Oak Ridge Today

TVC announces sessions, speakers for 2016 Summit at Tennessee Tech

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TVA 2016 National Summit

On June 1-2, more than 300 community, academic, and government leaders from the five-state region will gather at Tennessee Tech University for the 2016 Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit to focus attention on the vital role entrepreneurs provide in turning the brain power and technologies from the region’s universities and federal programs into new business start-ups and the expansion of existing businesses.

The Summit is themed “Where Entrepreneurs and Technology Meet.” The event will be hosted by Tennessee Tech University President Phil Oldham in cooperation with U.S. Representative Diane Black.

The Summit will include two main sessions. [Read more…]

ORAU’s Phil Andrews named CFO of Year by Greater Knoxville Business Journal

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Phil Andrews

Phil Andrews

The Greater Knoxville Business Journal named ORAU Vice President and CFO Phil Andrews as 2015 CFO of the Year in its nonprofit/government category.

According to the Greater Knoxville Business Journal website, this designation, presented by the Knoxville Chapter of the Financial Executives International, recognizes chief financial officers from companies in the Greater Knoxville area who have made significant contributions to company growth, leadership and community involvement.

Since joining ORAU in 2007 as vice president of business operations and CFO, Andrews has managed the financial aspects of the organization’s dramatic revenue growth from $230 million in 2007 to nearly $360 million in 2014, representing unprecedented company growth of almost 60 percent, a press release said. The revenue projection for 2015 is $400 million, which will be ORAU’s best year ever. [Read more…]

ORAU exceeds $100,000 in annual giving campaign for eighth year in a row

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ORAU 2015 Annual Giving Campaign

The 2015 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign Chair Arlene Garrison, pictured right, Co-Chair Don Hanlon, pictured left, and ORAU President and CEO Andy Page reveal ORAU’s combined giving total of $127,404.42. (Photo courtesy ORAU)

 

For the eighth year in a row, ORAU has broken the $100,000 mark in donations as part of the annual giving campaign for the United Way and Community Shares.

During a concluding ceremony on September 29 in the ORAU Pollard Technology Conference Center, ORAU President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Page announced the 2015 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign total donation amount: $127,404.42.

As part of the total donation, ORAU and its employees pledged $97,835.18 to the United Way and $29,569.24 to Community Shares.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ORAU awards $32,000 in education grants to area schools

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Clinton City Schools and ORAU Education Grants 2015

Clinton City Schools education grant winners are pictured above. (Photo courtesy ORAU)

 

ORAU awarded 28 teachers from nine East Tennessee schools more than $32,000 in grant money during the 14th annual ORAU Education Grants ceremony.

The grant money will be used to purchase educational materials and equipment—such as Chromebooks, microscopes, meteorology kits, and more—to help teachers continue to meet rigorous, state-wide curriculum standards, and enhance the learning experience of their students, a press release said.

Since beginning this program in 2002, ORAU has provided more than $410,000 to area schools for projects that complement its mission of enriching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, programs.

“ORAU is honored to support our community by helping our schools secure the tools they need to capture and maintain students’ attention on these critical subjects,” ORAU President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Page said. “These educators continue to show an impressive dedication to teaching, and we welcome the opportunity to show them how much we appreciate their dedication and hard work.” [Read more…]

Students, teachers explore next generation of learning after ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover

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ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover at Brown Intermediate School

Charlie Arp’s students at Brown Intermediate School in Sweetwater experiment with stop motion videography on iPads. (Photo courtesy ORAU)

 

SWEETWATER—Students, parents, and teachers were given a glimpse of the next generation in classrooms during the Wednesday, August 5, reveal of Charlie Arp’s recently outfitted classroom full of state-of the-art technology. Arp, a teacher at Brown Intermediate School in Sweetwater, Tennessee, was the winner of this year’s $25,000 grant from ORAU’s Extreme Classroom Makeover competition.

The math and science teacher spent the summer selecting and installing his new technology, taking continuing education courses at ORAU’s Center for Science Education, and preparing for his new class of rising students. His arsenal of learning technology, and knowledge of how to use these tools, was on showcase during the reveal.

In its seventh year, ORAU’s grant program highlights and supports educators who use technology in the classroom to inspire more students to pursue math and science-based careers.

“We realize at ORAU the importance of maintaining students’ interest in and cultivating a passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects,” said ORAU President Andy Page. “By empowering teachers like Charlie Arp, the Extreme Classroom Makeover helps to demonstrate the countless number of possibilities technology can bring to both educators and students.” [Read more…]

ORAU’s Timmerman receives DOE Small Business Award

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Heidi Timmerman and John Hale III Small Business Award

Heidi Timmerman, director of Procurement and Contracts Administration at ORAU, left, receives the Facility Management Contractor Procurement Director of the Year award for fiscal year 2014 from John Hale III, director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization for DOE. (Submitted photo)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy presented ORAU’s Heidi Timmerman with its Facility Management Contractor Procurement Director of the Year award for fiscal year 2014 at the 14th Annual DOE Small Business Forum and Expo in Phoenix on Wednesday.

The award recognizes ORAU’s subcontracting achievements with small business suppliers used to support work performed under the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education contract that ORAU (Oak Ridge Associated Universities) manages for DOE.

In FY14, ORAU committed to awarding 71 percent of its subcontracts in support of ORISE work to small businesses, and it exceeded that goal when more than 78 percent of subcontracts were awarded to small businesses, a press release said. [Read more…]

ORAU awards $25,000 for Extreme Classroom Makeover

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Charlie Arp 2015 Extreme Classroom Makeover Grand Prize

2015 Extreme Classroom Makeover grand prize winner Charlie Arp and his students. (Photo by ORAU)

 

The idea that technology has the ability to drastically change students’ lives was the focus of one regional middle school teacher’s video submission for the 2015 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. His dream of satisfying students’ hunger for technology in the classroom was realized Thursday as ORAU President Andy Page presented Brown Intermediate School science teacher Charlie Arp with a $25,000 technology makeover during a surprise school-wide assembly.

The funding is part of ORAU’s annual Extreme Classroom Makeover competition, now in its seventh year.

In his winning video Arp, explains that when it comes to teaching with technology, the sky is the limit. He describes many new and interactive approaches to teaching math and science, and he insists that, with this grant, he can satisfy his students’ hunger for technology in their day-to-day learning environment. Brown Intermediate School serves students from the city of Sweetwater in the fifth and sixth grades. [Read more…]

ORAU awarded $7 million NRC training contract

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

Federal contractor to deliver both classroom and online training for agency’s health physicists

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded Oak Ridge Associated Universities a five-year, $7.3 million contract to support radiation training activities for the agency. ORAU has assisted the NRC with similar training since 1992.

“We are pleased that NRC has chosen ORAU to continue supporting training for its employees as they carry out their critical mission of ensuring the safety of our nation’s nuclear facilities,” said Andy Page, ORAU president and chief executive officer. “Our team of health physicists have built in-depth knowledge of radiation sciences that extends back to our founding in 1946 as the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies. We welcome the opportunity to share our expertise through our long-standing partnership with the NRC.” [Read more…]

ORAU: Science-societal relationship critical to success of big data analysis

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

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Leading experts present challenges during ORAU annual meeting

Today’s scientists working with big data to identify the next breakthrough in medical care, environmental solutions, or other critical areas need to be skillful in data analytics but also adept at communications. That was one of the key insights attendees heard recently at ORAU’s 70th annual meeting of its Council of Sponsoring Institutions, titled “Big Data Analytics: Challenges and Opportunities.”

“For science to prosper, the science-society relationship must be positive and strong,” said keynote speaker Alan Leshner, chief executive officer emeritus for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS. Leshner, who holds a doctorate in physiological psychology from Rutgers University, told the audience that many scientists are not prepared to talk about their work and its implications with the public. [Read more…]

Dainiak named director of REAC/TS

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Nicholas Dainiak

Nicholas Dainiak

Radiation response specialist has more than 35 years of medical expertise

Nicholas Dainiak has been named director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, or REAC/TS, at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

A deployable asset of the U.S. Department of Energy, REAC/TS provides 24/7 emergency medical response for incidents involving radiation anywhere in the world, a press release said. REAC/TS also provides direct support for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Emergency Operations and the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center, or FRMAC.

Adding to its depth of radiation response and consultation capabilities, REAC/TS is uniquely qualified to teach medical personnel, health physicists, first responders, and occupational health professionals about radiation emergency medicine, the release said. REAC/TS also operates an acytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory, one of only two in the U.S., where chromosome aberration analysis is used for ionizing radiation dose assessment. [Read more…]

ORAU receives $23 million contract for DOE worker screening program

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

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The Department of Energy has awarded ORAU a five-year, $23 million contract to continue managing its National Supplemental Screening Program. ORAU has managed this worker health screening program for DOE since 2005. The screening programs are free for former energy workers who may have been exposed to hazardous substances at work.

“We are pleased that DOE has once again entrusted us with this significant responsibility to provide a vital service for their former workers,” said Andy Page, ORAU president and chief executive officer. “Our team, including doctors and other medical specialists, understands the importance of this project and welcomes the opportunity to continue lending their expertise to this service for the former workers.”

To provide the NSSP services, ORAU partners with Comprehensive Health Services Inc., National Jewish Health, the University of Colorado, Denver Health Sciences Center, and Axion Health. [Read more…]

ORAU wins contract worth up to $89 million from EPA

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities recently won a five-year contract worth up to $89 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to manage the EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program, which provides opportunities for exceptional undergraduate and recent bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral graduates to participate in the EPA-sanctioned research and administrative projects.

Through this work, ORAU will recruit and place employees at 13 EPA Office of Research and Development laboratories and research centers across the U.S.  These participants in both business and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields will receive hands-on training in real-world settings at these laboratories and research centers while contributing to EPA’s mission, a press release said. [Read more…]