WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Deputy Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes travelled to the Midwest region where he visited Ames National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Southeast Wisconsin.

The Deputy Secretary started at Ames National Laboratory meeting with Adam Schwartz, Director of Ames, Wendy Wintersteen, President of Iowa State University, and several researchers. The Deputy Secretary toured the Critical Materials Institute (CMI) to learn about the critical work being done to develop new chemical methods to upcycle waste plastics. “CMI’s work is enabling innovation in U.S. manufacturing and enhancing energy, economic, and national security,” said Deputy Secretary Menezes. 

Following his visit to Ames, the Deputy Secretary participated in the ribbon cutting for the expansion of Argonne National Laboratory’s Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF). This new expansion will more than double the size of the MERF. “The MERF expansion will give scientists at our National Labs access to more resources and greater facilities to pursue their work. In the future we envision MERF researchers unlocking the secrets of producing graphene to begin a new era in advanced American manufacturing,” said the Deputy Secretary.

Finally, the Deputy Secretary travelled to Janesville, Wisconsin where he met with business leaders from across the state to discuss the importance of reliable energy supply and how the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration can continue its support of local and small businesses. The Deputy Secretary then toured SHINE Medical Technologies and NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, two Wisconsin companies focused on domestic molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) supplies. The Deputy Secretary made the remarks, “Mo-99 is used to perform more than 40,000 medical procedures daily in the United States.  DOE applauds the work being done by both companies, as well as the other commercial companies working with DOE, to provide U.S. patients with medical isotopes without the use of highly enriched uranium. The domestic production of Mo-99 is yet another way we will secure American leadership in the nuclear arena.”

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