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Media Contacts
![As a scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tugba Turnaoglu is investigating new thermal energy storage materials and ways to incorporate them into cost-effective and energy-efficient heat pump designs. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-09/2023-P11283.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=vr7C7cTK)
The common sounds in the background of daily life – like a refrigerator’s hum, an air conditioner’s whoosh and a heat pump’s buzz – often go unnoticed. These noises, however, are the heartbeat of a healthy building and integral for comfort and convenience.
![Materials scientist Denise Antunes da Silva researches ways to reduce concrete’s embodied carbon in the Sustainable Building Materials Laboratory at ORNL, a research space dedicated to studying environmentally friendly building materials. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-10/2022-P06226%20%281%29.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=YnOqQke9)
Materials scientist Denise Antunes da Silva researches ways to reduce concrete’s embodied carbon in the Sustainable Building Materials Laboratory at ORNL, a research space dedicated to studying environmentally friendly building materials. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
![Brian Fricke, equipment research group lead at ORNL, works with Anthony Gehl at the Building Technologies Research and Integration Center on a new prototype installation. Collaboration with fellow researchers across the building technologies area strengthens his group’s capabilities. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/2021-P09440_0.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=Hrm3cQdU)
When Brian Fricke walks into a supermarket, evidence of his scientific achievement is all around in the refrigerated cases housing the fresh fruits and vegetables. As an Oak Ridge National Laboratory building equipment researcher, Fricke has a long history of making sure that produce is kept fresh in an energy efficient and environmentally sound manner.
![ORNL’s Christine Walker, a technical consultant and researcher in the Integrated Building Performance Group, works with the nation’s federally owned buildings through the Federal Energy Management Program, helping to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their energy performance. Credit: ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-10/2021-P07642.jpg?h=560fc75e&itok=ftg2aE21)
She may not wear a white coat or carry a stethoscope, but Christine Walker of ORNL spends her days diagnosing the energy health of buildings and figuring out how to improve their efficiency to achieve cost savings and reduce their carbon footprint.
![ORNL’s Jason DeGraw, a mechanical engineer and indoor air quality expert, uses numerical equations powered by high-performance computing to analyze and solve problems related to the dispersion patterns of biological pathogens as well as chemical irritants in buildings. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-08/2021-P04747.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=jvE10Pn8)
Long before COVID-19’s rapid transmission led to a worldwide pandemic, Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Jason DeGraw was performing computer modeling to better understand the impact of virus-laden droplets on indoor air quality
![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](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-03/2021-P01088_small.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=iOYUTtfS)
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.