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ORNL's Communications team works with news media seeking information about the laboratory. Media may use the resources listed below or send questions to news@ornl.gov.

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Graphic created for the "Innovations Crossroads Cohort 2025" which is stated on the screen. 6 outlines of profiles are displayed at the bottom of the image in a line.

Six entrepreneurs comprise the next cohort of Innovation Crossroads, a DOE Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program node based at ORNL. The program provides energy-related startup founders from across the nation with access to ORNL’s unique scientific resources and capabilities, as well as connect them with experts, mentors and networks to accelerate their efforts to take their world-changing ideas to the marketplace.

Molecular simulation of water showing densely packed H₂O molecules, with red spheres representing oxygen atoms and white spheres representing hydrogen atoms.

More than a year ago, ORNL computational scientists raised concerns about the accuracy of using a 2-femtosecond time step in liquid water simulations. A new study confirms and deepens those concerns, revealing even greater potential for error than previously thought.

Dark brown powder that is a rare earth element that has been refined into powder

United Rare Earths has licensed two innovative technologies from Oak Ridge National Laboratory aimed at reducing dependence on critical rare earth elements.

Illustration of melting point of lithium chloride, which is shown with green and blue structures in two rows.

Scientists have developed a new machine learning approach that accurately predicted critical and difficult-to-compute properties of molten salts, materials with diverse nuclear energy applications. 

A color-enhanced 3D laser scan of a large concrete slab in a housing development, showing surface variations in shades of blue, green, yellow, and purple. Surrounding structures and terrain are rendered in black and white. The image was captured using the FLAT tool’s 360-degree scanning technology.

Researchers at ORNL have developed a tool that gives builders a quick way to measure, correct and certify level foundations. FLAT, or the Flat and Level Analysis Tool, examines a 360-degree laser scan of a construction site using ORNL-developed segmentation algorithms and machine learning to locate uneven areas on a concrete slab. 

The heartbeat Detector is pictured here, which is a black rectangular box with a heartbeat line and wording on the top to reflect its name

The Heartbeat Detector, developed at ORNL and licensed by Geovox Security Inc., detects hidden individuals in vehicles by measuring suspension vibrations. Now using a compact black box and cloud software, the system is more affordable and easier to use, while remaining the industry standard worldwide.

Close up photo of components for jet engines, fanned out in a spiral from the center

Inspired by a visit to ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, Jonaaron Jones launched a career in additive manufacturing that led to founding Volunteer Aerospace and now leading Beehive Industries’ external parts business. Through close collaboration with MDF, Jones has helped drive innovation in defense, aviation and energy, while growing high-tech jobs and strengthening the U.S. manufacturing base.

Illustration of a virtual meeting on a laptop screen featuring diverse cartoon avatars of people in a grid layout. In the center, a logo reads “Winter Classic Invitational Student Cluster Competition.” The background consists of digital blue circuitry and data flow patterns, suggesting a technology or computing theme.

ORNL researchers helped introduce college students to quantum computing for the first time during the 2025 Winter Classic Invitational, providing hands-on access to real quantum hardware and training future high-performance computing users through a unique challenge that bridged classical and quantum technologies.

Three people standing in a lab holding materials

ORNL, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development were recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium, or FLC, for their efforts to develop Tennessee as a national leader in fusion energy.

Hugh O'Neil, director or ORNL's Center for Structural Molecular Biology is sitting in the lab on a stool, hand on desk with glasses on. There are lab related items blurred in the foreground.

Hugh O’Neill’s lifelong fascination with the complexities of the natural world drives his research at ORNL, where he’s using powerful neutron beams to dive deep into the microscopic realm of biological materials and unlock secrets for better production of domestic biofuels and bioproducts.