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FY2023 ODRD Project Summaries

The ORAU-Directed Research and Development (ODRD) program is comprised of cross-cutting initiatives focused on developing or advancing research projects that will enhance ORAU and member university research capabilities.

Learn more about our 2023 awardees and the future impact of their research projects.

2023 Awardees

Understanding the biology of FLASH radiation for improved therapeutic applications and human health

Columbia University logoORAU Principal Investigator: Adayabalam Balajee

University Co-Investigator: Helen Turner, Columbia University

Contributors: ORAU - Maria Escalona, Terri Ryan, Kelsey O’Brien; University - Maria Taveras, Karthik Kanagaraj, Guy Garty, Qi Wang, Leah Nemzow, Yuwen Tan, Naresh Deoli, Michelle Phillippi

Focus Areas: Health Equity

Award: $157,597

Summary: The research goal was to gain insights into biological aspects of FLASH radiation so that improvements can be made for therapeutic applications and for individualized clinical dose estimation to predict future health risks.

Related Presentations:

  • Oral presentation at the 25th International Nuclear Defense Conference (ConRad) held in Munich, Germany. May 8-11, 2023.
  • Poster presentation at the 17th International Congress on Radiation Research, Montreal, Canada. August 27-30, 2023. Section: Emerging Therapies. 
  • An invited lecture on FLASH was presented at the WHO REMPAN 17th coordination meeting held in Seoul, Korea. September 13-15, 2023.

Complementary and alternative medicine: Improving access to wellness resources for women

Virginia Commonwealth University logoORAU Principal Investigator: Brenda Blunt

University Co-Investigator: Suzanne Markarem, Virginia Commonwealth University

Contributors: ORAU - Davyda Hammond, Jim Malone, Aiden Layer; University - Haeran Jae

Focus Areas: Health Equity

Award: $156,888

Summary: The research explored practitioner-based CAM offerings and their use by women of reproductive age, from both a provider’s perspective and a consumer's perspective. The project shed light on the potential benefits and risks of practitioner-based CAM services, the consumers’ unmet healthcare needs when seeking conventional health services, and the racial, ethnic, and income differences in consumer experiences of both types of health services.

Modeling the impact of climate and land cover changes on the social organization of Octodon degus

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga logoORAU Principal Investigator: Tim Wilson

University Co-Investigator: Loren Hayes, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Contributors: University - Azad Hossain, Jim Wang

Focus Areas: Climate and Environment

Award: $157,995

Summary: The aim of this project was to develop a predictive framework for how harsh environmental conditions (low or variable rainfall, high temperature, drought) and changes in land cover impact.

Attenuating motivated reasoning to foster early climate change education

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale logoORAU Principal Investigator: Chris Nelson

University Co-Investigator: Kristin Hurst, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Contributors: ORAU - Jennifer Tyrell; University - Ross Toedte, Max Blessman

Focus Areas: Climate and Environment, Future of the STEM Workforce

Award: $157,186

Summary: The research evaluated how cultural values of young learners may influence how they interpret and understand an online lesson about climate change science, and how any effect of values on responses to the lesson might vary depending on 1) the age of the student and 2) how the information is designed and presented. The project aimed to identify the optimal timeframe (i.e., middle school or high school) in which to engage students in accurate climate change education.

Related Presentations:

  • Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, May 25-28, 2023, Poster Session
  • American Psychological Association Annual Convention, August 3-5, 2023, Poster Session

Related Publication:

Impact Areas

Determining the optimal age to teach climate change science to young people

Chris Nelson, Ed.D., project manager, and Kristin Hurst, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Resources at Southern Illinois University, teamed up on an ORAU-Directed Research and Development project to study when it is best to teach young people about climate change science. This conversation focuses on how they approached their research, what they learned, and what could happen next as a result of their work together.

Listen to the podcast

Determining the optimal age to teach climate change science to young people

‘3D-printed’ human tissue may hold answers to health impacts of diagnostic low-dose radiation exposures

How do doctors and scientists assess the health risks of diagnostic low dose radiation exposures such as X-rays? Up until recently, it was a challenging task due to the lack of appropriate model systems that mimic tissue microenvironments. Adayabalam Balajee, Ph.D., director of ORISE’s Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory—which is part of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)—and his team are collaborating to develop three-dimensional human tissue.

Read more about this ODRD project

Adayabalam Balajee, Ph.D., director of the ORISE Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory

How and why women use complementary and alternative medicine

Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is on the rise. As with most healthcare services, women tend to be the decision-makers when it comes to using CAM. Brenda Blunt, senior director of health policy, and Davyda Hammond, safety culture program manager, are investigating the experiences of women who use CAM, as well as how providers market to clients and how they see their role in healthcare. Their project is funded through the ORAU-Directed Research and Development program and they have partnered with Virginia Commonwealth University to conduct this research. In this conversation, Blunt, Hammond and host Michael Holtz discuss various aspects of their research.

Listen to the podcast

How and why women use complementary and alternative medicine