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Two historical strengths of the Physics Department are highlighted in this third issue of Cross Sections. Both are rooted in history and both continue to make our department strong. One is the role of women in physics, which goes back to the beginnings of our department in the 1930s. The other strength is our very close association with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a connection that began after World War II and accelerated with the establishment of the Science Alliance Center of Excellence, first conceived around 1982. Both of these trends have brought distinction to our department. Role models are important in our society, not only in sports and politics, but also in science. Candidates for role models in sports abound, with UT's Peyton Manning as a classic example. Role models in science are also important, especially for talented youth in social groups that traditionally do not supply a high number of professionals. In physics, for example, too few women and African Americans have chosen to pursue careers in the field. France continues to produce a relatively large number of female physicists, perhaps due in part to the strong role model and tradition of Marie Curie. While the U.S. does not have such a clearly identifiable woman physicist to inspire students, we are fortunate to have in our department a series of women who have served as role models. The earliest female faculty member in the UT Physics Department was Katherine (Kay) Way, who worked here in the 1940s before moving to ORNL for a career in the Nuclear Data Group. Mary Peters was the first woman to receive a graduate degree in physics at UT (1930); she then served on our physics faculty until she retired in 1973. She began our strong program of astronomy instruction. Isabelle Tipton was a well-known teacher and researcher in our department from 1948 to 1972. The tradition continues, and this issue of Cross Sections highlights the accomplishments of four women who have prospered in physics. It is my genuine hope that we can continue this history of excellence through the recruitment of talented women for our student and faculty ranks. The accomplishments of women in the recent and distant past will certainly help.
Many of the Physics Department's current strengths are rooted in our relationship with ORNL. This partnership expanded in the late '40s and early '50s as scientists who had come to Oak Ridge for the Manhattan Project settled into ongoing jobs and finished doctoral degrees at UT after the war. The Ford Foundation grant in the 1970s allowed us to bring ORNL physicists onto our faculty in part-time roles. The Science Alliance was the first and largest of the Centers of Excellence grants made to higher education throughout Tennessee. First conceived in 1982, this center has fostered many new programs of cooperation between our two institutions. No other department at UT has benefited from or contributed to the Science Alliance as much as physics. Our future also is tied closely to this national laboratory, with the new Spallation Neutron Source as an example of future collaborative opportunities. The role of physics in the Science Alliance is highlighted in this newest issue of Cross Sections.
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