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Searching for hidden literary treasure? Try Special Collections at the Lupton Library

Dr. Kittrell Rushing’s discovery of a jewel in the Lupton Library inspired him to write two books, Journal of a Georgia Woman, 1870-1872 and A Family Secret, about the life of Southern aristocrat Eliza Frances Andrews. “Fanny’s” diary lay hidden in the Special Collections, where rare and unique books and manuscripts are held. Rushing’s good fortune (discussed in an interview for the Tennessee Library Association) was discovered in the library’s Special Collections, where rare and unique books and manuscripts are held.

The keeper of the Special Collections is Associate Professor Steve Cox, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist, who invites everyone to see what’s available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m., but he asks that you call (425-2186) or email him first to ensure an optimal learning experience.

“I especially welcome alumni, who may have attended the University before there was an official Special Collections department,” Cox said. “Alumni may find certain items in the Special Collections of interest, including past yearbooks, bound copies of the Echo, and the papers of former faculty members, many who were here in the mid 1900s.”

Cox is developing a new way of identifying books with The University Alumnus Collection.

“We will do this by including a statement in the online catalog record for an alumnus-authored book that reads: ‘University Alumnus Collection,’ or something very similar,” Cox said. “Therefore, if someone wants to see what books we have that have been written or illustrated by an alumnus, they can type into the search field: ‘University Alumnus Collection’ and every book that we have will come up. This will just be a process of identifying what we already have that was authored by an alumnus, and to seek out others by alumni that we don’t have. This is still in the planning stage and will probably be done in the fall. I know that we have alumni going back to our earliest years who went on to author books.”

A new collection by alumnus Barry Moser-- illustrator, printer, painter, printmaker, designer, author, essayist, and teacher whose work is represented in numerous collections, museums, and libraries in the United States and abroad--is being added to the Special Collections. Compiled by Dr. Verbie Prevost, head of the English Department and Connor Professor of American Literature at UTC, The Barry Moser Collection consists of more than 120 books illustrated by this talented artist. These books are currently being cataloged and should be accessible in the special collections by the end of summer.

“These are mostly children’s books and classics illustrated by Mr. Moser such as Dracula, Tom Sawyer, Frankenstein, and the Holy Bible. The illustrations and art work are delightful, and will be available for anyone interested to look at in the Special Collections,” Cox said.

By typing “Barry Moser Collection” into the Lupton Library’s online catalog, readers may access a listing of the titles available.

“The Barry Moser Collection was given to the library with the condition that it is to be housed in the Special Collections. As a result, these books can be viewed in the Special Collections and will not circulate,” said Cox. “We do have some of these titles in our circulating collection, though.”

Cox took three months to digitize the John T. Wilder Collection, now available online. Heartfelt letters written by Wilder to his wife provide an account of his participation in Civil War battles and events.

“These letters give good insight into the kind of man Wilder was-- a husband, a father, an officer, a soldier, a leader, and now anyone in the world with access to the internet can read Wilder’s account, in his own handwriting. Researchers can also see what official Civil War military orders and documents looked like. Putting these online also saves wear and tear on the actual letters since researchers no longer have to handle the originals,” Cox said.

Cox recently finished Southern Literature Resources in the Special Collections. He says this collection has never-before-seen letters from members of the important Agrarian movement in literature from the 1930s.

“Members were primarily associated with Vanderbilt University, and helped pave the way for 20th century Southern literature,” Cox said. “I intend to also have a web site for Appalachia writer, artist and poet Emma Bell Miles (1879-1919) who lived on Signal Mountain in the late 1800s and early 1900s and kept journals, painted local nature scenes, and wrote and published poems, essays, short stories, nature books, and one novel. We have some of her artwork, journals, correspondence and poems and I hope to have some of these digitized on the web site. This should be up sometime in the fall.”

Cox also has plans to have a library website that gives information about the University’s extensive collection of Civil War-related material, in the hopes of attracting more Civil War scholars to Lupton Library.

“We have a large collection of Civil War regimental histories (mostly Union), other Civil War books, artwork, and manuscripts such as letters, diaries, memorabilia, and documents. I intend to have it digitized probably by late 2008 and it will be more detailed than what our website currently shows,” Cox said.

UTC biology department hosts 2008 Society for Conservation Biology meeting

International green movement leaders representing more than 50 countries chose Chattanooga for the summer 2008 Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) annual meeting. More than 1,500 biologists, scientists, economists, policy makers, and conservationists will examine the earth “From the mountains to the sea,” the theme created by Dr. David Aborn, associate professor in The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences.

“The 2008 Global Meeting of the SCB will be the opportunity to show international conservation professionals the natural beauty of the region through many field trips opportunities. From the summit of Lookout Mountain to the depths of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga and the surrounding area offers thick forests, limestone caverns, underground waterfalls, beautiful mountains and scenic waterways. This makes Chattanooga and the South Eastern region of the USA one of the most bio-diverse region in the world for freshwater species,” Aborn said.

From July 13-17, attendees will examine major ecosystems separately and as a connected entity, with a two-day focus on freshwater river mussels. Symposia session organizer Ryan Evans says freshwater mollusks are indictor species that depend on clean water. And indications are freshwater river mussels are among the world’s most environmentally threatened organisms in the world. Pollution, alteration of waterways, and the button and jewelry industry each have played a role in the lives of these filter feeders.

“The SCB meeting provides a perfect opportunity for the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society to introduce these diverse and unique animals to the broader conservation community. Our take home message to SCB is that no other faunal group in North America has experienced such a drastic level of decline or extinction,” Evans said.

Some sessions will be open to the public. Visit the conference website at http://www.conbio.org/activities/meetings/2008/. For more information, please call The Office of University Relations at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 423/425-4363.

This year’s conference plenary speakers include:

CHUCK COOK, director of The Nature Conservancy’s coastal and marine program in California, has worked extensively with the fisheries industry to improve fisheries management and marine conservation. It is clear who owns land. But who owns the water, or the fish, or the right to fish? Cook and his colleagues work to resolve those questions by lobbying federal fishery managers and regulators to adjust permitting systems to allow for conservation easements.

WINONA LADUKE, an Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe) enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of Anishinaabeg, is a graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities who has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues. LaDuke has received the Reebok Human Rights Award, the 1997 Ms Woman of the Year Award, the Global Green Award, was nominated by Time magazine as one of the country’s fifty most promising leaders under forty years of age, and numerous other honors.

JEFFREY A. MCNEELY, IUCN Chief Scientist and President of the Asia Section of SCB. He has published 40 books and some 500 technical and popular articles on a wide range of conservation issues, seeking to link conservation of natural resources to the maintenance of cultural diversity and to economically-sustainable ways of life.

DIANE RUSSELL, a Biodiversity and Social Science Specialist for USAID, has twenty years experience in international research, development and conservation and has lived and worked in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. She has served as a social scientist with the Biodiversity Conservation Network (BCN) in Asia-Pacific and most recently as co-leader of the Trees & Markets theme at the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi. Russell has a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and a PhD in Anthropology from Boston University.

BILL MCKIBBEN, a writer and avid environmentalist, is currently a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College in Vermont who has written several books, and contributes regularly to publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Orion, and Mother Jones. McKibben’s books vary in nature; however, it was his first book, The End of Nature, that is considered the first public-oriented alarm about climate change. Since then, McKibben has written on several subjects, ranging from alternative energy, to outdoor adventures, to the risks associated with human genetic engineering. His most recent book, Deep Economy, states the need “to move beyond growth… begin pursuing prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy…” McKibben has been awarded Guggenheim and Lyndhurst Fellowships, and won the Lannan Prize for nonfiction writing in 2000.

Sutton named Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science

Dr. Phil Oldham, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, announces that Dr. William Sutton has accepted the position of Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at UTC.

Sutton has served as Professor and Department Head of Mechanical Engineering (ME) at the University of Alabama since 2003. Prior to Alabama, Sutton was professor in the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, where he also served a term as interim department head and as secretary of the Faculty Senate during his 21 years there.

Sutton received his BSME in 1973, his MME in 1975, and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1980, all from North Carolina State University. He is a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

“I am very pleased that Dr. Sutton has accepted our offer to assume leadership of our College of Engineering and Computer Science,” said Oldham. “His extensive experience in automotive and alternative fuel research matches many of the research efforts underway here at UTC, and his success in recruitment of outstanding students to the engineering field will be of critical importance to us.”

During his tenure at Alabama, ME department undergraduate enrollment increased by 54 percent and PhD graduate enrollment more than doubled. The ME undergraduate students won national recognition from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Sutton led significant growth in funded research by his faculty; both new external awards and expenditures more than doubled on average during his 5 years.

Sutton is expected to assume his new duties at UTC in July. The UTC College of Engineering and Computer Sciences offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees as well as graduate certifications in a variety of disciplines.

“I want to thank Dr. Jim Cunningham for deferring his retirement plans this past year and agreeing to serve as interim dean of the college,” said Oldham. “Our campus is very grateful for his 30 years of dedicated service to UTC. His leadership has left the college in a good position for the future. I wish him well in his retirement.”

After receiving his master’s degree, Sutton worked in industry for several years and was licensed as a professional engineer in 1980. He worked as a design engineer at Rockwell International Flow Control Division, designing valves for nuclear and critical service applications. He subsequently worked for Carolina Power and Light (now Progress Energy) in Technical Services and then in Nuclear Plant Engineering.

“I am excited about the unique opportunities that exist at UTC. I really appreciate the leadership of the University and the College—the College is well positioned to make a strong impact nationally and regionally. The College of Engineering and Computer Science has some wonderful students and faculty,” said Sutton.

Sutton has taught mostly thermodynamics and heat transfer courses over his career. At both Oklahoma and Alabama, he also taught automotive engineering and design courses. Much of his early academic research was in radiative heat transfer and combined modes of heat transfer. Dr. Sutton spent a summer at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, modeling heat transfer of rocket exhaust, in the 1980s. He also consulted with Sverdrup in related work.

“I really felt, from visiting Chattanooga, that the administration and the community see how much Engineering and Computer Science can assist in bringing economic growth opportunities to the region. With the help of all those who care so much about the College and the University, I know we will make a positive difference. I am very honored to have been selected dean,” said Sutton.

In the late 1980s, Sutton became involved in automotive projects such as Mini-Baja at Oklahoma. His automotive experience led to a consulting assignment on thermal modeling of automotive interiors with General Motors. His work with General Motors led, indirectly, to a successful LNG entry in the 1991 Natural Gas Vehicle Challenge student project. This led, in turn, to significant funding of LNG research by the U.S. Department of Energy. One outcome of that work led to the development of new designer composite alternative fuels. A three-year research project, which resolved a number of issues to allow the commercialization of a class of alternative fuels, was partially funded by the Air Force and a private partnership in Bolivia. As a result of this research, Sutton’s department was selected Innovator of the Year, On the Brink Category (with R. Mallinson) for 2001, by the Oklahoma Journal Record Newspaper. Sutton has continued work on alternative fuels, with a funded project on hydrogen infrastructure at Alabama.

Because of his automotive work, Sutton has served as faculty adviser to two university student chapters of SAE and to the SAE Formula Student Design Series. The Student Design Series competitions draw teams from all over the world. At Oklahoma, as adviser, he led a student team to a top 25 finish in the Formula SAE international competition. At Alabama, his team finished eighth overall at the Formula VIR competition in April 2008.

Sutton was a founding Board member for the Alabama Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He also serves as a member of the SAE Sections Board, which oversees all sections of SAE International.

Jessica Lee Woods earns national distinction with Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Jessica Lee Woods has become the first University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student to be awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. A University Honors Program student, Woods is majoring in chemistry and geology. Career goals for this native of Maryville, Tennessee, include conducting research in environmental geochemistry and applying her findings to local and global environmental problems. She is especially interested in the introduction and transport of contaminants and climate change.

“With the excellent chemistry, biology, and geology departments at UTC and professors in those departments dedicated to advising students and providing them with research opportunities, I am very surprised to be the first,” Woods said. “I am very glad that the outstanding work in the natural sciences being conducted at UTC has finally been recognized on such a national scale. I hope that my being awarded the Goldwater Scholarship is just the beginning for the academic and research accomplishments of UTC natural science students to be recognized in this manner.”

The 2008 Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,035 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. Woods’ award will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Woods will receive the award for academic year 2008-09.

“I have received the support, guidance, and encouragement from my professors that typically only graduate students are able to receive at larger, more research-oriented universities,” Woods said.

Dr. H. Douglas Kutz, Ben Gross Professor, serves as the UTC Representative for the Goldwater Scholarship program.

“I am extremely delighted that Jessica has been selected to receive one of these nationally competitive scholarships,” said Kutz. “Her inclusion as one of only 321 students selected to receive awards this year is evidence of her most impressive academic qualifications. That a student from UTC was selected by the Goldwater Scholarship Foundation also validates the exceptional quality of instruction that we make available to our students.”

UTC’s commitment to teaching, mentoring, and advising undergraduate students, as Woods has experienced through the geology and chemistry departments and the UTC University Honors Program (UHON), is one of the primary reasons she believes she was awarded this scholarship and honor.

“The UTC Honors curriculum continually challenges me to critically analyze not only the topics I am assigned in class but what I read in newspapers, see on TV, and experience in everyday life. The critical thinking skills I have acquired largely through UHON have given me a great advantage in my studies of chemistry and geology, prompting me to question and research until I achieve understanding and to draw connections between seemingly unrelated ideas or occurrences,” Woods said.

Dr. Tracy S. Jones, Assistant Professor of Geology, Dr. Gretchen Potts, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Woods participated in a joint research project in fall of 2007, collecting water samples from the Little Sequatchie River to determine the impact of frequent, recreational all-terrain vehicle use directly adjacent to and through the river.

Woods analyzed the samples to determine presence and concentrations of 23 different metal species, including lead, aluminum, zinc, and iron.

During her sophomore year, Woods also had the opportunity to work with Dr. Ann E. Holmes, Assistant Professor of Geology to develop fossil identification cards to use as teaching aids. She worked with Dr. Jonathan Mies, R. L. Wilson Associate Professor of Geology, conducting x-ray diffraction analyses. Woods is currently involved in another research project.

“Dr. Potts and I are now beginning a new project to determine the pollutants that are leached out of cigarette butts into the environment,” said Woods. “This research will become my departmental honors project.”

Globally, several trillions of cigarette butts and filters are improperly disposed of annually, each a possible source of pollution.

“We have not been able to find research where someone studied which chemicals, if any, leach from cigarette litter when it is disposed of in the environment and under what conditions the chemicals leach into the water and soil,” Potts said.

Woods truly appreciates the importance of her education and sees a future where she will apply all the skills and knowledge that she gains at the University, according to Potts.

“These traits and characteristics are critical for students who will succeed in a career in the sciences. She is also one of the most polite students that I have ever met. She never complains, no matter how much work I give her to do. Best of all, she always has a smile on her face and she approaches her work with enthusiasm,” Potts said.

Goldwater Scholars have very impressive academic qualifications that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 70 Rhodes Scholarships, 94 Marshall Awards (8 of the 40 awarded in the United States in 2008), and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

Test by Fire: The War Presidency of George W. Bush

Dr. Robert Swansbrough As Americans wait six seemingly endless months for the US presidential election, they will consider the military legacy of President George Bush and look ahead for answers: how will the next leader protect America and its national interests? Will the new president create polices that safeguard the country against the threat of terrorism without alienating the Islamic world? How will the new president restore the strength of the military to meet future challenges?

“The next president will face the daunting challenges of resurrecting America’s reputation, mending relations with long-time allies and friends and working for a Middle East peace settlement in that vital region,” according to Dr. Robert Swansbrough, whose new book Test by Fire: The War Presidency of George W. Bush, was just published by Palgrave Macmillan. Swansbrough is Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Political Science at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Swansbrough takes a close look at how George W. Bush—a wisecracking cutup, mediocre student, failed oil patch entrepreneur and fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard’s “Champagne Unit”—became a War President. Did Bush go too far in wielding his powers as a War President, and what will be Bush’s place in history for his leadership against terrorism?

“This book tells a story that is a must-read for all Americans,” said David Gray Adler, Professor of Political Science, Idaho State University.

“George W. Bush’s fateful foreign policy decisions pose questions that historians and political scientists will be trying to answer for decades to come,” said Dr. Gary Jacobson, professor of political science, University of California, San Diego. “Using the conceptual tools of political science and the best information currently available, Robert Swansbrough gives this enterprise a strong start with this thorough, nuanced examination of both Bush and his administration’s decision-making processes. Test by Fire is an excellent choice for courses on the presidency as well as enlightening reading for anyone seeking to understand the Bush presidency.”

In a USA Today/Gallup poll report published in April, 63% of Americans said the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq. Test by Fire examines the Bush administration’s assumptions leading to the invasion of Iraq, execution of war plans, occupation and insurgency, and efforts to create a friendly, stable and democratic government.

Test by Fire also offers readers insights into many of the trouble spots impacted by the Bush administration’s foreign policies: Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Lebanon, Palestine and Pakistan. Swansbrough assesses whether the manner President Bush has pursued the war on terror and promoted democracy in the Middle East has made America more secure or created new challenges for the next president. The Bush administration’s record offers both positive and negative lessons for his successor, according to Swansbrough.

For more information, please call The Office of University Relations at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 423/425-4363 or email Cindy-Carroll@utc.edu.

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