Oak Ridge Today

UT to require masks indoors

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The University of Tennessee will require face masks indoors this fall semester.

Masks will be required in classrooms, laboratories, other places of instruction, and any indoor events that students are required to attend, UT said in a press release Monday.

The university may be the first school in the area to announce a mask requirement as the delta variant of the new coronavirus spreads in Tennessee and across the United States. Masks are not currently required in Oak Ridge Schools.

In the press release, UT System President Randy Boyd urged students, faculty, and staff members to talk with their families and healthcare providers about the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.

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Roane State partners with Tennessee Tech for new dual enrollment program

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Roane State Community College Technology Building
The Technology Building at Roane State Community College’s main campus in Harriman is pictured above. (Photo by Roane State)

A new program designed to provide a smooth transition from Roane State Community College to Tennessee Tech University will launch this fall. The program, dubbed “Roane to Tech,” ensures that all Roane State graduates have guaranteed admission to Tennessee Tech, a press release said.

“The strong relationship we’ve built with our friends at Tennessee Tech has allowed us to provide yet another path for our students to receive a world-class education,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “The goal of this program is to remove the misconception of difficult transfers and reduce anxieties for transfer students.”

Roane to Tech students will be known as “Golden Raiders,” a combination of Roane State Raiders and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. Through the new program, students have multiple opportunities to take advantage of dual enrollment benefits, the press release said.

Those in Agriculture, Biology, Business, Psychology, or Sociology programs will be considered students at both institutions, receiving predefined degree plans, advising services from both schools, special access to events, waived application fees, and free Roane to Tech gear, the press release said.

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Triplets tour Roane State as they look ahead to college

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Roane State’s Jack Parker talks with the Dunsmore family during their tour of the Coffey/McNally Building, in background, and the Goff Building on the Oak Ridge Branch Campus. From left: Jack Parker with Megan, Todd, Jennifer, Jacob, and Luke Dunsmore. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Roane State employee Jack Parker has been giving prospective students tours of the community college for years, but this was a first for him.

Parker recently provided a detailed overview of the Oak Ridge Branch Campus to triplets, all of whom came away with upbeat opinions of their upcoming collegiate experiences.

Following him through the corridors and into the classrooms and high-tech labs in the Coffey/McNally and Goff Buildings were triplets Jacob, Megan, and Luke Dunsmore, along with their parents, Jennifer and Todd Dunsmore.

The Dunsmores are residents of Knox County’s Fountain City area, and their children graduated in May from the First Baptist Academy in Powell. The trio attended that private school from kindergarten through their senior year.

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ORAU awards five Pollard Scholarships

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

ORAU has awarded five William G. Pollard Scholarships of $2,500 each toward undergraduate studies for the 2021-2022 academic year. The recipients of this year’s scholarships include Semilore (Semmy) Abiodun-Adeniyi, Olivia Campbell, Olivia Hudson, Sara Malicoat, and Trisha Prater.

Each year, ORAU awards these scholarships to employees’ children or stepchildren who display exceptional achievements in their high school or undergraduate studies. Applicants must submit official transcripts from all high schools and colleges attended, three references (at least two of which must be from teachers), and a 500-word essay describing professional and personal interests, a press release said.

The William G. Pollard Scholarship Awards are presented in honor of ORAU’s founder in recognition of his dedication to science and education. A University of Tennessee physics professor, Pollard founded the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies—which later became ORAU—to link the valuable scientific resources developed in Oak Ridge as part of the Manhattan Project with regional universities.

Here is more information about this year’s winners: [Read more…]

Roane State’s Herron wins EMS Advocate honor

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Pictured, from left: John Fitzsimmons, retired director of Lincoln Medical Center EMS, Roane State’s Thomas Herron, and Rick Valentine, director of the Sevier County Ambulance Service. (Photo courtesy Linda P Photography)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State’s Thomas Herron knows first-hand the trauma that EMS personnel can experience as part of their jobs.

Twenty-four years ago, he and a partner responded to an emergency call for a nine-year-old who did not survive. “I knew it bothered me, but I never realized how deeply at first,” Herron said.

Then, in March 2019, he learned that his partner from that call had taken their own life. A note was found that “mentioned me and that call,” said Herron, a Roane State assistant professor and clinical coordinator.

The incident was seared into his psyche, prompting Herron to launch a campaign to make EMS personnel aware of the “exploding problems with mental health issues” also faced by firefighters and law enforcement personnel.

“We’ve always told ourselves we’re supposed to be tougher,” Herron said, “but there’s so much research showing we’re missing the early warning signs of mental health issues.”

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Madison Lamon wins President’s Award, Roane State’s highest student honor

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Madison Lamon

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

It was the perfect setting for a surprise announcement: surrounded by her teammates and coach at a team cookout.

Madison “Madi” Lamon watched on a YouTube livestream on Awards Night that she had been named the winner of Roane State Community College’s highest student honor – the President’s Award.

“I was very surprised,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Lamon, 19, a pitcher for the Roane State Raiders softball team, is the latest recipient of the award, and on an auspicious occasion – the 50th anniversary of the community college. Current Roane State President Chris Whaley won the award as a student in 1989.

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AT&T’s ‘Believe Tennessee’ campaign partners with Roane State Community College to support area students

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The AT&T Foundation is helping support Roane State Foundation’s Pay-It-Forward Emergency Aid fund with a $5,000 donation. AT&T employees and students from Roane State also collected school supplies for students at Ridge View Elementary in Rockwood, where the check presentation was recently held. TBR Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Advancement Cris Perkins, Roane State Foundation Executive Director Scott Niermann, Roane State President Chris Whaley, and Roane County Director of Schools LaDonna McFall are joined by local elected officials Sen. Ken Yager and Rep. Kent Calfee along with members of the Roane State golf team, Ridge View Elementary staff, and representatives from AT&T Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

Donation to support Student Emergency Fund at Roane State Community College and school supplies for Ridge View Elementary students

Harriman—AT&T said it has a long-standing commitment to the future of Tennessee and through its initiative – Believe Tennessee – the AT&T team is working with community leaders and organizations to remove barriers to academic success and engage youth to have an impact in their communities.

As part of this effort, the AT&T Foundation has donated $5,000 to Roane State Community College’s nonprofit Foundation to support the Pay-It-Forward Emergency Aid fund. This fund ensures students receive the support they need in times of financial distress, a press release said. Additionally, AT&T employees and students from Roane State have collected school supplies for students at Ridge View Elementary.

“We are thrilled to see AT&T expand their commitment to community engagement through this project,” said Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College. “Our local students will benefit greatly from this gift and AT&T’s continued support of higher education.”

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Roane State student eyes video game design as career

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Journey Long

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Roane State student Journey Long has been interested in video games for as long as he can remember. He said he was around 4 or 5 years old when he started thinking about designing games. “It kicked my little kid mind into overdrive,” he said.

It’s not surprising that Long would rank the college’s director of computer information technology, George Meghabghab, as his favorite instructor.

“He’s probably everyone’s favorite in the computer science program,” Long said. “He really cares about what he’s teaching.”

Long said he chose Roane State because he lives close by in Harriman and was told that “it has a good reputation for beginners.” He was home-schooled and had never before been in a public school setting.

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Rockwood celebrates 50th anniversary of Roane State, Harriman TCAT

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Banners in Rockwood celebrate the 50th anniversary of Roane State Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Banners commemorating the 50th anniversary of Roane State Community College and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman now line Rockwood’s main thoroughfare.

The 10 large banners are on utility poles from Wheeler Street to Rockwood Street on Gateway Avenue near the downtown district. Each features a photo of a graduate of either Roane State or TCAT-Harriman in wardrobes representing professions in which they acquired expertise during their studies.

The signs are also on display on the college’s flagship campus in Roane County.

“Roane State and TCAT-Harriman have been community partners with all of us for all these years,” said Becky Ruppe, Rockwood city administrator and recorder.

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NASA selects ORAU for postdoc program

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

NASA has selected Oak Ridge Associated Universities to provide the agency with administrative support and coordination of research opportunities between NASA’s mission directorates and centers across the agency.

The NASA Postdoctoral Program 2 (NPP-2) contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $129.7 million. The one-year base performance period begins September 9, 2021, and it is followed by four one-year options, which would end September 8, 2026, NASA said in a press release.

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ORAU awards 35 research grants, $175K to junior faculty

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

ORAU has awarded competitive research grants totaling $175,000 to 35 junior faculty from its member institutions. The annual grants are made through the company’s Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program that provides funds to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty, a press release said.

The recipients, each of whom is in the first two years of a tenure track position, will receive $5,000 in seed money for the 2021-2022 academic year to enhance their research during the early stages of their careers. Each recipient’s institution matches the ORAU award with an additional $5,000, making the total prize worth $10,000 for each winner, the press release said. Winners may use the grants to purchase equipment, continue research, or travel to professional meetings and conferences.

Since the program’s inception, ORAU has awarded 804 grants totaling about $4 million, the press release said. Including the matching funds from member institutions, ORAU has facilitated grants worth more than $8 million, the release said.

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RSCC dual enrollment students earn national recognition

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Susan Dale artwork (Photo by Roane State Community College)

Two of Roane State Art Professor Bryan Wilkerson’s dual credit students can say they’ve been part of a prestigious national exhibition.

Dual credit students are taught by Roane State Community College educators and receive both college and high school credits for their work.

Susan Dale, who graduated last year from Oak Ridge High School, and current ORHS student Alex Dahl had their creations displayed in the 23rd Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition held in Richmond, Virginia, a press release said.

The exhibition was for ceramic artwork created in the 2019-20 academic year. “The work they were making during that academic school year was exceptional,” Wilkerson said. “Just being included in the exhibition is quite an honor.”

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