Twenty years after the first radiation portal monitor was installed, PNNL continues supporting the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to detect and prevent terrorist weapons from crossing our borders.
Tools being developed at PNNL are helping the nation plan for, respond to and recover from severe storms and wildfires that could threaten critical energy systems.
PNNL’s expertise is the foundation for monitoring technology that identifies trace amounts of radioactive materials and determines whether they are indicative of a nuclear explosion.
Peering through the thick, green glass of a decades-old "hot cell," an expert technician manipulates robotic arms to study highly radioactive waste from Hanford, in support of ongoing cleanup.
While some of us may periodically ponder the universe, most of us don't dedicate our lives to studying its mysteries, including its birth, evolution and fate.
When disaster strikes, first responders rush in to provide assistance. In addition to their courage and training, they depend on a panoply of technologies to do their jobs.
Here at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, much of our physics research focuses on fundamental scientific discovery and national security.