Oak Ridge Today

Roane State student helps teach famous talking bird at Zoo Knoxville

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Roane State Community College student Kinsley Cagle poses with Einstein, the Zoo Knoxville parrot that’s become a YouTube sensation with more than 24 million views. (Photo courtesy Zoo Knoxville)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State Community College student Kinsley Cagle has a job helping teach Einstein.

That’s the moniker for the famous African grey parrot at Zoo Knoxville. Einstein is a viral superstar whose incredible antics have been viewed more than 24 million times on YouTube.

Einstein’s hilarious mimicry of noises ranging from a variety of animal sounds and calls to complete sentences is a popular attraction at the zoo’s Wild Encounters area.

“She (Einstein) can make a lot of sounds,” said Cagle, a 23-year-old Oak Ridge resident. “At times, it’s almost like having a conversation with her.”

One of Cagle’s latest training endeavors involves teaching a species of duck called hooded mergansers to voluntarily waddle into a crate for safe, secure transport.

“I was never a ‘bird person’ before this,” Cagle said, “but I like being around them.”

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Roane State student eyes video game design as career

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Journey Long

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Roane State student Journey Long has been interested in video games for as long as he can remember. He said he was around 4 or 5 years old when he started thinking about designing games. “It kicked my little kid mind into overdrive,” he said.

It’s not surprising that Long would rank the college’s director of computer information technology, George Meghabghab, as his favorite instructor.

“He’s probably everyone’s favorite in the computer science program,” Long said. “He really cares about what he’s teaching.”

Long said he chose Roane State because he lives close by in Harriman and was told that “it has a good reputation for beginners.” He was home-schooled and had never before been in a public school setting.

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Drone class to take flight this spring at Roane State

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A new class in piloting small unmanned aircraft, better known as drones, will take flight this spring at Roane State Community College.

The three credit-hour class – AERO 1030 W01 – will prepare students to take the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 Remote Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge test to obtain FAA certification, a press release said.

Matt Waters, associate professor of mass communications, is the instructor for the 15-week class, which will be offered completely online, the press release said.

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