Feature Articles

A healthy global food supply requires healthy soil, which requires fertilizer to replace and or enhance the nutrients found in the soil. Many farmers use synthetic fertilizers, which are produced from petroleum and fossil fuels. The lack of fertilizer threatens global food security, in addition to making growing food cost-prohibitive for small scale farmers.

Nick Sokol, a member of the Innovation Crossroads program at Oak Ridge National Lab, founded Algaeo, whose technology enables farmers to efficiently grow organic fertilizers on-site from microalgae, making the entire experience of farming easier and less labor intensive while also producing healthy and good-quality food.

The year 2025 has been proclaimed the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by the United Nations, recognizing 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics. Now, Jefferson Lab, MIT and Sputnik Animation unveil “Visualizing the Nucleus,” a new animation of the particles and forces that dominate the quantum world and an accompanying website exhibit featuring the visualization of the structure of matter throughout history.

Argonne National Laboratory has received funding for two projects that will advance microelectronics under a Department of Energy research centers initiative.

Argonne National Laboratory recently hosted the Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders (CSWEL) training program, part of the Net Zero World Initiative. The program equips women from around the world with knowledge and tools to advance sustainable energy solutions.

There’s a reason that electric vehicles (EV) in salvage yards are kept by themselves and spaced far apart. Their lithium-ion batteries can hold a lot of energy, and if one catches fire, it’s sometimes hard for firefighters to extinguish the blaze.

Led by interns from multiple DOE programs, a newly expanded dataset allows researchers to use easy-to-obtain measurements to determine the elemental composition of a promising carbon storage mineral.

Research from the heart of Chicago is helping scientists get a better picture of heat islands and air quality. The data will help homeowners and businesses strategize for energy security and climate resilience.

Using a unique measurement tool, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have expanded our knowledge of the elements in soil and plants.

A research partnership between two Department of Energy national laboratories has accelerated inspection of additively manufactured nuclear components, and the effort is now expanding to inspect nuclear fuels. Idaho National Laboratory is using a software algorithm developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory to check for flaws in additively manufactured components as part of the process of identifying promising metals and alloys for 3D printing the next generation of nuclear reactors.

Back in the early days of his college career, Chad Parish realized his curiosity and interests were drawing him to the type of work he performs today in the Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis, or LAMDA, laboratory at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Using microscopy and microstructural characterization, he reveals the intricate atomic structures of materials essential for developing safer and more economical nuclear reactors. His talents and expertise place him at the center of many collaborations that pertain to materials for extreme environments and national security.