Julia Stranahan, who will be graduating on May 6, has had numerous leadership opportunities at UTC, including being a member of the Freshman Senate, an orientation leader and the facilitator of the Feminist Action Movement. She also served in a statewide office as lobbying director of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
First gen graduate gives back and pays forward
Juan Carlos Aponte Ortiz’s experiences at UTC led him to become deeply involved with student-oriented, peer-mentoring programs on campus. He has worked with Student Support Services, Student Success Programs, the Office of Student and Family Engagement, the Center for Women and Gender Equity, and the Center for Wellbeing.
“I realize this sounds strange, but in a way I’m thankful for COVID. It was the wakeup call I needed”
Keslin Moore was a student-worker in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division of Communications and Marketing during the spring 2023 semester. Moore, a Stophel Scholar in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, is graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in communication. She is a 2019 graduate of Bledsoe County High School in Pikeville, Tennessee.
Master’s thesis survives the horror of “The Dark South”
Paul Zachos can thank COVID-19 for his horror novel, “The Dark South.” He can thank “The Dark South” for his master’s degree in creative writing.
Students pig out at Porkorama
The smell of hickory smoke and slow-cooked hog hung over campus last weekend as students, faculty and family gathered for the first University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Porkorama. A pork barbecue extravaganza, the event was organized by the UTC History Department and the Honors College as a celebration of the history of Appalachian culture and cuisine.
All hail the “King of Environmental Science”
For nearly 20 years, Dr. Bradley Reynolds has been a member of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science faculty. It is virtually impossible to talk to him without asking about the nickname he bestowed upon himself: The “King of Environmental Science.”
Student dissects song lyrics to win Fly! Pitch Contest
Senior Sami Belcher’s idea caught the attention of judges who selected her poster-making business—Halfway Down Design Co.—as the winner of the recent Student Fly! Pitch Contest, held in the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Quantum science is soon to take its place on campus
Dr. Tian Li, an assistant professor of physics at UTC, was the featured speaker for a “Gig City Goes Quantum” presentation on April 21. Li and his fellow UTC researchers have a lot of ideas for experiments, he said, and quantum research capabilities hold great promise for students, too.
Stop and smell the flowers: Annual nature-loving Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage set for April 26-29
The upcoming 73rd Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will have more than 120 experts who will lead more than 200 educational experiences, including guided hikes to learn about plants and animals, stargazing, wild foods and many other subjects.
“It takes a lot of people to build these technologies,” quantum scientist says
Dr. James Troupe was asked how long it will take for quantum networking to come together. “I’ll give you an answer and then I’ll tell you the answer is probably moot,” said Troupe, chief scientist for quantum communications company Xairos and the guest speaker for the second of three “Gig City Goes Quantum” presentations hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.









