Capitol Words a project of the Sunlight Foundation

Sen. Patty Murray

Mr. President, today I congratulate one of my constituents, Mike Kluse, on being recognized as the 2012 Laboratory Director of the Year by the Federal Laboratory Consortium, FLC. Mike is the Director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, PNNL, located in Richland, WA.

This award is a true honor and testament to Mike's leadership and efforts at PNNL. For the past 5 years he has guided the laboratory to many accolades. The laboratory has filed more than 1,000 invention disclosures, received more than 200 patents, and issued nearly 150 new licenses. PNNL has also earned 16 R&D 100 awards as well as 12 FLC awards for excellence in technology transfer. PNNL has the newest and most modern physical infrastructure in the Department of Energy, DOE, system. And PNNL's overall performance has been judged by DOE and other Federal agencies it supports as outstanding under Mike's stewardship.

PNNL's research and development portfolio spans many missions of importance to our country: national security, homeland security, clean energy development, environmental remediation programs at the Hanford Site, and scientific research ranging from systems biology to supercomputing.

Under Mike's leadership, PNNL has been involved in the formation of Innovate Washington, a nonprofit organization that aims to accelerate technological innovation by bringing together universities, national labs, entrepreneurs, and others involved in technology transfer. Mike is also a frequent public advocate for the strategic alignment of research with technology transfer and strongly supported the streamlining of PNNL's technology transfer operations.

PNNL also deserves praise for the safety and excellent work environment it provides for its employees and the surrounding community. As director, Mike has sustained an exceptional record for PNNL and built upon its history to make it one of the region's strongest corporate citizens. He's also been a tireless supporter of community activities and programs. Furthermore, Mike's outstanding leadership led to DOE extending PNNL's contract in 2011.

Therefore, it is with great pride that today on behalf of the citizens of Washington State I thank Mike for all his work. With that said, we know that PNNL's great successes could not be achieved without the strong support from the PNNL family, so my thanks also extends to the extraordinary scientists, engineers, and personnel that continue to make a difference in our region and the Nation.