Oak Ridge Today

Roane State students serve, learn in Costa Rica and Panama

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Students in the World Cultures and Serving Learning class taught by Dave Rath and Cody Miller gather around the more than 500 pounds of school supplies, toiletries, and clothing collected for impoverished children in Costa Rica and Panama. From left: Gracie May, Chloe Pierce, Jason Wasilewski, Stephanie Anderson, Jan Joyal, Earl Davis, Lexie Perotti, Amber Meter, Lizet Palacios, Tamara Richardson, April Brannon, Apolonia Garcia, Alyssa McCullah, Jocelyn Middleton, Cody Miller, and kneeling, Dave Rath. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State faculty Dave Rath and Cody Miller faced an ironic dilemma.

They had more contributions for impoverished children in Costa Rica and Panama than they had space set aside to fly down to those Central American countries.

“We’ll find a way,” Rath vowed. “Before we leave your hard work in Tennessee, we’ll find a way,” he told their students.

Rath and Miller and 14 students in their World Cultures and Service Learning class recently packed up large cardboard boxes of shoes, toothbrushes, school supplies, and a myriad of other items to transport to remote areas of the two countries during the trip, May 8-17.

This year’s supply drive was the biggest yet, Rath said. [Read more…]

Roane State student artists display work, earn honors

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Pictured are three of the winners of Roane State’s annual Juried Student Art show. From left: Steve Williams, best of show; Talitha Chafin, second place; and Archie Clark, honorable mention. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and other mixed media work showcasing the artists’ talents, imaginations, and creative visions were on display during Roane State’s 2019 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition.

Stunning black-and-white photos, a solargram revealing the sun’s path through the sky over the course of months, and a giant wire spider dangling from a wall were among those judged by an artist who has exhibited internationally.

The 31 selections were on display in April in the O’Brien Art Gallery, located on the college’s main campus in Roane County.

“This is a great opportunity for students to get practice with submitting and exhibiting in a juried exhibition that culminates with a celebration of their hard work over the past year,” Roane State Art Professor Stacy Jacobs said. [Read more…]

Golf tournament in Oak Ridge will support Roane State team

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Roane State golfer and now graduate Hunter Clark (Submitted photo)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The second annual Roane State Community College Golf Team Fundraiser Tournament will be held Monday, July 1, at Oak Ridge Country Club.

All proceeds will go to assist the college’s golf team with various expenses, including team travel costs and equipment. The event will begin with lunch at 11:30 p.m. followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Thirteen teams participated in the first tournament last year, “and we’re hoping to have at least 20 teams this year,” said Roane State Foundation Development Specialist Lauren Barber. [Read more…]

Unique partnership helps Y-12 employee Chris Borum pursue a new path

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Chris Borum

Chris Borum

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Chris Borum, for more than 16 years a security guard at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, said it was time for a change.

As the years passed, he worried he might not be able to meet rigorous annual physical qualifications for his job at the nuclear weapons facility.

Borum, a Kingston resident, said he wanted to stay at Y-12 and eventually retire from there, “but I wanted to leave on my own terms.”

So when a job posting for a material handler was posted on the Y-12’s Intranet, he went for it. [Read more…]

Tennessee Tech junior grateful for Roane State Middle College experience

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Juliann Hopper

Juliann Hopper

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

As the only student in her high school class to attend Roane State’s Middle College in the fall of 2015, Juliann Hopper said her Oliver Springs High School classmates initially kidded her about it.

“They kind of gave me a hard time at first, but they got over it, and they now wish they had done Middle College too,” Hopper said.

Hopper, 19, is now a junior at Tennessee Tech, majoring in microbiology and well on her way toward a possible career as a research scientist.

She said she’d like to work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which awarded her a scholarship to help pay for three of her four Middle College semesters. [Read more…]

See ‘The Odd Couple’ (female version) at Roane State’s Roane County campus

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Roane State Playmakers Shelby Stout as Olive Madison, back, and Courtney Briley as Florence Unger, front, rehearse for upcoming performances of 'The Odd Couple,' Nov. 10-12 and Nov. 17-19, 2017, at the college’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Playmakers Shelby Stout as Olive Madison, back, and Courtney Briley as Florence Unger, front, rehearse for upcoming performances of ‘The Odd Couple,’ Nov. 10-12 and Nov. 17-19, 2017, at the college’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s an update of a classic comedy about a slob and a neat freak living together in disharmony, but this time the characters are female.

It’s Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple (Female Version),” and the curtain went up on the Roane State Community College Playmakers’ adaptation on Friday, November 10, for a two-week run in the O’Brien Theatre on the college’s main campus in Harriman.

“I’ve been wanting to do a Neil Simon play for a while,” said Jonathan Chemay, Roane State theatre technician, who’s directed three other recent Playmakers productions. “I think (Simon) was a comedic genius.”

Simon’s update of his contemporary classic, about slovenly Oscar Madison and obsessive Felix Unger, was rewritten by the playwright two decades after his original version premiered.

The original Odd Couple featured Felix and Oscar hosting a poker game with four guys as guests. In the female version, Florence and Olive have a get-together with four girlfriends for a night of “Trivial Pursuit.” [Read more…]

Roane State Shooting Sports Team places first at nationals

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Coaches and athletes with Roane State’s national champion Shooting Sports Team are, from left, Assistant Coach James Wattenbarger, Head Coach Kenneth Carey, Ty McCaskey, Nathan Wattenbarger, Andy Carey, Codey Dean, Assistant Coach Kevin Hembree, and Nathan Hembree. (Photo by Roane State)

Coaches and athletes with Roane State’s national champion Shooting Sports Team are, from left, Assistant Coach James Wattenbarger, Head Coach Kenneth Carey, Ty McCaskey, Nathan Wattenbarger, Andy Carey, Codey Dean, Assistant Coach Kevin Hembree, and Nathan Hembree. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

CROSSVILLE—These athletes are truly the nation’s top guns.

The Roane State Community College Shooting Sports Team won the national championship among community colleges in a competition that measures marksmanship with shotguns.

It was a quick march to the top for the team. The Roane State squad came into existence three years ago and placed third nationwide then. Last year, Roane State’s sharpshooters captured second place.

A reception for the team will be held Wednesday, November 15, at 5 p.m. CST at Roane State Cumberland County campus, 2567 Cook Road in Crossville.

To win nationally, “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication as well as a lot of years of experience in practice and competition,” said Kenneth Carey, the volunteer head coach. Assistant coaches are Kevin Hembree and James Wattenbarger. [Read more…]

Dental Hygiene Clinic at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus provides vital service

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Roane State Community College Associate Professor Melinda Gill, director of the college’s highly regarded dental hygiene program, stands outside the dental hygiene clinic, located in the Coffey/McNally Building on the Oak Ridge branch campus. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College Associate Professor Melinda Gill, director of the college’s highly regarded dental hygiene program, stands outside the dental hygiene clinic, located in the Coffey/McNally Building on the Oak Ridge branch campus. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The doorway into Roane State’s Dental Hygiene Clinic can be overlooked at times. It’s D-107, off the atrium and across from the library of the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

Unbeknownst to the casual passerby, it’s the entrance to a college program regarded as one of the top in the nation.

Inside:

  • a classroom outfitted with the most current dental teaching implements;
  • six spotless operatories/treatment rooms containing dental chairs, computers for inputting patient records, and the latest treatment technology;
  • two X-ray rooms with digital X-ray capability—one with panoramic X-ray equipment—and a room where X-rays are developed; and
  • a receptionist’s area along with a small office.

[Read more…]

Roane State dental hygiene program honored

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Members of the faculty of Roane State’s dental hygiene program are, from left, director Melinda Gill, Kimball Burkett, standing to Gill’s left; and from left, Kellye Wilson, Sondra Roberts, Natalie Schubert, Wesley Singer, DDS; Michelle Jones, Pete Ruyl, DDS; Ed Guion, DDS; and Debbie Taylor. Schubert is the receptionist for the program’s dental clinic. (Photo by Roane State)

Members of the faculty of Roane State’s dental hygiene program are, from left, director Melinda Gill, Kimball Burkett, standing to Gill’s left; and from left, Kellye Wilson, Sondra Roberts, Natalie Schubert, Wesley Singer, DDS; Michelle Jones, Pete Ruyl, DDS; Ed Guion, DDS; and Debbie Taylor. Schubert is the receptionist for the program’s dental clinic. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State’s acclaimed dental hygiene program can add another recognition to its list of accomplishments.

The program, located in the Coffey-McNally Building on the college’s Oak Ridge campus, has received the 100% Faculty Award for 2017 from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

There are 30,000 members of the association, which is based in Chicago and more than 100 years old. Roane State was among only 25 higher education institutions nationwide to obtain the designation.

It’s bestowed when all faculty members in a dental hygiene program are also members of the ADHA. [Read more…]

Serving students is rewarding for Roane State success coach

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Wendy Floyd is a success coach for new students at Roane State Community College. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Wendy Floyd is a success coach for new students at Roane State Community College. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s the satisfaction of helping a student find their path forward that makes her day, Roane State Community College’s Wendy Floyd says of her innovative job as a “success coach” for new students.

Case in point: A new student last year was “a little lost and unsure,” Floyd said, except for one thing: He didn’t want to be in the classroom anymore. “He was totally undecided about what he wanted to do.”

Floyd said she suggested “a certificate program that was a little more ‘hands on’ than a traditional associate’s degree.”

The student is now in the mechatronics certificate program at Roane State’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton “and is doing well,” Floyd said. That program teaches students how to program and maintain complex machines used in manufacturing. [Read more…]

Roane State joins National CyberWatch Center as college grows high-tech cyber defense program

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George Meghabghab leads Roane State's cyber defense program. The college is now part of the National CyberWatch Center. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

George Meghabghab leads Roane State’s cyber defense program. The college is now part of the National CyberWatch Center. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

In this era of widespread hacking, ransomware, and other cyberattacks, Roane State Community College is about to launch an educational counterattack.

Preparations are under way for the college to become a center for academic excellence in cyber defense.

George Meghabghab, professor of computer science and director of Roane State’s computer information technology program, recently unveiled the college’s long-range plan to expand its IT (information technology) curriculum.

“We’re going to begin a culture of cybersecurity,” he said. “Cybersecurity is a growing field, and our goal is to build a program that teaches the very latest technology and is closely aligned to industry needs.” [Read more…]

Roane State EMS faculty use virtual reality to enhance instruction

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Wearing the high-tech HoloLens, Roane State director of EMS programs David Blevins manipulates a hologram as part of a cutting-edge program that's being used as a new way of teaching students studying anatomy and physiology. (Photo by Roane State)

Wearing the high-tech HoloLens, Roane State director of EMS programs David Blevins manipulates a hologram as part of a cutting-edge program that’s being used as a new way of teaching students studying anatomy and physiology. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

KNOXVILLE—Picture this: a high-resolution cross-section of a beating human heart floating in space, allowing for an up-close, interactive examination.

Imagine each student in an anatomy and physiology classroom having access to three-dimensional, 360-degree images, or aspiring first-responders being able to view a completely realistic video of an accident scene.

Welcome to the world of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality as they are now being introduced into the Roane State Community College curriculum for emergency medical services. Instructors at the college’s Knox County Center for Health Sciences are participating in a pilot study with the assistance from the college’s Center for Teaching Arts and Technology. [Read more…]