Lætitia H. Delmau, a radiochemist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, made headlines as she was honored with the 2024 Glenn T. Seaborg Actinide Separations Award for her contributions to the field of actinide separations. An occurrence not merely of routine ceremonial passing but one that spotlights the grueling yet indispensable pursuit of scientific discovery, Delmau was recognized at the 47th Actinide Separations Conference, in Petaluma, California, on May 15, according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Delmau's work, often cloaked in the silent stride of someone less concerned with public acclaim and more devoted to the advancement of her research, has yielded significant developments, ensuring the progress of several of ORNL's isotope programs, the impact of which cannot be overstated for they lead to innovations that transcend the laboratories where they are born
In the span of her career, Delmau has been instrumental in various groundbreaking projects, including the development of a process to remove cesium-137 from high-level waste at the Savannah River Site, which is still in use today—an achievement that underscores the enduring relevance of her work. Her endeavors in the Critical Material Institute and the Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program, or STAAR, have further distinguished her within the scientific community. Recognizing years of her commitment and results, Delmau has been a recipient of the DOE Secretary's Achievement Awards twice, in 2013 and again in 2022, the latter for her contributions to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Radioisotope Power Systems Team.
Nominator Jeff Delashmitt of the Chemical Sciences Division at ORNL hailed Delmau’s behind-the-scenes influence, stating, per the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, "Through her research, method development and actinide separation protocols, she is pushing the science forward in real-world isotope processing," these accolades are not mere ornamentation but serve as a beacon for aspiring scientists and researchers who glean inspiration from precedents such as these, and yet the accolades only offer a glimpse, a slither, into the vastness of her contributions to a field where complexity is standard
