ORISE Featurecast

Imagine using a protein from bacteria as a cleaning solution to reduce or eliminate food borne illnesses. That's the research Sheetal Jha conducted as an ORISE research program participant at the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Jha is pursuing her doctoral degree at Louisiana State University and her ORISE appointment ended in October 2025. Her presentation on bacteriocins and safer foods was named Fan Favorite at the 2025 ORAISE Ignite Off! competition Jah completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in India with a focus on pharmaceuticals, but her interest in public health, safety and food science served as a bridge to her current research focus. To see Sheetal Jha's ORISE Ignite Off! presentation, "Bacteriocins at work for safer food," go to https://orise.orau.gov/internships-fellowships/resources/ignite-off-competition.html To learn more about ORISE research participation program opportunities at the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, visit https://orise.orau.gov/usda-ars/index.html

Annakate Schatz is an ORISE Research Program Participant at the United State Department of Agriculture National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. She is studying foot and mouth disease among hooved animals – pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and water buffalo – in Vietnam. Foot and mouth disease is not present in United States, but it is endemic around the world. The disease has some significant economic consequences for farm productivity and potential trade restrictions. As a result, the USDA wants to make sure that we have a good understanding of how the disease functions and how it might spread. By building resilience to that disease in other countries, we can prepare for how the US might respond, should there be an outbreak. In her off hours, Schatz enjoys roller derby, a conversation about which could have been an episode all by itself. To learn more about ORISE Research Participation Programs at the USDA, visit https://orise.orau.gov/usda-ars/index.html

Nearly every conversation we have on the ORISE Featurecast about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship discusses the challenge of the application process. In this episode, Michael Holtz and guest co-host Natasja Brown take a deep dive into the application and the process through which AEF Fellows are selected. They are joined by Stacie Marvin, an AEF alumnus who was a fellow on Capitol Hill in 2023, and Lora Taylor, a current Fellow at Library of Congress. Natasja Denise Brown is a passionate science educator with twelve years of experience teaching students from 7th grade through the university level. Most recently, she has taught high school accelerated biology at Ocean Springs High School in Mississippi while also serving as an adjunct instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where she taught Biology I and II. Her dedication to students extends far beyond the classroom. She founded the middle and high school Science Bowl teams at her school, coaching them for the past six years to achieve first place or runner-up finishes nearly every year in the state. In the most recent national competition, her team ranked among the top 32 in the nation. In addition, she has served as the freshman student council sponsor, advised the Red Cross Club, and contributed to the National Honor Society faculty committee. Lora Taylor is a STEM educator and community collaborator who believes learning should be hands-on and connected to real post-secondary opportunities. She joins the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship from Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee, where she has taught across multiple grade levels and roles from AP high school biology to middle school science, digital fabrication, STEM, and computer-aided design (CAD). Lora’s approach blends engineering principles, digital fabrication, and community collaboration. Her classrooms are vibrant, maker-centered spaces where students tackle real-world issues using tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and physical computing to bring ideas to life. Stacie Marvin is a Math Specialist at Lake Elkhorn Middle School in Howard County, Maryland. In a career that has spanned three decades, she has taught learners from Pre-K to college level. She has served in leadership roles in her schools and district, as grade-level and Math team leader as well as Teacher Development Liaison for new teachers. She courageously seeks out new, proven, and effective teaching practices for her classroom that meet the needs of her students. When she finds and implements an effective strategy that energizes learners, she extends her reach through professional development presentations and mentoring other educators. The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act gives the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) the responsibility for managing the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. The DOE Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) manages this program for DOE in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) and the partnering Federal agencies, which, at the time of this recording, included the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Library of Congress (LOC), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The DOE sponsors five placements in congressional offices. To learn more about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, visit https://science.osti.gov/wdts/einstein.

Sk Nafiz Rahaman is an ORISE participant in the Graduate Research Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As part of his internship, he is developing an interactive tool to visualize electric grid risks and analyzing the impact of data center growth on energy affordability. In this episode of the ORISE Featurecast, Rahaman talks about the part of his research that focuses on the encroachment of kudzu and other high-growth plants on power lines and the potential to cause outages. His poster “A National-Scale Spatiotemporal Framework for Power Outage Trend Detection Using EAGLE-I Data” was awarded first place at the 2025 ORISE Symposium. Rahaman grew up in Bangladesh and is a doctoral student at Mississippi State University. In this conversation, Rahaman talks about his academic journey, his dreams for the future, and the benefits of being part of a national laboratory team. To learn more about the Graduate Research Program at ORNL, visit https://education.ornl.gov/gro/ To learn about ORISE graduate internships and fellowships, visit https://orise.orau.gov/internships-fellowships/graduates.html

Kalidas Mainali, Ph.D., is an ORISE postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. He is stationed at the USDA ARS Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, where Mainali is studying methods for creating biofuels and other valuable resources from agricultural waste. Mainali is a native of Nepal who also studied in Scotland, so he brings a wealth of world-wise experience to his research, but says that he ultimately decided to pursue his Ph.D. in the United States because of the extensive research opportunities available here. In this conversation, Mainali talks about his educational journey, his relationships with his mentors, and his plans for the future. To learn more about ORISE opportunities at the USDA ARS, visit https://orise.orau.gov/usda-ars/index.html