On Tuesday, Oct. 8, UTC Center for Wellbeing Director Megan McKnight was invited to a Washington, D.C., summit hosted by the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose event honored McKnight and nearly 250 other stakeholders for expanding access to lifesaving opioid overdose reversal medication and reducing preventable drug overdose deaths.
Hands-on learning: UTC communication classes collaborate with local nonprofits for public relations projects
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Communication is partnering with 10 local nonprofits to help students gain real work experience outside the classroom. Lecturer David Norman and Assistant Professor Tony Cepak are the two UTC faculty members leading the course, which is a combination of Public Relations Campaigns and Publication Design II classes. The 40 students in the course are divided into 10 groups of four and are assigned a nonprofit to work with throughout the semester.
Tying it together: Recent UTC graduate merges math and science to research knot theory and neurodegenerative diseases
In August 2024, Masumi Sugiyama received a Ph.D. in computational science with an applied mathematics concentration. Her research focused on knot theory, which she used to study neurodegenerative diseases.
Champion for mental health: UTC’s Amy Kyriakidis recognized for suicide prevention efforts
Amy Kyriakidis, assistant director for suicide education and prevention in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Center for Wellbeing, has been recognized for her exceptional contributions to suicide prevention in Tennessee. She recently received the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) Southeast Regional Suicide Prevention Award, an honor created by TSPN co-founders Madge and Ken Tullis “to acknowledge innovation and excellence in the state’s suicide prevention awareness efforts.”
Meet the Murillos: Husband and wife connecting UTC students to other cultures
Throughout their teaching journeys, Edwin and Krysta Murillo have lived by a Mark Twain quote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
All roads lead here: Power C Tour offers prospective students glimpse into life at UTC
The third annual Power C Tour—with stops in Memphis (Thursday, Oct. 3), Knoxville (Wednesday, Oct. 23), Nashville (Monday, Oct. 28) and Chattanooga (Wednesday, Nov. 13)—gives local high school students, transfers, graduate students and their families a feel for UTC.
UTC raises Mocs Give Day goal to $2 million from 2,000 donors
In its fifth year, Mocs Give Day, a one-day digital forward fundraising campaign for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The goal is to raise $2 million from 2,000 donors.
Modification to UTC campus operations and weather advisory for Thursday (Sept. 26) and Friday (Sept. 27)
Modification to UTC campus operations and weather advisory for Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27.
UTC sophomore Kynedi Jennings awarded $10,000 BlueCross Power of We Health Equity Scholarship
Kynedi Jennings, a sophomore nursing major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was one of six Tennessee college students selected as recipients of the 2024 BlueCross Power of We Health Equity Scholarship, funded by the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation.
Bridging cultures and disciplines: Hassan Afzal’s unique journey from Bangladesh to UTC
Dr. Hassan Afzal’s path to UTC is anything but typical, with an academic background as varied as it is impressive. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from American International University-Bangladesh, two master’s degrees—in IT and business—from the University of Dhaka, an MBA from Idaho State University and a Ph.D. from Kent State University in Ohio.









