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Media Contacts
![Quantum Computational Science image](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-11/quantum-computational-science.jpg?h=e91a75a9&itok=UmQ0_mO0)
Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, research at ORNL in 2021 continued apace, with developments across the lab’s broad science and technology missions. Among our most popular news stories in the past year:
![ORNL’s Melissa Allen-Dumas examines the ways global and regional climate models can shed light on local climate effects and inform equitable solutions. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-12/2021-P00300_0.jpg?h=8f9cfe54&itok=FYXNa_GE)
The world is full of “huge, gnarly problems,” as ORNL research scientist and musician Melissa Allen-Dumas puts it — no matter what line of work you’re in. That was certainly the case when she would wrestle with a tough piece of music.
![Burak Ozpineci is a globally recognized leader in power electronics research. He was named an ORNL Corporate Fellow in fall 2021. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-12/2021-P05927.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=INL2tsOt)
Burak Ozpineci started out at ORNL working on a novel project: introducing silicon carbide into power electronics for more efficient electric vehicles. Twenty years later, the car he drives contains those same components.
![Radiochemist Shelley VanCleve works to purify an isotope using a glove box in ORNL’s Radiochemical Engineering Development Center. VanCleve was involved in the final purification of berkelium that led to the discovery of the new element 117, tennessine, in 2010. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-12/2019-P06960%20%281%29.jpg?h=8f9cfe54&itok=G0bLNtrs)
It’s elemental — scientists agree that the periodic table is incomplete. And when it comes to unveiling parts of the periodic table yet undiscovered, ORNL is doing some heavy lifting.
![ORNL’s Larry York studies how plant root traits contribute to crop productivity. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-12/2021-P09529.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=xKuzx0EU)
Biologist Larry York’s fascination with plant roots has spurred his research across four continents and inspired him to create accessible tools that enable others to explore the underground world.
![Planting native grasses such as the bioenergy crop switchgrass can restore habitat for birds like this Eastern kingbird. Credit: Chris Lituma/West Virginia University](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-11/Eastern%20Kingbird-2_0.jpg?h=50440fcc&itok=47pCnCan)
An analysis by Oak Ridge National Laboratory shows that using less-profitable farmland to grow bioenergy crops such as switchgrass could fuel not only clean energy, but also gains in biodiversity.
![ORNL researchers observed that atomic vibrations in a twisted crystal result in winding energetic waves that govern heat transport, which may help new materials better manage heat. Credit: Jill Hemman/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-11/21-G02214_Helix_0.png?h=3e3883a3&itok=VkEO_bRp)
A discovery by Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers may aid the design of materials that better manage heat.
![In a study, ORNL researchers concluded that the most direct path to plastic upcycling is through designing polymers specifically for reuse, which would allow the material to be converted into high-value products. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-11/plasticUpcycleArt_0.jpg?h=7fe813aa&itok=wXdMZ6YJ)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers determined that designing polymers specifically with upcycling in mind could reduce future plastic waste considerably and facilitate a circular economy where the material is used repeatedly.
![Researchers used an atomic force microscope to test how easily particles of the novel coronavirus cling to certain surfaces, a property known as adhesion energy. Credit: Ali Passian/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-11/AFM-COVID%20story%20tip_0.png?h=2e111cc1&itok=GP6NSVOx)
A study by Department of Energy researchers detailed a potential method to detect the novel coronavirus
![U.S. Secretary of Energy Granholm tours ORNL’s world-class science facilities](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-11/2021-P09409.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=C8b0_-Vk)
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.