Spring 2023

Question. Examine. Discover.

Every day researchers across the UT System seek to answer questions, uncover new truths or learn about the past to improve the future. We’re helping people or investigating problems for corporations. As we work in our laboratories and classrooms, we seek to impact lives across Tennessee and the world. We share just a few ways in which we do so in this issue.

Deposit Photo

Inside Rubber’s Soul

In February 2018, a team from Eastman Chemical Company visited Dayakar Penumadu’s materials research lab with a request. The UT…

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No Hard and Fast Lines

Twenty-first century medical appointments are a predictable affair: syringes, stethoscopes, thermometers and the like. But the Middle Age’s medico-magical methods…

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Renee Bailey Iacona and her boyfriend, Yomi Martins, dressed in traditional Nigerian clothing. Martins is from Nigeria.

‘Series of Serendipitous Moments’

From her days as a first-generation college student at UT Martin to her current role on the front line of…

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Richard Schoeberl

‘Something Had to be Done’

Nearly 28 million people are currently enslaved around the world, with traffickers raking in $150 billion a year. UT Southern…

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Jack on the Rocks statue in front of the Cave Spring opening at the Jack Daniel Distillery.

Whiskey and Trees

Jack Daniels needs specific trees to create its iconic whiskey. UTIA has been there to help ensure the brand can…

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Dr. Jim Bailey

In The Heart of Communities

UTHSC Jim Bailey and his team lead the research effort to improve the heart health of Tennesseans, whose state ranks…

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Narcan kit with all its contents.

Searching for Chocolate Chips

A new program will allow those dealing with drug addiction to test street drugs for the presence of the powerful…

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A Fruitful Career

David Lockwood has toiled alongside Tennessee fruit growers for nearly 50 years—its work he was, quite literally, born to do.

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At UT, research moves out from laboratories and classrooms and into the streets. UT Chattanooga Chancellor Steve Angle, left, and UT System President Randy Boyd, second from left, learn from Mina Sartipi, right, founding director of the UTC’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress. Her research focuses on data-driven approaches to tackle smart city applications, such as traffic flow and electricity delivery.

UT Changes Lives Through Research

The University of Tennessee is no stranger to this pursuit of knowledge—the impact is evident across the state and even…

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Ivan Navarrette worked to prepare the playing field at Lusail Stadium in Qatar for the World Cup.

No Higher Thing

To a turf grass student, it might seem like there’s no higher career peak than managing the pitches for the…

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Making An Impact

The UT Research Foundation moves ideas and discoveries by faculty, staff and students from the laboratories and classrooms to the…

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UTHSC nursing students will be providing outreach to underserved communities with a mobile health unit.

Funding the Future, Contributing to Communities

Thanks to the generosity of alumni and donors, the University of Tennessee transforms dollars into opportunities for its researchers and…

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The 35th UT mural in a statewide campaign can be seen by 21,000 travelers a day in Hamblen County. Photo By Stephanie Wilson

Mural Campaign Reaches 35 Sites

The University of Tennessee System’s “Everywhere You Look, UT” mural campaign added Hamblen County to its growing list of locations…

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Student Excellence

UT Knoxville’s Housing was honored with the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award by the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter of the…

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Angela Davis Speaks to Full House

Prominent educator, author and lecturer Angela Davis highlighted UT Chattanooga Martin Luther King Day 2023 festivities, speaking to a standing-room-only…

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From left, Lester Laminack, Kelly Starling Lyons, Carol Hampton Rasco, George Ella Lyon and Ronnie Erwin review books during the children’s literature conference.

UTS Welcomes Teacher Conference on Children’s Literature

UT Southern hosted a conference on Children’s Literacy: Igniting the Love for Literacy with more than 150 attendees in February.

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Interns Serving

Six UT Martin students served as legislative interns during the spring semester.

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Winter Commencement Held

UTHSC awarded 94 degrees during its 2022 winter commencement ceremony in Memphis.

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Keith Carver Assumes Leadership Role at UTIA

Keith Carver, former chancellor at UT Martin, named the new leader of UTIA.

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Employees from the Tennessee Department of Correction participated in the first course for public information officers held in November 2022.

LEIC Develops Public Information Officer Certification

Employees from the Tennessee Department of Correction participated in the first course for public information officers held in November 2022.

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