Oak Ridge Today

UT professor helps discover near-Earth asteroid really a comet

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Don Quixote Orbit

This image displays Don Quixote’s orbit. (Image courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—Some things are not always what they seem—even in space. For 30 years, scientists believed a large near-Earth object was an asteroid. Now, an international team including Joshua Emery, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, has discovered it is actually a comet.

Called 3552 Don Quixote, the body is the third largest near-Earth object—mostly rocky bodies, or asteroids, that orbit the sun in the vicinity of Earth. About 5 percent of near-Earth objects are thought to be “dead” comets that have shed all the water and carbon dioxide in the form of ice that give them their coma—a cloud surrounding the comet nucleus—and tail. [Read more…]

Nothing to report yet on Oak Ridge Schools funding, state official says

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Tennessee officials had little to say on Wednesday about the potential loss of state education funding that Oak Ridge school officials have said could cost the school system $1.87 million per month—and lead to a temporary school shutdown on Oct. 1.

“We are starting to have meetings with various people regarding this situation, but at this point, we don’t have anything to report,” said Kelli Gauthier, communications director for the Tennessee Department of Education. [Read more…]

School officials say millions in state funding at risk, could close schools Oct. 1

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Bruce Borchers and Mark Watson

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, left, and City Manager Mark Watson have had a series of meetings concerning the school system’s failure to pass a state maintenance of effort test, and a possible resolution of a $250,000 shortfall to avoid a potential loss in state funding of up to $1.87 million per month.

Schools want city to cover $250,000 shortfall, could require 2.5-cent tax increase

It’s a high-stakes battle between the city and the schools, with a potential loss of up to $1.87 million per month in state funding—and a possible shutdown of the school system on Oct. 1.

School officials said the Oak Ridge system has failed a state maintenance of effort test that requires local funding to remain at least the same from year to year. After some budget adjustments, there is a $250,000 shortfall, school officials said, and they want the city to cover it. It’s the equivalent of a 2.5-cent property tax rate increase.

“Unfortunately, we’re just in the position to ask the city to help us,” Oak Ridge Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Thursday. “They’re going to have to find that $250,000.” [Read more…]

ORHS a finalist for prize recognizing improvements in student achievement

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge High School is one of twelve finalists, and three high schools, competing for a prize that recognizes schools and schools districts in Tennessee that have most dramatically improved student achievement.

Oak Ridge High School is one of twelve finalists for a prize that recognizes schools in Tennessee that have most dramatically improved student achievement.

Two other high schools, Maryville and Covington, also made the list, which was announced Tuesday by State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE, a nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

The finalists include elementary, middle, and high schools, and school districts in Tennessee. They are competing for the third annual SCORE Prize. School winners will be announced in October and receive $10,000, and the district winner will collect $25,000. [Read more…]

ORAU awards $39,000 in education grants to East Tennessee schools

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ORAU Education Grants

Oak Ridge Associated Universities awards 27 teachers from 17 East Tennessee schools more than $39,000 during a recent grants ceremony. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Associated Universities awarded more than $39,000 to more than two dozen teachers in 17 schools in Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, and Anderson County in a recent grants ceremony.

It was the 12th annual ORAU Education Grants ceremony, and 27 teachers received awards, a press release said.

The grant money can be used to buy educational materials and equipment such as microscopes, iPads, robotics kits, and computers that will help teachers “continue to meet rigorous, state-wide curriculum standards and enhance the learning experience of their students,” the release said. [Read more…]

DiGregorio among featured storytellers at student writers gala

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Judy DiGregorio

Judy DiGregorio of Oak Ridge will be one of the featured storytellers at the Student Writers Membership Gala on Sept. 14 in Kingston.

Local humorist Judy DiGregorio, along with Elizabeth Rose and Bill Landry, will be among the featured storytellers at the Student Writers Membership Gala sponsored by the Roane County Writers group from 5 to 8 pm Saturday, Sept. 14, at the historic Roane County Courthouse in Kingston.

The fundraiser is for scholarships and the annual Student Writing Contest. The Gala will feature a wine and cheese bar, fire-seared Asian cuisine from WokChow, music by Jeff Nelson and the Sunshine Station Band, and an art exhibition by the Arts Council of Roane County. Attendance is by invitation only and requires a minimum donation of $35. To request an invitation, email bjgillum@comcast.net or call (865) 354-8658 by Sept. 11.

 

Local graduate receives B&W four-year scholarship

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Sheri Cunningham and B&W Scholarship

Deputy General Manager of Operations Dave Richardson, left, meets Bearden High School graduate Sheri Cunningham, center, at Y-12’s New Hope Center to congratulate her on her receipt of a Babcock and Wilcox scholarship. Cunningham is the daughter of B&W Y-12 engineer Penny Cunningham, right. (Photo courtesy B&W Y-12)

Babcock and Wilcox recently announced the winners of the 2013 B&W Scholarship, and one recipient is the daughter of an engineer at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Sheri Cunningham is a Bearden High School graduate and the daughter of B&W Y-12 engineer Penny Cunningham. She will receive $1,500 per year for up to four years of college-level study. [Read more…]

Paranormal investigator to share career experiences at Roane State

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Lorraine Warren

Lorraine Warren at the premiere of “The Conjuring” on July 15 at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles. (Photo Credit: Sue Schneier/MGP)

Paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren will give a lecture at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the O’Brien Theatre at Roane State Community College in Harriman.

Warren will speak about the many hauntings that she and her late husband, Ed, investigated. The Warren’s most celebrated case involved their role as chief investigators of the haunting on Long Island, N.Y., that became the subject of a number one best-selling book and movie, “The Amityville Horror.”

Their most harrowing encounter in Harrisville, Pa., was recently depicted in the feature film “The Conjuring,” starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the Warrens. [Read more…]

Y-12 collects school supplies for ADFAC

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Y-12 Donates School Supplies to ADFAC

Y-12 National Security Complex employees Stacy DeMonbrun, Judy Allen, Stacy Cotton, Dana Davis, Becky Hook (ADFAC), Janie Hoard, Susan Beckham, Telesa Kaye Weaver, and John Fellers deliver school supplies to ADFAC. (Photo courtesy B&W Y-12/Scott Fraker)

Kids around the country are heading back to school, and with help from employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex, many in East Tennessee will head back with all the supplies they’ll need for a successful school year, a press release said.

The release said Y-12 recently collected thousands of individual items for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties’ annual school supply drive as part of the United Way Days of Caring drive. That total included more than 230 boxes of crayons and markers, 320 notebooks, 300 glue sticks, and 220 packs of pens and pencils. Employees also donated more than $2,500. [Read more…]

State grant to be used for sidewalks, crosswalks at Andersonville Elementary

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A $242,256 state grant announced Thursday will be used for sidewalks, crosswalks, signs, and pavement markings in the school zone near Andersonville Elementary School, Tennessee officials announced Thursday. It will also fund educational programs and activities that encourage walking and biking as a practical and healthy initiative.

The Anderson County grant was part of $2.1 million in grants awarded to 15 municipalities across Tennessee and announced Thursday under the Safe Routes to School program. That nationwide initiative is designed to make bicycling and walking to school safer, more appealing, and healthier for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. [Read more…]

Roane State’s online biology courses earn national recognition

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Roane State Community College’s online biology courses have been named among the country’s best by BestOnlineColleges.org.

According to information on BestOnlineColleges.org, the site’s 2013-14 listing of best online programs takes into account “student surveys, teacher surveys, expert analysis, cost, academic offerings, career services rankings, and availability.” [Read more…]

Street painting festival seeks artists, sponsors

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Alligator Teeth Street Painting Festival

A winning chalk painting at the 11th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival, held in October 2010 at the Oak Ridge branch campus of Roane State Community College. (Submitted photo)

Do you enjoy drawing upon your artistic skills as you sketch a face, animal, or scene? Then you might like “painting” pictures in chalk on a sidewalk.

You are invited to sign up as an artist for the 14th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival. This popular event will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 (rain day on Sunday), on the sidewalks of the Oak Ridge Branch Campus of Roane State Community College. Artists may start their chalk paintings on Friday afternoon, Oct. 4.

The art must be completed at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, so it can be judged before 6 p.m., when artist awards will be announced. If you win a first prize or the People’s Choice Award, you will receive a $50 cash award as well as recognition. [Read more…]