Author: khintz

KNOXVILLE — Mihai Coman, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Bucharest, Romania, will visit the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for the next 10 days to talk about the state of journalism in present day Romania. He will speak in a variety of classes and at the I-House, and he will deliver a public lecture tonight.

Coman’s visit is sponsored by the College of Communication and Information’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media and Ready for the World.

His lecture begins at 7 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium at the Baker Center, 1640 Cumberland Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

Coman will visit with students in some journalism and electronic media classes, as well as a political science class.

A member of the International Communication Association, Coman has written more than 500 articles in Romanian dailies, weeklies, literary magazines and scientific reviews. He also has published numerous books and received several notable awards. Coman is an international member of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the American Association of Anthropology.

C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE – “Goodbye, School. Hello, Summer” is the theme of the final week of this semester’s Ready for the World Café.

The menu for April 12-16 includes citrus grilled chicken with fruit salsa; chili-lime marinated beef fajitas; salmon ceviche with pita chips; vegan baked ziti with roasted vegetables; corn and sweet potato pudding; pineapple herbed rice; and balsamic mushroom salad with candied walnuts.

The Ready for the World Café is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday through Thursday in the Hermitage Room on the third floor of the University Center.

Diners pay $11 for the all-you-can-eat buffet or $9 for a plate of food to carry out. Faculty and staff can use ARAMARK’s new UT Reward Card to receive a 15 percent discount at the café.

Students enrolled in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) 445, the advanced food production and service management class, plan and operate the café. They take turns serving as the café manager. ARAMARK, UT’s provider of dining services, prepares the food.

Because this is the final week of the café this semester, the HRT 445 students will share café responsibilities. The “chef’s choice” menu was compiled by Ahkeeia Payne, teaching assistant for the class. Payne, of Memphis, is a senior in HRT and works as a caterer with ARAMARK. She plans on moving to the Washington, D.C., area in May and continue working in the food industry.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE – Eight teams of budding entrepreneurs will square-off in the last session of “Vol Court” at 5:15 p.m., Tuesday, April 13 at the Stokely Management Center, seventh floor. The team with the best business ideas will receive $1,000 to launch their business, space at the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) business incubator, mentoring from Technology 2020’s Center for Entrepreneurial Growth (CEG) and 10 hours of legal advice from Miller & Martin, PLLC — a prize package worth more than $20,000.

Vol Court is a series of nine free how-to seminars led by entrepreneurs and business experts from across the state. The program is joint effort of UTRF, the College of Business Administration’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) and the CEG.

The teams vying for the opportunity to grow their business include:

• “Ratemyhostfamily.com, LLC,” a Web site that uses an online survey platform to allow study abroad students to give quantitative and open-ended feedback about their host family, residence hall, and apartment while studying abroad.
• “Real Mobile,” a mobile marketing company that enables real estate companies, agents and private home-sellers to more effectively market their listings.
• “Michael’s Home Improvements,” a company that provides expert craftsmanship for the installation of tile, hardwood, engineered flooring and construction of decks, screen room and room additions.
• “SpringBox,” a company that sells a compact computer server and related support service that acts as a stand-in for an information technology (IT) department in a small business.
• “Brolo,” an internet-based video chat service that incorporates the latest in peer-to-peer technology, algorithmic search functions and active digital video management.
• “Boulder Booties,” a company which sells a product that protects the specialized climbing shoes worn while rock climbing.
• “Integrated Technologies,” a company which specializes in large scale application of piezoelectric material to provide energy to sell back to energy companies.
• “Mobile Micro Medical,” a portable blood reintegration technology that allows medical responders to stabilize trauma victims prior to transportation to a medical facility.

Each team will be given eight minutes to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges that includes a local venture capitalist, current and former entrepreneurs and a lawyer. The judges will have five minutes to ask questions of each team, and then they will decide the winner by consensus.

“We’ve had 80 students, faculty, staff and university friends participate in our first ever Vol Court series, which truly exceeded our expectations” said Joy Fisher, director of marketing and business development for UTRF. “The entrepreneurial culture here at the university is growing, and this competition is helping our aspiring entrepreneurs to acquire the skills and resources they need to successfully start their own businesses.”

For more information on Vol Court, visit http://utrf.tennessee.edu/news/.

The CEI facilitates entrepreneurial knowledge creation and dissemination through research, teaching and practice in the area of entrepreneurship. It strives to develop entrepreneurial talent who will start businesses or contribute to the success of existing technology-driven businesses. The center provides experiential learning activities that enhance classroom instruction in entrepreneurship and innovation, offers links between the regional entrepreneurial community and the university, and acts as a hub for cross-campus initiatives that foster the growth of entrepreneurial research and commercially viable enterprises.

The CEG is an entrepreneurial support organization within Technology 2020, one of the primary drivers of innovation and economic development in the region. The CEG helps entrepreneurs develop an execution strategy that leads to a sustainable company. In addition to its strategic planning process, the CEG develops and delivers entrepreneurial training seminars.

UTRF helps turn the ideas and discoveries that emerge from the University of Tennessee into products and services that benefit society. In addition to supporting the growth of research at UT and commercialization of the resulting inventions, UTRF champions entrepreneurship and drives state and regional technology-based economic development. UTRF serves all seven of the UT campuses and institutes across the state.

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C O N T A C T:

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

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will close Estabrook Drive between Neyland Stadium and Cumberland Avenue on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, as part of the construction of the Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building.

Construction crews will close the road from 8 a.m. April 10 until 6 p.m. April 11 in order to dismantle and remove a large crane from the job site.

Estabrook Drive is expected to reopen on Monday, April 12.

Previously set for April 10 and 11, construction work on a section of Andy Holt Avenue has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 17, and Sunday, April 18. The eastbound lane of Andy Holt Avenue between Volunteer Boulevard and Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed after the end of the Orange and White Game on April 17 and will remain closed until approximately 6:30 p.m. April 18. Workers will make infrastructure improvements to the water and sewer lines serving Neyland Stadium.

The westbound lane of Andy Holt Avenue next to the University Center and the Haslam Business Building will remain open to one-way traffic from Phillip Fulmer Way.

The section of Andy Holt Avenue is expected to reopen on Monday, April 19.

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C O N T A C T :

Jeff Maples (865-974-3061, [email protected])

Brian Browning (865-974-3061, [email protected])

Mary Lynn Holloway (865-974-6031, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Award-winning singer and songwriter Martina McBride, along with her manager and husband, John McBride, and an entourage of interactive marketing experts recently visited the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as guest lecturers.

Their visit kicked off an applied-learning project for an MBA marketing class, which is producing a social media plan for McBride’s newest CD as part of its course curriculum.

“The value that applied-learning experiences bring to our MBA students is significant,” said Jan Williams, dean of UT’s College of Business Administration. “The Martina McBride project enables students to build their skills, knowledge base and network while providing value to industry. We are delighted to be partnering with the McBrides in this way.”

The idea for the project originated with Michael Strickland, chairman of the global entertainment lighting firm Bandit Lites and UT College of Business Administration 2009 Distinguished Alum. Bandit Lites counts McBride as a client. Strickland joined the group for the presentation and was instrumental in bringing the project to reality.

Matt Myers, who is the Nestle USA Professor in Marketing, head of the Department of Marketing and Logistics, and course professor, sees value in using social media as a tool for implementing a sound integrated marketing communications strategy.

“Projects such as these give us the opportunity to introduce innovative ideas into the classroom. Our students leave the program with up-to-date knowledge that can be used in the workplace,” Myers said. “We are increasingly recognizing the power of social media for marketing and the opportunities that it creates for our students.”

For more information about the UT College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.

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PHOTO: Pictured left to right are Jan Williams, Martina McBride, Michael Strickland and Matt Myers.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will host the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Southeast Regional Student Conference and the “Jeopardy”-style Human Resources Games on Friday and Saturday.

The two-day event begins at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 9, in the James A. Haslam II Business Building. The games begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday. All are invited to watch students from more than 25 colleges and universities face off to answer “Jeopardy”-style questions about human resources.

This conference includes speakers, competition and awards, but the event also serves as a review for those attempting the professional human resources (PHR) exam that most students take upon graduation.

“One of the goals of having the games is to pass the professional human resources exam,” said Debbie Mackey, lecturer and SHRM faculty adviser. “We have a great success rate of students studying for the games and passing the exam. It’s great in this tough economy to give yourself any kind of edge.”

UT has three teams of three students each competing in the games. Mary Rawls, a senior in human resource management with a collateral in marketing, is SHRM president and will compete for her second year.

“Preparing for the games develops more than just knowledge,” Rawls said. “Students develop teamwork skills and have pride in their efforts. Many of our members have developed strong friendships over the years from studying together for the games and meeting weekly. These experiences will carry over into our careers where teamwork is crucial to success.”

UT SHRM has been planning for the event since it was selected as the host in September 2009. Mackey and Rawls have been working hard to plan the entire conference.

“Dr. Mackey is very talented in coordinating events, and because we hosted the games before, she has much experience with it and knows what to expect,” Rawls said. “We must cover all areas in event planning to prepare including coordinating speakers, compiling door prizes, scheduling competitions and much more. We are very proud to be able to show off the innovative and beautiful Haslam Business Building to universities across the Southeast.”

Participants from across the Southeast, including North Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky and Florida, will be attending the games. The judges of the event are human resource professionals working in the community.

“All judges are PHR-certified, and 75 percent of the people in the room are from the community and hire interns from our college,” Mackey said. “Alumni love to come back to see everyone compete and give back to the college. It’s all volunteer time and resources. It’s all focused on the students, which is really special.”

UT has hosted the games three of out of the past six years, and Rawls hopes all their preparation will pay off.

The winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the national SHRM conference with more than 15,000 professionals. The national conference provides students with an opportunity to network and hear world-class speakers like Jack Welch and John Kotter.

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PHOTO CUTLINE: Jeopardy Human Resources Games competing teams. Front row (left to right): ltor Wanda Manning, Stephanie Tarwater, Ashley Cross. Back row (left to right): Jared Haney, Mary Katherine Rawls, Hayden Cook, April Johnson, Nicole Kimble.

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C O N T A C T :

Debbie Mackey (865-974-7014, [email protected])

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

In this Washington Times story about the fairness and legality of organizations using interns, labor law blogger Jeffrey Hirsch, associate professor in the UT Knoxville College of Law, explains how the bad economy may be encouraging the trend of using interns and how this trend could be undermining the purpose of wage laws.

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee’s Department of Military Science-Army ROTC will host the third annual Mountain Man Memorial March on April 17 in Gatlinburg. Preliminary events begin on April 16.

“This small event began as a way for us to honor one of our fallen, UT alumnus 1st Lt. Frank Walkup, who was killed in Iraq on June 16, 2007,” said Cadet Greg Early, the Cadet Battalion Commander of the UT Army ROTC Rocky Top Battalion.

“Lt. Walkup was serving as a platoon leader in Rashaad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position. The 2005 UT sociology graduate was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division and was an Airborne, Air Assault and Ranger school graduate.

“What started as a remembrance to Lt. Walkup has doubled in size annually and evolved into a tribute which honors all our fallen American heroes, their families and our veterans.”

On April 16, the festivities begin at 7 p.m. with a ceremony honoring East Tennessee Gold Star Mothers. This event will be held at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Traffic Light 5, 88 River Road, Gatlinburg.

The American Gold Star Mothers Inc. is an organization of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country. Each mother will be recognized and present a Gold Star Flag to a team marching in honor her son or daughter. The team will carry the flag and will return it to the mother at the completion of the march. This event has become the largest Gold Star Mother recognition ceremony in the southeast and is gaining national recognition. For more information, see http://www.volunteerchapterofgsm.webs.com.

On April 17, opening ceremonies begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson and Buell parking lot, 530 Parkway, Gatlinburg. The 26-mile, marathon-length march/run starts at 9 a.m. There will be quarter- (6.25 mi) half- (13.1 mi) and full- (26.2 mi) length routes in three divisions — heavy (wearing military back packs), light (without military back packs) and civilian.

At 8 p.m. the weekend concludes with an award ceremony to recognize winners and supporters. This also takes place in the Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson and Buell parking lot.

“Mountain Man March participants have ranged from active-duty service members, police organizations and out-of-state ROTC units to UT athletic teams, scouts and civilians,” Early said.

To coincide with the march, the Road March for Warriors (RM4W) will hold a pancake breakfast and a motorcycle ride to show their support for the event. The group supports the activities of several veterans groups, including Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Veterans, the American Legion, the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association and the East Tennessee Military Affairs Council. Road March volunteers also coordinate with motorcycle organizations such as the AMVET Riders, the American Legion Riders, Rolling Thunder and Blue Knights to support veterans and active troops serving from East Tennessee. For more information about RM4W and the group’s planned activities, see http://www.roadmarchforwarriors.com/Details.htm.

Mountain Man Memorial March benefits the Wounded Warrior Project by making a donation in Lt. Walkup’s name. The donation includes 20 percent of all proceeds and 100 percent of all on-site collections, as well as monies collection in some pre-event fund drives.

Sponsors include EOD-Technologies, the City of Gatlinburg, Rothschild Catering, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, the Harriman chapter of The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Food City, Smart Bank, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, PMSI, Road March for Warriors, Kohl’s, Harley Davidson of Gatlinburg, Strommer Caterpillar, Pilot Travel, ORNL Credit Union, United States Automobile Association (USAA) and the Gatlinburg Inn.

For more information about the third annual Mountain Man Memorial March and to register, see http://www.mountainmanmemorialmarch.com.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — Two University of Tennessee, Knoxville, undergraduates have been named 2010 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars.

Michael Jungwirth and Nathan Stebbins, both juniors, will receive scholarships from the Goldwater Foundation for their final year at UT. The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships are awarded yearly to sophomores and juniors who are pursuing careers in research in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

This year, the Goldwater Foundation awarded 278 scholarships from an applicant pool of 1,111 undergraduate students across the U.S.

Four-year institutions, like UT, are allowed to nominate four students each year to the competition. This year, eight undergraduates at UT applied for the university’s nomination through the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships.

In addition to Jungwirth and Stebbins, UT student Lauren Johnson, also a junior, was recognized by the Goldwater Foundation and received an honorable mention.

UT’s success this year with the Goldwater competition matches that of Vanderbilt and Duke, both of which also received two scholarships and one honorable mention.

Rebekah Page, assistant director of the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships, said the quality of UT candidates has increased each year.

“This is a testament to the strength of UT’s programs in math, sciences and engineering and shows how well our students can perform at the national level, especially when they have the opportunity to conduct research with some of our top faculty,” Page said.

Jungwirth, a College Scholars major from Knoxville, currently is conducting research in neurobiology under the guidance of Rose Goodchild in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology. He has been working in Goodchild’s lab since his freshman year and plans to pursue a medical degree and doctorate after he graduates from UT next year. Last year, as a sophomore, Jungwirth was nominated for a Goldwater Scholarship and received an honorable mention.

Stebbins, a biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology major from Hendersonville, currently is conducting research on cancer biology in the lab of Sundar Venkatachalam. Like Jungwirth, Stebbins has been working steadily in the lab since his freshman year. After graduation, Stebbins plans to pursue a medical degree and doctorate and conduct research in stem cell biology.

Johnson, a double major in chemistry and chemical engineering from Dickson, currently is conducting research on photobiological hydrogen production at the UT Sustainable Energy Education & Research Center in the joint labs of Paul Frymier and Barry Bruce. She is also president of the UT chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. After graduation, she plans to pursue a doctorate in chemical engineering and conduct research in renewable energy technology.

As further evidence of the importance of undergraduate research at UT, all three students serve on the editorial board of Pursuit: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee. The inaugural issue of the journal was recently released during the Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement, in which Johnson, Jungwirth and Stebbins all competed.

Students who are interested in competing in next year’s Goldwater competition should contact the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships, whose purpose is to aid students in competing for nationally competitive undergraduate and post-graduate scholarships.

Page said she hopes UT students will continue to succeed in the Goldwater competition as they have in recent years.

“In 2008, we received three scholarships and one honorable mention, and last year we received an honorable mention. This year the competition was even tougher, and we still received two scholarships and one honorable mention. I know we can continue this trend given the excellent work being done by the undergraduates in our STEM departments,” she said.

For 2011-2012, the Goldwater Foundation plans to award about 300 scholarships. Since its inception, the Goldwater Foundation has awarded 6,079 scholarships worth about $58 million. This year’s recipients will receive up to $7,500 each.

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PHOTO: Left to right, Nathan Stebbins, Lauren Johnson, Michael Jungwirth.

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C O N T A C T :

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

The University of Tennessee Libraries and the UT Knoxville Office of Research will recognize and celebrate university faculty who have written books during the last year with a special faculty authors reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 8, in the first-floor galleria of Hodges Library, 1015 Volunteer Blvd.

Media are invited to cover the event. Copies of the books will be on display in the galleria.

The reception will begin at 3 p.m. At 4 p.m., author and Cormac McCarthy scholar Christopher J. Walsh will discuss his experiences publishing a book with a digital press. Walsh published his book “In the Wake of the Sun: Navigating the Works of Cormac McCarthy” with Newfound Press, the UT Libraries’ digital press.

Parking is available in the University Center parking garage on Phillip Fulmer Way and Andy Holt Avenue.

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C O N T A C T :

Martha Rudolph (865-974-4273, [email protected])

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

The UT Knoxville School of Information Sciences (SIS) will host a forum with former SIS Director Ann Prentice on “The Public Library in the 21st Century,” noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, in the Scripps Convergence Lab, 402 Communications Building. A reception with refreshments will be held from 11:30 a.m. to noon.

The lecture will take a look at all aspects of the information revolution and provide insight into how libraries play a keystone role in this change.

Prentice is a professor emerita and former dean of the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. She became director of the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences (now SIS) in 1978 and served as director until 1988.

Free and open to the public, the presentation also will be webcast.

In 2011, SIS will celebrate 40 years as an American Library Association-accredited program, and this lecture will be the first in a series that looks back to honor the school’s directors.

Several former SIS directors have been invited to lecture at future research forums. The list includes:

• Gary Purcell, named director of the independent Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences (GSLIS) in 1971;
• Jose Marie Griffiths, named GSLIS director in 1992;
• Elizabeth Aversa, named SIS director in 1999; and
• Edwin Cortez, SIS director since 2005.

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C O N T A C T :

Joel Southern (865-974-6727, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Author and Cormac McCarthy scholar Christopher J. Walsh will speak at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville and at Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, April 7-8.

Walsh will discuss his latest book on McCarthy, “In the Wake of the Sun: Navigating the Southern Works of Cormac McCarthy,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St.

On Thursday, April 8, at 4 p.m., Walsh will give a talk on “Publishing With a Digital Press,” in the Hodges Library Auditorium, 1015 Volunteer Blvd. Both events are free and open to the public.

Walsh published “In the Wake of the Sun” with Newfound Press, the UT Libraries’ digital press. The book offers a close textual analysis of all of the Southern works of McCarthy, a Knoxville native, along with an overview of the notable critical responses to the books. Introducing readers, scholars and students to the major themes running through McCarthy’s books, Walsh guides readers through the significant critical dialogues surrounding each text.

“McCarthy’s work obviously reverberates beyond East Tennessee and Appalachia,” Walsh writes in the conclusion to the book, “but we should not underestimate how much the region has informed McCarthy’s artistic development. The humor, tall tales and oral traditions indigenous to the region are lovingly recreated in McCarthy’s Southern texts, and this love of narrative informs his Western and Southwestern works.”

Print copies of the book will be available for purchase for $25 each. His book is available for online viewing by visiting http://www.newfoundpress.utk.edu/pubs/walsh/.

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C O N T A C T :

Martha Rudolph (865-974-4273, [email protected])

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

KNOXVILLE — “Going Online,” a one-day workshop for high school journalism teachers who want to start a news Web site or take their print publications online, will be held Monday, April 26, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The workshop will provide teachers with the following:

• Basic instruction and material on how to teach Web journalism;
• A content management system, server space and maintenance for their news Web sites — all at no cost;
• An introduction to Digital Journalism 101, a new Web-based journalism instruction program; and
• Information about the Interscholastic Online News Network (ISONN), an association of high school Web sites that will connect a school’s site to many others around the nation.

The workshop is sponsored by the UT Knoxville School of Journalism and Electronic Media and the Intercollegiate Online News Network (ICONN) and is supported by Edgenics, a broadband service company based in New Jersey.

The cost of the workshop is $15 per teacher.

The workshop will be in the Scripps Convergence Lab in the College of Communication and Information. It will begin at 9 a.m. and last until 3 p.m. Lunch and parking are included in the registration fee.

More information about the workshop is available by visiting http://www.jprof.com/iconn/events/goingonline10.html.

“If you are a high school journalism teacher and feel the need to change the direction of your journalism program, we want to help,” said Jim Stovall, UT journalism professor and director of the workshop.

The workshop is designed for those who want to shift from print to the Web in their approach to journalism education, Stovall said.

“That shift can seem daunting,” he said. “We want to make it easy.”

The Intercollegiate Online News Network (ICONN) is a set of individuals, academic programs and professional organizations dedicated to connecting student Web journalists and campus news Web sites and to advancing education in Web and online journalism. The network is based at UT Knoxville, and its Web site is located at http://intercollegiatenews.com.

Edgenics is a broadband and value-added service provider that focuses on innovative broadband, technology-based, e-learning solutions and telemedicine services, especially for underserved markets.

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C O N T A C T :

Jim Stovall (865-974-5109, [email protected])

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

Spring is officially in the air the week of April 5-8 at the Ready for the World Café at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The week’s menu includes chicken cacciatore, shredded pork with roasted tomatoes and chilies, steamed salmon with lemon and olive oil, twice baked sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus with barbecue butter, sweet and bitter green salad with vinaigrette dressing and grilled vegetable gazpacho.

This week’s theme is spring fling, so break out your shorts and sun dresses. There will be light, cheerful music with a flurry of flowers. An art student also will do an art exhibit to accompany lunch.

The Ready for the World Café is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday through Thursday in the Hermitage Room on the third floor of the University Center.

Diners pay $11 for the all-you-can-eat buffet or $9 for a plate of food to carry out.

Faculty and staff can use ARAMARK’s new UT Reward Card to receive a 15 percent discount at the café.

Students enrolled in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) 445, the advanced food production and service management class, plan and operate the café. They take turns serving as the café manager. ARAMARK, UT’s provider of dining services, prepares the food.

The café manager for April 5-8 is Kate Rogers, of Alcoa, a senior in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management. She has worked and bartended at Stinker’s Barbecue in Maryville. Her goal is to be an event planner.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — University of Tennessee, Knoxville Aerospace & Defense MBA alumnus Tim Gray earned the prestigious AVIATION WEEK Laureate Award for process improvements at Hill Air Force Base.

The Laureate Awards, which were given at a ceremony held March 17 in Washington, D.C., honor individuals, groups and organizations that have significantly advanced aerospace commerce and technology in the previous year.

Gray, an Air Force civil service employee and director, earned the award for leading maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) process improvements for the 526th Electronic Maintenance Squadron at Hill’s Ogden Air Logistics Center. It was a project he began while he was in the MBA program. Every MRO program in the aerospace industry was eligible; four finalists competed with Gray for the honor.

Gray began his effort to transform “Generator” processes in 2008 as part of his applied-research requirement in UT’s Aerospace & Defense MBA curriculum. “Team Generators” are the members of the 526th Electronic Maintenance Squadron who maintain, repair and overhaul the Air Force fleet of aircraft generators and regulators, plus aerospace ground equipment and power generation mobile units used on military installations.

Gray and his team applied the Theory of Constraints and lean principles to streamline the processes. In less than two years, the team’s efforts improved customer service and readiness levels for the unit’s warfighting customers worldwide.

Specific improvements included reducing work in progress assets by 35 percent, reducing work in progress inventory costs from a daily average of $40 million to $17.3 million, reducing maintenance squadron rework by 23 percent and producing 22 percent more assets for the warfighter, thereby enhancing combat and mission readiness.

Gray credits his instructors at UT Knoxville for his success.

“UT has a great program focused on the unique business challenges of our industry,” he said.

Lane Morris, Reagan Faculty Scholar in UT’s Department of Management and Gray’s faculty advisor, was honored to see Gray’s performance recognized.

“The business theories that Tim applied are fairly straight-forward, but the teambuilding required to impact change is what separates strong leaders from ordinary managers. He inspired his team to improve, and he sought and secured their buy-in and support. The results speak for themselves,” Morris said.

Clay Jones, another UT Knoxville alumnus, earned a Laureate Award in the Business and General Aviation Category. Jones, who is chairman, president and CEO of Rockwell Collins, was recognized for his efforts to communicate the economic contributions and needs of America’s aviation industry. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UT Knoxville and a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University.

AVIATION WEEK’S Laureate Awards were conceived more than 50 years ago to recognize the extraordinary achievements of individuals and teams in aerospace, aviation and defense. Gray and Jones won two of the eight Laureate Awards given by the magazine in March.

To date, more than 150 leaders from across the aerospace and defense industry have participated in the UT’s Aerospace & Defense MBA program. The executive-level MBA program is custom-designed for the industry’s unique business education needs. It has served leaders from virtually every sector of the industry across the United States and the world. The Aerospace & Defense MBA is central to the diverse portfolio of programs that the University of Tennessee College of Business Administrations offers the aerospace and defense industry. For more information, visit http://TheCenter.utk.edu/.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — Acclaimed children’s author Deborah Ellis, known for her books on humanitarian and social justice issues, will visit the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on April 5 for a lecture and book signing.

Free and open to the public, the event begins at 7 p.m. in McClung Museum Auditorium. It is sponsored by the Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature with support from Ready for the World.

Books will be available for purchase on site, and Ellis will sign books after the event.

Ellis’ books include “The Breadwinner,” about a girl who poses as a boy to help support her family in Afghanistan, and its sequels, “Mud City,” and “Parvana’s Journey.” “Off to War: Voices of Soldiers’ Children,” is based on her interviews with American and Canadian children whose military parents have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and “Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees” is based on her interviews with children whose families fled to Jordan after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In “Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak,” Ellis uses her interviews with children ages 8-18 to show the impact war has had on their lives. Her other books include “Looking for X,” “Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk about AIDS,” “I Am a Taxi” and “Sacred Leaf.”

Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1960, Ellis has said she decided to start writing when she was 11 or 12.

She describes herself as an active anti-war activist and feminist, and has worked as a mental health counselor. She has traveled the world to do interviews for her books.

Ellis’ literary honors include the Governor General’s Award, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work, an American Library Association Notable, the Children’s Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers and the Ontario Library Association’s President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement. In 2006, she was made a member of the Order of Ontario, a governmental award for the highest level of individual excellence and achievement in any field.

Ellis has donated many of the proceeds from her books — amounting to more than $1 million — to charities, such as UNICEF and Street Kids International.

The Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, housed in the School of Information Sciences in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee celebrates and promotes literature for youth. It encourages reading through outreach to children and their parents, to current and future teachers and librarians, to members of the community, and to scholars and thinkers across disciplines.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — Lawyer Fred Bartlit Jr. had to slip away from his daughter’s wedding reception in 2000 when he was called to represent presidential candidate George W. Bush in the Florida election dispute against opponent Al Gore.

And the rest is history.

It was just one of the many high-profile battles the 77-year-old lawyer has taken on during his 45-plus years as a trial lawyer. Bartlit will speak at noon on April 5 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Law Room 132. His lecture is free and open to the public.

Bartlit’s speech is part of the Wyc and Lyn Orr Distinguished Lecture Series, which is made possible through the support of the Orrs of Gainesville, Ga. Wyc Orr, a 1970 UT law alumnus, is a founding partner of Orr Brown Johnson LLP and has been a trial lawyer for almost four decades. He has tried a wide variety of cases, having represented both plaintiffs and defendants before juries in 28 counties across Georgia as well as in federal court and courts-martial in West Germany during his days as a U.S. Army JAGC lawyer.

Bartlit, who was named by the American Bar Association (ABA) Journal as one of the “Seven Over 70 Lions of the Trial Bar,” is a founding partner of Bartlit, Beck, Herman, Palenchar & Scott, with offices in Chicago and Denver. He has been involved in more than 50 major trials since 1970 and has handled a wide variety of cases, dealing with fraud, antitrust, products liability and intellectual property. Among those:

• 1976 — Successfully defended General Motors in a $2 billion price-fixing antitrust case in Connecticut.
• 1981 — Successfully defended, in a trial on appeal, Monsanto in a suit alleging price fixing on artificial turf products.
• 1996 — Successfully defended United Technologies in a suit alleging the company monopolized the sale of jet engine parts.
• 2002 — Successfully defended, in two trials and two appeals, Bayer’s patent on the antibiotic drug Cipro.
• 2004 — Successfully defended investment fund Forstmass Little & Co. from $1 billion in claims by the state of Connecticut.

Bartlit told the ABA Journal that he decided to become a trial lawyer in 1963 when, feeling overshadowed by super-achieving colleagues in his first job, he got some sage advice from his father. His dad told him to try to set himself apart from others by finding something that he could do that no one else wanted to do.

“Sure, all lawyers say they wanted to try cases,” he told the journal. “But I realized that, when push came to shove, not one of them really wanted to actually go to court and try cases to a jury.”

Having used his father’s advice to get him started, Bartlit now tenders some wisdom of his own to up-and-coming lawyers.

“I tell our young lawyers the one thing we know jurors do is evaluate everyone in court, and they don’t trust phonies,” he told the journal. “So always be yourself. If you can’t figure out how you should act, I always say you should act like John Wayne. John Wayne wouldn’t whine to the judge with objections. He wouldn’t be arrogant. John Wayne was strong but quiet. He was a leader who focused on getting the job done.”

Bartlit’s trial techniques have been described in several books about the nation’s top litigators, including “The Trial Lawyers,” published in 1988 by St. Martin’s Press, and “America’s Top Trial Lawyers — Who They Are & Why They Win,” published in 1994 by Prentice Hall. In 1997, The National Law Journal listed him in “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers,” and described him as “one of the most successful corporate defense litigators ever, with a long history of big wins.” The National Law Journal included Bartlit in its “Winning Hall of Fame” in 2009 for his significant bench or jury trial verdicts and his records of success over many years.

Bartlit was born in Harvey, Ill. He earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and went to law school at the University of Illinois, where he graduated first in his class.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — Wanting to change the world is a big task, but with the right support, the goal can be attainable. Jorge Roman had this idea instilled in him at the start of his college career and continues to encourage others to change the world.

Roman, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, sports psychology master’s student, is a proud big brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of East Tennessee program. He visits his little brother, Josh, a fourth-grader at South Knoxville Elementary School, as often as he can despite his own school obligations. They have been matched since September 2009.

“There’s always time for everything,” Roman said. “You can always take time out of your day to be with someone you care about. There’s no juggling. I enjoy my time with him and it’s not a duty. It’s a privilege.”

During Josh’s school hours, Roman helps with his schoolwork, plays on the playground and talks about anything Josh wants.

“I am able to build a friendship with him through that social interaction,” Roman said. “It’s very rewarding. They think he gets a lot out of it, but I do too. He’s my little brother, maybe not through blood, but I feel it.”

Rebecca Griffin, BBBS enrollment and match specialist for East Tennessee, recognizes Roman’s dedication to Josh.

“Jorge goes above the commitment of one hour a week with Josh,” Griffin said. “Jorge helps Josh improve his grades in reading, math and other subjects, and they also love to play sports together. Jorge is a great big brother.”

Roman’s main goal in meeting with Josh is to use his real life experiences to show Josh that education is the way to a bright future.

“As a kid you have so many dreams, and I believe anybody can do anything,” Roman said. “Knowledge is very important to make a positive change in the world. You need that basic foundation to do great things. Education and going to college help to find those skills and resources. I try to make Josh understand that.”

Roman said he tries to tell Josh that the schoolwork, like reading and math, is an important part of a successful foundation in life.

“I tell him it doesn’t make sense now, but in the end, it all comes together,” Roman said. “I try to make sure he knows I’m here to help him with that end result. I’m here to help him piece it together.”

As the first in his family to go to college, Roman has had quite a bit of success.

He started his own business in 2001 when he was 20 years old. His store, Kickz N Lidz, is an urban store that sells hats and shoes and is located in St. Petersburg, Fla. He even began hosting seminars for high school students on how to succeed.

In 2009, with the business still successful, Roman gave full control to his business partner and decided to move to Knoxville to get his master’s in sport psychology and eventually pursue his dream to get a doctorate.

“Opening a business was my dream,” Roman said. “I accomplished that. Now I’m pursuing another dream, but it all starts with education.”

Roman had a very dear friend that encouraged and motivated him at the start of his college career.

“My friend instilled in me who I am today,” Roman said. “These kids don’t have many positive influences in their lives. I want to be that for Josh. I want to use my real-world experiences to show Josh he can do anything and that he has someone who believes in him.”

For more information about the BBBS program, visit http://www.bigbrothersbigsistersetn.org/ or contact Vivian Gwinn at (865) 523-2179 or [email protected].

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C O N T A C T :

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

In this WATE-TV story about the Massachusetts bullying case where nine students have been charged in the death of a high school freshman, Dr. David Dupper, an associate professor in the College of Social Work at UT Knoxville, talks about adults as role models for children and the effect of children who come from homes with bullying behaviors.

KNOXVILLE – “Poverty, Energy, and the Environment” is the theme of the final mini-summit looking at various aspects of poverty to be held this semester at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Ready for the World, UT’s international and intercultural initiatives, has devoted this academic year to “Our World in Need” with a particular emphasis on the issue of poverty.

Two other mini-summits on poverty issues have been planned. The first — “Baldwin Lee, James Agee and Walker Evans: Photography, Poverty, Politics in the South and Abroad” — was held in February; a second mini-summit on Poverty and Health Care was held in March.

The “Poverty, Energy, and the Environment” mini-summit is being sponsored by Ready for the World, the Global Studies Interdisciplinary Program, UT Libraries and the Departments of Philosophy, Anthropology and Agricultural Economics.

Four events are planned as part of the “Poverty, Energy and the Environment” mini-summit. Free and open to the public, all of these events will be held in Hodges Library Auditorium:

April 7: Panel Discussion

The mini-summit kicks off at 7 p.m. on April 7 with a panel discussion on issues of poverty and environmental justice, focusing especially on issues such as coal extraction, the TVA ash spill and the impacts these events had on local communities. Panelists will include Cassie Watters, lead organizer and assistant director of the Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment (SOCM); Chris Irwin from United Mountain Defense; and Gregory Button, an assistant professor in UT’s Department of Anthropology.

April 14: Lecture

Anthony Oliver-Smith, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Florida, will speak at 7 p.m. on April 14 in Hodges Library Auditorium. His topic is “Questions We Need to Ask Ourselves about Climate Change, Poverty and Environmental Justice.”

Oliver-Smith held the Munich Foundation Chair on Social Vulnerability at the United Nations University Institute on Environment and Human Security in Bonn, Germany, for 2007-08. His research focuses on environmental justice implications of climate change, such as global climate change and sea level rise, social vulnerability and migration.

April 21: Documentary and Producer

The documentary “Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal Mining” will be shown at 7 p.m. on April 21 at Hodges Library Auditorium. The movie’s producer, Mari-Lynn Evans, will introduce the film and speak about it. In addition to her work on her latest move, Evans was executive producer on the American Public Television series “The Appalachians: America’s First and Last Frontier,” which the New York Times called “an elegant film about a region and a people that are rarely examined beyond stereotypes.”

April 28: Panel Discussion

“Alternative Energy and the Future of Green Jobs” will be the topic of a panel discussion to be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on April 28.

Panelists will include Kim Jensen, UT professor of agricultural economics, and Gil Hough and J. P. Plumlee of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

C O N T A C T :

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

Jon Shefner (865-974-7022, [email protected])