Bringing the World to Our Students Travelers in the Land of the Qin All Abroad! a Word from the Dean a Publication Of

The magazine of the College of Arts and Sciences

Volume 12, Issue 1 Spring 2006

The Quality Enhancement Plan: Bringing the World to Our Students Travelers in the Land of the Qin All Abroad! a word from the dean a publication of

Greetings from the College of Arts and Sciences! Since beginning my appointment as dean in September, it has been my goal to instill a model of excellence in all facets of the college—excellence in teaching, excellence in scholarship, excellence in research, and excellence in public service.

The College of Arts and 26 Alumni Memorial Building, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-1320 Sciences is the largest college of the University President John D. Petersen of Tennessee, and we Chancellor have important roles to Loren Crabtree Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs fill with respect to teach- Anne Mayhew ing, research, and public Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences service. The reputation of Bruce E. Bursten Associate Dean for Academic Programs the university depends on Don Cox what we do. I truly believe Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Studies and Facilities that the arts and sciences William Dunne are the academic heart of Associate Dean for Academic Personnel Carolyn Hodges an institution of higher learning. The arts and sciences provide the principal Director of Budget and Administrative Affairs measures of the reputation of a university. The great public universities that we Ann Robinson-Craig might aspire to emulate, universities like UC—Berkeley, Michigan, and North Director of Development Aldon Knight Carolina, are at the top not because they have great medical schools or Director of Academic Outreach law schools. They are considered top institutions because of their strengths Lynn Champion Director of Advising Services in the arts and sciences. A truly great university achieves that status because Melissa Parker of the arts and sciences—that is where greatness is measured. Contributors Robert Dickinson In an increasingly technical world, many may ask, What is the value of a lib- Matt Evans Andrew Najberg eral arts education? What is its relevance? To answer, I’ll speak of my own Katie Schweinfest Buell Wisner experience. The world is becoming increasingly complex, so as a chemist, I Editors must think about more than just chemistry. To do research that will make a Polly Laffitte Katie Schweinfest positive difference, I have to think about the socioeconomic and ecological Elizabeth Ferguson Autumn Parrott impact of that research. There are so many aspects of leadership to master Mary Marshburn, Creative Services that one has to think expansively to become a leader in any field. And no area Design has emphasized expansive thinking as well as the arts and sciences. Part of Angie Dobbs, Creative Services Photographer the value of a liberal arts education is in the actual content a student learns, Jack Parker but I still think that its greatest value is training a student to think critically The University of Tennessee does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, about a wide range of possibilities. We teach our students to think in several disability, or veteran status in provision of educational programs and services or employment opportunities and benefits. This policy extends to both employment by and different directions and to realize that every time an issue comes up, one has admission to the University. The university does not discriminate on the basis of to look at it through several different lenses. race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities pursuant to the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting our Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,and the Americans with Disabilities Act college and university. I hope you enjoy this edition of Higher Ground. (ADA) of 1990. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in its efforts to ensure a welcoming environment for all persons, does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in All the best, its campus-based programs, services, and activities. Inquiries and complaints should be directed to the Office of Equity and Diversity. Inquiries and charges of violation concerning Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, ADA or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) or any of the other above refer- enced policies should be directed to the Office of Equity Bruce E. Bursten and Diversity (OED), 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996 3560, telephone (865 974 2498 (V/TTY avail- Dean able) or 974 2440. Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the UTK Office of Human Resources, 600 Henley Street, Knoxville, TN 37996 4125.PA#E01-1001-001-06 A project of the UTK College of Arts and Sciences Development Office, (865) 974-2365, with assistance from the UT Creative Services Division. 7409 Higher Ground VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1 SPRING 2006 contents Bringing the World to Our Students. 8 Our Students to the World

4 Vision for the College

7 CAS by the Numbers

Travelers 8 The Quality Enhancement Plan: 10 in the Land of Ready for the World the Qin 9 UT’s Geographical Information Systems Research

10 Travelers in the Land of the Qin

12 Earthquake Hazard Under Rocky Top?

13 The Center for Jacksonian America

14 All Abroad!

16 UT Chamber Singers Tour Russia

17 Summer Theater and Poetry Festivals in Mexico

18 World-Class Spallation Neutron Research All 20 Forever Young 14 Abroad! 22 The UT–ORNL Connection 23 Students Have the Dean’s Ear

24 Donor Spotlight: Dr. Robert Talley

25 Leaving a Legacy: Reinhold and Katherine Nordsieck 24

26 Public Service: UT Hosts Unique Conference on Business and Bioethics

27 In the Spotlight vision college:for the positivemaking a difference A Conversation with Bruce E. Bursten, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

BRUCE E. BURSTEN Describe your educational background and how it has directed you to your Born: Chicago, raised in Milwaukee position as dean of the college. Education: S.B. in chemistry, with honors, University of Chicago I have a love of universities, which dates all the way back to my high-school (1974); Ph.D. in chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison experience. My first experience in a university setting took place in 1970, the (1978) summer after my junior year in high school. I was accepted into a summer Career progression: Ohio State University—Assistant professor math program at the University of California—Berkley, and it was then that of chemistry (1980); Distinguished University Professor (1997); I decided I wanted to be a college professor. While I wasn’t exactly certain chair, Department of Chemistry (October 1999–October 2003) what a college professor did, I did know that college professors got to hang University of Tennessee—Appointed dean of the College of Arts out on college campuses! and Sciences (September 1, 2005)

Research interests: Inorganic chemistry, focusing on the corre- My own undergraduate experience also provided me with a great love for the lation of theoretical and experimental electronic structural data arts and sciences. I was a math and science nerd in high school, so I went with the bonding and reactivity patterns of metal-containing to the University of Chicago, which has a strong history in the liberal arts and molecules required that all students take a challenging set of core courses in the arts and Publications and presentations: Author or coauthor of more than sciences. When I look back on how the university added value to me as a per- 150 research papers; coauthor of leading general chemistry textbook; presenter of more than 150 research seminars at son, it was in the areas away from math and science. They forced me to become national laboratories, private companies, and universities a better writer, they forced me to think about things that were not math and science, and it really was a transformational experience for me. It wasn’t easy, and Professional honors: Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher–Scholar Award (1984); OSU Alumni Award for it wasn’t painless, but I am grateful that my university made me a better person. Distinguished Teaching (1982, 1996); OSU Distinguished To have an opportunity as dean to help future generations of students become Scholar Award (1990); American Chemistry Council’s Catalyst well rounded in the arts and sciences is an honor and a privilege. Award, a national award for teachers of chemistry (2001); OSU Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service (2002); Spiers Medal and Prize of the Royal Society of Chemistry, U.K. After spending more than 20 years at Ohio State, why did you decide to (2003); Morley Medal from the American Chemical Society come to UT? Cleveland Section (2005) I loved Ohio State, and I enjoyed living in Columbus. I was very happy doing Fellow, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (1985) what I was doing. I served as department chair for chemistry, with my term ending in 2003, and then I went back to life as a professor, which I like. I had Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2004) been contacted by a number of universities about the possibility of being a candidate for dean, most of which I wasn’t interested in for various reasons, Holder of several elected offices in the American Chemical not wanting to move from Ohio State to that university or from Columbus to Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry, including chairmanship (2001) that city. When the opportunity at UT came up, and when I was contacted

Higher Ground about it, it was intriguing for a number of reasons. Probably the Can you discuss some important challenges facing the col- one thing that set UT apart was the relationship with Oak Ridge lege today? National Laboratory. In my own research, I have been funded for The most obvious answer to me is resources. The college is twenty years by the Department of Energy, and I have had plenty a pretty lean operation. Our departments are stretched pretty of experience with DOE national labs, for example, Los Alamos thin in terms of the demands on the faculty, so we need to have National Laboratory. Through the interview process, I began to more positions on the faculty. In the early 1990s, the college realize what role I could have as dean in fostering the relation- had about five-hundred-fifty faculty members. The university hit ship with ORNL and helping to make it a success. That was very tough financial times and the number dropped to about four hun- appealing to me. Also, I was attracted to UT because, while this dred and fifty. That means twenty percent of the faculty has is a big job, I am still highly involved in research, and I thought gone away, whereas the student body is growing. More impor- having colleagues at Oak Ridge who shared common interests tant, the students’ test scores are going up, and the students would be a huge plus. Being able to collaborate with partners at are getting better. We have to make a commitment to our stu- ORNL and colleagues here at UT would give me a great opportu- dents that we will deliver more as they continue to get better. nity to keep active in research while taking on an administrative They should demand more of us and we should deliver more. role. Finally, I knew very little about Knoxville. My initial impres- More than anything else, achieving that requires a top-notch fac- sion was positive, and Knoxville has been a whole lot better ulty. We are back up to about five-hundred faculty members in than I ever anticipated. I was a little worried about moving from the college, but we still have a way to go to achieve the right ratio Columbus, a city about three times the size of Knoxville, but I of students to faculty. enjoy it here very much. I will really enjoy having time to explore what Knoxville has to offer, like the Smoky Mountains. We also need to ensure that we have the facilities to attract top faculty. If we were to get up to five-hundred-fifty faculty members Recent discussions have centered on the importance of the again, we would have no place to put them. Back in the early UT–ORNL partnership. How will this partnership affect and nineties, as I understand it, the faculty doubled and tripled up in benefit the College of Arts and Sciences? offices, and that’s how we accommodated that number. That is not This is one of my big challenges as dean. The state of Tennessee the way a great university should treat its faculty. Our physical plan does not provide overly generous funding for the university. This is definitely a challenge—we need more space for the faculty, for is not unique to the state of Tennessee; it’s a trend among classrooms, and for research centers. state universities. I am coming here with an agenda for excellence. Excellence costs in terms of resources, money, unique Recently we have been con- opportunities, faculty, and administration. I viewed the relation- ducting salary analyses to ship between UT and ORNL as unique—only three other univer- see how we compare with sities have a similar strategic advantage: SUNY—Stonybrook similar institutions—and we with Brookhaven National Laboratory, Iowa State with Ames are behind. A big part of my Laboratory, and, at the pinnacle, UC—Berkeley with Lawrence job is to sell these ideas to Berkeley National Laboratory. There are many advantages to the administration above me. partnering with ORNL, the first being resources. There are certain things we can do in terms of equipment with ORNL that we could not do on our own. We have access to special facilities and services because of our partnership and proximity to ORNL. “I am given the opportunity—and In our college, roughly one-third of our departments have poten- the privilege—to tial for a strong relationship with ORNL. In particular, the physical stamp some of sciences—physics, chemistry, earth and planetary sciences— have direct relationships with ORNL. And the partnership with myself on a great the biological sciences is a growing effort. Math, computer sci- college and a ence, and geography also present a lot of potential synergies great university. between what we are doing here and what they are doing there. As dean, I view our college as one with limited resources, but we The ability to make have this add-on due to our relationship with ORNL. a difference is what has made every The other part is more tangible. It is the four joint institutes between part of my career UT and ORNL in advanced materials, biological sciences, comput- ing sciences, and neutron sciences. We are also in the midst of in academia so recruiting Governor’s Chairs, which will be very visible, attention- satisfying.” getting hires of tremendous new scientific leaders who will have joint appointments between UT and ORNL. Most of those leaders will fit in the academic departments of Arts and Sciences.

Spring 2006 The tougher sell is convincing our stakeholders, the citizens of ties, and we will be building on that by bringing in world-class Tennessee, that this is a good investment in the state. We must people through the Governor’s Chairs program. The legacy and show the state that we are going to serve their children well presence of this university in the area of anthropology is also when they come here for college and serve the state well by gen- great—especially forensic anthropology. This is also a good erating jobs and keeping the best and brightest in Tennessee. example of an area in which UT became famous, and it was at the time largely one person’s vision. And what are some areas in which the college excels? One of the real pleasures in my first few months here was dis- Describe your personal philosophy, and how it has helped you covering how wonderful my faculty colleagues are. The college to achieve your own objectives, as well as how it will guide you has a collection of really deep-thinking scholars. UT is consid- in meeting the goals of the college. erably smaller than my last institution—about half the students My personal philosophy is to make a positive difference. Most and less than half the faculty. So we have a higher student-to- faculty members get very little formal training in teaching. When faculty ratio, which means faculty members are called on to do we are hired as faculty members, we may have served as teach- more with students. I think the amount of research and scholar- ing associates or held a temporary appointment in teaching, but ship our faculty does considering their teaching and mentoring most of us teach for the first time in our first faculty position, demands is quite remarkable. I am hoping that they will be able and a lot of us still have a lot to learn about how to teach effec- to think even bigger over the next few years. tively. So I was lucky in that I found out I have a great dedication to teaching and was fortunate enough to be good at it. I found There are definite areas in which we excel. The model that I am out early on in my experience as a professor what a difference pushing as dean of the college is to realize we are not going to be that can make for students. In the classroom, professors have everything to everyone. I view this as almost a “boutique” model of the great privilege to direct and redirect careers. Making a dif- doing things. We aren’t going to be Wal-Mart—we aren’t going to do ference also extends to my research. Now, as a dean, one of everything. We are going to choose those things in which we can be the primary reasons I am here is the ability a dean has to make excellent, and I look forward to helping develop these areas. a difference. I am given the opportunity—and the privilege—to stamp some of myself on a great college and a great university. I am very pleased when we can get to leadership class in any The ability to make a difference is what has made every part of area of scholarship. And we have areas in which we do that. my career in academia so satisfying. The Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies is becoming world renowned. While I can take no credit for this, What do you consider to be the most important aspect of your job? the university was very smart to realize that we could be among There are really two important parts—one quantitative and one the world’s best in this particular area of scholarship. I see this qualitative. One does not become dean these days if you have happening in other areas as well, especially those in which we an aversion to looking at spreadsheets and dealing with dol- can tie in with ORNL. The Joint Institute for Advanced Materials lars, so a huge part of the job of dean is resource manage- is an area in which we already have tremendous strength and ment. Resource management is a euphemism for dealing with budgets. So I deal with lots of dollars, particularly the operating budget of the college; we need to make sure the departments have the resources they need to do their jobs. We need to make “We are fortunate to be at decisions about where growth should occur, what opportunities UT. We are fortunate to be we should explore—this involves a huge amount of decision- in a great city. We are fortu- making with respect to budgets. Another quantitative aspect nate to have a great partner that is extremely important is personnel management. Deans are heavily involved in the process of promotion and tenure, in ORNL. Because of this, making sure we hire the best people, making sure that the suc- UT really should be one of cessful ones stay and that the ones who are not successful in the most desirable universi- meeting our expectations leave, making sure we have the best ties for students and faculty people possible on the faculty and staff. to be a part of. I want this to On the qualitative side, I view a big part of my job as being a become the most desirable cheerleader. It is a real pleasure to talk to my colleagues in the public university in departments, going around meeting with them, and letting them know that we can achieve more. It is important to talk to various the region.” stakeholders—students, alumni, friends, legislators—and carry this message of excellence to them, as well. I am viewed by many as the spokesman for the College of Arts and Sciences, and that is a big responsibility. It is one that I greatly enjoy, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be the person to go out and represent this great college. Higher Ground You have discussed how UT’s student body continues to get better and better. How CAS do you think the college can recruit and retain the best and brightest students? by the numbers How do you attract students? First, they have to be convinced that they are going to be taught well. Second, I would like to think that we have to challenge them. Departments and schools: 25 Some students don’t realize that they need to be challenged. But it is my hope that Anthropology every student who enters this college will be challenged. Third, they have to be con- Art Audiology and Speech Pathology vinced that if they choose to do their education here that it will help them to develop Biology future opportunities, whether those opportunities are employment immediately fol- Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology lowing graduation or post-graduate opportunities like graduate school, professional Chemistry Classics school, and so forth. So the one word that I will continue to push is excellence. If we Computer Science can promise excellence to students—excellence in teaching, scholarly opportunities Ecology and Evolutionary Biology as undergraduates, post-graduate opportunities—we will get the excellent students, Earth and Planetary Sciences English and they will be happy to come here. Genome Science and Technology Geography When you have time away from your job, what do you like to do? History Mathematics Well, since I started in September, I have not had a whole lot of time away from Microbiology my job. The number-one thing I do to escape is play golf. And I haven’t done nearly Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures enough of that lately. My good friends can gauge how hard I have been working by Music Philosophy the fact that I have only played four rounds of golf since I started on September 1. Physics and Astronomy And I got a hole-in-one during one round, which ultimately wasted my opportunity Political Science to get a couple more shots in! I have also greatly enjoyed using T-RECS (the recre- Psychology Religious Studies ation center at UT). The job of dean is demanding in terms of time and in the num- Sociology ber of official meals you have to eat, so I enjoy going and blowing off steam at the Theater workout facility. There is also a real plus to that— I get to work out as an old guy Interdisciplinary programs: 15 surrounded by young, active, excited students. I also enjoy travel—I haven’t made African and African American Studies enough time for it lately. But I must say that I am very fortunate to have a job that American Studies doesn’t feel like a job. Asian Studies Cinema Studies College Scholars Can you reflect on your first six months as dean? Comparative Literature Being here, at a new university is truly a privilege to me. I was terrified about mov- Environmental Studies Global Studies ing here last fall. Realize, I had been at the same university, doing essentially the Judaic Studies same job for about twenty-five years. I moved to Knoxville by myself, to a new city, Latin American Studies a new university, into a job I had not done before. I did so in part because I have Legal Studies Linguistics always enjoyed challenging myself, and this was sort of the ultimate challenge. But Medieval Studies the lingering question was Would I enjoy it? I can now say, about a half-year into the Urban Studies Women’s Studies job, that I truly do enjoy it. Undergraduate students First, the people that I have had the opportunity to work with in the college are fan- 7,300 (more than one-third of UT’s total) tastically supportive. They are so dedicated to the success of the college that they Graduate students keep me supported; they want me to succeed in everything I do. Second, the people 1,400 (about one-fourth of UT’s total) I get to work with—the department heads, faculty members, and the students—are wonderful and in all aspects they want the university to become better. Third, the Budget love of the university, as expressed through the alumni I have met, is something I FY05 operating expenditures: $66.3 million find truly touching. People love this university, and we want to give them even more FY05 grant/contract expenditures: to love. $31.8 million

Finally, I have to say that Knoxville has been one of the warmest, most gracious, endowments Number of endowments and most welcoming places I can ever imagine. It has been a wonderful experience in the college: 271 and I look forward to doing a lot more. Market value of endowments in the college: $108,084,762 We are fortunate to be at UT. We are fortunate to be in a great city. We are fortunate to have a great partner in ORNL. Because of this, UT really should be one of the Charitable donations Number of donors to the College of Arts most desirable universities for students and faculty. I want this to become the most and Sciences: 3,533 desirable public university in the region. Gifts (including pledge payments and matching gifts) to College of Arts and Sciences, CY 2005: $3,699,158

Spring 2006 The Quality Enhancement Plan Bringing the World to Our Students, Our Students to the To meet the demands of the once-a-decade accreditation World process, universities are asked to develop a plan aimed at improving undergraduate education. According to Dr. Jan Simek, executive assistant to the chancellor and professor of anthropology, most universities satisfy this requirement by implementing changes relatively small in scope and easy to organize and attain. Speaking of the University of Tennessee’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), however, Simek says, “Ours is massive.”

In early fall 2004 the university inaugurated an international and intercultural awareness initiative to evalu- ate the extent to which undergraduates encounter cultures other than their own at UT and to determine ways to enhance students’ familiarity with today’s cross-cultural environment. The initiative created a task force comprising 30 faculty members who reviewed current practices and offered recommenda-recommenda tions for improvement. The task force outlined eight areas for improvement, and the Chancellor’s Office responded with a far-ranging multipart plan to change education at the university. The chancellor’s QEP (now called the “Ready for the World” initiative) calls for every college and every department within the university to contribute to the goal of improving “institutional performance on behalf of internationalization and intercultural relations and [ensuring] that all University of Tennessee, Knoxville, undergraduates gain the knowledge, perspectives, and skills nec-nec essary to succeed in today’s complex, pluralistic world.” Simek, who co-directs the Ready for the World initiative with Dr. Mary Papke, associate dean for graduate studies, wants the plan to change the social and intellectual climate at the university over the next 10 years, offering faculty and students a “coherent vision of who we are.” Simek says that UT has tra- READYFORTHEWORLD ditionally been viewed as a homogeneous place and perhaps even an insu- lar one. For him and a chorus of enthusiastic supporters from all sectors of the university, the desire is “to transform the institution and make it a different kind of place and a different kind of education.” Because the Ready for the World initiative aims at changing the fabric of the university, it will require changes in all colleges and departments, including many in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Carolyn R. Hodges, associate dean, who co-chaired the International and Intercultural Awareness Initiative and helped develop the Ready for the World initiative from the outset, finds that the college already promotes intellectual diversity at the university but should nonetheless expect to be even more intensely engaged in developments that will serve to implement the goals of the Ready for the World initiative. For her, infusing the curriculum with global and intercultural emphases will have the greatest impact on the college. In Hodges’s estimation, “there are already many courses with an international–intercultural impetus, but we want to provide even more.” She also expects greater emphasis on interdisciplinary course offerings and interdisciplinary programs, of which the college already boasts more than a dozen. While many departments in the college have already built associations with institutions in many countries, Hodges expects an increasing number of linkages resulting in more opportunities for undergraduates to gain a broader perspective through a diverse teaching faculty, classroom presentations with international–intercultural emphasis, and expanded study-abroad programs. Hodges stresses that the QEP will make it easier for departments to offer these opportunities by coordinating the many resources already in place more effectively. Departments will also implement new diversity initiatives and enrich existing programs to support the QEP plan and the campus-wide diversity plan that is now under development. In her words, the Ready for the World initiative represents “an opportunity for us to learn about, appreciate, and grow from our differences, and to increase our creativity.” —Buell Wisner

8 Higher Ground Making Straight the UT’s Geographical Way Information Systems Research

Geographical information systems (GIS) researchers Electronic Atlas, which the at the University of Tennessee will soon be making your life eas- Department of Geography ier—if they haven’t already. Geographic information systems for makes available to the transportation (GIS-T) refers to the application of information general public at http:// technology and related knowledge to transportation problems. tnatlas.geog.utk.edu. Bruce Ralston Shih-Lung Shaw UT’s Department of Geography and researchers Bruce Ralston and Shih-Lung Shaw are at the forefront of this field, which prom- GIS applications were developed primarily for government agen- ises to become increasingly important in everyone’s life. cies, but recently private-sector applications have been burgeon- ing. Have you ever had an excessively long wait at your home for Because the complexities of world commerce require efficient, delivery of a product or service? If so, you are probably familiar responsive, and environmentally friendly transportation sys- with the wide time windows companies usually allow for delivery. tems, transportation-related problems will likely be at the fore- Such was the case for Sears when they scheduled installations front of private-sector decision-making and public-sector debate for purchased appliances. Sears gave their customers a 4-hour through the next century. GIS research and applications give time window, which they managed to hit around 80 percent of decision-makers an abundance of tools for creating transporta- the time. But after integrating GIS research applications into tion systems with optimal efficiency and minimal environmental their scheduling, Sears now can offer a 2-hour window, which and social disruption. Indeed, GIS-T is an outstanding example they have been able to hit 95 percent of the time. of outreach research—the application of research to the public good—at the University of Tennessee. GIS researchers at UT have worked to develop “location-aware technologies and services,” which have found their way into such famil- Desirable economic growth and the vast, complex transportation iar products and services as global positioning system devices systems that can accompany it are not without problems. and vehicle navigation systems. In the future this invaluable out- As private interests and the public good sometimes con- reach research will help with everything from planning more effi- flict, tough decisions must be made in planning and imple- cient communities to avoiding traffic jams. GIS and UT are set menting construction projects, especially those projects to make the transportation problems we cope with today related to transportation. Historically, low-income and a thing of the past. minority populations have been disproportionately dis- —Matt Evans placed or disrupted by transportation construction proj-projects. Now a growing awareness of this issue, fueled by the environmental justice move- ment, is beginning to influence public policy. The Tennessee Department of Transportation, for example, has become concerned with environmental justice issues and now requires all big projects to undergo an assessment of their potential impact on low-income and minority communities. For help with such complex assessments, TDOT has turned to computer modeling programs developed by UT’s GIS program. Users enter geographical and economic data into the software, which then outputs information on which to base an assessment. Another of UT’s GIS applications used by TDOT is the Tennessee

Spring 2006 Exposure to another

culture can produce profound

changes in a person.

travelers in the land of the

And for the past two

summers, Professor Yang

Zhong’s trips to China—

the country whose name

comes from the Qin rulers

who unified the nation—

have given UT students an

opportunity for such

an experience.

10 Higher Ground Zhong has been teaching students about American citizens. The possibilities in these interactions for Chinese politics, economics, and culture cultural ambassadorship are not lost on Zhong, as he exhorts since joining the faculty of the Department his students to see themselves as representatives of not just of Political Science in 1991. His research, the University of Tennessee but of their country, as well. Zhong including his 2003 book, Local Government believes very strongly that his students have fulfilled a mission and Politics and China: Challenges from Below, of peace and goodwill between China and the United States. has provided key insights into the debate Though Zhong has structured his students’ experience to Yang Zhong about relations between the state and society in contemporary China. A few years ago, expose them to many positive aspects of Chinese society, prodded by inquiries from students and noticing that peer insti- he makes sure that they also have a chance to learn about tutions offered study-abroad programs in China, Zhong decided China’s problems. With its rapid development and fast-growing that UT needed to offer its students the opportunity to learn economy, China faces some serious problems directly related about China firsthand. He journeyed there a number of times to its growth. Zhong cites environmental pollution and a wid- to scout for the best locations for students to experience the ening gap between rich and poor as problems that China, and richness and variety of Chinese culture and the best university for facilitating a mini-term course. One place stood out: Sichuan University, an institution with ties to UT, located in the central city of Chengdu, a sister city to Knoxville. Zhong was very interested in teaching his students about the diverse aspects of Chinese culture and, as he explains, Chengdu provided an ideal location because it is not a developed city and would allow students to experience traditional Chinese culture. On the other hand, Chengdu is also modern enough for students to get a sense of China as an emerging nation.

For the past 2 years the students’ 3-week trip has centered on time spent at Sichuan University but has included much more. Students fly into Beijing, spending 3 days there before taking a train to Xian, an ancient Asian capital. From Xian, students travel to Chengdu and Sichuan University. Here they attend lectures by Zhong and his Sichuan colleagues on Chinese paint- ing, movies, opera, and folk music. Broader topics include Asian religions and literature, while special-interest topics like those concerned about China, must acknowledge and address. acupuncture and tai chi are also offered. But the classroom Students experience the contradictions of China’s growing accounts for only a portion of the learning experience. Besides economy in the currency exchange rate, which on one hand the invaluable interaction with Chinese students on campus, increases buying power on their trip but on the other focuses UT students can also take excursions to see the LeShan Giant their attention how little money Chinese wage-earners make Buddha and the Woolong Giant Panda Reservation. Finally, the compared with their American counterparts. students travel to Shanghai, spending a few days in one of the most modern of China’s cities before departing for home. From this study-abroad program, students receive 3 hours of credit toward their degrees, and many of the program’s ben- Students who have taken the trip describe it as “eye-opening,” efits can be expressed or measured in essays, tests, and even “life-changing.” They say that they learn much more than revised educational goals. But students, according to Zhong, in a traditional classroom setting. Zhong explains that 90 per- also reap profound intangible benefits. They return from the cent of students who take the trip know very little about China, trip viewing their own culture and society through new eyes, a and many have misperceptions. Some even express fear about point of view that can foster a deeper appreciation of their own traveling to what they expect to be a totalitarian police state. nation. As foreigners in another country, explains Zhong, stu- What students find, often to their amazement, is a very open dents become conscious of their American identity, more self- and westernized society. Students who think of China as poor aware, and more confident about who they are. Zhong’s study and underdeveloped have those ideas changed by experienc- in China promises to provide these benefits to UT students for ing a modern country with a booming economy. Many students years to come. also fear the difficulties of communication and interaction but —Matt Evans find that the Chinese people are in fact very easy to meet and socialize with. Students come away from the experience feeling that a sense of friendship exists between Chinese and

Spring 2006 11 Earthquake Hazardunder Rocky Once every year or two, Knoxvillians notice a coffee cup jittering on a table or a sudden shudder through a chandelier. They clickTop? on the evening news and catch the end of a report explaining that the city suffered difference in the nature of the seismic activity. As part of the a mild earthquake. When Americans hear process known as continental drift, two of the earth’s drift- about earthquakes, we automatically think ing tectonic plates collided to create the San Andreas Fault, Dr. Ted Labotka California. San Francisco. San Andreas. which makes the fault an “inter-plate” seismic zone. Quakes Certainly not East Tennessee. To most, the biggest earth- occur there when the colossal plates grind against each other. shaking event in Knoxville is the fireworks after a touchdown But the East Tennessee quakes originate in an “intra-plate” at a UT football game and the stomp of a hundred-thousand seismic zone, or a region of geological activity within a single screaming fans. What we don’t know is that frequent tremors tectonic plate. “We have a pretty good idea about plates col- disturb the soil and subside unnoticed. liding,” Labotka says, “but we still have trouble understanding how continental rifts or the Rocky Mountains were formed. Is there an earthquake hazard under Rocky Top? Dr. Ted These are intra-plate structures.” Labotka, a professor of geology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and a specialist in metamorphic pro- In short, the study of East Tennessee’s earthquakes might give cesses, says that “the seismic hazard map for the contermi- us insight into the process by which the earth builds moun- nous 48 states puts us in the moderate-risk category.” tains, often a symbol of the awe elicited by the world’s most majestic features. Local tremors also serve to remind us of Although the average earthquake in East Tennessee rarely the importance of turning our eyes and instruments to explore rumbles with enough power to notice with an ear to the natural forces that cannot easily be sensed, because it is pre- ground, from time to time magnitude 3 tremors capture the cisely their subtlety that allows us to understand the means city’s attention and might remind us of the 1973 Alcoa quake by which our earth shapes itself. We might never feel an earth- that registered a 4.6. Any quake greater than a magnitude quake with enough power to frighten us, but the efforts of our 4 has the strength to crack plaster, the beginnings of struc- geologists will ensure that we understand them enough that tural damage. Those interested in Southern Appalachian his- they never can. tory might know that the 1897 Giles County (Virginia) quake that shook down chimneys in Bristol exceeded magnitude 5. —Andrew Najberg Considering that seismologists believe a magnitude 6 quake to be a reasonable possibility, we might wonder why the average Knoxvillian knows so little about our earthquakes.

The answer lies in the puzzle of the quakes themselves. According to Labotka, whose research specializes in mineral- ogy and petrology, the primary contrast between our quakes and quakes along the San Andreas consists in a fundamental

12 Higher Ground UT Takes the Lead Rocky in Studying a Critical Era

The Jacksonian Era (circa 1812 to and under-publicized,” Feller says. “We are announcing ourselves 1848), a crucial chapter of the nation’s his- as a place to come and study Jacksonian America.” tory, takes its name from Tennessean Andrew Feller believes that the center will quickly attract scholarly inter- Jackson, who served two terms as presi- est, which should lead to enriched educational opportunities for dent during that period. During those years, UT students. It has already begun a series of annual lectures that Americans witnessed the birth of the first mod- will bring in leading scholars to give public talks and meet with ern political parties, experienced a national graduate students, and a pub- Dr. Daniel Feller religious revival, and bitterly debated issues lic reading room for the center that would help shape today’s nation—such issues as slavery is in the planning stage. Also and the appropriate distribution of political and economic power. planned are sponsorships for Now, thanks to the launch of the Center for Jacksonian America in visiting scholars to do research October 2005, the University of Tennessee is poised to become and teach at UT and graduate the destination of choice for students and researchers who study fellowships to attract top stu- Jacksonian America. dents. The center, which is the first in the world dedicated to the study Dr. Todd Diacon, professor of the Jacksonian Era, was formed as a partnership among the and head of the Department Department of History, the University Libraries, and two ongoing of History, agrees that the cen- projects to collect and publish the papers of presidents Andrew ter was a natural fit for UT, but Jackson and James K. Polk. stresses that a great deal of Dr. Daniel Feller, professor of history and director of the center, energy and dedication went into says that UT is the perfect place to host a center specializing making it real. “Even though it’s in the Jacksonian Era, pointing out that three presidents with logical and makes good sense Tennessee ties—Jackson, Polk, and Andrew Johnson—served to have a center for Jacksonian during or soon after this portion of the nation’s history. He adds American here, it didn’t just happen,” Diacon says. “It only hap- that the history department already boasts several Jacksonian pened because Dan Feller and the people in the College of Arts experts, including the recently retired professor Paul Bergeron, and Sciences worked very hard to make it a reality.” and Wayne Cutler, the editor of the Polk series, and has a tradi- —Robert Dickinson tion of preparing Ph.D. candidates who specialize in the period. Feller himself will serve as the lead scholar for a prime-time PBS documentary Andrew Jackson and the Shaping of America, which began filming in spring 2006. “The center will enable us to take advantage of expertise that we already had that was under-utilized

Spring 2006 13 Arts and Sciences Students Share Their Experiences Around Allthe Globe Abroad!

Once our community was next door. Today our community is the world. Study abroad opportunities are therefore becoming increasingly important components of our students’ education. In the 2003–2004 academic year, more than 600 UT students participated in a study-abroad program, and more than half of those students were students from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Studying abroad provides a transformational experience for students, both intellectually and professionally. Here are firsthand accounts from students in the College of Arts and Sciences who chose to study abroad.

Kenneth Atwood Spain Graduate Teaching Associate Ph.D. Candidate, Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Atlanta, Georgia michael Derrick Semester at Sea The opportunity to study abroad not only presents an Senior invaluable learning experience for students who partici- Major: Biology pate but also presents the university and the surrounding Englewood, Tennessee community with a valuable resource as students return, able to share their experiences with others. As a teacher I had the privilege of study- and as an assistant program coordinator for the UT in ing abroad with Semester Spain program, I have witnessed firsthand the extraordi- at Sea in the fall of 2004. In this program, a nary benefits that students gain from studying abroad. Not converted cruise ship served as the campus for 600 only do they return to the university with greater language students as we circumnavigated the globe. During the skills, they also come back as more confident and eager 3-month voyage, I was able to visit Japan, China, Vietnam, learners. I think that when students find that they can Cambodia, Thailand, India, Tanzania, South Africa, Brazil, succeed academically and, more important, socially in a and Venezuela, where I experienced such places as the foreign context, they are able to recognize and appreciate Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal. I chose Semester their own potential. Students also tend to form mean- at Sea because it offered a unique learning environment ingful and long-lasting friendships while abroad. These in which I was able to experience and learn in academic connections help to foster their awareness of the world and real-world settings while growing in knowledge of around them. This in turn helps to encourage understand- myself. I also knew I would obtain a greater appreciation ing between cultures, not only on campus but also in the for the numerous cultures of the world through personal broader context of their lives, as students share their interactions. appreciation and experiences with others. Students who participate in study-abroad programs carry the experience with them wherever they go for the rest of their lives.

14 Higher Ground Lauren Houston Wales Senior Majors: Theater; Journalism and Electronic Media Knoxville, Tennessee

Just coming out of high school, I knew there was a high probability that I would attend UT. Four generations before me had made the same trek up the Hill to Ayres Hall, and I decided to follow in those footsteps. Having lived in mickayla Eldridge Knoxville my whole life, I made myself a deal. While in college, I would have to China take at least one semester and study abroad. Senior In January 2005 I arrived at the University of Wales in Swansea. It really was Major: English the best of times and the worst of times; I never fully understood that open- Tazewell, Tennessee ing line until my Welsh experience. While the people I lived with made me think strongly about departing early, the friends I met through organizations Wouldn’t it be amazing if and classes helped me realize (pardon the cliché) how small the world really every undergraduate student could have the is, like on day 1, when a woman on my train from Reading to Swansea had a opportunity to find a summer job that actually son who attended MTSU. relates to their intended profession? Well, while The similarities were comforting to a Southern girl who was questioning most students can find this relatively easily, I am where her next 20 years would take her. Every drama club across the globe something of an exception. I am an English major is the same. They will accept you with open arms and gladly break out into with minors in theater and secondary education. random show tunes when you are feeling down. Students will procrastinate in I intend to teach high school. Not all that surpris- every country; freshmen will create too much drama; and mothers will send ingly, there isn’t an enormous range of teaching care packages wherever they need to. opportunities for those of us without our degrees in hand, especially in the summer. But by chance, Through my time in Wales, I learned more about myself than any other col- I stumbled upon the opportunity of a lifetime: I legiate experience to date. I have learned what I can take, and a bit more found a summer volunteer position (complete about who I am. I made lifelong friends who now span the United States and with a stipend) that would look great on my the United Kingdom. It gives you resume and give me great classroom experience a kind of high when you receive with college freshmen. Oh, and did I mention it a text message from across the was in Beijing? ocean, and it also gives you a reason to smile that you never I spent 3 amazing weeks in Beijing teaching imagined would be a part of your at Tsinghua University—home of China’s most daily routine. accomplished and talented students, and alma mater to a generous number of current and for- Maybe it was all the time I was mer heads of state. This was the cultural expe- forced to think about my life rience of a lifetime. I stepped outside of my during traveling; maybe it was comfort zone, expanded my horizons, forged new the people who touched me friendships and connections, and—most impor- and made me smile or the tant—I taught. I was able to teach, and I was good people who frustrated me to at it. There was something so satisfying in every no end: Whatever the rea- aspect of my month in China. I owe so many son, Wales changed me for thanks to the invaluable resource I found in UT’s the better. Programs Abroad Office. Without it, I surely would never have traveled to China, never seen one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and may never have affirmed something pretty wondrous about myself. I’m on the right career path, and I can now say that for sure.

Spring 2006 1 Big Orange in Red Square:

UT Chamber Singers the group’s performance of the Lord’s Tour Russia Prayer in Russian. The trip, of course, wasn’t just about music. Students took sightseeing tours of historical and artistic landmarks like Red Square, the Hermitage Museum, and the Kremlin. The group also took an unofficial tour of St. Petersburg with a group of Russian students, which ended with a final impromptu performance at a karaoke club. For Stutzenberger, these opportunities to build friendships and cultural understanding made the trip truly extraordi- On a summer day in 2004, Dr. David Stutzenberger, professor nary. “I’ve taken groups to Europe in the past, but by far, this in the UT School of Music and director of choral activities, got was the most memorable tour I’ve had,” he said. “The beauty of an opportunity for public outreach that he couldn’t pass up— the Fine Arts Institute is that it’s not like just paying money to a an invitation from the Russian Ministry of Culture asking the travel agency to set up concerts for you. It’s a cultural exchange UT Chamber Singers to participate in the 2005 St. Petersburg program that they provide.” International Music Festival. According to the International Fine —Robert Dickinson Arts Institute, the cosponsor of the event, groups were invited on the basis of “their ability to perform at a high artistic level and their ability to represent the United States as good ambas- sadors.” So in March 2005, Stutzenberger and a group of 22 UT students traveled to Russia for 10 days on a unique spring-break tour. Phil Holloway, a senior majoring in music education, was along for the trip. “It was an incredible experience. It had been my first trip overseas, and it really opened my eyes to what else is going on in the world,” Holloway says. “I’m actually talking to Dr. Stutzenberger, trying to beg him to let us go back before I leave here.”

Together with Russian groups—for example, the St. Petersburg Conservatory Chamber Choir—and a group from the University of Washington, the UT Chamber Singers gave six performances at concert halls in Moscow and St. Petersburg. At one public concert in St. Petersburg’s Sheremetov Palace, spectators had to be turned away at the door because of the crowds. The choir also had the opportunity to share a bit of American culture with Russian churchgoers by singing in a Baptist church in St. Petersburg and furnishing the music for the Easter Vigil service at the Anglican Church of Moscow. According to Stutzenberger, local residents were particularly appreciative of

16 Higher Ground ¡Veladas Festivas! Summer Theater and Poetry Festivals in Mexico

UT Spanish professor Oscar Rivera-Rodas has spent and by the perfor- much of the last two decades overseeing the growth and pros- mance and discus- perity of a summer theater festival in Mexico. For the past 13 sion of their plays. summers, Dr. Rivera-Rodas, several other uni- UT Spanish pro- versity professors, and a host of scholars and fessor Dr. Michael dramatists from Europe, Latin America, the Handelsman, who United States, and Canada have convened has twice pre- at the Jornadas Internacionales de Teatro sented papers at Latinamericano in Puebla, Mexico, a city of the festival, calls more than a million people, located 30 miles the list of honored writers a “virtual Oscar Rivera-Rodas southeast of Mexico City. As founder and director of the festival, Rivera-Rodas has cultivated who’s who in Latin a successful event that led directly to the addition of this year’s American theater.” inaugural conference on Latin American poetry, a sister event The festival has of sorts. also generated a number of publi- According to Rivera-Rodas, the theater festival grew out of the cations, including UT study-abroad classes he escorted to Puebla every summer. scholarly papers The classes usually ran until 2 in the afternoon, so Rivera-Rodas and books. sought something to fill his evenings. Hence, after a few years, this festival. This year the first annual Latin Beginning in cooperation with the Sede Espacio 1900 theater in American poetry Puebla, the drama festival now has grown to include participation festival will follow the theater festival. Rivera-Rodas is excited from four institutional sponsors—the University of Tennessee, that the back-to-back events will explore the connections the University of Puebla, the cultural events council of Puebla, between drama and poetry, and he looks forward to welcoming and the National Society of Mexican Writers. Rivera-Rodas says Mexico’s Jose Emilio Pacheco, recent winner of the Granada– that Puebla newspapers cover the event widely and that the fes- Federico Garcia Lorca Prize for Poetry, as the poetry festival’s tival invites a great deal of community involvement. first honoree.

The event includes con- From the University of Tennessee, both Rivera-Rodas and Han ference presentations delsman would like to see increased institutional and faculty during the day and for- interest in the festivals. Rivera-Rodas is particularly hopeful mal events—consist- that the university’s QEP initiative, which aims at increasing UT’s ing of play productions international connections, will boost the Puebla festivals’ pro- and awards functions— file. Handelsman encourages his students and colleagues to every night during its 4- consider attending the festivals: “Puebla is a world-heritage city day run. Rivera-Rodas with magnificent colonial architecture, and the festivals are char- notes that the festi- acterized by close interactions among the participants and local val’s focal point is usu- artists and academics.” ally its guest of honor, —Buell Wisner a celebrated Latin American playwright. Distinguished guests, including Elena Garro, Sabin Berman, and Luis Valdez, have been honored by Puebla’s mayor

Spring 2006 17 World-Class Spallation Neutron Research

The historical importance of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the complex theoretical nature of the research conducted on its grounds veils ORNL with a sense of mystery and the perception that it is a world unto itself, seemingly beyond the comprehension of the average citizen. ORNL’s research does The excitement at the lab will increase indeed lie on the forefront of scientific progress, pushing the later this year when the Spallation Neutron boundaries of human knowledge. But the most amazing aspect Source, a $1.4-billion investment by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, of the projects conceived and explored there is the astounding officially opens. When fully operational, the range of their applications to everyday life. SNS will make East Tennessee the “center of the universe” for neutron research. The new facility will have an impact on fields as diverse as materials science, biology, and geochemistry and will open doors for understanding the fundamental nature of materials as common as proteins, magnets, plastics, and ceramics.

18 Higher Ground Because Dr. John Larese, professor of chemistry, leads one of the many teams developing advanced instrumentation to take advantage of the SNS’s unique capabilities, he is in a unique position Dr. John Larese to explain the new facility Spallation and the neutron research that will be performed there. “The SNS at ORNL is poised to be the most advanced and highest-power pulsed neutron source in the Neutron world. It will produce bursts of neutrons 60 times a second, or about one every seventeen milliseconds,” says Larese. “The neutrons in these bursts will allow neutrons to be used for vibrational spectroscopy, which have energies and wavelengths well-matched to the size and is essentially the study of how chemical bonds stretch and motion of the atoms and molecules that make up most con- contract as if they were springs. Neutrons, unlike protons and Research densed matter.” electrons, do not stimulate chemical reactions when used to probe molecular vibrations, so the researchers are confident Simply put, the SNS produces neutrons in a much better way that they will be able to reveal new, hitherto unseen details than any other facility currently in operation in the world. It will about the ways atoms interact to form materials. generate neutrons by colliding extremely high-energy protons with a huge vat of liquid mercury. The collisions cause the Though the first neutron source specifically designed to per- “spallation,” or knocking out, of neutrons, which will be con- form neutron scattering research was located in Upton, New trolled carefully to allow their use in scientific experiments. York, at Brookhaven National Laboratory, East Tennessee and The neutrons liberated in the SNS will be used to study a UT have long been acknowledged for early advances in the wide variety of materials—because the SNS will produce the field of neutron science. The late Clifford Shull won the Nobel world’s most powerful neutron beams, it will be especially Prize in 1994 (along with the late Bertram Brockhouse) for good for probing the most fundamental nature of matter. By research exploring neutron diffraction techniques at ORNL’s combining the specially controlled neutrons of the SNS with Graphite Reactor, thus laying part of the groundwork for sophisticated instrumentation, scientists will be able to look ORNL’s current research. as never before at the fundamental ways in which the chemi- Larese has been recognized by the Department of Energy for cal elements organize themselves into the matter of our every- his study of absorbed films using neutron scattering tech- day world and in our most advanced materials. niques. As he states, “The Department of Energy’s Sustained The applications of neutron research go well beyond the basic Outstanding Research Award had the biggest impact,” says understanding of fundamental particle behavior. According to Larese. “It identified a body of work we had performed over a Larese, “neutrons have been used to study fuel cells, turbine ten to fifteen year period . . . It reminds me of the many individ- blades, optoelectronics, sensors, and also . . . to improve uals who participated in these research project and the great magnets, superconductors, plastics, useful drugs, under- fun we had together learning about the physical world.” standing of molecular dynamics—the list goes on.” —Andrew Najberg All of these applications become possible because of the unique properties of neutrons themselves. For example, the team led by Larese is working on a new instrument (called VISION) that will enable new state-of-the-art methodology to

Top: The SNS accumula- tor ring, one of the proton beam’s last stops before striking the target where the neutrons are generated. Left: The SNS’s linear accelerator, photographed from the center with a lens that shows the view in both directions.

Spring 2006 1 Even in an institution as large as the University of Tennessee, one person can shape our community with the power of his or her generosity. One such person was Lindsay young,

The Lindsay Young attorney, businessman, and philan- professors of humanities for 2006 represent thropist, as well as one of the uni- a cross section of the college’s outstanding versity’s most dedicated alumni and faculty: friends. On February 9, 2006, the community lost mr. young, but his generosity that extended to many parts of the university created a legacy that will continue to affect the community in such areas as environmental preserva- tion, the arts, and animal welfare. As the entire city mourns the passing of Lindsay young, Stephen Ash Department of History the power of his giving spirit will continue through his endowments at the university. One United States history such legacy supports the humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Lindsay Young Endowed Professorship Fund was established more than 20 years ago in response to the university’s first National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Challenge Grant. Its purpose is to recognize and reward faculty members who are outstanding teachers, researchers, and public servants. Excellence in classroom teaching is the most heavily weighted award criterion. Ten awards are made each year: one in law, one in veterinary medicine, and eight in the humanities. To date in the humanities more than 34 professors in eight disciplines have been honored with a Lindsay Young Professorship. Each year department heads nominate faculty members, who are then voted Thomas Burman upon by tenured members of the Arts and Sciences faculty. To be considered for nomination, a fac- Department of History European history ulty member must have more than 5 years’ experience at UT and must have earned tenure. Previous award-winners are also eligible. The recognition and the research support provided by the Lindsay Young Endowed Professorship Fund can be transformational for the recipients. “The support has been invaluable,” says Dr. Christine Holmlund. “I know the experience will fuel my teaching and future research too.” Holmlund, a professor at UT since 1988, specializes in film studies within the department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures. The salary supplement and research support from the Lindsay Young endowment allowed her to conduct research at the Margaret Herrick Academy of Motion Christopher Craig Pictures Library in Los Angeles. The library’s collection does not circulate and would have been oth- Department of Classics erwise unavailable. Holmlund is also able to deliver a paper on Latin American film at a conference Classical rhetoric and in San Juan, Puerto Rico, thanks to her Lindsay Young Professorship. oratory, Cicero

20 Higher Ground Likewise, Dr. Stephen Ash of the Department of as a second language. To Leki, the Lindsay Young History considers the award’s funding to travel award “ . . . represents recognition for the dis- for research invaluable in completing his upcom- cipline of second-language studies within an ing book on a previously unexamined Union mil- English department that has traditionally been a itary operation during the Civil War. Access to literature department.” source material is essential to a historian, and Dr. Stan Garner, a professor of drama within due to the age and fragility of many historical the Department of English, appreciates the rec- documents, obtaining time with them can be dif- Stanton Garner Jr. ognition of his peers that the Lindsay Young Department of English ficult and expensive. Modern drama, dramatic Professorship has brought. Garner is one of literature and theory Of course, both Holmlund and Ash make it clear three editors of the upcoming Norton Anthology that the real importance of winning the award is of Drama, due to be released in 2007. more than just financial—it is the honor of being Rewarding and supporting strengths in the recognized by your peers for your contributions to humanities at UT had long been Lindsay Young’s academic excellence at UT. Dr. Christopher Craig interest, from his first major gift, which -estab agrees, saying, “The Lindsay Young Professorship lished the professorships, to his latest gift to has given me resources that I need for my schol- support the Marco Institute for Medieval and arly work, including software, books, and help Renaissance Studies. Young understood well the with travel to national and international confer- recognition afforded the university by the award Nancy Goslee ences. The benefits of those investments are of a second NEH Challenge Grant, this time for Department of English incalculable. But just as important, the Lindsay Women’s studies, the the Marco Institute. As a direct result of his gen- Young Professorship is conferred for excellence Romantic period erosity, valuable visiting faculty fellowships have in teaching as well as in research. It is an affir- been established in the Marco Institute. mation of a basic value of UT, and a belief of Mr. Young, that the faculty should excel in both Besides the visiting fellowships, the resident of those very different but complementary activ- Marco faculty boasts a pair of 2006 Lindsay ities. And it keeps me thinking of ways to do Young professors: Dr. Thomas Burman, of the that better. At our next meeting of the American Department of History, acknowledges that the Philological Association, the national associa- support from the Lindsay Young Professorship tion of research classicists, I will chair a panel endowment helped him finish his book Reading involving scholars from three continents discuss- the Qur’an in Latin Christendom, 1140–1560 Christine Holmlund Department of Modern ing strategies for bringing the results of the lat- (forthcoming in 2007 from the University of Foreign Languages and est scholarship in my field into the undergraduate Pennsylvania Press) and will be enormously help- Literatures, French classroom. I’d like to think that Mr. Young would ful in launching his next research project, which be pleased.” Besides his work in the Classics compares how medieval Jews, Christians, and Department, Craig serves as the director of the Muslims read their holy books. College Scholars program. The Middle Ages are also the time frame of Dr. Designed to single out individual achievements Amy Neff’s scholarly pursuit. She teaches semi- within our prolific academic community, this nars in art history that examine how medieval award often reminds us that such endowments cultures used depictions of outsiders in art to do more than confer congratulations and grati- define their own identities. The honor and recog- tude—a Lindsay Young Professorship helps vali- nition brought by the Lindsay Young award is per- Ilona Leki Department of English date the efforts of those who devote themselves haps cherished most by professors like Neff, who English as a second to lower-profile disciplines. One such area is the believe that the best part of working for the univer- language, contemporary French literature field of applied linguistics. Although Dr. Ilona Leki sity is the chance to pass on their excitement to is a member of the English department, she had their students. She echoes Chris Craig when she planned an academic career in French literature says, “I believe Mr. Young would be pleased.” until she became interested in teaching English —Andrew Najberg

Dr. Nancy goslee, Lindsay young professor of English and the Wood Alumni Distinguished Service professor of English, was named the university’s macebearer for 2006–07. The title of macebearer is the university’s highest faculty honor and recognizes the recipient’s outstanding commitment of service to students, to scholarship, and to society. goslee will lead the faculty procession dur- Amy Neff ing commencement exercises through the coming year. School of Art Art history After graduating from Smith College and yale University, goslee joined the UT faculty in 1970. Her research on the British Romantic writers of the early 19th century has achieved international respect. goslee has also been an active member of the university’s Commission for Women and has served in the Faculty Senate and on a number of other campus boards and committees. Spring 2006 21 Congratulations to Dr. Nancy goslee on this prestigious honor. The UT ORNL Connection: One Alumnus’s Perspective

UT’s partnership with Oak Ridge National pure research environment available at ORNL. “The world-class Laboratory provides the potential for the scientists at Oak Ridge could not be matched anywhere else. The university to become a top-10 research opportunity I had to work with these scientists and their research institution, and this potential affords tre- was invaluable,” Mossman said. mendous opportunities for the College of After receiving a Ph.D. from UT, Mossman accepted a faculty Arts and Sciences. UT alumnus Dr. Ken Dr. Ken Mossman position at Georgetown University—a job that he believes was a Mossman understands firsthand this direct result of his work at ORNL. “My work at ORNL was key in important partnership and is an example of how this collabora- getting the appointment at Georgetown. My work and research tion can recruit the best and brightest to UT. at ORNL was also important to my professional development, Dr. Mossman, an Arts and Sciences graduate with both a mas- because I was surrounded by serious scientists who did impor- ter’s and a Ph.D. in radiation biology, is a professor of health tant work,” Mossman said. physics at Arizona State University. He has also served as assis- Mossman was personally delighted when UT and Battelle joined tant vice-president for research at Arizona State and has earned forces to solidify what was already a great collaboration. He national and international recognition for his research on radia- believes that UT is gaining outstanding faculty members and tion. researchers through the partnership. The opportunity for these Mossman came to UT in 1968 as a graduate student in what was faculty members to have laboratories at ORNL while teaching at then called the Institute of Radiation Biology, run by Dr. Gordon the university gives UT a unique advantage over its peer institu- Carlson. According to Mossman, he was attracted to pursing tions. “ORNL provides opportunities for UT that will elevate the graduate studies at UT because of the institution’s connection university to top-tier status and will draw highly qualified young with ORNL and the interdepartmental resources that it afforded. teachers to the college,” said Mossman. “The connection will be ORNL had worldwide recognition in the field of radiation biology a magnet for top-quality researchers, and UT will most definitely and health physics—an area of deep interest for Mossman, who benefit.” has since built a distinguished career in the field. Dr. Mossman’s wife, Blaire, is also a UT graduate, earning her As a graduate student at UT, Mossman was a direct beneficiary degree in French and finishing among the top 10 graduates in of the UT–ORNL partnership. He took all his graduate course her class. The Mossmans are outstanding supporters of the work in the college, then completed his dissertation at ORNL. His college, having served on the college’s Board of Visitors since research focused on the biological effects of low-level radiation. 2002. Mossman believes that his research, as well as his education, was greatly advanced by the instruction provided by UT and the What a Man! Honoring Bruce Wheeler, UT professor and Knoxville historian

As mentioned in the last edition of Higher Ground, Bruce Wheeler, professor of history, announced his retirement from the university after 35 years of dedicated service. In November 2005, Wheeler was surprised with the announce- ment that he was being honored by a group of former students, community leaders, and UT colleagues by the establishment of the W. Bruce Wheeler Graduate Research Endowment. The fund To contribute to the Bruce Wheeler Endowment, please contact the will support student research in early American history, Wheeler’s Arts and Sciences Development Office at (865) 974-2365 own area of study. or [email protected].

22 Higher Ground College Bulletin Board Bulletin College Dean’s Student Advisory Council Has the Ear of Dean Bursten

College students, particularly those at a university the size of UT, often fear that the faculty and administrators do not take students’ needs and concerns into consideration when they make important decisions. In the College of Arts and Sciences, however, the members of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council have made a commitment to ensure that undergraduates have a real voice in shaping the college’s future.

The Dean’s Student Advisory Council (DSAC) comprises more than 30 students who meet with Dean Bruce Bursten once a month to discuss the needs of their academic departments and of the college’s undergraduates. The head of each department in the college can select two students for the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, council, usually picking a junior and a senior. Melissa Parker, director of the college’s 2005–2006 advising services, acts as an advisor to the group. Hobart Douglas Akin, Classics

A typical meeting in December 2005 started with a discussion about the university’s Brittney Bailey, Audiology and Speech Pathology rules governing such finals-week issues as how many exams students should be Julianne Miller Berney, Theater required to take in one day. But the conversation soon turned to broader questions about academic excellence and their belief that faculty members should expect more Michele Brodman, Anthropology from their students. Nick Buchanan, Computer Science Mike Calway-Fagen, Art Besides these monthly meetings, at least three DSAC members work with the faculty at meetings of the curriculum committee, and DSAC members helped interview candi- John Carruth, Physics and Astronomy dates during the search for a new dean. In fall 2005 the organization also hosted a wel- Jason Cassella, Philosophy come reception for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. “By the end of the evening, David Casteel, Anthropology everybody was trading phone numbers and arranging to meet at jazz clubs,” Parker Tarra Clotfelter, Modern Foreign said. “It gave [the displaced students] a sense of fitting in quickly at the university.” Languages and Literatures

Dean Bursten welcomes the opportunity to involve students more fully in setting the Misty Daniels, English college’s priorities. “They are the group I can always go to when I need the student Rachel Natalie Graves, Mathematics perspective,” Bursten said. “Over the past months, I think we have established a rap- Linday Haaga, English port such that we feel we can open up to one another. The DSAC is a group of stu- Helen Farmer, Art dents who are dedicated to doing the right thing.” Kate Frederick, Mathematics Anna Shell, senior English literature major Benjamin Fish, Geography and president of DSAC, has been very Tamika Fugh, Religious Studies happy with the dean’s work with the coun- Chad Jones, Computer Science cil. “Dean Bursten’s interests and top pri- Lara Kuhnert, Political Science orities truly do lie with the students of the Niyia Renee Mack, Theater college,” said Shell. “He takes an active role in the council by coming to us and Ekeena Mangrum, Sociology asking our opin- James Maples, Sociology ions on issues Eliza Martin, Mathematics concerning the Matthew McConnell, Geography college. I know Lindsay Mills, Microbiology that our input Brooke Neal, Music about our experiences is taken Josh Ogle, Microbiology seriously.” Amit Patel, Political Science John Paul Plumlee, Ecology and Shell also points Evolutionary Biology out that serving Samantha Powell, Political Science on the coun- Top: DSAC officers Lara Kuhnert (secretary), Anna Shell cil has been a learning experience in Steven Ratcliff, Physics and Astronomy (president), and Brooke Neal (vice-president). Bottom: Phillippe Reed, Classics Members of the DSAC gather for their monthly meeting. itself. “I have been able to spend time with some of the leaders of the univer- Anna Shell, English sity and to sharpen my own leadership skills by doing so,” she says. “Serving on Scott Brandon Sherrill, Modern Foreign the dean’s council has presented me with educational opportunities that you cannot Languages and Literatures always get in a classroom.” Andrea Sipes, History —Robert Dickinson Christy Weems, College Scholars Elizabeth Wilson, College Scholars

Spring 2006 23 Helping Send Our Students to the World: The Jackson Donor Spotlight International Studies Dr. Robert Talley Endowment Recent discussions across the UT cam- Dr. Robert Talley has some advice for college-aged pus have focused on the university’s men and women: Be prepared to seize opportunities Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, that that may become suddenly available. But Dr. Talley emphasizes increasing international and has more to offer UT students than just advice; he intercultural awareness in all areas of has made generous gifts to establish an endow- academic and student affairs. While this Advancement ment in the Department of Physics, helping to cre- initiative launched only last year, many in the college have long recognized the need ate those opportunities he encourages students to to support study-abroad programs and pursue. international education. Talley grew up in Erwin, Tennessee, and as the valedic- In 1981 Mary Elizabeth Jackson, of torian of his high-school class, he planned to attend Dr. Robert Talley Maryville, Tennessee, established the UT. World War II, however, intervened. Talley enlisted Jackson International Studies Endowment in the naval officer’s training program, which took him to East Tennessee State in the College of Arts and Sciences at College, the University of Virginia, and the University of Southern California, UT, as well as a similar fund at Maryville where Talley earned a degree in naval science and engineering. After serving College. Jackson, formerly the owner of a travel agency and a world traveler herself, in the Pacific aboard a minesweeper, Talley had the opportunity to come to UT, understands and appreciates the need where he enrolled in the Physics Department. His interest in science was first for college students to learn from other sparked by a chemistry set his parents bought for him when he was a child. He cultures. The endowment is designed to explains that his decision to pursue physics as a graduate student was based enrich international relations and interna- on his opinion that physics was the most interesting of the sciences. Talley tional education by supporting activities studied under Professor Alvin Neilsen, whose homemade infrared grating spec- and meeting the needs critical to the success of study-abroad programs. Within the trometer provided Talley with a unique educational experience that would later College of Arts and Sciences, a scholar- prove immensely valuable. He greatly enjoyed his studies at UT, which culmi- ship is provided each year to a student in nated in 1950 with his receiving the first Ph.D. awarded by the Department of the humanities for study-abroad support. Physics.

This year’s recipient of the Jackson After leaving UT, Talley pursued a highly interesting and profitable career in sci- International Studies ence, specializing in infrared sensors and detectors. After working for the Navy Scholarship is Megan at White Oak, Maryland, for 5 years, he went to the Santa Barbara Research Vaughn, a junior in Center, a subsidiary of Hughes Aircraft, and eventually became the president French from Clinton, Tennessee. Vaughn of that facility. Under Talley’s leadership, the center became the preeminent is spending a year facility in the world for infrared detectors. Researchers worked on a variety in France, studying of military projects, then they expanded to include infrared sensors to use in French and art history in space. They developed a sensor for a space probe that took the first infrared Megan Vaughn Besançon. pictures of Jupiter and which eventually became part of the probe that was the “When I applied to study abroad in first man-made object to leave the solar system. Talley and his colleagues also France, I knew that the experience would helped develop technologies that led to greatly improved weather satellites. be a good one, but it is so much more than that. With the aid of the Jackson After retiring a few years ago, Talley looked back on his long, successful career, Scholarship, I have been able to experi- and concluded that the Physics Department at UT had played a critical role in his ence French culture firsthand, to make success. He decided to show his appreciation and extend opportunities to future friends from all different backgrounds, students by creating an endowment in the Physics Department. Robert Talley and to travel throughout Europe,” Vaughn hopes his endowment will both help students afford to pursue studies in physics said. and challenge other UT alumni to join in and create similar endowments. The Jackson International Studies Endowment has helped to give UT stu- —Matt Evans dents the opportunity to see and learn from the world. Jackson is a loyal sup- porter to the College of Arts and Sciences and has served on the college’s Board of Visitors. Her generosity will ensure the opportunity for international studies for students in our college for years to come.

24 Higher Ground Advancement Donor Spotlight Leaving a Legacy: Reinhold and Katherine Nordsieck

Through a planned gift to the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, Dr. Reinhold Nordsieck and his wife Katherine have continued their decades of service to the department by leaving a legacy gift to benefit future students. The Reinhold and Katherine Nordsieck Endowment Fund in German will provide financial assistance to students who are studying Germanic language and culture. Reinhold “Rein” Nordsieck was born in 1907 in Ohio and died in Knoxville in 1982. He received a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University and in 1949 became head of the Department of Germanic Languages at UT. He retired in 1978 after seeing the department expand from a two-person service operation to a full-fledged department with both graduate and undergraduate degree programs in German and Russian. His many honors included the Distinguished Service Medal of the Federal Republic of Germany (1973) and the Chancellor’s Citation for Extraordinary Service to the University (1978). Family and friends remember Rein Nordsieck as an educator who kindled students’ imaginations. He possessed great erudition, cultivating a wide range of interests outside of German language and culture. Nordsieck was also dedicated to helping students study abroad. According to the MFLL department head, Dr. Jeff Mellor, who worked with Nordsieck in the 1970s, he was an imposing scholar and teacher of the old school. He was bilingual in German and English and used other languages, including Latin. His friends and colleagues especially remember the Nordsiecks’ involvement in the intellectual and social life of the department. Katherine Jackman Nordsieck was born in 1913 and grew up in Montana; she died in Knoxville in 2005. Mrs. Nordsieck was devoted to Knoxville and volunteered for years with local organizations. She traveled frequently and is remembered by all for her interests in botany and culture, as well as for her community involvement. The Nordsiecks reared four children, all of them UT Knoxville graduates. Margaret Nordsieck Webster, their daughter, explains her parents’ wish to leave a gift: “Reinhold Nordsieck was a teacher at heart. He believed in the intrinsic value of learning and knowledge and wanted to eradicate igno- rance; he also was passionate about the value of study abroad for both undergraduate and graduate students. Katherine agreed. This gift to the German program is their way of ensuring that learning and knowledge, particularly as applied to the study of German language, literature, civilization, and philology, will continue to thrive and flourish at UT Knoxville.” Speaking for the department, Mellor expressed gratitude for the Nordsiecks’ gift. By providing support for students, particularly in study-abroad programs, the endowment contributes to the department’s mission and ties Dr. Reinhold Nordsieck and in with the university’s quality enhancement plan to bring international and Katherine Nordsieck intercultural awareness to UT’s students. While Mellor argues that study abroad is “essential” to an education in a foreign language, he notes that its expense can be prohibitive. The gift, he feels, will help remedy that situation. By helping students study Germanic culture, Mellor says, the fund “will be a tremendous boon to the program. We are extremely grateful to the Nordsiecks and their family for making this possible.” —Buell Wisner

Spring 2006 25 UT Hosts Unique Conference on Business &

Public Service Bioethics

The rising cost of healthcare But questions such as whether and prescription drugs has pharmaceutical companies have an led to a national debate obligation to provide life-saving drugs about how to ensure fair to poor countries or what level of influ- and equal access to quality ence HMOs should have in patient- medical care while still care decisions are extremely difficult to answer in a free-market economy. honoring the rights of private corporations to earn a profit. A group of the world’s top business ethicists and bioethicists met at UT to discuss these forward-looking issues at the conference “Ethics and the Business of Biomedicine” from April 6 through 8, 2006. The conference—organized by Dr. Denis Arnold, assistant professor of philosophy; Dr. John Hardwig, professor and head of the Department of Philosophy; and Dr. Charles Reynolds, professor of religion—was one of the first to address the topic.

“For-profit healthcare companies have to balance an ethical obligation to make money for their shareholders with an ethical obligation to ensure the well-being of the patients who are their customers. This is a challenging undertaking for even the most skilled manager,” Arnold, the conference’s lead organizer, said. “The goal of our conference was to make progress in determining how companies should manage these difficult ethical issues.”

Senior faculty members from such top universities as Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown spoke on a variety of topics, including the implications of the pharmaceutical industry’s influence on the public and on government officials and the extent to which the business concerns of managed-care companies have affected the doctor–patient relationship. Besides academic speakers, the conference featured a panel of experts from the healthcare industry, including representatives from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Pfizer.

The conference is a reflection of the new emphasis in the UT Philosophy Department on applied ethics, particularly in relation to bioethics and business ethics. Ph.D. students in medical ethics now have the option of spending a semester in the field, either in a clinical setting, or with a state government organization responsible for public health policy. UT professors and graduates are therefore likely to take an increasingly large role in public discussions of crucial healthcare issues.

“Through careful faculty hires over the last several years, the department has reconstituted itself into one that focuses on value theory and such specific areas of applied ethics as business ethics, bioethics, and environmental ethics,” Arnold says. “The theme of this conference lies squarely at the intersection of bioethics and business ethics, where we believe some of the most important work in ethics is being done.”

—Robert Dickinson

26 Higher Ground In the Spotlight the In Spotlight on Outreach: German Saturday School

Dr. Stefanie Ohnesorg, an associate professor in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, has a passion for teaching the German language and features of German culture. Dr. Ohnesorg has taken that passion and extended it to the larger community through the German Saturday School of Knoxville.

Founded in May 2004, the German Saturday School makes the study of German accessible to learners of all ages and abilities in a supportive, creative, yet challenging environment. The school focuses on school- aged children, from pre-kindergarten through high school, who have no access to German instruction in Dr. Stephanie Ohnesburg their local public and private schools, but it also extends its services to corporate and business employ- ees engaged in the global marketplace with German-speaking countries. The school welcomes individuals interested in learning German for the sake of learning, as well. In offering this excellent yet affordable training and instruction, the German Saturday School, a nonprofit organization operated solely for educational purposes, has filled a void in the Knoxville area.

Getting the school up and running has taken a tremendous amount of effort and expertise on the part of Ohnesorg, and the College of Arts and Sciences recognized her contribution to the community last fall by awarding her one of the two annual faculty awards for extraordinary academic outreach. Many members of UT’s faculty engage in outreach service, and the college was happy to recognize Stefanie Ohnesorg’s shining example with an award this year.

—Matt Evans

Spotlight on Development: The Laura Bowe Scholarship

The Laura Bowe Scholarship was established in 2004 to benefit students in the College Scholars program who have demonstrated a commitment to promote and advance women’s education and their contributions to society. The scholarship was established as a memorial to Laura Bowe, a 1999 College Scholars graduate, whose life was cut short in October 2003 by illness.

The first recipient of the Laura Bowe Scholarship is Tamika Fugh, a junior from Memphis. Her College Scholars program focuses on religious studies, psychology, and philosophy and is titled “Psychology of Religion: Use of Art and Music to Evoke Religious Experience.” Fugh is using her Laura Bowe program to understand the cross-cultural use of images, music, theatrical practices, and rituals to create a religious experience. Fugh studied abroad and collected evidence for her project in Accra, Ghana. After graduation, she plans to pursue graduate school, most likely in the area of religious studies.

Dr. Christopher Craig, director of the College Scholars program, believes that the Laura Bowe Scholarship will have a long- lasting impact on students in the program. “In her nature and in her life, Laura Bowe made the lives she touched better. She paid it forward. Through the Laura Bowe Scholarship, she continues to make a positive difference in our students’ lives. I have faith that those who are helped by the scholarship will themselves want to pay it forward.”

Higher Ground’s Writers Robert Dickinson Matthew Evans Andrew Najberg Buell Wisner •Research assistant, Department •Ph.D. student in English •Graduate teaching assistant, •Graduate teaching associate, of Political Science •M.A. in English, University of Department of English Department of English •M.P.A. student in political Southern Mississippi •M.A. student in English •Ph.D. student in English science •B.A. in humanities, University of •B.A. in English, University of •M.A. in English, Georgia •M.A. in English, University of Tennessee—Chattanooga Tennessee Southern University Tennessee •B.A. in English and history, •B.A. in English, University of University of Georgia Notre Dame

Spring 2006 27 Now Arriving at an Inbox near YOU! “Accolades Online”—the college’s new online newsletter—will keep you up to date on all the news, events, and great happenings at the College of Arts and Sciences. www.artsci.utk.edu If you are not currently receiving “Accolades Online,”send your name and e-mail address to [email protected] to subscribe.

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