January 2018: Faculty/Staff News
CS Assistant Professor Jenny Crowley received a Professional and Scholarly Development Grant of $5,000 from the UT Office of Research and Engagement. Her project is titled, “Coping with opioid substance abuse: The challenges of identity and supportive communication for opioid afflicted couples.”
CS Professor Joan Rentsch received her certification as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher from the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is the only MBSR certified teacher in the state of Tennessee. Her recent MBSR outreach efforts involve presenting workshops on mindfulness to groups in the community and on campus including the University of Tennessee Women’s Leadership Group and the Clayton Global Leadership Scholars.
ADPR Lecturer Nadya Vera has joined the school to teach public relations writing courses. She earned her master’s from the University of Florida in mass communications and her bachelor’s from Florida International. Vera is currently working toward her PhD in sociology at UT.
Three new staff members have joined the School of Information Sciences:
Pamela Durban joins the School an administrative assistant. She most recently worked in a similar role at UT’s Haslam College of Business. She is a certified administrative professional (CAP) with a BFA in stage management from North Carolina School of the Arts and a BA in theatre & performance from Georgia College and State University.
Dan Greene (MS/IS ’03) transferred from UT Libraries where he was a web developer for 11 years to become the IT Specialist for the School. In addition to his master’s from UT, he earned a bachelor’s in history from East Tennessee State University. He brings extensive web development, digitization, web analytics, and UX experience. He has taught classes for SIS and won awards for his work at Hodges Library.
Joe Pecor joins SIS as a digital and field marketing specialist. He holds a bachelor’s in multimedia journalism and digital content from the University of North Florida. Most recently he has been employed as a digital advertising strategist for a corporation in California. He has broad experience with search engine marketing, display and social advertising and managing multiple client campaigns simultaneously.
WUTK 90.3FM Volunteer Radio received a competitive College Radio Foundation station grant of $1,000 thanks to an essay proposal created and submitted by WUTK Office Manager Julianna Tullos and UT senior Faith Held. Only five stations received grants out of several hundred that applied. The $1,000 award was based on need and/or merit and awarded via a blind-selection process.