ASH ELECTED TO ORAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Robert L. Ash, interim vice president for Research and Graduate Studies and professor of aerospace engineering at Old Dominion University, was reelected to the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Board of Directors at the 58th annual meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions in Atlanta, Georgia. The board manages the property and affairs of ORAU for its membership.

Established in 1946, ORAU is a consortium of 88 doctoral-granting colleges and universities that carries out active programs with and for its members. These include efforts to increase member university involvement in corporate work initiatives, programs that facilitate interactions between senior industrial scientists and faculty and students at member institutions, and awards to junior faculty members at member universities.

Prior to his current position, Ash served in numerous research and administrative positions at Old Dominion University including associate vice president for research and economic development, chairman of the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department, and acting dean of the College of Engineering and Technology. He was also a Visiting Distinguished Research Engineer at NASA Langley Research Center.

Ash has received many awards including NASA Group Achievement Awards, Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Professor, and Outstanding Teaching Awards at Old Dominion University and is listed in Who's Who in Engineering. His research areas include space systems, thermal physics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. He also serves on the Finance and Audit Committee of the ORAU Board.

Ash earned his doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and master's degree from Tulane University and his bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University.

A private, not-for-profit corporation, ORAU also manages and operates the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy. ORISE focuses on scientific initiatives to research health risks from occupational hazards, assess environmental cleanup, respond to radiation medical emergencies, support national security and emergency preparedness, and educate the next generation of scientists.