Destination Imagination (DI), a nonprofit organization that provides learning opportunities to enrich the global community, will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary at Global Finals. This is the fourteenth year Knoxville has hosted the creative thinking and problem-solving competition for kindergarten through university-level students.

“We are busy preparing to host more than 14,000 visitors from around the world at Knoxville and the UT campus. It is an honor for our community to be selected year after year as the site for this prestigious event. I know first hand how DI changes lives and prepares students to succeed in our modern world,” said Robert Gibbs, executive director of UT Conferences and Noncredit Programs. “Our goal is to join with Destination Imagination to provide our visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Teams selected from more than 15,000 attempting to qualify will present the projects created during their regional competitions. In addition to the presentations, teams will compete in open-ended challenges during the week-long competition. Such challenges require teams to solve problems using a holistic approach of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) knowledge; improvisation; theater arts; writing; project management; communication innovation; teamwork; and community service.

In addition to the challenges, Global Finals will offer a glimpse at the future of technology at the Innovation Expo. This year’s Expo will feature twenty-three activities that include 3M’s Duct Tape Playground and Data Wind’s first US preview of the world’s least expensive tablet.

Founded in 1982, Destination Imagination has impacted more than a million students.

For more information, visit the Global Finals website.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

The program, which is also a research project, is geared toward children who have completed grades three through five but are reading below grade level. To be eligible, children must have received free or reduced-price lunch during the 2012-2013 school year.

The initiative is being offered by the faculty and students in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education’s Special Education Program and the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling. They are partnering with the Korn Learning, Assessment, and Social Skills (KLASS) Center.

Parents whose children meet the project criteria and who are interested in having their children take part may call 865-974-6177 to schedule an appointment.

The project has two parts. In early June, children whose parents agree they can participate will receive reading assessments from UT graduate students in special education and school psychology. Once assessments are complete, children who qualify will be assigned to either a books or tutoring group.

Half of the children will receive eight free books of their choice at a book fair when they are given their reading assessments.

Beginning in mid- to late June, children must agree to read one book per week for eight weeks and keep a reading log. They also must be willing to participate in follow-up reading assessments in late July.

The other half of the children will participate in tutoring for ninety minutes every day for about four weeks, from July 1 to July 26. No tutoring will be held on July 4 and 5.

Parents must provide transportation and the children must be available to attend all four weeks of tutoring. Children whose families have vacations or other activities that will keep them from participating will not be included in the tutoring project.

Reading tutoring will be provided by newly trained special education teachers under the supervision of Sherry Bell, a professor in special education, and Melissa Martin, a graduate student in special education.

Arrangements for dropping children off, picking them up, and parking will be made by the staff of the KLASS Center.

A summary of children’s assessment scores both before and after the books or tutoring will be provided to parents.

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CONTACTS:

Sherry Bell (865-974-4154, sbell1@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

An acrylic painting of a snowy egret by artist Sandra Blair.

Paintings, sculptures, and graphics celebrating the timeless appeal of birds are the focus of a new exhibit that opens Saturday, May 25, at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture.

The touring exhibit, Birds in Art, runs through August 18. It features sixty works created in the past two years by artists from around the world.

Since 1976, the annual Birds in Art exhibition has presented some of the best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. From the plumed whistling duck to the colorful Amazonian parrot, these works represent numerous species and explore environmental issues—such as climate change—affecting birds today.

Several free exhibit programs are planned. They include a Birds in Art Stroller Tour for parents, caregivers, and their children at 10:00 a.m. on June 17.

A Birds in Art Family Activity Day will be held at 1:30 p.m. on June 22. It will feature bird-related activities and tours.

From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on June 1, the museum will commemorate its fiftieth anniversary with a community birthday celebration. The event will feature family activities, including one themed around the Birds in Art exhibition, as well as refreshments.

The Birds in Art exhibit is presented by the First Tennessee Foundation, the Henley W. and Peggy H. Tate Museum Fund, and the Ardath and Joel E. Rynning Museum Fund. Additional support is provided by the Arts and Heritage Fund, Knox County, and the City of Knoxville.

The exhibition is organized by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin.

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and 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. The museum is closed on Memorial Day and on July 4. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

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

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

During the various training scenarios, officers placed in response teams encountered violent, dynamic situations. Active shooters, improvised explosive devices, and fatally wounded ‘victims’ were several of the elements the teams negotiated.

Many of the response teams were comprised of officers from different local law enforcement agencies.

“Training together prior to an emergency enhances our ability to respond effectively when an actual situation occurs,” said UTPD Chief Troy Lane. “Realistic training to prepare emergency responders is an invaluable tool.”

UTPD hosts exercises like these to prepare a response to a potentially violent situation on campus.

“Joel has done a great job as interim CIO while leading our Knoxville central IT unit through a strategic reorganization period,” said Chris Cimino, vice chancellor for finance and administration. “I’m pleased that he will continue to manage our information technology resources on a permanent basis.”

“This is a great honor,” said Reeves. “I’d like to thank Chris Cimino for his continued support, our customers for their input, and most of all the staff of OIT, whose hard work and accomplishments are what allowed me this opportunity.”

Reeves began working at the university as a computer programmer in 1986 after graduating from UT with a degree in finance. He rose through the ranks, moving into systems analyst positions in Knoxville and leading the implementation of the Banner student information system at three UT campuses across the state. In 2009 he was named associate chief information officer for the university-wide administration, and then became interim CIO for UT Knoxville in 2011.

Reeves was selected by his peers to receive the Tennessee Higher Education Information Technology Distinguished Service Award in 2011, and is a 2007 graduate of the UT Leadership Institute.

As assistant vice chancellor and CIO for UT Knoxville, Reeves will oversee a 200-person information technology staff that supports campus infrastructure, enterprise applications, instructional technology, and client support.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)

The tour, which will focus on the Battle of Fort Sanders, will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the foyer at the museum on the Knoxville campus. It is part of a monthly series of free tours that allow parents and caregivers to interact with one another and museum staff without the worry of disrupting other visitors.

All tours will be led by museum educators and will take place in a different gallery each month, exposing guests to a variety of the McClung’s exhibitions and collections. The tours will last about thirty minutes with fifteen minutes of time for questions.

Next month’s tour is June 17 and will focus on the upcoming special exhibit Birds in Art.

The tours are free and open to the public but are first come, first served and require registration. For more information, contact Abby Naunheimer at 865-974-2144 or anaunhei@utk.edu.

In the future, registration will open one month before each tour.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive. The grassy area in Circle Park in front of the museum offers a great place for rest and play before or after tours.

Photography is welcome in most museum galleries. Restrooms are equipped with a changing station. A service elevator is available for those with strollers to go downstairs. Food and drinks are not allowed in the galleries.

The museum’s exhibits include archaeology, ancient Egypt, decorative arts, the battle of Fort Sanders, geology, and fossils. Admission is free.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

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

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

The series brings experts on various areas of government, accounting, business, and law to the UT campus to present to and interact with undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, and community business leaders.

The UT Corporate Governance Center is a national leader in conducting and disseminating research on aspects of corporate governance. The center’s work focuses on governance issues that have a public policy focus (such as a board of directors’ corporate audit committee, compensation committee, and nominating committee) and institutional shareholder activism.

PwC’s Center for Board Governance helps directors effectively meet the challenges of their roles by sharing leading governance practices, publishing thought leadership materials, and offering forums on current issues. The center’s partners and professionals also meet regularly with boards of directors, audit committees, and executives to share insights into significant governance challenges and developments.

“It is an honor for the UT Corporate Governance Center to be associated with PwC,” said Joe Carcello, the center’s director of research. “Its sponsorship will allow the center to continue exposing students, faculty and the surrounding business community to outstanding speakers in the future.”

Mary Ann Cloyd, leader of PwC’s Center for Board Governance, said: “We are excited to support the Corporate Governance Center in its efforts to improve the dialogue around corporate governance. The job of serving on a board is more challenging than ever and directors remain in the spotlight with scrutiny from shareholders, regulators, and other stakeholders.”

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CONTACT

Joe Carcello (865-974-1757, jcarcell@utk.edu)

Two years ago, UT chapter members traveled to Uganda to help students at an orphanage and school plant a garden so they could have a constant food supply.

Their desire to help combat extreme poverty has led Nourish International members from UT to Uganda and Peru. This summer, it’s taking them to Guatemala.

The group, which left today, will spend six weeks working with the Guatemalan organization Unidas para Vivir Mejor (UPAVIM), which seeks to empower the women of Guatemala through programs including education, employment opportunities, day care, and health care services. The organization’s name translates to “United for Better Living.”

UT’s Nourish chapter is teaming up with the Indiana University chapter for this trip. Seven of the 10 students on the trip are from UT.

Amber Donaldson, president of the UT chapter, said they chose to work with UPAVIM this year because several group members were interested in working in a Spanish-speaking area—but more importantly, they were impressed by the organization’s goals.

“This organization works within an at-risk community to address some of the major issues facing global poverty, such as lack of education and lack of women’s empowerment initiatives, in a very practical, sustainable way,” she said. “Nourish International seeks to help eradicate global poverty through projects that address both of these issues.”

Nourish International was founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003 and now has twenty-nine chapters nationwide. UT’s chapter formed three years ago.

The national office pairs chapters based on their needs. Working with Indiana, Donaldson said, will allow the two chapters to pool their resources.

Jennifer Smith, past leader of the UT chapter, works at a Nourish International fundraiser on campus.

Last year, UT Nourish members helped fund community development projects, such as improving water sanitation, in Cerro Blanco, Peru. The year before, they traveled to Uganda to help students at an orphanage and school plant a garden so they could have a constant food supply.

Donaldson said she enjoys the freedom Nourish gives its chapters, allowing them to choose service projects based on members’ interests and encouraging them to find creative ways to raise money.

More than anything, though, working with Nourish gives her a sense of accomplishment.

“As a student, it is easy to feel insignificant when it comes to making measurable changes in the outside world,” she said, “but Nourish gives students an outlet to come together and have a positive impact on the fight to end global poverty and implement projects that have a lasting effect, which is truly amazing.”

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)

Alldredge is the senior associate director of undergraduate admissions at Oklahoma State University (OSU), where she has worked since 2006.

“Kari has strong experience in outreach, recruiting, and marketing at a large public land-grant institution. Her abilities will greatly benefit our Office of Undergraduate Admissions,” said Richard Bayer, assistant provost and director of enrollment services. “I think she will bring an energy and passion to the job that will make her a vital part of our team.”

At OSU, Alldredge led an admissions team that welcomed the school’s largest class ever. She helped reverse a six-year trend of declining enrollment and increased campus tour numbers by 80 percent. She worked with departments across the OSU campus to develop a collaborative recruitment community. She was also part of creating an award-winning marketing program targeting prospective students and their families.

“I’m very excited about coming to UT in because of its genuine commitment to access as a land-grant institution,” Alldredge said.

“With enhanced marketing efforts, we were able to really transform how we communicate with students at OSU, and I see similar efforts are at work at UT. I look forward to being part of the team,” she said.

Alldredge has a bachelor’s degree in public communication from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in strategic communication and leadership from Seton Hall University.

She will fill the position that’s been vacant since Vern Granger left a year ago for another job.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

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 school is inviting the community to a garden party from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, at 1206 White Avenue.

The Early Learning Center provides full-day early education programs for families of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. It also is a research and practice laboratory for UT students and faculty.

“We have been working with our own menu for the last couple of years trying to move back to more whole foods and off processed foods as much as possible,” said Kathy Kidd, a program director at the learning center and a lecturer in the UT Department of Child and Family Studies. “Our chef, George Lovell, is working to continually improve the quality of our offerings for the children.”

The students are gaining gardening experience as they tend to veggies and herbs in their pizza garden, which includes tomatoes, basil, onions, green peppers, oregano, and mushrooms.

They’re also growing beans, artichokes, eggplants, and a variety of tomatoes, herbs, and lettuces.

“The children can cut the herbs and experience that smell,” Kidd said. “What they grow will be incorporated into their menu.”

The kitchen garden was funded through a $15,000 grant from the UT Alliance of Women Philanthropists. The money is being used for extensive landscaping and repurposing a previously underused area of the center’s grounds for the garden, Kidd said.

To learn more about the UT Early Learning Center, visit the website.

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Kathy Kidd (865-946-4093, kkidd@utk.edu)

“It was confirmation that architecture was for me,” she said. “The camp exposed me to UT’s space and curriculum, so I felt comfortable here as a freshman.”

Cagle and nine other former campers graduated this weekend from the UT College of Architecture and Design. They are among the students who attended the very first Design Matters camp after it was established in 2008.

The week-long overnight summer camp gives high school students the opportunity to learn innovation and invention skills. It also gives them an understanding of how design impacts invention and human experience. They gain an in-depth look at life as a university student.

This year’s camp will be June 16 through 21.

Besides Cagle, other former campers and now newly minted UT alumni are Forrest Reynolds, a dual major in engineering and architecture, who was a central designer of the UT Haiti Project; Emily Barnett and Caroline McDonald of the Interior Design Program; Ashlynne Camuti, Leslie Hood, Brandon McCloy, Kirsten Reed, and Frannie Robinson of the School of Architecture; and Sarah Howell, a dual major in architecture and engineering.

“These students represent some of the best of our graduating class,” said Matt Hall, an associate professor of architecture and program director of Design Matters. “The camp encourages imagination, innovation, and collaboration to solve problems. It promotes students to transform their ideas into spaces and products that affect people’s everyday lives.”

Cagle, who plans to attend a two-year Bible college in California and then eventually work as an architect, noted that the students in her class were instrumental in her positive experience at UT.

“We supported one another through good times and bad,” she said. “The community we had here is unparalleled.”

To learn more about the Design Matters Camp, visit the College of Architecture and Design’s website.

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C O N T A C T:

Kiki Roeder (865-974-6713, kroeder@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Alumna Margaret Scobey, former US Ambassador to Egypt, spoke to students Friday morning at the College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony.

More than 3,730 undergraduate and graduate students received degrees from the university last week. Thirteen ceremonies took place between Wednesday, May 8, and Saturday, May 11, and featured a wide variety of speakers imparting their wisdom to these newly-minted UT alumni.

Below is a collection of the words of wisdom shared by this year’s commencement speakers.

• “I’d like to share a quote from Benjamin Franklin that I find very appropriate in our careers. ‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’ I challenge you to remember this quote every time you step onto the job. Not only are we going to be nurses, but we will also be educators and it is our responsibility to involve them in their care.” – Erin Peterson Shook, member of the graduating class, speaking at the College of Nursing commencement ceremony.

• “You have earned more than a degree here today. You have gained admission to a vast network of Volunteers. Alone you can accomplish a lot. With this network, you can accomplish anything.” – Dwight Hutchins, global managing director for Accenture, Health and Public Service Strategy, 1986 chemical engineering graduate, speaking a the College of Engineering commencement ceremony.

• “Sometimes you can take a wrong attitude and turn it into a right attitude and it can change your life. Find your niche. Take your opportunities and you’ll be surprised at what will happen in your life.” – Former Olympian Missy Kane, 1978 physical education graduate and 1984 masters recipient, speaking at the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences commencement ceremony.

• “The more high-tech we become, the more high-touch we must be. Relationships are what matter, not transactions. So no matter how much technology or facts surround you, be sure to touch and engage each person along your path.” – Monica Langley, senior special writer for the Wall Street Journal and a 1980 journalism graduate, speaking at the College of Communication and Information commencement ceremony.

• “You are going to get to choose two things when you leave here. You are going to get to choose your standards for living and you are going to get to choose your standard of living…But I have seen a lot of people along life’s way who prioritize their standard of living above their standards for living…In every case, I have every seen, they blow themselves up. So I am going to encourage you to put your standards for living above your standard of living.” – Donnie Smith, president and CEO of Tyson Foods and a 1980animal science graduate, speaking at the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources commencement ceremony.

• “It doesn’t matter whether you studied history or geology or chemistry or Greek or whatever. Hopefully you now have an intellectual framework that allows you to acquire new information, assimilate it to what you know, and to change your assumptions and perceptions when new information requires it. Take with you the friends you have made here. With luck you will continue to expand that circle of friends. But there is no substitute for the friends of your youth. You’ll also have a friend in the university. No matter where I went in the world, and I went to some pretty remote places, the first piece of mail I ever received inevitably came from the UT Alumni Association. I’ve always thought that if Osama Bin Laden had gone to UT, it would not have taken so many years to find him.” – Margaret Scobey, alumna and former US Ambassador to Egypt and longtime diplomat. Speaking at the College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony.

• “Life can certainly have its share of difficulties, but it’s really not all that complicated. It’s doing the simple things well that generate success.” – Mark Emkes, Tennessee Commissioner of Finance and Administration and retired chairman, chief executive officer and president of Bridgestone Americas Inc., speaking at the College of Business Administration commencement ceremony.

• “There will probably come a time when each of you will be challenged to act with courage when confronted with a dilemma (involving the rule of law). Rather than wait for that opportunity, I hope you will search for it and will seize it.” – Lamar Alexander, US Senator from Tennessee and UT president from 1988 to 1991, speaking at the College of Law commencement ceremony.

• “Begin each day just pledging to do your best. That’s all we can do. We’re human. Forgive yourself when things don’t turn out the way you expect. Because, believe me, sometimes they won’t…The two things most important things you can give people—it’s not the education you can spew out at them; of course that’s important—but it’s your time and your word. Those are two things that will get you anywhere you want to go in this profession.” – Dr. Patricia Sura, who previously served as an assistant professor of surgery at the College of Veterinary Medicine, speaking at the college’s commencement ceremony.

• “Let us hold fast to the friendships we formed and relationships we established during the time in this college. Let us become the leaders that will shape a better tomorrow. And, above all, let us use the tools and strategies that we have learned to become change agents who will make a difference in the world. We have made it this far, but we have so much farther to go.” – Mira Hanna, member of the graduating class, speaking at the College of Social Work commencement ceremony.

• “For some of you, today may mark the end of your formal education but whether you know it or not, another phase of your education is about to begin. I’m talking about learning more than you ever thought possible about fields outside your own—learning someone else’s ropes. To be good at what you do, you need to have a pretty good handle on what (your clients) do.” – Robin Klehr Avia, regional managing principal and chair of the board at global design firm Gensler, and a 1976 graduate in interior design, speaking at the College of Architecture and Design hooding ceremony.

That may change this summer when she spends eight weeks in Nizwa, Oman, on a US State Department Critical Language Scholarship.

Critical Language Scholarships give college students the opportunity to study abroad and take intensive courses in languages US student don’t often study—non-Western European languages that are crucial to US foreign relations. This year, the State Department awarded 610 scholarships in thirteen languages. The selected students represent all fifty states, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, and come from 200 different institutions. The scholarships provide funding for travel, housing, meals, and other expenses.

Awad, a Haslam Scholar, grew up in Knoxville, but her father is Palestinian. She just completed her second semester of Arabic at UT. She had known about the Critical Language Scholarships for several years, but almost didn’t apply for one.

“I didn’t think I’d get the scholarship as a freshman,” she said.

She learned about them while studying Chinese at Hardin Valley Academy. Then, as part of the Haslam Scholars Program, she took a course on national scholarships with Nicole Fazio-Veigel, assistant director of UT’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships, who encouraged her to apply.

Awad applied to study Arabic and was then placed in at the University of Nizwa, one of seven locations where Critical Language Scholarship winners can study Arabic.

While there, she’ll have class four hours a day, five days a week, and about four hours of homework each night. On nights and weekends, she will do some sight seeing locally and meet members of the Nizwa community, with whom she can practice speaking.

She will be in Oman during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which she says will be “a really cool time to be in the Middle East.”

She hopes she’ll be able to visit family in Abu Dhabi before returning to the United States.

The Critical Language Scholarship Program is administered by American Councils for International Education and The Ohio State University. For more information about the program or other exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit clscholarship.org or exchanges.state.gov.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)

Doug Blaze, left, dean of the College of law, bestows an honorary Doctorate of Law hood on John Seigenthaler while Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek looks on.

The university awarded renowned journalist John Seigenthaler an honorary doctorate today at the College of Law’s commencement ceremony.

This event was a highlight of a full week of ceremonies, which conclude Saturday. View a full schedule of events here. More than 3,730 undergraduate and graduate students are receiving degrees this week.

The College of Law ceremony also featured Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, who provided the keynote address. Today’s ceremony marks the fifth honorary degree to be awarded by the UT Knoxville campus and the first from the College of Law.

Seigenthaler is a well-known champion for First Amendment rights. A Nashville native, he is chairman emeritus of the Tennessean newspaper and founding editorial director of USA Today. He also founded the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and now serves as the center’s senior advisory trustee.

“John Seigenthaler embodies what it means to be an American,” Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said. “His incredible and storied life serves to remind us all about the precious freedoms we all enjoy as US citizens.”

Cheek said the Nashville native “embodies the Volunteer spirit through his words, his service and his commitment to truth, equality, and justice.”

Seigenthaler said he was humbled to receive the honor and to share the occasion with the college’s new graduates.

“I hope that you will commit your own lives to practicing the law and to pursue the ideals to make it a more livable and a more lawful society,” Seigenthaler said.

See an archived video of the ceremony here.

UT Knoxville also has given honorary degrees to Howard H. Baker Jr., Dolly Parton, Al Gore and Charles O. “Chad” Holliday.

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C O N T A C T :

Karen Simsen (865-974-5186, karen.simsen@tennessee.edu)

Jason Hayward, UCOR Faculty Fellow in Nuclear Engineering, will receive $750,000 over five years starting in July.

The award is granted to researchers in universities and the department’s national laboratories. It supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by the department’s Office of Science.

The sixty-one selectees for 2013 were chosen based on peer review of about 770 proposals.

Hayward, who holds a joint faculty position with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was selected for his research that will improve the resolution and cost of instrumentation for neutron imaging. Neutron imaging is a powerful tool used to investigate materials in applications such as medicine, fuel cells, energy and hydrogen storage, and nuclear technology.

“Neutron imaging is an all-around better tool compared with X-rays to look at structures that have low mass, perhaps even cellular structures like cancer outgrowth in the body,” said Hayward. “The resolution must be high enough to observe what’s happening at the cellular level, though.”

Hayward’s research aims to visualize complex processes by shrinking the position resolution of neutron imaging to a micrometer, compared to the more commonly achieved position resolution of tens to thousands of micrometers in imaging instruments. The change would be akin to improving the available megapixels by at least ten times in a digital camera image. Hayward will also aim to decrease image exposure time. He will design, fabricate, and test his high-resolution neutron imaging detectors to see features in objects such as next-generation batteries and fuel cells. A successful outcome would add capabilities to ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source.

“Dr. Hayward’s radiation instrumentation research has enabled solutions to important nuclear security and safeguards problems,” said Wayne Davis, dean of the College of Engineering. “This award allows him and his students to shift their focus toward basic research that supports neutron imaging for neutron science facilities.”

Hayward is a top recipient of research awards in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, which is the sixth-ranked graduate program in the nation, according to US News and World Report. Since arriving at UT in 2008, he has been awarded close to $9 million in research funding.

Hayward received his PhD in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences at the University of Michigan in 2007.

For more information about the Early Career Research Program, visit the US Department of Energy website.

UCOR is a partnership between URS, a worldwide leader in environmental work, and CH2M HILL, the United States’ largest environmental company. UCOR is committed to the long-term success of cleanup operations at the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation and also performs work at other DOE Oak Ridge Reservation sites. For more information about UCOR, visit www.ucor.com.

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C O N T A C T :

Whitney Heins (865-974-5460, wheins@utk.edu)

UT Ambassadors held a surprise party for Robert “Taylor” Thomas, center, when he gave his 300th campus tour.

He knows that the only two graves on UT’s campus belong to dogs and that the most popular class on campus is the History of Rock n’ Roll.

Robert “Taylor” Thomas knows dozens of fun facts about UT.

Thomas, who graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences today with a degree in philosophy, has learned many things at UT. But as a UT Ambassador, he has taught many things as well.

UT Ambassadors are the student liaisons and tour guides for prospective students and their parents who are visiting campus.

Thomas made sure his tours were filled with useful—and quirky—information about UT.

“The Torchbearer’s torch went out once when LSU fans put a jack-o-lantern on it. Another time its arm fell off. Also, in 1974, a public streak was held on Cumberland Avenue after Walter Cronkite named Knoxville the ‘Streaking Capital of the World.’ That’s why we call Cumberland ‘The Strip.’ Those are just some of my favorites,” Thomas said.

Thomas, of Lexington, Tennessee, has given more than 300 campus tours, setting what is believed to be a nationwide record for campus tours.

“My job meant everything to me. Getting on that bus and seeing people’s faces—it was a fun time. I was here to get an education, but being a student ambassador was a very special part of my college experience.”

Thomas applied to be a UT Ambassador at the end of his freshman year. After a year of being an Ambassador, he applied for a leadership position.

“I asked him how he would gain the respect of upperclassmen who had been in the program longer,” said Laura Stansell, assistant director of admissions. “He paused, then said, ‘Well, I don’t speak up a lot, so I like to think that when I do, people listen.’ How right he was!”

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

Growing up in Panama, he saw the lawlessness of dictator Manuel Noriega’s regime. And, he said, the fall of the dictatorship in 1989 is etched in his memory.

“Coming to law school is, in a way, coming back to that and remembering that it’s important for a country to be ruled by law,” he said.

Yunsan moved to the United States in 1994 for school. He has lived in the Knoxville area for the past nineteen years.

“I became an adult here,” he said. “Knoxville is home now.”

He has a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a master’s degree in nutrition and public health, both from UT. He worked in public health for eight years before entering law school.

The Knox County Health Department sponsored Yunsan when he went to work for them so he could become a permanent resident of the United States. Previously, he had been in the country on student and work visas.

At first, he wanted to study law so he could work on health policy and “make a larger impact on people” than he could in public health, he said. Once in law school, he discovered “law has a lot of exciting areas to go into.”

He chose UT’s advocacy and dispute resolution track. Once he graduates, he’ll be working for the office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz PC in Knoxville. He will split his time between commercial litigation and civil defense.

He lives in West Knoxville with his wife, Paromita, who is from India.

“Our house is very international,” he said. “Our dogs are Australian shepherds.”

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)

Holly Gary (865-974-2225, hgary@utk.edu)

The three-year award provides Tricia Stuth a stipend of $25,500 to be used at her discretion. Stuth is an associate professor in the College of Architecture and Design. She is a licensed architect.

The award is named for Knoxville native James R. Cox, whose gifts to the university through his sister and nephew, Charlotte and Jim Musgraves, helped establish the professorships in 2002 for faculty in the arts, theater, biological and physical sciences, architecture, and forestry studies. Recipients are chosen by a committee for their excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

“Professor Stuth’s nomination is an indication of the high regard in which she is held by her colleagues, those who served on the selection committee, and the university,” Provost Susan Martin said.

Stuth’s passion for architecture began in the eighth grade when her school required both boys and girls to enroll in home economics and industrial arts. She learned about craft in the wood shop and designed her first house—complete with a budget constraint.

She’s since moved on to more prominent roles. Stuth, along with Robert French, an adjunct associate professor of architecture, led the design, construction, and evaluation of the New Norris House, which is now one of the most energy-efficient homes in Tennessee. It recently was named one of the nation’s top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE).

The New Norris House is also one of the first in Tennessee to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes platinum certification from the US Green Building Council. The house was developed by UT students in conjunction with Stuth and other UT faculty members.

“I am truly honored by the awarding of the Cox Professorship,” Stuth said, noting that the award will support continued research on the design of sustainable housing.

Stuth and her husband, Ted Shelton, an associate professor of architecture, also have designed and built two homes in North Knoxville and preserved a third.

The project, Ghost Houses, drew the attention of international architecture and design publication Dwell. The homes were featured in the magazine last year. The project also received an American Institute of Architects National Small Projects Award.

Stuth is director of her college’s Design/Build/Evaluate Initiative (DBEI), a multi-disciplinary learning program. She spearheaded successful efforts last year for the initiative to be co-funded by the UT Office of Research.

Over the last three years, Stuth and her collaborators have received national awards including the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture’s National Design/Build Award and an honorable mention for the main award given by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. She also received the New Faculty Teaching Award given jointly by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the American Institute of Architecture Students.

Previous recipients of the Cox Professorship include Nate Sanders, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Beauvais Lyons, a professor in the School of Art.

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CONTACT:

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lola.alapo@tennessee.edu)

The first Aloha Oe was held in May 1926 on Shields-Watkins Field and featured a muddy game of tug-of-war, students in grass skirts, and ukuleles. It has since become a more formal ceremony, with students dressed in caps and gowns, processing up the Hill to the lawn of the campus’s hallmark building. Despite the changes, the ceremony’s purpose remains the same: to give the graduating seniors a meaningful conclusion to their undergraduate years.

Former Volunteers quarterback and current Assistant Athletic Director Condredge Holloway was the guest speaker. Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek and Melissa Shivers, assistant vice chancellor for student life, also spoke. Outgoing Student Government Association president Adam Roddy and outgoing chief of staff Allison Cunningham addressed their fellow students as well.

Visit Flickr to see more photos from Aloha Oe.

But he made it, and today, thirty-two-year-old Amos graduates from UT with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.

Amos graduated from Central High School in Knoxville in 1999 and enrolled in Pellissippi State Community College.

After a year, he decided to leave school and work.

“I wanted to challenge myself in other ways and explore alternate business opportunities,” he said.

He got a job in cellular telephone sales, eventually moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, and being promoted to director of training.

He wanted more, “but I quickly discovered that without a bachelor’s degree, my options were limited,” he said.

In 2009, a decade after graduating from high school, Amos—divorced and with a young son—moved back to Knoxville and re-enrolled in Pellissippi State.

“I was determined to get the degree because I realized it was the only path to a better life for me and my son,” he said.

After two years, Amos transferred to UT.

He juggled classes with being a full-time dad and working full time, first doing maintenance for an apartment complex and later returning to cellular telephone sales.

Amos said it’s taken a lot of perseverance to finish college after so many years.

“It doesn’t matter when you start, just finish,” he said.

And commencement is just the beginning.

He recently got engaged. He’s planning a tour of the Pacific coast with his father. And, with his degree in hand, he’s looking forward to what the future brings for himself and his six-year-old son, Hayden.

“I want Hayden to grow up understanding that some things are worth the wait. It’s taken me longer than I expected to finish my degree, but it’s definitely been worth it,” he said.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, Charles.primm@tennessee.edu)