Oak Ridge Today

Halsam names Candice McQueen education commissioner

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Candice McQueen

Candice McQueen

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced Wednesday that Candice McQueen, a teacher and dean at Lipscomb University in Nashville, will be the next commissioner of the Department of Education.

McQueen, 40, now serves on Lipscomb University’s executive leadership team as senior vice president, and as dean, she oversees the College of Education as well as the 1,300 pre-k through 12th grade students in three schools at Lipscomb Academy, a press release said. She has led training, support, and professional development efforts for thousands of current and future classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders.

Before joining Lipscomb in 2001, McQueen was a teacher in elementary and middle schools.

“Lipscomb’s College of Education produces some of our state’s best teachers, and Candice gets a lot of credit for that,” Haslam said. “She has taught in a classroom, so she brings both the experience of being a teacher and of preparing teachers to teach. I am grateful for her willingness to serve in this role, and I know she’ll do a great job as we continue our efforts to provide a quality education for all Tennessee students.” [Read more…]

Y-12, UT sign agreement to continue, expand collaborative work

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Y-12 and UT MOU Signing

UT Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, left, and CNS President and CEO Jim Haynes sign a Memorandum of Understanding to expand collaboration between the university and CNS. Joining them for the signing are Taylor Eighmy, UT Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, and Tom Berg, CNS Director of Technology Development and Technology Transfer, right. (Photo by Brett Pate)

 

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Partnership combines strengths to train future workforce, solve national challenges

A memorandum of understanding signed Thursday by Consolidated Nuclear Security and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville will expand collaborations while making the country safer and more secure. CNS and the university collaborate in areas ranging from joint research to analyzing business operations and pushing more technologies into the private sector.

The partnership between the university and the Y-12 National Security Complex, which began in 2011, combines the leading research talents of the university with Y-12’s successful track record in technology development and application that bolsters national security. Through CNS, the agreement now also incorporates the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas.

CNS manages and operates Y-12 and the Pantex Plant for the National Nuclear Security Administration. [Read more…]

Roane State educators complete record-breaking 73-day underwater stay

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Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain Surface

Roane State professors Jessica Fain and Bruce Cantrell enjoy their first moments of sunlight after living underwater for 73 days. (Photos by Roane State Community College) 

 

KEY LARGO, Florida—After a record-breaking 73 days living underwater, two local college professors surfaced Monday and enjoyed the feel of sunlight for the first time in more than two months.

They also celebrated the end of their mission to educate the public about ocean conservation, to inspire young people’s interest in science, and to make history.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee spent the fall living and working in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, an underwater habitat on Key Largo in Florida. Their underwater stay lasted 73 days, two hours, and 34 minutes, breaking the world record for longest time spent living underwater.

The two educators submerged October 3 at 12:08 p.m. EDT and surfaced on Monday, December 15, at 1:42 p.m. EST.

“There is a sun,” Cantrell said with a laugh as he and Fain broke the surface of the water. [Read more…]

Final episode of ‘Classroom Under the Sea’ on Thursday

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Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain Diving

During the final episode of Classroom Under the Sea on Thursday, December 11, aquanauts Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain will put their experience in perspective. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

In their last “Classroom Under the Sea” episode before resurfacing, Roane State Community College professors Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain will reflect on their record-breaking 73-day underwater mission and discuss the future of ocean preservation.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 11. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Cantrell and Fain have lived and worked in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—since October 3. While living in the habitat, they have hosted “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo. [Read more…]

Honors: Roane State student’s GIS project earns recognition

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Joe Pyle Winning GIS Poster

Images courtesy of Roane State Community College

 

Roane State Community College student Joe Pyle enjoys working with his hands.

As a student in the college’s geographic information systems, or GIS, program, his raw material of choice is data, and his craftsmanship has received statewide recognition.

Pyle’s map predicting cell phone coverage along the Cumberland Trail won in the Best Analysis category at the East Tennessee Geographic Information Council Forum. Pyle’s map depicts the Cumberland Trail from Frozen Head State Park to LaFollette. The map is overlaid with markers predicting cell phone signal strength at points along the trail. [Read more…]

Conserving coral reefs: Learn more in ‘Classroom Under the Sea’ on Thursday

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Coral Restoration

The decline of coral formations will be the topic of the Dec. 4 episode of “Classroom Under the Sea.” The photo shows coral polyps on Molasses Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Brent Deuel, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce)

 

The devastation of coral reefs will be the topic of the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two local college educators living underwater for more than two months.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 4. Viewers can watch live at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Roane State Community College biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain are living and working in an underwater habitat for 73 days. While they stay in the habitat, where the living space is about the size of a dorm room, Fain and Cantrell host “Classroom Under the Sea,” an educational program about marine science. [Read more…]

Public invited to speak live with Roane State educators living underwater

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Aquanaut Chat

Roane State professor Bruce Cantrell, right, interviews astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Gernhardt during a live episode of Classroom Under the Sea. Cantrell and Roane State adjunct professor Jessica Fain, who are living underwater for 73 days, will be available to speak live with community members on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

 

Two Roane State Community College educators living underwater for 73 days will share their experiences and answer questions during a live video chat session on Tuesday, December 2, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

The session will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Room 107 in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The public is invited to talk with biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain, who will be chatting from the underwater habitat where they have lived since October 3.

Cantrell and Fain are staying in Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys. They have faced the psychological challenge of living 25 feet underwater in a space that’s 300 square feet and the physical challenge of living without sunlight. They will resurface December 15. [Read more…]

Workshop will address ‘The Basics of Negotiation for Women’

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Mary Mahoney

Mary Mahoney

A University of Tennessee expert will discuss “The Basics of Negotiation for Women” during a free forum on Tuesday, December 2, at 3:30 p.m. at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The forum—presented by the Social Science, Business, and Education Division—will be held in room 107 in the new Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building. The public is invited.

The speaker is Mary Mahoney, assistant director of recruiting for the University of Tennessee Career Services. [Read more…]

ORISE accepts apps for summer research with Homeland Security

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The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is accepting applications for the 2015 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, or MSI. The program engages faculty and student teams in research that provides opportunities to better understand the mission and research needs of DHS and to strengthen the talent pool of scientists and engineers, a press release said.

ORISE administers the program for DHS through ORISE, which is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The 10-week summer research program provides faculty and student teams from Minority Serving Institutions with opportunities to conduct research at the university-based DHS Centers of Excellence. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate Centers of Excellence network is an extended consortium of hundreds of universities generating ground-breaking ideas for new technologies, while collaborating to serve DHS’ many mission needs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Two ORHS students win UT scholarships in statewide math contest

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KNOXVILLE—Two Oak Ridge High School students were among 10 from across the state who received $6,000 annual scholarships to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in this year’s UT-Pro2Serve Math Contest. More than 700 students from 51 schools all across Tennessee competed in the competition, held November 6 at UT.

The scholarship winners were:

  • Joseph Andress, Oak Ridge High, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  • Christopher Dean, Cookeville High, Cookeville, Tennessee
  • Jason Fu, Farragut High, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Gene Li, Ravenwood High, Brentwood, Tennessee
  • Remilia Li, Pope John Paul II High, Hendersonville, Tennessee
  • Ohm J. Patel, White Station High, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Daniel Tancredi, Memphis University School, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Barbara Xiong, University School of Nashville, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Albert Xue, Oak Ridge High, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  • Chang Yu, Memphis University School, Memphis, Tennessee

[Read more…]

2014 Startup Day emphasizes startup-friendly culture, assets in ET

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Startup Day Logo

KNOXVILLE—Knoxville’s second annual Startup Day kicked off Thursday afternoon at The Standard in downtown Knoxville. The event celebrated the success of Knoxville’s growing startup community and raised awareness about resources that support East Tennessee entrepreneurs.

Among the presenters were Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Tech 2020.

“When most Americans think ‘startup community,’ they think Silicon Valley in California, New York City, or Seattle,” said Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero. “It’s significant that East Tennessee is nurturing its startup culture, making resources available to startups, and generally creating a welcoming environment for entrepreneurs. Creating a startup-friendly city will keep and attract talent, capital, and more resources.” [Read more…]

Recreational diving’s impact on conservation will be topic of ‘Classroom Under Sea’ today

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Undersea Preview

“Classroom Under the Sea” host Bruce Cantrell surveys a reef, one of many ways recreational divers can contribute to conservation. The November 20 episode of “Classroom Under the Sea” will address how recreational divers can help preserve ocean ecosystems.

 

Highly trained marine scientists are not the only people who can help conserve the oceans.

Recreational divers play an important role in protecting underwater resources. Learn how to become a certified diver and contribute to ocean conservation during the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two educators living underwater for 73 days.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, November 20. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee are living and working in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—for 73 days. While in the habitat, Fain and Cantrell are hosting “Classroom Under the Sea,” presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo. [Read more…]