Oak Ridge Today

‘Cats host Atomic Play Day

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Powell and St. Mary's Volleyball

Powell #4 defensive specialist receives a hard hit ball from St. Mary’s. (Submitted photos)

 

The Oak Ridge High School VolleyCats hosted their 5th Annual Atomic Play Day earlier this month.

The Atomic Play Day is a play day for local middle school teams. Oak Ridge High School started a tradition of bringing local middle schools together to play in an all-day tournament format. The Atomic Play Day, which began in 2009, hosted eight teams.

This year, 21 middle school teams from Anderson, Knox, and Roane counties played lots of great volleyball in an all-day scrimmage, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber to host customer service workshop Oct. 9

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will host a customer service seminar led by Bill Drury on October 9 from 8:30 a.m.-noon at the chamber.

Entitled “A Passion For Service,” the seminar will focus on how to win customers and reduce lost sales, a press release said. A discount is available for chamber members.

From 1985 until 1990, Drury was the national training consultant for the Zig Ziglar Corporation. He speaks, trains, and travels extensively, and he has proven to be one of the most effective and entertaining speakers in the industry, the release said.

Subjects that Drury will cover include the following: [Read more…]

Roane State professor hopes to inspire girls through undersea classroom

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jessica Fain Diving

Jessica Fain emerges in the moon pool inside Jules’ Undersea Lodge, the location for Classroom Under the Sea. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

The National Science Board’s 2014 Science and Engineering Indicators report contains an all-too-familiar statistic.

Women account for only 28 percent of the workforce in science and engineering jobs. Elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities around the country have designed initiatives to boost that number.

Roane State adjunct professor Jessica Fain wants to do her part, and she’s willing to live underwater for 72 days to show that science is cool, for boys and for girls.

“I definitely see those social barriers for girls interested in science,” Fain said. “They don’t want to be labeled as the nerd. We still have this stigma of wanting to be the popular girl and not wanting to be the science geek. I want them to see that it is OK to be the smart, nerdy girl.”

Fain, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology and teaches biology labs for Roane State, will participate in Classroom Under the Sea, a joint project between Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation in Key Largo, Florida. Along with Roane State biology professor Bruce Cantrell, Fain will live and work in an underwater habitat for 72 days this fall (October 4-December 15). [Read more…]

Enrollment open for Exercise for Fitness classes

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is sponsoring Exercise for Fitness, an adult exercise program taught by Charlotte Hensley. The class meets at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

This class is for you if you are looking for a well-balanced program offering a variety of exercise routines, a press release said. The instructor incorporates the use of a variety of equipment including fitness balls, hand weights, steps, and hoops to provide a comprehensive workout for each participant. A modified workout can be provided for participants who have special physical needs or limitations.

“This is a great class for adults who have completed physical therapy following surgery and are ready for the next step,” the press release said. Participants should get clearance from their doctor before participating in any exercise class. [Read more…]

ORCMA Chorus kicks off 2014-15 season

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Chorus 2014

 

Seth Maples

Seth Maples

The ORCMA Chorus began the 2014-15 season with its first rehearsal on Monday, August 11, in the Oak Ridge High School Choir Room. The group practiced the Schubert “Mass No. 5,” a press release said.

Under the direction of Seth Maples, the chorus, along with orchestral accompaniment, will perform on November 1 in the Pellissippi State Auditorium.

Membership is open to all singers who are at least high school age and love the thrill of being a part of a community choral group. All skill levels, from beginning amateur to seasoned professional, are welcomed. Rehearsals are generally every Monday evening.

Annual dues are $25, which offsets the cost of renting music and covers operating expenses such as flowers and mailings. Members may also purchase music for personal use. Performance attire will be discussed during rehearsal periods. [Read more…]

Grief seminar offered at Grace Lutheran on Aug. 23

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Stephen Herbes

Stephen Herbes

Licensed Grief Counselor Stephen Herbes will offer a free grief seminar on Saturday, August 23, at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge.

The seminar, sponsored by the church’s Mental Health Team Ministry, will be held in the fellowship hall, beginning at 10:30 a.m. It’s open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend, a press release said.

Herbes will offer an overview of the grief process, including some common misunderstandings about grieving; what influences our responses to loss; some of the losses of middle and later life; six central needs of mourning; and ways to help a grieving person. [Read more…]

Register for ORICL courses and trips by Aug. 27; semester starts Sept. 22

Posted at
By 1 Comment

 

Decorative Barn ORICL

ORICL members visit this barn on the Appalachian Quilt Trail. (Submitted photos)

Submitted

How would you like to see 10 award-winning films from 10 countries? Find information on your ancestors on the Internet? Learn about female Pharaohs in ancient Egypt?

Better understand tax law changes, Medicare, long-term care services, and investment fundamentals? Get a new perspective on Jesus, the Trinity, and the Quakers? Learn to analyze dreams and play better bridge?

You can take courses on any of these and other topics by registering for the fall semester of the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, or ORICL.

The early registration deadline is Aug. 27 for the fall semester, which starts Sept. 22 and ends Dec. 12. Members should register by Aug. 27 to have the best chance of getting preferred classes and trips. [Read more…]

Venable brings humor to Aug. 25 meeting of Democratic Women’s Club

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Sam Venable

Sam Venable (Submitted photo)

Sam Venable, the Knoxville News Sentinel humor columnist, will bring his humor to the August 25 meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club.

Venable’s presentation is titled “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up—Truisms From Real Life.”

The club will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, August 25, in the Clinton Community Center Great Room at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton. Vernon’s Burnins will cater the event, serving the award-winning barbecue ribs dinner, at a cost of $18 per person. For reservations, e-mail Ann Mostoller at amostoller@msw-law.com or call Mary Matheny at (865) 483-8937 by August 22. [Read more…]

ThreeStar status awarded to 85 counties, including Anderson, Roane

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Bill Hagerty

Bill Hagerty

Submitted

93 out of 95 counties meet audit committee requirement

NASHVILLE—The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development on Thursday announced that 85 out of 95 counties, including Anderson and Roane, have been awarded ThreeStar status. In addition, since the ThreeStar community development program began requiring eligible communities to create and maintain a County Audit Committee in January 2013, the number of counties with Audit Committees has increased substantially. As of March 2013, there were 32 audit committees around the state; as of July 2014, there are 93.

“The ThreeStar program is a vital component to our state’s overall level of success, providing counties with a proven roadmap for continued economic and community strength, which in turn helps Tennessee win new investment and jobs,” Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty said. “Tennessee has been recognized as the number one state in the nation for economic development, and these audit committees support Governor Haslam’s overarching goal of making Tennessee the most efficiently run state on every level. I congratulate all of our ThreeStar counties and those communities who are taking the initiative to create Audit Committees and work toward achieving fiscal strength and efficient government.”

The Audit Committees are designed to help each county improve their financial management and reporting practices, and help ensure the implementation of good internal controls to prevent or detect fraud, a step towards achieving fiscal strength and efficient government. [Read more…]

‘Davy Crockett’ at ORHPA meeting on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Davy Crockett at David Hall Cabin

“Davy Crockett” at David Hall Cabin in Claxton. (Submitted photo)

Walk in the footsteps of Tennessee and American history

Lynn Fox, a living history exhibitor, will be the featured speaker at a Thursday night meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It’s a living history presentation, and all ages will enjoy it, a press release said. Artifacts of the frontier period will be on display.

ORHPA’s celebration of Davy Crockett comes on the same week as the Crockett Birthday event in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, August. More information on that event can be found on the East Tennessee Historical Society website.

The presentation on Thursday, August 14, starts at 7 p.m. at the Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. The meeting is open to the public, and it is especially designed to appeal to young children and adults alike.

“For more than 29 years, Lynn Fox has kept the spirit of Tennessee and America’s heroes alive,” the press release said. “He has walked their footsteps on the Overmountain Victory Trail, and re-enacted events in their lives through entertaining and educational living history programs. [Read more…]

Walmart, United Way, ADFAC team up to collect school supplies

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Walmart and United Way Fill the Bus

Pictured above, from left to right, are Brian Ferguson, First Student dispatcher; Maria Cacheiro; Marcus Cacheiro; Mateo Cacheiro; Diane Gibson, First Student location manager; Becky Hook, ADFAC school supply coordinator; Loraine Brown, Walmart front end zone manager; Liz Herbes, ADFAC social services program director; Annie Cacheiro, ADFAC executive director; and Rick Morrow, United Way of Anderson County executive director. (Photo courtesy ADFAC)

 

Submitted

“Fill The Bus,” an initiative led by Walmart and United Way of Anderson County Inc., helped provide much-needed school supplies to the ADFAC School Supplies Program. ADFAC (Aid To Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties Inc.) provides grade and school specific supplies to an expected 2,500 K-12 students throughout Anderson County. Walmart stores in Clinton and Oak Ridge participated as collection sites for donations.

During the week of July 26-August 4, at both entrances of the Walmart stores, customers were invited to donate school supplies. The concept was that, as customers were purchasing supplies for their own children or grandchildren, they could purchase a few extra for the ADFAC School Supplies Program.

During Tennessee’s sales tax holiday, August 1-3, Walmart in Oak Ridge invited First Student Inc.-Oak Ridge Schools to provide a “real” bus to be parked outside the store to help publicize and raise visibility for the campaign. First Student Inc.-Oak Ridge Schools also provided assistance in transporting the supplies from the donation boxes to the bus and to the storage facility. Several ADFAC staff and volunteers also assisted with the transferring of supplies. [Read more…]

ASM International elects ORNL researchers Paranthaman, Pint fellows

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Parans Paranthaman and Bruce Pint

From left are Parans Paranthaman and Bruce Pint. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

The professional society ASM International has elected two researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to the rank of fellow. A former ORNL researcher was also elected.

The materials engineering professional society cited Mariappan Parans Paranthaman “for the development of novel epitaxial buffer layers on textured templates, enabling high critical current density superconductor films, and for developing mesoporous architectures destined for high performance energy storage applications.”

Paranthaman, a distinguished researcher in the lab’s Chemical Sciences Division, has a joint faculty appointment with the University of Tennessee’s Bredesen Center in Knoxville as a professor. He is also a distinguished UT-Battelle inventor who has authored or co-authored more than 350 publications and has been awarded 28 U.S. patents. His awards include four R&D 100 Awards and three national and two regional Federal Laboratory Consortium awards for developing high performance second-generation superconducting wires for electric-power applications.

Bruce Pint, a researcher in the Materials Science and Technology Division, was cited for “groundbreaking contributions to the fundamental knowledge of high temperature oxidation mechanisms in alloys and coatings, and for contributions to heat resistant alloy design and development through the incorporation of minor elements to control and improve high temperature stability and overall oxidation resistance.” [Read more…]