You can post your own shout-out to your favorite faculty member on the Faculty Shout Out Page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WukyFSfaAnw

UT’s Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature helps people discover the best new books for children and teens. Center director Miranda Clark helped compile this list of books that will help kids learn about various winter holidays.

The newer books, which are noted, can be viewed at the CCYAL on the fourth floor of the Communications Building or accessed through the center’s collection on GoodReads.

Other books come at the recommendation of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, which was one of the nation’s first centers dedicated to children’s literature.

“They are a well-recognized source of expertise in the world of children’s literature,” Clark said. “Our center recommends CCBC as a source for retrospective bibliographies on a variety of topics.”

Hanukkah stories

While the Candles Burn: Eight Stories for Hanukkah by Barbara Diamond Goldin (ages 8 to 11). Eight stories about Hanukkah— one for each night. Covers many aspects of Hanukkah without too much repetition.

Just Enough is Plenty: A Hanukkah Tale—Barbara Diamond Goldin (ages 5 to 11). Malka’s family invites a stranger to celebrate with them and finds he has some surprises for them.

Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights—Leslie Kimmelman (ages 2 to 4). A family celebrates each night of Hanukkah differently.

The Hanukkah Hop!—Erica Silverman (ages 3 and up). Rachel and her family prepare for a lively Hanukkah celebration. In the center’s collection.

It’s A Miracle! A Hanukkah Storybook—Stephanie Spinner (ages 4 to 8). Owen gets to light his family’s menorah each night, and each night his grandmother tells another story about a family member.

Kwanzaa stories

Seven Candles for Kwanzaa—Andrea Davis Pinkney (ages 3 to 9). Shows contemporary American families celebrating Kwanzaa in ways children will recognize.

The Sound of Kwanzaa—Dimitrea Tokunbo (ages 4 to 8). Introduces each of the seven principles of Kwanzaa with a definition and example.

Kwanzaa: A Family Affair—Mildred Pitts Walter (ages 9 and up). Interprets the background, principles and symbols of Kwanzaa through one family’s celebration.

Multicultural and historical Christmas stories

Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama—Selina Alko (ages 5 and up). Sadie’s family celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas and has twice the fun. In the center’s collection.

Home for Christmas—Jan Brett (ages 3 and up). This Scandinavian-style holiday tale is about Rollo, a mischievous young troll with little patience for doing chores, who runs away from home and encounters a series of animal families, with whom he lives and plays. In the center’s collection.

Going Home—Eve Bunting (ages 5 to 9). Carlos learns about his heritage on a Christmas trip to Mexico.

Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas—Pauline Chen (ages 8 to 10). Peiling convinces her family to celebrate Christmas, but it doesn’t go quite the way she planned.

Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be—John Harris (ages 4 and up). Fictional, but inspired by actual facts, this is the story of James Pierpont, music director at the Unitarian Church in Savannah in the 1850s, and what may have inspired him to compose this famous holiday song. In the center’s collection.

What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals—John Langstaff (ages 3 and up). Biblical quotes match up with African-American songs to tell the Christmas story.

Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting—Jim Murphy (ages 12 and up). Tells the story of the 1914 Christmas truce during World War I through background and first-hand accounts.

A Midnight Clear: Stories for the Christmas Season—Katherine Paterson (ages 12 to 16). Twelve contemporary stories explore Christmas themes like love, giving and pilgrimage.

Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas—Michael J. Rosen (ages 7 to 11). A Jewish boy and an African-American woodcarver become friends and share their cultures.

The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree—David Rubel (ages 5 and up). Combines the Rockefeller Center celebration with Habitat for Humanity through the story of a man who donates trees for both. In the center’s collection.

Tree of Cranes—Allen Say (ages 5 to 7). A Japanese boy learns about Christmas from his American mother; two stories about promises overlap.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales—Dylan Thomas (ages 8 and up). Thomas, an acclaimed poet, tells stories from his childhood Christmases.

—

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 university-wide fall commencement ceremony is set for 9:00 a.m. Saturday, December 15, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The university will honor alumnus Charles O. “Chad” Holliday, chairman of the board of Bank of America and former CEO of DuPont, with an honorary doctorate in engineering. He will be the featured speaker.

Several graduate hooding ceremonies will take place Friday across the campus. All ceremonies are being webcast.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday, December 14

College of Business full-time MBA Hooding Ceremony, 10:00 a.m., Alumni Memorial Building Cox Auditorium. Watch online.

College of Business Executive MBA Hooding Ceremony, 1:00 p.m., Alumni Memorial Building Cox Auditorium. Watch online.

Graduate Hooding Ceremony, 4:30 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena. Watch online.

Saturday, December 15

Fall Commencement, 9:00 a.m., Thompson-Boling Arena. Watch online.

Friday’s graduate hooding ceremony and Saturday’s commencement ceremony will be shown on UTTV, the campus television channel. UTTV is channel 65 on campus and channel 194 on Comcast digital cable.

For more information, including details on parking, visit the commencement website.

—

C O N T A C T :

Karen Simsen (865-974-5186, karen.simse@utk.edu)

Watch her commencement address below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuOm2lLIOoU

Parton appeared on Good Morning America Tuesday to talk about how her commencement address became a book. Watch the interview and a musical performance here. She also was interviewed on NPR’s Talk of the Nation and appeared on The Colbert Report.

Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You is now available in bookstores and online. All sales will benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a nonprofit organization that promotes early childhood literacy by offering free books to children in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Sarah Hillyer is director of the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society. She and co-founder Ashleigh Huffman have the big idea of using sport as a tool for personal and community development.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTwcZC1cIQg

Howard Hall, a Governor’s Chair professor of nuclear security, has the big idea to take UT’s capabilities and apply them to the challenge of global nuclear security.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQdFtmjaYHw

Peyton Manning, a 1997 communications graduate, shares his big idea of providing leadership and growth opportunities to at-risk children through his Peyback Foundation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Sn3moamFg

They join the Hopecote guest house as the three UT buildings listed among the 113 Knoxville-area properties on the register.

Ayres Hall

Ayres Hall is a four-story, brick and limestone building, long recognized as a campus icon. Completed in 1921, the building has 88,256 square feet and sits atop The Hill, just south of Cumberland Avenue. Ayres Hall is one of Knoxville’s oldest and best examples of the Collegiate Gothic style, which is derived from the architecture used at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England, but updated and combined with elements of the local landscape.

The building is named for Brown Ayres, UT’s twelfth president, who served from 1904 until his death in 1919.

Due to lack of funds, some elements of the original design such as the clock faces on the bell tower, a plaza on the north side of the building, and a wing on the southeast side of the building were omitted. A few alterations to the interior of the building were made in the decades that followed, and an elevator was installed in 1983. Over time, however, the building gradually deteriorated, and eventually the fourth floor was closed due to safety concerns.

In 2008, Ayres Hall closed for a $23 million renovation project. The building reopened in 2010 with a north-side plaza, clock faces on the bell tower, updated flooring and fixtures, new energy efficient windows and lights, a new HVAC system, and additional elevators. Classroom upgrades included additional wireless Internet access points, classroom glassboards, and collaborative student work spaces. The renovated fourth floor features meeting rooms and a lecture hall for the mathematics department, extra attic storage, and mechanical space.

The renovation maintained the original grandeur of the building and preserved many original construction materials. It also enhanced the building’s energy efficiency, resulting in a LEED Silver certification by the US Green Building Council.

Tyson House

Tyson House is a three-story, brick, 16,338-square-foot building at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Volunteer Boulevard which houses the offices of Development and Alumni Affairs. It is one of Knoxville’s last examples of the Neoclassical “Colonial Classic” style developed by famed local architect George Barber.

The home was built in 1895 as a Queen Anne-style, two-story frame house for Knoxville businessman James M. Meek. Later that year, the Meek family was forced to auction the home and adjacent land. The top bidder at the auction was Bettie Tyson, wife of military veteran and entrepreneur Lawrence D. Tyson, who was serving as UT’s military commandant.

While at UT, Lawrence Tyson earned a law degree, and after passing the state bar exam in 1896, he joined a Knoxville law firm. In 1903, he was elected to the Tennessee state legislature and served one term as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Upon her father’s death in 1907, Bettie Tyson came into a large inheritance. She hired Barber to remodel the Meek House and landscape the grounds. According to the nomination, she “wanted something grand that would reflect the Tysons’ social position of Knoxville’s most affluent family.”

Barber expanded the outer walls, added a third-story ballroom and banquet room, and redesigned the exterior and the adjacent land to resemble the homes and gardens of Genoa, Italy.

News of the Tysons’ remodeling project was featured in the May 12, 1907, issue of the Knoxville Journal. “Tyson’s present home is undergoing vast improvements, which he is making at an unlimited expense,” it read.

The remodeled home, completed in 1909, featured a balustraded terrace with flower-filled urns along the northwest and northeast sides of the house, an expanded front entrance with full-height portico with Doric columns, and gardens to the west designed to “create a rich and impressive effect inviting visual exploration.” The gardens were the setting for pageants and other cultural and social events.

Lawrence and Bettie Tyson lived in the house until Lawrence died in 1929 and Bettie died in 1934. The next year, the Tysons’ daughter, Isabella Tyson Gilpin, donated the house and grounds to St. John’s Episcopal Church for use as a student center. The church sold the house to the university in 1954, and it was used as office space for the agricultural extension office and the art department. The old terraced gardens were converted into a parking area for employees. In 1982, the Office of Alumni Affairs moved into the house, and the university extensively renovated the structure, converting most of the rooms into offices and workspaces.

Ayres Hall and Tyson House were approved and listed on the National Register on August 1.

—

C O N T A C T :

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

The UT team of graduate human resource management students—Jeffrey Arnold of Middlesboro, Kentucky; Paresh Patel of London, England; Kate Reiger of Maryville; Sarah Higgins of Knoxville; and Qi Fu of Beijing, China—competed against fifty students from fifteen universities. They were coached by Debbie Mackey, director of the UT Human Resource Management master’s degree program.

The team won $3,000 and a chance to compete in the national Society of Human Resource Management Student Conference in June.

“We are very proud of our exceptional team,” Mackey said. “Jeffrey, Paresh, Kate, Sarah, and Qi Fu were well-prepared, professional, and extraordinarily articulate, and the achievement was overwhelmingly theirs.”

The students will graduate from the Master’s in Human Resource Management program in 2013.

Each team was given a complex human resources problem that could address a variety of areas, including employee and labor relations, workforce planning, compensation and benefits, or strategic management.

“This competition revealed the prestige and competitive advantage that the UT Human Resource Management program gives students to succeed and excel,” Mackey said. “The knowledge gained in my classes greatly assisted our team in winning.”

The team had four hours to prepare a fifteen-minute PowerPoint presentation and a two-page document that was presented to a panel of human resources professionals from across the Southeast. Each team was evaluated 60 percent on its oral presentation and answering the judges’ questions and 40 percent on its written paper. The top two team finalists also presented to everyone attending the conference.

“This is the first time that a graduate team from UT has participated, and it was exciting to win first place,” Mackey said. “Our students expertly applied their classroom skills to the challenge.”

Funding for the trip was provided by the Tennessee Valley Human Resource Association, the local professional division of the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Tennessee State Society for Human Resource organization.

—

CONTACTS:

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)

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

The University of Tennessee announced today that head women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, the all-time wins leader among NCAA basketball coaches, has been named head coach emeritus following 38 seasons (1974-2012) and 1,098 victories at Tennessee. Summitt will report to Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart and will serve in a variety of endeavors. In that capacity, she will continue to serve the women’s basketball program and its coaching staff and as a liaison to the Director of Athletics, remain involved in on-campus recruiting, and serve as a personal mentor to players, including life skills coaching.

Associate head coach Holly Warlick, an assistant on the Tennessee staff for 27 seasons and a three-time All-American as a player for the Lady Vols, has been named Summitt’s successor and will assume head coaching duties for the Tennessee women’s basketball program.

“I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,” said Summitt. “I support Holly Warlick being named the next head coach, and I want to help ensure the stability of the program going forward. I would like to emphasize that I fully intend to continue working as head coach emeritus, mentoring and teaching life skills to our players, and I will continue my active role as a spokesperson in the fight against Alzheimer’s through the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.

“If anyone asks, you can find me observing practice or in my office. Coaching is the great passion of my life, and the job to me has always been an opportunity to work with our student-athletes and help them discover what they want. I will continue to make them my passion. I love our players and my fellow coaches, and that’s not going to change.”

The all-time wins leader among college basketball coaches, Summitt finishes her 38-season career at Tennessee with a 1,098-208 record and an .841 winning pct. The Lady Vols won an unparalleled eight national championships under her leadership (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, and 2008) and played in 13 national championship games. Tennessee also won the SEC Championship and SEC Tournament title 16 times each, and Summitt was named SEC Coach of the Year eight times and NCAA Coach of the Year in seven seasons. Her sixth national championship team, the 1997-98 team, finished a perfect 39-0.

Additionally, the Tennessee women’s basketball team has reached the NCAA Final Four 18 times, tied with the UCLA and North Carolina men for the most all-time by a college basketball program. Summitt’s 18 trips to the Final Four is the most all-time among coaches, and her eight national titles trails only the 10 won by former UCLA coach John Wooden in Division I college basketball. Including the years as a member of the AIAW and four Final Four trips between 1977-81, Tennessee played in a combined 22 Final Fours overall during Summitt’s tenure. The program has appeared in 25 NCAA Regional finals, posting an 18-7 record, and the Lady Vols are 48-1 all-time in NCAA First and Second Round games.

“It is extremely difficult to adequately express what Pat Summitt has meant to the University of Tennessee, the sport of basketball, and the growth of women’s athletics nationally,” said Hart. “She is an icon who does not view herself in that light, and her legacy is well-defined and everlasting. Just like there will never be another John Wooden, there will never be another Pat Summitt. I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role. She is an inspiration to everyone.

“Holly Warlick has earned the opportunity to be the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee and to lead the Lady Vol program she has embraced as a player and a coach. I watched Holly grow tremendously as a coach throughout this past season. Under unique circumstances, the job she did away from the glare of the lights and crowds was as impressive as the job she did during game action. At this time in our historic program, which Pat Summitt built from scratch, Holly Warlick, the former player and longtime assistant coach, is deserving of the head coaching position. Her mentor will be available for insight and advice, but this is Holly’s team now.”

Warlick, who recently completed her 27th season as an assistant coach for Tennessee and her 31st overall with the program as a player or coach, is the first head coach of the Lady Vols other than Summitt since 1974, when Margaret Hutson completed a four-year tenure as the leader of the program (1971-74). Named associate head coach before the 2003-04 season, Warlick has been on the Tennessee coaching staff for all eight NCAA titles, and as a player or assistant, she has a role in 949 of Summitt’s 1,098 victories at Tennessee.

“I’m very thankful for all Pat Summitt has done to prepare me for this opportunity,” said Warlick. “She is my coach, mentor, and great friend, and I am honored with the opportunity to continue and add to the great tradition of this program. I’d like to thank Dave Hart, Chancellor Cheek, and the University for having confidence in me to lead the Lady Vol program, and we will work as hard as we possibly can with the goal of hanging more banners in Thompson-Boling Arena.”

Warlick originally joined the Tennessee athletics program as a scholarship 400-meter track athlete and a walk-on to the basketball team. A three-time All-American as a point guard at Tennessee, Warlick led Tennessee to three AIAW Final Fours as a player (1977, 1979, 1980) and held numerous school records upon the completion of her playing career in 1980, including most assists in a season and a game, most steals in a game, and most games in career. Warlick was the first Tennessee athlete, male or female, to have her jersey retired at the end of her career in 1980.

Warlick was inducted the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, and in October 2002, she was a member of the second induction class of the University of Tennessee Lady Vol Hall of Fame. She also served two seasons each as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech (1981-83) and Nebraska (1983-85).

Under Summitt’s leadership, Tennessee is the only school to appear in all 32 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournaments since its inception in 1982, Tennessee has posted more NCAA Tournament victories (112) and has played in more tournament games (135) than any other college basketball program. The Lady Vols have earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament 21 times, including nine consecutive from 1988-96.

Additionally, the Tennessee program has produced 12 Olympians, 21 State Farm All-Americans named to 36 different teams, including 2012 All-American Glory Johnson. Lady Vol players have also received All-SEC accolades on 120 occasions.

Summitt was the head coach of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Basketball team that captured the gold medal in Los Angeles. On Oct. 13, 2000, she was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility and was inducted along with former NBA greats Isiah Thomas and Bob McAdoo, high school coach Morgan Wootten and contributors C.M. Newton and Danny Biasone.

Summitt added to a remarkable career of accomplishments and accolades during the 2011-12 season, when she was named Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year, an honor she shared with SI Sportsman of the Year Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke men’s basketball head coach who has won more games all-time than any other coach in men’s college basketball. The NCAA also named Summitt this year’s recipient of the 2012 NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award, which is named after the 38th President of the United States and annually honors an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics over the course of their career.

A 1974 graduate of UT Martin with a degree in physical education, Summitt earned her master’s degree in physical education from UT Knoxville in 1975. Her son, Tyler, was a member of the men’s basketball team who graduates with a degree in communications studies from UT Knoxville this May.

The Pat Smmitt File

Career Record: 1,098 wins and 208 losses
Born: June 14, 1951 in Clarksville, Tenn.
Children: Ross Tyler Summitt, born Sept. 21, 1990

Education:

B.S., Physical Education, UT Martin, 1974
M.S., Physical Education, UT Knoxville, 1975

Playing Career:

1970-74 UT Martin
1973 U.S. World University Games Team
1975 Pan American Games Team
1975 World Championship Team
1976 U.S. Olympic Team (co-captain)

Coaching Career:

1974-2012, University of Tennessee Head Coach
1977 U.S. Junior National Team
1979 Pan American Games Team
1979, 1983 World Championships Team
1980 U.S. Olympic Basketball Assistant
1984 U.S. Olympic Basketball Head Coach

Tennessee Basketball Under Pat Summitt

.                           Regular            Post                 Overall

Year                     Season             Season             Record            Finish

1974-75               11-6                5-2                16-8               State

1975-76               12-8                4-3                16-11             2^nd State

1976-77               20-3                8-2                28-5               3^rd Final Four

1977-78               22-2                5-2                27-4               1^st AIAW Poll

1978-79               22-7                8-2                30-9               3^rd Final Four

1979-80               25-3                8-2                33-5               2^nd Final Four

1980-81               16-5                9-1                25-6               2^nd Final Four

1981-82               17-8                5-2                22-10             Final Four (3^rd)

1982-83               21-6                4-2                25-8               Regional Final

1983-84               19-8                4-2                23-10             Final Four (2^nd)

1984-85               18-9                4-1                22-10             Regional Semifinal

1985-86               21-8                3-2                24-10             Final Four (3^rd)

1986-87               22-5                6-1                28-6               NCAA Champions

1987-88               25-2                6-1                31-3               Final Four (3^rd)

1988-89               27-2                8-0                35-2               NCAA Champions

1989-90               23-4                4-2                27-6               Regional Final

1990-91               23-4                7-1                30-5               NCAA Champions

1991-92               24-2                4-1                28-3               Regional Semifinal

1992-93               27-1                2-2                29-3               Regional Final

1993-94               26-1                5-1                31-2               Regional Semifinal

1994-95               27-1                7-2                34-3               Final Four (2^nd)

1995-96               23-4                9-0                32-4               NCAA Champions

1996-97               21-9                8-1                29-10             NCAA Champions

1997-98               30-0                9-0                39-0               NCAA Champions

1998-99               25-2                6-1                31-3               Regional Final

1999-00               25-3                8-1                33-4               Final Four (2^nd)

2000-01               28-1                3-2                31-3               Regional Semifinal

2001-02               24-3                5-2                29-5               Final Four (3^rd)

2002-03               26-3                7-2                33-5               Final Four (2^nd)

2003-04               25-2                6-2                31-4               Final Four (2^nd)

2004-05               23-4                7-1                30-5               Final Four (3^rd)

2005-06               25-4                6-1                31-5               Regional Final

2006-07               27-2                7-1                34-3               NCAA Champions

2007-08               27-2                9-0                36-2               NCAA Champions

2008-09              20-9                 2-2                22-11             1^st Round

2009-10              27-2                 5-1                32-3               Regional Semifinal

2010-11               28-2                6-1                34-3               Regional Final

2011-12               21-8                6-1                27-9               Regional Final

 TOTALS            873-155          225-53        1,098-208

Jim Boyle, director of the Student Health Center, had the idea of bringing key student services under one roof. The new Student Health Building houses the Student Health Center; the Counseling Center; and the Safety, Environment, and Education (SEE) Center. The building opened in December and is located at 1800 Volunteer Boulevard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQK17YpgAXo

He got the idea after arriving in Kunming, China, on a research grant in 2005 and noticing the city was buzzing with e-bikes. He wanted to know why e-bikes were not as popular in the US and if a sharing system could work. He recruited the help of Stacy Worley and David Smith from biosystems engineering to build the system.

It was launched in the fall of 2011 on Presidential Court. A second system on the Agriculture Campus is expected to launch this spring.

An electric bicycle is a bike with an attached motor which activates when pedaling gets more difficult for the rider. The sharing station consists of an integrated bike rack with a battery-charging kiosk. The system is fully automated—users swipe their university ID cards to check out and return bikes to the station when finished. The pilot test is free to subscribers within the UT community.

The e-bike is heralded as an environmentally-friendly alternative to driving. Cherry says e-bikes could help solve three related problems in the US: environmental degradation that impacts public health, quality of life and economic security; over-reliance on insecure energy; and a public health crisis of obesity related to inactivity.

If successful, the e-bike system could be adopted into a full-scale program at UT.

The University of Tennessee’s safety webpage, safety.utk.edu, has been redesigned to focus on giving students, faculty, and staff a way to prepare for emergencies, and to deal with them once they happen.

The information on the site includes good safety habits and ways to quickly deal with emergencies as they unfold. The site is designed to help you make the best decisions possible to protect yourself, but there is no substitute for common sense and awareness of your surroundings.

For more information on personal safety, emergency preparedness, and occupational safety, visit safety.utk.edu.

In an effort to better connect the campus-wide effort with the people who work and live in buildings throughout campus, the university is establishing a network of Emergency Preparedness Coordinators.

These coordinators will receive training and act as liaisons between building occupants and the campus’s preparedness and response effort.

Help us build a resilient campus community. For details, download this document (pdf) or contact Brian Gard, director of UT Emergency Management, at 974-3061.

Extinguishers – There are nearly 6,000 fire extinguisher located in buildings on campus. Everyone should know the location of nearby extinguishers. The vast majority are of the ABC type, indicating they are effective against ordinary combustibles (wood, paper, plastic), flammable liquids and fire in and around electrical equipment.

Fire Plan – Each department should have a fire plan that is communicated to employees and periodically tested. These plans do not need to be extremely detailed, but should define roles, address fire barriers (e.g. doors), response to fires, provisions for the physically challenged, alarms, assembly points and more.

Fire Drills – Conducting a test or drill is important. It allows staff to practice how they would respond to an actual event, reinforces key points in the fire plan and should identify deficiencies. Drills are required by law in certain buildings on campus.

Fire Alarm Systems – Most buildings on campus have a fire alarm system that connects directly to Central Alarm. Pull stations are located near exits and are used to active the alarm. Many buildings with a fire alarm also have automatic detection (smoke detectors, heat detectors or a sprinkler system) that provides 24/7 coverage, plus early warning. Everyone should be familiar with the alarm system in their building, including its operation and the sound of the horns, bells or other audible signaling devices.

Assembly Point – A “head count” must be conducted after a building has been evacuated. Having a designated assembly point at least 200 feet away from the building is a must and it should not be located immediately adjacent to a building’s entrance.

Training – Information and training are key elements that connect all the topics listed above. There are a variety of options to obtain fire safety training at UT. Contact campus Environmental Health and Safety for details or assistance at 974-5084.

UT Alert allows students, faculty, and staff to be notified via text message to their mobile phone in the event of an emergency or campus closure. Last week, UT Alert subscribers were notified of the power outage to the southeast corner of campus. Messages also can be sent to a designated e-mail address or pager.

The system only is used for contacting subscribers with emergency information. It will not be used to distribute advertising or other unsolicited content.

Subscribers do not pay a fee to participate in UT Alert, other than the regular fees associated with their phone carrier’s text messaging plans.

You can sign up for UT Alert here. The UT Police Department will sign you up in person today at the following locations:

• 9:00-11:00 a.m. at the University Center second floor commons area outside the UT Bookstore Technology Center; and
• 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the University Center inside the Phillip Fulmer Way entrance.

For more information, visit utk.edu/utalert.

One key way to prepare for an emergency is to receive training. The university offers online training to all students, faculty, and staff. You can access these training opportunities by logging in to the UT Blackboard site at blackboard.utk.edu, then clicking on the “Emergency Preparedness” tab. If you have difficulty logging in, call the OIT HelpDesk at 974-9900.

Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek believes this training is important to the welfare of the campus community, and has asked everyone to take the training. Faculty and staff will receive 1.5 hours of continuing education credits for completing the online program.

The safety and security of the UT Knoxville campus is everyone’s business and the need to prepare is real. From catastrophic weather to violent crime, campuses across the nation have had to deal with significant tragedy and loss. But taking the training can help each one of us learn how to be a survivor instead of a victim.

Mark Fly

Mark Fly grew up on a farm along the Duck River in Maury County near Fly, Tennessee, where he gained a deep appreciation for the outdoors. Now, he has made it his mission to spread his love of nature to a generation glued to electronic media.

Fly is professor of wildland recreation and environmental psychology in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. He coordinates the wildland recreation concentration within the forestry major and is the founder and director of the Human Dimensions Research Lab, a survey research center.

“Mark’s efforts to help reconnect youth with Tennessee’s natural resources have the potential to fundamentally change the lives of the next generation in ways that will positively impact the appreciation and stewardship of our forests, farms, and waterways,” said Keith Belli, head of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries.

With Tennessee State Parks and the Paris/Henry County Economic Development Corporation, Fly is developing an Every Child Outdoors (ECO) Center at Paris Landing State Park to teach outdoor recreation skills to children and families.

“In addition to learning to have fun outdoors, families are learning skills that lead to healthier and greater self-reliance,” Fly said.

“I am very concerned for our children. Tennessee children are increasingly suffering from obesity, diabetes, ADHD, depression, and vitamin D deficiency, all of which are things that increased physical activity outdoors would help curb.”

“Most people in outdoor professions and many scientists like me pursued their career out of a love for nature derived from their childhood experiences, so who will be our park rangers and environmental scientists if children are not taught to love the outdoors?” he said.

Fly developed and uses the “Sustaining Life Education” model at the ECO Center. It combines environmental science and health education with sustainability practices. The goal is to sustain the health of children into adulthood and sustain nature which, in turn, sustains us.

An example is the children’s gardening project at the ECO Center, which is funded by the Tennessee Department of Health. There, fourth-grade students learn about gardening, healthy eating, and outdoor education.

Fly is currently expanding the program to Austin-East High School, Pond Gap Elementary School, and the Knoxville Botanical Garden in collaboration with Keep Knoxville Beautiful, Tribe One, the UT Landscape Architecture Program, the University-Assisted Community Schools Project, TeamVOLS, and his wildland recreation planning class.

In his spare time, Fly enjoys nature photography, and writing poems about nature, and farm life.

Amy Fulcher

Got pests, weeds, or sickly plants? Need information and help?

Amy Fulcher has an app for that.

Fulcher is an assistant professor for sustainable ornamental plant production and landscape management in the Department of Plant Sciences.

“Though she has been with us only slightly more than a year, Amy just completed a proposal of more than $9 million for a USDA Coordinated Agricultural Project involving not only the research offices but also the research foundations of six other land-grant universities,” said College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources Dean Caula Beyl.

The project they’re developing is “IPM Pro,” an iPhone/Blackberry application for landscapers and nursery growers, with a light version for homeowners, and is on the verge of being released to the market.

The app will send alerts when certain pests are in season to harm nursery stock, particularly woody ornamental plants. It also will provide basic information about insects, weeds, or diseases that could affect plants, as well as tips about how to identify and control them effectively. Plus, the app will send timely reminders for tasks, like mulching, pruning or applying chemicals.

In addition, the app will recommend pesticides and allow the user to generate pesticide records they are required to maintain. Once created, these notices will be e-mailed to the user’s personal computer.

“The goal of the app is to increase environmental and economic sustainability by assisting nursery crop growers, landscapers, and homeowners utilize integrated pest management techniques,” Fulcher said. “We’ve worked with focus groups and feel like the time is right, that this product will be well received by the industry.”

UT is spearheading the project with help from experts at North Carolina State, Georgia, Kentucky and Maryland, Clemon University and Virginia Tech.

Fulcher is also part of a multi-disciplinary team of UT faculty conducting research on woody ornamentals. Her outreach and research efforts focus on sustainable nursery production, particularly regarding plant water use and efficient irrigation technologies, integrated pest management, ecophysiology, and root biology.

Fulcher earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Western Kentucky University, master’s degree in horticultural science at North Carolina State University, and her doctorate in crop science from the University of Kentucky. She is also an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist.

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C O N T A C T :

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

John McRae

McRae in Haiti.

Shortly after a massive earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, a group of UT students and faculty formed a team to plan a secondary school complex for Fond-des-Blancs, an area that saw a large infusion of relatives and others seeking refuge from Port-Au-Prince.

Led by Professor John McRae, former dean of the College of Architecture and Design, the Haiti Project is a collaboration of students and faculty from the College of Architecture and Design and the College of Engineering.

For the past two years, McRae along with students and faculty have traveled back and forth to Fond-des-Blancs to develop the school’s schematic design and construction plans.

The boarding school, which will accommodate about 500 students, is scheduled for completion in the fall. This year, the Haiti Project studio class began working on additional designs for faculty and staff housing for the school.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work directly with the Haitian community,” said McRae. “Education is one of the most important opportunities these children will have. It’s also one of the most important opportunities from which Haiti can gain strength and advance.”

Scott Poole, dean of the College of Architecture and Design, said McRae’s Haiti Project studio class has had “an immense impact on our students.

“Not only are they designing and building works that will influence many generations of Haitians, they are realizing the value of service and its power to positively influence lives and the world,” he said.

McRae came to UT in 2005 as dean of the college; however, he stepped down last year and returned to the faculty.

One of McRae's ceramic monster sculptures.

Before arriving at UT, McRae was the senior director of grants and development for the American Institute of Architects. He served as the dean of the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University for fourteen years and held faculty and administrative positions in the University of Florida’s College of Architecture for twenty years.

In 2008, McRae received the Architectural Research Centers Consortium James Haecker Distinguished Leadership Award for his contributions to the growth of research culture in architecture and related fields.

When he’s not teaching or building schools in disaster-stricken areas, McRae enjoys creating ceramic sculptures, or, “monstrosities,” as he calls them. He also is working on illustrated children’s stories with his colleague Jona Shehu.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in architecture from Rice University.

Edgar Stach

Last month professor Edgar Starch became the first faculty member from the College of Architecture and Design to receive a joint appointment with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Stach at the Living Light house, during its construction on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

During the yearlong appointment, Stach will work on finding cost-effective technologies to make both new and older buildings more energy efficient.

Sustainability and ecological sensitivity are Stach’s focus areas. He founded UT Zero, a multidisciplinary team with the goal to develop new technologies for zero- energy building, and UT’s Institute for Smart Structures, which brings material science, engineering, and architecture disciplines together to find cost-effective, energy-efficient solutions for the building sector.

“Professor Stach has led the way for our university in the research and application of energy-saving technologies for the built world around us,” said Poole. “His concern for the build environment is reflected in his practice, teaching, and research, which has earned him international recognition through the years.”

Stach recently wrapped up two years of helping to lead Team Living Light, UT’s student and faculty team that competed in the US Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon. The project involved more than 300 students from nine academic programs in planning, designing, and building a 750-square-foot zero-energy home. About forty members of the team transported the home to the National Mall in Washington, DC, where they finished eighth among twenty teams from around the world.

“We were proud of our outcome in DC,” said Stach. “The high caliber of our faculty and the enthusiasm and dedication of our students allowed us to excel in several of the individual events, placing in the top five in five categories. They took the project from conception to implementation and devised new methodologies for energy-efficient construction and design. As the Living Light house tours the region, I look forward to how the students can learn to challenge what they’ve already accomplished.”

In 2008, Stach received the Education Award for Excellence in Teaching from the American Institute of Architects for his Smart Structures project—a collaborative effort between UT and European architecture students. In 2009, he was named a James R. Cox Professor, a university honor for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

Before coming to UT in 1999, he taught for five years at Bauhaus University Weimar in Germany. He is a co-founder of Architekten Klinkhammer and Stach, an architecture firm based in both Cologne and Weimar, Germany.

Stach holds a master’s degree from the Rheinisch Westfälish Technische Hochschule University in Aachen, Germany.

Each day this week, stories and videos about faculty are being featured on the Tennessee Today website. All of the Faculty Appreciation Week stories and videos are archived at tiny.utk.edu/FAW.

In celebration of Faculty Appreciation Week, students, alumni, faculty, staff, and others are invited to send a “shout out” to your favorite faculty member or read what others have written. Find the shout out page at tiny.utk.edu/shout.

Watch the video below for more faculty shout outs from UT some of our students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp_OmxQvrDU

Faculty still have time to take advantage of these special events and discounts:

• Showcasing faculty books, research—Books authored by UT faculty will be on display throughout the week in the Dixie Marie Wooten Commons West (Melrose entrance) of Hodges Library. The display also will highlight faculty members who have made their scholarship openly available online at the Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange (TRACE) digital archive. Faculty members are invited to learn how to preserve and showcase their published and unpublished work in SelectedWorks at trace.tennessee.edu.
• UT Bookstore Discount—The bookstore will offer a 20 percent discount to faculty and staff with their UT ID. The discount will not include textbooks, special orders, select trade books, and minimal select general merchandise (such as the “We Back Pat” shirts).
• Aramark freebies and discounts—With their UT ID card, faculty can enjoy: free tea with entrée purchase at McAlister’s deli located in the Arena Café; free doughnut with small coffee purchase at Dunkin Donuts at Volunteer Hall on White Avenue; $5 Friday at the Presidential Court Café and the Southern Kitchen; free tall coffee at Starbucks with the purchase of a breakfast sandwich or pastry.

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C O N T A C T :

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