Oak Ridge Today

Community Thanksgiving on Nov. 24

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The annual free community Thanksgiving dinner is in Oak Ridge on Thursday, November 24.

“Everyone should have someone to give thanks with on Thanksgiving!” a press release said. “The grassroots annual tradition continues, and this year we are back to in-house dining!”

Everyone is invited, the press release said.

The dinner is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, November 24, at the Historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge. No RSVP is required, the press release said.

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Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education announces winners of inaugural Future of Science Awards to celebrate its 30th anniversary

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OAK RIDGE, Tenn.— To honor the 30th anniversary of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the organization announced the winners of its inaugural Future of Science Awards.

These prestigious awards recognize excellence performed by ORISE participants in the areas of scientific achievement, professional growth, project contributions and leadership in three categories: undergraduate and post-baccalaureate, graduate student and post-master’s, and postdoctoral. Each winner will receive $1,000 cash and recognition from ORISE.

ORISE Director Jim Vosburg presented the 2022 ORISE Future of Science Awards during a virtual ceremony to the following ORISE participant winners:

Brooke Vollmer – Undergraduate Student and Post-Baccalaureate Award

Brooke Vollmer is an ORISE fellow in the Research Branch at the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), which is a division within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), located in Pittsburgh. Vollmer received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in Spring 2020. Throughout her education, she gained her research experience at NIOSH/NPPTL, first as a summer intern (2019) and regular fellow (2020-2021) prior to beginning her ORISE journey (2021-present) with her mentor, Michael Bergman. Vollmer has
contributed to an abundance of research projects within her division and by representing NIOSH/NPPTL in research collaborations with outside organizations. She has focused her efforts on research that looks into understanding the factors that affect respirator performance, such as fit and filtration efficiency. This research helps to protect workers worldwide who rely on respirators to prevent occupational disease and illness.

Geneva Gray – Graduate Student and Post-Master’s Award

Geneva Gray is a doctoral candidate in Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University and a current ORISE participant with her mentor, Tanya Spero, at the Environmental Protection Agency. She studies how extreme precipitation events change under future warming conditions using stakeholder-driven case studies and extreme value analysis. Geneva holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Meteorology and Environmental Sciences and a master’s degree in Atmospheric Science, where she studied quantitative methods on climate model ensemble selection. She is a former U.S. Geological Survey Global Change Fellow and Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network Fellow. Geneva started her career in 2012 as an environmental meteorologist at the North Carolina State Climate Office where she learned how to build impact-driven research projects and how to communicate those results to the general public. Her career goal is to lead actionable climate science for a resilient future.

Ryan Corey – Postdoctoral Award

Ryan Corey is an Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellow conducting research with Professor Andrew Singer in the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Princeton University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, all in electrical engineering. A hearing aid user since he was a teenager, Corey’s research focuses on signal processing strategies to help people hear better in noisy environments. In particular, he is developing systems that allow multiple sensors and audio devices to work together to improve performance in adverse environments. Since 2017, he has mentored a team of engineering, design and business students in the Illinois Augmented Listening Laboratory, which explores applications of large-scale microphone arrays and acoustic sensor networks. Corey has received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant, the Microsoft Artificial Intelligence for Accessibility Award, and the Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. He was also awarded the Workshop on Applications of Signal Processing to Audio and Acoustics 2019 Best Student Paper Award and the 179th Acoustical Society of America Meeting Best Student Paper Award.

For more information, and to watch for information regarding next year’s Future of Science Awards in spring 2023, visit the ORISE website: https://orise.orau.gov/

About ORISE
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is a U.S. Department of Energy asset that is dedicated to enabling critical scientific, research, and health initiatives of the department and its laboratory system by providing world-class expertise in STEM workforce development, scientific and technical reviews, and the evaluation of radiation exposure and environmental contamination. ORISE is managed by ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science

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Street Painting Festival raises $20K for Roane State scholarships

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Sonia Summers won the Best of Show award in the 2022 Street Painting Festival in Jackson Square in October. (Submitted photo)

The 2022 Street Painting Festival this month raised more than $20,000 to help fund scholarships for Roane State Community College students in Anderson County.

The annual festival was hosted by the Noon Rotary Club of Oak Ridge in Historic Jackson Square. The festival blends art, history, and community for a fun event in support of local students, a press release said. More than $300,000 in scholarships issued by the nonprofit Roane State Foundation have been provided since the start of the festival in 1999.

Festival sponsors make a tax-exempt donation to the Foundation, with levels ranging from $5,000 for Platinum down to $100 for Individual. Sponsors’ names are assigned to sidewalk squares upon which the artists paint pictures with chalk.

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Tickets available for ADFAC Bow Tie Event on Nov. 5

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Pictured above from left to right are Bow Tie recipients or representatives Bill Capshaw (2019), Cande Seay (2015), Teresa Myrick (Tim Myrick, 2014), Pat Postma (2022), Ray Smith (2013), Pat Row (Tom Row, 2016), Jim Dodson (2021), Tom Beehan (2020), and Bear Stephenson (2016). Not pictured is Louise Mixon, who received the award in 2018. (Submitted photo)

ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties Inc.) is selling tickets to the upcoming Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Event to be held in Oak Ridge on November 5.

This year’s event, “Lady With a Legacy,” will honor community volunteer Pat Postma as the 10th Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Awardee, a press release said.

The Bow Tie Event is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. November 5 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Free Trunk or Treat, movie in Rocky Top on Oct. 28

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ASAP of Anderson is partnering with the City of Rocky Top to present free trunk-or-treating and a showing of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” on Friday, October 28.

It’s scheduled from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on October 28 at Rocky Top’s George Templin Field, a press release said.

“Fun activities and free resources will be available for the whole family!” the release said.

The free event will include food and costume contests, the press release said.

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Drop off expired, unused meds on Oct. 29

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The Oak Ridge Police Department is participating in the National Drug Enforcement Administration Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29.

On that day, anyone in the community can drop off their expired or unused medications at the Oak Ridge Police Department at 200 South Tulane Avenue. The drug take-back is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 29.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the most common method of obtaining pills is through family and friends, a press release said.

“Prescription drugs could be easily stolen at home when they are left in unlocked cabinets and drawers,” the release said.

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Monologue Slam will feature artistic competition, fundraising

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The first East Tennessee Monologue Slam Fundraiser for Veterans and First Responders will be in Clinton on Saturday, November 12, and it will benefit the Infinite Warrior Foundation.

The Monologue Slam will feature a performance competition, and it will be at E. Claire’s Coffee House in Clinton in partnership with Actor’s Way In acting studio. It is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. November 12.

“Each performer is given three minutes to perform a monologue of their choice and then receive critiques from the judges,” a press release said. “After the first round of actors have gone up, three finalists are selected to move on to the second round.

“Here’s where things get interesting. In the second round, finalists are given plot twists that must be incorporated into their original piece. Some twists have included the actor now being drunk at their wedding or turning into a werewolf.

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City breaks ground on new water plant

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The City of Oak Ridge broke ground Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, on its new water treatment plant on Pumphouse Road. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge broke ground Wednesday on its new water treatment plant, which could cost $78.3 million.

The new plant will use a technology known as ultrafiltration membranes, a type of purification that uses very fine membranes. It will be along the Clinch River at the city’s water intake off Pumphouse Road south of Bethel Valley Road.

“This plant provides every drop of water to our 31,000 residents from Elza Gate on the east, to the Preserve on the west, and to all (U.S. Department of Energy) facilities, most notably Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex, which will soon include the new Uranium Processing Facility,” said Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. “Our new plant will produce high-quality drinking water and deliver it through new pipelines more reliably and efficiently than current operations.”

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Thursday forum for City Council, BOE candidates

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There is a Thursday evening forum for candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The candidate forum is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 20, in City Room A-111 in the Coffey/McNally Building at Roane State Community College, 701 Briarcliff Avenue. It’s been organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Candidates running for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education have been invited to participate, a press release said. William “Bear” Stephenson has been invited to moderate.

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CNS awards $120K in grants

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CNS Community Investment Grant Recipients are pictured following a grant ceremony on Oct. 17, 2022. (Submitted photo)

Twenty-two East Tennessee nonprofits received a total of $121,600 from the Consolidated Nuclear Security Community Investment Fund at a ceremony October 17.

Since 2015, the fund has awarded 180 grants to more than 120 nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in 20 East Tennessee counties, totaling a combined $1.04 million, a press release said.

The Community Investment Fund is a partnership between CNS, the managing and operating contractor of Y-12 National Security Complex, and the East Tennessee Foundation.

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Children’s Halloween Party is Oct. 27

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Oak Ridge Monster Mash Bash 2021 (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2022 Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday, October 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This annual event will be attended by hundreds of children and their parents, a press release said. Activities will be planned throughout A.K. Bissell Park, including a hayride, weather permitting.

Businesses and organizations are invited to sponsor a booth for the event. Sponsors will supply volunteers and hand out candy throughout the event. Booths should be age appropriate for children aged 4 through 4th grade. Applications can be picked up at the Civic Center front desk, the press release said.

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Almost 5,000 pounds of hazardous waste collected

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Almost 5,000 pounds of hazardous household waste was collected at a drop-off event in Anderson County this month.

The Household Hazard Waste drop-off on October 1 was sponsored by Anderson County Solid Waste Management Department and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. They collected 4,798 pounds of household hazardous waste, a press release said.

The TDEC collection report indicated 1,874 pounds of poisonous material (e.g., pesticides) was dropped off that day by area residents at the collection site in Oak Ridge. Other hazardous materials collected included 664 pounds of oil-based paint, 769 pounds of non-hazardous liquid, 616 pounds of flammable liquid, 460 pounds of corrosive material, 289 pounds of aerosol containers, and 61 pounds of fluorescent tubes.

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