community

UCOR sponsors Game On Against Cancer fundraiser

UCOR served as a Challenger Sponsor for the Thompson Cancer Survival Center’s Game on Against Cancer event, held at the new Covenant Health Park. The event brings the community together for a night of games, food, and fundraising in support of cancer care. Proceeds from the event help patients with costs like transportation for cancer…

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Demolition of 3003 facility at ORNL nearing completion

Demolition at ORNL Building 3003, Oak Ridge Graphite Reactor Fan House, is nearing completion. Due to planned sequencing of demolition projects, crews were able to use the former 3005 footprint to house two additional excavators to assist with 3003 demolition activities. The excavators will be used for size reducing and material handling in preparation for…

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Intern spotlight – Dillen Priest

Dillen Priest of Winchester, Tenn., graduated this May from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in natural resources and environmental economics. This summer she is working as an environmental services project controls intern. Dillen has previous experience with Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods as a supply chain intern. In her free time, Dillen likes to…

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Intern spotlight – Sydney Prepchuk

Sydney Prepchuk of McMinnville, Ore., expects to graduate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2025 with a degree in industrial engineering. This will be Sydney’s second summer at UCOR, and she is supporting program integration. During her free time, Sydney is interested in artwork, cooking, and fitness. She hopes to learn more about…

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Engineering interns learn about nuclear safety

Engineering hosted an intern lunch and learn session last week with guest speaker Karen Balo, a UCOR Nuclear Facility Safety Manager. Balo presented an abbreviated introduction to Nuclear and Criticality Safety, including the processes used within DOE and UCOR, nuclear safety’s role in risk reduction, and an overview of safety basis documents and DOE risk…

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Waste shipment to TWPC shrinks ORNL inventory

The inventory of transuranic (TRU) waste at ORNL continues to shrink with the shipment of nine containers of waste to the Transuranic Waste Processing Center (TWPC) this week. TRU waste is transported from ORNL to TWPC routinely as storage space at the processing center becomes available from processing and shipping waste to the Waste Isolation…

ETEC

Interns learn about East Tennessee Economic Council

UCOR’s interns attended a lunch and learn session today with guest speakers from community partner East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC). ETEC’s Projects and Events Manager Hailey Lewis spoke about the group’s mission to harness East Tennessee’s federal resources to strengthen national science, security, energy, education, and environmental missions by fostering regional economic growth through strategic…