Chris Howley will present a report on the status of the Gay St. Bridge and the plans for moving forward with repairs. The Gay St. Bridge was built in 1898. The bridge is a Cantilever Steel Bridge measuring 1512 feet long. It was built at a cost of $233,000 and was designed by Charles E. Fowler with the Youngstown Bridge Co. The bridge underwent a major rebuild in 2011. Recently a routine inspection revealed structural damage and the bridge was closed to traffic. Additional evaluation determined the bridge should not be opened and used for traffic. Chris will explain the plans for repairs commissioned by the City with the hope of reopening the bridge to pedestrian traffic. 

Chris Howley has a BS from University of Tennessee (UT) and a Masters in Environmental Engineering also from UT. He is a licensed Professional Engineer. He has served on several professional and civic organizations. In 2011 he earned the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) Local Professional Engineer in Government Award.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

Dr. Faircloth will explain the purpose and the importance of clinical trials. She will discuss the history and different kinds of trials and how they are designed, organized, conducted and assessed. She will also address the requirements for participants, how they are recruited and selected, as well as the roles of researchers, hospitals, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration in protecting the patients.

Dr. Faircloth was born and raised in New Jersey where she attended Rutgers University College of Pharmacy, graduating in 1997. She completed two years of pharmacy residency, specializing in critical care, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. She has remained at UTMC and advanced her career working in various pharmacy roles from critical care to administration and now to clinical trials. Dr. Faircloth has been certified by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties as Critical Care Pharmacist as well as Pharmacotherapy Specialist.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

The business part of our Annual Membership Meeting will only take a few minutes for the annual report, treasurer’s report and the election of board directors and corporation officers. Nominated at the January meeting were,

Photo by christels on Pixnio 

Humans have kept bees in artificial hives for more than 10,000 years. Scientific study of bee colonies began in the 18^th century in Europe. In the United States alone, crops worth more than $15 billion per year depend on insect pollination. Much ingenuity, experimentation and research has gone into the design and production of hives, tools, and techniques to efficiently harvest and process honey.

In the new millennium the mysterious honey bee colony collapse disorder, mites, and viruses have plagued beekeepers across the world, causing great losses for apiaries and farmers who depend on them. This also has greatly raised the awareness of many other species of pollinators that are important in natural and agricultural ecosystems and crucial to sustain biodiversity.

The University of Tennessee Knoxville campus became the 98^th Certified Bee Campus USA in 2020. The UT Apiculture Program supports the campus, the state’s beekeeping industry and private beekeepers. Through agricultural extension offerings and county beekeeping associations, you may sign up for beekeeping classes across the state. You can also support pollinators by keeping your lawn chemical free and thoughtfully planting pollinator-friendly native plants in your home garden or even on a balcony.

Dale Hinkle is a 5^th generation beekeeper and Tennessee Certified Master Beekeeper. He has been keeping hives in Blount and Loudon counties and on the Plateau. He has taught many classes on beekeeping, is an expert in queen rearing, and a champion of bee product diversification. Dale has served as bee inspector in Blount and Monroe counties. He also has started local clubs and been an officer in several county clubs and the Tennessee Beekeepers Association.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

Dr. Pointer will discuss the evolving domestic and global energy climate that is driving renewed interest in deployment of nuclear energy. He will present a brief primer on nuclear energy system design as a foundation for further discussion of the mission-driven design differences associated with small modular reactors, microreactors and advanced reactors. He will also introduce the technological challenges that are driving today’s research and development activities.

Dr. Pointer obtained his PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee in 2001. He led the Engineering Simulations Section of the Nuclear Engineer Division at Argonne National Laboratory before joining ORNL as a Distinguished R&D Staff member in 2012.

He has more than 20 years of experience in the design and safety of nuclear systems, including conventional light water reactors, advanced reactors using gas, liquid metal or molten salt coolants and high-power accelerator systems. His work has focused on the advancement and qualification of modeling and simulation tools for nuclear energy systems, especially computational fluid dynamics and the acceptance of results contemporary high-resolution methods running on high performance computers for projection of performance, assessment of safety and operations planning in these applications.

He leads a team of more than 250 scientists and engineers who are focused on R&D activities supporting accelerated deployment of advanced nuclear energy system, nuclear fuel, and fuel cycle technologies.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

He will discuss current and future research buildings under development and the plan to build a hotel and conference center. That project has advanced to the Request for Proposals stage in January 2024.

A new entrepreneurship ecosystem — called the SPARK Innovation Center — and CleanTech Accelerator Programs are also key initiatives of the research park.

Other notable developments are the new TDOT interchange road at the research park, its Outdoor Cultural & Recreational Center development, and potential parking garages.

Rickey McCallum was born and raised in Knoxville. He graduated 2000 from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with a B.S. in Sports Administration and double minor in Sports Marketing and Management.

Before joining the University of Tennessee in 2014 he had extensive careers with Enterprise-Rent-a-Car of Tennessee, Dale Carnegie Training, and Tennessee Valley Authority.

He is celebrating ten years at the University of Tennessee. Before his current position at the UT Research Park, he worked for five years in UTK's Office of Corporate & Industry Engagement.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is working with TC Energy to study carbon capture technology to reduce emissions at TVA’s natural gas facilities in Ackerman, Mississippi and in Drakesboro, Kentucky.

Carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) is proposed and explored as one of the pathway scenarios to “net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050” in TVA's Valley Pathways Study, conducted in cooperation with The Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. CCUS also has been chosen in TVA’s Carbon Report to be tried out in practice as one of the innovative energy technology ‘carbon levers’ (actions for deeper carbon reduction).

TC Energy’s carbon capture approach works by sending the exhaust from natural gas power facilities to a carbon dioxide (CO₂) scrubber adjacent to the plant. A chemical reaction absorbs the CO₂ before the exhaust is released into the air. The absorbent is then pumped to another vessel and treated with heat that releases the CO₂. This released CO₂ is then compressed and sent deep into the earth for safe storage.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.

The choice of electric vehicles (EV) is growing quickly now. The total cost of EV ownership has decreased drastically thanks to governmental incentive programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But for many potential EV drivers, the scarcity of charging locations compared to fossil fuel stations still is a formidable barrier to make the leap.

The EMPOWER TN project, managed by Darcy Ayers, focuses on education and direct technical assistance to rapidly increase the number and distribution of EV charging facilities at workplaces statewide. The project is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy.

With Equitable Mobility Powering Opportunities for Workplace  Electrification Readiness or EMPOWER, East TN Clean Fuels hopes to be a one-stop shop for helpful workplace-focused resources, such as funding opportunities that may offset the cost of purchase and installation. By bringing EV ports to work, EMPOWER TN is simplifying the transition to EV's and making charging convenient and easy, especially for those without access to chargers at home.

Since estimates show that the second-most frequently utilized charging is the workplace, EMPOWER TN is working to reduce the barriers to these employees accessing EV's and the economic and environmental benefits of driving electric. As EV ownership expands and infrastructure matures, EMPOWER TN strives to make sure EV's are truly for everyone.

Darcy Ayers is a Colorado native who has spent the better part of the last 20 years in East Tennessee. She graduated from UT Knoxville with a Bachelor’s in Anthropology, a minor in Geography, and a Master’s in Applied Sociology. Before joining the ETCleanFuels team in June 2023, she was Program Director at SEEED, leading the Career Readiness Program and other workforce development boot camps for young adults. Darcy is excited about the opportunity to continue serving her community through the pursuit of a just energy transition. Outside of work, you can find her always doing something for her rugby club or hanging out at home with her husband, dog, and cat.

For more information on TSK and its meetings, please email TSK secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 865-679-9854.