Illustrator: Nathan Armistead
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been leading research into energy and materials since 1943. Over the laboratory’s 75+ years it has contributed to thousands of breakthroughs some of which include the discovery of 11 elements, designs for nuclear reactors, revealing secrets of RNA, leading the development of supercomputing, producing isotopes for medical applications and space exploration, and its’ scientists have won countless national and international awards- most notably 225 R&D 100 awards and the Nobel Prize.
Today with over 5,500 employees from 60+ nations, ORNL is the largest US Department of Energy National Laboratory. The lab attracts over 3,200 guest researchers who use ORNL’s world leading facilities which includes the world’s most intense neutron source and the nations fastest supercomputer.
Artist’s Note:
Our employees are heroes – a diverse group with diverse skillsets working together to achieve world-changing and life-improving advancements. We decided to depict them in a way that respectfully recalls the great heroic team-ups in fiction. The bold, demonstrative poses and photomontage-like composition are inspired by legendary movie posters, while the illustration style is based on classic comic book covers. —Armistead
