Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials say they anticipate no immediate effect on lab researchers and scientists in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order barring citizens of seven nations from entry to the U.S. for at least three months.
“No ORNL staff are affected by the current travel guidance,” says Morgan McCorkle, ORNL media manager, in response to queries from the Mercury.
“UT-Battelle, the management and operating contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, values the international diversity of our scientists and engineers. Foreign nationals on staff and visiting scientists from other countries undergo careful screening,” says Thom Mason, president and CEO of UT-Battelle, “We hope travel restrictions will be clarified so individuals who have already been vetted may continue traveling both professionally and personally.”
Knox County-based journalist Thomas Fraser is a native of Charleston, S.C. who grew up in Oak Ridge and Knoxville. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and has worked as an editor and reporter for daily newspapers and websites in Tennessee, North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia.
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