The beginning of August brings exciting honors and funding awards for UT staff and students: UT Extension Staff Member Receives American Society of Animal Science Honors; Nuclear Engineering Assistant Professor Receives NRC Faculty Development Grant; Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Distinguished Professor Honored by the ASABE; UT Alumna Appointed President of Alumni Board of Directors; UTIA Professor to Serve on AAEA’s Board of Directors; Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Honored by AISC.
UT Extension’s Jennie Ivey Honored by American Society of Animal Science
University of Tennessee Extension staff member Jennie L. Ivey has received a national honor for her work in equine nutrition and management. Ivey, associate professor in the Department of Animal Science and Extension equine specialist, has been recognized by the Southern section of the American Society of Animal Science with the 2021 Extension Award. The award recognizes a member of the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science who has made an outstanding contribution to animal science programs in Extension.
Sobes Receives NRC Grant for Faculty Excellence
Vlad Sobes, assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, recently received a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Faculty Development Grant award to develop junior faculty members to achieve excellence in research, teaching, and service. Sobes will use the funds to support graduate student research in the area of analysis of advanced nuclear reactor safety. The award of $450,000 was one of 30 grants to 26 academic institutions that totaled almost $10.7 million.
UTIA’s Robert Burns Recognized Nationally for Engineering Contributions
Robert Burns, distinguished professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, has been recognized with the top honor from the Structures and Environment Division of the American Society for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers. Established in 1988 and endowed by the family of Henry Giese, the award commemorates Giese’s lifelong accomplishments in farm building design, research and teaching. It recognizes outstanding and meritorious achievement in advancing the knowledge of science of agricultural structures and environment, to include rural human housing.
J. Phenise Poole Named President of the Alumni Board of Directors
The UT Alumni Board of Directors has instated J. Phenise Poole (’95) as its president for the next year and inducted 12 new members. Poole’s term began in July, succeeding Phil Jacobs (’77), and she will be the first African American woman in the leadership role. Jacobs will continue on the board as its immediate past president. Poole graduated from UT’s College of Communication and Information prior to obtaining her law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law and entering the legal profession. She is currently deputy general counsel and a senior vice president at Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati, Ohio.
UTIA Professor to Serve on AAEA’s Board of Directors
Andrew Muhammad, professor and Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy, has been elected to serve on the board of directors for the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA). Established in 1910, AAEA has 2,500 members in more than 60 countries and serves economists from universities, federal agencies and nonacademic organizations. Research generated by its members is often tapped by decision makers at federal agencies, consumer, industry groups and more.
Denavit Among Top Professionals Honored by AISC
Mark Denavit, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was among the top twelve leaders across the structural steel design, construction, and academic communities honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) in 2021. Denavit received the Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty Award for demonstrating promise in the areas of structural steel research, teaching, and other contributions to the structural steel industry.