ETEC - Dr. Mark Buckner, iSchool Founder and teacher of Wildcat Manufacturing at ORS
ETEC - Dr. Mark Buckner, iSchool Founder and teacher of Wildcat Manufacturing at ORS
Friday, July 18, 2025 (7:30 AM - 8:30 AM) (EDT)
Description
Join us at ETEC in-person or virtually on Friday, July 18, 2025, at 7:30am to hear from Mark Buckner, iSchool Founder and teacher of Wildcat Manufacturing at Oak Ridge Schools. Please see below for more information about the program and the speaker's bio.
No registration is necessary for in-person attendance.
Register for the VIRTUAL #ETEConline meeting here: (note, NEW Meeting Link coming soon!)
For more information about ETEC’s weekly meetings, click here.
Visit the Find Us page for the meeting location, address, and map.
Mark Buckner
iSchool Founder and teacher of Wildcat Manufacturing
Oak Ridge Schools
Oak Ridge is no stranger to world-changing innovation—from the Manhattan Project to today’s cutting-edge research. In this talk, I will showcase Oak Ridge High School’s groundbreaking iSchool and Wildcat Manufacturing programs. These initiatives immerse students in industry-aligned, hands-on learning using artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital manufacturing techniques. In this approach, a new generation of innovators are being prepared to tackle what national leaders call Manhattan Project 2.0”—the race for leadership in AI and advanced manufacturing.
Attendees will learn how partnerships with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Y-12 National Security Complex, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Roane State Community College, and others are enabling real-world projects and workforce development, as well as how this model is helping meet critical national STEM workforce needs. I will connect my experiences as an ORNL researcher to this education revolution, inspiring the Friends of ORNL audience with deep insights into experiential learning, digital twin simulations, and agile innovation in the classroom.
In my talk, I will present some of the national goals within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), scientific breakthroughs and the roadmap for how to create a digital twin of every building in a nation, ways this information is being used currently, and some thoughts regarding how it could help scale up existing industries or create new ones.
Speaker's Bio:
Dr. Mark A. Buckner is a visionary educator and researcher with over 32 years of experience at ORNL before transitioning to lead innovative STEM programs in Oak Ridge Schools. At ORNL, he served as a senior research scientist and leader of the power and energy systems group. He pioneered work in signal processing, machine learning, and computational intelligence. He was named one of the “Smart Industry 50” top digital innovators for his efforts to apply Industrial Internet of Things, big data, and AI to real-world challenges.
Today, he serves as the founder and lead Instructor of Wildcat Manufacturing at Oak Ridge High School, an award-winning program where students engage in advanced robotics, digital manufacturing, and agile innovation practices. He is well known in the Oak Ridge community as a mentor for FIRST Robotics and a champion of experiential learning, often implementing Scrum and agile methods in the classroom to mirror high-tech industry teamwork.
In 2024, he delivered a keynote talk at the Digital Twin Consortium, sharing his approach to revolutionizing education and workforce development through industry-aligned, hands-on learning. His career exemplifies a unique bridge between cutting-edge research and education; as a Ph.D. engineer-turned-educator, Dr. Buckner is passionately dedicated to cultivating the next generation of innovators and maintaining Oak Ridge’s legacy of national leadership in science and technology.
This month's ETEC Friday Morning Meeting Series are sponsored by Navarro Research and Engineering.
Images
1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike
Oak Ridge, TN 37830 United States
Click here to register for the VIRTUAL version of the meeting
Hailey Lewis
Complimentary coffee, bagels, muffins and pastries served.
The Outreach Center is located on the back corner of the building on the Applebee’s side. The entrance faces the Quality Inn and Applebee's.
Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center.
The main entrance of the ETEC Office will be locked.
-If you are coming from Knoxville via S. Illinois Ave (TN-62W); take a right onto S. Rutgers Ave, and continue until you come to the intersection of Rice Rd and Rider Rd, across from ORNL Corporate Headquarters; after the Quality Inn, take a left onto Rider Rd and you will arrive at your destination on the right. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center.
-Alternatively, if you are coming from Knoxville via S. Illinois Ave (TN-62W); you can take a sharp right and merge onto Lafayette Dr; turn left onto W. Gettysburg Ave; turn right onto Manhattan Ave; then at the intersection of Manhattan Ave and S. Rutgers Ave, continue straight across onto Rice Rd until you come to the intersection of Rice Rd and Rider Rd; take a right onto Rider Rd and you will arrive at your destination on the right. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center.
-If you are coming from Oak Ridge via the Turnpike, you will find us between the intersection of S. Rutgers Ave and Wallace Rd, between the Applebee's and Dairy Queen, across the street from St. Mary's School. The Outreach Center is located on the back corner of the building on the Applebee’s side. The entrance faces the Quality Inn and Applebee's. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center. The main entrance of the ETEC Office will be locked.
-If you are coming from Oak Ridge via Illinois Ave; turn onto S. Rutgers Ave, and continue until you come to the intersection of Rice Rd and Rider Rd, across from ORNL Corporate Headquarters; after the Quality Inn, turn onto Rider Rd and you will arrive at your destination on the right. The Outreach Center is located on the back corner of the building on the Applebee’s side. The entrance faces the Quality Inn and Applebee's. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center. The main entrance of the ETEC Office will be locked.
* Weather Policy * |
ETEC prioritizes the safety of our meeting attendees during weather conditions. If inclement weather is expected on a Friday morning, and we decide to move to an ALL-VIRTUAL Zoom format, we will notify members by 5:00 p.m. the evening before. Newsletter subscribers will receive an email, and notices will be posted on the ETEC homepage and the calendar event page. We encourage all attendees to check for updates and use the Zoom registration link to join virtually if necessary. If you do not receive an email and there are no notices on the website, we will proceed with the in-person (hybrid) meeting as planned, but we advise everyone to use their own judgment based on road conditions in their areas. |