Oak Ridge Today

New director hired at ORNL Carbon Fiber Technology Facility

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Merlin Theodore, new director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Carbon Fiber Technology Facility. (Photo by ORNL)

Merlin Theodore, new director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility. (Photo by ORNL)

 

A new director has been hired at the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Merlin Theodore most recently worked in Moses Lake, Washington, where she established a laboratory and promoted organizational excellence at a startup facility, SGL Automotive Carbon Fiber, ORNL said in a story published on its website in March. SGL Automotive Carbon Fiber is one of the largest carbon fiber production facilities in the United States, ORNL said.

While at SGL Automotive Carbon Fiber, Theodore boosted workflow efficiency by 97 percent and achieved 94 percent cost savings by developing new testing methods to determine sizing concentration on fiber surface, ORNL said. She also played an instrumental role in resolving technical issues for automaker BMW.

Theodore was the first in her family of 11 siblings to pursue graduate studies and then take up a career as a technology innovator. Her path eventually led her to ORNL, the lab said.

Before the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility and SGL Automotive Carbon Fiber, Theodore worked for Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Georgia Tech, and Universal Technology Corporation, or UTC, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a research scientist and laboratory manager. [Read more…]

Xavier Harper, 9, of Linden, competes at USA Gymnastics Championships

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Xavier Harper

Xavier Harper

 

Xavier Harper, a rising fourth-grader at Linden Elementary School, competed in the USA Gymnastics Trampoline and Tumbling National Championships from June 27-July 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Xavier finished second in the nation on trampoline for level 9 in the 10 and under age group. He is affiliated with Premier Athletics in Knoxville. [Read more…]

Australian ornithologist finds secretive marsh bird on Oak Ridge Reservation

Posted at
By 1 Comment

An Australian ornithologist has found a secretive marsh bird, a Purple Gallinule, on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory said in a post published on Twitter on Sunday, July 2, 2017. (Screenshot from ORNL video)

An Australian ornithologist has found a secretive marsh bird, a Purple Gallinule, on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory said in a post published on Twitter on Sunday, July 2, 2017. (Screenshot from ORNL video)

 

An Australian ornithologist has found a secretive marsh bird, a Purple Gallinule, on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory said in a video post published on Twitter on Sunday.

Australian ornithologist Liz Znidersic recently came to ORNL to study secretive bird species, ORNL said in the video. She found the new bird using video and audio equipment.

The Purple Gallinule is typically only found in coastal or tropical areas.

“The Purple Gallinule has not been found on the Oak Ridge Reservation ever,” Znidersic said in the video. “This is the first one to be found also in Roane County.” [Read more…]

ORNL-led team identifies process that can break down toxic methylmercury

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments. Microscopy images by Jeremy Semrau, University of Michigan. (Screenshot from a video by ORNL)

A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments. Microscopy images by Jeremy Semrau, University of Michigan. (Screenshot from a video by ORNL)

 

Note: This story was originally published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory on May 31.

A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a fundamental scientific discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments.

Methylmercury is a neurotoxin that forms in nature when mercury interacts with certain microbes living in soil and waterways. It accumulates at varying levels in all fish—particularly large predatory fish such as tuna and swordfish—and, when consumed in large quantities, can potentially cause neurological damage and developmental disorders, especially in children.

A previous ORNL-led study, published in Science in 2013, unlocked the genetic code that led scientists to accurately identify microbes responsible for methylmercury production in the environment. Following this finding, the ORNL team has now discovered which bacteria perform the reverse process, called demethylation. Details are published in Science Advances.

“Much attention has focused on mercury methylation or how methylmercury forms, but few studies to date have examined microbial demethylation, or the breakdown of methylmercury at environmentally relevant conditions,” said Baohua Gu, co-author and a team lead in ORNL’s Mercury Science Focus Area. [Read more…]

While here in May, Secretary Perry made his first visit to UPF

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above from left are Uranium Processing Facility Federal Project Director Dale Christenson, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, Secretary Rick Perry, Rep. Chuck Fleischman, and UPF Project Director Brian Reilly. (Photo by NNSA)

Pictured above from left are Uranium Processing Facility Federal Project Director Dale Christenson, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, Secretary Rick Perry, Rep. Chuck Fleischman, and UPF Project Director Brian Reilly. (Photo by NNSA)

 

Note: This story was originally published by the National Nuclear Security Administration on May 24.

While he visited Oak Ridge in May, new Energy Secretary Rick Perry made his first visit to the planned Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 National Security Complex, a project that has been described as the single largest government investment in Tennessee since World War II.

Perry visited the UPF project with U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and Representative Chuck Fleischmann, both Tennessee Republicans, and UPF Federal Project Director Dale Christenson and UPF Project Director Brian Reilly.

Christenson and Reilly provided an update on the project’s progress and discussed key upcoming milestones, including achieving 90 percent design by September 2017, the National Nuclear Security Administration said in a post published May 24. Y-12 is an NNSA site. [Read more…]

Community Band has July 4 concert before fireworks

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Community Band in a previous July 4 concert. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Community Band in a previous July 4 concert. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Community Band will have its annual July 4 Independence Day concert on Tuesday, July 4, at Alvin K. Bissell Park. The concert is free.

Large crowds are expected for both the concert and the city fireworks show that follows, so the public is encouraged to come early, a press release said.

“Bring chairs or blankets for outdoor seating, and enjoy a very entertaining summer evening,” the press release said.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and there is no admission fee. However, donations are welcomed to help offset band expenses. Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab will also be in the park to provide refreshments, the press release said.

Featured guest vocal soloists will be Deidre Ford singing the lovely strains of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” and soloist Lettie Andrade De La Torre singing Jerry Lackey’s arrangement of “Caledonia” from “Celtic Women.” Also on Tuesday evening’s program will be quartet singers Ed Calfee, Deidre Ford, Lettie Andrade De La Torre, and Roscoe Shipley who will be singing Jerry Brubaker’s “The Ultimate Patriotic Sing-Along,” Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and John Stafford Smith’s “The Star-Spangled Banner—A Symphonic Portrait.” [Read more…]

DOE not responding to questions about budget, Perry’s advocacy

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Energy Secretary Rick Perry drives a 3D printed personal utility vehicle at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Hardin Valley Road on Monday, May 22, 2017. His passenger is Craig Blue, director of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs at ORNL. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Energy Secretary Rick Perry drives a 3D printed personal utility vehicle at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Hardin Valley Road on Monday, May 22, 2017. His passenger is Craig Blue, director of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs at ORNL. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy is not responding to questions about Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s advocacy of Oak Ridge or the fiscal year 2018 budget request.

The only question from Oak Ridge Today that DOE has answered is: Will the department have a teleconference to discuss the budget request with reporters? The answer was “no.”

DOE, which could have a funding decrease under President Donald Trump’s budget request, has not responded to any specific questions about the budget itself. Oak Ridge Today has tried about a dozen times in the past month to reach someone in the public affairs office at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C., using emails, phone calls, and on Wednesday night, a five-part tweet to active Twitter accounts for Perry and the DOE press staff.

Oak Ridge Today has sought information from the department since Trump sent the fiscal year 2018 budget request to Congress on Tuesday, May 23. Among other things, the news website has wanted to make sure that it is correctly interpreting the preliminary budget numbers published online by DOE. (See here, here, and here for more information about the budget request.)

According to the information Oak Ridge Today has received and reviewed, some Oak Ridge programs and sites could see funding increases under the president’s budget request, while others could see decreases. The programs and sites that could benefit include the environmental management program (the cleanup work at federal sites), Oak Ridge Office, and Y-12 National Security Complex. Those that could lose funding are DOE’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information, or OSTI; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, which is managed by ORAU; and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Oak Ridge Today has sent specific questions about funding for most of these programs and sites to the public affairs office at DOE headquarters, but no spokespeople have responded, not even to acknowledge that the messages were received or to reply with a “no comment.”

Oak Ridge Today has also tried to follow up on Perry’s pledge to be a strong advocate for at least some programs in Oak Ridge. Perry made the pledge at ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley on Monday, May 22. The pledge came after he toured ORNL, the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, and Y-12. During his visit to Oak Ridge and Hardin Valley, Perry learned about the planned Uranium Processing Facility and nuclear weapons work at Y-12, the environmental management program, and advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, materials science research, and supercomputing at ORNL. [Read more…]

They evaluated Oak Ridge, but Protomet will expand in Loudon County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jeff Bohanan, founder and chief executive officer of Protomet in Oak Ridge, announced a $30 million expansion in Loudon County on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Jeff Bohanan, founder and chief executive officer of Protomet in Oak Ridge, announced a $30 million expansion in Loudon County on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Protomet Corporation evaluated a site in south Oak Ridge for a $30 million, 200-job expansion, but the company will expand in Loudon County instead, officials said Tuesday.

The good news for Oak Ridge: The current operations will remain here. And all Protomet operations will still be in East Tennessee, said Jeff Bohanan, the company’s founder and chief executive officer.

Protomet had announced in early 2017 that it needed more manufacturing space to add new production capabilities and increase the company’s output.

The initial plan was to expand with a 100,000-square-foot building on the west side of the existing facility on Larson Drive in Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge. Protomet acquired a 19.7-acre parcel next to its current facility from the U.S. Department of Energy, with the purchase going through the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board.

Protomet immediately began testing that site, spending about $60,000 on architectural and engineering fees, Bohanan said Tuesday. The idea was to add the new building at the same location as the current one.

But, “at the end of the evaluation, it was clear we could not do the expansion the way it was designed on that land,” Bohanan said. [Read more…]

U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America to play free concert on Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

U.S. Air Force Airlifter Brass

The U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America’s Airlifter Brass will play in a free concert at the Oak Ridge Civic Center Amphitheater on Friday, June 30. The performance will start at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Details on individual concerts can be found at www.bandofmidamerica.af.mil/events or www.facebook.com/BandofMidAmerica/events, a press release said.

“Grab your chairs and bring the family for a great night of music,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Public invited to free tour of Melton Hill Lock on Clinch River in August

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District and Tennessee Valley Authority invite the public for a free tour of Melton Hill Lock southwest of Oak Ridge at Clinch River mile 23.1 in Lenoir City on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District and Tennessee Valley Authority invite the public to a free tour of Melton Hill Lock south of Oak Ridge at Clinch River mile 23.1 in Lenoir City on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

 

There will be a free tour of Melton Hill Lock on the Clinch River just south of Oak Ridge on Saturday, August 19.

The tour has been organized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District and Tennessee Valley Authority.

The Melton Hill Lock is at Melton Hill Dam on the Clinch River (Melton Hill Reservoir) at mile 23.1 in Lenoir City.

Four groups of 25 will be able to tour the facility at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m., a press release said. Pre-registration is required for all tour guests (including minors) at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080948a4a92eaafa7-melton. The deadline to register is August 11. Personal information collected during sign-up is used for security background checks.

Tour Details and Rules [Read more…]

Dick’s Sporting Goods now open in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Dick's Sporting Goods is now open at Main Street Oak Ridge, and the new store had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Dick’s Sporting Goods is now open at Main Street Oak Ridge, and the new store had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods is now open at Main Street Oak Ridge, and the new store had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. A grand opening featuring former University of Tennessee football player Derek Barnett is scheduled for this weekend.

The store, roughly in the area where Sears used to be between Walmart and the U.S. Post Office on South Tulane Avenue, is 35,000 square foot. It sells equipment for team sports, footwear, apparel, hunting and fishing gear, and bicycles and fitness equipment, said Brian Johnson, community marketing manager for Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The store offers top national brands and in-store services such as a glove steamer, a gate analysis for runners and walkers, an archery lane to test bows, and bow stringing, Johnson said.

There are about 62 employees, both full-time and part-time, Johnson said.

He said many Oak Ridge customers shopped at Dick’s Sporting Goods in West Knoxville.

“Now they’ve got it here,” Johnson said. “Oak Ridge is a thriving market. Oak Ridge is an outdoor community.” [Read more…]

City to host fourth preschool meeting, the last step in conceptual design

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Design concepts for the new Oak Ridge Schools Preschool at Scarboro Park, as published in May 2017. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

Design concepts for the new Oak Ridge Schools Preschool at Scarboro Park, as published in May 2017. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

 

The City of Oak Ridge will host a fourth public forum-style meeting on the Oak Ridge Preschool on July 11. It’s the last step in the conceptual design process, a press release said.

“Once plans are affirmed by the community, architects will begin work on construction drawings,” the press release said.

The preschool will be built in Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge.

The July 11 meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center. [Read more…]