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ORNL also performs other work for the Department of Energy, including isotope production and separation, information management, and technical program management, and provides research and technical assistance to other organizations. ORNL runs the National Transportation Research Center jointly with the University of Tennessee.

ORNL was formed in 1942 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers from an approximately 60,000 acre (243 km²) valley 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Knoxville, Tennessee. Originally known as the Clinton Engineering Works, ORNL was established as part of the World War II Manhattan Project in 1943 to carry out a single, well-defined mission: the pilot-scale production and separation of uranium and plutonium for the Manhattan Project. From this foundation, the Laboratory has evolved into a unique resource for addressing important national and global energy and environmental issues. Today, ORNL pioneers the development of new energy sources, technologies, and materials and the advancement of knowledge in the biological, chemical, computational, engineering, environmental, physical, and social sciences.

ORNL facts and figures

• Staff: 3800 total, 1500 scientists and engineers
• Budget: $870 million, 80% Department of Energy, 20% work for others
• Replacement cost of buildings: $7 billion
• Total land area: 58 square miles (150 km²)
• Guest researchers: 3000 each year, about 25% from industry
• Visitors: About 30,000 each year, plus 10,000 precollege students

External links

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Official Web Page
• ORNL History Page