KNOXVILLE — Saturdays on the University of Tennessee campus this fall will be filled with spectacular presentations and impressive performances from UT’s faculty team, as well as touchdowns and field goals from the football players.
The College of Arts and Sciences will once again present its Faculty Showcase programming before each home football game, beginning with the California game on Sept. 2.
Now in its 16th year, the showcase series is growing in popularity as a favorite pre-game activity.
“A wonderfully diverse crowd visits our campus for football games each season. While the sport brings them out, the presentations are a way for fans to experience another part of our campus and to meet and interact with some of our outstanding faculty,” said Lynn Champion, director of outreach for the College of Arts & Sciences and coordinator of the showcases.
The Pre-Game Faculty Showcase is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences with the support of the UT National Alumni Association and UT Men’s Athletics.
Each week before a home game, faculty members provide a short, but entertaining and informative presentation about their area of expertise and then take questions about topics that range from growing national trends to little known, but intriguing facts. All showcases are 45 minutes and are held two hours before kickoff in the University Center Ballroom. The showcases are free and open to the public.
“Our faculty members have an amazing range of knowledge, and the showcases are a way for them to share those specialties with the public. And it gives our campus guests an alternative activity before the game,” Champion added.
The showcases attract an average of 150 participants, and people look forward to the schedule each year.
“There are people who call me each year in anticipation of the showcases to see who will present that season,” said Champion. “It isn’t uncommon to see fans of the opposing team in the audience too,” she added.
This year’s lineup includes
–Sept. 2 (UT vs. California) “The Dynamic and Eclectic Sounds of the Saxophone Quartet” featuring Connie Frigo, assistant professor of music, with the FOUR-T-TUDE Saxophone Quartet. Frigo was a Fulbright scholar to the Netherlands in 2001 and 2002 and became one of the first Americans to study full-time with world-renowned saxophonist Arno Bornkamp. She also earned acclaim for three years as the youngest member of the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C.
–Sept. 9 (UT vs. Air Force) “A Look Inside the Private Lives of America’s Founding Fathers” with Lorri Glover, associate professor of history. Glover’s research centers on family and social history of the early American South. She is the author of several books and teaches a variety of classes including colonial America, the American Revolution and family and sexuality in American History.
–Sept. 16 (UT vs. Florida) “Smallville: The Nanotechnology Revolution Comes to Tennessee” by Ward Plummer, distinguished professor in physics and astronomy, and was recently elected to the National Academy of Science, one of the highest honors bestowed upon an American scientist.
–Sept. 23 (UT vs. Marshall — Homecoming) “When the Well Runs Dry — America’s Water Supply in Crisis” with David Feldman, professor and head of the political science department. Before joining UT’s political science department, Feldman was a senior research scientist for UT’s Energy, Environment and Resources Center — now called the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment. Last year, he was named the first scholar-in-residence for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
–Oct. 21 (UT vs. Georgia) “Bird Flu — World’s Next Influenza Pandemic?” led by Mark Sangster, assistant professor of microbiology. Sangster’s research focuses on the response of the immune system to viral infection and vaccination. He is currently the principal investigator on a National Institute of Health grant that deals with the immune response of B cells to influenza.
–Nov. 4 (UT vs. LSU) “La Nueva South: Trends in Latino Migration to Tennessee” with Anita Drever, assistant professor in geography. Drever’s research focuses on immigrant housing and immigrant neighborhoods in Europe and the American South. She teaches world regional geography, population and the environment and urban geography, among other related courses.
–Nov. 25 (UT vs. Kentucky) “America’s Rising Tide of White Collar Crime: Maximum Opportunity and Minimal Risk” with Neal Shover, professor of sociology. Shover is a nationally recognized specialist in criminology and criminal justice. He has recently published several influential books dealing with white-collar crime and the response of the American justice system.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college on UT’s campus, encompassing the humanities, fine and performing arts, social sciences, life sciences and physical sciences. The college provides the general education courses for all students on campus, regardless of their major. The college also places special emphasis on outreach and their faculty and students are actively involved with the community through the Faculty Speakers Bureau, service learning and other programs.
The University Center is located at 1502 West Cumberland Ave. Room 213 (the Ballroom) is on the second floor. For directions, visit http://www.utk.edu/maps/.
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Contacts:
Lynn Champion, College of Arts and Sciences, champion@utk.edu
Beth Gladden, media relations, 865-974-9008, beth.gladden@tennessee.edu