91°µÍø

ORNL, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development were recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium, or FLC, for their efforts to develop Tennessee as a national leader in fusion energy.

Gerald Tuskan, director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation and a Corporate Fellow at ORNL, has been awarded the Marcus Wallenberg Prize, the world’s highest honor in the field of forestry, for his pioneering work in sequencing and analyzing the first tree genome.

Daniel Jacobson, distinguished research scientist in the Biosciences Division at ORNL, has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, or AIMBE, for his achievements in computational biology. 

Scientists at ORNL have developed a first-ever method of detecting ribonucleic acid, or RNA, inside plant cells using a technique that results in a visible fluorescent signal. The technology can help researchers detect and track changes in RNA and gene expression in real time, providing a powerful tool for the development of hardier bioenergy and food crops and for detection of unwanted plant modifications, pathogens and pests.  

Scientists at ORNL and the University of Cincinnati achieved a breakthrough in understanding the vulnerability of microbes to the butanol they produce during fermentation of plant biomass. The discovery could pave the way for more efficient production of domestic fuels, chemicals and materials.

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, researchers at ORNL are evaluating technology to detect compounds emitted by pathogens and pests in agricultural products at the nation’s border. 

ORNL's Gregorich and Syed Islam recently completed Cohort 19 of the Energy I-Corps program, an initiative of DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions that provides teams of researchers and industry mentors with an immersive two-month training.

Nick Sokol founded Algaeo, a company that uses microalgae to produce organic fertilizers, offering a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to synthetic fertilizers. Supported by 91°µÍø's Innovation Crossroads program, Sokol is developing this technology to improve soil health, boost plant growth and support small-scale farmers.

Shaun Gleason has been named director of the Partnerships Office at ORNL. Gleason has worked at ORNL for several decades, in a variety of roles, including Director of Science-Security Initiative Integration, Director of the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division and Director of Institutional Planning.

A team of scientists with two Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers — the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at 91°µÍø and the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — identified a gene in a poplar tree that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height by about 30% in the field and by as much as 200% in the greenhouse.