Oak Ridge Today

Scientist-entrepreneur to talk about regenerative medicine, potential COVID treatment

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Cymbeline “Bem” Culiat

A former molecular geneticist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss regenerative medicine and a potential treatment for severe COVID-19 disease patients and those who struggle with “long haul” symptoms.

The talk by Cymbeline “Bem” Culiat—co-founder, president, and chief science officer of NellOne Therapeutics in Knoxville—will speak virtually to Friends of ORNL at noon Tuesday, February 8.

“While at ORNL, Culiat discovered the role of the NELL1 signaling protein in fostering the growth and maturation of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular tissues in mice and other mammals, including humans,” a press release said. “Her biotech company focuses on using her discovery to advance regenerative medicine, which involves replacing, engineering, or regenerating human or animal cells, tissues, or organs to promote healing and restore normal function. In contrast, traditional medicine typically provides treatment of symptoms rather than addressing root causes.”

To view the virtual lecture, click on the talk title on the homepage of the www.fornl.org website and click on the Zoom link near the top of the page describing the lecture. Here is Culiat’s summary of what she will talk about: [Read more…]

FORNL talk about electrified infrastructure on Tuesday

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Richard Raines, seen here testifying in 2017 before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on efforts to protect the electric grid and the nation’s energy providers from cybersecurity threats. (Submitted photo)

 

Richard A. Raines, director of the Electrification and Energy Infrastructures Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will talk about electrified infrastructure in the United States at noon Tuesday.

The virtual lecture will be to Friends of ORNL. Raines’ talk is titled “An Electrified U.S. Infrastructure Ecosystem: Opportunities and Challenges.”

He will address his division’s work with public and private partners to develop breakthroughs for the resilience and security of the electrical power grid, as well as to manage microgrid resources—solar power and battery energy storage—and smart home appliances to give homeowners precise control over their power supply and demand at a lower cost while ensuring reliable service, a press release said.

To view the virtual lecture, click on the talk title on the homepage of the www.fornl.org website and click on the Zoom link near the bottom of the page describing the lecture. Here is Raines’ summary of what he will talk about, according to a press release: [Read more…]

ORNL’s top 10 tech transfer successes topic of FORNL talk

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Mike Paulus

 

Mike Paulus, director of technology transfer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will talk about ORNL’s top 10 technology commercialization successes during a talk next week.

The talk is scheduled for noon Tuesday, November 9, to Friends of ORNL.

The virtual lecture is open to the public. To watch it online, click on the talk title on the homepage of the www.fornl.org website and click on the Zoom link at the top of the page describing the lecture. Here is Paulus’s summary of what he will talk about.

“From high-temperature alloys to biomaterials to solid-state batteries, ORNL innovations have made a difference in the marketplace,” Paulus said. “Since the 1980s, ORNL has transferred technologies to the private sector through its technology transfer office. My talk will review ORNL’s top 10 commercialization successes and look at a few recently licensed technologies with the potential for future success.” [Read more…]

Battery research to be discussed Tuesday, Aug. 10

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John Bates, independent consultant for battery development and former researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will speak about solid-state lithium and lithium-ion batteries on Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 12 noon to Friends of ORNL. The lecture is open to the public. To view the virtual lecture, click on the talk title on the homepage of the www.fornl.org website and click on the Zoom link on the page describing the lecture.

“I will give a brief history of the development of intercalation cathode materials such as lithium cobalt oxide and a review of some of the research on thin-film batteries at ORNL and other organizations,” Bates said. “I will list a few of the perceived applications of these batteries for powering small devices. Successful commercialization of thin-film batteries encourages the view that the daunting problems facing large-scale solid-state batteries are solvable but perhaps not as soon as advertised.” [Read more…]

Nuclear energy expert to give FORNL lecture on Tuesday

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Andrew Worrall

Andrew Worrall, deputy director of Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) and section head at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will present “Why Nuclear and Why Now?” on Tuesday, July 13, at noon to Friends of ORNL.

The lecture is open to the public. To view the virtual lecture, click on the talk title on the homepage of the www.fornl.org website and click on the Zoom link on the page describing the lecture, a press release said.

Today, nuclear energy in the United States produces approximately 20 percent of the nation’s electricity demand, the press release said. According to Worrall, “It is the largest producer of our nation’s emission-free electricity, yet is often misunderstood and misrepresented.”

In his presentation, Worrall will highlight some of the “pros and cons” of nuclear energy. Then he will explain why an expansion in nuclear energy is required not just for the United States but also around the world as the earth’s surface temperature continues to rise in response to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. [Read more…]

Former Space Station division director to speak in Oak Ridge on Thursday

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Mark Uhran

Mark Uhran, former director of NASA’s International Space Station Division, will speak in Oak Ridge on Thursday. The title of his presentation is “An Achievable Vision for Space Exploration: Establishing a Gateway Proving Ground for Space Exploration Technology.”

The event is sponsored by Friends of ORNL. It is free to attend, and it will be held at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at 115 East Main Street in Oak Ridge.

It’s the opening of the 22nd Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series. A reception will be held in the auditorium anteroom starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the museum auditorium, a press release said.

“This talk should be of interest to students and the general public,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

A former Oak Ridge student, artificial intelligence expert to visit city, talk at evening ceremony

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The cover of Kai-Fu Lee's book, "AI Superpowers." (Submitted)

The cover of Kai-Fu Lee’s book, “AI Superpowers.” (Submitted)

 

Kai-Fu Lee—a world-leading artificial intelligence expert, venture capitalist, writer, and former president of Google China—is planning a visit to Oak Ridge on May 6, a press release said.

Lee, a 1979 Oak Ridge High School graduate, will visit his former schools, St. Mary’s Catholic School and Oak Ridge Schools, meeting with students and teachers during the day, the press release said.

The public is invited to an evening ceremony at Pollard Auditorium including a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. and Lee’s talk at 6:30. This community event will be hosted by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, UT-Battelle, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and Friends of ORNL. Lee will be available to sign his most recent best-selling book, “AI Super-Powers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia to present community lecture Thursday

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Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will give a community lecture on Thursday. It’s the 21st season of the Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series.

Besides being ORNL director, Zacharia is also president and chief executive officer of UT-Battelle LLC, which operates ORNL for the U. S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

On Thursday, Zacharia will talk about the scientific agenda at ORNL in a presentation titled “Science and the State of the Lab,” a press release said. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of ORNL (FORNL) and the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation (ORPSEF). It is free of charge, and it will be held at the Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. A reception will be held in the auditorium lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the auditorium, the press release said.

“The talk will be of interest to students and the general public,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Dick Smyser Lecture on Thursday features science educator discussing total solar eclipse

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Chap Percival (Submitted photo)

Chap Percival (Submitted photo)

The 20th Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series opens on Thursday, May 18, and it will feature Chap Percival, a science educator from Sarasota, Florida.

Percival will talk about the total solar eclipse that will occur on August 21. The title of his presentation is “Go See the Eclipse.”

This event is co-sponsored by the Oak Ridge Isochronous Observation Network (ORION), the National Park Sevice (NPS), and Friends of ORNL (FORNL), a press release said.

It’s free of charge, and it will be held at the American Museum of Science and Energy, which is at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. A reception will be held in the museum lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture will start at 6 p.m. in the museum auditorium.

“This talk should be of interest to students and the general public,” the press release said.

Percival is a lifelong educator. He lives in Sarasota, Florida. He has a BA in mathematics and physics from Taylor University, an MAT in planetarium education from Michigan State University, and an MEd in instructional technology from the University of Virginia, the press release said. [Read more…]

Dick Smyser Community Lecture on Thursday to feature advanced composites manufacturing executive

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Craig Blue

Craig Blue

The 19th Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series on Thursday will feature Craig Blue, chief executive officer of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation.

Blue will give an overview of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. The lecture is sponsored by Friends of ORNL, or FORNL. It’s free and will be at the American Museum of Science and Energy at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge.

A reception will be held in the museum lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the museum auditorium, a press release said. This talk should be of interest to the general public, the release said. [Read more…]

Smyser Lecture: Author to discuss ‘Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters’

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James Mahaffey

James Mahaffey

A nuclear power author will discuss one of his books, “Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters from the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima,” during a May 26 lecture in Oak Ridge.

It’s the 19th Annual Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series. It will feature James Mahaffey, formerly of the Georgia Institute of Technology and later head of advanced research at Nanoventions Inc. in Roswell, Georgia.

The talk is sponsored by Friends of ORNL, or FORNL. It is free of charge and will be held at the American Museum of Science and Energy, which is at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge.

A reception will be held in the museum lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the museum auditorium. This talk should be of interest to the general public, a press release said.

It said Mahaffey has written two popular books about nuclear power. The first one, “Atomic Awakening,” is a history of nuclear power, and it includes the Clinton Works at Oak Ridge as part of the story. [Read more…]

Today: Harlem Ambassadors for Habitat, former NASA chief astronomer, Smith on Three Bend

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A reminder—There are three events happening this evening: the Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Show in a benefit for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, a former chief astronomer at NASA who is referred to as the “mother of the Hubble Telescope” discussing the evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to black holes, and local historian and writer Ray Smith discussing the Three Bend Scenic and Wildlife Management Refuge Area of the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Show starts at 6 p.m. today (Thursday, March 24) at Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School. This show is not only entertaining, organizers said, it also brings an important message to kids: “Stay off drugs, stay in school, don’t be a bully!”

Individuals have sponsored tickets so that student-athletes in Anderson County can come to the game for free.

The “opposing” team, the Habi-bats, is made up of local coaches and other local basketball standouts.

“We hope to fill the arena and sell lots of hotdogs, all in an effort to raise money to build and repair homes in Anderson County,” a press release said. [Read more…]