INL names two new distinguished postdoctoral appointees

Dr. Thomas V. Holschuh II

Idaho National Laboratory has named Dr. Thomas V. Holschuh II and Abdalla Abou Jaoude as its first two Deslonde de Boisblanc Distinguished Postdoctoral appointees.

The appointments are designed for early career scientists and engineers to perform leading-edge research and development for advanced power reactor design and development, and to support ongoing studies at INL research reactor facilities. It is named in honor of Deslonde de Boisblanc, best known for designing the Advanced Test Reactor’s famous clover-leaf core, which allows multiple nuclear fuels and materials to be tested at the same time in the same reactor at different power levels.

“The arrival of the first two Deslonde de Boisblanc Distinguished Postdoctoral appointments will help inspire our research and bring fresh perspectives to INL – something that will leave a lasting impact,” said Dr. Kelly Beierschmitt, INL deputy laboratory director for science and technology and chief research officer. “Without de Boisblanc’s inspiration, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Holschuh graduated from Oregon State University with a doctorate in nuclear engineering in June 2017. His doctoral research evaluated using a new detecting method, the Cherenkov Radiation Assay for Nuclear Kinetics (CRANK) system, to accurately determine reactor kinetics parameters. Holschuh will be using the same technique to perform observations of INL’s Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) under the guidance of his future mentor, Dan Wachs, who leads the transient testing experimental program.

Abdalla Abou Jaoude

“We've been working with Tommy for several years and are looking forward to his return to INL,” said Dr. David Chichester, an INL directorate fellow and Holschuh’s mentor during his graduate internship. “With key skills in reactor physics and radiation science, he's going to be making important contributions to our nuclear energy and nuclear nonproliferation research programs.”

The second appointee, Abdalla Abou Jaoude, is scheduled to begin his appointment in January 2018, following the completion of his doctorate in December 2017. Abou Jaoude is currently a postdoctoral candidate in nuclear and radiological engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His postdoctoral research focus is neutronics, core design, simulation methods and nuclear nonproliferation. When his appointment begins, he will work with mentor Gilles Youinou on the design and evaluation of a mixed-spectrum molten chloride test reactor.


"Abdalla has an exceptional ability to see the big picture when it comes to a reactor design. He has all it takes – motivation, scholarship and talent – to become a leader in advanced reactor development," said Dr. Anna Erickson, Abou Jaoude’s supervising professor at GIT.

INL’s first distinguished postdoctoral appointee, Dr. Cheng Sun, was named to the Russell L. Heath distinguished postdoctoral appointment in October 2016.

“Appointing two excellent researchers to the first de Boisblanc postdoc positions reflects on the high caliber of the applicants in a very competitive selection process. These individuals will help define a new standard of excellence in advanced reactor design and application at INL,” said Dr. Sean O’Kelly, associate laboratory director for the Advanced Test Reactor.

Ground broken on new development at Memorial and Broadway

An artist's representation of what The Broadway will look like

With the ceremonial spading of dirt by city officials and business leaders, work got underway Monday on The Broadway on the site of the old Saving Center at Broadway and Memorial Drive.

The complex will consist of a 9,600-square-foot single story retail building and a three-story mixed-used building incorporating retail, restaurant and office space, with residential condominiums on the third story. Spaces are divisible up to 1,200 square feet. Between the two buildings there will be a plaza for food, music and entertainment.

The property was bought in 2015 by the Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency, which had conducted a study analyzing demand for downtown housing estimating demand for housing units between 455 to 502 units. The board also approved the purchase of an option on the Bonneville Hotel at Constitution Way and Park Avenue.

In February 2016, the Oppenheimer Development Corp. responded to the IFRA’s request for proposals on the .95-acre property.

Bank of Idaho, Parsons, Beahle & Latimer, Smokin Fins (a Colorado-based seafood restaurant chain), and Lucy’s Pizzeria have been listed as prospective tenants. Leasing arrangements are being handled by Thornton Oliver Keller. For more information, follow this link: The Broadway.

City of Idaho Falls building permit applications

Here is a list of building permit applications filed with the Idaho Falls Building Department since July 1. These are the ones we found significant. If you want every sink replacement remodel, visit the Building Department’s site using this link: https://trakit.idahofallsidaho.gov/etrakit3/Search/permit.aspx

COM17-108
Commercial Building (Remodel)
Site: 2188 Channing Way
Applicant: Morgan Construction
Owner: Channing Square Properties, Hayden, Idaho
Job Value: $73,974
Applied Date: Aug. 4
Description: Home Care Medical, 2,773 sf

COM17-107
Commercial Building (New Construction)
Site: 344 Memorial Drive
Applicant: Rory Heggie Architecture
Owner: 1F1 LLC
Job Value: $370,000
Applied Date: Aug. 4
Description: The Broadway Garage, 22,255 sf

COM17-105
Commercial Building (New Construction)
Site: 3340 S. 25th East
Applicant: 33Z Builders
Owner: Washington Federal
Job Value: $85,000
Applied Date: July 31
Description: Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, 49,604 sf

COM17-104
Commercial Building (Addition)
Site: 1255 N. Holmes Avenue
Applicant: Ron’s Tire
Owner: SLS1 LLP
Job Value: $14,000
Applied Date: July 27
Description: Ron’s Tire Entry Canopy

COM17-101
Commercial Building (Roof)
Site: 290 Constitution Way
Applicant: V and R Roofing
Owner: Mountain States Telephone Co. (QWEST Corp.)
Job Value: $590,000
Applied Date: July 27
Description: Roof replacement

COM17-0099
Commercial Building (New Construction)
Site: 1055 Foote Drive
Applicant: Evergreen Holding (Farmington, Utah)
Owner: Evergreen Holding (Farmington, Utah)
Job Value: $650,000
Applied Date: July 19
Description: Grandview Mini Storage, 87,367 sf

COM17-0097
Commercial Building (New Construction)
Site: 1601 Antler Drive
Applicant: Roth Properties
Owner: Steve Fransen
Job Value: $500,000
Applied Date: July 12
Description: Alpine Castle Lake Insurance, 8,270 sf

COM17-0095
Commercial Building (Remodel)
Site: 3100 Channing Way
Applicant: ALC Architecture
Owner: EIRMC
Job Value: $25,000
Applied Date: July 6
Description: EIRMC Dialysis remodel

EIRMC names new chief medical officer

Dr. R. Lee Biggs

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center has added Dr. R. Lee Biggs as chief medical officer on its administrative team. Biggs comes to EIRMC after a 26-year career as a captain and physician in the U.S. Navy.

As chief medical officer, Biggs leads clinical initiatives that support consistent clinical performance and excellence across the hospital.

Biggs attained his undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University, a master’s in public health from George Washington University and his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. His medical specialty is as an obstetrician-gynecologist and he has maintained professional certifications with the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the American Association for Physician Leadership/American College of Physician Executives.
 
In his clinical and leadership roles, Biggs has severed as a chief clinical officer, medical staff president, director and department head.  He has championed and led innovation in physician development, process improvement, quality and patient safety.  In 2010, he received the Department of Defense Patient Safety Award for advances in obstetrical and team-centered care.  In addition, he has served on the Navy’s advisory boards for primary care and unplanned pregnancy.

Throughout his Navy career, Biggs has had postings at seas in addition to tours of duty in Naples (Italy), Virginia, South Caroline, Afghanistan, Guam, Pennsylvania, and Washington. D.C.

He is a native of Asheville, N.C. and is married to Marie Holland Biggs. They have one son and one daughter. Having lived all over the world, the lure of the west has brought Dr. Biggs to EIRMC and Idaho. He is an avid cyclist, cross-country skier and outdoor enthusiast.

Float Fix: Sensory deprivation in Idaho Falls

Years ago — and I mean many years ago, like 1980, when I was working an office job in Center City Philadelphia — I read an article about sensory deprivation tanks and their supposed benefits. These included the promise of getting nine hours’ worth of sleep in less than an hour, and not just light sleeping but Delta Sleep. “Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream,” to quote the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

Basically, what a sensory deprivation tank involves is water at near body temperature with so much salt in it that you float nearly on top as you do on the Dead Sea in the Middle East or on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. A genuine sensory deprivation tank is fully enclosed, so that when the door shuts you are in complete darkness.

David Hay, owner of Float Fix in Idaho Falls

For a claustrophobic, this would be a nightmare, so some of you might be ruling it out even as you read this, but it always sounded intriguing to me. So one day, I randomly googled “sensory deprivation idaho falls” and discovered that we indeed have Float Fix in the Three Rivers Health Center, 1421 First Street. It is part of David Hay’s massage business, in what used to be Essence of You and, long before that, the Hatch Mansion.

Eager to satisfy my curiosity after all these years, I set up an appointment. What Hay has set up is not total enclosed isolation, but a 9-foot-by-9-foot pool in a dark room, filled with 300 gallons of water and spiked with 900 pounds of magnesium salt. The lights are low, the decor soothing. It's very nice.

“We’re just flooded with sensory stuff these days,” said Hay, whose first experience with sensory deprivation was five years ago in Utah. For the first-timer, the real challenge is turning off the voice in your head. “If you can’t hear it anywhere else, you will in there,” he said.

The process goes like this: you go in, strip down, take a shower, put in earplugs, climb in and … float. If there is one thing I wish I’d had it would have been a floatation noodle to go under my ankles, so I could stop thinking about whether my legs were sinking and pulling me down. (I know this is silly in shallow water, but that’s the way I am.)

For a while, I had thoughts drifting from one place to another, but I think I did go to sleep eventually. In time, I was awakened by the sound of my own snoring, which was a clear tipoff I'd gotten some shuteye. When they knocked on the door after an hour I said, “Has it been an hour already?” — another good sign.

Hay said he’s only had one customer who couldn’t shut off his interior monologue, an 18-year-old who got out after ten minutes, took a shower and got dressed again. Likewise, there has only been one person they had trouble “bringing back,” an Iraq war veteran who, once he finally went out, really found the relaxation he’d been seeking.

A lot of customers are people passing through, but word is growing locally. “We get a lot of date nights. One of them will do the float while the other does a massage, and then they’ll switch,” Hay said.

If you want more information, call (208) 403-6392, or visit the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Floatfix/.