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DOE conducting controlled burns on Oak Ridge Reservation

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The U.S. Department of Energy is conducting controlled burns of grassland areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation through mid-April, weather permitting.

People may see smoke from this activity. However, smoke in Oak Ridge and other areas in the region could also be the result of prescribed burns currently being undertaken by other federal and state agencies, a press release said.

It said the controlled burns are planned on the Three Bend Area off Pump House and Bull Bluff Roads and other managed grassland areas off Bethel Valley Road and off Highway 58.

[Read more…]

Thornton named director of ORNL Climate Change Science Institute

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Peter Thornton has been named director of the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory appointed Peter Thornton as director of its Climate Change Science Institute, or CCSI, effective November 1.

“CCSI was launched at ORNL in 2009, bringing together the lab’s multidisciplinary expertise and big science capabilities to predict the future of the planet’s climate and to evaluate potential mitigation solutions at the intersection of climate, clean energy, national security, and environmental justice,” a press release said. “ORNL’s modeling work informs solutions to meet the nation’s climate goals of a 40% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.”

“I am very pleased that Peter will help develop and guide new local, regional, and national activities within CCSI,” said Stan Wullschleger, associate laboratory director for Biological and Environmental Systems Science. “Peter’s extensive expertise will ensure that our Earth system models provide the best projections of our changing planet and potential resilience strategies for our citizens, industry and society.”

[Read more…]

Tennessee Holocaust Commission accepting student entries for 2022 contest

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Mira Kimmelman challenged students and those in her audiences to reflect upon the history of the Holocaust and contemporary examples of injustice. (Submitted photo)

“The Holocaust is a lesson in human (and inhuman) history that took place because of hate, bigotry, indifference—all characteristics that know no bounds. These traits spread like wildfire. If we remain indifferent to human suffering, it can happen again; it can happen here, and who knows who the next victims will be? Only by remembering the bitter lesson of Hitler’s legacy can we hope it will never be repeated. Teach it, tell it, read it.”—Mira Ryczke Kimmelman, “Echoes from the Holocaust”

Mira Kimmelman challenged students to reflect upon the history of the Holocaust and contemporary examples of injustice as she gave talks about her own experiences for more than 50 years, according to Larry Leibowitz, Knoxville attorney who is chair of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission.

The Mira Kimmelman “Learning from the Holocaust” Contest, established after her death in 2019, continues her legacy, a press release said. The contest invites Tennessee high school and middle school students to submit essays and projects that reflect how the lessons of the Holocaust are relevant to current events and their own lives.

[Read more…]

Controlled burns scheduled on Oak Ridge Reservation

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Controlled burns are scheduled on the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation. (Submitted photo)

Controlled burns are scheduled on the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation.

“The public should expect to see some smoke from this activity,” a press release said. “However, smoke in this and other areas in the region could also be the result of prescribed burns currently being undertaken by other federal and state agencies.”

DOE will be starting a series of controlled burns of grassland areas on the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation on the Three Bend Area off Pump House and Bull Bluff Roads, and other managed grassland areas off Bethel Valley Road and off Highway 58, the press release said.

Beginning this week and continuing through mid-April 2021 as weather permits, controlled burns will take place at:

[Read more…]

Learn technical details of RamSat in Zoom session

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RamSat, just prior to handoff to NASA

You can learn more this evening about the technical details of the cube satellite built by students at Robertsville Middle School with help from mentors.

The Zoom session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 17, during an ORION community meeting.

The title of the talk is “RamSat Technical Details.” The talk will be given by a panel of three technical experts from Oak Ridge—Peter Thornton, David Andrews, and Ian Goethert—and moderated by Rob Scott and David Fields, a press release said. The talk is open to the public. If you are interested in joining this talk, follow this link: [Read more…]

Small business of month: Acato Information Management

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Acato Information Management, located at 173 Mitchell Road, is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Month for November 2021. (Submitted photo)

 

Acato Information Management, located at 173 Mitchell Road, is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Month for November 2021, a press release said. The award is sponsored by Enrichment Federal Credit Union.

“Service, integrity, and joy—those are the core values of Acato Information Management,” the press release said. “Owner Cathy Toth says those values drive everything they do.”

Launched in 2010, Acato is a software company focused on software quality. The company provides software testing for clients and government contractors.

“Traditional software testing revolves around executing tasks and resolving defects,” Toth said. “The value we bring is figuring out how well you know if you got what you wanted and then how you will confirm that you got what you wanted. It’s that analysis and then building tests to do that is really where we bring more value to the client.” [Read more…]

RMS RamSat team to discuss cube satellite

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Robertsville Middle School students and mentors assembling the RamSat cube satellite. (Submitted photo)

ORION will welcome the Robertsville Middle School RamSat cube satellite team to a Zoom session on Wednesday evening, October 20.

The Robertsville Middle School CubeSat began its construction in the 2015-2016 school year after Robertsville became the first middle school selected by NASA’s Cube Sat Launch Initiative program. RamSat is a two-unit cube satellite, with dimensions of 20 centimeters by 10 centimeters by 10 centimeters. Its mission is to take pictures of the forests around Gatlinburg, which were destroyed by wildfire in 2016.

RamSat has an educational co-mission to develop a middle school STEM curriculum, a press release said. The mission has been designed and carried out by students, teachers, and mentors. The cube satellite has been dubbed RamSat for the school’s mascot.

The Wednesday Zoom session will start at 7 p.m. It is open to the public. [Read more…]

Air quality alert in effect until midnight Saturday

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Haze from wildfires in western states and Canada obscures the Cumberland Mountains north of Oak Ridge in this view from Pine Ridge last week, on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An air quality alert is in effect until midnight as smoke from wildfires in western states and Canada continues to blow through the region. The smoke also affected air quality in the region last week.

On Friday, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued a code orange air quality alert for fine particulate matter, including in the Knoxville metropolitan area. The air quality alert includes Anderson County. It went into effect at midnight Friday and continues until midnight Saturday.

The orange alert means the air is unhealthy for people in sensitive groups, according to AirNow.gov. This includes people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teenagers. They should choose less strenuous activities, like walking instead of running, so they don’t breathe as hard. They should also shorten the amount of time they are active outdoors, and postpone outdoor activities if possible to when the air quality is better. Everyone else can enjoy outdoor activities, AirNow.gov said.

[Read more…]

High temperatures expected due to heat wave

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

High temperatures are expected across the Tennessee Valley and the southern Appalachian Mountains as a heat wave expands across much of the country, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. With humidity, heat indices in the region could exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The heat wave is forecast for the rest of July and into early August.

“Above-normal temperatures are likely over the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians,” the NWS said. “Temperatures will climb into the middle and upper 90s across parts of the Tennessee Valley for the end of July and early August along with muggy conditions.”

[Read more…]

Controlled burns start this week on DOE land

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The U.S. Department of Energy is starting a series of controlled burns of grassland areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation this week.

The controlled burns could continue through mid-April, depending upon weather. The burns will be on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Three Bend Area off Pump House and Bull Bluff Roads, and other managed grassland areas off Bethel Valley Road and off Highway 58, a press release said.

The controlled burns will take place at:

[Read more…]

Lee limits indoor public gatherings, indoor sports attendance

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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an order last week that limits indoor public gatherings, with some exceptions, to fewer than 10 people. The governor also limited attendance at indoor sporting events in coordination with the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association. And he asked business owners to let employees work from home for the next 30 days.

Many people wondered if the governor would issue a mask mandate. He did not.

Lee asked people to focus on two actions in the next 30 days: only gather with people in your home, and wear a mask.

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Bill Lee

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee last week signed an order limiting indoor public gatherings, with some exceptions, to fewer than 10 people. The governor also limited attendance at indoor sporting events in coordination with the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association. And he asked business owners to let employees work from home for the next 30 days.

Many people wondered if the governor would issue a mask mandate during a statewide address on Sunday. He did not.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an order last week that limits indoor public gatherings, with some exceptions, to fewer than 10 people. The governor also limited attendance at indoor sporting events in coordination with the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association. And he asked business owners to let employees work from home for the next 30 days.

Many people wondered if the governor would issue a mask mandate. He did not.

Lee asked people to focus on two actions in the next 30 days: only gather with people in your home, and wear a mask.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Firefighters use back burns to help contain Elza Gate fire

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Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking south toward Melton Hill Lake/Clinch River from near Elza Drive. There is a Y intersection in the train tracks in the area of the black smoke. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. This view is looking south toward Melton Hill Lake/Clinch River from near Elza Drive. There is a Y intersection in the train tracks in the area of the black smoke. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

  Firefighters used back burns, controlled fires that eliminate fuel, to help contain a large fire that burned grass and brush near the railroad tracks at Elza Drive in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon. The large grass fire was reported on the steep embankment along the railroad tracks east of Elza Gate Park at about 3:30 p.m. Friday. The fire sent up a large plume of black and gray smoke that was visible for miles. “Flames were moving quickly, fueled by strong winds and excess brush in the area,” the Oak Ridge Fire Department said. Crews started attacking the fire from several locations, the ORFD said. When flames spread to the railroad bridge over Elza Drive, firefighters were able to save it by walking out onto the bridge and extinguishing the flames. [Read more…]