Oak Ridge Today

ORAU employees recycle about 10,000 pounds of ‘technotrash,’ paper, shoes

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORAU Earth Day

Annabel Fontaine shows off her ORAU Earth Day event T-shirt; the first 75 employees to participate in this event received one of these shirts. (Submitted photos)

For the fifth year in a row, Oak Ridge Associated Universities coordinated an annual event in conjunction with Earth Day to encourage ORAU’s 1,100 employees to bring in unwanted items from home to recycle, a press release said.

As part of this year’s two-day event on April 22-23, ORAU accepted a total of almost 10,000 pounds of technotrash (computers, related accessories, or other electronic items), paper for secure shredding, unwanted medicine as part of Operation Medicine Cabinet in collaboration with the Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Oak Ridge Police Department, and 414 pairs of “gently used” shoes to donate to those in need through the Soles4Souls nonprofit organization, the release said.

“ORAU’s Earth Day event has grown each year since its start in 2010 as many employees use it as a spring cleaning ritual; this event not only helps the environment by recycling unwanted items and those in need with the donation of shoes, it keeps unwanted medicine out of the hands of children or drug abusers with Operation Medicine Cabinet, which was a new element to this year’s event,” said Tom Wantland, ORAU’s director of Environment, Safety, and Health. “Employee feedback shows that employees want to recycle, because it is the right thing to do; as an added incentive, ORAU provides T-shirts to the first 75 employees who participate in the event.” [Read more…]

Myricks to be honored for ‘lifetime of commitment’ on April 29

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Tim Myrick and Volunteers with Habitat for Humanity

Tim Myrick, back row second from left, is pictured taking a lunch break during a build with college students who come during spring break every year to participate in Habitat builds. (Photos by Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County)

He’s helped build every one of the 58 homes built by Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County since it started in 1992 and served on the board. He helped plan and oversee renovations at the Oak Ridge High School, been a member of the Red Cross Disaster Relief team, and along with his wife, grown thousands of Christmas trees that were donated to the American Cancer Society and Holiday Bureau for fundraising.

In recognition of their work, Tim and Teresa Myrick will be honored this month for their “lifetime of commitment to the people of Oak Ridge and Anderson County.” The reception will be hosted by Habitat for Humanity, and it is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex. [Read more…]

Alumnus of NASA program administered by ORAU wins presidential award

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Josh Alwood and PECASE Award

Joshua Alwood in the Bone and Signaling Lab at NASA’s Ames Research Center. (Image Credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart)

Top presidential honor recognizes research initiated during fellowship, continued at NASA’s Ames Research Center 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Joshua S. Alwood, a former participant in the NASA Postdoctoral Program, was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at a ceremony in April. PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government for science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Alwood received the award in recognition of advances in space bioscience he achieved at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

The NASA Postdoctoral Program contributes to national priorities for scientific exploration, confirms NASA’s leadership in fundamental research, and complements the efforts of NASA’s partners in the national science community. Oak Ridge Associated Universities has administered NPP for NASA since 2005. [Read more…]

United Way raises $1.17 million, about 90 percent of ‘bold’ goal

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Greta Ownby and Edwena Crowe

UWAC Board President, Greta Ownby, left, announces Edwena Crowe, right, as Volunteer of the Year. (Submitted photos)

The campaign was complicated by the partial government shutdown in October, but the United Way of Anderson County raised close to $1.2 million this year, or about 90 percent of its goal.

The results were announced at an annual meeting and campaign announcement at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The campaign goal, which was described as “bold,” had been $1.3 million. The total amount raised was $1,172,742. The United Way said this will allow for stable funding for its agency programs.

“Unfortunately, we will not be able to increase funding to our community partners,” UWAC Executive Director Rick Morrow said. “Last year’s total resulted in a reduction of $200,000 to the funding pool, and this year’s total will only allow for continued funding at that level.” [Read more…]

ORAU, DOE seeking students, grads for EM internships, research

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORAU Logo

Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the U.S. Department of Energy are currently seeking students and recent graduates for paid internships and research opportunities in a variety of disciplines through the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Science Education and Internship Program.

The mission of OREM is to remove environmental legacies resulting from decades of uranium enrichment activities and energy and scientific research. Students and recent college graduates will learn about this mission and receive specialized training and practical experience in the safe cleanup of environmental projects.

This workforce development program offers internships and research opportunities in disciplines ranging from chemical, nuclear, and other engineering fields to environmental and physical sciences, information technology, and occupational safety and health. The goal is to give participants a chance to explore a federal career with DOE and to create a pipeline of highly qualified professionals to support critical DOE missions for years to come. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools seeks to become top STEM district in country

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Bruce Borchers Introduces Discovery Education

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers introduces Discovery Education to members of the PTA Council on Thursday, April 10. (Photos by Sara Wise)

Superintendent: ‘It’s a big deal nationally’

Oak Ridge Schools is attempting to become the premier district in the nation for science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, education. Superintendent Bruce Borchers has a $3.4 million plan to make that happen using Microsoft Surface tablets and Discovery Education. The money will be spent over a five-year period.

Borchers calls the needed changes a “digital transformation” that will, he hopes, bring a tablet to every student in the school system. This is especially important in Oak Ridge, a district with a free and reduced lunch rate of more than 50 percent. The digital transformation would allow every student in the district to have the same educational opportunities, regardless of income.

The first of three steps toward transformation is to create a technological infrastructure capable of handling all the tablets. Those improvements have a $1 million price tag that the Oak Ridge Board of Education and the city have already approved. Borchers hopes for the upgrades to be completed before students return to school in the fall. The upgrades are projected to last until at least 2022. [Read more…]

STEM standards training for informal educators, tutors, community members

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Schools is partnering with Oak Ridge Associated Universities, the Children’s Museum, and American Museum of Science and Energy to do a STEM standards training for informal educators, tutors, and community members from 6-8 p.m. Monday, April 21, at the Children’s Museum.

“This training will be beneficial to those who are interested in learning more about helping students advance their skills in science, technology, engineering, and math and have been wondering what the Common Core and Science Standards are as well as how they can be applied to informal and after-school education programs,” a press release said. “The training will be led by Oak Ridge Schools’ staff.”

Light refreshments and childcare will be provided. You can register at www.orau.us/informaledworkshop.

NIOSH renews ORAU contract for sick worker program

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Andy Page

Andy Page

Contract could be worth about $150 million over five years

For the second time in about five years, a federal health and safety institute has renewed its contract with Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the support it provides on a sick worker program. The new contract could be worth about $150 million during a five-year period.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health awarded the contract to a team headed by ORAU in Oak Ridge. Under the new contract, ORAU and its partners Dade Moeller and Associates Inc. and MJW Technical Services Inc. will continue to support NIOSH and its work under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, or EEOICPA, a press release said.

Last renewed in 2009, this contract has been managed by ORAU for more than a decade, and this is the second time NIOSH has renewed with ORAU and its partners, the release said. [Read more…]

ORAU-managed beryllium lab has zero test errors in 2013

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORAU Beryllium Lab

ORAU-managed beryllium lab has zero test errors in 2013. Managed for DOE, lab personnel processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests without a single error.
(Photo courtesy ORAU)

For the second time in recent years, the Beryllium Testing Laboratory managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities ended a year of testing without a single error, a press release said.

ORAU manages the Oak Ridge lab for the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab processed nearly 4,100 beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests, or BeLPTs, in 2013, the press release said. The laboratory is one of only three in the United States that can perform the BeLPT.

The BeLPT is a blood test used to identify individuals at higher risk of developing Chronic Beryllium Disease, a chronic disease that scars the lungs, making it more difficult for oxygen to transfer into the bloodstream. The test examines how a lymphocyte, which is a type of disease-fighting blood cell in a person’s body, reacts to beryllium and can determine if an individual is developing an immune response to beryllium. [Read more…]

ORAU Annual Report highlights impact of early career researchers on U.S. scientific mission

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jason Hayward

Jason Hayward, who has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan, holds a high-resolution instrument, which is part of his research to benefit facilities like Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source. (Photo credit: University of Tennessee)

With U.S. falling behind China and India in numbers of STEM graduates, strengthening U.S. scientific talent is critical, according to report

Jason Hayward is applying his nuclear engineering research expertise to develop the next generation of high-resolution instruments for facilities like Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source.

Hayward, who has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan, hopes his work will eventually help curtail the spread of nuclear weapons and assist in identifying viable alternative energy sources. Hayward is an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, a joint faculty member with ORNL’s Nuclear Security and Isotope Technology Division, a U.S. Department of Energy research award recipient, and a participant in the Higher Education Research Experiences Program.

He and many other early career researchers are participating in fellowships and internships managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities with DOE and other federal agencies, and they are the main focus of ORAU’s “2013 Annual Report,” which has just been released. [Read more…]

ORAU, USDA seek agricultural postdocs

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Multiple research appointments available through Agricultural Research Service Postdoctoral Research Program

Selected candidates participate in USDA research for one to four years

Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are currently seeking recent doctoral degree recipients for various appointments in the Agricultural Research Service Postdoctoral Research Program.

The ARS is the USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency responsible for developing and transferring solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority. ARS research is organized into national programs comprised of more than 800 research projects carried out by ARS in approximately 90 locations across the U.S.

From research positions focused on crop production to food safety and virology to sustainable agricultural systems, this program serves as the next step in educational and professional development of scientists and engineers interested in agricultural-related research. [Read more…]

Rebirth of nuclear energy assessed at ORAU Council meeting

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

 Rebirth of nuclear energy assessed at 69th annual meeting of ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions

Leading experts discussed technology and educational challenges

Declines in new construction, evolving safety regulations, and building the next generation of nuclear engineers and researchers are among the challenges facing the future of nuclear energy, but there is hope, according to a top Nuclear Regulatory Commission official.

Speaking recently to more than 130 attendees at the annual meeting of ORAU’s Council of Sponsoring Institutions, Patrice Bubar, chief of staff for NRC Commissioner William Magwood, shared the agency’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing nuclear energy.

“There have been many projections and predictions about the future of nuclear power,” she said. “Nuclear power plants continue to operate safely and construction of new plants continues.” [Read more…]