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“TRIBUTE TO DR. HAROLD BLACKMAN, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED ENERGY STUDIES” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E881 on May 12, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DR. HAROLD BLACKMAN, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED
ENERGY STUDIES
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HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON
of idaho
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Harold Blackman, an Idahoan who has made a difference. When the Battelle Energy Alliance was selected by the Department of Energy to manage the Idaho National Laboratory, the contract called for the development of a research institution to link the Lab to the three Idaho state universities--the University of Idaho, Idaho State University and Boise State University. Ultimately, Dr. Harold Blackman was chosen to serve as Director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies and a landmark institution in Idaho began to come together.
The Center for Advanced Energy Studies, or CAES as it is known in Idaho, brings INL researchers, university faculty and students, and industry together to partner in research and development activities. At the outset, Harold faced the challenge of getting the three Idaho universities to view the Lab as a partner and, perhaps the even more difficult challenge to get the three schools to work together. Previous efforts to bring our national labs and universities together in lasting partnerships have not always been successful and were it not for Harold Blackman's patient manner and his willingness to listen, learn and implement, CAES would have been another failed attempt. Instead, CAES is a smashing success and much of the credit goes to Harold Blackman.
CAES has developed into a state of the art research facility with world class equipment that gives its researchers a competitive advantage pursuing research proposals. Also, the partnership is helping fill the pipeline for the next generation of energy professionals. At a time when Idaho, like every other state in the Union, is facing severe budgetary pressure, Governor C.L. ``Butch'' Otter and the Idaho Legislature have continued to provide funding to support university faculty participation in CAES. Through CAES, Idaho universities have increased the role they play supporting nuclear energy research in the US, and undergraduate and graduate student enrollment in nuclear engineering classes has soared. As a result of the expertise and credentials of the staff Harold Blackman has assembled, CAES now administers the Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy University Program which funds R&D, fellowships, scholarships, and infrastructure investments across the country. In addition to fostering a new collaborative climate between the Idaho universities, Harold Blackman and CAES were instrumental in establishing a high-speed network researchers could tap into across the state.
The Center for Advanced Energy Studies is a model for national laboratory, university and industry collaboration and Harold Blackman deserves a large amount of credit for making this institution a success. Harold will now be tackling new challenges at INL, and I am sure he will bring his exceptional professionalism, listening skills and commitment to success to these new tasks.
Thank you, Harold.
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