The start of a new year brings additional recognition and awards for UT faculty, staff, and students: Music student named Marshall Scholar; Assistant Art Professor receives a Creative Capital Award; History professor honored with the James Henry Breasted Prize; Distinguished Professor of Anthropology receives the Patty Jo Watson Award; Nuclear engineering doctoral students recognized for outstanding scientific excellence; Four student researchers from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science received awards at SC20; Child and Family Studies doctoral candidate awarded the Wesley Burr Graduate Student Scholarship. Continue reading
Department of Child and Family Studies
Harper Taps Training and Support to Fund STEM Education Research

Frances Harper presents preliminary robotics work at the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators conference in February 2020.
Frances Harper first tapped into the programs and services available through the Office of Research and Engagement at a new faculty orientation event in 2017. Three years later, that early connection has paid off—literally—with a recent $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Computer Science for All program. Continue reading
UT Study: How Happy Couples Argue
In marriage, conflict is inevitable. Even the happiest couples argue. And research shows they tend to argue about the same topics as unhappy couples: children, money, in-laws, intimacy.
So, what distinguishes happy couples? According to “What are the Marital Problems of Happy Couples? A Multi-method, Two-Sample Investigation,” a study published this August in Family Process, it is the way happy couples argue that may make a difference.
Learn more at news.utk.edu.
Natural Play Spaces Can Benefit Children’s Health, UT Study Finds
Playgrounds that mimic the natural environment have physical and mental benefits for preschool children, according to a study published last month in Children, Youth, and Environments and coauthored by professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.