Department of Nuclear Engineering Celebrates 50th Anniversary
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee Nuclear Engineering (UTNE) Department, founded in 1957, celebrated its 50th anniversary on March 3, 2007, at the new Knoxville Convention Center.
Approximately 270 people, including NE alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the department as well as UT and COE administrators, attended the gala event.
The evening began with a reception and slide show showing a pictorial history of the department, followed by a formal banquet, program and dancing to music provided by the "Atomic Horns," a nine-piece band.
Dr. Tony Buhl, a three-time graduate of the department, served as Master of Ceremonies for the event. The program included an overview of the history of the department by Dr. John Prados, UT Vice President Emeritus, and a special tribute to Dr. Pete Pasqua, department founder and NE department head for 31 years, by Dr. Bill Snyder, UT Chancellor Emeritus. Dr. Snyder also presented a special plaque to the Pasqua family in honor of Dr. Pasqua and a bouquet of roses to Mrs. Pasqua.
Dr. Way Kuo, dean of engineering, presented service recognition plaques to Dr. Tom Kerlin (department head, 1988-1996) and Dr. Lee Dodds (department head, 1997-present).
Sponsors for the celebration included EnergX (Tony Buhl); HLD Associates (Lee Dodds); Mel Buckner; SAIC; Spectra Tech; Kenneth Piety; Douglas Selby; the Washington Group; Safety Analysis Engineering - Engineering Division; the Y-12 National Security Complex; and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Opportunities for sponsorships are still available, for more information visit http://www.engr.utk.edu/nuclear.
Revenue generated by celebration sponsorships will be used for undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, faculty development and general infrastructure support for the department. A video of the evening's events and a slide show depicting the history of the department can be viewed at http://www.engr.utk.edu/nuclear/anniversary.html.
For more information, contact Kim Cowart, Communications Manager, Office of Engineering Communications, at (865) 974-0686/kcowart@utk.edu.