July 2025

Toni Twitty Rocky Top Winner

Toni Twitty founded her successful acupuncture clinic with skills and insight built through the College of Arts and Sciences. Toni Twitty (BA, Anthropology ’06) built a rich perspective through her studies at the University of Tennessee that she now applies to helping others seek pain relief through acupuncture. Her educational foundation and Volunteer Spirit led…
Scopes Trial Centennial Celebration

The Scopes Trial Centennial The Legacy of This Landmark Case 100 Years Later Join our College of Arts and Sciences Student Ambassador Anna Kate Paris as she explores the captivating history and lasting legacy of the Scopes Trial. Watch our full Scopes Centennial video series on YouTube. The Scopes Trial Centennial at the University of…
T-shirt Hunt Leads to Award-Winning Business

Alumni Mike and Tanya Ickowitz maintain their Vol connection through their award-winning Patdome Promotions. UT alumni Mike and Tanya Ickowitz earned recognition in the 2025 Rocky Top Business Awards for their Knoxville-based company Patdome Promotions. Their entrepreneurial success began almost 20 years ago because they couldn’t buy a t-shirt. In 2006, the Patriots basketball team…
Qiusheng Wu Earns Award for Workshop Collaboration

Qiusheng Wu was recognized by UT Libraries for his collaboration in leading the 2025 Open Science Workshop and Symposium. Associate Professor Qiusheng Wu, Department of Geography and Sustainability, earned the UT Libraries’ Paul E. Trentham Sr. Library Partner Award for organizing the Open Science Workshop and Symposium in collaboration with the library. The award was…
Fellowship Taking Professor to Japan for Research

Assistant Professor Gosia Citko-DuPlantis will take a leave from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in early 2026 to delve further into her research on Japanese culture. The Japan Foundation has awarded Citko-DuPlantis, who teaches in the UT Department of World Languages and Cultures, a Japanese Studies Fellowship, one of the most competitive and prestigious fellowships in the…
Fulbright Grant Taking Taylor to Teach in Spain

David Taylor (’24) will take a break from research and spend the 2025-2026 academic year in Spain, the next stop on his journey to combine his interests in science and teaching. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a top producer of Fulbright Students, and Taylor was among 10 UT students and alumni offered Fulbright grants…
New Name Reflects Neuroscience Growth at UT

With an expansion of its name, the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is showcasing wide opportunities for studying systems that control behavior in humans and other animals. The neuroscience major and minor began as a College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) interdisciplinary program in 2013 and became part of…
Research Uncovers AI Influence in Academic Papers

A graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, investigating the performance of ChatGPT found evidence that scholars quickly embraced the technology when writing peer-reviewed articles on political science topics. Shortly after the artificial intelligence program was introduced in November 2022, use of the top words it favors jumped higher than the word “terrorism” did…
Rock-Solid Research Experience Leads to Fellowship

Greg Snyder’s long career of research and renewed faculty role led to fellowship in the Society of Economic Geologists. Assistant Teaching Professor Greg Snyder was awarded the rank of Fellow in the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) in April 2025. His nomination was approved following a decade of geological research in the 1990s, a multi-decade…
Summer Jam Celebrates Staff Excellence

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) community recognized outstanding work by staff members during the Summer Jam appreciation event on June 24, 2025, at the Transcard Lounge in Neyland Stadium. More than an awards ceremony, the Summer Jam is an opportunity for CAS staff and faculty to enjoy a midsummer social afternoon while honoring…