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MABE Faculty and Staff Receive College Awards

Academic and administrative colleagues of the Tickle College of Engineering show appreciation for each other every day as a matter of course. Each spring, the college makes the highest of these acknowledgements official with the annual Faculty and Staff Awards.

The accolades are traditionally observed with a banquet gathering, but due to measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, that event has been rescheduled to the fall. Until then, we present here the MABE winners and a few words in honor of their accomplishments.


Sidekick Salute Award

Recognizes an outstanding co-worker or teammate who has gone the extra mile in helping the team on a project, is always looking to make sure the team has everything they need, or has performed a special act of kindness or service that has had a positive impact on the team/department.

Ruthann Moyers
Financial Specialist, Mechanical, Aerospace & Biomedical Engineering

The MABE department could not run as smoothly as it does without Moyers’s knowledge of university policy and willingness to continue to grow and learn every day. She consistently finds ways to help faculty and her co-workers in the department. Her positive attitude is deeply appreciated by her department—and can be contagiousness.


Moses E. & Mayme Brooks Award

Recognizes and rewards outstanding engineering faculty who have achieved distinction in engineering practice, along with effective teaching.

Andy Sarles
Associate Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering

The selection committee was impressed with Sarles’s ability to teach effectively—as evidenced by the peer teaching evaluations—and with high student-satisfaction courses. In the area of engineering practice, the committee noted that Sarles submitted six provisional patents to the UT Research Foundation and was awarded two that have been licensed by former students. Sarles’s productivity is building the college’s reputation in the state and beyond and among peers as a leader in technology transfer and advancement.


Leon & Nancy Cole Teaching Award

Elizabeth Barker
Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering

The selection committee was impressed by the “truly exceptional” regard in which Barker is held by her department. In addition, the committee noted her efforts to update the biomedical engineering curriculum and efforts to attract and retain students from low-income families. Her interest in providing access while maintaining a high-quality educational experience for undergraduates is much appreciated.


Translational Research Award

Recognizes a faculty member or group of individuals whose research has achieved societal benefit through the development of intellectual property via licensing agreements, patents, and/or business startups.

Dustin Crouch
Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering

Crouch’s research seeks to better understand and use muscle-driven endoprostheses (MDEs), which are a type of prosthetic that is completely implanted under the skin of a patient’s body, to attach to a residual limb following amputation to enable patients a more natural experience with improved dexterity and mobility. Crouch recently received an NSF Early CAREER Award for his work.

 

For a full list of college-wide awards winners, visit https://tickle.utk.edu/2020-faculty-staff-awards-announced/