The ORAU-Directed Research and Development (ODRD) investment program provides a path for funding innovative, research-based approaches or solutions that fall within the core capabilities of ORAU and our member universities’ research interests. The hope is that ODRD-funded projects could result in proposals that can generate new sponsored research jointly performed by ORAU and partner universities.
“ODRD supports university engaged applied research while increasing the potential for significant external research funding and strengthening ORAU’s ability to address current and future customer needs,” said Ken Tobin, Ph.D., ORAU’s Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer.
ODRD funding, distributed annually through a competitive process, serves as seed money for exploratory research and collaboration opportunities between subject matter experts from ORAU and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), which ORAU manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and our university partners, that provides greater potential for significant funding from external sources.
For the 2023 fiscal year, the Research and University Partnerships Office prioritized ODRD projects that focused on climate and the environment, the future of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce, and health equity. The following projects were awarded ODRD funding. Listen for more about these projects in the coming months on Further Together: The ORAU Podcast.
Integrating neurodivergence into the STEM workforce
In the United States and worldwide, children are increasingly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The increase in ASD diagnoses has significant implications for higher education, particularly in STEM fields where autistic students are overrepresented. Despite the growth of this population, undergraduates diagnosed with ASD struggle to graduate and find employment more so than their peers without ASD. Researchers propose the development of a hybrid mentoring program that supports autistic undergraduate students in STEM majors.
This program incorporates both online and in-person components and provides these students with valuable on-campus job experiences. This approach allows them to apply and develop their unique strengths and foster acceptance and broader understanding of autism within STEM fields.
This project is led by Alexa Brantley, ORAU workforce development program specialist, and Sunwook Kim, Ph.D., Virginia Tech.
Exploring the impacts of shale gas industry expansion on Pennsylvania communities
This project is developing innovative methods for exploring the impact fossil fuel industry expansion is having on communities in Pennsylvania and the broader Ohio River Valley. The region has a long history of energy development and is currently an epicenter for unconventional oil and natural gas development (UOGD), petrochemical manufacturing, and potentially hydrogen production. Significant infrastructure has been built to support the energy expansion. To date, little research has been done to evaluate the full extent of infrastructure development, associated environmental implications, and how these changes influence public health and environmental justice.
Researchers are using an interdisciplinary framework for such an analysis by integrating remote sensing analysis, policy and social media analysis, and stakeholder engagement. The framework allows researchers to 1) identify the regions of the Ohio River Valley most impacted by UOGD; 2) study the community and potential public health implications of UOGD; and 3) assess the extent to which governments and industry stakeholders are addressing environmental and public health risks. The pilot study concentrates on Washington and Beaver counties, two suburban west Pennsylvania counties central to the Ohio River Valley and hot spots for ongoing environmental concerns and controversy.
This project is led by Taylor Vaughn, MPH, ORAU business development capture manager, and Jennifer Baka, Ph.D., Penn State University.
Influence of climate change on sociodemographic disparities in the risk of exposure to environmental antimicrobial resistance
Socially and demographically vulnerable and underrepresented groups of individuals are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards, which can correspondingly result in significant disparities in human health. For example, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment has emerged as a significant global health challenge in recent years. Importantly, human exposure to environmental AMR may increase because of the impact of climate change, for example through increased soil erosion caused by excessive rainfall and subsequent dispersal of antibiotic resistant pathogens. However, current understanding of the impact of climate change on sociodemographic disparities, including the risks of exposure to environmental AMR, remains limited.
Researchers are investigating the influence of climate change on sociodemographic disparities associated with the risks of exposure to environmental AMR using an innovative systems biology approach that combines metagenomic data analysis and machine learning. Their hypothesis is that culturally vulnerable groups of people are subject to greater risks of exposure to environmental AMR and that climate change can exacerbate this disparity. They are leveraging existing metagenomic data collected from soils across the United States. The results of this proposed research can inform the development of strategies and policies directed towards mitigation of exposure to AMR and environmental injustice.
This project is led by Steve Bartell, ORAU science and research support technical specialist, and Jingqui Liao, Ph.D., Virginia Tech.
How small family farms weather the storm
Small family farms, defined as a gross cash farm income of less than $350,000, are the fabric of many rural communities, accounting for 89% of farms in the United States. However, the increased frequency of extreme weather events has placed small rural farms in vulnerable positions. One extreme weather event has the potential to devastate an entire season of income, which could result in long-lasting negative mental, emotional, and financial consequences that can perpetuate health disparities for this population.
Given the potential negative consequences of and the increase in frequency of extreme weather events in our nation, it is important to understand how small family farmers prepare for and respond to these events. Yet, there is a lack of research on small family farms. Most research tends to focus on large-scale commercial farms because large farms produce high yields and generate more revenue than small farms. Researchers aim to fill this knowledge gap to better understand how small family farmers residing in East Tennessee prepare for and respond to extreme weather events and how the stress of managing the unpredictability of weather events influences farmers’ mental, emotional, and financial health.
This project is led by Amanda McHale, MPH, of ORAU public health and healthcare, and Jennifer Russomanno, DrPH, University of Tennessee.
To learn more about the ORAU-Directed Research and Development investment program, visit https://orau.org/partnerships/grant-programs/odrd.html.