Brad Collett

Just thirteen years ago, Brad Collett was an honors student at UT, working on his bachelor’s degree in ornamental horticulture and landscape design.

He’s now an assistant professor of plant sciences and interim chair of UT’s graduate Landscape Architecture Program.

“I always had thought that at some point in my career I would seek an opportunity to share my passion for landscape architecture with aspiring professionals,” he said. “To have the opportunity to do this here at UT, a place about which I am equally passionate, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Collett joined the faculty in 2011 to help grow the new master’s degree in landscape architecture, an interdisciplinary program of the College of Architecture and Design and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

He brought to the position a broad professional experience gained from six years as a senior associate at a firm in Orlando, Florida. There, he managed master planning and landscape architecture projects and helped direct the firm’s sustainable design initiatives.

“What inspired me as student in the landscape design program is quite similar to what now drives me as a member of the landscape architecture faculty—a passionate belief that through responsible planning of landscapes and creative, innovative design of the built environment, we can have a profound impact on quality of life and the sustainability of natural resources,” Collett said.

Collett said he arrived at UT in 1997 without any idea of what field he wanted to study. He credits the insight of “excellent undergraduate advisors” who helped him discover and cultivate his interests.

“I am so grateful to these individuals who recognized my interests in service to the community, environmental sciences, and creative arts that are fundamental to the profession of landscape architecture,” he said.

He earned his master’s in landscape architecture from The Ohio State University in 2004.

UT’s Landscape Architecture Program began in 2008 after years of work from the campus community and professionals across the state. The Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) granted the program full accreditation last August, making it the only accredited landscape architecture program in the state.

“Brad Collett has been extraordinary in galvanizing the combined efforts of faculty, staff, and students to get the landscape architecture program accredited. The commitment of the leadership and level of excellence displayed by this relatively young program were lauded by the visiting team,” said Caula Beyl, dean of the college.

Collett said the accreditation means a bright future for the program.

“We seek to continue to grow our program by attracting even more exceptional and passionate students,” he said.

The program’s faculty and students have been a part of several inspiring outreach programs and collaborations such as the New Norris House, the Living Light house, and Plan East Tennessee, a regional community planning initiative.

“Brad also has supported a culture of service learning with students engaged in providing input on storm water issues in Knoxville and Knox County, thus positively impacting our community,” Beyl said.

Brad and his wife, Nicki, have two young children and enjoy visiting family in Ohio and North Carolina.

Lannett Edwards

From funny videos to group competitions and love songs, Lannett Edwards inspires the laughs that lead to learning.

The animal science professor’s unique approach to teaching reproduction has left her students with fond memories.

“I never knew there were so many country songs that could be related to reproduction—and Dr. Edwards used them all,” noted former student Elizabeth Johnson. “I still can’t listen to Brad Paisely’s Waiting on a Woman, without thinking of sperm sitting in the oviduct waiting on the follicle to ovulate.”

Professor Edwards teaches graduate seminars and reproductive physiology to undergraduates and directs the department’s graduate studies.

She enjoys finding different approaches to delivering the many scientific facts. And her students enjoy how much effort she puts into it.

“Each new lecture she teaches is a blank canvas waiting to be turned into a masterpiece of knowledge and enthusiasm for a science,” said Johnson, who is now studying to be a veterinarian.

Edwards enjoys guiding her students.

“I want to teach the undergrads that they can accomplish anything if they make the effort,” she said. “The graduate level is more about the content and realizing that everything they are learning is meaningful and to not get so caught up in the nitpicky details. It really is about agriculture, where they fit in, and how it will open doors for them.”

“Lannett Edwards is not only a talented and innovative teacher, but she also has helped to develop a much needed course in research ethics for the life sciences, a topic of great national interest for graduate students,” Beyl said. “As the graduate director for animal science, she has instituted a set of best practices focused on tracking progression of students toward degree completion that has become a model for the college.”

Edwards earned a bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay State University, a master’s degree from Mississippi State University, and a doctorate from the University of Florida.

A postdoctoral fellowship with the US Department of Agriculture gave her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with researcher Ian Wilmut in Edinburgh, Scotland. He led the team that successfully cloned the sheep, Dolly, who was the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.

Just a few years later, in 2000, Edwards and her husband, Neal Schrick, also made international news by successfully cloning Milly, a Jersey cow, at UT. Schrick, professor of animal science, is now department head.

Edwards grew up in rural Houston County, Tennessee. She was a 4-Her and learned the value of hard work from her dairy-farming grandparents.

“I loved that type of life, the hard work and the getting up early aspect,” she said. “I grew up with those agricultural influences and appreciating where food comes from, especially dairy.”

Edwards hopes to share the same simple pleasures with her children, Laney, age ten, and Tyler, twelve. They are developing a small farm in Sevier County.

And while she’s inspired so many students, she can’t point to just one source of inspiration. Her mom motivates and guides her through her challenging career and busy life.

She also still thinks a lot about Dolly, the sheep, and how she set the course for her research.

“Even after her death, Dolly reminds me that the impossible is possible.”

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C O N T A C T :

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

Left to right, UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, UT Agriculture Chancellor Larry Arrington, and UT System President Joe DiPietro dedicated a plaque commemorating the passing of the Morrill Act at the university’s annual Ag Day celebration.

The University of Tennessee commemorated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of public land-grant universities on Saturday, November 3, during the annual Ag Day celebration.

In the early 1960s, Vermont Representative Justin Morrill had a big idea that would help shape the future of Tennessee and the rest of the nation: He believed higher education should be available to everyone.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862, providing federal funds to establish many of America’s public colleges and universities to teach agriculture and the mechanical arts to all.

UT is one of 107 land-grant institutions in the United States. The Civil War prevented Tennessee from being eligible for land-grant funds until 1867. In 1869, Tennessee’s legislature designated UT—known as East Tennessee University at the time—as the state’s land grant institution, allowing the university to grow and expand. The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, AgResearch, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and UT Extension are all direct results of the Morrill Act and other legislation.

Mark Fly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amy Fulcher

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

Amy Fulcher has an app for that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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C O N T A C T :

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

It’s been big news over this past year. UT Knoxville has set its sights on becoming a Top 25 public research university in the next 10 years.

Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek calls it an ambitious goal. But he’s also quick to point out that it’s not about the bragging rights, the rankings or the numbers. It’s about the journey to become a better university –- for our students, for our community and for our state.

Tennessee Today is featuring UT Knoxville’s faculty and staff whose work helps advance our goals. Doctoral student Daniel Reed is studying overall ecological impact of conservation practices and materials. Read more here.

Effective Sept. 1, Mary Albrecht, associate dean for academic programs and professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, will oversee the Top 25 project and serve as associate vice chancellor. This will be a limited duration appointment.

“Mary has done a great job coordinating projects and initiatives for CASNR and we’re pleased to have her take on these responsibilities,” Cheek said. “As we move forward with our Top 25 quest, we’ll be launching some new initiatives and enhancing some existing programs. We need to monitor our progress and keep our campus community, alumni and other constituents well-informed on how we’re doing. Having a point person like Mary is critical to keeping us on track.”

In addition, Albrecht will work with Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Susan Martin on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaccreditation process.

Albrecht came to UT in 1996. Prior to becoming associate dean, Albrecht was head of the Department of Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. Before that, she was on the faculty at Kansas State University. Albrecht received her master’s degree and doctorate from Ohio State University and her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.

The workshop, “Replacing ZZZs with Zip: A Workshop on Student Engagment,” will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hollingsworth Auditorium in the Ellington Plant Sciences Building.

David Schumann, director of the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center, with colleagues Chutney Walton, Thelma Woodard and Ferlin McGaskey, and Jed Diamond, director of acting from the Department of Theatre will help participants:

• Learn what motivates students and what inhibits learning.
• See how to achieve rapport quickly with your class.
• Learn how to apply higher levels of learning in the classroom.
• Prevent passing away by PowerPoint.
• Brainstorm to evaluate student engagement in your own class.
• Use principles of good acting to capture the attention of your students.

This workshop is hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources; Dr. Susan Martin, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs; and the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center.

The workshop is free but space is limited and registration is required. Lunch is provided to those who pre-register for this highly interactive workshop.

Call 974-7303 to reserve your seat. For more information, visit the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Web site.