savannah river site museum

"Where History and Science Collide!"

Welcome to the Summer Edition of the SRS Museum Newsletter!

 

Read on to find important information on upcoming events, see photos of recent events, read about our new staff members and a very special volunteer spotlight...

The SRS Museum is hiring Museum Assistants!

For more information please contact the us by phone at 803-648-1437

or via email at SRSMuseum@gmail.com

Upcoming Events:

 

 

 

 Mark your Calendars

 now for the

 

SRS MUSEUM's

Fall Fission Festival

 

October 21st 1-4pm

 

Watch for more details coming soon!

Oppenheimer: Science, Mission, Legacy

The SRS Museum and Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (CNTA) are teaming with the National Security Research Center at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to share the documentary Oppenheimer: Science, Mission, Legacy in late July. Produced by the National Security Research Center, LANL's classified library and curator of unclassified legacy materials, connects J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life and work on the Manhattan Project with the Laboratory’s mission today. The documentary tells the story of his role as the Laboratory’s first director through the Lab's collections, including notes, photos and films, and interviews with Laboratory’s past and present leadership, historians, and physicists. Also included are interviews with Jim Kunetka, author of The General and The Genius; Kai Bird, author of American Prometheus; and former U.S. Senate staffer Tim Rieser, who was instrumental in vacating the revocation of Oppenheimer’s security clearance. 

 

A free link to the documentary will be automatically sent via email to all SRS Museum and CNTA members in late July/early August. 

 

Not a member, but want to view the documentary?

Please call (803.648.1437) or email (srsmuseum@gmail.com)

the SRS Museum and we will get you signed up to receive the link.

 

Click to View the Trailer

Recent Events:

SRS Museum recently hosted the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center's STEM Career Camp. Speakers from various occupations on Savannah River Site gave introductions to students interested in STEM careers.

Around the Water Cooler: Volunteer Spotlight

Jay Bilyeu

Jay Bilyeu was born in Pocatello, Idaho in 1946. His father, an Air Force Pilot, spent his career collecting debris from nuclear weapons tests. Jay followed in his fathers footsteps but took it one step further. After obtaining a BS in Physics from Georgia Tech in 1968, he spent four years in the Air Force analyzing debris from nuclear weapons tests and Apollo-13. Jay went on to obtain an MS in Isotope Production and Utilization from Georgia Tech in 1973.

 

Jay was employed by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) at the Savannah River Plant in 1973. He would continue working under the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), retiring in 2006. His duties on the Savannah River Plant included Fuel Fabrication, Reactors, Separations, Tritium, Utilities, New Missions, Planning,

and Bus Tours.

 

Jay has been a volunteer Docent at the SRS Museum since 2022. He likes to tell visitors, “Radiation is like medicine; a little is good for you; but too much is bad for you”.

 

Thank you Jay for volunteering your time to help the

SRS Museum continue its Mission.

A letter from the Director’s Desk:

I am excited for the opportunity to lead the SRS Museum into its next chapter. I came onboard in June with a behind the scenes tour from our founder Walt Joseph and I have not slowed down since.

 

In the first half of 2023, the SRSM is experiencing record setting visitation with 2023 numbers set to surpass the visitation numbers for the entirety of 2022!!

 

Kelly Galvarino, our new Education Specialist, and I have been working to expand programming with new spins on previous events and creating and planning new events. One of those new events will take place on October 21st, as we host our first ever Fall Fission Festival here at the SRSM. Are you be interested in participating or volunteering at the festival or at the Museum? For more information on how you can be a part of all the fun, please email us at SRSMuseum@gmail.com.

 

Plans are in the works for new exhibits to be installed by the end of the year with updates to other exhibits closely following.

 

The future is big and bright here at the SRS Museum. Keep up to date with our programming and events through our website, srsheritagemuseum.org, this quarterly newsletter, and our social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.

We are looking forward to having you along with us on this journey at the

SRSM Where History and Science Collide!

Linda

Linda's Introduction

A note from the Education and Outreach Specialist:

I am thrilled to be joining the SRS Museum staff as the new Education Specialist. I am anxious to bring my background in education to the programs we offer at the museum. I will be collaborating with Linda to create hands-on features that help our younger visitors experience the museum in meaningful ways.

 

Since joining the museum, I have developed two scavenger hunts; one for young children to engage them in the visual and hands-on aspects of the museum’s displays and one for older children that is more content related. I am working to integrate our mascot Roddy U. Ranium into more areas of the museum. He will be on our new branded merchandise and will be turned into a full-sized scarecrow for the Aiken Downtown Development Association’s Scarecrow Contest in October. We have designed a Roddy coloring page and will be sponsoring a coloring contest in conjunction with our Fall Fission Festival.

 

We have some exciting educational events planned in the upcoming months. July included the Ruth Patrick Science Center Career Camp Day during which high school students visited the museum and spoke with SRS scientists about STEM careers. We are currently hosting the SRNS Engineering Leadership Development Program monthly and teaching participants about the history of their new workplace. In August, I will be providing programing for the Boy Scouts and helping them earn their Nuclear Science merit badge as well as touring members of the Philanthropic Educational Organization.

 

In September we will participate in the STEM SEED Festival (Science Education Enrichment Day) at USC Aiken and in October our kids’ event, the Fall Fission Festival, will be the culmination of National Science Week.

 

I am looking forward to continuing and expanding the outreach programs in schools and the community and I am excited to hit the ground running with new ideas.

Kelly

Kelly's Introduction

A Special Thank You

to our

Sponsors and Heritage Foundation Membership!

Sponsorship Levels
Become a Sponsor
Individual Membership

Hydrogen Level Sponsors

$100,000 plus

Deuterium Level Sponsors

$30,000 plus

Californium Level Sponsors

$10,000 plus

 

Neptunium Level Sponsors

$5,000 plus

Oxygen Level Sponsors

$1,000 plus

Sustaining Sponsors

SRS Heritage Foundation & Museum Members:

Corporation Level

($500)

 

Security Federal Bank

 

Centerra

Small Business Level ($250) 

Aiken Chamber of Commerce

 

Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (CNTA)

 

Lionel Smith, LTD

 

SRS Community Reuse

Organization (SRSCRO)

 

Lifetime

Alice Boni

Michael and Katie Graham

Walt Joseph

Carol K. Kendall

Judy Maddox

Byron Williams

Benefactors

Andrew Albenesius

Jeff Allender

Robert Bonnett

Michael Budney

Gayle Bumgarner

Paul Cloessner

Larry DeWitt

Susan Ferrara

Dawn Haygood

Donna Holman

Jim Marra

Arthur Osborne

Chris Verenes

Patrons

Kelly Canady

Andrew Cwalina

Lillian Dinos

Adela Dzekanowski

Randolph Guschl

Charles Hansen

Lyddie Hansen

Julie Peterson

Kent Sullivan

David Wilkerson

Bruce (W.B.) Wilson

Susan Wood

Individuals

Jeffrey Allison

Patricia Allen (family)

Jay Bilyeu

Lindsay Brown

Gary Bunker

Rick Geddes

Melvyn & Eleanor Galin

Kelly Galvarino

Elizabeth Georgian

Benn Lott

Kevin Kalbaugh

Nicholas Kuehn

Ellyn McNair

Gerald Merz

Linda Puckett

Thomas Reilly

Linda Smith

Bill Wabbersen

Marrion Ward

George Wicks

224 Laurens Street Southwest, Aiken, SC, USA
(803) 648-1437

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