Six faculty members and one student from the Tickle College of Engineering were recognized at the 2024 Academic Honors Banquet on May 1.

Every spring, UT celebrates academic and professional honors. The awards highlight individuals embodying the Volunteer spirit through extraordinary research and creative activity, impactful contributions to campus life, and leadership and service to the university and beyond.

This year’s TCE honorees were:

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Professor James Plank was awarded the Alexander Prize

The Alexander Prize recognizes superior teaching and distinguished scholarship. Plank came to UT in 1993 after receiving his PhD in computer science from Princeton University. His research has spanned computer storage systems, parallel computers, and brain-based computing systems. Plank’s papers have more than 13,000 citations, and his research project have brough in over $16 million.

• Nuclear Engineering Assistant Professor Vladimir Sobes was awarded Excellence in Advising

Excellence in advising is bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate to honor outstanding work in advising. Sobes received his bachelor’s and PhD degrees in nuclear science and engineering from MIT. He joined the UT faculty in 2020. His research covers a broad spectrum of reactor physics with a particular emphasis on neutron transport and optimization.

• EECS Professor Kai Sun was awarded for Research and Creative Achievement

Research and Creative Achievement honors are bestowed to senior faculty in recognition of excellence in research, scholarship, and creative achievement. Sun earned his bachelor’s and PhD degrees in control science and engineering from Tsinghua University in China. He joined UT in 2012 as a tenure-track assistant professor. Sun was the recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award in 2016 and is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow.

• Professor and Department Head in Industrial and Systems Engineering Mingzhou Jin and Professor and Goodrich Chair of Excellence in Civil Engineering Frank Löffler were awarded for Success in Multidisciplinary Research

The Success in Multidisciplinary Research award is given to a team of faculty members in more than one academic college who have succeeded in gaining major external resources and recognition for multidisciplinary research. The research team including Jin and Löffler assessed food-energy-water (FEW) nexus grand challenges through the lens of climate and socio-demographic changes, aiming to minimize regional and global FEW tradeoffs.

• Professor David Harper was named the Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year

The Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year award honors a faculty member who has shown outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate research students. Harper earned his bachelor’s in physics from West Virginia University and his master’s and PhD in civil engineering from Washington State University. He joined the UT faculty in 2004. Harper is a professor in the School of Natural Resources and Center for Renewable Carbon with joint appointments in Materials Science and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

• Marissa Trobl received the Extraordinary Campus Leadership and Service Award.

The Extraordinary Campus Leadership and Service awards recognize graduating students who are extraordinary campus leaders for their significant service to others. Trobl is a senior majoring in civil engineering. While at UT, the Illinois native has served in leadership roles within TCE through the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. She has also served as a teaching assistant and Engineering Student Ambassador. After graduation, Trobl plans to pursue her master’s degree in structural engineering at UT and serve as a teaching assistant within the civil engineering department.

See a full list of the 2024 award recipients.

Contact

Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)