Alumni News
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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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CCI Celebrates Three Gifts Established to Make a Lasting Impact on Students
This spring, students, faculty, and staff at the College of Communication and Information (CCI) are celebrating three major gifts that will strengthen hands-on learning, support innovation and research, and make a lasting impact on students preparing to enter the world as leaders in their field. The named gifts, and those who made them, are: “These gifts create opportunities…
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A Student-Led Project with Real Impact: The Future of Human-Robot Interaction
As social robots and AI systems become more integrated into educational, professional, and daily environments, understanding those nuances will only grow more critical. In the School of Information Sciences, robotics research is not just about machines—it is about people. Three School of Information Sciences students have been working with Assistant Professor Jiangen He, examining how…
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Carrying the Torch: Morgan Vance and the Next Chapter of the Pat Summitt Foundation
Knoxville native Morgan Vance (’12) grew up believing her dreams were always within reach, thanks to the strong women role models lighting the way across the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and beyond. Today, Vance is doing her part to ensure others remember the legacies of those women while inspiring the next generation to create their…
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From Classroom Curiosity to Published Research: SIS Faculty and Alumni Explore How Museums Manage Their Collections in the Age of AI
From left to right: Sidney Gavel, Professor Wade Bishop, and Emily Chapin When Professor Wade Bishop from the School of Information Sciences began studying how museums organize and digitize their physical collections, he did not anticipate that a class assignment would evolve into a multi-year research project. This unexpected journey would involve three SIS master’s…
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Honoring Excellence: CCI Remembers John Noble Wilford, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist and First Hill Chair of Excellence
This article was written by Noreen Premji. The School of Journalism and Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, mourns the passing of John Noble Wilford, one of UT’s most distinguished alumni and one of the world’s most celebrated science journalists. Wilford died December 8 at age 92, at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Wilford…
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Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations Announces 2025 Alumni of the Year
2025 Alumni of the Year: Patrick Tice (’15), Public Relations Alumni of the Year, and Lynne Jansons (’05), Advertising Alumni of the Year. The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations is proud to recognize its 2025 Alumni of the Year: Lynne Jansons (’05), Advertising Alumni of the Year, and Patrick Tice (’15), Public Relations…
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Coming Home to Rocky Top: SIS Alumna Jordan Kaufman Returns as Research Data Librarian
Jordan Kaufman (‘18) has returned to Rocky Top after graduating from the School of Information Sciences (SIS) master’s program in 2018. She is now a research data librarian at Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. With a passion for data and community service, Kaufman is eager to bring her volunteer spirit back to…
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MSIS Alumna Celebrates Full Circle Moment After Becoming Lead Librarian at the College, Where She Held Her First Higher Education Teaching Role
Sara Beth Coffman (‘23), an alumna of the School of Information Sciences, is fulfilling her dream job as the lead librarian for Information Literacy and Instruction at Chattanooga State Community College. Even before joining a library system, Coffman had a passion for teaching. She earned her undergraduate degree in English from Emory & Henry College,…
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Big Night for CCI at 2025 TAB Excellence in Broadcasting Awards: WUOT, School of Journalism and Media, The Media Center, Earn Honors
From left to right: WUOT-FM audio engineer, Tim Berry, Associate Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater, and WUOT reporter Pierce Gentry pose together with their awards. A Night to Remember The Tennessee Association of Broadcasting (TAB) Excellence in Broadcasting Awards is always an exciting night for the organization’s members. Those in the world of TV and…