Further Together the ORAU Podcast

People travel from all over the country to run the Secret City Half Marathon and 5K, a cool-weather race that starts on the waterfront at Melton Hill Lake and takes runners and walkers through the scenic streets of Oak Ridge. ORAU has been a proud sponsor of the Secret City races for many years. In this episode, host Michael Holtz is joined by fellow communications colleague and unofficial race ambassador Bryan Campbell and race director Hannah Fatheree for a conversation about the race, including talk about the course, how to train for a half marathon, the great organization that benefits from race proceeds, and more. BTW, you can still register for the race here: Secret City Half Marathon and 5K

Rural, underserved and minority populations are often not included or not represented in clinical and scientific research. Youssef Roman, PharmD, Ph.D., created the Community Advocacy and Research Empowerment (CARE) Coalition to change that. Youssef received an ORAU Innovation Partnership Grant while at Idaho State University to create the coalition, which brings together stakeholders committed to including rural, underserved and minority populations in research. Youssef hopes to replicate the CARE Coalition in Arizona where he is associate professor of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacy specialist at the Phoenix VA Healthcare System. Youssef says he feels called to address rural, underserved and racial disparities in research. Roman’s interest aligns with the work of the ORAU Rural Health Research Innovation Cluster, which also is discussed in this episode.

To learn more about and connect with Dr. Roman, visit https://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/person/youssef-roman

To learn more about the ORAU Rural Health Research Innovation Cluster, visit https://www.orau.org/blog/programs/orau-rural-health-research-innovation-cluster-workshop-aims-to-bridge-the-rural-health-gap.html

Vit Ruzicka, Ph.D., is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow who works with hyperspectral satellite images to detect methane signatures in the atmosphere. Methane is a transparent gas that cannot be seen by the human eye but hyperspectral satellites, along with machine learning models, can help determine if there are leaks in facilities or pipelines that store methane. Because methane is a greenhouse gas, detecting large emissions is important. In addition to his research focus, Ruzicka shares his journey from the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom to the United States, and how working for NASA was dream that became a reality.



Applications are now open for the November cycle for the NASA Postdoctoral Program. Learn more and apply: https://npp.orau.org/index.html

The United States is facing a rural health crisis that includes a shortage of healthcare workers, challenges in access to women’s health services and mental health services, and preparedness limitations in the event of a public health crisis. ORAU is hosting a workshop on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, to launch a Rural Health Research Innovation Cluster (RIC). The RIC will bring together members of ORAU’s University Consortium to focus on solving the complex problems that impact rural health and resilience while also focusing on the federal government’s rural health priorities. Brenda Blunt, senior director of health and resiliency strategy, and Casey Thomas, strategic partnerships and engagement manager in ORAU’s Research and University Partnerships Office, preview the August workshop and discuss why rural health is a priority topic for ORAU.



To learn more about the Rural Health Research Innovation Cluster and the priority areas to be discussed, check out our blog: https://www.orau.org/blog/projects/orau-to-address-nations-rural-health-challenges-with-research-innovation-cluster-meeting.html

Tara Fetherolf, Ph.D. is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at the NASA Astrobiology Center at the University of California Riverside. Her research focuses on stellar variability, or how stars change with time. One example she uses is our sun. It has spots and it has storms. She studies those phenomena on other stars and how that affects other planets and their atmospheres, which she can compare to how similar activity affects earth. Fetherolf uses the example of the aurorae on Earth, which are beautiful and demonstrate the sun’s activity, but notes our sun is relatively quiet compared to other stars and their impact on their exoplanets. Fetherolf says studying the stars is part of scientists trying to answer the question, "Are we alone?"



To learn more about the NASA Postdoctoral Program, or to apply in the November 2026 cycle, visit https://npp.orau.org/index.html