The summit involved an interdisciplinary group of scientists, economists, academics, entrepreneurs and policy analysts from the US and EU and was held from 2010 to 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; Paris, France; and Brussels, Belgium.

UT’s Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy partnered with the European Commission, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to organize the summit. It was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, and the European Commission.

“Senator Baker, who took an active role in formulating this project, has long been interested in balancing environmental preservation with our desire for economic growth and in the role of science in achieving that balance,” said Matt Murray, Baker Center director. “He has encouraged our collaboration with other institutions in projects that embrace different viewpoints and produce recommendations relevant in an increasingly complex global economy.”

The recommendations include:

• US-EU collaboration on new and innovative education techniques to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and remain competitive in an increasingly competitive global economy.
• An expanded role of the federally run water management organizations to manage water supply in the U.S. as increasing consumption, population growth and climate change will have important implications for water supplies.
• A joint US-EU patent system to enhance commercialization of joint research products, since both entities want to improve their innovation systems through joint research activities.
• US-EU improvement in energy efficiency through improved economic incentives and enhanced understanding of human behavioral issues to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases.

The recommendations come at a time when the US and EU are recovering from severe recessions yet face important decisions about public and private investments in an environmentally constrained world.

“To succeed, these investments should support development of new technologies and improved science and math education and put the United States and the European Union on a path to a low-carbon future,” said summit organizer Robert Shelton, a senior fellow for energy and environment at the Baker Center. “These themes were central to summit deliberations.”

The US and EU have much in common, including democratic forms of government and market-based economies.

“Because of these shared values, we have considerable potential for improved cooperation in addressing the many economic, technological, and energy challenges we both face,” said Domenico Rossetti, principal administrator at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and member of the summit’s organizing committee. “This summit created an extensive and productive trans-atlantic dialogue, and these reports capture the essence of that discussion.”

The series of reports is available online at tiny.utk.edu/Summit.

UT’s Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy is a nonpartisan institute devoted to education and scholarship concerning public policy and civic engagement. For more information, visit bakercenter.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T:

Robert Shelton (865-974-9076, rshelto2@utk.edu)

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

“Framing the Field” is the first symposium planned by the Department of Anthropology’s Disasters, Displacement, and Human Rights Program. It will take place February 8 and 9 at the College of Law and bring together faculty, students, and visiting researchers.

Symposium topics will include

• Disasters, displacement, and resettlement
• Triggers and results of modern disasters and conflicts
• Cultural meanings for personal identification of remains
• Forensic and humanitarian investigations
• Culturally specific practices of justice and human rights

Two leaders in the field will deliver keynote addresses on February 9.

Richard Wilson, founder and director of the Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut, will speak at 8:45 a.m. and Stefan Schmitt, international forensic program director for Physicians for Human Rights, will speak at 1:00 p.m.

Wilson is the Gladstein Chair of Human Rights and a professor of anthropology and law at the University of Connecticut. Focusing on international human rights, truth commissions, and international criminal tribunals, he has drawn upon anthropological and empirical approaches to understand the ways in which national and international legal institutions write historical accounts of human rights violations and pursue reconciliation.

Schmitt’s background is in forensic anthropology and crime scene analysis. He has worked for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and before that lived in Guatemala, where he founded the country’s first forensic anthropology team. He has worked for the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and as a forensic consultant to the United Nations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Liberia. He also has helped document human rights abuses in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Algeria, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. Most recently, Schmitt has been part of a multi-year project on achieving transitional justice in Afghanistan.

The symposium also will include a poster session; panel discussions; a roundtable; and tours of the W. M. Bass Forensic Anthropology Building, the Frank H. McClung Museum, and the Molecular Anthropology Laboratories.

An opening reception will be held in the rotunda of the College of Law.

Click here for a full schedule of events and other details, including registration information.

The event is being co-sponsored by Africana Studies; the Center for the Study of Social Justice; the College of Law; the Forensic Anthropology Center; Global Studies; and the philosophy, political science, religious studies, sociology, and geography departments.

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C O N T A C T :

Tricia Redeker Hepner (865-974-8962, thepner@utk.edu)

Tanya Brown (865-974-6788, tgbrown@utk.edu)

Twenty-four teachers arrived at UT earlier this month and will stay until February 21. In addition to their other studies, the teachers will be honing their teaching skills.

Curriculum for the Brazilian teachers is being coordinated by the English Language Institute (ELI) and the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education.

Associate Professor Clara Lee Brown is overseeing instruction in teaching methods and assessment, and Assistant Professor Dorothy Hendricks is overseeing history instruction. Both are from the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education.

The Brazilian teachers will make several visits to Lenoir City Schools, where they will observe classes, including English as a Second Language classes, and meet with teachers and administrators. Several Knoxville-area teachers will serve as mentors to the Brazilian teachers during their stay. The program will include field trips to Cherokee, N.C.; the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and Atlanta. The field trips are designed to complement the U.S. history portion of the program.

UT is one of eighteen universities chosen to host the new program, which is a collaboration between the Institute of International Education; CAPES, a foundation within the Ministry of Education in Brazil which strives to improve the quality of Brazil’s faculty and staff in higher education through grant programs; the US Fulbright Commission in Brazil; and the U.S. Embassy in Brazil.

The Brazilian teachers were selected through a competitive process and come from all regions of their country. For most, this is their first opportunity to travel abroad.

At the same time, UT is hosting an institute where twenty Brazilian undergraduates will learn more about US history, politics, economics, religions, and culture. The students also arrived earlier this month. They will stay in Knoxville until February 10 and then embark on a six-day study tour to New York City and Washington, D.C.

Faculty members from UT’s departments of history, English, sociology, religious studies, law, Africana studies, and geography are involved.

Jim Hamrick, ELI director, is managing the institute. History Professor Ernest Freeberg is coordinating the institute’s academic sessions, and Cheryl Barksdale, a lecturer in the College of Business Administration, is coordinating the leadership development component.

Participating students were selected from among hundreds of applicants by the US Fulbright Commission in Brazil. The Institute is funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is offered in cooperation with the Institute for Training and Development of Amherst, Massachusetts.

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C O N T A C T :

Jim Hamrick (974- 3404, hamrickj@utk.edu)

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

The Center for Sport, Peace, and Society will host the twelve female basketball players and two coaches until February 1 through the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative, a global effort established by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

While in Knoxville, the Senegalese sports visitors will participate in the “Strong Women. Better World.” curriculum created by assistant professors Sarah Hillyer and Ashleigh Huffman. As part of the curriculum, participants will identify the needs of women and girls in their local communities and develop action plans that use sport to meet those needs.

The Senegalese women will meet representatives from key program partners in the Knoxville community, including the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge, the Boys and Girls Club at Montgomery Village, and the YWCA After-School Program.

Members of the athletics department, the Lady Vols basketball team, and faculty members, including Joy DeSensi, Leslee Fisher, Gene Hayes, Rebecca Zakrajsek, and Craig Wrisberg, will help the Senegalese visitors learn about sports in the US, especially as it relates to women and girls, and how to work together to accomplish community change.

The Center for Sport, Peace, and Society is composed of faculty, staff, and students who believe that sport can be used to promote cultural understanding, enhance student learning, improve community welfare, and foster social change. The goal of the center is to create a civically engaged university and a more unified and inclusive community.

In 2012, the center was awarded a grant from SportsUnited to facilitate programs that will empower women and girls through sports. SportsUnited is housed in the US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

For more information, visit the center’s website.

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CONTACTS:

Sarah Hillyer (865-974-8917, csps@utk.edu)

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

She will be honored at this Sunday’s Lady Vols basketball game with a special video message from her biggest fans in Iraq.

The video is the trailer for We Back Pat in Iraq, a full-length documentary about Summitt’s impact on girls and women in the Middle Eastern country.

From left, filmmaker Elisa Platillero along with UT assistant professors Sarah Hillyer and Ashleigh Huffman present Pat Summitt with signed banner from “We Back Pat in Iraq” tournament.

UT partner Sport 4 Peace is producing the film. It is scheduled for release this spring. To see the trailer, visit, www.webackpatiraq.com. The trailer will be shown Sunday, January 20, at the Lady Vols game.

Sport 4 Peace is dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding and empowering girls and women around the world using sports and education.

Shortly after Summitt announced her Alzheimer’s diagnosis last year, Iraqi girls’ coach Rizgar Raoof invited UT assistant professors Sarah Hillyer and Ashleigh Huffman to Iraq to help him host a “We Back Pat in Iraq” basketball tournament in her honor and to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s.

Hillyer and Huffman are director and assistant director of the UT Center for Sport, Peace and Society. The center is a collaboration between the university and Sport 4 Peace.

“I’ve heard that Tennessee fans wear Pat Summitt shirts, and when she comes inside the gym they all stand up and cheer, ‘We Back Pat! We Back Pat!’” Raoof said in the film. “If these guys want to do something for Pat, of course we want to do something for her, too. A tournament like this is nothing compared to what she’s done for basketball.”

During the November 2012 tournament in Iraq, Hillyer and Huffman, along with Knoxville filmmaker Elisa Platillero, captured footage of the game. They also interviewed players, coaches, and families. The footage will be used in the documentary.

On the final day of the “We Back Pat in Iraq” tournament, players, coaches and fans wore purple t-shirts in support of Pat Summitt and the Pat Summitt Foundation in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.

Summitt has supported the girls’ basketball program in Iraq for several years. In 2007, Hillyer and Huffman shared with Summitt the need for basketballs in Iraq. Summitt and her team quickly sent suitcases full of basketballs, shoes, and training DVDs with Hillyer and Huffman to launch Iraq’s first basketball academy for girls – a project of Global Sports Partners and Sport 4 Peace.

In summer 2009, Summitt invited a team of Iraqi girls to Knoxville to participate in two sessions of the Pat Head Summitt Basketball Camp.

When the girls returned home, they were determined to share the lessons they learned from Summitt with friends, family, and teammates.

One mother said, “After (my daughter) came back, she was really strong…. She had a different perspective about America.”

Another mother reported to Hillyer and Huffman that her daughter had changed when she returned from the camp.

“Our daughter was so confident, she learned to trust in herself,” she said. “Everything she needed she gained from Coach Pat’s camp.”

Raoof, the Iraqi girls’ coach, also attended Summitt’s camp.

“She had a touch on my life that I will never forget,” he said.

For more information on the documentary, visit www.webackpatiraq.com.

To learn more about the UT Center for Sport, Peace and Society, the website.

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C O N T A C T S: 

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

Sarah Hillyer (865-974-8917, info@webackpatiraq.com)

The café, which is sponsored by Sysco Foods, operates from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays in the UT Visitors Center, 2712 Neyland Drive. Each luncheon typically consists of an intermezzo or small appetizer, salad or soup, entrée, and dessert. Advance tickets will be sold for the luncheons, and capacity is eighty diners. Cost will be $12 and the faculty-staff discount applies. For tickets and reservations, see Marcia Johnson in the Jessie Harris Building, Room 110, call 865-974-6645, or e-mail rhtm@utk.edu.

The Italian-Spanish menu is:

Appetizer: Bruschetta trio (tomato basil, olive tapenade, and white bean and Serrano)

Second course: Pizza with Spanish chorizo, black and green olives, Mahon and Manchego cheese

Entrée: Adobo Pork loin, risotto milanase, and balsamic asparagus

Dessert: Mango panna cotta

The luncheons are produced through a collaboration of HRT 445 (the Advanced Food Production and Service Management class), the UT Culinary Institute, and the Pellissippi Culinary Institute.

Students enrolled in the UT course will work as general managers, dining room attendants, assistant kitchen managers, dining room managers, and dining room service employees. They will be responsible for the execution of the dining experience, managing staff, menu planning, food preparation, cooking, cost analysis, service during meal time, marketing of the event, and customer satisfaction activities.

Culinary Institute students will do most of the food preparation and will assist with dining room responsibilities.

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CONTACTS :

Marcia Johnson (for tickets): (865-974-6645, rhtm@utk.edu)

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

The conference, called “Global Connections: Exploring Issues That Affect Our International Community,” will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on November 17 at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. It is free and open to the public.

The Ready for the World Committee and the College of Social Work are hosting the conference.

Michael Handelsman, director of the Global Studies program, will make the keynote speech, an introduction to the conference emphasizing the importance of global awareness. After the presentations, there will be roundtable discussions where attendees can further discuss topics of interest with the presenters as well as UT professors who are experts in those fields.

Having presentations from students who are natives of each country will give “a sense of authenticity to the conference, which we believe will enhance the learning experience of attendees,” said LaKiera Grimes, a junior in social work.

Grimes helped organize the conference with Mira Hanna and Jasmine Brown, both seniors in social work.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Lunch will consist of food from each of the ten countries represented at the conference.

For more information, visit the conference’s Eventbrite page.

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C O N T A C TS :

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

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

Free and open to the public, the lecture—sponsored by the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, SunTrust Bank, Knoxville News Sentinel, and WUOT—will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Cox Auditorium of Alumni Memorial Building.

This new lecture series was established to promote the values of Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr., whose longstanding commitment to honorable public service has made an indelible mark on US history. It will bring nationally prominent speakers to campus twice a year to speak on issues of national and international significance.

Senator Mitchell, a Democrat from Maine, served in the US Senate from 1980 to 1995 and was majority leader during the final six years of his tenure. He has since served as a peace negotiator and in several high-profile investigative roles.

In 1995 he founded the Mitchell Institute, which seeks to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will go to college. The institute has awarded more than $9 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 Maine students.

Appointed by President Bill Clinton, Mitchell served chaired peace negotiations in Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2001 and also chaired an international fact-finding committee on violence in the Middle East from 2000 to 2001.

From 2009 to 2011 he was the special envoy for the Middle East, appointed by President Barack Obama.

In 2006, he was asked by the commissioner of baseball to lead an investigation of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional baseball. Earlier this year, the NCAA named Mitchell as Penn State’s athletics integrity monitor.

In the business arena, Mitchell has been director and chairman of the board of the Walt Disney Company. He also has served as on the board of directors of Federal Express Corp., Xerox Corp., Unilever, Staples Inc., Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999. He also has received awards and honors including the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, the Truman Institute Peace Prize, the German Peace Prize, and the United Nations (UNESCO) Peace Prize.

Established in 2003, the Baker Center seeks to further the public’s knowledge of the US government and public policy and to encourage civil leadership and public service. The center sponsors programs to encourage informed discussion, with a special focus on engaging young people in policy issues and public service.

For more information about the Baker Center, see bakercenter.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Nissa Dahlin-Brown (865-974-8681, nissa@utk.edu)

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

The seminar was organized by the Universidad de las Americas in Quito, Ecuador. Castro helped plan eight lectures and two labs related to gastrointestinal, wound management, and fractures and reproductive emergencies in horses.

The seminar drew more than sixty participants from around the world.

“I am very grateful to be part of this UT family, but also very glad to help students, far away from here, and give back to them what life and UT have so generously given to me all these years,” said Castro, who studied in Ecuador before coming to UT.

“Teaching can be very hard, but our work paid off when we saw students’ faces light up with happiness and satisfaction when something suddenly became clear, practical and useful,” he said.

In one lab, students learned how to use tranquilization, sedation, and anesthesia during a horse castration.

“What use to be a true wrestling match and almost barbaric procedure became a genuine medical procedure,” he said.

“Being in Ecuador and representing UT was a huge honor. Without a doubt, we opened their eyes to a total different world,” Castro said.

Higgins, a senior in global studies and Spanish, was studying at the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in her free time, visited Machu Picchu and Iguazú Falls. She also traveled to Chile and Peru, as well as San Martin de los Andes, Mendoza, and San Luis in Argentina.

When she wasn’t in class or traveling, she ate a lot of empanadas and watched a lot of soccer.

She said her study abroad experience was wonderful and said speaking Spanish every day improved her ability to communicate abroad.

This semester, Higgins is back at UT and working as a peer advisor in the Programs Abroad Office.

She and other peer advisors will be available to talk about their experiences at the Fall 2012 Study Abroad Fair. The fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26 in the University Center Ballroom.

Interested students can learn about semester-long, year-long, summer and mini-term study abroad programs. There also will be information about summer internships.

Students who have studied abroad and faculty members who lead summer and mini-term programs will be on hand to answer questions. Students can find out more about scholarships and how to use financial aid for a study abroad program.

Finalists’ photos in the Programs Abroad Office photography contest will be on display, and students can vote for their favorites. Past years’ winners can be seen in the Photo Gallery at studyabroad.utk.edu.

Students can also visit with peer advisors anytime to learn more about studying abroad. They are available from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the Programs Abroad Office resource room. Daily informational meetings are held at 2:00 p.m.

Here’s a look at the newest group of PAO peer advisors:

• Jenna Constantine is a junior in kinesiology. She studied at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, in spring 2012.
• Simona Koumtcheva studies international business. She spent a year at the University of Nottingham in England.
• Liza Musick is a senior in global studies and political science. She studied at the University of Botswana in spring 2012. She said her favorite part of living in Botswana was getting to go on safaris and experiencing a culture different from her own.
• William Shows is a senior in global studies. He spent spring 2012 at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. He also spent summer in Uganda, on the Gulu Service and Study Abroad Program, which focused on peace-building in northern Uganda.
• Ron Walters is a fifth-year senior studying English literature, French, and global studies. He spent a year in Chambery, France, in the French Alps.
• Roston Willis is a senior in public relations. He studied international law and Japanese at the University of Japan in spring 2012. He was an assistant English teacher at the university and joined several campus groups.

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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)

Executives gathered in Paris this summer to discuss best practices on addressing the situation during the European meeting of the Global Supply Chain Forum, organized by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The ESSEC (École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales) Business School in Paris and Singapore co-sponsored the event.

Three major observations from forum participants were:

• Supply chain management is becoming an increasingly important part of corporate strategy, as the tough European economic climate requires companies to provide higher levels of customer service at lower costs. Yet companies are being pressured to preserve profit margins.
• Similar to US companies, European companies are now aggregating more business functions, such as logistics, transportation, and distribution operations into supply chain management organizational teams. However, US companies have been more likely than European companies to include the procurement function under this umbrella. Forum participants emphasized that procurement activities need to be integrated into supply chain management organizations to allow companies to better capture the increased revenue and margin opportunities that result from using modern supply chain management best practices.
• Participants acknowledged that many companies do not have a well-developed strategy for the managing and developing of supply chain talent. In addition, supply chain career paths are not well defined, and no major improvement appears to be on the horizon.

The forum’s purpose was to provide a venue for leading supply chain executives, academics, and students to discuss the future of supply chain management. The consortium hosted about fifty business executives representing more than thirty companies across a range of industries, market sectors, and countries.

Participating firms included Alstom, Bearing Point, BIC, Carrefour, Caterpillar, Geodis, Mars, Master Lock, Nexans, Peugeot, Philips, Sanofi, as well as faculty from UT and ESSEC.

“The European meeting of our Global Supply Chain Forum provided a vehicle for European companies to learn about current best practices in supply chain,” said Shay Scott, director of UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute. “It also allowed our faculty to deepen their knowledge on current European market conditions that they can bring back into our classrooms.”

UT’s Global Supply Chain Forum meets semiannually in Knoxville and annually in key global business regions, including Europe (Paris, France), Asia (2012 launch in Singapore), and Central/Eastern Europe (2012 launch in Budapest, Hungary).

To learn more about the forums, visit the Global Supply Chain Institute’s website.

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CONTACT:

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

McRoy, 25, who is working on her master’s degree in speech pathology at UT after earning a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is the new Peace Corps campus recruiter.

“I wanted to be a recruiter because I love Peace Corps,” McRoy said. “It truly was ‘the hardest job I’ve ever loved.’ I can’t help but be excited talking about my experiences and wanting to be a part of helping others create similar stories.”

McRoy joined the Peace Corps in 2009 and was sent to Cameroon, a republic in Central Africa, where she worked with community groups on basic health education. During her two years there, McRoy’s involvement with the community expanded to other projects such as creating a savings program, forming a medicinal plant group, and promoting the use of soy as a protein supplement.

“All of the projects and seminars that I did during my service were ideas that community members brought to me,” she said. “Soy is still alive and growing in my village.”

Although she enjoyed helping the community, McRoy’s stay in Cameroon was not always easy.

“The constant barrage of catcalls and requests for money on top of the daily marriage proposals and questions about what I was doing over there were hard to handle on some days,” she recalled. “It was very difficult sticking out like a sore thumb everywhere I went. Sometimes it’s nice to feel invisible.”

But through the difficult times, McRoy said her experience was worth it.

“It isn’t easy, and it’s not always sweet smelling, or clean, or even fun, but it’s an adventure of the highest caliber,” she said. “I had my highest highs and lowest lows during my Peace Corps experiences, and I can’t wait to do it again.”

The Peace Corps taught McRoy several lessons and emphasized what matters most.

“I learned how important relationships are. Some of my fondest memories of Peace Corps are the friendly conversation and camaraderie shared while preparing a meal,” she recalled.

“The memory of playing with my neighborhood kids brings tears to my eyes even now. I wish that I could squeeze them one more time.”

McRoy hopes to inspire UT students to join the Peace Corps.

“I’d really love to see people open their minds and hearts to other cultures and people around the world. There is so much more out there.”

Applicants interested in the Peace Corps typically need to have a bachelor’s degree and should expect to be abroad for about twenty-seven months. Applicants chosen for the Peace Corps are given a living allowance that “enables them to live in a manner similar to the people in their community” and are paid $7,425 after their service. Transportation, dental care, and health care are covered by Peace Corps.

For more information about Peace Corps email Amanda McRoy at utkpeacecorps@gmail.com or call 865-974-0428.

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C O N T A C T :

Amanda McRoy (865-974-0428, utkpeacecorps@gmail.com)

Liu will speak at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in Thompson-Boling Arena. The event is open to the public and free parking is available in G-10 parking garage.

The common reading selection is a key component in UT’s efforts to orient and engage new students in academic and campus life. Freshmen also must submit creative projects on one of the book’s themes and attend a small-group discussion session.

“By the time students have read the book, done their creative projects, and participated in a discussion group, they have a good feel for what college work is going to feel like,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan Martin. “As a bonus for our students, we plan the Life of the Mind common reading program with the intent of having the author come to campus to talk to students. It’s a rich experience to meet the author, hear him speak, and even have the opportunity to ask him a question.”

The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, was a New York Times Notable Book and was featured in the PBS documentary Matters of Race. It is an essay montage with themes ranging from race, language, and global politics to the feelings of inadequacy and ambivalence that often accompany the college transition.

Liu, a second-generation Chinese-American, is a graduate of Yale and Harvard and a former speechwriter and deputy domestic policy adviser for President Bill Clinton.

His other books include The True Patriot and The Gardens of Democracy, both co-authored with Nick Hanauer; Guiding Lights: How to Mentor and Find Life’s Purpose, which was named the official book of National Mentoring Month; and Imagination First, co-authored with Scott Noppe-Brandon of the Lincoln Center Institute, which explores ways to unlock imagination in education, politics, business, and the arts.

Liu lives in Seattle, where he also teaches at the University of Washington and leads the Guiding Lights Network, a national mentoring organization dedicated to promoting great citizenship. He also hosts an acclaimed television interview program called Seattle Voices.

Liu has served on the boards of the Washington State Board of Education, the Seattle Public Library, Demos, Washington State Mentors, the League of Education Voters, and the Swedish Medical Center Foundation. He has served on the national leadership councils of Communities in Schools and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Elizabeth Schonagen, First Year Studies program (865-974-2792, schonagen@utk.edu)

David Fox

David Fox, a UT associate professor of architecture, has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to research and teach in Krakow, Poland. His term will begin January 2013.

Fox specializes in affordable housing design, urban residential development, freehand drawing and perception, and architectural photography. He has taught for many years in Krakow as part of the College of Architecture and Design’s study abroad partnership with Krakow Polytechnic.

During the 2013 spring semester, he will be teaching drawing and design classes in Poland.

The Fulbright Program is an international exchange initiative that awards about 1,100 grants to American scholars each year. Funded by the US government, Fulbright Scholars are chosen based on their leadership and academic merits and their abilities to teach, research, and share ideas that contribute to the betterment of international issues.

“Professor Fox is uniquely qualified for the opportunity provided by the Fulbright,” said Scott Wall, director of the School of Architecture. “His creative work, teaching, and research of the evolution of the modern city, sprawl, and the social and economic consequences of exponential urban growth dovetail nicely with the collaborative environment of the Krakow Polytechnic.”

Fox said the Fulbright was “a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow while working with great colleagues in an amazing city and region.

“It is exciting to consider what these incredible experiences will offer.”

In addition to his Fulbright, Fox’s work was selected last month as a winning design entry by a national peer-reviewed competition held by the Design Communication Association.

Since his arrival at UT in 1991, Fox has taught thousands of students at the university and area high schools through his community outreach project, the Urban Program in Sustainable Design Education (UPSIDE).

For his work with UPSIDE, Fox received the 2011 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Diversity Achievement Award, which honors efforts to achieve greater diversity in architecture curricula, school personnel, and student bodies. He was one of only two professors nationwide chosen for this award last year.

UPSIDE is a housing development program that brings together college architecture students, local high school students, and community foundations to design and construct homes with local families in neighborhoods that need revitalization. For more than ten years, UPSIDE has worked to bring long-term economic sustainability to neighborhoods across Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Clarksville, Tennessee.

Fox earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Auburn University and his master’s degree in architecture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

To learn more about David Fox, visit his UT research profile at quest.utk.edu/tag/david-fox.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Daniel Simberloff, the Gore-Hunger Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has won the 2012 Ramon Margalef Award for Ecology. The award is presented annually by the Government of Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeast Spain, “to recognize an exceptional scientific career or discovery in the field of ecological science.”

Simberloff, who in May became UT’s third faculty member in history to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences, is being honored for “his contributions to the observation and theoretical analysis of the structure and dynamics of ecological communities, and for the application of these studies to conservation biology.”

Ecologists worldwide are considered for the prize named for Margalef, one of Spain’s most distinguished scientists and a founding father of modern ecology. The prize includes a cash award of about $100,000 and a sculpture memorializing Margalef.

“That a committee of leading ecologists should choose me for this honor is highly gratifying. The previous prizewinners are all stars of ecology whose work I’ve long admired,” said Simberloff, who returned to UT this week after a year-long development leave in France where he lectured, helped conduct a workshop, and wrote a book and several manuscripts.

“My scientific accomplishments all result from having always been surrounded by excellent graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and interactive colleagues,” Simberloff said. “I’ve learned far more from them than they have from me over the years, and I cannot emphasize enough how important and exciting it is to be surrounded by good scientists doing interesting research and willing to give instant feedback on one’s own ideas.”

Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said he’s elated that Simberloff has received the Margalef Award.

“To earn this award, on top of his recent election to the National Academy of Sciences, underscores the groundbreaking work Dr. Simberloff does to help us understand our world and preserve our environment,” Cheek said. “Our students and our campus community are fortunate to have faculty of Dr. Simberloff’s caliber. Their teaching and research raise the profile of UT and its impact on the world and fuel our journey to becoming a Top 25 public research university.”

Theresa Lee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said Simberloff is a key contributor in an outstanding department and has been instrumental in attracting superb junior faculty.

“His research has established him as a world leader in the study of invasive species. This honor is richly deserved,” she said.

Gary McCracken, head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, said Simberloff has distinguished himself, not only as a scientist, but also as an exemplary teacher and colleague.

“He has been a wonderful mentor for graduate students, post-docs, and junior faculty. He has been a major force in building the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology into the great department that it is, having served on and chaired on a large number of faculty search committees and with long service on graduate admissions,” McCracken said. “Some may think of great scientists as unapproachable or in their ‘bubble.’ That is decidedly not Dan. He is always available with wise and humorous counsel, and for the last fifteen years he has been a fabulous citizen at UT and within our department.”

Although the Margalef Award was officially announced today, Simberloff learned of the honor three weeks ago while in France. Since he was planning to travel to Barcelona the next day to deliver his daughter to a summer study abroad program, the Margalef committee arranged to meet him at the government palace where he was congratulated by Catalan President Artus Mas.

Simberloff will return to Barcelona in October to receive the award at a ceremony at the Catalan government palace.

Simberloff, who earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees at Harvard University, came to UT in 1997 from Florida State University to accept the Gore-Hunger Chair founded by former Vice President Al Gore Jr. in honor of his late sister, Nancy Gore Hunger. Simberloff founded and directs the Institute for Biological Invasions, and he is the editor of the new Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions, an 800-page tome that documents invasions worldwide.

Simberloff’s work, frequently cited in textbooks, is studied by most undergraduate ecology students.

As a researcher, he is noted for rigorously testing and sometimes discarding his own theories, thereby strengthening the scientific basis for ecology. His early research on insects on small islands in Florida had assessed the theory of island biogeography, which proposed that the number of species found on an undisturbed island was determined by a balance between ongoing immigration and extinction. This research, conducted with Harvard’s EO Wilson, won the prestigious Mercer Award in 1971. However, in 1976 Simberloff published further research on this system that contradicted this widely accepted theory, showing that most species that disappeared from the island had never really established ongoing populations beyond the first few individuals that arrived there, and that longstanding populations rarely became extinct.

Simberloff was elected as a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993.

Past winners of the Margalef Award are Paul Dayton, a marine benthic biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California; Sir John Lawton, a British scientist who was knighted for his contributions to ecological sciences; Harold Mooney, biology professor at Stanford University whose work prompted universities worldwide to create departments dedicated to ecological research; Daniel Pauly, director of the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia and the world’s leading authority on human impacts on global fisheries; Paul Ehrlich, a biology professor at Stanford University who is an expert on human overpopulation and its environmental impacts; Simon Levin, a biology professor at Princeton University who specializes in the use of mathematical modeling and empirical studies to understand ecosystems and biological diversity; and Juan Carlos Castilla of Chile, a pioneer of South American marine ecology.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Living Light

Living Light, the university’s energy-efficient, solar-powered house, is traveling to Chattanooga as part of a multi-city tour of the state from July 20-29.

This is the home’s last stop before it comes back to Knoxville where it will reside at the UT Gardens.

The 750-square-foot home will be on the corner of Manufacturers Road and Cherokee Boulevard in front of Renaissance Park in downtown Chattanooga.

The award-winning house will be open for tours from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on most weekdays and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tours of the home are free and open to the public.

To schedule a private tour, please call 864-974-5211 or e-mail livlight@utk.edu.

Living Light became an educational exhibition known as the Tennessee Tour in November 2011 after returning from the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, an international, solar home design competition among collegiate teams. It placed eighth overall and earned high marks in several categories including architecture, energy production, and engineering.

The house has been toured by nearly 50,000 people in its visits to Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, and Washington, DC.

“This project has been a part of our students’ and faculty members’ lives for three years now—from concept to design, development to construction, competition to exhibition,” said Scott Wall, director of the School of Architecture. “Being able to share the sustainable design and solar-power technologies developing at UT with the world has been a remarkable thing. We are very proud of what the Tennessee Tour has achieved.”

The house was recently on exhibit in Washington, DC as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. It was one of only seventeen projects chosen to represent the nation’s land-grant universities during the festival, which commemorated the 150th anniversary of the founding of land-grant universities and the US Department of Agriculture.

Living Light team members recently won an Honor Citation from the Tennessee chapter of the American Institute of Architects for their work on the home.

The house arrives in Chattanooga in time for the AIA Tennessee Convention, which will be held July 25-27.

The Tennessee Tour is a joint effort of the UT College of Architecture and Design, the UT College of Engineering, and UT Extension—the outreach unit of the UT Institute of Agriculture. It showcases the work of more than 200 students and nine academic programs, as well as the sponsorship and involvement of alumni, businesses, and industry partners like the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Once back in Knoxville, Living Light will undergo a year of testing by faculty and students who will be collaborating with the Electrical Power Research Institute.

For more information about the Tennessee Tour and the Living Light House, visit livinglight.utk.edu.

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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)

The ten-day event coincided with the 150th anniversaries of the US Department of Agriculture and the Morrill Act, which created land-grant universities. An estimated one million people saw the home and nearly 16,000 toured it during the festival.

The zero-energy home demonstrated the merits of solar-powered living when a large storm struck the nation’s capital on June 29, leaving thousands of residents without power and forcing the festival to close for a day.

Living Light maintained full-power during this time, producing twice the energy the house needed for all its normal day-to-day functions, such as powering its air conditioning, television, kitchen appliances, and lighting. Throughout its entire stay at the festival, the house was completely removed from the electrical grid and self-sustaining in all of its energy production.

The house was one of only seventeen projects selected to represent the nation’s land-grant universities at the Smithsonian festival.

“I’m proud that Living Light was there, illustrating our strength in finding alternative energy solutions,” Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said. “It’s really a fitting way to show how UT is living up to the Morrill Act’s goals of bringing education to the masses and making the world a better place.”

Living Light’s visitors had the opportunity to experience the home’s sleek interior, cutting-edge technologies, and energy- and cost-saving features.

“People enter the home and their faces automatically light up,” said Lauren McCarty, a recent graduate from UT’s bachelor of architecture program. “Many visitors are stunned at how open and light the interior space is and are very impressed with the coolness, especially during 100-degree weather.”

Being on the National Mall for the July 4 holiday was a special treat for the Living Light team. As thousands of people huddled together to celebrate Independence Day, the team watched fireworks explode behind the Washington Monument from the house’s back deck.

“It was a wonderful moment for me, my colleagues, and my students,” said Edgar Stach, professor of architecture and the lead faculty member for the project. “After three years working on the Living Light House, the opportunity to see a project from UT on the National Mall, in such a visible way, was a great honor and a major achievement.”

Being at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival allowed UT to also provide tours to professional and government organizations, host an alumni day for graduates, and share the knowledge of Living Light faculty members through Smithsonian U., a series of mini courses and panel discussions taught by experts and teachers from the featured land-grant universities.

Six students coordinated UT activities for the festival. Those students were Kate Armstrong, a graduate student in architecture; Steven Davis, an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering; Peter Duke, a graduate student in architecture; Karl Hughes, an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering; McCarty; and Jason Pimsler, a graduate student in architecture.

Diane Bossart, the project manager and research associate for the Tennessee Tour, oversaw all the logistical items necessary to bring Living Light to the festival. The Tennessee Tour turns Living Light into a traveling educational exhibition that teaches K-12 students and industry professionals about cutting-edge sustainable science, technology, and design.

Living Light began with students and faculty in the College of Architecture and Design and was led by faculty members Stach, Richard Kelso, James Rose, and Barbara Klinkhammer of the college, along with Deb Shmerler in the School of Art, Leon Tolbert in electrical engineering, and Stan Johnson and Bill Miller in mechanical engineering.

More than 200 UT students and faculty across nine academic disciplines designed the house for the 2011 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, an international competition among collegiate teams. UT placed eighth overall in the decathlon and claimed high-standing marks in several categories, including first in energy production, third in engineering, third in hot-water production, third in energy-efficient appliances, and fifth in architecture.

After the decathlon, Living Light began the Tennessee Tour. The tour is a joint effort of UT’s colleges of Architecture and Design and Engineering, and UT Extension, the outreach office of the UT Institute of Agriculture.

Contributions by Powell Companies, which provides trucking services to the house, Blaine Construction Corporation, which has been central in setting up and dismantling Living Light on the Tennessee Tour, the Tennessee Valley Authority, UT Institute of Agriculture Office of Extension, and the sponsorship of alumni and industry partners have been vital to Living Light’s success.

To read first-hand accounts about Living Light at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, see blog articles by UT students at livinglightutk.com/tag/updates/.

For more information about the house and its next stop on the Tennessee Tour—Chattanooga—visit livinglight.utk.edu/.

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C O N T A C T:

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

In addition, Olympic gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald Mosley—an alumna and new Alumni Board member—is USA Track & Field’s (USATF) chief of sport performance. She oversees USATF’s high-performance and athlete development programs, Team USA management, elite athlete services, sport science and medicine, anti-doping, coaching education and certification, and national championship meet management. Mosley, a 1984 graduate of the College of Engineering, won gold in the 100-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, becoming the first African American woman and second American woman, after Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1932, to accomplish the feat.

The Olympics begin July 27 and continue through August 12. A schedule of the competitions can be found at www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results.

The following UT alumni will compete on US national teams for the 2012 games:

• Tamika Catchings, 32, will try for her third gold medal as part of the women’s national basketball team. Catchings, a forward, played with the team during its gold medal-winning performances in 2004 and 2008. Currently playing for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, Catchings was part of the undefeated 1997–1998 national championship-winning Lady Vols. At UT, Catchings also was a four-time All-American, and she was named Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year in 2000. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in sport management.
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  Photo courtesy of USA Basketball.

  Candace Parker, 26, will return for her second Olympic appearance with the US women’snational basketball team, after helping the team win the gold in 2008. Currently playing with the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA, Parker helped lead the Lady Vols to back-to-back NCAA national titles. She also was named the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year for 2008. Parker graduated in 2008 with a major in sport management.

• Dee Dee Trotter, 29, is returning to the Olympics for the third time after her gold medal-winning performance in the 4 x 400 meter relay at the 2004 Olympics. In 2008, a knee injury kept Trotter from competing in the Beijing games. This summer, she will run in the 400-meter dash and the 4 x 400 meter relay. Trotter also won gold medals in the 2003 and 2007 World Championships. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in sociology.
• Justin Gatlin, 30, will return to London to try to bring home another gold to accompany the one he earned for the 100-meter dash at the 2004 summer Olympic Games in Athens. That year, Gatlin also won a bronze medal in the 200-meter dash and a silver medal in the 4 x 100 meter relay, and he will be competing in the relay again this year. Gatlin attended UT from 2000 to 2002, winning six NCAA titles during that time.
• Aries Merritt, 26, will head to the Olympics for the first time this year to compete in the 100-meter hurdles. Merritt holds the UT school record in the 55-meter hurdles, and is tied for third in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles. As a UT student in 2005, Merritt won the Ed Murphey Award for most outstanding performance, as well as the Most Valuable Track Athlete Award. In 2006 Merritt was undefeated in every 55-meter, 60-meter, and 110-meter hurdles race he finished. In the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, he won the gold medal for the 60-meter hurdles. Merritt attended UT from 2005 to 2007.
• Tianna Madison, 26, will travel to her first Olympic Games to compete in the 100-meter dash and the 4 x 100 meter relay. In her sophomore year at UT, Madison won the 2005 NCAA and SEC Indoor and Outdoor titles in the long jump. She was an All-American, and in 2005, she was named the SEC Indoor Women’s Field Event Athlete of the Year. After leaving UT, Madison turned her focus from the long jump to sprinting. She attended UT from 2004 to 2006.

In addition, two current students and seven alumni will be competing on behalf of other countries.

• Hannah Wilkinson, 20, will make her Olympic debut playing for the New Zealand women’s soccer team. A native of Whangarei, New Zealand, Wilkinson is a 2012 UT signee and part of new Lady Vols soccer coach Brian Pensky’s initial signing class. Wilkinson represented New Zealand at the 2011 Women’s World Cup and the 2010 FIFA Under-20 Women’s Cup.
• Jamol James, 20, will be running for his native country of Trinidad and Tobago in the 100-meter dash and the 4 x 100 meter relay. In 2012 James was named a first-team US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Outdoor All-American. James will be a sophomore this fall.
• Jangy Addy, 27, will represent Liberia for the second time in this year’s Summer Olympics. Addy will compete in the decathlon, an event for which he won the gold medal in the 2011 All-Africa Games. Born in California, Addy is eligible to compete for Liberia because he is a direct descendant of two Liberian citizens. While at UT, Addy was a team captain and an SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He also set a collegiate decathlon record in the 110-meter hurdles and a world heptathlon record in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2008 SEC Outdoor Championships. Addy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and electronic media in 2008.
• Rhian Wilkinson, 30, will enter her second Olympic Games as part of the Canadian women’s soccer team. A native of Quebec, Wilkinson was a member of the Lady Vols soccer team from 2000 to 2003 and was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2000. She helped the program win its first SEC tournament in 2002. At UT, Wilkinson ranks first in career assists and is tied for third for total goals. Wilkinson has played for the Canadian women’s national soccer team since 2003. She graduated in 2004 with a degree in speech communications.
• Marie-Eve Nault, 30, will make her Olympic debut also playing for the Canadian women’s soccer team. Nault played alongside fellow Quebecer Rhian Wilkinson on the Lady Vols soccer team from 2000 to 2003, and was twice named the defensive most valuable player by her teammates. Nault started all twenty-seven of the Lady Vols’ SEC matches during her time with the team. In total she scored nine goals, six of which would prove to be match-winners.
• Hassaan Stamps, 32, was named national teams coach for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A relay and hurdles standout at UT, Stamps was on UT’s 2001 and 2002 NCAA national championship teams. A two-time team captain, Stamps is also the 2002 winner of the Will Pritchett Award. He graduated in 2003 with degrees in sport management and psychology.
• Octavio Alesi, 25, will swim for Venezuela’s Olympic team for the second time. He will be part of the men’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay team. He competed in the 100 meter butterfly in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In his senior season at UT (2007-08), Alesi was named second team All-SEC as a member on the 200 medley relay at the SEC Championships and garnered All-American honors at the NCAA Championship.
• Barry Murphy, 26, will make his Olympic debut swimming for Ireland. He will swim the 50 meter freestyle and the 100 meter breaststroke. In the 2009 NCAA Championships, Murphy set a new UT record by finishing the 50 meter freestyle in 19.14 seconds. He also earned All-American honors for his efforts in the 200 meter freestyle relay and the 400 meter freestyle and medley relays.
• Martina Moravcikova, 23, will compete in her first Olympics swimming for the Czech Republic. She will compete in the 200 meter breaststroke. She made history last year setting a new Czech Republic long course record in the 100 meter breaststroke clocking in 1:09:23. In her time at UT, Moravcikova was named an All-American in four events, including earning first-team honors as a member of the fourth-place 400 meter medley relay team.

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C O N T A C T :

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

Their concerts in Dublin and Belfast will feature selections from the Anglican Church genre of Choral Evensong, which includes such musical forms as Preces and Responses, a call-and-response form of singing.

The Chamber Singers will be in Ireland through July 10.

Follow their journey through their videos and photographs.

Read more about their trip here.