Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee
Eugene Wofford is an author on a new book coming out from the University of Tennessee press. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee is available for pre-order.
Archives for March 2015
Beattie Fellowship for Miller
Chelsea Miller (Kwit Lab) has been awarded Catherine H. Beattie Fellowship for Conservation Horticulture from the Garden Club of America and the Center for Plant Conservation. Each year, the grant enables a graduate student in biology, horticulture, or a related field to conduct research on a rare or endangered U.S. plant. Preference is given to students focusing on the endangered flora of the Carolinas or the southeastern United States.
Chemistry Graduate Student Organized Fundraise for McClung Museum
Sam Rosolina, a fourth year chemistry graduate student in Professor Xue’s Group and the chemistry representative on the Graduate Student Senate, organized the 2015 Big Orange Adventure, a fundraising race/scavenger hunt that benefited McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture on University of Tennessee Knoxville campus. This year’s fundraising was held on Saturday, March 7th and raised a total of 820 dollars.
A total of nine stations and tasks were created across campus, such as World Puzzle Based Using Periodic Table to Solve (chemistry), Laser Table Obstacle Course (physics), and Tower of Hanoi (math). Once completing all tasks, the competing teams were allowed into McClung Museum to solve one final riddle using their knowledge of some of the exhibits.
“There were eight teams with 42 participants total.” Rosolina said. “We gave out two baskets filled with sponsor in-kind gifts. The first went to the fastest team, and the second went to best team costume. We also had some trophies that one of my committee members made from spray-painted figurines that he got at a thrift shop nearby.”
In previous years, the GSS hosted the “Love Your Libraries 5k” to benefit the UT libraries; specifically the “De-stress for Success” campaign during Finals Week. Profits from the race were donated to the library to help provide relaxing services during Finals Week. Starting 2014, the format of the race was changed to a scavenger hunt.
Professor Xue’s Research Featured at Spark!2015
Chemistry professor Ziling (Ben) Xue’s “Simple Optical Sensor for Biodiesel Contaminant in Jet Fuel” is being featured at Spark!2015. Xue will be presenting his technology on March 25 in the 1-6pm symposium held in Tech 2020 Atrium on 1020 Commerce Park Drive, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Spark! is a half-day symposium providing new technologies available for licensing developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and regional stakeholders are invited to learn more about these new technologies, explore commercial opportunities, and provide feedback. Xue’s research mainly looks at methods for detection of biodiesel contaminants in jet fuel that are not only rapid, sensitive but also economical and can be mass-produced.
Department Held Symposium in Honor of Prof. Guiochon
The Department of Chemistry hosted a symposium “Celebration of a Scientist” on Saturday, March 14 in Buehler Hall 511 from 10 to 12pm to honor the late Professor Guiochon. Guiochon is a much celebrated chemist, a chromatography pioneer, and a distinguished scientist. He passed away on October 21, 2014 at the age of 83.
Guiochon received the M.S. degree in engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France, and the Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Paris. He was a Professor of chemistry at Ecole Polytechnique until 1985 and at the University of Paris VI or Universite Pierre et Marie Curie until 1984. He then moved on to Georgetown University, Washington, DC, from 1984 to 1987, and he was appointed a UTK/ORNL Distinguished Scientist in June 1987. Before he passed away, Guoichon was a Distinguished Professor with the Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, also a Senior Scientist with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Division of Chemical and Analytical Sciences, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Family and friends flew in from all over the world and gathered inside the chemistry building today to not only celebrate Guiochon’s scientific achievements but also his life as a father, a husband, a friend, and a colleague. Six invited presentations were given by Guiochon’s students, collaborators, coworkers and his wife Lois Beaver. To access presentation materials, please contact Rachel Rui at jrui@utk.edu
Some press releases about Guiochon