Oak Ridge Today

ORCSGirls joins attempt to set world record for number of girls coding

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Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls, or ORCSGirls, is on a mission to inspire girls in the community to explore the possibilities of technology and computer science. After reaching more than 500 girls in 2017, the organization is ready to do it again, covering topics from Python and virtual reality to information graphics, robots, cyber security, and much more. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls, or ORCSGirls, is on a mission to inspire girls in the community to explore the possibilities of technology and computer science. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls (ORCSGirls) is joining the TechGirlz code breakers event on March 30 to set the world record for the number of girls coding.

ORCSGirls will be running events on March 30 from noon to 3 p.m. at two locations: Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge and at the Blount County Public Library in Maryville. Both workshops will teach participating middle school girls the basics of website development, a press release said.

During the workshop, girls from around the country will be connected through video chat to set this world record. [Read more…]

Reminder: Oak Ridge will try to set world record in ‘knockout’ basketball today

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Guinness World Records Knockout Basketball Attempt 2018

A reminder: Oak Ridge will try to set a Guinness World Record on Saturday in a basketball game known as “knockout” today (Saturday, June 9).

The attempt to break the previous world record is part of the Secret City Festival this weekend. The game will start at noon in the parking lot of Dick’s Sporting Goods at Main Street Oak Ridge. The first 702 people will get a free T-shirt, organizers said. Then, every 30 minutes, prizes will be awarded from Electronic Express and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Once you have taken your shot (and missed…), you get to register for a Jeep awarded at no cost from Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Every 30 minutes, one of those registrations will be pulled as a finalist for the drawing for the Jeep on June 27, organizers said. (You must be present to win and 18 and over with a valid driver’s license).

The Dallas Mavericks set the record for the largest game of basketball knockout with 701 participants in Dallas, Texas, on October 4, 2015. The game lasted 27 rounds and more than three hours, according to Guinness World Records. Team owner Mark Cuban was there before the record-setting attempt to check out the court and the turnout, and he also motivated the basketball shooters.

Organizers of this year’s Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge want to do better than Cuban and the Mavericks. They need at least 702 shooters to set the new world record. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival is this weekend

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Although numbers weren't immediately available, organizers said a record-setting crowd attended the Three Dog Night concert at the Secret City Festival on Saturday. (Photo by Jon Hetrick)

A record-setting crowd is pictured above at the Three Dog Night concert at the Secret City Festival in June 2015. (File photo courtesy Jon Hetrick)

 

The Secret City Festival on Friday and Saturday will feature music, food, children’s activities, historic exhibits, arts and crafts, technology, robotics, magic, a juggler, a K-9 search demonstration, wine tasting, tours of two federal sites, veterans parade, an attempt to set a world record in a basketball game, and headline concerts featuring Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx, and Little River Band.

There have been pre-festival events this week, including a Battle of the Bands tonight (Thursday, June 7), and a live radio broadcast featuring two bands on Monday, and a Children’s Movie Night on Wednesday.

At the Secret City Festival this weekend, a main stage concert on Friday night will feature Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx. The opening band is The Band Legacy. The show starts at 7 p.m.

The main stage concert on Saturday night will feature the Little River Band. The opening band is Janelle Arthur. The show starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available online or at Citizens First Bank at 1298 Oak Ridge Turnpike for $25. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will try to set world record in ‘knockout’ basketball

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Oak Ridge will try to set a Guinness World Record on Saturday in a basketball game known as “knockout.”

The attempt to break the previous world record is part of the Secret City Festival this weekend.

The Dallas Mavericks set the record for the largest game of basketball knockout with 701 participants in Dallas, Texas, on October 4, 2015. The game lasted 27 rounds and more than three hours, according to Guinness World Records. Team owner Mark Cuban was there before the record-setting attempt to check out the court and the turnout, and he also motivated the basketball shooters.

Organizers of this year’s Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge want to do better than Cuban and the Mavericks. They need at least 702 shooters to set the new world record.

“Come and participate on June 9 and help Oak Ridge shatter that record!” Secret City Festival organizers said. “Since the Manhattan Project during World War II, Oak Ridge has been known as a technology giant, but ‘knockout’ allows the city to highlight a rich athletic history as well.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge, Knox, private school students will try to break world record in computer coding

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Students from Knox County Schools, Oak Ridge City Schools, and area private schools will try to break the world record for the number of students learning how to code at the same time.

The students will make the attempt at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 8. In Oak Ridge, the attempt will occur throughout the district in the classrooms of teachers who choose to participate.

The idea to attempt a Guinness World Record came from Brandon Bruce, co-founder and chief operating officer of Cirrus Insight, and Caleb Fristoe, project manager of CodeTN—a Great Schools Partnership initiative that organizes coding clubs, camps, and competitions at area schools, a press release said. The effort is heavily supported by Knox County Schools and its Educational Technology and Information Technology departments, the release said.

“Amazing things are happening in Knoxville and Oak Ridge in technology and education,” Bruce said. “Attempting the Guinness World Record for the number of students learning how to code at the same time will help shine a light on the everyday great work of our students, parents, teachers, and principals. Keep an eye on East Tennessee for big successes in education and technology.” [Read more…]

ORNL, Boeing set Guinness World Record with 3D printed tool for Boeing 777X wing part

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GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS measurement of ORNL-Boeing trim tool Aug 29 2016

Official measurement of the 3D printed trim tool co-developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The Boeing Company exceeded the required minimum size to achieve the Guinness World Records title of largest solid 3D printed item. Pictured above on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, is Guinness World Records Judge Michael Empric. (Photo courtesy ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy)

 

HARDIN VALLEY—A tool made by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has set a world record for largest solid item manufactured on a 3D printer. Guinness World Records confirmed the tool’s measurements during a visit to ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley on Monday.

The trim-and-drill tool measures 17.5 feet long, 5.5 feet wide, and 1.5 feet tall. It’s comparable in length to a large sport utility vehicle and weighs approximately 1,650 pounds.

It will be used to help make a wing part on the Boeing 777X airplane, a passenger jet. After ORNL completes some testing, Boeing will evaluate the tool in the company’s new production facility in St. Louis and then provide information to ORNL about its performance.

ORNL printed the trim-and-drill tool in only 30 hours on a 3D printer at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley using mostly ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) mixed with about 20 percent carbon fiber. ABS is the same material used to produce Legos, and it’s a tough, strong polymer, said Bill Peter, MDF director.

Judge Michael Empric said Guinness World Records had set a minimum measurement of 10.5 cubic feet for the new largest solid 3D printed item, which is a new category. The Boeing tool printed by ORNL measured much larger, 82.4 cubic feet, Empric said.

The original tool was printed in one piece and was larger, but it was trimmed down, Empric said. [Read more…]

Roane State educators complete record-breaking 73-day underwater stay

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Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain Surface

Roane State professors Jessica Fain and Bruce Cantrell enjoy their first moments of sunlight after living underwater for 73 days. (Photos by Roane State Community College) 

 

KEY LARGO, Florida—After a record-breaking 73 days living underwater, two local college professors surfaced Monday and enjoyed the feel of sunlight for the first time in more than two months.

They also celebrated the end of their mission to educate the public about ocean conservation, to inspire young people’s interest in science, and to make history.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee spent the fall living and working in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, an underwater habitat on Key Largo in Florida. Their underwater stay lasted 73 days, two hours, and 34 minutes, breaking the world record for longest time spent living underwater.

The two educators submerged October 3 at 12:08 p.m. EDT and surfaced on Monday, December 15, at 1:42 p.m. EST.

“There is a sun,” Cantrell said with a laugh as he and Fain broke the surface of the water. [Read more…]

Final episode of ‘Classroom Under the Sea’ on Thursday

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Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain Diving

During the final episode of Classroom Under the Sea on Thursday, December 11, aquanauts Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain will put their experience in perspective. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

In their last “Classroom Under the Sea” episode before resurfacing, Roane State Community College professors Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain will reflect on their record-breaking 73-day underwater mission and discuss the future of ocean preservation.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 11. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Cantrell and Fain have lived and worked in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—since October 3. While living in the habitat, they have hosted “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo. [Read more…]

Conserving coral reefs: Learn more in ‘Classroom Under the Sea’ on Thursday

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Coral Restoration

The decline of coral formations will be the topic of the Dec. 4 episode of “Classroom Under the Sea.” The photo shows coral polyps on Molasses Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Brent Deuel, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce)

 

The devastation of coral reefs will be the topic of the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two local college educators living underwater for more than two months.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 4. Viewers can watch live at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Roane State Community College biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain are living and working in an underwater habitat for 73 days. While they stay in the habitat, where the living space is about the size of a dorm room, Fain and Cantrell host “Classroom Under the Sea,” an educational program about marine science. [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…]

Roane State’s Fain sets record for female living underwater

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Jessica Fain

Jessica Fain

As Roane State Community College educators Jessica Fain and Bruce Cantrell pursue a world record for longest time spent living underwater, Fain has already made her mark.

Cantrell, a biology professor, and Fain, an adjunct professor, are living and working in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—for 73 days.

Cantrell, an expert in the history of underwater habitats, noted that Fain has set the record for a female living underwater. The previous mark was 14 days, set in 1970 by renowned scientist Sylvia Earle and her team during their stay in the Tektite habitat. The Tektite program was the first nationally sponsored effort to place scientists in the sea to live.

As of Saturday, October 18, Fain and Cantrell had lived continuously underwater for 15 days. [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…]