Oak Ridge Today

Roane State participating in prestigious Achieving the Dream National Reform Network

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Chris Whaley

Chris Whaley

Roane State Community College is now a part of the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network, becoming one of the first community colleges in Tennessee selected for this nationwide network working to improve student success.

The Achieving the Dream National Reform Network includes more than 200 community colleges. The network is led by Achieving the Dream Inc., a national nonprofit considered one of the most comprehensive, non-governmental education reform organizations in the country.

“We are honored to participate in the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “Through our participation in the network, we will learn evidence-based best practices from other colleges and from the network’s team of experts. Participation in Achieving the Dream gives us an opportunity to learn from the best, and to bring those ideas to Roane State to help our students succeed.” [Read more…]

Roane State Education Department to host April 28 Open House

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The Roane State Community College Education Department will host an April 28 Open House for anyone interested in becoming a K-12 teacher.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, at the college’s Roane County campus, 276 Patton Lane in Harriman. Visitors will meet in Room 224 in the O’Brien Humanities Building.

Visitors will be able to meet with faculty, tour classrooms, and learn about the college’s 2+2 elementary education program with Tennessee Tech. The 2+2 program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree while taking all of their classes at Roane State.

For more information, contact Stacie Bradshaw, (865) 354-3000, ext. 4773, or bradshaws@roanestate.edu.

Roane State women’s basketball coach, players earn honors

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Roane State Basketball Honors

From left are Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) freshman of the year Haley Cornellison, second-team all-conference Shanae Brown, TCCAA coach of the year Monica Boles, TCCAA player of the year Shauntae Brown, and second-team all-conference Kassidi Freeman. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Roane State Community College’s women’s basketball program swept the top Tennessee Community College Athletic Association awards.

Head coach Monica Boles was named TCCAA Coach of the Year. Sophomore guard Shauntae Brown is the TCCAA Player of the Year, and Haley Cornellison is the Freshman of the Year.

Brown was also named first-team all-conference. Shauntae’s twin sister, Shanae, was named second-team all-conference along with sophomore Kassidi Freeman. [Read more…]

Healthcare employers invited to participate in Roane State job fair

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Employers are invited to participate in a March 4 job fair for Roane State Community College students who are pursuing careers in health care and plan to graduate this year.

The fair is planned for Wednesday, March 4, from noon-3 p.m. at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Avenue. The event will be held in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building. Setup begins at 11 a.m. [Read more…]

Grant will allow Roane State to expand mechatronics program

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Chris Whaley

Chris Whaley

Roane State Community College will use a nearly $1 million state grant to expand its mechatronics program and to pilot offering the program’s first year as dual credit courses for high school students. The college will partner with schools in Oak Ridge and Anderson County.

The mechatronics program trains students to become technicians who operate, maintain, and repair high-tech automated manufacturing systems. Roane State offers a one-year certificate in mechatronics. Through a $970,000 Labor Education Alignment Program, or LEAP, grant, Roane State will create a two-year associate degree in mechatronics. The program will be launched in fall 2015.

“We are honored to receive a LEAP grant, and we appreciate the hard work of our partners and our legislative delegation on the grant,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “The grant is built on great partnerships between Roane State, industries, local school systems and the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology. Working together, we will help students learn the skills they need for high-tech manufacturing careers.” [Read more…]

Roane State course teaches emergency responders lessons learned from combat

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Roane State Combat Care Course

Roane State’s Kirk Harris (second from left, facing camera) reviews the main points from the college’s two-day combat casualty care/tactical emergency casualty care course. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Roane State Community College’s Kirk Harris believes details save lives.

Harris, director of continuing healthcare and safety education, recently started offering a course on tactical combat casualty care/tactical emergency casualty care. The course applies lessons learned from the experiences of U.S. soldiers and the latest research on combat care in Iraq and Afghanistan to situations first responders could face.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing law enforcement incidents that are more like military combat, such as mass shootings at schools and industries,” Harris said. “We can learn a lot from the experiences of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. This course brings that knowledge together.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge elementary schools’ Hour of Code blends learning, mentorship

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Hour of Code

Roane State webmaster Jeremy Pulcifer mentors second-graders during Hour of Code at Glenwood Elementary School. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Learning to code teaches students more than they realize, and they have fun at the same time.

That is why the week-long Hour of Code campaign last month was a valuable experience for elementary school students in Oak Ridge.

“Kids learn best with games,” said Aleshia Wensell, K-4 technology teacher at Glenwood Elementary School. “When they can have fun with learning, they learn faster and have a deeper understanding. That’s what code does. Students are doing a process of elimination. They are doing higher thinking skills. All of this is important for their math or reading comprehension. Code helps in all aspects of their education.”

Glenwood, Linden Elementary School, Willow Brook Elementary School and Woodland Elementary School hosted activities for Hour of Code, a nationwide initiative to excite children about computer science. Code.org, a nonprofit organization that promotes computer science education, provided Hour of Code resources for educators. [Read more…]

Roane State: Prepare for a health care career in just one to three semesters

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For those interested in behind-the-scenes health care careers, Roane State Community College has a variety of options, and spaces are available for spring semester.

Options include:

  • Healthcare Documentation Specialist (Medical Transcription/Speech-Editing): Students learn to transcribe and edit speech-generated medical record reports dictated by physicians. Healthcare documentation specialists work in physician’s offices, clinics, hospitals, and medical transcription services. Classes are offered online. Opportunities to work from home are available with experience.
  • Health Unit Coordinator: The health unit coordinator courses can be completed in just two semesters. Health unit coordinators typically work in a hospital’s nursing unit. Their duties include maintaining patient records, scheduling tests for patients, ordering supplies, and acting as a liaison between the patient, medical staff, patient’s family, and visitors. Classes are offered in a combination of the traditional classroom and online.
  • Medical Scribe: The medical scribe series of courses can be completed in just one or two semesters. Medical scribes work alongside physicians and document patient care as it happens. All classes are online.

For more information about these options, contact Linda Marsh at (865) 481-2012 or marshls@roanestate.edu. Spring classes begin January 20.

Roane State Foundation High Tea to raise funds for student scholarships

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Linda Brown and Cindy Whaley Plan High Tea

From left, Linda Brown and Cindy Whaley work on planning the Roane State Foundation’s Upstairs/Downstairs High Tea, an event inspired by the PBS hit “Downton Abbey.” (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

More tea, Lord Crawley?

If you enjoy the PBS hit “Downton Abbey,” then take a moment to experience a taste of manor life at the Roane State Community College Foundation’s Upstairs/Downstairs High Tea.

The High Tea will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, at the Whitestone Country Inn in Kingston.

Tickets are $50 for individuals and $75 for couples, and they will go on sale Monday, January 5. Table sponsorships are available. Proceeds will be used for student scholarships. [Read more…]

Roane State educators complete record-breaking 73-day underwater stay

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Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain Surface

Roane State professors Jessica Fain and Bruce Cantrell enjoy their first moments of sunlight after living underwater for 73 days. (Photos by Roane State Community College) 

 

KEY LARGO, Florida—After a record-breaking 73 days living underwater, two local college professors surfaced Monday and enjoyed the feel of sunlight for the first time in more than two months.

They also celebrated the end of their mission to educate the public about ocean conservation, to inspire young people’s interest in science, and to make history.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee spent the fall living and working in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, an underwater habitat on Key Largo in Florida. Their underwater stay lasted 73 days, two hours, and 34 minutes, breaking the world record for longest time spent living underwater.

The two educators submerged October 3 at 12:08 p.m. EDT and surfaced on Monday, December 15, at 1:42 p.m. EST.

“There is a sun,” Cantrell said with a laugh as he and Fain broke the surface of the water. [Read more…]

Final episode of ‘Classroom Under the Sea’ on Thursday

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Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain Diving

During the final episode of Classroom Under the Sea on Thursday, December 11, aquanauts Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain will put their experience in perspective. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

In their last “Classroom Under the Sea” episode before resurfacing, Roane State Community College professors Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain will reflect on their record-breaking 73-day underwater mission and discuss the future of ocean preservation.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 11. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Cantrell and Fain have lived and worked in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—since October 3. While living in the habitat, they have hosted “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo. [Read more…]

Honors: Roane State student’s GIS project earns recognition

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Joe Pyle Winning GIS Poster

Images courtesy of Roane State Community College

 

Roane State Community College student Joe Pyle enjoys working with his hands.

As a student in the college’s geographic information systems, or GIS, program, his raw material of choice is data, and his craftsmanship has received statewide recognition.

Pyle’s map predicting cell phone coverage along the Cumberland Trail won in the Best Analysis category at the East Tennessee Geographic Information Council Forum. Pyle’s map depicts the Cumberland Trail from Frozen Head State Park to LaFollette. The map is overlaid with markers predicting cell phone signal strength at points along the trail. [Read more…]