Conference Management Reporting and Spending – FY 2012
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), on May 11, 2012, issued a memorandum to all agencies that contained steps to improve operations, increase efficiency, and cut unnecessary spending. Consistent with this guidance, the Department of Energy (DOE) is taking aggressive steps to ensure that conference-related expenses are appropriate, necessary and managed in a manner that minimizes expenses to taxpayers. As part of this commitment, the Department continues to identify new cost saving opportunities and reduce conference-related expenses wherever possible.
Following are DOE-sponsored conferences for this reporting period in which net conference expenses were in excess of $100,000.
Fiscal Year 2012 DOE Conference Activity
| Conference Title | Purpose of Conference | Date of Conference | Location | Total Attendees DOE/Other Participants | Total Net Costs |
| Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment Tropics Workshop | This scientific workshop helped plan and prepare for an upcoming field study that uses advanced modeling to investigate tropical ecosystems and understand their vulnerabilities to water and energy resource changes as well as climate change. This workshop supports an international effort to improve Earth system models, particularly for tropical regions such as the Amazon, the Congo and Southeast Asia. | June 4-6, 2012 | Bethesda, MD | 45/16 | $219,547 |
| Eleventh Biennial DOE/CIAD Joint Audit Meeting IG Conference | This joint biennial conference is hosted by the DOE Office of Inspector General and Council of Internal Audit Directors. The conference facilitates the Cooperative Audit Strategy and advances oversight responsibilities of Department programs and activities. Some of the topics discussed at this training meeting included internal audit strategies, cyber security, and internal controls; and, provided Continuing Professional Education (CPE) for audit staff. | June 5-7, 2012 | New Orleans, LA | 77/26 | $114,105 |
| Legacy Management All Hands Training | The Office of Legacy Management is focused on fulfilling DOE's cleanup commitments and protecting communities and the environment surrounding nuclear legacy sites. This training meeting brought together Legacy Management staff from six sites across the country to conduct training on LM best practices and methods. | June 11-15, 2012 | St. Louis, MO | 60 | $119,515 |
| Nuclear Suppliers Group Plenary Meetings | The Nuclear Suppliers Group is a multilateral export-control organization from 46 countries. This group develops nuclear export control guidelines, and members commit to uphold and implement them on a national basis. In 2012, for the first time in 11 years, the U.S. hosted and chaired the NSG's rotating Plenary Meetings. | June 17-22, 2012 | Seattle, WA | 42/214 | $476,703 |
| 2012 Chief Financial Officer Professional Development Workshop | This training workshop was attended by financial staff from DOE's program and field offices, national labs and M&O contractors. The workshop provided robust training for continuously improving the efficiency and effectiveness of financial management for the Department. The CFO Professional Development Workshop was also certified to provide continuing education (CPE) training credits. | June 19-21, 2012 | Newport News, VA | 193 | $394,152 |
| Better Buildings Summit | As part of the Better Buildings Challenge, this meeting convened state and local officials, industry, utilities, and DOE staff to facilitate the development of state-led solutions to energy efficiency challenges, including leveraging energy efficiency programs to create and support jobs in these communities and drive real cost savings for local and state governments. | June 26-27, 2012 | Denver, CO | 32/263 | $209,477 |
| Graduate Students Awards for the 63rd Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students | This annual scientific meeting dates back to 1951 and is organized by the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings and the Foundation Lindau. Each year, DOE, NIH, and NSF nominate graduate students to join the U.S. delegation and meet with Nobel Laureates as well as over 550 students and researchers from over 75 countries for research talks. | July 1-6, 2012 | Lindau, Germany | 25/550 | $166,397 |
| Fourth International Meeting on Next Generation Safeguards | Through the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative, DOE and NNSA work with the International Atomic Energy Agency and its member states to develop and promote a common understanding among international stakeholders for implementing Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements. The conference convened participants from more than 30 different countries and hosted productive conversations on nonproliferation and international security issues. | July 3-5, 2012 | Hanoi, Vietnam | 17/63 | $193,179 |
| Residential Energy Efficiency Solutions: From Innovation to Market Transformation | This meeting brought together representatives from state and local governments, non-profit organizations, utilities and efficiency programs to identify and implement effective solutions and techniques across the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program. The Better Buildings Neighborhood Program is focused on community-driven energy efficiency projects that will save families and communities money on energy bills and foster economic growth. | July 9-11, 2012 | Arlington, VA | 39/350 | $122,745 |
| Biomass 2012 | This conference brought together biomass and biofuels experts from industry, academia, state, and federal agencies, and other stakeholder organizations to establish a path towards commercializing affordable advanced biofuel technologies. | July 10-11, 2012 | Washington, DC | 56/683 | $168,834 |
| Materials Chemistry Principal Investigators' Meeting | This biennial meeting brings together lead scientists and researchers from industry, universities and national labs to help accelerate the progress and impact of their materials chemistry research, which underpins a range of energy technologies including batteries, fuel cells and lightweighting materials. These discussions help integrate the latest technology, research methods, and best practices to improve project management and promote industry-wide collaboration. | July 15-18, 2012 | Annapolis, MD | 36/139 | $122,509 |
| BioEnergy Science Center Retreat | This is an integrated review of the entire BioEnergy Science Center program, convening scientists, and technical leaders from 19 research institutions. The meeting reviewed and discussed ongoing and future BESC research and will help program participants meet aggressive project milestones over the next five years. | July 16-19, 2012 | Chattanooga, TN | 237 | $391,064 |
| Building America Summer 2012 Technical Update and Peer Review Meeting | This meeting convenes industry, academic, and government experts to help develop the Department's building technologies research agenda and identify efficient, effective methods to meet programmatic and industry goals, including bringing new, affordable energy efficient products to market and strengthening U.S. manufacturing leadership in this growing global market. | July 24-26, 2012 | Denver, CO | 45/165 | $219,593 |
| DOE Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Annual Research Meeting | This research meeting connects the Office of Science Graduate Fellows with DOE and national lab scientists and researchers, allows for exchange of research results, and helps encourage new collaborations between these students and leading experts in their fields. These efforts help make sure the U.S. equips the next generation of scientists and engineers with the tools, opportunities, and knowledge they need to succeed. | July 29-August 1, 2012 | Upton, NY | 202/40 | $420,600 |
| Grand Challenges of Advanced Computing for Energy Innovation Conference | This conference brought together leading advanced computing experts from industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal agencies. The meeting identified challenges and next step actions to provide U.S. companies and researchers with access to advanced computing to enable better generation, delivery, storage, and use of domestic energy sources. | July 31-August 2, 2012 | Reston, VA | 17/85 | $187,447 |
| Emerging Technologies for Biological Threats Technical Workshop | This workshop supports the Energy Department's intelligence mission by convening experts of emerging biological threats to identify areas of research needed and conduct informed, classified discussions on how these threats are evolving. | August 7-8, 2012 | Bolling AFB, VA | 63 | $132,400 |
| Neutron X-Ray Scattering School - Two Week Course | Graduate students from across the country participated in this two-week course on neutron and x-ray scattering, including attending lectures and conducting experiments at Argonne's Advanced Photon Source, Oak Ridge's Spallation Neutron Source, and High Flux Isotope Reactor. This course helps ensure that our students have the skills and training they need to maintain U.S. leadership in this important field and continue to drive new advances in medicine, chemistry, and physics. | August 12-25, 2012 | Argonne National Laboratory; Argonne, IL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Oak Ridge, TN | 80 | $198,535 |
| Southern Africa Regional Border Security and Proliferation Prevention Workshop | This workshop helped advance regional security cooperation and prevent transnational trafficking threats by building border control and law enforcement agencies' capacity to counter the illicit movement of WMD-related material and technology. Participants included military and civilian officials from about 13 different African countries as well as observers from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community. | August 13-17, 2012 | Pretoria, South Africa | 4/57 | $140,799 |
| SLAC 50th Anniversary Celebration and Scientific Symposium | The symposium focused on a number of critical research areas including nanoscale materials science, particle physics, next generation x-ray analysis, dark matter, the future of high energy accelerators, and other scientific topics. The symposium was held in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the laboratory. | August 24-25, 2012 | SLAC National Accelerator Center; Menlo Park, CA | 38/2035 | $130,258 |
| Electron and Scanning Probe Microscopies Principal Investigators' Meeting | This biennial meeting includes technical peer exchanges between DOE staff and lead scientists and researchers to identify areas for collaboration on electron scattering and microscopy research, which is helping to improve advanced materials that support a variety of energy generation, storage and transmission technologies. These discussions also help implement new research methods and effective project management strategies. | September 10-12, 2012 | Gaithersburg, MD | 37/62 | $108,336 |
| Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing Principal Investigator Meeting | This meeting convened scientists and researchers from different DOE offices and field sites to coordinate research plans and identify ways to support the broader DOE initiatives on advanced computing. | September 10-12, 2012 | Rockville, MD | 85/70 | $223,715 |
| Cyber Recruitment Course | This course trains U.S. intelligence officers in classified cyber issues and intelligence tradecraft through practical exercises and instructor-monitored activities led by DOE intelligence specialists and cyber experts. The course also makes technical expertise from the national labs available to the broader U.S. intelligence community. | September 11-14, 2012 | Oak Ridge, TN | 32 | $107,624 |
| 2012 Nuclear Safety Workshop | This workshop convened participants from federal agencies, Congress, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations to discuss best practices and shared initiatives related to the regulatory framework for beyond design-basis events at nuclear power plants as well as nuclear safety culture and assessment issues. | September 19-20, 2012 | Bethesda, MD | 111 | $151,554 |
| Explore and Collaborate American Industry and America's National Labs Sensors Workshop | This workshop was led by the National Laboratory Directors Council and included discussions between lab senior management and business leaders to identify areas for collaboration and find ways to increase industry use of laboratory capabilities and equipment. | September 24-25, 2012 | Chicago, IL | 80/83 | $136,299 |
| Community Modeling and Long-Term Predictions of the Regional-Scale Integrated Water Cycle | At this meeting, scientists from universities and national laboratories presented their research findings to the larger community working in the climate modeling field. This meeting helped advance the latest technology and research methods to support integrated planning and management of energy and water resources in an evolving climate. | September 24-26, 2012 | Washington, DC | 43/49 | $174,521 |
| 2012 Clean Cities Subprogram Peer Exchange and Vehicle Technology Deployment Workshop | This workshop brought together Clean Cities coordinators from 90 different coalitions from across the country in addition to federal and laboratory staff. The workshop hosted a rigorous peer exchange that shared best practices and lessons learned on local deployment of alternative fuel and advanced vehicle technologies to help provide U.S. families, communities, and businesses with more transportation energy options that meet their needs. | September 27, 2012 | Estes Park, CO | 26/87 | $121,212 |