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MSE students pose for a group photo at the 2025 MSE Awards Banquet in the UT Conference Center.

2025 MSE Awards Banquet Results

The University of Tennessee Department of Materials Science and Engineering recently honored exceptional students, staff, and faculty at the department’s 2025 Awards Banquet. All awards were presented by Interim Department Head Philip Rack.

Staff Award

The Outstanding Staff Award was presented to Stephanie Moore in recognition of her adaptability, her willingness to take on new challenges, and the many new skills she has built over the last year.

Faculty Awards

Before presenting the 2025 faculty awards, Rack praised the entire department’s faculty for their contributions to UT’s teaching, service, research, and scholarship missions.

“It is basically splitting hairs to select the award winners each year,” he said.

The 2025 Outstanding Faculty Service Award was presented to Mariya Zhuravleva in recognition of her prior service on the UT faculty senate, deep involvement with several professional societies, eagerness to tour with students interested in the Scintillation Materials Research Center, and other teaching and professional activities. Zhuravleva was also recently named the Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year at the Academic Honors Banquet hosted by the Office of the Provost.

This year’s Outstanding Teaching Award was given to Kate Page, who teaches the Introduction to MSE class and a senior undergraduate-to-graduate-level course in X-ray diffraction while maintaining a 25% joint appointment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Yishu Wang received the 2025 Outstanding Research Award. Since joining the MSE department in 2022, Wang has published papers in high-impact journals including Matter, NPJ Quantum Materials, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Yishu Wang and Mariya Zhuravleva pose with their awards at the 2025 MSE Awards Banquet.

Undergraduate Student Awards

  • Highest GPA Award (Junior Class): Daniel Leoni
  • Highest GPA Award (Senior Class): Three-way tie between Meredith Harpel, Fabriana Prawiranata, and Maddie Mabel
  • Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award: Luke Wathan
  • Award for Excellent Service to the Department: Marlena Alexander
  • Ian Greeley Award: Jocelyn Hess and Marlena Alexander

MSE undergrad students pose with their awards at the 2025 MSE Awards Banquet.

Graduate Student Awards

  • Outstanding Teaching Award: Charlotte Buchanan and Kennedy Agyekum
  • Outstanding Service Award: Elizabeth Heon and Jade Holiman
  • Outstanding Research Award: Sheryl Sanchez and Dylan Windsor
  • Outstanding Staff Award: Stephanie Moore

Maddie Mabel and Charlotte Buchanan hold their awards at the 2025 MSE Awards Banquet.

Contact

Izzie Gall (865-974-7203, [email protected])