Tuskegee University Students
Get Close Look at National Lab
In July, a group of science students and professors from Tuskegee University, which is an ORAU member institution and HBCU/MEI Council member, travelled to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to get a first-hand look at the lab's facilities and learn about the kinds of research programs available to them.
Hosted by ORAU's Partnership Development Office, the tour included stops at ORNL's National Center for Computational Sciences, the Spallation Neutron Source and the Center for Nanophase Materials Science.
The 20 students made the trip as a day-long break from two different summer programs at Tuskegee, one an honors program in organic chemistry, the other a newly formed research experience allowing science and engineering students to study nanocomposites in the Tuskegee Center for Advanced Materials.
During their visit to ORNL, the group from Tuskegee University had a chance to view a satellite image of their campus at the Exploratory Visualization Environment for Research in Science and Technology (EVEREST) facility.
In addition to their tour, the group had a chance to hear presentations by two current Tuskegee students and one Tuskegee professor, all of whom are completing research experiences at ORNL this summer. Angela Reevely, who is in her second summer of study at ORNL, and Danielle Hudson, a Ph.D. student who is conducting research at the Center for Nanophase Materials Science, told about their experiences and encouraged the students to pursue the opportunities available to them at ORNL.
Dr. Dave Sree, an engineering professor at Tuskegee, also presented the research he has been performing alongside Peter Todd of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division in the area of fog collection. He told the group that his experience, which is part of the ORNL/ORAU HBCU/MEI Faculty Summer Research Program, has been ideally suited for him.
"I like the fact that ORNL is closer to Tuskegee than other places I could have gone," Sree said. "It's a wonderful place to be—there's a lot of freedom and the people are very friendly and encouraging."
If you are part of an ORAU member institution and would like to learn more about opportunities at ORNL, please contact the ORAU Partnership Development Office.