Govindarajan Muralidharan, a scientist and inventor at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, or NAI.

The NAI was established to recognize inventors with U.S. patents and to promote academic technology and innovation that globally benefits society. NAI fellows have achieved the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers recently used large-scale additive manufacturing with metal to produce a full-strength steel component for a wind turbine, proving the technique as a viable alternative to conventional welding approaches.

Wind energy adoption in the United States depends largely on industry’s ability to manufacture large, complex structures. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, could reduce cost and increase production efficiency compared with traditional methods.

Scientists have developed a novel approach to computationally infer previously undetected behaviors within complex biological environments by analyzing live, time-lapsed images that show the positioning of embryonic cells in C. elegans, or roundworms. Their published methods could be used to reveal hidden biological activity. 

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using a novel approach in determining environmental impacts to aquatic species near hydropower facilities, potentially leading to smarter facility designs that can support electrical grid reliability.

Scientists can speed the design of energy-dense solid-state batteries using a new tool created by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Solid-State Battery Performance Analyzer and Calculator, or SolidPAC, can help researchers who have developed a promising new material but are unsure how to design a successful cell, said ORNL’s Ilias Belharouak. “It builds practicality into the search for better batteries,” he said.