Oak Ridge Today

Roane State’s Lab-in-a-Box program hits major milestone

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Brothers Henry Kitts, left, and William Kitts help educators Britini Carter, left, and Nicole Hood as they assemble a robotics kit that’s part of the Lab-in-a-Box program administered by Roane State Community College. (Submitted photo)

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Students were teaching the teachers to assemble complex robots as the Lab-in-a-Box program developed by Roane State Community College reached a major landmark.

The occasion was the latest session of showing teachers from rural middle schools how to include the innovative kits to instruct their students in scientific principles of friction, fossils, and robotics.

“The more hands-on lessons students have, the more they can grasp the concept,” Rockwood Middle School teacher Bernard McMahon said.

The Lab-in-a-Box program evolved from an initiative 11 years ago by the East Tennessee Economic Council to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in rural schools.

Roane State has been deeply involved in the program from its start. Faculty members developed the three kits, and each summer they introduce the components – contained in large plastic boxes – to area teachers.

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Vaccine clinic in Oak Ridge

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The Atomic Lodge 1301 and the Roberta Bohanon Temple 1381 in conjunction with New Direction Health Solutions will be hosting a vaccine clinic on Saturday, September 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the lodge hall on Wilberforce Avenue.

The clinic will also provide booster shots for those who would like to receive one.

The vaccine clinic is being offered at the same time that the 85 students who integrated Oak Ridge schools in 1955 are being honored in events. Those “Rooted in the Community” reunion events have been organized by the Scarboro Community Alumni Association. They are scheduled from Thursday, September 2, to Sunday, September 5.

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Oak Ridge Community Band has Labor Day concert

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The photo taken by Bill Dodge shows the clarinet section of the Oak Ridge Community Band at the July 4 concert. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

Labor Day is often considered the unofficial end of summer, and what better way to celebrate the beginning of fall as well as the holiday weekend than to go to Alvin K. Bissell Park on Monday evening and enjoy great musical entertainment in a casual and fun atmosphere.

The evening will feature a concert by the Oak Ridge Community Band, directed by band conductor Shaun Salem. The concert is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Monday, September 6. It is a free family-friendly event. Organizers recommend you bring lawn chairs or blankets for outdoor seating. Ice cream will be available for sale.

The Community Band will play a variety of music genres including familiar patriotic marches, novelty pieces, classical, and the all-time crowd pleaser, which is so special for Tennessee Vol fans, “Rocky Top,” the press release said. Among the compositions on the September 6 program will be Robert Smith’s “American Flourish,” John Philip Sousa’s “The Thunderer,” the very fast-paced novelty piece Warren Barker’s “A Galop to End All Galops,” and James L. Hosay’s “Black Granite,” which was written to commemorate the men and women who gave their lives in the Vietnam War, the press release said. [Read more…]

Scarboro-Oak Ridge 85 honored in events this week

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The 85 students who integrated Oak Ridge schools in 1955 are being honored in events this week.

The “Rooted in the Community” reunion events have been organized by the Scarboro Community Alumni Association. They are scheduled from Thursday, September 2, to Sunday, September 5.

“The event honors those Scarboro-Oak Ridge TN 85 students who integrated the schools as well as the Scarboro teachers,” said John Spratling in a recent interview. Spratling is the vice president of the organization and the Scarboro endowment fund established to honor the teachers and students by supporting enrichment programs such as ACT Prep Testing, leadership training, scholarships, and youth community service projects, a press release said.

“In 1955, 85 courageous young African American students from the Scarboro community were asked to be the first to enter all-white Robertsville junior and Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee,” the press release said. “The reunion honors those 85 students and the Scarboro School teachers that provided inspiration and tools to prepare them for this new journey.”

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Governor appoints Spitzer as Circuit Court judge

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Ryan Spitzer
Ryan Spitzer (File photo)

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has appointed Ryan Spitzer to serve as Circuit Court judge for the Seventh Judicial District to fill the seat left vacant when former judge Don Elledge retired at the end of June.

Spitzer’s appointment is effective immediately, the governor said in an announcement Monday.

“Ryan is a dedicated public servant with an extensive background in criminal prosecution,” Lee said in his announcement. “I am proud to announce his appointment and confident he will serve Tennessee with integrity.”

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Hospitals urge vaccinations as COVID hospitalizations, infections rise

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Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted file photo)

Hospitals and health care networks in East Tennessee on Wednesday urged those who are eligible to get vaccinated as COVID-19 infections rise and hospitalizations reach and pass winter peak levels. They also encouraged people to wear face masks and maintain physical distances when possible.

“The past 18 months have been difficult for everyone in many ways, and the surge in COVID-19 infections over the past months has been exceptionally challenging,” the hospitals and health care networks said in a joint statement. “We have seen a sharp rise in delta variant-related infections, and community hospitalizations have exceeded the COVID-related census we witnessed in January 2021.”

The statement was from Blount Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health (which includes Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge), East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Sweetwater Hospital Association, Tennova Healthcare, and University of Tennessee Medical Center.

The statement recognized that people are eager to move on from the coronavirus pandemic, and it said vaccinations will help.

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“How Big Bang created matter” is FORNL topic on Sept. 14

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Vince Cianciolo, a physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will speak on Tuesday, Sept. 14, to Friends of ORNL on “How Did the Big Bang Create Matter?” It is thought that a precise measurement of the shape of the neutron, the neutral particle in the atom’s nucleus, might unravel the mystery of why matter exists in the universe.
The FORNL lecture is open to the public. To view the virtual lecture, click on the talk title on the homepage of the www.fornl.org website and click on the Zoom link at the top of the page describing the lecture.
Determining the shape of the neutron with unprecedented precision is the goal of the nEDM@SNS experiment, under construction at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at ORNL. The “nEDM” in the experiment’s name stands for the electron dipole moment of the neutron.
“Is the neutron round?” Cianciolo asked. “If not, so what?” He explained that in his talk, “I will provide a high-level overview of why the existence of matter is an ongoing mystery and the relationship of this mystery to the shape of the neutron. I will also describe an experiment, under development at the SNS, that aims to improve the neutron EDM measurement precision by nearly two orders of magnitude” (i.e., ~100 times).
He provided this background information.
“Matter should not exist – according to the laws of physics as we currently understand them – empirical evidence very much to the contrary. The secret to understanding this paradox may be revealed by high-precision measurements of the neutron’s shape, quantified by its electric dipole moment.
“Steadily improving measurements of the neutron’s EDM have been made over the last 70 years. For decades, world-record neutron EDM measurements were carried out at ORNL, thanks to our powerful neutron sources. The SNS provides an opportunity to reclaim that record and perhaps prove that the neutron is not round and explain why matter exists.”
Born and raised in the Detroit suburbs, Cianciolo earned a B.S. degree in physics from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Employed by the ORNL Physics Division since 1997, he initially performed innovative work for the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a Department of Energy national lab like ORNL. As a result of his work there, he received the Lockheed Martin Technical Achievement Award in 1999 and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2001.
“Since 2009 my work has focused on the development of an experiment to measure the neutron’s electric dipole moment at the Spallation Neutron Source,” he said. “The goal of the experiment is to determine the degree to which the neutron’s charge distribution is not perfectly round, a measurement that may be curiously related to the unknown reason why matter exists in the universe.”
CUTLINES
Vince Cianciolo

The nEDM@SNS experiment, under construction at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source, will measure the neutron’s shape with unprecedented precision, possibly helping to unravel the mystery of why matter exists in the universe.

ORNL will require COVID-19 vaccinations

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The main entrance at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will require all staff members to have a current COVID-19 vaccination by October 15, and new employees will be required to provide proof that they have been vaccinated.

UT-Battelle LLC, which manages the laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, decided to require vaccinations after the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, August 23.

The main entrance at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy ORNL)


  Oak Ridge National Laboratory will require all staff members to have a current COVID-19 vaccination by October 15, and new employees will be required to provide proof that they have been vaccinated.

UT-Battelle LLC, which manages the laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, decided to require vaccinations after the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, August 23.

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Innovators Gallery Ribbon Cutting

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Cutline: The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Grand Opening of the Everything in Motion exhibit in the Innovators Gallery at the American Museum of Science and Energy on Friday, August 27. The exhibit is sponsored by RDI Technologies.

Obituary: Laura Ann Jernigan

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Laura Ann Jernigan, age 73, passed away peacefully August 2, 2021. She was originally from Pennsylvania but has called East Tennessee home for more than 35 years. Her late husband Richard Jernigan III introduced her to the area; it was love at first sight.

Laura spent more than a decade working at the Emory Valley Center in Oak Ridge. She started working directly one-on-one with clients, and by the time she left, she was responsible for managing 10 houses. She played an integral part in forming, building, and participating in the Direct Support Professionals Association of East Tennessee, D-SPAT for short.

She also spent a decade with the Salvation Army helping to support and build on their mission. During the times she wasn’t employed, she was caring for others.

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Chicken Salad Chick Ribbon Cutting

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at Chicken Salad Chick on Tuesday, August 24 to celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening. Chicken Salad Chick is located at 1281 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Roane State graduate looks forward to career in journalism

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Kaleigh Jenkins

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

From the start, Kaleigh Jenkins knew Roane State Community College was right for her. After all, both parents attended Roane State and strongly encouraged her to consider the nearby community college.

“I thought going to a four-year school was not the right step for me,” the 20-year-old said.

So after graduating from Harriman High School, Jenkins enrolled at Roane State and hasn’t looked back. She graduated this summer and is looking forward to her future, which she hopes involves journalism.

She received an associate degree in mass communications and is enrolled this fall at University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she’ll be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communications.

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