News & Notes | Focus groups, recognitions and opportunities top list
Developers for part of the new Downtown Oak Ridge are hosting a focus group this week.
From Oak Ridge:
Following up on our recent Teknovation Weekend features (here and here) about the plans for Oak Ridge’s new downtown, there will be a focus group organized by Machinations Development, also known as Architects Wright, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on March 2 at the East Tennessee Economic Council weekly meeting room, 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Interested parties can review the concept named Acorn here.
The first “After Work with ETEC” event of 2023 occurs in about a month and is built around a tour of the new Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology & Training Center (ORETTC). Sponsored by Burns & McDonnell, the periodic program is designed to connect emerging and established professionals. The session is scheduled for 5 to 6:30 p.m. EDT March 28 and will feature a presentation by ORETTC Director Ashley Stowe. To register, click here. Attendees do not have to be a member of the East Tennessee Economic Council to attend.
From Johnson City:
TJ O’Neill, President of HD Clean LLC, has been named as the recipient of the American Association of Kidney Patients’ 2023 “Jenny Kitsen Patient Safety Award.” The award was created in 2014 by the former Network of New England whose Board of Directors established an endowment to continue the patient safety work of the non-profit organization led by Jenny Kitsen. It recognizes specific and impactful leadership and activities that exemplify the Association’s strategic goal of advancing patient safety through innovations and specific measures within health systems, both nationally and globally, that inspire actions to improve overall patient safety.
O’Neill, an Emeritus Nephrologist with the Veterans Administration who spent the last 11 years of his career at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Johnson City, developed a device to virtually eliminate disconnects and infections for people on dialysis. We spotlighted his mission in this March 2021 teknovation.biz article.
From Chattanooga:
Nominations and applications for Protégé Chattanooga are now open through March 20. The nine-month program, which has two cohorts – one that meets during the day and another at night, is a team-based mentoring program for early to mid-career professionals hosted by Young Professionals of Chattanooga (YPC) and the Chattanooga Chamber Foundation. “Protégé Chattanooga supports the development of our city’s future leaders and aims to empower those working to better our communities,” said Toya Moore, Leadership Development Director with the Chattanooga Chamber Foundation.
Cohorts meet twice a month beginning with an orientation on August 24 and ending with graduation on May 9, 2024. Applicants must be between the ages of 21 and 40. The cost to participate in Protégé Chattanooga is $500, and some partial scholarships are available. To nominate someone or apply, click here.
From Nashville:
The National Safety Council, the nation’s leading safety advocate for more than 100 years, has teamed up with CPRWrap, Inc. to empower more people to initiate bystander CPR at home and the workplace. “Making CPRWrap accessible to everyone is one of our main goals and partnerships like this will make it a reality,” says Felicia Jackson, the company’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. CPRWrap was launched in Chattanooga after two family emergencies – one that ended on a positive note, but one that did not. You can read about those emergencies in this January 4, 2017 teknovation.biz article.
From Westerville, OH but about Tennessee:
The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) reported that, on average, total state postsecondary R&D expenditures increased by 3.86 percent during FY21, the most recent data that are available.
The Volunteer State ranked second in the country in its growth that year, second only to New Mexico which had the largest increase at 20.44 percent. Tennessee followed at 13.56 percent, North Dakota was third at 13.09 percent, and Montana placed fourth with a growth rate of 12.05 percent.
Conversely, eight states experienced a decrease in total postsecondary R&D expenditures, led by South Dakota which declined by 10.03 percent, Mississippi which saw a 3.15 drop, New Jersey which experienced a 3.02 percent decline, and Idaho which reported a 2.82 percent drop.
