University of Tennessee honorees who didn’t get a Chancellor’s Honors banquet are being recognized online. Sorry, guys.
Torchbearers: Six seniors are being recognized for their academic achievement, leadership and outstanding service: Mustafa Ali-Smith, Nashville, public administration and political science; John Calvin Bryant, Lawrenceburg, food science; Natalie Campbell, Knoxville, legal and political philosophy and disability studies; Emma Heins, Fort Mill, South Carolina, a senior studying geology and environmental studies; Nicholas Ross, Johnson City, chemical engineering; and Taylor Washington, Memphis, political science and public policy analytics.
Brooke Clemmons was recognized with the Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Graduate Student Medal of Excellence. Clemmons is completing a doctorate in animal science. Her research involves nutrition, genetics and the rumen microbiome, with the potential to reduce methane emissions and improve production and sustainability within the beef cattle industry. A former high school science teacher, Clemmons takes part in elementary and high school science programs, and she works with Tennessee 4-H and other programs to nurture young scientists.
Faculty awards
Macebearer: Gary McCracken, professor and former department head of ecology and evolutionary biology, whose research involves bats.
Alexander Prize: Erin Hardin, professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Psychology, who is currently investigator on interdisciplinary teams funded through federal grants. One involves STEM learning for low-income Appalachian students.
Jefferson Prize: Jon Shefner, professor and department head of sociology, studies social justice, social movements, globalization, political economy and green economic development.
L.R. Hesler Award: Russell Crook, professor of management in business college, who teaches strategic planning and implementation.