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Meet a Participant or Mentor

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    Stefanie Pless-Mosley

    Stefanie Pless-Mosley takes on multimedia communications with the U.S. Army’s Garrison Italy’s public affairs internship program (USAG), where she’s part of a public relations team of seven.
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    Elle Winfield

    Elle Winfield knew she wanted to apply her skills and learn even more about the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) after earning her master’s degree. As a fellow, she is learning to rear mosquitos and sandflies for the Department of Defense (DoD).

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    Benjamin Trump

    Benjamin Trump asks big questions as an ORISE fellow and now lead at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Center for Engineering for Public Health and Human Factors.

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    Brendan Gallagher

    Under ORISE, Gallagher joined with Naval Medical Research Unit-Dayton (NAMRU-D), which conducts research on environmental health effects and aerospace medicine to address the health and performance challenges faced by military personnel in operational environments.
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    Rossybelle Amorrortu

    Hear about Rossybelle Amorrortu's experience at ORISE in this video profile taken at the APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo in Boston, MA.
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    Natalie Koons

    After switching from dance to physiology, Natalie Koons has spent time with the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) across three separate internships. Her most recent appointment has been running a study on how to best predict emergent conditions for a dangerous lack of oxygen in the blood.
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    Saroj Amar

    Saroj Amar has been researching how the common pesticide ethyl-parathion might harm soldiers and impact a broader population.

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    Kristin Johnson

    Undergraduate Kristin Johnson assisted on focus group and data analysis research efforts as part of her summer internship at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

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    Michelle Saillant

    During her fellowship at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Michelle Saillant has supported several research projects that aim to help improve service member health and performance in environmental extremes — heat, cold and high altitude.

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    Seth Rinehart

    During his fellowship at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Seth Rinehart contributed to a study examining the effect of specialty providers on nutrition, performance and sleep outcomes among soldiers.

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    William Irvin

    Through his internship at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, William Irvin contributed to efforts to develop a virtual reality training platform for Army aviators that simulates an engine fire and single-engine failure in a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter.

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    Michael Rowland, Ph.D.

    A former ORISE postdoctoral fellow, Michael Rowland, Ph.D., is now a branch chief with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center.

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    Darren Baldwin

    Darren Baldwin, a registered nurse, completed a one-year internship at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, Texas. He is now a research nurse coordinator at the facility.
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    Heidi Hoard-Fruchey, Ph.D.

    Former ORISE participant Heidi Hoard-Fruchey, Ph.D., studies toxicology of chemical threat agents and development of medical countermeasures as a research biologist at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense.
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    Capt. Kevin Hauns, Ph.D.

    Capt. Kevin Hauns, Ph.D., shares his passion for research with Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education participants as a U.S. Army microbiologist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. As a mentor, Hauns and his mentees contributed to developing an innovative viral-based malaria vaccine that will protect service members and promote global health.

  • ORISE gave me the opportunity and space to learn how to be an independent scientist – what works, what does not, and how to build an impactful project portfolio. Transitioning to a fast-paced government research laboratory via ORISE enabled me to learn how to focus my research for application in the US and beyond.

    —Benjamin Trump, a USACE-ERDC postdoctoral fellow
  • The ORISE program has allowed me an opportunity to experience different facets of research, grow both personally and professionally, and learn new skills that I otherwise would not have learned had I not had this fellowship. It was the ideal stepping stone between my undergraduate studies and, in my case, medical school, and I am so grateful to have been able to participate in this one-of-a-kind opportunity.

    —Michelle Saillant
  • My favorite part of this time at USARIEM was absolutely the opportunity to learn in such a warm and welcoming environment. You are encouraged, applauded, cared for, mentored and provided with the tools to succeed. I cannot think of a better opportunity to research and grow alike.

    —Seth Rinehart
  • My first summer internship with ORISE changed the trajectory of my career. I think this program is great for students exploring different pathways in STEM-related careers.

    —Natalie Koons
  • I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the research at USARIEM. Each of the individuals I met made me feel welcome, encouraged me to ask questions, and talked to me about their research or other ways to conduct research that I had not been exposed to before.

    —Kristin Johnson
  • I love our mission at the institute, but the mentoring, by far, is the most rewarding part of my job. To watch a student come in and progress through their time there, and get ready for the next step of their career, there's nothing more exciting to watch and see.

    —Dr. Heidi Hoard-Fruchey, Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense
  • My favorite part of being a mentor was watching one of my fellows become a mentor. Witnessing the participants mature and become their own person, not just scientifically, but also as productive members of society that want to make this world a better place, was extremely gratifying.

    —Capt. Kevin Hauns, Ph.D., Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
  • This experience has been eye-opening, seeing everything that goes into designing a system from start to finish, whether it’s for an environment of motion or for virtual simulations. I would definitely recommend this program to others.

    —Brendan Gallagher