Partnerships for Innovation
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Science Agenda
ORAU Provides Support to ORNL's Achievement of Specific Scientific Objectives
Since the very beginning of the partnership between Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), ORAU has assisted the lab in advancing its science agenda. In recent years, ORNL has emerged as a leader on a global scale in numerous areas including:
- Neutron Science
- Biological Systems
- Energy
- Advanced Materials
- National Security
- Supercomputing
Recently, ORAU has helped lead the way in supporting two of these key areas—neutron science and biological systems—simultaneously.
The largest science project in the history of ORNL, and the largest neutron generating facility in the world, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), generated its first neutron beams in the spring of 2006. In the coming years, the SNS will become an increasingly important tool for scientists across the globe.
Early in the construction phase of this massive project, ORAU began exploring how to support the SNS in a way that would best meet the needs and interests of ORAU member universities and the research community overall. Two such activities included:
Macromolecular Neutron Diffractometer (MaNDI)
Springing from an ORAU-sponsored workshop in the spring of 2002, MANDI has become a valuable instrument for the structural biology community.
User Access for the Biodeuteration Laboratory
ORAU facilitated research at this facility by supporting the first user access program, which was launched in 2005.
ORAU initiatives support ORNL's science agenda, including the Spallation Neutron Source. Shown above is the Proton Accumulator Ring at the SNS where protons will be increased in intensity 1000-fold before being sent to the target. (Photo courtesy of ORNL.)