The project, which will provide wheelchair access to the home, is expected to be completed by Wednesday, May 22.

The home of Wanda Skeen and her daughter Stacey is getting the makeover through UT Freedom by Design, a student service organization that is part of the American Institute of Architecture Students.

Team members Matt Barnett, left, and Jarod Dotson work on the home’s planters and deck.

“It is really amazing to be able to help others who aren’t able to help themselves,” said Matt Barnett, a fourth-year architecture student and the project manager of UT Freedom by Design. “Freedom By Design allows me to use what I’ve learned as an architect and over the course of my life to give the gift of freedom to those with disabilities who need it most.”

Barnett noted that the Skeens have had a host of medical problems. Wanda has been through cancer, open heart surgery, and a stroke. Stacey has what doctors believe is multiple sclerosis or brain damage.

The UT students started working on the project in January after Operation Backyard, a free home repair service of the Knoxville Leadership Foundation, told them about the Skeen family. Through several months of design, the students developed something that fitted their resources and the clients’ needs. They began construction on the project on May 1.

The student team has built a wrap-around deck to both the front and back entrances of the house. This will be connected to a new large, flat concrete slab, which will allow wheelchairs to exit a car on a flat surface that is level with the main entrance. The students have also salvaged parts of the home in disrepair, landscaped, and created gardens for the family.

“Through donations we are able to reframe the home’s rotting overhang and provide a much wider pathway to the entrance,” Barnett said. “With our excess material we inquired about something special for Wanda. We made two railroad tie planters that will allow Wanda to plant flowers and herbs directly from her wheelchair on the deck.”

The project at the halfway point.

Several East Tennessee businesses partnered with the architecture students on the project. Operation Backyard provided all of the lumber, Tennessee Stone donated flag stone, Sequatchie Concrete donated the concrete and labor for the slab, Acadia Landscape provided the landscaping plants and gravel, JRC Company discounted the railroad ties and delivery, and Craig Dotson of GEOConex provided funds to assist the students.

Freedom by Design’s goal is to use students’ architecture and design talents to improve the homes of disabled or low-income people. This is the second project by the UT chapter. The group designed a ramp for a special-needs child last year.

“This has by far been my most rewarding experience at UT because I get to work as a team with other students through all the processes of design—from finding a client and working closely with them to designing and carrying out full construction,” Barnett said.

Architecture students who worked on the project include Gus Carodine, Jennifer Elder, Zach Mulitauaopele, Alex Paisley, Michael Sena, Michael Turko, Joseph Wessels, and Billy Yang.

The organization’s officers are Jarod Dotson, director; Melissa Dooley, treasurer; Thomas Agee, secretary; and Brice Holmes, assistant project manager.

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PHOTO CAPTION:

Barnett and Dotson: Team members Matt Barnett, left, and Jarod Dotson work on the home’s planters and deck.

Construction: The project at the halfway point

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C O N T A C T S:

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

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

The proposal to the State Building Commission helps UT address a significant shortfall of academic space. The Commission’s approval authorizes the purchase of three large houses.

The houses at 1302, 1308, and 1312 White Avenue are within UT’s institutional zone defined in the campus master plan.

The new four-to-five story building, identified as Class Lab Building 1, will provide approximately 200,000 gross square feet of new academic space along Cumberland Avenue between UT’s Jessie Harris Building and Hoskins Library and across from the Hill.

The master plan identified a deficit of 560,000 gross square feet in classrooms and laboratories. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s space guidelines formula was used to estimate the deficit based on the 2009 enrollment of approximately 27,000 students.

Chris Cimino, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said land analyses conducted over the last two years have considered how the building will be used and how best to build it on land UT already owns.

“We explored other building sites, but we concluded that proximity of Jessie Harris and the Hill is critical to the successful use and function of the facility,” Cimino said.

Cimino said the university’s purchase of the buildings provides flexibility in decision making as the project moves forward. Next steps involve exploring options through schematic design. They will be reviewed and considered by the Campus Planning and Design Committee and UT administrators.

The university has communicated with neighborhood representatives, several property owners, the City of Knoxville, and other stakeholders. UT will also seek approval from the City of Knoxville to close Thirteenth Street from Cumberland to White Avenue for the project.

The Class Lab Building 1 will house portions of microbiology, biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology, psychology, nutrition, a vivarium, shared laboratories, and general-purpose classrooms.

This project is one of several identified in the master plan’s short term to address the class and lab space deficit. Renovating and expanding Strong Hall on Cumberland Avenue is the first project, which will add 230,000 square feet. Tennessee’s General Assembly approved $94 million for the project this year and design is expected to begin soon.

Strong Hall will provide new and improved space for the departments of anthropology, earth and planetary sciences, biology, and chemistry. A large-scale renovation and expansion of Melrose Hall will follow.

UT’s master plan acknowledges the challenges in meeting current and future needs within the university’s 560-acre campus, which is bordered by the Tennessee River, major interstates, Cumberland Avenue, and Fort Sanders and downtown. For more information on the master plan, visit masterplan.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T:

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

These are a few of the credentials of the freshmen who will be the newest class of Haslam Scholars.

The university’s premier, four-year scholarship program, the Haslam Scholars Program admits up to fifteen first-year students each year from the university-wide Chancellor’s Honors Program and supports them with the university’s most generous named scholarships.

“This year’s class of Haslam Scholars, like those who preceded them, are a high-powered group of scholar-leaders. Our expectations for them as a group are as high as the scholars’ expectations for themselves individually,” said Bruce Wheeler, acting director of the Chancellor’s Honors and Haslam Scholars Programs. “They have been a joy to recruit. We anticipate four years of achievement, innovation, and excitement from this group.”

UT alumnus Timothy Hulsey, currently the founding dean of the Honors College at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been named associate provost and director of the Chancellor’s Honors and Haslam Scholars Programs. He will begin on July 1.

The Haslam Scholars selection process began with nominations of high school seniors. From the nominees, sixty were selected and offered interviews. Of those interviewed, thirty were invited to campus for an interview weekend in early March. Selection criteria included scholastic achievement, leadership potential, special talents, maturity, and seriousness of purpose.

Haslam Scholars are part of an intimate academic and leadership group mentored by top faculty. Program benefits include a $1,500 laptop computer and a study-abroad experience valued at $4,000, as well as up to $5,500 to support students’ honors thesis research and travel to present their work. In addition, each Haslam Scholar will receive a scholarship package that totals $21,500.

The new Haslam Scholars are

• 

  Alex Brito

  Alex Brito—From Franklin Road Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee, Brito plans to major in biological sciences. In addition to being a two-time French language exchange student in Paris, she is also her school’s volleyball team captain and jazz ensemble guitarist.

• 

  Esther Choo

  Esther Choo—From Farragut High School in Knoxville, Choo plans to focus on pre-med studies. She has served as the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra’s principle cellist for the past two years and has worked as a research intern at UT’s Scintillation Materials Research Center since last summer.

• 

  Houston Cookenour

  Houston Cookenour—From Dobyns Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tennessee, Cookenour plans to major in computer science. Recently selected as an All-State tuba player by the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, he serves as principal tuba player in both the Symphony of the Mountains Youth Orchestra and the Dobyns-Bennett Wind Symphony. In addition to his musical successes, Cookenour was also a finalist in the 2012 UT Pro2Serve FERMAT I Math Competition.

• 

  Grant Currin

  Grant Currin—From Cleveland High School in Cleveland, Tennessee, Currin plans to major in sociology. Ranked first in his class, Currin is a certified scuba diver and the captain of his school’s cross-country team. He also serves as the head delegate of his school’s Model United Nations and recently directed a 5K run to benefit sustainable infrastructure in Cambodia.

• 

  Abby Durick

  Abby Durick—From Fred J. Page High School in Franklin, Tennessee, Durick plans to major in wildlife and fisheries science. In addition to playing French horn in several orchestras and band ensembles in Tennessee, Durick is also learning Kiswahili, a language spoken in Africa, and is the president of her school’s National Spanish Honors Society.

• 

  Robby Ferguson

  Robby Ferguson—From William Blount High School in Maryville, Tennessee, Ferguson plans to major in computer engineering. A Relay for Life team leader and Habitat for Humanity volunteer, Ferguson is also a tennis enthusiast who has captained his high school’s team. He is an alumnus of the Tennessee Governor’s School for Emerging Technologies.

• 

  Libby Fortunato

  Libby Fortunato—From Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville, Fortunato plans to major in mechanical engineering. In addition to being leader of her school’s mock trial team, she has won the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award and attended Girls State.

• 

  Ian Francis

  Ian Francis—From Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee, Francis plans to major in mathematics. He is an alumnus of the Governor’s School for the Sciences and Engineering and has participated in his school’s drum line. In addition, Francis has organized and performed in benefit concerts.

• 

  Bryson Lype

  Bryson Lype—From Ooltewah High School in Ooltewah, Tennessee, Lype plans to major in political science. In addition to his participation in his school’s mock trial team and Model United Nations team, Lype is a member of several honors organizations and attended Boys State.

• 

  Patrick McKenzie

  Patrick McKenzie—From Searcy High School in Ward, Arkansas, McKenzie plans to major in biological sciences. He founded and led his high school’s engineering team, which was selected as one of four teams nationwide to participate in a NASA-sponsored competition. In addition, he is the editor in chief of his high school yearbook and has excelled musically, making All-State band twice.

• 

  Victoria Nelson

  Victoria Nelson—From Bearden High School in Knoxville, Nelson plans to major in accounting. She was a Girls State delegate and is an executive member of the Key Club, National Honor Society, and Student Government Association at her high school.

• 

  Caitlin Pinkard

  Caitlin Pinkard—From Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee, Pinkard plans to major in pre-veterinary medicine. Captain of her school’s rugby team and a math tutor, Pinkard is also a National Merit Scholarship finalist.

• 

  Colleen Ryan

  Colleen Ryan—From Cookeville High School in Cookeville, Tennessee, Ryan plans to major in global studies. In addition to being editor in chief of her high school newspaper and an alumna of the Tennessee Governor’s School for International Studies, Ryan has traveled to China, Ghana, and Western Europe.

• Anagha Uppal—From Halls High School in Knoxville, Uppal plans to major in computer science. She is proficient in five languages, is the president of her school’s book club, and holds a cancer research internship.

• Louis Varriano—From White Station High School in Memphis, Varriano is undecided about his major. In addition to being president of his school’s robotics team, he is a Science Olympian and a leader in his school’s Model United Nations program.

The Haslam Scholars Program was created five years ago with $2.5 million from Jimmy and Dee Haslam. Jimmy Haslam is president and CEO of Pilot Flying J. Dee Haslam is CEO of RIVR Media.

Jim and Natalie Haslam contributed an additional $2.5 million to support the program. Jim Haslam is founder of Pilot Corp.

For more information about the Haslam Scholars Program, visit haslamscholars.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Sylvia Turner (865-974- 7875, sturne31@utk.edu)

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit the Global Finals website.

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CONTACTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The museum is closed on Memorial Day and on July 4. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive.

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

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CONTACTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CONTACTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—

CONTACT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

They want the school’s new kitchen garden to be a model for the community and a training ground for early childhood educators on gardening with young children and families.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CONTACT:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See an archived video of the ceremony here.

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CONTACT:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After two years, Amos transferred to UT.

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

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

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

And commencement is just the beginning.

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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