I’d like to update you on our accomplishments, priorities and milestones. Spring is the season for the development of our annual lab plan, which we recently submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). We have identified quantum information science and artificial intelligence as two emerging initiatives, and work is underway to position Argonne as a leading voice in the conversations that will define these future science directions. You can expect to hear more about the plan and DOE’s feedback at our next All-Hands Meeting on July 30.
Argonne continues to push the boundaries of science and technology. I was proud to welcome Secretary Perry to celebrate the Argonne/DOE/Intel/Cray partnership that will build our new supercomputer, Aurora. External reviewers spent time with our teams to provide their thoughts on how we can derive a bigger impact from our radioisotope production and national security programs. June marks the CD-3 review on the APS Upgrade, as well as the Triennial Review of our Center for Nanoscale Materials, and the teams are working hard to exceed expectations on those important milestones.
In addition to our program successes, individual researchers continue to garner recognition. I’d like to congratulate Cynthia Jenks, who has been selected to chair the upcoming Basic Research Needs effort on Transformative Manufacturing. I look forward to Argonne’s annual Innovators and Inventors Luncheon, which honors R&D 100 finalists and winners, patent awardees and other significant tech transfer and commercialization accomplishments. In my recent conversations with DOE and other national laboratory directors, I sense an increase in their appetite to collaborate with Argonne. I’m proud of how we are demonstrating new ways to work together.
Operational excellence is key to enabling our mission. As I mentioned at the All-Hands Meeting in March, we are keeping a close watch on our safety record, and the laboratory continues to appropriately communicate and address issues. Please stay vigilant in doing work safely and calling 9-1-1 to report out-of-the-ordinary events. We recently launched the Financial Management “Get to Green” program, and I appreciate the lab’s engagement to improve our reporting to deliver on DOE expectations. We also welcomed Tim Knewitz, our new CFO, to Argonne last month.
Our community of talent continues to grow. In addition to Tim, we recently welcomed more than 130 new members of our Argonne community at a new-hire breakfast, and our summer interns will soon be here. With strong understanding of what is needed in key roles, we kicked off the search for a permanent associate lab director for the Energy and Global Security directorate, as well as a director for the Leadership Institute. I have been very impressed by the interest in our Core Values discussion forums; more than 700 employees joined the sessions to help identify behaviors that will shape our culture and our community. Thank you for the input and engagement.
Looking ahead to summer, the lab has begun work on a visioning exercise we call Argonne 2050. We are counting on input from employees across the laboratory as we shape our view of the lab’s future, and we will communicate more in the months ahead. We also continue to follow the conversations in Congress over the presidential budget request. With half of our fiscal year behind us, let’s finish the remainder of the year strong.
Thank you for delivering the results our sponsors expect and remaining focused on executing our work safely. Together we will continue to accelerate science and technology for U.S. prosperity and security. It is a privilege to lead this laboratory.