Research and Discovery

The N95 respirator is providing a critical defense for health care workers in the COVID-19 pandemic—and its core technology was developed by UT professor Peter Tsai, who has come out of retirement to improve his invention.

From the beginning, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s partnership with the University of Tennessee has fueled an era of American research innovation.

Scholar and sociologist Enkeshi El-Amin (’19) creates a welcoming space for Black makers in Knoxville and builds bridges for the good of her adopted community.

National Public Radio shines a spotlight on the UT students and professor who inspired its award-winning Dolly Parton’s America podcast.

Hera Jay Brown (’18), UT’s ninth Rhodes Scholar, is working to make the world a better place.

In the College of Social Work, faculty, staff, and students are challenged to put classroom lessons to work in the community to make the world a better place, especially for underserved populations. Here’s a look at four college programs that look to fill voids, right wrongs, and improve lives—all while teaching the next generation of social workers to do the same.

UT archaeology students help preserve century-old artifacts from a West Virginia ghost town.

It’s hard to imagine what Blount College’s first scholars in 1794 would say about the university’s current research efforts in areas like artificial intelligence, driverless cars, advanced materials manufacturing, and big data. But many of the programs and courses upon which our innovation efforts rely have been a foundation of education at the institution from the very beginning.

Volunteers have always worked to make the world a better place—it’s what we do. Read about a few of our alumni, faculty, staff, and friends who have helped to light the way for others.

From our roads to our schools and hospitals, you don’t have to look far to see the positive impact the University of Tennessee is making in all 95 counties of the state we call home.