May 31, 2007 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Jeff Wadsworth is leaving the community the same way he arrived here -- leading the charge to improve public education and renovate Oak Ridge High School.
In his final presentation locally as lab director, Wadsworth announced Thursday a $50,000 gift to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Foundation. Four years ago, one of his first acts as lab director was to take a leadership role that resulted in $2 million from UT-Battelle to renovate Oak Ridge High School, which was built in 1951.
Wadsworth departs next month to be Executive Vice President for Laboratory Operations at Battelle headquarters in Columbus.
"We have always believed that a great school system is a necessary part of ORNL being a great laboratory," Wadsworth said. "Oak Ridge schools and the laboratory are on similar paths of renovation and growth."
The appointment of Thom Mason to become new lab director July 1 ensures UT-Battelle's commitment to education will continue, Wadsworth said.
Mason, associate lab director of the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL, also chairs the Oak Ridge Public Schools Foundation, which helped raise $55 million to renovate Oak Ridge High School.
UT-Battelle, which manages ORNL for the Department of Energy, has funded more than 30 area science labs, including Oak Ridge High School?s, since 2000 through a series of $10,000 gifts.
UT-Battelle also provided $87,000 to connect ORHS to Internet2, a high-speed network of countless educational opportunities for students and faculty, and supported ORHS student teams in national competitions such as the Science Olympiad and the prestigious Siemens Competition in Science, Math & Technology, won by ORHS in December.