Archive of Home Page Features from 2007
November 2007
Tom Amidon Joins ORISE as Group Manager of Center for Human Reliability Studies
Amidon will be responsible for the multi-program functions of CHRS, including developing and organizing long-term plans for CHRS projects, ensuring cost-effective operations and researching issues related to human reliability, national security and counterintelligence.
Faculty-Student Team Researches Avian Influenza in Puerto Rican Wild Birds
Dr. Edu B. Suarez-Martinez hopes to lessen the probability of a pandemic flu occurring through her research of the distribution of avian influenza virus receptors in Puerto Rican wild, migratory and non-migratory birds.
September 2007
ORISE Awarded “Star of Excellence” Safety Award by DOE
For the second year in a row, ORISE was recognized for meeting the requirements for outstanding safety and health programs and signifies that ORISE continues to adhere to DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) criteria.
Childhood Love of Physics Leads Participant to Change Career Paths and Pursue Science
After a 15-year career spent working in information technology, Mariano Padilla decided to change professions, return to school and pursue his childhood passion—physics. Padilla was able to put his love for physics to the test at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a participant in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship. The program is administered by ORISE.
August 2007
Poster Session and Graduate School Fair Offer Young Scientists the Opportunity to Showcase Summer Research
Approximately 150 students from across the country gathered for a poster session that showcased their participation in 11 scientific and technical research participation programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory this past summer. They also met with graduate school representatives from 25 universities at the 8th Annual Graduate School Fair.
Wesely Award Winner and Princeton Student Examines Impact of Soot on Global Climate Change
Cynthia Randles’ commitment to unraveling the mysteries that might help further our understanding of global climate change helped her win the 2006 Marvin L. Wesely Distinguished Graduate Research Environmental Fellowship (GREF) presented annually by DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research-Climate Change.
July 2007
Site Dedicated for New ORAU/ORISE Center for Science Education
Congressman Zach Wamp joined ORAU President Ron Townsend and other dignitaries in a unique event to dedicate the building site for a new national Center for Science Education (CSE) on the ORAU main campus. The event featured a special competition among area students to “break ground” using LEGO® robots they had built themselves.
Hiroshima Fallout Expert Visits Cytogenetic Lab
Dr. Akio Awa visited ORISE's Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory for six months analyzing blood cultures. Read how he went from childhood aspirations of being a cartoonist to a career of mapping chromosomes as a cytogeneticist, and what he learned from studying atomic bomb survivors and their children in Hiroshima.
June 2007
Young Scientists to Meet Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany
Forty-nine outstanding graduate research students are attending the 57th Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany, from July 1-6, to participate in discussions and lectures on physiology and medicine with Nobel Laureates.
May 2007
Updated MARSSIM Software Tool Now Available
The popular Compass software program facilitates the use of the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual by guiding the user into making informed decisions in designing final status radiological surveys.
ORISE Awarded Five-Year Contract Renewal with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Under the $5.8-million contract. ORISE will continue providing technical assistance in the areas of radiological surveys and assessments. ORISE serves as the sole source, independent contractor to address NRC regulatory activities related to the decommissioning of previously contaminated reactor and materials sites.
Christopher Newport University Faculty-Student Research Team Studies Mutated Mice
Handling mutant rodents might sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but for Dr. Lisa Webb and two of her students, it was just another day at the office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The faculty-student research team spent 10 weeks at the lab under a Department of Energy appointment managed by ORISE.
April 2007
Newly Reestablished Lab is Latest International Resource in War on Terrorism
ORISE's cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory will assist the medical community in the evaluation, triage, and management of victims with radiation injuries. One of only two such labs in the United States, it provides the capability to study chromosomal aberrations resulting from radiation exposure.
March 2007
ORISE Instills Public Confidence in Environmental Cleanup at Battelle Columbus Site
A survey team from ORISE supported the Department of Energy's extensive efforts to cleanup and restore the Battelle Columbus Laboratories West Jefferson (North) site. ORISE staff conducted independent verification surveys at three former process buildings and support facilities plus more than 35 acres of adjacent land.
Award-Winning Science Teacher Uses Summer Experiences in a National Lab to Change How He Teaches Science
Coalfield (Tenn.) High School science teacher Mike Smith thinks that U.S. teachers need to change how they teach science in order for America to make great scientific strides. His three summers on a research team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have helped him to learn a new approach.
January 2007
ORISE Plays Key Role in State of California Hazardous Exercise
ORISE's national security experts worked side-by-side with California's officials to plan and execute the nation’s largest, annual statewide emergency preparedness exercise. The scenario put the worst possible catastrophes (both natural and man-made) to the test.