2 Overview INTRODUCTION AND Fiscal year 2017 was a year of milestones for Idaho National Laboratory: Recognition at an international level, a visit from a newly sworn in energy secretary, historic honors on the 50th anniversary of the Advanced Test Reactor, and a total eclipse of the sun. At the 2016 American Nuclear Society (ANS) winter meeting, the ATR Complex was named an ANS Nuclear Historic Landmark. The designation recognizes the many contributions the facility has made to nuclear research. ATR, along with its predecessors, the Materials Testing Reactor and Engineering Test Reactor (now both decommissioned), has produced much of the world’s data on the behavior of materials and fuels in nuclear power reactors. This information has contributed significantly to the safety of commercial nuclear power plants worldwide as well as the outstanding performance of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet. In May, ANS President Dr. Andy Klein visited the ATR Complex to dedicate a plaque commemorating the Nuclear Historic Landmark designation. ATR first went live on July 2, 1967, and INL celebrated the birthday by bringing 30 retired employees back for a plant tour and lunch. The next day, nearly 100 visitors came, representing the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Navy, Idaho’s congressional delegation, state and local elected officials, and Idaho education and business leaders. Special guests included the children of Deslonde de Boisblanc, the original designer of ATR’s unique cloverleaf core, and Frank Fogarty, former captain of the USS Nautilus (the first nuclear- powered submarine) and twice director of ATR programs. “This is a tremendous honor recognizing the critical work being conducted at DOE’s Oak Ridge and Idaho national laboratories, and it highlights the importance of our nuclear research facilities and the scientific and nuclear security contributions they bring to the world.” —Energy Secretary Rick Perry on the ICERR designation for ORNL and INL The Great American Solar Eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, attracted hundredsofthousandsofpeople to the region. INL felt the event most acutely at Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, which recorded 3,600 visitors from five continents, 25 countries and 46 states.World-famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson even dropped in.