![An artist's rendering of the Ultium Cells battery cell production facility to be built in Spring Hill, Tennessee, which will employ 1,300 people. Recognizing the unique expertise of their organizations, ORNL, TVA, and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development have been working together for several years to bring startups developing battery technologies for EVs and established automotive firms to Tennessee. Credit: Ultium Cells](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-02/UltiumCellsLLC-SpringHill-TN-Rendering_0.jpg?h=f9f6f138&itok=_TJq1Ajl)
ORNL, TVA and TNECD were recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for their impactful partnership that resulted in a record $2.3 billion investment by Ultium Cells, a General Motors and LG Energy Solution joint venture, to build a battery cell manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
![Govindarajan Muralidharan has been elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-02/2015-P02726.jpg?h=49ab6177&itok=HrpwQkpK)
Muralidharan was recognized for “a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and welfare of society.”
![An array of food trucks, including CJ’s Tacos, visited ORNL during an ORNL Gives fundraising event on Sept. 8, 2021. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/2021-P06780_0.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=l8TI2Zdm)
ORNL employees gave nearly $800,000 to local nonprofits through the lab’s employee giving programs in 2021. ORNL’s managing contractor, UT-Battelle, provided an additional $144,000 in corporate contributions.
![ORNL scientists used an electron beam for precision machining of nanoscale materials. Cubes were milled to change their shape and could also be removed from an array. Credit: Kevin Roccapriore/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/ORNL_15nm_allmodes_oneper_01.jpg?h=6f770d0b&itok=o5CcrpFN)
Drilling with the beam of an electron microscope, scientists at ORNL precisely machined tiny electrically conductive cubes that can interact with light and organized them in patterned structures that confine and relay light’s electromagnetic signal.
![Mars Rover 2020](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-03/Mars_0.jpg?h=c44fcfa1&itok=gSstQOJO)
More than 50 current employees and recent retirees from ORNL received Department of Energy Secretary’s Honor Awards from Secretary Jennifer Granholm in January as part of project teams spanning the national laboratory system. The annual awards recognized 21 teams and three individuals for service and contributions to DOE’s mission and to the benefit of the nation.
![Three ORNL scientists have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/AAAS_fellows_resize_0.jpg?h=e91a75a9&itok=y20mbH61)
Three ORNL scientists have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.
![Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory upcycled a common plastic to develop a novel reusable adhesive with exceptional strength and toughness.Carlos Jones/ORNL; U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/2022-P00031_0.jpg?h=8f9cfe54&itok=7MuPCQ8s)
Researchers at ORNL used polymer chemistry to transform a common household plastic into a reusable adhesive with a rare combination of strength and ductility, making it one of the toughest materials ever reported.
![ORNL Corporate Research Fellow and Geospatial Science and Human Security Division Director Budhu Bhaduri has been elected as a fellow of the American Association of Geographers. The honor recognizes Bhaduri for his “innovation, mentorship and wide-ranging leadership” in geographic sciences. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/Bhaduri_0.jpg?h=a1722e68&itok=JBb6QdRw)
ORNL’s Budhendra “Budhu” Bhaduri has been elected a fellow of the American Association of Geographers. The honor recognizes Bhaduri as “a world leader in innovation, development and application of research in human dynamics, geographic data science, remote sensing and scalable geocomputation.”
![Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation has licensed a novel method to 3D print highly resistant components for use in nuclear reactor designs. USNC Executive Vice President Kurt Terrani, formerly of ORNL, said the novel method will allow the company to make parts with desired complex shapes more efficiently. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/2020-P15249_0.jpg?h=245bf488&itok=Ts1prptZ)
A novel method to 3D print components for nuclear reactors, developed by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been licensed by Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation.
![Mo Khaleel](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-12/2017-P00168.jpg?h=49ab6177&itok=jh0v6m_S)
Moe Khaleel has been selected to lead the National Sciences Security Directorate, or NSSD, at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.