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“TRIBUTE TO DR. LURA POWELL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Senate section on pages S10353-S10354 on Oct. 10, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DR. LURA POWELL
Mrs. MURRAY Mr. President, I would like to take a moment today to recognize the accomplishments of Dr. Lura Powell, the Laboratory Director of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA. Dr. Powell will be stepping down at the end of this year and, over the past 2 years as director, has provided many contributions while leading this National Laboratory. I would also like to thank her for her leadership and her commitment to the Tri-Cities Community.
Lura Powell joined the Laboratory after a lengthy career at the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology. During her tenure at NIST, she served as Director of the Advanced Technology Program. She earned the Department of Commerce Gold Medal in 1998. In 2000, Dr. Powell joined Battelle and became the first woman director of the Laboratory. There are several noteworthy successes to mention, including two ``Outstanding'' ratings from the Department of Energy, the highest rating available, during her tenure. In addition, DOE recently announced its intention to renew the 5-year contract for the Laboratory.
During her tenure, the acquisition of two major pieces of equipment, including a leading-edge supercomputer and the world's first 900 Megahertz wide bore Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer, will position the laboratory to be a leader in molecular research. Dr. Powell can also be credited with enhancing university partnerships in the Northwest with the University of Washington and Washington State University, as well as the University of Idaho and Oregon State University. Dr. Powell's legacy is the successful combination of academic partnerships with this state-of-the-art laboratory, securing a strong economic future for my state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
In the Tri-City Community, Dr. Powell has been active in promoting economic growth and providing leadership in the role that science and technology can play in education, work, and our daily lives. In Washington State, Dr. Powell has been a member of the Washington Roundtable and the Washington Technology Alliance Board where she has cared deeply about bringing growth to the state economy.
On behalf of the people of the Tri-Cities and Washington State, I would like to thank Lura Powell for her hard work and know that wherever she goes, those around her will benefit from her leadership, insight, and commitment.
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