Alliance of Women Philanthropists 2010 Giving Circle Grant Recipients
UT Martin Recycles!
Project: UTM Growing Garden
Synopsis: The University of Tennessee at Martin requested $8,500 in funding for the UTM Growing Garden Project. An herb garden will be planted in front of the University Center as well as a series of small vegetable gardens near the residence halls for use by Sodexho and campus resident students. The purpose of the garden is to bring awareness to the need for education of sustainable agricultural practices in addition to the increased demand for food in the rural Northwest Tennessee area.
Evaluation Summary: The objective of the project is to serve as a teaching center for Agriculture majors and for the Governor’s School of Agriculture and provide an outreach service to the community. Future plans include expanding the program by planting gardens near the international student dormitories. Sites also targeted for future fruit and vegetable gardens include near the new student recreational center, and near the current day-care center. As its name implies, our ultimate objective is to continue growing gardens both on campus and into the local Martin community, where such a garden can be a nutritious resource for We Care, the local food bank for low-income individuals and families who can’t afford groceries.
Grant amount awarded: $8,500
University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Teaching and Learning Center (TENN TLC)
Project: Improving the Mentoring of Future Scholars
Synopsis: The Improving the Mentoring of Future Scholars workshops will be designed to provide knowledge of the unique role quality mentoring plays in the development of future college professors, the pros and cons of different mentoring models, the needs of future faculty based upon their diverse backgrounds and experiences, and how to enhance the brainstorming of, and planning for, creative research and instructional ideas. The project will facilitate the design, promotion and implementation of a set of innovative comprehensive workshops that directly address this existing critical need.
Evaluation Summary: By funding this project, the Alliance enables the TENN TLC to prepare current professors to mentor future college professors. This training with enhance the student experience and have a positive effect as the student moves into the classroom as an instructor. The giving circle grant provides the seed funds needed to begin the project. The workshops have the potential to bring revenue to the TENN TLC through presentations of the workshops at universities across the country.
Grant amount awarded: $10,000
University of Tennessee at Knoxville School of Architecture with Department of Engineering, Planning, Environmental Studies
Project: A New Norris House: A Sustainable Home for the 21st Century
Synopsis: This proposal requested $14,400 of funding to support innovative water harvesting, treatment and conservation measures developed for the New Norris House, a demonstration project designed and engineered by a faculty-led team of interdisciplinary UTK students. The support will fund sustainable water systems for the New Norris House which includes rainwater harvesting, filtration and storage that will support 100% of the domestic water use and on-site grey water treatment.
Evaluation Summary: Students will gain skills that are acutely needed, such as the ability to work in an interdisciplinary group, insights into environmental and cultural design strategies and knowledge of alternative building systems and construction methods. By supporting projects which enable students to learn more about sustainable methods of building commercial and residential structures, the Alliance can assist in helping to preserve our water supply and other natural resources.
Grant amount awarded: $14,400
University of Tennessee at Knoxville, College of Nursing
Project: iCare: Academic Electronic Health Record
Synopsis: To prepare beginning and advanced nurses for advancing EHR technologies, the University of Tennessee Knoxville, College of Nursing along with the College of Information Engineering developed and tested a prototype EHR application, iCare™v.1.0. The system allows students to input data, retrieve pertinent health data, such as lab values and vital signs, while accessing evidence-based health information through a portal to system libraries. iCare™v.1.0 is a learning tool that combines the expertise of information engineers and nurses in a clinical tool with state-of-the-art information systems tools. Further, this tool is unique because it was specifically designed as a learning tool, not an EHR to store actual data. iCare™v.1.0 can generate reports that track student performance over extended periods of time and allows multiple users to document and retrieve data simultaneously on one particular patient, unlike EHRs used in the clinical setting. To ensure iCare™v.1.0 met the needs of students and faculty, usability testing occurred while it was developed using a rapid prototyping process of design and Nielsen’s heuristic methods of evaluation.
Evaluation Summary: iCare v.1.0 was developed for the UT College of Nursing and therefore, all versions of iCare will be available to UTK, College of Nursing. With the help of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF), the research and developers of iCare are pursuing marketing opportunities of the product in an effort to stimulate research and economic development of the University and the College of Nursing. It is anticipated that the product will be a desirable learning solution for other nursing programs. To date, 25 nursing schools have indicated interest in partnerships with the University of Tennessee to further develop iCare and/or purchase iCare to use in their own programs. With the talent, expertise, and guidance of UTRF, iCare will not only be sustainable but with marketing of iCare, future versions will be available to the UTK College of Nursing and revenue will be generated for both the University and the College of Nursing and Engineering.
Grant amount awarded: $15,000