Oak Ridge Today

Three-part fiction writing workshop with award-winning Roane State professor starts Friday

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Elizabeth Genovise

Elizabeth Genovise

 

Have you ever felt the urge to write, but stopped yourself because you were not sure how to start?

You can learn how to create, write, and publish a story through a special three-part workshop offered by Roane State Community College assistant English professor and award-winning writer Elizabeth Genovise.

Genovise will teach the workshop—Fiction Writing 101—in September at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue. The sessions will be held on Fridays—September 7, September 14, and September 21—from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The cost is $89 for all three sessions. The workshop is open to anyone.

“I’ve always wanted to have a community workshop to help writers of any experience level express their ideas,” Genovise said. “If you can dream, you can write fiction and experience the joy of creating a story. I am very excited about this workshop.” [Read more…]

Grant to fund scholarships for high school students to take mechatronics at Roane State

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Roane State Community College has been awarded a $250,000 grant that will fund scholarships for high school students to complete Roane State mechatronics courses.

The scholarships will pay for tuition, all fees, all books, all supplies, a specialized mechatronics toolkit, and transportation costs, a press release said. Approximately 30 students will be selected for the scholarships, which will be awarded beginning with the fall 2018 semester for the 2018-19 academic year. The grant was awarded by the Community College System of Tennessee.

Roane State offers a one-year certificate and two-year associate degree in mechatronics, and courses are offered at the college’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton. Mechatronics students learn how to troubleshoot and repair modern automated production equipment, and elective classes include robotics, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State offers training to become a chemical operator

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Photo courtesy Roane State Community College

Photo courtesy Roane State Community College

 

Submitted

A new Roane State curriculum that trains people to become chemical operators will begin in the fall semester, said Markus Pomper, dean of the college’s Division of Mathematics and Sciences.

A chemical operator monitors, controls, and troubleshoots automated chemical processes. The work environment can range from processing uranium at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge to making bulk food products, such as high-fructose corn syrup.

The operator monitors data and remotely adjusts controls as needed to ensure chemical processes operate properly. If equipment breaks down, the operator also maintains and repairs valves, pumps, regulators, and sensors. [Read more…]

Golf tournament raises funds for new Roane State golf teams

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From left to right are Roane State alumni who were members of the original golf team at the community college: Chris Griffin, Eddie Evans, Bobby Tipton (in back), Tom Flynn, former Roane State Golf Coach Eddie Liskovec, Mike Emery, John Thomas, Mike Fuller, and Randy Button. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

From left to right are Roane State alumni who were members of the original golf team at the community college: Chris Griffin, Eddie Evans, Bobby Tipton (in back), Tom Flynn, former Roane State Golf Coach Eddie Liskovec, Mike Emery, John Thomas, Mike Fuller, and Randy Button. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

A recent golf tournament at Oak Ridge Country Club raised funds to support a revived men’s golf team at Roane State Community College along with the startup of a women’s squad.

Proceeds from this year’s tournament will help in the purchase of equipment and supplies for the teams, and plans are in the works for future tournaments to support the teams, said Coach Chris Griffin, who is spearheading the effort.

Griffin and a special committee of staff and alumni, in partnership with the Roane State Foundation, organized the tournament, which also included a silent auction of items, events, and trips.

Contributions were received by the Roane State Foundation to support the effort, said Scott Niermann, executive director. The foundation is a not-for-profit entity that provides financial support for the college’s students and programs. [Read more…]

Tucker to be honored, money raised for journalism education at Front Page Follies

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Anne McKinney, left, Myranda McGhee, Sharon Lord, and Adina Chumley rehearse for the 40th anniversary Front Page Follies on June 14, 2018, at the Bijou Theatre. (Submitted photo)

Anne McKinney, left, Myranda McGhee, Sharon Lord, and Adina Chumley rehearse for the 40th anniversary Front Page Follies on June 14, 2018, at the Bijou Theatre. (Submitted photo)

 

Maurice Hendricks, a baritone with the Knoxville Opera and the Marble City Opera, will solo the reprise of “Let My People Golf” in the 40th annual Front Page Follies, which roasts state and local newsmakers, on June 14 at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville. The cast of local media folks and friends is ready to present the musical revue of the year’s news and newsmakers, a press release said.

Front Page Follies offers an evening of laughs as the Front Page Foundation, host of the show, raises funds for journalism and broadcast scholarships and media education programs for students. Lori Tucker, WATE-TV news anchor, will be the honoree at this year’s Follies.

Regarding his role in the performance next week, Hendricks said: “I got an email from a friend saying they were looking for someone to sing this song. I like being involved in all-around fun craziness as an artist, meeting and singing with new people, and networking. So I said, ‘yes, let’s do it!’”

Hendricks has won the Encouraging Award in national auditions for the New York Metropolitan Opera.

The song, “Let My People Golf,” skewers the attitudes that prevented then-University of Tennessee basketball coach Wade Huston, an African-American hired in 1989, from joining a local country club. “It’s interesting to see that situation was only in 1989, not in the ‘60s,” Hendricks said. “We’ve come a long way but still have a long way to go.” [Read more…]

Roane State graduation set for May 4-5

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Mike Krause

Mike Krause

 

Roane State Community College will hold commencement ceremonies on May 4-5.

The ceremonies, to be held in the gym on the Roane County campus in Harriman, will be equal in presentation. [Read more…]

Reception for Roane State Student Art Show is Thursday

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Roane State Community College will host a reception on Thursday, April 25, 2018, as part of its annual Student Art Show in the O’Brien Art Gallery on the Roane County campus. (Submitted photo)

Roane State Community College will host a reception on Thursday, April 25, 2018, as part of its annual Student Art Show in the O’Brien Art Gallery on the Roane County campus. (Submitted photo)

 

Roane State Community College will host a reception on Thursday as part of its annual Student Art Show in the O’Brien Art Gallery on the Roane County campus, 276 Patton Lane in Harriman.

The reception and awards ceremony is Thursday, April 26, at 12:30 p.m. in the art gallery. The public is invited, a press release said.

This annual event (April 19-26) is open to all Roane State student artists and is an opportunity for students to hone their skills and gain exhibition experience. This year’s juror is Marc Dombrosky.

For more information, contact Stacy Jacobs at [email protected] or (865) 354-3000, extension 4311; or Bryan Wilkerson at [email protected], or (865) 354-3000, extension 4748.

This press release was submitted by Owen Driskill.

Tuition-free college for adults is here: Get Reconnect Ready at Roane State May 1

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Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus is a great place for adult students to reconnect with their education, a press release said.

And the timing has never been better. Beginning this fall, the Tennessee Reconnect grant will provide eligible adults with the opportunity to attend Roane State tuition-free.

To learn more about Reconnect, come to Roane State’s free Reconnect Ready event at the Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Avenue, on Tuesday, May 1, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. [Read more…]

‘Jazz & the Civil Rights Movement’ on Thursday

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Master Flautist Galen of Flute Juice Productions will present “Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement” at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The lecture, which will include musical interludes, is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the City Room of the Coffey/McNally building (A-111). It is free and open to the public.

The lecture is co-sponsored by RSCC’s International Education Department and their Arts and Lectures Committee, and Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning. [Read more…]

David Haskell, author of ‘Songs of Trees,’ to speak at UT Arboretum tonight

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David Haskell

David Haskell

 

Author David Haskell will speak about his new book, “The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors,” in Oak Ridge tonight (Tuesday, April 24).

Haskell, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for an earlier book, will be at the University of Tennessee Arboretum Auditorium from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday. The Arboretum is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The event is co-sponsored by Strata-G LLC, the UT Arboretum Society, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, an Oak Ridge-based environmental advocacy organization that offers informative programs and news about environmental issues affecting Tennesseans, a press release said.

Haskell, a British-born American biologist, is an author and professor of biology at Sewanee: The University of the South. Copies of his new book and “The Forest Unseen” will be available for sale at the event from Union Avenue Books, the press release said. He will be signing books purchased at the event before and after his talk. [Read more…]

Democrats to discuss national debt Monday

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Economics educator Millicent Taylor will discuss the impact of the national debt with Democrats in Clinton on Monday.

Taylor will be at the Monday, April 23, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club, a press release said. The club will host a pot luck dinner at 6 p.m. in the Club Room of the Clinton Community Center, which is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

“Our Deficit, Our National Debt and the Consequences for All of Us” is the title of the talk by Taylor, an adjunct instructor at Pellissippi State Community College. She will discuss how the federal budget differs from the national debt, and how a high national debt threatens the economy and government, the press release said. [Read more…]

Small businesses invited to learn how to work with NASA

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Small businesses have many opportunities to support NASA’s space flight mission—such as the Space Launch System that will be used for deep space exploration and new missions to the moon—and additional NASA projects. Learn more at the June 19 NASA networking conference “Think Big: Learn How To Do Business with NASA” at Roane State’s W.H. Swain Scott County Center in Huntsville, Tenn. (Artist’s concept courtesy of NASA).

Small businesses have many opportunities to support NASA’s space flight mission—such as the Space Launch System that will be used for deep space exploration and new missions to the moon—and additional NASA projects. Learn more at the June 19 NASA networking conference “Think Big: Learn How To Do Business with NASA” at Roane State’s W.H. Swain Scott County Center in Huntsville, Tenn. (Artist’s concept courtesy of NASA).

 

Small businesses are invited to a conference in June that will offer information on how to do business with NASA.

It’s an all-day networking conference titled “Think Big: Learn How To Do Business with NASA.” It’s scheduled for Tuesday, June 19, at Roane State’s W.H. Swain Scott County Center, which is at 410 W.H. Swain Boulevard in Huntsville. It was organized by U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, and Congressman Hal Rogers, a Kentucky Republican.

At the conference, small businesses can meet with NASA officials and representatives from NASA prime contractors, a press release said. Conference participants will learn about various small business opportunities provided by NASA.

“NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is just four hours from Huntsville, Tennessee,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said in the press release. “Opportunities with NASA are abundant for businesses of all shapes and sizes in this region. We want to raise awareness that big agencies such as NASA want and need services from small businesses. A business from a small community in a rural county can think big because NASA may be interested in your products.” [Read more…]