Oak Ridge Today

Head coach named for Atomic Rowing

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Wendy Davis

Wendy Davis, who has been a head coach at the University of Minnesota, has been named head coach of the Atomic Rowing program in Oak Ridge.

The appointment was announced by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association on Monday. It follows a nationwide search, a press release said.

Davis was head coach of the Women’s Division 1 Rowing program at the University of Minnesota since 2000, the press release said. While head coach, Davis helped the Golden Gophers rowing team become one of the nation’s leading collegiate organizations, and she was consistently recognized by her peers, twice receiving Big Ten Coach of the Year honors, the press release said. The 2019 Golden Gophers had a mid-year national ranking of 15th, the release said.

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Learn more about Wheat during walk with ranger

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The Wheat community before the Manhattan Project during World War II in the area around what is now west Oak Ridge. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)

You can learn more about Wheat, a community that was here before the Manhattan Project, during a walk with a National Park Service ranger on Saturday, July 27.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present the ranger-led walk starting at 10 a.m. July 27. The program is free, and it will start at Blair Road and the North Boundary Greenway.

“The walk will be about one-and-one-half miles, so wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water to drink,” a press release said. “Stops will include ‘downtown’ Wheat, George Jones Memorial Baptist Church, Roane College site, and the Crawford Cumberland Presbyterian Memorial. There will be stories about the development and significance of each site.”

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Air Force musicians to perform at Oak Ridge High School

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The U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America’s Concert Band will present a concert in Oak Ridge next week.

The concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27, in the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Auditorium at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Admission is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets, visit the website www.bandofmidamerica.af.mil or www.usaf27july.eventbrite.com.

This is a family-friendly, all-ages event, a press release said. The concert is presented in partnership with Explore Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools.

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Learn more about ‘Secret City,’ Manhattan Project during bus tours in August

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The X-10 Graphite Reactor with workers. (U.S. Department of Energy)

Two new bus tours offered in Oak Ridge in August will allow you to learn more about the unique heritage of the Manhattan Project, a press release said. The bus tours are the “Secret City” and “Oak Ridge Museums” tours.

The “Secret City” tour will be led by a National Park Service ranger, last three hours, and include that day’s admission to the American Museum of Science and Energy.

“During the Manhattan Project, a community was created almost overnight to accomplish the monumental task of producing enriched uranium on a large scale,” the press release said. “During the tour, visitors can develop an understanding of what life was like during World War II in a city behind a fence that no one was supposed to discuss. The tour will also include a visit to the X-10 Graphite Reactor, a National Historic Landmark, and the world’s first nuclear reactor designed and built for continuous operation.”

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Learn about secrecy, security, spies on July 20

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The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a program about secrecy, security, and spies on Saturday, July 20. The program is scheduled from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the Turnpike Gatehouse in Oak Ridge.

“The program will give visitors some insight to what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the worry of spies,” a press release said. “This program is free and open to the public; parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible.”

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Travelin’ McCourys and Circus No. 9 perform Saturday

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The Travelin’ McCourys and Circus No. 9 will perform Saturday, July 13, 2019, for the next Summer Sessions concert event presented by ORNL Federal Credit Union. (Photo courtesy ORNL Federal Credit Union)

The Travelin’ McCourys and Circus No. 9 will perform this Saturday, July 13, for the next Summer Sessions concert event presented by ORNL Federal Credit Union.

“Grammy Award winners The Travelin’ McCourys bring excitement and energy to all their performances with their mix of traditional and progressive bluegrass music,” a press release said. “East Tennessee’s own Circus No. 9 blurs the lines between bluegrass, jazz, and rock. The electrifying performances of The Travelin’ McCourys and Circus No. 9 are not to be missed!”

Summer Sessions is a free concert series for the community featuring bluegrass and American bands from throughout the region. 

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Photos: ORNL glass shop

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory has its own glass shop, where scientific glass blowers make custom orders for researchers for experiments and sometimes modify purchased products. ORNL Scientific Glassblower and Shop Manager Jason Craig has been blowing glass for almost 25 years. (Photo by Kate Trabalka)

When people think of glass blowing, they think of unique vases and colorful works of art made in places like Dollywood or Asheville. Not many people know that Oak Ridge has its very own scientific glass blowers working for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL has its own glass shop on site. Scientific Glassblower and Shop Manager Jason Craig has been blowing glass for almost 25 years.

According to Craig, ORNL has always had a glass shop. The glass shop now has been in its current building since 1955. There used to be 10 glass blowers at ORNL, and two or three at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Now Craig and Carlos Rodriguez-Flores are the two full-time glassblowers, with a retired glass blower who comes in part-time.

Here are photos from the glass shop by Kate Trabalka, a media and communications student who is concentrating on journalism at East Tennessee State University and helping Oak Ridge Today with stories and photos this summer. See Trabalka’s story here. See her videos here.

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Office space for rent

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Office space for rental by the hour. Includes wifi, use of copier/fax, kitchen, and conference room. Room available Monday thru Friday 9 AM – 5 PM, $20 per hour, must schedule in advance. Call (865) 482-1553 for more information or to schedule.

Roane State Foundation welcomes seven new board members

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The Roane State Foundation has named seven new members to its board of directors, and they bring diverse backgrounds and talents to the organization, Executive Director Scott Niermann said.

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The Roane State Foundation has named seven new members to its board of directors, and they bring diverse backgrounds and talents to the organization, Executive Director Scott Niermann said.

“We are very grateful to have them aboard and supporting our efforts across the region,” he said.

New board members are Mike Belbeck, executive vice president of operations for Covenant Health; Vickie K. Duncan, co-owner of the Duncan Family Automotive Group; Philip Hall, pharmacist and owner of Hall Family Pharmacy in Jamestown; the Rev. Ron Jordan, retired executive minister of First Baptist Church of Lenoir City; Pepe Perron, director of Camp Nakanawa in Cumberland County; Pat Row, retired from SAIC; and Ted Wampler Jr., president and chief executive officer of Wampler’s Farm Sausage Co.

Established in 1979, the Roane State Foundation supports the college with capital projects, equipment, educational programs, and scholarships. Board members are elected by a nominating committee and approved by the full board. [Read more…]

Demarteau to head ORNL Physics Division

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Marcellinus Demarteau

By Dawn Levy

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has named Marcel Demarteau as Physics Division Director, effective June 17.

“Marcel brings a keen sense of physics research to the Physics Division and will help in shaping its future in the areas of heavy-ion collisions, fundamental symmetries, neutrino physics, nuclear structure and astrophysics, and stable isotope production and research,” said David Dean, associate laboratory director for physical sciences.  

An expert in particle collider physics and a Fellow of the American Physical Society, Demarteau leads research in the structure and evolution of the universe. He chairs several advisory committees through which the particle physics community takes stock of past progress and charts future enterprises.

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Roane State student, 43, ‘happy to go to college,’ thanks to Reconnect grant

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Earl Davis

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Shortly after his 40th birthday, Morgan County resident Earl Davis had an epiphany.

“Looking ahead 20 years, I didn’t see myself with a pitchfork in my hands doing heavy labor,” the Lancing resident said. In the past, he worked at a chicken farm and as a prison guard.

So Davis, who graduated from Wartburg Central High School in 1994, started saving his money to pay for college tuition.

“Then I found out about the Reconnect program,” he said. That’s the state’s grant program where adults can attend a community college tuition-free. [Read more…]

Lightning starts bedroom fire

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No injuries were reported when lightning sparked a fire in a bedroom in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, firefighters said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

No injuries were reported when lightning sparked a fire in a bedroom in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, firefighters said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to reports of a tree being struck by lightning in the 100 block of Baltimore Drive at about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 2.

Firefighters said the energy from the lightning strike ran into a nearby home, causing the electrical outlets in a bedroom to arc. The electrical arcing set a bed on fire, which heavily damaged the bedroom and its contents, a press release said.

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