News

DOE Funds New Technology that Could Give Power Pla

January 9, 2020

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced it will award $500,000 toward the development of a new technology that could make energy production cleaner and more efficient by replacing air with pure oxygen during combustion.

Biofuels Research at WRI Selected for DOE Support

January 9, 2020

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of four biofuels projects in which it plans to invest, including one led by Emery Energy, which is being demonstrated at Western Research Institute.

WRI - Susan Sorini Shares Her Passion for Science

May 25, 2009

For one hour on May 14 five young women from throughout Wyoming got a taste of the life of an environmental scientist at WRI. In a second-floor laboratory, they each inserted a probe into a sample jar and discovered the contamination level of a soil or water sample using the WRI-developed X-Wand device.

WRI Congratulates its 25th Anniversary Employees

May 18, 2009

In 2009, WRI recognized three employees, Mike Harnsberger, John Schabron, and Janet Wolf, for passing the 25-year mark with the Institute. Western Research Institute was established in 1983, though its history as a federal laboratory for the U. S. Department of Energy, the Energy Research and Development Administration, and the Bureau of Mines goes back to 1924. Long-time and new employees are integral to WRI’s vitality and continuing contributions in the fields of energy, environment and highway materials

Simi Valley, CA, WRI Groundwater Cleanup

May 13, 2009

In Simi Valley, California, workers venting a 10,000-gallon underground fuel tank caused a leak at the city’s Public Works Fueling Station that threatened the Arroyo Simi, the principal aquifer for the area. Eventually, the plume was controlled by a combination of oxygen and contaminant-devouring microbes and a four-way partnership that included the city, a private environmental consulting firm, researchers at Western Research Institute (WRI), and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Domestic Energy the Theme of Lummis Visit to WRI

February 19, 2009

Cynthia Lummis, who was sworn in on January 6, 2009, as Wyoming’s representative in the U.S. House, made Western Research Institute (WRI) a key stop as she swung through southern Wyoming on February 19.

Remote Sensing to Improve Maintenance Timing-ASAP

June 16, 2008

Under the new two-year Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), WRI is partnering with Innova Engineering, LLC, of Navarre, Florida, to develop an Asphalt Surface Aging Prediction (ASAP) remote-sensing system. This first-of-a-kind infrared sensing system will collect spectrographic samples in the field that can be used to predict asphalt aging in a manner similar to proven laboratory test techniques.

Wyoming Energy Journal - Six WRI "Energizers"

May 1, 2008

When the Casper Star Tribune, which is recognized as Wyoming’s statewide newspaper, sought ten “Energizers,” for a special report on “people whose innovative approaches are helping lead Wyoming into a new energy future,” it found six of them at Western Research Institute. The 2008 edition of the “Wyoming Energy Journal” features Alan Bland, Tom Barton, Chris Holp, Song Jin, Andrew Lucero, and John Schabron.

WRI Contributes to Research Direction of Additives

January 11, 2008

A team from Western Research Institute will be joining approximately 11,000 policy makers, administrators, researchers, and government and industry representatives at the 87th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C. January 13 through 17. Vice President Raymond Robertson and Chief Executive Officer Don Collins will be joined by seven members of WRI’s Transportation Technology Business Unit.