Title: Lighting the Way: How ORNL is Making Fusion Energy a Reality
Abstract: Fusion energy promises to be a transformative, long-term solution to global energy needs—offering abundant, safe, and carbon-free power. This talk will introduce the fundamentals of fusion, the technical challenges of harnessing it for practical energy production, and the strategies being pursued to overcome these challenges. The talk will highlight recent progress in both public and private sector efforts and outline the path toward a fusion pilot plant. I will highlight the challenges in plasma physics, plasma-materials interaction, and condensed matter/materials science that represent opportunities for collaboration between UT and ORNL.