Photo (above): The UT College of Veterinary Medicine is starting a new wellness program to help students cope with stress.
Studies have found that medical and veterinary students experience more anxiety and depression than the general population and that these stressors increase over the course of their professional education. To improve personal health, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine is developing a comprehensive wellness program for students and its faculty and staff who serve as role models. Included is a four-year required course focused on leadership, communication skills, ethics, business management and health/wellness; health roundtables; and exercise programs. Instilling a need for self-care as an ethical responsibility will enhance student wellness and, ultimately, the wellness of those who work in the veterinary profession.
A Gift of Friendship
Hosta are known as the “The Friendship Plant” for the way new friends are made when people share their plants and visit each other’s gardens. Cornelia Holland of Franklin, Tenn., is sharing her outstanding collection of 800-plus hosta varieties, companion plants and statuary with the UT Gardens, Knoxville. The plants are forming the bones of what will be one of the largest hosta collections in the Southeast. The “Tranquility” Cornelia B. Holland Hosta and Shade Garden will open in the spring and include space for weddings and other events. In September, the UT Gardens were named one of the 50 most stunning university gardens and arboretums in the world. Best Masters Programs, an online guide that helps students identify master’s degree programs that suit their goals, bestowed the designation, citing the gardens’ mix of beauty and utility.
Big on Weather
The National Weather Service has recognized UTIA’s Dairy AgResearch and Education Center in Lewisburg for 75 years of observations. UT AgResearch centers collect data that contribute to the USDA’s weekly crop updates.
Gourd-geous Autumn Display
Research becomes art when gourds, pumpkins and winter squash are harvested at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson. Staff and volunteers use more than 5,000 of these fall fruits to construct the largest pumpkin display in the state. With a wide color palette, various shapes and textures, and this year’s addition of bottle art, this collision of cucurbits is a true masterpiece. Visitors are welcome to view the display daily through Thanksgiving weekend.
