ORAU: Then & Now
Posts by Erin Gilliland
Erin Gilliland
Erin is a local East Tennesseean. She is a communications specialist at ORAU, where she loves putting her creative writing degree to good use by writing press releases, social media posts and employee features. When she’s not at work, she enjoys taking wildlife photography or cuddling up on the couch with her cat.
2025
Teachers were transformed into students as they asked questions, posited hypotheses and learned about nature during Wildly Fun Animal Observers, a professional development course offered by ORAU on June 27.
In Scientific Studio, teachers of different grade levels and subjects participated in art projects that serve as a gateway to STEAM. The teachers who participated in the seminar got a firsthand look at why these types of lessons are so fun by completing the projects themselves, discussing why their students would enjoy them and different applications for different grade levels.
ORAU consortium member, Emory University, shares the importance of developing research and looking for technology transfer applications.
He calls himself Bill Nye the Finance Guy, but everyone else knows him as Archie Smart. As a project manager on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Dose Reconstruction Project, he’s been with ORAU for more than 20 years doing a little bit of everything in operations.