Dr. Yujie Dong is the Director of the High Temperature Reactor Design Division, Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Dr. Dong is leading the development team for the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR). His team has built a functioning PBMR research reactor about 40 miles Northwest of Beijing near the Great Wall. During his United States tour, Dr. Dong met many important people, including Landan Van Dyke.
Dr. Dong Washington, DC Tour Video 1
Dr. Dong had visited the United States from May 8 through May 15. The trip included briefings in Washington, DC and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The U.S. Department of Energy invited Dr. Dong to present INET’s experiences with operating the world’s only PBMR. Dr. Dong is also presenting the results of their research reactor operations at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dr. Dong Washington, DC Tour Video 1
The Center for Environment, Commerce & Energy (Center) visited with Dr. Dong and INET on April 5th and 6th, 2007. The Center team included President Norris McDonald, Vice President Derry Bigby and China Office Director Zhang Xiaoping. The Center team received a briefing at INET on the 5th and toured the PBMR on the 6th.
The Center arranged for Dr. Dong to meet with the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Dong, Bigby and McDonald met with Mr. Landan Van Dyke, Deputy Associate Director, International Affairs, CEQ across the street from the White House at the CEQ Headquarters at 730 Jackson Place. Landan Van Dyke currently serves as the Greening and Sustainable Diplomacy Coordinator at the Department of State.
McDonald, Dong and Landon Van Dyke at CEQ
The Center arranged for Dr. Dong to meet with Mustafa S. Ali, left, Congressional Fellow (detailed from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) for Congressman John Conyers (D-MI-14). The Center met with House Judiciary Committee John Conyers at Dulles Airport as he was preparing to visit officials in Beijing.
The Center team also briefly met with Chairman Conyers in Beijing before his official visits. The Center wants to work with Congressman Conyers to promote the production of plug-in fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles in Detroit. INET has a state-of-the-art fuel cell research facility near the PBMR.
Dr. Dong briefed Angie Howard, NEI Vice President and Adrian P Heymer, Senior Plant Deployment at NEI. After a short briefing, Howard and Heymer had many technical questions about the PBMR. Dr. Dong expertly answered all of the questions.
Norris McDonald, Adrian P. Heymer, Dr. Yujie Dong, Angie Howard, & Derry Bigby
McDonald and Bigby took Dr. Dong on a short sightseeing tour of Washington, DC. The tour included the White House, Washington Monument, Air & Space Museum, lunch at Beefeaters on Capitol Hill, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Of course, when the Center was in China, they toured the Great Wall near Beijing and many other sites on their six city tour (Beijing, Weifang, Binhai, Tsingdao, Shenzhen & Hong Kong). They also stopped by the Department of Energy.
Dr. Dong also visited the Capitol Power Plant, which provides steam and chilled water to Congress and other buildings. No electricity is produced at the plant. It was recently expanded to accommodate the new Capitol Visitor Center.
Below: Dr. Dong making friends with Capitol Police in the Cannon House Office Building
Below: The Center team with the Tsinghua INET team in Beijing
Dr. Wang Hong, Norris McDonald, Zhang Xiaoping, Dr. Yujie Dong & Derry Bigby
Dr. Dong at the Washington Monument and with McDonald at a model of the Lunar Lander at the Air & Space Museum
