Further Together the ORAU Podcast

ORAU advances research and education through our very talented subject matter experts and thought leaders, many of whom work with our university partners on a wide range of research projects. In this episode, Arlene Garrison, vice president of university partnerships, and Cathy Fore, director of collaborative initiatives, discuss the history of ORAU's relationships with its university partners, th...

Imagine discussing internship and research opportunities with world-renowned scientists from your laptop or mobile device in the comfort of your living room while wearing pajamas. Virtual career fairs allow applicants to do exactly that, which reduced anxiety for applicants, saves money for organizations looking to place candidates, and lets recruiters spend more time with applicants. Amanda Hurle...

Josh Hayes, a doctoral student at Colorado State University, hopes wild boars from Fukushima will help lead to a faster process for determine radiation dose during a radiation incident. In addition to his laboratory research, Hayes has twice been to the forests surrounding the Fukushiima Daiichi nuclear plant, where a major radiation leak occurred in 2011. There, he helps trap and capture the boar...

Janie Kimble and Melissa Jones teach math and science, respectively, at Carlin Combined Schools in rural Carlin, Nevada (population 2,300). They have transformed STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education in their school, from how they teach to offering a STEM Club, a robotics team, and so much more. This transformation is possible thanks in part to the Joint Science and Tec...

Wanda Gamble is vice president of business development at ORAU. With more than 20 years of experience in planning, operations, sales, business development and customer relationship management in the science and technology industry, Wanda is very passionate about her work and ORAU’s mission. Wanda loves social media, is an avowed War Eagle as a graduate of Auburn University, and is a big fan of “Ga...

Dr. Adayabalam Balajee, technical director for the ORISE Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory has had a storied research career, including a stint at the National Institutes of Health. In this conversation, Dr. Balajee talks about the important work of the CBL in helping determine whether someone has been exposed to radiation and how much; REAC/TS, the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training...

Keri Cagle, director of peer review for ORAU and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) uses a lottery analogy to discuss the role of peer review in helping organizations funding research and other grants determine which proposals should get funded. She calls peer review the unsung hero of the research funding and proposal evaluation process. Check out our enlightening conversat...

ORAU's experienced health communication professionals and award-winning evidence-based solutions have helped secure national and global health since 1946. Three of our experts discuss the projects their working on, which seem ripped from today's headlines. Kristin Mattson, Jennifer Reynolds and Diane Krause explore their work with on a CDC School Health Branch social media campaign, extensive opio...

Picture it: A passionate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teacher discovers all of her educational supplies have been burned or smoke-damaged by a fire in the shed where they were stored. She considers giving up on STEM but her principal tells the teacher to keep her chin up because she just learned the teacher has won a $25,000 prize to build the classroom of her dreams. Re...

Andy Page, President and CEO, talks about his career, and his role as leader of ORAU. On the eve of the company receiving a philanthropy award from the Tennessee Board of Regents, Andy talks about the privilege of being a member of the community and the importance of giving back. ORAU contributes more than $300,000 a years to community and philanthropic initiatives. He also talks a bit about his f...

Jim Vosburg, the director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, which is managed by ORAU for the Department of Energy, talks about his varied career, the programs ORISE offers (scientific workforce development, scientific peer review, the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, worker health, and independent cleanup verification) and much more. This is an interesting c...

Dr. Eric Abelquist, executive vice president and chief research officer, discusses ORAU's research enterprise, from our storied past to the present day, as well as future opportunities that exist between our University Consortium members and our subject matter experts.

Nice Murphy, ORAU K-12 education group manager, discusses the importance of educating students at a young age and how it correlates with building up the nation’s scientific workforce. She also talks about the value of partnering with businesses and community organizations to ensure STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education reaches as many young people as possible.

Amanda Hurley, ORAU project manager, recruiter and subject matter expert for recruiting trends and technology, shares her background in marketing and recruiting, gives a great tip on using LinkedIn for finding your next job, and describes how she hunts “purple squirrels,” people with the right skills for difficult-to-fill positions.

Jeffrey R. Miller, Ph. D., CIH, CSP, senior scientists and head of ORAU’s Center for Safety Studies, talks about the subtle but important difference between nuclear safety culture and safety culture. He and his team have asked 30,000 people in the nuclear industry about safety culture, and Jeff talks about what they’ve learned, how he and his team help customers improve their safety culture, and t...