Oak Ridge Associated Universities 2003 Annual Report

Table of Contents
Statement from the President ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
A Catalyst for Professional Growth of University Faculty and Students ............................................................................................. 4
ORISE Science and Education Programs: Reaching Out, Moving Science and Technology Forward ..................................................... 4
Sowing Seeds for Young Faculty: The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards ................................................................ 11
Learning from Laureates: Program Sends Students Overseas ....................................................................................................... 13
A Catalyst for University Partnerships with Oak Ridge National Laboratory ................................................................................... 14
Partnering in Science: ORAU and UT-Battelle ............................................................................................................................. 14
Sharing Knowledge and Opportunities: Students Present Research, Look to the Future at Fair and Poster Session ....................... 17
Stockpile Stewardship Science: ORAU Teams with Rutgers University for New Center of Excellence ............................................ 18
A Catalyst for Environmental and Worker Health Stewardship ........................................................................................................ 20
Piecing Together Historical Puzzles: Reconstructing the Past for Worker Health Advocacy .............................................................. 20
Testing for Beryllium Sensitization Yields Results ........................................................................................................................... 21
Brooks Puts Mercury Research on Ice ............................................................................................................................................. 23
Monitoring Worker Health: Scientists Study Radiation Exposures ................................................................................................... 24
Peer Reviews Ensure Tobacco Money Doesnít Go Up in Smoke ................................................................................................... 25
A Catalyst for National Preparedness and Homeland Security ......................................................................................................... 26
Equipping and Training First Responders ........................................................................................................................................ 26
Preparing Responders for Terrorist Crises ....................................................................................................................................... 27
Cultivating Manpower Through Education Grants .......................................................................................................................... 28
Locating Critical Resources on Our University Campuses ............................................................................................................... 30
Expanding the Strategic National Stockpile .................................................................................................................................... 30
Building and Managing the Infrastructure Advisory Team for DHS .................................................................................................. 32
Detecting Deception: A Hot Topic ................................................................................................................................................. 32
A Catalyst for Modernization and Consolidation of Facilities........................................................................................................... 34
Consolidation and Modernization: A Strategy for Success .......................................................................................................... 34
A Catalyst for Community and Educational Service ......................................................................................................................... 36
Impacting Local Organizations Through Community Support Initiatives ..................................................................................... 36
Celebrating Education: Enhancing School Programs Through Grants ............................................................................................... 38
Addressing Health Disparities Through Faith-Based Initiative ......................................................................................................... 39
Financial Information ........................................................................................................................................................................ 40
ORAU Board of Directors ........................................................................................................................................... Inside Back Cover
ORAU Sponsoring Institutions ............................................................................................................................................ Back Cover
=ORISE activity under DOE contract
=ORAU corporate (non-DOE) activity

Statement from the President
This annual report emphasizes the significant accomplishments of another outstanding
year for Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). Our success is directly attributed to a
highly qualified, experienced staff with a relentless commitment to quality, to the support
of our university members as we pioneer new collaborative endeavors, and to the opportunities
that our customers have given us to excel in meeting the needs of vital importance
to our nation.
The underlying thrust that drives our organization is a focus on doing what we do wellóon
the strengths for which we have gained a nationally, and sometimes internationally,
recognized reputationóand expanding around those core competencies.
ORAU U is a consortium of Ph.D.-granting academic institutions. ORAU member
universities have a primary mission of advancing scientific research and education.
That too has been and continues to be one of our key strategic thrusts
through promoting mutually beneficial partnerships between academic institutions
and national laboratories. Specifically, ORAU is working to strengthen
science and education programs to give more opportunities for students and
faculty at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
ORAU U is a strategic partner with UT-Battelle. As a partner with UT-Battelle, the
managing contractor for ORNL, ORAU proudly strives to help the University of
Tennessee and Battelle achieve their science agenda for the national lab, which
includes embracing university partnerships. As UT-Battelle modernizes and
expands ORNL with new, world-class facilities in neutron science, materials
science, high-performance computing, life sciences, and energy, ORAU is helping
to expand the user base by attracting more university faculty and students. By
pursuing major science initiatives, ORAU is bringing the academic research
community closer to the laboratory in a more visible way.
In addition, the core university concept that we developed to help strengthen the labís
science and technology programs is expanding. ORAU, ORNL, UT-Battelle, and the six
core universitiesóDuke University, North Carolina State University, Florida State University,
Georgia Tech, the University of Virginia, and Virginia Techóare developing a joint ìthink
tank.î Known as the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies, this group will tackle major
challenges related to the implications that advances in science and technology have on
policy and society ó that would be too vast for any one university or lab to manage on
its own.
ì The confidence and enthusiasm in
what we accomplished in FY2003
motivates us to be the very best
at what we do going forward.î
Ron Townsend
2
ORAU U is a 501(c)3, non-profit ofit corporation. As a non-profit corporation, ORAU is focused
in three key areas:
∑ Worker health and environmental stewardship
∑ Weapons of mass destruction national preparedness and emergency response
∑ Science education, peer review management, and research support
These core competencies form the foundation of our contract support to several federal
agencies, which has resulted in combined revenue and expenditures from our contracts that

exceeds $140 millionóa measure that speaks not only to
our success but also to our tremendous growth in Fiscal
Year 2003.
Through ORAUís management of the Oak Ridge Institute
for Science and Education (ORISE)óour flagship contract
operation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)ówe
are managing a DOE facility that is making national
contributions in the areas of nuclear worker health
surveillance, independent verification of environmental
cleanup, radiation emergency medicine, emergency
response, and science education/workforce development.
This report highlights some of the accomplishments of
ORISE in responding to critical needs that face our nation
and shows how the capabilities we have developed for
DOE are just as applicable to other federal agencies, such
as those responsible for national preparedness and
homeland security.
We e are e diversifying our business portfolio. Our non-DOE
contracts complement and leverage the capabilities we have
developed under the ORISE contract. By focusing our core
competencies on a broader client base, all of our customers
benefit. The complementary nature of our federal contracts
enhances our mission effectiveness, improves cost
efficiency, and allows us to recruit and retain a larger, more
capable scientific and technical staff than we could under
each separate contract.
Two examples of this complementary business diversification
stand out. First, we are continuing our second year in
managing a radiation dose reconstruction project for former
nuclear workers. This contract with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health gives us the opportunity to
help determine compensation eligibility for workers covered
under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation
Act. Working closely with our partners, Dade Moeller
and Associates and MJW, Inc., this contract complements
our other efforts in the area of epidemiological research
related to worker health surveillance.
Second, we have been awarded a contract with the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this year to
assemble a group of university expertsóknown as the
Infrastructure Advisory Teamóto provide advice to DHS on
the use of weapons of mass destruction in terrorist events
and to help DHS present scientifically grounded information
to the public. Our work under this contract is a logical counterpart to other new ORISE
work being done for DHS. ORISE manages the administration of a new DHS Fellowship
and Scholarship Program that provides exceptional students with education funding and
a research internship at a DHS-designated facility. In addition, ORISE is managing a peer
and merit review process to assist DHS in establishing university-based Homeland
Security Centers of Excellence. These centers will become critical components of our
nationís defenses by providing a dedicated capability that will enhance our ability to
anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.
We e are e modernizing and consolidating facilities. Continuing our commitment to
consolidate and modernize facilities to enhance ORISEís operational effectiveness,
ORAU, in partnership with DOE, completed construction on one building and began or
continued three other significant projects this year. By May, ORAU had completed a
$1.2 million, 5,500-square-foot office complex that will introduce a major move of
facilities management operations to the South Campus.
Additionally, at ORISEís South Campus Site, engineering design work has begun on a
22,000-square-foot building that will house our records management, maintenance
shop, shipping and receiving, mail room, and property management operations.
Construction continued on ORAUís 55,000-square-foot, new office buildingóthe
cornerstone of our consolidation and modernization planóthat will house ORISE
computer operations equipment and staff and other programmatic and business
operations. This $8.9 million building, which is scheduled for completion in late spring
of 2004, will house more than 160 employees.
As a complement to the new office building, ORAUís Pollard Auditorium is undergoing
a major facelift. Bolstered by an almost-million-dollar Small Business Administration
grant secured by U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp in cooperation with the city of Oak
Ridge, the historic Pollard Auditorium will be transformed into a 10,000-square-foot,
technology-rich conference center. Once complete, the facility will be connected to the
new office building by an environmentally controlled walkway.
All of these projects are being made possible by federal and private sector funds, in large
part contributed by ORAU and DOE.
We e are e a community partner. We consider it an honor to be a contributing member
of the communities in which we operate. Being a good neighbor and an outstanding
corporate citizen are high priorities for us. Our employees continue to volunteer
hundreds of hours for education and community service. Our corporate investments
focus on improving literacy and education and making our community a better place
to live.
The confidence and enthusiasm in what we accomplished in FY2003 motivates us to be
the very best at what we do going forward. Every employee at ORAU has embraced a
bold vision and is staying the course that has brought us to the success we enjoy
todayóa relentless commitment to quality and excellence in all that we do.
3

A commitment
to furthering the
professional growth
of faculty and
students is
common to
ORAU and
ORISE. ORISE
programs help to educate
the next generation of
scientists while ORAU
partnerships with national
laboratories, government
agencies, and private
industry
strengthen
this mission.
ORISE Science and Education Programs:
Reaching Out, Moving Science
and Technology Forward
A CATALYST
ìI realize how working at this laboratory as a young graduate student
opened my eyes, dazzled my sensibilities, and put me on a path that
resulted in the terribly interesting position I now have.î
Dr. . Lee ee Riedinger
Deputy Director for Science and Technology
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
ìIt is a good way to spend the summer. It is good for me, good for the
students, and I believe we benefit ORNL too.î
Dr. . John McClure
University of Texas, El Paso
2003 Faculty and Student Teams Participant
ì This experience has changed the degree program I will pursue when I
return to school. It has made my goals more clear. I am now planning to
pursue a masterís in physics. If thatís not a true testament of the impact
of this program, then what is?î
James Leathers
University of Texas, El Paso
2003 Student Undergraduate Laboratory Intern
If you are looking for ways to learn more about your major and what it
would be like to actually perform in a professional setting, this program
is a very good place to start.î
LaShunda Clay
Albany State University
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Research Participation Program
4
Students watched as a robot, which they constructed and
programmed, performed a series of maneuvers over a
competition course as part of the ARC/ORNL 2003
Math/Science/Technology Institute.
As with any job, from time to time workers wonder if what they are
doing makes a difference. For the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education (ORISE) staff working in Science and Engineering Education
(SEE), there are wonderful reminders throughout the yearóphone
calls from delighted students accepting appointments, letters and
e-mails of appreciation, and comments from faculty who spent the
summer in a research program or who admire the opportunities offered
to their students.

The topics these students are learning about are as varied as the
students themselves.
Heather Price, an award-winning Ph.D. candidate from the University of
Washington, is doing atmospheric research that demonstrates how air pollution
from Asia travels across the Pacific Ocean into the United States. Sheís doing that
research as a fellow in the U.S. Department of Energyís (DOE) Global Change
Education Program.
Closer to home, Eric Nafziger, a mechanical engineering graduate from the
University of Tennessee, is helping develop new engine control strategies at the
National Transportation Research Center. Heís studying under Oak Ridge National
Laboratoryís (ORNL) Higher Education Research
Experiences program.
Teachers
participated
in a project to
learn basic concepts
of reflectometry,
diffraction, specular
reflection, and general
optics. The project was
part of the Appalachian
Regional Commission
(ARC)/ORNL 2003
Math/Science/Technology
Institute, which was
administered by
ORISE and held
at ORNL,
July 12-25,
2003.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) make good
use of the ORISE research participation program; last
year more than 700 research participants were
placed at locations from Atlanta to as far away as
Zimbabwe. Research conducted by ORISE research
participants meets critical and timely needs in areas
of health and safety thoughout the nation and
worldófrom flu pandemic research to AIDS/HIV
research in remote areas of Africa.
There has been increased participant involvement
recently in areas such as national security and
bioterrorism. For the first time, 50 graduate students
and 50 undergraduate students from 69 different
universities across the country will continue their
educations as part of the Department of Homeland
Securityís (DHS) Fellows and Scholars Program.
These students are studying in areas supportive of
the DHS mission: including physical, biological,
social, and behavioral sciences.
In FY2003, SEE added new programs,
experienced growth in existing programs,
and saw its budget grow to $74 million,
most of which is used to support
program participants.
ORISEís science and engineering education programs offer internships, fellowships,
and research participation programs to students from across the country. While
you might expect all of these rising stars to come from major research universities,
that is simply not the case. In 2003, participants in ORISE education programs
came from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. They represented
695 different universities, including 82 Historically Black Colleges and
Universities and Minority Education Institutions.
While the benefits of these programs to the students are obvious, the benefits to
the sponsoring organization or laboratory are just as significant. To meet their
mission goals, organizations like the DOE, U.S. Department of Defense, CDC, U.S.
Army, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Commerce, Environmental
Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and others
5

6
must ensure that they have enough qualified students in
the pipeline to handle the scientific and technological
challenges of the future.
The programs are particularly important to increasing the
number of minority students in science and technology
fields. Dr. Lee Riedinger, ORNLís Deputy Director for
Science and Technology says, ìWe have too few African-
American scientists and engineers. Iím convinced we
can encourage more black science students to follow
paths to scientific careers by enabling them to spend
time here working in science.î
Some organizations offer precollege programs for
students and teachers. The Appalachian Regional
Commission, for example, continues to sponsor a
summer science institute for high school students and
teachers. This year, 23 students and 14 teachers
traveled to Oak Ridge National Laboratory to study and
engage in hands-on activities for two weeks. The
program is designed to stimulate curiosity and
enthusiasm for the students and give teachers ideas for
instructional materials and hands-on experiments for
their classrooms.
For the more advanced students, SEE staff once a year
offers an opportunity for select graduate research
participants to travel to Lindau, Germany, and meet with
Nobel laureates to discuss the latest advances in their
respective fields, obstacles to their research, or just how
they got their ideas or professional starts.
More and more organizations are turning to ORISE to
help administer these education programs. In FY2003,
SEE added new programs, experienced growth in existing
programs, and saw its budget grow to $74 million,
most of which is used to support program participants.
ì This year we were able to place almost 3,900 students
and faculty in programs to advance their research
interests or further their educations,î said SEE Program
Director Wayne Stevenson. ìWhile the growth of our
programs this year has been exciting and challenging,
the joy is still in seeing the impact these opportunities
have on the educational plans and career aspirations
of participants.î
Thinking “Outside the Box”:
A Collaborative Approach to Research
Imagine spending years immersing yourself in a specific aspect of a field
of study, working with other researchers with that expertise, and writing
a dissertation based on that work. Then imagine leaving the university
environment and entering a lab where no one else has your expertiseó
and you have none of theirs. Transitioning to a national laboratory,
where researchers have the chance to see their expertise contribute to a
full-scale application, can be exciting and challenging.
The opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary research team was one
of the main reasons David Stokes joined the Advanced Biomedical
Science and Technology (ABST) Group as part of the Postdoctoral
Research Associates Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL),
which is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education (ORISE) and funded by ORNL. ìI wanted to learn to think
ëoutside the boxíóthat is, to learn to understand and appreciate work
being done outside of my area of expertise and acknowledge possible
impacts of such work on my research,î says Stokes.
Much of Stokeís research at ORNL involves the collaboration of
individuals with varied backgroundsóbiologists, analytical chemists,
spectroscopists, electrical engineers, package designers, machinists,
clinicians, and computer programmersóall working toward a common
goal. With a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of
Tennessee, Stokesí area of expertise is sensors development, but most
of his projects require the input of many other researchers. The ABST
Group is a multidisciplinary research team comprised of about 25
members who work together on environmental and biomedical projects.
By partnering researchers with vastly different skills, the team can
accomplish a range of goals. ìOur aims are to help improve medical care
at reduced cost, help identify general sources of health risk in the
environment as well as manmade products, and help combat chemical
and biological terrorism.î
Though Stokesí scientific successes have involved the work of many
scientists, he admits that interdisciplinary research isnít always easy.
According to Stokes, ìInterdisciplinary collaboration can be quite
challenging because the areas of expertise vary widely among the group
members. Nevertheless, we meet this challenge as each member
acknowledges the importance of othersí skills, gains a limited yet
working knowledge of othersí areas of expertise, and acknowledges that
all work performed in the group, no matter how specific it may seem, has
an impact on all members of the group.î
During his time at ORNL, Stokes has extended his interest in interdisciplinary
research to the international arena. This year, he was selected as

one of four American co-organizers for the sixth German-American Frontiers of
Engineering (GAFOE) symposium held in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Nominated by his
mentor, Dr. Tuan Vo-Dinh, he was selected last year as one of eight Americans to
speak at the GAFOE symposium held in Washington, D.C. The symposium brings
together scientists and engineers with wide-ranging expertise to encourage
interdisciplinary and international collaboration. ìThere definitely is an impactó
not only on my work at ORNL now, but also on my future work when I leave
here,î Stokes explains. ìI have kept in touch with some other German attendees.
No collaborative projects have been initiated at this point, but itís nice to know
that contacts have been established for when the time is right in the future.î
For now, Stokes is focused on some exciting research projects with the ABST
Group. In fact, he and his colleagues have just been selected by Research and
Development Magazine for developing one of the 100 most significant inventions
of 2003: compact Raman technology.
This technology makes Raman
spectroscopyóa powerful analytical
technique for identifying chemicalsó
portable, energy-efficient, and
David Stokes
(second from right)
contributed to the
interdisciplinary projects
developed by ORNL’s
ABST Group as part of the
Postdoctoral Research
Associates Program
administered by
ORISE.
practical. Several prototypes of this
system have been developed for the
FBI for on-site rapid detection of
drugs, explosives, and chemical
warfare agents. Stokesí corecipients of
the award include Dr. Tuan Vo-Dinh,
Dr. Alan Wintenberg, Robert Maples,
and two former ORISE participants, Dr.
Joel Mobley and Dr. Brian Cullum.
This year is not the first time Stokesí
work has been awarded an R&D 100
award. In 1996, his contribution to
the work on surface-enhanced Raman
scattering (SERS) gene probes at ORNL also received this honor, shared by Dr. Vo-
Dinh and Dr. Kelly Houke. SERS gene probes can be used to detect multiple
pathogens or diseases simultaneously and have been applied to the direct
detection of HIV DNA as well as genes associated with various forms of cancer.
Coresearchers in this interdisciplinary project also include Dr. Narayan Isola and
two former ORISE participants, Dr. Leonardo Allain and Dr. Mustafa Culha.
ìI wanted to learn to think ëoutside the
boxíóthat is, to learn to understand and
appreciate work being done outside of my
area of expertise and acknowledge possible
impacts of such work on my research,î
David Stokes
Stokes sums up his experience as an ORISE research participant in one word ó
ìpriceless.î When the program ends, he hopes to find full-time employment in
industry, with the long-term goal of teaching at a small- or medium-sized
university. Outside of work, Stokes is beginning a new collaborative effort with his
wife, Randi: parenthood. ìThis new chapter in my life pretty much consumes my
free time for now, and Iím happy with that.î
7

Diesel Fueling Student’s
Future in Mechanical Engineering
Normally, college students donít look to diesel to fuel their education. However, Eric
Nafziger is accelerating his future in mechanical engineering with diesel and a lightduty
Mercedes-Benz engine as part of the Department of Energyís (DOE) Higher
Education Research Experiences (HERE) program.
The University of Tennessee mechanical engineering graduate has performed research
at the National Transportation Research Center (NTRC) for the past three years, but
this has been his first year under DOEís HERE program, which is administered by the
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
ìHis first summer was spent weighing particulate filters. Now he is responsible for
the design and construction of
engine test stands as well as
performing complex experiments.
His most recent project
was to set up and instrument a
Mercedes engine. The Mercedes
Eric Nafziger
uses a Mercedes-Benz
engine to study
combustion in
diesel engines for
the NTRC.
test stand is being used to
study novel combustion
regimes in diesel engines,î
said Nafzigerís mentor, Dr.
Robert Wagner.
Nafziger set up the Mercedes
engine and support systems
during his first six weeks. The
next phase of the project is to
start testing the engine, where
Nafziger and his colleagues will
investigate new engine control
strategies with the purpose of discovering innovative ways to achieve reduced
emissions in diesel engines. ìThe combustion regimes weíre investigating are not
well characterized or understood, so, when weíre done, weíll share the results
through various publications,î said Wagner.
Nafziger is involved with many programs and projects that most mechanical
engineering students never have the opportunity to experience. ìI am learning the
different aspects of instrumentation and control systems, but thereís always more
ì This project brings everything together
in a unique wayóthe experience and
opportunities presented here are so
encompassing...î
Eric Nafziger
8
to learn. This project brings everything together in a unique wayóthe experience
and opportunities presented here are so encompassing that they could prove
beneficial to nearly any other position in the field of mechanical engineering,î
said Nafziger.
There are approximately 30 researchers involved in the NTRCís Fuels, Engines, and
Emissions Research Center. Nafziger is well known and well liked among the group

for his dedication and work ethic. Teamwork is prevalent,
and Wagner said everyone is constantly learning from
each other. Wagner said Nafzigerís teamwork is one of
the exceptional aspects of having him in their group.
Through the HERE program, Nafzigerís expectations are
being met, and often being exceeded, each day. ìThereís
always new stuff to learn, and thereís always a challenge,î
said Nafziger.
Outside of the HERE program, Nafziger enjoys the
ìknowledge, fellowship, and encouragementî that come
from taking additional classes at Antioch Bible College.
He also works in a transmission shop, but he never tires
of working on engines. ìHeís a natural,î
said Wagner.
Price Awarded First Marvin L.
Wesely Environmental Fellowship
If youíre going to measure the wind, the challenge is
finding the right yardstick. Just ask Heather Price.
Price, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington,
has been a fellow in the U.S. Department of
Energyís (DOE) Global Change Education Program
Graduate Research Environmental Fellowship program
since September 2000. Her research involves the study
of how air pollution from Asia travels across the Pacific
Ocean to Washington state.
As part of her research, Price is developing techniques
that use detailed measurements and computer models
to estimate atmospheric levels of hydroxyl, a highly
reactive ion that she describes as ìthe detergent of
the atmosphere.î
ìHydroxyl is the main cleaning agent,î Price said. ìMost
pollutants we put in the atmosphere are destroyed
by hydroxyl.î
Measuring hydroxyl poses a challenge for scientists
because it only exists for a few seconds before reacting
with other molecules in the atmosphere. This tremendous
reactivity gives hydroxyl an important role in
combating pollution.
Priceís research led her to receive the first Marvin L. Wesely Distinguished Graduate
Research Environmental Fellowship. The award was established in honor of the late
Dr. Marvin L. Wesely, Argonne National Laboratory senior meteorologist and chief
scientist of the DOE Atmospheric Chemistry Program, who died in 2003 from
heart cancer.
The fellowship has provided invaluable building blocks for Priceís research. At
Argonne, she collaborated with Dr. Paul Doskey to record the chemical signatures
of various hydrocarbons found in samples of air that had been collected off the
northwest coast of Washington state.
ìItís been a very valuable experience,î Price said. ìWithout this fellowship, I
wouldnít have been able to do the analyses. It takes a lot of time and energy. It
would have been another Ph.D. just to set up the system that Paul Doskey has
developed. Itís just been great to have that resource and expertise to draw from.î
Price expects to receive her doctorate by early 2004 and then join the University of
Washington Program on Climate Change. It is an exciting opportunity to continue
her involvement in atmospheric research, she said.
ì We definitely donít know all there is to know,î Price said. ìThere are fundamental
changes that are happening to our atmosphere that are coming from the use of
fossil fuels. Humans really are controlling the composition of the atmosphere
today. Because of that, there is still so much for us to study. If anything, there are
even going to be more questions.î
Price holds a bachelorís degree from Western Washington University and a
masterís degree in chemistry from the University of Washington.
Student’s Future in Information
Technology Goes Beyond the “Basics”
LaShunda Clay, an Albany State University computer science graduate, spent six
weeks last summer creating databases using various programming languages, such
as Visual Basic, at the Department of Energyís New Brunswick Laboratory in
Argonne, Illinois. Through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Historically Black Colleges and Universities program, which is administered by the
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Clay gained valuable experience in
her chosen field of information technology.
ìIt was a wonderful opportunity for me to gain more knowledge and receive onthe-job
training in my field,î says Clay. ìIf you are looking for ways to learn more
about your major and what it would be like to actually perform in a professional
setting, this program is a very good place to start.î
9

While in the program, Clay had the opportunity to solve real-world problems by
designing and programming a database that would track information about
radiation samples taken in the lab. Previously, after experiments were done,
technicians would sample the area for levels of radiation and enter the sample data
into an existing laboratory information management system. However, the system
was not capable of storing the data in such a way that a history could be pulled.
With Clayís development of a customized database, tracking of radiation levels is
now possible.
Since participating in the program at New Brunswick Laboratory and graduating
from Albany State, Clay has landed a position as the
database administrator for the Dougherty County
School System in Albany, Georgia. ìThe NRC program
Top:
Heather Price
is involved in
researching how
air pollution from
Asia travels across
the Pacific Ocean
to Washington state.
Bottom:
LaShunda Clay spent
six weeks creating
databases using
various programming
languages at the
Department of
Energy’s New
Brunswick
Laboratory
in Argonne,
Illinois.
gave me the confidence I needed to work with highly
intelligent people in a technical setting,î says Clay. ì I
had been a paraprofessional in the school system while
attending college, and, after returning from this program
and graduating from school, I was promoted to
database administrator. This program really gave me the
skills and professionalism I needed to apply to the
work world.î
When sheís not running code for a new database
program sheís created for the school system, LaShunda
loves running for fitness, spending time with her family,
and helping kids in the computer library at the local
Boysí and Girlsí Club. ìI fell in love with computers
when I was young and got my own personal computer
when I was a senior in high school,î remembers Clay.
Clay also spends her free time volunteering at her alma
mater, teaching students how to rebuild computers.
ìItís important to me that other young people know
the value of computers to our lives,î says Clay. ìIf
youíre going to function in todayís society, youíve got
to get beyond the basics in your knowledge and
acceptance of computers.î
Her first love will always be programming, but Clay also has considered a career in
rebuilding computers or teaching. Her participation in the NRC research participation
program at the New Brunswick Lab has helped her visualize and focus on a
future in information technology that is anything but basic.
ìIt was a wonderful opportunity for
me to gain more knowledge and
receive on-the-job training in my
field.î
LaShunda Clay
10

Sowing Seeds for Young Faculty:
The Ralph E. Powe JuniorFaculty Enhancement Awards
A CATALYST
The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement
Awards program is about planting the seeds
of scientific discovery.
Each ìseedî is a $5,000 grant meant to
enhance the research of faculty members at
ORAU member institutions during the fertile
early stages of their careers.
During the 2003-2004 academic year, Oak
Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)
awarded 24 of the grants. In the 13 years
since the program began, ORAU has awarded
232 grants totaling more than $1 million.
The awards are matched with an additional
$5,000 from the institution of the recipient.
The money can be used for research expenses,
for equipment purchases, or for travel to
professional meetings and conferences.
A 2002 Powe Award helped Dr. Orlin D. Velev, assistant professor of chemical
engineering at North Carolina State University, sow the seeds of a nanoscale
engineering research program despite severe state budget problems at the time.
ìIt allowed me to have some research flexibility at a moment when the financial
situation was really tough,î Velev said. ìYou can say that the Ralph E. Powe Award
was really important in setting up this research, obtaining preliminary data, and
demonstrating the concept.î
The research has proven fruitful, ultimately earning Velev a $405,000 award from
the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the development of a microfluidic chip
that uses electrical pulses to manipulate tiny droplets in a liquid base. The
technology could eventually allow scientists to manipulate single cells or synthesize
minute amounts of chemical compounds.
According to Velev, the U.S. Army is interested in exploring how the technology
could be used to build biosensors to detect dangerous chemical or biological
agents in extremely small samples. An additional benefit would be the elimination
of problems associated with storing large-scale samples of possible toxins.
ìInstead of having to do analysis in test tubes and having the problems of disposal
and decontamination, it can be done in droplets,î he said.
Julia Y. Chan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Louisiana State University
(LSU), is investigating superconducting heavy fermion compounds. These
compounds are novel alloys of rare earth, transition metal, and main group
elements that exhibit large heat capacity and susceptibility. Chanís research group
has discovered three new families of the compounds since receiving a Powe Award
in 2002.
Chan and her graduate students are also studying thin films that can exhibit
negative magnetoresistance, which is the suppression of resistivity in a magnetic
field, and superconductivity. Materials exhibiting these characteristics have possible
applications in areas such as the manufacture of computer hard-disk read heads
and magnetic sensors.
Although the research could eventually lead to the production of materials with
great technological potential, it is the pursuit of knowledge that motivates Chan.
ìAs a materials chemist, you make new compounds, then you learn how to
characterize them, and then you measure their properties,î she said. ìItís the
Dr. Julia Y. Chan, an assistant professor of chemistry at LSU, has
discovered three new families of heavy fermion superconductors
since receiving a Powe Award in 2002.
correlation of synthesis, structure, and physical properties. Instead of doing one
thing, I see the big picture. I think itís a very powerful way to do science.î
1 1

ORAU member institution faculty members, who are within the first two
years of their initial tenure-track appointments as assistant professors,
are eligible for the grants. The awards are made in five areas of science
and technology: engineering and applied science; life sciences; mathematics
and computer science; physical sciences; and policy, management,
or education.
The flexibility of the funds from the award allowed Chan
to give presentations on the research around the
country. She subsequently received a 2003 NSF Career
Award, the 2003 American Crystallographic Association
Margaret C. Etter Early Career Award, and a 2003 LSU
Phi Kappa Phi Non-Tenured Natural and Physical Science
Award. She was also profiled in Chemical and Engineering
News as part of the American Chemical Societyís
celebration of women in science.
Meanwhile, Chan is planting seeds of her own. She
believes in cultivating her own graduate students with
an appreciation of collaboration.
ìMy students get to interact with scientists all over
the world,î she said. ìWe have collaborators at various
national labs and Japan. Things like that make me feel
like Iím educating my students. They get the
global experience.î
Seed money from a 2002 Powe Award helped Dr. Orlin D.
Velev of North Carolina State University to develop this
microfluidic chip, which could eventually allow scientists to
manipulate single cells or synthesize minute amounts of chemical
compounds. The research has earned Velev a $405,000
award from the NSF.
The awards are named for Ralph E. Powe, who served as the ORAU
Councilor from Mississippi State University for 16 years. He served on
numerous committees and special projects during his tenure and was
elected by his peers as chair of ORAUís Council of Sponsoring Institutions
prior to his death in 1996.
Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty
Enhancement Awards 2003
University
Clemson University
College of Charleston
Duke University
George Mason University
George Washington University
Idaho State University
Mississippi State University
North Carolina State University
Rice University
Southern Illinois University
at Carbondale
Tennessee Technological University
University of Arkansas
University of Maryland
University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
Medical Center
University of New Mexico
University of Notre Dame
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Tennessee
Washington University
West Virginia University
Recipient
Andrew Metters
Melissa Hughes
Adam Wax
Karen Sauer
John Lill
Alan Hunt
Yuriy Gryazin
Kevin Knudson
Paul Maggard
Michael Wong
Boyd Goodson
Titus Albu
Jiali Li
Eric Haag
Aloysius Siriwardena
Aimin Liu
Kenneth Christensen
J. Nicholas Laneman
Andrew Lowe
Philip Rack
Peter Zhang
Amy Shen
Amy Walker
Christy Foran
12

Learning from Laureates:
Program Sends Students Overseas
They came. They saw. They learned.
A CATALYST
A CATALYST
The 53 rd Annual Meeting of the Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany, was
a great success for 560 students from around the globe. This included 28
students who attended the meeting through sponsorship by Oak Ridge
Associated Universities (ORAU), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
the U.S. Army, and the University of Arizona. The participants were
selected from among ORAUís university consortium members and from
among students working at federal facilities or universities funded by
DOE and the U.S. Army.
Nobel
Laureate Robert
Huber holds the
students’ attention
during a scientific
discussion. Many of
the sessions are
designed for exclusive
interaction between
students and laureates
and are closed to
all other meeting
attendees.
During this yearís meeting, which focused on biology and
medicine,†students had the opportunity to listen to Nobel laureates
describe their research and experiences as well as to interact with the
laureates and other students with similar career and research interests.
ìListening to the Nobel laureates and
interacting with them on an informal
basis was a very informative and
inspiring experience that will have both
immediate and long-term positive
repercussions on my career. î
James Newcomb
ìListening to the Nobel laureates and interacting with them on an
informal basis was a very informative and inspiring experience that will
have both immediate and long-term positive repercussions on my
career,î said ORAU delegate James Newcomb.
Continuing the tradition established in 1951 by Swedish patron Count
Lennart Bernadotte, Nobel laureates in chemistry, physics, and physiology/medicine
have convened annually in Germany to have open and
informal meetings with students and young researchers.
13

Partnering in Science:
ORAU and UT-Battelle
One of
ORAUís key
missions has long
been to create
partnership
opportunities
for colleges
and universities.
University partnerships
with ORNL promote teaching
and learning, broaden
participation in science, and
enhance
research
infrastructure
for the mutual
benefit of
participating
partners.
A CATALYST
A CATALYST
Nano, Info, Bio: Three little buzzwords with major scientific research
implications. ORAU and UT-Battelle: Two leading organizations with a
shared commitment to advancing scientific research and education. The
Net Result: A partnership that helps shape and achieve the Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL) scientific agenda in several key areasó
advancing biological applications of neutron scattering technology,
supporting high performance supercomputing and connectivity projects,
enhancing participation of minorities in laboratory projects, promoting
university research relationships in nanoscale materials and energy
development, and expanding joint programs for graduate and faculty
study of large scientific challenges.
With a partnership that dates back to the 1940s, ORNL and ORAU
continue to strengthen the work that they do to support each otherís
missions. Each year ORAU invests more than $1 million in that
partnership through educational enrichment activities, meetings,
conferences, and other initiatives to draw talented students and faculty
from across ORAU member institutions to support ORNLís key research
thrusts. ORAU is represented on the UT-Battelle Board of Governors and
the Science and Technology Committee, which help promote the labís
research agenda. ORAU also serves as the coordinating liaison with the
ORAU/ORNL six ìcoreî universitiesóDuke University, North Carolina
State University, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, the University of
Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Working with the University of Tennessee and
Battelle, ORAU is helping these core universities develop research
partnerships that enrich the Laboratoryís research programs.
14
Dr. Jeicai Luo, an electrical engineering faculty member at
Southern University in Baton Rouge, spent his summer
researching ways to analyze and manage image data for
military intelligence applications and homeland security. Luo
performed this research as part of the Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL)/Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority
Education Institutions (MEI) Summer Faculty Research Program.
Equally important is ORAUís management of the Oak Ridge Institute for
Science and Education (ORISE). ORISE programs ensure that a large and
diverse number of students, faculty, and postdoctoral researchers have
the opportunity for science education at top national laboratories, such
as ORNL, and create a pipeline of future scientists to carry on the
mission of advancing science. In addition, the ORISE programs fit handin-glove
with ORAUís partnership development initiatives between
member universities and ORNL.

Through these efforts, ORAU is helping UT-Battelle to positively impact ORNLís
current research agenda in the areas of nanotechnology, supercomputing and
information technology, and the biological sciences and is assisting in shaping the
future for leading edge thinking and research in the following areas of major
scientific significance:
Building a High-Speed Network for Research
ORAU and ORNL
hosted representatives
from Imperial College of
London and the Georgia
Institute of Technology
during November 2003.
L to R: Charles Liotta, Vice
Provost for Research and
Dean of Graduate Studies at
Georgia Tech; Lee Riedinger,
ORNL’s Deputy Director for
Science and Technology;
JeanLou Chameau, Provost
and Vice President for
Academic Affairs at
Georgia Tech; ORAU
President Ron Townsend;
Sir Richard Sykes, Rector
of Imperial College of
Science, Technology
and Medicine; Georgia
Tech President Wayne
Clough; and Thom
Mason, Director of
ORNL’s Spallation
Neutron
Source.
ORAU is helping UT-Battelle to positively
impact ORNLís current research agenda
in the areas of nanotechnology,
supercomputing and information
technology, and the biological sciences.
ORAU has supported the partnering of member universities and ORNL to
participate in the National LambdaRail (NLR), a national fiber-optic network linking
research universities and laboratories at gigabit-per-second and higher speedsó
essentially more than a
billion bits of information
transferred per second. The
NLR will be able to transport
the huge data sets that will
drive research to solve the
problems of today and
derive the opportunities
of tomorrow.
The major stops on the
LambdaRail are regional
ìnodesî in larger urban areas,
such as Atlanta, Chicago,
Seattle, and Dallas. ORAU,
an associate member of the
Mid-Atlantic Terascale
Partnership, which operates
the NLR Washington D.C.
node, will help promote this venture and the importance of the NLR nationally by
hosting a series of events to engender university participation.
ì ORAU firmly believes that the viability of the university research enterprise can
be most effectively sustained and enhanced through an NLR-networked connection
with each other and to this nationís federally funded, high-end computational
centers, such as that at ORNL,î said ORAU Vice President of Partnership
Development John Nemeth. ìWe enthusiastically support the participation of our
members and all universities in this exciting and historic venture.î
ORNL will also be networked with universities through the National Science
Foundationís TeraGrid Project, a national cyber infrastructure to improve science
and engineering research and education. The project will integrate the computing,
communication, and information resources of ORNL and seven other partner sites:
University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University/Purdue University, Argonne
15

laboratory and academic arenas is brought to bear on SNS instrumentation
design and operation at the ground level.
Other sponsors are the Joint Institute for Neutron Science, SNS, and the
High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR).
16
National Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,
Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center, San Diego
Supercomputer Center, and University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
ORNL and its university partners will connect two
world-class neutron sourcesóHFIR and SNSóto the
TeraGrid and operate a TeraGrid Hub in Atlanta. The
Atlanta hub will provide a cost-effective means for
institutions in the Southeast to place resources on
the TeraGrid.
ORAU convened and facilitated meetings between
ORNL and member universities that ultimately resulted
in this highly successful TeraGrid project.
Using Neutron Scattering
to Study Biology
ORAU is one of four sponsors of the Structural Biology
Taskforce for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). This
taskforce is working to design a suite of instruments for
a dedicated SNS neutron beam line to better understand
the molecular structure and dynamics of biological
structures and soft materials.
ìORAU sees the need for biologists and others not
traditionally practicing so called ìbig scienceî to be
involved directly at the SNS, because futurists believe
that we are living in the century of biology,î said
Nemeth.
The taskforce sponsors workshops that give ORAUmember
universities the opportunity to participate in
the design of SNS instrumentation, and ORAU has
provided $100,000 of supporting seed money to the
taskforce as they design the instrumentation and
develop facility funding proposals. Through their
involvement the universities and the SNS benefit
mutually because expertise from both the federal
Increasing Outreach to HBCUs and MEIs
ORAU and ORNL co-sponsor summer research appointments for faculty
of more than 100 historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and
other minority educational institutions (MEI). The purpose of the HBCU/
MEI Faculty Summer Research Participation Program is to increase the
number of collaborations and foster long-term relationships between
ORNL research staff and MEI faculty members. Eight faculty scientists
participated in the program in 2003, the third year for the program.
Faculty in the program serve appointments for two months at ORNL,
collaborating with the Labís research staff on projects in areas such as
environmental sciences; nanoscale science, engineering, and technology;
carbon management; or computer modeling and simulation science.
Participating faculty say the experience is a very positive one: they
establish collaborations, gain access to state-of-the-art scientific
equipment, and contribute to the Laboratoryís mission. One participant,
Professor Dhananjay Kumar from North Carolina A&T State University,
now has a joint appointment with ORNL.
Tackling Major Scientific
Challenges Through Joint Research
ORAU, ORNL, and UT-Battelle and its six core universities have
conceived of a joint ìthink tank,î known as the Oak Ridge Center for
Advanced Studies (ORCAS), to tackle major scientific challenges that
would be too vast for any one university or lab to manage on its own.
By spring 2004, ORNL will unveil a new $10 million building that will
house ORCAS as well as the UT-ORNL Joint Institute for Computational
Sciences. With significant startup funding from ORAU and nine other
founding members, ORCAS will be a joint center where researchers,
scientists, and academicians can collaborate to explore research and
policy issues in broad areas such as energy, the environment, and
national security by taking on the challenge of addressing where science
and technology intersect policy and impact society.

The startup funding will allow the founding members to hire a new director and
provide an initial revenue stream for ORCAS. When fully operational, ORCAS will
not only be one of the most unique of ORNLís partnerships but will provide
leading edge perspectives on science and technology challenges of importance to
DOE and other federal agencies.
ì ORCAS is fueled by the collective intellectual firepower of the tenants,î said Lee
Riedinger, ORNLís Deputy Director for Science and Technology. ìORCASís mission
is to provide a variety of research perspectives to science and technology issues of
importance to DOE and the country. î
Sharing Knowledge and Opportunities:
Students Present Research,
Look to the Future at Fair and
Poster Session
Undergraduate
Candice Scheffing
talks with David Monts
of Mississippi State
University (center) and
Will Cantrell of Michigan
Technological University
(right) at the ORAUsponsored
poster
session at ORNL.
A CATALYST
Snapshots of important future research dominated an Oak Ridge
Associated Universities (ORAU)-sponsored student poster session at
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in August.
Most students at the session conducted
research at ORNL over the summer as
participants in ORISEís SEE programs.
A CATALYST
The session gave 115 undergraduate students the chance to share
results of their research, ranging from homeland security measures to
studies of global warming, with representatives from 17 ORAU
member schools.
17

topic looked at improving data filtering methods used to map the
whereabouts of unexploded ordnance, such as land mines, in a
field setting.
Most students at the session conducted research at ORNL over the
summer as participants in Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Many of the topics explored during the session could
have real-world applications in both the military and
civilian endeavors. The poster topics included
ïìCommercial Vehicle Radiological System Module of an
Integrated Safety and Enforcement System for the 21st
Century with Homeland Security Benefits.î This topic
covered ORNLís testing of sensor technologies associated
with detection of radiological materials in commerce.
The prototype system will enhance homeland
security monitoring of highway transport.
ï ì Future Combat System Combat Identification Speed of
Service Model.î The research on this topic explored
improving algorithms used to identify entities in a battle
to reduce friendly fire casualties and increase combat
effectiveness.
ïìDevelopment and Modification of Geosoft Executables
to Process Magnetometer Readings for Better Detection
and Characterization of Unexploded Ordnance.î This
Educationís Science and Engineering Education (SEE) programs. At the
end of the program, students took part in a graduate school fair
sponsored by ORAU and ORNL to learn more about graduate opportunities
at these colleges and universities.
Stockpile Stewardship Science:
ORAUTeams with Rutgers
University for New Center of
Excellence
A CATALYST
A CATALYST
Unstable atomic nuclei, such as those involved in energy
production in stars and supernova explosions or fission of
nuclear materials, are the research focus of a new Center of
Excellence for Radioactive Ion Beam Studies for Stewardship
Science. Rutgers University, in partnership with Oak Ridge
Associated Universitiesí (ORAU) University Radioactive Ion
Beam Consortium (UNIRIB), is being funded by a $2.96
million, three-year contract with the Department of Energyís
(DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to
establish the center.
18
John Kennedy shares information about Clemson University’s
Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films with Amelia
Jamison, a Southwest Tennessee Community College student
majoring in computer engineering.
The objectives of the project are three-fold: to provide scientific
advances in low-energy nuclear science, to promote scientific
interactions between academia and the National Nuclear
Security Administration/Defense Program labs, and to develop
and maintain a long-term recruiting pipeline. ìWe will be
attracting scientists from all over the world to work on this
project,î said Jolie Cizewski, the projectís principal investigator
and a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at
Rutgers. The projectís coprincipal investigator is Ken Carter,
Director of UNIRIB.
Cizewski sought out UNIRIB as a partner on the project
because of its university connections, its extensive experience
in nuclear studies, and ORAUís experience in providing

support to partnerships. The center was selected through an extensive evaluation
process of highly competitive applications. There are three centers funded by the
NNSA and only one in nuclear science.
Carter explained that the research being carried out by UNIRIB and researchers at
ORNLís Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) is coincidentally of
importance to the NNSA because of their interest in properties of nuclei produced
in the fission process. Carter noted that UNIRIB and the Physics Division at Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) were planning to do similar basic research
before receiving the NNSA award. According to Carter, the award will enable
researchers to see the experiments done faster, while helping the NNSA foster data
Rutgers
University, in
partnership with
ORAU’s University
Radioactive Ion Beam
Consortium (UNIRIB),
is being funded by a
$2.96 million, threeyear
contract with DOE’s
National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA) to
provide scientific advances in
low-energy nuclear science.
Pictured are members of the
research team (L to R): Jeff
Thomas, graduate student at
Rutgers; Micah Johnson,
ORAU postdoctoral scholar;
Jolie Cizewski, principal
investigator of the Center of
Excellence and physics
professor at Rutgers; and
Kate Jones, postdoctoral
scholar at Rutgers. Ken
Carter, who is not
pictured, is the UNIRIB
director and
coprincipal
investigator for
the center.
and experimental techniques of interest to them.
The center of excellence will be comprised of researchers and specialized experimental
equipment. ORNLís HRIBF Accelerator will produce and accelerate rare
isotopes, the properties of which will be investigated by this project. One of the
projectís first major goals is the design, construction, and testing of a new type of
ì We will be attracting scientists from all
over the world to work on this project.î
Jolie Cizewski
detector. Experimental techniques will be developed in using the detector as well as
in the analysis of the resulting data. Three postdoctoral associates will work fulltime
in conjunction with experienced researchers from Rutgers, ORNL, and
UNIRIB. Funds are also provided for a number of graduate and undergraduate
students and faculty researchers to participate.
19

Piecing Together Historical Puzzles:
Reconstructing the Past for
Worker Health Advocacy
Government
agencies turn to
ORISE for
environmental
and health
research.
ORISE helps
monitor the environment,
verifies that cleanup sites are
free from contamination, and
studies hazards found in the
workplace and how those
hazards affect the health
and safety of workers.
A CATALYST
John (a composite representative) worked as a machinist at Los Alamos
National Laboratory from 1957 to 1965. During the eight years he was
employed at the Department of Energy (DOE) site, he believed that he
may have been exposed to radiation. He was diagnosed with colon
cancer in 1998.
In 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) selected a team headed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities
(ORAU) to reconstruct the radiation doses of employees like John who
worked at DOE and DOE-contractor sites and who have developed
cancer that may be work-related. Reconstructing workersí doses involves
interviewing the workers or family members, retrieving and validating
data, reconstructing exposure conditions at the various sites and
performing sophisticated scientific calculations.
The NIOSH Dose Reconstruction Program supports the Energy Employees
Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA), which
became effective on July 31, 2001. EEOICPA provides benefits to workers
who are ill or who died as a result of their employment in the nuclear
weapons industry (or their survivors).
To efficiently and effectively process claims, ORAU has teamed with two
very capable partners: MJW Corporation, Inc. (MJW), and Dade Moeller
& Associates (DM&A). DM&A is a small, employee-owned business
with extensive experience in external dose reconstruction and DOE sites.
MJW is a premier radiological engineering company with expertise in
internal dose reconstruction.
Since beginning work on the project, the ORAU team has set up an
impressive infrastructure and has grown from 40 full-time employees to
NIOSH selected a team headed by ORAU to reconstruct the
radiation doses of employees who worked at DOE and DOEcontractor
sites and who have developed cancer that may be
work-related.
312 in just over one year. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, near NIOSH
headquarters, the team has spent more than $29.5 million on building
and staffing the Cincinnati Operations Center as well as the Computer-
Assisted Telephone Interview Center, where employees routinely conduct
over 300 interviews per week and continue to increase efficiency.
20

The NIOSH ORAU Team has seen a steady increase in the number of claims
submitted. In 2002, the team had 7,559 total claims in-house, which almost
doubled in 2003 to 13,945. The team constantly strives to meet the project goal of
completing 200 dose reconstructions per week. ìWeíve spent the first year
building our infrastructure, and weíre confident that we will reach our goal as we
steadily increase productivity,î says Dr. Richard Toohey, Director of the NIOSH
Dose Reconstruction Program.
Mollie Abbott,
research biologist
at the ORISE
Beryllium Laboratory,
draws a blood sample
that will be used to test
for CBD.
Beryllium Laboratory
Manager Linda Nichols
layers a whole blood
sample onto a density
gradient medium to separate
the lymphocytes for testing.
Nichols loads the sample
tubes into a centrifuge for
further separation. Later,
each sample is placed in
well plates with various
concentrations of beryllium
sulfate.
Nichols places the culture
plates into an incubator.
The samples will then
be inoculated with
tritiated thymidine
and finally
analyzed in a
gas ionization
counter.
Having invested in information technology application development, the team can
perform difficult tasks in a timely and cost-effective manner. Several processes have
been automated, such as the uploading of DOE submittals, in order to reduce
errors and simplify procedures. Databases, such as the site research database and
employee database, are used extensively to
accurately track and manipulate data. The
team has implemented a specialized claims
tracking system to provide detailed
information about the status of any claim
in the dose reconstruction process at any
given time. The ORAU team has also
developed a Web site for the project, which
helps claimants and the public learn more
about team efforts.
Throughout the project, the ORAU team
has worked diligently to build confidence in
the dose reconstruction process. They
continue to process claims as efficiently as
possible, while upholding high standards
for accuracy. At the heart of the project is
the worker: ORAUís pervasive goal
throughout the process is to bring the best
science to bear on dose reconstruction
while protecting claimant privacy and trust.
Testing for Beryllium
Sensitization Yields Results
Since beginning work on the project, the
ORAU team has set up an impressive
infrastructure and has grown from 40
full-time employees to 312 in just over
one year.
A CATALYST
The Department of Energyís (DOE) Beryllium Medical Surveillance
Program has tested more than 21,000 people for beryllium-related health
problems since 1991, leading to the diagnosis of 198 cases of chronic
beryllium disease (CBD) and hundreds more cases of beryllium
sensitization (BeS).
21

ìEach of the testing programs is in a different stage of maturity,î she
said. ìRocky Flats and Y-12 are the most mature, with most of the
workers being tested at least two times. If we just test workers one time,
we will miss a certain percentage of sensitized workers. [Other sites]
may look like they have lower rates right now, but it may be that the
testing programs just arenít as mature as the others.î
Used at a number of DOE facilities since the 1950s,
beryllium is a hard, lightweight metal used in the
manufacture of nuclear weapons and other products.
Health concerns about the use of the metal mounted
after the discovery that exposure to beryllium dust or
fumes can lead to the development of chronic beryllium
disease and related medical problems.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
(ORISE)-managed Beryllium Medical Surveillance
Program offers medical screening services to former
employees of selected DOE sites where beryllium was
processed. Because early detection and treatment
may help mitigate the effects of the disease, the
program serves as an important line of defense for
these individuals.
ì The program has been very responsive to worker needs
for information about beryllium disease and helping
them through a testing process that would be otherwise
impossible for them to accomplish,î said ORISEís Center
for Epidemiologic Research (CER) Director, Donna Cragle,
who oversees the program.
Information from the programís quarterly report,
detailing progress through the end of FY2003, shows
the prevalence of sensitization and disease in workers
from several DOE sites where screening was performed
by ORISE.
The five DOE sites where more than 1,000 workers were
tested for beryllium sensitization by ORISE are the Y-12
National Security Complex in Oak Ridge; the Kansas
City Plant (KCP) at the Bannister Federal Complex in
Kansas City, Missouri; Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory in Livermore, California; the Rocky Flats
Environmental Technology Site near Denver, Colorado;
and the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas.
ìWe still have over 5,000 people that have indicated they want to be
tested,î Cragle said. ìWe will test as many as we possibly can. Our
first priority for the coming year is to test workers who have never
been tested.î
In addition to its oversight of the program, ORISE also plays a key role in
processing the actual tests used in the screening process. CERís
Beryllium Testing Laboratory in Oak Ridge is one of only five facilities in
the United States qualified to perform the lymphocyte proliferation test
(LPT) used to detect CBD and BeS.
CER staff processed 3,596 LPTs from all over the country for the former
worker program and other DOE beryllium testing programs during
FY2003.
The LPT examines how the bodyís immune system, specifically the blood
lymphocytes, reacts to beryllium. The test is performed on the blood
drawn from a person who has been exposed to beryllium dust or fumes.
If the cultured lymphocytes grow more rapidly when exposed to
beryllium, the LPT is considered abnormal.
Beryllium Medical Surveillance Program results for sites where more
than 1,000 have been tested (1991 to September 30, 2003)
Site Number BeS BeS rate CBD CBD
tested
rate
Y-12 4,236 138 3.26% 46 1.09%
Kansas City Plant 2,984 65 2.18% 4 0.13%
Lawrence Livermore 1,748 51 2.92% 4 0.23%
Rocky Flats 9,192 339 3.69% 128 1.39%
Pantex Plant 1,068 28 2.62% 4 0.37%
Cragle warns against comparing the prevalence of
sensitized or diseased workers at the different sites.
22

Brooks Puts Mercury
Research on Ice
A CATALYST
Steve Brooks, an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
atmospheric scientist assigned to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division
(ATDD), took to the ice in 2003 to study a little known phenomenon
that is poisoning the native food supply in the Arctic.
Brooks participated in the U.S. Navy Sea Ice Camp, held from March 25
to April 15, in the Arctic Ocean, 200 miles north of Alaska. He attended
the camp to conduct a study of mercury
levels in air and snow, an activity that
was funded by the NOAA Arctic
Research Office.
ORISE atmospheric
scientist Steve Brooks
took to the ice to study
mercury levels in the
air and snow of the
Arctic region.
At camp, Brooks studied how mercury
concentrations are affected under very
cold conditions. He determined that the
extremely low Arctic temperatures cause
mercury pollution in the air to be
oxidized by sunlight into a very sticky
form that deposits in the snow and ice.
This recently discovered phenomenon
means mercury levels in the Arctic are
1,000 times higher than the world
average. About 10 percent of global
mercury pollution can be found in the
Polar Regions. However, Brookís study
confirmed that circumstances that cause
mercury deposits in the snow are present in the Arctic for only a few
months out of the year. ìItís a unique combination of pollutants, sea ice
dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, and biology,î Brooks said.
About 10 percent of global mercury
pollution can be found in the Polar
Regions.
The discovery also has health implications because of the toxic nature of
mercury. The toxic metal ends up in native fish and animals of the Arctic,
which poses a particular concern for people whose food comes from
subsistence hunts. Mercury from natural and man-made sources
accumulates in the liver and kidneys of large marine mammals and can
pose a health risk to those who eat these mammals.
The Ice Camp is held every three to five years for two months by the
Navy to study sea ice and conduct arctic submarine trials. Navy
contractors always attend, but this yearís ice camp was also open for
three weeks to general scientists for the first time. Eight non-Navy
science groups attended the camp.
23

Monitoring Worker Health:
Scientists Study
Radiation Exposures
A CATALYST
Plutonium and a radioactive decay product of
plutonium, known as americium, can be
detected in the human body even decades
after exposure. The Oak Ridge Institute for
Science and Education (ORISE) Former
Radiation Worker Medical Surveillance
Program at Rocky Flats is one of the few
programs in the world gathering long-term
information on a large number of plutonium
and americium exposures that occurred 30 to
40 years ago.
The work didnít start with ORISE but began
with a compassionate Rocky Flats Plant
researcher Dr. Robert W. Bistline, who now
works in the Department of Energy (DOE)
Rocky Flats Field Office as an occupational
health and safety specialist. Dr. Bistline was
very interested in the long-term physiology of
how transuranic radioactive materials interact
with the body. Bistlineís initial concern was
that if these former workers were not followed
post employment, valuable long-term
exposure to vital organs, urine excretions, and
medical data would be lost. Each of the former
employees in Dr. Bistlineís initial follow-up
population had well-documented exposure
levels. These high levels of exposure occurred
during work-related incidents and accidents at
the Rocky Flats Plant since 1952.
ì The DOE Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, formerly known as
the Rocky Flats Plant, produced nuclear weapons components from 1952
to 1989,î said ORISEís Joe Aldrich, manager of health studies. ìProduction
activities included chemical processing and metal fabrication of
kilogram quantities of plutonium, enriched and depleted uranium, and
americium, and over the years there were some incidents and accidents
that resulted in significant exposures to some of the workers at the
plant.î
Following an informal medical evaluation of some workers in 1980, the
DOE Office of Occupational Medicine and Medical Surveillance formalized
the medical surveillance program in 1992 for workers with significant
radiation exposures. DOE has, to date, funded the testing and monitoring
of more than 1,100 former Rocky Flats radiation workers. ORISE has
managed this program since 1998.
The surveillance process allows for early detection of medical conditions,
such as cancer, and gives scientists unprecedented research opportunities.
The information gathered can contribute to understanding the biokinetics
of plutonium and developing and testing improved models of the
fate and transport of plutonium in the human body.
The program measures plutonium and americium in each participantís
urine and lungs and, when appropriate, at the sites of contaminated
wounds. These measurements are interpreted with the help of a model
that calculates the amount of plutonium at the time of the original
intake(s), the resulting internal doses on an annual basis, and each
subsequent intake such that an overall 50-year committed effective dose
can be determined for the critical organs for each participant. The model
illustrates where the plutonium exposure originally starts, how fast it
moves through the body, where it goes, where it tends to stay, and how
long it stays in any organ or tissue.
Approximately 480 of the workers tested showed significant plutonium
and/or americium exposure, with an estimated Total Effective Dose
Equivalent (TEDE) of greater than 20 rem. These individuals are offered
the opportunity to be tested every three years. Due to the participantsí
willingness to continue their participation, the program is able to capture
information on long-term health issues as they might relate to long-term
radiation exposure.
24

Peer Reviews Ensure Tobacco
Money Doesn’t Go Up in Smoke
A CATALYST
A CATALYST
In 1998, the federal government and 46 states reached a settlement
agreement with the tobacco industry for an estimated $206 billion
over the first 25 years. The agreement placed no restrictions on how
the states spend the settlement funds they receive. While several
states have used a portion of the settlement to fund tobacco use
prevention and cessation programs, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
General Assembly passed legislation for their entire share of the
settlementóan estimated $11 billion over 25 yearsóto be used for
health-related initiatives.
In addition to tobacco use prevention and cessation programs, Pennsylvania
is using the tobacco settlement money to provide medical research
grants to scientists addressing major health concerns in the state. The
Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) is responsible for administering
these health research initiatives, accounting for approximately 19
percent of the stateís annual settlement allocation.
When it came time for the PDH to determine how best to allocate the
research funds, they called upon the expertise of the Oak Ridge Institute
for Science and Education Faculty Awards and Research Review (FARR)
group. With over 15 yearsí experience in research reviews, FARR was
awarded two, five-year contracts to manage both the peer review
program to evaluate the research proposals and the performance review
program to assess progress toward research goals and evaluate
research outcomes.
Through 2003, FARR assisted the Pennsylvania
Department of Health in allocating
more than $41 million dollars in grants to
health researchers in such areas as cancer,
infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease,
and mental disorders.
FARR peer reviews will allow independent experts to perform an in-depth assessment
of the proposed research prior to funding. The reviews provide PDH decision
makers with information that will help them determine how to apply their valuable
and limited resources.
To conduct performance reviews, FARR uses the Proposal Evaluation and Electronic
Review Network (PeerNet © ), an Oak Ridge Associated Universities-copyrighted,
Web-based system for entering peer review scores and comments. PeerNet is used
to collect and report the evaluation data from multiple independent reviewers
using common criteria and scoring methods. Data from PeerNet is easily exported
and shared with the PDH.
Through 2003, FARR assisted the PDH in allocating more than $41 million dollars
in grants to health researchers in such areas as cancer, infectious diseases,
cardiovascular disease, and mental disorders. FARR is ensuring the Pennsylvania
tobacco settlement funds donít go up in smoke.
25

Equipping and Training First Responders
To bolster
national
preparedness
and homeland
security, ORISE
trains others
in emergency
response and detection and
handling of radioactive material,
develops plans for responding
to nuclear
terrorism and
bioterrorism,
and supplies
first responders
with better
equipment.
A CATALYST
In 2002, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Educationís (ORISE)
Radiological Safety, Assessments, and Training (RSAT) Program began
working with the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Energy
(DOE) in the pilot program of a cooperative effort known as the
Homeland Defense Equipment Reuse (HDER) Program.
As DOE sites are cleaned up and closed, the remaining equipment is
considered excess or surplus. In the past, this equipment would have
been disposed of as waste at considerable cost to American taxpayers. In
2002, with our countryís renewed commitment to homeland security,
DOE began putting the equipment to new uses in defending our nation.
One of the goals of the HDER Program is to provide surplus radiological
detection and other equipment to emergency responder agencies
nationwide to strengthen their domestic preparedness capabilities. RSAT
is sustaining this federal effort by continuing to assist in providing better
equipment and training to our nationís emergency first responders.
Since the programís inception, RSAT has assisted DOEís Office of Assets
Utilization with project management and technical oversight in the
receipt, evaluation, and rehabilitation of excess equipment from DOE
sites across the nation. During the pilot phase of the HDER Program,
refurbished equipment was provided to the 10 largest metropolitan areas
in the United States.
In June 2003, the HDER Program was expanded to make equipment and
training available to first responders in any state across the nation. Since
its inception nationwide, 10 additional requests have been fulfilled for
first responder agencies such as fire and police departments.
Based on requests from each state, RSAT, in collaboration with The Oak
Ridge National Recycle Center, assembles and completes final equipment
26
Emergency responder agencies nationwide benefit from
refurbished surplus radiological detection and other equipment
provided by the HDER Program. ORISE’s RSAT and Health and
Safety Communications groups provide equipment distribution
and training materials in support of this program.
checks of the requested radiological instrumentation kits and prepares
them for shipment. In concert with equipment distribution, training on
the use of the equipment has been made available to the emergency
responders through a Department of Homeland Security contractor.

To support this growing initiative and nationwide expansion, in 2003, along with
the ORISE Health and Safety Communications group, RSAT developed a training
CD-ROM to accompany the instrument kits. According to Health Physics and
Technical Projects Manager Alex Boerner, the CD-ROM is geared toward educating
the first responder community in basic radiation protection topics and radiological
detection instrument use. ìThe CD-ROM will not only provide text information on
screen but also video clips and demonstrations of how to use the equipment,î said
Boerner. The CD training is necessary for first responders to understand the
rudimentary aspects of radioactivity in order to use the instrument kits safely
and effectively.
The CD-ROM training can be utilized on any personal computer and will assist
recipients of the instrument kits by providing instruction with the kit when it
arrives, before formalized training occurs. ìThe CD-ROM also serves as just-intime
refresher training in the event of an emergency
or to train new staff members as they come
on board,î said Boerner.
Members of Utah’s
SWAT Team coordinate
helicopter support for
their plan to rescue
hostages inside Flaming
Gorge Dam as part of
the “Exercise Red
Canyon Response”
training drill.
Local support for the equipment is also available
through a partnership with the Health Physics
Society (HPS). Volunteers from local HPS chapters
are available to arrange field checks and basic
maintenance for the equipment, provide additional
hands-on refresher training if required, and serve
as a local source of expertise for questions
regarding the instrumentation.
The HDER Program was cited by Secretary of
Energy Spencer Abraham as a program to ìhelp
ensure that our law enforcement and emergency
personnel have the necessary equipmentÖ to
respond effectively and thoroughly to any
emergency.î In the future the program hopes also
to distribute other equipment that is potentially
valuable in mitigating terrorist, chemical, biological,
radiological, and nuclear threats.
Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks, ORISE has provided operational
and technical assistance to various
government-funded training exercises
designed to prepare responders for a crisis
incident.
Preparing Responders
for Terrorist Crises
A CATALYST
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Educationís (ORISE) Washington,
D.C.-based National Security Programs (NSP) is routinely sought
out by government agencies for its counter-terrorism readiness expertise.
27

28
Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, ORISE
has provided operational and technical assistance to
various government-funded training exercises designed
to prepare responders for a crisis incident.
In June 2003, ORISE NSP planned and coordinated
ìExercise Red Canyon Response,î sponsored by the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, at Flaming Gorge Dam in
northeast Utah. The purpose of the exercise was to
enhance the capability of regional assets to respond to a
terrorist attack at a critical infrastructure site in Utah.
The exercise challenged the capabilities of the 22 federal,
state, and local agencies involved and evaluated their
ability to work together to resolve the terrorist incident.
During the mock attack, terrorists took over the Visitorís
Center and the dam complex, wounding 12 people.
Medical personnel responded to the scene and treated
the simulated injuries while Special Weapons and Tactics
(SWAT) teams assembled nearby to conduct tactical
operations against the terrorists. More than 225
participants spent 30 continuous hours planning and
executing a coordinated response to the crisis.
In the end, SWAT teams, police divers, and bomb
disposal experts successfully resolved the incident by
regaining control of the facility and disarming two
terrorist devices. The local sheriff, who was initially in
charge of the crisis, remarked, ìThis was a once in a
lifetime opportunity.î The sheriff added that the region
was significantly better prepared for a terrorist incident
as a result of the exercise.
ORISE NSP was responsible for planning nearly every
aspect of the exercise. Personnel from NSP designed the
scenario, built mock terrorist devices, created special
effects, scripted the role players, and organized a team of
evaluators. ìSince the exercise took place over an area of
approximately two square miles, it was critical to build a
team of controllers who could observe the events
simultaneously for evaluation later. We used men and
women from each of the participating organizations and closely
monitored the progress of emergency responders during the event,î said
David Hoagland, lead planner for the exercise.
ORISE held several planning conferences and coordinated the participation
of agencies leading up to the exercise. ORISE members established
planning milestones, tracked progress, and outlined the overall objectives
of the exercise. ORISE also worked closely with local authorities to
minimize the impact the exercise would have on the local economy. Road
and facility closures could have adversely affected the tourism industry in
the area, but the planning team took measures that encouraged tourism
during the event. As a result, local proprietors realized increased revenue
during the exercise.
While the exercise was conducted, participants and controllers made
observations about possible areas for improvement. These observations
were recorded and presented to the group for discussion and then
documented in the final report, which was provided to the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation.
The exercise at Flaming Gorge Dam established a model for regional
counterterrorism efforts. Lessons learned are being applied to other
dams and infrastructure sites in the West. ORISE NSP remains poised to
make further contributions to local, regional, and national security.
Cultivating Manpower
through Education Grants
A CATALYST
In 2003, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
(ORISE) helped the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
unveil its new Scholarship and Fellowship Program. This
new education program is an important component of the
DHS effort to utilize university research communities and
prepare a new generation of students to address the
Departmentís needs.
Concerns about meeting future workforce demands in a wide
range of disciplines have prompted DHS to find ways to attract
talented students into its programs. The DHS Scholarship and
Fellowship Program responds to the Departmentís needs by
attracting exceptional students and providing them with a
monthly stipend, tuition and fees, an internship at a DHS-

designated facility, and potential DHS employment after graduation. The awards are
intended for undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing careers in
the full range of fields that can be applied to the DHS mission.
Out of 2,476 applicants, 102 students were selected to receive a DHS education
award in 2003, the first year of the program. Studentsí fields of study range from
chemical, electrical, and civil engineering to physics and mathematics to animal
science to international relations to clinical psychology. Excited about the future,
the students see limitless opportunities to apply their diverse backgrounds to the
DHS mission. For example, Julian Dawson at Georgia Tech plans to use his
combined backgrounds in electrical engineering and international relations ìto
improve relationships between private and government entities responsible for
protecting the American homeland.î
The DHS awards will have an impact
not only on homeland security research
but also on the lives of the students
who receive the awards. For Maria T.
Baquero, a student at the University of
Florida, the award means that she can
afford to pursue a Ph.D.: ìNow that I
DHS Secretary
Tom Ridge addressed
scholars and fellows at
the orientation meeting
in Washington, D.C.
have funding and a summer internship
(hopefully at the Centers for Disease
Control), I am very excited about applying
to doctoral programs this fall and
continuing my studies.†I will be the first
in my family to attain this level of training
and education.î
This fall, all DHS award recipients
convened in Washington, D.C., where
they attended a luncheon with DHS
Secretary Tom Ridge, met with committee
staffers on Capitol Hill, and explored
internship opportunities at DHS-affiliated
labs. Addressing the students at the
meeting, Secretary Ridge welcomed the students to the DHS family and congratulated
them on their achievements. ìWhen I look around this room I see more than
just bright minds and bold dreams. I see how far the Department has come since
its early days, really just months ago, when we were first hammering out the
framework for homeland security operations,î said Ridge.
ì When I look around this room I see more
than just bright minds and bold dreams. I
see how far the Department has come
since its early days . . .î
Tom Ridge
ORISE staff members are already preparing to receive applications and facilitate the
next round of selections. New awards will be announced every spring for scholarships
and fellowships that begin in August.
29

tions. The Department anticipates selecting a total of ten centers by the
end of 2004.
Locating Critical
Resources on Our
University Campuses
A CATALYST
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) is tasked with identifying needs in the
homeland security arena and prioritizing
research and development activities. One of
the programs initiated to address this
responsibility is the University-Based Center
of Excellence program. The program will
establish critical research centers at universities
to further our countryís security science
and technology mission. The centers will
become a critical component of U.S. defenses
by providing a dedicated capability that will
enhance our ability to anticipate, prevent,
respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.
DHS released a broad agency announcement
in July calling for academic white papers that
focused on risk-based economic modeling of
the impact and consequence of terrorism. This
was the first step in the review process for
colleges and universities that would like to be
considered for selection as the first University-
Based Center of Excellence. The University of
Southern California (USC) was selected as the
first center in November. USC will serve as the
Homeland Security Center for Risk and
Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events. Over
the course of the next three years, DHS will
provide $12 million to USC to address both
the targets and means of terrorism with an
emphasis on protecting the nationís critical
infrastructure systems, such as electrical
power, transportation, and telecommunica-
To select these university-based centers, DHS employed the skills and
expertise of the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Educationís (ORISE)
Performance Systems (PS) program for peer and merit reviews. PS staff
worked to develop a team of expert, external evaluators, who reviewed
the submissions based on merit and made recommendations to a
select committee of DHS. ORISE utilized the PeerNet© system,
recently copyrighted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities, to accomplish
this task. The review of the white papers resulted in a group of
universities receiving invitations to submit formal proposals. After
review of those proposals, a smaller group of universities was selected for
site visits by a review team. Following the site visits, DHS will make
award announcements.
Over more than 15 years, PS has administered hundreds of highly
competitive scientific peer and merit reviews. Annually coordinating
over 30 peer and merit reviews involving more than 1,300 reviewers of
over 1,600 proposals, PS has experience with all aspects of the merit
review and peer evaluation process. PS will continue to assist DHS
with peer and merit reviews for establishing University-Based Centers
of Excellence.
ì We are confident that the academic community will play an integral role
in our mission to ensure our domestic security,î said DHS Secretary Tom
Ridge. ìWe recognize the strengths brought to bear by our highereducation
institutions to not only research and develop technologies but
to also educate the next generation of American scientists.î
Expanding Strategic
National Stockpile
A CATALYST
What does this country need to have on hand in the event of
a terrorist attack or if a dirty bomb is used in a major metropolitan
area? Your first thoughts may be to have properly
trained first responders, properly trained medical personnel, or
even basic supplies like water and medicine. While the staff at
the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Educationís Radiation
Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) help
ensure that first responders and medical personnel are well
prepared to handle the standard medical aspects of a radiation
30

accident, REAC/TS has need of supplies that are more complex and extremely hard
to obtain.
Depending on the medical situation, REAC/TS personnel might be called upon to
use diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (DTPA) or ferric hexacyanoferrate, commonly
known as Prussian Blue. DTPA is an injectable chelating agent used to enhance
the excretion of plutonium and other transuranics from the body. Prussian Blue
binds radioactive thallium and cesium in the gut and enhances their excretion from
the body.
Until this year, both of these highly specialized drugs were supplied via REAC/TS
through special Investigational New Drug (IND) licenses issued by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). Since 1967, REAC/TS has held the IND for DTPA and
managed the sole supply in the United States. In 1997, following the successful
use of Prussian Blue to treat patients exposed to cesium-137 in Goiania, Brazil,
REAC/TS obtained
the IND and
brought the first and
only supply of
Prussian Blue to the
DTPA and Prussian
Blue are used by
ORISE’s REAC/TS
personnel to treat patients
who have been internally
contaminated with
radioactive materials.
United States.
It was thought that
both drugs would
probably be on IND
status for years to
come. ìBoth drugs
are used so infrequently,
we really
thought that there
would be insufficient
data to ever move past the FDAís stringent requirements for new drugs,î said
REAC/TS Director Bob Ricks. The events of September 11, 2001, and the threat of
nuclear or radiological terrorism quickly changed all that.
Almost immediately after September 11th, federal agencies began rethinking their
emergency preparedness plans, supplies, and activities. What had been called the
National Pharmaceutical Stockpile was renamed the Strategic National Stockpile
and its scope expanded under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control and
the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The decision was made to significantly increase the REAC/TS supply of both
ìMost of the medications in the National
Stockpile are readily available, but
we were the only source for Prussian
Blue and DTPA in the U.S.î
Bob Ricks
medications and to make them more readily available via the Strategic National
Stockpile. Accomplishing the second initiative required the FDA to move both
medications from IND status to New Drug Status. Being classified as a new drug
under FDA regulations would mean that the drug could be produced in the U.S. or
otherwise be more readily available to any doctor who needed it for a patient.
31

ìMost of the medications in the National Stockpile are
readily available, but we were the only source for
Prussian Blue and DTPA in the U.S.,î added Ricks. ìIt
was easy for us to share the data we had from years of
working with DTPA, but there was absolutely no U.S.
data on the use of Prussian Blue to treat individuals
internally contaminated with radioactive cesium or
thallium and very little international data.î
It has taken a significant amount of paperwork and
considerable interface with FDA personnel, but Prussian
Blue has been successfully moved to new drug status,
and DTPA is expected to follow. REAC/TS has doubled
its supply of the medications and is working very closely
with both the Centers for Disease Control and DHS to
ensure that sufficient supplies are obtained for the
Strategic National Stockpile.
have as many as 50 members, who will provide advice to DHS on the
impacts of WMDs in terrorist events and to help DHS present scientifically
grounded information to the public. Team members may be
credentialed as physicians, health professionals, Ph.D. scientists and
engineers, etc. ìWeíre looking for the very best, most experienced
people,î said John Nemeth, ORAU Vice President for Partnership
Development, who manages the project.
In the early stages of the project, ORAU will identify, evaluate, and
contract with experts from ORAU member and other academic institutions
in the Washington, D.C., area, who will be on call to respond to
DHSís emergency advisory needs, traveling to the capital within four
hours if necessary. With round-the-clock availability, the team will
provide ìreal-time scientific and technical advice,î explained Nemeth.
The team could, if needed, be expanded to include experts from across
the country.
Detecting Deception:
A Hot Topic
32
Building and Managing
the Infrastructure
Advisory Team
for DHS
A CATALYST
In September, Oak Ridge Associated Universities
(ORAU) was awarded a new contract
with the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) Infrastructure Protection Division to
assemble and manage a cadre of consultants
from colleges and universities with expertise in
chemical, biological, and radiological weapons
of mass destruction (WMD).
The Infrastructure Advisory Team, as the
group of experts is known, may eventually
A CATALYST
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Educationís
Center for Human Reliability Studies (CHRS) has completed
research evaluating the use of infrared thermography to detect
deception. CHRS conducted the recent study, which built on
the progress of earlier work, to evaluate the technology as an
adjunct or replacement for the polygraph.
Infrared thermography is a noninvasive, noncontact
technology that uses a camera designed to measure infraredrange
surface temperatures of any heat-emitting body. In this
application, CHRS researchers used the camera to measure
the skin temperatures of a volunteerís facial surface. The
color image data, which are stored in digital format, permit
objective comparisons between images taken at different
times. The large amounts of relatively noisy pixel data
generated by the camera demanded that sophisticated
statistical analysis techniques be developed. These techniques
were applied to isolate and extract an extremely
small number of useful signals. In this study, analysis
indicated that small brief temperature changes could indeed
indicate deception.

The results of this successful study clearly indicate that thermal imaging has a
unique potential to reveal deception. Since the infrared thermal data are gathered
without physical contact, the technology overcomes the limitations of polygraphs,
which require instrumentation be physically attached to the subject. The presence
of this instrumentation may induce artificial stress levels and thus compromise the
findings. The CHRS infrared thermography system renders this concern moot
because it requires no physical contact to measure the small surface temperature
changes associated with deception.
CHRS is also exploring several other novel applications of existing technology that
are potentially viable adjuncts to the polygraph. These promising technologies, if
developed, could offer an alternative to the limitations of the polygraph.
In addition to the thermography research, CHRS has also assisted the Department
of Energy (DOE) in developing a new security and safety reliability program called
Left panel:
Thermal image of a face
without deception.
Right panel:
Changes in facial
temperatures show
deception.
the Human Reliability Program (HRP). The HRP consolidates two DOE programs,
the Personnel Security Assurance Program (PSAP) and the Personnel Assurance
Program (PAP). The HRP is designed to ensure that individuals who occupy
positions that afford access to certain materials, nuclear explosive devices,
facilities, and programs meet the highest standards of reliability and physical and
mental suitability. Its purpose is to protect national security and ensure the safety
of workers and the public.
CHRS is also exploring several other
novel applications of existing technology
that are potentially viable adjuncts to
the polygraph.
33

Consolidation and Modernization:
A Strategy for Success
ORAU and DOE
are working
together to update,
reconfigure, and
construct
several
facilities.
When this work is complete,
ORISE will occupy more efficient,
modern facilities and have a
more condensed footprint
within the city
of Oak Ridge.
34
A CATALYST
A CATALYST
Of critical importance to any companyís vision are the human and
technological resources necessary to carry out its strategies. When the
facilitiesóin which people work and the equipment is housedóare not
connected and updated, strategies cannot be implemented or success
achieved easily or effectively. Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)
is on track to change that with its facility consolidation and
modernization efforts.
ìA modern, effective, and efficient physical infrastructure is of critical
importance to maintaining the capabilities of ORAU and the Oak Ridge
Institute for Science and Education (ORISE),î said ORAU President Ron
Townsend. ORAU is making a key investment in its future and is
pledging its commitment to continued improvements to the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) and other stakeholders through this
consolidation and modernization plan, said Townsend. DOE is also
supporting this project with funds to construct and renovate
government-owned facilities.
With facilities located at six different sites within a six-mile radius, the
ORISE configuration ìcreated barriers for information and idea sharing as
well as increasing logistic costs of servicing a wide spread population,î
said Rac Cox, Director of ORAUís Facilities and Transportation
Department (FTD).
With the award of a new ORISE contract in 2000, ORAU updated its
plans and focused resources to modernize existing buildings as well as to
consolidate staff and facilities at two main sitesóthe ORAU Main
Campus at Badger Avenue and the ORISE South Campus on Bethel
Valley Road.
According to Cox, ORAU has been systematically investing in the
modernization of its corporate facilities with improvements in HVAC
systems, new roofs, site lighting, and disposal of an abandoned
buildingóthe Marmoset Research Center.
The company also closed its Pollard Auditorium in October 2003 for a

much-needed facelift. In partnership with the City of Oak Ridge and funded by a
$1 million federally appropriated Small Business Administration grant, the Pollard
Auditorium will become a science and technology conference center. The improvements
will include significant advancements in technologyócomputer kiosks,
plasma screens, state-of-the-art audiovisual equipmentówhich will enable ORAU
to sponsor more technology-based conferences as an economic draw for the city,
said Cox.
Modernization and consolidation of ORISE took a major leap forward with the
construction of a 55,000-square-foot office building on the ORAU main campusó
with a total project cost estimated at $8.65 millionóand three new smaller
buildings at the South Campus, with a total estimated at over $4 million.
With the
construction of this
55,000-square-foot
office building on
ORAU’s main campus
and with three, new
smaller buildings at the
South Campus, the
company will consolidate
six different sites within a
six-mile radius into three main
sites—the ORAU
Main Campus at Badger
Avenue, the ORISE South
Campus on Bethel Valley
Road, and the South
Illinois Avenue site.
Inset L to R: Oak
Ridge Mayor David
Bradshaw, Tennessee
Congressman
Zach Wamp,
and ORAU
President Ron
Townsend
ì The dispersed ORISE facilities meant that staff were isolated from peers,î said
Cox. ìThis not only discourages collaboration but also negatively impacts
productivity and creativity.î To remedy this, in the ORAU and ORISE consolidation
scheme, similar programs will be colocated at one
of the two sites. All laboratory-related operationsósuch
as Radiological Safety Assessment &
Training, the Beryllium Lab, and the Professional
Training Program (PTP)óas well as support groups
like the Environment, Safety and Health office will
be located at the South Campus. Already
completed and in full use on the South Campus is
a 4,000 square-foot expansion of building SC-
10óto relocate the Beryllium Labóand a new
5,500-square-foot office building, SC-100, to
house FTD. Laboratory processes can be shared or
discussed and peer reviews will naturally occur.
Safety oversight will be improved as well.
At the main campus, the heavy users of computing resources will be colocated
not only with the computer systems but, more importantly, with the software
developers and technology workers. This will allow informal discussion over the
direction of new technology and seeding of new ways to use those technologies.
During fiscal year 2004, a 22,000-square-foot warehouse, SC-200, will be
constructed on the site of an older facility that will be demolished at the ORISE
South Campus. The following year, a wing of building SC-1 will be remodeled to
relocate the PTP classrooms and labs. Current plans allow for another 5,000-
square-foot facility, SC-300, to be constructed in the near future to house
ìA modern, effective, and efficient
physical infrastructure is of critical
importance to maintaining the capabilities
of ORAU and the Oak Ridge Institute
for Science and Education (ORISE).î
Ron Townsend
expanding ORISE activities.
ì This strategy for consolidation and modernization will ensure that the success of
our corporate and programmatic initiativesóspecifically DOEís Oak Ridge Institute
for Science and Educationóis achieved at the highest level of efficiency,î said
Townsend. ORAU has worked closely with DOEís Oak Ridge Operations, and both
are investing significantly in the efforts to help make these outcomes a reality.
35

Impacting Local Organizations
Through Community Support Initiatives
ORAU and
ORISE supported
East Tennessee
this past year
by providing
education grants to local
schools, giving books to more
local preschoolers, and donating
more than $200,000 to
worthwhile
initiatives.
A CATALYST
A CATALYST
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) continually strives to invest
in community-building initiatives and encourages employees to embrace
the community spirit as well. This year, the company has dedicated more
than $200,000 in cash and hundreds of man-hours in four main areas:
science and education, broad-based human services, economic development,
and community-wide charitable activities.
The following are a few glimpses of community initiatives in which
ORAU and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
have invested this year:
Science and Education
ï Imagination LibraryóIn an effort to support the literacy of children in
our own community, ORAU sponsors the Imagination Library ó a
Dollywood Foundation projectówhich provides a free book each month
to area children from birth to age five. This year, through ORAUís
contributions, the project provided 6,460 books to more than 600
children in Andersonville, Lake City, Briceville, and Oak Ridge. Since
joining the project in 2001, ORAU has distributed more than 10,000
books. ìThe gift of reading is the key to future success in life,î Oak Ridge
Public Library Director Kathy McNeilly said. ì The Imagination Library is
so wonderful that I am regularly recruiting new families here in the
library, and I hope to see all the preschool children in our city benefit
from this opportunity. î
36
Oak Ridge Public Library Director Kathy McNeilly explains the
benefits and features of the Imagination Library program to
Wendy West and son, Chase.
ï Tennessee Science Bowló For the seventh consecutive year, ORAU and
ORISE were the presenting sponsors of, and managed all aspects of, the
Department of Energyís (DOE) Tennessee Science Bowl. The bowl is a
one-day, regional academic competition in which teams of high school
students from across the state match wits in math and science. The
winning team goes on to represent Tennessee in the Department of
Energyís National Science Bowl competition in Washington, D.C. ìORISE
has done an outstanding job in facilitating and coordinating the

Tennessee Science Bowl,î said Greg Mills, DOE Oak Ridge Operations Alternate
Contracting Officerís Representative for ORISE. ìTheir assistance has been
invaluable in assuring the Bowl is efficiently conducted each year. ORISE does a lot
of things very well, and the Tennessee Science Bowl ranks at the top of the list.î
Broad-Based Human Services
ï United Way/Community SharesóIn its most successful giving campaign ever,
ORAU saw 91% of its employees donate more than $69,000 to help fight hunger,
protect the environment, improve the lives of women and children, and assist
many other worthy causes within the community through United Way and
Community Shares.
More than 25
ORAU employees
volunteered at the
Holiday Bureau of Oak
Ridge to help with the
annual toy distribution to
needy families. Pictured
are (L to R): ORAU
employees Millette
Smart, Rose Foster,
Jane Price, Cindy
Skidmore, and
Eva Graves.
ï ADFACó For the fifth consecutive
year, ORAU and its Volunteers in
Education Team have participated in
the Aid to Distressed Families of
Appalachian Counties (ADFAC)
school supply program. Employees
donated approximately $2,500
worth of school supplies, and more
than 30 employees donated 90
hours of their time over nine days
to distribute the supplies to
underprivileged families. ìThis year
we served the largest number of
children to date,î said Jane Byars of
ADFAC. ìIt would have been
impossible to meet the needs of all
children without the help of the
great ORAU volunteers and the generous contribution of school supplies.î
Economic Development
ORAU saw 91% of its employees donate
more than $69,000 to worthy causes
within the community through United
Way and Community Shares.
ï Area Chambers of Commerc e óORAU, a long-standing member and supporter
of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, has consistently contributed to the
Chamberís efforts for economic growth and business development in our community,
and ORAU President Ron Townsend is on the Chamberís board of directors.
This year, ORAU has pledged to contribute $25,000 over a five-year period to the
Jobs Now! Project, which is sponsored not only by the Knoxville Chamber but also
by the East Tennessee Economic Development Agency, the Oak Ridge Economic
Partnership, and the Blount Partnership. The project is a regional campaign
involving public and private sector leaders in the creation of 35,000 new jobs and
$3.4 billion in new wealth throughout a 16-county region in East Tennessee.
37

Celebrating Education:
Enhancing School Programs
Through Grants
38
ï Tennessee Valley Corridor SummitóORAU continues
to support the strategic linking of science and technology
resources between southwest Virginia, southeast
Kentucky, Tennessee, and northern Alabama through its
significant sponsorship of the Tennessee Valley Corridor
Summit, originally developed by Tennessee Congressman
Zach Wamp in 1995. This yearís summit, ìWhere
Technology Meets the Marketplace,î focused on clean
transportation, energy security issues, and high-tech
job creation.
Community-wide
Charitable Activities
ï YWCAó O RAU and ORISE have contributed money
and employees have donated supplies to the local
YWCA this year, specifically to assist the womenís
shelter. Because the organization regularly experiences
funding cuts, it cannot provide some of the small items
needed to make the shelter a more comfortable place for
the women and children who take refuge there.
Throughout the year, employees donated cleaning
supplies and personal hygiene products and even
participated in a pillow drive to support the
organizationís assistance to these individuals.
ï Holiday BureauóMore than 25 employees collected
new and used toys and donated a total of almost 80
hours over two days to distribute them to underprivileged
families in Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs,
Andersonville, Briceville, Clinton, and Lake City through
the Holiday Bureau. The Bureau provides toys, clothing,
computers, and other itemsófrom which parents
choose presents for their childrenóand every child
receives a bicycle and helmet.
ì There are so many needs in our community,î said Pam
Bonee, Director of Communications, Printing and Design
and head of ORAU community relations. ìItís so hard to
say ënoí and such a joy to say ëyesí.î
A CATALYST
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) and its Volunteers
in Education Team (VET) awarded more than $22,000 to local
schools for improving technology, enhancing science labs, and
supporting mathematics programs. ìWeíve never lost sight of
the importance of education to our local community,î ORAU
President Ron Townsend said. ìEducation is our mission.î
Andersonville Elementary received $5,000 to purchase
computers and expand its technology lab. Anderson County
Career and Technical Center received $3,000 to purchase a
laptop and equipment for its students to edit video projects.
ìMy students just were beside themselves when I told them
how much grant money we received,î said teacher Mary Anne
Usury of Anderson County Schools.
Briceville Elementary received $2,000 to purchase microscopes
and equipment to study the water and plant and animal life
around Coal Creek Watershed. ìMy special education students
donít always get things through lecture and text,î said teacher
Paula Sellers. ìThey sometimes have to touch to understand.î
ì Weíve seen [other schools] come out to study the creek,î
said teacher Gladys Stooksbury. ìNow weíll have equipment
that is permanent so our kids can study tooÖfor years
to come.î
Clinton High School was awarded $700 for equipment for a
literary magazine. ì[We] appreciate what [ORAU] is doing to
help the children,î said teacher Beverly Shipley. Clinton City
Schools received $2,400 for a Higher Order Thinking Skills and
Science program. ìItís an opportunity to help our students
improve on their science achievements, and I commend
ORAU,î Clinton Director of Schools Jerry Woods said.
Glenwood Elementary was awarded $2,500 to purchase
computers for use with new math software. Robertsville
Middle School received $1,300 to purchase software allowing
teachers to give tests, assignments, and instructions to
students electronically. Oak Ridge High School received
$1,200 for computer management and security software for
four computer classrooms. ìItís exciting to think about things
youíd really like to have and then get community support,î

said Linda Ousley, Chairperson of the Business and Information Technology
Department at the school.
Linden Elementary received $1,000 for the schoolís science journal and
papermaking programs. Teacher Carolyn Skeen purchased paper presses, giving
students ìthe inspiration to explore the role of plant science in papermaking.î ìI
only asked for the basics, but ORAU/
VET provided funding for some extras I
wasnít expecting.î
Jefferson Middle School received
$3,500 for their Lego Robotics Team to
Students at
Linden Elementary
said “thanks” to
ORAU in a unique
way with papers they
made from a paper
press, which was
purchased by the school
with funds from an
ORAU education grant.
Inset: Linden Elementary
students Jamica Frazier
(left) and Gregory Pawel
(right) demonstrate how
to use the paper press.
purchase a laptop computer and other
needed equipment to run programs for
their robots on-site at competitions
and to cover the cost of registering
additional teams.
ìItís important to recognize and reward
those teachers who are willing to go
the extra step and fight to make their
schools and classrooms better, î
Townsend said.
Addressing Health Disparities
Through Faith-Based Initiative
Healthy People 2010 is a U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services plan to increase quality and length of life while eliminating
A CATALYST
health disparities by 2010. As the lead organization in a new
collaborative project, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Educationís (ORISE) Medical Education and Outreach (MEO)
program is contributing to this effort by working with faith-based
organizations to bring health information to parishioners at six
predominantly African-American, inner-city churches in Knoxville.
ì Weíve never lost sight of the importance
of education to our local community.
Education is our mission.î
Ron Townsend
Health disparities arise because some minorities are more affected
by certain health conditionsócancer, cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and infant mortalityóand have less access to
immunization. ORISEís Consumer Health Resource Information
Service (CHRIS) project, which is funded by the National Library of
Medicine and is the first of its kind in Knoxville, provides information,
training, and computers to parish nurses and their churches.
ìIt is the profound hope of [all involved] that many positive health
benefits will be gained from this project, which has the potential for
nationwide replication,î said Rose Foster, MEO Group Manager.
39

Financial Information for the
Year Ended September 30, 2003
Note:†The financial information provided has been
derived from the audited financial statements of the Oak
Ridge Associated Universities Corporation and the
Department of Energy contract fund for the year ended
Sept. 30, 2003. These audited financial statements are
presented in separately bound reports.
40