The Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year award honors a faculty member who has shown outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate research students.
David Keffer
David J. Keffer has worked as an engineering professor at UT since 1998. He leads a computational research group interested in materials relevant to the pursuit of sustainable energy and collaborates with numerous experimentalists to develop new materials. He regularly integrates undergraduate researchers into his group to participate in the materials discovery process for mitigation of climate change through materials for renewable energy.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
“It has been my good fortune to find a home at the University of Tennessee where, on a daily basis, I interact with smart and creative young people. It is my hope that I am able to equip the next generation of engineers with a technical tool kit and philosophical perspective that enable and motivate them to go out into Tennessee and beyond to make the world a better place.”
Keerthi Krishnan
Keerthi Krishnan is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology. Her research focuses on cellular mechanisms of brain plasticity focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders. Undergraduate students contribute to the research mission by collecting data through various techniques, analyzing results, and communicating their science through presentations and publications. They are also mentored by graduate students and a postdoctoral scientist in the lab.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
“Being a Volunteer means empowering students with foundational critical thinking and problem-solving skills to observe, name, question, and find answers to all aspects of their education and life. UT has empowered me by funding the team and the research process, and by mentoring select students for national level scholarships through the undergraduate research and fellowships office.”