The beginning of February brings additional recognition and awards for UT faculty and alums: EECS Professor named director of National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office; College of Nursing clinical assistant professor selected for NLN Lead Program; UT staff member helped invent new solar technology; Aerospace engineering student earned a scholarship from the American Association of University Women; East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center employee honored with 2020 Director’s Award; Industrial engineering and mathematics major received Black Engineer of the Year Award’s (BEYA) Student Leadership Award; School of Art faculty exhibiting around the country; Five CEHHS alums and students received Teacher of the Year honors.
Parker Continues AI Leadership as Director of a New National Office
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has named Professor Lynne Parker as the founding director of the new National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office. She will lead the organization in overseeing and implementing the national US artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
The office will be a central hub for federal coordination and collaboration in AI research and policy making—throughout the government, private sector, academia, and with other stakeholders—to ensure and sustain US leadership in this field.
Brown Chosen by the National League for Nursing for Lead Program
Kimberly Brown, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN, clinical assistant professor at the College of Nursing has been selected through a competitive application process for the National League for Nursing’s year-long Lead program, one of three tracks in the NLN Leadership Institute, an initiative of the NLN Center for Transformational Leadership under the direction of Janice Brewington, PhD, RN, FAAN. Now in its 10th year, Lead is designed for nurses in education and practice who have recently been challenged with rapid transition into leadership positions, those in leadership positions who desire a formal leadership program, and those emerging and aspiring to lead.
Local partnership results in creation of new solar charging technology for robotic mowers
The latest Inventor Spotlight from UTRF features a UT staff member that sought to solve a problem at work and ended up co-inventing a technology with a local solar company that may unlock new possibilities for the future of electrification. Matthew Layne, co-inventor of a patent-pending, solar-powered charging station for robotic lawnmowers called Powershed, is the Turf Manager for UT Knoxville, where he maintains over 900 acres of property both on and off campus. In addition to his full-time job, Matthew is also pursuing a master’s degree in the Department of Plant Sciences.
Kumpatla to Receive American Association of University Women Scholarship
Sreya Kumpatla, a sophomore in aerospace engineering, earned a scholarship from the American Association of University Women to attend their May 2021 conference.
Kumpatla, no stranger to being accredited with numerous awards, is a Peyton Manning Scholar and currently serves as an ambassador for the Tickle College of Engineering. She is also involved in many numerous organizations on campus. She currently serves as the aerospace engineering ambassador for the Society of Women Engineers on campus. Along with that, she is also the elementary education chair for the event Tomorrow’s Engineers Today.
East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center Employee Honored
University of Tennessee AgResearch recently presented a 2020 Director’s Award for Outstanding Professional Service to Brandon Beavers, farm manager at the East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center’s Blount Unit. The award honors UT AgResearch employees who exhibit outstanding support service.
Beavers, a resident of Blount County, has worked at the center since 2001 and has managed the Blount Unit since July 2008.
Howell Earns Prestigious BEYA Student Leadership Award
Congratulations are in order for Ka’Darell Howell, junior industrial engineering and mathematics major. She is the recipient of the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Student leadership award.
These awards are bestowed annually each February to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of science, engineering, technology and math professionals across college campuses, focusing on accomplishments of students on minority campuses across the nation.
School of Art Faculty at Work
Outside of the classroom, professors in the School of Art are practicing artists, art historians, and filmmakers. Their works can be seen locally, nationally, and internationally. See upcoming locations where our faculty are exhibiting, presenting, and screening.
CEHHS Alums Named Teachers of the Year
Five Theory and Practice in Teacher Education (TPTE) alums and students have been named Teacher of the Year at their schools:
- Sarah Edge: Austin-East Magnet High School
- Amanda Danson: Hardin Valley Academy
- Stephen Blythe: L&M STEM Academy
- Elizabeth Evans: Grand Oaks Elementary School
- Katherine Beeler: Adrian Burnett Elementary School