Oak Ridge Today

UT names bioenergy expert as 14th UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair

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Art Ragauskas

Arthur Ragauskas

KNOXVILLE—Arthur Ragauskas, an authority in bioenergy, has been named the 14th University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair.

He will serve as Governor’s Chair for Biorefining, based in UT’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a complementary appointment in the UT Institute of Agriculture’s Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries.

He will also serve in the Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Biosciences Division, at ORNL and as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center, or BESC.

Ragauskas begins at UT on June 1. [Read more…]

UT Center for Industrial Services holding nuclear industry supplier courses

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Submitted

The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services will hold information courses for companies interested in evaluating potential business opportunities in the nuclear field and with the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

These classes are specifically developed to address the most critical issues faced by suppliers interested in doing business with the UPF project as well as other regional nuclear energy developments, estimated to generate more than $50 billion in supplier opportunities. The sessions are ideal for chief executive officers and presidents, general managers, business development managers, quality managers, material and equipment companies, and metal fabricators.

An Advanced Business Decision Seminar will kick off the week of classes on Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon at the New Hope Center in Oak Ridge. The remaining courses are: [Read more…]

Weather: Closings, delays for Friday

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Anderson County Schools will be closed Friday because of the weather. The Central Office will follow the inclement weather procedure.

Oak Ridge Schools will open two hours late to allow any ice that forms overnight to melt. The schools will not serve breakfast Friday morning, so parents should make sure their children eat before coming to school.

A 10 a.m. starting time has been authorized for employees of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Environmental Management Site Office, Oak Ridge Nuclear Energy Site Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and Oak Ridge DOE Inspector General, with unscheduled leave (previously referred to as liberal leave) authorized if needed.

Normal hours are in effect for Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office employees, with unscheduled leave (previously referred to as liberal leave) authorized if needed.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Schools, govt. offices, businesses, DOE offices, Y-12 closed Thursday

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Snowman at Blankenship Field

Children build a snowman at Blankenship Field on Thursday morning. From left are Killian Fillmore, Andrew Bivens, Gavin Hensley, and Liam Hensley.

Note: This story was last updated at 10:29 a.m.

Oak Ridge Schools are closed Thursday, and so is the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office is also closed as are the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Site Office, Nuclear Energy Site Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and Oak Ridge DOE Inspector General offices. Decisions about reporting instructions for Friday will be made later Thursday or early Friday morning. Employees should check the weather hotline and Facebook later for updates for Friday.

Schools in Clinton and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, and Roane counties are also closed. So are Anderson County government offices and courts. And so are many businesses.

City of Oak Ridge offices will open at noon Thursday.

Waste Connections, Inc. will not be picking up refuse or recyclables on Thursday because of the weather conditions.  Thursday’s routes will be picked up on Friday, Feb. 14, and Fridays on Saturday, Feb. 15.  Please have all refuse and recyclables out by 7 a.m. For additional information you can contact Waste Connections Inc. at (865) 482-3656 or visit www.WasteConnectionsTn.com. [Read more…]

Roane State’s ‘Death by Chocolate’ with Bill Bass postponed due to weather

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Bill Bass

Bill Bass

Roane State Community College’s Death by Chocolate fundraiser featuring Body Farm founder Bill Bass has been postponed to Feb. 20 due to weather.

The event, which had been scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13, will now be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, in the O’Brien Theatre at the Roane County campus in Harriman. The chocolate tasting, featuring dozens of samples from area businesses, begins at 6 p.m. The lecture by Dr. Bass will start at 7 p.m. Proceeds from ticket sales will be used for student scholarships.

Bass founded the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research Facility, an outdoor laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition. The facility, often referred to as the “Body Farm,” was featured prominently in the novel “The Body Farm” by best-selling author Patricia Cornwell. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools dismissing early

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Oak Ridge Schools will dismiss early today (Wednesday) because of the incoming winter storm, a press release said.

Here are the dismissal times:

  • Oak Ridge High School CDC and Jefferson Middle School/Robertsville Middle School CDC dismissed at 10:45 a.m.
  • ORHS and JMS/RMS dismissed at 11:05 a.m.
  • Elementary CDC dismissed at 11:45 a.m.
  • PreSchool dismissed at 11:50 a.m.
  • Elementary schools dismissed at 12:45 a.m.
  • Alternative dismissed as soon as a bus can get there between 12:05-12:15 a.m.

Weather: Schools, government offices, other closings

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, pictured above, closed early Wednesday because of the winter storm hitting the Southeast.

Note: This story was last updated at 8:25 p.m. Feb. 12.

Schools in Clinton and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, and Roane counties will be closed Wednesday due to weather.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program at 320 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge will also be closed Wednesday due to the threat of a major winter storm.

Oak Ridge Schools dismissed early on Wednesday. The Anderson County Courthouse closed at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Anderson County Schools and its Central Office will be closed Thursday. [Read more…]

Guest column: Majority of families, staff favor balanced calendar

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Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

The voting results for the 2015-16 school calendar year in Oak Ridge have been counted.

Parents and staff members were called Monday, Feb. 10, and asked if they preferred a balanced calendar or a traditional calendar for all schools, including Willow Brook and the PreSchool, for the 2015-16 school year.

The traditional calendar is the calendar that most of the Oak Ridge Schools have had for quite a while. Students come to school in the middle of August, have a one-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, a one-week spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and an eleven- to twelve-week summer.

The balanced calendar is a new calendar that Oak Ridge has never had before. It is called a balanced calendar due to the balance that it gives for instructional time in the classroom—about nine weeks at a time. Students typically arrive for school the first week in August, have a two-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, two weeks off for spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and a seven- to eight-week summer. The balanced calendar is not like the Willow Brook Elementary or PreSchool calendar where students start school in mid-July and have three-week breaks. [Read more…]

Honors: Norwood Elementary names teacher of the year

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Amy Gaskins

Amy Gaskins

Amy Gaskins, a fourth-grade teacher, has been named the 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year at Norwood Elementary School in Oliver Springs.

Gaskins has been teaching at Norwood, which are part of Anderson County Schools, since 2006. She taught first grade for six years, and this is her second year teaching fourth grade.

In addition to teaching, Gaskins in the coordinator for the UTrust program, sponsor of The National Junior Beta Club, and co-sponsor of the Spelling Bee Club, a press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State has book sale in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Wednesday

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The Coffey Library at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host its annual “Love Your Library” book sale on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. each day.

The sale will include paperbacks, textbooks, cookbooks, computer software books, children’s books, craft books, and more. Only cash and checks will be accepted. Checks need to be payable to the Roane State Foundation. Prices range from $1-3.

The campus is located at 701 Briarcliff Ave. For more information, contact Christi Moss at (865) 354-3000, ext. 4739, or mosscl@roanestate.edu.

Guest column: Remember to vote on school calendar Monday evening

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By Donato “Dan” DiGregorio

To staff of the Oak Ridge Schools and parents of students:

The thoughts and views expressed below are mine and may or may not reflect the thoughts and views of the other Board of Education members.

Currently, our Oak Ridge School system operates on two different calendars, the “Willow Brook (WB)” calendar and the “traditional” calendar. Consideration is being given to unifying the school calendar. Two proposed calendars, “the traditional” calendar and “balanced” calendar, are the options. The decision will be left to the Board of Education after much input. Included in this input are staff and parent preferences.

The main question that I hope folks ask themselves is: Of these two calendars, which will be the most helpful to promote student learning?

This coming Monday (Feb. 10) evening at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, Oak Ridge Schools parents and staff will have the opportunity to express their preferences for a possible new school calendar from the two proposed calendars. See this story for Dr. Chris Marczak’s brief description of each and how the telephone “vote” will occur. You may also view these calendars in more detail and how the telephone “vote” will take place by visiting the Oak Ridge Schools website. [Read more…]

Roane State faculty members plan record-breaking underwater stay

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Jessica Fain Diving

Jessica Fain, an adjunct instructor at Roane State Community College, emerges from the moon pool at Jules’ Undersea Lodge. Fain has logged more than 100 hours in underwater habitats and labs. (Photos courtesy RSCC)

HARRIMAN—Two Roane State Community College faculty members plan to live and work under the surface of the sea for 72 days this fall.

While underwater, associate professor of biology Bruce Cantrell and adjunct instructor Jessica Fain will offer the most unique educational experience in the college’s history and raise awareness of issues affecting the oceans. During their stay, Cantrell and Fain will also set a world record for the longest time spent living underwater.

Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation in Key Largo, Fla., are partnering on the Classroom Under the Sea project. Cantrell and Fain plan to start their underwater adventure Oct. 4 and resurface on Dec. 15. They will live in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, which is in the lagoon at the Marine Resources Development Foundation’s facilities.

“Roane State professors have taught in a variety of locations as part of our mission to bring higher education to the communities we serve,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “What Bruce and Jessica are planning is certainly new territory. While their project is unique, their expertise, spirit of adventure and passion for teaching are representative of what make community colleges so special.” [Read more…]