Oak Ridge Today

ORAU, University of Oklahoma win $8.4 million NOAA award for weather, climate change research

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ORAU Satellite Photo

Photo via ORAU on Twitter

 

The University of Oklahoma and Oak Ridge Associated Universities were recently awarded $8.4 million over three years from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct weather and climate change monitoring research. The funding provides OU with the opportunity to expand its Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies’ research capabilities through a partnership with NOAA’s ORAU-managed Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division, or ATDD, program, a press release said.

“CIMMS is one of OU’s treasures as it has played a significant role in advancing our understanding of the atmosphere as well as provided valuable technologies and tools for operational forecasters,” said Kelvin Droegemeier, OU vice president for research. “This new award will build upon these historical strengths to address some of today’s most compelling challenges in weather and climate.”

The award will help further OU’s key research in areas such as boundary layer characterization, which is the atmospheric layer closest to Earth’s surface, and climate observations and analyses. This research will directly support NOAA’s goal to improve prediction of severe weather near the earth’s surface and will provide funding for a research position at the ATDD location in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

IIa, ORAU sponsor Employee Night at Oak Ridge Playhouse

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Bonnie Carroll and Andy Page at Fiddler on the Roof

Bonnie Carroll, founder and CEO of IIa, and Andy Page, president and CEO of ORAU, welcome their employees to Oak Ridge Playhouse’s recent production of Fiddler on the Roof. (Submitted photo)

Lokitz named ORAU corporate secretary

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Rachel-Lokitz

Rachel Lokitz

Rachel Lokitz, ORAU associate general counsel, has been elected corporate secretary by the ORAU Board of Directors. Lokitz will perform these duties in a dual capacity while still maintaining her position as associate general counsel.

In her new role, Lokitz will play an integral role in ORAU’s corporate governance and provide counsel to the board and ORAU senior leadership on board roles, responsibilities, and other governance requirements, a press release said. Primarily, Lokitz will guide the board in discharging their fiduciary responsibility to ensure the business follows its corporate rules and will be responsible for recording the board’s actions.

In her role as associate general counsel, which she has held since 2010, Lokitz provides ORAU’s programs and internal business clients with counsel concerning legal rights, contractual obligations, compliance, and risk. Lokitz also serves as primary contact for development of corporate policies. [Read more…]

Scottish professor visits Children’s Museum for Weinberg research

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Sean Johnston and Alvin Weinberg Papers at Children's Museum

Professor Sean Johnston, a professor of science, technology, and social studies from the Dumfries Campus of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, searched through the papers of Alvin Weinberg, former director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as part of a two-year project funded by the British Academy titled “Trusting the Technological Fix.” (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is well known as a center of play and learning for the young and young at heart. The museum’s lesser-known collections of historic papers recently brought a senior academic historian from Scotland to Oak Ridge for several days of research.

Professor Sean Johnston, a professor of science, technology, and social studies from the Dumfries Campus of the University of Glasgow, searched through the papers of Alvin Weinberg, former director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as part of a two-year project funded by the British Academy titled “Trusting the Technological Fix.”

His visit highlights the value of the collections the museum began gathering in the 1970s to tell the cultural and social history of the area for its Regional Appalachian Center.

“Not only was Weinberg the prominent head of the national laboratory (1955-73), and very much a member of the establishment, but he was somebody who was curious and worried about the wider social implications of nuclear technology,” Johnston said. [Read more…]

ORAU wins award for procurement of ‘green’ electronics

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Cindy Snow (left), ORAU procurement manager, and Angela McConnell (right), ORAU contract specialist, were presented a 2016 EPEAT Sustainable Purchaser Award by Green Electronics Council CEO Nancy Gillis (center) during the organization’s recent awards ceremony. The award recognizes ORAU’s excellence in the procurement of green electronics. (Photo by ORAU)

Cindy Snow (left), ORAU procurement manager, and Angela McConnell (right), ORAU contract specialist, were presented a 2016 EPEAT Sustainable Purchaser Award by Green Electronics Council CEO Nancy Gillis (center) during the organization’s recent awards ceremony. The award recognizes ORAU’s excellence in the procurement of green electronics. (Photo by ORAU)

 

ORAU has won an award that recognizes excellence in the procurement of “green” electronics, or those electronics that have been manufactured to conserve energy, eliminate environmentally sensitive materials, and increase recyclability, a press release said.

ORAU won the EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) Sustainable Purchaser Award from the Green Electronics Council.

ORAU was among 10 corporations that received a three-star rating, the highest possible rating, indicating procurement of electronics in all three categories (personal computers and displays, imaging equipment, and televisions), the press release said.

The Green Electronics Council works with manufacturers, governments, trade associations, and environmental advocacy groups to evaluate and endorse environmentally responsible products. The EPEAT tool provides companies with a simplified way to purchase environmentally trustworthy electronics and to quantify their energy consumption reductions. [Read more…]

Students prepare for summer break, but learning opportunities just beginning for teachers

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

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

 

ORAU hosting free professional development workshops for area teachers beginning June 1

ORAU will host several short professional development workshops for East Tennessee educators in grades K-12. The free workshops start June 1.

Held at ORAU’s Center for Science Education in Oak Ridge, the half-day or full-day workshops are free and offer educators the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities that will enhance their STEM knowledge and curricula. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The workshops will cover a variety of topics: [Read more…]

Applications being accepted for Australia Endeavour Scholarships, Fellowships

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Study, research, or professional development opportunities available for appointments ranging from one month to four years

ORAU has partnered with the Australian government to seek U.S. and Canadian applicants for Australia’s Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships, an internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program that provides up to $272,500 Australian dollars for study, research, or professional development opportunities between Australia and the world. That’s about $204,000 U.S. dollars or roughly $260,000 Canadian.

Applicants may apply through 11:59 p.m. (Australian Eastern Standard Time) June 30, 2016, for the following opportunities: [Read more…]

ORPSEF partners UT-Battelle, ORAU, UCOR fund $30,636 literacy grant

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Bookmobile

Ginger Adams, teacher at Linden Elementary School, is pictured above with participants in last summer’s bookmobile program. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation partners UT-Battelle, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) joined to fund Oak Ridge School’s $30,636 “Oak Ridge Reads” literacy grant.

The Oak Ridge Reads initiative supports Oak Ridge Schools’ efforts to improve literacy by extending services beyond the classroom. The Oak Ridge Reads grant will address summer learning, family literacy support, and high quality reading opportunities in home and after-school settings.

With support from the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, the Literacy Department of Oak Ridge Schools will provide a summer community bookmobile reading program to benefit families in Oak Ridge. Additionally, each preschool and kindergarten student will receive a library of books that they can keep, and after-school book clubs will begin for elementary and middle school students during the 2016-17 school year. [Read more…]

Opinion: Making positive strides in elementary literacy

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Oak-Ridge-Schools-Keys-Fillauer-March-28-2016

Keys Fillauer

By Oak Ridge Board of Education

We have been reading a lot lately about the dire straits of reading instruction and students’ abilities in reading, especially at the early grades. Although there are challenges, there is also momentum to make positive impacts on students’ reading proficiencies in all grades.

What is happening with elementary literacy?

Two school years ago, the state changed (for the better) the English Language Arts and math standards to make them more rigorous in order to ensure that Tennessee high school graduates will be better prepared in the future for college and careers. Most public schools welcomed the change because the former standards just weren’t serving Tennessee students well. However, changing standards also meant changing state assessments.

In Oak Ridge, we saw a drop in our elementary reading results on state exams after these changes. The drops in reading results were especially evident with our economically disadvantaged students.

Oak-Ridge-Schools-Bob-Eby-March-28-2016

Bob Eby

For us, this was and is unacceptable. We believe that all students can succeed, and we have expanded our literacy initiative as a result. This literacy initiative includes providing additional time and support starting in kindergarten all the way through high school to students who struggle in reading. We have trained reading specialists who provide intensive instruction to struggling students. We have a summer bookmobile program that is expanding to multiple elementary schools in order to help reduce summer reading setback. We have professional development for teachers on improving reading and writing instruction in the classroom, and we have purchased research-based materials to support them. In addition, we have recently been provided an opportunity to work with the Carnegie Foundation and the Tennessee Department of Education to systematically analyze our early literacy efforts in order to improve student outcomes. This work will begin in April 2016 and will last through September 2018.

But what about testing? [Read more…]

ORISE building earns EPA’s Energy Star certification for energy efficiency

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ORISE-EPA-Energy-Star-Certification-1

From left to right are Director of Facilities and Transportation Department Chad Becker, Facilities Management Services Manager Eddy Whitson, and Sustainability Manager Kevin Fritts display the new EPA Energy Star certification for the ORISE Facilities and Transportation Department office in background behind them. (Photo by ORAU)

 

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education’s Facilities and Transportation Department office building, managed by ORAU, has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification, which signifies that the building, located off Bethel Valley Road in Oak Ridge, performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy-efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

“We are pleased to accept the EPA’s Energy Star certification in recognition of ORISE’s energy-efficiency efforts,” said ORISE Director and ORAU President Andy Page. “Through this achievement along with our corporate office building earning the first new, gold-level LEED-certified office building in Tennessee, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”

The EPA works with organizations to help them save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making their buildings more energy-efficient, a press release said. [Read more…]

Cedar Springs Homeschool wins DOE Tennessee Science Bowl

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Cedar-Springs-Homeschool-Tennessee-Science-Bowl-Feb-27-2016

Winning first place in the 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl is Cedar Springs Homeschool of Knoxville. Pictured left to right with their trophy are Lily Turaski, Josiah Boyle, Tara Conway, Tyler Fulghum, Wesleigh Wright, and Coach Dee Dee Turaski. (DOE photo courtesy Lynn Freeny)

 

Cedar Springs Homeschool advances to National Science Bowl 

Countless hours studying math and science paid off for some exceptionally bright students from Cedar Springs Homeschool. They were first-place winners in the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend.

Cedar Springs Homeschool competed against 58 other high school teams on Saturday, February 27, to place first in the annual competition. The schools edged out its competition by successfully answering challenging questions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, earth and space science, and energy.

Held at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus, the Tennessee Science Bowl is the nation’s third largest regional competition. The regional bowl prepares students to compete nationally with other exceptional students from schools across the country. As the first-place team, Cedar Springs Homeschool receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 28-May 2, as well as a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy. [Read more…]

ORAU: Crowe, Wash receive Advancing Professionals Awards

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Crowe-Wash-ORAU-NCMA-Award-2015

Rebecca Crowe, left, and Allen Wash display their Advancing Professionals Awards from the National Contract Management Association. (Photo by ORAU)

 

ORAU employees Rebecca Crowe and Allen Wash were awarded the Advancing Professionals Awards from the National Contract Management Association, or NCMA, during its 34th Annual Government Contract Management Symposium, which was recently held in Washington, D.C.

The NCMA Advancing Professionals Award (formerly the NCMA Top Professionals Under 40 in Contract Management Award) is designed to provide peer recognition to the rising stars and top performers in the contract management profession under the age of 40, according to the NCMA website. Those who receive this distinction come from academia, government, and industry, a press release said.

As Procurement and Contracts section manager and small business advocate at ORAU, Crowe manages a team responsible for continuous improvement of seven critical procurement and contract systems that support operations of almost $400 million in contract actions (prime and sub) annually, terms and conditions research, reporting, and all small business outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]