Feature Articles

Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, or UW, and Los Alamos National Laboratory used the Summit supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to answer one of fission’s biggest questions: What exactly happens during the nucleus’s “neck rupture” as it splits in two? 

The Arctic is warming faster than any other area of the planet.

How environmental change affects the landscape, weather patterns and infrastructure for communities — not just here but across the world — is of keen interest to scientists studying climate change.

Researchers led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been crisscrossing the Alaskan tundra for the past 12 years, collecting data as part of the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments in the Arctic project, or NGEE Arctic. They’re tracking rapid changes across the treeless tundra landscape as the climate warms.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Corey Cooke reveals hidden communications with new methods for teasing apart digital signals from noise. But his influence extends beyond mathematical models and machine learning to shaping new engineers. He coordinates a partnership between ORNL and Tennessee Technological University which helps ORNL staff pursue graduate degrees in electrical and computer engineering and opens professional opportunities for Tennessee Tech Graduates.

Biochemist David Baker — just announced as a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry — turned to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for information he couldn’t get anywhere else. HFIR is the strongest reactor-based neutron source in the United States.  

On Thursday, Oct. 8, Downtown Island Airport (DKX) transformed into an inspiring runway for learning as Oak Ridge National Laboratory partnered with United Way and local community schools to host the "Soar into STEM" Traveling Science Fair. 

ORNL’s Traveling Science Fair celebrated its revitalized return after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, welcoming over 500 local 5th-grade students from underserved areas. The lab partnered with the general aviation airport, located just across the river from downtown Knoxville, to highlight its connection to aviation science. 

Lab exhibits and staff showcased ORNL's innovations in aviation fuels, quiet engine technology and advanced materials as well as expertise in modeling and simulation to optimize aircraft design and performance for greater sustainability.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Energy Technology Laboratory have developed and 3D printed the lightest crack-free alloy capable of operating without melting at temperatures above 2400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

To bridge the gap between experimental facilities and supercomputers, experts from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are teaming up with other Department of Energy national laboratories to build a new data streaming pipeline. The pipeline will allow researchers to send their data to the nation’s leading computing centers for analysis in real time even as their experiments are taking place.

Next-generation technologies, such as leading-edge memory storage solutions and brain-inspired neuromorphic computing systems, could touch nearly every aspect of our lives — from the gadgets we use daily to the solutions for major global challenges. These advances rely on specialized materials, including ferroelectrics — materials with switchable electric properties that enhance performance and energy efficiency. A research team led by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a novel technique for creating precise atomic arrangements in ferroelectrics, establishing a robust framework for advancing powerful new technologies.

The Summit supercomputer, once the world’s most powerful, is set to be decommissioned by the end of 2024 to make way for the next-generation supercomputer. Over the summer, crews began dismantling Summit’s Alpine storage system, shredding over 40,000 hard drives with the help of ShredPro Secure, a local East Tennessee business. This partnership not only reduced costs and sped up the process but also established a more efficient and secure method for decommissioning large-scale computing systems in the future.

Distinguished materials scientist Takeshi Egami has spent his career revealing the complex atomic structure of metallic glass and other liquids. He studies these materials at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.