Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tennessee wins race to the TOP GRANT!
The Obama administration delivered a jolt to U.S. public education Monday by selecting just two states, Delaware and Tennessee, to receive $600 million in hard-fought grants designed to help districts overhaul their programs.
The awards are part of the administration's $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition, which has sparked a nationwide scramble among states to prove which of them is championing the most robust changes. Forty states and the District of Columbia applied for the grants.
Tennessee will receive $500 million, and Delaware gets $100 million.
Lawmakers in Tennessee met twice in special session to pass new education laws. The state lifted its cap on the number of new charter schools, which are schools that are taxpayer funded but independently run.
Both Delaware and Tennessee have imposed new measures that base teacher pay and promotions partly on how well their students perform.
"In Tennessee's case, our willingness to actually make changes really made a difference," said Tennessee Governor Philip Bredesen, a Democrat. "This is not a demonstration for a pilot project. We had every school district buy into this."
The awards are part of the administration's $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition, which has sparked a nationwide scramble among states to prove which of them is championing the most robust changes. Forty states and the District of Columbia applied for the grants.
Tennessee will receive $500 million, and Delaware gets $100 million.
Lawmakers in Tennessee met twice in special session to pass new education laws. The state lifted its cap on the number of new charter schools, which are schools that are taxpayer funded but independently run.
Both Delaware and Tennessee have imposed new measures that base teacher pay and promotions partly on how well their students perform.
"In Tennessee's case, our willingness to actually make changes really made a difference," said Tennessee Governor Philip Bredesen, a Democrat. "This is not a demonstration for a pilot project. We had every school district buy into this."
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Obama bestows technology medal in TN!
From super glue to microchips to digital cameras, President Barack Obama on Wednesday celebrated the brains behind these inventions and other breakthroughs as examples of "the promise of science."
In a ceremony in the White House East Room, Obama bestowed the National Medal of Science on 10 researchers and awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to three individuals and a three-person team.
The medals represent the government's highest honor for scientists, engineers and inventors.
Obama said their achievements "stand as a testament to the ingenuity, to their zeal for discovery and to the willingness to give of themselves and to sacrifice in order to expand the reach of human understanding. All of us have benefited from their work."
Other honorees helped unlock the secrets of genetics and disease, nanotechnology, solar energy, and chemistry and biology.
Their work, Obama said, has saved lives, improved health, created new industries and millions of jobs, and transformed education and communication. It serves, he said, "as proof not only of their incredible creativity and skill, but of the promise of science itself."
One of the recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation is Harry Coover of Eastman Chemical Company in Tennessee, for inventing cyanoacrylates, also known as super glues.
In a ceremony in the White House East Room, Obama bestowed the National Medal of Science on 10 researchers and awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to three individuals and a three-person team.
The medals represent the government's highest honor for scientists, engineers and inventors.
Obama said their achievements "stand as a testament to the ingenuity, to their zeal for discovery and to the willingness to give of themselves and to sacrifice in order to expand the reach of human understanding. All of us have benefited from their work."
Other honorees helped unlock the secrets of genetics and disease, nanotechnology, solar energy, and chemistry and biology.
Their work, Obama said, has saved lives, improved health, created new industries and millions of jobs, and transformed education and communication. It serves, he said, "as proof not only of their incredible creativity and skill, but of the promise of science itself."
One of the recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation is Harry Coover of Eastman Chemical Company in Tennessee, for inventing cyanoacrylates, also known as super glues.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Solar energy in the Volunteer State!
Solar technology uses the sun’s energy to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling—for homes, businesses, and industry. Solar energy is a very powerful source of energy because more energy from the sun falls on the earth in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year.
Unknown to most people, solar industry was established in the Volunteer state well before solar energy deployment become locally popular. Sharp Corporation is one of the largest solar manufacturing companies in the world, and in 2003, opened a solar panel manufacturing facility in Memphis, TN. Another pioneer in Tennessee’s solar industry is AGC Flat Glass, a leader in providing innovative glass products for specialty applications, including solar products used in photovoltaics, greenhouse glazing, and both active and passive solar applications.
In addition, local solar businesses are also growing. For instance, at the beginning of the Knoxville Solar America Cities program, there has been only one certified solar installer in the entire state for many years, but now there are at least three in Knoxville alone.
The Tennessee Solar Institute has announced the recipients of $7.25 million in Innovation Grant awards. Grants were awarded to 21 Tennessee companies to complete 37 projects throughout eight of the nine U.S. Congressional Districts in Tennessee.
Unknown to most people, solar industry was established in the Volunteer state well before solar energy deployment become locally popular. Sharp Corporation is one of the largest solar manufacturing companies in the world, and in 2003, opened a solar panel manufacturing facility in Memphis, TN. Another pioneer in Tennessee’s solar industry is AGC Flat Glass, a leader in providing innovative glass products for specialty applications, including solar products used in photovoltaics, greenhouse glazing, and both active and passive solar applications.
In addition, local solar businesses are also growing. For instance, at the beginning of the Knoxville Solar America Cities program, there has been only one certified solar installer in the entire state for many years, but now there are at least three in Knoxville alone.
The Tennessee Solar Institute has announced the recipients of $7.25 million in Innovation Grant awards. Grants were awarded to 21 Tennessee companies to complete 37 projects throughout eight of the nine U.S. Congressional Districts in Tennessee.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Equipment ReUse Program in East Tennessee!
East Tennessee Technology Access Center, ETTAC is known for its assistive technology - computer software for low-vision and disabled people, devices that help people "talk," modified toys and electronics with simple, one-button switches.
The Center now has an Equipment ReUse program, with the large number of disabled and elderly people losing insurance, coupled with changes to Medicare coverage of "durable medical equipment," ETTAC was led to expand the type of donated equipment it loans or gives to people who can't get it any other way.
The need has been overwhelming. A Morristown supplier of medical equipment closed recently and donated his remaining inventory - which filled 5,000 square feet in a warehouse - to ETTAC.
"We had given away most of that within 45 days," she said. "I had no idea there were that many people who couldn't get what they need. It was a real eye-opener."
Last year, ETTAC gave more than 130 people more than $30,000 worth of equipment, not counting short-term loans. Symington said ETTAC serves more than 300 people a month.
The Center now has an Equipment ReUse program, with the large number of disabled and elderly people losing insurance, coupled with changes to Medicare coverage of "durable medical equipment," ETTAC was led to expand the type of donated equipment it loans or gives to people who can't get it any other way.
The need has been overwhelming. A Morristown supplier of medical equipment closed recently and donated his remaining inventory - which filled 5,000 square feet in a warehouse - to ETTAC.
"We had given away most of that within 45 days," she said. "I had no idea there were that many people who couldn't get what they need. It was a real eye-opener."
Last year, ETTAC gave more than 130 people more than $30,000 worth of equipment, not counting short-term loans. Symington said ETTAC serves more than 300 people a month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)