Oak Ridge Today

ORAU and American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation formalize partnership to advance Manhattan Project 2.0

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge, Tenn. — To conclude Nuclear Science Week, ORAU and the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation (AMSEF) formalized their commitment to advancing nuclear science education by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This partnership is designed to support the development of the next generation of nuclear professionals, ensuring Oak Ridge and the United States maintain their leadership role on the global stage in the nuclear sector.

Meghan Millwood, ORAU president and CEO, and Alan Lowe, AMSEF executive director and CEO, signed the MOU to establish a collaborative framework between the organizations. By leveraging existing education and training resources, the partnership addresses the critical need for workforce development in the nuclear field. ORAU’s Tennessee Nuclear Energy Workforce Center (T-NEWC) is uniquely positioned to drive this mission forward, preparing the nation to meet the demands of a growing and evolving nuclear workforce.

“Our world is experiencing a nuclear renaissance that many in Oak Ridge are calling the Manhattan Project 2.0, and ORAU is part of the solution needed to help ready our workforce for the challenges,” Millwood said. “This partnership also aligns with our ORAU STEM Accelerator, which was created to develop and accelerate solutions to address U.S. STEM workforce gaps. Together with AMSE, we’re building on our strengths, aligning education and workforce development in key STEM areas, such as nuclear science, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.”

“Both AMSE and ORAU were founded in the immediate post-World War II era as a part of the original Manhattan Project’s legacy,” Lowe added. “In fact, ORAU managed our museum for the Atomic Energy Commission, now the Department of Energy. We’re thrilled to be working together so closely again as we align our efforts to preserve Oak Ridge’s history and help produce highly skilled workers for the future.”

The signed MOU is a three-year agreement with strategies for collaboration that include:
• AMSE utilizing space at ORAU’s main campus to conduct educational programming and also providing the opportunity for AMSE representatives to be co-located with the ORAU T-NEWC facility.
• Joint efforts by ORAU and AMSE educators to develop K-12 workforce initiatives.
• Programming focused on science, engineering and historical communications.
• Hosting summer camps and workshops.
• Offering joint tours of ORAU’s Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity.

This partnership represents an innovative approach to addressing the big picture of the challenges that lay ahead for this nuclear renaissance. By leveraging people, facilities and existing training programs, while also identifying new opportunities and infrastructure, the agreement aims to streamline the nuclear workforce pipeline and help position Oak Ridge as a hub for nuclear education and innovation.

AMSEF, working in cooperation with the Department of Energy, is responsible for the operations of AMSE and the K-25 Atomic History Campus, and works to advance the mission of both institutions.
ORAU integrates academia, government and industry to advance the nation’s learning, health and scientific knowledge to build a better world. Through our specialized teams of subject matter experts, decades of experience, and collaborations with our consortium of more than 160 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU is a recognized leader when the priorities of our federal, state, local, and commercial customers require innovative solutions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORAU is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and government contractor. For more information, visit https://www.orau.org/.

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orautogether
Follow us on X: https://x.com/orau
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau

# # #

Pictured in Photo: ORAU President and CEO Meghan Millwood and AMSE CEO and Executive Director Alan Lowe sign the MOU.

Innovators Gallery Ribbon Cutting

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Cutline: The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Grand Opening of the Everything in Motion exhibit in the Innovators Gallery at the American Museum of Science and Energy on Friday, August 27. The exhibit is sponsored by RDI Technologies.

AMSE re-opens

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

After a long closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Museum of Science and Energy has re-opened.

AMSE re-opened at 9 a.m. Friday, May 21.

AMSE will be open to a limited number of visitors at a time, 50. Museum visitors will be asked to maintain an appropriate physical distance from others (the general guidance has been to maintain a distance of six feet or more, when possible, from people who live outside your home).

[Read more…]

Photos: Old AMSE building being demolished

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The former American Museum of Science and Energy building on South Tulane Avenue is being demolished, and apartments are planned on the site. (Photo courtesy Mike Mahathy)

The former American Museum of Science and Energy building is being demolished, and apartments are planned on the site.

The apartment project is expected to include seven three-story buildings with 226 apartment units on 10 acres.

Now called Main Street Lofts, the $32 million apartment project has included an agreement to reduce property taxes and the transfer of what had been federal property from the U.S. Department of Energy to the city and then to TN Oak Ridge Illinois, a company affiliated with RealtyLink, the developer of Main Street Oak Ridge.

The apartments are being built as RealtyLink, a South Carolina company, plans to build more new stores across South Tulane Avenue at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

[Read more…]

For members: Chinns part of apartment project on former AMSE site

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

AMSE-Site-Feb-11-2020
The former American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on South Tulane Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 10 p.m.

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn and his brother Ryan are minority partners in the project to build apartments at the former American Museum of Science and Energy site.

 
AMSE-Site-Feb-11-2020

The former American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on South Tulane Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn and his brother Ryan are minority partners in the project to build apartments at the former American Museum of Science and Energy site.

Rick Chinn, a developer, said this month that the project will bring much-needed apartments to the city, allowing more people who work in Oak Ridge to live here. The apartments are being built as RealtyLink, a South Carolina developer, plans to build more new stores across South Tulane Avenue at Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

Now called Main Street Lofts, the apartment project has included an agreement to reduce property taxes and the transfer of what had been federal property from the U.S. Department of Energy to the city and then to a developer. It will include the demolition of the former AMSE building. It is expected to include seven three-story buildings with 226 apartment units on 10 acres.

Rick Chinn and his father, Richard Chinn, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, have been abstaining from votes related to the apartment project for at least a year.

They have not been required to explain their abstentions, but Oak Ridge Today has asked Rick and Richard Chinn why they have been abstaining.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser, sponsor, or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today

P.O. Box 6064

Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Learn about our advanced subscription options here.

Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories. These stories generally take more than four hours to report, write, and publish.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today!

Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Leadership-Oak-Ridge-2019-Graduation.jpg

Members of the 2019 Leadership Oak Ridge Class recently graduated and dedicated their class project: a gathering space near the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)

 

 

Information from Kathy Gillenwaters and Amanda Meixel Kinghorn

Members of the Leadership Oak Ridge program recently finished a project that provides enhancements to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The multi-offering project was made possible through numerous volunteer hours from participants and generous donations from local businesses, a press release said.

Additions include a new outdoor seating area, landscaping, and beautification installations, the press release said.

“The new gathering area was a project of particular importance and filled a need that existed since AMSE’s location change last year,” the release said.

AMSE now has outdoor classroom space, transition space for rotating large groups through the educational facility, and seating for the bus tour that departs from the building nine months of the year. The project also included new landscaping and beautification pieces that enhance the visual appeal of Oak Ridge’s expanding Main Street area, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge receives award for partnership that led to AMSE opening in new space

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge was formally honored with a Community Partnership Award during a Celebration of Service to the Profession as part of ICMA’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, center; Government Affairs and Information Services Director Amy Fitzgerald, second from left; and Administrative Services Director Bruce Applegate, left, accepted the award in Nashville. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge has received an award for the intergovernmental partnership that led to the American Museum of Science and Energy opening in a new centrally located space in Main Street Oak Ridge.

The 2019 Community Partnership Award was presented to the city by the International City/County Management Association, or ICMA.

“The award recognizes innovative programs or processes between and/or among a local government and other governmental entities, private sector businesses, individuals, or nonprofit agencies to improve the quality of life for residents or provide more efficient and effective services,” a press release said.

The City of Oak Ridge was formally honored during a Celebration of Service to the Profession as part of ICMA’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, October 23. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, Government Affairs and Information Services Director Amy Fitzgerald, and Administrative Services Director Bruce Applegate accepted the award in Nashville.

[Read more…]

AMSE celebrates 70 years

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Image courtesy American Museum of Science and Energy

Image courtesy American Museum of Science and Energy

 

The American Museum of Science and Energy is celebrating 70 years. As part of the celebration, there are three events scheduled next week, on March 19 and March 23, at AMSE and Oak Ridge History Museum.

It’s being called a platinum anniversary celebration of science, ingenuity, and the catalyst of the Atomic Age.

“As an anchor of the community, AMSE is proud to celebrate a city that once only existed a vision,” a press release said. “The footprint of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will forever be etched into history as one of the foundations of the Manhattan Project. Seventy years ago, steps were taken to preserve that vision and recognize how the world was changed by the ‘Secret City.’ The museum tells the story about how and why people learned to split the atom. On March 19, 1949, the city’s gates and the nation’s first atomic energy museum, named the American Museum of Atomic Energy, were opened to the public for the first time. [Read more…]

Black History Month Kick-Off: ‘A Journey through the World of Art with African-American Artists’

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Black History Month Invitation 2019

The Oak Ridge Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG), the American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE), and the U.S. Department of Energy are sponsoring an evening with African-American artists on Friday, February 1, from 6 to 8 p.m., a press release said.

This event will be held at AMSE, which is located at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge. This event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served, the press release said. [Read more…]

Director of National Museum of Nuclear Science & History to speak in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jim Walther (Photo courtesy ORHPA)

Jim Walther (Photo courtesy ORHPA)

 

The director of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in New Mexico will speak in Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

The talk by the director, Jim Walther, is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January, 22, at the American Museum of Science and Energy, which relocated to renovated space near JCPenney at Main Street Oak Ridge in October.

The talk is hosted by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association and AMSE.

“Make your plans now to attend this exceptional event,” a press release said. “The evening public forum meeting is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. Jim Walther will provide unique museum insights to help us learn more about the opportunities that may be available to Oak Ridge and our museums from an experienced museum professional of 39 years. [Read more…]

Council to discuss next steps for Main Street Oak Ridge on Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Most of Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in this proposed plan from Nov. 29, 2018.

Most of Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in this proposed plan from Nov. 29, 2018.

 

After they rejected a revised plan for the project on Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council will discuss next steps for Main Street Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

It wasn’t clear this week what might happen next.

The revised plan that City Council rejected in a 4-3 vote on Monday would have allowed four national retailers to build stores at Main Street Oak Ridge. It would have required the closure of the access road from Rutgers Avenue to the roundabout at Main Street, allowing the four stores to be built along a sidewalk between JCPenney and PetSmart. It would have removed the 230 or so multi-family residential units that had been proposed by Crosland Southeast, the original developer, in the area between JCPenney and Walmart. And it would have moved the proposed mixed-use development to a future phase along Wilson Street.

This past Tuesday, after Council rejected the revised plan, three people involved in the project, including RealtyLink, the current developer, said there is no other design, no “plan B.” [Read more…]

Council approves plan for apartments at former AMSE site

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission will consider a rezoning and planned unit development on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, that would allow apartments to be built on the former American Museum of Science and Energy property on South Tulane Avenue.

The Oak Ridge City Council approved a rezoning and planned unit development on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, that would allow apartments to be built on the former American Museum of Science and Energy property on South Tulane Avenue.

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday approved a plan that would allow apartments at the former American Museum of Science and Energy site on South Tulane Avenue.

The apartment proposal requires a rezoning and the approval of a plan for a planned unit development, or PUD.

They were approved in a 5-1-1 vote in the first of two readings on Monday. The second and final reading will presumably be in February.

Voting for the plan were Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch and City Council members Kelly Callison, Jim Dodson, Derrick Hammond, and Ellen Smith. [Read more…]