EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Explore opportunities and apply!

Feature video and images by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

ORNL educational programs provide experiences that complement academic programs and provide opportunities for additional learning, development, and training in a workplace setting. ORNL is committed to enriching our laboratory culture and future workforce by providing educationally based, mission-aligned experiences with world-class researchers and staff and access to premier facilities. All interns and faculty are required to follow ORNL’s COVID-19 safety protocols.

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Early Education

Learn from scientific research staff through virtual classroom visits or experience STEM hands-on at the Traveling Science Fair!

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Participate in science competitions, summer workshops, science camps, and more!

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Conduct graduate research at the nation’s largest multiprogram science and technology lab.

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Learn about team science and collaborative research through internships mentored by world-class scientists and professionals!

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Help create solutions to today’s most pressing scientific problems while conducting research with dedicated mentors using world-leading scientific resources.

Educational Program Highlights

up to 1,200 university and high school students participate in ORNL programs each year

feel their ORNL experience benefited their career

were satisfied with their experience

were satisfied with their mentor

Success after ORNL

96% employed in STEM-related occupations across the United States and 41 countries
16% hired as staff, become contractors, or participate in another ORNL student program
Participants have contributed to 248  patented inventions
48% continue to collaborate with ORNL colleagues
Obtained at least $184+ million in R&D funding
Received over 240 honors and awards
Produced over 7,000 scientific publications
Founded at least 10 new businesses

Ideal Location

Located near the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, ORNL’s campus is just 1 hour away from the nation’s most visited national park. Within a day’s drive of all major cities on the East Coast, ORNL provides the best of both worlds: proximity to the great outdoors and growing urban centers with diverse cultural attractions. The city of Oak Ridge has 150 miles of shoreline for water recreation, rowing, and boating, and nearby Knoxville is home to the thriving research campus of the University of Tennessee and a historic downtown known for its dining, theaters, shopping, and cultural and music festivals.

In addition, East Tennessee is affordable, with a cost of living 8% lower than the national average and no state income tax. It is one of the safest areas in the United States and has excellent school systems, including the Oak Ridge School District, one of two districts in the world that are K–12 STEM certified.

K-12 STEM Outreach

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach is vital to the nation’s development of future scientists, engineers and innovators. As the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest multiprogram science and energy laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is committed to serving the public as a valued partner in educational initiatives, promoting and expanding STEM experiences for the next generation.

For more information about educational opportunities with ORNL, please email education@ornl.gov.