Oak Ridge Today

Ken Tarcza joins ORAU as chief of staff

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Ken Tarcza

Ken Tarcza has joined Oak Ridge Associated Universities as chief of staff.

Tarcza comes to ORAU after an impressive military and federal career, a press release said.

A graduate of West Point, Tarcza spent his military career serving in numerous roles, including assistant professor of mechanical engineering at West Point; commander of the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Southern Europe office in Wiesbaden, Germany; and chief of staff for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

After retiring from the military in 2015, he went on to be a supervisory physical scientist for the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground before being named manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office and Office of Science Integrated Support Center/Consolidated Service Center in 2016. There, Tarcza and his organization helped enable more than $10 billion of annual program activity, the press release said. [Read more…]

Pint Night with Sam & Mary Ann Venable to benefit Front Page Foundation

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Mary Ann and Sam Venable

Sam and Mary Ann Venable will bring humor and conversation as celebrity guest bartenders at a Pint Night raising funds for journalism and communications scholarships on Thursday, April 13, at Scruffy City Hall.

The Venables will help the nonprofit Front Page Foundation raise money for scholarships from 5-8 p.m. April 13 at the bar and restaurant at 32 Market Square in Knoxville. Scott and Bernadette West, Scruffy City Hall’s owners, will donate a portion of drink proceeds to the Foundation, which hosts Pint Nights periodically with celebrity guest bartenders.

Sam Venable, columnist specializing in humor for the Knoxville News Sentinel, has written for the newspaper since 1970. A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he is the author of 14 books, most recently “The Joke’s on YOU! All I Did Was Empty My Files.” [Read more…]

Contract awarded for K-25 Viewing Platform

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Artist rendering of the exterior of the new Viewing Platform, which will be located next to the recently constructed K-25 History Center overlooking the footprint of the K-25 Building. (Artist renderings by Smee + Busby Architects)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded Geiger Brothers a $9.9 million contract to build the K-25 Viewing Platform at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge. The Viewing Platform will help commemorate what was once the world’s largest building and part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. The site enriched uranium for nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants through the Cold War.

The K-25 Viewing Platform will be next to the K-25 History Center, which opened about three years ago. It will give visitors a complete view of the former building’s massive 44-acre footprint.

While the K-25 History Center focuses on the men and women who built and operated the Oak Ridge Diffusion Plant during the Manhattan Project and Cold War, this facility will help visitors understand the scope and magnitude of the former K-25 Building, a press release said.

The U-shaped K-25 Building was a mile long. It was demolished in 2013.

Construction on the Viewing Platform is scheduled to begin in May 2023, and it is expected to be complete in late 2024, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Wade named associate lab director for fusion & fission

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Mickey Wade has been named associate laboratory director for the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, effective April 1, 2023. (Photo credit: ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy)

Mickey Wade has been named associate laboratory director for the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, effective April 1.

“To reach the nation’s clean energy goals, we must develop and deploy nuclear energy technologies,” interim ORNL Director Jeff Smith said in a press release. “Given his experience in industry and the national lab system, Mickey is the perfect choice to ensure ORNL is applying its leading expertise and capabilities to help the United States reach net zero.”

In his new role, Wade will oversee the directorate’s facilities, capabilities, and scientists and engineers who are tackling such challenges as extending operations of the current U.S. nuclear reactor fleet, investigating economical and flexible advanced reactor systems, and making fusion energy a viable power source, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Eight new members join DOE’s environmental advisory board

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The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB) welcomed eight new members during the board’s February monthly meeting in Oak Ridge. From left (front), Bonnie Shoemaker, Leon Shields, Michelle Lohmann, and Harriett McCurdy; from left (back), Tom Tuck, Mary Butler, Atilio Anzellotti, Christine Michaels, Noah Keebler, Mike Mark, Harold Conner, Jr., Rosario Gonzalez, Roger Petrie, Paul Dill, Melyssa Noe and Kristof Czartoryski. (Submitted photo)

The U.S. Department of Energy recently welcomed eight new members to its Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management citizen advisory board.

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board is a federally chartered citizens’ panel that provides independent recommendations to OREM, which is responsible for the cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation.

“ORSSAB is a core element of our outreach and engagement with the community,” said OREM Manager Jay Mullis. “We’re very grateful to have area residents who are willing to invest their time and energy to learn more about our work, share their perspectives, and provide recommendations. Their insight and feedback greatly benefit our cleanup program.”

All board members are volunteers from the region and have a variety of backgrounds.

[Read more…]

Schools publish number of open seats per school

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Oak Ridge Schools has published the number of open seats available in each grade at elementary and middle schools for students who are interested in cross-boundary and out-of-district tuition enrollment.

The number of open seats ranges from zero to eight, depending upon the school and grade. Numbers are subject to change based on new families moving into the district, according to Oak Ridge Schools.

The open enrollment numbers for the 2023-2024 school year are available on this school district website page: Enrollment Information for 2023-2024 – Oak Ridge Schools (ortn.edu).

[Read more…]

Austin Knight Foundation donates $5,000 to Roane State’s EMS program

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Pictured above from left to right are David Blevins, Roane State EMS Program Director; Ginny Cole Davis, WATE-TV’s Living East Tennessee (and a Roane State alum); Amanda and B.J. Hillard with son Finn; and Scott Niermann, Roane State Foundation Executive Director. (Submitted photo)

A foundation established by the parents of a former Roane State Community College student recently donated $5,000 in support of the community college’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program.

William “B.J.” Hillard and Amanda Hillard said they are honoring the memory of their son, Austin Logan Knight, through the Austin Knight Foundation. Austin was killed in a car crash in 2018, just a month after enrolling in Roane State’s EMT program.

Over the last five years, Austin’s parents have worked to incorporate their late son’s passions with their efforts in the community on behalf of the foundation, a press release said. As Roane State’s EMS program director David Blevins explained, this also provides them an opportunity to tell Austin’s story.

“Austin wanted to become an EMT to help others,” Blevins said. “He was committed to his goal of learning to save lives and understood what makes the profession so special, even at such a young age. Seeing his family find new ways to help others in his memory is truly inspiring.”

[Read more…]

Roane State to host Virtual FAFSA Workshop on March 24

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Roane State Community College’s Financial Aid team is inviting current and potential students to a Virtual FAFSA Completion Workshop on March 24.

During the sessions, students will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a financial aid expert to get their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filed accurately and timely, a press release said.

Meetings last approximately one hour, with students able to choose a time slot that works best for their schedule. Session start times are available between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., but they are expected to fill quickly, the press release said. Students must register at least 24 hours before the appointment time in order to reserve a spot.

[Read more…]

AMVETS to kick off 75th celebration with Janelle Arthur concert

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Janelle Arthur

AMVETS of Oak Ridge will celebrate its 75th anniversary in March, and the ceremonies will include a concert by American Idol Top 5 finalist Janelle Arthur of Oliver Springs.

The concert is Friday evening, March 10. The 75th Anniversary and Veterans Appreciation Celebration is Saturday, March 11, at 190 Adams Lane in Oak Ridge.

“To say thank you, veterans and active-duty service members will receive a free gift bag and can register to win other items including an American flag, local gift cards, and Post 2 merchandise during their 75th Anniversary and Veterans Appreciation Celebration,” a press release said.

AMVETS is an organization of veterans serving veterans, the press release said.

“Only a few organizations in Oak Ridge have stood the test of time to remain active for 75 years, which makes the celebration of the AMVETS 75th Anniversary a very special occasion,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

Olivia Blackmon joins ORAU

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Oak Ridge, Tenn. — Olivia Blackmon, Ph.D., has joined ORAU’s Research and University Partnerships Office as a senior research advisor.

Blackmon boasts an impressive background with more than 20 years of professional experience in partnership and business operations. Before coming to ORAU, she directed a $30 million United States Agency of International Development (USAID) program for DAI, Inc., to enable the digital transformation of the Western Balkans, Black Sea Region, and South Caucasus. Through her work with organizations such as MITRE, George Mason University, George Washington University, DevTech and Thurgood Marshall College Fund, she built and managed more than $130 million in programs with multiple federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, USAID, Health and Human Services, Department of Health Services and National Institute of Standards and Technology.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled that Olivia has joined our team,” said Ken Tobin, Chief Research and University Partnerships Officer. “Her educational and professional background is exemplary, and her experience will be a major asset to the RUPO team and ORAU.”

Blackmon speaks five languages and earned a doctoral degree from George Mason University in Sociology with a concentration in Education Policy, Applied Statistics and Mixed Methods in 2015. She has served as both a Fulbright Scholar and a Fellow at Harvard University in Education. In her new position at ORAU, she will establish, execute, and lead a strategic partnerships business plan, and will lead a new center focused on promoting and strengthening regional ecosystems for next generation talent.

ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org.

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Eby elected chair of state school board

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Bob Eby, left, has been elected chair of the Tennessee State Board of Education. Also pictured second from left are former chair Lillian Hartgrove, Vice Chair Darrell Cobbins, and Executive Director Sara Heyburn Morrison. (Photo courtesy Bob Eby/Tennessee State Board of Education)

Bob Eby, a former chair and vice chair of the Oak Ridge school board, has been elected chair of the Tennessee State Board of Education. He will serve a two-year term.

Eby was appointed to the state school board by former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam in April 2018. He was elected vice chair the following year. Eby represents Tennessee’s Third Congressional District, which includes Oak Ridge.

He will replace Lillian Hartgrove, who represents District 6, as chair of the 11-member board. Hartgrove has served as chair for five years.

[Read more…]

McNally has pacemaker surgery

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Randy McNally

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally reported on Friday that he had pacemaker surgery and it went smoothly.

McNally had said on his official Facebook page that, before the surgery, he had experienced the symptoms of an irregular heartbeat. He checked into Vanderbilt hospital.

“Tests indicate I will likely need a pacemaker to help regulate my cardiac issues,” McNally said before the surgery. “I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers. I hope to be back at work as soon as possible.”

[Read more…]