ORAU's Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is held to explore relevant topics in higher education. The meeting not only provides presentations by nationally recognized experts, but also gives our university consortium members the opportunity to partake in valuable discussions with council representatives and ORAU staff in conjunction with the meeting's yearly theme.

ORAU’s 74th Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held March 4-6, 2019 and is focused on “Ensuring a Robust U.S. Energy Future.” The meeting will provide an opportunity for attendees to discuss key technology, economic and policy challenges and opportunities. Experts and leaders from academia, federal agencies, and national organizations will share their views on transformative science and policies that enable efficient, affordable, and environmentally sound use of fossil fuels.

The meeting will begin on Tuesday, March 5, at 8:30 a.m. and conclude on Wednesday, March 6, at 12 p.m. On Monday, March 4, at 4:30 p.m., a special session on the value of membership will be held for our university attendees.

Registration for the 74th Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is now open. This is an invitation-only meeting and is not open to the press.

Meeting information

• Registration
  ORAU’s 74th Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held March 4-6, 2019 at the Pollard Technology Conference Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
  

  To attend, please register at the Annual Meeting registration site.

  Councilors: If you cannot attend and wish to designate a proxy (someone who is attending in your place and will be voting on your behalf if necessary), please complete the Annual Meeting proxy registration. Once you have completed the proxy registration, your designated proxy will need to complete the process by registering at the Annual Meeting registration site.

  Due to security requirements, registration for non-U.S. Citizens closes on February 4, 2019 and registration for U.S. Citizens closes on February 13, 2019.

  Due to space limitations, students are not permitted to attend the Annual Meeting.

• Agenda

  Download the full agenda with speakers and presentations for printing. Keynote addresses and panel sessions are listed below:

  Monday, March 4, 2019 – Doubletree Hotel

  4:00 – 7:00 p.m.       Registration – Hotel Lobby

  4:30 – 5:30 p.m.       Leveraging ORAU Membership Session – Salon C

  Tuesday, March 5, 2019 – Pollard Technology Conference Center

  7:30 – 8:30 a.m.       Registration and Continental Breakfast – Pollard Lobby

                                   Networking Opportunity

  8:30 – 8:40 a.m.       Opening Remarks

  • Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU
  • Arlene Garrison, Vice President, University Partnerships

  8:40 – 8:45 a.m.       Introduction of Keynote Speaker

  • Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU

  8:45 – 9:30 a.m.       Keynote Address

  • Dan Reicher, Executive Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford University (former DOE Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

  9:30 – 9:45 a.m.       Keynote Q&A

  9:45 – 10:05 a.m.     Break

  10:05 – 11:35 a.m.   Panel Session 1: CO₂ Capture

  Purpose: R&D activities to reduce the cost of carbon capture, storage and utilization
  Moderator: Wanda Gamble, Vice President, Business Development, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • An Overview of DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy Carbon Capture Program, Lynn Brickett, Manager, Carbon Capture and Carbon Use and Reuse R&D Technology, National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Air Capture and the Need for Negative Emissions, Klaus Lackner, Director, Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, Arizona State University
  • Deployment of Subsurface Carbon Sequestration with and without EOR: Challenges and Lessons Learned, Brian McPherson, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Utah; and Science Director, DOE Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration

  11:35 – 12:00 p.m.  Panel Q & A

  12:00 – 1:15 p.m.    Lunch – Pollard Lobby

                                  Networking Opportunity

  1:15 – 2:45 p.m.       Panel Session 2: Environmental Impacts

  Purpose: Critical issues in meeting the energy and environmental challenges
  Moderator: Donna Cragle, Senior Vice President and Director; Health, Environment & Radiation Management, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • Public Health Risks Associated with Energy Development: A Tale of Two Philosophies, James Fabisiak, Associate Professor and Director, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities, University of Pittsburgh
  • John B. Miller, Chief, Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases Group, Earth System Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Research Priorities for Understanding Potential Population-Level Exposures to Unconventional Oil and Natural Gas Development, George M. Hornberger, Distinguished Professor and Director, Institute for Energy and Environment, Vanderbilt University

  2:45 – 3:05 p.m.       Panel Q & A

  3:05 – 3:25 p.m.       Break

  3:25 – 4:45 p.m.       ORAU President and Council Leadership Update/Business Meeting – Pollard Auditorium (all attendees invited)

  5:30 – 6:15 p.m.       Reception – Doubletree Hotel, Oak Ridge Ballroom

                                   Networking Opportunity

  6:15 – 7:00 p.m.       Dinner – Oak Ridge Ballroom  

  Wednesday, March 6, 2019 – Pollard Technology Conference Center

  7:30 – 8:30 a.m.       Continental Breakfast

                                   Networking Opportunity

  8:30 – 8:35 a.m.       Opening Remarks

  • Arlene Garrison, Ph.D., Vice President, University Partnerships

  8:35 – 8:50 a.m.       Comments by Member Institution Representatives 

  8:50 – 8:55 a.m.       Introduction of Keynote Speaker

  • Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President & Chief Research Officer

  8:55 – 9:40 a.m.       Keynote Address

  • Steve Winberg, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

  9:40 – 9:55 a.m.       Keynote Q & A

  9:55 – 10:15 a.m.     Break

  10:15 – 11:45 a.m.   Panel Session 3: Future of Fossil Fuels

  Purpose: Advanced technologies and policy issues
  Moderator: Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • Angelos Kokkinos, Director, Office of Advanced Fossil Technology Systems, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Inês Azevedo, Professor, Engineering and Public Policy; and Co-Director, Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Brandi Schottel, Associate Program Director, Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Cluster, National Science Foundation

  11:45 – 11:55 p.m.  Panel Q & A

  11:55 – 12:00 p.m.  Wrap-up

  • Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU

  12:00 p.m.               Adjourn

  12:00 p.m.               Box lunches available – Pollard Lobby

  12:30 p.m.               Bus departs from Pollard Auditorium for Knoxville’s McGhee-Tyson Airport

• Speakers

  Keynote Speakers

  Dan Reicher (bio) Stanford University

  Steve Winberg (bio) U.S. Department of Energy

  Panel Session 1: CO₂ Capture

  Purpose: R&D activities to reduce the cost of carbon capture, storage and utilization
  Moderator: Wanda Gamble, Vice President, Business Development, ORAU

  Lynn Brickett (bio) National Energy Technology Laboratory

  Klaus Lackner (bio) Arizona State University

  Brian McPherson (bio) University of Utah

  Panel Session 2: Environmental Impacts

  Purpose: Critical issues in meeting the energy and environmental challenges
  Moderator: Donna Cragle, Senior Vice President and Director; Health, Environment & Radiation Management, ORAU

  George M. Hornberger (bio) Vanderbilt University

  James Fabisiak (bio) University of Pittsburgh

  Panel Session 3: Future of Fossil Fuels

  Purpose: Advanced technologies and policy issues
  Moderator: Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, ORAU

  Brandi Schottel (bio) National Science Foundation

• Meeting location
  The 74th Annual Meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held at Pollard Technology Conference Center.
  

  Pollard Technology Conference Center
  210 Badger Ave.
  Oak Ridge, TN 37830
  865.765.5273
  
  Google Maps turn-by-turn directions are available on the conference center site, including area attractions, transportation options (air and ground), and other area hotels.

• Lodging and transportation
  Lodging: A block of rooms has been reserved at The Doubletree Hotel for our annual meeting attendees. The Doubletree Hotel is conveniently located via a 5-10 minute walk to the conference center. If you prefer, there are other hotels within walking distance to the Doubletree, but you must cross a multi-lane highway. Crosswalks are nearby at all traffic lights. Click here for your special group rate at the DoubleTree or call the hotel at 865-481-2468 and refer to the group code: ORC.
  

  An optional hotel that opened in September 2018:

  Marriott TownePlace Suites
  300 South Rutgers Ave.
  Oak Ridge, TN 37830
  865.409.5059

  If you have difficulty obtaining a room, contact Richard Valentine at 865.576.1898 or Richard.Valentine@orau.org.
  
  Transportation from meeting to airport (TYS):
  At the close of the meeting on March 6, bus transportation from the conference center to the Knoxville airport will be available.
• Badging and attire
  Badges: You MUST register to receive your required attendee badge. If you do not have your badge, you will not be able to attend the meeting.

  Attire: Dress should be in standard business attire.

• Area information
  Located in the valley between the Cumberland and Great Smoky Mountains, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was secretly developed during the Manhattan Project whose purpose was to create an atomic bomb to end World War II. Today, Oak Ridge is a progressive, diverse city which is home to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a multi-program science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, LLC; and the Y-12 National Security Complex, a premier manufacturing facility for the U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear security enterprise.
  

  Oak Ridge and the surrounding area offer a variety of cultural and recreational activities for every age and topic of interest. For more specific information about these opportunities, visit one of the links below.

  • Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce
  • Oak Ridge: American Museum of Science and Energy
  • Oak Ridge: Children’s Museum
  • Oak Ridge Playhouse
  • Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation
  • Knoxville: Museums
  • Knoxville: Clarence Brown Theater
  • Knoxville: Tennessee Theater
  • Knoxville Opera Company
  • Knoxville Zoo
  • University of Tennessee sports
  • University of Tennessee Lady Vols sports

Past meeting archive

• 2018: Public Health Security and Biological Threats

  Wednesday, March 7, 2018 - Pollard Technology Conference Center

  

  Keynote Address

  Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and Global Health Security: From Anthrax to Zika and Beyond, Col. (Ret.) David R. Franz, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command; Former Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases; Chair, ‘Bio’ Sub-Panel, National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control

  Panel Session 1: Bioinformatics

  Purpose: Application of Bioinformatics to Proactively Predict and Analyze Public Health Threats

  Moderator: Alan Janssen, Group Manager; Health, Energy and Environment, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • A Framework for Real-Time Zika Assessment in the U.S., Lauren Ancel Meyers, Professor of Integrative Biology and Statistics and Data Science, University of Texas at Austin; and Lauren Castro, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Texas at Austin
  • Food Safety Bioinformatics, Hendrik den Bakker, Assistant Professor, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia

  Panel Session 2: Cyber Biosecurity

  Purpose: Explore the Interconnectivity of Bio- and Cybersecurity to Detect and Respond to Emerging Threats

  Moderator: Carol Iddins, Associate Director, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • The Digitization of Biology: Defining A New Risk Landscape, Diane DiEuliis, Senior Research Fellow, National Defense University
  • Synthetic Biology: Safety, Security, and Promise, Gigi Kwik Gronvall, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Senior Scholar, Center for Health Security, Johns Hopkins University; and Member, Synthetic Biology Study Committee, National Academy of Sciences

  Thursday, March 8, 2018

  Panel Session 3: Technological Innovations

  Purpose: Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Strengthen Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Countermeasures

  Moderator: Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • Biodefense Readiness - Today's Challenges, Rachel Levinson, Executive Director, National Research Initiatives, Arizona State University
  • Medical Diagnostic S&T Investments to Strengthen Medical Biodefense Capabilities, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Schoske, Chief, Diagnostic Detection and Threat Surveillance Division, Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • Critical Science Gaps in the Cleanup of a Wide-Area Release of Biological Agents, Gregory Sayles, Director, National Homeland Security Research Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• 2017: Compliance Complexity in Higher Education

  Wednesday, March 8, 2017 - Pollard Technology Conference Center

  Keynote Address

  

  Recalibrating Regulation of Colleges and Universities: Report of the Task Force on Federal Regulation of Higher Education, Nicholas S. Zeppos, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University; and Task Force Co-Chair

  Referenced Report: Recalibrating Regulation of Colleges and Universities - Report of the Task Force on Federal Regulation of Higher Education

  Panel Session 1: Conduct of Research

  Purpose: The Impact of the Changing Federal Landscape on Research and Innovation
  Facilitator: Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • The Impact of Recent Export Control Regulations on Higher Education Institutions, Doug Backman, Co-Chair, Federal Demonstration Partnership Project; and Director, Research Compliance, University of Central Florida
  • America Invents Act and Its Impact on University Research, Carl Mahler, Executive Director, Office of Technology Transfer, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Faculty Consulting: Conflicts of Interest and Beyond, Karen A. Mullin, Chief General Counsel and Director of Technology Development, The Forsyth Institute

  Panel Session 2: Enhancing and Supporting a Diverse Faculty Environment

  Purpose: New Challenges and Strategies to Recruit and Retain Faculty
  Facilitator: David Duncan, Senior Vice President and Program Director, Scientific Assessment & Workforce Development, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • Title IX by the Numbers: Using Campus Climate Surveys to Improve Campus Culture, Meredith Smith, Title IX Coordinator, Tulane University
  • Building an Effective Compliance Program, L. Lee Tyner, General Counsel, University of Mississippi, and Immediate Past Chair, National Association of College and University Attorneys
  • Academic Freedom and the New Challenges to Faculty Rights, Robert Shibley, Executive Director, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

  Thursday, March 9, 2017 - Pollard Technology Conference Center

  Keynote Address

  Optimizing the Nation’s Investment in Academic Research: A New Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century, Larry R. Faulkner, Chair, Committee on Federal Research Regulations and Reporting Requirements, National Academy of Sciences; and President Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin

  Panel Session 3: Balancing New Policies and Practices

  Purpose: Creating New Models to Strengthen the Future of Higher Education
  Facilitator: Rachel Lokitz, Associate General Counsel, ORAU

  Panel Speakers

  • Evolving Higher Education Business Models: Leading with Data to Deliver Results, Louis Soares, Vice President for Strategy, Research and Advancement, Center for Policy Research and Strategy, American Council on Education
  • T rajectories in Teaching and Learning: Emerging Practices, Technology, and Who Knows What Else, Malcolm Brown, Director, EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative
  • The Lion in the Path: Challenges and Opportunities for Research Universities in Uncertain Times, Tobin L. Smith, Vice President for Policy, Association of American Universities 
• 2016: Applications of Big Data Analytics

  Wednesday, March 9, 2016

  LOCATION: ORNL Visitor's Center, Rooms Tennessee A, B, & C

  Keynote Address:

  

  Visualizing Biological Complexity in 3D: Data Analytics Challenges and Relevance to Drug Discovery, Sriram Subramaniam, National Cryo-EM Laboratory, National Cancer Institute; and Senior Investigator, National Institutes of Health

  Panel Session 1: Medical Applications

  Purpose: Using data analytics to better understand human health and disease.
  Facilitator: David Duncan, Vice President, ORAU

  Panel Speakers:

  • NIH Big Data to Knowledge Initiative, Belinda L. Seto, Deputy Director, National Eye Institute and Member, National Institutes of Health Scientific Data Council
  • Advancing "Infodemiology" Methods and Applications for Cancer Research, Georgia Tourassi, Director, Health Data Sciences Institute, ORNL 

  Panel Session 2: Imaging Applications

  Purpose: The integration of advanced data analytics and theory into imaging science.
  Facilitator: Hassina Bilheux, Lead Neutron Imaging Scientist, ORNL

  Panel Speakers:

  • Brain Clouds and the Complexity of the Human Brain at the Morphome Scale, Michael Miller, Director, Center for Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins University
  • Understanding the Brain, Denise Caldwell, Director, Division of Physics, National Science Foundation
  • Integration of Physics and Statistical Methods in Imaging Via Deep Data, Sergei V. Kalinin, Director, Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials, ORNL 

  Thursday, March 10, 2016

  LOCATION: ORNL Visitor's Center, Rooms Tennessee A, B, & C

  Panel Session 3: Cyber Applications

  Purpose: Utilizing data analytics techniques for cyber defense
  Facilitator: Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President, ORAU

  Panel Speakers:

  • Information Sharing Across the Cyber Domain, Donna Dodson, Director, National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, NIST
  • A Cognitive Approach to Cyber Data Analytics, Thomas Eskridge, Associate Professor, Harris Institute for Assured Information, Florida Institute of Technology
  • Automated Inference and Forecasting for National Security and Cybersecurity, T. Charles Clancy, Director, Hume Center for National Security and Technology, Virginia Tech