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News Releases

ORNL's Communications team works with news media seeking information about the laboratory. Media may use the resources listed below or send questions to news@ornl.gov.
Simulations forecast nationwide increase in human exposure to extreme climate events

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 5, 2020 — By 2050, the United States will likely be exposed to a larger number of extreme climate events, including more frequent heat waves, longer droughts and more intense floods, which can lead to greater risks for human health, ecosystem stability and regional economies.

UT-Battelle donates $10,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank

UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, has donated $10,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, providing 30,000 meals for those in need.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory entrance sign

UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, and ORNL staff members have raised $15,000 to assist the victims of the tornadoes that struck Middle Tennessee on March 3.

Short-leafed spring beauties are among the Oak Ridge Reservation flora than can be spotted on this season’s Nature Walks. Photo: Trent Jett

On the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), located in East Tennessee, more than 1100 vascular plants, 72 fish, 34 mammals and over 200 bird species have been observed.

Coronavirus research

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have used Summit, the world’s most powerful and smartest supercomputer, to identify 77 small-molecule drug compounds that might warrant further study in the fight

Polymer self-assembly at the liquid-liquid interface in real time

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 27, 2020 — Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee achieved a rare look at the inner workings of polymer self-assembly at an oil-water interface to advance materials for neuromorphic computing and bio-inspired technologies.

Moe Khaleel (left), associate laboratory director of ORNL’s Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate, presents a symbolic check to Pellissippi State Community College President L. Anthony Wise Jr.

UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy, has donated $5,000 to the Pellissippi State Community College Foundation to advance STEM education for community college students across East Tennessee.

The agreement builds upon years of collaboration, including a 2016 effort using modeling tools developed at ORNL to predict the first six months of operations of TVA’s Watts Bar Unit 2 nuclear power plant. Credit: Andrew Godfrey/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 19, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Valley Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate a new generation of flexible, cost-effective advanced nuclear reactors.

Data scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have completed a study of long-term trends in the relationship between the timing of tree leafing and rising temperatures in the United States. The information is being incorporated into DOE’s Energy Exascale Earth System Model. Photo Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

A team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that while all regions of the country can expect an earlier start to the growing season as temperatures rise, the trend is likely to become more variable year-over-year in hotter regions.

ORNL's Battery Manufacturing Facility

Energy storage startup SPARKZ Inc. has exclusively licensed five battery technologies from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed to eliminate cobalt metal in lithium-ion batteries. The advancement is aimed at accelerating the production of electric vehicles and energy storage solutions for the power grid.