Oak Ridge Today

ORISE accepting applications for Homeland Security summer research for minority serving institutions

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Chemistry student Kayla Bailey, right, and Associate Professor Matthewos Eshete spent their summer at Kansas State University in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Summer Research Team (SRT) Program. They studied biodegradable nanoparticles’ interactions with proteins in the body to help design more effective vaccines and drug delivery systems, among other applications. (Photo courtesy ORISE/ORAU)

Chemistry student Kayla Bailey, right, and Associate Professor Matthewos Eshete spent their summer at Kansas State University in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Summer Research Team (SRT) Program. They studied biodegradable nanoparticles’ interactions with proteins in the body to help design more effective vaccines and drug delivery systems, among other applications. (Photo courtesy ORISE/ORAU)

 

ORISE is currently accepting applications for the 2018 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, a press release said.

The purpose of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Summer Research Team (SRT) Program is to increase and enhance the scientific leadership at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in research areas that support the mission and goals of DHS, the press release said. The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) administers this program through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ORISE is managed by ORAU for DOE.

This program provides faculty and student research teams with the opportunity to conduct research at university-based DHS Centers of Excellence (DHS Centers), the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State campuses closed Dec. 16-Jan.1 for holidays

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Roane State Community College campuses will be closed Saturday, December 16, through Monday, January 1, for the holidays.

The college will reopen Tuesday, January 2, and spring classes will begin on Tuesday, January 16, a press release said.

Registration and other self-service options are available through the Roane State website at www.roanestate.edu.

For more information, visit www.roanestate.edu or call 1-866-GO2-RSCC (1-866-462-7722).

UT Arboretum Society has New Year’s Walk on Jan. 1

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society has its Fourth Annual New Year's Walk at the UT Arboretum at 901 S. Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (Photo by UT Arboretum Society)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society has its Fourth Annual New Year’s Walk at the UT Arboretum at 901 S. Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (Photo by UT Arboretum Society)

 

If you are overloaded on football, food, and festivities, the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society is offering a great alternative: The Fourth Annual New Year’s Walk at the UT Arboretum on Monday, January 1, 2018.

The arboretum is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

“Start out the year on the ‘right foot’ by joining the walk that begins at 9:30 a.m. at the UT Arboretum Auditorium, where you will be greeted by fellow hikers and offered coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks,” a press release said. “At 10 a.m. the group will leave for a guided walk that will last about 45 minutes. The hike will follow a forest trail and will visit the Elmore Holly Collection, giving participants the opportunity to see the hollies still covered with berries.

“This is an easy walk on the trails and is suitable for all ages. The Arboretum Society encourages everyone to come out to enjoy an outdoor respite before heading home to watch the bowl games on TV.”

This is a free program offered by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society. [Read more…]

UT executive David Millhorn, a UT-ORNL leader, died Monday at 72

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David Millhorn

David Millhorn

 

KNOXVILLE—David Millhorn, University of Tennessee senior vice president emeritus and national laboratory relations advisor, died on Monday in Knoxville. Millhorn, who joined UT System Administration in 2005 as vice president for research and economic development, was 72.

In July, Millhorn transitioned to his most recent role with the university after having served as UT senior vice president and vice president for research, outreach, and economic development since 2016 and president of the UT Research Foundation since January 2014.

Two years after Millhorn’s service as a member of the UT president’s staff began in 2005, he took on the additional role of UT executive vice president and served in both that capacity and as vice president for research until 2016, a press release said.

Millhorn oversaw multiple, unprecedented achievements for the university’s research enterprise, the press release said. Among those, UT’s contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory—in partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute of Ohio—earned two five-year extensions, in 2010 and 2015, without having to re-compete. [Read more…]

Roane State Winter Concert is Saturday at O’Brien Theatre

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Roane State Winter Concert Dec 9 2017

It’s a longstanding tradition at Roane State and a great way to celebrate the holiday season.

The annual Winter Concert featuring all of the college’s music department ensembles will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 9, in the O’Brien Theatre on the Harriman campus, and everyone is invited, said a press release from Roane State Community College.

“All donations collected at the door will help support the Roane State music programs, including our 2018 summer choir tour to Italy,” music department professor Brenda Luggie said.

“This is one of our main on-campus concerts for the season,” she said.

Featured will be the Celebration Singers, Concert Choir, Jazz Band, Stage Band, and Bluegrass Band. [Read more…]

Roane State to add men’s and women’s golf teams for fall 2018

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Chris Griffin, who was a member of the Roane State golf team when he was a student in the late 1970s, has volunteered to coach a revived squad, which he intends to compete in collegiate tournaments beginning in the fall of 2018. (Photo by Roane State)

Chris Griffin, who was a member of the Roane State golf team when he was a student in the late 1970s, has volunteered to coach a revived squad, which he intends to compete in collegiate tournaments beginning in the fall of 2018. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

A Roane State alumnus with fond memories of his days on the college’s golf team wants to make those experiences available to current students as well as those who enroll at Roane State in the future.

Chris Griffin of Oak Ridge has volunteered to be the coach of a revived men’s golf squad and to also launch the college’s first-ever team of women golfers.

Current high school golfers and Roane State freshmen will be invited to try out for the squads—composed of between five and seven members each—and Griffin said plans are for competition tourneys to begin in the fall of 2018. [Read more…]

Roane County Lighting of the Tree on Monday, Nov. 20

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It’s a holiday event for all of Roane County—and the surrounding area.

The first of what’s expected to become an annual celebration—Roane County Lighting of the Tree—will be held Monday, November 20, on the front lawn of Roane State Community College’s main campus, 276 Patton Lane.

The college is a central location in Roane County. “It’s an institution, not just of higher learning, but of our community,” said Roane State Alumni Relations Director Tamsin Miller.

There will be a large variety of holiday music, games and activities for children, and refreshments. It’s Roane County’s take on the famous tree lighting ceremony in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, Miller said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge city manager honored with Lifetime Achievement Award from University of Kansas

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Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kansas University City Managers and Trainees Alumni Organization (KUCIMAT) on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, during a banquet at the International City/County Management Association Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kansas University City Managers and Trainees Alumni Organization (KUCIMAT) on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, during a banquet at the International City/County Management Association Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kansas University City Managers and Trainees Alumni Organization (KUCIMAT) on Sunday, October 22, during a banquet at the International City/County Management Association Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas, a press release said.

The KU Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have, through cumulative career achievements and successes, furthered the purpose of the KUCIMAT organization, the press release said. As stated in his nomination for the award, written by his son Kevin Watson, “Mark’s passion for local government combined with his strong leadership and commitment to mentoring the next generation of managers made him an ideal candidate.”

Speaking about the award, Watson said: “I was deeply surprised and honored that my fellow city managers from across the nation and United Kingdom had recognized me for my work. Members of my family, a number of friends, and many of my past interns, who are now practicing city managers, were there honoring me with their attendance.”

Watson is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration in city management, the press release said. Watson was selected as city manager of Oak Ridge in August 2010 after a 30-year career in local government. He is a second-generation city manager and has served in that capacity since 1981, the press release said. Before arriving in Oak Ridge, Watson served as city manager to six cities in Texas, Montana, and Arizona. [Read more…]

Roane State Oak Ridge Library Learning Center to host ‘Long Night Against Procrastination’

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Decked out in seasonal costumes to promote the upcoming “Long Night Against Procrastination” event on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, on Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus are, from left, Becca Decker, librarian; Learning Center Specialist Robin Leib, kneeling; and Library Assistant III Christi Moss. (Photo by Roane State)

Decked out in seasonal costumes to promote the upcoming “Long Night Against Procrastination” event on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, on Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus are, from left, Becca Decker, librarian; Learning Center Specialist Robin Leib, kneeling; and Library Assistant III Christi Moss. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

If you delay doing this, you will miss out.

It’s the first-ever “Long Night Against Procrastination” from 5 until 11 p.m. on Thursday, November 16, in the atrium of the Coffey-McNally Building on Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus.er

“We’re excited about it, and we’re a little nervous about getting it all together,” said Becca Decker, Oak Ridge campus librarian.

The event, patterned after an international movement that started in 2010 in Germany, is being organized by the library and the Learning Center in Oak Ridge.

It’s intended to help students with their studies during the week before Thanksgiving “so they can enjoy their holiday break,” Decker said. [Read more…]

See ‘The Odd Couple’ (female version) at Roane State’s Roane County campus

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Roane State Playmakers Shelby Stout as Olive Madison, back, and Courtney Briley as Florence Unger, front, rehearse for upcoming performances of 'The Odd Couple,' Nov. 10-12 and Nov. 17-19, 2017, at the college’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Playmakers Shelby Stout as Olive Madison, back, and Courtney Briley as Florence Unger, front, rehearse for upcoming performances of ‘The Odd Couple,’ Nov. 10-12 and Nov. 17-19, 2017, at the college’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s an update of a classic comedy about a slob and a neat freak living together in disharmony, but this time the characters are female.

It’s Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple (Female Version),” and the curtain went up on the Roane State Community College Playmakers’ adaptation on Friday, November 10, for a two-week run in the O’Brien Theatre on the college’s main campus in Harriman.

“I’ve been wanting to do a Neil Simon play for a while,” said Jonathan Chemay, Roane State theatre technician, who’s directed three other recent Playmakers productions. “I think (Simon) was a comedic genius.”

Simon’s update of his contemporary classic, about slovenly Oscar Madison and obsessive Felix Unger, was rewritten by the playwright two decades after his original version premiered.

The original Odd Couple featured Felix and Oscar hosting a poker game with four guys as guests. In the female version, Florence and Olive have a get-together with four girlfriends for a night of “Trivial Pursuit.” [Read more…]

Roane State Shooting Sports Team places first at nationals

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Coaches and athletes with Roane State’s national champion Shooting Sports Team are, from left, Assistant Coach James Wattenbarger, Head Coach Kenneth Carey, Ty McCaskey, Nathan Wattenbarger, Andy Carey, Codey Dean, Assistant Coach Kevin Hembree, and Nathan Hembree. (Photo by Roane State)

Coaches and athletes with Roane State’s national champion Shooting Sports Team are, from left, Assistant Coach James Wattenbarger, Head Coach Kenneth Carey, Ty McCaskey, Nathan Wattenbarger, Andy Carey, Codey Dean, Assistant Coach Kevin Hembree, and Nathan Hembree. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

CROSSVILLE—These athletes are truly the nation’s top guns.

The Roane State Community College Shooting Sports Team won the national championship among community colleges in a competition that measures marksmanship with shotguns.

It was a quick march to the top for the team. The Roane State squad came into existence three years ago and placed third nationwide then. Last year, Roane State’s sharpshooters captured second place.

A reception for the team will be held Wednesday, November 15, at 5 p.m. CST at Roane State Cumberland County campus, 2567 Cook Road in Crossville.

To win nationally, “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication as well as a lot of years of experience in practice and competition,” said Kenneth Carey, the volunteer head coach. Assistant coaches are Kevin Hembree and James Wattenbarger. [Read more…]

All invited to open house at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus on Thursday

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An open house is scheduled for Thursday, November 9, in the atrium of the Coffey-McNally Building at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for prospective Roane State students of all ages to learn about various academic programs, how to enroll, and how to apply for financial aid,” said Jim McDaniel, director of student enrollment.

The program will begin at 6 p.m. Information about curricula, admissions requirements, financial aid, the state’s new Reconnect program, and student life will be displayed on tables. Staff and faculty members will be available to answer questions, a press release said. [Read more…]