Oak Ridge Today

UT Arboretum Society presents urban forestry program Aug. 25

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society is sponsoring a lecture on the “Knoxville Urban Forestry Program” on August 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the UT Arboretum’s Program Shelter at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The program will be presented by Kasey Krouse, City of Knoxville urban forester, who will discuss the City of Knoxville Urban Forestry program and its attempt to move from a reactive to a proactive urban forestry program. He will also discuss proper pruning, planting, mulching, tree selection, and other arboriculture practices that are pertinent to an urban forestry program. The presentation will conclude by touring trees around the arboretum and discussing some of the issues they face in an urban forest, a press release said.

As the urban forester for the City of Knoxville, Krouse is responsible for the expansion, protection, and maintenance of the city’s urban forest and implementing the city’s Urban Forest Management Plan. [Read more…]

SL Tennessee honored for support of higher education

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SL Tennessee Award

The East Tennessee College Alliance honored SL Tennessee for its support of higher education. From left are Roane State President Chris Whaley; Yeonsoo Chung, human resources manager at SL Tennessee; Scott Laska, SL Tennessee business development manager; Y.K. Woo, SL America president; Kim Harris, Roane State job placement director; and Maria Gonzales, Roane State director of student enrollment and recruitment. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Automotive parts manufacturer SL Tennessee has received an East Tennessee College Alliance 2015 Corporate Award.

The alliance is a collaborative association of higher education institutions dedicated to providing educational opportunities for working adults.

The Corporate Award recognizes business that support higher education’s crucial role in workforce development and economic growth. [Read more…]

More than 200 students participate in ORAU’s graduate student recruitment fair

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ORAU Graduate Student Recruitment Fair

ORNL summer research interns present research findings and explore additional academic opportunities with some of the nation’s top research graduate programs. (Submitted photo)

 

More than 200 student researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently had the opportunity to both showcase their research and market themselves to 26 universities attending the 16th annual ORAU Graduate Student Recruitment Fair.

Each year, the recruitment fair corresponds with the 2015 Summer Research Participant Poster Session to leverage the students’ excitement over their summer research achievements and to encourage enthusiasm for further expanding their education. Universities invited to the fair are members of ORAU’s consortium of 115 Ph.D.-granting universities from across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico.

With representatives of 26 universities from across the U.S. available in one room, the fair allowed students to explore possible future educational opportunities, as well as compare and contrast graduate programs. [Read more…]

Roane State employees honored

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Jala Daniel

Jala Daniel

Roane State Community College faculty member Jala Daniel and staff members Darren York and Diane Cox have been honored for their work.

Daniel, assistant professor of biology, received the 2015 Sarah Ellen Benroth Award for Outstanding Teaching.

York, coordinator of instructional technology, was named the college’s 2015 administrative staff member of the year. [Read more…]

Roane State to offer extended business hours beginning Aug. 17

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Roane State Community College will offer extended business hours to help students get ready for the start of fall classes.

Extended hours for the Roane County and Oak Ridge campuses are:

  • Monday, August 17-Thursday, August 20, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.;
  • Saturday, August 22, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; and
  • Monday, August 24-Thursday, August 27, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

[Read more…]

Smith of ORFD named Roane State paramedic student of year

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Joey Smith Roane State Paramedic Student of Year

Roane State paramedic student of the year Joey Smith (center) is congratulated by Roane State President Chris Whaley (left) and Roger Brooksbank with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Joey Smith of the Oak Ridge Fire Department has been named Roane State Community College’s paramedic student of the year.

Roger Brooksbank with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine presented the award to Smith during Roane State’s annual Knoxville paramedic program luncheon. Students completing the paramedic program were recognized at the event, which was sponsored by TeamHealth.

Smith has been an emergency medical technician for eight years. He decided to go back to school last fall to become a paramedic. Smith said he appreciated the support he’s received from the Oak Ridge Fire Department and from his family as he has juggled work and school. [Read more…]

UT-ORNL nuclear expert Wirth honored in Washington, D.C.

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Brian Wirth, Ernest Moniz, and John Kotek

UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Computational Nuclear Engineering Brian Wirth, right, receives a plaque from U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, center, honoring him as an Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award recipient. John Kotek, acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, is at left. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

 

Nuclear energy expert Brian Wirth, a joint appointee at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, received the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award from U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz at a Washington, D.C., ceremony Thursday night.

Wirth serves as the Governor’s Chair for Computational Nuclear Engineering, studying aspects of nuclear environments and materials related to nuclear energy.

That expertise led to his honor, one of nine the DOE bestowed during the evening.

“The ceremony was really nice,” said Wirth. “I was thrilled that College of Engineering Dean Wayne Davis, department head Wes Hines, and Steve Zinkle attended, along with Alan Icenhour from ORNL.” [Read more…]

Tennant named director of UT-ORNL Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences

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Alan Tennant

Alan Tennant

Alan Tennant has been appointed director of the Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The institute is a partnership between ORNL and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

“Neutrons are the future in characterizing materials, especially soft matter,” said Taylor Eighmy, vice chancellor for research and engagement at UT. “With Alan as director, we can begin to establish deep thought leadership at UT and ORNL in this growing field.”

Tennant assumes the directorship from Takeshi Egami, the founding director of JINS, who is stepping down after leading the institute for 11 years. Egami will remain as director emeritus as he continues to hold his distinguished scientist position at ORNL and teach at the university.

“I am grateful for Takeshi’s leadership as the founding director of JINS, and I look forward to working with Alan as he continues to propel neutron science at the institute,” Eighmy said. [Read more…]

Boys and Girls Club Memorial Scholarships announced

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Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge Scholarships 2015

Pictured above from left to right are Ann Likens, Boys and Girls Club unit board
chair; scholarship recipients J. Lynn Dillon, Zach Kassner, and Ragan Anderson; Lawrence Hahn,
executive director emeritus; and Adam Wilson, unit director. (Submitted photo)

 

The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley recently awarded its scholarships for 2015.

The 2015 Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge Memorial Scholarships are in honor of Mike Anderson, Charles Burger, David Hahn, Kevin Hurt, Charles Kennedy, Baxter Underwood, and Jim Vines.

The 2015 recipients are J. Lynn Dillon, Zach Kassner, and Ragan Anderson.

Roane State selected as Center for Academic Excellence in Geospatial Sciences

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Roane State Community College, working in partnership with Oak Ridge Associated Universities, was recently selected as a designated Center for Academic Excellence in Geospatial Sciences.

Roane State, which offers one-year and two-year programs in geographic information systems, or GIS, was the only community college chosen for the program and joins 17 CAE GS academic institutions nationwide. Organized by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, the CAE GS program is a new endeavor designed to cultivate centers of academic excellence in geospatial sciences such as GIS.

“We are honored that our GIS program is recognized among several outstanding universities,” said Diane Ward, Roane State’s vice president of student learning. “The college’s selection for the program is a great example of the key role community colleges play in science, technology, engineering, and math education.” [Read more…]

RSI awards eight scholarships to local students

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RSI Scholarships 2015

Scholarship recipients and RSI managers pictured left to right are Staci Ferguson, RSI vice president; Abby Colvais; Peter Caswell, RSI vice president; Sierra Sims; Lonnie Goss; Dmitry Petrov; Morgan Cleveland; Jackson Lloyd; and Paul Clay, RSI President. Not pictured are Christian Ironside and Tyler Moore. (Submitted photo)

 

Restoration Services Inc. and its voluntary Employee Outreach Committee have offered eight $1,000 college scholarships to “help students achieve their greatest potential through higher education,” a press release said.

Six scholarships were awarded to graduating high school students who will be attending college in the upcoming fall 2015 semester. The remaining two scholarships were awarded to children of RSI employees who are upcoming sophomores, juniors, or seniors currently enrolled in an accredited college for the 2015 fall semester. Scholarship recipients were selected from submitted applications that included academic accomplishments, community involvement and leadership roles, and an essay on current environmental threats.

The scholarship recipients entering college are: [Read more…]

Mapping a Difference: Roane State student charts Remote Area Medical services

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Chris Zerr

Chris Zerr

Roane State Community College Geographic Information Systems (GIS) student Chris Zerr said she has “loved maps since I was a little kid.”

“They’re like putting together a puzzle that has lots of pieces. Maps allow you to discover what’s there and what’s not there,” she said.

Maps that Zerr recently designed are helping people discover where they can find affordable and often much-needed medical care.

As an honors project for Roane State, Zerr focused on an organization that benefits thousands of people. Remote Area Medical, or RAM as most people know it, was established in 1985 by Stan Brock to provide basic medical care through mobile clinic events in underserved, isolated or impoverished communities. [Read more…]