Stacy Clark, a research forester with the US Forest Service, will present “American Chestnut Restoration: Can We Bring Back the Mighty Giant?”

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

The American chestnut was one of the most widely distributed and important tree species in eastern North America until decimated in the early part of the twentieth century by an exotic fungus from Asia, the chestnut blight.

“Planting trees that have been bred for blight resistance using Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) has led to some important discoveries,” Clark said. “The return of the American chestnut into forests of the eastern United States will face challenges from native and nonnative plants, animals, insects, and diseases, in addition to the chestnut blight.”

Future Science Forums will feature a variety of topics:

• October 11: Chad Duty, group leader of Deposition and Technology Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “3D Printing: The Next Generation of Manufacturing”
• October 25: Kasey Krouse, urban forester for the city of Knoxville, presenting “Knoxville Urban Forestry—Year One”
• November 1: Gerry Dinkins, curator of malacology and natural history at the McClung Museum, discussing “Rediscovery of the Nearly Extinct Alabama Lampmussel in the Emory River”
• November 8: Devin White, senior research scientist of geocomputation Oak Ridge National Laboratory and assistant professor of anthropology, discussing “Archaeological Discoveries from Space”
• November 15: Phil Colclough, director of animal collections and conservation at Knoxville Zoological Gardens, discussing “Eastern Hellbender Conservation and the New Role of Zoos”
• November 22: Nathan Schmidt, assistant professor of microbiology, discussing “Infection with the Malaria Parasite: Malaria Is Only Half the Problem”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research and Quest, an initiative to raise awareness of UT’s research, scholarship, and creative activity.

For more information, visit scienceforum.utk.edu.

—

CONTACT:

Amanda Womac (Amanda@HellbenderPress.org)

Mark Littmann (865-974-8156, littmann@utk.edu)

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

Hap McSween, Chancellor’s Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, will present “Exploring the Asteroid Vesta: NASA’s Dawn Mission.”

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

“The Dawn spacecraft has completed its orbital investigation of asteroid Vesta and is now enroute to asteroid Ceres,” McSween said. “These are the two most massive asteroids, and their properties provide an interesting view of the diversity of planetary building blocks.”

Dawn’s asteroid-mapping mission aims to shed light on the evolution of the solar system by studying these huge space rocks. Vesta is the solar system’s brightest asteroid, and Ceres is the largest and is considered to be a dwarf planet.

McSween is the co-investigator for NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft mission, the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Dawn spacecraft. He had an asteroid named for him by the International Astronomical Union, 5223 McSween.

McSween has been a UT faculty member for thirty-six years and has been name the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences’ best teacher seven times. UT awarded him the Alexander Prize, which recognizes excellence in teaching and research, and the College of Arts and Sciences College Marshal, the highest college honor bestowed upon a faculty member. He is also this year’s Southeastern Conference Professor of the Year.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• October 4: Stacy Clark, research forester with the US Forest Service, discussing “American Chestnut Restoration: Can We Bring Back the Mighty Giant?”

• October 11: Chad Duty, group leader of Deposition Science and Technology Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “3D Printing: The Next Generation of Manufacturing”

• October 25: Kasey Krouse, urban forester for the city of Knoxville, presenting “Knoxville Urban Forestry—Year One”

• November 1: Gerry Dinkins, curator of malacology and natural history at the McClung Museum, discussing “Rediscovery of the Nearly Extinct Alabama Lampmussel in the Emory River”

• November 8: Devin White, senior research scientist of geocomputation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and assistant professor of anthropology, discussing “Archaeological Discoveries from Space”

• November 15: Phil Colclough, director of animal collections and conservation at Knoxville Zoological Gardens, discussing “Eastern Hellbender Conservation and the New Role of Zoos”

• November 22: Nathan Schmidt, assistant professor of microbiology, discussing “Infection with the Malaria Parasite: Malaria Is Only Half the Problem”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research and Quest, an initiative to raise awareness of UT’s research, scholarship, and creative activity. For more information, visit the Science Forum website.

—

C O N T A C T :

Amanda Womac (Amanda@HellbenderPress.org)

Mark Littmann (865-974-8156, littmann@utk.edu)

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

Jill Mikucki, assistant professor of microbiology, will present “Antarctica: Exploring Ecosystems Below Half a Mile of Ice,” on Friday, September 20.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

“Ice covers 10 percent of continental landmass on the planet, making subglacial environments an important, yet poorly understood, component of the Earth system,” says Mikucki. “Subglacial aquatic environments serve as analogs for past global glaciation events.”

She focuses her research primarily on the interactions between microbes and their environment, and how the impact of microbial metabolism is detectable on an ecosystem scale.

Mikucki will discuss her research in Antarctica and highlight her experiences as part of the Willans Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) team, which collected water and sediment samples from a subglacial lake in January—an exciting first in Antarctic exploration.

Mikucki boasts numerous trips to Antarctica and plans to return in November to continue her research and exploration of the Antarctic subglacial aquatic system beneath Whillans Ice Stream in West Antarctica and the mysterious Blood Falls subglacial ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Future Science Forums will feature a variety of topics:

• September 27: Hap McSween, Chancellor’s professor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Exploring the Asteroid Vesta: NASA’s Dawn Mission”
• October 4: Stacy Clark, research forester with U.S. Forest Service, discussing “American Chestnut Restoration: Can We Bring Back the Mighty Giant?”
• October 11: Chad Duty, leader of the Deposition Science and Technology Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “3D Printing: The Next Generation of Manufacturing”
• October 25: Kasey Krouse, urban forester for the city of Knoxville, presenting “Knoxville Urban Forestry—Year One”
• November 1: Gerry Dinkins, curator of malacology and natural history at the McClung Museum, discussing “Rediscovery of the Nearly Extinct Alabama Lampmussel in the Emory River”
• November 8: Devin White, senior research scientist of geocomputation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and assistant professor of anthropology, discussing “Archaeological Discoveries from Space”
• November 15: Phil Colclough, director of animal collections and conservation at Knoxville Zoological Gardens, discussing “Eastern Hellbender Conservation and the New Role of Zoos”
• November 22: Nathan Schmidt, assistant professor of microbiology, discussing “Infection with the Malaria Parasite: Malaria Is Only Half the Problem”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research and presented by Quest. For more information, visit the Science Forum website.

—

C O N T A C T :

Amanda Womac (Amanda@HellbenderPress.org)

Mark Littmann (865-974-8156, littmann@utk.edu)

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

Amy Howard, architect and director of development, and James Rose, adjunct assistant professor and interim director of the Institute for Smart Structures, will present “The UT Solar House—A Prototype for Zero-Energy Living,” on Friday, September 13.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

More than 200 UT students and faculty across nine academic disciplines designed the Living Light house for the Solar Decathlon.

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.

Here’s a look at other upcoming Science Forums:

• September 20: Jill Mikucki, assistant professor of microbiology, presenting “Antarctica: Exploring Ecosystems Below Half a Mile of Ice.”

• September 27: Hap McSween, Chancellor’s Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, presenting “Exploring the Asteroid Vesta: NASA’s Dawn Mission.”

• October 4: Stacy Clark, research forester with the US Forest Service, discussing “American Chestnut Restoration: Can We Bring Back the Mighty Giant?”

• October 11: Chad Duty, group leader of Deposition Science and Technology Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “3D Printing: The Next Generation of Manufacturing.”

• October 25: Kasey Krouse, urban forester for the city of Knoxville, presenting “Knoxville Urban Forestry—Year One.”

• November 1: Gerry Dinkins, curator of malacology and natural history at the McClung Museum, discussing “Rediscovery of the Nearly Extinct Alabama Lampmussel in the Emory River.”

• November 8: Devin White, senior research scientist of geocomputation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and assistant professor of anthropology, discussing “Archaeological Discoveries from Space.”

• November 15: Phil Colclough, director of animal collections and conservation at Knoxville Zoological Gardens, discussing “Eastern Hellbender Conservation and the New Role of Zoos.”

• November 22: Nathan Schmidt, assistant professor of microbiology, discussing “Infection with the Malaria Parasite: Malaria is Only Half the Problem.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research and Quest, an initiative to raise awareness of UT’s research, scholarship, and creative activity.

For more information, visit the Science Forum website.

—

C O N T A C T :

Amanda Womac (Amanda@HellbenderPress.org)

Mark Littmann (865-974-8156, littmann@utk.edu)

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

Neal Stewart, professor and Racheff Chair of Excellence in plant molecular genetics, will present “Scientific Misconduct: Is It Getting Worse?”

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

There are legal consequences to research falsification, fabrication and plagiarism, but the US Office of Research Integrity is reporting increasing numbers of violations. This information, alongside the growing number of retractions in journals, leads Stewart to believe scientific misconduct is on the rise.

“Research integrity is challenged by sanctionable offenses, but the situation of scientific misconduct is getting worse,” Stewart said. “What can scientists and mentors of scientists do?”

Stewart has published a book on the subject: Research Ethics for Scientists: A Companion for Students.

Future Science Forums will feature a variety of topics:

• September 13—Amy Howard, architect and director of development, and James Rose, architect and adjunct professor of architecture and design, present “The UT Solar House—A Prototype for Zero-Energy Living.”
• September 20—Jill Mikucki, assistant professor of microbiology, presents “Antarctica: Exploring Ecosystems Below Half a Mile of Ice.”
• September 27—Hap McSween, Chancellor’s Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, presents “Exploring the Asteroid Vesta: NASA’s Dawn Mission.”
• October 4—Stacy Clark, research forester with the US Forest Service, presents “American Chestnut Restoration: Can We Bring Back the Mighty Giant?”
• October 11—Chad Duty, group leader of the Deposition Science and Technology Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, presents “3D Printing: The Next Generation of Manufacturing.”
• October 25—Kasey Krouse, urban forester for the City of Knoxville, presents “Knoxville Urban Forestry—Year One.”
• November 1—Gerry Dinkins, curator of malacology and natural history at the McClung Museum, presents “Rediscovery of the Nearly Extinct Alabama Lampmussel in the Emory River.”
• November 8—Devin White, senior research scientist of geocomputation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and assistant professor of anthropology, presents “Archaeological Discoveries from Space.”
• November 15—Phil Colclough, director of animal collections and conservation at Knoxville Zoological Gardens, presents “Eastern Hellbender Conservation and the New Role of Zoos.”
• November 22—Nathan Schmidt, assistant professor of microbiology, presents “Infection with the Malaria Parasite: Malaria Is Only Half the Problem.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research and is presented by Quest. For more information, visit scienceforum.utk.edu.

—

CONTACT:

Amanda Womac (Amanda@HellbenderPress.org)

Mark Littman (865-974-8156, littmann@utk.edu)

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

Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the museum, will discuss the exploration and their findings Friday at the final UT Science Forum of the semester.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

The museum received a Civil War Heritage Area grant from the East Tennessee Civil War Alliance and the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable that allowed Markel and others to dig at the site of Fort Higley in South Knoxville.

She said the area had been “picked over” before the archaeologists arrived, so they didn’t find many Civil War artifacts. However, they were able to survey the area and determine that an 1864 map of the fort was accurate.

They also explored the site of a cabin near the fort.

She will discuss the museum’s archaeological finds at Morgan Hill, site of the new Sorority Village, as well. That site yielded many more Civil War artifacts, she said. She has curated a museum exhibit about their findings there.

The Science Forum is sponsored by the Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of research website.

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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)

She will be discussing some of the mission’s findings at the Science Forum on April 19.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

NASA has been studying Titan, Saturn’s largest satellite, since 2004. Although it is ten times farther from the sun than Earth and about 200 degrees Kelvin colder, Titan’s surface is very similar to Earth’s but composed of very different materials.

Pictures and data from Titan show windblown dunes covering about 20 percent of the moon’s surface. They are similar to sand dunes on Earth but are made of carbon-rich material.

Titan also has many drainage networks, similar to river systems on Earth. Instead of being formed by water, they were formed by liquid hydrocarbon.

Burr studies data after it is released by NASA. She said she is excited about the findings.

“There’s another planetary body—another world—that looks amazingly like Earth, but formed in very different materials,” she said. “It’s really fascinating.”

The last Science Forum presentation of the semester will be April 26 and will feature Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past.”

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

Drumheller-Horton feeding a partial cow hind limb to a group of American alligators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in Florida. She was collecting bite mark samples from different species of crocodylian on cow and pig limbs.

Stephanie Drumheller-Horton, lecturer in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, helped make an interesting discovery in a dinosaur fossil earlier this year.

She will be discussing her research at the Science Forum on Friday, April 12.

While analyzing bite marks on some seventy-five million year-old dinosaur bones that were collected in southern Utah in 2002, she and a team of paleontologists found the remnant of a prehistoric crocodylian tooth—evidence that crocs may have eaten small dinosaurs.

“Crocodylian” is a term encompassing several living animals, including alligators, crocodiles, and caimans, and their closest extinct relatives.

Drumheller-Horton studies both modern and ancient crocodylians, comparing the patterns of bite marks they leave on the bones of their prey.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

Femur with tooth.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Drumheller-Horton will speak about her work with modern crocodylians and then compare her findings with several case studies of fossils like the dinosaur bones she helped analyze.

She says that comparing bite mark patterns of modern crocodylians to ancient ones allows scientists to identify “very specific behavior that can be traced back sixty or seventy million years.”

They are also able to identify specific types of crocodylian species based on the fossils and learn about what was happening in their ecosystem at the time.

Drumheller-Horton has been studying crocodylian bite marks since 2006, when she began researching them for her dissertation.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be a Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

Bogart has written two books on urban economics and economic policy and co-authored a book on green energy.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to share their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Bogart said he will talk about how some US economic policies are reminiscent of South Pacific “cargo cults.”  This term describes religious-like beliefs held by some South Pacific islanders who first came into contact with Westerners in the early twentieth century, especially during World War II, and began to associate Westerners’ visits with receiving technology, supplies, and riches.

In the 1970s, physicist Richard Feynman compared some types of scientific research to cargo cults. Now Bogart plans to do the same with economics.

In particular, he will discuss the cargo cult idea that it is important to live like Europeans. Bogart says he sees this idea mirrored in American economic policies that emulate Europe. He’ll also discuss economic policies reminiscent of “table ceremonies” performed by cargo cults, in which participants prepare a replica of the cargo they hope to receive.

Bogart says these ideas are “very topical for this time and place and important to economic development.”

Future Science Forums will feature:

• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting  “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be a Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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C O N T A C T :

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

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

He is filling in for Kevin Hoyt, who was originally slated to give the presentation.

Evans is the former director of the Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center and the UT Arboretum. He is now retired, but assists with the Gas and Oil Research Initiative.

The initiative will include research into water and air quality, terrestrial ecosystems, geology, and best management practices associated with oil and gas exploration in the Cumberland Forest.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Evans will present basic information about the proposed Gas and Oil Research Initiative.

Hoyt, the director of the Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, said scientists from the UT Institute of Agriculture and across UT will likely collaborate with scientists from other universities, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. There will also be opportunities for student research, teaching, and UT extension activities.

The Institute of Agriculture is seeking permission from the Tennessee Building Commission on March 15 to advertise a Request for Proposals in order to identify an industry partner.

Hoyt said that revenue generated from the partner’s drilling operations would be reinvested into the research project.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics there, discussing “Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy”
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon that Would Be a Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)

He will discuss Snow’s work at this Friday’s Science Forum.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series during which professors and area scientists discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Snow investigated a series of cholera outbreaks in London in the 1850s.

“This is something that I always incorporate into the courses I teach because it’s so fundamental to the discipline,” Erwin said.

Epidemiology is the study of the causes and distribution of diseases and is one of the core disciplines of the public health academic degree.

Erwin hopes his presentation will “show the relevance of the work that was done 160 years ago to a modern epidemiologist’s work.”

Future Science Forums will feature:

• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, presenting “The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project.”
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics there, discussing “Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy.”
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record.”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be a Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan.”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)

He’ll be discussing its applications at the Science Forum on March 1.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Electron microscopes, similar to optical microscopes, are used to reveal the structure of small objects. Electron microscopes make use of the properties of electrons to magnify small objects for study instead of using light, as in optical microscopes.

“Electron microscopes have been around since the early 1930s. But only in the last thirteen years has the technology matured to the point that we can study materials literally atom by atom,” Idrobo said.

Idrobo uses electron microscopy to study, at the atomic scale, the chemical bonding and optical properties of graphene. Graphene is a pure-carbon substance similar to graphite, but lighter. These properties can be applied in the production of novel electronic devices and more efficient energy-related materials.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• March 8: Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin, professor and head of the Department of Public Health, presenting “John Snow and Cholera: The Foundation for Modern Disease Investigation.”
• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, presenting “The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project.”
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics there, discussing “Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy.”
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record.”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be A Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan.”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)

He will discuss the fire service and tell his stories at Friday’s Science Forum.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Nix will talk about the “hot-potato baby” phenomenon that firefighters encounter.

He said that when firefighters or paramedics answer a call at a home with a sick or injured child, parents often bring the child outside instead of waiting.

“The parent presents us with a very sick child as soon as we get there,” he said. “Sometimes when we pull up, they come sprinting out.”

In contrast, when adults in the house are in need, they wait inside. Children are portable and often inspire more worry, Nix said.

Nix will also present a general history of the fire service and talk about the medical work he does.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• March 1: Juan-Carlos Idrobo, research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “Exploring the Universe One Atom at a Time.”
• March 8: Paul Campbell Erwin, professor and head of the Department of Public Health, presenting “John Snow and Cholera: The Foundation for Modern Disease Investigation.”
• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, presenting “The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project.”
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics there, discussing “Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy.”
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record.”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be a Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan.”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)

She will be discussing the mission at the Science Forum on Friday.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Kah will talk about the mission’s goal to assess if any area of Mars is habitable or has been in the past. She will explain the makeup of the Curiosity rover, how it will assess habitability, and a few of its recent discoveries. She also will discuss why the mission chose Gale Crater for this excursion.

Kah’s job on the mission is co-investigator on several of the camera teams, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California.

A few days a week, she works to help choose objects for the rover to photograph and makes sure that the cameras are programmed correctly.

“The remaining time I act as a full-fledged part of the science team as a geologist and an expert in interpreting both textural information and chemistry of rocks: participating in discussions and planning sessions, and interpreting the images and other data that come down,” she said.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• February 22: Lt. Robby Nix, critical care paramedic for the Rural Metro Fire Department, presenting “Firefighter Paramedics and the Hot Potato Baby—It’s Not What You Think.”
• March 1: Juan-Carlos Idrobo, research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “Exploring the Universe One Atom at a Time.”
• March 8: Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin, professor and head of the Department of Public Health, presenting “John Snow and Cholera: The Foundation for Modern Disease Investigation.”
• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, presenting “The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project.”
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics, discussing “Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy.”
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record.”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be A Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan.”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)

He will talk about the perceptions and misconceptions of the condition at the Science Forum on Friday.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forums are free and open to the public.

A broad range of testosterone levels can be considered normal in men, Namey said. Health issues can arise when testosterone levels fall dramatically. Beyond the expected sexual issues, low testosterone can lead to muscle wasting, osteoporosis, and depression. Namey believes that tests for low testosterone should be improved to take into account this broad range of health effects.

He has written several textbook chapters and papers as well as given lectures on this topic. Namey also writes for healthtap.com and is the top-rated physician in five of their health categories. He was listed in the 2004-05 Consumers’ Research Council of America’s Guide to America’s Top Physicians.

For more information about his work, visit drnamey.com.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• February 15: Linda C. Kah, Ken Walker Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, discussing “Curiouser and Curiouser: NASA’s Curiosity Rover’s Mission in Gale Crater.”
• February 22: Lt. Robby Nix, critical care paramedic for the Rural Metro Fire Department, presenting “Firefighter Paramedics and the Hot Potato Baby—It’s Not What You Think.”
• March 1: Juan Carlos Idrobo, research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “Exploring the Universe One Atom at a Time.”
• March 8: Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin, professor and head of the Department of Public Health, presenting “John Snow and Cholera: The Foundation for Modern Disease Investigation.”
• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, presenting “The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project.”
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics there, discussing “Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy.”
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record.”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be a Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan.”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. Click here for more information about the Science Forum.

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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)

He’ll be discussing that process and its applications at the Science Forum on Friday.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to share their research with the general public through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

Weaver and his company use biomass—any plant-based material, including waste—to create hydrogen at a low cost.

“From that, we can use it all the ways we use energy,” he said. That means it can be used as a power source.

“We’ve had people come see it from all over the world,” Weaver said.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• February 8: Thomas C. Namey, former professor of medicine and nutrition and former associate director of the UT Nutrition Institute, presenting “Low Testosterone (‘Low T’): Implications for Men’s Health Far Beyond Sex.”
• February 15: Linda C. Kah, Ken Walker Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, discussing “Curiouser and Curiouser: NASA’s Curiosity Rover’s Mission in Gale Crater.”
• February 22: Lt. Robby Nix, critical care paramedic for the Rural Metro Fire Department, presenting “Firefighter Paramedics and the Hot Potato Baby—It’s Not What You Think.”
• March 1: Juan-Carlos Idrobo, research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussing “Exploring the Universe One Atom at a Time.”
• March 8: Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin, professor and head of the Department of Public Health, presenting “John Snow and Cholera: The Foundation for Modern Disease Investigation.”
• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, presenting “The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project.”
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics there, discussing “Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy.”
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, presenting “Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record.”
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, discussing “The Moon That Would Be a Planet: Saturn’s Giant Titan.”
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, presenting “Digging into Our Civil War Past.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)

Alabama lampmussels were considered to be all but extinct when Gerry Dinkins and two other scientists discovered some in the Emory River in Morgan County, Tennessee.

Dinkins is curator of malacology, or the study of mollusks, at the Frank H. McClung Museum. He’ll be talking about this discovery at the Science Forum on January 25.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to share their research with the general public through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. The Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

The Alabama lampmussel is “considered to be the rarest mussel in North America,” Dinkins said. In Alabama, they can be found in only one area, and their population is declining.

None were known to remain in Tennessee until their discovery in the Emory River two years ago.

Dinkins will also talk about the McClung Museum’s mollusk collection, which features 240 species of freshwater mussels.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• February 1: Samuel C. Weaver, president and CEO of Proton Power, Inc., Back to the Future: Biomass to Cheap Hydrogen
• February 8: Thomas C. Namey, former professor of medicine and nutrition and associate director of the UT Nutrition Institute, Low Testosterone (‘Low T‘): Implications for Men’s Health Far Beyond Sex
• February 15: Linda C. Kah, Ken Walker Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curiouser and Curiouser: NASA‘s Curiosity Rover‘s Mission in Gale Crater
• February 22: Robby Nix, critical care paramedic for the Rural Metro Fire Department, Firefighter Paramedics and the Hot Potato Baby—It‘s Not What You Think
• March 1: Juan Carlos Idrobo, research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Exploring the Universe One Atom at a Time
• March 8: Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin, professor and head of the Department of Public Health, John Snow and Cholera: The Foundation for Modern Disease Investigation
• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project
• March 22, 29: no meetings, Spring Break
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics, Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, The Moon That Would Be A Planet: Saturn‘s Giant Titan
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, Digging Into Our Civil War Past

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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 Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science through a conversational presentation.

Hume’s presentation will be in room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. The presentation will be forty minutes long followed by a question-and-answer session. It is free and open to the public.

Hume, who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of voice and speech sound disorders, will talk about the anatomical structures that create the sound and tone of the voice and ways to maintain vocal health.

“Our voices are vulnerable to environmental effects, occupational demands, and aging,” she said. “The good news is that many voice problems are preventable through education and modification of behaviors.”

She defines professional voice users as “anyone who relies on his or her voice to meet occupational demands, such as teachers, lawyers, coaches, and ministers.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

—

C O N T A C T :

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

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

He’ll be discussing some of the aspects of its history that he finds most significant at the Science Forum on Friday.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. It is free and open to the public.

Heller said he’ll be taking “sort of a quirky look at the history of photojournalism,” part technical and part creative.

He will discuss technological advances in photography beginning in the 1860s, particularly those related to printing photos in newspapers, such as half-tone reproduction.

Photojournalism couldn’t get its start, he said, “until there was a way to reproduce photos in print.”

He will show some early examples of photos in newspapers and discuss changes that have occurred over time.

This fall’s last Science Forum will be November 30. Sue Hume, clinical associate professor of audiology and speech pathology, will present “Good Vibrations—Care and Use of the Professional Voice.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)

She’ll be discussing her work at the UT Science Forum on Friday, November 9.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is 40 minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. It is free and open to the public.

Boyer’s presentation will cover research she did in Hawaii and New Caledonia. She’ll discuss large-scale overall trends in extinct and endangered species and major threats to tropical birds.

She said she’s interested in understanding why species become extinct. In studying fossil records, she and other scientists have discovered that some bird species have become extinct without being documented. Because it happened relatively recently, human contact was probably involved.

She also wants to explore why biodiversity is helpful to humans and what the detriments of losing it could be.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• Nov. 16: Rob Heller, professor of journalism and electronic media, will discuss “A Brief Yet Incomplete History of Photojournalism.”
• Nov. 30: Sue Hume, clinical associate professor of audiology and speech pathology, will present “Good Vibrations—Care and Use of the Professional Voice.”

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of Research website.

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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)