Oak Ridge Associated Universities 2006 Annual Report

national leader, offering fellowships, scholarships,
internships, research awards, and travel grants for
faculty, postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate
participants, as well as for K-12 teachers. In 2006
specifically, DOE requested that ORISE manage the
new DOE Scholars Program—a program designed
to funnel promising young scholars into the agency’s
employment pipeline, which is being depleted as senior
scientists and engineers retire.
In addition to our leadership role in science education,
ORAU is answering the need for responsive worker
health solutions, particularly for current and former
workers in the nuclear industry. For DOE, ORAU
has partnered with other health organizations to
create a nationwide network of resources and healthmonitoring
capabilities for the DOE National
Supplemental Screening Program. This year, more
than 2,500 people were registered for free medical
screenings, and ORAU designed a paperless
information flow for the screening process that has
resulted in greater efficiency in servicing these workers’
health needs. In addition, ORAU is bringing to a
close a major radiation dose reconstruction project
for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, which estimates the occupational radiation
doses received by thousands of workers in the nuclear
weapons complex.
ORAU has also demonstrated an unwavering
commitment to help prepare and protect the nation
in the event of a worldwide crisis or national
emergency involving radiation incidents, or threats of
terrorism, and we are working closely with the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services to lessen
the impact of epidemic disease, such as a pandemic
flu, on our nation. Further, to mitigate the effects of
radiation on the health of the environment, ORAU is
partnering with DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission to ensure that contaminated nuclear
facilities are cleaned up to established regulatory
standards, an effort aimed at increasing public
confidence in the safety of these facilities or lands
for reuse.
This year has been one of tremendous growth and
success in meeting our customers’ needs. By leveraging
our strengths in creating smart partnerships among
government, academe, and industry and through our
ability to provide innovative solutions to these national
issues, ORAU is helping our customers build a future
that positively impacts the nation in areas of vital and
immediate importance.