Oak Ridge Today

Millennial Nuclear Caucus in Oak Ridge on Friday

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A Millennial Nuclear Caucus is scheduled in Oak Ridge on Friday. It will be hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy in conjunction with co-sponsors, and it is scheduled from 7:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the New Hope Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex on Scarboro Road.

The Millennial Nuclear Caucuses are a series of events that bring together the next generation of leaders in nuclear innovation, a media advisory said.

“They feature discussions on the path forward for the nuclear industry and the role innovative technology will play,” the advisory said. “Participants at the events represent the full spectrum of the nuclear field, including young leaders supporting the existing fleet, those designing small modular and advanced reactors, and those advocating for a thriving nuclear future.”

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ORISE employee inducted into UT Educator’s Hall of Honor

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Craig Layman, right, accepts the Educators Hall of Honor award from Bob Kesling, lead announcer on the Vol Radio Network, who served as Master of Ceremony at the awards banquet. (Submitted photo)

Craig Layman, actively involved in preparing the next generation of STEM professionals for occupations related to science and engineering, was recently inducted into the University of Tennessee Educators Hall of Honor.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Layman, associate director of workforce development for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education at Oak Ridge Associated Universities, was among six new members added to the Hall of Honor by UT’s College of Education, Health, and Human Services during ceremonies at the Holiday Inn-World’s Fair Park in Knoxville.

The UT Educators Hall of Honor was established to recognize educators who have made profound differences in their students’ lives and the community. The program also generates an endowed scholarship fund to assist students in the process of becoming teachers. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge has Water Safety Day on Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its second annual Water Safety Day on Saturday, June 22, 2019, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its second annual Water Safety Day on Saturday, June 22, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.

Water Safety Day is a partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department, as well as the Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, a press release said. Demonstrations will include boating and lifejacket safety, open water rescues, lifeguard skills, and more.

“Please note that the pool’s open swim schedule has been adjusted due to the event and will begin immediately following Water Safety Day activities,” the press release said. Those who participate in the event will be eligible to stay for open swim at no cost.

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USA Cycling championships in Oak Ridge next week

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The USA Cycling National Pro Road, Crit, Time Trial, and Para-Cycling Championships will be held in Knoxville and Oak Ridge next week, from June 27-30.

In partnership with Visit Knoxville, the City of Oak Ridge will host the ITT National Championships for the second year in a row, a press release said.

“Watching the national championship events last summer during USA Cycling’s first visit to Oak Ridge was an incredible experience,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said. “Obviously our community made an impact because these top-notch cycling teams are returning to our beautiful waterfront venue. We thank our residents and visitors for their patience with the traffic impacts and hope that everyone is able to come out and enjoy the time trials.”

Here is information about traffic impacts:

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Small reactors can be safely located on Clinch River site, NRC says

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Two or more small modular nuclear reactors could be built on a 935-acre area of the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge, south of Heritage Center near Highway 58. (Image from the “Final Safety Evaluation Report for the Early Site Permit Application for the Clinch River Nuclear Site” published by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June 2019.)

Two or more small nuclear reactors could be safely located on a site in west Oak Ridge, a federal agency said this month.

The reactors could be built on the Clinch River Nuclear Site. That’s a 935-acre site south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site) in the Roane County portion of Oak Ridge. The plant would be off Bear Creek Road near Highway 58 on a peninsula surrounded by the Clinch River on the east, south, and west.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed a final safety evaluation report for an early site permit application for the site.

“The report concludes there are no safety aspects that would preclude issuing the permit for the site,” the NRC said in a press release Tuesday. The report, which is about 600 pages, had been expected this month.

The Tennessee Valley Authority applied for the early site permit in May 2016. The NRC’s final safety evaluation report for the site was published Friday, June 14.

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Regions Bank robbed; ORPD searching for suspect

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Regions Bank in Oak Ridge was robbed on Wednesday, June 19, 2019, and the Oak Ridge Police Department is searching for a suspect.

Regions Bank in Oak Ridge was robbed on Wednesday, and the Oak Ridge Police Department is searching for a suspect.

The bank on Rutgers Avenue was robbed at about 1:34 p.m. Wednesday, the ORPD said. A white man handed a note to a teller stating it was a robbery, police said. The man fled on foot toward Vermont Avenue, according to the ORPD.

The man is described as having a slim build, and he was last seen wearing glasses and a green flannel shirt, blue ball cap (white tag right side), blue jeans, and dark running shoes. There is no vehicle description.

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ORNL’s Summit remains world’s most powerful supercomputer

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The Summit supercomputer, a 200-petaflop IBM system that is the world’s most powerful, is pictured above at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy Katie Bethea/ORNL)

The Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory remains the world’s most powerful, according to a ranking list released Monday.

It’s the third time that Summit, a IBM-built supercomputer, has been number one on the semiannual TOP500 list of of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. Summit debuted at number one in June 2018. That was the first time since 2012 that the United States had the most powerful supercomputer in the world. Summit retained the top spot in November.

The Sierra supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, remained at number two on the list released Monday, after climbing there from number three in November. The United States continues to have the top two systems in the world, a position that China held a year and a half ago.

Officials celebrated the launch of Summit in a ceremony attended by U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry on June 8, 2018. The supercomputer is capable of 200 petaflops, or 200,000 trillion calculations per second. That makes it about eight times more powerful than Titan, its predecessor, which was once the world’s fastest.

Summit delivered a record 148.6 petaflops on a benchmark test called High Performance Linpack, or HPL, a TOP500 press release said Monday. That was a slight improvement from six months ago, when Summit scored 143.5 petaflops. Summit debuted at 122.3 petaflops in June 2018.

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Roane State students serve, learn in Costa Rica and Panama

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Students in the World Cultures and Serving Learning class taught by Dave Rath and Cody Miller gather around the more than 500 pounds of school supplies, toiletries, and clothing collected for impoverished children in Costa Rica and Panama. From left: Gracie May, Chloe Pierce, Jason Wasilewski, Stephanie Anderson, Jan Joyal, Earl Davis, Lexie Perotti, Amber Meter, Lizet Palacios, Tamara Richardson, April Brannon, Apolonia Garcia, Alyssa McCullah, Jocelyn Middleton, Cody Miller, and kneeling, Dave Rath. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State faculty Dave Rath and Cody Miller faced an ironic dilemma.

They had more contributions for impoverished children in Costa Rica and Panama than they had space set aside to fly down to those Central American countries.

“We’ll find a way,” Rath vowed. “Before we leave your hard work in Tennessee, we’ll find a way,” he told their students.

Rath and Miller and 14 students in their World Cultures and Service Learning class recently packed up large cardboard boxes of shoes, toothbrushes, school supplies, and a myriad of other items to transport to remote areas of the two countries during the trip, May 8-17.

This year’s supply drive was the biggest yet, Rath said. [Read more…]

Roane State student artists display work, earn honors

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Pictured are three of the winners of Roane State’s annual Juried Student Art show. From left: Steve Williams, best of show; Talitha Chafin, second place; and Archie Clark, honorable mention. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and other mixed media work showcasing the artists’ talents, imaginations, and creative visions were on display during Roane State’s 2019 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition.

Stunning black-and-white photos, a solargram revealing the sun’s path through the sky over the course of months, and a giant wire spider dangling from a wall were among those judged by an artist who has exhibited internationally.

The 31 selections were on display in April in the O’Brien Art Gallery, located on the college’s main campus in Roane County.

“This is a great opportunity for students to get practice with submitting and exhibiting in a juried exhibition that culminates with a celebration of their hard work over the past year,” Roane State Art Professor Stacy Jacobs said. [Read more…]

Roane State alumnus shared experiences with environmental health technology students

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UCOR Radiological Protection Manager Rodney Bauman, left, and Roane State graduate Brad Ross, the UCOR field radiological project manager, recently spoke to the college’s Environmental Health Technology class. (Submitted photo)

A Roane State Community College graduate returned to his alma mater and spoke to students in associate professor Dan Hyder’s Safety and Emergency Response class.

UCOR field radiological protection manager Brad Ross was joined by the contractor’s radiological protection manager, Rodney Bauman, for the talk at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus.

“They spoke to my class about the field of health physics,” Hyder said. “They discussed the risks associated with radiation, the different types of careers and working environments, the history of the field, the positives of working in health physics, and how to prepare for a career and obtain employment.”

Ross is a graduate of Roane State’s environmental health technology program, and he has worked more than 25 years in health physics in Oak Ridge, Hyder said. [Read more…]

Watch ‘Aquaman’ at outdoor pool Saturday night

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road will show the 2018 movie “Aquaman” on Saturday night, June 15, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool will show the 2018 movie “Aquaman” on Saturday night, June 15.

“Aquaman” (rated PG-13) will be shown poolside on an inflatable screen during the “Flick N Float” movie night, a press release said.

Gates will open at 8:30 p.m. with the movie scheduled to start at approximately 9 p.m., the press release said. Attendees can watch the movie while floating in the water (shallow end only) or sitting in the grassy area.

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Small businesses, business leaders honored

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Lisa Copeland, CNS Y-12 small business program manager, presents the CNS Small Business of the Year award to Diana Tremaine and Darrin Lawrence of ARS Aleut Remediation. (Submitted photo)

Consolidated Nuclear Security, UT-Battelle, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce recently honored local business leaders and outstanding small businesses. The three entities annually sponsor a Celebrate Oak Ridge Business breakfast in May.

ARS International LLC was awarded the Small Business of the Year designation by Consolidated Nuclear Security. ARS is an Alaskan native corporation, small disadvantaged business, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Aleut Corporation, a press release said. ARS has provided services to the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and commercial industries in the form of hazardous material remediation, laboratory analysis, and construction/demolition services, a press release said.

UT-Battelle named Kelsan as its Small Business of the Year. Kelsan provides its customers with the region’s largest selection of sanitary maintenance-related products and consistently ranks as the southeast’s leading “Jan-San” distributor, the press release said. [Read more…]