UT-Battelle contributes up to $475,000 in equipment and time to Oak Ridge High School
The gift will support a program that gives students direct experience with the artificial intelligence- and robotics-assisted workplace of the future.
UT-Battelle, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the Department of Energy, has contributed up to $475,000 for the purchase and installation of advanced manufacturing equipment to support a program at Oak Ridge High School that gives students direct experience with the artificial intelligence- and robotics-assisted workplace of the future.
Through the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, UT-Battelle donated $225,000 toward the purchase of equipment for the school and has committed up to $250,000 in ORNL staff time to assist with installation and calibration. Industry partners, including Lincoln Electric, ABB, Amazon Robotics and NAVUS, are also making in-kind contributions to the program.
The gifts support the school’s award-winning iSchool curriculum that began with a state grant as part of Tennessee’s Innovative School Models program launched in 2021. Oak Ridge High School’s Wildcat Manufacturing iSchool functions as a student-run business, offering experience in AI-generative design, additive manufacturing and robotics for local organizations, while students earn college credit.
The program, founded and led by ORNL retiree Mark Buckner, won the 2024 Award for Excellence in Education from the Tennessee School Boards Association and supports President Trump’s executive order “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.”
“UT-Battelle is pleased to support Oak Ridge High School’s forward-looking curriculum, which gives students direct experience with the latest AI-enabled manufacturing innovations and business skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s workplaces,” said Stephen Streiffer, President and Chief Executive Officer of UT-Battelle and Director of ORNL. “While we can proudly claim Mark Buckner as an ORNL retiree, it is his personal passion for students and developing the workforce of the future that made this happen.”
The equipment will be used to create a student-built platform similar to the R&D-100 award-winning MedUSA system, a robotic additive manufacturing platform co-developed by ORNL scientists with industry partners to print large-scale components, along with associated industrial robotics and controls. ORNL will also provide a copy of its MedUSA software, which slices 3D model designs and controls the entire manufacturing process.
Like what you've read?
Forward to a friend!