News

  • Jeff Moersch in ‘The Conversation:’ What is below Earth, since space is present in every direction?

    Jeff Moersch in ‘The Conversation:’ What is below Earth, since space is present in every direction?

    Our solar system is mostly arranged along one plane in space, as in this not-to-scale artist’s diagram. NASA/JPL, CC BY Jeff Moersch, University of Tennessee Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. What is below Earth, since…

  • Scholar Spotlight: Natalia Doan

    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

    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…

  • Writing for The Conversation Adds to Scholarship ROI

    Writing for The Conversation Adds to Scholarship ROI

    Faculty from UT’s College of Arts and Sciences reach millions of people with their research by writing articles distributed through news organizations around the world. Faculty from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are sharing their expertise with a wide audience through The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization with a vast global reach. During the 2025 calendar…

  • NEH Grant Supports Jackson Papers Project

    NEH Grant Supports Jackson Papers Project

    A substantial new National Endowment for the Humanities grant helps continue and expand UT’s Papers of Andrew Jackson project. UT’s Papers of Andrew Jackson project received a grant worth over $2.8 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest grant ever awarded to the project, which launched in 1971. The goal of the…

  • Vols Behind the Vision: Laura Clayton

    Vols Behind the Vision: Laura Clayton

    Laura ClaytonFinancial AdministratorCollege of Arts and Sciences (CAS) What do I love about working for the college? I love helping people and managing finances. I am proud to say that I work for UT and the College of Arts and Sciences. I also love sports and attend many athletic events at UT. I am a…

  • UT Research Shows Viral Impact on Ocean Oxygen

    UT Research Shows Viral Impact on Ocean Oxygen

    An international research team unveils how viral lysis of blue-green algae in the Sargasso Sea enhances ecosystem-scale productivity. Newly published interdisciplinary research led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and University of Maryland shows viral infection of blue-green algae in the ocean stimulates productivity in the ecosystem and contributes to a rich band of oxygen…

  • Scholar Spotlight: Jie Sun

    Scholar Spotlight: Jie Sun

    “I use mass spectrometry to ‘take pictures’ of proteins within our cells so we can see how they look when they work and how they change in disease.” Jie SunAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology My lab develops mass spectrometry-based structural proteomics, such as chemical footprinting approaches, to study the structure and…

  • Storytelling in the 21st Century

    Storytelling in the 21st Century

    Vols learn to steer 21st century narratives through Visual and Interactive Storytelling. Storytelling traditions drive the heartbeat of the shared human experience, from the age-old intimacy of campfire tales to today’s world-wide digital platforms. The recently launched Visual and Interactive Storytelling (VIS) program offers UT students a major that connects history and traditions with these…

  • McDonald Family Endowments Add Professorships

    McDonald Family Endowments Add Professorships

    Alumni share geologic passion through new endowed professorships. Alumni David and Barbara McDonald established two endowed professorships that support new faculty members specializing in critical minerals and energy in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (EEPS). Assistant Professor Manuel Scharrer began in August 2025 as the David McDonald Endowed Professor in Critical Minerals.…