Author: khintz

KNOXVILLE — Calvin MacLean, department head of theatre at UT Knoxville and artistic director of the Clarence Brown Theatre (CBT), recently was elected president of the University/Resident Theatre Association (URTA) by a unanimous vote of participating URTA member universities. MacLean will assume responsibilities as president in July 2010 for a two-year term.

“Cal takes on the presidency with considerable knowledge about URTA. He also has this terrific leadership background of both an important training program at Tennessee, and a major professional, League of Resident Theatres in the Clarence Brown. This linkage between training and professional theatre perfectly reflects URTA’s constituency and central interests,” said Scott Steele, executive director of URTA.

MacLean has been with UT Knoxville for four years. Under his leadership, the Clarence Brown Theatre has experienced a renaissance, with increased ticket sales, increased corporate sponsorships and revitalized board support.

“Cal’s leadership has energized the entire arts community. Subscriptions are up. Sponsorship has grown and the productions have been outstanding. We’re proud that he has been elected president of URTA and hope all the members will come to Knoxville and see, firsthand, what a great theatre program he has created,” said Townes Osborn, chair of the Clarence Brown Theatre Society Advisory Board.

Marrying the professional theatre with the theatre department’s academic program, MacLean has improved an already outstanding graduate training program and revitalized undergraduate theatre education.

“The University/Resident Theatre Association has been an important part of my career as an educator and professional director,” MacLean said. “I have been interested in the issues of professional training within the university for some time — a kind of ‘teaching hospital’ for theatre training. The University of Tennessee has perhaps the most dynamic blend of educational and professional mission, and its relationship with URTA is an important aspect of its program. UT’s visibility in this organization will be a great benefit to our program, and the work I do in URTA will be a wonderful culmination of many of my own career interests.

“The Clarence Brown Theatre is respected both as a professional theatre and a professional theatre training program. I believe CBT’s reputation contributes to my election.”

Previously, MacLean was professor of theatre and head of directing at Illinois State University for 15 years, and artistic director of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Active in Chicago, he earned numerous awards as a director, most notably for his production of Joshua Sobol’s “Ghetto,” which won four Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Outstanding Production of a Play and the first-ever Michael Maggio Award for Outstanding Direction. Other professional credits include Chicago’s Tony Award winning Victory Gardens Theatre, the Connecticut Repertory Theatre and Indiana Repertory.

URTA is the nation’s oldest and largest consortium of professional, graduate theatre training programs and associated professional theatre companies.

URTA advances theatre by connecting educational theatre programs with professional theatre and performing arts industries, promoting professional practices and artistic excellence in higher education, and assisting students with their transition into the profession.

KNOXVILLE — The College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has teamed up with UT Student Health Services and the University of Tennessee Medical Center to bring the UT community “HealthBeat 2010,” a free health fair for UT students, faculty, staff, retirees and their families.

The fair will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, in the University Center Ballroom.

Several screenings and tests will be provided, and exhibition booths also will be set up with representatives from various health care organizations and UT departments giving counsel and handing out information.

Participants will be able to obtain information on weight management, diabetes, breast health, oral cancer, organ donor registry and sign-up, HIV/AIDS education, student health education and services, drug and alcohol abuse, heart health and stroke risk, primary care, adult immunizations, ER trauma, pharmacogenetics, genetic counseling and genetic testing, and general health. Nutrition information also will be presented by the Healthy Living Kitchen.

In addition to the information and exhibition booths, the following screenings will be provided:

• Oral and dental health screening
• Carotid Artery screening
• Skin cancer/age progression screening
• Blood pressure screening
• Bone density screening
• Body Mass Index screening
• CO2/Pulse Ox screening
• Vision screening
• Hearing testing
• Blood typing
• HIV/AIDS testing
• Sickle Cell and other hemoglobinopathy testing

Insurance is not required for any of the screenings or tests. Small fees will apply only to those screenings that require lab work:

• $20 – Prostate Specific Antigen screening (men only) — This test measures the amount of PSA released into your blood by the prostate gland.
• $20 – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) — This test serves as a tool to measure thyroid levels in the body and can help diagnose thyroid disease.
• $20 – Comprehensive Metabolic Panel — This test measures protein, potassium, sodium, glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and albuminum, among several other components.
• $20 – C-Reactive Protein (CRP) — This test measures inflammation of the heart and can help assess your risk for heart disease.
• $20 – Lipid Panel (fasting required) — This test measures your total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, ratio and glucose.
• $15 – Complete Blood Count (CBC) — This test measures your red and white blood cell count.
• $25 – Vitamin D screening — This test measures the level of vitamin D in your body. For accurate results, do not take supplements for 48 hours prior to screening.

Fasting for 8-10 hours is required for the Lipid Panel. Water and black coffee are allowed and prescriptions should be taken as prescribed. Diabetics should consult with their physician before fasting.

Credit cards, cash and check are accepted. Checks can be made payable to UTMC (University of Tennessee Medical Center). Results will be mailed to the participant within 10 business days.

The following UT departments and programs will have representatives and/or booths at the fair: Center for Physical Activity & Health, Rec Sports, Book and Supply Store, Student Health Services, the College of Veterinary Medicine, Police Department, Family & Consumer Services, Human Resources, and the Safety, Environment and Education Center.

Other participating organizations include the Knox County Health Department, Tennessee Donor Services, the Hope Center, the Office on Aging, the Alzheimer’s Association, Knox County Mental Health Association, UT Federal Credit Union, UTMC Genetic Center and Tennessee Newborns.

Participants also will be able schedule mammogram appointments for when the Mobile Mammography Unit visits the UT Knoxville campus in April.

“HealthBeat is a great opportunity to participate in important health screenings and receive additional informative materials, according to Mary Sue Hodges, clinical instructor in the College of Nursing. “Several labs done as a part of an annual physical are available at a significantly reduced rate.”

Parking is available at the University Center parking garage; normal rates apply.

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C O N T A C T :

Mary Sue Hodges, [email protected], (865) 974-7583

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

The search for a new chief of the University of Tennessee Police Department has begun, and a search committee has been named.

Assistant Chief Debbie Perry has been serving as interim chief since August Washington stepped down in July to become the chief of police and assistant vice chancellor for Vanderbilt University.

The committee, chaired by Associate Vice Chancellor of Research Greg Reed, includes Sterling Owen, chief of the Knoxville Police Department; Maxine Thompson Davis, dean of students; Brian Browning, business manager for the senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration; Dwight Aarons, associate professor in the College of Law; Meshia Thomas, lieutenant with UTPD; and Jason Nixon, a UT student.

The chief of police is responsible for strategic planning and the overall management of the police department and central alarm office. UTPD has 79 full-time staff, along with several community service officers and other temporary guards.

Interested applicants should be certified, licensed police officers possessing the following qualifications:

• An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;
• Outstanding communication, mediation and interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of cultural and ethnic diversity;
• Extensive knowledge of law enforcement operations and the criminal justice system;
• Minimum of eight years of management experience in a law enforcement department.

In addition, it is preferred that applicants have management experience in a higher education police department and have prior experience in coordinating and managing large-scale special events.

Advertisements for the position have run nationally. A review of applications will begin April 1, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. For more information about applying, visit http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/job-JK23JXB0I1Q?partner=knxnewssentinel.

KNOXVILLE – A panel of business and legal experts from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will discuss the current economic crisis at a program on March 24.

Free and open to the public, the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, located at 1640 Cumberland Ave.

Panelists will include Joe Carcello, Ernst & Young Professor in the Department of Accounting and Information Management and director of research for the Corporate Governance Center; Joan Heminway, distinguished professor of law; and Matt Murray, economics professor and associate director of the Center of Business and Economic Research. The session will be moderated by Paul Fain, who is a certified financial planner, a columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel and president of Asset Planning.

Each panelist will offer his or her perspective of the economic crisis, looking at regulatory issues, the markets, bank regulations and other concerns.

Heminway said she will focus on the role of securities regulation in the recession and financial crisis by answering questions, like “Did the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) miss the boat on the financial instruments that had a large role in the crisis?” and “Is the SEC all but extinct (in its current from)?”

Carcello said he will look at some of the causes of the financial crisis, including cheap money (credit available at low interest rates), misaligned incentives and inadequate regulation.

The Baker Center, which opened at UT in 2003, develops programs and promotes research to further the public’s knowledge of our system of governance, and to highlight the critical importance of public service, a hallmark of Sen. Baker’s career.

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 — Every spring for the past 59 years, hundreds of nature lovers from all over the world have descended upon the Great Smoky Mountains as part of the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.

The event, which began with botanists from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, now involves as many as 1,000 participants. This year’s pilgrimage — a five-day exploration of plant and animal life — will be April 21 through 25. Online registration is now open.

University of Tennessee Interim President Jan Simek will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 23, at the W.L. Mills Conference Center in Gatlinburg. His talk, Prehistoric Art in Tennessee, will explore how prehistoric people in this area decorated their landscape with religious symbols both above and below the ground.

This year’s celebration will also include a Welcoming Luncheon and salute to Theodore Roosevelt in honor of his role in founding the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is celebrating its 76th anniversary this year.

The pilgrimage’s roots sprang from UT professors Fred Norris and Royal Shanks, who worked closely with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park naturalist Art Stupka and the city of Gatlinburg to provide an educational component. The first pilgrimage was a quaint event with a hundred participants. Within 30 years, it grew to include more than a thousand participants from over 30 states, explained Ken McFarland of UT Knoxville’s ecology and evolutionary biology department.

“From the beginning, the botany and, now the ecology and evolutionary biology departments, have been an integral part in directing this event to its current 152 programs over five days with 115 leaders,” said McFarland, chairman of the pilgrimage organizing committee. “Over the past 59 years, many of the hike leaders have been UT Knoxville faculty and their graduate students, and the graduate students of these graduate students.”

The founders’ initial intention was to promote the incredible diversity of the spring flora in the region in a fun way. But education became an integral component due to the vast amount of knowledge shared by the dozens of leaders supplied by UT Knoxville, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and others. UT faculty will be contributing discussions about bats, salamanders, spiders, black bears and much more.

The Wildflower Pilgrimage is a joint venture of the UT Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, the City of Gatlinburg Department of Tourism, the Friends of the Smoky Mountains National Park, the Gatlinburg Garden Club, the Great Smoky Mountains Association, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.

Along with outdoor programs and tours, the W.L. Mills Conference Center — the event’s registration site in Gatlinburg– will feature art exhibitions, merchants and related activities. Tickets are $75 per person for two or more days. Single-day tickets are available for $40. Student tickets are $10 and must be verified with a student ID.

For more information, call (865) 436-7318, Ext. 222, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or visit the Wildflower Pilgrimage Web site. Lodging information is also available on the site.

The host city of Gatlinburg was ranked one of the top five best bargain destinations for this spring by USA Today.

For an in-depth look into the pilgrimage, please read “A Walk in the Park” by Dennis McCarthy.

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Note: Wildflowers pictures courtesy of John B. Breinig.

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C O N T A C T:

Whitney Holmes (865-974-54609, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — A publication by undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is breaking new ground.

The journal, entitled Pursuit: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee, is the first publication of only undergraduate research at UT Knoxville, and one of a small number in the national university community.

Print copies of the journal will be available during the Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA) on March 24 and 25 inside the University Center. The online version will be available at http://trace.tennessee.edu/. Copies also can be found in the Office of Research and the Chancellor’s Honors Program after March 25.

The journal aims to display UT Knoxville’s commitment to its undergraduates and provide a window for the world to see the work undergraduates are doing. The journal’s editor-in-chief, Todd Skelton, said Pursuit will only further UT Knoxville’s goal of becoming a premier research institution.

“It is exciting that UT Knoxville has developed partnerships, like with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, that allow undergraduates to have amazing research experiences,” said Skelton, a senior at UT Knoxville. “My hope is that more undergraduates will engage in research. I think many students do not realize research is not just something to fulfill a senior project requirement and that research opportunities are open to everyone, not just science and engineering students.”

The journal is the product of an undergraduate editorial board supported by the UT Office of Research and the Chancellor’s Honors Program. It will be published every spring and fall.

Submissions for the fall 2010 issue will be accepted from April 1 through May 31. Pursuit accepts advanced, original, research-based submissions from undergraduate students in all academic colleges at UT Knoxville. Graduates may submit their work within one year of their graduation date.

The journal’s launch coincides with the conclusion of the university’s first-ever Research Week, which spotlights undergraduate researchers, scholars, artists and performers with EURēCA, as well as a concert, an honors symposium, an art competition and a student paper competition.

You can find more information on Research Week events here.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is hosting its first weeklong celebration of undergraduate research.

Research Week will take place March 21-26 and spotlight undergraduate researchers, scholars, artists and performers with a concert, an honors symposium, an art competition and a student paper competition.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a former governor and president of UT, will give the event’s keynote address “Research and the Public Good,” on Monday, March 22, at 8 a.m. inside the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy’s Toyota Auditorium. Richard Rodriguez, the author of “Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez,” will keynote the honors symposium at 12:20 p.m. on March 22, also at the Baker Center.

Research Week is part of a larger initiative by the university to give undergraduate students opportunities to connect with faculty and be part of the university’s scholarship. This initiative is integral in achieving Gov. Phil Bredesen’s goal to make UT Knoxville a top 25 public research university. According to Greg Reed, associate vice chancellor for research, studies on undergraduate learning show the value of connecting students to faculty and their research as early as possible.

“Data have demonstrated that undergraduate students who are connected in this way are more likely to be retained by the university until graduation, graduate in less time, and increase their GPA as compared to students who do not have an undergraduate research experience,” Reed said.

Reed notes undergraduate research has a positive impact not just on the university community, but society as a whole.

“One of the significant advantages of these experiences is to help the students become intellectual entrepreneurs, the innovators of our economy and culture,” said Reed. “The future competiveness of our country depends on our ability to be the leading innovators.”

Research Week also will feature the 14th annual Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA), where more than 200 undergraduate researchers will compete for the top spot in their fields. Their research and creative activities cover a wide range of concentrations and are developed in collaboration with a UT Knoxville faculty mentor. Participants are judged by a combination of UT Knoxville faculty members and community professionals.

The EURēCA competition will be held from noon to 4 p.m. March 24 in the University Center Ballroom. The event is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 25. An awards ceremony will be held in the University Center’s Tennessee Auditorium at 6 p.m. on March 25.

The UT Knoxville Office of Research coordinates this unique competition to encourage, support and reward undergraduate participation in the campus research enterprise. Top awards are funded by the UT Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and the William Franklin Harris III Undergraduate Research Award. On average, one award is given for every six entries per college. The standard award is $200 plus any division match or supplement.

For more information on the week’s events, please visit http://research.utk.edu/rw.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Bill Dockery (865-974-2187, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — “The Building Blocks of France” is the topic of a symposium hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, March 26 – 27, at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.

The interdisciplinary academic symposium will explore some of the historical, literary and cultural aspects of medieval France.

Among these are its power as part of the 9th-century Carolingian Empire, its dismantling into a largely independent collection of duchies, counties and fiefdoms in the 10th and 11th centuries, the subsequent growth of a sense of French national cultural identity in the 13th century, and the region’s astonishing cultural and artistic richness of the 15th century.

Presentations and discussion sessions will deal with the culture of chivalry, the art of the troubadour, the impact of trade and economic growth, and popular culture that envisioned medieval France as a society of three feudal orders: those who pray, those who fight and those who work. Scholars from France and the United States will discuss how these building blocks continue to influence contemporary France.

The presentations are free and open to the public.

The symposium also will feature a musical performance, “In the Chamber of the Harpers: Late Medieval Music from the Iberian Peninsula,” by musical trio Trefoil, 8 p.m. Friday, March 26, in the Carousel Theatre. The performance is free and open to the public. Free parking for the performance is available in Staff Lot 23 next to the Clarence Brown Theatre. Enter lot 23 from Pat Head Summit Street next to the Music Building.

Sponsors of the symposium include the Marco Institute, the UT Cultural Attractions Committee, the Department of History, the Hodges Better English Fund, the Humanities Institute, the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Ready for the World Initiative, the School of Music and the Department of Religious Studies.

For more information on the symposium or the concert, visit http://web.utk.edu/~marco/symposiums/symposium10.shtml.

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C O N T A C T :

Erin Read (865-974-1859, [email protected])
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — “The Building Blocks of France” is the topic of a symposium hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, March 26 – 27, at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.

The interdisciplinary academic symposium will explore some of the historical, literary and cultural aspects of medieval France.

Among these are its power as part of the 9th-century Carolingian Empire, its dismantling into a largely independent collection of duchies, counties and fiefdoms in the 10th and 11th centuries, the subsequent growth of a sense of French national cultural identity in the 13th century, and the region’s astonishing cultural and artistic richness of the 15th century.

Presentations and discussion sessions will deal with the culture of chivalry, the art of the troubadour, the impact of trade and economic growth, and popular culture that envisioned medieval France as a society of three feudal orders: those who pray, those who fight and those who work. Scholars from France and the United States will discuss how these building blocks continue to influence contemporary France.

The presentations are free and open to the public.

The symposium also will feature a musical performance, “In the Chamber of the Harpers: Late Medieval Music from the Iberian Peninsula,” by musical trio Trefoil, 8 p.m. Friday, March 26, in the Carousel Theatre. The performance is free and open to the public. Free parking for the performance is available in Staff Lot 23 next to the Clarence Brown Theatre. Enter lot 23 from Pat Head Summit Street next to the Music Building.

Sponsors of the symposium include the Marco Institute, the UT Cultural Attractions Committee, the Department of History, the Hodges Better English Fund, the Humanities Institute, the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Ready for the World Initiative, the School of Music and the Department of Religious Studies.

For more information on the symposium or the concert, visit http://web.utk.edu/~marco/symposiums/symposium10.shtml.

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C O N T A C T :

Erin Read (865-974-1859, [email protected])

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

KNOXVILLE — Howard Hall, a professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair, will deliver this week’s UT Science Forum lecture, “Averting Armageddon: Global Challenges in Nuclear Security.” His talk will begin at noon on Friday, March 19, in Thompson-Boling Arena Dining Room C-D.

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.

UT Science Forum programs are free and open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring their lunches or purchase lunch at Arena Dining.

Hall is an expert in global nuclear security and a leading researcher on issues including detection of nuclear and radioactive weapons, preventing the spread of nuclear material and how best to respond to the use of weapons such as “dirty bombs.”

“We have the continuing rise of proliferate nations — North Korea and Iran are both engaged in activities that we’re not terribly comfortable with,” Hall said. “We have the specter of nuclear terrorism that we’re all concerned about. There are terrorist groups out there looking for nuclear material right now, and I’m fairly confident that if they had them and they could generate a working device, they would use it without compunction.”

Hall’s research explores ways to detect and control unruly radioactive materials. He also attempts to problem solve by anticipating what could happen if there was a disastrous nuclear event.

“If something should happen — God forbid — how do we respond to it and recover from it as quickly as possible?” Hall said. “So if there were some sort of nuclear event or nuclear attack, how do we minimize the damage; how do we save as many lives as possible? And how do we return society back to functioning as quickly as possible?”

The Governor’s Chair Program was initiated by Gov. Phil Bredesen to enhance the connection between UT Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As a Governor’s Chair, Hall is dubbed one of the nation’s top scientists and a “research rock star.” He works as a liaison between ORNL and UT to increase the connection of research and technology.

The UT Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. Upcoming presentations include:

• March 26: Dr. Stephen Kania, associate professor of comparative medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine, presents “Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococci: Staying One Step Ahead.”
• April 2: No meeting.
• April 9: Bob Hatcher, professor and distinguished scientist of earth and planetary sciences, presents “Evidence for a 25,000-Year History of Earthquake Activity in Eastern Tennessee.”
• April 16: Soren Sorensen, professor and head of physics and astronomy, presents “The End of the Universe.”
• April 23: Forbes Walker, associate professor of biosystems engineering & soil science, presents “Developing Conservation Agriculture Systems in Africa.”
• April 30: Suzanne Lenhart, professor of mathematics, presents “The Power of Optimal Control: From Confining Rabies to Improving CPR.”

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 — One hundred seventy-one students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have received $500 study-abroad scholarships funded by a study-abroad fee collected from undergraduates.

The $10-per-year fee, proposed by the Student Government Association and approved by the Board of Trustees, went into effect in fall of 2008. The scholarships are based on a combination of financial need and academic merit.

Some of the students used the scholarships for study-abroad experiences during spring break; others will use them for study abroad during mini-term and during the summer.

Expanding study abroad is an important component of Ready for the World, the campus’ international and intercultural initiative.

It also advances several of the strategic priorities outlined by UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. Among those: enhancing the education experience, enhancing diversity and enhancing globalization.

Noah Rost, a programs abroad coordinator in UT’s Center for International Education, said studying abroad is “a transformative experience” for students.

“It broadens their worldview, directly exposes them to different countries and cultures and helps them become more independent and self-reliant in the process.

“Studying abroad is also a gem on students’ curriculum vitae,” Rost said. “It will make them more competitive for elite graduate and professional programs and will help them secure quality employment upon graduation since the majority of employers are seeking applicants who can communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries.”

UT Knoxville offers programs in 54 countries on six continents that range in length from three weeks to an academic year.

Additional information about the study-abroad scholarship program, along with eligibility requirements, application instructions and deadlines, also can be found on the Programs Abroad Office Web site.

Following are the students who received the scholarship, listed by hometown:

Adams: Daniel Stone

Alcoa: Lindsay Stringfellow

Antioch: Alexis Dubose

Atlanta, Ga.: Sarah Russell

Atoka: Kendall Downing

Brentwood: Benjamin Allen, Laura Boone, Haley Davidson, Kelsey Duff, Taylor Lawrence, Taylor Smith, Amy Teng

Bristol: Bryce Fitzgerald, Emily Morin, Rebekah Spiegle

Carthage: Stanley Dowell

Charlotte, N.C.: Hannah Allen

Chattanooga: Charles Grant, Rachel McKane, Brianne Roddy

Clarksville: Johannah Reed, Julia Stamper

Collierville: Trent Norman, Spenser Powell, Shirmeen Virji

Columbia: Tiffany Del Bosco

Columbus, Ohio: Katherine Livingston

Cookeville: Elijah Akers

Dickson: Christine Cunningham

Dublin, Calif.: Doris Kochan

Duluth, Ga.: Adam Richards

Dyersburg: John Schultz

Elizabethton: Cody Burleson

Fairview: Rachel Chapdelaine

Fayetteville: Danielle Richter

Franklin: Sarah Anderson, Michael Biagini, Ethan Cansler, Kathleen Engstrand, Elizabeth Kajer, Amanda Metzger, Kathryn Richter, Brenda Romero, Joseph Sandell, Annie Stone, Steven Taylor, Jeannie Watkins, Stephanie Zale

Germantown: Leigh Dickey, Katherine Harris, Megan Nixon, Dennis Ruff, Edwin Scruggs

Glenmoore, Pa.: Julie Edwards

Goodlettsville: Mary Miller

Greenbrier: Jenny Jordan

Hendersonville: Jenna Estep, Andrew Haag

Henning: Hope Westall

Houston, Texas: Shelby Campbell

Jacksboro: Samantha Crabtree, Jered Davis

Jonesborough: Timothy Fraysier, Colby Jarrett

Kingsport: Courtney Bounds, Tyler Cameron, Rick Mula, Daniel Olberding, Lauren Strickler

Kingston: Carrie Lloyd

Knoxville: Marissa Amos, Eric Atchley, Matthew Baumgartner, Brandon Brackman, Kelly Braxton, William Brewer, Douglas Brown, Gabrial Buring, Jessica Carney, Madelyn Crawford, Claire Craven, Chantel Devault, Jonathan Dunham, Anthony Elias, Lindsey English, Mary Findley, Kristin Forsberg, Jacob Fowler, Perry Griffin, Elizabeth Grivetti, Samantha Hammel, Jasmine John, Jonathan Keeney, Jared Langel, Diana Lowrie, Krystal Oliva, Kylie Pearse, Laura Poland, Emily Prince, Dina Siedschlag, Susanna Sisco, Faraz Soltanian, Elizabeth Stephens, Elizabeth Stewart, Bethany Thompson, Connie Tsai, Amy Varecka, Laura Vanderpool, James Winston, Oren Yarbrough, Bin Zheng

Lawrenceburg: Robert Mayfield

Leesburg, Va.: Danielle Matheson

Marietta, Ga: James Baird

Maryville: Marion Forbes, Amanda Gamble, Jessica Hall, Malorie Law, Rachel Naramore

Memphis: Alyson Bauer, Britany Boatwright, Jasmine Fletcher-Green, Abby Hall, Russell Hinson, Alicia Lurry, Bonnie Lynch, Edith Miller, Cadarious Reed, Georgette Robinson, Natalie Spiro, Rebekah Watkins, Brooke Watson

Morristown: Matthew Price

Mosheim: Megan Hensley

Mount Juliet: Anna Bayly, Hannah Coode

Murfreesboro: James Thomas Gibson, Jessica Hoaglin, Carrie Macon, Sara Nasab

Nashville: Hannah Ashitey, Tara Harvey, Ashley Hathaway, Jane Rigsby, Keith Roberts, Megan Roelofsz, Ryan Smith, Jan Van Eys

New Tazewell: Jenna Wertz

New York, N.Y.: Ariel Birdoff

Normandy: Ksenia Kuznetsova

Norton, Va.: Holly Cline

Oak Ridge: Lauren Irby, Kathryn Mitchell

Pegram: Amanda Gann, Deidre Glore

Piney Flats: Courtney Beard

Pioneer: Carissa Chambers

Plano, Texas: Veronica Veyhl

Powell: Joshua Huffaker

Princetown, W.Va.: Vanessa Adams

Rogersville: Cara Moore

Seymour: Justin Crisp

Signal Mountain: Amanda Noblett, Robert Snider

Soddy Daisy: Andrew Denton, Courtney Hitchcock

Somerville: Mashundra Macllin

Thompson’s Station: Nicole Pettigrew

Tullahoma: Megan Waters, Ashley Wood

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C O N T A C T:

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, [email protected]@utk.edu)

KNOXVILLE — Catherine Luther has been named associate dean for academic programs for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Communication and Information (CCI).

The appointment became official on March 1. Luther, interim coordinator of the college’s interdisciplinary graduate programs and associate professor in the college’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media, had taken on additional interim administrative duties for the college since January of this year, when her predecessor, Sally McMillan, was named vice provost for academic affairs.

In addition to teaching college-wide graduate courses, Luther will oversee recruiting efforts, the application process, undergraduate and graduate programs and curricula for the college. She says she’s looking forward to helping prepare the college’s students for the future.

“Challenging times lie ahead for the college and the university,” Luther said. “So it is very important to protect and improve the quality of academic instruction and professional preparation that we offer to our students, while giving our faculty and staff the resources they need to be successful in their roles,” she said.

CCI Dean Mike Wirth says he’s grateful to Luther for taking on the challenges associated with this leadership position. “The wealth of academic and professional experience she brings to her new position will allow her to be very effective in her new role as associate dean,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with her along with the rest of our leadership team, faculty and staff to continue to build a top-ranked College of Communication and Information.”

Luther, a well known scholar in the area of international communication, earned a doctorate at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and joined UT Knoxville as an assistant professor in 1998. She was promoted to associate professor in 2005 and was a Fulbright Scholar to Japan in 2007.

In addition to her academic career, Luther has been a producer for ABC News’ Tokyo bureau and a reporter/producer for Japan America Television Inc., based in Los Angeles.

For more information on the college, visit http://www.cci.utk.edu/.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Legendary broadcaster Carl Kasell, scorekeeper of National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me…,” and Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. will join University of Tennessee, Knoxville, representatives to celebrate the 60th anniversary of WUOT at a by-invitation reception and program.

The radio station, located on the UT Knoxville campus, is East Tennessee’s premier public radio station and a charter member of NPR.

A special reception will take place at 5:30 p.m. with a 6:30 p.m program to follow on Tuesday, March 16 in the Toyota Auditorium of Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, 1640 Cumberland Ave.

In October 1949, the state’s first public radio station began broadcasting from the UT Knoxville campus. The campus’ students were advocates of a public radio station, led by the 1948-1949 student body president, Howard Baker Jr.

In the last 60 years, the station became a charter member of the National Public Radio network and was ranked in the top 10 percent of all public stations by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. More than 75,000 listeners in 33 East Tennessee counties tune in each week, making the station one of UT’s most valuable outreach and community education tools.

Baker will tell the participants about his favorite WUOT memories. Kasell will talk about his years in broadcasting and will take questions from the crowd.

Kasell also will speak at a brown bag luncheon for WUOT listeners Tuesday afternoon.

The event is sponsored by WUOT 91.9 FM, the Baker Center and the 91.9 Inc. Board.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — The Ready for the World Café, the international buffet run by students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, resumes this week with a “Taste of the South.”

The menu will include chicken and dumplings, Southern-style greens, cornbread, white bean and vegetable soup, grilled corn, scalloped potatoes, coleslaw and pulled-pork barbecue.

The Ready for the World Café is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 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.

The Ready for the World Café accepts dining dollars and All Star, and faculty and staff can use ARAMARK’s UT Reward Card to receive a 15 percent discount.

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

However, because of Spring Break, the March 15-18 menu was developed by Aramark chefs.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE – Events, musical performances, discussions and film viewings will highlight the substantial impact women have made on history as the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, celebrates “Women’s HERstory Month” during March.

Activities fitting the theme, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History,” have been planned by UT’s Women’s Coordinating Council (WCC).

The celebration kicks off with a jeans drive, now under way. Jeans in good condition can be donated in boxes at residence halls around campus until March 26. All donations will be given to Florence Crittenton of Knoxville, an agency whose mission is strengthening the community through prevention and treatment services for children, families and pregnant young women.

Other events, all free and open to the public, include:

• “Stiletto Stampede: Walking Tall” — 12:05 to 1:05 p.m., Monday, March 15. Join this walk from the University Center Plaza to the Pedestrian Walkway to honor the women who fought for women’s rights and to be empowered to keep the fight going.
• “Green Eggs and Ham: Breadwinning Ladies” — noon to 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 17, Women’s Center, University Center Room 303. Join the Women’s Coordinating Council and Career Services to discuss the statistics and facts about women who are the sole providers in the household. Free food will be provided for attendees.
• “Equal Pay Day Bake Sale” — noon to 2 p.m., Thursday, March 18, University Center, Pedestrian Walkway, Hodges Library and Presidential Courtyard. This event symbolizes how far into 2010 women must work to earn what men earned in 2009. Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. For every $1 a man makes, a woman makes 77 cents. In appreciation for women and equality, Gamma Sigma Sigma, Diva Opals, the Progressive Student Alliance and Kappa Alpha Psi will be selling cookies and brownies to women for 75 cents and to men for $1. Proceeds will go toward relief efforts in Haiti.
• “Precious” — 7 to 9 p.m., Monday, March 22, University Center Auditorium. Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, “Precious” is a film about 16-year-old Claireece ”Precious” Jones (Gabourey ”Gabby” Sidibe) who can neither read nor write and suffers constant abuse at the hands of her vicious mother (Mo’Nique). Precious instinctively sees a chance to turn her life around when she is offered the opportunity to transfer to an alternative school. Under the patient, firm guidance of her new teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins the journey from oppression to self-determination.
• “Guerilla Girls” — 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, March 23, University Center Auditorium. The Guerrilla Girls are anonymous females who take the names of dead women artists as pseudonyms and appear in public wearing gorilla masks. They have produced posters, stickers, books, printed projects and actions that expose sexism and racism in politics, the art world, film and the culture at large. They use humor to convey information, provoke discussion and show that feminists can be funny. They wear gorilla masks to focus on the issues rather than individual personalities.
• “WCC: Def Po’ UTree” — 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, March 31, Hollingsworth Auditorium on the Agricultural Campus. Join the Women’s Coordinating Council, as they close out Women’s HERstory Month with an evening of spoken word honoring and empowering women. Local spoken-word artists will perform.

The WCC and Visual Arts Committee have displayed historical pictures of UT women and WCC events from the past several decades in the University Center concourse on the second floor. They will be displayed throughout this week.

For more information, contact Emily Curtis, [email protected], or Ebony Jones, [email protected], or visit the Women’s Coordinating Council Web site.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — There is only one more week to nominate your favorite educator for a spot in the Educators Hall of Honor, housed in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Nominations are due March 10, and the next group of Hall of Honor inductees will be announced during a ceremony on March 25.

The Hall of Honor is a place to acknowledge the work of professionals who already have established themselves in the education field. The hall is open to any professional in the United States, and members have come from throughout Tennessee and the nation. Those honored have been teachers from elementary school to the college ranks.

With a $1,000 contribution, a donor can nominate an educator for the Hall of Honor. For a contribution of $25,000 or more, a separate scholarship endowment fund will be established in the honoree’s or donor’s name.

To learn more about the Educators Hall of Honor and how to nominate someone, see http://cehhs.utk.edu/AlumniTest/hall_of_honor.html.

Donations to the college — including those made for the Educators Hall of Honor — also count toward the $1 million challenge made by an anonymous donor to raise money to provide financial assistance to students enrolled in UT’s teacher internship program.

The donor, a longtime supporter of the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, has offered to give $1 million in memory of the late J. Clayton Arnold if the college can collect at least $1 million in contributions from other supporters.

The J. Clayton Arnold Challenge is based upon the inspiration of a man whose desire was “investing in the human race.” Arnold, a rural mail carrier in Williamson County, began providing financial assistance to students studying to be teachers in 1965. While Arnold only earned a $60-per-month salary and never attended college, he was a smart man who made investments throughout his 95 years. These investments allowed him to give UT Knoxville its first $1 million gift.

“By making a charitable gift to the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, you are not only helping to meet the J. Clayton Arnold Challenge, but also making an investment in future educators whose impact will last beyond a lifetime,” said Bob Rider, dean of the college.

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C O N T A C T :

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

KNOXVILLE — On a warm, sunny day you may find Yajit Jain outside playing Ultimate Frisbee with his friends. But on any given day, you will probably find him crunching numbers in a laboratory or in his room.

The junior at Oak Ridge High School beat out 30 other students from across the state to win the top spot at the 45th Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on Feb. 25.

His project, “Electric Field Calculation for Fluid Simulation,” earned the high schooler a $2,000 college scholarship and a spot to compete in the National JSHS held in Bethesda, Md., April 28-May 2. If Jain wins in the national competition, he will then compete in the International Youth Science Forum this summer in London.

A panel of UT Knoxville science and engineering faculty members agreed Jain’s research, which focused on using mathematic and computational methods to model the effects of an electrical field on the break-up of fluid particles, was the most impressive.

“The paper stood alone in terms of the sophistication of the approach and the excellent grasp that the researcher displayed on complex mathematical and computational modeling,” said Dan Roberts, director of the Tennessee JSHS and professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology.

Jain worked with mentor Leonard Gray of Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop an algorithm for how an electric field affects fluid, specifically how the drop is formed. Jain hopes this knowledge will aid advancements in the areas of research and industry.

“There are many applications where this knowledge is useful such as DNA sequencing and drug delivery systems,” said Jain. “It sounds quixotic, but I want whatever research I am involved in to somehow help people. Some of the applications of my research have this potential, and that makes it exciting.”

Jain intends to become a researcher, most likely in mathematics.

Students from Farragut High School took the other top two spots.

Niral Sheth’s project, “Understanding Cardiac Arrhythmias through Cellular Automata” focused on the computational modeling of the heart arrhythmias. Sheth’s second-place award earned him a $1,500 college scholarship.

Ariel Buehler’s project, “Effectiveness of RT-PCR for Detecting the Presence of Listeria monocytogenes, a Food-borne Pathogen” worked on methods of copying DNA sequences to detect small amounts of bacteria in food. Ariel’s third-place award earned her a $1,000 college scholarship.

Lillie Brown of Cleveland High School and Ashley Fuqua of Greenbrier High School received honorable mention awards.

The judges said all of the winners were distinguished by their senior graduate student level of research, their deep understanding of the project and agility in answering questions from the faculty panel. The top five finishers will serve as the student delegation from Tennessee at the National JSHS.

The Tennessee JSHS is sponsored and administered by the UT College of Arts and Sciences in partnership with the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, the College of Engineering, UT-ORNL Science Alliance and UT-Battelle. Additional funding is supplied by grants from the Academy of Applied Sciences and the General Bruce K. Holloway Chapter of the Air Force Association.

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C O N T A C T:

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

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has renamed two campus buildings that bore similar names, the White Avenue Building and the White Avenue Biology Annex, in order to clear up any confusion about their location and purpose.

The White Avenue Building is now Blount Hall, in honor of “Blount College,” the first name of the college that would later grow to become UT. The White Avenue Biology Annex, one block east, is now Senter Hall, in honor of Tennessee Governor DeWitt Clinton Senter (1869-1871), whose actions preserved the land grant status of UT.

While located on the same street, the two buildings serve very different purposes. Blount Hall houses the UT Knoxville Office of Research, the Sponsored Projects Accounting office and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS).

Senter Hall is currently closed and will be upgraded to provide space for the ion beam research of Governor’s Chair holder William Weber and wet lab research space for a variety of projects.

For more information, call 974-3061.

KNOXVILLE — A University of Tennessee, Knoxville, student was recently reunited with his missing iPod, thanks to the UT Police Department’s (UTPD) Operation Identification Program.

First-year doctoral student Avik Mukherjee lost his iPod this past month. The 30GB iPod was turned into UTPD’s lost and found, where officers noticed it was engraved and registered with the Operation Identification Program.

The Operation Identification Program is a part of UTPD’s Community Relations Unit (CRU). The CRU’s mission is to provide community-based police service to the UT Knoxville community. Operation Identification has been in place for more than 15 years.

“UT faculty, staff and students can have their valuables engraved,” said Special Operations Lt. Emily Simerly. “Typically we will engrave iPods and computers, as well as bicycles.”

She recommends people have their driver’s license numbers engraved onto their valuables, although any information, such as names and code words specific to a person, can be engraved.

“If an individual doesn’t want to have their item engraved, we can place a tamper-proof sticker on it with a registration number, and we keep a detailed record of the serial numbers,” Simerly said.

CRU holds several well-publicized engraving events throughout the semester, including during Welcome Week and on Campus Safety Day. Also at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday there is an Operation Identification table set up in the Commons at Hodges Library to engrave items and provide information.

“Individuals also can call UTPD and scheduled an appointment with a CRU member to have their item engraved,” Simerly said. To contact UTPD about Operation Identification, call (865) 974-3111.

Mukherjee said he realizes the value of Operation Identification — especially since this was not the first time he’s lost an electronic device.

“At my previously institution I lost my laptop and it was not recovered,” he said.

“UTPD’s engraving service is really good. I am happy and thankful to have my iPod back.”

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C O N T A C T :

Jamil Price (865-974-9673, [email protected])

KNOXVILLE — Start with a gourmet dinner designed by some of the area’s finest chefs from locally grown and produced food.

Add a dash of entertainment and top it off with an auction of irresistible items.

Mix it all up and you’ve got Appalachian Spring, the eighth annual fundraiser that helps provide University of Tennessee, Knoxville, retail and hospitality students with an enriched education experience.

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Appalachian Spring, to be held at 6 p.m. on March 27 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 401 W. Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville.

A variety of pricing packages are available. For information and to reserve tickets, contact [email protected] or call (865) 974-6614.

John Antun, assistant professor of hotel, restaurant and tourism management and the founder and director of UT’s Culinary Institute, said the event — organized by students — is not only a wonderful evening out, but also an opportunity to provide significant assistance to students in the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management.

“This annual event gives our students hands-on experience in planning and running a high-profile, elegant event,” he said. Students in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism 435 operate as the event planners while students in Retail and Consumer Sciences 495 manage the auction, which will feature items including a cabin stay in the Smokies; a Gaylord Opryland getaway; a day in Lynchburg with a distillery tour, private tasting and dinner; diamond earrings; UT items and more.

Money raised through the event is used to support student participation in class field trips, internships, leadership and team-building courses, study tours and simulation exercises.

Last year’s event raised more than $45,000.

“Many deserving students would not have been able to take advantage of these opportunities without this level of support,” said Nancy Rutherford, professor and head of the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Several items on the reception menu have been inspired by Lynne Tolley, Jack Daniel’s great-grandniece and proprietress of Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Restaurant at the Jack Daniel Distillery located in Lynchburg. These menu items will use Tennessee ingredients, including Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Tolley, who is the author of four cookbooks, including her most recent, “Cookin’ with Jack,” will be demonstrating some of her award-winning recipes during the reception.

Chefs for the event include Holly Hambright, general manager of Nama, who is planning a trio sampler plate for the appetizer course; Peggy Hambright of Magpies Bakery, who is mirroring the appetizer course with a trio sampler dessert plate; Josh Feathers of Blackberry Farm who is offering the Farm’s Forever Roasted Pork Shoulder for the entree; and UT Gardens, which is custom growing greens for the salad course.

All items will be prepared by RHTM students with instruction and inspiration from the professional chefs.

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C O N T A C T :

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