The L. R. Hesler Award is named for a longtime head of the botany department who also served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Hesler’s students, colleagues, and friends established this memorial award to recognize exceptional teaching and service.
David Keffer
Keffer, professor and associate department head of materials science and engineering, teaches computational materials science and sustainability. He was awarded a 2010 Fulbright grant to study sustainability at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and actively publishes technical papers on the topic. Keffer takes an active interest in undergraduate retention and student success. He leads the TranSCEnD project, which provides academic, social, and financial support to engineering students at UT who have transferred from Tennessee community colleges.