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  • Understanding foot and mouth disease for agricultural resilience: A conversation with Annakate Schatz
    2025/12/10
    Annakate Schatz is an ORISE Research Program Participant at the United State Department of Agriculture National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. She is studying foot and mouth disease among hooved animals – pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and water buffalo – in Vietnam. Foot and mouth disease is not present in United States, but it is endemic around the world. The disease has some significant economic consequences for farm productivity and potential trade restrictions. As a result, the USDA wants to make sure that we have a good understanding of how the disease functions and how it might spread. By building resilience to that disease in other countries, we can prepare for how the US might respond, should there be an outbreak. In her off hours, Schatz enjoys roller derby, a conversation about which could have been an episode all by itself. To learn more about ORISE Research Participation Programs at the USDA, visit https://orise.orau.gov/usda-ars/index.html
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    25 分
  • Diving into the application process for the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship
    2025/11/24
    Nearly every conversation we have on the ORISE Featurecast about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship discusses the challenge of the application process. In this episode, Michael Holtz and guest co-host Natasja Brown take a deep dive into the application and the process through which AEF Fellows are selected. They are joined by Stacie Marvin, an AEF alumnus who was a fellow on Capitol Hill in 2023, and Lora Taylor, a current Fellow at Library of Congress. Natasja Denise Brown is a passionate science educator with twelve years of experience teaching students from 7th grade through the university level. Most recently, she has taught high school accelerated biology at Ocean Springs High School in Mississippi while also serving as an adjunct instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where she taught Biology I and II. Her dedication to students extends far beyond the classroom. She founded the middle and high school Science Bowl teams at her school, coaching them for the past six years to achieve first place or runner-up finishes nearly every year in the state. In the most recent national competition, her team ranked among the top 32 in the nation. In addition, she has served as the freshman student council sponsor, advised the Red Cross Club, and contributed to the National Honor Society faculty committee. Lora Taylor is a STEM educator and community collaborator who believes learning should be hands-on and connected to real post-secondary opportunities. She joins the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship from Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee, where she has taught across multiple grade levels and roles from AP high school biology to middle school science, digital fabrication, STEM, and computer-aided design (CAD). Lora’s approach blends engineering principles, digital fabrication, and community collaboration. Her classrooms are vibrant, maker-centered spaces where students tackle real-world issues using tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and physical computing to bring ideas to life. Stacie Marvin is a Math Specialist at Lake Elkhorn Middle School in Howard County, Maryland. In a career that has spanned three decades, she has taught learners from Pre-K to college level. She has served in leadership roles in her schools and district, as grade-level and Math team leader as well as Teacher Development Liaison for new teachers. She courageously seeks out new, proven, and effective teaching practices for her classroom that meet the needs of her students. When she finds and implements an effective strategy that energizes learners, she extends her reach through professional development presentations and mentoring other educators. The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act gives the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) the responsibility for managing the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. The DOE Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) manages this program for DOE in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) and the partnering Federal agencies, which, at the time of this recording, included the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Library of Congress (LOC), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The DOE sponsors five placements in congressional offices. To learn more about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, visit https://science.osti.gov/wdts/einstein.
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    58 分
  • Science is part of our everyday lives: A conversation with ORISE participant Nafiz Rahaman
    2025/11/12
    Sk Nafiz Rahaman is an ORISE participant in the Graduate Research Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As part of his internship, he is developing an interactive tool to visualize electric grid risks and analyzing the impact of data center growth on energy affordability. In this episode of the ORISE Featurecast, Rahaman talks about the part of his research that focuses on the encroachment of kudzu and other high-growth plants on power lines and the potential to cause outages. His poster “A National-Scale Spatiotemporal Framework for Power Outage Trend Detection Using EAGLE-I Data” was awarded first place at the 2025 ORISE Symposium. Rahaman grew up in Bangladesh and is a doctoral student at Mississippi State University. In this conversation, Rahaman talks about his academic journey, his dreams for the future, and the benefits of being part of a national laboratory team. To learn more about the Graduate Research Program at ORNL, visit https://education.ornl.gov/gro/ To learn about ORISE graduate internships and fellowships, visit https://orise.orau.gov/internships-fellowships/graduates.html
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    21 分
  • The struggle is worth it: A conversation with Kalidas Mainali, Ph.D., ORISE postdoctoral fellow at the USDA ARS
    2025/11/05
    Kalidas Mainali, Ph.D., is an ORISE postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. He is stationed at the USDA ARS Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, where Mainali is studying methods for creating biofuels and other valuable resources from agricultural waste. Mainali is a native of Nepal who also studied in Scotland, so he brings a wealth of world-wise experience to his research, but says that he ultimately decided to pursue his Ph.D. in the United States because of the extensive research opportunities available here. In this conversation, Mainali talks about his educational journey, his relationships with his mentors, and his plans for the future. To learn more about ORISE opportunities at the USDA ARS, visit https://orise.orau.gov/usda-ars/index.html
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    23 分
  • Researcher Jin Whan Bae on the potential prosperity of nuclear energy
    2025/10/30
    Jin Whan Bae is a Nuclear Reactor Analyst in the Research and Test Reactor Physics Group within the Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He was the recipient of an ORISE Mentor Award in 2024. In this episode of the ORISE Featurecast, Bae talks to host Michael Holtz about his research experience, which covers a wide range of topics related to nuclear science, including fuel cycle modeling and analysis, fission and fusion reactor physics analysis and reactor design, and machine learning applications for nuclear engineering. The conversation focuses on Bae’s educational trajectory, how he has served as a mentor and been mentored by others, and the life shift involved in moving from Korea to the United States. On the personal side, Bae shares his vision for nuclear energy as a force for prosperity without the cost of fossil fuels and carbon emissions.
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    19 分
  • Introducing Natasja Brown, co-host for the 2025-26 Albert Einstein Fellowship podcast series
    2025/10/16
    The 2025-26 cohort of Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows has begun their fellowship year in Washington, D.C. Natajsa Brown, an educator from Ocean Springs, Miss., is serving as co-host for this cohort's series of ORISE Featurecasts. In this conversation with host Michael Holtz, Brown introduces herself and what led her to apply for the AEF. As you'll hear, it's going to be a great season of conversations. Welcome, Natasja! Natasja Denise Brown is a passionate science educator with twelve years of experience teaching students from 7th grade through the university level. Most recently, she has taught high school accelerated biology at Ocean Springs High School in Mississippi while also serving as an adjunct instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where she taught Biology I and II. Her dedication to students extends far beyond the classroom. She founded the middle and high school Science Bowl teams at her school, coaching them for the past six years to achieve first place or runner-up finishes nearly every year in the state. In the most recent national competition, her team ranked among the top 32 in the nation. In addition, she has served as the freshman student council sponsor, advised the Red Cross Club, and contributed to the National Honor Society faculty committee. The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act gives the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) the responsibility for managing the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. The DOE Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) manages this program for DOE in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) and the partnering Federal agencies, which, at the time of this recording, included the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Library of Congress (LOC), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The DOE sponsors five placements in congressional offices. To learn more about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, visit https://science.osti.gov/wdts/einstein.
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    24 分
  • Science isn't science until you share what you've found: A conversation about the value of scientific peer review
    2025/10/08
    Peer review evaluation of an individual or groups work by another individual or group with expertise in the same field or a related field. Peer reviewed work may include proposals to conduct scientific research, ongoing research itself, or a submitted papers based on ongoing or completed research. In this episode of the ORISE Featurecast, host Michael Holtz talks to Colleen Iversen, Ph.D., a former ORISE research participation program participant who now serves as a peer reviewer for ORISE. Their conversation covers the importance of the peer review process to the advancement of science, the newly developed ORISE Peer Review Resource Hub, the need for young investigators to become peer reviewers, and how peer review makes you a better scientist and proposal writer. Access the Peer Review Resource Hub here: https://orise.orau.gov/peer-review/resource-hub/index.html Dr. Colleen Iversen is an ecosystem ecologist who uses a variety of field and laboratory techniques to understand and predict how ecosystems – from upland forests to flooded peatlands to thawing Arctic tundra – are shaped by their environment. Colleen is a Distinguished Staff Scientist in the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Group Leader of the Plant-Soil Interactions group, and Director of the NGEE Arctic project. She is an Editor at the international plant journal New Phytologist, and she was an elected Early Career Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and a member of the inaugural cohort of ‘New Voices’ at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Colleen sees science communication as the foundation for a shared understanding of society’s future, and she has shared her scientific vision on Public Radio International’s ‘Science Friday’, and in the Alda School’s ‘Flame Challenge’, as well as in organized symposia, sessions, and workshops. For more information on Colleen, visit www.colleeniversen.com.
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    32 分
  • Secure and Effective Use of Generative AI: A conversation with Janine Pino, ORNL data librarian
    2025/09/24
    Janine Pino, data librarian for Oak Ridge National Laboratory Research Library and Information Services, discussed “AI Literacy: Secure and Effective Use of Generative AI” as part of the ORISE Symposium on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. In this episode of the ORISE Featurecast, Pino takes a deeper dive into the topic of generative AI, including how to craft strong prompts, critically evaluate AI-generated output, and navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of using these tools in scholarly research and writing. As a member of the Research Library team, Pino specializes in bibliometric tools, data analysis, and technical training. She joined the lab in 2022 after serving as an academic librarian, online learning liaison, and graduate program instructor. Pino completed her master's degree in information sciences at the University of Tennessee. She welcomes questions and collaborative efforts to improve lab-wide preservation and sharing of scientific and technical information.
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    29 分