There’s been a lot to celebrate lately! A UT alumna was named a 2020 Rhodes Scholar—UT’s ninth; another student won UT’s very first Mitchell Scholarship; four faculty members received NSF Early Career awards; two faculty were named AAAS fellows; a UT professor is among the most highly cited researchers; the Haslam College of Business MBA program ranked 50th in the nation; two English professors received recognition for their work; and a former Earth and Planetary Sciences professor was posthumously honored with a special journal issue.
Haslam College of Business
Recognitions, October 30
UT Professor Awarded NIH MIRA Grant for 3D Genome Structure Research
A UT biophysicist has been awarded a $1.84 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institute for General Medical Science (NIGMS) to investigate how the 3D folded structure of the human genome reacts to physical stress in health and disease.
The award provides funding to operate Rachel Patton McCord’s lab and research program. McCord is an assistant professor in UT’s Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
NIGMS is among the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The MIRA program provides long-term stability—the funding is granted over five years—and allows for flexibility if the direction of a project shifts.
McCord’s project seeks to clarify the role of a chromosome’s structure in its biological response to physical stress, which can inform future disease diagnosis and treatment.
Recognitions, October 16
UT Human Development Specialist Recognized with National Excellence in Extension Award
Matthew Devereaux, interim assistant dean and head for UT Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, has been selected to receive the National Excellence in Extension Award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Cooperative Extension, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Devereaux’s research has focused on best practices for positively developing youth in afterschool settings. He will receive the award at a ceremony on November 10 in San Diego, California during APLU’s 132nd Annual Meeting. Photo by T. Salvador, courtesy UTIA.
A University of Tennessee Extension professional has been recognized by national organizations for his contribution to national Cooperative Extension programs. Matthew Devereaux, a human development specialist in Family and Consumer Sciences and interim assistant dean of UT Extension, has been honored with the National Excellence in Extension Award.
Recognitions, October 2
Tyvi Small Named Permanent Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement
Tyvi Small, vice chancellor for diversity and engagement, places his handprint on the Rock on February 20, 2019. Photo by Steven Bridges
Tyvi Small, who has been serving as the interim vice chancellor for diversity and engagement since December, will take on the role permanently.
“Tyvi has proven himself to be a compassionate, thoughtful, and creative leader who has built strong relationships based on trust and respect across our campus and the broader community,” said Chancellor Donde Plowman. “Through his experience as a first-generation student and his various roles on campus, he understands the importance that mattering and belonging play in student success.”
Recognitions, August 7
Student Spends Summer Assisting on New Knoxville Mural
Atop a scissor lift, senior Jody Lynn spent her summer roller painting and spraying the walls of Market Square’s parking garage.
She is one of nine artists working with Seattle-based artist Addison Karl on Knoxville’s newest public art featuring six faces of East Tennesseans. The project, which began July 1, wrapped up with a public unveiling Tuesday August 6.
As the only student artist assistant, Lynn was able to demonstrate the lessons she’s acquired in the classroom, while learning from practicing artists.
Two UT-ORNL Joint Faculty Members Receive Presidential Science Honor
Two researchers with UT ties have received a 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
David Cullen, a joint faculty member in the UT–Oak Ridge National Laboratory Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education and ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, and Kate Page of ORNL’s Neutron Scattering Division are among the more than 300 researchers and engineers from around the nation to be recognized with the award.
Page begins a joint faculty appointment with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in UT’s Tickle College of Engineering this month.
Established in 1996, the PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the US government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.
The recipients were honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC, on Thursday, July 25.
Behn Named to International Accountancy Board of Directors
Bruce Behn, associate dean for Graduate and Executive Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business, was recently appointed to the board of directors for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. The new board held its first meeting in late July.
The AICPA develops standards for audits of private companies and other services by CPAs; provides educational guidance materials to its members; develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination; and monitors and enforces compliance with the profession’s technical and ethical standards.
Haslam College of Business Ranked Among 10 Best for Business Analytics
Analytics Insight magazine named the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business as one of its “10 Most Prominent Analytics and Data Science Institutes” of 2019 in its July issue. Analytics Insight specifically credited Haslam’s Master of Science in Business Analytics program as immersing students in a one-of-a-kind, real-world capstone course experience that will enable the next generation of data scientists to lead forward-thinking organizations’ business analytics operations.
“This ranking speaks to our faculty’s commitment to preparing our students with the necessary technical and soft skills to seamlessly transition from the classroom to the business world,” says Michael Galbreth, head of the Business Analytics & Statistics department and Pilot Corporation Chair of Excellence. “Our students graduate fully capable of analyzing big data sets and communicating analytical results in nontechnical, business-specific terms.”