Former University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer will be the keynote speaker at an Industry Appreciation Breakfast in Oak Ridge in September.
The invitation-only breakfast is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Utility District and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It will be at ORUD on Tuesday morning, September 12.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has selected ORNL’s Lou Qualls to serve as national technical director for molten salt reactors. (Photo courtesy DOE/ORNL)
By Jason Ellis, ORNL Communications
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has selected Lou Qualls of Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the national technical director for molten salt reactors, or MSRs. In his new role, Qualls—a nuclear engineer who joined ORNL in 1988—will serve as a liaison among the nuclear industry, the national laboratory system, and DOE in defining the future of MSR technology in the United States.
The new position was created in response to the private sector’s growing interest in MSRs as the next generation of power reactors. A significant number of nuclear plants are expected to close beginning in 2030, with most closed by 2045, as their operating licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission expire. Various companies are pursuing new reactor designs to replace this loss of nuclear energy, which is the nation’s largest source of carbon-free energy and represents approximately one-fifth of electricity generated in the United States.
“There are about 10 U.S. companies developing MSR designs in hopes of seeing their technologies make it onto the grid,” Qualls said. “My job is to work with these vendors and DOE to understand how each design could fit into the energy market and to identify hurdles that could prevent these reactors from ever delivering electricity. It’s a positive step that shows the level of excitement from industry, DOE, and the national labs.” [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Philharmonia is pictured above in rehearsal. (Submitted photo)
Submitted
Prepare to have your memories stimulated by famous movie music at the free August 5 concert by the Oak Ridge Philharmonia. Whether it is “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca, “The Shadow of Your Smile” from The Sandpiper, the iconic songs from James Bond movies, or the themes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s List, you are sure to find lots to enjoy in this concert.
Herman Hupfeld originally wrote “As Time Goes By” in 1931 for the Broadway musical Everybody’s Welcome. Its appearance in the 1942 movie, Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, is what made the song famous. The refrain was sung by the character Sam (Dooley Wilson).
“The Shadow of Your Smile” by Johnny Mandel premiered in The Sandpiper, a 1965 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Other than a straightforward version of the theme that features a vocal group, Jack Sheldon’s trumpet was prominent throughout much of the haunting score. This song became so popular that virtually every famous crooner recorded and published their own rendition. [Read more…]
The new Rack Room Shoes store is pictured above at Main Street Oak Ridge on Wednesday, July 26, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Rack Room Shoes will open at Main Street Oak Ridge on Thursday.
The new store will be 5,000 square feet. It will be near Belk and between two other new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge: rue21 and Ulta.
Rack Room Shoes is a family footwear retailer, the company said.
It’s the fifth new store to open at Main Street Oak Ridge since mid-June. Main Street Oak Ridge is the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.
The other four stores that have already opened are rue21, maurices, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and PetSmart. The other three stores expected to open soon are Electronic Express, T.J. Maxx, and Ulta. [Read more…]
A fire engine is parked in front of the existing fire station at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo courtesy Y-12)
The Trump administration and congressional appropriations committees have agreed that $28 million in federal funding should be provided for a new fire station at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
The current fire station at Y-12 was built in the 1940s, and it is located within the most highly protected area of the nuclear weapons plant and close to the most hazardous operations, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration. Y-12 is an NNSA site.
“Seismic, tornado, hazardous material release, and security events could render the fire station inaccessible,” the NNSA said in a budget request submitted to Congress for fiscal year 2018, which starts October 1. (See page 271 here.)
Emergency planning assessments show that many hazardous materials releases would “have a very short travel time” before affecting the fire station, the NNSA said. Also, it’s critical to allow off-duty personnel to access the fire station since they augment the on-duty staff, the NNSA said.
The new fire station would be a single-story building of about 35,000 square feet. It would be located on the east end of Y-12, said Steven Wyatt, spokesperson for the NNSA Production Office in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
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We currently offer three subscription levels: $5, $10, or $25 per month. We accept payments through PayPal. You can also send check payments to our P.O. box. Please visit our subscription page for information on these options. [Read more…]
A mother identified as a Clinton resident died and her three children were injured in a single-vehicle crash in Knoxville on Saturday morning, authorities said.
The crash was reported at about 6:42 a.m. Saturday at Western Avenue and Mynders Avenue.
When they arrived, Knoxville Police Department officers found a 1998 Ford Explorer that had flipped and was on its side with the driver and three children trapped, the KPD said. Civilians and emergency personnel were able to remove the three children from the vehicle. Their mother died on the scene.
All three children were taken to Children’s Hospital and treated for minor injuries, the KPD said. [Read more…]
URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC’s Gary Kephart and Bill Evans, far left, accept the Innovation Award from the event hosts. (Photo courtesy DOE Office of Environmental Management)
The federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge was among 11 international winners of the Environmental Health and Safety Innovation Awards.
URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, is the cleanup contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.
UCOR was the public sector category winner, DOE said in a story published by the Office of Environmental Management on June 28. The award highlights the company’s use of sensors, drones, information technology, wearables, and occupational health and safety software in cleanup projects at the East Tennessee Technology Park, Y-12 National Security Complex, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
“They’ve done a tremendous job fostering a culture where employees are encouraged to approach and perform sensitive and complex projects in new and creative ways,” said Jay Mullis, OREM acting manager. “Our mission is reaping the benefits as we continue making progress while helping keep the workforce safe.” [Read more…]
The Y-12 National Security Complex recently recognized 33 inventors at its annual Tech Transfer award ceremony. The group was awarded 10 patents in the past year. (Photo by CNS)
Inventors at the Y-12 National Security Complex were awarded honors for their innovative technology accomplishments during the recent 13th annual Technology Transfer Awards Ceremony. The site has a long history of producing technologies that are transferred to the private sector, Y-12 said in a story posted on its website in June.
Ten patents were awarded in fiscal year 2016 in areas ranging from an apparatus for characterizing aerosols to several unique material processes, Y-12 said.
Thirty-three inventors also were recognized for bringing forward new ideas in the form of invention disclosures that could one day lead to future patents.
“These employees were acknowledged for both their creativity and innovative ideas in support of the technology development and transfer mission,” the story said. “The new inventions developed by the honorees will be used to further Y-12’s mission work and will be made available through license to benefit the public through Y-12’s Technology Transfer program.” [Read more…]
From left to right, Ryan Johnston and Lisa Copeland, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC Small Business program managers, and Cindy Morgan, senior supply chain manager, receive an award for Facility Management Contractor Small Business Achievement of the Year from Christy Jackiewicz, acting director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. (Photo by CNS)
Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC was recently honored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. The company received an award for Facility Management Contractor Small Business Achievement of the Year at the 16th Annual Small Business Forum and Expo.
The Facility Management Contractor Small Business Achievement of the Year award recognizes the tangible, annual, organizational results of a DOE facilities management contractor, Y-12 said in a story posted on its website in June.
“These results are measured in terms of dollars and percentage increases in small business procurement activity, as well as policies, programs, and procedures that promote small business use,” Y-12 said. [Read more…]
Registration opens Monday for Safety Fest TN, an annual community event that offers 90 free safety classes to residents and companies from September 11-15, a press release said.
This year’s training classes will be offered at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex, ORAU’s Pollard Technical Center, and other local venues, the press release said. Registration and a complete list of classes can be found at www.safetyfesttn.org.
“Planners for the event work to develop offerings each year that provide valuable insight and training to the region that may be costly or difficult to obtain elsewhere,” the press release said. “A sample of this year’s classes include Careers in Occupational Safety and Health (for high school and community college students), Chain Saw Safety, CPR and First Aid Certification, Confined Space, Evacuation and Emergency Planning, Fall Prevention, HAZWOPER 8-hour, OSHA Construction 10-hour, Power Tool Safety, Trench Safety, and Welding Safety.”
“This is the sixth year of Safety Fest TN’s offering so many outstanding safety classes for free,” said Michelle Keever, UCOR’s senior safety and health program specialist and Safety Fest class coordinator. “Our community sponsors make it possible for us to not only offer free safety training, but to provide free lunches and breaks for a convenient training experience.” [Read more…]
Submitted photo
Award-winning PBS science educator Janet Ivey will present a program on the solar eclipse in Oak Ridge in August.
Ivey is creator of “Janet’s Planet,” which is syndicated on 140 public television stations throughout the U.S. and has received 12 regional Emmys and five Gracie Allen awards, a press release said.
Her August 10 program is titled “A Day in the Dark! Solar Eclipse 2017!” It’s sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.
The family-friendly program will be held in the UT Arboretum Auditorium on Thursday, August 10, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., the press release said. The arboretum is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
