Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education announces winners of inaugural Future of Science Awards to celebrate its 30th anniversary

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OAK RIDGE, Tenn.— To honor the 30th anniversary of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the organization announced the winners of its inaugural Future of Science Awards.

These prestigious awards recognize excellence performed by ORISE participants in the areas of scientific achievement, professional growth, project contributions and leadership in three categories: undergraduate and post-baccalaureate, graduate student and post-master’s, and postdoctoral. Each winner will receive $1,000 cash and recognition from ORISE.

ORISE Director Jim Vosburg presented the 2022 ORISE Future of Science Awards during a virtual ceremony to the following ORISE participant winners:

Brooke Vollmer – Undergraduate Student and Post-Baccalaureate Award

Brooke Vollmer is an ORISE fellow in the Research Branch at the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), which is a division within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), located in Pittsburgh. Vollmer received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in Spring 2020. Throughout her education, she gained her research experience at NIOSH/NPPTL, first as a summer intern (2019) and regular fellow (2020-2021) prior to beginning her ORISE journey (2021-present) with her mentor, Michael Bergman. Vollmer has
contributed to an abundance of research projects within her division and by representing NIOSH/NPPTL in research collaborations with outside organizations. She has focused her efforts on research that looks into understanding the factors that affect respirator performance, such as fit and filtration efficiency. This research helps to protect workers worldwide who rely on respirators to prevent occupational disease and illness.

Geneva Gray – Graduate Student and Post-Master’s Award

Geneva Gray is a doctoral candidate in Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University and a current ORISE participant with her mentor, Tanya Spero, at the Environmental Protection Agency. She studies how extreme precipitation events change under future warming conditions using stakeholder-driven case studies and extreme value analysis. Geneva holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Meteorology and Environmental Sciences and a master’s degree in Atmospheric Science, where she studied quantitative methods on climate model ensemble selection. She is a former U.S. Geological Survey Global Change Fellow and Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network Fellow. Geneva started her career in 2012 as an environmental meteorologist at the North Carolina State Climate Office where she learned how to build impact-driven research projects and how to communicate those results to the general public. Her career goal is to lead actionable climate science for a resilient future.

Ryan Corey – Postdoctoral Award

Ryan Corey is an Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellow conducting research with Professor Andrew Singer in the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Princeton University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, all in electrical engineering. A hearing aid user since he was a teenager, Corey’s research focuses on signal processing strategies to help people hear better in noisy environments. In particular, he is developing systems that allow multiple sensors and audio devices to work together to improve performance in adverse environments. Since 2017, he has mentored a team of engineering, design and business students in the Illinois Augmented Listening Laboratory, which explores applications of large-scale microphone arrays and acoustic sensor networks. Corey has received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant, the Microsoft Artificial Intelligence for Accessibility Award, and the Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. He was also awarded the Workshop on Applications of Signal Processing to Audio and Acoustics 2019 Best Student Paper Award and the 179th Acoustical Society of America Meeting Best Student Paper Award.

For more information, and to watch for information regarding next year’s Future of Science Awards in spring 2023, visit the ORISE website: https://orise.orau.gov/

About ORISE
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is a U.S. Department of Energy asset that is dedicated to enabling critical scientific, research, and health initiatives of the department and its laboratory system by providing world-class expertise in STEM workforce development, scientific and technical reviews, and the evaluation of radiation exposure and environmental contamination. ORISE is managed by ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science

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Forum today about overturning of Roe v Wade

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Four Oak Ridge and Tennessee organizations are having a forum today (Tuesday, November 1) about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion in 1973.

This summer, almost 50 years later, Roe was overturned by the court in a 5-4 vote.

“The over-turn of Roe v. Wade destroyed 50 years of legal precedents—and along with the trigger ban law of the state of Tennessee—placed the health, lives, livelihood, and families of Tennessee women in serious jeopardy,” a press release said. “The physicians and health care providers who have met the needs of these women for decades could now face felony charges. No exceptions are allowed under the law.”

The forum today will feature five female experts, including professors of nursing and medicine, a criminal defense attorney and nonprofit founder, a state senator, and a family nurse practitioner, the press release said.

They will “continue the conversation on the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the trigger ban in Tennessee,” the press release said.

The five women are:

[Read more…]

Street Painting Festival raises $20K for Roane State scholarships

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Sonia Summers won the Best of Show award in the 2022 Street Painting Festival in Jackson Square in October. (Submitted photo)

The 2022 Street Painting Festival this month raised more than $20,000 to help fund scholarships for Roane State Community College students in Anderson County.

The annual festival was hosted by the Noon Rotary Club of Oak Ridge in Historic Jackson Square. The festival blends art, history, and community for a fun event in support of local students, a press release said. More than $300,000 in scholarships issued by the nonprofit Roane State Foundation have been provided since the start of the festival in 1999.

Festival sponsors make a tax-exempt donation to the Foundation, with levels ranging from $5,000 for Platinum down to $100 for Individual. Sponsors’ names are assigned to sidewalk squares upon which the artists paint pictures with chalk.

[Read more…]

Tickets available for ADFAC Bow Tie Event on Nov. 5

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Pictured above from left to right are Bow Tie recipients or representatives Bill Capshaw (2019), Cande Seay (2015), Teresa Myrick (Tim Myrick, 2014), Pat Postma (2022), Ray Smith (2013), Pat Row (Tom Row, 2016), Jim Dodson (2021), Tom Beehan (2020), and Bear Stephenson (2016). Not pictured is Louise Mixon, who received the award in 2018. (Submitted photo)

ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties Inc.) is selling tickets to the upcoming Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Event to be held in Oak Ridge on November 5.

This year’s event, “Lady With a Legacy,” will honor community volunteer Pat Postma as the 10th Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Awardee, a press release said.

The Bow Tie Event is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. November 5 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Free Trunk or Treat, movie in Rocky Top on Oct. 28

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ASAP of Anderson is partnering with the City of Rocky Top to present free trunk-or-treating and a showing of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” on Friday, October 28.

It’s scheduled from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on October 28 at Rocky Top’s George Templin Field, a press release said.

“Fun activities and free resources will be available for the whole family!” the release said.

The free event will include food and costume contests, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Thursday forum for City Council, BOE candidates

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There is a Thursday evening forum for candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The candidate forum is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 20, in City Room A-111 in the Coffey/McNally Building at Roane State Community College, 701 Briarcliff Avenue. It’s been organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Candidates running for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education have been invited to participate, a press release said. William “Bear” Stephenson has been invited to moderate.

[Read more…]

CNS awards $120K in grants

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CNS Community Investment Grant Recipients are pictured following a grant ceremony on Oct. 17, 2022. (Submitted photo)

Twenty-two East Tennessee nonprofits received a total of $121,600 from the Consolidated Nuclear Security Community Investment Fund at a ceremony October 17.

Since 2015, the fund has awarded 180 grants to more than 120 nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in 20 East Tennessee counties, totaling a combined $1.04 million, a press release said.

The Community Investment Fund is a partnership between CNS, the managing and operating contractor of Y-12 National Security Complex, and the East Tennessee Foundation.

[Read more…]

State, federal candidate forum on Tuesday

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There will be a forum on Tuesday for candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives and Tennessee House and Senate.

The candidate forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 18, in Roane State Community College City Room A-111 in the Coffey/McNally Building, 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

Candidates running for the U.S. House Third Congressional District, Tennessee Fifth Senatorial District, and Tennessee House of Representatives Districts 32 and 33 have been invited to participate, a press release said. William “Bear” Stephenson has been invited to moderate.

[Read more…]

Children’s Halloween Party is Oct. 27

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Oak Ridge Monster Mash Bash 2021 (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2022 Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday, October 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This annual event will be attended by hundreds of children and their parents, a press release said. Activities will be planned throughout A.K. Bissell Park, including a hayride, weather permitting.

Businesses and organizations are invited to sponsor a booth for the event. Sponsors will supply volunteers and hand out candy throughout the event. Booths should be age appropriate for children aged 4 through 4th grade. Applications can be picked up at the Civic Center front desk, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Almost 5,000 pounds of hazardous waste collected

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Almost 5,000 pounds of hazardous household waste was collected at a drop-off event in Anderson County this month.

The Household Hazard Waste drop-off on October 1 was sponsored by Anderson County Solid Waste Management Department and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. They collected 4,798 pounds of household hazardous waste, a press release said.

The TDEC collection report indicated 1,874 pounds of poisonous material (e.g., pesticides) was dropped off that day by area residents at the collection site in Oak Ridge. Other hazardous materials collected included 664 pounds of oil-based paint, 769 pounds of non-hazardous liquid, 616 pounds of flammable liquid, 460 pounds of corrosive material, 289 pounds of aerosol containers, and 61 pounds of fluorescent tubes.

[Read more…]

NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow’s research could yield insights into early life on Mars

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Oak Ridge, Tenn. —Even microorganisms depend on their community to grow, which can help them survive in harsh environments, such as in Hawaiian lava caves or on ancient Mars. That’s among the findings in a study conducted by Rebecca Prescott, Ph.D., a research fellow with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Postdoctoral Program (NPP), managed by ORAU.

“Volcanic systems in Hawai’i are geologically like those on ancient Mars, which had active volcanoes and fumaroles,” said Prescott. “With these geological similarities, Hawaiian volcanic environments can provide some insight into the possibility of life on Mars in its ancient past and how microbial communities could survive today on Mars in lava caves.”

Prescott and her team collected 70 samples over multiple years from lava caves and fumaroles across the island of Hawai‘i. Prescott, a microbial ecologist, studies quorum sensing, which is a complex communication system between microbes that uses chemicals to allow microbial communities to coordinate their activities. She has found that the amount of quorum sensing going on seems to be higher in lava caves than other extreme environments.

“I needed a better understanding of the community structure in lava caves,” Prescott said. “I was particularly interested in understanding who is hanging out with whom, and therefore who might be ‘talking’ to whom.”

Interestingly, the study found that interactions within microbial communities are more complex in the fumaroles, a much harsher environment, than in lava tubes. One possible explanation is that microbial communities rely on their neighbors and on cooperation more in harsh environments, according to Prescott.

“This research points to the importance of understanding how microbes interact as a group, rather than as a single species. In studies of the limits of life, in understanding how life could evolve in the ancient past on Mars, or even in planetary protection studies today, the response of groups of microbes is likely different than the response of a single species,” said Prescott.

NPP offers unique research opportunities for highly talented U.S. and non-U.S. scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems and astrobiology.

Read more in Frontiers in Microbiology.

Frontiers in Microbiology is a leading journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research across the entire spectrum of microbiology

ORAU provides innovative scientific and technical solutions to advance national priorities in science, education, security and health. Through specialized teams of experts, unique laboratory capabilities and access to a consortium of more than 150 major colleges and universities, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to advance national priorities and serve the public interest. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy. To learn more, visit www.orau.org.
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Professor to discuss microplastics in rivers

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Martin Knoll (Submitted photo)

A geology and hydrology professor will discuss the dangers of microplastics in rivers during a program in Oak Ridge on Thursday, September 29.

Martin Knoll is professor of geology and hydrology and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems at the University of the South. He will talk to the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.

The program is at the UT Arboretum Auditorium at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge starting at 7 p.m. September 29. The talk is titled “Microplastics in the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Rhine Rivers: Why We Should Care.”

Knoll’s presentation will focus on his research investigating the concentration and types of microplastics found in the three rivers, a press release said. Special emphasis will be placed on his recent findings about the major sources of these microplastics and what might be done to reduce their numbers.

[Read more…]