#2 In The Nation
Faculty excellence was underscored yet again this year as 11 faculty members were named Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This record number placed UT Knoxville second in the nation among top institutions for the most new AAAS Fellows in 2010.
Among the 531 newly elected Fellows, Ohio State University led with 17. UT Knoxville and Cornell University tied for second place with 11 new Fellows each.
Ten of the 11 Fellows are from the College of Arts and Sciences, and one is from the College of Engineering.
“These new Fellows exemplify our campus’s leadership in research, science, and engineering,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “Their bodies of work and leadership in their respective fields have placed them among the nation’s best, and we’re proud of their accomplishments.”
Founded in 1848, AAAS serves more than 200 affiliated societies and academies of science and publishes the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Science. The mission of AAAS is to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives that include science policy, international programs, science education, and public understanding of science. With more than 10 million members, AAAS is one of the world’s largest scientific organizations.
Election as a Fellow of AAAS is an honor bestowed upon members of the organization by their peers. Fellows are recognized for “meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.”
Including the recently appointed faculty members, UT Knoxville has now had 28 faculty members elected AAAS Fellows.
The UT Knoxville 2010 AAAS Fellows
- Robert Norman Compton, professor of chemistry, for distinguished contributions to the understanding of negative ions and nonlinear laser spectroscopy
- Elbio R. Dagotto, distinguished professor of physics, for distinguished contributions to the field of theoretical and computational condensed matter physics
- Narendra B. Dahotre, professor of materials science and engineering, for outstanding contributions to research and development and teaching of science and technology of laser materials processing and surface engineering
RECOGNITION
- University Libraries and the Office of Research roll out the red carpet every spring to celebrate the scholarly work of more than 100 faculty authors, who publish as many as 150 new books over the course of two semesters.
- This past year, the Office of Alumni Affairs presented Distinguished Alumni Awards to Howard H. Baker Jr., Clarence L. Brown (posthumously), James A. Haslam II, and Natalie Haslam. Jenny Banner, Mike Fitts, Jack Mills, and Will Pugh received Alumni Service Awards, and Alumni Promise Awards went to, among others, Charles Davis, Clay Jones, and Beldina Auma.
At the annual Chancellor’s Honors Banquet, Torchbearer awards—the university’s highest honor to students—were presented to Erin Bernstein, Mary Braddock, Rachel Edwards, Taylor Reynolds, Lance Taylor, and Maria Williams. The Macebearer award, the highest faculty honor, went to John Sobieski, Lindsay Young Distinguished Professor of Law.- An Extraordinary Service to the University Award went to employee Barry Reeves for developing an apprenticeship program working with the Facilities Services Department, the Knoxville Area Urban League, and the Lincoln Park High School Technology Center.
- Each week a UT scholar engaging in exceptional research or creativity is recognized on the UT Knoxville homepage as the Quest Scholar of the Week.
- More than 700 students and alumni sent electronic messages during this year’s Faculty Appreciation Week. The week included special events, discounts, and online features that served as eloquent reminders of the long-lasting impacts of individual faculty members.
- Carol P. Harden, professor of geography, for distinguished contributions to geographic understanding of land-use change and watershed processes and as vice-president and president of the Association of American Geographers
- Suzanne Lenhart, professor of mathematics, for distinguished contributions to the field of optimal control and modeling of biological and physical applications and to education, service, and outreach activities
- Brent S. Mallinckrodt, professor of psychology, for distinguished contribution to the field of psychotherapy research and health psychology and as editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology
- Gary Frederick McCracken, professor and head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, for distinguished contributions to the fields of population biology, ecology, and conservation of bats
- Witold Nazarewicz, professor of physics, for distinguished contributions to the field of theoretical nuclear structure
- Cynthia B. Peterson, professor and department head, biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology, for promoting biophysical approaches to study the physiology of coagulation and fibrinolysis and for advancing interdisciplinary education at the interface of computational and biological sciences
- Michael J. Sepaniak, professor of chemistry, for the advancement of the fundamental understanding and the practical implementation of diverse methods of microchemical analysis
- Lawrence A. Taylor, professor of earth and planetary sciences, for distinguished contributions to the field of planetary geochemistry
