2007 ORAU Annual Report - Oak Ridge Associated Universities

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ORAU Commits to the Future of Science Education with Announcement of National Center for Science Education Image Information A team of local students prepares to send the team’s robot to move a pile of “dirt” as part of a LEGO ® Robotics competition at the site dedication for ORAU’s Center for Science Education. The competition served as a symbolic “groundbreaking” as four teams of students used robots they had built to move as much “dirt” as possible within a two-minute time frame. An artist’s rendering (pictured right) of ORAU’s national Center for Science Education, expected to be completed in January 2009. Science education in America has been energized with the passage of the America COMPETES Act. As federal agencies now refocus their efforts to develop the scientific workforce of the future, ORAU will continue to support these agencies with its comprehensive experience in developing and managing science education programs that motivate and inspire tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. Throughout 2007, ORAU successfully delivered a full suite of science education services to 14 agencies, including needs analysis, program administration, and program evaluation. ORAU’s proven, established capabilities in this area will be instrumental in collaborations with its clients to refine and develop their programs to comply with the America COMPETES Act. As a testament to ORAU’s dedication to the future of science education, the corporation is investing in a $20- million national Center for Science Education (CSE). The four-story, 73,000-square-foot facility will reside on the main ORAU campus and will house the personnel who manage more than 150 science education programs. At the July CSE site dedication, Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) praised ORAU for its leadership in science education, noting that ORAU’s commitment—exhibited by the construction of the CSE—is an important piece in the national solution to global competitiveness. “ORAU and ORISE have been great leaders,” Wamp said, citing ORAU’s support of academic collaborations at the Spallation Neutron Source and contributions to the construction of the new Oak Ridge High School. “Now our nation calls. We have to be competitive and to stimulate young people in science and math. ORAU deserves credit for this bold step to help keep America competitive.” Within the CSE, which is expected to open in January 2009, ORAU envisions a Science Education Technology Center that targets the teachers of tomorrow’s scientific workforce. Using advanced technology, ORAU plans to link K-12 teachers with the cutting-edge research at ORNL, creating tools such as: • an education laboratory—a physical place for experimenting, learning, demonstrating, and showcasing results • a virtual learning environment—borderless learning communities with technology-based opportunities that bring visualization, simulation, and modeling to the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields • a resource center—a collection of proven products, services, and programs that make K-12 STEM education more effective By offering teachers the tools to teach science as inquiry and to excite young minds with the possibilities of science, students will, in turn, learn the critical thinking skills that are the foundation for genuine advancement. As a national leader in science education, ORAU will help to create tomorrow’s innovative thinkers who can solve problems of national and global importance. 22
Professor’s NRC Summer Research Assignment on Glass Formation from Radioactive Waste Leads to Discovery of Anticancer Drug Image Information Dr. Santosh Mandal, an inorganic chemist and professor of chemistry at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md., spent the summer of 2007 as a participant in the NRC Historically Black Colleges and Universities Faculty Research Program where he studied the incorporation of rhenium into glass. In the process, he discovered that perrhenate complexes make excellent anticancer drugs. Photo courtesy of Morgan State University. During the school year, Dr. Santosh Mandal teaches chemistry and supervises the research of undergraduate and graduate students at Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Md. But unlike some instructors who take the summer months off, Mandal chose to spend his 10 weeks at MSU as a participant in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Historically Black Colleges and Universities Faculty Research Program. As a result, Mandal made some interesting discoveries. As part of his research assignment, Mandal helped the NRC investigate technetium waste disposal. Technetium is produced in significant quantities during uranium fission and poses problems during the remediation of nuclear waste, as the off-gases may be recycled back into subsequent melts. To address the costly and inefficient remediation process, which also poses potential health risks, Mandal examined chemical methods for reducing the technetium volatility problem while simultaneously improving technetium immobilization by enhancing its incorporation into durable glass and ceramic forms. Mandal met one of the group’s research goals by discovering how to synthesize perrhenate complexes from the reaction of rhenium heptoxide and hydride complexes. No rhenium was lost as a by-product in this reaction, which is important in removing technetium from its wastes. But that wasn’t all Mandal accomplished. During his investigation, Mandal realized that the perrhenate complexes are excellent anticancer agents. He, along with several undergraduate students, studied the preparation, characterization, properties, and synthesis of rhenium compounds for the development of fluorescent rhenium-based anticancer drugs. In the process, they found the fluorescence exhibited by such drugs can pinpoint the tumor and make drug delivery to the tumor location much easier. ORISE Study Finds Increasing Enrollments in Nuclear Engineering, Health Physics Programs Mandal returned to his MSU classroom in the fall to teach advanced inorganic chemistry but will always be grateful to the NRC for its support of this important research. “Without the help of this program, I would not have fulfilled many of my research goals. It really helped me to explore new areas of chemistry,” he said. In 2007, ORISE published its latest surveys of enrollments and degrees for 2006. The data are useful to DOE and other federal agencies as they monitor future workforce needs in the wake of a large number of employees who can retire over the next 10 years. The news is encouraging, as the number of college students enrolled in nuclear engineering and health physics degree programs continues to increase, according to the ORISE-conducted surveys of U.S. universities offering such programs. ORISE has collected and/or monitored data on enrollments and degrees in science and energy-related fields of study for federal agencies since the mid-1970s. “Because we have a 30-year history of gathering this type of data, we can provide depth and breadth to the findings,” said Wayne Stevenson, ORISE director of Science Education Programs. Copies of the study are available on-line at http://orise. orau.gov/sep/pubs.htm Photo courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory. 23
Page 2 and 3: Published by the Communications and
Page 4 and 5: ORAU at a Glance As a consortium of
Page 6 and 7: ORISE at a Glance The Oak Ridge Ins
Page 8 and 9: Statement from the President Agains
Page 10 and 11: i n n o v a t i v e s o l u t i o n
Page 12 and 13: U n i v e r s i t y P a r t n e r s
Page 14 and 15: Enhancing Investment in the Profess
Page 16 and 17: Strengthening Our Partnership with
Page 18 and 19: University Professor Helps Develop
Page 20 and 21: Houston Teacher Ready for New Scien
Page 22 and 23: Science Education Programs “The d
Page 26 and 27: ORAU Partners with Oak Ridge Nation
Page 28 and 29: Research Programs a Win-Win for Par
Page 30 and 31: Students/Teachers “Vacation” at
Page 32 and 33: NASA Postdoc Program Offers Fellows
Page 34 and 35: Marvin L. Wesely Distinguished Grad
Page 36 and 37: S c i e n t i f i c a n d Te c h n
Page 38 and 39: ORISE Coordinates First DHS Univers
Page 40 and 41: Photo courtesy of the National Canc
Page 42 and 43: Worker Health Programs “We are co
Page 44 and 45: Former DOE Worker Medical Screening
Page 46 and 47: I n d e p e n d e n t E n v i r o n
Page 48 and 49: ORISE Helps DOE Restore Environment
Page 50 and 51: ORISE Intern Helping to Grow Use of
Page 52 and 53: N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y a n
Page 54 and 55: ORISE Teams to Develop Web-Based Di
Page 56 and 57: Golden Guardian Exercise a Success
Page 58 and 59: Hoover Dam Exercise to Test Respons
Page 60 and 61: Radiation Emergency Medicine Progra
Page 62 and 63: Hiroshima Fallout Expert Collaborat
Page 64 and 65: Visiting REAC/TS Fellow Will Lead t
Page 66 and 67: H e a l t h C o m m u n i c a t i o
Page 68 and 69: ORISE Helps HHS Test Continuity of
Page 70 and 71: ORISE/NCI Partner on Teaching End-o
Page 72 and 73: Tool Improves Malaria Treatment Pol
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Community Partnerships Oak Ridge Pu
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ORAU Management Key Office Contact
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2007 ORAU Sponsoring Institutions A
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