Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)

Applying to graduate school, particularly in STEM fields, requires careful planning and a strategic approach due to the complexity of applications and limited program availability. This guide outlines key steps, including understanding program requirements, researching availability, networking with potential mentors, and crafting professional outreach to advisors, helping prospective students navigate the process effectively.

Make plans to join us August 25-28, for the 2026 ORISE Symposium! This virtual event will feature professional development webinars, a poster session showcasing the research of ORISE participants, and ceremonies recognizing the winners of this year’s Ignite Off! competition and Future of Science Awards. The symposium will be open to all ORISE participants, alumni, mentors, and federal agency staff.

Maggie Mangas is a former ORISE Research Program Participant whose fellowship was with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Mangas was drawn to the ORISE fellowship because she saw an opportunity to be in a government setting, along with this data training component. She says her mentor was fantastic about creating an environment to hone her desired new skills. Hear more about Mangas’s ORISE experience, some of the projects she was part of, and how she became interested in science.

A recent article in Science, titled “Resolving the Radiation Risk Debate,” examines renewed national attention on the “linear no-threshold” (LNT) model, which assumes that any amount of radiation exposure, no matter how small, carries some risk. Among the key research efforts includes the Million Person Study, one of the largest and most comprehensive investigations of chronic, low-dose occupational radiation exposure ever undertaken.