Oak Ridge Today

Spencer Wilson receives Myrick-sponsored ORPSEF Scholarship

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Spencer Wilson

Oak Ridge High School senior Spencer Wilson, center, is pictured above with Teresa Myrick, right, and ORHS teacher Deni Sobek. (Submitted photo)

 

Spencer Wilson grew up fishing in the lakes and mountain streams of the area, an activity that fostered his interest in the environment. The Oak Ridge High School senior, who plans to pursue his interest in fish and the environment in college, has received the $1,000 Tim and Teresa Myrick Scholarship.

The scholarship is awarded annually to a hard-working student interested in environmental science, a field of study important to Tim Myrick. Spencer plans to major in aquatic biology, continuing to build on his lifelong interest.

“Spencer has an interest in the environment, a desire to work and ‘play’ outside. He is an avid fisherman, which was one of Tim’s favorite pastimes,” said Deni Sobek, Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher at ORHS, who recommended Spencer for the scholarship. He was a student in Sobek’s class in his junior year.

In 2012, Myrick and his wife Teresa pledged $25,000 to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation’s “Making the Critical Difference” campaign for grants and scholarships. Their pledge provides an annual scholarship to a top AP Environmental Science student, as well as grant funds to be awarded to ORHS Science Department applicants. [Read more…]

Alondra Garcia awarded 2015 Myrick Scholarship

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Teresa Myrick, Alondra Barrera Garcia, and Jessica Steed

Alondra Barrera Garcia, center, receives congratulations for winning the Myrick Scholarship from Teresa Myrick, left, and Jessica Steed. (Submitted photo)

 

Alondra Barrera Garcia’s dedication to the study of environmental science has earned her a $1,000 scholarship awarded by Teresa Myrick and established to honor a hard-working student in a field of study important to Teresa’s husband, Tim Myrick.

Alondra, a May graduate of Oak Ridge High School, plans to attend Berea College in Kentucky this fall, where she will major in environmental science and sustainability. She was a student in Deni Sobek’s Advanced Placement Environmental Science class at the high school.

“The class assured me that this is what I wanted to dedicate my life to,” Alondra said. “I would like to use my interest in the environment to aid it and solve the problems that affect it, and hopefully make the world a more sustainable planet, to ensure that it will be safe and healthy for future generations.”

In 2012, Myrick and his wife Teresa pledged $25,000 to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation’s “Making the Critical Difference” campaign for grants and scholarships. Their pledge provides an annual scholarship to a top AP Environmental Science student, as well as grant funds to be awarded to ORHS Science Department applicants. Alondra is the seventh recipient of the Myricks’ AP Environmental Science scholarship, with previous scholarships presented through ADFAC, or Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties. [Read more…]

ORNL researchers Buchanan, Liang, Mayes named AAAS fellows

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ORNL AAAS Fellows 2014

New fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science from Oak Ridge National Laboratory are, from left, Michelle Buchanan, Liyuan Liang, and Melanie Mayes. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Three staff members at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for scientific contributions that range from administrative leadership to discoveries in the environmental sciences.

Michelle Buchanan, Liyuan Liang, and Melanie Mayes and are among those to receive this year’s recognition to AAAS members by their peers. AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and elects fellows based on their distinguished contributions to the advancement of science or its applications, a press release said.

Buchanan is ORNL’s associate laboratory director for physical sciences, where she guides the Chemical Sciences, Materials Science, and Technology and Physics divisions, as well as the Center for Nanophase Materials Science.

She was elected “for exceptional technical leadership and service in the chemical and physical sciences, and for contributions to setting the nation’s research priorities.” [Read more…]

Education Foundation scholarship helps student with Hong Kong study abroad

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Patricia Garland in Hong Kong

Patricia Garland in Hong Kong (Submitted photo)

 

A cross-cultural learning experience in Hong Kong this summer helped Patricia Garland view sustainability problems and solutions from a new perspective.

“Culturally, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I had never been able to work with other cultures in this capacity,” said Garland, the 2014 spring recipient of the Dr. Adrian R. Lawler Exchange Scholarship. “It was fascinating.”

The Lawler Scholarship supports international study programs and is administered by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation. Lawler, an Oak Ridge High School graduate and the second student here to participate in an American Field Service international program in 1957, established the scholarship in 2008 to offer students here similar opportunities to gain tolerance and understanding of people from other cultures.

Garland, 23, a 2009 ORHS graduate, studied abroad through a program at Arizona State University, where she is working on her master’s degree in sustainability. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science, with a concentration on sociology and anthropology, from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is the daughter of Sid and Anne Garland. [Read more…]

Kristina Cunningham awarded the 2014 Myrick Scholarship

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Tim Myrick and Kristina Cunningham

Kristina Cunningham, right, is the sixth recipient of the AP Environmental Science scholarship from Tim and Teresa Myrick awarded through the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation. Tim Myrick is pictured at left.

 

When AP Environmental Science teacher Deni Sobek and Tim Myrick pulled Kristina Cunningham out of class earlier this month, the Oak Ridge High School senior was worried.

“I was nervous. I thought I had done something wrong,” said Kristina, who laughs about the incident now. Kristina wasn’t in trouble; in fact, she was surprised to find that Myrick had chosen to award her with a $1,000 college scholarship.

Tim Myrick, a guest lecturer and advisor to the advanced placement class, has a keen interest in making sure that the students and faculty of the ORHS science department are well-equipped and in rewarding high-caliber students such as Kristina.

In 2012, Myrick and his wife Teresa pledged $25,000 to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation’s “Making the Critical Difference” campaign for grants and scholarships. Their pledge provides for an annual scholarship to a top AP Environmental Science student, as well as grant funds to be awarded to ORHS Science Department applicants. Kristina is the sixth recipient of the Myricks’ AP Environmental Science scholarship, with previous scholarships presented through ADFAC. [Read more…]

Nazarewicz, Sumpter, Wullschleger named UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows

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UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows

From left are Witold Nazarewicz, Bobby Sumpter, and Stan Wullschleger. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Witold Nazarewicz, Bobby Sumpter, and Stan Wullschleger of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been selected as 2013 UT-Battelle Corporate Fellows.

The rank of corporate fellow—among the lab’s highest honors—recognizes the researchers’ significant accomplishments and continuing leadership in their scientific, engineering, and technological fields. The addition of Nazarewicz, Sumpter and Wullschleger brings the number of active corporate fellows at ORNL to 33 researchers. [Read more…]

ORHS students place first on National Chemistry Olympiad Exam

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Eddie Anderson

Eddie Anderson

A group of 10 chemistry students at Oak Ridge High School placed first on the National Chemistry Olympiad Exam, a teacher said.

The 40-question exam is given to all second-year chemistry students and any first year students who want to take it, said Eddie Anderson, ORHS chemistry teacher, track coach, and science department chair. The school score is compiled by adding the Top 10 student scores. [Read more…]