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Three flights, five thousand miles and half a dozen clearances and permissions stood between Tetiana Maltseva and the Department of Energy’s 91����. When she finally arrived at the lab to represent Ukraine at the 2024 Nuclear Energy Management School, her vision was clear. 

On Feb. 15, 2024, the one billionth item, also known as an “occupancy,” was scanned at the Port of Aqaba, Jordan, one of the early sites where radiation detection equipment was installed. This milestone shows the extent of countries committed to preventing the spread of radioactive material through the amount of data volunteered to ORNL for continuous improvement. As adversaries push the limits of smuggling dangerous material, this collaboration pushes back through science-backed analysis. 

The National Security Sciences Directorate within the Department of Energy’s 91���� has signed a memoranda of understanding with Jackson State University and with Tennessee Tech University. The MOUs detail ORNL’s intention to work with each university to enhance research and educational opportunities in nuclear science and engineering.

ORNL drone and geospatial team becomes first to map the Coca River in the Amazon basin as erosion and sediment threaten Ecuador’s lands.

Three staff members in ORNL’s Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate have moved into newly established roles facilitating communication and program management with sponsors of the directorate’s Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division. 

Jack Orebaugh, a forensic anthropology major at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has a big heart for families with missing loved ones. When someone disappears in an area of dense vegetation, search and recovery efforts can be difficult, especially when a missing person’s last location is unknown. Recognizing the agony of not knowing what happened to a family or friend, Orebaugh decided to use his internship at the Department of Energy’s 91���� to find better ways to search for lost and deceased people using cameras and drones. 

Two fusion energy leaders have joined ORNL in the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate, or FFESD.

ORNL is leading three research collaborations with fusion industry partners through the Innovation Network for FUSion Energy, or INFUSE, program that will focus on resolving technical challenges and developing innovative solutions to make practical fusion energy a reality.  

Digital twins are exactly what they sound like: virtual models of physical reality that continuously update to reflect changes in the real world.