1966
The name change from the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (ORINS) to Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) became official on January 1, 1966.
In 1966, the Biochemistry Program discovered a rare group of lipids characteristic of most cancerous cells in animals and man. These lipids contained a stable chemical group (ether-linked) that made their properties completely different from the more common lipids (ester-linked) in most healthy cells.
As a result of the survey conducted for the U.S. Department of Labor on manpower development in the South, ORAU developed and coordinated on an experimental basis the Training and Technology (TAT) project, which began in 1966. By combining the resources of the Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC's) Oak Ridge facilities, Union Carbide Corporation's industrial training capacity, and the University of Tennessee's (UT's) industrial education program, the project allowed effective training for both vocational-technical teachers and workers. This project marked the first time a major university and a large, highly developed industrial complex joined in a vocational-technical education program of this scope.