| The Torch Club is
an international association of local clubs in which respected persons
practicing recognized professions enjoy the cultural interchange of knowledge.
Established in 1924, Torch Club now operates in 75 locations in the
United
States and Canada. Each has a monthly meeting that is highlighted
by the presentation of a paper by a member or guest on a topic of concern
to modern society. Following the presentation, the members discuss the
subject. It is through this sharing of knowledge and points of view
that
Torch becomes a unique and beneficial experience. To learn about membership in the Knoxville Torch Club, please contact David Coffey by e-mail (coffeyd@utk.edu) or by phone (865-974-8829). |
Please note that our meetings are held once again at |
OUR NEXT MEETING |
|
| September 16, 2010 | Topic to be announced / (No meetings
over the summer) |
MEETING
LOCATION - Please Note New Location The Orangery Restaurant, located at 5412 Kingston Pike (click here for map), is where we hold our monthly meetings. Lunch will be ordered from the luncheon menu . There is no meeting charge except for annual dues. Meetings begin at noon on the third Thursday of each month. |
| Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Each meeting begins with your choice of lunch followed by our guest speaker. | 12:00 p.m.: Meet and order lunch. See menu. 12:05 p.m.: Brief business remarks, introduction of speaker, followed by talk 12:30 p.m.: Lunch is served. Discussion period. 1:00 p.m.: End of meeting. |
To see the the Knoxville Torch Club brochure,
please click here.
Please note that time and location of meeting needs to be updated.. |
||
| President: Treasurer/Secretary: |
Stephen Levy David Coffey |
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(Presentations for the years 2007-2008 can
be found at this link)
(Presentations for the years 2004-2006 can be found at this link)
(Presentations for the years 2001-2003 can be found at this link)
(Presentations for the years 1998-2000 can be found at this link)
| January 21, 2010 Otis H. Stephens, Jr., J.D., Ph.D. Alumni Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and Resident Scholar of Constitutional Law University of Tennessee College of Law |
“The recent constitutional challenges of our new
administration”
Professor Stephens will discuss the Supreme Court and its political dispositions with regard to recent court decisions. Some of the court members can be characterized as either liberal or conservative, while others are unpredictable. The Court members appointed by Republican presidents could not be counted on as always being conservative, while the opposite is true. Professor Stephens will describe some of the most recent decisions and examine the court members as to their positions regarding these cases. |
| February 18, 2010 Richard Berry, Ph.D. Professional engineeer, who has worked in the chemical and environmental fields for 30 years; founded Rembco Geotechnical Contractors Inc. and recently founded Eq-Force. |
“Are our strategic petroleum reserves safe?” |
| March 18, 2010 Chad Hellwinckel, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor Agricultural Policy Analysis Center The University of Tennessee |
"Regenerative Agriculture--overcoming peak oil and feeding the world
by saving our soils" The food crisis of 2008 gave a first glimpse of the problems that are emerging as global oil production peaks. The availability of oil around the globe will begin to decline over the next several decades, and as it does, agriculture may find itself dependent upon a scarce and expensive resource. The industrial agricultural system has allowed for the cheap production of plentiful food to feed a growing population, but evidence indicates that it is ill-suited to meet the challenges of the 21st century as oil becomes more expensive and less available. Over the next several decades, the practices of agriculture must reverse the fossil energy dependence and once again become a net source of energy, begin to regenerate soil, and meet human food needs. The good news is that there is a growing list of good examples of regenerative systems throughout the world. Dr Hellwinckel will explain the challenges, give some examples of good solutions, and engage the audience to experiment with solutions in their own backyards. |
April 15, 2010 |
"Fifty-one days spent in Haiti as a volunteer chaplain."
After spending 51 days in Haiti as a volunteer chaplain for the US military, Dr. Morgan believes the answer to much of the hunger around the world may seem simplistic, but often the answers to major problems are simpler than seems possible. Morgan says we need to "Teach Haiti How to Fish," instead of doing the fishing for it. Dr. Morgan will give a detailed report on his activities during the 51 days he spent in a hot tent in Haiti listening to US military personnel who were dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. |
| May 20, 2010 Victor Ashe Former Mayor of Knoxville (1987–2003) and former Ambassador to Poland (2004–2009) |
"Five years of wonderful hospitality and really terrific
memories as ambassador of Poland." |
| June, 2010 | No meetings over the summer |
| July, 2010 | No meetings over the summer |
| August, 2010 | No meetings over the summer |
| September 16, 2010 | To be announced |
October 21, 2010 |
“Water on the Moon: A Step Towards Human Colonization” |
| November 18, 2010 | To be announced |
| December, 2010 | No meeting during December |
2009
|
January 15, 2009 Nathan J. Kelly, Ph.D. Regional Director of Torch Club International Assistant Professor Department of Political Science University of Tennessee |
"The politics of income inequality in the United
States" His primary research interest is the macro political system of the United States, where he examines how different parts of the U.S. governing system (from Congress, to public opinion, to macro policy outputs) influence one another and respond to stimuli over time. He is also interested in political behavior and public opinion at the micro level. Finally, he conducts research in quantitative methodology that is motivated by problems encountered in his substantive research agendas |
| February 19, 2009 |
"Superbug is winning" We have all heard of the “superbug” infections that resist antibiotic treatment. The resistance to known treatments is becoming a serious problem especially for those staying in hospitals and nursing homes. February's meeting we will hear from Professor Engin Serpersu, an expert in Enzymology, talk about his work to understand the underpinnings of the why these bugs are so hard to kill. “The major project studied in our laboratory involves structural and functional studies of enzymes that modify antibiotics and render them useless against infectious diseases.” His biophysical studies of several selected enzymes from bacteria that modify antibiotics and reduce their effectiveness against infectious (pathogenic) bacteria. His goal is to understand the molecular principles that allow these bacterial enzymes to modify a number of different antibiotics. The long term goal is to determine biological properties common to this class of enzymes and substrate complexes and use the results to develop a model based on these common properties. |
| March 19, 2009 Martha Rose Woodward Local Author, Newspaper reporter, retired school teacher, Education Chairman of the Knoxville Writers' Guild |
"Knoxville’s 1982 World’s Fair" |
| April 16, 2009 Jana Morgan, Ph. D. Assistant Professor Department of Political Science University of Tennessee |
"The causes and consequences of party system collapse in Latin
America" |
| May 21, 2009 Peter S. K. Knappett (Ph.D. candidate) Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of Tennessee |
“Investigating fecal contamination of potable water sources
in Bangladesh" In the past 30 years substantial advances in life expectancy and infant mortality have been achieved in Bangladesh. This has generally been attributed to two mass scale interventions to deal with diarrheal disease, implemented during the 1980s, oral-rehydration therapy, and the installation of 10 million private groundwater wells, providing a separation of human waste from drinking water. Although greatly reduced from pre-1980 levels, diarrheal disease incidence still remains high in Bangladesh. Our project set out to evaluate groundwater as a potential source of the endemic diarrheal disease, an ambitious goal necessarily involving people from diverse fields (e.g. Public Health, Geology, Microbiology). Understanding environmental contamination pathways in this way may contribute to breaking the cycle of endemic disease in developing countries. |
| June, 2009 | No meetings over the summer |
| July, 2009 | No meetings over the summer |
| August, 2009 | No meetings over the summer |
| September 17, 2009 James G. Blencoe, Ph.D. Chief Scientist Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc. Oak Ridge, TN |
Hydrogen cars are coming (2012-2015)! Substantial numbers of hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars will be leased or sold in the U.S. and foreign countries starting in the 2012-2015 time frame. The principal manufacturers are likely to be Toyota, Honda, Daimler, Hyundai, and (possibly) GM. Initially, the vehicles will be fueled by hydrogen gas compressed to 5,000 or 10,000 psi. Depending on the size of the onboard hydrogen storage tank, and the pressure of the stored hydrogen gas, “real-world” travel ranges (per fill-up) for full-size fuel cell vehicles will be approximately 250 to 450 miles. In the U.S., nearly all of the hydrogen required to power fuel cell vehicles will be produced from domestic sources of natural gas—until sometime after 2015, when increasing amounts of hydrogen will be manufactured from renewable sources of energy, particularly wind-generated electricity and solar heat. |
| October 15, 2009 Jim Stovall, Ph.D. Edward J. Meeman Distinguished Prof. of Journalism, UTK. Author of the website JProf, the website for teaching journalism |
The demise of newspapers means better journalism |
| November 19, 2009 |
“Major innovations in education and other institutions are
urgently required — everywhere.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our speaker, John Shacter, received his early education in Europe. He is a “semi-retired” engineer, management consultant and volunteer educator, and has just finished teaching a course on “math and money” for youngsters and adults in the Kingston Community Center. His technical career included major roles in the design and operations of the multibillion-dollar gaseous diffusion plants in Oak Ridge, Paducah, and Portsmouth. At its New York headquarters, Union Carbide appointed him manager of corporate planning, including corporate goal setting and performance review. The National Academy of Sciences appointed him to a consulting panel advising the multinational technology-and-society research institute, “IIASA,” near Baden, Austria. His peers have selected him as regional “engineer of the year” and “boss of the year.” |
| December, 2009 | No meeting |
|
For more information on the Torch Club, go to: International Association of TORCH Clubs |
| Arnold Sprague Head Web Head |
| Copyright © 2010 - Knoxville Torch Club This home page was created on March 6, 2001 Most recent revision: May 24, 2010 |