National Security and Emergency Management

ORISE prepares DOE and other government agencies by managing and conducting programs, studies, research, exercises and training related to national security and emergency preparedness.

Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site

ORISE provides expertise in the medical management of radiation incidents through the operation of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS), a dedicated DOE facility located in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Worker Health Studies

ORISE provides DOE and the scientific community with important information regarding the long-term health outcomes affecting current and former energy workers.

Health Communication and Training

ORISE collaborates with federal, state and local agencies to provide health communication and training solutions that enhance the well-being of the public and the nation’s workers.

Scientific Peer Review

ORISE manages a credible and customizable peer review process that is helping DOE and other government agencies make informed decisions about the quality of the science they pursue.

University Radioactive Ion Beam Consortium

The University Radioactive Ion Beam (UNIRIB) consortium consists of eight member universities that partner to perform basic nuclear physics research using the fast-growing technique of radioactive ion beams.

Scientific Research Opportunities

ORISE manages research participation programs at the undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and faculty levels at DOE and other government facilities across the United States.

Climate and Atmospheric Research

Through the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division, ORISE works closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to perform research focused on air quality, contaminant dispersion and climate.

Environmental Assessments and Health Physics

ORISE instills confidence in environmental cleanup through survey assessments, health physics evaluations and hands-on, laboratory-based training in the radiation sciences.

Climate and Atmospheric Research

Through the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division, ORISE works closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to perform air quality, contaminant dispersion and climate research.

Health Physics

Through Oak Ridge Associated Universities, ORISE's managing contractor, health physics and radiation safety training courses are offered for participants performing work in the radiation sciences.

Radiation Emergency Medicine

Continuing education courses taught through the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) at ORISE focus on radiation emergency medicine and the medical management of radiation incidents.

Emergency Preparedness

ORISE emergency planners train government agencies on how to build effective response and preparedness plans, as well as teach best practices to improve communication among emergency response teams.

Health Communication and Training

ORISE develops training and education programs designed to address public health topics. Training is delivered via e-learning, multimedia applications and traditional classroom instruction.

Health Communication

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Oak Ridge Institute for Science Education

How ORISE is Making a Difference

ORISE Responds to H1N1 Outbreak, Provides Media Analysis, Reports and Materials

The increase in confirmed cases of H1N1 prompted national worry and response from the federal government, which required around-the-clock news monitoring, and the development of tailored response materials to assist in combating the virus and educating the public.

As reports of confirmed H1N1 flu cases continued to increase, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion (DHQP) to prepare communities for an impending public health emergency.

This map represents the geographic origin or location of daily news articles related to H1N1 flu. The map is generated out of ORISE's Auto-INFORM database, which is an automated data-mining program developed for the CDC that is used to monitor news articles, blogs and Web content. The system codes the information at 100 times the speed of humans and provides summaries and analyses of the content being collected. (Click image for full-sized version)

ORISE's assistance in the fight against H1N1 was not limited to the local stage, as its media monitoring services and use of AutoINFORM (Auto Immunization News FOR Managers)—an automated data-mining program developed for the CDC that is used to monitor news articles, blogs, Twitter and Web content at 100 times the speed of humans— helped keep the CDC up-to-speed on the latest news and media trends.

On average, daily news monitored by AutoINFORM for the CDC picked up around 100 articles, but the number of articles greatly increased with monitoring of H1N1.

On April 24, 2009, AutoINFORM generated less than 500 hits on H1N1, but by April 26, the number had skyrocketed to 6,000.

Data collected were then compiled into daily reports in which the CDC received up-to-the-minute information regarding the H1N1 media coverage to help the agency facilitate timely responses to public concerns.

In addition to the media reports sent to the CDC, ORISE worked with DHQP to tailor previously prepared pandemic flu response materials to address H1N1.

One of those materials, a 911 call center workbook, was shortened from around 200 pages to six pages after a CDC request for a condensed version that could be quickly read by call center staffers.

The workbook addresses potential problems in the event of an emergency, such as call center staff members being sick themselves, or the call center being overwhelmed with calls because of short-staffing.