There is much to celebrate as February comes to a close! This week’s recognitions include: Lab Manager Adrian Gonzalez joins TNI’s Chemistry Expert Committee; Celeste Carruthers is the first woman chosen as Editor-in-Chief of the Economics of Education Review; Oak Ridge National Laboratory and joint faculty member at UT awarded a grant of nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation; a 2019-2020 Tennessee Architecture Fellow wins a 2020 national AIA/ACSA Housing Design Education Award; and Professors in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences received their AAAS rosette pins at the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. Continue reading
Environmental Engineering
Recognitions, October 28
Please send faculty, staff, and student recognitions to Erin Chapin (erin.chapin@utk.edu).
- Joshua Emery, Lawrence A. Taylor Associate Professor of Planetary Science, has co-authored a study that detected potential water on Psyche, the largest metallic asteroid in our solar system and the target of a proposed NASA mission. The study was published in the Astronomical Journal under the auspices of the US Geological survey and NASA. Continue reading
Bacteria the Newest Tool in Detecting Environmental Damage
The reaction most people have when they hear the word bacteria is rarely a good one.
While it’s true that food- and water-borne bacteria cause untold illnesses and even death around the world, a team of researchers from UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has found a way to use bacteria to help prevent some of the very symptoms most people associate with them.
Continue reading
UT Groups Use Research, Heart to Improve Appalachian Region

Homeowners are challenged by leaking roofs, aging construction, and mold.
UT students and professors from various disciplines are working together to make an Appalachian community a safer and healthier place to live—and serve as a model to help other communities like it.
Clay County, Kentucky, ranks near the bottom for the state’s major health indicators, including obesity, infant mortality, and disability. In rural areas, clean water is hard to come by, flooding is common, and mold is ubiquitous.
Nursing professors and students in the Global Disaster Nursing program, with their counterparts in architecture, environmental engineering, and the Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC) based in UT’s Institute for Public Service, are working with community partners to improve the area’s community wellness and disaster preparedness.
Continue reading at tntoday.utk.edu.