Tennessee Today » Lola Alapo

News Sentinel: Kids learning to eat healthier: UT center throws garden party

Lola Alapo — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:21:19 +0000

To eat healthier, the children and staff at UT’s Early Learning Center have begun growing a lot of their own food. They want the school’s new kitchen garden to be a model for the community and a training ground for early childhood educators on gardening with young children and families. The News Sentinel highlighted the school’s efforts in this story.

New Norris House’s Top Ten Green Projects Award Featured Nationally

Lola Alapo — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:51:32 +0000

The New Norris House has been named one of the nation’s top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE).

The honor has garnered national recognition for the house and the College of Architecture and Design in several major publications including:

ARCHITECT: Projects You Should Know: The 2013 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Projects

Gizmodo: The Systems that Power the Year’s Most Sustainable Buildings

Knoxville News Sentinel: New Norris House: Energy, efficiency, with warmth and charm

Metropulse: UT’s College of Architecture and Design Recognized for ‘Green’ House

Scientific American: Top 10 Green Buildings Improve Surrounding Environment and Users’ Health

US Building Digest: AIA Selects 2013 COTE Top 10 Green Projects

Wired: Vintage Breweries, Salvaged Wood: This Year’s ‘Greenest’ Buildings Are Surprisingly Hip

WSJ: The Smorgasbord That Thinks It’s a Weight-Loss Plan

Lola Alapo — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:54:38 +0000

A growing number of people are heeding popular nutritional advice and have traded in the traditional breakfast-lunch-and-dinner lifestyle for a daylong stream of mini meals.

The Wall Street Journal features the research of Hollie Raynor, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition, that looks into whether eating frequent small meals has any specific weight-loss benefits.

Read the story here (subscription required).

Cesar’s Way: Frazzled by Finals? De-stress with Fido

Lola Alapo — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:53:13 +0000

Cesar Millan, better known as the Dog Whisperer, has featured the Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT) program and the role its animals will play in helping students relieve stress during finals week.

The article also highlights their upcoming visit to the UT Libraries. The HABIT dogs remain one of the campus’s more popular finals week activities. The animals will be visiting several locations across campus that week.

Established in 1986, HABIT is a volunteer project including people from the community, representatives from the College of Veterinary Medicine, and private practice veterinarians.

Read the Cesar’s Way article here.

To learn more about HABIT, visit the website.

UT Gardens Designated Tennessee’s Official Botanical Garden

Lola Alapo — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:12:45 +0000

Governor Bill Haslam has signed a bill designating the UT Gardens the official botanical garden for the Volunteer State.

The UT Gardens are operated by the UT Institute of Agriculture and can be found in three locations: the UTIA campus in Knoxville, the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson, and the recently added location at the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center in Crossville. The new location is to be formally announced Friday at the Cumberland County 2013 Flower and Garden Show.

For more information, visit The Chattanoogan.

WBIR-TV: In-depth: Benefits of outdoors

Lola Alapo — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:54:06 +0000

WBIR-TV Channel 10 featured the research of UT professor Dawn Coe about the benefits of playing outside for young children. Her research examines the differences in children’s energy levels when they play on a natural playground that incorporates elements like logs and flowers compared to a traditional playground with metal equipment.

Coe is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies. View the story here.

McClung Museum to Host Family Day for Turkomen Exhibit April 13

Lola Alapo — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:28:07 +0000

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture will host a free day of jewelry making activities as well as demonstrations, and museum tours for families, on Saturday, April 13.

The event, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., will include a tour given by museum educators of the current temporary exhibit, ”Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia.” Educators will also provide instruction for a jewelry-making activity for children ages 10 through 14 and local jewelry maker Nancy Fischer will be on hand to demonstrate jewelry-making techniques.

The exhibit showcases elaborate silver and gilt jewelry, carpets, and clothing from the Turkomen peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. All supplies for making the craft will be provided, and children will be able to take their project home. No reservations are needed.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free parking will be available in front of the museum and in adjacent lots. The museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu.

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CONTACTS:

Abby Naunheimer (865-974-2144, anaunhei@utk.edu)

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Gift Puts Student Organization Closer to $300K Travel Endowment

Lola Alapo — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:45:07 +0000

An honors organization for UT business students is one step closer to its goal of establishing a $300,000 endowment that will cover expenses for its annual educational enrichment trip to New York City.

The UT Beta Alpha Psi chapter has received $75,000 from a charitable foundation managed by Michael Lobel, a 1971 accounting alumnus of the College of Business Administration. The gift is the first toward establishing the endowment, which will allow future classes of accounting, information management, and finance students to learn from business professionals in New York City.

Lobel is a New York native and a practicing certified public accountant in the city.

Once other interested donors have contributed the remaining $225,000, the endowment will cover the majority of travel expenses incurred by students during their stay in the city. The trip will include visits to the financial district, the New York Stock Exchange, and organizations such as the National Football League. For many of the junior and senior business students, the trip will be their first time traveling outside of the southeastern United States.

“I am very pleased to provide a New York City enrichment experience to deserving students from the university that gave me a terrific accounting education,” Lobel said.

For more information about the endowment or to contribute, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs in the College of Business Administration at 865-974-6083.

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CONTACT:

Meredith Hulette (865-974-7392, mhulette@utfi.org)

News Sentinel: Serving up thanks: UT culinary students treat West High teachers to tasty lunch

Lola Alapo — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:09:30 +0000

Students from the university’s culinary program catered a teacher appreciation lunch at West High School on Tuesday as part of their curriculum. They fed 120 staff members free of charge as they learned how to pull off an off-site catering event. They were featured in this News Sentinel story.

WSJ: Hard Math: Adding Up Just How Little We Actually Move

Lola Alapo — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:42:12 +0000

Americans are more sedentary than ever and that is a problem even among people who exercise regularly, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. The article features David Bassett, a professor in the UT Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Studies. Bassett notes that Americans on average take 5,117 steps a day. A good daily goal, by contrast, is 10,000 steps, which could result in modest weight loss, improved glucose tolerance in people at risk of developing diabetes and other benefits, Bassett says.

News Sentinel: Boyd Venture Fund winners target campus market

Lola Alapo — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:04:00 +0000

College campuses are prime target markets and hotbeds of potential innovation, according to student entrepreneurs selected as winners of grants from the Boyd Venture Fund at UT. The News Sentinel featured the two winners, InHouse GFX and Adams Innovation, in this story. Both companies were founded on the UT campus and initially found success targeting the student market.

NPR: 5 Jazz Christmas Albums For 2012

Lola Alapo — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:09:31 +0000

National Public Radio highlights five jazz Christmas albums for 2012 and the one from UT musicians tops the list. Christmas Time is Here is an album by the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. The orchestra is led by Vance Thompson, a UT lecturer of jazz trumpet. It also features Gregory Tardy, UT assistant professor of jazz saxophone and a renowned saxophonist. See the story here.

News Sentinel: Elite Korean athletes at UT for unique program

Lola Alapo — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:39:15 +0000

The News Sentinel featured the Next Generation Sports Talent (NEST) program, which is training 19 South Korean athletes to become sports ambassadors. The athletes, ranging from Olympic gold medalists to world champions, are spending the next few months at UT. Read the story here.

WBIR: East Tennessee possible impact from “fiscal cliff”

Lola Alapo — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:11:37 +0000

The term “fiscal cliff” is becoming part of our vocabulary. However, whether or not we go over it, East Tennessee could see an impact. Bill Fox, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research, gave five reasons why East Tennesseans should care about whether or not lawmakers cannot agree to help solve a $1.1 trillion deficit. Read the story here.

WBIR: UT program gives students with intellectual disabilities chance to attend college

Lola Alapo — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:01:11 +0000

WBIR Channel 10 takes a look at UT’s FUTURE program, an initiative that gives students with intellectual disabilities the chance to attend college. The program began last year at UT through a grant from the US Department of Education. Students attend specialized classes and audit one academic and one physical education class per semester. “They don’t necessarily have to have a high school diploma, they don’t have to meet the eligibility requirements of the university, it’s a different process for them to apply, but they’re gaining so much from the two years experience here,” said Liz Fussell, the program’s director. View the story here.

WATE: UT researchers find natural playgrounds more beneficial to kids

Lola Alapo — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:55:38 +0000

The results are in from a new playground safety study at UT which shows that natural playgrounds with logs and flowers are more beneficial to children than traditional playgrounds that have big, brightly colored plastic or metal equipment. WATE Channel 6 featured the research of Dawn Coe, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, in this story.

Coe found that kids use their imaginations more in the natural setting to do activities. She added that natural playgrounds are more cost effective than traditional ones because the elements cost less and more students can use them at one time.

Metro Pulse: Knoxville’s Resurgent Classical Music Scene

Lola Alapo — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 21:00:31 +0000

The Metro Pulse featured the UT School of Music in this article about its role in the resurgence of Knoxville’s classical music scene.

Wired: If You Spank, Don’t Console

Lola Alapo — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 18:32:08 +0000

A UT study suggests that communicating with children positively after spanking them can cause them to exhibit depressive symptoms. The report, which was featured in this Wired magazine article, was published recently in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health journal. The study was done by Paula Fite, former assistant professor of psychology, and Amber Wimsatt and Jamie Rathert, both graduate students in psychology. The study posits that having a parent who is the source of both stress and comfort may confuse children.

Vote and Help UT Win Southern Living’s ‘South’s Best Tailgate’ Title

Lola Alapo — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:49:19 +0000

Calling all Volunteers: help Rocky Top win the South’s Best Tailgate distinction.

Vote online and via smartphone daily between now and October 1 to help Rocky Top clinch the top spot. Saturday votes will count twice. We’re in the running against nineteen other schools to win Southern Living magazine’s “The South’s Best Tailgate” title.

Visit Southen Living to vote, or use your smartphone with a data plan to scan your favorite school’s QR code featured in the September 2012 issue of Southern Living magazine. You will be sent to a mobile web page where you can complete the entry form and vote for your favorite school.

From the Vol Navy to the elaborate cookouts and Big Orange fare, Tennessee is certainly a favorite stop for football fans across the nation.

Southern Living will crown the winner at a home game by November 10.

The magazine has named UT among the top twenty schools with the best tailgating celebrations. The university was lauded for its “sailgate,” the collection of 150 houseboats and yachts that dock on the nearby Tennessee River prior to home football games.

Universities vying for “The South’s Best Tailgate” title were selected based on four criteria—most spirited: schools that turn “fan” into “fanatic;” traditionalists: schools renowned for game-day rituals; powerhouses: Southern schools with a history of winning on and off the field (chosen by the most bowl victories); style setters: from sundresses to cake stands, these schools showcase true splendor in the grass.

Southern Living for the first time ever also has partnered with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to publish The Official SEC Tailgating Cookbook. It was released today, just in time for the first games of the 2012 football season.

The 256-page cookbook features more than 150 game day recipes and special sections highlighting each of the fourteen SEC schools’ game day traditions, character, and hometown flavor.

Game day menus in the book include Rocky Top Popcorn and Smoky Chicken Panini with Basil Mayo from UT.

Upgraded Humanities and Social Sciences Building Prepares to Open

Lola Alapo — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:41:20 +0000

Students starting class next week will find a newly remodeled Humanities and Social Sciences Building, complete with more modern furnishings and high-tech facilities.

The building features newly configured classrooms with brightly colored chairs that are set on wheels and spin in all directions, smart boards, new carpet, and fresh paint with bold accent walls.

New lounge spaces, new seating lining the hallways, wireless networks throughout, charging stations for electronic devices, and upgraded lighting will be available in the building.

It also will have a dining facility, courtesy of Aramark, which will open up to a patio that includes exterior gathering space.

HSS underwent a $4 million renovation this summer in an effort to improve learning and foster more student interaction.

The new classrooms will allow students to easily break into small groups or move seats into a circle for a class discussion.

The upgrades affect every student on campus because no student graduates without taking at least one class in the building. About 20 percent of all UT classes are taught there, and several hundred instructors use it each semester.

The project was a collaborative effort between the Classroom Upgrade Committee, Facilities Services, the College of Architecture and Design, and the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center.