It is no secret that the United States is behind in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) proficiency compared to other countries around the world. However, ORAU is working to help change this. One of ORAU’s missions is to increase the STEM capacity of the U.S. workforce by positively impacting individuals in STEM all along their career lifecycles. We make a difference in many areas, and we will look at some of those in more detail. To begin, let’s look at how our organization got started.
Our beginnings in STEM
From our founding in 1946, ORAU has been linking university students and researchers with real-world scientists and STEM resources found in federal research centers and national laboratories, such as those developed in Oak Ridge as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II. In fact, ORAU’s founder Dr. William Pollard (1911-1989), who was a University of Tennessee physics professor at the time, successfully built the necessary support of both the federal government and fourteen southern universities to earn a charter of incorporation to establish ORAU, known back then as the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, or ORINS. Some of ORINS’ first programs included placing university researchers into national laboratories so they could have greater exposure to STEM resources in their research careers.
Impacting the lifecycle early
Getting on the right path toward a future in STEM happens many years before people begin their careers as engineers, scientists or other STEM professionals. Introducing STEM subjects at a young age and getting students excited about STEM is critical. Our K-12 team provides many free, hands-on STEM programs for K-12 students to engage them in learning and inspire them toward STEM aspirations. These courses cover a variety of topics, including robotics, coding, chemistry and others. We also host, for example, the Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge, which is an all-expenses-paid, residential program in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, designed to provide a hands-on STEM learning experience for students and teachers who live in the Appalachian region.
ORAU provides many opportunities for teachers as well, including summer professional development courses and chances for local teachers to better equip their classrooms with upgraded technology and other resources through both our Extreme Classroom Makeover and Education Grants programs. These programs help teachers find new and creative ways to inspire their students with a love of STEM early in life. That often puts these students on a path to pursue STEM majors in college, to look for research internships or other opportunities to collaborate in STEM, and to begin building the connections they need for a career in STEM that often includes lifelong learning, discovery, and development.
STEM matchmaking
Once students have found and pursued their STEM passions through high school and beyond in their higher education journey, ORAU can help them find employment in their chosen STEM career. In fact, from our original founding, we’ve been sort of a matchmaker in STEM. Today, ORAU’s workforce solutions team can help match the individual to the right STEM opportunity. Whether the person is just beginning their career in a STEM field, wants to use their talents to support a STEM mission or industry, or looking for a change in direction, ORAU can help them find the right opportunity to propel that person along their STEM career path. We match highly qualified candidates with opportunities at national labs, plants, facilities, and federal agencies. Our clients are looking for expertise of course in research, engineering, technology, etc., but also business, communications, administrative roles, trade positions and other personnel to provide strong support for their scientific and technical missions.
Those we recruit do work that matters to contribute to the advancement of government missions, gain access to cutting-edge equipment and world-class facilities, and network with other employees to collaborate with government colleagues.
Professional development and training
In addition to teacher professional development, we also offer training courses for those in STEM positions through our professional training programs (PTP). ORAU's PTP conducts a wide variety of online and in-person health physics and radiation safety training courses, including our noteworthy, five-week applied health physics course and multiple one-week offerings, including air sampling for radioactive materials, health physics statistics, introduction to radiation safety, and many others.ince 1948, ORAU has instructed more than 30,000 scientists, physicians, engineers, educators, regulators and technicians in a variety of radiation safety and health physics courses through our Professional Training Programs.
Our consortium’s impact today
What began with those first southern universities in 1946 is today ORAU’s university consortium, which consists of 160+ colleges and universities. Our Research and University Partnerships Office, which manages the consortium, actively leverages it to connect university expertise with government and private sector organizations to create meaningful partnerships in scientific research and education. We can access our university consortium, for example, for internships, fellowships, and research opportunities for individuals pursuing STEM degrees, as well as other partnership opportunities. One of those programs is our ORAU-Directed Research and Development (ODRD) program. ODRD is a research and development program that supports collaborations between ORAU researchers and faculty at our member universities. Led by ORAU subject matter experts and leveraging the talents and expertise of our member universities, ODRD projects strengthen and expand the scientific and technical capabilities of both parties.
Also, within our Research and University Partnerships Office, ORAU has launched an entity—the ORAU STEM Accelerator (OSA)—to address a critical national need for accelerating and increasing STEM credentials of current and potential employees in key industries, such as the nuclear energy industry. OSA has established a Partnership for Nuclear Energy (PNE) that brings together leading nuclear energy experts to form a comprehensive think tank consisting of universities, community colleges and technical skill training organizations, industries producing nuclear reactors large and small, professional industry organizations, national research laboratories, and government agencies.
The primary goal of OSA and the PNE is to develop a set of comprehensive solutions that address and correct STEM shortfalls within the U.S. workforce through policies and programs, education and training initiatives, and government and private industry investments. This collaborative approach is essential to bridge the gaps and drive collective action and ensure a more comprehensive and sustainable workforce capacity-building strategy.
From the beginning of the journey creating K-12 programs to introduce children to STEM, all the way through their career with professional development opportunities and training, and even enabling STEM workforce capacity building, ORAU is invested in making a difference and inspiring a new generation of STEM leaders.