This time of year finds many of us busy with holiday shopping. While PNNL might not be developing the latest video games or hoverboards, we are working hard to deliver a few presents you might like.

We depend on electricity for nearly everything we do. Flip a switch, and the lights come on. Turn up the thermostat, and the room gets warm.

Many of us are looking forward to next month's Apple Cup as the Cougars and Huskies battle for regional pigskin pride. At PNNL, however, we strive to bring these gridiron competitors together to collaborate on research and development.

A few weeks ago, Texas was devastated by Hurricane Harvey, a once-in-500-years storm. Irma was right behind it, leaving a path of destruction in the Caribbean and Florida.

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.

As director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, I often have an opportunity to write or speak about the incredible science and technology that we perform on behalf of the nation.

Like detectives looking for clues, researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been working for nearly a decade on ways to identify the "fingerprints" of potential chemical threats.

Great organizations anticipate their customers' needs and then meet those needs before—and better—than anyone else.

Cleaning up Hanford is no easy task: it is one of the world's largest and most complex environmental remediation projects. The nation's top engineering firms are on the job and the Department of Energy's PNNL is helping.

Just reading the headlines makes it clear that these are anxious times.

It has been said that invention is the process of turning money into ideas and innovation is the process of turning ideas into money.

Thanksgiving is a time for us to reflect on our many blessings, and being a part of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one for which I am especially grateful.

Nuclear power figures prominently in our country's energy portfolio and is essential to our economic and environmental security.

There is a science website for kids that defines materials science as "the study of stuff" and, in the simplest of terms, that's right.

July in the Tri-Cities usually brings sunny skies, hot weather and high demand for electricity as many of us retreat to air-conditioned homes and offices.

Cybersecurity is increasingly top-of-mind and in the news. Individuals worry about identify theft and the compromise of financial and medical records. And the federal government battles myriad threats aimed at our national security.

Steve Jobs said, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." That is especially true in research and development. New technologies and creative solutions do not materialize overnight or on their own.

Discovery in action. These words describe what we do at PNNL. For more than 50 years, we have advanced the frontiers of science and engineering in the service of our nation and the the world.

PNNL takes pride in advancing scientific frontiers and developing solutions to vexing problems. In particular, we apply our technical expertise to address national needs in security, energy and the environment.