Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue
Faculty and Student Recognitions

Recognitions, April 14

The first half of April brings additional recognition and awards for UT faculty, staff, and students: faculty, staff, and students celebrated at Chancellor’s Honors Banquet, engineering students earn top spots at the 18th annual TLSAMP Awards; plant sciences faculty receive award for COVID-19 communication; CGE announces 2021 McClure and Mae Scheib Scholars; students earn accolades from 2021 South East Journalism Conference; CCI dean named 2021 Broadcast Education Association’s DESA winner; Professor Emerita receives AAG Lifetime Achievement Award; geography faculty honored with Sustainability Science Award; chemistry professor wins 2021 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy award.

2021 Torchbearers stand with Chancellor Donde Plowman at the banquet

Faculty, Staff, and Students Celebrated at Chancellor’s Honors Banquet

The Chancellor’s Honors Banquet is held each spring to recognize students, faculty, staff, and friends of the University of Tennessee for their extraordinary achievements. The top student honor presented is the Torchbearer Award, which was awarded to six seniors for their academic achievement, leadership, and outstanding service. Top faculty award recipients include:

  • Macebearer: Thura Mack
  • Alexander Prize: Kristina Gordon
  • Jefferson Prize: Jessica Grieser
  • L. R. Hesler Award: David Keffer

In addition, to these awards, the Chancellor’s Honors Banquets recognizes faculty, staff, and students in the areas of leadership, scholarship, excellence in research, mentorship, diversity and inclusion, and customer service. ORE’s own Allyson Graves, from the Office of Sponsored Programs, won the 2021 Extraordinary Customer Service Award, which is given to a university employee who is consistently optimistic and serves students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors with great care.

Read more about all of the students, faculty, and staff who received awards at the Academic Honors Banquet and Chancellor’s Honors Banquet.


Engineering Students Earn Top Spots at the 18th Annual TLSAMP Awards

Three students from the Tickle College of Engineering earned top awards at the 18th Annual TLSAMP Conference. TLSAMP, the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, is a collaborative effort sustained by a coalition of six colleges and universities in Tennessee. The program’s goal is to increase the enrollment and graduation rate of underrepresented students (Hispanic, African-American, American-Indian, Alaskan Native, and Pacific Islander) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).


Plant Sciences Faculty Receive Award for COVID-19 Communication

Two UT Department of Plant Sciences faculty earned the Blue Ribbon Extension Communication Award from the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science for their publication Operation of a Garden Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic.


CGE Announces 2021 McClure and Mae Scheib Scholars

The Center for Global Engagement has selected seven UT students as the recipients of the McClure Scholarship and two UT students for the Mae Scheib Scholarships. The scholarship programs support undergraduate and graduate students in their international projects, aiming to promote global education and international research. The scholars will receive up to $5,000 to aid their global projects and research.


JEM Students Earn Accolades from 2021 South East Journalism Conference

Students from the UT School of Journalism and Electronic Media walked away with multiple awards in South East Journalism Conference competition. Best of the South awards are given for a body of journalistic work completed in the past academic year in competition with 30 SEJC member colleges and universities. SEJC is a primarily academic organization composed of more than 31 member colleges and universities in all states across the Southeast, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.


Wirth Presented with 2021 BEA Distinguished Education Service Award

Michael O. Wirth, professor and dean of UT’s College of Communication and Information, has been named the 2021 Broadcast Education Association’s Distinguished Education Service Award (DESA) winner. The DESA is awarded to an individual who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the American system of electronic media education.


Professor Emerita Carol Harden received AAG Lifetime Achievement Award

Carol Harden was recently honored with Lifetime Achievement Honors by the American Association of Geographers (AAG) for her contribution to advancing geography’s role in the natural sciences. Each year, the AAG recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement or welfare of the profession. Harden is currently the Chair of the Geographical Sciences Committee and a Member of the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, both for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).


Tran, Kim Honored with Sustainability Science Award

Professor Liem Tran and Associate Professor Hyun Kim, both in the Department of Geography, are part of a team who received the Ecological Society of America Sustainability Science Award for their paper “US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy.” The Sustainability Science Award recognizes the authors of the scholarly work that makes the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences.


Sharma Announced Winner of 2021 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy

Bhavya Sharma, assistant professor, has been named the winner of the 2021 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award. Selected by an independent scientific committee, the Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Award recognizes the achievements and aspirations of a talented young molecular spectroscopist who has made strides early in his or her career toward the advancement of molecular spectroscopy techniques and applications.