This collaborative RENEW project leverages the collective strengths of the ORNL and six educational and research institutions. Together, we are extending the impact of this initiative by offering internship and mentorship opportunities to a broad student body, while also advancing the integration of fusion education and workforce development. The progress of this effort is guided by the expertise of researchers and faculty from ORNL and our partner institutions, whose contact information is provided below.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Yuqiao (Joy) Fan (fany1@ornl.gov)
Arnold Lumsdaine (lumsdainea@ornl.gov)
Rinkle Juneja (junejar@ornl.gov)
Monica Gehrig (gehrigml@ornl.gov)
Louise Ferris (ferrisal@ornl.gov)
Tennessee Tech University
Peng Zhang (pzhang@tntech.edu)
Mohan Rao (mrao@tntech.edu)
Tennessee State University
Ranganathan Parthasarathy (rparthas@tnstate.edu)
Lin Li (lli1@tnstate.edu)
Mohammad Habibi (mhabibi@tnstate.edu)
Tuskegee University
Firas Akasheh (fakasheh@tuskegee.edu)
Olakunle Harrison (oharrison@tuskegee.edu)
Southern Adventist University
Sean Walters (swalters@southern.edu)
Vola Andrianarijaona (avola@southern.edu)
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Joshua Schlegel (schlegelj@mst.edu)
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
David Donovan (ddonovan@utk.edu)
Industry Partners
This project also benefits tremendously from the involvement of leading fusion companies, including:
Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Focused Energy Inc., General Fusion, Kyoto Fusioneering America, Realta Fusion Inc., SHINE Technologies, LLC, TAE Technologies, Inc., Thea Energy, Tokamak Energy, Inc., Type One Energy, and Xcimer Energy Corporation.
These companies play a critical role in this project by:
- Hosting student interns for hands-on training in cutting-edge fusion research;
- Providing mentorship and guidance to students during academic years;
- Offering valuable input into the development of fusion-relevant curricula; and
- Engaging directly with students as speakers and panelists during the Fusion Innovation Bootcamp.
Their participation ensures that this IGNITE project not only advances our educational goals but also aligns with real-world industrial demands, cultivating a pipeline of well-trained future fusion engineers.
