2007 ORAU Annual Report - Oak Ridge Associated Universities

Published by the Communications and Marketing
Department of ORAU
Director of Communications and Marketing
Ms. Pam Bonee
Annual Report Editor
Ms. Joanna Wilkins
Contributing Writers
Ms. Jennifer Brock
Dr. Catherine Crawley
Ms. Amy Viars
Ms. Joanna Wilkins
Ms. Rebekah Winkler
Designers
Mr. Mark Longmire
Mr. Mark Sieger
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university
consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 98 major
research institutions to advance scientific research and
education by partnering with national laboratories,
government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages
the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the
U.S. Department of Energy.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
(ORISE) is a U.S. Department of Energy institute focusing
on scientific initiatives to research health risks from
occupational hazards, assess environmental cleanup,
respond to radiation medical emergencies, support national
security and emergency preparedness, and educate the
next generation of scientists. ORISE is managed by Oak
Ridge Associated Universities.
The 2007 ORAU Annual Report was paid for with
corporate funds.
Contributing Designer
Ms. Jennifer Benson
The financial information provided in this report has been
derived from the audited financial statements of the Oak
Ridge Associated Universities Corporation and the U.S.
Department of Energy contract fund for the year ended
Sept. 30, 2007. These audited financial statements are
presented in separately bound reports.
ORAU 07-0635

Table of Contents
Select List of Acronyms
ORAU at a Glance................................................................ 2
ORISE at a Glance................................................................ 4
Statement from the President.......................................... 6
University Partnership Initiatives...................................... 9
Science Education Programs..........................................19
ARC
CBL
CDC
DHS
DOC
Appalachian Regional Commission
Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
U.S. Department of Homeland
Security
U.S. Department of Commerce
NOAA
NRC
NSEMP
OEWH
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
National Security and Emergency
Management Programs
Occupational Exposure and Worker
Health
Scientific and Technical Peer Review
Programs...............................................................................33
Worker Health Programs.................................................37
Independent Environmental Assessment
and Verification Programs...............................................45
National Security and Emergency
Management Programs....................................................53
Radiation Emergency Medicine Programs..................59
Health Communication Programs.................................65
Community Partnerships..................................................71
DoD
DOE
DOJ
DOT
EPA
HBCU
HHS
IEAV
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Transportation
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services
Independent Environmental
Assessment and Verification
ORCAS
ORNL
PTT
REAC/TS
REM
SEP
STEM
STRI
Oak Ridge Center for Advanced
Studies
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Professional and Technical Training
Radiation Emergency Assistance
Center/Training Site
Radiation Emergency Medicine
Science Education Programs
Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics
Scientific and Technical Resource
Integration
ORAU Management .........................................................74
MEI
Minority Educational Institutions
T4 FSE
Top Officials 4 Full-Scale Exercise
Key Office Contact Information......................................74
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
UNIRIB
University Radioactive Ion Beam
consortium
ORAU Board of Directors.................................................75
NCI
National Cancer Institute
UT
University of Tennessee
ORAU Sponsoring Institutions........................................76
NIOSH
National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health
WHO
World Health Organization
NNSA
National Nuclear Security
Administration
1

ORAU at a Glance
As a consortium of major Ph.D.-granting
academic institutions, Oak Ridge Associated
Universities (ORAU) cultivates collaborative
partnerships that enhance the scientific research
and education enterprises of our nation.
As a key strategic partner with UT-Battelle,
ORAU helps to advance Oak Ridge National
Laboratory’s and the nation’s scientific research
endeavors by bringing together university
faculty and students to collaborate at one of the
world’s leading-edge research laboratories. A
501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, ORAU’s largest
contract is with the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for
Science and Education (ORISE).
Key Business Areas
Key Corporate
Customers
• U.S. Department of
Energy
• U.S. Department of
Health and Human
Services
• National Institute for
Occupational Safety
and Health
• National
Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Key Partners
• Comprehensive
Health Services
• Dade Moeller &
Associates, Inc.
• MJW Corp., Inc.
• National Jewish
Medical & Research
Center
• Oak Ridge National
Laboratory
• Occupational Health
Link
• Pro2Serve
• UT-Battelle
• Science Education Programs (SEP)
• Scientific and Technical Resource
Integration (STRI)/Peer Review Programs
• Occupational Exposure and Worker Health
(OEWH) Programs
• Independent Environmental Assessment and
Verification (IEAV) Programs
• National Security and Emergency
Management Programs (NSEMP)
• Radiation Emergency Medicine (REM)
Programs
• Professional and Technical Training (PTT)/
Health Communication Programs
Financial Summary
Other
Federal
Agency
Contracts
NSEMP
OEWH
Other
Sources
DOE Contract
PTT
REM
Capital
and Other
IEAV
STRI
SEP
Revenue by Source (in millions)*:
DOE Contract.............................. $151.7
Other Fed Agency Contracts....... $74.2
Other Sources............................. $4.7
Total Revenue............................ $230.6
Expenses (in millions)*:
SEP..............................................$116.2
STRI............................................ $13.4
OEWH......................................... $51.5
IEAV............................................ $7.2
NSEMP....................................... $19.9
REM............................................ $3.0
PTT ............................................. $9.7
Capital and Other........................ $7.4
Total Expenses.......................... $228.3
* See financial information on inside front cover.
2

Key Facts
• Established in 1946—originally as the Oak
Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies
• Composed of 98 member institutions, which
perform one-third of the nation’s university
research and produce one-third of the nation’s
science and engineering doctoral degrees
• Served as a contractor to DOE and other
federal agencies for 60 years—with a flagship
contract to manage ORISE
• Composed of more than 900 employees
• Recognized as one of the “Best Employers
in Tennessee” by Business Tennessee magazine
• Completed more than 24,000 dose reconstruction
reports on former energy workers who developed
cancers that may have been due to work-related
radiation exposures and who may then be eligible
for benefits under the Energy Employees
Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act
• Received the DOE “Small Business Achievement
Award” for dedication and high achievement in
encouraging small business participation
• Recognized on behalf of ORISE for excellence
in safety with the DOE “Voluntary Protection
Program (VPP) Star of Excellence Award” for
“full dedication and total commitment to the
principles of VPP” over the past four years as a
VPP Star Site
Key Accomplishments
• Supported more than 5,000 participants from
almost 900 colleges and universities in science
education and research programs sponsored
by 14 federal agencies
• Coordinated free medical screenings for more
than 5,000 former DOE workers in the first
two years of the DOE National Supplemental
Screening Program to identify those former
site employees who may have been exposed to
hazardous substances at work
A Community Leader
• Provided more than $771,000 in education
grants and other funding for science and math
activities in area schools and in support of
community initiatives
• Distributed almost 100,000 free books to area
children since 2001 as a sponsor of Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library
Contact Information
ORAU and ORISE
Expenditures for
FY02–07*
FY02 $103.3 million
FY03 $140.7 million
FY04 $184.5 million
FY05 $211.9 million
FY06 $235.2 million
FY07 $228.3 million
$235.2
$211.9
$184.5
$140.7
$103.3
FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06
$228.3
FY07
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
P.O. Box 117
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
(865) 576-3000
www.orau.org
3

ORISE at a Glance
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
(ORISE) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
institute, which is managed by Oak Ridge
Associated Universities (ORAU). ORISE addresses
national needs in assessing and analyzing
environmental and health effects of radiation,
beryllium, and other hazardous materials;
developing and operating medical and national
security radiation emergency management and
response capabilities; and managing education
programs to help ensure a robust supply of
scientists, engineers, and technicians to meet
future science and technology needs. ORISE
creates opportunities for collaboration through
partnerships with other DOE facilities, federal
agencies, academia, and industry in a manner
consistent with DOE objectives and the
ORISE mission.
OR ORISE Programs:
ORISE Programs:
ORISE Programs
Programs:
• Science Education Programs (SEP)
• Scientific and Technical Resource
Integration (STRI)/Peer Review Programs
• Occupational Exposure and Worker Health
(OEWH) Programs
• Independent Environmental Assessment and
Verification (IEAV) Programs
• National Security and Emergency
Management Programs (NSEMP)
• Radiation Emergency Medicine (REM)
Programs
• Professional and Technical Training (PTT)/
Health Communication Programs
Key ORISE Customers:
• U.S. Department of
Energy
• U.S. Department of
Health and Human
Services
• U.S. Department of
Defense
• U.S. Department of
Homeland Security
Financial Summary:
• U.S. Department of
Commerce
• U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
• U.S. Department of
Justice
• U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory
Commission
Revenue by Source (in millions)*:
DOE Contract............................................................................$151.7
Total Revenue..........................................................................$151.7
Expenses (in millions)*:
SEP........................................................................................... $93.8
STRI.......................................................................................... $11.9
OEWH....................................................................................... $4.9
IEAV.......................................................................................... $6.5
NSEMP..................................................................................... $19.7
REM.......................................................................................... $2.8
PTT........................................................................................... $9.6
Capital and Other...................................................................... $2.5
Total Expenses........................................................................$151.7
Capital and Other
REM
OEWH
IEAV
PTT
STRI
NSEMP
SEP
* See financial information
on inside front cover.
4

Key Key Accomplishments
Accomplishments:
• Placed more than 5,000 participants from almost
900 colleges and universities in more than 150
science education and research programs,
including appointments at 135 federal research
facilities
• Opened the Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory
as a national response resource for calculating
the radiation dose of those accidentally exposed
to ionizing radiation
• Provided continuing hands-on medical education
to more than 1,100 pre-hospital emergency
response personnel, emergency planners, and
public health personnel worldwide on handling
the medical aspects of radiation emergencies
• Renewed a five-year, $5.8 million agreement with
the NRC to continue to serve as the sole-source,
independent contractor to address regulatory
activities related to the decommissioning of
previously contaminated reactor and
materials sites
• Published for DOE’s worker Illness and Injury
Surveillance Program the Worker Health
Summary,1995–2004, and a companion
summary version, Worker Health at a Glance,
1994–2004, a 9-year health summary of
120,000+ workers from 14 DOE sites
• Developed and distributed to emergency rooms and
public health departments nationwide more than 700
tool kits on how to prepare for radiological and
nuclear terrorism
• Planned and coordinated DOE’s role and served as part
of DOE’s response team in the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security’s Top Officials 4 Full- Scale Exercise,
which tested our nation’s ability to respond to three
almost simultaneous attacks involving radiological
weapons of mass destruction
• Coordinated 48 scientific peer reviews of 1,906 research
proposals involving 1,398 reviewers with potential
funding of awards totaling more than $748 million
Contact Information:
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
c/o Oak Ridge Associated Universities
P.O. Box 117
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
(865) 576-3000
http://orise.orau.gov
ORISE
Expenditures for
FY02–07*
FY02 $94.2 million
FY03 $110.9 million
FY04 $124 million
FY05 $152.1 million
FY06 $152.3 million
FY07 $151.7 million
$152.1 $152.3
$124
$94.2
$110.9
FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06
$151.7
FY07
5

Statement from
the President
Against a backdrop of dynamic global challenges and
opportunities, our nation is experiencing critical needs
in areas such as education and workforce development,
occupational healthcare, environmental cleanup,
and national security. Through a network of strategic
partnerships, ORAU continues to offer innovative
solutions to strengthen and secure America.
Our focus for both our university consortium and
business operations is reflected in our value, purposebased
strategy to:
• Strengthen America’s scientific research and
education enterprise to enhance
global competitiveness
• Build public trust and confidence in the
management of worker health and environmental
cleanup initiatives
• Enhance our nation’s preparedness to respond
to emergencies related to terrorist incidents, natural
disasters, and health threats
As a consortium of universities, our thrust is to create
and promote collaborative partnerships that advance
scientific research and education. One of our main areas
of emphasis is to invest in the professional growth of
faculty and students. We continue to offer competitive,
matching research grants for faculty and provide
opportunities for graduate students to expand their
horizons.
We also take great pride in our strategic relationship
with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and UT-
Battelle, the managing contractor for ORNL. Experience
has proven that building meaningful relationships
between and among university faculty and lab
scientists is the foundation that leads to collaboration
on major scientific initiatives. So we focus our efforts
and investment on helping universities establish those
relationships and then supporting further collaboration
where appropriate.
While this annual report highlights some notable
achievements resulting from our consortium operations
during 2007, it also points the way toward some new
initiatives that we started in 2007 and expect to mature
in 2008. During this past year, we have identified
several exciting, emerging opportunities. Battelle
invited us to provide a visiting ORAU scholar to help
in the implementation of the Ohio STEM Learning
Network, a new private sector initiative led by Battelle to
improve STEM (science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics) education at the K-12 level. In addition,
we have been working with the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) to explore how private-public partnerships
can more effectively advance science education. And
with UT-Battelle we are developing a new initiative that
would enable universities to leverage the tremendous
growth in high performance computing that is taking
place at ORNL.
ORAU’s business portfolio reflects our status as a 501(c)3
nonprofit corporation and federal contractor. Our
largest contract is to manage DOE’s Oak Ridge Institute
for Science and Education (ORISE). Federal sponsors of
other major contractual efforts include the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
6

We have focused ORAU’s programmatic activities on
national priorities and specific customer needs while
maintaining a direct alignment with our value-based
strategy. More specifically, our programs reflect the
following key thrusts:
• Filling the pipeline of future science and
technology leaders
• Ensuring the quality and credibility of scientific
information and funded research
• Answering the need for responsive worker
health solutions
• Instilling public confidence in environmental cleanup
• Securing our country against terrorism and
national emergencies
• Elevating global understanding and medical response
to radiation emergencies
• Enhancing national preparedness for public
health threats
Our annual report is organized around these major
programmatic areas, and the highlighted achievements
reflect our management of ORISE programs as well as
work under other contractual arrangements.
Our core mission remains to strengthen America’s
competitiveness in scientific research and education.
We are excited about the prospects of the America
COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully
Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and
Science) Act of 2007, which outlines specific steps
toward improving math and science education and
research in our country. We have seen the success
of education programs similar to those envisioned
by the bill’s sponsors through our management and
administration of science education programs
extending from K-12 through undergraduate and
graduate through postgraduate.
As a demonstration of our commitment to science
education and commensurate with the national
leadership role that ORAU and ORISE have assumed in
this area, we are investing in a new Center for Science
Education—a 73,000-square-foot, $20 million facility
being constructed on our main campus. We broke
ground in 2007 and are excited about the capability
this new facility will give us to more effectively manage
programs critical to improving America’s global
competitiveness.
As we look toward the future, partnering will remain
a key, essential component of our strategy for both
our university consortium and business operations.
In addition to our member universities, we value our
strategic partnerships with premier organizations
and companies such as UT-Battelle, Pro2Serve,
Comprehensive Health Services, Dade Moeller &
Associates, MJW Corporation, National Jewish Medical
and Research Center, and Occupational HealthLink.
Our success depends on these partnerships as well as
our reliance on a host of small businesses that provide
extraordinary products and services.
We recognize and appreciate the strong relationships
that we have with our partners as well as key
stakeholders locally, regionally, and nationally. We share
a common view of the value that stems from mutually
beneficial partnerships. Working together we will help
achieve an America that is safer, more secure, and better
able to compete in the global environment.
Ron Townsend
President
7

i n n o v a t i v e s o l u t i o n s t o
strengthen and secure america

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
s t r e n g t h e n i n g t h e g l o b a l
competitiveness of universities

U n i v e r s i t y P a r t n e r s h i p
Initiatives
Like never before, universities today face serious
challenges in securing research funding and
“As a company, ORAU is dedicated to ensuring America’s
competitiveness and welfare. Our university consortium contributes
to that mission by aggressively pursuing collaborations in scientific
research, national security, and science, technology, and engineering
education, engaging government, private companies, and the nation’s
university education and research enterprise.”
John Nemeth, ORAU Vice President for Partnership Development
“ORCAS is working to increase America’s competitiveness and improve national
security through collaborative efforts among research universities, governmental
entities, and nongovernmental organizations in computational science and social
sciences.”
Paul Gilman, Director of the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies (ORCAS)
attracting students into scientific and technical
fields necessary to compete in a global arena.
ORAU addresses these challenges by providing
research grants; promoting opportunities for
collaboration among government, academe, and
industry; and creating smart partnerships for
innovation and advances in scientific research
and education.
Contact Information
Partnership Development and
Membership Office
(865) 576-1898
John.Nemeth@orau.org
www.orau.org
Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies
(865) 241-4659
Paul.Gilman@orau.org
http://orcas.orau.org
2007 Initiatives
• Enhanced efforts for teachers, university faculty,
postdoctoral researchers, and students in K-16 science,
technology, engineering, and math education
• Contributed to national security by providing to DHS
a team of terrorism experts from colleges and universities
across the nation
• Enhanced the user base for ORNL’s science and
technology user facilities through research participation
programs for faculty and students
• Fostered partnerships among our member institutions
that encourage collaborations, enhance funding, and
inspire innovation and commercialization of intellectual
developments
Focus Areas
• Expand research and education opportunities for our
members, strengthening university leadership in science,
technology, engineering, and math
• Partner with ORNL to build mutually beneficial university
partnerships and advance ORNL’s science agenda
• Support, along with ORNL, the Oak Ridge Center for
Advanced Studies’ efforts to explore major scientific and
socioeconomic issues and to influence policy
• Provide travel and research grants to faculty at member
institutions and support student field experience,
technical contests, and conference attendance
Key Partners
• ORAU Sponsoring Institutions (see page 76)
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• University of Tennessee-Battelle/Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL)
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
10

ORAU Leverages Strategic Partnerships to Enhance
Global Competitiveness of America’s Scientific
Research and Education Enterprise
ORAU recognizes that the world is an increasingly
competitive place and that it takes not only drive,
ingenuity, and innovation within our academic
institutions and national laboratories to strengthen
and secure America’s leading edge in science and
technology, but also smart partnerships.
Founded upon the principle of partnerships more than
60 years ago, ORAU continues to be a leader in building
mutually beneficial partnerships that strengthen the
nation’s scientific research and education enterprise.
With a goal of helping America’s universities remain
globally competitive, ORAU promotes collaborative
opportunities among researchers at our nation’s
institutions and federal research centers, especially Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
From its inception in 1946, ORAU has partnered with
ORNL to build upon the new science and technology
that arose out of the Manhattan Project. The idea of
the consortium was to provide its university members
access to the world-class scientific facility that is ORNL.
That same spirit of partnership continues today. The
ORAU consortium encompasses 98 universities across the
United States, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico and
our reach extends to federal research labs nationwide.
To help strengthen America’s scientific research and
education enterprise, the consortium has focused on the
following primary objectives:
• Enhancing investment in the professional growth of
university faculty and students
• Strengthening our partnership with the University of
Tennessee (UT)-Battelle/ORNL to broaden
collaborative research opportunities
• Expanding avenues for partnerships beyond the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) and ORNL
The following pages in this section describe the specific
events and activities during FY07 that have occurred as
a result of ORAU’s strategic partnerships and in direct
support of the consortium’s primary objectives.
11

Enhancing Investment in the Professional
Growth of University Faculty and Students
Dr. Elizabeth Ervin
The nation’s leading research universities play a critical
role in helping America remain a world leader in science
and technology. ORAU understands that academia’s
role is not only to teach the next generation of science
and engineering students but also to secure funds
to conduct important scientific research. ORAU is
committed to encouraging and supporting the best and
brightest young faculty members and graduate students
in our consortium.
Annual programs to support university faculty and
students include the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty
Awards Program, the Meeting of Nobel Laureates and
Students, and the ORNL Student Poster Session/ORAU
Graduate School Fair.
Powe Awards
ORAU’s Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Awards Program
rewards ambitious young faculty at our member
universities. As an investment in the future of science
education in America, the awards are intended to
enhance faculty members’ research and professional
growth and result in new funding opportunities during
the early stages of their careers.
Each recipient receives a $5,000 grant from ORAU,
which is matched by the recipient’s institution, making
the total prize worth $10,000 for each winner. ORAU
chose 30 junior faculty from 23 member universities to
receive the award for the 2007–2008 academic year. In
the program’s 17 years, ORAU has awarded 338 grants
totaling more than $1.6 million.
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the
University of Mississippi and Powe Award Winner
2007–2008 Powe Award Winners
Anne Gorden Auburn University
Rebecca Howell Emory University
Wei Yang
Florida State University
Douglas Spearot
Sukwon Hong
Jan Mrazek
University of Arkansas
University of Florida
University of Georgia
Background
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon
University
M.S., Civil Engineering, Vanderbilt University
B.S., Civil Engineering, Tennessee Technological
University
Yifan Liu
Meisha Shofner
Lu Peng
Michael Tolocka
Tzy-Jiun Mark Luo
George Mason University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
North Carolina State University
Teng Li
Patrick Kanold
Elizabeth Ervin
Thedford Hollis
Liming Zhang
University of Maryland
University of Maryland
University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
University of Nevada, Reno
Notable Research
Study of repetitive impact dynamics and nonlinear
phenomenon. She is currently building a Multi-
Function Dynamics Laboratory at the University of
Mississippi to further her experimentation.
Elon Ison
Jun Lou
Mesfin Tsige
Brent Sumerlin
Benjamin Mohr
Katnrari Entesari
North Carolina State University
Rice University
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Southern Methodist University
Tennessee Technological University
Texas A&M University
Tae-Youl Choi
Stephen Cooke
Megan Spence
Frank Vogt
James Tunnell
Kristen Grauman
University of North Texas
University of North Texas
University of Pittsburgh
University of Tennessee
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
On Winning the Powe Award
“As a new faculty member, initiating funding is
extremely difficult. It seems that you can only be
granted funds after being granted funds. The
Powe award is my first external grant, which
will hopefully pave the way for more proposal
success.”
Paul de Figueiredo
Texas A&M University
Yan Mei Wang
Washington University
12

Annual Event
Highlights Summer
Research
Anthony Fields (pictured left) and Jay Patel, University of South Carolina students who participated in the DOE
Faculty and Student Team (FaST) Research Program, were among approximately 150 students from across the
country who gathered to discuss the results of their summer research at the 2007 ORNL Student Poster Session.
The ORISE-coordinated event allowed the participants to showcase their involvement in 11 scientific and technical
research participation programs and to present their projects to fellow participants, ORNL scientists, and university
representatives. Student research topics ranged from environmental sciences to nuclear sciences and technology.
Following the poster session, students gathered at the Pollard Technology Conference Center on the ORAU
campus to visit ORAU’s 8th Annual Graduate School Fair, where they could discuss further study opportunities with
representatives from 25 top-notch science, technology, engineering, and math graduate programs nationwide.
ORAU Sponsors Students
for Nobel Laureate Meeting
Ten students sponsored by ORAU were among 49 Americans who received a chanceof-a-lifetime
opportunity to meet some of the world’s most renowned scientists at
the 57th Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany, during the
summer of 2007. Since 1951, Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics, and physiology/
medicine have annually convened in Lindau to conduct open and informal meetings
with more than 500 students and young researchers from around the world. The
meetings rotate by discipline annually; the 2007 event focused on physiology/
medicine. ORISE administered the program for the meeting’s other participant
sponsors, including DOE, the National Science Foundation, and Mars, Inc.
13

Strengthening Our Partnership with
UT-Battelle and ORNL to Broaden
Collaborative Research Opportunities
ORAU recognizes that partnerships between our
member institutions and ORNL are symbiotic. With access
to the world-class facilities at ORNL, faculty members are
better able to realize their research goals. By drawing
on the intellectual resources that reside at America’s
colleges and universities, the national lab is better able to
achieve its scientific objectives. The collaborative research
initiatives pursued by ORAU with ORNL fortify the future
of science at ORNL, which, in turn, strengthens America’s
competitiveness in science and technology.
Several key programs encourage these research and
academic partnerships. ORAU and ORNL jointly fund the
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and
Minority Education Institutions (MEI) Faculty Summer
Research Program, which provides minority faculty
members with opportunities to do hands-on research
during breaks in teaching. To date, more than 65 faculty
members from 36 different institutions have participated
in this program, which has led to ongoing research at
the lab and joint faculty appointments. The annual ORNL
Day of Science, which ORAU cosponsors and helps to
organize, also introduces faculty and students to research
opportunities with the lab.
Another important collaborative partnership involves
ORNL and the nine universities in ORAU’s University
Radioactive Ion Beam (UNIRIB) consortium, which
conducts leading edge basic nuclear physics research
that would be impossible for one or two universities to
do alone. Postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty
from around the world perform groundbreaking nuclear
and astrophysical experiments and achieve significant
scientific advances in the investigation of unstable nuclei
using ORNL’s Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility
(HRIBF). UNIRIB consortium mentors include Furman
University, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State
University, Rutgers University, Tennessee Tech University,
University of Maryland, University of Notre Dame,
University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University.
ORAU also understands the importance of matching
technologies resulting from universities’ fundamental
research programs with potential markets. To allow
students from different disciplines to work together and
gain experience in the technology commercialization
process, ORAU and ORNL cosponsored Nano Nexus
2007, which assembled representatives from universities
and government along with entrepreneurs and leaders
of the nanotechnology industry to identify applications of
nanotechnology in the marketplace.
More Than 1,300
Attend 2007 Day
of Science
Nearly three times the number of participants and exhibitors attended the sixth annual Day of Science,
cosponsored by ORAU and hosted by ORNL and DOE at the Knoxville Convention Center. The more than 1,300
students and faculty from 125 U.S. colleges and universities made this one of the largest DOE science education
events ever held. The event featured speakers, a career fair, and interactive exhibits for students as well as
a popular workshop for faculty that synthesized information on collaborating with DOE laboratories, working
with DOE user facilities, writing proposals, and taking advantage of equipment donation and loan programs.
Organizers invited all DOE labs this year, allowing the students to learn about the many career and research
opportunities within the department.
14

UNIRIB Physicists
Make Significant
Advances in Explorations
of “Star-Stuff”
When Carl Sagan once famously noted that “we are
star-stuff,” he meant to convey that the universe, and
everything that comprises it, including ourselves, comes
from the stars and from supernovae explosions.
In 2007, UNIRIB physicists continued to make advances in
exploring “star-stuff.” A goal of the UNIRIB collaboration is
to provide experimental measurements on the properties
of nuclei relevant to astrophysical processes, such as
supernovae explosions.
According to the big bang theory, the dense heat of the
violent explosion that produced the universe some 13.7
billion years ago also produced the chemical elements
of hydrogen, helium, and traces of lithium. All the other
heavier elements were synthesized later in stars and
supernovae explosions. It is these elements that UNIRIB
scientists examine to come to a greater understanding of
the origin of the universe.
In May 2007, UNIRIB researchers and collaborators
published significant new results in the scientific
publication Physical Review Letters. The paper earned the
distinction of being selected by the editors as “Suggested
Reading.”
The research examined a portion of the astrophysical
process known as the rapid-proton capture process, or
rp-process, which is one of the astrophysical processes
that occurs during a supernova and is one of the
processes responsible for the formation of the chemical
elements, explained Chiara Mazzocchi, principal author
on the paper.
The final phase of the rp-process was examined,
and, in a series of experiments, UNIRIB researchers
and collaborators were able to show that the atomic
nucleus of antimony-105, was a more stable nucleus
than previously reported in the scientific literature. The
result makes the rate at which protons are captured
on this nucleus higher than previously thought and
simultaneously does not allow for any observable
spontaneous emission of protons from the nucleus,
disproving a previous report.
UNIRIB’s ability to provide not only funding but also
the technical support, equipment, and ability to bring
scientists together to collaborate made the research
possible, said UNIRIB Director Ken Carter. “Providing
support and facilities to university researchers in carrying
out research at ORNL has been ORAU’s long-term goal as
well as UNIRIB’s. So it is very satisfying to see significant
research results, especially by young researchers.”
Based on the results of the research, a reevaluation of the
end phase of the rp-process cycle has been proposed.
The paper’s authors now hypothesize that the rp-process
could proceed toward heavier elements much faster than
previously reported. This scenario would change the time
scale, energy balance, and even the amount of helium-4,
existing at the final phase of the rp-process.
Image Information
Chiara Mazzocchi, a guest researcher at UNIRIB from
the University of Tennessee’s Department of Physics and
Astronomy, was the principal author of the research paper “a
Decay of 109 I and Its Implications for the Proton Decay of 105 Sb
and the Astrophysical Rapid Proton-Capture Process,” which
was written by UNIRIB collaborators and published in 2007.
Research Tool Increases Analytic
Power to Study Exotic Nuclei
Studies of an exotic nucleus, such as the astrophysics
study described to the left, are often impossible because
the nucleus of interest constitutes only a tiny fraction
of all nuclei that are produced in a particular nuclear
reaction. It is especially difficult to isolate nuclei from
each other that have the same combined number of
protons and neutrons, so-called isobars.
To overcome this common problem in nuclear structure
research, UNIRIB researchers and collaborators—
including ORAU’s Slava Shchepunov (pictured left) and
Yuan Hu of Grinnell College—continued to develop
the MTOF (Multi Pass Time-of-Flight) device, which can
separate isobars, even those with very small differences in
mass. UNIRIB began working on MTOF in 2004 and has
made steady progress toward increasing the precision of
the tool. In 2007, the analytic power had increased more
than threefold, surpassing the group’s original goals for
the device.
Researchers are now working toward coupling the
device to the mass separator at the University Isotope
Separator at Oak Ridge (UNISOR). Doing so will
enable many nuclear structure studies, that have been
unsuccessfully attempted for decades, especially research
at the extreme boundaries of nuclear stability.
15

University Professor Helps
Develop Clean Green Battery
Those old household batteries that get tossed into
the trash can, instead of the recycling bin, end up in
landfills where their toxic metals leak into the soil and
water, contaminating the environment and threatening
human health. So scientists, such as Dr. Shahzad
Akbar, are working toward developing a cleaner, more
environmentally friendly technology that might replace
chemical batteries in the future.
A computer engineering professor at Virginia State
University, Akbar joined a team of scientists, led by Dr.
Zhiyu Hu at ORNL, in an ongoing effort to convert
chemical energy into electricity using nanotechnology.
The project aims to generate electricity from renewable
fuel, such as methanol, without using conventional
combustion. Instead, new nano-constructed materials
would be used to react with the methanol and oxygen
to generate heat.
Akbar’s involvement in the project during the summer of
2007 was supported by the HBCU/MEI Faculty Summer
Research Program, which is sponsored jointly by ORNL
and ORAU. The program is administered by ORISE,
ORNL’s partner for science education.
Akbar’s contribution involves developing new nanoconstructed
thin film materials—less than 1 percent of
the width of a human hair—and testing their properties
suitability for the generation of electricity from heat. He
also helps to set up scientific equipment to monitor the
flow of methanol and air mixtures to generate electrical
power and records electrical voltages produced under
varying operating conditions.
“The summer research experience at ORNL has
benefited me not only by providing me the opportunity
to engage in thermoelectric research with facilities and
equipment not available at my university but also by
establishing valuable contacts with world-renowned
researchers in the field,” he said.
Originally from Pakistan, Akbar has lived in many parts
of the United States but now calls Richmond, Va., home,
where he lives with his wife and two young boys. Akbar
obtained his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Cornell
University, a master’s degree from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree from
Lafayette College. He spent many years working in
industry at IBM and Siemens before joining the academic
community and conducting research at national labs.
Image Information
Dr. Shahzad Akbar uses an electronic beam evaporator to help
generate materials used to convert heat to electricity in a clean,
environmentally friendly way. Akbar was a participant in the
2007 ORAU/ORNL HBCU/MEI Faculty Summer Research Program.
Student Teams Meet for Nano Competition
Universities, entrepreneurs, government, and leaders in the nanotechnology industry came
together in an effort to move nanotechnology out of research laboratories and into the
marketplace. Nano Nexus 2007 was the first event of its kind to bring together all of the
groups who make it happen. ORAU was the one of the sponsors for the event held April
2–4 at ORNL.
The keystone for the conference was the Nano Idea to Product® (I2P®) competition,
which featured teams of students who had developed early-stage technology
commercialization plans for nanotechnology products and concepts researched at their
universities. The University of Texas, Austin, came out on top of the 15 teams entered in
the competition and won the $25,000 grand prize to further develop NANOTaxi TM , a
nano-sized drug-delivery device.
16

Expanding Avenues for Partnerships with
Other Federal Agencies and Academe
With recent national reports such as Learning in the
21st Century and Rising Above the Gathering Storm
calling for action to address the shrinking scientific and
technical workforce in the United States, the task of
directing American students of every age toward science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines is
critical to our nation’s position as a world leader
in technology.
“The importance of STEM education for our nation’s
future cannot be understated - we’re only as good as
our human capital,” stated Representative Bart Gordon
(D-Tenn.), following the publication of the National
Academy of Sciences Rising Above the Gathering
Storm. “The K-12 STEM education priorities ought to
be to improve the undergraduate education of new
teachers and to increase substantially the professional
development opportunities for current teachers, in order
to raise their subject knowledge and teaching skills.”
-
In 2007, ORAU worked with DOE’s Office of Science
to explore the possibility of public-private partnerships
as a strategy to help implement the America Creating
Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence
in Technology, Education, and Science (America
COMPETES) Act. Partnerships among corporations,
government agencies, and private foundations can serve
as a catalyst for change and opportunity by providing
the means for K-12 classroom teachers to spend time
in national research laboratories, learning first-hand
the methods that scientists use every day. With such
professional development prospects for teachers,
combined with additional student-focused programs
and technology infrastructure investments for schools,
organizers expect that students will become more
interested in pursuing STEM-related careers.
located on the ORNL campus. Cofounded in 2005 by
ORAU, ORCAS—a think and do tank—brings together
intellectual leaders from government, academe, research
laboratories, and industry to address critical national
challenges related to science and technology.
In 2007, ORCAS hosted a two-day “Innovation and
Academia” workshop to help universities consider ways
to bring new technology developed on their campuses
to the market and how to partner with industry in
these endeavors. Neil Iscoe from the University of Texas
and Lita Nelsen from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, both of whom serve in their respective
universities’ well-developed technology transfer offices,
offered strategies, success stories, and warnings about
potential pitfalls. The workshop provided participants a
forum for discussing how to foment innovation on their
campuses and within their students.
“The discussion focused on creating an ‘ecosystem’ for
innovation on campus, which involves creating a culture,
providing mentoring, and partnering with industry, all
for innovation. If you are a university and want to be
an engine of innovation, don’t forget the real way to
innovate is making sure students who leave are aware of
what they can do to create and encourage innovation,”
explained ORCAS Director Paul Gilman.
Representatives from 60 universities attended the
workshop. Other speakers included Rep. Gordon,
chairman of the House Science and Technology
Committee, and H. Lee Martin, founder of the iPix
Corporation and former ORNL scientist.
ORAU also provides collaborative opportunities among
the academic and science communities through the
Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies (ORCAS),
17

Houston Teacher
Ready for New Science
Curriculum Thanks
to Summer Research
Experience
Houston area ninth-grade teacher Destiny Evans
brought world-class scientific research experience back
to school with her during the fall of 2007. Evans, a
seven-year teaching veteran who is serving her first year
as a science specialist for Houston’s ninth-grade centers,
spent her second consecutive summer conducting
research at ORNL through the DOE Academies Creating
Teacher Scientists (ACTS) program.
Evans faces exciting challenges this year as she
acclimates to her new role in the ninth-grade centers
and works alongside teachers to implement conceptual
physics for the first time in the school district. Along with
her new responsibilities, Evans will be managing the
inquiry-based curriculum of the district’s new physics
courses, which will have students learning by in-class
experiments as they try to answer tough questions
concerning the laws of physics.
This trial-and-error, learn-as-you-go structure is
something Evans has experience with thanks to
ACTS. She spent her time at ORNL taking this same
approach in her research. Working in the lab’s Chemical
Sciences Division, Evans’ inquiry-based research had
her synthesizing nanoparticles and learning how
to manipulate the size, structure, and shape of the
microscopic particles.
“I have always enjoyed scientific research,” says Evans.
“But upon entering the classroom it seemed that the
focus became the pedagogy and not the science. As
a science teacher, ACTS is an opportunity to fulfill the
research need in my life.”
And filling the research need in her life has allowed
Evans to fill the needs of her students. Noting that her
experience with ACTS has allowed her to feel more
comfortable working on inquiry-based assignments in
her classes, Evans has been able to better encourage
and guide her students with science projects, some of
which have gone on to compete in regional science
fairs. Beyond building her research resume, ACTS, which
is administered by ORISE for DOE, has allowed Evans to
apply for and obtain mini-grants for classroom supplies
and professional development while collaborating with
like-minded teachers.
“Teaching is the most difficult responsibility and yet the
most rewarding,” says Evans. “It’s so similar to research
in that both involve delayed gratification. In life, we’re
constantly seeking answers and that is what research is
all about. We seek answers to questions and conduct
research to answer the new questions that arise.”
Image Information
Ninth-grade science teacher Destiny Evans is using her
summer research experiences at ORNL to guide the
implementation of an inquiry-based physics curriculum in her
Houston, Texas, school district.
Earthquake Engineering
Collaboration
ORAU shook things up this year by branching into
the arena of earthquake engineering education and
research after teaming up with NEES Consortium, Inc.
(NEESinc). NEESinc is a nonprofit corporation that
manages, operates, and maintains the George E. Brown,
Jr., Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation
(NEES) consortium, a national, shared-use research
network for the earthquake engineering community.
The ORAU-NEES partnership agreement establishes a
framework for the launch of mutually beneficial activities
in research, education, outreach, and innovation that
directly support each organization’s strategic mission,
including the overarching goal of increasing the
number, quality, and diversity of K-16 students in STEM
disciplines to preserve the competitiveness of the
U.S. workforce.
18

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
filling the pipeline of future
science and technology leaders

Science Education Programs
“The depth and breadth of our science education
programs position us as a national leader in science
education, poised to collaborate with our customers to
carry out the intent of the 2007 America COMPETES Act.
Together, we will continue to strengthen the global
competitiveness of the United States by stimulating interest in
math, science, and technology at all academic levels, helping
to prepare students, recent graduates, and others to be
tomorrow’s scientific workforce.”
Wayne Stevenson, Vice President and Director of Science Education Programs
Our nation needs a steady supply of scientists
and engineers to meet future needs in critical
science and technology areas. Students in
science, mathematics, engineering, and
technology fields need the skills, knowledge,
and experience to stay competitive in an
ever-changing global marketplace. To address
these national workforce and science education
needs, ORAU provides a single resource for
2007 Accomplishments
• Administered educational initiatives with more than $116
million in expenditures from 14 federal agencies
• Provided educational opportunities to more than 5,000
participants from almost 900 U.S. and foreign colleges
and universities
• Provided appointments at 135 federal research facilities
• Doubled the number of participants in our programs
since FY00
• Administered 34 education programs for ORNL, serving
almost 1,100 participants from nearly 300 colleges and
universities in the United States and around the world
Key Customers
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• National Aeronautics and Space and Administration
(NASA)
• U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
• U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
developing and administering high-quality,
experience-based programs to fill the pipeline
with the next generation of science and
technology leaders.
FY07 Participants by Category
Undergraduates
Graduates
652
1,290
Underrepresented Minorities in ORAU Programs
Compared to Representation in Target Populations
Undergraduates
13.5%
22.8%
Recent Graduates
(M.S., B.S., 2-year)
862
Graduate Students
6%
14.5%
Postdoctoral Fellows
College & University Faculty
275
1040
Recent B.S. and M.S. Graduates
11%
17.3%
Contact Information
Science Education Programs
(865) 576-3424
science.education@orau.org
http://orise.orau.gov/sep
http://see.orau.org/
K-12 Students & Teachers
Other Scientists
73
824
Recent Ph.D. Graduates
% Nationwide % ORAU
4%
9.5%
20

America COMPETES Sets the Agenda for the
Future of Science Education
In August 2007, our nation took a significant step
toward strengthening and securing America’s science
and technology enterprise with the passage of the
America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote
Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (America
COMPETES) Act. America COMPETES sets the agenda for
growth and improvements to science and math education.
This, combined with an equally strong commitment to
research, supports the ultimate goal of ensuring the global
competitiveness of the United States.
After the bill was signed, ORAU President Ron Townsend
joined a distinguished panel at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL) to spread the word on the importance
of the new initiatives.
“One of the reasons ORAU is so excited about America
COMPETES is because we know it will work,” Townsend
said. “We are currently doing many of the science
education programs envisioned by the act, and the model
we have used for these programs in Oak Ridge and East
Tennessee can be expanded and duplicated under the
America COMPETES Act.”
Also attending the ORNL event was the chief architect of
the Act, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), joined
by Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Bart Gordon
(D-Tenn.). All tout the bill as the answer to preserving
America’s leadership role in science and technology by
expanding research and education programs across
the country.
Image Information
Pictured left to right, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander
along with Congressmen Zach Wamp and Bart Gordon joined
a panel discussion at ORNL alongside Oak Ridge High School
educator Benita Albert, University of Tennessee Vice President
for Research David Millhorn, and ORAU President Ron Townsend
to discuss the importance of the America COMPETES Act as an
investment in our nation’s scientific leaders.
“The United States can keep its competitive edge and
create good jobs by improving science and math
education, increasing our support of scientific research,
and reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources,”
stated Alexander.
With authorized funding of more than $43 billion through
fiscal year 2010, federal organizations such as the U.S.
Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science—the
largest supporter of the physical sciences and ORAU’s
funding office for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education (ORISE)—will be on track to double its size over
the next seven years. The provisions of the act outline
several initiatives for DOE, all of which build on current
efforts to foster science and math research, education, and
collaboration and include:
• Early career grant programs for young investigators
working at both universities and national labs to
establish their research careers in areas critical to the
mission of DOE.
• A graduate research fellowship program for
outstanding students in DOE mission-critical fields.
Photo courtesy of the National Science Foundation.
• Competitive grants that support joint
appointments of distinguished scientists from
universities to collaborate with researchers at the
national labs.
The conference agreement also defines specific
science education initiatives for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
National Science Foundation, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the
Department of Education.
21

ORAU Commits to the Future of Science
Education with Announcement of National
Center for Science Education
Image Information
A team of local students prepares to send the team’s
robot to move a pile of “dirt” as part of a LEGO ®
Robotics competition at the site dedication for ORAU’s
Center for Science Education. The competition served
as a symbolic “groundbreaking” as four teams of
students used robots they had built to move as much
“dirt” as possible within a two-minute time frame.
An artist’s rendering (pictured right) of ORAU’s
national Center for Science Education, expected to be
completed in January 2009.
Science education in America has been energized with the
passage of the America COMPETES Act. As federal agencies
now refocus their efforts to develop the scientific workforce
of the future, ORAU will continue to support these agencies
with its comprehensive experience in developing and
managing science education programs that motivate and
inspire tomorrow’s scientists and engineers.
Throughout 2007, ORAU successfully delivered a full suite
of science education services to 14 agencies, including
needs analysis, program administration, and program
evaluation. ORAU’s proven, established capabilities in this
area will be instrumental in collaborations with its clients
to refine and develop their programs to comply with the
America COMPETES Act.
As a testament to ORAU’s dedication to the future of
science education, the corporation is investing in a $20-
million national Center for Science Education (CSE). The
four-story, 73,000-square-foot facility will reside on the main
ORAU campus and will house the personnel who manage
more than 150 science education programs.
At the July CSE site dedication, Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.)
praised ORAU for its leadership in science education, noting
that ORAU’s commitment—exhibited by the construction of
the CSE—is an important piece in the national solution to
global competitiveness.
“ORAU and ORISE have been great leaders,” Wamp said,
citing ORAU’s support of academic collaborations at
the Spallation Neutron Source and contributions to the
construction of the new Oak Ridge High School. “Now our
nation calls. We have to be competitive and to stimulate
young people in science and math. ORAU deserves credit
for this bold step to help keep America competitive.”
Within the CSE, which is expected to open in January 2009,
ORAU envisions a Science Education Technology Center
that targets the teachers of tomorrow’s scientific workforce.
Using advanced technology, ORAU plans to link K-12
teachers with the cutting-edge research at ORNL, creating
tools such as:
• an education laboratory—a physical place for
experimenting, learning, demonstrating, and showcasing
results
• a virtual learning environment—borderless learning
communities with technology-based opportunities that
bring visualization, simulation, and modeling to the study
of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) fields
• a resource center—a collection of proven products,
services, and programs that make K-12 STEM education
more effective
By offering teachers the tools to teach science as inquiry
and to excite young minds with the possibilities of science,
students will, in turn, learn the critical thinking skills that are
the foundation for genuine advancement. As a national
leader in science education, ORAU will help to create
tomorrow’s innovative thinkers who can solve problems of
national and global importance.
22

Professor’s NRC Summer
Research Assignment on Glass
Formation from Radioactive
Waste Leads to Discovery of
Anticancer Drug
Image Information
Dr. Santosh Mandal, an inorganic chemist and professor of chemistry at
Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md., spent the summer of 2007
as a participant in the NRC Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Faculty Research Program where he studied the incorporation of
rhenium into glass. In the process, he discovered that perrhenate
complexes make excellent anticancer drugs.
Photo courtesy of Morgan State University.
During the school year, Dr. Santosh Mandal teaches
chemistry and supervises the research of undergraduate
and graduate students at Morgan State University (MSU)
in Baltimore, Md. But unlike some instructors who take
the summer months off, Mandal chose to spend his
10 weeks at MSU as a participant in the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) Historically Black Colleges
and Universities Faculty Research Program. As a result,
Mandal made some interesting discoveries.
As part of his research assignment, Mandal helped the
NRC investigate technetium waste disposal. Technetium
is produced in significant quantities during uranium
fission and poses problems during the remediation of
nuclear waste, as the off-gases may be recycled back into
subsequent melts. To address the costly and inefficient
remediation process, which also poses potential health
risks, Mandal examined chemical methods for reducing
the technetium volatility problem while simultaneously
improving technetium immobilization by enhancing its
incorporation into durable glass and ceramic forms.
Mandal met one of the group’s research goals by
discovering how to synthesize perrhenate complexes
from the reaction of rhenium heptoxide and hydride
complexes. No rhenium was lost as a by-product in this
reaction, which is important in removing technetium
from its wastes.
But that wasn’t all Mandal accomplished. During his
investigation, Mandal realized that the perrhenate
complexes are excellent anticancer agents. He, along
with several undergraduate students, studied the
preparation, characterization, properties, and synthesis of
rhenium compounds for the development of fluorescent
rhenium-based anticancer drugs. In the process, they
found the fluorescence exhibited by such drugs can
pinpoint the tumor and make drug delivery to the tumor
location much easier.
ORISE Study Finds
Increasing Enrollments
in Nuclear Engineering,
Health Physics Programs
Mandal returned to his MSU classroom in the fall to teach
advanced inorganic chemistry but will always be grateful
to the NRC for its support of this important research.
“Without the help of this program, I would not have
fulfilled many of my research goals. It really helped me to
explore new areas of chemistry,” he said.
In 2007, ORISE published its latest surveys of enrollments
and degrees for 2006. The data are useful to DOE and
other federal agencies as they monitor future workforce
needs in the wake of a large number of employees who
can retire over the next 10 years.
The news is encouraging, as the number of college
students enrolled in nuclear engineering and health
physics degree programs continues to increase,
according to the ORISE-conducted surveys of U.S.
universities offering such programs.
ORISE has collected and/or monitored data on
enrollments and degrees in science and energy-related
fields of study for federal agencies since the mid-1970s.
“Because we have a 30-year history of gathering this
type of data, we can provide depth and breadth to
the findings,” said Wayne Stevenson, ORISE director of
Science Education Programs.
Copies of the study are available on-line at http://orise.
orau.gov/sep/pubs.htm
Photo courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory.
23

ORAU Partners with Oak Ridge National
Laboratory to Inspire Young Scientists to Pursue
Science and Math in College
Image Information
As part of a five-week orientation for students from the
Tennessee Governor’s Academy for Mathematics and Science,
ORAU arranged for the class to visit ORNL’s Exploratory
Visualization Environment for REsearch in Science and
Technology (EVEREST) at the Center for Computational
Science. EVEREST, a large-scale immersive venue for data
exploration and analysis, is used to investigate the intricacies
of global climate change simulations.
ORNL faces the same workforce challenge as many
organizations today—large numbers of employees
approaching retirement age. The future of the
scientific workforce at the national lab depends
on stimulating interest among students who are
choosing their career paths. The initiatives outlined
in the America COMPETES act are intended to help
address this issue, and, as ORNL’s partner in science
education, ORAU is prepared to collaborate with
ORNL in implementing the programs spelled out in
the Act.
While ORAU and ORNL have continued to administer
programs for students at the college, postgraduate,
and postdoctoral levels, this past year the two worked
together to implement new programs that reach out
to high school students, with the goal of encouraging
them to select a science or math focus in college.
Tennessee Governor’s Academy for Mathematics
and Science
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen initiated the
Governor’s Academy for Mathematics and Science
to give the state’s best and brightest students a
top-notch math and science education. The first
22 high school juniors to enter the academy
began classes in August 2007 on the campus of
the Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville.
A key element to the program is the time they
are spending at ORNL, involved in real research.
ORAU coordinated the initial five-week orientation
program in Oak Ridge and matched each student
to a research project so that they can spend one
day a week at the lab under the mentorship of an
ORNL scientist.
“Governor Bredesen and ORNL agree that it
is critical to the development of these future
scientists to immerse them in real laboratorybased
research,” said ORNL’s Director of
Communications and External Relations Billy
Stair. “This experience will enhance the academic
program of these students and keep them
engaged in science so that they can become part
of our future workforce. We have the worldrenowned
research and scientists, and our partner
ORAU brings the administrative processes to make
this work.”
Image Information
The inaugural class of the Tennessee Governor’s Academy poses with
local celebrity Bill Landry, who had just performed his one-man
show in which he brings Albert Einstein to life through a theatrical
presentation about the genius’s life, philosophies, and work.
24

Partnerships with Area High Schools
ORAU also partnered with ORNL to administer a program for honor students in math
and science from Farragut High School in nearby Knoxville, Tenn. Throughout the
initial year of the program, 16 seniors completed research projects in everything from
computer science to nuclear science under the direction of ORNL mentors.
For student Eddie Buehler, the experience refined his interests and goals for the future.
Buehler worked in ORNL’s Materials Science Division, observing atoms as they interacted
and moved with each other in molecular dynamic simulation. Now he plans on
pursuing a research career in the related field of chemical engineering. “I didn’t know
anything about this field before I went through the program,” he said, “but it’s definitely
something I’m in to.”
The four-month program wrapped up with a poster session, where students presented
the findings from their research.
Deemed a success, the program has expanded in 2007–2008 to include students from
both Farragut and Oak Ridge High Schools.
Image Information
Timm Moon, a senior at Farragut High School (FHS), shares the results of his research
project with FHS advisor Kristin Baksa. Moon recently completed a four-month internship
at ORNL through ORISE. His studies at the lab, which were extended through the spring
semester, focus on the physical properties of biodiesel in automobile engines.
Image Information
Mentor Cem Culiat (pictured left) and Lucas Ludermilk,
a participant in the Tennessee Governor’s Academy from
Humbolt, Tenn., are researching the complex molecular
pathways regulated by the cell signaling protein Nell1
during early heart and blood vessel development at
ORNL’s Biosciences Division. Understanding its effects
can lead to better treatment strategies for heart and
blood vessel defects.
25

Research Programs a
Win-Win for Participants
and Employers
Filling the workforce pipeline with the next generation of science and technology leaders is critical to the
global competitiveness of the United States. Participants in many of the ORAU- and ORISE-administered
science education programs find themselves moving out of that pipeline and into full-time positions at the
facilities or agencies where they had been placed. The programs work well in that students gain experience
in the national laboratories while their mentors gauge their performance and suitability for employment.
From Intern to Full-Time Employee, Engineer Is Glad He
Never Left ORNL
When Adam Carroll first came to ORNL as a mechanical
engineering intern in the Remote Systems Group of
the Nuclear Science and Technology Division, he never
wanted to leave. As it has worked out, he doesn’t
have to.
After four internships at ORNL and the completion of
his bachelor’s degree in 2007, Carroll was hired as a
research scientist in the same group where he interned
through programs administered by ORISE.
Carroll credits these internships as the main reason
potential employers were interested in hiring him after
college. “When I interviewed with other companies,
before being asked to return to ORNL full time, their
biggest reason for being interested in me was my
experience at ORNL. After explaining to the interviewer
what I really did at ORNL, they told me few people have
Image Information
Adam Carroll found that his undergraduate research
appointments at ORNL positioned him well in the job
market. While many potential employers valued his
experience, he was ultimately able to realize his dream of
becoming a full-time research scientist at ORNL.
even come close to that level of experience until after
college,” said Carroll, a University of Arizona graduate.
The main focus of Carroll’s internships, which involved
research that he continues to do today as a full-time
scientist, was to help design tools and parts for a
highly radioactive environment at ORNL’s Spallation
Neutron Source (SNS), which produces the world’s
most intense beams of pulsed neutrons for research. In
addition to designing tools for the hot cell at SNS, Carroll
also develops conceptual designs for the proposed
Component Test Facility, which aims to extend material
research in ORNL’s fusion energy program.
ORNL mentor E. Craig Bradley said, “Carroll’s internship
experience allowed group members and our customers
to become familiar with him and his capabilities, which
was influential in his hiring. He was able to join our staff
with established working relationships and capabilities,
with little need for additional training or orientation.”
From the Garden to the Lab, Scientist Cultivates
Love of Plants
As a small child, Sara Jawdy remembers helping her
mother select and cultivate the seeds that would grow
to become flowers in her mother’s flower beds at the
family home in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. Jawdy’s
childhood experience spurred a lifelong interest in
botany, and today Jawdy works as a plant scientist in
the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) at ORNL.
Jawdy studied plant breeding at university, eventually
earning a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and a
master’s degree in plant biotechnology. During her
studies, she interned at ORNL through the Higher
Education Research Experiences program, which
is managed by ORISE. ORISE also helped fund a
postmaster’s internship with the lab so that she could
continue her work there.
In February 2007, after being associated with the lab
since 2001 with the help of the ORISE programs, Jawdy
was hired in a permanent position as a technical staff
scientist. Jawdy works on multiple research projects
at ESD, mainly involving studies of the genes of the
poplar tree. The goal of the research is to increase
understanding of the molecular mechanisms that trees
use to develop and survive in the forest.
26

Image Information
Sara Jawdy (left) works with ORNL coworker Lee Gunter (right) in a greenhouse
surrounded by poplar trees. Jawdy credits her multiple internships and research appointments
at ORNL for leading to her current full-time scientist position there.
Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
“In the long term, this information can be used to
manipulate plant or tree growth to help mitigate
some of the environmental problems we now face,
such as increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,”
Jawdy explained.
Jawdy said the most valuable part of the ORISE programs
was the opportunity to study and learn from scientific
experts in the field, who made her feel a key part of the
research team. She also gained important experience
working in molecular biology lab. “I learned almost
everything that I now know about lab technique here at
ORNL,” she said.
Jawdy firmly believes that becoming employed as fulltime
technical staff at ORNL was a direct result of the
work she did while participating in the ORISE programs.
Her mentor Dr. Gerald Tuskan agreed. “We had many
applicants for the position, but Sara was familiar with the
lab and the procedures and that was a strength for her.
She also had gained experience with what our needs
were in terms of the projects we were working on,”
Tuskan said.
Jawdy reiterated the benefits of the ORISE programs.
“There is no better way to find out if research is
Research Participation
Program Assignment Results
in Career with the U.S. Army
something you would enjoy as a career than to immerse
yourself in a ‘real-life’ research setting, especially at a
place like ORNL where there is such a rich resource of
scientists to mentor you while you work on a project,”
she said.
Major Ricardo Reyes, a health physicist and nuclear medical science officer, served nearly 2.5 years as a
postgraduate participant at the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) in
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. While at USACHPPM, Reyes became interested in the military and was
commissioned before his appointment expired.
His first assignment landed him right back at USACHPPM, where he contributed to the development of technical
guides designed to assist deployed soldiers in identifying and assessing health hazards related to radiological sources.
Reyes was also deployed to respond to the Sept. 11, 2001, incident at the Pentagon as part of the Special Medical
Augmentation Response Team–Preventive Medicine.
Since joining the military, Reyes has held assignments in Germany, Kuwait, and Iraq. He was also promoted to Captain
and, most recently, to Major. Reyes is also completing his doctorate degree in medical health physics at the Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.
Image Information
Major Ricardo Reyes said participation in the ORISE-administered
USACHPPM program offers an excellent opportunity for recent
science and technology graduates to gain work experience in
their specific fields beyond entry level tasks, gradually exposing
participants to many echelons of expertise.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2
Christopher Heryford.
27

Students/Teachers “Vacation”
at ORNL Through ARC Institute
Summer school took on new meaning for a select group of Appalachian students and teachers
who took two weeks out of their vacation to learn from the world-class scientists at ORNL.
From 11 Appalachian states spanning New York to Mississippi, the group of 33 students and
12 teachers came to Oak Ridge to experience the latest developments and research in science
and technology. In its 18th year, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)/ORNL 2007
Math-Science-Technology Summer Institute ran July 7–20. Administered by ORAU, the program
gave students and teachers a chance to have fun and conduct research in one of the country’s
most renowned national laboratories while studying projects ranging from robotic systems and
engineering development to the ecology of wetlands.
ORISE
Coordinates
National Science Bowl ®
More than 300 high school students competed in the national finals of the 17th annual
DOE National Science Bowl® (NSB) in Washington, D.C.
ORISE led the efforts to coordinate the event, which included helping DOE with congressional
communications; developing score sheets, rosters, and recognition awards; and making logistical
arrangements for all NSB participants, including students, teachers, regional coordinators, alumni,
speakers, and staff.
The intent of the NSB is to excite middle and high school students about taking math and science
classes. Poudre High School from Fort Collins, Co., won this year’s competition by answering a
difficult chemistry question in the final round. Their prize was a science research trip to Australia.
28

Undergraduate Programs Encourage
Oceanic and Atmospheric Studies
The 2007 recipients of the ORAU-administered National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions
Undergraduate Scholarship met NOAA senior leadership, Congressional representatives, leading
environmental scientists, mentors, and support contractors during their orientation program in
Silver Spring, Md., in May. This program provides scholarships and internships for juniors pursuing
degrees related to the NOAA arena at minority-serving institutions. These 15 recipients will serve
during two academic semesters and participate in two summer internships.
ORAU also administers the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program on behalf of
NOAA. Since its inception, the program has awarded scholarships to 322 undergraduate students,
including 110 students who were awarded scholarships for the 2007 fall term.
Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Image Information
Mariano Padilla, a participant in DOE’s Science
Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program at ORNL,
left his career in information technology to pursue
degrees in engineering and physics.
Childhood Love of Physics Leads
Participant to Change Career Paths
and Pursue Science
How fast does light travel? What makes objects fall? How does
energy become matter?
These were the types of questions that intrigued Mariano
Padilla as a child. And after a 15-year career spent working in
information technology, Padilla decided to change professions,
return to school, and pursue his childhood passion—physics.
“Physics has always intrigued me, but age makes no difference,”
Padilla said. “I began my physics trek at age 34, and I look
forward to continuing my trek until my goal is completed.”
During the summer of 2007, Padilla put his love for physics
to the test at ORNL as a participant in DOE’s Science
Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program, which ORISE
administers on behalf of ORNL. Assigned to the Spallation
Neutron Source (SNS) control room, Padilla was tasked with
developing an integrated reporting system that would distribute
and present information via Web and e-mail. His efforts helped
save time and improved the ability of physicists and control
room operators to monitor the health of the hydrogen ion
beam accelerator, which produces neutrons for research at
the SNS.
“The development of this high-profile system put to use
my computer experience, as well as my physics studies,”
Padilla said. “My 10-week internship wasn’t enough time
to test and debug the system, so my mentor Willem
Blokland and I discussed the possibility of me returning to
the SNS to finalize it.”
But this isn’t the first time he spent a summer at ORNL.
Padilla participated in the DOE Community College
Institute in 2006. It was during this summer internship in
the physics division that Padilla became most interested
in astrophysics, specifically.
Padilla’s decision to choose a new career path appears to
have been the right one for him. DOE recently selected
his research paper —the “Development of Emittance
Analysis Software for Ion Beam Characterization”—to be
published in DOE’s Journal of Undergraduate Science.
Padilla, who describes his experience with ORNL as an
“amazing” one, hopes to return to ORNL as a participant
in the theoretical department of the astrophysics group.
“I want to get a Ph.D. and work at a national or
international lab or at Cambridge University. . .,” Padilla
said. “I have high ambitions one day to revolutionize the
field of physics.”
29

NASA Postdoc
Program Offers
Fellows Unparalleled
Research Experiences
In the second year of administering the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP), ORAU supported 215 participants.
This included fellowship offers to more than 65 new participants and renewals of more than 80 fellowships.
Approximately 55 percent of the participants in 2007 were foreign nationals representing 33 countries.
The NPP Fellows conduct research in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including space science, earth
science, aeronautics research, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology. The following profiles
describe the research and experiences of three of these participants.
Photo courtesy of NASA/Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital
Keigo Fukumura
Location of Fellowship
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Research Focus
Black holes, specifically the X-ray activities associated with black hole
accretion processes (i.e., processes of hot plasma falling into black
holes), which will greatly help scientists understand their specific roles of
producing observable high energy phenomena.
Background
Born and raised in Osaka, Japan
Bachelor’s degree in physics from Kyoto Sangyo University in Kyoto, Japan
Master’s degree in physics from Western Illinois University
Ph.D. in physics from Montana State University
Accomplishments
Collaborated with NASA researcher Dr. Demosthenes Kazanas on several
papers, which have been published by various scientific journals.
The Value of the Fellowship
“The NPP has provided me the opportunity to conduct research of my interest and explore new insights
into a wide range of astrophysical context,” said Fukumura. “While any scientific research is a never-ending
story, it is my dream that my research will open up a new door to unveil the mysteries of these exciting
objects in the universe.”
NASA Participant Studies Influence of Environmental Factors
on Bird Migration
NASA’s reputation as a world leader in the advancement of
space exploration has helped it earn the distinction as one of
the federal government’s most respected research agencies.
But beyond being known for its commitment to the progress
of space research, NASA is also working to learn more about
environmental factors that affect the earth.
One area of interest
to NASA scientists is
demonstrating how the
agency’s remote sensing
data and models can be
used to understand the
distribution of organisms
on the planet. As a
participant in the NASA
Postdoctoral Program at
the Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt,
Md., Dr. Jill Deppe
studied avian migration
on continental scales to
understand the potential
impacts of climate
change, natural disasters,
and human activities on
migratory birds.
30

“Until now, our knowledge of bird migration at large
scales has been hindered by the broad geographic
extent of migratory movements and the short time period
during which migration takes place,” explained Deppe.
However, technological advances in remote sensing
and computing are giving researchers new tools and
approaches to understand bird migration.
Deppe explained that many conservation biologists are
concerned that large-scale alterations in the landscape
due to human activities may eliminate critical links along
routes flown by migratory birds—placing this fascinating
natural phenomenon in jeopardy.
“An important aspect of our research focuses on
understanding how atmospheric and land surface
conditions influence the spatial and temporal distribution
of migrating birds in North America,” she said. “Through
our research, we hope to provide insight into the
possible effects of climate change and other factors,
such as urbanization and habitat alteration, on migration
activities and migratory bird populations.”
Although environmental law was Deppe’s first career
aspiration, she was introduced to opportunities in
biological research as an undergraduate research
assistant at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She
changed her major and graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in biology. She later completed a Ph.D. in the
same subject at the University of California, Riverside.
Deppe said the NPP opportunity gave her new
perspectives on migration biology and the advantages of
collaborative research.
“The program offers an excellent opportunity to interact
with and learn from some of the nation’s brightest
scientists, as well as participate in cutting-edge scientific
and technological research,” said Deppe. “I gained a
greater appreciation for how cross-disciplinary studies
can advance our progress toward understanding
complex, natural phenomena.”
Latecomer to Astronomy is a Star in NPP
Although she
describes herself as a
latecomer to her field,
Dr. Leigh Jenkins, a
NASA Postdoctoral
Research Fellow in
the X-Ray Laboratory
at NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center
(GSFC) in Greenbelt,
Md., is already making
waves through her
work with NASA’s
Spitzer Space
Telescope. Along
with her mentor,
NASA Astrophysicist
Ann Hornschemeier,
Jenkins recently led
a study of the Coma cluster, an enormous congregation
of galaxies 320 million light-years away in the Coma
Berenices constellation.
Using the Spitzer Space Telescope’s Infrared Array
Camera, Jenkins and her team focused their study on the
galaxies at the cluster’s center as well as in an outlying
region. Their aim was to compare the galaxy populations
in the different locations to see how environmental
variations influence the evolution of galaxies. The team
found nearly 30,000 objects in the designated space—
1,600 of which Jenkins estimates are actually dwarf
galaxies—and many more than have been identified in
the past.
Jenkins finished her master’s degree in astrophysics at
the University College of London in 2001, and it wasn’t
until a few years later that she decided to pursue a Ph.D.
in astronomy, which she completed at the University
of Leicester in the UK in 2005. While earning her
doctorate, she learned of the NPP and was invited by
Hornschemeier to apply.
Jenkins began her work at GSFC in January 2006. Her
studies of the Coma cluster’s galaxy population are just
a portion of her overall research. Using X-ray space
telescopes, Jenkins hopes to one day understand the
X-ray properties of star-forming galaxies in the local
universe.
“Determining when and why stars form is one of the
key problems in astrophysics,” said Jenkins. “Once we
understand the properties of star formation in galaxies in
the local universe, we will be able to draw conclusions
from X-ray surveys of galaxies at much greater distances,
to establish how star formation has evolved from the
early universe to the present day.”
Jenkins is nearly two-thirds of the way through her
three-year tenure at GSFC, at the end of which she plans
to continue on with her research, be it in the United
States or back home in the UK. She credits the NPP with
allowing her the freedom to pursue her area of interest
and collaborate with some of the best scientists in
her field.
Image Information
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captured this false-color
mosaic of the central region of the Coma cluster, an enormous
congregation of galaxies 320 million light-years away in the
Coma Berenices constellation. The image combines infrared
and visible-light images to reveal thousands of faint objects
(green), many of which are galaxies belonging to the cluster.
NPP Fellow Leigh Jenkins worked with NASA Astrophysicist Ann
Hornschemeier to lead a study of the Coma cluster.
Photo courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab-Caltech.
31

Marvin L. Wesely Distinguished
Graduate Research Environmental
Fellowship Winners
Cynthia Randles and Colleen Iversen received the Marvin L. Wesely Distinguished Graduate Research Environmental
Fellowship (GREF) in 2006 and 2007, respectively, in recognition for their global change research. DOE’s Global Change
Education Program, which is managed by ORISE, established the Wesely award in 2003 to honor the late Dr. Marvin L.
Wesely, who was a senior meteorologist and scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and active mentor to GREF fellows.
The annual award provides distinction and visibility to the fellows’ research.
Randles Examines Impact of Soot on Global
Climate Change
Growing up, Cynthia Randles, who as a high
school student apprenticed at the Kennedy
Space Center, dreamed of one day exploring
the universe.
As an adult, Randles is more interested in exploring
the atmosphere around us as a climatologist.
A doctoral student at Princeton University’s
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program,
Randles studies how carbonaceous particles, like
soot and smoke, affect global climate change.
Carbonaceous particles are composed of lightscattering
organic carbon, or OC, and lightabsorbing
black carbon, or BC. They are critical to
the atmosphere
because they
can scatter
or absorb the
sun’s intense
rays. They can
therefore heat
the atmosphere
while at the
same time cool
the surface by
blocking the
sunlight from
reaching it.
Major sources
of OC and BC
emissions are from combustion processes, mainly
fossil-fuel burning, biofuel burning, and forest and
savannah fires such as those in South America and
southern Africa. Randles’ research involves trying
to understand how the particles might affect
global climate change, specifically how they impact
clouds and precipitation patterns.
“The aim of my research is to try and reduce uncertainties
associated with the particles’ reflective and absorption
properties by understanding how sensitive, for example,
the response of a global climate model is to these various
properties,” Randles explained.
One possible indirect effect of the particles might be
to slow global warming because of their effect on the
reflectivity of clouds. In fact, OC particles could actually
make clouds shinier and thus reflect the sun’s heat back
into space, exerting a cooling effect on the climate.
However, Randles pointed out a potential problem with
this scenario. “As we clean up the scattering particles in the
air to mitigate air pollution concerns, we may be causing
more warming if we neglect to clean up the absorbing
carbonaceous particles as well,” she said.
Iversen Sees the Forest for Its Trees
As the amount of heat-trapping gases such as carbon
dioxide (CO 2
) rise in the atmosphere due to fossil
fuel burning, forests have been seen as critical to the
absorption of CO 2
emissions. However, research that
University of Tennessee doctoral student Colleen Iversen
is pursuing indicates that carbon storage in forests might
be more complicated than was once thought.
The prevailing view amongst scientists has been that
most excess carbon taken up by forest ecosystems would
be allocated to the woody portion of the tree. However,
in the sweetgum plantation at ORNL’s forested Free-Air
CO 2
Enrichment (FACE) experiment, Iversen has found
that a significant amount of the excess carbon taken up
by the trees goes to forming fine roots, which are smaller
in diameter than the
thickness of a penny.
This phenomenon
can lead to a decline
in soil nutrients that
may prevent forests
from continuing to
take up more carbon
in response to rising
atmospheric CO 2
.
The main research objective at ORNL FACE is to
understand and to quantify how greater CO 2
emissions
might affect the Eastern deciduous forest. Iversen and the
other researchers at the ORNL FACE facility have identified
several important implications for forest responses to
elevated CO 2
.
First, less carbon may be stored as living tree matter
than originally thought because fine roots live and die in
the span of a year, whereas stem wood can last for the
lifespan of the tree (greater than 50 years). Increased root
production also leads to increased nitrogen uptake from
the soil. Because the soil contains a finite pool of nitrogen,
researchers are uncertain as to how long this imbalance
can be sustained. Finally, decomposition of the added roots
results in a greater nitrogen requirement for the microbes
that degrade them. While this could lead to less nitrogen
available for plants, it could also result in more carbon
storage in the soil.
“The way in which forests allocate biomass [living matter]
in response to rising atmospheric concentrations of CO 2
will determine whether carbon storage in forests
will mitigate some portion of fossil fuel burning,”
Iversen explained.
32

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
e n s u r i n g t h e q u a l i t y a n d
c r e d i b i l i t y o f s c i e n t i f i c
information and funded research

S c i e n t i f i c a n d Te c h n i c a l P e e r
Review Programs
“We remain committed to coordinating rigorous peer reviews
with a high level of process integrity. The resulting technical
evaluations are invaluable to our customers as they allocate funding
to the very best research proposals and distribute high-quality credible
information within the scientific community and to the public.”
Mike Wetzel, Vice President and Director of Peer Review Programs
When the federal government disseminates
scientific information or funds research proposals,
it is critical that the information or the proposals
are scientifically feasible and have verifiable
technical merit. Through a customizable peer
review process using external experts, ORISE is
helping the federal government make informed
decisions regarding the quality of the science.
Contact Information
Scientific and Technical
Peer Review Programs
(865) 576-1087
peerreview@orau.org
http://orise.orau.gov/peer
2007 Accomplishments
• Coordinated 48 scientific peer reviews of 1,906 research
proposals involving 1,398 reviewers with potential
funding of awards totaling more than $748 million.
• Coordinated the review process that led to the
establishment of three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers
funded at more than $400 million
• Arranged nine workshops to disseminate research efforts
to the research community or the general public
• Managed 11 expert panels for DHS to identify and
evaluate risk assessment methods
• Evaluated the technical merit of seven health risk
assessments for the EPA Integrated Risk Information
System, which focuses on human health effects that may
result from chemical exposure
• Assisted DOE with 160 program, project, and site reviews
to evaluate ongoing and completed research activities
in basic energy sciences, biological and environmental
sciences, and computational sciences
• Managed review programs for the Pennsylvania
Department of Health to evaluate the progress of six
ongoing health research projects and the outcomes of
172 completed research projects
Focus Areas
• Provide agency-specific peer-review assistance to
coordinate evaluations by independent and objective
reviewers on the technical merit of research proposals,
progress reports, or products
• Manage ORAU’s PeerNet system, a Web-based
application that distributes research proposals to
reviewers, collects reviewer comments, and provides
evaluation reports with maximum process integrity
• Apply the peer-review model to evaluate ongoing
and completed research or other technical reports
or products
Key Customers
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
34

ORISE Coordinates Reviews for Establishment
of DOE Bioenergy Research Centers
With an investment totaling more than $400 million
into three new Bioenergy Research Centers in 2007, the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) took an important
step in strengthening America’s energy security. The
actions also advance President Bush’s Twenty-in-
Ten Initiative, which seeks to reduce U.S. gasoline
consumption by 20 percent within 10 years through
increased efficiency and diversification of clean energy
sources. The Genomics:GTL program within DOE’s Office
of Biological and Environmental Research turned to
ORISE to coordinate the merit-based, competitive review
process that included external scientific peer review of
the research proposals for the funded centers, which are
intended to accelerate basic research in the development
of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels.
ORISE’s role included coordinating three separate
reviews conducted throughout the selection process.
During the initial review, external reviewers from around
the world evaluated the scientific/technical merit of
the proposals. In the second review, reviewers critically
evaluated presentations from a select group of principal
investigators who were chosen from the initial peer
review. The final review provided both individual and
collaborative comments across the three selected centers
to baseline the management and science components of
the approved research.
These reviews culminated in the selection of the
following three centers in June 2007:
• The DOE Bioenergy Science Center, led by Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL), is studying the resistance
of plant fiber to breakdown into sugars and the
potential energy crops of poplar and switchgrass.
• The DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, led
by the University of Wisconsin in Madison, in close
collaboration with Michigan State University, is
studying a range of plants and, in addition to exploring
plant fiber breakdown, aims to increase plant
production of starches and oils, which are more easily
converted to fuels.
• The DOE Joint Bioenergy Institute, led by DOE’s
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is
concentrating on “model” crops of rice and
Arabidopsis and is exploring microbial-based synthesis
of fuels beyond ethanol.
“The collaborations of academic, corporate, and national
laboratory researchers represented by these centers
are truly impressive, and I am very encouraged by the
potential they hold for advancing America’s energy
security,” noted Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.
Establishment of the Bioenergy Research Centers
culminates a six-year effort by DOE’s Office of Science to
lay the foundation for breakthroughs in systems biology
Image Information
An ORNL researcher takes a sample of a poplar seedling for analysis as part of the DOE Bioenergy
Science Center’s work to develop crops for biofuels production. The ORNL center was one of three
research centers selected through a competitive review process, coordinated by ORISE, to be funded
by DOE in 2007. The centers focus on research into and development of cellulosic ethanol and other
biofuels as a means of strengthening America’s energy independence.
Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
35

ORISE Coordinates
First DHS University
Network Summit
Image Information
Myrtle Evans-Holland of Morgan State University’s School
of Public Health and Policy was one of 36 students
who participated in the poster session at the first DHS
University Network Summit on Research and Education in
Washington, D.C., in March 2007.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
DHS Centers of Excellence
Center
Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events
(CREATE)
National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD)
National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease
Defense (FAZD)
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and
Responses to Terrorism (START)
Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic
Event Response (PACER)
Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA)
University Affiliate Centers to the Institute for Discrete
Sciences
Regional Visualization and Analytics Centers
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
is working to protect our nation from future acts of
terrorism by tapping into the scientific knowledge and
technological expertise found in the U.S. academic
community. With the establishment of the DHS Centers
of Excellence under the Homeland Security Act of 2002,
scientists and researchers at universities nationwide
now collaborate on high-priority homeland security
issues. The Centers, which are supported by the DHS
Office of University Programs, focus on studies of
biological, chemical, and radiological threats; explosive
devices; and cyber-terrorism; as well as agricultural/food
system security, behavioral aspects of terrorism, and
preparedness and response to catastrophic events.
Location
University of Southern California
University of Minnesota
Texas A&M University
University of Maryland
Johns Hopkins University
Michigan State University
Led by Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
Led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Since 2003, ORISE has managed the peer-review
process to help DHS select six university-based and two
laboratory-based Centers of Excellence where homeland
security issues are analyzed, and innovative practices are
developed to advance the DHS mission. In March 2007,
the department held the first DHS University Network
Summit on Research and Education to offer a look at the
achievements of the Centers of Excellence.
Representatives from the DHS Centers were on hand
to address the department’s scientific research and
education needs at the three-day summit, which was
attended by more than 400 homeland security officials,
professionals, researchers, educators, and students,
as well as other interested parties in government,
academia, and industry. Spotlighting University
Program’s initiatives and how they were being achieved
was the primary focus of the summit. DHS officials were
also on hand to discuss research and education needs
in the key divisions of the Science and Technology
(S&T) Directorate.
ORISE coordinated the summit with the Office of
University Programs to ensure a well-organized event
that allowed valuable interaction between Centers
of Excellence students and stakeholders through a
showcase of poster presentations and discussions about
past, present, and future research.
“The first DHS University Network Summit was a
watershed event that brought the Centers of
Excellence together with each other and DHS to focus
some of the nation’s top scientific talent on homeland
security issues,” said Matthew Clark, director of the
DHS Office of University Programs. “The Centers
provide DHS with access to the best intellects and
facilities available in academia. ORISE served a critical
role working with S&T to plan and execute this event at
a high level of professionalism, allowing us to showcase
DHS’ commitment to homeland security research
and education.”
36

ORISE Manages the Peer
Review for the NNSA Stockpile
Stewardship Program
As our nation’s nuclear arsenal ages, the National
Nuclear Security Administration/Defense Programs
(NNSA/DP) maintains the safety and reliability of our
nuclear weapons stockpile through the Stockpile
Stewardship Program (SSP). In the absence of nuclear
testing, the SSP takes a scientific approach to predict,
detect, and evaluate potential problems that could
develop as nuclear warhead components potentially
change properties over time.
A key component of the SSP is the Stewardship Science
Academic Alliance (SSAA) program of grants and
cooperative agreements with American university
researchers. Through a competitive grant process,
Image Information
the SSAA program provides support for unclassified
experimental research in areas relevant to stockpile
stewardship.
The SSAA program funds two types of grants:
Research Grant Awards, which are typically a single
investigator working on a one- to three-year project; and
comprehensive multidisciplinary and multi-investigator
Centers of Excellence, which are five-year projects
managed as cooperative agreements with NNSA/DP.
In 2007, NNSA/DP called on ORISE for the fourth time
to help administer the peer review of the SSAA grant
submissions. Using PeerNet, ORISE’s Web-based proposal
review database, ORISE staff configured a unique system
for providing a multifaceted, comprehensive rating
system that met NNSA program needs.
ORISE also played a prominent role in reviewer
recruitment by collaborating with NNSA program
managers to first define reviewer skill sets in the highly
specialized areas of high-energy-density physics, lowenergy
nuclear science, and materials under extreme
conditions and hydrodynamics. ORISE then applied
those skill sets to diversify the SSAA reviewer pool by
identifying and recruiting new reviewers. As a result,
new approaches were merged with proven processes to
ensure the successful completion of the review for
NNSA and the award of approximately $6 million in
research grants.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) doctoral student Daniel Casey (left) discusses with fellow Ph.D. student Mario
Manuel and advisor Dr. Richard Petrasso the setup he used to develop and debug the detector for the high-resolution neutron
spectrometer. This spectrometer is currently being interfaced at the OMEGA facility at the University of Rochester Laboratory for
Laser Energetics, where it will be used to accurately characterize the extreme high-density states achieved in OMEGA implosions.
A similar neutron spectrometer, also designed by the MIT High-Energy-Density Physics/Inertial Confinement Fusion Division, will
be interfaced at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, which houses the largest laser in the world
and will be used to demonstrate thermonuclear fusion ignition in the laboratory around 2010. Funded by the NNSA SSAA program,
high-energy-density physics research such as this is an essential component of the NNSA Stockpile Stewardship Program.
Photo courtesy of MIT High-Energy-Density Physics/Inertial Confinement Fusion Division.
37

Photo courtesy of the National Cancer Institute.
ORAU-Led Review
Evaluates Pennsylvania’s
Return on Investment into
Health Research
The Pennsylvania Department of Health relies on
ORAU’s established peer-review process to evaluate its
return on investment resulting from health research
grants awarded through the Commonwealth Universal
Research Enhancement (CURE) Program. CURE, which
was established as part of the Pennsylvania Master
Tobacco Settlement Act, uses tobacco monies to fund a
variety of health research projects.
During 2007, ORAU convened five panels of experts
in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pa., to conduct interim
reviews of research into neurodegenerative diseases
and tobacco use and cessation. Seventeen reviewers
recruited by ORAU evaluated information provided
by the principal investigators, including on-site
presentations, to assess the research progress to date
and the value of the investment as well as to identify any
needed improvements.
ORAU also managed the review for 172 completed
research grants to appraise the success toward
achieving the stated research goals and objectives. The
final summary report includes recommendations for
improvements in future and ongoing research while
also demonstrating the positive return on Pennsylvania’s
outlays for health research. The results are incorporated
in the annual report to the Pennsylvania legislature
on the progress of grants funded by the Tobacco
Settlement Act.
ORISE Leads Review for Hydrogen Fuel Research Proposals
DOE increased the intensity and scope of its four-year-old Basic Research for Hydrogen Fuel Initiatives
program, calling for research proposals that will result in a comprehensive understanding of the physical
and chemical processes that lead to the extraction of hydrogen from its natural environments, the storage
and distribution of hydrogen, and efficient energy conversion, all in a safe as well as economically and
environmentally sustainable manner. DOE turned to ORISE to coordinate the review of the more than 200
proposals received. A team of over 100 experts from leading universities, national laboratories, and private
industry evaluated the scientific merit of the proposed projects using ORISE’s unique PeerNet database
system. As a result of the review, which took place in Rockville, Md., DOE announced $11.2 million in research
grants. DOE expects that these fundamental research programs will lead to discoveries and breakthroughs
that ultimately result in hydrogen becoming a fuel of the future.
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company.
38

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
a n s w e r i n g t h e n e e d f o r
responsive worker health solutions

Worker Health Programs
“We are committed to the health and safety of our customers’
workers. Our systems not only guide former nuclear workers through
processes that address health concerns resulting from occupational
exposures, but they also provide efficient monitoring of current
workplace hazards.”
Donna Cragle, Vice President and Director of Occupational Exposure and
Worker Health Programs
When the diagnosis is illness or disease linked
to workers’ occupational radiation or other
hazardous substances exposure, workers need
a responsive and medically competent system
to address their health needs. DOE and NIOSH,
specifically, needed an effective, national system
to manage the health needs of current and former
nuclear workers in an accurate, timely, and costefficient
manner. ORAU established effective
partnerships on a national scale to provide
innovative worker health solutions and has the
experience and expertise necessary to manage
this process with the highest levels of quality
and integrity.
Contact Information
Occupational Exposure and Worker Health
Programs
(865) 576-3115
occ.health@orau.org
http://orise.orau.gov/oews
• National Supplemental Screening Program
1-866-812-6703 (www.orau.org/nssp)
• Beryllium Vendors Medical Screening Program
1-866-219-3448
• Radiation Dose Reconstruction Project
1-800-322-0111
2007 Accomplishments
• Provided free medical screenings to more than 2,500
people in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada in the
second year of the National Supplemental Screening
Program for former DOE nuclear workers who worked at
49 different sites and facilities
• Completed 3,528 Lymphocyte Proliferation Tests with
an error rate of 0.03 percent
• Completed more than 6,000 dose reconstructions for
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH)
Key Facts
• Manage Beryllium Lymphocyte Proliferation Testing Lab
for DOE, one of only five in the United States
• Serve as data center for illness and injury surveillance
reporting of 14 DOE sites; 120,000+ workers tracked
cumulatively
• Maintain the Beryllium Registry for 18 DOE sites; 30,000
active workers tracked cumulatively
• Collect data annually for DOE’s Radiation Exposure
Monitoring System with 98 organizations reporting for
30 DOE sites; 540,000+ workers tracked cumulatively;
more than 3.2 million total radiation exposure records
• Manage the Human Subjects Research Database for DOE
with 45 sites reporting for 2007
• Completed more than 24,000 dose reconstructions in
the last five years for energy workers who developed
cancers possibly due to work-related radiation exposures
Key Customers
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
• DuPont
• U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive
Medicine (USACHPPM)
• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Y-12 National Security Complex
• L-3 Titan
• NetGain
Key Partners
• Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.
• Dade Moeller & Associates, Inc.
• MJW Corp., Inc.
• National Jewish Medical and Research Center
• Occupational HealthLink
• University of Colorado
40

ORAU Team Completes Successful Five-Year Dose
Reconstruction Contract with NIOSH
Since the advent of nuclear energy in the 1930s,
thousands of dedicated men and women have served in
the nuclear industry. Their hard work brought about not
only the atomic bomb but also peacetime applications
of nuclear energy for both the medical community and
power industry. Now, through the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Dose
Reconstruction Project, many of those workers—or their
surviving family members—have been compensated for
cancers they suffered that may have been a result of the
radiation exposure they experienced during their work.
In September 2007, ORAU and its partners—Dade Moeller
& Associates, Inc. and MJW Corp.—reached the end
of an initial five-year contract with NIOSH to calculate
these workers’ exposures so that uniform and adequate
compensation could be provided through the Energy
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program
Act. At the end of the contract, $869 million had been
awarded in compensation to 8,900 claimants.
“I’m proud that this program has delivered on its
commitment to help the ill workers and their families
who have sacrificed so much. These individuals deserve
the best science that can be provided, so that fair and
just compensation determinations can be made,” said
Kate Kimpan, ORAU’s director of the project.
After receiving the dose reconstruction results from the
ORAU Team, NIOSH provided the information to the
claimant and the U.S. Department of Labor, which then
determined whether the probability that the specific
cancer was caused by the worker’s radiation exposure
was as likely as not (≥50%). If the probability of causation
was ≥50%, then compensation was awarded.
During the five years, the ORAU Team rose to the
challenges of a demanding production schedule for
processing thousands of cases. The ORAU Team
• assembled a team of 450 scientists and managers
from around the nation.
• developed a superior, auditable dose reconstruction
process.
• collected nearly 250,000 source documents.
• completed more than 24,000 individual dose
reconstructions with the highest level of scientific
integrity.
• carried out more than 70,000 personal interviews
with 250,000 phone discussions.
• provided comprehensive products to the claimants
and the public.
Image Information
Dosimeters such as these were used to capture radiation exposure
data for nuclear industry workers during and after World War II.
ORAU used data from dosimeters and numerous other sources to
reconstruct these workers’ radiation doses as part of the NIOSH
Dose Reconstruction Project, which has ultimately resulted in
workers or their families being compensated for cancers they
suffered and that may have been a result of work-related
radiation exposures.
41

Former DOE Worker
Medical Screening
Program Achieves
High Satisfaction Rating
from Participants
During the first two years of the ORAU-administered
National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP), more
than 5,000 former U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
workers from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada have
enrolled for free medical screenings. Patient surveys
indicate almost 100% satisfaction with the program
among those who have completed the screenings.
“Patient satisfaction is extremely important for this
project, enough so that DOE made it a key performance
metric for us,” said Donna Cragle, director of ORAU’s
Occupational Exposure and Worker Health Programs.
“We are very proud that this program has a greater than
99% satisfaction rating to report.”
In 2005, ORAU and its partners—National Jewish Medical
and Research Center, Comprehensive Health Services,
Inc. (CHS), and Occupational HealthLink—won the bid
to administer the NSSP, which is an expansion of DOE’s
Former Worker Medical Screening Program. It includes
workers who may have been exposed to hazardous
substances at work but are unable to be served by other
site-specific health programs. While these workers are
now geographically dispersed throughout the nation,
a network of more than 10,000 CHS clinics allows the
NSSP to offer these individuals the medical attention and
screening they may need at a clinic near their home.
The ORAU Team designed and implemented a
nationwide program to
• determine the appropriate medical exams needed
based on work history.
• have clinics readily available to every former worker.
• use a state-of-the-art, paperless recording and
reporting system.
The process begins with a thorough interview to
determine exposure history. This establishes specific
medical screening exams including a physical exam;
blood, urine, and stool testing; and hearing exam; and
may include lung function, X-ray, and other specialized
exams designed to test for occupational diseases, such
as chronic respiratory disease, hearing loss, kidney or
liver disease, and some cancers. Where the potential
existed for exposure to beryllium, asbestos, or epoxy
resins, additional exams are carried out.
Image Information
More than 5,000 former DOE workers have enrolled in the
National Supplemental Screening Program, administered by
ORAU, entitling them to free medical screenings designed to
detect illnesses that may have been caused by occupational
exposures to hazardous substances.
NetGain Turns to ORISE for
Beryllium Expertise
ORAU is working with Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based NetGain,
a provider of occupational health services to DOE
subcontractor employees, to lend its expertise in the
area of beryllium lymphocyte proliferation testing. ORAU
will be responsible for processing blood samples at its
beryllium laboratory and will assist NetGain’s physicians
in interpreting results and counseling active Y-12 National
Security Complex subcontractor employees who test
positive for sensitivity to beryllium. The lab, which is one
of only five laboratories in the United States qualified to
perform beryllium lymphocyte proliferation testing, also
added Idaho National Laboratory to its growing list of
national laboratories to which it provides similar services.
42

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
instilling public confidence
in environmental cleanup

I n d e p e n d e n t E n v i r o n m e n t a l
A s s e s s m e n t a n d V e r i f i c a t i o n
Programs
“As many of our country’s aging nuclear facilities undergo
remediation, ORAU partners with cleanup agencies to provide
objective, independent surveillance of decontamination and
decommissioning efforts to protect workers, the public, and the
environment from potential radiation risks. These efforts go a long
way in enhancing credibility with the public and stakeholder trust in
environmental cleanup activities.”
Eric Abelquist, Vice President and Director of Independent Environmental
Assessment and Verification Programs
DOE and other federal agencies spend billions of
dollars cleaning up radioactively contaminated
sites each year and need assurances that release
criteria have been met. The ultimate safety
of these buildings and lands is of paramount
concern for the public and future stakeholders
of these properties as well. ORAU is the nation’s
leading provider of independent verification
surveys of environmental cleanup, greatly
enhancing public trust and instilling confidence
in the decontamination and decommissioning of
contaminated sites.
Contact Information
Independent Environmental Assessment
and Verification Programs
(865) 576-3740
eric.abelquist@orau.org
http://orise.orau.gov/ieav
2007 Accomplishments
• Renewed a five-year, $5.8 million agreement with the
NRC to continue to serve as the sole-source, independent
contractor to address regulatory activities related to the
decommissioning of previously contaminated reactor and
materials sites
• Supported independent verification activities for DOE and
NRC at several sites, including Yankee Rowe, Connecticut
Yankee, Miamisburg Closure Project, Oak Ridge East
Tennessee Technology Park Zone 1, the K-25 Building,
and the University of Washington
• Maintained an active role in the development of
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) N42.37,
which provides training in basic radiation detection and
the proper use of detection instruments in support of
homeland security
• Updated the COMPASS software program that guides
users of the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site
Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) into making informed
decisions in designing final status radiological surveys
• Developed a number of hypothetical scenarios
estimating exposure to timepieces containing radium-226
in support of a proposal by the NRC to impose stricter
regulation of consumer items containing radium-
226 in the public domain
• Analyzed more than 8,100 samples at the on-site
radiochemistry laboratory
• Installed 20 new stations and performed maintenance
at 81 sites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Reference Network
• Conducted 26 health physics courses for more than 450
professionals from around the world
Focus Areas
• Independent Verification: Use of field and laboratory
techniques to evaluate final site conditions and to
validate a contractor’s final status survey procedures
• Characterization Surveys: Designed using the data
quality objectives process and includes surface scans for
gamma radiation as well as soil sampling and analysis
• Health Physics Services: Includes applied health physics
evaluations, audit services, and standards development.
• Radiation Sciences Training: Hands-on, laboratory-based
training in a variety of health physics topics
Key Customers
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- Oak Ridge Office (ORO)
• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
• U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
44

ORISE Positioned to Become Part of
“Nuclear Renaissance”
The American nuclear power industry is embarking
on what might be considered the beginning of a new
era. Over the next year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) expects to receive a wave of license
applications, which could signal construction of the first
new nuclear power plants in more than three decades.
Facing increasing dependency on foreign supplies to
meet our country’s growing energy needs, the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 offers incentives to companies
investing in the development of nuclear power. Touted
as one of the cleanest energy sources because it does
not produce greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear energy is
becoming a more viable alternative.
“Nuclear energy is a strategic national resource that
contributes to our national energy security and to the
fuel and technology diversity that is essential to reliable
electric power supply,” stated Joe Colvin, President
Emeritus of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in a
February 2007 speech.
With more than two dozen reactor license applications
on the horizon, ORISE will play a significant role as one
of 11 members of a team selected to assist the NRC in
reviewing these applications from companies seeking to
build and operate the Westinghouse AP1000 advanced
design reactor. The first of its kind in the United States,
the AP1000 has been touted by Westinghouse as the
safest, most advanced nuclear power plant design in
the world. The review team, led by Information Systems
Laboratories of San Diego, Calif., will share a five-year,
$33.8 million contract.
The first AP1000 license applications are expected to
be submitted for locations throughout the Southeast.
Any work specifically awarded to ORISE will involve the
review of sections of license applications focusing on
radiological waste management, radiation protection,
health physics, and meteorology. The overall review
process is expected to span 42 months. Once approved,
the combined license to build and operate, which
replaces the NRC’s previous two-review process, will
give way to a construction period expected to last
approximately 36 months.
With DOE projecting that U.S. electricity demand
will rise 30 percent by 2030, nuclear energy is
seen as essential to our nation’s energy security
by both industry and government leaders.
NEI estimates that more than $2 billion has been
spent in recent years to prepare for the submission of
license applications to the NRC to build and operate
new reactors. The industry is hopeful that the first new
reactors will be online no later than 2020.
“We look forward to contributing to this nuclear
renaissance, which will define how our country manages
energy production in the 21st century,” said Eric
Abelquist, director of ORISE’s Independent Environmental
Assessment and Verification (IEAV) Programs.
Image Information
The Westinghouse AP1000 is one of several new advanced
design reactors expected to be built in the United States over
the next decade. ORISE will serve on the team that reviews
applications from companies planning to build and operate
the AP1000.
Image courtesy of Westinghouse Electric Company.
45

ORISE Helps
DOE Restore
Environmental Security
of Historic Ohio Nuclear Facilities
Dating back to the Cold War era, the state of Ohio has
served as a vital asset in nuclear weapons production
and research in support of the country’s national
security mission. Today, with the help of ORISE, that
legacy is all that remains after three million metric tons
of waste were removed and more than 1,100 acres
were verified as a result of DOE’s decontamination
and decommissioning (D&D) efforts at the Battelle
Columbus, Ashtabula, and Fernald nuclear facilities.
Once key manufacturers and processors of purified
uranium metal used in reactors to produce plutonium
for nuclear weapons, the Ashtabula and Fernald nuclear
facilities closed during the early 1990s but left behind
extensive contamination of the soil, groundwater, and
on-site structures. Likewise, Battelle Columbus, which
performed nuclear reactor and spent fuels research,
required cleanup and verification at former process
buildings and support facilities.
As part of the final release process, ORISE conducted
verification surveys of buildings, above-grade structures,
foundations, and open land areas that were designated
for environmental protection, unrestricted use, or
industrial reuse. The projects presented numerous
Image Information
ORISE collected more than 500 soil samples from across 1,100
acres in support of the decontamination and decommissioning
efforts at DOE’s Battelle Columbus, Ashtabula, and Fernald
sites in Ohio. Through soil sampling, ORISE determined
whether the radiological condition of each site was in
compliance with release criteria.
challenges related to the cleanup and removal of
various types of radionuclides, including mixed fission
and activation products, transuranics, hard-to-detect
radionuclides, uranium, and thorium. ORISE worked
closely with the cleanup contractors to implement inprocess
inspections to improve quality assurance and to
identify areas needing resolution before completion of
each site’s final status survey.
During the survey process, more than 500 soil samples
were collected and submitted to ORISE’s Radiochemistry
Laboratory for analysis and data interpretation. ORISE
health physicists also reviewed various technical
documents and reports associated with the D&D
process, including technical basis documentation, survey
and analysis procedures, and characterization reports.
“Integrating our independent verification activities
into the cleanup planning process was a key success
factor in supporting the DOE Ohio closure projects,”
said Eric Abelquist, ORISE director of IEAV Programs.
“The efficiencies gained by implementing independent
verification in parallel with the contractor’s final status
surveys ensured that projects remained on schedule
even when our activities identified a few soil areas that
were not yet ready for release.”
Over the past 27 years, ORISE has assisted DOE with the
closure of more than 40 sites once used to support the
country’s national security mission by working to restore
them to public and private use, as well as for long-term
environmental management.
46

MARSSIM Course Delivered in
London
After conducting its first international Multi-Agency
Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual
(MARSSIM) course in Spain in 2005, a team of ORAU
health physicists followed up its success by traveling
to Imperial College London in December 2006 to
instruct nuclear decommissioning professionals on the
design, execution, and assessment of a MARSSIM survey.
The course introduced the process of implementing
a standardized procedure for the environmentally
responsible cleanup and decommissioning of nuclear
facilities, which the United Kingdom plans to begin in the
coming years. MARSSIM was developed by a work group
representing DOE, the U.S. Department of Defense, the
NRC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and
other contributors, including ORISE.
Atmospheric Dispersion Research
Strengthens Nation’s Ability to
Protect Public from Hazardous
Material Releases
Should a weapon of mass destruction be used against
the United States, emergency planners would need to
predict how the chemical, biological, or radiological
materials would spread through the air in order to direct
evacuations and response efforts. But these predictions
can be difficult to obtain in urban areas because
meteorological data are collected at weather stations
where the topology is significantly different from that of
a downtown area.
The Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division—
with staff managed by ORISE for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—is working
toward a solution through a collaborative project called
UrbaNet. This research initiative is being tested initially in
Washington, D.C., not only because the city is a potential
target for terrorism but also because its skyline makes it
more feasible to measure specific atmospheric conditions.
UrbaNet takes advantage of the fact that dispersion can
be forecast in similar ways to the weather. Researchers
are using a combination of meteorological instruments
from both private and government sources to gain a
better understanding of how atmospheric conditions
such as wind patterns and turbulence affect the spread
of hazardous materials over metropolitan populations.
ORISE is supporting the program by establishing new
networks of high spatial resolution measurement
stations that provide high quality turbulent atmospheric
flow data. In addition to installing and maintaining
the stations, ORISE is also providing its expertise in
developing algorithms and tools for data processing and
analysis, as well as presenting results to both the research
and operational communities.
To evaluate the use of data generated by the commercial
sector, NOAA has partnered with AWS Convergence
Technologies—operator of 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking
Stations primarily based at neighborhood schools
and public safety facilities across the United States.
ORISE has installed several UrbaNet stations alongside
the WeatherBug instruments, which will allow the
research team to evaluate the viability of using private
meteorological networks to supplement UrbaNet’s
atmospheric measurements.
“The data collected by the NOAA UrbaNet sites and the
evaluation of additional data from WeatherBug stations
are expected to significantly improve our ability to protect
populations from hazardous materials released into the
air in urban areas,” said ORISE Atmospheric Scientist
Chris Vogel.
Additional metropolitan areas are expected to become
part of the study and will be chosen based on homeland
security threat, scientific need, and data availability.
Image Information
An UrbaNet station, like the one seen here atop the Physics
Building at Howard University in Washington, D.C., measures
mean wind characteristics, atmospheric turbulence behavior,
temperature, and relative humidity. UrbaNet is a research
program that generates high-quality, high-resolution data to
improve the ability to forecast how toxic releases will disperse
in urban areas.
47

ORISE Intern Helping to Grow Use of GPS in Radiological Surveys
Professional job experience has long been heralded as a way for
college students to jump-start a successful career path. Seizing the
opportunity to gain such practical experience is University of Tennessee
senior James Viars, a geography major who is lending his expertise in
geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems
(GPS) to help strengthen ORISE’s radiological survey capabilities.
In 2006, ORISE began using GPS to pinpoint locations of radioactive
contamination by pairing geographic coordinates with gamma
radiation levels at close intervals. The advantage of GPS allows
survey technicians to gather more accurate data, which Viars then
Image Information
ORISE intern James Viars collects soil samples in support of environmental
remediation work at the East Tennessee Technology Park (formerly known as
the K-25 site) in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Viars, a geography major at the University
of Tennessee, is working with ORISE to strengthen the ability to pinpoint
radioactive contamination through the use of GIS and GPS.
downloads to a software program to produce a color-coded, thematic
map identifying concentrated amounts of radioactive contamination. The
process allows ORISE to provide maps featuring more precise locations of
contamination to crews tasked with the cleanup of radioactive materials.
The goals of Viars’ research are to facilitate faster collection of on-site
radiological surveys and to create a geo-database for each survey location
that will permit project managers to more thoroughly assess possible
areas of contamination.
The experience has been an eye-opener for Viars, who admitted that
he previously held many misconceptions about the nuclear industry.
“The ORISE staff has been very helpful in answering questions about
health physics and the nuclear industry,” he said. “I feel I have a better
understanding of nuclear issues and radiation and of what is dangerous
and what is simply naturally occurring in the environment.”
The ORISE summer internship program continues to be a win-win for both
the student and our program, according to Eric Abelquist, ORISE director
of IEAV Programs. “Our interns gain valuable job experience and we have
a great opportunity to evaluate the individual’s abilities—not just technical,
but also their motivation, work ethic, and interpersonal skills,” he said.
Health Physics Training Program Moves to New Facilities
After 60 years in the same location, ORAU’s popular health physics training program relocated
in 2007 to a newly remodeled building across town in Oak Ridge, Tenn. All-new laboratories,
classrooms, and offices now allow for more varied and advanced training courses. Improvements
include classrooms equipped with updated audio and visual systems, upgraded fume hoods in the
radiochemistry laboratory, and a larger vault for storing radioactive materials. ORAU has trained
more than 20,000 health physics professionals in the last six decades.
48

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
securing our country against
terrorism and national emergencies

N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y a n d
E m e r g e n c y M a n a g e m e n t
Programs
"During this past year, ORAU's continuous
improvement approach to readiness has positioned
us as a nationally recognized source for national
security and emergency preparedness programs. In
the future, we intend to complement this support by
integrating our specialized expertise and technical
capabilities to help the United States counter threats
to public safety and security."
Andy Page, Vice President and Director of National Security
and Emergency Management Programs
Federal, state, and local government agencies
need emergency planning and operational
support to enhance and integrate their efforts
to combat terrorism, natural disasters, and
other hazards. ORAU experts provide missionfocused
operational experience in real-world
environments and demonstrated planning
expertise to support these agencies with
planning, research, and readiness activities,
which strengthen their preparedness and
response capabilities.
Contact Information
National Security and Emergency
Management Program
(202) 955-3628
national.security@orau.org
http://orise.orau.gov/nsem
2007 Accomplishments
• Led DOE’s Office of Emergency Response compliance
efforts within the National Incident Management System
• Provided a concept of operations for how DOE’s Incident
Management Assistance Team would be integrated
into the response to a complex national incident
requiring radiological support
• Strengthened radiological prevention and response
capabilities with both DOE and the DHS DNDO
• Expanded forensic, scientific, and intelligence support
to the FBI’s Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center
• Began the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation
Program (HSEEP) Mobile Training Course for the
California Office of Homeland Security
Focus Areas
• Plan, coordinate, and execute a variety of national and
statewide weapons of mass destruction exercises for such
agencies as DOE/NNSA, California Office of Homeland
Security, FBI, DHS, and USBR
• Provide operational support to DOE’s Nuclear Incident
Team and senior energy officials for worldwide
deployment of NNSA’s response teams
• Integrate emergency management through exercises,
networking, information management, and innovative
preparedness and response technology for DOE, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and
other agencies
• Provide emergency management integration to DOE
and the DHS fixed-facilities programs through
networking, information management, and innovative
preparedness and response tools
• Provide a real-time, common-operating picture of
readiness for NNSA’s emergency response assets
through an ORISE-developed and -maintained national
asset database
• Track training and readiness events, including lessons
learned, in a comprehensive database for 13 national
laboratories and 11 NNSA emergency response assets
Key Customers
• U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE)
- National Nuclear
Security
Administration (NNSA)
• California Office of
Homeland Security
• U.S. Department of
Health and Human
Services (HHS)
- Centers for Disease
Control and
Prevention (CDC)
• U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ)
- Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI)
• U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD)
• U.S. Department of
Homeland Security
(DHS)
- Domestic Nuclear
Detection Office
(DNDO)
• U.S. Department of the
Interior (DOI)
• U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation (USBR)
50

ORISE Introduces Several “Firsts” to Nation’s
Fourth Full-Scale Terrorism Readiness Exercise
What if a “dirty bomb” hit the United States? Is our
country prepared to respond to such an attack?
This scenario was tested by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security’s (DHS) week-long Top Officials 4
Full-Scale Exercise (T4 FSE) in October 2007. T4 FSE was
the nation’s fourth Congressionally mandated terrorism
preparedness exercise, which involved more than 15,000
participants from federal, state, territorial, and local levels
of government as well as international and private
sector representatives.
With the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as the
coordinating agency for nuclear and radiological
response during the exercise, ORISE’s national security
experts were extensively involved in planning and
assisting in the response to the incident. ORISE’s
assistance began more than 18 months in advance of the
drill and led to several “firsts” for the exercise.
The T4 FSE scenario involved the simulated detonations
of radiological dispersal devices in the U.S. Territory of
Guam, which caused numerous casualties and widespread
contamination in a populous area near a power
plant. Similar attacks followed in Portland, Oreg., and
Phoenix, Ariz.
ORISE team members were present at all three venues
as well as at several emergency operations centers in
Washington, D.C., and at U.S. Northern Command in
Colorado Springs, Colo. ORISE staff also participated in
the Portland-based Incident Management Assistance
Team (IMAT). The exercise marked DOE’s first test of the
IMAT, which is a multidisciplinary team supporting DOE’s
senior energy official on-site at the incident.
ORISE personnel also supported DOE’s senior federal
officials at each of the multiagency Joint Field Offices.
These temporary federal facilities were established during
the incident to coordinate resources at the scene in
Guam, Phoenix, and Colorado Springs.
The exercise also tested the first-ever “Paperless FRMAC”
(Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment
Center). FRMAC supports event response by gathering
and assessing radiation monitoring data for key decision
makers. With the paperless FRMAC, developed by ORISE
and Chainbridge, Inc., data was seamlessly assessed
and transferred to Portland responders throughout the
exercise, thus ensuring a coordinated response. The
system was deemed a huge success by public health
officials involved in the exercise.
Through T4 FSE, ORISE demonstrated its broad
knowledge and experience in national security
capabilities. As a result of this exercise, lessons will be
learned and insight gained about the preparedness of
our nation in the event of a terrorist attack.
Image Information
ORISE works closely with DOE and DHS to plan full-scale
exercises such as T4 FSE to test our nation’s readiness to
respond to radiological attacks. ORISE operations specialists
are part of the response team as well, working side-by-side
with local, state, and national officials to strengthen
response capabilities.
51

ORISE Teams to Develop Web-Based Discussion Platform for T4 FSE
In preparation for the October 2007 T4 FSE, ORISE
worked with subject matter experts within the
California Office of Homeland Security to develop
the “Looking Glass” Web-based discussion platform.
This tool helped more than 200 DHS private industry
partners located outside the three exercise locations
(Guam, Phoenix, and Portland) to interact, share
information, and test their emergency preparedness
plans during the exercise.
“Looking Glass” gave participants 24/7 access to
message postings and live chats for the exchange of
exercise-related information. Subject matter experts
from in incident management and emergency
response were on hand to moderate the discussions,
answer questions, and offer recommendations
on steps to take should a terrorist event occur at
participants’ respective locations.
ORISE Readiness
Management Tool
Provides Status of DOE Assets
The ORISE-created Asset Readiness Management System (ARMS) has provided DOE
with a framework for managing national security readiness levels, equipment inventory,
personnel training, and medical qualifications to the organizations that manage these
resources. ARMS also includes the critical Deployment Manager tool, which provides DOE
personnel with the ability to track the real-time status of their deployed assets.
In 2007, ORISE updated ARMS to provide information on operational depth. Leveraging
the Deployment Manager tool, program managers who share resources are able to
gauge the impact on the community when resources are mobilized and used in a
response situation. The tool was used during T4 FSE by the IMAT and Joint Field Office
personnel to improve situational awareness. The Nuclear Incident Team—a DOE unit that
helps coordinate the response to a nuclear incident—also used ARMS to make immediate
decisions regarding the deployment of additional resources.
Photo courtesy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
52

ORISE Assists NRAT in Its First-Ever
Maritime “No Notice” Exercise
The no-notice exercise program within DOE’s Office of
Emergency Response (NA-42) is a bit like a pop quiz for
DOE’s radiological emergency responders with ORISE as
the quiz administrator.
In FY07, ORISE administered five no-notice exercises for
NA-42, the first time that many had been conducted
in a single fiscal year. These exercises—some of which
are full scale—are conducted with no warning for the
participants and under real-time realistic conditions to
assess the readiness of DOE’s radiological emergency
response assets and to validate existing plans, policies,
and procedures.
Of note during FY07 was a successful full-scale nonotice
exercise in which NA-42’s Nuclear/Radiological
Advisory Team’s (NRAT) at-sea maritime capability was
demonstrated for the first time. Held in Virginia Beach,
Va., in September, NRAT had to search out and identify
radioactive sources on board a ship.
The event involved local police, the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI), military bomb squad personnel,
the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Agents Team, and
the U.S. Navy Special Boat Unit personnel. The scenario,
designed by ORISE with support from members of the
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory,
centered on a USCG request for DOE assistance in
searching a container vessel for radioactive material.
After being briefed on the situation by USCG personnel,
NRAT loaded their search equipment onto a small boat
and boarded the container ship from the water by
ladder. NRAT personnel used several search techniques
once on board to locate and characterize radioactive
sources hidden on the ship.
Exercises of this magnitude assess NA-42’s assets
during their notification, mobilization, deployment, and
employment procedures, as well as test equipment
and mission performance. ORISE was responsible for
all aspects of exercise design, including identifying
objectives, selecting exercise venues, and documenting
asset competence.
Image Information
A DOE NRAT member approaches a ship by ladder, as the
team investigates a report of radioactive material on board
during the group’s no-notice exercise in Virginia Beach, Va., in
September 2007.
53

Golden Guardian Exercise a Success
Photo courtesy of the California governor’s office.
ORISE's national security experts worked with
California officials to plan and execute the nation’s
largest annual statewide emergency preparedness
exercise. The scenario for Golden Guardian 2006
(GG 2006) put the worst possible catastrophes
to the test: a terrorist attack followed by a natural
disaster. The exercise allows state officials to
assess the readiness of local first responders and
emergency managers at federal, state, and local
levels.
A 36-hour event involving more than 1,500
people, GG 2006 began with a mock terrorist
attack at San Bernardino’s Hyundai Pavilion on
day one. This was followed by a simulation
of the April 18, 1906, San Francisco Bay
earthquake on day two.
During the exercise, ORISE operations planners
served as the focal point for the coordination
of the response efforts of 18 state and 5 federal
agencies as well as local jurisdictions both on
the coast and inland. Throughout 2007, ORISE
personnel applied lessons learned from GG
2006 to seminars, workshops, and tabletop
exercises they led in preparation for GG 2007,
which was held in November.
New Special Interest Group Formed
Due in part to the successful 20-year management of the Emergency Management Issues Special Interest
Group (EMI SIG) on behalf of DOE and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), ORISE is now
coordinating the newly formed Emergency Response Special Interest Group (ER SIG).
The ER SIG’s goal is to provide a forum to communicate and discuss policies, pertinent issues, and challenges
and to provide training opportunities that promote continuous improvement related to NNSA’s emergency
response asset community. ORISE planned the group’s first meeting, held in November 2007.
The EMI SIG, now more than 900 members strong, continues to focus on ensuring public and worker health
and safety. Together with ORISE, the EMI SIG created the computer-based tool Exercise Builder to assist DOE in
planning emergency preparedness exercises. This tool has since become a standard for the agency and is used
by other agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
54

DHS Fellow Codes for Truck Safety and Security
At truck weigh stations of the future, specialized
computers will not only be able to help check for safety
violations like they do today, but they will also be able
to detect trucks that are suspected of carrying
radioactive materials.
But before that happens, thousands of lines of computer
code must be written so that data collected at the weigh
stations can be analyzed via specialized computers.
Kristen Lancaster wrote code for a special project funded
by the DHS to make the detection of radiation possible.
The DHS Southeastern Transportation Corridor Pilot
(SETCP) project focuses on designing and installing
specialized monitors for detecting radiation at interstate
truck weigh stations in the southeastern United States.
“The DHS Scholarship and Fellowship
Program has allowed me to focus on my
studies, and when I go to the different
national labs for my internships, I see the
technologies that are coming. I have the
opportunity to experience research firsthand
and to decide if that’s an avenue I
want to follow in my career.”
- Kristen Lancaster
Lancaster’s participation in the project was a part
of her fellowship with the DHS Scholarship and
Fellowship Program, which is managed by ORISE.
As a DHS Fellow, Lancaster interned at ORNL and
spent most of her day writing and debugging
code. As a part of the SETCP project, ORNL is
collecting data and developing computer user
interfaces for the data collection, transfer, and
storage process.
Lancaster calls herself an “average coder,” but her
interests and activities suggest she is anything but.
In the summer of 2005, Lancaster interned as a
DHS Scholar at Sandia National Laboratory’s Center
for Cyber Defenders Program. She also coded in
2006 during a summer job at a major automotive
retail software company.
Lancaster volunteers as a firefighter and emergency
medical technician in Cedarville, Ohio, where she
lives while attending graduate school at the Air
Force Institute of Technology on Wright Patterson
Air Force Base. She views her time at the computer
as time spent potentially helping the first responder
community deal with security threats and
everyday operations.
Once Lancaster completes her master’s degree in
cyber operations, she hopes to work in research
and development for the U.S. Army while her
husband pursues his military career.
Image Information
DHS Fellow Kristen Lancaster wrote code for specialized
software that will gather safety information, including
details about radioactive materials carried by trucks, at
interstate weigh stations.
55

Hoover Dam Exercise to Test
Response Readiness
It’s a busy day at Hoover Dam, located near Las Vegas, Nev.
Tourist traffic has picked up recently due to the holidays.
The parking garage is open, and employees and vendors are
preparing for the Visitor Center to open at 9 a.m.
Suddenly, a vehicle swerves out of the northbound lane
of Highway 93 and crashes near the dam’s Intake Tower.
Seconds later, it explodes, showering the dam with metal
and concrete debris. The Intake Tower has sustained visible
damage and is engulfed in flames. As if on cue, three
individuals wearing assault packs and firing automatic
weapons emerge from the nearby parking garage and
race into the Visitor Center, seizing the facility with an
unknown number of people inside.
What sounds like a good action movie is really part of
an actual scenario ORISE could employ at Hoover Dam
in 2008 in a full-scale exercise designed to evaluate the
readiness of local and federal authorities to respond to
a full spectrum of security threats. The exercise is part of
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s (USBR) National Critical
Infrastructure Exercise Program.
ORISE worked with USBR, the FBI, DHS, regional law
enforcement, and emergency management agencies
throughout 2007 to plan the exercise. Conferences,
drills, and tabletop exercises have prepared these
agencies to participate in the exercise and, ultimately,
have improved their ability to respond to security threats.
Activities have ranged from planning at the local level to
tabletop exercises in Washington, D.C., to prepare the
Reclamation Commissioner and his senior staff for their
roles in a security situation at the dam.
The Hoover Dam exercise is the third in a series of
security-related exercises ORISE has planned for USBR
national critical infrastructure dam sites since 2003.
These exercises have been instrumental in enhancing
each dam’s General Defense Plan and regional response
procedures for a variety of security threats.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
WeB-MEDIS Speeds Emergency Response
Doctoral students from the University of
Tennessee’s (UT) School of Nursing Homeland
Security program gained valuable hands-on
experience with the ORISE-developed WeB-
MEDIS system during a one-day workshop in
2007. With WeB-MEDIS, emergency responders
use handheld devices and wireless technology
to input and share patient data, including vital
signs, contamination, and transportation status
from the field. The information can then
be viewed by the receiving hospitals in the
region prior to the patients’ arrival in the
emergency room.
Following the workshop, the UT students put
the WeB-MEDIS system to the test, as the class
participated in a homeland security exercise in
Huntsville, Ala., where the scenario included a
hurricane that spawned several tornadoes in
the area.
"We were honored to be able to work with [ORISE]
to pilot a program . . . for responders in the field," said
Dr. Susan Speraw, who leads the UT program. "The
positive impact would extend beyond the responder
to the survivor who is the focus of care . . . in a
situation where time is an essential factor
in recovery."
Photo courtesy of the University of Tennessee.
56

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
elevating global understanding and
medical response to radiation emergencies

Radiation Emergency
Medicine Programs
“This past year REAC/TS has appreciably expanded its role, value,
and significance as a DOE/NNSA radiological emergency asset
responsible for the medical aspects of radiological incident
management and has participated in a number of major national
and international full field exercises.”
Albert Wiley, Vice President of Radiation Emergency Medicine Programs
and Director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site
(REAC/TS)
In the event of a nuclear incident, first responders
as well as hospital and emergency management
personnel need the knowledge and training
to quickly manage and support the medical
aspects of human exposure to radiation. Through
practical, hands-on education programs as well as
a dedicated 24/7 deployable team of physicians,
nurses, and health physicists, ORAU has increased
the global knowledge base and training necessary
to provide appropriate and qualified medical
management of radiological incidents anywhere in
the world.
Contact Information
Radiation Emergency Medicine Programs
REAC/TS
(865) 576-3131
reacts@orise.orau.gov
http://orise.orau.gov/reacts
2007 Accomplishments
• Provided hands-on continuing medical education courses
for more than 1,200 people at 20 different locations
around the world
• Conducted 17on-site, hands-on continuing medical
education courses at Radiation Emergency Assistance
Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) in Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
including instruction on pre-hospital radiation emergency
preparedness, radiation emergency medicine, and health
physics in radiation emergencies, among others
• Reestablished the Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory at
REAC/TS, one of only two federally funded labs of its kind
in the country
Key Facts
• Provides 24/7 response to national and international
incidents involving ionizing radiation
• Serves as one of only two WHO Collaborating Centers in
the United States
• Serves as one of only 13 Collaborating Centers
worldwide in WHO’s Radiation Emergency Medical
Preparedness and Assistance Network (REMPAN)
• Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing
medical education for physicians; other courses
accredited by the American College of Emergency
Physicians (ACEP) and the American Academy of Health
Physics (AAHP)
Key Customers
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Office of Health, Safety and Security (HSS)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
58

Ceremony Celebrates Reestablishment of
Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Lab as Radiation
Emergency Response Resource
If an accident occurred at a nuclear power plant,
employees would likely be wearing dosimeters that
would tell treating physicians how much radiation dose
each person received. But if a nuclear attack or disaster
affected the general population, obtaining the dose
information would become more difficult.
Fortunately, the human body has millions of
lymphocytes—blood cells that act as biological
dosimeters to quantify how much radiation a person
has absorbed. And with the reestablishment of ORISE’s
Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory (CBL) in 2007,
our nation gained a valuable resource for examining
a patient’s chromosomes within those blood cells to
identify aberrations resulting from radiation exposure.
Researchers can then calculate a radiation dose to
be used by the medical community in evaluating and
treating the victims.
With the formal dedication ceremony in March, guests
and dignitaries celebrated the CBL’s reestablishment as
a critical addition to the arsenal of defense resources
located in Oak Ridge as well as an international
emergency response resource for radiation dose analysis.
“This facility is absolutely unique within the civilian
community, and it will help to ensure that our nation
is ready and able to respond to a nuclear emergency,”
said Admiral Joseph Krol, associate administrator for the
U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration’s (NNSA) Emergency Operations and
a guest at the dedication ceremony. “Determining the
amount of radiation exposure can ultimately mean the
difference between life and death for the victims.”
Admiral Krol and other attendees toured the new facility
with CBL Director Dr. Gordon Livingston and members
of the CBL staff. Livingston also demonstrated the
cytogenetic biodosimetry technology.
Image Information
ORISE CBL Director Dr. Gordon Livingston (left)
demonstrates the process used for analyzing blood samples
at the CBL for Dr. Robert Brown (center), deputy manager
of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office, and Admiral Joseph Krol,
associate administrator of NNSA’s Emergency Operations.
Admiral Krol and Brown toured the lab as part of a formal
dedication event held on the ORISE South Campus in
Oak Ridge, Tenn.
While the new laboratory benefits from the microscopes
and related equipment once used by ORISE’s former
cytogenetics laboratory, new state-of-the-art equipment
improves the processing time and hence the response
time for treatment. The CBL’s motorized Zeiss microscope
coupled with a slide changer automatically locates
chromosomes of interest on a microscope slide and can
scan up to 80 slides unattended overnight.
Operated as part of the Radiation Emergency Assistance
Center/Training Site (REAC/TS), the CBL is expected to
serve as a resource for other cytogenetic laboratories.
Collaborations have extended to international
laboratories to validate methodologies and results of
blind samples.
59

Hiroshima Fallout Expert
Collaborates With CBL
Image Information
Drs. Akio Awa (foreground) and Gordon Livingston check
images of blood culture samples looking for chromosomal
aberrations. Awa visited REAC/TS’ CBL from Hiroshima on
a six-month assignment under a contract administered by
the Henry M. Jackson Foundation on behalf of the Armed
Forces Radiation Research Institute.
For the first half of 2007, Dr. Akio Awa, one of the
world’s foremost leading cytogeneticists, was a fixture
on ORAU’s South Campus as he worked alongside
Drs. Gordon Livingston and Mark Jenkins in the CBL
analyzing blood cultures and plotting chromosomes.
Visiting ORAU through a contract administered by the
Henry M. Jackson Foundation on behalf of the Armed
Forces Radiation Research Institute, Awa shared his
unmatched experience with the CBL staff for six months.
Awa is widely considered to have performed the most
extensive radiation cytogenetic population studies in
the world, including nearly 30 years spent studying the
effects of “Little Boy,” the nuclear weapon dropped on
Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Awa was in sixth grade in
his hometown of Hokkaido when Little Boy fell, nearly
1,000 miles from Hiroshima. And because not much
was known about radiation and the possible effects of
exposure at the time, seven years passed before Awa’s
town learned more details about the bombing. It wasn’t
until Awa began working for the Atomic Bomb Casualty
Commission (the ABCC, which was reorganized into the
Radiation Effects Research Foundation [RERF] in 1975)
that he became aware of the gravity of the
Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Awa focused on two projects while with the ABCC and
later with the RERF. He studied blood cultures of A-bomb
survivors, looking for any chromosomal aberrations
that may have resulted from bombing, and he studied
blood cultures from children of survivors, looking for any
genetic effects, hereditary problems, and/or increases in
mutative diseases. Over 16 years with the agency, Awa
studied cultures from 16,000 children—8,000 children
of A-bomb survivors and 8,000 children whose parents
were not exposed to the atomic radiation. His research
proved that, up until that time, no ill effects of radiation
were observed in the children.
Awa, who originally planned to become a cartoonist and
is well known for the scribbled drawings that appear
in the margins of his lab papers, returned home in July.
Awa lives in Hiroshima with his wife Toshiko, where they
have two sons and one granddaughter.
CBL Tested in T4 FSE
During the October 2007 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Top Officials 4 Full-Scale Exercise (T4 FSE), REAC/TS’ CBL tested for
the first time its capability to receive and process blood samples and calculate radiation doses for “victims” during a full-scale exercise.
Drs. Gordon Livingston and Mark Jenkins screened blood samples for biological evidence of radiation exposure using an established
cytogenetic procedure involving cell culture and chromosome analysis. The blood samples were shipped overnight to Oak Ridge from the
Portland, Oreg., exercise site and were in culture at the CBL the following day. Two days later, the cultures were harvested and prepared
on microscope slides for analysis. On the third day, CBL staff used its automated cytogenetic workstation to triage the 12 samples into
exposed and nonexposed categories. Two samples showed clear evidence of radiation exposure. After a triage sample of 50 cells was
screened, Livingston and Jenkins reported these results to the REAC/TS field coordinator Mark Hart.
60

REAC/TS’ Global Partnerships Strengthen International
Preparedness for Radiological Emergencies
Image Information
A national full-field exercise at the Korea
Hydroelectric CANDU Nuclear Power Plant complex
in Wolsong, South Korea, simulated a fire in the
plant’s power room that damaged the reactor core
and caused fission products to be released into the
environment. The Republic of Korea Ministry of
Science and Technology invited REAC/TS Director
Dr. Albert Wiley to attend the exercise and offer his
observations on the medical response component.
REAC/TS is respected not only as one of the DOE/NNSA’s key
response assets, but also as one of only 13 centers worldwide
in the Emergency Medical Preparedness and Assistance
Network of the World Health Organization (WHO). As
REAC/TS continues to establish international partnerships
through education, exercises, and conferences, the group
is strengthening radiological emergency preparedness and
response around the globe.
REAC/TS’ international collaboration included observing
a national full-field exercise at the Korea Hydroelectric
CANDU Nuclear Power Plant complex in Wolsong, South
Korea. The Republic of Korea Ministry of Science and
Technology (MOST) invited REAC/TS Director Albert Wiley,
M.D., Ph.D., to report on his observations of the May exercise,
which simulated a fire in the plant’s power room, resulting
in damage to the reactor core and the release of fission
products into the environment. The scenario required
MOST to work with health care providers and facilities
and included the evacuation of 600 volunteer residents in
surrounding communities.
REAC/TS also expanded work with both the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and WHO committees
to develop international documentation on medical
radiological/nuclear emergency incident management.
REAC/TS staff contributed to plans for how IAEA countries
may medically assist each other in the event of a nuclear/
radiological incident, and they consulted on a WHO
handbook for medical response to weapons of
mass destruction.
In its NNSA response asset role, REAC/TS staff were among
thousands of federal, state, territorial, and local officials
who participated in the October 2007 DHS T4 FSE national
counterterrorism exercise. Wiley and REAC/TS Nurse/
Paramedic Mark Hart were integral participants on DOE’s
exercise planning team, and two REAC/TS emergency
response teams were deployed to the Portland, Oreg.,
site during the exercise. The exercise also marked the
first full-scale test of the REAC/TS CBL (see highlight on
previous page).
Photo courtesy of L-3 MAPPS.
REAC/TS
Delivers First Radiation
Emergency Medicine Course
for Undersea Medical Officers
Dr. Doran Christensen and Nurse/Paramedic Mark Hart presented a first-of-its-kind course in radiation
emergency medicine to a group of undersea medical officers at the U.S. Naval Undersea Medical Institute
in Groton, Conn., in 2007. The course offered medical officers in-depth education on the treatment and
management of radiation injuries and illnesses and featured a two-and-a-half-hour tabletop exercise looking at
the emergency response and medical consequence management of a radiological incident at a U.S. seaport.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy by Paul Farley.
61

Visiting REAC/TS Fellow Will Lead the
Way for Philippine Radiation Emergency
Medical Response
Dr. Emma Cancino has a large task ahead of her. Upon
returning to Virgen Milagrosa University in San Carlos
City in the Philippines following her four-week fellowship
with REAC/TS, the doctor of internal medicine began
to develop a protocol on the medical management of
radiation accidents for her country.
As new technologies are continually researched and
developed across the Philippines—a nation made up
of more than 7,000 islands—the country’s government
recognizes a need for further education in the realm of
response to radiological emergencies. This led Cancino
to the opportunity to attend REAC/TS courses. Although
the country has never had a radiation-related accident,
Cancino believes pursuing radiation emergency medical
response education can only serve to encourage and
maintain her country’s safe record.
“Radiation management is a continuing education,”
says Cancino. “We learn from past accidents but of
course we hope there will not be anymore. As incident
responders, the best we can do is to be prepared in case
something does happen.”
Cancino’s studies while at REAC/TS consisted of three
courses dealing with radiation emergency medicine.
She also participated in an independent study in which
she toured ORISE’s CBL to learn the role the lab plays in
responding to radiological emergencies.
Cancino spoke highly of her time spent at REAC/TS,
noting that it was a very rewarding experience in terms
of knowledge and skills learned. “I was made aware
REAC/TS Involved in
Launch Prep for NASA
Mars Science Lab
of the importance of the lessons learned from past
accidents, as well as the importance of and processes
involved in cytogenetic biodosimetry in the diagnosis
and treatment of radiation victims,” she said.
Cancino is the fourth physician in the past three years to
be awarded a fellowship by the IAEA to study at
REAC/TS. Previous IAEA fellows were from Argentina,
Egypt, and Qatar.
As National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engineers test the mobility and suspension
performance of a model of the Mars Science Laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California
Institute of Technology in preparation for its 2009 launch, civilian and military emergency medicine
communities are also getting ready with the help of REAC/TS. As part of DOE’s Advanced Launch Support
Group, REAC/TS Director Dr. Albert Wiley is leading his staff’s efforts, which include educating emergency
personnel in at least five hospitals on external and internal decontamination and providing technical review
and comments on NASA planning documents. REAC/TS will also provide medical/health physics support during
launch preparation activities, on-site during the launch, and following the launch, as necessary.
Photo courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab-Caltech.
62

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
e n h a n c i n g n a t i o n a l p r e p a r e d n e s s
for public health threats

H e a l t h C o m m u n i c a t i o n
Programs
“Today's public health threats have no geographic boundaries
and no age limits. Infectious diseases such as malaria and pandemic
flu; chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; and
environmental issues such as childhood obesity and radiological
contamination are ever-present threats in our world. We partner with
governmental agencies and organizations at every level to develop
interventions that span the globe to address these and other public
health issues.”
Marcus Weseman, Vice President and Director of Professional and Technical Training Programs
As public fear about pandemic flu, radiological
terrorism, and other serious health threats
increases, so does the need for effective public
health communication and education. ORAU is
helping the nation prepare for catastrophic public
health events, improve treatment of chronic
diseases, and prevent the spread of infectious
disease. ORAU is developing health communication
materials, health preparedness exercises,
and custom training solutions for all levels of
government and the public health system.
Key Partners
• The Center for Risk Communication
• Syracuse Research Corporation
• Environ Corporation
• Integrated Solutions and Services, Inc.
Contact Information
Professional and Technical Training Programs
(865) 576-3420
health.communication@orau.org
technical.training@orau.org
http://orise.orau.gov/healthcomm
2007 Accomplishments
• Planned, conducted, and evaluated the first ever
Pandemic Flu Continuity of Operations Exercise—ASPA
Connect Exercise—for HHS
• Planned, conducted, and evaluated pandemic flu portof-entry
exercises at international airport quarantine
stations, border crossings, and CDC headquarters
• Tested public adherence to a “hypothetical” federal
quarantine involving a plague outbreak
• Developed for clinicians the End-of-Life Palliative Care
for Oncology computer-based course, which
incorporates recent major advances in end-of-life care
• Developed CDCynergy/Malaria, a tool being used by
nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to develop
new malaria treatment policies
• Developed and distributed more than 700 tool kits for
public health officials preparing for radiological and
nuclear terrorism
• Developed the National Aviation Resource Manual
for Quarantinable Diseases, jointly issued by DOT
and HHS
• Conducted health assessments of more that 40
chemicals, including formaldehyde, methanol,
and nitrobenzene
• Trained faculty and staff at Tribal Colleges and
Historically Black Colleges and Universities in using
medical information to address health disparities
Focus Areas
• Public Communication: Develop evidence-based health
communication programs and social marketing initiatives
using strategies and interventions that are effective with
the target populations
• Public Health Preparedness: Prepare federal agencies
and state health departments for public health crises
through exercises, drills, emergency communication
planning, and crisis/risk communications
• Training and Education: Develop specialized health
communication training programs and learning tools
using interactive electronic technologies and outreach
education for the public
• Research and Evaluation: Assess human health hazards
and behavioral change strategies through scientific
research, audience analysis, and message testing
Key Customers
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• National Library of Medicine (NLM)
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Photo courtesy of the National Institutes of Health.
64

ORISE Exercises Help Prepare
Ports-of-Entry Personnel to Manage
Pandemic Influenza Incident
In today’s world, millions of people are traveling fast and
far. With the tremendous volume of international and
transcontinental travel, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that a communicable
disease could disperse worldwide in just 24 hours.
Such could be the case with an influenza virus, possibly
escalating to a pandemic event. To attempt to limit
the spread of the flu into the United States during a
pandemic, the CDC continues to turn to ORISE for the
planning and execution of a series of scenario-based
tabletop exercises that educate those personnel working
at all international ports-of-entry in the United States
to recognize passengers exhibiting any signs of flu
symptoms and how to manage the incident.
Five separate exercises were conducted during 2007
at U.S. quarantine stations—ports of entry that serve
to limit the introduction and spread of communicable
diseases—in Washington, D.C., New York, San Diego,
Detroit, and Texas. An exercise was also conducted at
CDC headquarters in Atlanta. The New York location
Airport
Seaport
Land/Border Crossing
* Scheduled FY08
San Ysidro
Port of Entry,
San Diego,
Calif.
Honolulu
International
Airport, Hawaii
LAX
International
Airport, Los
Angeles, Calif.
Bridge of the
Americas Port
of Entry, El
Paso, Texas
Detroit Wayne County International
Airport, Detroit, Mich.
O’Hare International
Airport, Chicago, Ill.
George Bush
Intercontinental Airport,
Houston, Texas
Juarez-Lincoln Bridge II Port
of Entry, Laredo, Texas
Anchorage &
Ketchikan, Alaska*
Washington Dulles
International Airport,
Dulles, Va.
Champlain
Port of Entry,
Champlain,
N.Y.
was of particular interest, as it was the border crossing
where Andrew Speaker—the Atlanta lawyer who had a
drug-resistant form of tuberculosis—was able to reenter
the United States without being stopped by Customs and
Border Protection agents.
These discussion-based exercises focused on the
management of a quarantinable disease incident—in
this case pandemic influenza—at an international port of
entry. The scenario involved inbound travelers showing
symptoms and/or a travel history suggesting exposure
to and risk of the flu. The more than 400 exercise
participants included personnel from federal agencies
responsible for port-of-entry oversight; city, county, and
state health departments; emergency medical services;
and local hospitals. Standard operating procedures were
discussed, and needs for improvement were identified.
Pandemic flu and its impact on community settings
were also discussed at a CDC stakeholders meeting
held in conjunction with the Georgia Department of
Health in May and at the CDC’s Congress on Health
System Readiness meeting with the American Medical
Association in Washington, D.C., in July.
JFK International Airport,
New York City, N.Y.
Newark
International
Airport, N.J.*
Miami
International
Airport, Fla.*
Luiz Munoz Marin
International Airport, San
Juan, Puerto Rico
Image Information
Training international ports of entry
personnel in how to recognize travelers
who may be ill with a quarantinable
disease is critical to limiting the spread of
communicable diseases, such as the flu, and
possibly preventing a pandemic event. In
support of CDC’s efforts to address concerns
that these diseases can arrive through
international travelers, ORISE has conducted
tabletop exercises for federal, state, and
local officials at U.S. quarantine stations
across the country over the last two years.
65

ORISE Helps HHS Test
Continuity of Operations
During a Pandemic
How a pandemic could develop...
June 9: The World Health Organization declares an H5N1 human
influenza pandemic. Laboratory tests confirm 697 new cases of the
H5N1 strain in humans since March; 445 of those cases resulted
in death.
June 13: Several cases of H5N1 are confirmed in South America and
Mexico. Six suspected cases of severe respiratory disease are diagnosed
in North America. HHS quarantine stations begin closely screening
inbound travelers for disease symptoms while the CDC continues
a major public education campaign about how to prepare for the
influenza pandemic expected to arrive in the United States.
June 14, early morning: An ill Bethesda, Md., man arrives at a local
hospital and tests positive for H5N1 influenza.
June 14, late evening: A flight from Vancouver, B.C., bound
for Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, has two
passengers on board showing symptoms consistent with H5N1
infection. The ill passengers are transported to a Virginia hospital
where they both test positive for H5N1.
June 15, 10 a.m.: As a precautionary measure, the HHS Office of
Personnel Management instructs all federal agencies to activate their
pandemic influenza continuity-of-operations plans, including workfrom-home
and social distancing measures.
To determine how well this arrangement would work,
HHS turned to ORISE for help in developing and
implementing the first-ever continuity of operations
functional exercise. Created specifically for HHS and
known as “Connect,” the exercise allowed OASPA staff
to assess their ability to communicate effectively with
stakeholders and the American public about a pandemic
while also dealing with the difficulties that might occur
when most of the staff is working from home.
To complete the exercise, 17 key staff members had to
successfully coordinate and connect with one another
between both on- and off-site locations. The office
effectively coordinated information through the use of
a standing teleconference line, e-mail, telephone, and
Web conferencing. Staffers responded to a number of
calls and e-mails; developed talking points, a Secretary’s
statement, a public service announcement script, a
media advisory, and an outreach communication
strategy; and prepared spokespersons for a media
briefing in the HHS studio.
Involvement in this exercise aided HHS with forecasting
staffing, facility, and equipment requirements for this
kind of event.
A developing pandemic threat such as the one described
above may halt Americans’ day-to-day activities, such as
work, school, and social events for an unspecified period
of time. Yet federal offices—especially those responsible for
the dissemination of health information to the public—must
continue to operate. The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Public Affairs (OASPA) Continuity of Operations Implementation
Plan specifically states that nonessential personnel will be
expected to work from an alternate site, such as their homes,
while maintaining essential functions.
Image Information
In the event of a pandemic, federal agencies such as HHS
may require nonessential employees to work from home
in order to maintain the health and safety of its staffers.
Through a continuity-of-operations exercise, ORISE helped the
agency’s public affairs office test its ability to communicate
effectively among staff and with stakeholders if staff were
working from home.
66

Faculty-Student Team Researches
Avian Influenza in Puerto Rican
Wild Birds
Image Information
Dr. Edu B. Suarez-Martinez (pictured right), an associate
professor from the University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
(UPR-P), spent the summer as a faculty participant
studying avian influenza virus through the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Summer Research Team
Program for Minority Serving Institutions. Suarez-Martinez,
along with UPR-P undergraduate Noried M. De Jesús
Velázquez (pictured left), were assigned to the National
Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense
at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas—a DHS
Center of Excellence.
Photo courtesy of the University of Puerto Rico-Ponce.
While avian influenza viruses rarely cause death in
wild birds, scientists are concerned that the avian
influenza A (H5N1) virus (AIV) could change to the
point that it would be able to infect humans and
spread easily from one person to another, causing a
catastrophic worldwide pandemic event.
But Dr. Edu B. Suarez-Martinez hopes to lessen this
probability through her research of Puerto Rican wild,
migratory and nonmigratory birds. Her studies focus
on the surveillance for AIV and the genetic makeup
of these viruses.
Suarez-Martinez said the real-world applications of
the research she carried out during her summer
internship are very important. "Knowing the
distribution of human and avian influenza virus
receptors in many avian species is fundamental
to understanding how avian viruses can adapt to
humans, causing a massive infection event,”
she explained.
Suarez-Martinez, an associate professor of molecular
biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce
(UPR-P), spent the summer of 2007 in the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Summer
Research Team Program for Minority Serving
Institutions, which is administered by ORISE. To
conduct her DHS research, Suarez-Martinez and
UPR-P undergraduate student Noried M. De Jesús
Velázquez conducted their 10-week internship in the
laboratory of Dr. Blanca Lupiani at the National Center
for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense at
Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. This
DHS Center of Excellence works to protect America
from animal diseases that threaten public health and
economic stability.
Suarez-Martinez applied for the summer program
because she found the concept of sharing the research
experience with De Jesús Velázquez to be intriguing.
And although Suarez-Martinez is well versed in many
types of research procedures, the summer program gave
her further experience in various laboratory techniques
that she usually does not use.
In addition to her AIV research, Suarez-Martinez is
collaborating with various colleagues and agencies in
the design of a surveillance system for Puerto Rico, which
will be aligned with a national network for AIV infections
that helps report and monitor outbreaks of the virus. She
also wants to establish a molecular biology diagnostic
laboratory at UPR-P that can serve as a training center for
its minority students.
As for the DHS program, Suarez-Martinez advises anyone
who might be interested in participating to "just jump at
it! There is no chance to lose—just a win-win situation.
This has been a great experience both professionally
and culturally."
67

ORISE/NCI Partner on Teaching End-of-Life Cancer Care
Of the more than 1.4 million Americans who will be
diagnosed with cancer this year, many will fight the
disease through treatments. Unfortunately, however,
some of those patients will learn their disease is terminal,
so treatment ends. But patient care is still needed.
To address health care providers’ training needs on endof-life
care, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) looked to
ORISE to create the Education on Palliative and Endof-life
Care Oncology (EPEC-O) CD-ROM and DVD.
Palliative care works to meet all needs of the terminally
ill patient—physical, emotional, and spiritual—and is
provided concurrently with anticancer therapy and
throughout the spectrum of the disease.
Originally created as a paper-based training program,
palliative and end-of-life care training is in high
demand, with the need far exceeding its availability. NCI
recognized the need for a technology-based solution.
Now, the electronic EPEC-O training curriculum is a
series of 19 models containing case-study slides and
videos targeted to any clinician who cares for end-of-life
cancer patients.
The curriculum was first developed by the EPEC
Project at Northwestern University's medical college. NCI
funded the project with supplemental financial support
from the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which works to
encourage and motivate those affected by cancer.
Image Information
To assist in end-of-life care for terminal cancer patients,
ORISE and NCI partnered to create the EPEC TM -O CD-ROM and
DVD for medical professionals.
ORISE Evaluating
Formaldehyde Risks for EPA
Image Information
These types of temporary housing were in the news in 2007
as concerns surfaced about the presence of elevated levels of
formaldehyde in the air of the units. The EPA has tasked ORISE
with updating and evaluating information on formaldehyde in
EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), an electronic
database containing information on human health effects
resulting from exposure to various chemicals.
During 2007, concerns surfaced about the presence
of elevated levels of formaldehyde in the air of
temporary housing units. While the CDC and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency work to
address those specific issues, ORISE is teaming with
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
update and evaluate information on formaldehyde in
EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).
IRIS is an electronic database containing information
on human health effects that may result from
exposure to various chemicals in the environment.
ORISE has been a partner with EPA since 2003
in managing and updating IRIS in response to a
growing demand for consistent information on
chemical substances for use in risk assessments,
decision-making, and regulatory activities.
IRIS contains human health and toxicological
information on over 500 chemicals, ORISE is assisting
the EPA in updating or evaluating 40 chemicals,
including formaldehyde, which is undergoing a
thorough reevaluation. Found in smog, tobacco
products, gas cookers, open fireplaces, manufactured
wood products, and household sources,
formaldehyde is a probable carcinogen. Its uncertain
human health implications, including cancer risk,
is of concern to the EPA. ORISE conducts literature
searches and toxicological reviews/summaries to
update information on chemicals of interest.
68

ORISE/CDC Study Public Adherence to Mandated Quarantine
If a mandated quarantine were announced at
night, would you remain in your house for six
days?
“It would be hard, but I would do it.”
Image Information
Would the parking lots of our nation’s stores, schools, and businesses be virtually empty if there was a mandated quarantine due
to the outbreak of a serious disease? While public health officials hope they would be, a recent study conducted by ORISE and the
CDC indicates that the public’s adherence to such an order would depend on many factors.
“If I really believed it would put my family at risk,
then I wouldn’t go out.”
“I get cabin fever real quick.”
“I’m a hard head. I would go out, get supplies, and
then stay home.”
“[A six day quarantine?] Never happen.”
If a mandated quarantine were announced
during the day, would you remain wherever you
were (work, school, church, a store, etc.) for 10
hours?
“I could do it, but I’d be pacing the floor.”
“It wouldn’t be hard except for concern about family.”
“No problem . . . as long as I’m at home.”
“[I’d want to] get in my car and come home.”
“No matter what, I would go straight home.”
Comments from CDC- and ORISE-administered interviews
of the general public in St. Louis, Mo.
What influences people’s willingness and ability to
respond to a directive from public health authorities?
To gain insight into the answer, ORISE and the
Emergency Communication Branch of the CDC
conducted a study using a hypothetical bioterrorist
incident involving pneumonic plague, which is an
infectious disease that affects the lungs and can be
spread person-to-person through the air.
Representatives from the CDC and ORISE interviewed
members of the St. Louis, Mo., public representing
various incomes and racial/ethic backgrounds.
Participants were given information about plague
and a scenario involving the intentional release of the
disease in their city. The interviews then focused on
learning about people’s perceptions about adherence
to health directives and the factors affecting their
decisions to respond to such a situation.
The results indicated that participants saw it as a
personal decision as to whether or not they would
adhere to a directive.
Factors influencing an individual’s decisions included:
• the locations of immediate family members (e.g.,
whether children need to be picked up from school
or other activities).
• the quantity and quality of information received from
public health officials.
• whether public utilities would be maintained.
The study identified that communication would be critical
to a person’s decision to follow instructions. Health
officials were viewed as the most credible messengers.
Respondents indicated that the content of the messages
needed to be specific, clearly describing the situation and
the justification for the quarantine. This specific group
of interviewees overwhelmingly said they would rely
on television and radio broadcasts as their source for
information, further reinforcing the importance of public
utilities remaining operational.
ORISE has begun work on subsequent parts of the
project, including the assessment of technologies
available for monitoring and addressing health issues
while the public is quarantined at home.
69

Tool Improves Malaria Treatment Policies
Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Malaria—the mosquito-borne disease—continues
to create an international crisis with a half a
billion cases diagnosed and one million deaths
each year worldwide according to the CDC.
As part of its continued efforts to address
this problem, CDC reached out to ORISE for
assistance in leveraging an existing tutorial
application, resulting in CDCynergy/Malaria—a
tool to assist national malaria control programs
in the dynamic process of malaria treatment
policy management.
The contents of CDCynergy/Malaria have been
gleaned from the actual experiences of many
countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast
Asia, and South America. While the content
covers the entire policy development/
modification process, CDCynergy/Malaria is
intended to be useful to programs at any stage
of the process and not just the “beginning.”
Because the policy process is cyclical, even
programs that have just completed a policy
change should be prepared to begin the
process again as the situation changes and the
need for newer policies becomes apparent.
Currently, the CDC is field-evaluating the tool
in several countries worldwide, including
Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Traditional Classroom Training Still Needed
In a day and age when interactive, online
training is in high demand, there is still a great
need for traditional, paper-based classroom
training, particularly in countries with less robust
technological infrastructures.
ORISE is helping the CDC Coordinating Office
for Global Health to prepare conventional
training for public health programs and
management teams in these other countries
through two training projects: the Sustainable
Management Development Program (SMDP)
and the Field Epidemiology Training Program
(FETP). Both efforts include the development of
classroom instruction, train-the-trainer materials,
and a self-study guide.
In 23 countries, ORISE is working with the SMDP
to improve the effectiveness of public health
programs through conflict, time, and meeting
management courses and grant writing training.
For the FETP program, ORISE is creating training
for epidemiologists to help them conduct their
research and communicate their results.
70

innovative solutions to strengthen and secure america
strengthening our community

Community Partnerships
Oak Ridge Public Schools
Education Foundation
Just as our nation faces significant challenges
in preparing the future scientific and technical
workforce, meeting growing healthcare demands,
and fostering business development, so do our local
ORAU fulfilled its $1 million pledge to
the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education
Foundation (ORPSEF) toward the
construction of the new Oak Ridge
High School. By contributing $600,000
in FY07, ORAU was able to complete
its original five-year pledge in just three
years. The 381,000-square-foot building
is scheduled for completion in May 2008.
and regional communities. ORAU is committed
to strengthening these communities through our
investments and participation in education and
economic development. Some of the organizations
that ORAU proudly supports include:
• Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce
• Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley
• Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc.
• East Tennessee Economic Council
Additionally, in 2007, ORAU achieved significant
milestones in its contributions to several
area organizations.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
ORAU has distributed nearly 100,000 books through
its participation in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
program, which promotes literacy by providing one free,
age-appropriate book to children each month from birth
until age five. ORAU joined the program in June 2001,
and, as the corporate sponsor for Anderson County,
Tenn., supports the program’s distribution of books to the
2,448 enrolled children in the area.
72

Campaign for Robotic Surgery
at Methodist Medical Center
To help a local hospital offer its patients the advantages provided by cutting-edge
medical technology, ORAU contributed $25,000 to the Campaign for Robotic
Surgery at Methodist Medical Center (MMC) of Oak Ridge. The campaign raised
more than $1.3 million in less than six months, allowing MMC to begin its robotically
assisted surgery program in July 2007. Doctors have performed several procedures
with the new equipment, including being the first in East Tennessee to repair a
hole in the heart with the surgical robot. MMC’s patients now benefit from smaller
incision sites, less bleeding, shorter rehabilitation times, and less postoperative pain.
Photo courtesy of Methodist Medical Center.
Junior Achievement
of East Tennessee
ORAU donated $25,000 to Junior Achievement (JA) of East Tennessee in support
of the JA National Lab within the JA Capstone City under construction in Anderson
County. Similar to Nashville’s city shown here, the Capstone City will feature
19 businesses and will allow East Tennessee’s estimated 13,000 fifth graders to
gain a working understanding of business and government through real-world
experience. JA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to inspiring and
preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. JA provides in-school
and after-school programs for 7 million students worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee.
73

ORAU Management
Key Office Contact Information
● Executive Office
(865) 576-3300, April.Hackler@orau.org
● Business Development Office
(865) 576-3301, Tony.Lester@orau.org
Dr. Ronald D. Townsend
President and CEO
Mr. Phil Andrews
Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer
Dr. John C. Nemeth
Vice President,
Partnership Development
Mr. Ivan A. Boatner
Vice President and
General Counsel
Mr. Daniel W. Standley
Vice President,
Human Resources
● General Counsel’s Office
(865) 576-3054, Ivan.Boatner@orau.org
● Human Resources Office
(865) 576-3161, Dan.Standley@orau.org
● Partnership Development and Membership Office
(865) 576-1898, John.Nemeth@orau.org
● Business Operations
(865) 241-3918, Tina.Phillips@orau.org
● Science Education Programs
(865) 576-3424, science.education@orau.org
● Occupational Exposure and Worker Health
Programs
(865) 576-3115, occ.health@orau.org
Mr. Perry A. (Tony) Lester
Vice President and
Director, Business
Development
Ms. Monnie E. Champion
Corporate Secretary
Mr. Eric W. Abelquist
Vice President and Director,
Independent Environmental
Assessment and
Verification Programs
Dr. Donna L. Cragle
Vice President and
Director, Occupational
Exposure and Worker
Health Programs
Mr. H. Andy Page
Vice President and
Director, National
Security and Emergency
Management Programs
● Professional and Technical Training /Health
Communication Programs
(865) 576-3420
health.communication@orau.org
technical.training@orau.org
● National Security and Emergency Management
Programs
(202) 955-3628, national.security@orau.org
● Radiation Emergency Medicine Programs
(Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/
Training Site)
(865) 576-3131, reacts@orise.orau.gov
Dr. Wayne L. Stevenson
Vice President and
Director, Science
Education Programs
Mr. Marcus A. Weseman
Vice President and Director,
Professional and Technical
Training Programs
Mr. Michael L. Wetzel
Vice President and
Director, Peer Review
Programs
Dr. Albert L. Wiley
Vice President and Director,
Radiation Emergency
Medicine Programs
● Independent Environmental Assessment and
Verification Programs
(865) 576-3740, eric.abelquist@orau.org
● Scientific and Technical Peer Review Programs
(865) 576-1087, peerreview@orau.org
74

ORAU Board of Directors
Mr. C. Michael Cassidy
President and CEO
Georgia Research Alliance
Mr. Philip E. Coyle III
Senior Advisor
Center for Defense Information
Dr. Sandra J. Degen
Vice President for Research
University of Cincinnati
Mr. Homer S. Fisher, Jr.
Senior Vice President Emeritus and
Director of Oak Ridge Operations
UT-Battelle, LLC
Dr. Brooks A. Keel
Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
and Professor of Biological Engineering
Louisiana State University
Dr. Suzanne Laurich-McIntyre
Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Carnegie Mellon University
Dr. Nancy C. Martin
Professor of Biochemistry and Biology
University of Louisville
Dr. Robert T. McGrath
Senior Vice President for Research
The Ohio State University
Dr. David D. Reed
Vice President for Research
Michigan Technological University
Dr. J. T. Adrian Roberts
Senior Advisor, Laboratory Operations
Battelle
Dr. Juan M. Sanchez
Vice President for Research
University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Colin G. Scanes
Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic
Development and Dean of the Graduate School
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Dr. Dennis G. Hall
Associate Provost for Research and Graduate
Education
Vanderbilt University
VAdm. Peter M. Hekman
U.S. Navy (retired)
Dr. Gerald D. Holder
U.S. Steel Dean and Professor, School of Engineering
University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Felix A. Okojie
Vice President for Research Development, Support and
Federal Relations
Jackson State University
Dr. Winfred M. Phillips
Vice President for Research
University of Florida
Admiral J. Paul Reason
U.S. Navy (retired)
Dr. James N. Siedow
Vice Provost for Research
Duke University
Dr. Orlando L. Taylor
Vice Provost for Research and
Dean of the Graduate School
Howard University
Dr. T. H. Lee Williams
Vice President for Research
University of Oklahoma
75

2007 ORAU Sponsoring Institutions
Alabama A&M University
Auburn University
Arkansas State University *
Berea College *
Carnegie Mellon University
Catholic University of America
Clark Atlanta University
Clemson University
College of Charleston *
College of William and Mary
Desert Research Institute *
Duke University
East Carolina University
East Tennessee State University
Emory University
Fisk University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University
Florida State University
George Mason University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Georgia State University
Georgia Tech
Howard University
Idaho State University
Imperial College of Science,
Technology and Medicine, London
Indiana University
Jackson State University
Johns Hopkins University
Johnson C. Smith University *
Lincoln Memorial University *
Louisiana State University
Maryville College *
Medical College of Georgia
Meharry Medical College
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University
Middle Tennessee State University *
Mississippi State University
Missouri University of Science and
Technology **
Morehouse College *
Morgan State University
New Mexico State University
North Carolina A&T State
University
North Carolina State University
The Ohio State University
Oklahoma State University
Penn State University
Rice University
Roanoke College *
Rutgers University
San Diego State University
Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale
Southern Methodist University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technological University
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
Tulane University
Tuskegee University
University of Alabama
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences
University of Central Florida
University of Cincinnati
University of Delaware
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Houston
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
University of Maryland
University of Memphis
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi Medical
Center **
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Reno
University of New Mexico
University of New Orleans
University of North Carolina at
Charlotte
University of North Dakota
University of North Texas
University of Notre Dame
University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center **
University of Pittsburgh
University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico,
Mayaguez **
University of South Alabama
University of South Carolina
University of South Florida
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga **
University of Tennessee, Memphis **
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at San Antonio *
University of Tulsa
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia State University *
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University
Washington University
Wayne State University
West Virginia University
Western Carolina University *
Western Kentucky University
98 Sponsoring (Ph.D.-granting)
*Associate Members (13)
**Branch Campuses (6)
76