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This diagram demonstrates how a concentrating solar thermal plant could use molten salts to store solar energy that could later be used to generate electricity. Credit: Jaimee Janiga/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists recently demonstrated a low-temperature, safe route to purifying molten chloride salts that minimizes their ability to corrode metals. This method could make the salts useful for storing energy generated from the sun’s heat.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory probed the chemistry of radium to gain key insights on advancing cancer treatments using radiation therapy. Credit: Adam Malin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Researchers at ORNL explored radium’s chemistry to advance cancer treatments using ionizing radiation.

Mars Rover 2020

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.

The Roane State Community College associates are (from left) Jeff Manning, Chris Zerr, Bruce Lester, Joe Pyle, Darrell Roddy and Rusty Dryman.

Bruce Lester has had a lot of jobs: fisherman, horse trainer, “professional stair builder.” He last worked for a real estate company, surveying land using geographic software. “When the bottom fell out of the construction industry and the company downsized, I got laid off,” 

Default image of ORNL entry sign
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a population distribution model that provides unprecedented county-level predictions of where people will live in the U.S. in the coming decades.