Oak Ridge Today

Highway safety initiative comes to Roane County

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If you are wondering what these message boards and yard signs are doing all over town, wonder no more.

The portable message boards have a simple message of “Buckle Up Tonight” that flashes twice as each car passes. The yard signs read on one side “Buckle Up Tonight to See Tomorrow.” The message on the other reads “Exercise Some Restraint When You Go Out Tonight,” and it shows a seatbelt graphic.

This is part of a campaign organized by University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research. This initiative is funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Tennessee Highway Safety Office to increase nighttime seat belt use. [Read more…]

Tonight: UT professor to discuss impact of invasive insects on forests

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University of Tennessee Professor Scott Schlarbaum will present a program on “Invasive Insects’ Effect on our Forests” at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5, at the UT Arboretum. It has been reported that this presentation will “scare the pants off you.”

Our area is currently beset by hemlock woolly adelgids, emerald ash borers, and other invasive insects, a press release said.

Schlarbaum has served as a faculty member of UT’s Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries since 1984, and has served in a variety of professional positions and committees regarding forest health and genetics. [Read more…]

UT to host bullying expert from the UK on April 26

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Dieter Wolke

Dieter Wolke

KNOXVILLE—International bullying expert Dieter Wolke, a professor of developmental psychology and individual differences at the University of Warwick, in Coventry, England, will present “The Long Shadow Thrown by Bullying” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Free and open to the public, the lecture is in Room 622 of the  Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building, 1520 Middle Drive. Parking is available in the 11th Street parking garage.

The event is hosted by the Department of Child and Family Studies in UT’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

Wolke will discuss bullying in schools and other settings, what it means for victims, and why it predicts long-term mental health problems. [Read more…]

Two ORHS seniors win Brad Sturm scholarships

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Sean Badurina, Mel Sturm, and Jade Lesher

Sean Badurina and Jade Lesher are winners of the Brad Sturm Memorial Scholarships established by businessman Mel Sturm (center). (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Sean Badurina and Jade Lesher, two seniors at Oak Ridge High School, were selected by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge as recipients of the Brad Sturm Memorial Scholarships for 2016.

Sean, who likes to build machines and take them apart to see how they work, said he plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and major in mechanical engineering.

Jade, president of the ORHS drama club with eight years of theater experience and section leader in the marching band, plans to attend UT in Knoxville and major in political science.

To qualify for the scholarships, first established 40 years ago by 92-year-old businessman Mel Sturm, ORHS students this year had to read Larry Arnn’s 2015 book “Churchill’s Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government.” [Read more…]

Close to 2,000 rowers race in more than 300 boats in SIRA Championship

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About 1,900 rowers competed in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on April 16-17. Pictured above is a Stetson University crew at the start of the 2,000-meter course on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

About 1,900 rowers from 61 programs raced in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on Saturday and Sunday.

Featuring 322 boats, it was the largest SIRA regatta ever.

SIRA, the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, has been holding its championship in Oak Ridge for almost 30 years.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city’s rowing course has been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water, and SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge, and the one this past weekend had 61 teams.

Racing started Saturday morning with time trials, which were followed by afternoon heats and semifinals. Finals were from 8 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge students experience success at Southern Appalachian Science, Engineering Fair

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Gabe Vacliuc with Poster and Trophy

Oak Ridge High School student Gabe Vacaliuc earned first place for his project titled “dQCuts: Simplifying Molecular Dynamics Datasets Using Higher Order Statistical Signatures” under the mentorship of Arvind Ramanathan at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Vacaliuc is pictured above with his poster and trophy at the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair at the University of Tennessee earlier this month. (Submitted photo)

 

Seventeen research students from Oak Ridge High School competed in the 64th Annual Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair hosted at the University of Tennessee. The competition was held April 4-7 with the awards ceremony on Thursday evening. There were 52 Senior Division projects in competition.

All 17 students are a part of either the Experimental Scientific Research, or ESR, course or Math, Science, and Computer Science Thesis course at ORHS. The ESR course is led by Sharon Thomas and Thesis is led by Tammy Carneim and Jessica Williams.

Gabe Vacaliuc earned first place for his project titled “dQCuts: Simplifying Molecular Dynamics Datasets Using Higher Order Statistical Signatures” under the mentorship of Arvind Ramanathan at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Along with a $1,000 scholarship and trophy, Vacaliuc will travel to Phoenix, Arizona, in May to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair.

“SASEF was a great experience because I was able to get substantial feedback in a professional setting,” Vacaliuc said. “I’m so grateful to SASEF for the opportunity to represent my school at ISEF in May.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge native, longtime Hollywood photographer George Holz to speak at UT

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George Holz

George Holz

 

Photographer George Holz—who was born in Oak Ridge, attended the University of Tennessee, and is known for his fashion and celebrity photographs—will return to UT to speak about his work at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14.

His talk will be in the auditorium of the UT College of Nursing at 1200 Volunteer Boulevard in Knoxville. It’s sponsored by the UT School of Journalism and Electronic Media, and it is free and open to the public.

Holz will be talking about his new book, “Holz Hollywood: 30 Years of Portraits.”

Holz was born and raised in Oak Ridge and attended UT for two years in the mid-1970s, working as a photographer for the Daily Beacon and the Volunteer Yearbook.

After attending UT, Holz graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and assisted for noted fashion photographer, Helmut Newton, who became his mentor. [Read more…]

Three Oak Ridge High School students selected as Haslam Scholar finalists

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Elisabeth Gallmeier

Elisabeth Gallmeier (Photo from University of Tennessee/2016 Haslam Scholars Finalists)

Three students from Oak Ridge High School were selected as Haslam Scholar finalists this year. This is the highest number of Haslam Scholar finalists from any high school in the state.

The three Oak Ridge finalists are:

  1. Elisabeth Gallmeier, who is pursuing a degree in physics. She has recently been doing research with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, creating statistical modeling programs to aid hydrocarbon exploration and prediction analyses to examine shale play production.
  2. Oumar Souleymane Diallo, who is interested in the nuclear, mechanical, and biomedical engineering fields. His interests are broad and include sculpting, modern art, video editing, cooking. and computer science.
  3. Lewis Wang, who plans to prepare for a career in business administration. He enjoys competitive soccer and volunteer work, including serving as chairman of Oak Ridge’s Youth Advisory Board. He has been involved in developing projects such as the water awareness program for the disadvantaged youth and managing concessions during the city Halloween party to raise money for Mission of Hope.

“We are very proud of our students and the incredible work they do in our schools,” an Oak Ridge Schools press release said. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots struggle in opening rounds, but rebound in later regional rounds

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The Secret City Wildbots of Oak Ridge High School are pictured above at the 2016 Smoky Mountain Regionals in Knoxville this week. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:45 p.m.

KNOXVILLE—The Secret City Wildbots struggled somewhat in the opening qualifying rounds at Smoky Mountain Regionals on Friday, falling to a rank of 32nd after lunch, but the team rebounded strongly in the last three of the day’s eight rounds, finishing with a ninth-place rank.

At the end of qualifying rounds at noon on Saturday, the top eight teams select an alliance partner, and those eight groups of two select their third partner team. In the event that one of the top eight chooses another from the top eight, the next ranked team moves up to team captain post.

Following Q41, the Wildbots moved up to number 13 by playing on their core strength of crossing defenses and scoring low goals in rapid succession. In Q51, they continued playing to core strengths but added a feat that only a few robots in this competition have mastered: climbing the tower.

In Q59, the final match of the day, the Wildbots again finished strong and in an excellent position to face the final two rounds Saturday: Q-70 at approximately 10:26 a.m., and Q-81 scheduled for 11:57 a.m. (the next to-the-last qualifying round of the tournament). [Read more…]

Tech 2020 to sell building; other groups will continue organization’s work

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The board of directors for Technology 2020, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, voted Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, to wind down operations after more than two decades of operations. Tech 2020 announced March 30 that it will sell the building. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Tech 2020 Board of Directors approved a plan Tuesday that allows many of the organization’s top initiatives to be continued under the leadership of other enterprises, officials said. The Tech 2020 building, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, will be sold.

In January, the Tech 2020 Board agreed to wind down operations after more than two decades.

“Our goal these past few months has been to preserve some of Tech 2020’s important resources, and we believe we’ve accomplished that with the plan approved at Tuesday’s meeting of the Board,” said David Bradshaw, Tech 2020 chair.

That plan calls for the transfer of several of the Tech 2020 regional missions to other organizations on or before April 30, and the financial assets of a fourth to be returned to its founding members, a press release said.

“When the Board voted on January 26 to wind down operations, it asked that we explore options to transition existing missions to other not-for-profit organizations,” Bradshaw said in the press release. “We asked interested organizations to outline their ideas, and we are pleased that several have stepped forward with concrete proposals.” [Read more…]

Higgins one of three Mr. Basketball finalists in Class AAA

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This photo is property of Allen Greene. Unauthorized use of this photo is not permitted without consent.

Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5) is one of three finalists for Mr. Basketball in Class AAA in Tennessee. (Photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m.

Already named Mr. Football this year, Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins is now one of three finalists for Mr. Basketball in Class AAA in Tennessee.

The Mr. Basketball finalists were announced Friday.

The other two Class AAA finalists are Nathan Hoover of Arlington and Alex Lomax of Memphis East.

Higgins had earlier committed to play football at the University of Tennessee, but he recently re-opened his recruitment in football and basketball. [Read more…]

Tech 2020 winding down operations; Pro2Serve among its success stories

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Technology-2020-Jan-27-2016

The board of directors for Technology 2020, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, voted Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, to wind down operations after more than two decades. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Tech 2020—a nonprofit organization that counts Pro2Serve, a technical and engineering services firm, as one of its early success stories—announced last week that it is winding down operations after more than two decades.

Facing increased financial pressures, the Tech 2020 Board of Directors voted Tuesday, January 26, to begin an orderly process to wind down their operations, a press release said. The organization has been focused on technology-based economic development activities in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge region.

Tech 2020 once had 12 to 15 employees or more, but it is now down to less than five full-time employees, said Tom Ballard, past Tech 2020 chair and longtime Executive Committee member who was on the founding board. The organization has one building at Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge and manages a second building, an entrepreneurial center, for the City of Oak Ridge.

Tech 2020 was established in 1994 in Oak Ridge with significant grants from BellSouth, now part of the AT&T enterprise, and others, the press release said. The organization’s initial focus areas were telecommunications and entrepreneurship. One of its early creations was Digital Crossing Networks LLC, which is located in downtown Knoxville.

Pro2Serve is another success story, Ballard said. The company went from a home office to the Tech 2020 building to headquarters in the National Energy Security Center in the Oak Ridge Science and Technology Park at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The company now has more than 350 employees. [Read more…]