2007 COE Honors Banquet Featured Noted Speakers and Awards
Dean Way Kuo (left) presents the
Dougherty Award to Nancy C. Cole
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee College of Engineering Honors Banquet was held Tuesday, April 10, 2007, in the University Center Ballroom on the UT campus. The annual event, sponsored by Eastman Chemical Company, recognizes outstanding faculty, staff, students and alumni. The college's most prestigious recognition, the Nathan W. Dougherty Award, was given to alumnus Nancy C. Cole, the first female to receive the award.
Cole received her B.S. and M.S. in metallurgical engineering in 1963 and 1988, respectively. She was the first female to graduate with a degree in metallurgical engineering from UT, as well as the first female to graduate from the Engineering Co-op program.
Cole began her career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) doing research on the corrosion of metals and soon joined ORNL's Welding and Brazing Laboratory where she researched the joining of stainless steels, refractory metals and ceramics. Cole also lived in Chattanooga where she worked for Combustion Engineering for 17 years, but returned to ORNL in 1991 as Manager of Fossil Energy Materials, which gave Cole the opportunity to manage programs for the Department of Energy (DOE) involving national laboratories, universities and industry.
Cole was one of the first women to become active in the American Welding Society (AWS). Since the early 1970s, Cole has presented papers, published and helped organize and chair sessions as professional conferences of AWS, ASM International and The Metallurgical Society. Through AWS and the Welding Research Council, she is known internationally for her pioneering work on corrosion resistance of brazed joints. From the late 1980s to early 1990s, Cole was a member of UT College of Engineering Board of Advisors. She became a Fellow of the AWS in 1999 and Honorary Member in 2006. She has won several awards, including one for the best contribution to the progress of brazing, and another for a significant contribution in the field of welding. She has over 35 technical publications and holds three patents. She is currently on the AWS Board of Directors and serves as Chair of the Fellows Committee. Cole is a registered Professional Engineering in the state of Tennessee.
Cole and her husband, Leon Cole, established the Nancy and Leon Cole Outstanding Teacher Award, which the College of Engineering has presented annually for over 20 years. Cole is the first female recipient of the college's prestigious Nathan W. Dougherty Award, which is named after Dougherty, who served as COE Dean from 1916-1956.
College-wide faculty and staff awards:
- Outstanding Support Staff Award -- Kenneth G. Thomas, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Outstanding Faculty Advisor -- Dr. Paul B. Crilly, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Allen & Hoshall Engineering Faculty Award -- Dr. Belle R. Upadhyaya, Department of Nuclear Engineering
- Moses E. and Mayme Brooks Distinguished Professor Award -- Dr. Benjamin J. Blalock, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Leon and Nancy Cole Superior Teaching Award -- Dr. Paul D. Frymier, Department of Chemical Engineering
- Charles Edward Ferris Faculty Award -- Dr. Lee D. Han, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award -- Dr. Jie “Jane” Wu, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Joint Institute for Advanced Materials Chair of Excellence in Transportation Award -- Dr. Dayakar Penumadu, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- College of Engineering 2007 Teaching Fellow Award -- Dr. Lawrence W. Townsend, Department of Nuclear Engineering
College of Engineering 2007 Research Fellows:
- Dr. Brian J. Edwards -- Chemical Engineering
- Dr. Baoshan Huang -- Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Syed K. Islam -- Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Mohamed R. Mahfouz -- Mechanical Aerospace & Biomedical Engineering
- Dr. Phillip D. Rack -- Materials Science & Engineering
- Dr. Leon M. Tolbert -- Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Dr. Lawrence W. Townsend -- Nuclear Engineering
- Dr. Belle R. Upadhyaya -- Nuclear Engineering
Student awards:
- Peter Barile Sr. Design Competition Award -- Ryan Anderson Bolt, Karen Rebecca Genung and Kimberly Denise Williams, Graduate Students, MS-MBA Program
- Eastman Chemical Company Chemical Engineering Scholar -- Jeffrey Keith Clark II, Department of Chemical Engineering
- Tau Beta Pi Outstanding Junior - Jared Allen Johnson, Department of Chemical Engineering
- Tau Beta Pi Outstanding Senior - Sarah Noell Andrews, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Biomedical Engineering
For more information, contact Kim Cowart at (865) 974-0686 or Jay Mayfield at (865) 974-9409.