ORAU: Then & Now
ORAU: Then & Now is an excellent resource to explore how our people, programs, and partnerships are driving meaningful impact, serving our nation, and enhancing global competitiveness in areas such as STEM education, workforce solutions, exposure science, health education, disaster preparedness, forensic science, and more.
Discover our rich history, which traces back to the Manhattan Project during World War II, and learn how we continue to address critical national needs in science, health, and education.
Two former Appalachian STEM Academy students returned to Oak Ridge this summer as near-peer mentors, inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders through hands-on learning and shared experiences.
Cancer nurse, Ann Sipe, was fiercely proud of her work at Oak Ridge’s pioneering Cancer Research Hospital. She was an ORAU employee from 1966 to 1993. In those 27 years, she loved her mission to care for and champion her patients.
Born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas, Bob Ricks, Ph.D., built a remarkable career in science and technology—though he hadn’t always planned on it. Read the story of Ricks’ career journey in this blog!
ORAU has created a Rural Health Research Innovation Cluster to provide solutions to the country’s rural health challenges, like workforce challenges, access to women’s health care, access to mental health care, and preparedness and resilience.
Meghan Millwood, ORAU President and CEO, began her career at ORAU over 24 years. She was selected by the ORAU Board of Directors in the summer of 2025 and assumed the role of President and CEO in September, when ORAU was amid one of the most challenging years in ORAU’s nearly 80-year history.
ORAU’s K-12 STEM education team offered two programs in June 2026 designed to encourage young people and their teachers to get excited about nuclear science through hands-on demonstrations.
Roger Cloutier entered the field just as radiation science was accelerating at an extraordinary pace. Over the course of his 33 years at ORAU, he led programs in health physics, medical physics and environmental sciences, helping shape the profession during a period of rapid scientific and regulatory growth.