ii  This edition of Impacts magazine also burrows below the surface, and highlights important clean energy and national security work you might not have seen on the front page including: •  Hybrid energy systems testing to stabilize the power grid and increase energy storage capabilities. •  Remote casting of metal nuclear fuels at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex. •  Completion of the 100th Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team cybersecurity training course, where participants learn defensive and mitigation strategies for control system networks. •  Development of a new metric called “self-discharged current,” which can detect internal shorts in lithium-ion batteries before they reach a stage that can lead to catastrophic failure. •  Advances in the establishment of electric vehicle corridors in the western United States. These are but a few of the topics you will find in this year’s R&D Impacts. Just know, as you read about the work conducted by our talented and dedicated staff, it is borne of a shared desire to serve the American taxpayer and leave future generations a world that is safer, more secure, clean, and prosperous. Mark Peters Director, Idaho National Laboratory Director This edition of R&D Impacts details how impactful and productive the year 2017 was at Idaho National Laboratory. INL made news for all the right reasons. Consider the stories you will read about in this issue: •  INL became the first national laboratory to be visited by Energy Secretary Rick Perry. Secretary Perry spent two days on our 890-square- mile desert Site and in our in-town facilities. He left Idaho with an appreciation for the clean energy and national security work our 4,200 employees conduct daily in fulfillment of INL’s mission and vision. •  Every commercial reactor in the country can trace its roots to our research and development. FROM THE •  Add to that INL’s world-class expertise and designation as the nation’s lead nuclear R&D laboratory, and you understand why our desert Site was selected to host NuScale Power’s first-of-its-kind small modular reactor. INL honored 50 years of valuable work and safe operation at the Advanced Test Reactor. Americans can expect ATR to continue serving the U.S. Navy, commercial nuclear energy industry, and our colleges and universities for decades to come. •  A bipartisan coalition of Idaho state lawmakers approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 105. This legislation allows the state to bond for and construct two new buildings on INL’s Idaho Falls campus. These facilities will increase the laboratory’s cybersecurity and super- computing capabilities, and enhance our valued partnerships with Idaho’s colleges and universities. •  INL’s Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility was restored to operational status for the first time since 1994. Restarting one of the world’s most highly capable and flexible transient test reactors keeps our nation in a leading role to develop advanced nuclear fuels and reactor technologies. Restoration of this unique asset was completed 12 months ahead of schedule and $20 million under budget.