They were chosen out of a group of twenty-four business plans that competed for $25,000 in donated prize money and services in a contest sponsored by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the College of Business Administration.

The students competed for first, second, and third place in two different categories—growth/technology-enabled businesses and lifestyle businesses.

First-place winners won $5,000, second-place winners received $3,000, and third-place winners won $2,000. The two first-place winners also received complimentary start-up accounting services from Brenda Boyd, a 1990 college alumna, as well as a one-year membership in Estrada Strategies business coaching network, donated by Kevin Kragenbrink, one of its founders.

“The Business Plan Competition was designed to develop and encourage an entrepreneurial culture on campus and to support aspiring young entrepreneurs in their quest to create value,” said Tom Graves, the Anderson Center’s operations director.

Zach Linn, a recent retail and consumer sciences graduate, won first place in the growth/technology-enabled category with Squish Bottles LLC. The product is a food-grade silicon rubber, collapsible water bottle. It incorporates thermal qualities, a replaceable filter, and the ability to collapse when pressed and to comfortably fit in a person’s pocket. Linn’s winnings will allow him to produce prototype bottles for beta-testing.

Second place went to the largest team to ever compete, Greek Connect. The five-person team—architecture major Collin Cope, management major Richmond Watkins, communications major Ryan McPherson, management major Grant Blevins, and marketing major Maggie Rubenstein—created software to enhance communications and interaction among the Greek communities on college campuses.

Third place went to management major Jake Rheude and accounting major Cedric Brown, the creators of SummerSett Foods. The company offers a line of frozen, pre-packaged buffalo chicken dips.

In the lifestyle category, Jennifer Smith, a recent Russian/global studies graduate and founder of Grassroots Uganda in North America, took first place. The organization uses the Web to connect Ugandan women who make jewelry and crafts to US customers. Customers buying the products can see the impact of their purchases on the lives of the Ugandan women. Smith’s prize money is allowing her to develop the website and import additional craft and jewelry items for the retail market.

Second place went to recent management graduate James Thayer, creator of the 54 Film Fest, a competition that provides local filmmakers a network and outlet for their creative talent.

The third-place prize was split between recent logistics graduate Rashad Sanders, who created Klass Kolab, and accounting graduate Corben Miller and finance graduate Brennen McMurry, who created Sneak-A-Peak. Klass Kolab focuses on improving the learning management systems used by universities. Sneak-a-Peak is creating an app to connect buyers and sellers of limited edition sneakers.

The judging panel included Gus Zacharias, CEO of Tennessee Marble; Bill Jenkins, a retired corporate executive/consultant; Jim Vaviledes, the general banking head of Capital Mark Bank and Trust; Jim Brogan, CEO of Brogan Financial; Bob Campbell, a local entrepreneur; Kevin Kragenbrink, founding partner of Estrada Strategies; and Aron Beierschmidt, founder and CEO of Foundation Mobile.

“With five of the seven winners already in business, we’re seeing an increasing number of undergraduate student competitors who have launched their first venture before graduating,” said Zacharias, a four-time judge.

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C O N T A C T S:

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

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

The study, which Fox co-authored with Ernst and Young LLP, examines the objectives of film credit programs, explains the methodologies used to estimate the economic benefits of film credit programs and discusses the approaches used to analyze the film credits in a number of recent state studies about the effectiveness of film credits.  Film credits are currently in use in 37 states.

Poore came to UT in 1986 as chair of the Department of Computer Science and served as director of the UT-ORNL Science Alliance from 2000 to 2011. His research focused on the economical production of high-quality software.

Read more about here.

The Prometheus Leadership Medal recipients are forensic anthropologist William Bass, vice provost Sarah Gardial, architect Hansjörg Göritz, President Emeritus Joe Johnson, and Lady Vols Head Coach Emeritus Pat Summitt.

The newly established award will be given to the recipients during the center’s 2012-2013 Leadership Summit, which will be announced at a later date.

It is named after the courageous warrior in Greek mythology who stole fire from Zeus and, at great personal expense, gave it to mortals to improve the conditions of humanity.

Videotaped interviews with recipients will become part of a virtual library of staff development tools that will be available to school leaders. The center developed the library in conjunction with Oklahoma State University and Auburn University.

“The field of education is dependent on the integration of multiple perspectives and professions,” said Autumn Cyprès, director of the Center for Educational Leadership. “The leaders selected by our jury have inspired countless people, pushed the boundaries of leadership and service, and ultimately have made the world a better place.”

The Center for Educational Leadership is housed in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and provides rigorous training for aspiring school leaders through the Leadership Academy, a collaboration between Knox County Schools and the college. The academy uses academics from a variety of fields to provide classroom instruction for leadership academy fellows.

“I am very proud of the impressive record of work completed thus far in the preparation of future school leaders,” said Bob Rider, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. “I am also proud that our college and center are recognizing such outstanding members of the community of educators as those who comprise our very first class of Prometheus Leadership Medal award winners. Each of these individuals has distinguished themselves in ways that make them truly worthy of this recognition and most certainly raises the bar for future award winners.”

Here is more about each winner:

William Bass is one of the most famous Americans in the field of forensic anthropology. He is the former director of UT’s Forensic Anthropology Center, a two-acre compound commonly known as the “Body Farm.” Bass’s research has helped countless crime scene investigators determine the cause of death in cases where police are working with victims’ skeletal remains. His innovations changed the field of criminology and forensic anthropology.

Sarah Gardial has served as vice provost since 2008 and oversees faculty recruitment and development. In March, she was named the next dean at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, becoming the first woman to assume the role at the school. She begins the position July 1. Gardial’s area of research is customer value and satisfaction. A frequent public speaker, she has served as a consultant to such companies as Procter and Gamble and Frito-Lay.

Hansjörg Göritz is a professor of architecture whose work is associated with minimalist architecture that emphasizes place, space, light, and material. He maintains architecture studios in Germany. He designed Liechtenstein’s State Forum and Parliament buildings—the first in the country’s history—and was subsequently awarded the 2010 International Brick Award. His Expo 2000 train station project used custom, Florentine, cobalt, blue glass blocks and became an exhibit at the sixth Biennale di Architettura. International publications about his works, values, and commentaries on architectural solutions for urban sprawl are recognized around the world.

Joe Johnson is a president emeritus who joined the university in 1958 as a research associate and instructor in the Department of Political Science. He has served as executive assistant to former president Andy Holt, vice president for development, chancellor of the UT Health Science Center in Memphis, executive vice president, and vice president for business and finance. He was named president in 1990 and served until 1999 and again from 2003 to 2004. He continues to help raise money for the university through chairing countless campaigns.

Pat Summitt is the Lady Vols’ head coach emeritus. She has won more games than any men or women’s basketball coach in NCAA history. Her elite program produced eight NCAA titles, thirty-two Southeastern Conference tournament and regular season championships, thirty-one consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, twelve Olympians, twenty Kodak All-Americans named to thirty-four teams, and seventy-seven All-SEC performers. Along with success on the court, Summitt’s student-athletes have tremendous productivity in the classroom. Summitt has a 100 percent graduation rate for all Lady Vols who have completed their eligibility at UT.

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CONTACTS:

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

Autumn Cyprès (865-974-4555, atooms@utk.edu)

A study by Kristina Gordon, associate professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, seeks to determine if periodic check-ups can keep relationships strong and healthy for a lifetime by increasing intimacy, improving communication, and promoting greater acceptance of each partner, among other outcomes.

Called the “Relationship Rx,” the three-year project launching this month seeks to make it easier for couples to take good care of their relationship health. Gordon is collaborating with Clark University’s James Cordova, who developed the Marriage Checkup, a scientific program for sustaining and strengthening marital health.

Here is how it works: Patients learn about the importance of relationship health at their doctor’s visit from his or her health care provider or pamphlet. Then, if the patient and his or her partner are interested in assessing their relationship health, one assessment session and one feedback session are held in the couple’s home or doctor’s office with a trained relationship health professional. Couples also will be offered the chance to participate in ongoing relationship skills workshops and workshops designed to help individuals with job searches.

About 500 couples are being recruited for this study.

“This project will use motivational interviewing principles to help couples use their strengths to address the areas of concern in their relationships and make their relationships stronger,” said Gordon. “The goal is to help couples use their own resources to improve their marriages, reduce the stigma of seeking help for their relationships, and connect partners with community resources to help them deal with identified problems.”

The researchers predict in the short term, couples will improve their financial outlook, intimacy, and communication. In the long term, they predict couples will improve overall relationship health and satisfaction, and experience a lowered risk of divorce, fewer reports of domestic violence, increased financial stability, better parenting outcomes, and better attitudes towards seeking relationship help.

“By working with couples before they are unhappy, we hope the program identifies potentially damaging relationship issues and helps couples make small changes in their relationships before problems spiral out of control,” said Gordon.

The Relationship Rx is not therapy but an informational health service that provides confidential, personalized feedback designed to help couples keep their relationship on track.

The service will be offered for free to existing patients at Cherokee Health Systems and to other interested couples who qualify as part of a clinical study funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF is within the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. This program is also available to other interested couples in the community who qualify.

If you are interested in participating or learning more about this study, please call 865-974-8978 or visit RelationshipRx.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

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

The temporary closures, all set to begin on May 28, will significantly impact the Hill. Phillip Fulmer Way will completely close from Cumberland Avenue to just south of Middle Way Drive, shutting down one of two main access points to the Hill. The section of Phillip Fulmer Way across from the main entrance to Neyland Stadium will be open to pedestrians, but closed to vehicular traffic all the way to the intersection with Peyton Manning Pass.

Traffic will be rerouted from Circle Drive, with a section to change from one way to two way just for the summer. Click the map at left to see details.

Infrastructure work for the Student Union project can progress quicker by closing this section of Phillip Fulmer Way. While inconvenient for those on campus this summer, it allows the contractor to advance the project so that more roads and parking lots can re-open in time for the fall semester.

Traffic will be rerouted as follows:

• To access The Hill, vehicles must enter Circle Drive from Cumberland Avenue. Traffic will be able to turn right to continue up The Hill as normal. However, to access Middle Way Drive, motorists will enter Circle Drive and turn left.
• A small section of Circle Drive will be two-way to accommodate this temporary traffic plan, and the section of the street will be striped to indicate the change in traffic flow.
• The direction of traffic from Middle Way Drive to Lower Drive will be reversed to allow access to the east side of The Hill, exiting via Estabrook Drive.
• Vendors needing delivery access to the Alumni Memorial Building, the Hesler Biology Building, and the Nielsen Physics Building on Middle Way Drive will need advance permission from the UT Police Department.
• Some of the on-street parking on these streets, particularly near intersections, may be blocked off at times during the summer to accommodate large vehicles.

Additionally, half of Staff 9 lot will close, but a pedestrian footpath will open from that lot to Volunteer Boulevard, so that people can pass between the Claxton and Bailey education buildings.

The pedestrian walkway from the Haslam Business Building to the Hill also will close on May 28.

On Friday, May 18, Staff Lot 23 will close permanently to accommodate the new residence hall and dining facility to be built on Melrose Avenue between the Black Cultural Center and the Hopecote guest house. In order to minimize the impact of this parking lot closure this summer, Staff 23 parking permits will be honored in any unreserved staff area from May 18 to August 17.

One lane of Andy Holt Avenue between Melrose Place and Pat Head Summitt Street will also close during construction. This section of Andy Holt Avenue will be one-way westbound.

For more information on these and other campus projects, visit conezone.utk.edu.

UT Recycling will accept household electronics such as computers, cell phones, televisions, and game systems between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the Staff Lot 66 parking lot at the corner of Joe Johnson Drive and E. J. Chapman Drive.

Businesses, government agencies, non-profits, and other organizations may bring their electronics to be recycled on Friday, May 18. These items will be collected between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the student lot at the corner of Joe Johnson Drive and River Drive. While the event is free, these groups are encouraged to register online in advance.

For a full list of items that may be recycled and for additional information, visit the UT Recycling website.

UT is partnering with Apple for the two-day e-waste recycling event in order to provide a free, environmentally friendly way of discarding electronics. The National Safety Council projects that nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years, amounting to an estimated 3.2 million tons of e-waste.

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C O N T A C T :

Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, rwinkler@utk.edu)

Jay Price (865-974-3480, jayprice@utk.edu)

Zhang is known for looking to nature for inspiration in addressing technical challenges.

Zhang’s award is being made under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) that augments current university capabilities or develops new university capabilities to perform cutting-edge defense research.

Zhang’s past research has discovered that ivy secretes nanoparticles that may protect skin from UV radiation much better than the metal-based sunblocks now on the market. His discovery of a unique swimming technique used by a pathogen is also under investigation for bio-inspired micro-robots for nanomedicine.

Zhang’s DURIP funds will go to purchase instruments for characterizing nanoscale mechanics of nanoparticles. The cutting-edge instrumentation will be operated by graduate and undergraduate students to collect data for his team’s research on nanoparticles.

“This instrument will significantly advance our nanoparticle research,” Zhang said.

The Department of Defense plans to award 190 awards, totaling $54.7 million, to 100 academic institutions to support the purchase of state-of-the-art research equipment.

These planned awards are the result of a merit competition for DURIP funding conducted by the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Each office requested proposals from university investigators conducting science and engineering research of importance to the Department of Defense. In response to the requests, the research offices collectively received more than 700 proposals requesting $226 million in support for research equipment. All awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations between the Department of Defense research offices and the academic institutions.

The list of winning proposals can be found at the Department of Defense website (pdf).

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C O N T A C T :

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

The Korn Learning, Assessment, and Social Skills (KLASS) Center, in conjunction with UT’s Special Education and School Psychology programs, will offer tutoring services using scientifically validated intervention strategies.

These services will be offered at four sixty-minute sessions per week from July 2 to 26.

The services will be conducted on the UT campus, and parents will be responsible for a minimal materials charge and parking. The tutoring, which is free, will be conducted by teachers who are getting a certification in special education.

Children who will be enrolled in grades one through six in the 2012-2013 school year are eligible. Those who are struggling significantly or who have already been diagnosed with a learning disability and/or ADHD are encouraged to seek the services.

Initial assessments will be conducted the week of June 18 to determine whether the program is appropriate for the child and also to determine targeted instruction areas for each child. The progress of students in the tutoring program will be monitored.

This is not part of a research study; however, parents may be asked if they would like their children to continue during the school year in relevant research studies that are geared at intervention development and implementation.

To schedule an assessment, call 865-974-6177. For more information, contact Brian Wilhoit at 865-974-6395 or bwilhoit@utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

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

John Cullum, two-time tony award winner and known for his role in the TV show Northern Exposure, speaks about his time at the Clarence Brown Theatre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4DYiM-bGMQ

Wanting to ensure that Nashville high school students from low-income families were encouraged in their college aspirations, Atanda and other young people conducted a study on why only 35 percent of East Nashville high school students were enrolling in college—even though more than 90 percent of those surveyed indicated they wanted to attend.

Atanda, a Tennessee State University student at the time, co-authored a report on the findings, which prompted Metro Nashville Public School and elected officials to partner with Oasis Center, a youth organization, to establish a college access counseling program for East Nashville high school students.

College enrollment rates increased to 75 percent the year the report was released and have been rising ever since.

Atanda, a native of Nigeria, decided to attend law school at UT to further his interest in community advocacy. He plans to continue working in the area of public policy.

After taking the Tennessee bar exam this summer, Atanda plans to search for jobs in Washington, DC, with the eventual goal of working on Capitol Hill. He is interested in anti-trust law, which he notes is on par with advocacy.

“It’s all about making people’s lives and the community better to the extent that you can,” he said. “It’s about helping businesses play by the rules so that consumers are not harmed.”

The team included, from left to right, David Isaacs, Indiana University students AJ O'Reilly and Ashley Sutton, Chelsea Eales, Laura Batey, and LeClinton Smith.

Students from the Retail and Consumer Sciences Program recently placed second in the National Retail Marketing Case Competition.

The contest, which took place at Indiana University, was sponsored by the Center for Retailing at Indiana’s Kelley School of Business, Kohl’s Department Stores, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Rapp Collins Advertising.

The UT team included Laura Batey, Ashley Sutton, LeClinton Smith, and David Isaacs, along with two creative consultants from Indiana University. The team advisor was Rodney Runyan. UT competed against teams from Indiana University, Penn State, and the University of Wisconsin. Participants were tasked with developing a private label for women’s golf apparel for a fictional national specialty chain.

McSween is a co-investigator for the Dawn spacecraft mission, which has been circling Vesta since last July and is slated to stay until August 26. He is the lead for the Surface Composition Working Group, which uses all three Dawn instruments to determine the minerals and chemicals that comprise the surface of the asteroid.

McSween is co-author of five of six Science papers which yielded new insights into Vesta’s creation and relation to the terrestrial planets and Earth’s moon. Among the discoveries, scientists have confirmed a variety of ways Vesta more closely resembles a small planet or Earth’s moon than another asteroid.

Read the NASA press release here.