Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is a federal facility sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It is managed by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU, www.orau.org).
ORAU, which has almost 100 members, grew out of a post-war research collaboration between Oak Ridge National Laboratory, home of the Manhattan Project which came up with the world's first atomic bomb, and fourteen southern universities.
ORISE operates several research programs. Its principal mission is to offer students, from undergrads to postdocs, a wide range of science and engineering internships, fellowships and research programs. The programs are mostly at universities, federal research centers and national labs.
The first ORISE program started in 1947. Many who participated over the years have gone on to successful and even stellar careers, reports Wayne Stevenson, director of science and engineering education (SEE) programs.
"We find that students who do research in a lab are more likely to go on to grad school and stay in science and engineering," Stevenson says. "They are about three times as likely to work in a federal research center as other students."
ORISE has grown through the years. Some 85 percent of its educational program budget goes to pay for stipends, tuition, fees and travel reimbursements for program participants. ORISE also offers scholarship support to grad and undergrad students in specific areas of science and engineering.
Last year those students represented nearly 700 schools, eighty-two of them historically black colleges and universities.
"This year we were able to place almost 3,900 students and faculty in programs to advance their research interests or further their education," Stevenson says. "The joy is in seeing the impact these opportunities have on the educational plans and career aspirations of participants."
Undergrad scholarships cover tuition and summer internships after graduation. Grad students can work on masters or PhDs, and "We offer a year or two in a federal lab to get research experience," Stevenson says.
Besides the DOE, students may be placed at the U.S. Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Army, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. All these federal sponsors are "very interested" in attracting a diverse group of students, Stevenson says.
"There are some programs greatly or exclusively focused on minority recruitment, and in addition our diverse recruitment effort spans all our programs," he says.
Right now, 27 percent of program participants are minorities, which is more than double the percentage in science and engineering in the total U.S. student population. Women represent more than half the ORISE participants.
Minority-serving institutions were first targeted in the early 1980s, when ORISE received funding for HBCU programs. That grew to include Hispanic-serving institutions and tribal colleges.
"We have a number of Native American participants that come from both tribal and traditional colleges," Stevenson says.
One of the most recent opportunities offered by ORISE is with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Last August, 100 students started working in the DHS science and technology directorate, doing summer internships at more than a dozen different labs.
"Four or five DOE labs have been designated as part of the Homeland Security laboratory system," Stevenson explains.
ORISE works closely with each of its 200 participating facilities. "Some are very enthusiastic and support hundreds of participants. Others might have only a handful," Stevenson says. "It varies from year to year, depending on their budgets and their research objectives."
ORISE also has a small, specialized staff that does a variety of jobs, including research. The regular staff changes depending on the institute's growth and the government's needs, says Ann Rigell, director of employment performance and development.
For example, ORISE has a group of high-level professionals working within Homeland Security, most with military backgrounds. Another group works with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on nuclear safety issues.
Other ORISE staff scientists work at the ORISE Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, where they train doctors and health professionals in how to respond to radiation accidents. "It's a pretty scientific group," Rigell says. And it's in the market for a director right now.
The Environmental Survey and Site Assessment Program has a group of health physicists and health physics technicians. Their mission is to validate cleanup efforts.
Because of recent growth, ORISE expects to fill about 135 staff jobs this year, Rigell says. Almost everybody on the staff of 750 is a U.S. citizen. "We have the ability to go outside the U.S. if someone has unique skills, but we have to make a significant justification," she notes.
ORAU's website (www.orau.org) lists available jobs. Interested candidates can apply online.
D/C
www.orau.gov/orise/educ.htm
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Headquarters: |
Oak Ridge, TN |
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Employees: |
741 |
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Budget: |
$75 million for science education program expenditures in FY 2003 |
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Business: |
Educates next generation of scientists through programs at 200 universities, federal research centers and national laboratories |
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