Further Together the ORAU Podcast

In May, ORISE  launched a mobile app called ORISE GO. The app offers college students, recent graduates and postdoctoral students a mobile tool to search and apply for hundreds of science, technology, engineering and math internships, fellowships and research opportunities at national labs and facilities across the United States. The ORISE GO app also provides a platform to remain engaged, connect...

While most employees and the general public know of the ORAU Diversity Council through annual events like Heritage Day and Veterans Appreciation Day, the council is more than the events they produce. The council serves as a sounding board for employees who may have a concern about diversity related issues throughout the company. In this episode of Further Together, Michael talks to Mae Mosley, dir...

The waste we flush down the toilet can serve as a leading indicator of the prevalence of COVID-19 in a community, whether it's a city or a university campus. In this episode of Further Together, the ORAU podcast, Michael Holtz discusses wastewater surveillance with Dr. Kunal Rambhia and Dr. Monique Mansoura of The MITRE Corporation. They are joined by Ken Tobin, vice president of ORAU's University...

When Exercise Builder Nuclear was first discussed as a concept in the spring of 2012, Don Hanlon, ORAU EBN project manager, did not fully realize the extent to which the platform would come to support national nuclear security. Today, EBN supports more than 53% of the nuclear industry with its nuclear security drills and exercises and is being offered in web and mobile app formats. EBN is an onlin...

Sean Crabbe says The Hurt Locker , the 2008 Academy Award-winning film that follows an Iraq War ordnance disposal team, comes pretty close to following the approach he and his team take when conducting forensic DNA analysis for the Defense Forensic Science Center. In this episode, Crabbe talks about the work he and his team do, his background and what awaits him when pandemic travel restrictions a...

Jill Latchana says it's the little things that bring her joy, like a dance party with her five children to celebrate 15 years of marriage to her husband, Neil.  Here five children each have different ethnic backgrounds, all are adopted or being fostered, and they clearly bring her joy. You'll hear in her voice as she talks about balancing work, life and caring for her kids during the COVID-19 lock...

States have loosened stay-at-home and safer-at-home restrictions. People are getting their hair done, going out to eat, shopping -- all of the things that came to a halt in mid-March. What have we learned and where do we go from here? Should we remain vigilant about possible exposure to the coronavirus? Are we facing the prospect of a second wave of illness in the fall, assuming the first wave com...

As the nation and the world take steps to reopen for business after weeks of safer at home/stay at home practices, the subject of contact tracing is making headlines. What is contact tracing, how does it work, and why is it important? These questions and more are addressed by ORAU health communication and marketing team members. Freddy Gray, Julie Crumly, Rachel Vasconez and Jennifer Burnette join...

ORAU employees have been teleworking for nearly two months because of the coronavirus pandemic. In this special episode of Further Together, some employees share how they've celebrated life's important milestones, taken up new hobbies and lessons learned about life with a commute from the bedroom to their in-home workspace. Health, joy, laughter, love and gratitude haven't stopped in a mostly clos...

Dr. Eric Abelquist, executive vice president and chief research officer, discusses the importance of ORAU's research enterprise, including an explanation of how the ORAU-Directed Research and Development program works, and the organization's research priority areas. Conversations with Eric are always interesting and engaging, and this one is no different. Sit back and enjoy the conversation.

How can 3-D printers help medical personnel in our community who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic? Renee Powell, winner of the 2019 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover, and members of ORAU's K-12 STEM education team are using 3-D printers to produce personal protective equipment components, like N95 masks, ear guards for disposable masks and face shields. Powell and ORAU's Kayla Canario...

Cries of "fake news" seem to be everywhere these days, especially in the political world. Who is most vulnerable to believing and/or sharing misinformation or disinformation that has no verifiable facts, sources or quotes? And how can we keep ourselves from sharing information that isn't true. ORAU social scientist Tiffani Conner, Ph. D., who has worked with Penn State University on fake news rese...

As news and events continue unfold around the spread of COVID-19, questions continue to arise about how the disease is spread and how to prepare for what the World Health Organization has called a global pandemic. Further Together podcast host Michael Holtz had a conversation about COVID-19 and ORAU's pandemic preparedness capability with Wade Williamson, BSN, ORAU occupational health nurse, Fredd...

ORISE manages two two-week summer residential programs for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and teachers who want to hone their STEM skills. JSTI APG will take place in Baltimore and JSTI ABQ will take place in Albuquerque. Students and teachers work side-by-side with researchers in academic or government research laboratory settings. Jennifer Tyrell and Kay...

ORISE has been tracking stay rates for foreign nationals who come to the United States to earn doctoral degrees in science, engineering and other STEM-related fields since the 1970s. Why is this information important? What does it tell us about higher education in the United States? And what does the future look like for foreign nationals who come here to get their degrees? Leigh Ann Pennington an...

Helping Paws Animal Network is a non-profit organization that supports area animal rescue organizations pay vet bills, meet food needs, get shelter and more for animal found in dire situations. This week, HPAN will celebrate raising more than a quarter million dollars and helping well over 1,000 animals throughout the region. in this episode, we talk to Amy Starkey, a founding board member and tre...

Craig Layman, Ph. D., associate director of workforce development for ORISE, is openly passionate about scientific workforce development, the people who work at every level of his organization, and their impact on the scientific workforce. In this wide-ranging discussion, we discuss K-12 STEM education, research participation programs at the Department of Energy and other federal facilities, longi...

For two Christmas seasons running, Tommy the Elf has visited all of us at ORAU. He has learned about our capabilities and shared his knowledge on our social media channels. In this episode of the Further Together podcast, we turn the tables on Tommy and learn more about his life, including his favorite cookie, favorite thing about Christmas, whether anything in the movie "Elf" is real and whether...

Dr. Howard Hall is a member of the ORISE Distinguished Scientist Advisory Board, an external panel of recognized experts in scientific and technical disciplines that validates the ORISE vision is maximizing DOE's strategic objectives. Dr. Hall talks about trading his national laboratory career to work in academia at the University of Tennessee. Working for the DSAB combines the best of both worlds...

Desmond Stubbs was an academic late-bloomer. While working as a hotel cater waiter, a chance encounter sparked his pursuit of an academic career in chemistry. In November 2019, Dr. Desmond Stubbs was honored as this year's HBCU Pioneer by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. The award is given to those who have dedicated a substantial...

Could immersive virtual reality hold the key to increased flu vaccination rates among adults age 18-49? A study funded by an ORAU-Directed Research and Development grant and published in the journal Vaccine on Monday, December 2, 2019 sought to answer that question. We talked to Karen Carera, PhD, ORAU senior evaluation specialist, and Glen Nowak, principal investigator and director of the Center...

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate all of the things for which we are grateful. In that spirit, Michael and Jenna turned the microphone over to employees from across ORAU and asked them to share what they are grateful for this year. From all of us at ORAU, Happy Thanksgiving. We hope you enjoy the show.

The nation's unemployment rate is at a historic low. Meanwhile, large numbers of people in the federal scientific workforce are at or nearing retirement age. Opportunities may be plentiful for young and aspiring science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers, if they're not snatched up by big tech firms first. Michelle Goodson, group manager for workforce solutions at ORAU, talks about t...

Julia Steed is a senior at Oak Ridge High School. She spent part of her summer working alongside Katie Schuman, a research scientist who specialized in artificial intelligence at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Her experience in ORNL's Next Generations STEM Internship Program has fueled Steed's interest in computer science. She and Schuman discuss the work they did together, the importance of mento...

  The ORAU strategic plan is not a hallowed document formulated by a committee of executives and then distributed to employees to follow. Rather, our strategic plan is developed, updated, implemented and thoughtfully discussed using Agile, an iterative, cross-functional approach to project management that relies on input from employees at all levels of the company. In fact, upwards of half of ORAU...