Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) was founded in 1946 as the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies following the completion of the Manhattan Project. The original consortium was composed of only 14 universities from the southeastern United States. The name was changed to Oak Ridge Associated Universities in 1966 to reflect the growing role that universities played in the organization. It has since grown to over 100 member institutions.
ORAU provides innovative scientific and technical solutions for the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to advance national priorities in science, health, education and national security. We do this by integrating unique laboratory capabilities, specialized teams of experts and a consortium of more than 100 universities. ORAU also manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, which supports government agencies who value an integrated solution incorporating state of the art science and technology in an era of consolidated government contracts requiring research informed delivery of critical services.
In addition to support for government agencies, ORAU provides many opportunities for teachers and students through a variety of fellowships, grants, scholarships, workshops, and joint-faculty appointments. Many of these programs are especially designed for underrepresented minority students pursuing degrees in science and engineering fields. Participation and financial support for science education programs now exceeds 8,900 participants and $212 million. The ORAU University Partnerships Office supports new faculty just beginning their careers through the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, individual faculty collaboration with other scientists at member universities and ORNL, and member schools with larger collaborative efforts.
For information about ORAU and its programs, visit www.orau.org, or call the university partnerships office at 865.576.1898.
March 20, 2020 (Off-Cycle Announcement): Call to Action: Join the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition
ORAU is proud to join the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition, a private sector-led coalition formed to coordinate the collection, aggregation, and analysis of COVID-19 data and best practices. Led by The MITRE Corporation, ORAU joins the Mayo Clinic, Leavitt Partners, MIT faculty, and others in this newly-launched effort. Our hope is that by utilizing the robust data collection and analytics expertise in the private sector, we can help flatten the COVID-19 curve.
The coalition is unfunded, and open to anyone with data to share and a commitment to collaboration. ORAU invites our university partners to join us in working towards the goal of ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and join the effort at https://c19hcc.org/#/.
In addition, The MITRE Corporation has released a white paper titled, Stopping COVID-19: Short-term Actions for Long-term Impact. This white paper includes recommendations for non-pharmaceutical interventions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The paper can be accessed at https://www.mitre.org/publications/technical-papers/white-paper-stopping-covid-19-short-term-actions-for-long-term-impact/.
Funding Opportunities You can find a list of funding opportunities from ORAU at https://tinyurl.com/ORAU-funding
Ralph Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards. https://researchfunding.duke.edu/ralph-e-powe-junior-faculty-enhancement-awards.
Events Sponsorship Program. This program provides up to $4,000 to support events that involve participants from more than one ORAU institution. Two calls for proposals will be issued each year. Typical events might include visits to an ORAU institution by a renowned speaker, conferences or workshops with a focused theme, or a technology transfer/business plan competition. If the event will take place between Oct. 1 and May 31 of the following year, applications are due by Sept. 1. If the event will take place between April 1 and Sept. 30, applications are due by March 1. This is an institutionally limited funding opportunity. To check internal deadlines, please follow this link https://researchfunding.duke.edu/orau-event-sponsorship-programs-university-partnerships-office.
Heidelberg Laureate Forum. The Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation (HLFF) annually organizes the Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), which is a networking event for mathematicians and computer scientists from all over the world. For one week, the recipients of the Abel Prize, the ACM A.M. Turing Award, the Fields Medal, and the Nevanlinna Prize engage in a cross-generational scientific dialogue with young researchers in Heidelberg, Germany. See www.heidelberg-laureate-forum.org for more information.
Other Announcements
ORAU Membership: Being a member of ORAU’s University Consortium has its privileges, including access to unique vehicles for funding research, professional growth and development opportunities, and interesting collaborations. Information about ORAU Consortium Membership can be found here https://www.orau.org/university-partnerships/membership.html
Zintellect: ORAU’s new unified application system, Zintellect, is currently up and running. The Zintellect system is a searchable, opportunity-based system where applicants can develop one profile and attach it to multiple applications. This streamlined system hosts hundreds of listings of internships and experiential learning opportunities that are administered by ORAU and funded by government and private sector organizations. Since its launch in October 2014, Zintellect has advertised nearly 2,000 opportunities for 184 active programs, offered by 22 Sponsor organizations. Leverage this ORAU capability for the benefit of your students and recent graduates by learning more at www.Zintellect.com.
Annual Meeting. https://www.orau.org/university-partnerships/annual-meeting.html ORAU's Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is held to explore relevant topics in higher education. The meeting not only provides presentations by nationally recognized experts, but also gives our university consortium members the opportunity to partake in valuable discussions with council representatives and ORAU staff in conjunction with the meeting's yearly theme.
To see a list of all current ORAU opportunities, click here.
Videos
We are delighted to share with you a series of short videos featuring Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists and engineers explaining their work offers a glimpse inside the world of “Big Science” for students, educators and anyone interested in the process of discovery.
From fusion energy to advanced manufacturing and climate modeling, some of ORNL’s premier researchers explain what they do and why it matters. The fast-paced three-minute clips provide a peek at what it’s like to have a career where making the world better is the goal.
The videos feature 32 scientists, engineers and operations staff who contribute to ORNL’s mission of addressing many of the most pressing scientific challenges of our time.
Recurring themes include energy efficiency, the development of better materials and tackling of grand scientific challenges. Anyone can access the videos at https://www.orau.org/media-center/videos.aspx.
The videos offer a variety of teacher training and educational programs, and give students first-person accounts of career options in science and engineering.