Further Together the ORAU Podcast

Recent Episodes

Could virtual reality help increase flu vaccination rates?

Posted December 2, 2019 • 00:20:03

Could immersive virtual reality hold the key to increased flu vaccination rates among adults age 18-49? A study funded by an ORAU-Directed Research and Development grant and published in the journal Vaccine on Monday, December 2, 2019 sought to answer that question. We talked to Karen Carera, PhD, ORAU senior evaluation specialist, and Glen Nowak, principal investigator and director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication headquartered at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. As you will hear in the episode, this ground-breaking research holds great promise and points to the need for more research in this area.

The Gratitude Show

Posted November 21, 2019 • 00:19:16

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate all of the things for which we are grateful. In that spirit, Michael and Jenna turned the microphone over to employees from across ORAU and asked them to share what they are grateful for this year. From all of us at ORAU, Happy Thanksgiving. We hope you enjoy the show.

The challenges and opportunities of "greening up" America's scientific workforce

Posted November 20, 2019 • 00:20:54

The nation's unemployment rate is at a historic low. Meanwhile, large numbers of people in the federal scientific workforce are at or nearing retirement age. Opportunities may be plentiful for young and aspiring science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers, if they're not snatched up by big tech firms first. Michelle Goodson, group manager for workforce solutions at ORAU, talks about the challenges, the opportunities and where ORAU fits in the greening up of the American scientific workforce.

Mentoring the Next Generation of Scientists at ORNL

Posted November 13, 2019 • 00:16:02

Julia Steed is a senior at Oak Ridge High School. She spent part of her summer working alongside Katie Schuman, a research scientist who specialized in artificial intelligence at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Her experience in ORNL's Next Generations STEM Internship Program has fueled Steed's interest in computer science. She and Schuman discuss the work they did together, the importance of mentorship for young scientists and the importance of the NEXTGENS program.

Not your grandfather's strategic plan

Posted November 6, 2019 • 00:32:45

The ORAU strategic plan is not a hallowed document formulated by a committee of executives and then distributed to employees to follow. Rather, our strategic plan is developed, updated, implemented and thoughtfully discussed using Agile, an iterative, cross-functional approach to project management that relies on input from employees at all levels of the company. In fact, upwards of half of ORAU's employees were involved in the development of the latest strategic plan. Jamey Kennedy, ORAU strategic plan advisor, talks about our process, as well as some lessons about life she learned while on a harrowing trip to Norway in early 2019.