8.3: Presentation session: Welcome/administrative comments: “Overview of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory”

For over 67 years ORNL has been a leader in science and energy research and development. Begun in World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, ORNL has become one of the world´s premier science and energy labs. While recognized for its accomplishments in material science, computing and energy research, its long history in biomedical research is often overlooked. Over most of its history ORNL has been engaged in biomedical research contributing substantially to the improvement in the understanding and betterment of human health. It began with the study of radiation effects on living cells and has resulted in ground breaking discoveries such as messenger RNA and relationship of X and Y chromosomes to the determination of gender. Today ORNL continues in that tradition bringing its advances in materials, electronics, computing as well as biological sciences to address biomedical challenges.