Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has launched its Neutron Nexus pilot program with Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Florida State University (FSU) through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. It is the first program of its kind nationwide.

The Nexus is aimed at broadening and diversifying the scientific user community with outreach to universities and colleges to increase collaboration and, ultimately, scientific advancement.

Although a recently planned two-day ORNL Days event at the college’s campus was cut short due to Hurricane Helene, the presentations and networking that did happen set the stage to carry out the joint vision of the initiative for ORNL’s Neutron Sciences Directorate and host institutions.

“It’s exciting to expand our reach to strengthen already existing relationships, as we have had with FSU and FAMU, and create new partnerships we hope will continue for many years,” said Jens Dilling, associate laboratory director for Neutron Sciences at ORNL. “This is all to the benefit of ORNL, our university collaborators and, most importantly, to the benefit of science. We are thrilled to bring the wonder of neutrons to a new generation of undergraduate and graduate students and help faculty grow their science and technology impact.”

The goals of the ORNL Neutron Nexus program are to foster professional and personal relationships, widen neutron science educational opportunities, organize in-person visits to ORNL for students and faculty, organize on-site presence for remote experiments, increase engagement for technical and scientific support, and set up physical space commitments between ORNL and a regional collection of colleges and universities, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), community colleges, and technical colleges.

A planned Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the joint college is part of the inaugural Neutron Nexus, as ORNL “brings neutrons” to northern Florida, enabling new users to leverage cutting-edge neutron scattering and imaging capabilities to transform their research.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a powerhouse in scientific research, and this partnership strengthens the joint college’s ability to lead in engineering innovation, said FSU President Richard McCullough.

“We’re investing significantly in recruiting tenure-track and research faculty to build this materials science and engineering department,” McCullough said. “Their expertise will elevate our research, teaching, and ability to shape the future. It’s certainly an honor to be one of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s core university partners and to be part of Oak Ridge Associated Universities.”

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