Oak Ridge Today

Lokitz named ORAU corporate secretary

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Rachel-Lokitz

Rachel Lokitz

Rachel Lokitz, ORAU associate general counsel, has been elected corporate secretary by the ORAU Board of Directors. Lokitz will perform these duties in a dual capacity while still maintaining her position as associate general counsel.

In her new role, Lokitz will play an integral role in ORAU’s corporate governance and provide counsel to the board and ORAU senior leadership on board roles, responsibilities, and other governance requirements, a press release said. Primarily, Lokitz will guide the board in discharging their fiduciary responsibility to ensure the business follows its corporate rules and will be responsible for recording the board’s actions.

In her role as associate general counsel, which she has held since 2010, Lokitz provides ORAU’s programs and internal business clients with counsel concerning legal rights, contractual obligations, compliance, and risk. Lokitz also serves as primary contact for development of corporate policies. [Read more…]

Some of nation’s most accomplished STEM teachers selected as Albert Einstein Educator Fellows

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Teachers representing 10 states, District of Columbia will apply classroom experience to congressional, federal executive branch offices

Thirteen accomplished K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, teachers from across the United States have been named 2016-2017 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows. The fellows will spend 11 months serving in a federal agency or U.S. congressional office in Washington, D.C., engaged in the national STEM education arena.

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Education Fellowship, or AEF, Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 STEM educators to apply their extensive classroom knowledge and experience to their host offices to inform federal STEM education efforts.

The 2016-17 Einstein Fellows are as follows: [Read more…]

ORAU wins award for procurement of ‘green’ electronics

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Cindy Snow (left), ORAU procurement manager, and Angela McConnell (right), ORAU contract specialist, were presented a 2016 EPEAT Sustainable Purchaser Award by Green Electronics Council CEO Nancy Gillis (center) during the organization’s recent awards ceremony. The award recognizes ORAU’s excellence in the procurement of green electronics. (Photo by ORAU)

Cindy Snow (left), ORAU procurement manager, and Angela McConnell (right), ORAU contract specialist, were presented a 2016 EPEAT Sustainable Purchaser Award by Green Electronics Council CEO Nancy Gillis (center) during the organization’s recent awards ceremony. The award recognizes ORAU’s excellence in the procurement of green electronics. (Photo by ORAU)

 

ORAU has won an award that recognizes excellence in the procurement of “green” electronics, or those electronics that have been manufactured to conserve energy, eliminate environmentally sensitive materials, and increase recyclability, a press release said.

ORAU won the EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) Sustainable Purchaser Award from the Green Electronics Council.

ORAU was among 10 corporations that received a three-star rating, the highest possible rating, indicating procurement of electronics in all three categories (personal computers and displays, imaging equipment, and televisions), the press release said.

The Green Electronics Council works with manufacturers, governments, trade associations, and environmental advocacy groups to evaluate and endorse environmentally responsible products. The EPEAT tool provides companies with a simplified way to purchase environmentally trustworthy electronics and to quantify their energy consumption reductions. [Read more…]

ORISE report shows nuclear engineering graduation rates rebounding in 2015 after brief decline

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Increases seen in undergraduate and master degrees, while number of doctorate degrees awarded declined

After briefly declining in 2014 following five straight years of continual increases, the number of college students graduating with majors in nuclear engineering has rebounded. This is according to an annual study conducted by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education which surveyed 35 U.S. universities with nuclear engineering programs. The report, titled “Nuclear Engineering Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2015 Data,” includes degrees granted between September 1, 2014, and August 31, 2015.

Overall number of nuclear engineering degrees increases

According to the report, 652 students received bachelor’s degrees with majors in nuclear engineering in 2015—a 4 percent increase over 2014 and just 0.5 percent lower than 2013. This is the second highest number of bachelor’s degrees reported since 1984; however, it remains 23 percent below the peak years in the 1970s.

The number of nuclear engineering master’s degrees awarded in 2015 increased by 13 percent over 2014 and is nearly identical to the number reported for 2013. The 363 master’s degrees awarded in 2015 are the highest since the 1980s. [Read more…]

TVC Summit to focus on entrepreneurism in five-state region

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Howard Baker at Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit in 1995

Former Tennessee Senator Howard Baker addresses the first Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit held in Oak Ridge in 1995. (Submitted photo)

 

The registration deadline is quickly approaching for the annual Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit, which will make its first visit to Cookeville on June 1-2. The Summit, themed “Where Entrepreneurs and Technology Meet,” will be held on the campus of Tennessee Tech University , and it is hosted by TTU President Phil Oldham in cooperation with Tennessee Congressman Diane Black.

Leaders from throughout the region will be at the event to focus attention on the vital role entrepreneurs provide in turning the brain power and technologies from the region’s universities and federal programs into new business start-ups and the expansion of existing businesses.

Main speakers scheduled for the event include: [Read more…]

Applications being accepted for Australia Endeavour Scholarships, Fellowships

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Study, research, or professional development opportunities available for appointments ranging from one month to four years

ORAU has partnered with the Australian government to seek U.S. and Canadian applicants for Australia’s Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships, an internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program that provides up to $272,500 Australian dollars for study, research, or professional development opportunities between Australia and the world. That’s about $204,000 U.S. dollars or roughly $260,000 Canadian.

Applicants may apply through 11:59 p.m. (Australian Eastern Standard Time) June 30, 2016, for the following opportunities: [Read more…]

ORISE building earns EPA’s Energy Star certification for energy efficiency

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From left to right are Director of Facilities and Transportation Department Chad Becker, Facilities Management Services Manager Eddy Whitson, and Sustainability Manager Kevin Fritts display the new EPA Energy Star certification for the ORISE Facilities and Transportation Department office in background behind them. (Photo by ORAU)

 

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education’s Facilities and Transportation Department office building, managed by ORAU, has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification, which signifies that the building, located off Bethel Valley Road in Oak Ridge, performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy-efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

“We are pleased to accept the EPA’s Energy Star certification in recognition of ORISE’s energy-efficiency efforts,” said ORISE Director and ORAU President Andy Page. “Through this achievement along with our corporate office building earning the first new, gold-level LEED-certified office building in Tennessee, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”

The EPA works with organizations to help them save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making their buildings more energy-efficient, a press release said. [Read more…]

ORAU receives $1.4 billion DOE contract to manage ORISE

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science has awarded a $1.4 billion contract to Oak Ridge Associated Universities to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

The initial contract term will be through September 30, 2020. The department recognizes superior performance through phased extensions beyond the initial term of the contract for up to a total of five more years, if the contractor meets performance criteria developed by DOE, a press release said.

ORISE supports DOE’s mission to advance scientific and technical workforce development and education and research programs by creating opportunities for collaboration through partnerships with DOE facilities, other federal agencies, the academic community, and industry, the press release said. Specifically, ORISE’s objectives are: [Read more…]

Photo: ORHS places third in DOE’s 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl

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Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above. From left to right they are Albert Xue, Ting Wang, Joseph Andress, Adithyan Sujithkumar, and Melissa Yuan. (Photo courtesy DOE)

 

Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above.

The 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl included 60 teams from across the state on Saturday, February 27, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus. As the third-place team, the ORHS team received a $500 prize.

Cedar Springs Homeschool of Knoxville finished first, received a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy, and will advance in an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., from April 28-May 2. Lausanne Collegiate School finished second, and won a $750 cash prize and trophy, and Brentwood High School finished fourth for a $250 cash prize and trophy. [Read more…]

Cedar Springs Homeschool wins DOE Tennessee Science Bowl

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Winning first place in the 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl is Cedar Springs Homeschool of Knoxville. Pictured left to right with their trophy are Lily Turaski, Josiah Boyle, Tara Conway, Tyler Fulghum, Wesleigh Wright, and Coach Dee Dee Turaski. (DOE photo courtesy Lynn Freeny)

 

Cedar Springs Homeschool advances to National Science Bowl 

Countless hours studying math and science paid off for some exceptionally bright students from Cedar Springs Homeschool. They were first-place winners in the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend.

Cedar Springs Homeschool competed against 58 other high school teams on Saturday, February 27, to place first in the annual competition. The schools edged out its competition by successfully answering challenging questions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, earth and space science, and energy.

Held at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus, the Tennessee Science Bowl is the nation’s third largest regional competition. The regional bowl prepares students to compete nationally with other exceptional students from schools across the country. As the first-place team, Cedar Springs Homeschool receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 28-May 2, as well as a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy. [Read more…]

ORAU: Crowe, Wash receive Advancing Professionals Awards

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Rebecca Crowe, left, and Allen Wash display their Advancing Professionals Awards from the National Contract Management Association. (Photo by ORAU)

 

ORAU employees Rebecca Crowe and Allen Wash were awarded the Advancing Professionals Awards from the National Contract Management Association, or NCMA, during its 34th Annual Government Contract Management Symposium, which was recently held in Washington, D.C.

The NCMA Advancing Professionals Award (formerly the NCMA Top Professionals Under 40 in Contract Management Award) is designed to provide peer recognition to the rising stars and top performers in the contract management profession under the age of 40, according to the NCMA website. Those who receive this distinction come from academia, government, and industry, a press release said.

As Procurement and Contracts section manager and small business advocate at ORAU, Crowe manages a team responsible for continuous improvement of seven critical procurement and contract systems that support operations of almost $400 million in contract actions (prime and sub) annually, terms and conditions research, reporting, and all small business outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORISE accepting grad, undergrad applications for Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship

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Women and minorities encouraged to apply; deadline is Dec. 21, 2015

ORISE is currently accepting applications for the 2016 Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship Program, or MLEF, which is a 10-week summer program for students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math.

The MLEF Program provides students who are U.S. citizens with the opportunity to gain and develop research skills by training under the mentorship of program officials and scientists within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy. This program is open to currently enrolled full-time degree-seeking students in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) program at an accredited college or university at the bachelor’s (sophomore or higher), master’s, or doctoral level with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Participants will support Office of Fossil Energy mission-related research while gaining insight into how DOE is working to meet the energy challenges of the future. Although all eligible candidates are encouraged to apply, the goal of the program is to improve the opportunities for women and minority students in the STEM fields.

The summer program may place students at one of several possible sites, including: [Read more…]