UT-ORII: Strengthening area pipeline for STEM talent

To remain competitive internationally, the nation needs critical advances in science and engineering, as well as the workforce to make commercial innovations in these areas. To strengthen the pipeline of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent, the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory launched the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) and hired Joan Bienvenue as its first executive director and vice provost in 2021.

Bienvenue recently provided an update on the institute’s progress to Friends of ORNL.

The ORNL-UT partnership, which is more than 75 years old, created UT-ORII to position the partnership strategically to make Tennessee known worldwide as a hub for STEM talent and discovery, Bienvenue said. Another goal, she added, is for UT-ORII to become a national model for joint research and innovation, interdisciplinary education in problem solving and workforce development in designated areas of critical need, such as energy storage, transportation technology and clean manufacturing.

“The state of Tennessee, which has always considered the UT-ORNL partnership a crown jewel, committed to investing $80 million over 10 years into the formation and operation of this institute,” Bienvenue said. “The state gave UT-ORII $8 million in 2021 and last year, the General Assembly voted to fast track this funding, giving us the remaining $72 million in 2022.”

In the past two years, the institute has hired staff and put in place new initiatives that will supplement current programs.

Recruiting 600 people

UT-ORII is recruiting up to 100 high-caliber joint research faculty and 500 graduate students to work together on convergent initiatives of importance to UT, ORNL, the state and the nation. The researchers will be hired by both UT and ORNL. The institute is working with Oak Ridge Associated Universities and other partners on its recruiting efforts.

The vision of UT-ORII, she said, “is to become the coveted home for convergent research and talent development, helping maintain U.S. prominence as a global innovation leader and provide tangible impact to Tennessee. Our mission is to strategically align the expertise and infrastructure of UT and ORNL to usher in world-class interdisciplinary research and graduate education.”

Bienvenue asserted that the critical attributes for the institute’s success include joint UT-ORNL research initiatives, successful joint research faculty, thriving graduate students, high-impact publications, robust workforce development pathways for the state and nation and a vibrant ecosystem for discovery and innovation.

Concerning workforce development, she provided one example, saying, “We’re seeing a big need for nuclear technicians locally and across the nation. We have the people who are well-suited to train and develop future nuclear technicians.”

To enhance the innovation and discovery ecosystem, the institute has obtained through state and federal grants new seed money that is being added to current grants. In addition, UT-ORII fellows are being appointed, supplementing the already-existing appointed positions of UT-ORNL joint faculty, distinguished scientists and Governor’s chairs.

“We have hired three joint faculty members for clean manufacturing, and interviewing is continuing for more and for joint faculty specializing on energy storage,” she said.

The institute’s new ORNL-UT seed money grants “have reaped tenfold results,” she remarked. “Giving $2 million in seed grants to 22 UT-ORNL teams in four programs is leading to better than $20 million worth of follow-on funding, a great return on investment.”

Research: To give a second life to used electric vehicle batteries; allowing self-driving cars to see beyond what car, driver can see

In one success story, Thomas Zawodzinski, UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Electrical Energy Conversion and Storage, is leading research on energy storage that aims to give a second life to used electric vehicle batteries, through a partnership with Nissan, Seven States Power Corporation, Middle Tennessee Electric and Tennessee State University.

In transportation research on future self-driving vehicles, UT-ORII seed grant recipient Mina Sartipi at UT Chattanooga will help hire research faculty to collaborate with her research on improving road safety by allowing connected and autonomous cars to see beyond what a driver or a car can see. Chattanooga is being used as a testbed.

The institute’s goal in education is to attract the best and brightest talent, according to its website at www. utorii.com. The current joint UT-ORNL doctorate programs have 155 students.

"Our goal is to increase the number of UT-ORNL graduate research students to 500,” Bienvenue said. “We’ll also be hiring at least 100 new joint researchers.”

The institute’s SMaRT (Student Mentoring and Research Training) undergraduate internship program is expected to enable 50 qualified undergraduate students this summer to work side by side with UT-ORNL researchers for 10 weeks.

“In 2022 we had 41 interns with over 70% from underrepresented groups,” she said, noting that the UT Graduate School has helped them engage with more historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

In an education success story, Tony Schmitz, UT-ORNL joint faculty member and UT-ORII fellow, is supporting America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) initiative by teaching the design and manufacture of machine tools needed to make useful American products. In the past two years he has helped rebuild America’s manufacturing industry by training more than 3000 people in computer numerical control (CNC) machining, a manufacturing process in which pre-programmed computer software dictates how factory tools and machinery move, including three-dimensional cutting tools. He has trained 500 people in metrology, the science of measurement.

As part of ACE and in partnership with IACMI, the composites institute, workshops are being held to instruct high-school teachers on the best ways to train students in machining. According to a Bienvenue slide, Mark Buckner, Oak Ridge High School teacher, said, “The workshops will help teachers to ‘rethink the way we teach students’ and to ‘innovate the high school model of thinking to be more hands-on.’”