Further Together, the ORAU podcast
Join host Michael Holtz as he discusses all things ORAU, through interviews with our experts who provide innovative scientific and technical solutions for our customers. Discussions focus on ORAU’s storied history, how we’re impacting an ever-changing world, as well as our commitment to our community.
The Further Together episode guide below will allow you to listen to each edition on Blubrry.com. You can also find Further Together on the Apple Podcasts app for iOS devices, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and Stitcher.
Mastering the art of recruiting for the EPA National Student Services Contract
ORAU hires and manages contractors on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the National Student Services Contract. Contractors work in the EPA's Office of Research and Development for up to five years and then often become full-time regular employees of the agency. Further Together host Michael Holtz talks to Karen Cleveland and Geri Philpott, who manage the EPA NSSC for ORAU. They talk about the importance of this program to the EPA, the types of work participants are engaged in for the agency, and how they and their team have mastered the art of the recruiting to fill open positions. To learn more about the EPA NSSC or to apply for open opportunities, visit https://www.orau.org/epa/.
Check out the videocast for Episode 111 Listen to Episode 111
Transcript will be added soon.
ORAU and research partnerships: taking research further, together
Ken Tobin, ORAU chief research and university partnerships officer, introduces host Michael Holtz to Dr. Laurene Tetard, associate professor in the NanoScience Technology Center at the University of Central Florida. Together they talk about the importance of university partnerships to ORAU and how we work together to provide solutions to our federal government partners. Dr. Tetard digs into her research and talks about the importance of networking for her research as well as for her students. This episode drops the day after ORAU's 2023 Annual Meeting and provides a great exclamation point to the value proposition offered by RUPO.
Transcript will be added soon.
OHRP Research Community Forum comes to Knoxville March 29-30
ORAU is among the sponsors of a Research Community Forum presented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Human Protection. The two-day event will be held March 29 and 30, 2023, in Knoxville. In this episode, Ken Tobin, ORAU chief research and university partnerships officer, and Cathy Fore, senior director of university partnerships, talk about the RCF, why this event is important to the research community, the importance of human protection regulations for research, who should attend this event, and what to expect. Also sponsoring the meeting are East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. To learn more about the Research Community Forum and to register, visit https://www.orau.org/event/research-forum/index.html
Check out the videocast for Episode 109 Listen to Episode 109
Previewing ORAU's annual meeting with Ken Tobin and Cathy Fore
ORAU's Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is held to explore relevant topics in higher education. This year's topic is “Climate Security and Environmental Justice: Pathways to Achieving the 2050 Carbon Net-Zero Goal.” Experts and leaders from academia, federal agencies, and national organizations will share their views on technology innovation and transformation; science-based models for an environmentally equitable society; and future workforce development needs. Further Together host Michael Holtz, along with Ken Tobin, ORAU chief research and university partnerships officer, and Cathy Fore, senior director of university partnerships, preview some of the speakers, panel discussions and other aspects of this year's all-important gathering.
Learn more about ORAU's annual meeting here: https://orau.org/university-partnerships/annual-meeting.html
Check out the videocast for Episode 109 Listen to Episode 109 Transcript for Episode 109 (.txt)
From growing up in Big Sky Country to studying exoplanets: Samson Johnson, Ph.D.
Samson Johnson, Ph.D., is a new NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow who has been in his role for just a few months, is studying exoplanet demographics or how many and where exoplanets are. An exoplanet is an extrasolar planet and there are approximately 5,000 known in the universe. During this conversation, host Michael Holtz and Dr. Johnson discuss his work, how his interest in astronomy was stoked, how a high school teacher changed the course of his life, the importance of mentorship and so much more.
To learn more about NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowships including when the next round of applicants can apply, visit the NASA NPP Gateway at https://npp.orau.org/.
Check out the videocast for Episode 108 Listen to Episode 108
Past Episodes
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Tiffany Lewis, Ph.D., is a NASA Post-Doctoral Program Fellow working at the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory on theoretical modeling of jets ion active galaxies, especially blazars. She has been a NASA NPP Fellow for two years. In this episode of Further Together: the ORAU Podcast, host Michael Holtz talks to Lewis about her work, being mentored and mentoring others, and what she has planned for the future. As you'll discover, Lewis was initially interested in science policy before turning her attention to physics and the work she is doing today. To learn more about the NASA Post-Doctoral Program, as well as how and when to apply for upcoming opportunities, visit https://npp.orau.org/
Check out the videocast for Episode 107 Listen to Episode 107
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As a company, ORAU supports financially a number of non-profit organizations in the communities where we do business. As CEO Andy Page says, it's the role of a good corporate citizen. Additionally, many of our employees give of their time, talent and treasure to support organizations that are important to them. For this year's Thanksgiving episode, host Michael Holtz asked several colleagues to share how and why they support the organizations they do. The organizations, the skills and the reasons are as personal and individual as each of the people interviewed. Giving back is important to each of these folks, and many, many others. It's the right thing to do, and we think talking about giving back is a great way to celebrate a holiday focused on giving thanks.
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For Stacey Whaley, winning ORAU's Extreme Classroom Makeover 2022 was one of the biggest surprises of her life. She knew she could put the $25,000 prize to good use in her classroom, and boy did she ever. During this conversation, Whaley talks to host Michael Holtz about the new technology she purchased for her classroom, from digital microscopes and iPads to virtual reality headsets and a floor projector. Applications for the 2023 edition of Extreme Classroom Makeover are now open, and Whaley urges teachers within a 50-mile radius of Oak Ridge to apply. You never know what could happen! Learn more here: https://orau.org/news/releases/2022/extreme-classroom-makeover-2023-applications-now-open.html
Listen to Episode 105 Transcript for Episode 105 -
A cornhole competition between ORAU employees and executives, which executives lost, was the high point of the Diversity Council's 30th birthday celebration, which took place on ORAU's Main Campus and virtually in October 2022. The gathering was the first major in-person event since the beginning the pandemic, and celebrated ORAU's commitment to diversity. In this special "man on the street" style episode, host Michael Holtz talks to members of the diversity council against the backdrop of a very fun and important day for ORAU. To learn more about ORAU's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, visit https://www.orau.org/about/principles/diversity.html
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Alexander Bataller, assistant professor of nuclear engineering at North Carolina State University, was a 2020 recipient of an ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. With his award, which was matched by his institution, Bataller built a custom optical furnace as part of his team's research into molten salt reactors. The blueprints for the furnace were from the 70s, and molten salt reactor research is seeing a bit of a renaissance. Learn more about his research and why it's important during this conversation with host Michael Holtz. If you're junior faculty at an ORAU University Consortium institution, consider applying for a Powe Award. Application submissions close on January 9, 2023. Apply here: https://www.orau.org/university-partnerships/member-grant-programs/powe/index.html.
Check out the videocast for Episode 103 Listen to Episode 103
View the full Further Together Podcast Archive
Contact us
Pam Bonee
Director, Communications
Work: 865.576.3146
Cell: 865.603.5142
Pam.Bonee@orau.org
Wendy West
Manager, Communications
Work: 865.576.0028
Cell: 865.207.7953
Wendy.West@orau.org