Author: khintz

KNOXVILLE — Thanks to a new website, you can explore the Frank H. McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, even before you walk through its doors.

A new website, http://www.dolunchonline.com, has been created for McClung Museum to give visitors a chance to learn about the museum’s exhibits or enjoy them virtually. “Do Lunch Online” contains photographic animations for the exhibits and objects displayed in the museum totaling more than 13,500 images.

A visitor to Do Lunch Online has a better understanding of what is in each exhibit before they visit, said site creator Greig Massey of Massive Identity, who explains the premise behind the site’s unique name.

“Many museums have areas where visitors can enjoy lunch. This website is designed for people who are in front of a computer all day long,” he said. “They can use their lunch break to enjoy the ‘museum experience.’”

Massey said he hopes the website will encourage people to visit the museum in person.

“The information at McClung is important. Being able to walk through the exhibits and look at some of the objects from anywhere in the world and learn is the reason I built this site.”

Jeff Chapman, director of the museum, said the website is a great complement to the museum.

“Greig Massey contributed an enormous amount of time to create an exciting and comprehensive overview of the exhibits at the McClung Museum. Thanks to his commitment, we are able to offer a wonderfully educational off-site museum experience. We hope, of course, that this will stimulate interest in visiting the museum,” he said.

The website contains images and information about the following exhibits: “Ancient Egypt: The Eternal Voice”; “Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee”; “Geology and Fossil History of Tennessee”; “The Decorative Experience”; “Human Origins: Search for Our Fossil Ancestors”; “The Battle of Fort Sanders”; and “Tennessee Freshwater Mussels.” Photographs for a past exhibit no longer on display in the museum, “Napoleon and Egyptomania in Tennessee,” also are on the site.

The online exhibits are sponsored by several area businesses: Canup & Richardson, Knoxville Montessori School, Massive Identity, Spex Eyewear, Kristin Designs and Ulrich Printing.

The Frank H. McClung Museum is a general museum with collections in anthropology, archaeology, decorative arts, local history and natural history. The exhibits document ways of life, cultural trends and technologies from prehistoric times to the present day, and showcase much of Tennessee’s geology, history, art and culture. Admission is always free. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/.

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Contact:

Jeff Chapman (865-974-2144, [email protected])

Kristi Hintz (865-974-3993, [email protected])

In this WBIR-TV story about failing banks in the financial crisis, UT Knoxville Assistant Professor Alvaro Taboada of the College of Business Administration explains why banks throughout the U.S. have failed.

In this News Sentinel story, Team Living Light, an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty at UT, describe plans for the Living Light solar-powered house to be built and transported to the Washington Mall for the Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon competition.

In this WBIR-TV story, a team of UT students and faculty describe the Living Light project, an “off the grid” solar-powered house, and their acceptance as one of only 20 teams to compete in the Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon.

KNOXVILLE — Doctors and health care administrators are invited to a June 15 dinner program on the opportunities and challenges resulting from federal health care reform legislation. The program will be held at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The program, “What Health Care Reform Means to Doctors: A Program for Doctors and Administrators,” will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium at the Baker Center, 1640 Cumberland Ave.

To plan this program, the Baker Center partnered with Summit Medical Group, Leadership Knoxville, Knox Chamber and the Knoxville Academy of Medicine. The program is sponsored by the Baker Center, Covenant Health, Mercy Health Partners and the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Dr. Stan Stead, president and CEO of Stead Health Group Inc. will be the keynote speaker. Stead is a national leader in health care economics and payment systems for physician and hospital services, information technology and quality health care. He also advises the federal government on various health care issues.

The event also will feature a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Mike Caudle, senior fellow and director of the health policy program at the Baker Center. Panelists will include Dr. Jack Lacey, senior vice president and chief medical officer for University Health System; Dr. Doug Leahy, who practices with Internal Medicine Associates of Knoxville, a division of Summit Medical Group and is one of 35 physicians who founded Summit Medical Group; and Stead.

There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required. To save a spot, contact Betsy Harrell or 865-974-0931 by June 10.

The program also will be available via live webcast.

The Baker Center is a public policy center created to facilitate research on public policy issues, further the public’s knowledge of our system of governance and highlight the critical importance of public service. Its mission is to provide policy makers, citizens, scholars and students with information and skills to work effectively within our political system and to make our country and world a better place. Areas of focus include governance studies; energy and environment; governance studies; global security; health care; and civic education and engagement.

For more about the Baker Center, see http://www.bakercenter.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Jimmy G. Cheek, chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an expert in agricultural and natural resources, spoke today at a meeting of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) held at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

The two-day meeting marks the launch of the IFDC’s Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC), a new global research effort which seeks to develop and commercialize new clean, cost-effective and renewable fertilizer and improved processes. Cheek is chair of the VFRC.

New and improved fertilizers are critical elements in the effort to help feed the world’s growing population, provide sustainable global food security and protect the environment, he explained.

Cheek was senior vice president of agricultural and natural resources at the University of Florida before becoming chancellor of the UT Knoxville campus in 2009.

“The need for innovative fertilizer research is a global issue that calls for a global response,” he said. “No ‘new’ fertilizer product has been developed in the last 25 years that is affordable for use on food crops in less developed countries.”

He said there are widespread deficiencies in micronutrients — boron, chlorine, cooper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc.

“Research has already shown that enriching fertilizers with micronutrients not only has an impact in alleviating plant deficiencies but also makes a difference for humans and animals,” he said.

The VFRC will partner with universities, public and private research laboratories and the global fertilizer and agribusiness industries to bring together the best scientific, business and government minds to tackle the issue. Startup funding for the center was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Advisory board members hail from countries that include the U.S., Kenya, The Netherlands, India, France and China.

“In the end, we will create a research system that produces more food with fewer wasted resources and a reduced environmental impact,” Cheek said.

Cheek said there are more than 1 billion hungry people in the world. The world population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, and food production will need to increase by 70 percent by 2050 to serve their needs.

“More than 60 percent of the undernourished population lives in seven countries: Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 265 million of the world’s undernourished population,” Cheek said. “Hunger is on the rise in many developing countries even through world cereal production is at the second-highest level ever.”

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

In this TV interview, WATE’s Kristen Farley sits down with UT Knoxville Professor Larry McKay about a recent study that found viruses and bacteria in East Tennessee drinking water.

KNOXVILLE — Do you know what is in your drinking water? A study by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, professor may have you thinking twice the next time you fill up that glass of tap water.

Larry McKay, an earth and planetary sciences professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, sampled eight community water supply sources in East Tennessee and found concentrations of viruses and bacteria linked to human feces that could potentially cause waterborne disease.

The study, “Viruses and Bacteria in Karst and Fractured Rock Aquifers in East Tennessee, USA” is published in the electronic version of “Ground Water” and will appear in a special edition of the journal, “Pathogens and Fecal Indicators in Ground Water” later this year.

McKay surveyed samples of raw water from eight wells or springs throughout East Tennessee. Half of the water sources were considered high-risk for fecal contamination and the other were considered low-risk, based on previous data. McKay primarily sampled wells and springs in karst aquifers, which are made of limestone, because they are commonly used as water sources in the region and have a reputation for carrying bacteria.

“Karst aquifers have long been recognized as having high susceptibility to fecal contamination because they have features, such as sinkholes and caverns, which act as pathways for rapid flow and transport of contaminants,” McKay said.

The water samples were analyzed for fecal bacteria, E.coli and coliforms, Bacteroides and infectious viruses.

All of the high-risk water sources contained E.coli, coliforms, Bacteroides and infectious viruses. One of the low-risk water sources had E.coli and coliforms; half had Bacteroides; and three-quarters had infectious viruses. All of the wells and springs sampled in the study are used for public water supply, but the water is treated before being distributed, so the contamination measured in the study doesn’t represent a direct risk to consumers. However, these results shed light on a potential health hazard for part of the Tennessee population.

“The real concern is for the numerous small non-community water systems and household wells, where local residents typically drink groundwater that hasn’t been filtered or disinfected,” McKay said. “It’s likely that many of these residents are being exposed to waterborne fecal contamination, both bacterial and viral, but it isn’t clear how big a health risk this represents. Local and regional research is needed to assess the health impacts.”

McKay noted waterborne fecal contamination affects people in varying degrees; some people may have no symptoms while others may become seriously ill or even die.

McKay worked with Alice Layton, Gary Sayler and Dan Williams from the UT Center for Environmental Biotechnology on the East Tennessee water quality study, which has ended. The group currently is involved in a large, multi-university study that investigates the links between contaminated water and disease occurrence in rural villages in Bangladesh. The researchers hope to take some of what is learned in Bangladesh and apply it to problems in Tennessee.

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C O N T A C T:

Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — The final candidate for the job of director of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will participate in a public forum today.

The forum, featuring Carl Pierce, will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium at the Baker Center, 1640 Cumberland Ave.

Pierce is the W. Allen Separk Distinguished Professor of Law at UT Knoxville and interim director of the Baker Center.

To view a live webcast of the forum or watch an archived version later, go to http://bakercenter.utk.edu/main/search-finalists.php, follow the link and then click on the title.

For more about the Baker Center, see http://bakercenter.utk.edu/main/. For more about the director candidates, see http://bakercenter.utk.edu/main/search-finalists.php.

C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — A research paper by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, professor and associate director for scientific activities at National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) has made its way to the floor of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons.

The paper, published online in Trends in Ecology & Evolution (TREE), is written by Sergey Gavrilets, a distinguished professor in the ecology and evolutionary biology department in the College of Arts and Sciences, Tatiana Giraud and Pierre Gladieux, both researchers at Universite Paris-Sud. It was used as an example by Paul Craze, TREE’s acting editor, in support of funding for science and scientific research.

The paper argues that the intrinsic factor of ecological speciation, the process of one species evolving into a different species due to a change in relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, can play a role in the emergence of new diseases in plants. This breaks from previous studies which examine extrinsic factors such as climate change or worldwide trade as playing developmental roles in novel pathogens.

In his written testimony for the House of Commons, Craze cited the paper’s application of fundamental science research on evolution to the understanding of emerging disease to illustrate how research, even on a narrow subject such as speciation, can have a profound and wide-reaching impact.

“It’s a good example of how research on an apparently esoteric area of science — speciation — can unexpectedly produce insights that potentially have social and economic importance,” Craze wrote in his testimony provided to the Science and Technology Committee on the Impact of Spending Cuts on Science and Scientific Research.

The discovery outlined in the paper could aid in thwarting such outbreaks as the chestnut blight fungus, which wiped out the chestnut tree population in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as nearly 100 percent of chestnut trees throughout eastern American forests during the last century. The paper’s authors argue linking emerging diseases with ecological speciation has important implications for understanding the biological mechanisms of disease and for designing more efficient and sustainable control programs.

“If we are to fully understand emerging diseases, we recommend thinking differently about life-history traits to tailor models based on specificities of pathogens,” they wrote.

Life-history features, such as host shifts, mating within hosts and frequent asexual reproduction, can spur ecological speciation. This can apply not only to fungi but also nematodes, bacteria and viruses.

For more information NIMBioS, visit http://nimbios.org.

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C O N T A C T:

Catherine Crawley (865-974-9350, [email protected])

Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Asia Dixon, a senior in architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, wants to use her degree to make a difference in the lives of other people. Thanks to the Gensler African-American Internship and Scholarship competition, she’s now a lot closer to being able to do just that.

Dixon, a native of Nashville, competed against architecture and design students across the country to win a scholarship for her fifth year in the architecture program and a paid summer internship at one of Gensler’s regional offices.

Gensler, a global architecture, design and planning firm, awards two academic scholarships but only one of includes a paid summer internship.

“Asia Dixon has been one of the most outstanding students in the college throughout her four years of study,” said John McRae, dean of the College of Architecture and Design. “From the beginning of her freshman year, when she represented the college at the chancellor’s Torch Night ceremony, she has stood out. Her design studio work is excellent, reflecting a very creative spirit and ability. Asia represents the highest and best qualities in our outstanding student body. She will, upon graduation, be a wonderful addition to the profession of architecture.”

As a finalist for the competition, Dixon submitted a video about her work and passion for design.

Dixon’s project submission was a design proposal for the Center for Sustainability Education in Nashville and would be part of a larger proposal in Nashville involving a new convention center. Dixon designed her project to be a part of the Avenue of Sciences, a corridor between the proposed convention center site and the current Adventure Science Center.

“When designing the center, I wanted to create a connection to nature, as well as to design a building that was LEED-certified,” Dixon said. “I designed the structure with views to the exterior and multiple opportunities to experience the outdoors and also created a design allowing for adequate daylight and sunlight.

“I also created spaces for the community to utilize. Part of the purpose of the proposed Avenue of Sciences and the center was to bring the community together and create a link between downtown Nashville and surrounding communities.”

After graduating in 2011, Dixon hopes to specialize in residential design, specifically in creating healing environments.

“What inspires me most about design is being able to make an impression, to make a difference in the lives of other people,” Dixon said. “It starts on a smaller level as far as changing the lives of an individual and then changing the lives of a family and then changing the lives of a community. And this is where the built environment comes into play as far as creating those spaces that promote health and wellness and the well-being of individuals.”

She also hopes to be among the small group of African-American females that can call themselves registered architects.

“I remember a couple years ago coming across a magazine article and reading that the percentage of African-American female licensed architects has grown to .2 percent. With just seeing that and being presented with that challenge is a personal inspiration to me.”

Dixon is a student ambassador the College of Architecture and Design and an officer in the National Organization for Minority Architecture Students, UT Knoxville chapter. Outside of the college, she is a member of People of Style and Education (POSE) and Diversity Affairs. She was also the recipient of the American Institute for Architects Minority Scholarship in 2007, which was renewable until this semester.

Gensler has 32 locations and over 2,300 professionals on five continents. The firm has more than 3,500 active clients in virtually every industry and delivers projects in architecture, interior design, brand design, product design, planning and urban design and consulting.

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C O N T A C T :

Kristi Hintz, [email protected], (865) 974-3993

An excellent nursing student who had been eager to begin her career helping others, Courtney House was supposed to graduate with her classmates last week. But the senior died in September 2009 only months after being diagnosed with cancer.

Courtney’s memory was honored at the College of Nursing’s commencement exercises with a special pinning ceremony, where her mother and stepfather, Gail and Charles Andreason, were presented with the nursing pin that Courtney would have received at graduation.

The nursing pin is a type of badge worn by nurses to identify the nursing school from which they graduated. They traditionally are presented to students at graduation or at a pinning ceremony as a symbolic welcome into the profession.

Courtney, a straight-A student, always gave 100 percent in her efforts, said Gary Ramsey, chair of the undergraduate nursing program.

“Even after her diagnosis with cancer, she remained committed to pursuing her nursing degree and made arrangements to continue some of her courses in the College of Nursing. Her integrity of strength and character were present until the end of her life,” he said.

When only 3 months old, Courtney was diagnosed with respiratory papiliomatosis, a disease that causes recurrent polyps to form on the larynx and trachea. Courtney’s family was told that the condition was not life threatening but would require laser treatments to be done every so often to remove the polyps. Before Courtney’s passing, she had endured 158 laser surgeries.

At age 5, during one of those surgeries, a machine malfunctioned shooting pieces of silver into Courtney’s lungs. In the process of removing the silver, the polyps seeded into her lung tissue. The incident made her more prone to lung infections and abscesses in the years that followed.

Courtney and her family knew that there was a possibility that the polyps could become malignant but hoped this would never happen.

In June 2009, Courtney began working 12-hour shifts at a local hospital. After the first couple of weeks, she started experiencing lower back pain, which at first she attributed to the new long hours.

Initial doctors appointments and blood work showed that Courtney’s calcium was high but otherwise nothing was wrong. Eventually, she ended up in the emergency room with severe pain. An abdominal CT scan showed that lymph nodes in her abdomen were enlarged; lymphoma was suspected.

While grave news, Courtney and her family understood that lymphoma could be a very treatable cancer and they worked to prepare Courtney for the treatment plan to come. A biopsy was scheduled to confirm the lymphoma but after comparing the results of the biopsy with Courtney’s PET scan results, she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in her lungs, lymph nodes and hip bones.

Courtney died Sept. 15, 2009.

In a blog posted shortly before her death, Courtney wrote about having God on her side.

“The doctors can say what they want but I know who holds my future. To me, this is just another trial in life that I, with God’s help, will overcome and will be able to use my story to tell others what God has done for me. So I have chosen to turn this over to God and let the world see what he can do! Please pray and thank God every day for all he has done and will continue to do. God is so good.”

Courtney’s family has established the Courtney House Memorial Scholarship in her honor. Once the endowment is fully funded, the scholarship will be available to a rising senior in nursing with preference given to students in Knox County. To contribute to the Courtney House Memorial Scholarship, please contact the College of Nursing development office at 974-2755.

KNOXVILLE — Poet Jeff Daniel Marion will be the Jack E. Reese Writer in Residence at the University of Tennessee Libraries for the 2010-2011 academic year. As Writer in Residence, Marion will organize the Writers in the Library series of readings held in the John C. Hodges Library.

“I am thrilled that Jeff Daniel Marion will represent the UT Libraries at our literary events this year,” said Dean of Libraries Barbara Dewey. “We are offering UT students the opportunity to interact with a distinguished poet and eloquent Tennessee voice. Furthermore, everyone is invited to our Writers in the Libraries series to meet Jeff and to hear some of our exceptionally talented regional authors read from their works.”

Marion grew up in Rogersville and now lives in Knoxville. From 1969 until his retirement in 2002, he taught creative writing at Carson-Newman College, where he was poet-in-residence, director of the Appalachian Center, and editor of “Mossy Creek Reader.”

Marion has published eight collections of poetry, and his poems have appeared in more than 75 journals and anthologies. “Ebbing & Flowing Springs: New and Selected Poems and Prose, 1976-2001″ was the winner of the 2003 Independent Publishers Award in Poetry and was named Appalachian Book of the Year by the Appalachian Writers Association. The book was one of three finalists for the Benjamin Franklin Award. His latest collection, “Father,” was awarded the 2009 Quentin R. Howard Poetry Prize.

Other recognitions include the first Literary Fellowship awarded by the Tennessee Arts Commission in 1978, the Appalachian Writers Association’s Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature Award in 2002, and an Educational Service to Appalachia Award from Carson-Newman College in 2005. He has served as poet-in-the-schools in Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia; was twice poet-in-residence for the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Humanities; and in 1998 was Copenhaver Scholar in Residence at Roanoke College in Salem, Va.

Marion founded “The Small Farm,” one of the region’s most distinguished poetry journals, which he edited from 1975 to 1980. For 20 years he operated Mill Springs Press, producing chapbooks and broadsides from handset type on a Vandercook proof press.

As Writer in Residence, Marion will have access to the resources of the UT Libraries and also a quiet retreat in the Hodges Library to work on his current projects, new collections of poems and memoir essays. His appointment begins Aug. 1.

The position of Writer in Residence was established in 1998. In 2005, it was named in honor of the late Jack Reese, a former chancellor of the university, longtime UT English professor and avid supporter of the UT Libraries and the local writing community.

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C O N T A C T :

Jo Anne Deeken, UT Libraries (865-974-6913, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Asteroids may not be the dark, dry, lifeless chunks of rock scientists have long thought.

Josh Emery, research assistant professor with the earth and planetary sciences department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has found evidence of water ice and organic material on the asteroid 24 Themis. This evidence supports the idea that asteroids could be responsible for bringing water and organic material to Earth.

The findings are detailed in the April 29 issue of the journal “Nature.”

Using NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, Emery and Andrew Rivkin of Johns Hopkins University in Laurel, Md., examined the surface of 24 Themis, a 200-kilometer wide asteroid that sits halfway between Mars and Jupiter. By measuring the spectrum of infrared sunlight reflected by the object, the researchers found the spectrum consistent with frozen water and determined that 24 Themis is coated with a thin film of ice. They also detected organic material.

“The organics we detected appear to be complex, long-chained molecules. Raining down on a barren Earth in meteorites, these could have given a big kick-start to the development of life,” Emery said.

Emery noted that finding ice on the surface of 24 Themis was a surprise because the surface is too warm for ice to stick around for a long time.

“This implies that ice is quite abundant in the interior of 24 Themis and perhaps many other asteroids. This ice on

asteroids may be the answer to the puzzle of where Earth’s water came from,” he said.

Still, how the water ice got there is unclear.

24 Themis’ proximity to the sun causes ice to vaporize. However, the researchers’ findings suggest the asteroid’s lifetime of ice ranges from thousands to millions of years depending on the latitude. Therefore, the ice is regularly being replenished. The scientists theorize this is done by a process of “outgassing” in which ice buried within the asteroid escapes slowly as vapor migrates through cracks to the surface or as vapor escapes quickly and sporadically when 24 Themis is hit by space debris. Since Themis is part of an asteroid “family” that was formed from a large impact and the subsequent fragmentation of a larger body long ago, this scenario means the parent body also had ice and has deep implications for how our solar system formed.

The discovery of abundant ice on 24 Themis demonstrates that water is much more common in the Main Belt of asteroids than previously thought.

“Asteroids have generally been viewed as being very dry. It now appears that when the asteroids and planets were first forming in the very early Solar System, ice extended far into the Main Belt region,” Emery said. “Extending this refined view to planetary systems around other stars, the building blocks of life — water and organics — may be more common near each star’s habitable zone. The coming years will be truly exciting as astronomers search to discover whether these building blocks of life have worked their magic there as well.”

The scientists’ discovery also further blurs the line between comets and asteroids. Asteroids have long been considered to be rocky and comets icy. Furthermore, it was once believed that comets could have brought water to Earth. This theory was nixed when it was discovered comets’ water has different isotopic signatures than water on Earth.

Now, due to Emery and Rivkin’s findings, many wonder if asteroids could be responsible for seeding Earth with the ingredients for life.

The Nature article is entitled “Detection of Ice and Organics on an Asteroidal Surface.” The researchers’ work was supported by the NASA Planetary Astronomy program.

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C O N T A C T :

Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE – The Spring 2010 commencement ceremony for the College of Communication and Information (CCI) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will be “all in the family” for Phillip Fulmer.

Fulmer, head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1992 to 2008, will give the CCI commencement address at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, in Thompson-Boling Arena. Two of Fulmer’s daughters, Alison and Brittany Fulmer, are graduating from the college in the summer but will participate in the ceremony on May 12. Alison will receive a bachelor’s degree in public relations and Brittany will receive a master’s degree in communication studies. Brittany received a bachelor’s degree in communication studies in 2007, as did Fulmer’s other daughter, Courtney, in 2005.

“The faculty, staff and students of the College of Communication and Information are honored to have Coach Phillip Fulmer as our 2010 commencement speaker,” said CCI Dean Mike Wirth. “Coach Fulmer has had an incredible impact on everyone who knows and loves the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville campus. His long-term dedication to the university and the community and his ability to motivate and lead young adults make him a perfect choice to inspire our graduates as they leave the university to pursue their personal and professional goals.”

More than 200 students will graduate with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the college this semester. An archived webcast of the ceremony will be available online.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, [email protected])

Karla McKanders, law professor at UT Knoxville, explains how local agencies in Arizona soon will be given more authority in the controversial new illegal immigrant law enacted in the state.

KNOXVILLE — As the final installment of the Science Forum, Suzanne Lenhart, professor of mathematics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will explain how mathematical theory can be applied to both improve CPR and slow the spread of rabies in raccoons.

Her talk — “The Power of Optimal Control: From Confining Rabies to Improving CPR”– will begin at noon on Friday, April 30, in Thompson-Boling Arena Dining Room C-D. The program is free and open to the public; attendees are welcome to bring their lunches or purchase lunch at the Café at the Arena.

The UT Science Forum is a weekly event where leading science researchers share their discoveries and discuss the frontiers of their fields in a way that the general public can understand. The UT Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research.

Lenhart will talk about “optimal control theory” and how it can be used to make decisions in these applications.

“The goal is to design external chest and abdomen pressure patterns to improve the blood flow in the heart in standard CPR procedure,” Lenhart said. “The second example is an epidemic model for rabies in raccoons on a spatial grid. The goal is to find the optimal distribution pattern for vaccine baits to slow the spread of the disease.”

For questions about the UT Science Forum, contact Mark Littmann, [email protected] or 974-8156, or Mike Clark, [email protected] or 974-6006.

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C O N T A C T :

Bridget Hardy (865-974-2225, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Six teams of undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have won tools to help launch their own businesses by participating in the third annual Business Plan Competition sponsored by the College of Business Administration’s Department of Management.

Forty-two teams competed for a total of $20,000 in prize money and $12,000 in donated services. The first-place winners received complimentary start-up of accounting services from Brenda Boyd, CPA, a 1990 alumnus, and a one-year complimentary membership in Estrada Strategies Entrepreneur’s Club, a coaching and networking organization for entrepreneurs.

“The Business Plan Competition was designed to develop and encourage an entrepreneurial culture on campus and to support aspiring young entrepreneurs in their quest to create value,” said Tom Graves, director of the college’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Business Plan Competition.

The contest was open to all undergraduate students and consisted of three rounds, each requiring more difficult quantitative and qualitative analysis. The judging panel included local entrepreneurs and business executives. Students competed in two categories: the technology-enabled business category and the lifestyle business category.

The winners in the technology-enabled category include:

• First place ($5,000) — Nate Buchanan and Jordan Peace, juniors in management, and Austin Eldridge, a junior in aerospace engineering, for “Real Mobile,” a text-message-based business that provides instant information to home buyers.
• Second place ($3,000) — Aron Beiereschmitt, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, for “Mobile Computing,” a company which is developing mobile gaming applications and open-source operating systems.
• Third place ($2,000) — Jessica Allen, a junior in hospitality, and Ashley Baker, a junior in management, for “Perfect 10 Technology,” a device that makes equipment set up for gymnastic competitions and training easier and quicker.

Winners in the lifestyle category include:

• First place ($5,000) — Jake Baron and Daniel Stone, juniors in accounting, for “Strappack,” a company which sells backpacks that mitigate back pain caused by carrying heavy loads.
• Second place ($3,000) — Danny Smith, a senior in engineering, and Dave Teeters, an engineering alumnus, for “Boulder Booties,” a product that protects expensive rock-climbing shoes.
• Third place ($2,000) — Kaliv Parker and Phillip Black, sophomores in the pre-business program, and Aeron Glover, a sophomore in engineering, for “Ratemyhostfamily.com, LLC” a website that uses an online survey platform to allow study abroad students to give quantitative and open-ended feedback about their host families, residence halls and apartments while studying abroad.

“The plans and the presentations in this year’s competition were the best I’ve seen in the three years that I’ve judged. The students continue to raise the bar and exceed expectations,” said Bill Jenkins, a retired corporate executive, consultant and judge.

For more information on the business plan competition, visit http://cei.utk.edu/business_plan.html.

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Pictured: Back row, from left: Ashley Baker, Kevin Kragenbrink (judge), Aron Beirschmitt, Sarah Gardial (UT vice provost), Tom Graves (UT faculty), Danny Smith, Gus Zacharias (judge); Middle row, from left: Aeron Glover, Kaliv Parker, Phillip Black, Daniel Stone, Jake Baron; Seated, from left: Nate Buchanan, Austin Eldridge, Jordan Peace.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])

A team from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Law has won the Giles Sutherland Rich moot court national championship in Washington, D.C.

Composed of third level law student Josh Lee and second level law student Stephen Adams, the team won by a split decision over American University. The team won the Houston Regional to advance to the national finals, where the winners and runners-up from each of the four regions competed.

In the national competition, Lee and Stephens defeated a team from Akron University, which had placed second in the Midwestern Regional, in the quarterfinal round and then a strong team from the University of California-Davis, first in the West, in the semifinal round.

In the final round, the team had a unique opportunity to argue its case before Judges Alan D. Lourie, Alvin A. Schall, and Timothy B. Dyk of the Federal Circuit.

Judge Lourie asked Lee if a case he had cited was still good law in light of a later Supreme Court decision, and noted that he was particularly interested in the answer because he had written the opinion Lee had cited.

“Please join me in congratulating national champions Josh and Stephen for bringing the championship to the University of Tennessee College of Law,” said Gary Pulsinelli, team co-coach and professor in the college. “And thank you to all those who helped out by judging practice rounds, and also to my co-coach, Ken Hoffmeister.”

In its 37th year, the Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial moot court competition is hosted by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and looks at problems in intellectual property law. The competition is named for a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit who was the most distinguished jurist in the field of patent law in the world.

KNOXVILLE — The Office of Graduate Training and Mentorship has been created to help departments campuswide recruit and retain graduate students, as well as provide them with the very best academic experience and professional development possible.

Part of the Graduate School, the office opened in February 2010 under the leadership of Ernest Brothers, assistant dean.

The office was developed in conjunction with the Program for Excellence and Equity in Research (PEER), a graduate training program that supports fellowships at UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in an effort to increase the number of accomplished, competitive and determined underrepresented minority students who pursue doctorates in the sciences and attain careers in biomedical research.

Brothers has degrees in chemistry, public policy and administration, and urban higher education, and he previously worked at the University of Georgia as the executive director of an office that worked to recruit, retain and graduate minority undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) areas.

Among the efforts to be led by the Office of Graduate Training and Mentorship:

• Assist with coordination of recruitment and retention efforts.
• Identify and create diversity resources and initiatives that strengthen faculty mentoring and support retention of underrepresented populations in a variety of fields of study across campus.
• Collaborate with other members of the Graduate School executive staff and related offices to collect and maintain data (e.g., enrollment, graduation, surveys) for tracking and required reporting and for faculty writing grants.
• Collaborate with the Office of Research and faculty from various units across campus to coordinate training in grant development.
• Collaborate with the Office of Research and faculty from various units across campus to coordinate responsible conduct of research.
• Assist with building faculty-student collaborative research teams and interdisciplinary projects.

For more information about the Office of Graduate Training and Mentorship, visit http://gradschool.utk.edu/ernest.shtml.

C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected])