Achievement in Natural Sciences

Morgan M. Steffen received her PhD in microbiology from UT in 2014. She is an assistant professor at James Madison University where she teaches and mentors students in research. Her area of focus is microbiology, particularly as it pertains to the toxic cyanobacterial blooms that are becoming a problem across the US and around the world. Most recently, Steffen led a team of university and government scientists that examined the potential causes of the Toledo Event in 2014, which resulted in shutting down the water supply to the City of Toledo, Ohio, during the August 2014 holiday weekend leaving approximately 500,000 residents without water. Her efforts combined molecular biology, limnology and satellite data with mathematical models to find the environmental drivers of the problem. Those data now inform utilities managers how to avoid the same circumstances in the future.

A brief review of Dr. Steffen’s CV will quickly reveal the level of respect she has earned from her colleagues both near and far. She collaborates with the best environmental microbiologist worldwide, reflecting her status as a recognized authority in environmental microbiology. She has received two NSF grants in the last three years. In 2018, James Madison University honored her with the Research and Scholarship Outstanding Faculty Award. Steffen has remained a tireless recruiter for the UT graduate program in microbiology. Fall 2019 will see a third student in just three years join microbiology from JMU biology. The ability to recruit the very best undergraduates from a top undergraduate biology program like that at JMU is a major advantage to UT faculty.

Achievement in Visual and Performing Arts

Crystal Wagner graduated summa cum laude in 2008 with her Master of Fine Arts in studio art with a concentration in printmaking. Wagner has already established herself as a significant artist with recognition of her work through major exhibitions and commissions both in the United States and abroad. Her promise is already realized, and her resume offers of record of the impressive work ethic of this young and very talented artist.

Wagner is gaining a significant international reputation for her work that combines printmaking and sculpture, which often uses recycled and repurposed materials in the creation of large-scale, site-specific installations. She maintains a diverse studio practice, which also involves the creation of smaller-scale dimensional print-works. When she was in graduate school in Knoxville, the Knoxville Museum of Art acquired one of her early pieces that combined print media and sculpture. Today, another work by Crystal graces the museum just beyond the entryway. Early on, the KMA recognized her significant promise, with a commitment to including her work in their permanent collection.

Wagner’s art is represented by galleries in San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and Paris. She was a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Grant. The pace of her professional activities is astonishing. She has a number of exhibitions and projects scheduled into 2020, with a one-person exhibition at the prestigious international art festival Art Basel in Miami, Florida. Despite her growing international recognition, she has also remained present in Tennessee with a significant project during a residency in 2017 at the Cheekwood Fine Arts Center in Nashville. She also came back to Knoxville in 2015 to work with UT students in the creation of a major installation in the Art and Architecture Building for an alumni exhibition during the Southern Graphics Council International Printmaking Conference. Wagner’s professional record of exhibitions and commissions is notable, and anyone who sees her work can appreciate its sheer beauty and ingenuity. The ability of the arts to enrich our lives is clearly evident in her labors.