ORNL invites companies to connect with lab at ‘Explore ORNL’ 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will open its doors July 14-15 for its “Explore ORNL” conference designed to introduce the region’s business community to the lab’s world-class research and development facilities and expertise, a press release said.

“Explore ORNL is an outreach event that provides companies both large and small with a unique opportunity to learn about collaboration possibilities,” said Tom Rogers, ORNL’s director of Industrial Partnerships and Economic Development.

Representatives from companies such as Boeing, Cummins, Local Motors, Ten-Tec, Dresser-Rand, and Eagle Bend Manufacturing will speak about their experiences in working with ORNL experts to overcome technical challenges and develop new products.

ORNL researchers will join their private sector counterparts to deliver briefings on topics including transportation technologies, material characterization and neutron imaging, sensors, high-performance computing, 3-D printing, and composites manufacturing, the press release said.

A keynote panel discussion with Mark Muro of the Brookings Institution, Kim Ketchum of the Tennessee Automotive Manufacturers Association, and Jamie Stitt of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will highlight efforts to grow Tennessee’s automotive industry.

Attendees will also learn about the lab’s research through tours of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, Spallation Neutron Source, and Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. For a full agenda and registration information, visit https://public.ornl.gov/conferences/exploreornl2015/.

Participants can learn about new initiatives such as ReVV!, which assists Tennessee manufacturers by providing access to ORNL resources through an industry voucher program.

“This outreach event helps us better understand private sector priorities,” Rogers said. “The better we understand the needs of the commercial marketplace, the more impact we can have on the U.S. economy.”

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