INL 50 STATES IMPACT 2018 | 67 • • Energy Northwest • • Golder Associates Inc. (3) • • Washington State University (3) • • PacificNorthwestNationalLaboratory(12) • • Harris Group • • PacificNorthwestNationalLaboratory • • Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (3) • • Washington State University (2) 28% 33% 38% BACHELOR’S MASTER’S DOCTORATE 81 HighPerformanceComputingUsers Publications With48U.S.patentsalreadytohernameandher placeinINL’sPatentHallofFame,VickiThompson addedonemorepatenttohercollectioninFY-18. Thompson,alongwithotherresearchersfromINL andWashingtonStateUniversity,wasgranteda patentfordevelopingamoreeffectiveandefficient processforremovingthecellwallsofbiofuelplants. Specifically,thisnewprocessusespurifiedand isolatednucleotidesequencesofthegenomeof Alicyclobacillusacidocaldarius,anaerobicbacterium.Firstidentifiedin geysersatYellowstoneNationalPark,whichjusthappenstobe100miles fromIdahoNationalLaboratory,thisbacteriumisnowbeingusedtomore effectivelyproduceawiderangeofbiofuelsandbiochemicals. Collegiate DEGREES