Oak Ridge Today

Mini-conference on disabilities for parents, teachers on Saturday

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The Arc Anderson County is hosting a mini-conference on intellectual and developmental disabilities for parents and teachers on Saturday.

The mini-conference is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, November 15, at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge.

“This is a critical time in the history for our young adults transitioning out of high school,” a press release said. “Big changes are coming from the Department of Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Services, and parents desperately need information to guide their loved ones through this transition.”

Here are some topics of interest: [Read more…]

Thursday episode of ‘Classroom Under Sea’ to address exploration, climate change

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Underwater Exploration

Remotely Operated Vehicles, or ROVS, are one of the tools used by ocean explorers. In this 2005 image, the (ROV) Hercules searches for deep sea fauna. (Photograph courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce)

 

Ocean exploration and climate change will be the topics of the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two educators living underwater for 73 days.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, November 13. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee are living and working in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—for 73 days. While in the habitat, Fain and Cantrell are hosting “Classroom Under the Sea,” presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo.

Guests visiting the habitat for the November 13 episode are best-selling author Richard Hyman and filmmaker Andy Pruna Sr. Hyman’s book “Frogmen” describes his journeys with Jacques Cousteau and the crew of the Calypso, a minesweeper that Cousteau converted into a research vessel. [Read more…]

Thursday lecture to focus on preventing invasion by non-native forest pests

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A Thursday evening lecture in Oak Ridge will focus on preventing the invasion of non-native forest pests.

It’s sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society and the UT Forest Resources and Education Center, and it’s their last lecture series of 2014. It’s jointly sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the Tennessee Nature Conservancy, press releases said.

The talk will be given by Martin Wood, Conservation Coordinator with the Tennessee Nature Conservancy. It’s scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 13, in the City Room of Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Small business workshop on government contracting on Dec. 2

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center will have a free workshop for small businesses on the basics of government contracting on Tuesday, December 2.

The workshop is being conducted in partnership with the University of Tennessee CIS-PTAC. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon December 2 at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

To sign up, call (865) 483-2668, email Jutta Bangs at jbangs@tsbdc.org, or visit www.roanestate.edu/tsbdc.

The Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College advises and assists entrepreneurs and small business owners in the area at no cost to them.

Sign up for Dec. 6 ACT Prep Workshop at Roane State

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

Students will learn the hidden rules of the ACT in an ACT Prep Workshop presented by Roane State and SailAway Learning at the college’s Roane County campus in December.

Seating is limited. The deadline to register is November 29.

At the workshop, students will learn valuable test-taking tips and receive helpful review materials and resources. According to data from SailAway Learning, 66 percent of past workshop attendees raised two or more subtest scores, and 60 percent improved their composite score. [Read more…]

Roane State men’s basketball team works to overcome early adversity

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Roane State Men Basketball Team 2014

 

Roane State Community College men’s basketball coach Randy Nesbit appreciates his team’s effort in the preseason.

He just needs his players to stay healthy.

“The key is depth,” Nesbit said. “We had four forwards on the roster that we thought would play big roles, and three are out with injuries.”

Sophomore forward Antonio Gardner is expected back soon. Freshman forward Tayte Kitts could be back by mid-November, and sophomore forward Greg Murphy, who scored 15 points per game last season, is week to week. [Read more…]

AC Chamber Council starts discussions on educational resources, workforce needs

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Randy Boyd

Randy Boyd

Submitted

CLINTON—Leaders from business, local, and post-secondary education across Anderson County gathered at the Hollingsworth Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership on Tuesday for an Anderson County Workforce Development Training Resources Luncheon hosted by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce Education and Workforce Development Council. The council plans for this to be the first of a series of in-depth county-wide discussions about how to ensure that our educational resources are focused at meeting the businesses workforce needs in Anderson County.

Randy Boyd, Governor Bill Haslam’s special adviser on higher education, spoke about Tennessee’s “Drive to 55” initiative and the five main aspects to this statewide initiative: get students ready, get them into school, get them out of school, finish what we started with adult students, and tie education directly to workforce needs.

“There are nearly a million Tennesseans that have some college credit but no degree—that’s an untapped pool of people that we can get to complete a certificate or degree,” Boyd said. [Read more…]

Lionfish invasion, sharks to be featured in ‘Classroom Under the Sea’

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Lad Akins Lion Fish

The invasion of the lionfish will be one of the topics covered during the October 23 broadcast of “Classroom Under the Sea.” Lad Akins, director of special projects for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), shows a lionfish. (Submitted photo)

 

One of the most destructive forces in the ocean today is a fish. One of the most misunderstood fish in the ocean is known for its destructive force.

The lionfish and the shark will be the topics of the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two educators living underwater for 73 days.

The live program start at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, October 23. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee are living and working in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—for 73 days. While in the habitat, Fain and Cantrell are hosting “Classroom Under the Sea,” presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo. [Read more…]

High school seniors can sign up for TN Promise at Roane State today

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Tennessee Promise LogoHigh school seniors can sign up for the Tennessee Promise and fill out their college application on Monday, October 20, at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in Room 107 in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building.

The event is designed to encourage students to enroll in Tennessee Promise, the state’s new program that provides two years of community college or technical school tuition-free for any student graduating from a Tennessee high school. [Read more…]

‘Classroom Under the Sea’ today to feature astronauts Aldrin, Gernhardt

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NEEMO Project Underwater

The October 16 episode of “Classroom Under the Sea” will address how underwater training helps prepare astronauts for space exploration through programs such as the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) project. In the underwater image, an engineering crew diver simulates anchoring to an asteroid surface. (Photos courtesy of NASA)

 

Artist Concept

The artist’s concept image shows how an astronaut might use a similar process to anchor to an asteroid.

How do astronauts learn how to land on an asteroid? They practice under the sea.

Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Gernhardt will discuss how the undersea environment has helped astronauts train for missions beyond the atmosphere during the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two educators living underwater for 73 days. The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, October 16. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee are living and working in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—for 73 days. While in the habitat, Fain and Cantrell are hosting “Classroom Under the Sea,” presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo.

During the October 16 episode, Aldrin and Gernhardt will highlight how undersea simulations help astronauts prepare for journeys to asteroids and to Mars. Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, pioneered underwater training techniques. [Read more…]

Anderson County Chamber has industrial job fair on Thursday

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Anderson County Chamber of Commerce Logo

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host an industrial job fair to recruit employees for local industries on Thursday in Clinton.

The job fair is scheduled from 2-8 p.m. Thursday, October 16, at Roane State Community College’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility at 214 Nave Street in Clinton (at the Anderson County Fairgrounds). This one-day event allows job seekers to connect face-to-face with local industries seeking employees, a press release said. [Read more…]

Come watch artists chalk the walks Saturday

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Street Painting Festival Einstein

Sidewalk chalk painting of Einstein by a high school student at last year’s Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival at Roane State Community College. (Submitted photo)

The 15th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival is from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (rain day on Sunday) at the Oak Ridge Campus of Roane State Community College.

Dozens of artists will be brushing up on their skills as they transform concrete sidewalk squares into colorful chalk paintings. The public is invited to this free festival organized by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

While would-be Rembrandts are chalking the walks, young children will enjoy face painting, chalking, and other free activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Kid Zone.

Music will be provided by the Roane State Celebration Singers at 9 a.m. [Read more…]