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CIVIC COMMITTEES AND SERVICE
David Aborn
- UTC Recycling Task Force. 2006-2007
- Local Committee Chairperson for the Society of Conservation Biology meeting, to be held in Chattanooga in July 2008
- Best Practices Chairperson on the Chattanooga Recycling Task Force
- Member-Sandhill Crane Subcommittee of the USFWS Mississippi Flyway Council
- Board member-TN Wildlife Heritage Trust
- Board Member-C. E. Blevins Avian Education Center, Cohutta, GA
- Participated in the “Journey North” internet program that teaches K-12 students about animal migration. Every week in the spring he teaches students how to read a weather map and how to predict bird migration across the country based on weather conditions.
Ethan Carver
- Advisory Board Member, Biology: Scientific Journals International
- Judge: Annual Chattanooga Regional Science & Engineering Fair
Linda Collins
- Girls, Inc. Women in Science
- Tennessee Board of Regents Teaching Quality Task Force (Knowledge Base Team)
- Member of the Board of Directors of Bachman Community Center (Co-chair Math Camp)
- Conference on Southern Literature Planning Committee
Hill Craddock
- Board of Directors, The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF)
- Science Cabinet of The American Chestnut Foundation
- Direct state-wide breeding program of Tennessee Chapter, American Chestnut Foundation (with TACF Science Coordinator, Dr. Paul Sisco)
- Tennessee representative at TACF board meetings (two per year)
- Hosted annual meeting of Tennessee Chapter, American Chestnut Foundation
- Board of Directors, Chattanooga Nature Center
- Coordinated volunteers and activities of Chattanooga Chestnut Tree Project
- Hosted the TN-TACF annual pollination workshop at Bendabout Farm
- Organized and hosted 2nd annual TACF Southeast Regional Meeting (UTC, 24 February 2007, for 50 participants).
- “Community expert” for the high-school senior science projects at CSAS.
- Planted Japanese maples at Little Miss Mag’s pre-school.
- Co-Chair of Taxon Leaders, BioBlitz (ATBI) Chattanooga Nature Center & Reflection Riding
Timothy Gaudin
- President, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga chapter of Sigma Xi.
- List manager for evolisttn, a listserv discussion group designed to assist biologists and biology teachers to teach evolution and combat creationism in the public school system of Tennessee.
- With Dr. Joey Shaw, met with Dr. Greg McDonald, director of collections for National Park Service, to initiate process to have UTC museum certified as an official repository for local National Park natural history collections
- Served as an external reviewer for the tenure application of Dr. Jonathan Geisler of the Department of Geology and Geography, Georgia Southern University
- Served as “Resource person”/expert witness for a discussion series hosted by First-Centenary United Methodist Church (Chattanooga, TN) entitled “Cloud of Witnesses! Scientists tell of their research and their faith.” The series was organized by UTC emeritus professor Dr. Carter Pate
- Hosted biology class from East Ridge High School during a morning lecture in my Functional Human Anatomy (BIOL 191) course, answered questions about college life and gave a tour of the UTC Natural History Museum after the lecture
- Gave a presentation on adaptation and mammalian skeletons to a Grades 5 class at St. Jude Catholic School, Hixson, TN on October 23, 2006.
- Gave a presentation on nocturnal animals to Grades 1-6 at St. Jude Catholic School, Hixson, TN on November 3, 2006.
- Gave a presentation on nocturnal animals to preschool classes at Highland Plaza Methodist Church preschool, Hixson, TN on December 6 & 7, 2006.
- Along with undergraduate research student Ashley Miller, gave a presentation on bats and Pleistocene fossils to a Grades 5 class at St. Jude Catholic School, Hixson, TN on February 13, 2006, and conducted an exercise where the students sifted through cave sediments to look for fossils.
Margaret Kovach
- Girls, Inc. Women in Science
- Career Mentor Program at Girls Preparatory School (GPS)
- Visit with 12 Sequoyah High School Biology students, who came to the genetics lab and participated in a genetic experiment examining recombinant DNA technology and control of gene expression.
Gary Litchford
- NBII Steering Committee
- Volunteer, Chattanooga Special Olympics
Brad Reynolds
- Participated in Science Olympiad Regional Competition for area high school and middle school students; developed experiments, supervised competing teams, and graded/scored eight science competitions
- Participated in the 2006 Tennessee River Rescue.
- Attended the 2006 Tennessee Association of Physical Plant Administrators Meeting at Chattanooga State in order to hear Sara Surak, UT Knoxville’s Recycling Coordinator, speak about recycling efforts on the Knoxville campus.
- Assisted in the management of EDGE’s Clean Campus initiative; and assisted in the preparation of the EDGE Earth Day celebration at UTC
- Worked with JP Plumlee from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and EDGE to develop and implement plans for a campaign to bring ‘green energy’ to the UTC campus. This Clean Campus Initiative likewise seeks to make the campus more energy efficient and to improve UTC recycling. Students will vote on the proposed Clean Campus Fee in early April.
- Constructed a professional letter to Mayor Ron Littlefield on behalf of the Biological and Environmental Sciences Department concerning his initial decision to suspend curbside recycling in Chattanooga.
- During Spring 2007, persuaded Aramark Food Services (for the second time) to order plastic ‘Earth Sense’ cups to partially alleviate the generation of paper waste in the UTC cafeteria.
- Conducted the Experimental Design event at the Regional Science Olympiad Tournament at Chattanooga State Technical Community College in February 2007.
- Worked with Drs. David Aborn and John Tucker to assist Calvin Donaldson Elementary in its efforts to become an environmental science magnet school. Met with the assistant principal of Calvin Donaldson Elementary to provide guidance on the purchase of equipment suitable for an environmental science laboratory
Sean Richards
- Coalition for Responsible Progress
- Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency Brownfield Advisory Committee
- North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy Board of Directors
Mark Schorr
- Cleveland High School. Educator, field biologist, and research consultant. Long-term ecological study of Mouse Creek (PI/teacher: Jeannie Long)
- Chattanooga School of the Arts and Sciences. 2006. Research Mentor for Evan Collins’ stream ecology project.
- Educator/Aquatic Biologist – “Tennessee River Fishes,” component of a field trip in the Tennessee River Gorge for Blind and Visually Impaired Students in the Chattanooga Area, involving the American Hiking Society, Hamiltonn County Department of Education, Tennessee Aquarium, Tennessee River Gorge Trust, and UTC.
- Educator/Aquatic Biologist – “Tennessee River Fishes,” field trip for Cleveland High School Aquatic Biology Class, conducted by the Tennessee Aquarium and UTC.
- Educator – “Freshwater Animals,” lecture/lab presentations for Nolan Elementary School, 4th Grade Class and Special Needs students.
- Aquatic Biologist – Sampled ponds and met with homeowners in Winsdstone Subdivision.
- Advisor/Chaperone – “Ecological Study of Citico Creek,” education/research project and field trip conducted by Chattanooga School for the Arts/Sciences (teacher Kristin Knight).
- Taxon Leader/Aquatic Biologist – “Fish Assemblage Survey in Lower Lookout Creek,” preparatory work for the fish taxa component of BioBlitz 2007 (biotic inventory project), sponsored by the Chattanooga Nature Center,
- Reflection Riding Arboretum/Botanical Garden, Tennessee Aquarium, and UTC.
Joey Shaw
- Added 5 new cabinets to herbarium, acquired donations of herbarium specimens from Fall Creek Falls State Park, from UTK, and from the Tennessee River Gorge Trust; mounted and filed hundreds of backlogged (GVH) specimens; met with personnel from the National Park Service (Tom Diggs and Dr. Greg McDonald) concerning our acquisition of the Chickamauga Battlefield natural heritage collection (plant and animal collections), worked to bring our museum closer to park service standards by making upgrades/modifications to the museum facility.
Attended 53rd Annual Systematics Symposium at the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO. October 13-15, 2006.
- Assisted TVA botanists and volunteers survey and document populations of the federally endangered Scutellaria montana (Lamiaceae) at several sites in Hamilton County. May 23-26, 2006.
- Led 2 plant identification hikes for The 2006 Wildflower Pilgrimage in the GSMNP
- Attended a 2.5 day conference of Steering Committee for the Southeast Regional Network of Expertise and Collections (SERNEC) at UNC Chapel Hill to develop strategic plan for a grant proposal.
Henry Spratt
- Chair of the Education Committee of the Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT) – in this capacity, writing new environmental science curriculum for middle school students in collaboration with the Baylor School, the Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE), and the One Room Schoolhouse project (at Tubman Housing Project).
- Board of Directors of the Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT)
- Biological Treatment Committee for the Agriculture Center in Bradley County.
- UTC representative, NSF-funded Hamilton County Coalition for Mathematics and Science Excellence
- UTC representative, Executive committee for the “Southeast Water Resources Institute”. Organizations involved in SWRI include: EPA Region IV, Oak Ridge Nat. Lab., Southern States Energy Board, TVA, Univ. of Southern Mississippi, UTK - Office of Research, UTK - Energy, Environment, and Resources Center, UTC, US Army Corps of Engineers, USGS, and Congressman Zach Wamp’s Office.
- Led a hike at the Pot Point Biological Field Station for 20 11th and 12th grade students in an Urban League project designed to expose inner city students to different career options. This hike focused on the operations of the Tennessee River Gorge Trust and the natural areas of the gorge. February 24, 2007.
- Participated in the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences Career Fair, March 9, 2007.
- Had UTC reinstated as a GLOBE partner, served as UTC’s (and the Chattanooga area) GLOBE partnership director.
- “Name and Mission” committee of the Environmental Sustainability & Compliance in Tennessee Higher Education group.
- External Reviewer for the Environmental Science Degree at Berry College in Rome, GA. March 18th and 19th, 200
John Tucker
- Public Health Review Committee, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health DepartmentOutdoor Air Hazards,
- Neighborhood Environmental College, Alton Park/Piney Woods Environmental Health and Justice Collaborative (2.5 hour community workshops, February 20 and February 23, 2007, Chattanooga, Tennessee).
- Working (with David Aborn and Brad Reynolds) with Ms. Valerie Brown, Principal of Calvin Donaldson Elementary School, to provide assistance as they develop curriculum for their Environmental Science Magnet School program.
- Brownfields Advisory Committee, Alton Park Brownfields Redevelopment Project, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency (Fall 2006 – Present)
- Public Health Review Committee, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department (Summer 2006-Present)
- Desirable Community Forum initiative, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, at the request of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency.
- Clean Air Committee, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department (Fall 2004 – Present)
- Land Use Advisory Committee, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency (Spring 2004 – Present)
- Board of Advisors, Center for Governmental Responsibility, University of Florida College of Law (Fall 2003- Present)
- Chattanooga Tree Advisory Committee, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency (Fall 2003- Present)
- Florida Bar Association.
- North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy.
Thomas Wilson
- Research Affiliate and Colleague. SoCon: Society for the Conservation of Nature in India (Dr. Rajeev Chauhan, Secretary General)
- Served as a mentor for a Foreign Exchange Student (Rajeev Chauhan) from the Asian Scholarship Program as part of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA).
- State of Tennessee Research Coordinator for SEPARC & Head of Local Committee for 2006-07
- Hosted the 2007 Regional SEPARC meeting at the Tennessee Aquarium. The event drew record numbers (225+ attendees). Also organized and executed (with help from my graduate students) a series five “local” field trips so that conference participants could better appreciate the biodiversity surrounding the Chattanooga region.
- Organized the Spatial and Internet Mapping Service Workshop for SAIN/NBII at UTC (in conjunction with the SEPARC 2007 meeting)
- Hosted and organized a workshop for local area teachers to promote their involvement with the Tennessee River Gorge Turtle Conservation Initiative. The workshop attracted and sponsored over 25 educators from the surrounding Tri-State Area.
- Organized (along with Dr. Craddock) a BioBlitz at the Chattanooga Nature Center to held on Earthday (April 20-21, 2007). This effort is in cooperation with Reflection Riding, and the Tennessee Aquarium.
- Research Associate, Tennessee Aquarium.
- Member of TNARI’s (now TAFI, Scientific arm of Tennessee Aquarium) Scientific Advisory Board.
- Long-range planner for the Tennessee Aquarium’s Chelonian Advisory Committee.
- Project consultant (experimental design and outreach) for a Dalton Middle School aquatic ecology research project (Principle Investigator: Christopher Bob Manis).
- Provided educational seminars and activities to the Greater Chattanooga Community as part of Club Discovery and the Scientist in Residence Program at the Chattanooga Creative Discovery Museum.
- Provided educational seminars and activities to the greater Chattanooga Community through the Tennessee Aquarium and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.
- Consultant on the ecology of reptiles and amphibians to the Tennessee River Gorge Trust and community.
