Oak Ridge Today

Samsung licenses ORNL glass coatings for electronics that can repel water, reduce reflection

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An ORNL-developed thin glass film with superhydrophobic properties repels water that carries away dust and dirt, reduces light reflection, and resists fingerprints and smudges. (Image by Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced this fall that Samsung Electronics has exclusively licensed a technology that can improve the performance of glass displays on smart phones, tablets, and other electronic devices.

ORNL has developed a transparent coating that repels water, carrying away dust and dirt; reduces light reflection; and resists fingerprints and smudges. The optically clear superhydrophobic film technology was the result of about three years of superhydrophobic research on glass-based coatings, ORNL said in a press release.

“The thin nanostructured layer of porous glass film enables these combined properties, making it suitable for commercial applications,” said ORNL’s Tolga Aytug, co-inventor of the technology.

To be superhydrophobic, a surface must achieve a water droplet contact angle exceeding 150 degrees. ORNL’s coating has a contact angle of between 155 and 165 degrees, so water literally bounces off, taking away dust particles, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory responded to Gatlinburg fires

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Fire Department Chief Officers Daron Long, Larry Lewis, and Danny Parker (in navy polo shirts) are pictured above in the Incident Command Center. (Photo by ORNL)

 

By U.S. Department of Energy

The Great Smoky Mountains, which are normally wet and hazy, had been in a particularly prolonged drought when a fire started near a popular lookout several miles from the resort town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, just before Thanksgiving. Park officials warily watched the slowly spreading blaze, which was in nearly vertical and mostly unreachable terrain.

At the close of the holiday weekend, a weather system moved in, whipping up gale-force winds hours ahead of the rain. The wind supercharged the fire, driving eerie, thick smoke down the basin toward the town. By Monday night, the homes, resorts, and businesses surrounding Gatlinburg were in the middle of a firestorm as flames destroyed structure after structure. Downed power lines sparked separate fires.

On the evening of November 28, park and city officials reached out to firefighters in the region for support as flames engulfed entire neighborhoods. By the time quenching rains arrived, the 17,000-acre forest fire had burned 1,700 structures—many of them homes—and took 14 lives.

Firefighters from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, located about 50 miles away, were among those who answered the call. With an immediate go-ahead from the ORNL Site Office, the ORNL Fire Department, or ORNLFD, dispatched resources to assist responders in Gatlinburg and neighboring Pigeon Forge. [Read more…]

Leaf pickup: Crews behind due to volume and weather, but all streets will be visited

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Leaf pickup crews are running four days behind due to volume and weather, but all streets will be visited before the end of the annual program, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The citywide leaf pickup program began Monday, November 21.

Here a few guidelines for the program: [Read more…]

Convenience Center in Oak Ridge will be closed New Year’s Day

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Waste Connections of Tennessee will close the Convenience Center located at 400 Warehouse Road in Oak Ridge all day Sunday, January 1, 2017 (New Year’s Day).

There will be no change to the weekly residential refuse and recycling pick-up schedule, a press release said.

For more information, you can contact Waste Connections of Tennessee at (865) 482-3656 or visit the company’s website at wasteconnectionsTN.com.

New Year’s Walk at UT Arboretum on Jan. 2

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If you want to get some exercise early in the new year, you can go on a short hike during the Third Annual New Year’s Walk at the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Monday.

The free walk is offered by the UT Arboretum Society. It starts at 9:30 a.m. Monday, January 2,  at the UT Arboretum Auditorium. There, you will be greeted by fellow hikers and offered coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks, a press release said.

At 10 a.m., the group will leave for a guided walk that will last about 45 minutes, the press release said. The hike will follow a forest trail and will visit the Elmore Holly Collection, giving participants the opportunity to see the hollies still covered with berries. [Read more…]

Gatlinburg fires: Andersonville fire chief describes elevator rescue, driving through ‘gates of hell’

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The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department helped rescue two people trapped in an elevator in a burning building at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, pictured above, in Gatlinburg during the wildfires on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Photo via Roane State Community College)

 

Editor’s note: Many fire departments and emergency workers responded to help fight the wildfires and perform search and rescue during the deadly forest fires that burned areas around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge on Monday, November 28. Here are stories from two Anderson County rescuers who responded to the Gatlinburg fires, as reported by Roane State Community College.

‘We made our way through what looked like the gates of hell’

By Matthew R. Burrell

On the night of Monday, November 28, various Anderson County fire departments were asked to respond on mutual aid calls to the City of Gatlinburg. Of those departments, Andersonville responded with a crew of three and one pumper.

Once we arrived at the meeting point, we were sent to Pittman Center for staging. On our way to our assigned location, there were many thoughts of the unknown. We were bouncing several scenarios off of each other—from “what are we going to do to pass time if all we do is sit in the parking lot,” to how crazy it could possibly be and what we might encounter.

When we first responded, I made contact with the Gatlinburg Fire Department chief, and the intensity in his voice told me that it was bad. But once we hit the spur, we realized just how bad it was. We made our way through what looked like the gates of hell and then entered the city. There was a constant orange glow everywhere you looked. We were amazed at the devastation and at how many buildings were on fire. [Read more…]

Y-12 firefighter puts out car fire at Weigel’s gas station

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Eric Mocasri of the Oak Ridge Fire Department checks a Volkswagen Beetle that caught fire at a gas pump at Weigel's gas station and convenience store on South Illinois Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Eric Mocsari of the Oak Ridge Fire Department checks a Volkswagen Beetle that caught fire at a gas pump at Weigel’s gas station and convenience store on South Illinois Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A firefighter on his way to work at the Y-12 National Security Complex extinguished a fire in a Volkswagen Beetle at Weigel’s gas station Saturday evening.

Jim Wilson of the Y-12 Fire Department used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in the back of the VW car, which was at a gas pump, just after 5 p.m. Saturday. The flames burned through a grill on the back of the car above the engine, and they were visible from South Illinois Avenue.

It wasn’t clear what caused the fire. [Read more…]

Lifestar responds after crash reported

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A Lifestar medical helicopter landed at Big Turtle Park in west Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon because of a serious crash reported on Newhaven Road, authorities said.

The crash was reported at 3:08 p.m. Friday.

Authorities received reports that the crash involved a four-wheeler and a man, possibly in his 30s. It wasn’t clear if the man was riding the four-wheeler. [Read more…]

Keep Anderson County Beautiful receives $20,000 grant

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Keep Anderson County Beautiful, or KACB, is the recipient of a 2016 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners $20,000 grant. In mid-December, Keep Anderson County Beautiful said it is building an outdoor chess board at Robertsville Middle School as part of the grant. (Photo by Keep Anderson County Beautiful via Facebook)

 

Keep Anderson County Beautiful, or KACB, is the recipient of a 2016 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners $20,000 grant, a press release said. Keep Anderson County Beautiful announced on its Facebook page that it has building an outdoor chess board at Robertsville Middle School as part of the grant.

The KACB grant is being used to improve the landscaping at Robertsville Middle School, the press release said. The goal is to develop a pleasant campus with shade structures, benches, picnic tables, trees, and other vegetation.

In mid-December, Keep Anderson County Beautiful, a nonprofit, volunteer organization, announced on its Facebook page that it is building an outdoor chess board at Robertsville Middle School as part of the grant.

This is part of the first phase in a larger plan to make RMS a center of outdoor community activity, to enhance the students’ day-to-day lives, and to improve the campus by giving it a more park-like atmosphere and additional recreational sports areas, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State dental hygiene student receives scholarship

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Oral Surgery Specialists of Tennessee representative Scarlett Valentine, left, presented Roane State student Kelly Tallent with a $1,500 study abroad scholarship. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

Oral Surgery Specialists of Tennessee representative Scarlett Valentine, left, presented Roane State student Kelly Tallent with a $1,500 study abroad scholarship. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

Roane State Community College dental hygiene student Kelly Tallent of Lenoir City received a $1,500 study abroad scholarship provided by Oral Surgery Specialists of Tennessee.

The scholarship will be used for Tallent’s study abroad experience in spring 2017. Roane State dental hygiene students travel to Costa Rica each year to provide preventive care services to children. [Read more…]

CareerLink showcases internships, research opportunities for minorities at ORNL

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ORISE, ORNL host 43 faculty and undergraduates from minority institutions for networking event

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, or ORISE, recently partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to host a CareerLink Event Day that provided a full day of networking and workshops for faculty and undergraduate students from minority institutions.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists Programs and held at ORNL, this inaugural event benefitted 43 distinguished faculty and undergraduate students from historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, and minority education institutions, or MEIs, who are interested in career opportunities with DOE or its national labs.

“Events like this help excite and educate faculty and students from our nation’s minority education institutions about STEM-related careers,” said Craig Layman, associate director with ORISE. “Students learn more about the critical mission areas of ORNL and, at the same time, network with potential mentors who are among ORNL’s top scientists and engineers.” [Read more…]

Free Community Meal at ORUUC on Friday, Dec. 30

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Submitted

Is there anything better than homemade macaroni and cheese? Perhaps there is, but when it comes to one of the ultimate comfort foods, it’s at the top of the list. To change it up a bit, the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Stone Soup team will put away the soup pots and instead prepare that cheesy goodness for the Stone Soup Free Community Meal on Friday, December 30.

Join us in the Social Hall for dinner from 5 to 6 p.m. for the homemade meal of the “Best Ever Macaroni and Cheese,” fresh fruit, and brownies. Takeout will be available from 5 to 6 p.m. ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike (close to traffic light number 2) in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]