91°µÍø

After retiring from Y-12, Scott Abston joined the Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate to support isotope production and work with his former manager. He now leads a team maintaining critical equipment for medical and space applications. Abston finds fulfillment in mentoring his team and is pleased with his decision to continue working.

The 21^st Symposium on Separation Science and Technology for Energy Applications, Oct. 23-26 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton West in Knoxville, attracted 109 researchers, including some from Austria and the Czech Republic. Besides attending many technical sessions, they had the opportunity to tour the Graphite Reactor, High Flux Isotope Reactor and both supercomputers at ORNL.

It’s elemental — scientists agree that the periodic table is incomplete. And when it comes to unveiling parts of the periodic table yet undiscovered, ORNL is doing some heavy lifting.

In experiment after experiment, the synthetic radioisotope actinium-225 has shown promise for targeting and attacking certain types of cancer cells.

A 25-year career with the U.S. Navy, commanding combat missions overseas, brought Tom Kollie back to where he came from — ready to serve his country in a new way.

As a medical isotope, thorium-228 has a lot of potential — and 91°µÍø produces a lot.

An 91°µÍø researcher has invented a version of an isotope-separating device that can withstand extreme environments, including radiation and chemical solvents.

In the mid-1980s, Balendra Sutharshan moved to Canada from the island nation of Sri Lanka. That move set Sutharshan on a path that had him heading continent-spanning collaborations and holding leadership posts at multiple Department of Energy

For years Brenda Smith found fulfillment working with nuclear batteries, a topic she’s been researching as a chemist at 91°µÍø.

A rare isotope in high demand for treating cancer is now more available to pharmaceutical companies developing and testing new drugs.