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Andrew Sutton joined ORNL in 2020 to guide a newly formed team that focuses on chemical process scale-up in advanced manufacturing. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Andrew Sutton: Exploring carbon sources through fundamental chemistry

When Andrew Sutton arrived at ORNL in late 2020, he knew the move would be significant in more ways than just a change in location.

ORNL scientists created a new microbial trait mapping process that improves on classical protoplast fusion techniques to identify the genes that trigger desirable genetic traits like improved biomass processing. Credit: Nathan Armistead/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy. Reprinted with the permission of Oxford University Press, publisher of Nucleic Acids Research

Retro technique advances modern bacterial engineering for bioenergy

ORNL scientists had a problem mapping the genomes of bacteria to better understand the origins of their physical traits and improve their function for bioenergy production.

David McCollum is bringing his interdisciplinary expertise in engineering, economics and policy to several initiatives at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the global effort to transform energy systems equitably while respecting planetary boundaries. Credit: Lindsay McCollum

David McCollum: Leading the effort to build a Net Zero World

David McCollum is using his interdisciplinary expertise, international networks and boundless enthusiasm to lead Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s contributions to the Net Zero World initiative.

High voltage power lines carry electricity generated by the Tennessee Valley Authority to ORNL. Credit: Dobie Gillispie/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

ORNL, TVA partner to drive decarbonization, explore carbon-free technologies

ORNL and the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, are joining forces to advance decarbonization technologies from discovery through deployment through a new memorandum of understanding, or MOU.

Scientists from LanzaTech, Northwestern University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory engineered a microbe, shown in light blue, to convert molecules of industrial waste gases, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, into acetone. The same microbe can also make isopropanol. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Carbon-negative platform turns waste gases into valuable chemicals

A team of scientists from LanzaTech, Northwestern University and ORNL have developed carbon capture technology that harnesses emissions from industrial processes to produce acetone and isopropanol

An international team of researchers used Summit to model spin, charge and pair-density waves in cuprates, a type of copper alloy, to explore the materials’ superconducting properties. The results revealed new insights into the relationships between these dynamics as superconductivity develops. Credit: Jason Smith/ORNL

Summit study spins up new insights into correlated electron systems

A study led by researchers at ORNL used the nation’s fastest supercomputer to close in on the answer to a central question of modern physics that could help conduct development of the next generation of energy technologies.

A new process developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory leverages deep learning techniques to study cell movements in a simulated environment, guided by simple physics rules similar to video-game play. Credit: MSKCC and UTK

AI — Revealing hidden biology

Scientists have developed a novel approach to computationally infer previously undetected behaviors within complex biological environments by analyzing live, time-lapsed images that show the positioning of embryonic cells in C. elegans, or roundworms. Their published methods could be used to reveal hidden biological activity. 

Biofuels, such as those derived from the switchgrass being harvested in this field in Vonore, Tennessee, are just one of the technology-based solutions that ORNL summit participants identified recently as key to decarbonizing the agriculture sector. Credit: Erin G. Webb, ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy.

Taking on decarbonization in the ag sector: ORNL summit highlights focus areas

Energy and sustainability experts from ORNL, industry, universities and the federal government recently identified key focus areas to meet the challenge of successfully decarbonizing the agriculture sector

This protein drives key processes for sulfide use in many microorganisms that produce methane, including Thermosipho melanesiensis. Researchers used supercomputing and deep learning tools to predict its structure, which has eluded experimental methods such as crystallography. Credit: Ada Sedova/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Scientists use Summit supercomputer, deep learning to predict protein functions at genome scale

A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Georgia Institute of Technology is using supercomputing and revolutionary deep learning tools to predict the structures and roles of thousands of proteins with unknown functions.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Granholm tours ORNL’s world-class science facilities

U.S. Secretary of Energy Granholm tours ORNL’s world-class science facilities

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited ORNL on Nov. 22 for a two-hour tour, meeting top scientists and engineers as they highlighted projects and world-leading capabilities that address some of the country’s most complex research and technical challenges.