Summer students from CURENT took a day off from research to visit Oak Ridge National Laboratory today. The group made the 45 minute drive westward to explore the U.S. Department of Energy's largest science and energy national laboratory and learn more about the site's mission and current activities.

Led by Tom King, CURENT's Director of Innovation & Industry, students were able to see breakthroughs in power systems monitoring, superhydrophobic technology, and powerline conductor testing. A general campus tour, laboratory overview, and lunch were also part of the day's events.

The high school students, teachers, and undergraduates that made up the group were exposed to a different side of research in a non-academic laboratory setting. Plus, with many CURENT faculty and students being affiliated with both the University of Tennessee and ORNL, it gave the group a larger picture of the collaborations that exist among such large research facilities. For some, the trip was also a completion of Week 1 of their research experiences at CURENT.

"We've seen the early stages of the research process here at UT, and I thought that getting to see people outside of the concentrated academic environment was appropriate," said Jonathan Redington, a high school student at Knoxville's L&N STEM Academy and a participant in CURENT's Young Scholars summer program.

The visit was organized by Mr. King, Dr. Chien-fei Chen, and Adam Hardebeck. 

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory