Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Roane County, Tennessee, near Knoxville, Tennessee, and founded in 1942 as part of the Manhattan Project led by J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Ernest Lawrence. The laboratory was established to develop the first nuclear reactor and produce plutonium for the atomic bomb with the help of University of Chicago, University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University. The laboratory's early work was also influenced by Richard Feynman, Niels Bohr, and Glenn Seaborg, who were involved in the development of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The laboratory's research was also supported by General Leslie Groves and Vannevar Bush, who played key roles in the Manhattan Project.

● History

The laboratory's history dates back to the early 1940s, when it was established as the Clinton Engineer Works with the help of DuPont, Stone & Webster, and Tennessee Eastman. The laboratory's first director was Julius Adams Stratton, who was succeeded by Alvin Weinberg, a renowned nuclear physicist who worked with Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam. During the 1950s and 1960s, the laboratory was involved in the development of nuclear power with the help of General Electric, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and Babcock & Wilcox. The laboratory also collaborated with Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on various projects, including the development of high-temperature superconductors with IBM and Bell Labs. The laboratory's research was also influenced by the work of Enrico Fermi, Ernest Lawrence, and Robert Rathbun Wilson, who were pioneers in the field of particle physics.

● Facilities and Operations

The laboratory is located on a 58-square-mile site in Roane County, Tennessee, and operates a range of facilities, including the Spallation Neutron Source, a particle accelerator that produces neutrons for research with the help of Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. The laboratory also operates the High Flux Isotope Reactor, a nuclear reactor that produces radioisotopes for medical and industrial applications with the support of National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration. The laboratory's facilities are also used for research in materials science with 3M, Dow Chemical Company, and General Motors, and nanotechnology with Intel, IBM, and Google. The laboratory's operations are supported by a range of partners, including University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, and Oak Ridge Associated Universities, which provide research and development support with NASA, National Science Foundation, and Department of Defense.

● Research and Development

The laboratory's research and development activities focus on a range of areas, including energy, environment, materials science, and national security with the help of Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The laboratory is also involved in the development of advanced materials with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, and nanotechnology with Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and California Institute of Technology. The laboratory's research in energy focuses on the development of sustainable energy sources, including solar energy with SunPower, First Solar, and SolarCity, and wind energy with General Electric, Siemens, and Vestas. The laboratory's research in environment focuses on the development of climate models with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and European Space Agency, and ecosystem management with United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Department of Agriculture, and The Nature Conservancy.

● Notable Projects and Achievements

The laboratory has been involved in a range of notable projects and achievements, including the development of the first nuclear reactor with Enrico Fermi and Ernest Lawrence, and the production of plutonium for the atomic bomb with the help of Los Alamos National Laboratory and Hanford Site. The laboratory has also been involved in the development of high-temperature superconductors with IBM and Bell Labs, and advanced materials with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. The laboratory's research has also led to the development of new medical treatments with National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and American Cancer Society, and new industrial applications with 3M, Dow Chemical Company, and General Motors. The laboratory's achievements have been recognized with a range of awards, including the National Medal of Science and the Enrico Fermi Award, which have been awarded to scientists such as Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, and Stephen Hawking.

● Organization and Management

The laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, a partnership between University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute, with the support of Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration. The laboratory's director is Thomas Zacharia, who is responsible for overseeing the laboratory's research and development activities with the help of Deputy Director and Associate Directors. The laboratory is organized into a range of divisions, including the Energy and Environmental Sciences Division, the Materials Science and Technology Division, and the National Security Sciences Division, which are responsible for managing the laboratory's research and development activities in areas such as energy, environment, and national security with the support of Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The laboratory also has a range of partnerships with other organizations, including University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which provide research and development support with NASA, National Science Foundation, and Department of Defense. Category:United States Department of Energy national laboratories