Oak Ridge Today

UT hosts top nuclear engineering students, who meet Oak Ridge reps

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KNOXVILLE—Some of the best and brightest undergraduate students from around the United States gathered at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville recently for the chance to meet top experts in the field of nuclear engineering, including representatives from federal sites in Oak Ridge.

“This area really is the birthplace of a lot of activities related to nuclear engineering,” said Wesley Hines, head of UT’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, which sponsors the annual event. “Some of these kids don’t realize all of the nuclear-related opportunities that exist here until they do this program. What we hope to achieve is to let people see all that is possible, all that is already in place when they come here.”

The sessions gave prospective graduate students a chance to mingle with some of the biggest names in nuclear research and energy, including from the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the UCOR facilities at the East Tennessee Technology Park, and Tennessee Valley Authority, as well as with UT faculty and students.  [Read more…]

Thompson-Boling lights brighter, more efficient; use ORNL foam

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Thompson-Boling LED Lighting

The SuperSport installation at the University of Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena. (Photo credit: LED North America)

KNOXVILLE—With the installation of LED fixtures, the Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville is one of the first in the world to feature lights that are smaller, brighter, and up to 85 percent more efficient than conventional arena metal halide lights.

The technology—developed and manufactured by Oak Ridge-based LED North America at the Tech 20/20 incubator facility in Oak Ridge, incorporating an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology, and installed by Knoxville-based Bandit Lites—is being “premiered” at the state’s research university inside the largest on-campus single-sport arena in the country.

The light-emitting diode fixtures use an ORNL-developed lightweight graphite foam that cools the LED, making them more efficient and reliable. This enables 90 400-watt LED fixtures to bathe the arena’s floor with 200 foot-candles per square foot, compared to the 130 foot-candles produced by the arena’s existing 110 1,100-watt fixtures.

LED North America’s SuperSport luminaires have the potential to revolutionize sports and entertainment venues worldwide. UT officials are looking forward to participating in this effort and to seeing the results—and the savings. [Read more…]

UT names bioenergy expert as 14th UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair

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Art Ragauskas

Arthur Ragauskas

KNOXVILLE—Arthur Ragauskas, an authority in bioenergy, has been named the 14th University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair.

He will serve as Governor’s Chair for Biorefining, based in UT’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a complementary appointment in the UT Institute of Agriculture’s Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries.

He will also serve in the Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Biosciences Division, at ORNL and as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center, or BESC.

Ragauskas begins at UT on June 1. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Oak Ridge student, UT grad forms game company that hits million downloads

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Aron Beierschmitt

Aron Beierschmitt

A company that develops games for smartphones and was formed by an Oak Ridge student who graduated from the University of Tennessee has released two titles that have hit the million-download mark.

Foundation Mobile was created by Aron Beierschmitt of Oak Ridge, who graduated from UT with a political science degree in 2013.

Beierschmitt created Foundation Mobile in February 2009. He won second place in a business plan competition for undergraduates and $3,000 to boost his company.

The company’s watershed moment came when Beierschmitt created Lumi, which was named the Apple Game of the Week and Editor’s Choice in January 2012. [Read more…]

ORNL-UT researchers invent ‘sideways’ approach to 2-D hybrid materials

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heterostructure-anping

ORNL and UT researchers have invented a method to merge different 2-dimensional materials into a seamless layer. This colorized scanning tunneling microscope image shows a single-atom sheet composed of graphene (seen in blue) combined with hexagonal boron nitride (seen in yellow).

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville have pioneered a new technique for forming a two-dimensional, single-atom sheet of two different materials with a seamless boundary.

The study, published in the journal Science, could enable the use of new types of 2-D hybrid materials in technological applications and fundamental research.

By rethinking a traditional method of growing materials, the researchers combined two compounds—graphene and boron nitride—into a single layer only one atom thick. Graphene, which consists of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal, honeycomb-like rings, has attracted waves of attention because of its high strength and electronic properties. [Read more…]

Tuesday presentation by UT professor to focus on science, ethics, war

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Jeffrey Kovac

Jeffrey Kovac

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss science and war-related research during a Tuesday presentation in Oak Ridge. (Note: This presentation was canceled due to the weather and could be rescheduled later.)

Jeffrey Kovac, a UT chemistry professor and director of undergraduate studies, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday.

“Science and the military have had a long and often mutually beneficial relationship, a relationship that is seldom questioned,” a press release said. “But because scientists are simultaneously professionals, citizens of a particular country, and human beings, sometimes with strong religious convictions, they are subject to conflicting moral and practical demands. In this presentation, Dr. Kovac will examine the question of whether scientists should engage in war-related research and, if so, under what circumstances.” [Read more…]

Bioluminescence technology from UT a top innovation, researchers have ORNL connection

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University of Tennessee Bioluminescence and Microtiter Plate

Pictured above is a micro titer plate showing light signals in cells, illustrating bioluminescence technology. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—Technology that lights up cells to enable study of the effects of drugs and monitor disease is among The Scientist magazine’s Top 10 innovations of 2013. It’s also a University of Tennessee technology and licensed by a Knoxville-based startup company.

Technology using humanized bacterial luciferase developed by UT researchers and licensed by 490 BioTech, founded by two UT Knoxville faculty members and two then-graduate assistants, is ranked sixth on the magazine’s list. For more about the innovation list, visit here.

“The development of this technology originated more than 10 years ago, and with hard work by past graduate students and key financial support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and University of Tennessee Research Foundation, it evolved into a marketable product that can be used to make pharmaceutical drugs safer, better, and cheaper,” said Steven Ripp, co-founder and chief operating officer of 490 BioTech and research associate professor at UT Knoxville. “Being recognized as a Top 10 technology is a significant milestone for our company, and it will greatly assist in mainstreaming our product toward better disease management and improved health care.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge college senior one of only seven Rhodes Scholars from UT

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Lindsay Lee

Lindsay Lee

The Oak Ridge college senior who was named a Rhodes Scholar this past weekend is one of only seven University of Tennessee students who have received the honor in more than a century, officials said Monday.

Lindsay E. Lee is a UT senior studying math and Spanish. She is the oldest daughter of Julie Lee and Joe Lee, a member of the Oak Ridge Building and Housing Code Appeals who frequently participates at Oak Ridge City Council meetings and once ran for a seat on Anderson County Commission.

UT said the Rhodes Scholarship, which has an average value of about $50,000 per year, is the most prestigious international award a student can earn. Lee was one of 32 American recipients chosen from 857 students endorsed by 327 colleges and universities across the country. [Read more…]

UT senior from Oak Ridge named a Rhodes Scholar, starts Oxford studies in October

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An Oak Ridge resident who is a senior at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville is among 32 U.S. men and women who have been named Rhodes Scholars and will start all-expenses-paid studies at Oxford University in England next October.

Lindsay E. Lee of East Pasadena Road is a math and Spanish major at UT. She has completed research at the National Institute of Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, at Vanderbilt Medical Center, and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She has also served as the president of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, as opinion columnist at the student newspaper, as a volunteer for the homeless, and in a children’s hospital, the Rhodes Trust announced Saturday.

The Rhodes Scholars were selected from 857 applicants endorsed by 327 colleges and universities. The Rhodes Scholarships pay all expenses for two or three years of study at Oxford and sometimes allow four years of funding. The value of the scholarships varies depending upon the academic field and the chosen degree, but the average value is about $50,000 per year. [Read more…]

UT professor receives more than $880,000 in DOE funding for carbon cycle research

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UT Students Measure Soil Carbon Flux

Doctoral candidate Jessica Bryant, left; Associate Professor Aimee Classen, middle; and University of Tennessee undergraduate student Kelsey Richesin use Li-Cor 6400, a machine that measure carbon flux from soil. (Photo courtesy UT)

KNOXVILLE—Carbon dioxide is key to life on Earth, but too much of the good thing can overheat the Earth’s surface and hurt the very things it supports. Thus, understanding how carbon cycles through the atmosphere is crucial to predicting its effects.

A University of Tennessee professor in Knoxville has received more than $880,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate often-overlooked carbon cycle players.

Aimee Classen, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and her team, which includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory staff members, will examine factors that influence carbon cycling below the ground and are not included in today’s carbon-cycle models.

“We know that tiny things that live in soil, like fungi, can regulate carbon processes in forests. However, our current soil models don’t consider what role fungal and plant root activity may play in soil carbon dynamics. Our project aims to fill this knowledge gap,” Classen said. [Read more…]

High school students receive UT scholarships in math competition

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Larry Shen of ORHS, a Math Contest Winner

Larry Shen of Oak Ridge High School was one of 10 students who recently won $4,000 annual scholarships to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in a UT-Pro2Serve Math Contest. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—Ten students were recently awarded $4,000 annual scholarships to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in a UT-Pro2Serve Math Contest.

More than 600 students from 50 Tennessee high schools participated in the competition held Nov. 14 at UT.

The scholarship winners included Larry Shen of Oak Ridge High School.

The other nine winners were:

  • Jia Liang of Collierville High in Collierville
  • Sanghwah “Samuel” Rhee of McCallie School in Chattanooga
  • Jason Wen of McCallie School in Chattanooga
  • Anwesh Dash of White Station High in Memphis
  • Sajant Anand of Science Hill High in Johnson City
  • Saaber Pourmotabbed of White Station High in Memphis
  • Queena Lu of Pope John Paul II High in Hendersonville
  • Yunhua Zhao of Memphis University School in Memphis
  • Zachary Strickland of Webb School of Knoxville in Knoxville [Read more…]

Intel funding for UT will develop codes, open computing center at joint UT-ORNL institute

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Joint Institute for Computational Sciences

The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is pictured above. (Photo courtesy of ORNL)

KNOXVILLE—Imagine going to the doctor and the doctor peering into your genetic code to determine the best medicine to treat what ails you.

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville has received funding from computer chip maker Intel to develop computer codes to make personalized medicine like this and other transformative scientific discoveries possible.

The funding will open an Intel Parallel Computing Center at the Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, or JICS, at UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Parallel computing, used in supercomputers, is a form of computation in which many calculations are carried out simultaneously. The focus of the center will be to take supercomputing to the next level to meet scientific computing demands. Today’s research faces limitations due to the amount of data, time, and energy it takes to run calculations. [Read more…]