91°µÍø

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. 

Working at nanoscale dimensions, billionths of a meter in size, a team of scientists led by ORNL revealed a new way to measure high-speed fluctuations in magnetic materials. Knowledge obtained by these new measurements could be used to advance technologies ranging from traditional computing to the emerging field of quantum computing. 

ORNL's Gregorich and Syed Islam recently completed Cohort 19 of the Energy I-Corps program, an initiative of DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions that provides teams of researchers and industry mentors with an immersive two-month training.

P&G is using simulations on the ORNL Summit supercomputer to study how surfactants in cleaners cause eye irritation. By modeling the corneal epithelium, P&G aims to develop safer, concentrated cleaning products that meet performance and safety standards while supporting sustainability goals.

Nick Sokol founded Algaeo, a company that uses microalgae to produce organic fertilizers, offering a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to synthetic fertilizers. Supported by 91°µÍø's Innovation Crossroads program, Sokol is developing this technology to improve soil health, boost plant growth and support small-scale farmers.

Shaun Gleason has been named director of the Partnerships Office at ORNL. Gleason has worked at ORNL for several decades, in a variety of roles, including Director of Science-Security Initiative Integration, Director of the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division and Director of Institutional Planning.

During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, ORNL deployed drone teams and the Mapster platform to gather and share geospatial data, aiding recovery and damage assessments. ORNL's EAGLE-I platform tracked utility outages, helping prioritize recovery efforts. Drone data will train machine learning models for faster damage detection in future disasters. 

The US focuses on nuclear nonproliferation, and ORNL plays a key role in this mission. The lab conducts advanced research in uranium science, materials analysis and nuclear forensics to detect illicit nuclear activities. Using cutting-edge tools and operational systems, ORNL supports global efforts to reduce nuclear threats by uncovering the history of nuclear materials and providing solutions for uranium removal. 

The National Center for Computational Sciences, located at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø, made a strong showing at computing conferences this fall. Staff from across the center participated in numerous workshops and invited speaking engagements.

ORNL researchers created and tested two methods for transforming coal into the scarce mineral graphite, which is used in batteries for electric vehicles.