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Scholar Spotlight: Sherwood Richers

“I study some of the most energetic explosions in the universe—those caused by stars collapsing at the ends of their lives, and those resulting from the violent collisions of neutron stars. I focus on how neutrinos drive these explosions and determine how they enrich the universe with many types of elements.” Sherwood RichersAssistant ProfessorDepartment of…
Collaboration Across Disciplines

The Center for Social Theory creates a crossroads for interdisciplinary research in social and cultural theory. The Center for Social Theory launched in 2025 to support research and teaching faculty and graduate students working in the areas of social and cultural theory. Professor Harry F. Dahms, Department of Sociology, directs the center as it builds…
College Inspires Students on Their Odysseys

Through the lens of one short story, an English professor encourages new UT students to take initiative in mapping their journeys. For students navigating their first year at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a short story set in the last century provides perspective for their path ahead. Since 2024, the Odysseys program created by English…
Medieval Insight for Modern Renaissance Thinkers

Medieval and Renaissance Studies dive into the past to unveil the big-picture foundations of modern culture across the globe. The interdisciplinary Medieval and Renaissance Studies (MRST) program gives students an in-depth study of world events and cultures of the rich historical period stretching from 300 to 1700 CE. The curriculum allows students and faculty to…
Africana Studies Brings Girls Poetry, Music, Food

UT’s Department of Africana Studies has collaborated with Girls Inc. to create Black History Month activities for elementary students in East Tennessee. During February, elementary school girls across three counties are exploring poems, jazz, and Southern foods with support from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Professor Natalie Graham, interim head of the Department of Africana…
Tennessee Teens Tackle Tough Topics in Ethics Bowl

The UT Department of Philosophy hosts an annual competition for high school students that requires critical thinking, moral reasoning, and respectful debate. While a snowstorm shut down much of East Tennessee on the last Saturday in January, teenagers from across the region gathered to sharpen their analytical skills by grappling with philosophical questions. Usually, a…
250 Years of Common Sense

An event observing the 250th anniversary of Common Sense gave students a look at how the ideas of American democracy spread throughout the colonies. If Thomas Paine were writing today, his 47-page pamphlet Common Sense might be known as the most famous blog or podcast in the country. It was published in Philadelphia in January…
Scholar Spotlight: Xinyue (Evelyn) Zhao

“I use mathematics to understand how things change and grow, like how tumors expand, how ice melts, or how diseases spread. My work helps predict what might happen in these systems so scientists and doctors can make better decisions.” Xinyue (Evelyn) ZhaoAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Mathematics I study partial differential equations, especially free boundary problems, motivated…
Scholar Spotlight: Natalia Doan

“I study the influence of samurai on people and ideas outside Japan.” Natalia DoanAssistant ProfessorDepartment of History My most recent project examines how a teenage samurai became a national celebrity in the United States before the American Civil War, and, in doing so, challenged many of the ideas and values of antebellum American culture. Much…
Endowment Boosts International Democracy Studies

An estate endowment by former history and political science faculty members supports student research on democracy in the Middle East. The Louay Bahry and Phebe Marr Middle Eastern Democracy Studies Endowment will establish a scholarship to reward the best undergraduate or graduate student essays on topics of democracy in the Middle East. Bahry served as…