GAIN Initiative director named by INL

Dr. Rita Baranwal, new GAIN director

Westinghouse executive Rita Baranwal has been selected to head the Idaho National Laboratory-led Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative. As GAIN director, Baranwal will lead efforts to support the development of innovative reactor technologies in the U.S. She will begin in her new role Aug. 22.

“Rita brings a wealth of industry experience and nuclear fuels and materials science expertise to her new role,” said Dr. Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, associate lab director of Idaho National Laboratory’s Nuclear Science & Technology directorate, who announced the selection. “I’m confident that she will provide strong leadership for the GAIN program as it continues to grow as a catalyst for innovation in advanced nuclear technologies.”

Baranwal served most recently as director of Technology Development in the Engineering Center of Excellence at Westinghouse Electric Corp., and has held many other roles in nuclear fuel design and engineering. She holds a doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Michigan.

Vietnamese restaurant opens on Idaho Falls side of Hitt Road

The interior of Cyclo on Hitt Road, Idaho Falls' new Vietnamese restaurant.

I’ve said for years that Idaho Falls would not reach full culinary maturity until it had a Vietnamese restaurant. That has finally come to pass with the opening of Cyclo at 2994 S 25th East, where Togo’s was briefly.

If you want to visit the Facebook page, here it is: https://www.facebook.com/cyclo.VietnameseCuisine/home. There are plenty of reviews already, and you can look at them here: Cyclo reviews. For a link to the menu, click here: http://cyclocuisine.com/menu/.

The registered agent on file for the restaurant is Cody Do of Boise, who filed papers in March. Cyclo is a common name for Vietnamese restaurants in the United States. The cyclo is a three-wheel bicycle taxi that appeared in Vietnam during the French colonial period after a failed attempt to introduce rickshaws. A double-seat cyclo is supported by the two front wheels, with the driver sitting behind.

INL interns to give presentations Thursday

Interns at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory will present information on the work they accomplished over the summer during an expo and awards ceremony Thursday at the Energy Innovation Laboratory, 775 University Boulevard.

The awards ceremony will be at 1 p.m., with the expo immediately afterward. Both events are open to the public.

This year boasts more participants than last year’s expo, with approximately 100 of INL’s 350 interns expected to participate. INL interns span educational levels from high school students to university undergraduate and graduate students. Over the summer, interns worked alongside researchers who specialize in a variety of fields ranging from geothermal energy to computational modeling, nuclear science and technology.

INL also will recognize the Mentor of the Year, an award given to an employee who has done an exceptional job working with students. Seven awards will be handed out, including first place in four expo categories, best digital/graphic, best technical presentation, and best overall expo entry.

INL is part of the DOE's complex of national laboratories. The laboratory performs work in each of the strategic goal areas of DOE: energy, national security, science and environment. INL is the nation's leading center for nuclear energy research and development. Day-to-day management and operation of the laboratory is the responsibility of Battelle Energy Alliance.

See more INL news at www.inl.gov. Follow @INL on Twitter or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IdahoNationalLaboratory.

Jackson Hole Junction groundbreaking set for Thursday morning

A conceptual rendering of how Jackson Hole Junction might be laid out. 

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning at 11 on the Jackson Hole Junction development, on Sunnyside Road between Teton Toyota and Interstate 15.

The 42-acre project was announced in June 2015. Matt Morgan of Morgan Construction is spearheading the project.

Millions of dollars in development has taken place since Sunnyside Road was connected with Interstate 15 in 2007: Teton Toyota and Teton Volkswagen, Smith Honda and Smith Chevrolet and Ron Sayer BMW, which is due to open in spring 2017.

Morgan told the Post Register in 2015 that the conceptual plan for Jackson Hole Junction calls for one big box store and a hotel, banks, a gas and convenience store, fast food restaurants and sit-down restaurants, smaller retailers and some two-story office space. He said they plan to develop the land in phases over five to seven years.

Culver's restaurant opening on Pancheri Drive, in Taylor Crossing development

Culver’s will be opening a restaurant in Idaho Falls on Pancheri Drive, in the Taylor Crossing on the River development. It will be the fourth in Idaho. The first was opened in Twin Falls in 2014, by Eugene Smith, a fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer who left agriculture and moved west to open a franchise. As an alumnus of Ricks College, where he studied dairy farming, Smith had some experience with eastern Idaho.

The chain dates back to 1984, when George Culver, his wife, Ruth, son Craig, and daughter-in-law Lea, opened the first Culver’s Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers in Sauk City, Wisc. Franchising began in 1987, and after a shaky start the chain expanded into Milwaukee and Madison. By the end of 2011, there were 445 Culver’s restaurants in 19 states.

For more information, here is the link to the company’s Web site: www.culvers.com.