[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 65 (Thursday, May 12, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO DR. HAROLD BLACKMAN, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED 
                             ENERGY STUDIES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2011

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Harold 
Blackman, an Idahoan who has made a difference. When the Battelle 
Energy Alliance was selected by the Department of Energy to manage the 
Idaho National Laboratory, the contract called for the development of a 
research institution to link the Lab to the three Idaho state 
universities--the University of Idaho, Idaho State University and Boise 
State University. Ultimately, Dr. Harold Blackman was chosen to serve 
as Director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies and a landmark 
institution in Idaho began to come together.
  The Center for Advanced Energy Studies, or CAES as it is known in 
Idaho, brings INL researchers, university faculty and students, and 
industry together to partner in research and development activities. At 
the outset, Harold faced the challenge of getting the three Idaho 
universities to view the Lab as a partner and, perhaps the even more 
difficult challenge to get the three schools to work together. Previous 
efforts to bring our national labs and universities together in lasting 
partnerships have not always been successful and were it not for Harold 
Blackman's patient manner and his willingness to listen, learn and 
implement, CAES would have been another failed attempt. Instead, CAES 
is a smashing success and much of the credit goes to Harold Blackman.
  CAES has developed into a state of the art research facility with 
world class equipment that gives its researchers a competitive 
advantage pursuing research proposals. Also, the partnership is helping 
fill the pipeline for the next generation of energy professionals. At a 
time when Idaho, like every other state in the Union, is facing severe 
budgetary pressure, Governor C.L. ``Butch'' Otter and the Idaho 
Legislature have continued to provide funding to support university 
faculty participation in CAES. Through CAES, Idaho universities have 
increased the role they play supporting nuclear energy research in the 
US, and undergraduate and graduate student enrollment in nuclear 
engineering classes has soared. As a result of the expertise and 
credentials of the staff Harold Blackman has assembled, CAES now 
administers the Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy University 
Program which funds R&D, fellowships, scholarships, and infrastructure 
investments across the country. In addition to fostering a new 
collaborative climate between the Idaho universities, Harold Blackman 
and CAES were instrumental in establishing a high-speed network 
researchers could tap into across the state.
  The Center for Advanced Energy Studies is a model for national 
laboratory, university and industry collaboration and Harold Blackman 
deserves a large amount of credit for making this institution a 
success. Harold will now be tackling new challenges at INL, and I am 
sure he will bring his exceptional professionalism, listening skills 
and commitment to success to these new tasks.
  Thank you, Harold.

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