Accomplished Researcher Receives Top Honor From EM National Lab

AIKEN, S.C. – A researcher with EM’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has earned the honor of laboratory fellow — the highest scientific and engineering achievement within the laboratory — for her outstanding contributions to her area of expertise, SRNL and the nation.

As a senior technical adviser in the Environmental and Legacy Management Directorate of SRNL, Carol Eddy-Dilek contributed significantly to SRNL, the Savannah River Site (SRS) and DOE missions since joining SRNL in 1989.

Eddy-Dilek successfully applied her knowledge of geology and environmental sciences, and her program management skills to advance SRNL’s competencies in environmental characterization and remediation. Her responsibilities included leading and supporting high-quality applied technology development research, as well as strategies to support high-priority needs for EM and DOE’s Office of Legacy Management (LM).

Appointment to the position of fellow is granted by the laboratory director upon the recommendation of the Fellow Committee and Review Panel.

“I am proud of Carol for her numerous accomplishments,” said Laboratory Director Vahid Majidi. “Over the past three decades, she has produced technology resulting in significant cost savings to the DOE’s soil and groundwater remediation programs. She is an eminent expert and a trusted adviser, as well as a respected mentor to the next generation of scientists and engineers advancing remediation and long-term monitoring strategies. Carol is well deserving of the title of fellow.”

Eddy-Dilek was a classic geologist when she first came to SRNL to oversee the completion of the SRS geologic map and never imagined having the opportunity to work on such a wide diversity of complex and challenging groundwater and soil contamination problems.

“SRNL defines the concept of putting science to work,” says Eddy-Dilek. “We have provided actionable solutions to difficult problems at many federal sites contaminated with a variety of radionuclides, mercury and volatile organic compounds using applied geological, hydrologic, geophysical and geochemical tools. It has been incredibly challenging and rewarding at the same time.”

Over the last two decades, Eddy-Dilek managed over 50 national technical assistance team evaluations of high-priority issues related to environmental restoration in concert with researchers across SRNL to focus on timely project delivery and cost savings for EM. Additionally, she and her teams developed new initiatives within the federal complex, including the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, LM, International Programs and EM field sites, including Portsmouth, Paducah, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Hanford.

More recently, Eddy-Dilek and scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) worked collaboratively to develop new cost-effective strategies for long-term monitoring, incorporating geophysical and artificial intelligence tools that use the laboratory’s unique competencies and innovative technologies. Additionally, she led the development of a new paradigm of long-term monitoring that EM can implement across its complex and extend to LM sites to improve the quality of monitoring and reduce costs. This multimillion-dollar project has been mentioned multiple times during testimony to the U.S. Congress and has immense potential benefit to SRNL and other sites.

-Contributor: Scott Shaw