Oak Ridge Today

Tarcza named manager at DOE Oak Ridge Office

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Kenneth R. Tarcza

Kenneth R. Tarcza (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

 

Kenneth R. Tarcza has been named manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office Integrated Support Center.

The announcement was made Tuesday by DOE’s Office of Science.

Prior to retiring in 2015 as a colonel with the U.S. Army, Tarcza served as the chief of staff for the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command, which executes the vast majority of the Army’s science and technology programs, a press release said. In that role, he was responsible for a broad range of functions—administration, finance, safety, legal, and resource management.

Most recently, he served with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, where he oversaw research on site as well as with academia. [Read more…]

Local rowers earn invitation to 2016 USRowing Youth National Championships

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Sarah Kate Rogers and Clara Hay

Sarah Kate Rogers, right, of Oak Ridge and Clara Hay of Knoxville qualified for the 2016 USRowing Youth National Championships based on their medal-winning performances at the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships earlier this month. Rogers won a silver medal in the Women’s Youth Single (WY1x), and, rowing with Hay, won a bronze medal in the Women’s Youth Pair (WY2). (Photo by Shannon Moore)

 

By Jim Rogers

The Atomic Rowing Junior program at Oak Ridge Rowing Association has qualified two rowers for the 2016 USRowing Youth National Championships based on their medal-winning performances at the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships earlier this month. Sarah Kate Rogers of Oak Ridge won a silver medal in the Women’s Youth Single (WY1x) and, rowing with Clara Hay of Knoxville, won a bronze medal in the Women’s Youth Pair (WY2).

In the single event, Rogers—competing against young ladies from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee—progressed easily through the 2,000-meter heats before narrowly losing in the final to Mikayla Dutton of Inverness, Florida, a 2016 University of Tennessee signee.

In the Women’s Youth Pair final, Rogers and Hay earned bronze behind strong performances from experienced crews from Nashville and Jacksonville, Florida. [Read more…]

Graduation Celebration, an all-night party for high school graduates, is June 2

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Graduation Celebration 2015

Three graduates from 2015 celebrate at Graduation Celebration. This year’s event is June 2. (File photo courtesy Matt Reedy/City of Oak Ridge)

 

Graduation Celebration, a free, all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge, will host its 19th annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, from 10 p.m. June 2 until 5 a.m. June 3. It is seeking volunteers and donations to help with this community-wide effort to keep youth safe on graduation night, a press release said.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,” said Debbie Magill, chairperson of the event. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.”

All of the city’s high school graduates‚ whether from Oak Ridge High School, local home schools, or private schools—are invited to the free event. The party features activities such as inflatables, bingo, Sumo wrestling, SCUBA in the Civic Center pool, face painting, board games, and the annual “balloon drop.” More than $13,000 in prizes and scholarships are given every year in what has become an annual favorite event among the city’s youth. [Read more…]

UCOR awards mini-grants for local school projects

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UCOR Education Mini-Grants

UCOR has announced 20 winners in its Education Mini-Grant Program. Schools in Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Knox, Morgan, and Roane counties were eligible to submit proposals. (Photo submitted by UCOR)

 

UCOR has announced 20 winners in its Education Mini-Grant Program.

The Mini-Grant Program was designed to recognize and support excellence in teaching by providing funds to assist classroom teachers for specific projects or curricula, focusing primarily on science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, a press release said.

Schools in Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Knox, Morgan, and Roane counties were eligible to submit proposals. Applications were screened and awardees selected using a blind process that prevented members of the selection panel from knowing the names of the teachers or the schools.

The UCOR Mini-Grant committee has selected the following projects for 2016: [Read more…]

Y-12 completes waste removal project two years ahead of schedule

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The Y-12 National Security Complex has completed disposition of 2,247 containers of mixed waste more than two years ahead of a September 2018 deadline, a press release said.

The waste removal was mandated by the Oak Ridge Reservation Site Treatment Plan through a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation commissioner’s order to the U.S. Department of Energy. The disposition of this material is part of a larger effort to dispose of legacy waste materials. Mixed waste is defined as material that consists of hazardous and radioactive waste.

“Removal of legacy waste materials from Y-12 is a key priority for NNSA,” said Geoff Beausoleil, manager of the NNSA Production Office. “Completing this removal project two years ahead of schedule is a significant achievement.” [Read more…]

Y-12’s Edlund named DOE Facility Representative of the Year

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Jeff Edlund

Jeff Edlund

Jeff Edlund, who conducts day-to-day federal oversight of enriched uranium facility operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex, has been named the U.S. Department of Energy Facility Representative of the Year.

“Mr. Edlund represents the NNSA with a passion for the mission and a selflessness that puts the needs of the organization above his own,” said Geoff Beausoleil, manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office said. “He sets strong examples for both federal and contractor employees in the areas of safety, security, quality, mission delivery, and cost effectiveness. His leadership in the areas of conduct of operations oversight, NPO integration, and performance culture clearly exceed the normal expectations of Facility Representative Personnel.”

Edlund joined NPO in 2010 as part of the NNSA Future Leaders program. He worked as a safety basis and safety system oversight engineer before becoming a facility representative in February 2014. He received a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. [Read more…]

Photos: Double rainbow at K-25

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Double Rainbow at K-25 May 29 2016

This photo of a double rainbow was taken by Oak Ridge resident Shellie Fellers across from the former K-25 plant in west Oak Ridge on Sunday evening, May 29, 2016. (Photo by Shellie Fellers)

 

Oak Ridge resident Shellie Fellers got a picture of a double rainbow across from the former K-25 plant on the west end of town on Sunday evening. The second rainbow is visible as a faint rainbow above the first, brighter rainbow.

Fellers said one end of a rainbow could be seen as it literally came down and met the ground. But, she joked, there were no leprechauns or pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. [Read more…]

Fifteen students, including one from ORHS, named as Haslam Scholars at UT

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Oumar Souleymane Diallo

Oumar Souleymane Diallo

Fifteen students, including one from Oak Ridge High School, have been named to the 2016 cohort of Haslam Scholars at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. There are 14 students from Tennessee and one from North Carolina.

The ORHS student is Oumar Souleymane Diallo.

A student from Hardin Valley Academy, Sophia Cui, is also among the incoming students.

The Haslam Scholars Program is UT’s premier four-year scholarship program. Each year, the program admits 15 first-year students from the university’s Chancellor’s Honors Program and supports them with the university’s most prestigious and generous named scholarships. [Read more…]

‘State of EMS’ briefing for county commissioners on June 15

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Anderson County Emergency Medical Services will host a “State of EMS” briefing for county commissioners on June 15, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

This briefing will cover the current operations of Anderson County EMS, potential upcoming changes in EMS nationally, and current reimbursement issues.

The briefing, which is open to the general public, will be held at EMS headquarters, 314 Public Safety Lane in Clinton.

Exhibit to honor U.S. military chaplains of World War II at Secret City Festival

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An exhibit at the Secret City Festival in June will honor the service and heroism of U.S. military chaplains of World War II. (Submitted photo)

An exhibit at the Secret City Festival in June will honor the service and heroism of U.S. military chaplains of World War II. (Submitted photo)

 

An exhibit at the Secret City Festival in June will honor the service and heroism of U.S. military chaplains of World War II.

The exhibit, “Faith and Courage,” recognizes the contributions of a special group of veterans whose story is rarely told, U.S. military chaplains, a press release said. The dedicated service of chaplains to those who go into harm’s way for our country, their humble self-sacrifice, and their common, but little-known, acts of heroism exemplify personal values, traits, and traditions that are of unquestionable benefit to any society, the release said.

“This exhibit honors these exceptional individuals and attempts to extend the value of their service and sacrifice by keeping their memories alive as an example for later generations,” it said. [Read more…]

June 2 seminar: How to win friends, influence people in digital age

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has again teamed up with Dale Carnegie of Tennessee to offer a workshop series on leadership essentials. The June 2 session is titled “How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age.”

“The digital age is changing how we work, play, communicate, and think,” a seminar description said. “It is an exciting frontier that rewards those who leverage the power that it presents. This workshop provides and introduction to the tools needed to develop the attitudes of success necessary to move to new levels of effectiveness in the digital age.”

A discount is available for members of the Chamber. The June 2 session is scheduled from 8-10 a.m. at the Chamber, which is located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Thrive, Prevent, Celebrate: ‘Survivor Sundae’ offers cancer information for all

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Mt.-LeConte-Jug-Band-WEB

The Mt. LeConte Jug Band will once again entertain guests at Methodist’s “Survivor Sundae” celebration and cancer awareness event on Sunday, June 5. (Submitted photo)

 

Note: This story was updated at 5:25 p.m. May 30.

With improved screenings and advanced treatment, more and more people are beating cancer each year. But that doesn’t change the significance of being a cancer survivor and the hard fight to put cancer in its place.

Join Methodist Medical Center as we celebrate National Cancer Survivors’ Day on Sunday, June 5, with the third annual “Survivor Sundae.” This special ice cream social will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Cheyenne Ambulatory Center, 944 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Survivor Sundae will honor cancer survivors and their families who have supported them along the way as well as provide cancer prevention and awareness information for the community. Cancer survivors can leave their mark on a special group art project supplied by Painting with a Twist, which will be displayed in the Thompson Cancer Survival Center at Methodist. [Read more…]