Faculty News and Notes
Honors and awards for UT Knoxville faculty and graduate students.
Science Omega: Unexpected numbers of microbes are fighting nitrous oxide
Frank Loeffler, UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Microbiology, was featured in Science-Omega for his research involving nitrous oxide. Loeffler and his international team has discovered that the range of microorganisms which combat the greenhouse gas is broader than expected.
UT Study: Unexpected Microbes Fighting Harmful Greenhouse Gas
The environment has a more formidable opponent than carbon dioxide. Another greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, is 300 times more potent and also destroys the ozone layer each time it is released into the atmosphere. Luckily, nature has a larger army than previously thought combating this greenhouse gas—according to a study by Frank Loeffler, Governor’s Chair
Professors Combine High-Tech Experiments with Supercomputing for Better Drug Design
A team of three professors has combined high-tech experiments with supercomputing to probe the function of critical enzymes called cytochrome P450s. Understanding the various internal motions these enzymes undergo to bind different drugs will aid in the design of medicines.
Beyond Beijing: Seoul Nuclear Summit
Howard Hall, director of the Institute for Nuclear Security and UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for nuclear security, was a panelist on the radio show “Beyond Beijing” out of Beijing, China. Hall discussed the second Nuclear Security Summit which concluded in Seoul, South Korea. While battling current event divergences, world leaders striven to map out a safer
Environmental Microbiology Expert Terry Hazen Named Governor’s Chair
Terry Hazen, an environmental biologist and authority on bioremediation and bioenergy with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been named the tenth University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair. Hazen will serve as the Governor’s Chair for Environmental Biotechnology. He begins on December 1. Hazen will also hold a joint appointment with the microbiology and
UT Scientist Uncovers Trigger to Fatal Neurodegenerative Disease
Jeremy Smith, Governor’s Chair for Molecular Biophysics at UT Knoxville, has helped reveal a key trigger of Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker syndrome, a rare but deadly neurodegenerative disease. The finding could have far-reaching implications for the treatment of other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s.
UT Governor’s Chairs Comment on Nuclear Situation in Japan
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Governor’s Chairs are speaking out about the evolving nuclear situation in Japan.
‘Fingerprints’ Match Molecular Simulations with Reality
Governor’s Chair Jeremy Smith is bringing supercomputer simulations and experimental results closer together by identifying common “fingerprints.” Smith’s research will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Governor’s Chair Discusses Super Bowl Power Surge
On Super Bowl Sunday, when over 100 million viewers take a commercial break to open the refrigerator, put something in the microwave or use the bathroom, they will probably contribute to a surge in the nation’s power grid. Last week, UT Governor’s Chair Yilu Liu described how the university is working to learn how to
Governor’s Chair Professor Elected 2010 Fellow of American Physical Society
William Weber, Governor’s Chair professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) through the Division of Materials Physics.
UT Science Forum: Governor’s Chair Speaks About Smart Electrical Grids
Yilu Liu, an electrical engineering professor in the College of Engineering and UT–Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s fourth Governor’s Chair, will speak at the UT Science Forum on Friday, Oct. 22, on her research to develop the next generation of electrical power grids.