Further Together the ORAU Podcast

Myron Porter is a section manager in ORAU’s Technical Solutions Group, which is part of ITS. In his role, he is a software developer working as part of the team that maintains and supports U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science web applications for National Science Bowl, the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program and the Laboratory Equipment Donation Program (LDEP). Host Michael Holtz talked to Porter as part of a two-part series on the people making Black History at ORAU. Porter says he got hooked on technology when his family set up their first computer and used AOL to access the internet. When he hears the phrase, “I am Black History,” he is mindful of the blood, sweat and tears that Black people before him have shed so he can have the life he lives today. He says his success is because of past generations. Porter hopes that when people look back on his life, they will see how he helped advance work in the scientific arena, and point to scientific breakthroughs that may have resulted because of the technology he helped support.

Rachel Hill, Ph.D., calls them angels: pastors, teachers, extended family members, neighbors who encourage us and cheer us on. The quiet encouragers who aren’t given and probably wouldn’t take credit for our successes. In honor of Black History Month, Further Together, the ORAU Podcast is featuring a two-part series of conversations with individuals making Black history at ORAU. For this episode, host Michael Holtz and special co-host Jill Latchana talk to Hill, an associate manager in STEM Workforce Development for ORISE, which is managed by ORAU for the U.S. Department of Energy. She discusses shift from academia to better focus on things she cherished. Hill shared her role in Black history, what it means to stand on the shoulders of her ancestors and what she hopes people will see in the story of her life.

Sara Howard, Ph.D., is an epidemiologist in the Health Studies group at ORAU who earned her doctoral degree in 2025. For part of her dissertation, she used machine learning techniques to analyze data from the National Supplemental Screening Program, which ORAU manages with several partners for the U.S. Department of Energy, to examine the link between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and occupational exposures. While we often think of COPD in the context of smoking, Howard wanted to look at the potential to be exposed to something other than smoking. Her dissertation, An Epidemiologic Study of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the United States, was published by the University of Tennessee in 2025. In this conversation, Howard talks about data in the context of epidemiology and the rising use of Artificial Intelligence and how, when used correctly, it can be transformative for data analysis.

To learn more about the National Supplemental Screening Program, visit https://orau.org/nssp/index.html

Alka Rani, Ph.D., is a planetary scientist specializing in the geological and geophysical evolution of the moon and Mars. As a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at Marshall Space Flight Center, she investigates planetary interiors and surface processes through advanced geophysical and geochemical modeling. In this episode of Further Together, Rani discusses her interdisciplinary research and what it may mean for future NASA missions to Mars and beyond.



The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented U.S. and non-U.S. scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These fellowships, awarded annually up to three years, are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.



Annual NASA Postdoctoral Program application deadlines are March 1, July 1, and November 1. The March 1, 2026 application cycle is now open!



To learn more about the program and to apply, visit https://npp.orau.org/index.html

Welding isn’t just a skill; it’s a national security asset. That’s why ORAU launched Extreme Trades Makeover: Future Welders, a competition to give $30,000 in new welding equipment, upgrades or virtual equipment to three Alabama public high school educators. The competition deadline is January 30, 2026. In this episode of Further Together, host Michael Holtz talks to Jennifer Tyrell, Extreme Trades program manager, and Lindsay Cline from the U.S. Navy's Maritime Industrial Base Program Office about the need for welders, their earning potential, and their critical role in the country’s maritime industry.



Learn more about Extreme Trades Makeover: Future Welders and enter the competition at https://orau.org/extreme-trades/



Read our blog about the competition at https://orau.org/blog/programs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-extreme-trades-makeover-future-welders-competition.html



Learn more about shipbuilding careers in Alabama at https://www.buildgiantsalabama.com/



Find educational resources for your classroom at https://www.buildsubmarines.com/education