Michael Neilan, graduate student in mathematics, recently became the first UT awardee of a NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. His research develops efficient numerical methods and algorithms for solving fully nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) that arise from various scientific and engineering applications.

Tom Urbanik, Goodrich Chair of Excellence and Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was presented the 2008 Individual Service Award from the Tennessee Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He was recognized for significant contributions to the advancement of the transportation profession at the state and regional levels.

Claudia Rawn, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, was invited to serve as a member of the U.S. National Committee for Crystallography. This group promotes the advancement of the science of crystallography worldwide with members from various disciplines.

Lydia Pulsipher, emeritus professor in the geography department, recently received the Preston E. James Eminent Latin Americanist Career Award in recognition of her outstanding research contributions on the geography of Latin America and the Caribbean and the significant impact of her research within and beyond academia.

Mary McAlpin, associate professor of French, has been elected to a five-year term as a member of the Modern Languages Association Divisional Committee on Eighteenth-Century French Studies, for the years 2009-2013.