Oak Ridge Today

A first of its kind: UT, ORNL offer ‘big data’ doctorate

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The use of big data—collecting and interpreting vast amounts of information—has rapidly grown in importance across areas ranging from health care to nuclear security.

To help meet that demand, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a first-of-its kind data science and engineering doctoral program, the only one in the United States to pair a university and national laboratory and one of just three such big data doctoral programs in the U.S. overall, a press release said.

The program, which was announced at the spring UT Board of Trustees meeting, hopes to enroll 15 Ph.D. candidates when it begins this fall, with the eventual goal of having 100 students at any given time.

In granting approval for the new program last week, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission noted that it is an answer to its call for the state’s higher education institutions to strengthen graduate-level education and address challenges befitting top research institutions, the press release said. [Read more…]

Law enforcement to be honored during ceremony this afternoon

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Law enforcement personnel will be honored during a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony in Oak Ridge today, and certificates and letters of commendation will be awarded to Oak Ridge Police Department personnel this afternoon.

The Oak Ridge Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies across the nation in celebrating National Police Week, Sunday, May 14, through Saturday, May 20, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department will honor all law enforcement personnel during a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony held in front of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 15. The keynote speaker will be Bishop Richard Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Beginning at 3 p.m., following the memorial service, certificates and letters of commendation will be awarded to Oak Ridge Police Department personnel in the Municipal Building Courtroom. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge wins District 3 soccer championship

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys' soccer team won the District 3-AAA championship with a 4-0 shutout win over Central at the Oak Ridge Soccer Complex on Friday, May 12, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ soccer team won the District 3-AAA championship with a 4-0 shutout win over Central at the Oak Ridge Soccer Complex on Friday, May 12, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

This story was last updated at 12 a.m.

Oak Ridge won the District 3-AAA soccer championship on Friday, shutting out Central 4-0 at home.

It’s the fourth year in a row that the Oak Ridge boys’ soccer team has won the district championship.

The Wildcats, who were undefeated in the district this season, will now play the loser of the District 4-AAA championship game in a Region 2-AAA semifinal at the Oak Ridge Soccer Complex on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge doesn’t know which team it will play yet. The District 4-AAA championship game between Maryville and Farragut is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Maryville. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will host American Cornhole state championships in June

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The American Cornhole Organization will have the 2017 Tennessee State Championships of Cornhole at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on June 16 and 17, 2017. (Submitted photo)

The American Cornhole Organization will have the 2017 Tennessee State Championships of Cornhole at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on June 16 and 17, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge will host the state cornhole championships in June.

The American Cornhole Organization will have the 2017 Tennessee State Championships of Cornhole at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on June 16 and 17, a press release said.

The ACO is the worldwide governing body and professional organization for the cornhole sport, the release said.

The state championships in June were announced by Explore Oak Ridge on Friday.

Members of the public can test their skill by participating in the public open tournament, Big Blind Luck Draw, starting at 8 p.m. Friday, June 16, the press release said. Registration for the tournament is from 4-7:30 p.m. The entry fee is $10. The prize purse is $200 for first, $80 for second, and $20 for third, the release said.

“The American Cornhole Organization is one of the fastest-growing sports organizations in the country, garnering a lot of national attention,” said Steve Winfree, Explore Oak Ridge sales manager. [Read more…]

Soccer photos: Oak Ridge-Halls in District 3-AAA semifinal

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Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

 

Oak Ridge senior forward Austin Vinyard scored four goals and had one assist as the Wildcats advanced to the District 3-AAA soccer championship with a 6-0 semifinal win over Halls on Wednesday. Here are photos from the game by John Huotari of Oak Ridge Today. [Read more…]

Community open house scheduled as part of Public Works Week

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The Oak Ridge Central Services Complex is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Central Services Complex is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department and Public Works Employee Relations Committee is having a Public Works Community Open House and Touch-the-Truck event on Thursday, May 25.

The event will be held in recognition of Public Works Week in the City of Oak Ridge and National Public Works Week (May 21-27). The open house will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex, which is located at 100 Woodbury Lane.

“The purpose is to provide an event at which the community can learn about all the different divisions that make up the Public Works Department,” a press release said. “Public Works is much more than just water and sewer services. They are, in short, the people who maintain and improve the systems and services vital to the city’s health, safety, and comfort. Those systems and public services include, but are not limited to, water distribution, sewer collection, water and wastewater treatment, street, sidewalk, and storm drain repair and maintenance, stormwater management, public building maintenance and management, snow removal, and city fleet maintenance.” [Read more…]

Design complete for Emergency Operations Center at Y-12

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Y‑12’s new Emergency Operations Center will be built east of the existing Plant Shift Superintendent’s building. (Artist concept courtesy NNSA)

Y‑12’s new Emergency Operations Center will be built east of the existing Plant Shift Superintendent’s building. (Artist concept courtesy NNSA)

 

The final design was completed earlier this year for a new Emergency Operations Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex, officials said.

The project will replace an outdated Manhattan Project-era facility by building a new Plant Shift Superintendent’s facility, a new Technical Support Center, and a new plant Fire Department Alarm Room, Y-12 said. The new facility will replace the current Plant Shift Superintendent’s office and Technical Support Center in Building 9706-2. Y-12 will be able to use the new center as an Emergency Command Center for an operational emergency.

Y-12 said the Emergency Operations Center project team completed the final design package ahead of schedule and under budget.

“Completion of the design marks a major milestone in project progress,” Y-12 said in April 18 newsletter. “Using this completed design package, the project team can complete the balance of the project documentation needed to receive authorization for construction from National Nuclear Security Administration.”

On Wednesday, NNSA spokesperson Steven Wyatt said the existing Plant Shift Superintendent’s office is located in the east end of Y-12 south of the Jack Case Center. That office was built in the 1940s and is obsolete, Wyatt said. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project public program: Ride with a ranger, learn about Oak Ridge history on Saturday

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Join a park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway in Oak Ridge to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 70 years. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a free program at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2017. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

You can join a park ranger for a bicycle ride and learn more about the history of Oak Ridge on Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday morning, May 13, 2017. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

 

You can join a park ranger for a bicycle ride and learn more about the history of Oak Ridge on Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday morning.

The free program is presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. It will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 13, at Elza Gate Park, former entry point to the “Secret City,” and continue down Melton Lake Greenway.

“Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area,” a press release said. [Read more…]

ORHPA has Museum Appreciation Day at AMSE today

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American Museum of Science and Energy Sign

Come out on May 11, 2017, and show appreciation for the American Museum of Science and Energy and express your personal appreciation to the staff, ORHPA said. (Photo by ORHPA)

 

The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association is having a Museum Appreciation Day for the American Museum of Science and Energy on Thursday, May 11.

The Museum Appreciation Day is is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at AMSE, which is at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The Museum Appreciation Day is being held in place of the ORHPA’s regular monthly meeting normally, which is in the evening on the second Thursday of each month.

“The ORHPA encourages all its members and the public to come out and thank the AMSE staff for decades of excellent work, creating a museum that is a top destination for visitors to Oak Ridge,” a press release said. “While visiting, you’ll have a chance to give comments on what the AMSE means to you.” [Read more…]

At this time, proposed ‘bare-bones’ schools budget does not ask city for more money

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Oak Ridge Schools presented its proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 to the Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

Oak Ridge Schools presented its proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 to the Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

 

A “bare-bones” budget proposed by Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday does not, at this point, ask the City of Oak Ridge for more local funding.

The proposed budget includes step increases that would apply to those who are eligible, but it does not include pay raises. Roughly 59 percent of the staff would receive no increase, school officials said.

There are some new staff positions proposed, including a preschool teacher, a Navy Junior ROTC teacher, and a technology systems administrator. There are also some staff reductions due to enrollment, primarily two full-time equivalent teachers at Oak Ridge High School, reductions done through attrition.

“This is a pretty bare-bones budget,” Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Tuesday. It includes minimal new staff, and no major new initiatives. At this point, there is not enough money for raises, Borchers said.

The grand total of new investments has been proposed at $713,075: $355,201 for step increases and $357,784 for new staffing. [Read more…]

State budget includes $100,000 for Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton

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Green-McAdoo-Cultural-Center

The recently passed Tennessee budget includes $100,000 for the maintenance, restoration, and operation of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton, a press release said.

The funds were secured in the budget by Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and Representative John Ragan, both Oak Ridge Republicans, the press release said.

The Green McAdoo Cultural Center commemorates the Clinton 12, the first black students to integrate a public high school in the South, the release said.

“The story of the Clinton 12 is a pivotal event in the history of our state and our region that must never be forgotten,” Ragan said in the press release. “The Green McAdoo Cultural Center serves an important function in our community to remind us of this important history. I am proud the state will play a part in furthering the important mission of the center.” [Read more…]

Soccer: Oak Ridge plays Halls in district semifinal at home today

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Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

 

Oak Ridge will play Halls in a district tournament semifinal game at home today (Wednesday, May 10).

The District 3-AAA soccer tournament game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Soccer Complex.

Oak Ridge (11-4-2) was undefeated in District 3-AAA and was the top seed coming into the tournament, so the Wildcats had a bye until the semifinals.

The Red Devils (8-6) advanced to the semifinal by eliminating Clinton 5-0 in a first-round game on Friday and Anderson County 8-1 in a quarterfinal game on Monday.

In the other semifinal, Central, the number two seed, will play Powell, the number three seed, at Central at 7 p.m. today. Like Oak Ridge, Central also did not have to play in the district tournament until the semifinals.

Besides Clinton and Anderson County, Karns and Campbell County have also been eliminated from the district tournament. [Read more…]