FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 5, 2007
FY07-56
Site Dedication for New ORAU/ORISE Center for Science Education
Facility Scheduled to Open in December 2008
WHAT: Site Dedication—featuring a LEGO® Robot Competition between Local Students*—for the ORAU/ORISE new Center for Science Education (CSE)
WHEN: Tuesday, July 10, 2007, 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Pollard Technology Conference Center Auditorium
WHY: The CSE is a 73,000-square-foot, four-story, $19.7 million building that will house a state-of-the-art classroom for teachers and students, as well as the ORAU president’s office, ORAU executives, Human Resources Department and ORAU/ORISE science education programs.
SPEAKERS:
- William J. Valdez, director for workforce development for teachers and scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science
- U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp, third district of Tennessee
- Gerald Boyd, manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office
*SPECIAL NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo Opportunity
As a sort of “symbolic groundbreaking, “four student teams who regularly participate in competitions through the Tennessee FIRST (For the Innovation and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League will be taking part in a fun competition to see whose LEGO robot can “dig the most dirt.”
The teams, which comprise students from area public, private and home schools, are the Basement Bums, Crestwood Hills “A,” Crestwood Hills “B” and Fellowship of the Bricks.
The team whose robot can move the most “dirt” from point A to point B during the three-minute contest will receive a prize.
“Little Al” Einstein, a life-sized robot provided courtesy of the American Museum of Science and Energy, will be presenting the winning team, as well as the Tennessee FIRST LEGO League, with a special monetary award on behalf of ORAU.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 98 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is a U.S. Department of Energy institute focusing on scientific initiatives to research health risks from occupational hazards, assess environmental cleanup, respond to radiation medical emergencies, support national security and emergency preparedness, and educate the next generation of scientists. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities.