Oak Ridge Today

Children’s Museum benefit to feature anthropologist Bill Bass, radio’s Frank Murphy

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Frank Murphy, left, and Dr. Bill Bass will appear together at a fundraiser on Sept. 28, 2019, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Dr. William “Bill” Bass, founder of the “Body Farm” at the University of Tennessee, and radio personality Frank Murphy have appeared together many times since Murphy began interviewing the renowned forensic anthropologist each time a new Jefferson Bass novel was published.

“I’ve worked on four different radio stations in Knoxville and have interviewed him on all four,” said Murphy, afternoon show host on Classic Hits 93.1 WNOX.

Bass and Murphy will appear together again on Saturday, September 28, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge as Bass discusses the science behind the Jefferson Bass novel “Bones of Betrayal,” a collaboration between Bass and co-author Jon Jefferson. Set in Oak Ridge, the novel explores the murder of a physicist, involved in the Manhattan Project race to build the bomb, whose body is discovered in a frozen swimming pool.

Bass will speak at 7 p.m., and Murphy will emcee the benefit presentation hosted by the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive. An earlier VIP reception begins at 5:45 p.m. Food may be purchased from Lanai Food Truck and Razzleberry’s Café, and beverages, including beer, wine, water, and soda, may also be purchased. Doors open at 5:30pm. [Read more…]

State Building Commission approves design of TCAT campus in Anderson County

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An image shows what the Tennessee College of Applied Technology could look like in Anderson County. (Image courtesy state of Tennessee)

The Tennessee State Building Commission in Nashville on Thursday approved the early design phase of the new TCAT Knoxville Higher Education Center in Anderson County, a press release said.

The 47,603 square-foot technology training facility will be located in the city of Clinton. It will be a shared-use building for TCAT Knoxville and Roane State Community College dedicated to training students for the modern workforce, the press release said.

TCAT is the Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, presided over the State Building Commission meeting approving the design and was integral in getting the project approved, the press release said.

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ORAU awards $20,000 in education grants to 26 local teachers

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ORAU Grant Awards Ceremony Sept 10 2019

More than 25 teachers from Anderson County schools received new teaching materials and supplies at ORAU’s Education Grants program on Sept. 10, 2019, walking away with a total of $20,000 in grant funds. (Photo by ORAU)

 

More than 25 teachers from Anderson County schools received new teaching materials and supplies at ORAU’s Education Grants program on Sept. 10, walking away with a total of $20,000 in grant funds.

Now in the program’s 18th year, ORAU has awarded more than half a million dollars to Clinton City, Oak Ridge, and Anderson County Schools in its mission to enrich science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.

And each year, teachers find more creative ways to incorporate STEM learning into their classrooms, a press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State to celebrate 20 years in Oak Ridge on Sept. 10

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Roane State Community College Oak Ridge Campus

Roane State Community College is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Oak Ridge campus with a breakfast and open house on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, and the public is invited. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Roane State Community College is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Oak Ridge campus with a breakfast and open house on Tuesday, September 10, and the public is invited.

The open house breakfast will be from 7:30-9 a.m. September 10 in the lobby and City Room of the Coffey/McNally Building at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The 120,000-square-foot Coffey/McNally building was dedicated on August. 13, 1999, a press release said. It’s named for Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and former Tennessee Representative David Coffey in recognition of their contributions and leadership in the campaign for the permanent Oak Ridge campus, the press release said. The building has a library, bookstore, classrooms, office space, art laboratory, and a music lab. [Read more…]

School board approves change in residency requirement

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday approved, in the first of two votes, a policy change that would require the superintendent and principals to live in Oak Ridge.

Assistant principals, the executive director of school leadership, and the executive director of teaching and learning would be required to live in Oak Ridge if they are relocating to the region after being hired by Oak Ridge Schools. This would not apply to new administrators in those positions who already live in adjacent counties, such as Knox County.

The policy change would reduce the number of administrative positions with a residency requirement. The current policy requires the superintendent, executive director of school leadership, executive director of teaching and learning, director of pupil services, principals, and assistant principals to live in Oak Ridge “to be thoroughly familiar with the community and to be available beyond the regular day.”

But the current policy is suspected of reducing the number of candidates who apply for jobs at Oak Ridge Schools, according to administrators.

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NSF grant of about $300,000 to support Roane State’s mechatronics program

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National Science Foundation Mechatronics Grant

Roane State mechatronics program director Gordon Williams, right, works with students at the college’s Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility. The mechatronics program prepares students for careers in advanced manufacturing. For more information, visit roanestate.edu/mechatronics or contact Williams at (865) 354-3000, ext. 4899, or williamsg1@roanestate.edu. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State Community College has been awarded a three-year grant to make sure the community college’s mechatronics students have a well-rounded technical education to benefit themselves and their future employers.

The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education grant is for $299,793. It runs through June 30, 2022.

“A great team got this project off the ground and will keep it moving forward to benefit students,” said Shelley Esquivel, the community college’s grants specialist who submitted the proposal to NSF. [Read more…]

Renovated Blankenship Field open for public use

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Blankenship-Field-James-Mitchell-Aug-2019
The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use. The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well. The field is pictured above in August 2019. (Photo by James Mitchell via City of Oak Ridge)

The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use.

The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well, including to scoreboards and end zone areas.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department and Oak Ridge Schools announced the opening of the renovated field on Tuesday.

The field and track are accessible through a gate adjacent to the lower concession stand, a press release said. Like other public park facilities, public use is permitted from sunup to sundown, except when the field is reserved for special events, the press release said.

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Small RMS satellite to launch into space Oct. 2020

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Robertsville Middle School RamSat CubeSat
The small cube satellite built by Robertsville Middle School students with help from teachers, mentors, and NASA is scheduled to launch in October 2020, and it will be deployed from the International Space Station, Oak Ridge Schools announced Monday, Aug. 29, 2019. (Photo courtesy Todd Livesay)

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. Aug. 20.

The small cube satellite built by Robertsville Middle School students with help from teachers, mentors, and NASA is scheduled to launch in October 2020, and it will be deployed from the International Space Station, Oak Ridge Schools announced Monday.

The school system said it has received notification of the launch date from NASA.

“We received the official word from Scott Higginbotham at Kennedy Space Center,” Oak Ridge Schools said in a press release. “His letter stated, ‘RamSat is currently manifested to fly on the ELaNa-31 mission aboard the NG-14 Commercial Resupply Services mission to the ISS. Launch is currently scheduled for October of 2020. NanoRacks will be facilitating the deployment of your spacecraft from the International Space Station.’”

Students have determined the mission of the cube satellite, or CubeSat, will be to circle the Earth and capture images to help them study the regrowth of vegetation in Gatlinburg, as the city recovers from the forest fires of November 2016, the press release said. The satellite has been named RamSat.

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UCOR contributing $100,000 to new math, science building at Pellissippi State

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Pellissippi State Bill Haslam Center for Science and Math Groundbreaking May 15 2019 Web Cropped
Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, eighth from left, joins Pellissippi State Community College to break ground on the new Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus on May 15, 2019. The Tennessee Board of Regents approved the name of the building May 14, and the name was announced, to Haslam’s surprise, at the groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo by PSCC)

UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, is contributing $100,000 to the construction of a new math and science building at Pellissippi State Community College, a press release said.

The contribution was announced by UCOR on Thursday.

“Workforce development is at the heart of a new partnership between UCOR, an AECOM-led partnership with Jacobs, and Pellissippi State Community College,” the press release said. “The collaboration is focused on ensuring that Oak Ridge has a continuing pipeline of trained, qualified workers for environmental cleanup and other future industry needs. To launch the partnership, UCOR is contributing $100,000 toward construction of a new math and science building at Tennessee’s largest community college.”

As part of the partnership, other programs are in the works to strengthen small businesses and the broader workforce as part of the partnership, UCOR said. On Tuesday, August 13, UCOR and Pellissippi State sponsored a Small Business Diversity Summit that presented information from global companies about building more diverse and inclusive workforces, the press release said.

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Benita Albert to highlight Oak Ridge schools in Aug. 27 talk

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Benita Albert
Benita Albert

Noted educator Benita Albert will speak at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, August 27.

The talk is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. in the City Room (A-111) of the Coffey-McNally Building.

Titled “SPECIAL (Students, Parents, Educators: A Community’s Incredible Alliance with Learning),” the talk will highlight the decades in the Oak Ridge public school system from the 1940s to the present, a press release said. Albert will cite exceptional teachers’ contributions, share candid student observations, and relate stories of alumni of Oak Ridge Schools who have become important world citizens, the release said.

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Jewelry Television (JTV) donates $5,000 for Roane State Foundation program

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Jewelry Television (JTV) donated $5,000 to support the Roane State Foundation’s Pay-It-Forward awards program. From left are Kirk Harris, Roane State director of Continuing Healthcare and Safety Education and director of the college’s Knox County Center for Health Sciences; R. Steve Walsh, senior vice president of global operations and logistics for JTV; Scott Niermann, executive director of the Roane State Foundation; Charles Wagner, vice chairman of JTV; and Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Jewelry Television (JTV) donated $5,000 to support the Roane State Foundation’s Pay-It-Forward awards program.

Roane State Pay-It-Forward awards provide emergency aid to students to help them stay in school, including assistance with tuition or books for students near completion of their degrees, assistance for licensure/certification exam fees, and assistance to adult students who do not qualify for any state-funded tuition assistance programs, or whose aid has otherwise been exhausted.

Students who receive Pay-It-Forward scholarships agree to help future students in need at Roane State complete their education, once they are employed and able to give back, a press release said.

JTV is located next door to Roane State’s Knox County Center for Health Sciences, and leaders from both organizations consistently collaborate on ways to help Roane State students succeed. [Read more…]

UCOR, Pellissippi State present East Tennessee Small Business Diversity Summit on Tuesday

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Small businesses in East Tennessee are invited to attend a half-day summit on Tuesday to gather tools and tips on building a more diverse, inclusive work force, a press release said.

“Because of their mutual commitment to workforce development, UCOR and Pellissippi State Community College are offering a free program featuring speakers from global companies providing insights on diversity,” the press release said.

Pellissippi State President Anthony Wise and UCOR President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Rueter will open the event, the East Tennessee Small Business Diversity Summit. The morning’s key speaker is Pat Harris, former global chief diversity officer and vice president of community engagement for McDonald’s Corporation. Harris led the evolution of McDonald’s diversity and inclusion function and has documented that experience in her book “None of Us is As Good As All of Us: How McDonald’s Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity.” 

[Read more…]