ORAU in the News

The technology lab at Sevierville Intermediate School has received some significant upgrades after being awarded a $27,500 prize by Oak Ridge Associated Universities. The lab now features 3D printers, a smart greenhouse, virtual reality headsets, robots, a drone, and a driving simulator. ORAU President & CEO Megan Millwood said the new smart greenhouse is a first for any intermediate school in the county.

Sevierville Intermediate School's technology lab has undergone major upgrades thanks to a $27,500 award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities. New additions to the lab include 3D printers, a smart greenhouse, virtual reality headsets, robots, a drone, and a driving simulator. 

Demand for some categories of nuclear energy workers outpaces Tennessee’s current training pipelines, according to the East Tennessee Nuclear Workforce Demand Assessment, released by ORAU.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly visited Oak Ridge Tuesday to discuss a worker shortage facing Tennessee’s growing nuclear industry. Danly joined Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) and nuclear industry leaders at an event hosted by ORAU called Next Steps for the Nuclear Workforce. The event built on a similar summit ORAU held earlier this year.

Leaders from the federal government, industry, and skilled trades gathered in Oak Ridge to discuss how to prepare workers for the growing needs of the nuclear industry as President Trump looks to expand the workforce in America.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities hosted the Next Steps for the Nuclear Workforce to continue the conversation about the need for nuclear energy workers.

Federal officials say more funding and workforce training will be needed to support the nation’s growing nuclear energy industry.

ORAU’s East Tennessee Nuclear Workforce Demand Assessment recommends expanding training capacity for the jobs most at risk of worker shortages. The report also emphasized the need for educational programs, industry leaders, and government partners to work together to identify workforce gaps and prepare for future demand.

Leaders from industry, government, education, labor unions, economic development organizations and community support partners gathered at ORAU recently for the Pathway to Trades Summit to address one of the region’s most pressing challenges and greatest opportunities: developing the skilled trades workforce needed to support the rapid expansion of nuclear energy, and related industries.

The Tennessee Valley Corridor was organized in 1995 with a vision to link the “Oak Ridge Corridor” to the Department of Energy, Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Tennessee to showcase the wealth of brainpower in the mid-East Tennessee region. For a conference that attracts representatives from a footprint of 13 congressional districts in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina, the 2026 Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Summit focused largely on two arenas where Tennessee is becoming a heavy hitter: advanced energy, anchored by nuclear work in Oak Ridge, and advanced computing, anchored by quantum work in Chattanooga.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) hosted the Pathways to Trade Summit on Thursday, May 14, at the organization’s Pollard Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The focus of the gathering was the building of a skilled nuclear workforce capable of meeting the current and future challenges of unprecedented industry growth. Along with ORAU, the event was cosponsored by North America’s Building Trades Unions and the Tennessee Nuclear Network.

More than 170 people representing skilled trade unions, the nuclear energy industry, education, economic development and government came together for the Pathway to Trades Summit at ORAU.

A Dolly Parton-inspired classroom performance, complete with blonde wigs, won a Sevierville teacher and his school $27,500 for new technology for students.

Sevierville Intermediate's Logan Woods won his school $27,500 for new technology for students through ORAU's Extreme Classroom Makeover.

Sixth-grade math and science teacher Logan Woods submitted a Dolly Parton-inspired video to an extreme classroom makeover competition and won.

“Surprise!” the students yelled as Logan Woods entered the auditorium in Sevierville Intermediate School.

The sixth-grade math and science teacher walked triumphantly across the room, hands raised in victory, to where officials from Oak Ridge Associated Universities waited with two massive checks.

Tuesday was an exciting day for Sevierville Intermediate School math and science teacher Logan Woods.

The Extreme Trades Makeover: Future Welders competition will award three Alabama public high school vocational teachers with $30,000 in welding equipment or other upgrades to support student education.

Applications for Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Extreme Trades Makeover: Future Welders competition are open and due by January 30.

The competition will award three Alabama public high school vocational teachers with $30,000 in welding equipment or other upgrades to support student education.

ORAU's Ashley Stowe and Children's Museum of Oak Ridge's Brian Arrington signed a memorandum of understanding at an event held at the museum in Oak Ridge on July 9, 2025.

Representatives of ORAU and the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge (CMOR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extending their joint commitment to offer innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning experiences for early childhood and K-12 students on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities has awarded competitive research grants totaling $180,000 to 36 junior faculty from its member institutions. Oakland University, a member university, partnered with ORAU to fund one award, according to a news release. The annual grants are made through the company’s Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program, which provides seed grants to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty.