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ORNL researchers helped introduce college students to quantum computing for the first time during the 2025 Winter Classic Invitational, providing hands-on access to real quantum hardware and training future high-performance computing users through a unique challenge that bridged classical and quantum technologies.

ORNL has developed a network of autonomous science laboratories outfitted with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and robotic systems and connected to the lab’s world-class user facilities. The goal is to supercharge the research process while producing scientific breakthroughs that would be unachievable in a traditional setting.

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s 91���� recently welcomed Vanderbilt University colleagues for a symposium on basic science research, with a focus on potential collaborations in the biomedical and biotechnology spaces.

ORNL, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development were recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium, or FLC, for their efforts to develop Tennessee as a national leader in fusion energy. 

The German-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, hosted by the Department of Energy’s 91����, emphasized the importance of building relationships across national boundaries to tackle the world’s toughest engineering problems.

Gerald Tuskan, director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation and a Corporate Fellow at ORNL, has been awarded the Marcus Wallenberg Prize, the world’s highest honor in the field of forestry, for his pioneering work in sequencing and analyzing the first tree genome.

The Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment, or INCITE, program has announced the 2026 Call for Proposals, inviting researchers to apply for access to some of the world’s most powerful high-performance computing systems. 

Daniel Jacobson, distinguished research scientist in the Biosciences Division at ORNL, has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, or AIMBE, for his achievements in computational biology. 

Scientists at ORNL have developed a first-ever method of detecting ribonucleic acid, or RNA, inside plant cells using a technique that results in a visible fluorescent signal. The technology can help researchers detect and track changes in RNA and gene expression in real time, providing a powerful tool for the development of hardier bioenergy and food crops and for detection of unwanted plant modifications, pathogens and pests.  

A team from ORNL, joined by university students, recently traveled to the Ohio State University Research Reactor to conduct a novel experiment on nuclear thermal rocket fuel coatings — one that could help propel NASA’s astronauts to Mars faster and more efficiently.