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A new biosensor developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory detects the emerging presence of fungus on plants at the molecular level, paving the way for next-generation crop protection and the development of stress-tolerant plants. The innovation advances technology for the U.S. agricultural and biomanufacturing sectors. 

Leah Broussard, a research scientist in the Physics Division of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has received the inaugural DOE Distinguished Mentor Award for Workforce Development. The DOE Office of Science announced the awards March 10, recognizing scientists who guide and support the next generation of researchers.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers invented a reusable adhesive from waste polymers that is tougher than commercial glues, works underwater as well as in dry environments, and bonds a variety of materials, including wood, glass, metal, paper and polymers. Inspired by the way mussels stick stubbornly to surfaces, the innovative adhesive contains reversible chemical crosslinkers that allow the hardened glue to soften, detach and be reused, unlike current glues, which set permanently after one use.

Industry experts from tech companies, equipment makers, utilities and data center developers gathered recently at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to brainstorm research and technology pathways to securely integrate AI data centers with the electric grid. 

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is propelling grid resilience through a partnership with regional utility EPB of Chattanooga that will demonstrate advanced microgrid capabilities to reduce customer power outages. 

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and collaborators found a new way to control how heat moves through certain ceramic materials. By applying an electric field, they changed the behavior of tiny vibrations in the material (called phonons), making heat travel much more easily in the direction of the field—nearly tripling thermal conductivity compared with other directions. The discovery could help create solid-state devices that manage heat more efficiently in electronics, energy systems and other technologies.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have provided the first comprehensive analysis of the specific costs of power outages to local customers across the nation. It found that the average yearly cost of major outages topped $67 billion over the past seven years.

The total annual burden on customers rose sharply over that time, with the price tag of major outages climbing to $121 billion in 2024. These power disruptions pose serious risks to public health and safety and drain billions of dollars from the U.S. economy.

Vipin Kumar, a composites manufacturing researcher at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named one of 21 rising professionals nationwide for the 2026 Emerging Leaders Program of the American Composites Manufacturers Association.

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Kairos Power have entered into a $27 million strategic partnership to accelerate the technology needed to deploy a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors and support U.S. nuclear energy goals.  The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Kairos Power have entered into a $27 million strategic partnership to accelerate the technology needed to deploy a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors and support U.S. nuclear energy goals.