The beginning of May brings; a professor in the UT College of Nursing selected as the recipient of the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award; a UTIA Food Scientist received the Alton E. Bailey Award; an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering is awarded the prestigious Dr. James C. Conklin Endowed Faculty Fellowship; an Extension forestry specialist with the University of Tennessee Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries is named 2020 Extension Forester of the Year; and the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence Professor and head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

One of the field sites for Jennifer Schweitzer’s research lies in a grove of trees near Yellowstone National Park.

Sometimes a researcher can search far and wide for the perfect collaborator, only to discover the ideal person in their own academic backyard.

Such was the case for Jennifer Schweitzer, professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Tennessee (UT), and Wellington Muchero, a plant geneticist in the Biosciences Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). They met about a year ago at a SPARKS event sponsored by UT’s Office of Research and Engagement (ORE).

Susan Kalisz, the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence Professor and head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is a newly elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences class of 2020.

“I am honored to join such a distinguished group of scholars and leaders in the arts and sciences,” Kalisz said. “It’s still a bit of a shock, but a wonderful piece of good news during the uncertain time we are all experiencing.”

The Academy announced its newest members April 23, 2020, with the election of 276 artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, non-profit, and private sectors.

The first half of April brings; five Goldwater Scholars to UT, ranking number one in the nation; eight UT students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships; a distinguished professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology receives more than $1.1 million in grants from the Army Research Office; two research projects selected to receive Engaged Scholarship Incentive Grants for fiscal year 2021; Tickle College of Engineering announces their 2020 Faculty and Staff Awards winners; and an interdisciplinary team from UT and the Firefighters Burn Center developed an app to meet recovery needs of burn center patients.