DOE's National Technology Information Exchange (TIE) Workshops are an opportunity for environmental restoration, waste management, and technology development workers to network, share success stories, and learn about new and innovative technologies. Sponsored by DOE's Office of Environmental Restoration, the semi-annual workshops promote more effective use of technologies across the DOE complex by providing a forum for information sharing among those who actually perform and support cleanup activities at DOE sites. Each workshop is hosted by a different DOE site.
Participants demonstrate TIE's motto, "Using Today's Technologies Better," by saving money from lessons learned at the workshop. For example, at the Fourth National TIE Workshop, Hanford estimated saving $10,000 in travel costs alone by gathering environmental impact statement data during the workshop. At the Third National TIE Workshop, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) participants learned about the Site Planner Program being used by Sandia National Laboratories, saving LLNL an estimated $250,000 in development costs. Other participants have formed informal and formal working groups among sites to work together to solve their environmental restoration problems.
Participants in the TIE Workshops include DOE and contractor, regulatory agency and other federal facility, and industry personnel who conduct environmental restoration, waste management, and technology development activities. The workshops include panel and poster presentations, open discussion periods, concurrent and breakout sessions, video interactive teleconferencing, and a tour of the host site. Topics and processes for the workshops, as well as selections of presentations are determined by DOE Headquarters working with the Field Area Technology Representative (FATR) Steering Committee, a group of environmental restoration technology representatives from across the DOE complex.
The Fifth National TIE Workshop, scheduled for November 16-18, 1993 is being hosted by the Rocky Flats Office. It features panel and poster presentations on topics such as expedited site characterization, waste water and ground water treatment, and implementing risk assessment. Two concurrent sessions will focus on decontamination and decommissioning and effective procurement strategies for technology transfer. Previous TIE workshops have addressed topics including remediation, characterization, and technology transfer.
The TIE Quarterly newsletter continues the information exchange begun at the workshops. The summer and winter quarterlies report on the workshop itself. The spring and fall quarterlies follow up on exchanges begun at the workshops, cover environmental restoration lessons learned across the DOE complex, and report on new resources available to the environmental restoration professional.
The National TIE Workshop has grown from approximately 100 participants in November 1991 to an expected 600 for the November meeting. There is no fee for the workshop.
