Innovate 2.0 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

9 Sept 2025, 09:00 → 10 Sept 2025, 17:30 US/Eastern

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Robert Saethre (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Welcome to Innovate 2.0, a dynamic workshop designed for early to mid-career engineers from the Department of Energy's National Laboratory complex. Join us on September 9-10, 2025, for an engaging experience focused on career development, configuration management, and cutting-edge engineering practices. This workshop aims to foster connections among peers while enhancing your knowledge of engineering practices across various facilities. 

 Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your professional network and advance your career!

MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to DEVELOP early and mid-career engineers across the DOE Complex by fostering a vibrant, MULTIDISCIPLINARY community dedicated to collaboration, PARTNERING and innovation.
VISION STATEMENT
Accelerating Professional Growth:
Cultivate emerging leaders by providing targeted opportunities for mentorship, PROBLEM SOLVING skill development, and knowledge sharing.
Creating a Collaborative Network:
Establish a robust, network that connects early and mid-career professionals THAT drives innovative thinking across the DOE Complex.
Developing Strategic Partnerships:
Develop partnerships among government, academia, and industry to accelerate technology maturation and real world implementation
Enable TRANSFORMATIVE Innovation:
Driving the creation and adoption of innovative technologies that address the GREATEST CHALLENGES facing the NATION

 

Hidden folder Draft Agenda

Tuesday 9 September

Welcome

1 Keynote Speaker

Christo Liebenberg – Co-Founder, CEO & COO Laser Isotope Separation Technology (L.I.S.T) LIS Technologies Inc.
o Accomplished professional with 30 years of diverse technical & management experience in state-of-the-art laser & optical systems and applications. Most of this experience is in the field of Laser Isotope Separation of UF6, and he was involved in several classified laser enrichment processes on three different continents.

10:15 Break

2 Round table Discussion of Collaborations between Labs

3 Instructions for Afternoon Breakout Session

Lunch - No host off-site

4 Tour Graphite Reactor

Breakout 1

Career development groups (3-5 people) (Teams Option?)
a. Staff Retention
b. Recruiting
c. On boarding & Initial Training
d. Mentoring
e. Networking (internal and external)
f. Continuous learning/ educational opportunities

15:00 Break

Breakout group summary reports

15 minutes per group

Wednesday 10 September

Recap of Day 1

Topical Presentations - LANL

10:00 Break

Topical Presentations - ORNL

Topical Presentations - INL

Instructions for afternoon breakout sessions

Working Lunch-catered onsite

Presentation of Design Control Process Facility vs. Technical Challenges

a. LANL 30 Minutes
b. ORNL 30 Minutes
c. INL 30 Minutes
d. Open discussion for other Labs

13:45 Break

Breakout Group Summary Reports

Closeout

Closeout

ORNL Tour Afternoon