UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrated the accomplishments of some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards and promotions luncheon. This year’s ceremony was held in the newly-opened Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 14, 2024. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the Institute.
UT Institute of Agriculture Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the award winners and praised them for their work. “I continue to be amazed by the dedication, enthusiasm and expertise demonstrated by the impressive work of our UTIA faculty and staff,” says Carver. “The awards are well deserved, and the impacts of these accomplishments are seen across the state and will benefit Tennesseans for generations.”
Jennifer Chandler, Research Specialist III in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, is the recipient of the Mildred Pendergrass Outstanding Service Award. This award, presented in memory of Mildred Pendergrass, wife of the former Vice President for Agriculture Webster Pendergrass, is given to employees among the technical, skill and service staff of the Institute.
Chandler assists entomology faculty and has worked extensively with urban, medical and veterinary pests, including ants, bed bugs, mosquitoes and ticks. Over the years, Chandler has co-authored 8 research publications and 10 Extension publications, including UT Extension PB 1895, Managing Ticks on School Grounds; W 473, Odorous House Ants: The Most Common House –Invading Ant in Tennessee; and SP 788, Detecting Low-Level Bed Bug Infestations in Multifamily Housing: Bed Bugs Sucking the Budget Out of Your Buildings?
Chandler earned her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from UT Knoxville in 2011.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.