Ernest Rollins
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Graduating CCI PhD Candidate Receives UT Extraordinary Graduate Student Teaching Award
Sarah Devereux was a teaching assistant at Marquette University when she taught her first college class. “I was so incredibly nervous to teach a class because I remember taking public speaking as an undergraduate student and hating it,” said the graduating College of Communication and Information PhD candidate. “But my first introduction to teaching at Marquette was also where I fell…
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CCI Announces 2026 Graduate Student Awards Winners
The College of Communication and Information (CCI) is celebrating the three 2026 recipients of its annual CCI Graduate Student Awards, which recognize students for their excellence in research and teaching. This year’s CCI Graduate Student Awards recipients are: Wangi Zhang Wangi Zhang is earning her Master of Science in Information Sciences (MSIS) and is also one of the researchers in the School of Information Sciences (SIS) iLab studying human-robot interaction. She…
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Wilson Academy Cohort Takes Volunteer Spirit to Japan During Inaugural Global Trip
One of Alex Carpenter’s favorite memories from visiting Japan this winter was searching for one last bite of Kobe beef on the final day of the trip. Just when the journalism and media major and his friends were at their wits’ end, they found an affordable, all-you-can-eat buffet where they indulged in the Japanese delicacy…
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CCI Expands Study Abroad Trips to Morocco, Experience Focuses on AI, Information Sciences
Nyja Casey was pleasantly surprised when she learned that the College of Communication and Information (CCI) offers a study abroad program focused on artificial intelligence (AI). The applied artificial intelligence major’s first study abroad experience was this past winter as part of the inaugural cohort for the UTK CCI in Morocco program. Casey said the experience combined…
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CCI Master’s Program Helps Alumnus Achieve Dream of Making UT Marching Band Documentary
College of Communication and Information (CCI) alumnus Seth Reynolds (‘23, ‘25) is a fan of the HBO Original documentary series Hard Knocks. The show typically takes viewers behind the scenes of different NFL teams’ training camps to learn more about their preparations for an upcoming season. As a freshman baritone player in The Pride of the Southland Band, Reynolds thought this approach would work well for a documentary about the prestigious University of Tennessee, Knoxville, marching band. While he would…
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CCI Faculty, Graduate Students Shine at Annual NCA Convention
While exploring booths at the 2025 National Communication Association (NCA) Convention last month, College of Communication and Information (CCI) master’s student Md Ibnun Sarwar Rafi made an interesting discovery. His first published article, “Barriers to discussing comprehensive sexuality education: a qualitative study of home tutor-student interpersonal communication in Bangladesh,” which investigated barriers home tutors faced when discussing comprehensive sexuality education with their students,…
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Graduating PhD Candidate Shreenandan Rajarathnam Ready to Carry His Research Experience into the Cybersecurity Industry
The pursuit of knowledge is a well-appreciated endeavor in Shreenandan Rajarathnam’s family, with both his parents earning doctoral degrees and his younger brother planning to do the same in a few years. The soon-to-be alumnus is proud to carry on the family tradition of valuing research and academics as he graduates with his doctoral…
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CCI Faculty Recognized for Their Commitment to Improve Online Education
College of Communication and Information faculty were recognized for their innovative approaches in online learning during the Digital Learning Faculty Recognition Lunch in October. Hosted by Digital Learning at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the event honored faculty and staff members “who demonstrated exceptional creativity and dedication in developing online coursework over the past year.” …
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CCI PhD Students Share Research In 3MT Competition
College of Communication and Information doctoral students Byron Keys and Md Uzzal Talukder rose to the challenge of quickly distilling their research as part of this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition hosted by the Graduate School at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Both Keys and Talukder, who are conducting doctoral research at CCI with…
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CCI PhD Student Earns Top Paper Honor at PRSA ICON 2025
College of Communication and Information doctoral student Carla White received the 2025 Betsy Ann Plank Award for the Top Graduate Student Paper from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) at the ICON 2025 conference in October. The Betsy Ann Plank awards recognize educators, public relations graduate students, and professionals for work that expands upon…