Category: People

Tennessee Tech’s Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is among the top 10 in the world! In just one year, this group held a total of 80 events – 19 service events, 15 professional development events and 46 chapter development events. This is even more incredible because it happened during the pandemic! In addition to inclusion in the top 10 student chapters, Tennessee Tech’s group earned both the Outstanding and Green Chemistry Awards.

ACS students completed science activities with the campus and community, assisted in the Chemistry Olympiad, hosted speakers, presented research and wrote grants to support activities and conference travel. In addition, students collaborated with the Nashville local section of ACS and hosted a virtual speaker whose topic was Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Respect in Chemistry which earned the Tennessee Tech Student Chapter a 2021 ChemLuminary award in Fostering Interactions between Local Sections and Student Chapters from ACS.

Dr. Adedeji Badiru, awesome alumnus (B.S. Industrial Engineering 1979, M.S. Mathematics 1981 and M.S. Industrial Engineering 1982) is the recipient of the 2022 Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) Society International Frederick Winslow Taylor Award – the highest award presented by the society to recognize members who have distinguished themselves in the IEOM field. Dr. Badiru recently returned to his alma mater, Tennessee Tech University, and visited with Dr. Jeff Roberts, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and Dr. Allan Mills, Associate Dean of the CAS. Dr. Badiru has generously donated funds to establish the Carroll Viera Appreciation Scholarship Endowment for students studying English. This fund is to show his appreciation for friendship and mentorship that Dr. Vierra (retired English professor, College of Arts and Sciences) provided throughout his academic career at Tennessee Tech.

Nine students and two faculty members from the department of Earth Science attended the 2022 Geological Society of America Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 7-9. Two students, Billy Clanton and Sydney Beltran, received URECA! Travel grants to attend the conference. Other students raised funds through the GeoClub to fund their travel.

Billy Clanton presented his senior thesis research on the Fort Payne Formation, a rock unit that outcrops near Celina, TN. Billy will attend graduate school at the University of Southern Mississippi this fall. Sydney Beltran presented her senior thesis research on alluvial fans and deltas in Norway. These features are Earth-based analogs for similar structures on Mars. Sydney received a Creative Inquiry Summer Experience award to continue her research this summer.

Dr. Bhattacharya presented results from his postdoctoral research on the Indus Basin which record evidence of a tectonic collision between the Indian and Asian plates. He will return to TTU as an Assistant Professor in Earth Sciences this fall.

Dr. Carla Hurt of the Department of Biology is a recipient of the 2021-2022 College of Arts & Sciences Award for Research and Scholarly Activity. This award recognizes a significant research publication or creative project appearing during the previous two years and receiving expert critical review. Dr. Hurt is recognized for using new methods of phylogenomic sequencing to create the first worldwide phylogeny of Alpheus snapping shrimp.

Professor Mark Creter of the Department of English is the recipient of the 2021-2022 College of Arts & Sciences Award for Innovative Teaching. This award recognizes a recent significant innovation in undergraduate teaching. Mr. Creter is recognized for his use of playwriting in Theater courses.  He introduced a playwriting exercise in Introduction to Theater classes and has developed a Fundamentals of Playwriting workshop course that culminates with students’ one-act plays being dramatically read by actors.

Destiny Lee is a passionate Nutrition and Dietetics senior who improves our community with diligent action. Dr. Hutson states she “excels in the classroom, is a leader to her peers, and is involved in various volunteer efforts.” Destiny serves as the President of the Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics Club and Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society as well as the Community Service Chair and Vice President of the Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics Club. She is also the Student Liaison to the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. Her plethora of volunteer efforts include creating recipe cards and videos for schools, interning for the Farm Link Project, and devoting countless hours at the TN Tech Food Pantry. Destiny encourages, “Change begins with you. One act of kindness goes a long way.” While Destiny’s work is admirable, her impact is felt far beyond TN Tech. Destiny will continue to make a difference as a Registered Dietitian. Congratulations to Destiny for #LivingWingsUp!

Do you know a student who exemplifies Bold, Fearless, Confident, and Kind values? If so, take a moment to fill out our Student Affairs Monthly Student Spotlight Nomination Form.

Tech’s Commission on the Status of Blacks recognized Professor Michael E. Birdwell, as the 2022 Outstanding Diversity Advocate for his broad contributions to researching, preserving and chronicling African American history. Prof. Birdwell was featured in the PBS documentary, “Everybody’s Welcome at John’s Place,” which displayed his oral history skills, story-telling prowess and broad knowledge about the historically-black West End area of Cookeville, in which John’s Place served an integrated clientele prior to desegregation. Along with local residents, Prof. Birdwell worked to get John’s Place listed on the National Historic Register and, at the time of his death, was working to register the entire neighborhood.  Speaking about his work, one West Ender explained:  “These families were not just subjects or topics of discussion for him. He knew these families individually and felt…each story was important and worthy of being studied and discussed.” His legacy stands. (Photo: A. Banton)

Volunteer student judges are needed for a Science Fair at Jackson County Middle School on March 31, 2022, from 5:00-7:00 PM.

Students interested can register here: https://tf.tntech.edu/machform/view.php?id=1268528

We are also looking for Judges for the Science Fair at Dekalb County HS on April 9, 2022, from 9-noon.

Students interested can register here: https://tf.tntech.edu/machform/view.php?id=1270841

Please contact Carlos Galindo at cgalindo@tntech.edu if you have any questions.