It is a great pleasure to be here in Knoxville. Two days ago, I had the privilege of “walking the Mall” during the National World War II Reunion in Washington, DC. It was a day of the people, with tent after tent on the Mall providing an opportunity to reflect and honor the sixteen million men and women who served our nation, and world.

The crowds were representative of the 4.4 million alive today, and of you and me. The tents on the Mall, simple and humble, but swarming with proud Americans, were a cross-section of World War II memorabilia: “Preserving Memories,” “Veterans History Project,” “Wartime Stories,” “Building the Memorial,” “Veterans Services,” and one which vividly remains in my memory, “Reunion Hall.” There, within its modest confines, were poster boards, the “Reunion Wall,” for each of the fighting units within the Armed Services [Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine]. Pinned on each were hundreds of notes, written by veterans or relatives, recalling some incident or memory, or asking the whereabouts of a comrade or friend. They were vivid reminders of the sacrifice of those who died or were wounded, and of those who worked so hard at home to support them.

As I walked between the boards, I thought about the scientists and their contribution. I remembered the radar group at Lincoln Labs, so instrumental in preserving the lives of our aviators. I remembered the weapons complex, and the importance of science for arming and protecting our soldiers. As I pondered the contribution of science, I came across the poster board titled “Manhattan Project.” There was a photo of a medal with the inscription ”Atomic Bomb,” and a note from an unknown colleague from UCLA writing about his mother and her role.

My memory immediately went to a moment in 1943 when I was with my family at Union Station in Los Angeles, waving goodbye to my uncle who was off to the Pacific Theater as an army private. My relatives were in tears, but as a nine year old, all I could see was the exciting uniform and the image of so many brave faces on the train. I learned later that my uncle was to be part of the force to invade Japan. It is my firm belief that the atomic bomb saved his life, and the million casualties expected from an invasion.

The contribution of Oak Ridge National Laboratories to the Manhattan Project --the gaseous diffusion plants that produced enriched uranium -- enabled the United States to produce the first atomic bomb, and usher in the atomic age. That age produced not a "delicate balance of terror," but rather a period of freedom from world war -- 60 years to be precise.

The proud legacy of this region for service continues. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has become an engine of regional economic growth in the 21st century, serving our entire nation. It is blessed with what will soon be the premier neutron research laboratory in the world, with the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source and the upgraded High Flux Isotope Reactor. Over 2,000 more scientists from around the world will come each year to Tennessee to work and live with these wonderful facilities. When combined with the Center for Nanophase Materials, for which Secretary Abraham broke ground last year, a new state-of-the-art Advanced Materials Characterization Laboratory, and the Aberration Corrected Electron Microscope, Oak Ridge and the Tennessee Valley Corridor will be the world-wide center for materials science. The opportunities for economic development will be limitless.

And there is more. On May 12th, Secretary Abraham announced that Oak Ridge was chosen to develop DOE’s leadership-class supercomputer. Oak Ridge was chosen from among four excellent proposals received from Office of Science laboratories. When complete, we expect that the Oak Ridge National Leadership Computing Facility (NLCF) will be the world leader in scientific computing.

The Secretary commented at the announcement, “We are making this significant investment in America’s scientific infrastructure, with the expectation that it will yield a wealth of dividends – major research breakthroughs, significant technological innovations, medical and health advances, enhanced economic competitiveness, and improved quality of life for the American people.” These advances will be occurring right here in the heart of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, supporting DOE’s missions of energy security and economic competitiveness.

Add a new functional genomics laboratory and a new 300,000 square foot research complex for engineering and computational sciences, and you have a breath-taking array of opportunity.

This is just part of the story of how the partnership of the laboratory, the University of Tennessee and other universities in the region, along with the State, businesses and communities throughout the Tennessee Valley are transforming the economy in the Tennessee Valley Corridor:

· The University of Tennessee has established many partnerships with the laboratory. There are 10 joint ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientists (with additional 6 searches/pending offers) and 23 Joint Faculty with 96 associated graduate students, and 81 post docs doing research in materials science, neutron scattering, nuclear physics, chemistry, condensed matter physics, chemical engineering, computational science, and environmental science.

· Laboratory partnerships are being extended to universities outside of the state, including Joint Faculty appointments at North Carolina State, North Carolina A&T, University of Virginia, University of Georgia, and Georgia Tech.

· The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences has been established with an ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientist as director and 14 joint post docs and 4 graduate students. Housed in the same building will be the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies, an intellectual center for workshops and study groups on science and technology issues, in partnership with UT, ORAU, and the UT-Battelle core universities (Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State, Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech).

· Other Joint Institutes include the well established Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research (ORNL, UT, Vanderbilt) which has provided a focus for nuclear physics activities throughout the Southeast, and developing joint institutes for Biological Sciences and Neutron Sciences.

· ORNL is a partner in five large UT research centers including the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, the Tennessee Advance Materials Laboratory, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Center for Structural Biology, Food Safety Center, and Center for Information Research. These Centers involve more than 20 ORNL researchers and joint grants from NIH, NSF, and USDA.

· ORNL is participating with UT, Vanderbilt, St Jude Hospital, Meharry Medical School, University of Memphis, and ETSU on a successful $13.8M NIH grant for targeted mutagenesis of mouse genome and neural phenotypes.

The capabilities of the laboratory have spurred the development of over 30 new companies throughout the region, supported by the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth.

I would like to briefly return to high-end computing with high-speed networks and their critical role in the economic future of the Tennessee Valley Corridor. On August 14, 2002, I had the privilege of dedicating the new OC-192 network connection from Oak Ridge, through Chattanooga to Atlanta. This has already allowed new scientific collaborations to form between ORNL and various research universities, and enabled joint faculty appointments with Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. High speed network access to ORNL has also resulted in establishment of a new Simulation Center (~$5M computational science center) at UT Chattanooga and is central to the city’s “Connect the Valley” initiative to attract additional high-tech businesses to the region.

On February 24 of this year, the Southern Governors’ Association approved a resolution by Governors Sonny Perdue of Georgia and Phil Bredesen of Tennessee wherein: “…research universities of the Southern region and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory share a growing and mutually beneficial partnership in pursuing research critical to national security and economic well-being” as well as their commitment to “to a high performance supercomputer network grid…as a way to…enhance research and education and foster economic development.” These efforts play an important role in connecting the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to the Tennessee Valley and beyond.

These high-speed networks will allow universities, government, and industries to access Oak Ridge’s leadership class computing facility, as well as other Oak Ridge facilities, to foster future economic development of the Tennessee Valley Corridor and beyond. It will enable industry to develop “virtual prototypes,” reducing costs and time to market, providing an edge over foreign competition. Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be the hub of economic development and energy security for the Tennessee Valley Corridor, and the entire Southeastern United States.

In closing, let me thank you for your assistance in bringing jobs and opportunity to this region. The Department of Energy is proud to be your partner.