2007 ORAU Annual Report - Oak Ridge Associated Universities

More documents

Recommendations

Info

S c i e n t i f i c a n d Te c h n i c a l P e e r Review Programs “We remain committed to coordinating rigorous peer reviews with a high level of process integrity. The resulting technical evaluations are invaluable to our customers as they allocate funding to the very best research proposals and distribute high-quality credible information within the scientific community and to the public.” Mike Wetzel, Vice President and Director of Peer Review Programs When the federal government disseminates scientific information or funds research proposals, it is critical that the information or the proposals are scientifically feasible and have verifiable technical merit. Through a customizable peer review process using external experts, ORISE is helping the federal government make informed decisions regarding the quality of the science. Contact Information Scientific and Technical Peer Review Programs (865) 576-1087 peerreview@orau.org http://orise.orau.gov/peer 2007 Accomplishments • Coordinated 48 scientific peer reviews of 1,906 research proposals involving 1,398 reviewers with potential funding of awards totaling more than $748 million. • Coordinated the review process that led to the establishment of three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers funded at more than $400 million • Arranged nine workshops to disseminate research efforts to the research community or the general public • Managed 11 expert panels for DHS to identify and evaluate risk assessment methods • Evaluated the technical merit of seven health risk assessments for the EPA Integrated Risk Information System, which focuses on human health effects that may result from chemical exposure • Assisted DOE with 160 program, project, and site reviews to evaluate ongoing and completed research activities in basic energy sciences, biological and environmental sciences, and computational sciences • Managed review programs for the Pennsylvania Department of Health to evaluate the progress of six ongoing health research projects and the outcomes of 172 completed research projects Focus Areas • Provide agency-specific peer-review assistance to coordinate evaluations by independent and objective reviewers on the technical merit of research proposals, progress reports, or products • Manage ORAU’s PeerNet system, a Web-based application that distributes research proposals to reviewers, collects reviewer comments, and provides evaluation reports with maximum process integrity • Apply the peer-review model to evaluate ongoing and completed research or other technical reports or products Key Customers • U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) • National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) • U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 34
ORISE Coordinates Reviews for Establishment of DOE Bioenergy Research Centers With an investment totaling more than $400 million into three new Bioenergy Research Centers in 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) took an important step in strengthening America’s energy security. The actions also advance President Bush’s Twenty-in- Ten Initiative, which seeks to reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent within 10 years through increased efficiency and diversification of clean energy sources. The Genomics:GTL program within DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research turned to ORISE to coordinate the merit-based, competitive review process that included external scientific peer review of the research proposals for the funded centers, which are intended to accelerate basic research in the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels. ORISE’s role included coordinating three separate reviews conducted throughout the selection process. During the initial review, external reviewers from around the world evaluated the scientific/technical merit of the proposals. In the second review, reviewers critically evaluated presentations from a select group of principal investigators who were chosen from the initial peer review. The final review provided both individual and collaborative comments across the three selected centers to baseline the management and science components of the approved research. These reviews culminated in the selection of the following three centers in June 2007: • The DOE Bioenergy Science Center, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is studying the resistance of plant fiber to breakdown into sugars and the potential energy crops of poplar and switchgrass. • The DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, led by the University of Wisconsin in Madison, in close collaboration with Michigan State University, is studying a range of plants and, in addition to exploring plant fiber breakdown, aims to increase plant production of starches and oils, which are more easily converted to fuels. • The DOE Joint Bioenergy Institute, led by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is concentrating on “model” crops of rice and Arabidopsis and is exploring microbial-based synthesis of fuels beyond ethanol. “The collaborations of academic, corporate, and national laboratory researchers represented by these centers are truly impressive, and I am very encouraged by the potential they hold for advancing America’s energy security,” noted Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. Establishment of the Bioenergy Research Centers culminates a six-year effort by DOE’s Office of Science to lay the foundation for breakthroughs in systems biology Image Information An ORNL researcher takes a sample of a poplar seedling for analysis as part of the DOE Bioenergy Science Center’s work to develop crops for biofuels production. The ORNL center was one of three research centers selected through a competitive review process, coordinated by ORISE, to be funded by DOE in 2007. The centers focus on research into and development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels as a means of strengthening America’s energy independence. Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 35
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 24 and 25: ORAU Commits to the Future of Scien
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 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
Page 74 and 75: Community Partnerships Oak Ridge Pu
Page 76 and 77: ORAU Management Key Office Contact
Page 78: 2007 ORAU Sponsoring Institutions A

2007 ORAU Annual Report - Oak Ridge Associated Universities

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?