ORISE Symposium
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Opening Keynote Address
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. EDT
Title: Who is a STEM Storyteller? It’s You.
Speaker: Julie Ezold, senior technical advisor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Description: All of us have experiences that have gotten us to where we are today. We have learned from those experiences and used that knowledge to guide us through our careers and lives. Sharing this knowledge with others is our story telling. Julie Ezold is a leading nuclear scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with an impressive list of career accomplishments, including discovery of a new element: Tennessine. In this session, she will share her career story and share insights on STEM storytelling for audience members embarking on their own exciting career journeys.
Speaker bio: Julie Ezold has more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear sciences and is currently the performance analysis manager for the radioisotope portfolio at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Ezold holds a B.S. in nuclear engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Masters, Nuclear Engineering, from North Carolina State University. After completing her master’s degree, she joined the staff at ORNL and has held positions in engineering, waste management, criticality safety, and isotope production. Ezold actively supports nuclear science educational outreach and workforce development activities through her engagement with professional societies and community partners.
ORISE Symposium Virtual Poster Session and Competition
Time: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. EDT
ORISE participants of all academic levels will present their research during this virtual poster session. Posters will be evaluated during this time and attendees can cast their vote for their favorite. Competition winners will be announced on Thursday, August 28, during the ORISE Future of Science Awards. Come and support your fellow ORISE participants.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
All ORISE Ignite Off! Final National Viewing Event
Time: Noon to 2 p.m. EDT
The annual Ignite Off! competition showcases the talents of interns from participating federal agencies and offices as they share their research through Ignite Talks. Each competitor has five minutes to present their project, using 20 picture-centric slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds.
Navigating Career Uncertainty and Developing Communication Skills for Success
Time: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Stephanie Pearl, founder and principal of Adaptive Roots Consulting
Description: Join ORISE alum Stephanie Pearl, Ph.D., for an engaging session on how to navigate career uncertainty with clarity and confidence. Drawing from her own professional journey, Pearl will share practical frameworks for identifying the right career path and offer actionable tips for communicating effectively with colleagues, supervisors, and potential employers. Whether you're exploring new directions or looking to sharpen your communication skills, this presentation will provide tools to help you move forward with purpose.
Speaker bio: Stephanie Pearl, Ph.D. (she/her), founder and principal of Adaptive Roots Consulting, works with individuals and teams in the sciences to lead meaningful and impactful careers. She achieves this through one-on-one coaching, workshop facilitation, and organizational consulting. Before launching Adaptive Roots Consulting in 2022, Stephanie was an ORISE Fellow at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, which gave her the opportunity to sharpen her skills in science communication, strategic planning, project management, workshop facilitation, and organizational change management. Prior to her ORISE Fellowship, Stephanie was a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, received her Ph.D. in plant biology from the University of Georgia, and earned her B.S. from Vanderbilt University. Stephanie is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and currently lives in Manhattan, Kansas.
Thursday, August 28, 2025
AI Literacy: Secure and Effective Use of Generative AI
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Janine Pino, data librarian, ORNL Research Library and Information Services
Description: Learn how to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT effectively and responsibly. This one-hour seminar will cover how to craft strong prompts, critically evaluate AI-generated output, and navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of using these tools in scholarly research and writing.
Speaker bio: As a member of the Research Library team, Pino specializes in bibliometric tools, data analysis, and technical training. She joined the lab in 2022 after serving as an academic librarian, online learning liaison, and graduate program instructor. Pino completed her master's degree in information sciences at the University of Tennessee. She welcomes questions and collaborative efforts to improve lab-wide preservation and sharing of scientific and technical information.
Closing Session: A Conversation with Corey S. Powell
Time: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Corey S. Powell, science communicator and co-founder of OpenMind magazine
Moderator: Nicole Merrifield, outreach and engagement manager, ORISE Director’s Office
Description: Effective science communication involves many stakeholders, including not only scientists but also journalists, editors, and members of the general public. This session will feature a dialogue with science communicator Corey S. Powell, who has worked for more than three decades as an editor and writer for leading science publications; he has also collaborated with prominent scientists and science communicators, including Bill Nye. Attendees can expect to learn more about effective science communication practices, engaging effectively with writers and journalists, and tips for maximizing their own impact as "STEM Storytellers."
Speaker bio: Corey S. Powell is an award-winning science writer, editor, and communicator. He is the former editor-in-chief of Discover and American Scientist magazines, and a regular contributor to Aeon and IEEE Spectrum. In his science outreach he has collaborated with Bill Nye on four books (Undeniable, Unstoppable, Everything All at Once, and the upcoming Picture Guide to the Cosmos), two TV shows (Bill Nye Saves the World and The End is Nye), and the Science Rules podcast. During the pandemic he co-founded OpenMind, a Pulitzer-supported magazine that addresses science controversies and misinformation. He is currently writes a column, "Invisible Universe", about the layers of reality beyond human perception, and is working on a book of the same name due to be published by HarperOne. He also works as a book editor and book consultant.
Closing Session: ORISE Future of Science Awards
Time: 2:30 to 3 p.m. EDT
Description: The annual ORISE Future of Science Awards celebrate excellence performed by ORISE participants in the areas of scientific achievement, professional growth, project contributions, and leadership. This year’s ceremony will recognize outstanding Undergraduate/Post-Baccalaureate, Graduate/Post-Master’s, and Postdoctoral participants as well as an award for an outstanding ORISE Mentor. The ceremony will also include announcements for the winners of the ORISE Symposium Virtual Poster Session and Competition from earlier in the week.
If you have any questions, contact us at ExperienceORISE@orau.org.