Oak Ridge Today

Roane State’s Herron wins EMS Advocate honor

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Pictured, from left: John Fitzsimmons, retired director of Lincoln Medical Center EMS, Roane State’s Thomas Herron, and Rick Valentine, director of the Sevier County Ambulance Service. (Photo courtesy Linda P Photography)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State’s Thomas Herron knows first-hand the trauma that EMS personnel can experience as part of their jobs.

Twenty-four years ago, he and a partner responded to an emergency call for a nine-year-old who did not survive. “I knew it bothered me, but I never realized how deeply at first,” Herron said.

Then, in March 2019, he learned that his partner from that call had taken their own life. A note was found that “mentioned me and that call,” said Herron, a Roane State assistant professor and clinical coordinator.

The incident was seared into his psyche, prompting Herron to launch a campaign to make EMS personnel aware of the “exploding problems with mental health issues” also faced by firefighters and law enforcement personnel.

“We’ve always told ourselves we’re supposed to be tougher,” Herron said, “but there’s so much research showing we’re missing the early warning signs of mental health issues.”

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Madison Lamon wins President’s Award, Roane State’s highest student honor

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Madison Lamon

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

It was the perfect setting for a surprise announcement: surrounded by her teammates and coach at a team cookout.

Madison “Madi” Lamon watched on a YouTube livestream on Awards Night that she had been named the winner of Roane State Community College’s highest student honor – the President’s Award.

“I was very surprised,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Lamon, 19, a pitcher for the Roane State Raiders softball team, is the latest recipient of the award, and on an auspicious occasion – the 50th anniversary of the community college. Current Roane State President Chris Whaley won the award as a student in 1989.

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AT&T’s ‘Believe Tennessee’ campaign partners with Roane State Community College to support area students

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The AT&T Foundation is helping support Roane State Foundation’s Pay-It-Forward Emergency Aid fund with a $5,000 donation. AT&T employees and students from Roane State also collected school supplies for students at Ridge View Elementary in Rockwood, where the check presentation was recently held. TBR Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Advancement Cris Perkins, Roane State Foundation Executive Director Scott Niermann, Roane State President Chris Whaley, and Roane County Director of Schools LaDonna McFall are joined by local elected officials Sen. Ken Yager and Rep. Kent Calfee along with members of the Roane State golf team, Ridge View Elementary staff, and representatives from AT&T Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

Donation to support Student Emergency Fund at Roane State Community College and school supplies for Ridge View Elementary students

Harriman—AT&T said it has a long-standing commitment to the future of Tennessee and through its initiative – Believe Tennessee – the AT&T team is working with community leaders and organizations to remove barriers to academic success and engage youth to have an impact in their communities.

As part of this effort, the AT&T Foundation has donated $5,000 to Roane State Community College’s nonprofit Foundation to support the Pay-It-Forward Emergency Aid fund. This fund ensures students receive the support they need in times of financial distress, a press release said. Additionally, AT&T employees and students from Roane State have collected school supplies for students at Ridge View Elementary.

“We are thrilled to see AT&T expand their commitment to community engagement through this project,” said Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College. “Our local students will benefit greatly from this gift and AT&T’s continued support of higher education.”

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Roane State student eyes video game design as career

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Journey Long

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Roane State student Journey Long has been interested in video games for as long as he can remember. He said he was around 4 or 5 years old when he started thinking about designing games. “It kicked my little kid mind into overdrive,” he said.

It’s not surprising that Long would rank the college’s director of computer information technology, George Meghabghab, as his favorite instructor.

“He’s probably everyone’s favorite in the computer science program,” Long said. “He really cares about what he’s teaching.”

Long said he chose Roane State because he lives close by in Harriman and was told that “it has a good reputation for beginners.” He was home-schooled and had never before been in a public school setting.

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Rockwood celebrates 50th anniversary of Roane State, Harriman TCAT

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Banners in Rockwood celebrate the 50th anniversary of Roane State Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Banners commemorating the 50th anniversary of Roane State Community College and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman now line Rockwood’s main thoroughfare.

The 10 large banners are on utility poles from Wheeler Street to Rockwood Street on Gateway Avenue near the downtown district. Each features a photo of a graduate of either Roane State or TCAT-Harriman in wardrobes representing professions in which they acquired expertise during their studies.

The signs are also on display on the college’s flagship campus in Roane County.

“Roane State and TCAT-Harriman have been community partners with all of us for all these years,” said Becky Ruppe, Rockwood city administrator and recorder.

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CNS donates $10,000 to Oak Ridge High School NJROTC

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Oak Ridge High School Principal Garfield Adams, Cmdr. Keith Klemm, Y-12 Site Manager and retired Capt. Gene Sievers, and Chief Ryan Nicholls at a recent ceremony where Consolidated Nuclear Security provided a $10,000 donation to support the Navy Junior ROTC program’s continued excellence. (Photo provided by Oak Ridge High School.)

The Oak Ridge High School Navy Junior ROTC began four years ago with a donation from Consolidated Nuclear Security. As the first class of seniors who have been with the program all four years graduates, CNS is making another significant donation to the program, a press release said.

On May 19, parents and NJROTC community partners attended a ceremony at Oak Ridge High School to celebrate the cadets’ accomplishments. During the ceremony, Y-12 Site Manager and retired U.S. Navy Captain Gene Sievers announced a $10,000 CNS donation for continued support of the program. Other organizations provided scholarships and awards to the cadets, the press release said.

“It’s vitally important to support programs like this in schools,” Sievers said. “Providing these students with a way to explore military careers and leadership while still in high school can significantly affect their career trajectory.”

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Regular exercise can help people with Alzheimer’s

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The benefits of regular exercise in people with Alzheimer’s disease include maintenance of motor skills, decreased falls, and reduced rate of functional decline. Improved behavior, improved memory, and better communication skills are a few other benefits associated with routine exercise programs in Alzheimer’s disease.

Physical therapy plays an important role in exercise for patients with Alzheimer’s disease by tailoring routines to meet the individual needs of each patient.

Researchers have found that patients who were treated with exercise showed less depression than those in the control groups and showed marked improvements in physical functioning. Here are some examples of exercises to start:

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Help clean up East Fork Poplar Creek Greenway

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Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and partners Clinch Valley Trails Alliance and Oak Ridge Greenways are sponsoring the second annual trash cleanup and hike on the East Fork Poplar Creek Greenway on Saturday, June 12, 2021. (Image by TCWP)

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and partners Clinch Valley Trails Alliance and Oak Ridge Greenways are sponsoring the second annual trash cleanup and hike on the East Fork Poplar Creek Greenway.

“This wonderful new trail, developed by CVTA and Greenways Oak Ridge, was recently completed along the banks of East Fork Poplar Creek in west Oak Ridge,” TCWP said. “The trail meanders through a nice riparian woodland along the creek. This trail is subject to occasional flooding, and help is needed to remove litter left behind by the water. There are also a lot of old tires and other debris that have washed from places upstream.”

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NASA selects ORAU for postdoc program

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

NASA has selected Oak Ridge Associated Universities to provide the agency with administrative support and coordination of research opportunities between NASA’s mission directorates and centers across the agency.

The NASA Postdoctoral Program 2 (NPP-2) contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $129.7 million. The one-year base performance period begins September 9, 2021, and it is followed by four one-year options, which would end September 8, 2026, NASA said in a press release.

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First Presbyterian offers free meals, groceries Thursday

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First Presbyterian Church will provide a free meal and bag of groceries to food-insecure guests who drive by the church between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Thursday, June 10, a press release said.

The church’s monthly “Welcome Table” community meal program plans to supply each guest with a hot meal consisting of taco soup, Fritos chips, fresh fruit. and brownies or cookies, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORAU awards 35 research grants, $175K to junior faculty

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

ORAU has awarded competitive research grants totaling $175,000 to 35 junior faculty from its member institutions. The annual grants are made through the company’s Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program that provides funds to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty, a press release said.

The recipients, each of whom is in the first two years of a tenure track position, will receive $5,000 in seed money for the 2021-2022 academic year to enhance their research during the early stages of their careers. Each recipient’s institution matches the ORAU award with an additional $5,000, making the total prize worth $10,000 for each winner, the press release said. Winners may use the grants to purchase equipment, continue research, or travel to professional meetings and conferences.

Since the program’s inception, ORAU has awarded 804 grants totaling about $4 million, the press release said. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $8 million, the release said.

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Lifeguard shortage affects Oak Ridge pool hours

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The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

A nationwide lifeguard shortage is affecting the hours that Oak Ridge’s municipal pools will be open this summer, the city said in a press release Monday.

“Due to the lower number of lifeguards this year, there are not enough people to staff both pools for the same hours they were open in previous seasons,” Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Aquatics Manager Vonda Wooten said in the press release.

The indoor pool at the Civic Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Swim lessons are from 9 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the press release said. Open lap is from 12:15 p.m. to 4 p.m.

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