First Year Convocation
Best-selling author, Denise Kiernan, is our guest speaker for First Year Convocation, Tuesday, August 26th at 7:00p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Bring your copy of The Girls of Atomic City for Ms. Kiernan to sign after the ceremony.
Lessons from Oak Ridge: The World of Computer Modeling
Professor Greg Tschumper (Chemistry Department) will present on his research experiences at Oak Ridge and introduce students to the world of computer modeling on Tuesday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m., Coulter Hall 200 Auditorium.
Oral Histories from Oak Ridge
The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies presents Kathy Harris Shinnick, Ole Miss alum, scholar, and oral historian. Ms. Shinnick will discuss her research on the women of Oak Ridge during WWII, including her grandmother. Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m., Bryant 209 Auditorium.
Fueling the Atom Bomb: Exploring the Physics Behind the Work at Site X
Ever wonder how the women at Oak Ridge helped make fuel for the atom bomb? Professor Josh Gladden (Physics Department & NCPA) will explain the basics of nuclear fission and why the fuel enrichment was so important. There will also be a Geiger counter and a cloud chamber demonstration of ionizing radiation on Tuesday, October 7th at 7:00 p.m. in Lewis Hall 101 Auditorium.
Common Read at a Glance
View items related to the book in the 2nd floor display case in the J.D. Williams Library compiled by Lucien Cremaldi (Physics) and Melissa Dennis (Library).
2013 The Unforgiving Minute by Craig Mullaney
In this surprise bestseller, West Point grad, Rhodes scholar, Airborne Ranger, and U. S. Army Captain Craig Mullaney recounts his unparalleled education and the hard lessons that only war can teach. While stationed in Afghanistan, a deadly firefight with al-Qaeda leads to the loss of one of his soldiers. Years later, after that excruciating experience, he returns to the United States to teach future officers at the Naval Academy. Written with unflinching honesty, this is an unforgettable portrait of a young soldier grappling with the weight of war while coming to terms with what it means to be a man.
2012 Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Edgar Award-winning author Tom Franklin returns with his most accomplished and resonant novel so far—an atmospheric drama set in rural Mississippi. In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county—and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town. More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades.
2011 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew.
