News Features
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education news features archive is a collection of news releases and features that support DOE's mission to advance science and energy literacy, from workforce development and scientific peer review to environmental assessments, worker health research, and radiation emergency assistance and training.
Official announcements released by ORISE are listed below.
Media Contacts:
Pam Bonee
Director, Communications
Office: 865.576.3146
Phone: 865.603.5142
pam.bonee@orau.org
Wendy West
Manager, Communications
Office: 865.576.0028
Phone: 865.207.7953
wendy.west@orau.org
2020
-
Preparing Morocco: REAC/TS provides radiation emergency medicine education in northwest Africa
REAC/TS Director Carol Iddins, M.D., Health Physicist Jason Davis, Ph.D., C.H.P. and Nurse/Paramedic Angie Bowen traveled to Rabat, Morocco, in 2019 to teach an International Medical Management of Radiation Injuries course to 25 health care professionals. This was the first time REAC/TS provided education in Morocco.
-
Beth White to chair STEM Special Interest Group for International Higher Education Group
ORISE STEM Workforce Development Education Project Manager Beth White has been selected to chair the STEM Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Professional and Organizational Development in Higher Education Network. Known as the POD Network for short, the organization is devoted to improving teaching and learning in higher education.
-
ORISE hosts virtual career fair to showcase Department of Defense programs
ORISE recently hosted the 2020 Department of Defense (DoD) Belcamp Participation Program Virtual Recruitment Fair. The event allowed students the opportunity to chat with DoD scientists, subject matter experts, recruiters, and other staff about what it is like to participate in an ORISE internship.
-
Are nurses ready for a large-scale radiological or nuclear incident?
The nursing profession plays a critical role in the effectiveness of the medical response to any disaster or public health emergency. This holds true if there is a large-scale release of radioactive materials into the environment. Nurses comprise the largest component of the U.S. healthcare workforce with more than 2.9 million active registered nurses.
-
ORISE Academy: An incubator for ORISE ambassadors
A year-long leadership program, the ORISE Academy immerses ORAU employees in the intricacies of managing the ORISE contract and ultimately seeks to create knowledgeable ambassadors for ORISE.
-
ORISE-NETL Participant named winner of 2020 Ignite Off Competition
Kristyn Johnson, an ORISE participant at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), has been named the overall winner of the 2020 Ignite Off competition.
-
ORISE Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory “gamifies” radiation dose estimation
ORISE cytogenetic researchers have developed an online training tool to create a pool of efficient scorers who, in times of need, could assist the ORISE Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory (CBL) by scoring samples to assess absorbed radiation dose in exposed individuals.
-
Mandy Basal named associate director of ORISE STEM workforce development programs
Mandy Basal has been named associate director of the ORISE STEM workforce development programs. In this role, Basal will be responsible the execution of programmatic operations in support of ORISE, STEM workforce development programs for the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.
-
ORISE radiochem lab continues to provide quality that exceeds industry standards
The ORISE Radiological and Environmental Analytical Laboratory (REAL) recently earned 100 percent acceptance scores during its two most recent performance tests—the DOE Mixed Analyte Performance Evaluation Program and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Intercomparison Test Program.
-
Mark Berkheimer named director of the Environment, Safety and Health program
Mark Berkheimer has been named director of the ORISE Environment, Safety and Health (ES&H) department following the retirement of previous director Tom Wantland.
-
REAC/TS launches new app for a variety of resources on the go
REAC/TS launched its new RadMed app, providing a wide range of resources on the medical management of radiation incidents that can be downloaded free on mobile devices and utilized while on the go.
-
Mark Ervin named associate director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site
Dr. Mark Ervin has been named associate director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site located in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
-
ORISE K-12 competition inspires student to build an aquaponic garden
Earlier this year, 11-year-old Catherine Manley decided to participate in the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education’s (ORISE) Earth Day student competition. She and dozens of other contestants submitted presentations encouraging others to save the planet from environmental threats like pollution, deforestation and resource depletion.
-
Oak Ridge Robotics Academy prioritizes STEM outreach and student safety
Held each year in July, the Robotics Academy offers upcoming 7th, 8th and 9th grade students an introduction to engineering, coding and robotics. The week-long experience concludes with a competition of the students’ robots, which is always highly anticipated. Faced with the new challenges of COVID-19, this year’s Robotics Academy would have to be re-thought and re-planned if held at all.
-
ORISE supports DOE Office of Science with first-ever Virtual National Science Bowl® finals competition
DOE Office of Science's Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists created the National Science Bowl® in 1991 and ORISE has assisted with coordinating and executing the competition on DOE’s behalf since 1998. This year the two organizations had to work closely together to monitor current events and continuously adjust in response to the unfolding global pandemic.
-
ORISE to host virtual career fair for U.S. Department of Defense STEM internships, fellowships and research associate opportunities
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education will host a virtual career fair on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, from noon to 3 p.m. ET, to highlight the paid internships, fellowships and research associate programs available to college students and recent graduates at U.S. Department of Defense facilities across the country.
-
ORISE virtual internships fulfill research program needs during coronavirus pandemic
In these days of physical and social distancing, ORISE program managers worked with customers to be innovative and deliver to students the quality experiences they need to strengthen their scientific knowledge and ultimately become productive members of the nation’s scientific workforce.
-
Siblings use iPads won from ORISE student competition to invent “Beat the Heat Car Seat”
Lydia Denton, co-winner of the “I’m the Teacher Now” ORISE student competition, recently won the $20,000 grand prize in the Citgo Discovery Education competition with the “Beat the Heat” car seat. Lydia's invention aims to prevent hot car deaths by measuring the car's temperature and alerting parents and emergency officials when the temperature inside the car reaches 102 degrees.
-
Peer Review team overcomes COVID-19 with virtual meetings
In an average fiscal year, the ORISE Peer Review team manages more than 200 meetings across the country, with over half of those meetings held in person. But, by March of 2020, managers knew that the onset of COVID-19 would require an immediate shift of plans, changing the outlook of the year ahead.
-
3D printing a solution
ORISE K-12 team members set out to help health care workers suffering from the discomforts of N95 masks. Using a template found on the internet, the team used 3D printers to produce ear guards to prevent the elastic bands on masks from rubbing health care workers’ ears raw.
-
ORISE launches new app and redesigned website
ORISE launches new app and redesigned website with a variety of resources available, including hundreds of STEM internships, fellowships and research opportunities.
-
Marcia Mask promoted to ORISE deputy director
Marcia Mask has been promoted to the role of deputy director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. In her role, Mask is responsible for the oversight of staff and resources that implement the Contractor Assurance Program (safety, security, quality, risk management) for the ORISE contract.
-
ORISE celebrates Medical Laboratory Professionals Week
Did you know that medical laboratory scientists make up the third largest group of health care professionals after doctors and nurses? Since this is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, we want to share how proud we are of our medical lab professionals. Two of the three labs that ORISE manages for DOE include the medical labs of the Beryllium Testing Laboratory and Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory.
-
Some of the nation’s most accomplished STEM teachers selected as Albert Einstein Educator Fellows
Fifteen accomplished K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers from across the United States have been named 2020-2021 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows.
-
ORISE K-12 grant allows middle school science teacher to inspire students with wildlife specimens
Science teacher Iris Mudd used the $1,500 prize she won in an ORISE Lesson Plan Competition to purchase specimens of living and extinct wildlife, transforming her classroom into what her students called "the museum."
-
ORISE to host virtual career fair for Oak Ridge National Laboratory internships, fellowships and research associate opportunities
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education will host a virtual career fair on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, from noon to 3 p.m. ET, to highlight the paid internships, fellowships and research associate programs available to college students and recent graduates at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
-
Jeannette Bouchard named group manager of Workforce Development programs
Jeannette Bouchard has been named group manager of Workforce Development programs at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
-
REAC/TS retains PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre designation
The Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) recently received its redesignation as a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Centre. Collaborating Centres serve as key institutions throughout the world providing relevant expertise and functioning as an extension of the international public health agency’s mission to improve health outcomes for all people. REAC/TS has been a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for radiation emergency assistance since 1980.
-
Leigha Humphries named ORISE group manager for ORNL office
Leigha Humphries has been named group manager for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
-
DOE Human Subjects Protection Program receives AAHRPP accreditation with support of ORISE
For more than 30 years, ORISE has provided technical assistance to the DOE Human Subjects Protection Program, and most recently, played an integral role in the successful Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) accreditation.
-
ORISE provides 10 years of independent verification support to DOE-SPRU cleanup
Since 2009, ORISE has supported the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup and decommissioning project at its Separations Process Research Unit (SPRU) in Niskayuna, N.Y. ORISE provided independent verification services at the facility, which researched the chemical separation of plutonium and uranium from irradiated reactor fuel.
-
ORISE stay rate data featured at conference for linked data sources
ORISE Economists Leigh Ann Pennington and Mike Finn are lead authors for a biennial study examining how well the United States attracts and retains foreign-born science and engineering (S&E) doctorate holders. The work, which ORISE performs through an interagency agreement for the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), a division of the National Science Foundation (NSF), was one of only eight selected as a poster and “lightning talk” presentation at the 2019 Data Linkage Day.
-
Bright lights, big science
Janie Kimble and Melissa Jones, who teach math and science at Carlin Combined Schools in Carlin, NV, have transformed STEM education at their school thanks to their experience in the Joint Science and Technology Institute in Aberdeen, MD.
-
How to build a better peer reviewer: An exploratory study
In 2018, ORISE researchers conducted an exploratory study examining how the use of technology in panel reviews for research-funding agencies affects the development and improvement of skills needed by effective reviewers.
-
REAC/TS shares unique radiation emergency medicine expertise with the world
The Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, provides 24/7 emergency response to radiological/nuclear incidents around the globe. REAC/TS also educates health care personnel, first responders and others with the most advanced techniques for medical management of radiation incidents. In 2018, REAC/TS conducted courses in its own backyard and traveled internationally to present education tailored to meet diverse needs of a wide range of emergency and health professionals.
-
Bringing cytogenetic biodosimetry to the world
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is creating a reference biodosimetry/radiobiology laboratory, which will provide assistance with estimating absorbed radiation dose for exposed people in developing or third-world countries who do not have adequate resources. Adayabalam Balajee, Ph.D., director of the REAC/TS Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory (CBL), shared his experience in establishing robotic platforms for automated processing of a large number of samples for rapid individualized biodosimetry at the CBL he manages in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
-
Preparing to Launch: REAC/TS supports NASA in Mars 2020 Mission
REAC/TS, an asset of the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, is providing training and consultation for medical responders and emergency planners near Kennedy Space Center this year in preparation for NASA's Mars 2020 rover launch.
-
Sarah Harkness named director of ORISE Belcamp operations
Sarah Harkness has been named director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Belcamp, Md., office. In her role, Harkness will manage internship and research experience programs and staff of 15 to 30 individuals serving scientific, academic, military and business customers, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.
-
DOE presents ORISE its 14th Star of Excellence Award for safety and health
For the 14th year in a row, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education has met the exceptional health and safety standards set by the Department of Energy, which recently presented ORISE with the Star of Excellence Award during DOE’s annual Voluntary Protection Program Participants’ Association national conference.
-
Derek Hagemeyer promoted to director of ORISE Independent Environmental Assessment and Verification program
Derek Hagemeyer has been named director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education’s Independent Environmental Assessment and Verification program. In this position, Hagemeyer is responsible for the program that provides independent verification for the U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and other federal agencies.
-
ORISE Beryllium Testing Laboratory maintains CAP certification
The College of American Pathologists, or CAP, has accredited the ORISE beryllium laboratory in Oak Ridge for the fifth time since the laboratory’s first accreditation in 2009.
-
Some of the nation’s most accomplished STEM teachers selected as Albert Einstein Educator Fellows
Fourteen accomplished K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers from across the United States have been named 2018-2019 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows.
-
Number of undergraduate health physics degrees dropped in 2018 to lowest level in nearly two decades
The number of undergraduate students who graduated in 2016 with bachelor's degrees in health physics increased over 2015, as did the number of doctorate degrees, while the number of master's degrees decreased according to an annual survey conducted by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
-
ORISE report shows number of nuclear engineering doctoral degrees spike to highest level in 52 years
The number of nuclear engineering doctorate degrees awarded in 2018 reached the highest level recorded since 1966 according to the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education which surveyed 35 U.S. universities with Ph.D. nuclear engineering programs.
-
Seventy percent of foreign-born, noncitizen recipients of U.S. science and engineering doctorates remain in the U.S. after graduation
Every two years, ORISE scientific workforce specialists publish a report titled Stay Rates of Foreign Doctorate Recipients from U.S. universities that shows how frequently scientists and engineers from other countries stay in the United States after earning their PhDs.
-
Teachers representing 10 states will apply classroom experience to federal, congressional and executive branch offices
Fourteen accomplished K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers from across the United States have been named 2018-2019 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows.
-
Carol Iddins promoted to director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site
Dr. Carol Iddins will ensure support to multiple government and non-governmental agencies for national readiness as well as provide advice and consultation for the medical management of radiation injuries and illnesses.