Addison Malone, a recent graduate of the Christian Academy of Knoxville’s homestudy program, has been named the recipient of the 2026 UT-Battelle Scholarship.
The competitive scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior planning to study engineering, mathematics or science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and who has a parent employed by UT-Battelle. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years and is worth a total of $20,000.
Malone's interest in STEM began at age 12, when a video about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster sparked questions about the invisible effects of radiation. That curiosity inspired her to explore science more deeply and ultimately pursue a future in STEM.
Addison is the daughter of Devin and Jennifer Malone. Devin is a senior structural engineer with Facilities Management & Engineering in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Neutron Sciences Directorate.
In high school, Addison excelled in STEM focused courses, including honors-level mathematics, chemistry, and physics classes. Outside of the classroom, Addison was involved in STEM extracurricular activities, including co-founding the SAGEX STEM Club, volunteering for Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls —an ORNL Gives charity — and participating in multiple national honors societies. She was a published co-author in two scientific journals, American Mineralogist and the Journal of Solid State Chemistry — all before she turned 18.
Malone started at ORNL after her freshman year as a participant in the SAGE summer camp. She joined the lab as a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Division intern in 2024 where the seed for a future career in nuclear forensics was planted. Addison returned to the lab in 2025 for an internship at the Spallation Neutron Source, and she is now pursuing her third internship at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center focusing on Californium production.
She credits her ORNL mentors Tyler Spano, Hassina Bilheux, Thomas Proffen, Laetitia Delmau and Clay Haywood with supporting her interests.
“They welcomed me into the lab when I knew little to nothing about what they did,” Malone added. “But the fact that [they saw] my passion and saw I had a place here is just phenomenal. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Since discovering Marie Curie, the Radium Girls and the Manhattan Project in middle school, Addison’s interests have centered on nuclear energy and helping communities understand and gain confidence in the use of nuclear science and radiation to advance medicine, energy, and new discoveries. She will attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the fall to pursue a degree in chemistry with plans to earn a doctorate in nuclear forensics.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science. — Madeline Guthrie, CCED summer intern
