-1006
400 Heritage Center Blvd.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

MCL Inc. | Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. | Linking Technology to Solutions | www.mcl-inc.com
Welcome to the MCLinc Newsletter
In this issue of the MCLinc newsletter you will find articles on:

• X-ray Diffraction at MCLinc
• Roane Imagination Library Thanks MCLinc
• CASA “Helping Hands” award
• Upcoming events
• The MCLinc customer appreciation Ice Cream Social
• Educators in the Workplace
• MCLinc’s Summer Intern, Lindsay Holt
• The first wedding at ETTP, held at Heritage Center
• Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Summit

X-ray Diffraction at MCLinc
By Dr. Mark R. Colberg

When x-rays are mentioned, most people recall images of broken bones and internal organs. Like radio waves, x-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, unlike their lower energy counterparts, x-rays can pass through living tissue (as well as other materials) allowing us to image the interior of the body. The medical uses of x-rays alone justify giving the very first Nobel prize in physics to their discoverer, Wilhelm C. Röntgen, in 1901. Besides their uses in medicine, x-rays have proved to be an extraordinarily powerful tool in studying everything from atoms to galaxies. In astronomy, the study of x-ray sources lead to the observational discovery of black holes, which appear to form the cores of most galaxies. On a more down-to-earth scale, x-rays are used to study the elemental composition of materials, and to determine the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids.

The atoms in crystalline solids are arranged in a geometric pattern, or lattice. Within the lattice, atoms are arranged along planes which diffract (or scatter) x-rays, a phenomenon known as x-ray diffraction (XRD). The simplest way to visualize XRD is to think of the x-rays “reflecting” off of numerous stacked, parallel mirrors. When a beam of x-rays strikes a crystalline solid, the x-rays are diffracted (“reflected”) from the crystal at angles that depend on the spacing between lattice planes (“mirrors”), and the angle between different sets of lattice planes. The manner in which x-rays are diffracted from a crystal is controlled by “Bragg’s” law discovered by the father and son team of William H. Bragg and William L. Bragg. For their discovery, both were awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 1915.

Different crystalline materials, having different chemical compositions and unique arrangements of atoms in their lattice, will diffract x-rays in unique ways. Because of this, XRD provides powerful tools for studying crystalline materials. At its most basic (and possibly most important) level, XRD provides information about the structural arrangement of atoms in newly discovered or newly studied materials. For example, studies of his type are used to characterize newly discovered minerals, monitor how atoms rearrange themselves under extreme pressure conditions, and study the arrangement of atoms in proteins and other biomolecules. Indeed, XRD was the essential tool needed to decipher the double helix structure of DNA (even more Nobels here).

A second powerful application x-ray diffraction is to identify and quantify unknown compounds in natural, industrial, and environmental materials. XRD data for thousands of inorganic and organic materials is stored in numerous, readily available databases. XRD data can be collected from single crystals on film, but most common methods record diffraction data from powdered samples on a spectrum-like plot called a diffractogram. An unknown material can be identified by matching it’s diffractogram to diffraction “finger prints” stored in a database. Diffraction data for many thousands of inorganic and organic materials have been collected in numerous databases.

MCLinc uses powder x-ray diffraction in a number of ways, including;

• Identification of unknown compounds: For relatively pure materials, material identification is a relatively simple process, especially when coupled with compositional data obtained using SEM/EDS. Knowing what elements are present can drastically narrow down possible identifications.
• Identification of unknowns in a mixture: This is not as straight forward as the identification of a pure compound. In this case, the diffraction patterns for a number of compounds are superimposed leading to a complex series of peaks in a diffractogram. It is the analysts job to interpret the diffractogram and separate the superimposed diffraction patterns. These interpretations are facilitated by elemental data, and the knowledge and experience of the analyst.
• Estimated proportions of components in a mixture: XRD data can be used to estimate the proportions of materials in a mixture using the height if peaks in a diffractogram. However, since the height of a peak in a diffractogram depends on factors other than the quantity of a component, this method should be considered semi-quantitative at best.
• Quantitative analysis: Numerous methods are available for the quantitative analysis of x-ray diffraction patterns. A commonly used method, the Reference Intensity Ratio (RIR) method, is based on the diffraction characteristics for a pure material. RIR data is for many compounds, but this data is far from complete. Tabulated RIR values are also highly dependent on sample preparation and instrument settings that are outside of the control of a laboratory using the RIR data. Because of this, MCLinc uses standards-based methods where necessary. MCLinc has developed quantitative XRD methods measuring quartz, chrystobalite and trydimite (silica polymorphs) for ceramic and fused silica sample for a number of clients. Quantitative methods for other materials can also be developed.

MCLinc uses a RIGAKU MiniFlex II powder diffractometer equipped with a high count DTEX II detector. With this combination, MCLinc analysts can very high quality, low noise diffractograms needed for material identification and quantitative analysis. MCLinc used the PDF-2 database from the International Center for Diffraction Data (ICDD) which currently contains over 799,700 entries. Other databases are available when needed.

Dr. Mark R. Colberg, the Technical Manager of Microscopy at MCLinc, received his PhD in geology from the University of Georgia in 2001. Dr. Colberg specialized in mineralogy and metamorphic petrology, and has nearly 20 years of experience with optical and electron microscopy, as well as x-ray diffraction. Prior to coming to MCLinc, Dr. Colberg taught in the geology departments of Central Michigan University and Southern Utah University.

Roane Imagination Library Thanks MCLinc

Roane Imagination Library wishes to thank Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. for its continuing support. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. has been a lead contributor for the last two years. Such contributions are essential to the operations of our literacy program. Of equal importance is the willingness of Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. to help us address the ever-present issue of sustainability.

During our current fundraising campaign Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. has offered to match dollar-for-dollar the first $2,000 in donations made by individuals who are willing to make a 3-year pledge to Roane Imagination Library. This incentive is working. While we are still in the early days of the campaign, approximately one third of the donations are accompanied by the 3-year pledge. This is extremely important to our future and Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. made it possible.

The mission of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is to provide free, age appropriate books to all preschool children; to instill in the children a love of books and reading; to help develop their vocabulary; and to promote school readiness. Every month, enrolled children receive a book in the mail, addressed to them. The children become their own advocates: “Read to me” makes a difference. Multiple studies have proven that this approach of placing books in the home is effective.

The Roane County affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was formed in September 2004. Yes, we are celebrating our 10th Anniversary this year. In those years we have mailed more than 186,000 books to local children. Currently, there are almost 1900 children enrolled, each getting a book every month. This number represents 77% of the eligible children.

In 1996, Dolly Parton decided to “give back” to her Sevierville neighbors. She started mailing books to all children from birth to age 5. The impact of these gifts was evident as the recipients entered school. This success drew the attention of academic and state leaders.

In 2004, Governor Phil Bredesen created the Governor’s Books From Birth Foundation (GBBF) with the objective of having Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library available statewide.

Several things happened quickly. Governor’s Books From Birth Foundation agreed to pay one half of each county’s book bill. All 95 Tennessee counties created Imagination Library affiliates with a local 501.c.3 (tax exempt) status. The Dollywood Foundation (Dolly’s representatives and action officers) established a Blue-Ribbon Panel of academics to select quality age-appropriate books. The Penguin Group publisher understood Dolly’s vision and became a partner, providing excellent books at low quantity prices.

Word spread! Currently there are Imagination Library affiliates in 47 states. (Only Tennessee has Imagination Library throughout the state, but other states are getting close to full coverage.) Dollywood Foundation mails 720,000 books each month.

Imagination Library has spread to Canada, the United Kingdom and this year to Australia. Many other countries wish to participate and those discussions are underway.

Dolly Parton does not buy books. Roane Imagination Library and the Governor’s Books From Birth Foundation split the book bill 50/50. However, through her Dollywood Foundation, Dolly pays for the highly secure computer database of children’s enrollment information, the book selection committee, the packaging and mailing contract, volunteer training, and much, much more.

Dolly Parton also provides the priceless celebrity endorsement and a passion for the cause. She proudly calls herself, “The Book Lady.”

In Roane County, we are addressing a critical need. Director of Roane County Schools, Dr. Gary Aytes explains it this way: We have children coming to pre-Kindergarten programs with vocabularies of only 45 words. We have children coming to school who do not know their colors and do not recognize the word “banana” having never seen one.

Volunteers run Roane Imagination Library, with financial oversight by our 501.c.3 umbrella organization, Mid-East Community Action Agency. Our overhead is a mere 5% as we pay for MECAA oversight, printing, marketing, postage, a post office box, etc.

There is no “down side” to Roane Imagination Library. The children win, their families win, and the community wins. Donors reap the benefits of the Dollywood Foundation’s quantity purchases, and the Governor’s Books From Birth Foundation matching funds. A quality book mailed to a Roane County child costs Roane County only $1.00. IMAGINE THAT!

With support from Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. and its sustainability challenge, Roane Imagination Library will continue to provide educational materials free to our youngest neighbors.

For more information, to enroll a child, or to contribute to Roane Imagination, contact:
Jill McMaster, Coordinator
Roane Imagination Library
P. O. Box 128
Kingston, TN
RoaneImaginationLibr@gmail.com
www.GovernorsFoundation.org

CASA “Helping Hand” Award

Each year, hundreds of children in Anderson, Blount and Scott Counties are removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. Currently, CASA of the Tennessee Heartland is able to give a voice of hope to about half of these children. CASA of the Tennessee Heartland was founded in 1988 and since that time has served countless numbers of innocent children who, through no fault of their own, have been brought into the court system. On August 5th, CASA of the Tennessee Heartland recognized MCLinc as it’s’ oldest corporate sponsor by presenting them with the “Helping Hands” award.

There are over 300 children currently waitlisted for a CASA in Anderson, Blount, and Scott Counties. To serve the needs of these children, CASA of the Tennessee Heartland must recruit 85 new volunteers and increase their budget by $100,000. You can be a part of the incredible movement to ensure that these helpless children involved in a complex court system are not forgotten.

You can be their voice and save the life of a child. To learn more about how you can become a Corporate Sponsor, Individual Sponsor, or a Court Appointed Special Advocate visit http://casatnh.org/ or contact Executive Director Naomi Asher at (865) 425-0888.

Join Us for the Ice Cream Social August 21

MCLinc is excited to announce that their annual Ice Cream Social is planned for Thursday, August 21st, from 4:00 – 6:30. Stop by the MCLinc Conference Center to enjoy freshly made waffle cones, delicious ice cream, lots of toppings, and great company. The MCLinc Conference Center is located at:

East Tennessee Technology Park, 2010 Highway 58
400 Heritage Center Blvd, Building K-1000
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830-1702

MCLinc’s special guest during the ice cream social is Ken Rueter who will be making remarks at 4:30. Ken has been named president and project manager of UCOR. He will replace Leo Sain to lead the URS Decontamination and Decommissioning and Waste Management
Strategic Business Group, which is based in Oak Ridge.

Please join us in welcoming Ken Back to the ETTP site.

Educators in the Workplace

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory hosted the educators in the workplace program on June 11th. This program was created by The Roane Alliance and their partner, Innovation Valley, Inc., with the purpose of “providing educators with ways to show students the relevance of what they learn in the classroom, ideas about incorporating workplace expectations into the classroom, and to observe firsthand how businesses operate.”

This was the sixth year that The Roane Alliance and Innovation Valley, Inc. conducted the Educators in the Workplace program, and their first visit to Materials and Chemistry Laboratory. MCLinc employees enjoyed hosting this special event as part of our continuing contribution to the education of our
students and future workforce.

We encourage you to participate in the program. Contact Allen Lutz at alutz@roanealliance.org or by calling 865-376-2093 for more information about how you can get involved.

Special Thanks to Lindsay Holt, MCLinc’s Summer Intern

As part of a continuing program MCLinc provides summer employment for employees children who are enrolled in post-secondary education.
Lindsay, daughter of MCLinc employee Jeff Holt, graduated from Halls High School this year and has interned at MCLinc throughout the summer.

Lindsay says, “I’ve loved my summer at MCLinc. Everyone
was so incredibly loving to me and was always willing to help me when I needed it. Working here, I’ve spent most of my time prepping air filter samples for fiber counts. I also did some light clerical work, along with working in reception. I’ve enjoyed so much working here, and I look forward to seeing
everyone again soon.”

We wish Lindsay the best of luck as she begins the next chapter of her life at East Tennessee State
University this fall.

MCLinc Supports Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC)

On June 4th and 5th MCLinc helped to sponsor the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s National Summit at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. MCLinc provided door prizes that were awarded at drawings held at the beginning of each session.

This year’s summit focused on capabilities of three cities in the corridor – Chattanooga, Oak Ridge, and Huntsville. Each session highlighted features of the city being discussed and panelists representing agencies and businesses within the city discussed how the combined strength of the area influenced economic development in the TVC.

The First Wedding at ETTP, Held at Heritage Center

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Merle Keever who were married here at the ETTP on Friday evening, July 18, 2014. Mrs. Keever, formerly, Michelle Register, is employed by UCOR. The wedding ceremony and reception that followed were held at the MCLinc Conference Facility at Heritage Center. We checked with local historians and found that not only is this the first wedding to be performed at Heritage Center, it is the first wedding to be performed at ETTP (formerly K-25 site).

Best wishes for a happy future for Michelle and Merle from the employees of MCLinc.

Upcoming Events

MCLinc Customer Appreciation Ice Cream Social – Stop by the MCLinc Conference Center anytime between 4:00 – 6:30 on August 21st to enjoy freshly made waffle cones, delicious ice cream, lots of toppings and great company. Remarks by Ken Rueter at 4:30.

Health Insurance and Small Business – August 12th, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, David Vudragovich will discuss options for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees. Please register by calling 865-457-2559 or by email.

Safety Fest TN 2014 – From September 8-11th at the New Hope Center, the Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership will host free safety classes and workshops. Please register to participate by visiting this site.

ETEBA Conference – From November 18th through the 20th at the Knoxville Convention Center, the Energy Technology and Environmental Businesses Association (ETEBA) will be hosting their 15th annual Business Opportunities Conference. MCLinc is a proud Hospitality Sponsor of this event, providing conference bags. Be sure to stop by the MCLinc booth, number 322, during the conference to enter your businesses and become eligible to win a door prize to be awarded at the close of the conference. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.eteba.org/ .

ASP Workshop – From September 15-18th the ASP Workshop will be held in Albuquerque, NM. If in attendance, be sure to visit the MCLinc booth where President/CEO, Barry Stephenson, and Laboratory Manager, Michele Sanders, will be representing MCLinc. We hope to see you there!

Governer Haslam’s Books From Birth Bus tour makes a stop in Roane County: On September 19th at 2:00 the Governor’s Books from Birth Bus will be at the Midtown Kroger parking lot ( Exit 350 off of I-40) for a brief program and presentation of the MCLinc donation. This year, MCLinc is providing matching donations to encourage sustained giving to the Roane Imagination Library. Following the program there will be an “open house style” time to visit where you can learn more about the Imagination Library and how you can get involved in a program that is instilling in children a love for literacy, one book at a time.

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.
www.MCL-inc.com

Industrial Hygiene and Environmental
• Asbestos
• PCB’s
• Metals
• Beryllium

Specialty
• Uranium
• Highly Corrosive/Reactive Materials
• Method Development
• Radiological
• Waste Treatment
• Industrial Forensics

Microscopy and Characterization
• Scanning Electron Microscopy
• Transmission Electron Microscopy
• Optical Microscopy
• X-ray Diffraction
• Ion Chromatography

Contacts
Michele Sanders, Laboratory Manager
(865) 574-3896
msanders@mcl-inc.com

Barry Stephenson, CEO
(865) 576-0201
bstephenson@mcl-inc.com

Mary Hall, Quality Assurance Specialist
(865) 574-9923  mhall@mcl-inc.com

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.
East Tennessee Technology Park, Building K-1006
400 Heritage Center Blvd.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Welcome to the April 2014 MCLinc Newsletter

Thank you for being a reader of the newsletter for Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (MCLinc). Spring has finally arrived in beautiful East Tennessee. This time of year reminds us of new beginnings, of the beauty of the land we live in, and of the opportunity to be thankful for all the blessings we enjoy. We appreciate you as a supporter of MCLinc and know that without you and others like you this business would not exist.

In this issue we feature an article by Dr. Diane Ward of Roane State Community College. Dr. Ward has coordinated the introduction of Lab-in-a-Box kits into Middle School classrooms in rural schools in the area. Lab-in-a-Box grew out of the Rural Community STEM Initiative that began in 2010 as a public / private partnership to enhance STEM education in rural school systems. RSCC, in partnership with Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), developed hands-on experiments to help teach STEM concepts and they trained Middle School teachers to use these experiments in their classrooms. A pilot program financed by contributions from many of you, provided to be successful in increasing interest and improving performance in STEM subjects. Phase II of the Lab-in-a-Box program places a kit in each Middle School classroom in the RCSI service area by adding some new schools and replenishing supplies in kits already in area classrooms. The goal is to raise $67,000 for this project by the end of May so kit construction and teacher training can be completed by the start of this next school year. Your contributions are tax-deductible since the program is administrated through the RSCC Foundation. See instructions in this Newsletter regarding where to send your check. MCLinc is pleased to be a charter member of the business partnership that started the effort in 2010 and to continue our support of the program.

Elsewhere in the newsletter read about new instrumentation at MCLinc, our “Muddy Boot” award, another Customer Appreciation event, community activities that MCLinc employees support and enjoy, and upcoming events in our business and community.

We cannot close this greeting without recognizing Tom Kirk who is retiring from the RSI Sample Management Office. Tom represents the best in professionalism in his job and has always been a pleasure to work with. Best wishes in your retirement, Tom. Please come back for a visit when you are in the area.

Thank you for being a customer and friend.

Barry

Instrument Highlight – True Density Analyzer
Contributed By: Michele Sanders, MCLinc Laboratory Manager

MCLinc is pleased to announce that we have acquired a Quantachrome Multipycnometer – True Density Analyzer for density measurement of a variety of solid materials. The Multipycnometer uses gas as the displacement fluid since it penetrates the finest pores of a material assuring maximum accuracy. Helium is the gas of choice for multipycnometry measurement because its small atomic dimension enables entry into crevices and pores approaching 0.2 nm. Also, measuring density by gas displacement is a non-destructive method for a sample.

The Multipycnometer offers three sizes of interchangeable sample cells for volume measurement, which gives versatility in measuring many different types of solids such as ceramics, catalysts, cements, nuclear fuels, petrochemicals, soils, fertilizers, carbon blacks, fibers, minerals, dessicants, powdered metals, ion exchange resins, silica, alumina, titania and many others. Sample size ranges from 2 to 135cc.

If you are interested in obtaining more information about true density measurement of solid materials, please contact Michele Sanders or Barry Stephenson.

Stephenson Wins Muddy Boot Award

The three recipients of the 2013 Muddy Boot Award are D.Ray Smith, Bill Biloski and Barry Stephenson.

MCLinc is very proud to announce that our President / CEO, Barry Stephenson, was one of three “Muddy Boot” recipients for his outstanding charitable work in the Oak Ridge community.

Before bestowing on Stephenson his award, presenter Jenny Freeman unsurprisingly shared some of the many community causes MCLinc has supported and continues to support throughout the Secret City — remarking that Stephenson probably “rivals (former Department of Energy-Oak Ridge manager) Gerald Boyd in the number of boards he serves on.” After
receiving his “Muddy Boot”, Stephenson stated to the crowd of 275 or so attendees that the accomplishments cited were not made by “me alone.” “So on behalf of all those who earned this award,” he said, “Thank you.”

Muddy Boot Awards have been given out by the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) since 1973 to pay tribute to people who have made East Tennessee a stronger region through their work and community activities.

MCLinc Customer Appreciation Pancake Breakfast

Thanks to all who attended the annual MCLinc Customer Appreciation Pancake Breakfast. The morning was filled with wonderful food and company as the McLinc crew prepared a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and bacon for their guests. The event provides an opportunity for the MCLinc staff to meet our customers and say “Thank You” for their business with MCLinc. In addition, the casual atmosphere at the Heritage Center provided an opportunity for attendees to visit with each other. MCLinc again invited ORUD to sell Valentines gifts at the event to support the “Have a Heart, Heat a Home” campaign. All proceeds make it possible for needy families to keep their heat on during the winter months. The Breakfast was delayed a week because of the weather, so contributions to the campaign were less than last year. MCLinc appreciates ORUD’s work on this worthwhile mission.

McLinc will be hosting a Customer Appreciation Ice Cream Social, featuring homemade waffle cones, in July. Watch your e-mails for more information. We hope to see you there!

CASA BBQ and Bluegrass Bash

Bear Stephenson, Kassie Perkins and Barry Stephenson

MCLinc Lab Manager Michele Sanders and Husband Mickey.
MCLinc was very proud to be a corporate sponsor of the 11th annual CASA BBQ and Bluegrass Bash. The event was held on February 22nd at the Junior Achievement – Hollingsworth Center in Clinton.

Wonderful music was provided by the Ridge City Ramblers. The master of ceremonies for the night was Cindy Alpert of 106.1 The River. A BBQ buffet dinner was provided by Texas Road house. Silent and live auctions included vacation packages, fine jewelry, a handmade wooden picnic table, and many other items of interest. All proceeds from this event benefited CASA, to support work to help abused or neglected children in Anderson, Blount and Scott counties who are under court protection.

If you would like to know more about CASA or how you can get involved, please follow this link for more information.

MCLinc Extern

MCLinc was very glad to have Angela Mullins, a geology major at William and Mary, extern at our lab.

Angela was able to “shadow” professionals in her field of interest (in this case, geologist Dr. Mark Colberg), to see how they apply their skills in an industrial environment, and had the opportunity to see how some of our instrumentation and experience can be applied to real-world problem solving for significant issues that have a geological component (e.g., characterization of contaminated soil or minerals). Angela to also spend some time with Michele (chemist/supervisor) and Mary (engineer/QA), to see how those individuals use their scientific training in a small business management environment.

Angela says:
“Thank you so much for the opportunity to intern at MCLinc. It was a great opportunity to learn more about how the environmental consulting industry works. I learned so much from everybody and gained new perspectives on how interdisciplinary the field is. I enjoyed being able to apply everything that I had learned in class to the real world. It really was a fantastic way to spend a week of my winter break. I feel much more prepared now that I have had the opportunity to learn from so many different people.“

MCLinc Employees Barry Stephenson (CEO/President) and Michele Sanders (Laboratory Manager) attended the Pittcon Conference in Chicago Illinois on March 2nd – 6th. Barry and Michele conducted interviews while in Chicago for an opening in the Microcopy Department at MCLinc. MCLinc is looking for a candidate that is a degreed professional with expertise in electron and optical microscopy. MCLinc would like for this person to have experience with a variety of applications such as industrial forensics, metallurgy, specialty environmental and industrial hygiene, as well as, skills in instrumentation such as SEM, TEM, and XRD.

While at the Pittcon Conference Barry and Michele had the opportunity to see new instrumentation, gain ideas for current research projects, and network with some of the 22,000 in attendance. If you are interested in applying for the position of Senior Microscopist at MCLinc, please send resume to bstephenson@mcl-inc.

Upcoming Events

“Lunch-4-Literacy” – March 18, 11:30 a.m., at the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria. “Lunch-4-Literacy” is a joint effort of Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. The purpose of the joint effort is to provide grants to help improve literacy in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties. This year’s special speaker at the event is Denise Kieman, author of “The Girls of Atomic City.” Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased at the Ferrell Shop at Jackson Square and Mr. K’s used book store in Oak Ridge. McLinc is proud to be a supporting sponsor for this event.

“Lab-in-a-Box” Campaign – Please join McLinc in our support of this campaign to raise $67,000 to supply “hands-in” science and math experiments for Middle School students in rural schools in the area. Your company can buy a kit to be sent to an area school for $7500. Sponsorships in any amount are appreciated. Write your check to RSCC Foundation and mail to Roane State Foundation, 276 Patton Lane, Harriman, TN 37748. Donations are tax-deductible.

Dragon Boat Races – May 31st 2014, on Melton Hill Lake sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Oak Ridge. For those unfamiliar with dragon boating, it’s a boat of 20 paddlers, a drummer and 1 steering person. The object is, of course, to paddle your boat across the finish line ahead of your competitors. It is a great team sport and encompasses the elements of team spirit, synchronization, and endurance. Best of all, it is fun for a good cause. This will be the fund-raising event of the year for all three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge. Proceeds will benefit Rotary Community Service Projects.

Sign up today to sponsor a Dragon Boat Team here. Join McLinc as a sponsor for the event.

Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit –The 2014 Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, will be held June 4-5. For more information about the TVC and the Summit, please click here.

EPRI International Low-Level Waste Conference and Exhibition with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers/EPRI Radwaste Workshop Exclusive Session 2014 – This event will be held on June 9-12 at Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando 6300 Hollywood Way, Orlando, Florida 32819 USA. To find out more information about this event click here.

13th Annual U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Forum & Expo – This event will be held on June 10-12 and will feature plenaries, educational workshops, a large exhibit hall, as well as business matchmaking sessions. For more information or to register please click here.

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.
East Tennessee Technology Park, Building K-1006
400 Heritage Center Blvd.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Welcome to McLinc’s October 2013 newsletter

Barry Stephenson

President/CEO McLinc

In the October Newsletter from Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (McLinc) we celebrate our support of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland and of Rotary and the Roane State Foundation. McLinc is a corporate sponsor of CASA. We enjoy events such as the Annual Night with the Arts and the BBQ and Bluegrass event in the spring. More importantly, we appreciate the opportunity to support the work done by CASA. Likewise, the Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge provides a showcase for local talent and entertainment for all who participate while raising money to provide scholarships to Roane State Community College students through the Roane State Foundation. We know that many of you feel as we do about supporting these organizations since we see you at these same events.

Our instrument highlight this month is contributed by Michele Sanders, Laboratory Manager at McLinc. Michele introduces the TGA/MS technology used by McLinc to explore the identity of gases liberated from materials upon heating. The technology has many applications and you are invited to give us a call to see if this may be a tool we can use to solve a problem for your process or product.

McLinc employees are sharing results of some of our internally-funded research with other members of the analytical testing community. Jack Hall, McLinc’s Director of Quality presented results of a study designed to test the effectiveness of a thermal decomposition technique for the analysis of mercury in soil and fish tissues at the annual workshop for DOE Consolidated Audit Program laboratories. The workshop was held this year in Asheville, North Carolina. This month McLinc will present on the topic of Nuclear Forensics at the 2013 Tennessee Valley Corridor Forensics Symposium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Thanks to each of you who came to McLinc’s Customer Appreciation Ice Cream Social and to the Pig Roast at Stephenson Farm. We enjoy getting to visit with you at these events. It is our pleasure to provide a token of our appreciation for your business and an opportunity to socialize. Watch for the announcement of our customer appreciation events. We really want you to be there.

We hope you enjoy the Newsletter. Please pass it along to others who might enjoy it. Send us your suggestions for improvements and future articles. We hope to see you at the 14th Annual ETEBA Business Opportunities Conference to be held November 12 – 14, 2013 at the Knoxville convention Center. McLinc will provide conference bags to all attendees. Drop by booth number 110 and register to win a door prize.

Thanks for your Business and Your Friendship,
Barry

Instrument Highlight:

TGA-MS
By: Michele Sanders

Thermogravimetric Analysis is an essential laboratory tool used for material characterization in many types of samples from various industries such as environmental, food, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical.  The mass of a sample is monitored as a function of temperature and/or time as the sample is heated in a controlled temperature program in a controlled atmosphere.  As a sample is heated, it will experience a weight loss which is recorded versus temperature. McLinc’s Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), a Seiko SII Exstar TG/DTA 6300, is uniquely coupled with a mass spectrometer detector (MS) which allows identification of the mass of decomposition products obtained from samples.  The mass spectrometer detector is a Pfeiffer OmniStar GSD 301.  This unique coupling of a TGA with a MS detector means that weight loss of a sample can be measured while detecting and identifying the molecular weight of the species being lost.  The maximum mass that the OmniStar can detect is 300AMU (atomic mass units).

The TGA furnace is capable of a temperature range of 25 to 1,000°C at a maximum ramp rate of 10°C/minute.  The ramp rate is variable within a temperature program and other parameters such as holding the sample at a temperature for a determined amount of time and then resuming the heating cycle can be controlled.  The MS detector is connected to the TGA via a silica capillary which is heated to prevent condensation of decomposition products from the sample.

The amount of sample that is used for TGA analysis is small, usually only 10 to 30mg of sample is required.  The TGA contains a microbalance which is located in the furnace and is capable of weighing a sample to 0.1mg.  Furnace atmosphere is delivered from compressed gas cylinders and current atmospheres available are Zero Air, Nitrogen or Argon.

Some projects that have been completed on the TGA-MS are:  Characterization of Precursor Materials for Carbon Fiber Manufacture, Characterization of Carbon Fiber, Characterization of Polymers and Polymer Mixtures, and Investigation of Used Synthetic O-Rings.  Examples of the type of information obtained from TGA-MS that would be of interest are:  weight of water lost (occurs at 100°C); temperature and weight loss of a functional group such as -NH2, -CH3 or –Cl from an organic compound; or decomposition temperature of a polymer.

The TGA-MS can be utilized for investigations of many different types of materials.  At McLinc, this instrument is one of many tools available to determine the source of product or process failures, identify unknown residues, and conduct forensic investigations.  Contact Michele Sanders, Barry Stephenson or one of our analytical project managers to learn how we may be able to help you.

Street Painting Festival

Barry Stephenson (right), President of MCLinc, presented a Gold Sponsor check for the Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival to Melinda Hillman (center), Vice President of the Roane State Oak Ridge Campus.Past President of the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge Bill Martin (left), who conceived and organized the first Street Painting Festival in support of the Roane State Community College Scholarship Fund, looked on. The Street Painting Festival was held on October 5, from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, at the Roane State campus and it was open to artists of all ages.This year the event generated over $14,000 for scholarshipsat RSCC! Thank you to all sponsors and participants who made this event possible.

Ice Cream Social

McLinc would like to thank everyone who attended our annual Customer Appreciation Ice Cream Social. The afternoon was a success as guests stopped in at the McLinc Conference Center at K-1000 for an afternoon snack. The employees of McLinc prepared and served delicious homemade waffle cones and Ice Cream Sundaes. McLinc also hosted a drawing at the Ice Cream Social for one guest to have a donation made to the Rural Community Stem Initiative (RCSI) Fund in their name. The donation was made to the Roane State Foundation to be used to help fund RCSI “lab-in-a-box” project. Learn more about the program at www.eteconline.org. Click on “championing” the “Educational Outreach.”  The winner of this drawing was Jim Sumner; Project Director and Global Nuclear Science Technology Director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

McLinc’s 30th Annual Pig Roast 

The 30th Annual Pig Roast was another great success! The event was held Sunday, October 13 at the Barry and Lucy Stephenson Family Farm just east of Kingston. There was plenty of Barbeque and Bluegrass Music for all. Barry Stephenson, President and CEO of McLinc, was delighted to see many return guests and new ones. Barry’s famous Pig Roast quote is “once invited to the Pig Roast, always invited!” If you were able to attend we hope to see you again next year and if not, well, we hope to see you next year as well!

DOECAP Workshop and Presentation

By: Jack Hall

The Department of Energy Analytical Services Program (ASP) has an annual workshop which was held in Asheville, NC this year. MCLinc was represented by Barry Stephenson and Jack Hall. The (ASP) Workshop provides a forum to present changes in the DOE Consolidated Audit Program (DOECAP) quality program which are significant this year with the blending of the DOE and DOD analytical laboratory requirements into one document. DOECAP is the assessment group for the laboratories performing work for DOE. The workshop also reviews new methods, the performance sample program (MAPEP), latest sampling techniques and supporting software, and status of waste treatment facilities that are covered by DOECAP. On behalf of MCLinc, Jack Hall presented a paper on the use of a Thermo-decomposition Analyzer for the analysis of fish and soils to develop data on the precision and accuracy of the procedure. The procedure allows the direct analysis of fish tissue and soil with no preparation. The statistical results were good with both soil and fish and provide a fast and efficient alternate to analyze these matrices without all the preparation.

Internationally Acclaimed Forensics Leaders to Gather at MTSU to Discuss the Past, Present and Future of Forensic Science

Forensics experts from around the region will come together to discuss criminal, anthropological, nuclear, industrial and cyber forensics at the second annual Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Forensics Symposium.  The Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Forensics Initiative is a coalition of organizations and experts in the forensics industry who are located in the TVC— a region encompassing five states and 10 congressional districts strategically linking the technology-rich region from North Alabama through Tennessee into Southwest Virginia, Western Carolina and Southern and Eastern Kentucky.

The event will be held October 29-30, 2013 at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), and special guests include:  Dr. William Bass, founder of the Forensic Anthropology Center, the “Body Farm,” and Professor Emeritus at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Tom Holland, scientific director of the Joint POW Accounting Command – Central Identification Lab (CIL). James Markey, retired Sergeant for the Phoenix Police Department and Owner of Investigative Lead, LLC. Paulette Sutton, internationally known blood stain pattern analyst and an expert in the field of forensic retired  Director of Investigations for the Division of Forensic Pathology Shelby County (Memphis, Tennessee) Medical Examiner’s Office and retired Assistant Director of Forensic Services at the University of Tennessee, Memphis.  Dr. Richard Raines, Cyber Portfolio Manager, Global Security Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The symposium will include a tour of the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy, where attendees will experience hands-on demonstrations of, arson investigation, fire suppression, and fire rescue while visiting the 330-acre training facility for fire service professionals, as well as a special student competition that will highlight research happening across the Corridor.

Pre-registration for the event is required, and space is limited.  Student rates are available, along with a special “lunch only” rate for those who are interested in hearing from Dr. Bill Bass during lunch, but who cannot attend the full event.

To view the full agenda, please click here.

To register to attend the event, please  click here.

For questions, contact Jennifer Wiggins at jwiggins@akinsps.com.

The 2013 Tennessee Valley Corridor Forensics Symposium is sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, the University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center, the University of Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky University, the University of Alabama in Birmingham, RJ Lee Group and Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.

CASA Night

With the Arts 

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) hosted their 4th annual Night with the Arts fundraiser on October 11, 2013. The event was held at the Pollard Technology Center in Oak Ridge. Guests enjoyed a Paris themed evening with Live Music, dinner, and an art auction.  McLinc is a proud corporate sponsor of this event.

Special Announcement

Beth Sanders, daughter of Mickey and Michele Sanders, was married to Adam Tuesburg on September 28, 2013 at Maple Grove Inn.  The happy couple honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and will reside in Kingston, TN

About McLinc 

McLinc provides both consulting services and characterization analyses in three primary areas:

1. Specialty Environmental - the “specialty” category may be defined by the sample origin, its categorization as an unknown, a matrix difficulty that requires a method modification, the presence of radioactive or hazardous material in the sample or the need for an analysis for which there is no published or routinely utilized methodology.

2. Forensic Investigation - the use of trace evidence to establish sample origin or the source of a product or process failure relies heavily on the powerful fusion of the technical staff’s expertise and McLinc’s broad array of instrumental capability, which includes four electron microscopes.

3. Process Optimization - McLinc’s ability to build bench-scale models of chemical processes and test those models has enabled us to develop solutions in accident investigations, waste treatability studies, chemical process optimization, formulation for non-radiological surrogates for highly radioactive waste treatments, recipes for onsite groundwater treatment, materials compatibility for chemically hostile environments and improvement of manufacturing techniques in a variety of industrial processes and failure investigations.

We look forward to continuing to serve you here at McLinc. Your questions regarding new work or current projects can be directed to the following individuals:

Michele Sanders, Laboratory Manager
(865) 574-3896
msanders@mcl-inc.com

Barry Stephenson, CEO
(865) 576-0201
bstephenson@mcl-inc.com

Mary Hall, Quality Assurance Specialist
(865) 574-9923
mhall@mcl-inc.com

Visit us online at www.MCL-inc.com.

Welcome To MCLinc’s

December 2013 Newsletter 

MCLinc Supports CASA 

 

As a corporate sponsor, MCLinc. is proud to support the work of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. CASA is a non-profit, volunteer-based agency with a mission to empower volunteers to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children in juvenile court. A CASA volunteer (Court Appointed Special Advocate) is a trained community member appointed by the juvenile judge to represent the best interest of a child in court by providing the court with a carefully researched background of the child. The CASA volunteer, after investigation, makes recommendations about placement and services and to recommend that it is in the child’s best interest to stay with his or her parents or guardians, be placed in other situations such as foster care or be freed for permanent adoption. When necessary, a volunteer advocates to ensure that the child is receiving needed services and monitors the case to be sure that the child does not become lost in a complex system.

In order to prepare a recommendation the CASA volunteer interviews the child, parents, and other family members, social workers, school officials, health provider and others who are knowledgeable about the child. The CASA volunteer also reviews written records pertaining to the child. The CASA volunteer does not investigate the actual abuse. The CASA volunteer does not replace workers from other agencies involved in a case. The volunteer is an independent appointee of the court and can make recommendations independent of state and federal agency restrictions. CASA volunteers come from all walks of life with a wide variety of professional, educational, and ethnic backgrounds. Nationally there are more than 58,000 volunteers in more than 950 programs. Volunteers must pass a comprehensive background check and screening process.

There are many costs associated with recruiting volunteers, providing background checks, training and support. To help defray these costs, CASA of the Tennessee Heartland has a Corporate Partnership Program. MCLinc. is a proud Bronze level Corporate Partner to this life changing program. Naomi Asher, executive director of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland, says; “Please accept our heartfelt thanks for MCLinc.’s support and sponsorship of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. Because of your generosity, many children will achieve a safe, stable nurturing home in as short a time as possible, helping insure that there is a positive, long-term outcome for the child who has been abused.”

MCLinc. asks, as you spend time with your family this holiday season, to remember that every child deserves a safe and loving forever family.

If you would like to become a corporate sponsor or volunteer for CASA of the Tennessee Heartland you can contact Naomi Asher at (865) 425-0888.

CASA’s Christmas Wish List includes:

- Peace in everyone’s home – Hope for the year to come – Advocates for every child that needs a stronger voice – Runaway teens to return to a safe place – Strength and wisdom for our staff and volunteers – Hot chocolate, fireplaces and more Downton Abbey for all

children’s Museum of Oak Ridge

MCLinc. sponsored the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge fund raising Gala again this year.  The Gala was an exciting evening of entertainment, fine food, and celebration. It was a 70s team in light of The Children’s Museum’s 40th Anniversary. Modern-day hippies in attendance, travel on the “Soul Train” to the Southern Terminal of Knoxville, Tennessee to celebrate folk, rock, and pop culture through song and dance with Saxophone Jack and Friends. Attendees experience Rocketing through the 70s and enjoyed a festive dinner of authentic 70’s-style cuisine.

MCLinc would like to congratulate the Children’s Museum on 40 years of excellent service to the Oak Ridge and surrounding communities!

Oak Ridge Schools Family Resource Center 

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. is helping to sponsor the Oak Ridge Schools Family Resource Center (FRC) Angel Tree project again this year. This program is directed by Jo Bruce and Assisted by Jessica Bivens.   By utilizing over 25 corporate sponsors and many caring individuals the FRC will be able to provide over 600 children with the magic that comes in believing in Christmas.  If you would like to further partner with the Family Resource Center, please call Jo Bruce at 425-3205 or Jessica Bivens at 425-9401.  You may also reach Ms. Bruce through email  atjbruce@ortn.edu.

McLinc Donates $2,000 to Roane Imagination Library

McLinc’s Kassie Perkins, Miss Tennessee, presented a $2,000 check to the Roane Imagination Library on behalf of Mclinc and her platform which involves childhood literacy. McLinc’s donation was matched by Pro2serve,which donated $7,500 to match funds raised for the Imagination Library. This foundation supplies one book a month to all children from birth to five years of age. The program is 100% free to the children; however, they must be signed up for the program to receive the books. If you know a child under five who is not receiving books from the Imagination Library please notify Jill McMaster at  roaneimaginationlibr@gmail.com to help a child in your life be a part of this wonderful program.

McLinc to Celebrate with Christmas Party

McLinc will host an employee and family Christmas party on Saturday, December 14th.  There will be a surprise visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus for the children.

 Miss Tennessee Kassie Perkins

McLinc. is proud to announce that employee, Kassie Perkins, has been crowned Miss Tennessee International 2014. Kassie will compete for the title of Miss International in July of 2014. Kassie is an accounting assistant at McLinc and Junior at Tennessee Tech University. This Christmas season Kassie will be hosting a book drive to benefit the Books Have Wings foundation. This Foundation adds one book to every child’s backpack involved in the Food4Kids program. – (This is a need based programs that strives to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children). Promoting and raising money for childhood programs coincides with Kassie’s personal platform, “Page Ahead.”

Rotary International

Barry Stephenson

Donating to Rotary International is my preferred way to support international missions. R.I. focuses efforts in six areas: promoting peace, preventing diseases, providing access to clean water and sanitation, enhancing maternal and child health, improving basic education and literacy, and helping communities develop.  All this is in addition to a dedication to ending polio in our lifetimes. Volunteers in Rotary find the problem, identify the cause, and implement the solution. The system works so well because of the worldwide distribution of Rotarians.

Solutions are implemented with the help of Rotarians from local clubs. Nearly 90% of money donated to R.I. is used to directly fund project expenses. Working with fellow Rotarians on projects outside the United States gives me confidence that money is being applied directly to the solution of problems in a responsible way.

Learn more about Rotary International at  www.rotary.org or visit a local Rotary Club.

15th Annual VITA Volunteer

Jack Hall

This holiday season Jack Hall, Senior Technical Consultant at McLinc, will start training for his 15Th year as a VITA Volunteer. VITA is part of the IRS that helps the elderly and lower income families with electronic filling of their Income Tax. Jack says, “it takes a lot of weekend time but it is well worth the effort to see the surprise and joy expressed by a low income family receiving under the IRS earned income credit up to a $5000 refund ( about 50% of their total income for the year). Then hear the child say “Mom can we now buy a television”.

The Water Angels

Michele Sanders

This Christmas season Michele Sanders, Laboratory Manager at McLinc, will be contributing to “Shoes for the Soul” by The Water Angels ministry in Knoxville.  The Water Angels began as a Girl Scout mission project to provide bottled water to the homeless. Now this project has transformed into a ministry that says is open to all who are “hurting, lost, and broken.” Michele’s donation will be work boots to help the homeless “get back on their feet” and to help provide them with the material they need to obtain a good job. If you would like to know more about The Water Angels and how you can get involved you can visit their website at  http://thewaterangels.com.

 

Welcome to McLinc’s April 2013 Newsletter

In the April Newsletter we welcome spring (finally) with the announcement of two important Community events: a celebration of Oak Ridge’s cleanup accomplishments scheduled for May 2-3; convening of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit in Oak Ridge on May 29-30. Please reserve time on your calendars and plan to join us at both of these important events. Thank you to Mark Whitney, Manager for the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, for contributing an article to this months’ Newsletter. Mark brings a passion for the environmental cleanup mission and an understanding and sensitivity to the total needs of the Community to his office. Thank you, Mark, for your service. Lots of other news this month. Please read and enjoy and pass this Newsletter along to anyone who might be interested in reading it. Visit us at our websitewww.mcl-inc.com and at our laboratory in Heritage Center (ETTP). Thanks for your business and your friendship. Barry

Pancake Breakfast

Thanks to all who attended the annual McLinc Customer Appreciation Pancake Breakfast. The morning was filled with wonderful food and company as the McLinc crew prepared a delicious breakfast for our guests. McLinc invited ORUD to set up their “Have a Hear, Heat A Home” booth for the second consecutive year. ORUD provided valintines gifts of candy, balloons, flowers, and stuffed animals to the attendees of the breakfast. In a matter of two hours “Have a Heart, Heat A Home” was able to raise $400. All proceeds make it possible for needy families to keep their heat on during the winter months. McLinc will be hosting a Customer Appreciation Ice Cream Social, featuring homemade waffle cones, in July. Watch your e-mails for more information. We hope to see you there.  

Oak Ridge Recognizes Past Accomplishments As It Looks to the Future 

By:  Mark Whitney, Manager for the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management On May 2-3, the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management is joining with the Oak Ridge community to host a series of special events to recognize and celebrate our program’s cleanup accomplishments. We have made great progress during the past number of years, and as we prepare to present a new strategic plan for the future, the opportunity exists now to celebrate our past. In the early 1940s, as the federal government erected fences and built massive facilities in what would become Oak Ridge, little thought was given to the environmental impacts to the area. The focus was on enriching uranium to end World War II—not the environmental legacy. Through the years, as Oak Ridge’s mission expanded into commercial uranium production and national defense, more wastes were generated, leaving the three major sites on the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation with contaminated buildings, burial grounds, and storage areas. As missions have ended and changed, many of these facilities are no longer needed. The Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant was permanently shut down in 1987. Cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park has been ongoing since, and we are converting it into a private sector industrial park. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has become one of the world’s leading institutions for scientific discovery, and the Y-12 National Security Complex has become a premier manufacturing facility dedicated to ensuring our nation’s security. Cleanup at the three sites, as well as surrounding areas, is essential to ensuring the ongoing missions in Oak Ridge. Our efforts to address years of contamination are not only restoring the environment but also enhancing Oak Ridge’s ability to attract new investment and create 21st century jobs. For the events on May 2-3, we are inviting the Oak Ridge community, the contractor community, Environmental Management leadership from Washington D.C., Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation leadership from Nashville and Atlanta, and local, state, and nationally elected officials to recognize the roles each has played in advancing the cleanup mission in Oak Ridge. Everyone involved has provided a unique perspective to our program, and our events would not be complete without their participation. While many challenges remain for our program, our history suggests we are up to the task. Because of the hard work, dedication, and focus of everyone, past and present, the Oak Ridge Reservation continues to evolve and transform into a safer, cleaner site that continues performing vital missions for the Department of Energy. I hope you will join us this May as we celebrate the major cleanup achievements, honor our past, and look toward the future.

Tennessee Valley Corridor to Convene Regional Leadership in Oak Ridge 

By:  Barry Stephenson, president and CEO of MCLinc Whether it is supporting our school foundation, leading the ETEC board of directors or volunteering at a non-profit organization, MCLinc is continually looking for ways to work with others to make Oak Ridge, Roane County and our region a better place to live and work.   One of our core beliefs at MCLinc is that success does not happen in a vacuum—this type of engagement outside of our facility is vital to our success and to the overall success of our community. I’ve seen first-hand how collaboration and communication have allowed the Oak Ridge and Knoxville area to grow and prosper, even in the most challenging economic times.  As we look outside our immediate community to the larger region, we are fortunate to have an organization like the Tennessee Valley Corridor that is working to sustain the region’s existing federal missions, compete for new missions, and leverage public/private relationships for high-quality job growth. For many years, I have been actively involved in the Tennessee Valley Corridor, and when it returns to Oak Ridge this May, I believe we will once again see the invaluable benefits that occur when we convene the top leadership from academia, government and industry from Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina to discuss regional challenges and opportunities.  It is this event that helps us connect the dots and find ways to work together, which leads to individual and regional accomplishments. This year’s summit will be held at Y-12’s New Hope Center on May 29-30, and it will focus on energy, environment, advanced manufacturing, workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurism.  Congressman Chuck Fleischmann is hosting the event, and Senator Lamar Alexander will make keynote remarks, which are expected to update a major energy address he made at the last Summit held in Oak Ridge in 2009. Since the first TVC Summit was held in Oak Ridge in 1995, this annual event has linked the science and technology assets in the Tennessee Valley into a nationally recognized regional economic development effort.   I hope you will join us at the May Summit. For more information or to register for the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit, please visit www.TennValleyCorridor.org.  To become a sponsor of the Summit, please contact Jennifer Wiggins at jwiggins@akinscrisp.com or (865) 680.1457

MCLinc Contributions to ETTP Site Environmental Management (EM) Activities

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (MCLinc) became a commercial entity in April, 1998, at the same time that the ETTP Site mission transitioned to a new contractor, with an even greater emphasis on active remediation of contaminated structures and the impacted environment. A few years prior to commercialization, the laboratory had been designated as an Environmental Technology User Facility for the Department of Energy, a part of the User Facilities administered by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In that role, investigators at MCLinc interfaced with technology developers in academia and the private sector to evaluate prospective emerging technologies against formulated surrogate and authentic waste streams that were identified as priorities to the DOE.  This offered McLinc-partnered researchers access to “difficult” waste streams that, in most cases, could not be readily shipped to, or received by, the technology developer, due to licensing and other regulatory restrictions. The evaluation and technology demonstration performed at MCLinc provided an impartial evaluation of treatment technology against DOE needs and often provided a path forward for dealing with the “difficult” waste. As a commercial laboratory, MCLinc has continued to provide assistance to the EM mission.  For example, MCLinc security-cleared consultant and laboratory support personnel, with knowledge of past Site activities, have helped K-25 Site Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) contractors to safely deal with the discoveries of inadequately characterized, often classified, legacy wastes and the hazards of off-normal operations events that are still occasionally encountered in work that is being performed at old, abandoned facilities.  Such “findings” have included small containers of radioactive, chemically reactive and toxic, or shock-sensitive material, which needed characterization and/or safe deactivation prior to compliant disposal.  The ability to carefully transfer such hazardous material to an on-site laboratory along a DOE-access (non-public) route was beneficial to maintaining secure, safe, and expedient remediation.  MCLinc has teamed with many other commercial entities for waste characterization and compliance documentation by conditioning special materials originating from the DOE complex to be able to fit within their facility acceptance profiles with the ultimate result being compliant disposal of the waste. MCLinc staff has also helped Site EM perform Treatability Studies and Technology Evaluations.  This has included validation of vendor-recommended treatment options and troubleshooting for Contractor self-performed operations, and formulation and preparation of surrogate material for off-site evaluations by technology vendors. McLinc continues to stay abreast of current site concerns having recently supported projects to determine cost-effective options for treatment of hexavalent chromium, safe disposal of UF6 cylinders, and identification of contents and treatment for disposal of cylinders containing unidentified contents. Recent investments in a low-level mercury laboratory, equipped with the newest instrumentation for mercury detection in both water and solid matrices will further support remediation of mercury accumulated at the Oak Ridge reservation and other EM sites.

New McLinc Employees

McLinc would like to welcome Robert White to our staff. Robert has taken the position of Controller at McLinc.  Robert is a Certified Public Accountant with a Master of Accountancy from The University of Tennessee. He has many years of experience on the DOE site with companies such as Bechtel Jacobs and Lockheed Martin Energy Systems.  Robert is coming to us from NFT where he worked as the Chief Financial Officer. McLInc is very excited to add such an experienced member to our staff! We would also like to welcome Diann Hall back to our staff. Diann is one of the founders of McLinc and a current stock holder in the company. Diann was a full time employee of McLinc from 1999 to 2002. After leaving the company Diann began work at Y-12 in the environmental laboratory and also worked some as a consultant for McLinc. Since Diann’s retirement from Y-12 she has begun working as a McLinc employee again. Diann brings valuable knowledge to the McLinc staff through her extensive background in Asbestos and experience in the Environmental Laboratory.

The Oak Ridge Schools Family Resource Center 

The employees at McLinc were grateful for the opportunity to make another contribution to The Oak Ridge Schools Family Resource Center (FRC). Employees provided a family of three children with Easter gifts and a Kroger gift card to ensure an Easter Dinner could be prepared. These gifts were delivered to the family by Jo Bruce, director of the center and McLinc’s advocate for FRC. If you would like to learn about how you can get involved with the Family Resource Center, please call Jo Bruce at 425-3205 or Jessica Bivens at 425-9401.  You may also reach Ms. Bruce through email at jbruce@ortn.edu.

MCLinc to Present Paper at American Chemical Society 

McLinc will be presenting a paper at the 245^th ACS National Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 11. The paper titled “Nuclear Forensic Support at a Commercial Licensed Laboratory” highlights McLinc’s expertise in uranium chemistry and focuses on the Laboratory’s ability to characterize, by a variety of analytical techniques, known, legacy, and discovered uranium-bearing materials. Chemical “signatures” established by extensive analysis of samples with a known processing history yields information that may enable investigators to know a great deal about a material of unknown origin. McLinc’s combination of analysis equipment coupled with knowledge of uranium processing procedures is helping to build a library of information that can be utilized in such investigations. Michele Sanders, McLinc Laboratory Manager and Barry Stephenson, McLinc President and CEO, will be participating i n the ACS Meeting.   Friends of Scouting   For over 100 years, the Great Smoky Mountain Boy Scouts of America Council has provided youth guidance in character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. A significant portion of their work is made possible by corporate and personal donations to the Friends of Scouti ng Campaign. McLinc was pleased to be a sponsor of the Oak Ridge / Anderson County Friends of Scouting Breakfast, which was held Thursday, April 4th, at the Riverside Event Center at the Riverside Grill in Oak Ridge. Coach Phillip Fulmer was the guest of honor and keynote speaker. This year’s program honored UT Battelle for their contributions to the Boy Scouts of America. McLinc employees who are proud Dads of Eagle Scouts include Bill Bostick, Jeff Holt, and Barry Stephenson. Please join us in supporting scouting in our community.

CASA Bluegrass and BBQ Bash

The 10th annual CASA Bluegrass and BBQ Bash was a great success. The event was held on March 2nd at the Junior Achievement – Hollingsworth Center in Clinton.  Wonderful music was provided by the Ridge City Ramblers, as well as, hammer dulcimer player Allen McBride. The master of ceremonies for the night was Cindy Alpert of 106.1 The River. A full BBQ buffet dinner was provided by Texas Road house with desert from the House of Cakes. Silent and live auctions included vacation packages, fine jewelry, a handmade wooden glider, and many other pieces of interest. All proceeds from this even benefited CASA, which works to help abused or neglected children in Anderson, Blount and Scott counties who are under court protection. McLinc is a corporate sponsor of CASA.  

Rotary Peace Forum

On Saturday, March 9, The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge hosted one of four World Peace Forums attended by Rotary International President, Sakuji Tonaka. He attended forums in Honolulu, Hawaii Berlin, and Hiroshima, Japan. The Oak Ridge forum is focused on Peace through Science and Technology and Peace through human understanding. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. joined with TN Bank, the Y-12 Federal Credit Union, and Galbraith Laboratories to help sponsor this event.

About MCLinc 

MCLinc provides both consulting services and characterization analyses in three primary areas: 1. Specialty Environmental - the “specialty” category may be defined by the sample origin, its categorization as an unknown, a matrix difficulty that requires a method modification, the presence of radioactive or hazardous material in the sample or the need for an analysis for which there is no published or routinely utilized methodology. 2. Forensic Investigation - the use of trace evidence to establish sample origin or the source of a product or process failure relies heavily on the powerful fusion of the technical staff’s expertise and MCLinc’s broad array of instrumental capability, which includes four electron microscopes. 3. Process Optimization - MCLinc’s ability to build bench-scale models of chemical processes and test those models has enabled us to develop solutions in accident investigations, waste treatability studies, chemical process optimization, formulation for non-radiological surrogates for highly radioactive waste treatments, recipes for onsite groundwater treatment, materials compatibility for chemically hostile environments and improvement of manufacturing techniques in a variety of industrial processes and failure investigations.

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc.

www.MCL-inc.com

(865) 576-4138

bstephenson@mcl-inc.com