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Science Education Success Stories

Through its commitment to promoting education at all levels—from K-12 through faculty and postdoctoral researchers—Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is helping to address national workforce trends and science education needs by:

  • conducting a variety of annual and semi-annual studies to assess labor trends
  • engaging in aggressive recruitment campaigns to encourage students, teachers and faculty to participate in one of the 150 science education programs we administer
  • overseeing a variety of program administration responsibilities such as processing applications, facilitating selections and distributing research stipends

Learn more about how ORAU is making a difference in improving education, research and innovation in the United States by browsing through some of science education success stories listed below:

Carbon Fiber ProgramRecruiting technicians for ORNL’s experimental Carbon Fiber Technology Facility

A partnership between ORAU, ORNL and Roane State Community College is hoping to change the high cost to produce carbon fiber through an experimental pilot project that aims to re-energize American manufacturing and create new jobs in this industry.

Lab-in-a-BoxORAU Partners with Roane State on “Lab-in-a-Box” Kits for Area Teachers

ORAU hosted middle school teachers from nine rural school districts in East Tennessee to participate in two days of hands-on training and receive “Lab-in-a-Box” kits—materials that support the new statewide curriculum for math and science education.

Teachers at ORNLORAU and its Partners Promote STEM Education through Siemens Teachers as Researchers

Through ORAU’s university consortium and its strong partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), educators and their students are able to connect with the best and the brightest in the scientific community.

K-12 classroom teacherORAU Supports Tennessee in its race to be the ‘First to the Top’

ORAU’s Science Education Programs (SEP) was a key partner in the State’s winning Race to the Top proposal, which is expected to bring in more than $500 million in federal grants.

Volkswagen ScholarsORAU Administers Volkswagen Distinguished Scholars Program at ORNL

Through its partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORAU is administering the Volkswagen Distinguished Scholars Program—a research internship with the Volkswagen Group of America.

NeutronORAU Connects Students and Faculty with Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Through its partnership with ORNL, ORAU administers programs that serve more than 1,100 students, faculty and postdoctoral participants annually from colleges and universities across the U.S. and around the world.

USA Science and Engineering Festival logoORAU Partners with USA Science and Engineering Festival to Help Reignite Excitement in Youths for Scientific Discovery

ORAU was an official partner of the festival, which is a collaboration of more than 500 of the country’s leading science and engineering organizations with the goal to reignite the interest of our nation's youth in the sciences.

 

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