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Deborah Frincke, one of the nation’s preeminent computer scientists and cybersecurity experts, serves as associate laboratory director of ORNL’s National Security Science Directorate. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Deborah Frincke, one of the nation’s preeminent computer scientists and cybersecurity experts, serves as associate laboratory director of ORNL’s National Security Science Directorate. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Belinda Akpa applies her diverse expertise and high-performance computing to accelerate the drug discovery process and increase the chances of success when candidate molecules go to clinical trials. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Belinda Akpa is a chemical engineer with a talent for tackling big challenges and fostering inclusivity and diversity in the next generation of scientists.

Rich Giannone uses bioanalytical mass spectrometry to examine proteins, the primary driver in biological systems.

Rich Giannone uses bioanalytical mass spectrometry to examine proteins, the primary driver in biological systems.

Kashif Nawaz, researcher and group leader for multifunctional equipment integration in buildings technologies, is developing a platform for the direct air capture of carbon dioxide that can be retrofitted to existing rooftop heating, ventilation and air conditioning units.  Credit: ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy

When Kashif Nawaz looks at a satellite map of the U.S., he sees millions of buildings that could hold a potential solution for the capture of carbon dioxide, a plentiful gas that can be harmful when excessive amounts are released into the atmosphere, raising the Earth’s temperature.

Nesaraja split her effort between nuclear data evaluation and experimentation at ORNL’s now-closed Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Nuclear physicist Caroline Nesaraja of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory evaluates nuclear data vital to applied and basic sciences. 

ORNL’s Cory Stuart is head of data systems and cybersecurity for the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement user facility. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Cory Stuart of ORNL applies his expertise as a systems engineer to ensure the secure and timely transfer of millions of measurements of Earth’s atmosphere, fueling science around the world.

Elizabeth Herndon takes a soil sample at a field site outside Abisko, Sweden in July 2019.

Elizabeth Herndon believes in going the distance whether she is preparing to compete in the 2020 Olympic marathon trials or examining how metals move through the environment as a geochemist at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Ethan Coon uses math and computational science to model the flow of above and belowground water in watersheds.

As a computational hydrologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Ethan Coon combines his talent for math with his love of coding to solve big science questions about water quality, water availability for energy production, climate change, and the

Isabelle Snyder standing in front of screen dislaying national map of US power grids

Isabelle Snyder calls faults as she sees them, whether it’s modeling operations for the nation’s power grid or officiating at the US Open Tennis Championships.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory entrance sign

The unique process of accepting a new supercomputer is one of the most challenging projects a programmer may take on during a career. When the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility’s (OLCF’s) Verónica Melesse Vergara came to the United States from Ecuador in 2005, she never would have dreamed of being part of such an endeavor. But just last fall, she was.