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Hines Earns SEC Faculty Achievement Award

J. Wesley HinesA UT professor who is one of the foremost experts on nuclear energy has received a top award from the Southeastern Conference.

Wesley “Wes” Hines, head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, was honored with the 2015 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award, the SEC announced this week. Under his leadership, the department now ranks in the top five nationally among all nuclear engineering departments.

The SEC award recognizes professors from Southeastern Conference schools with outstanding records in teaching and scholarship. Honorees from each university receive a $5,000 honorarium and become their university’s nominee for the SEC Professor of the Year award. The SEC Professor of the Year will be named later this month; he or she will receive an additional $15,000 honorarium and will be recognized at the SEC Awards Dinner in May and the SEC Symposium in September.

“Wes Hines is a tireless champion of the nuclear engineering program and the University of Tennessee,” said Wayne Davis, dean of the College of Engineering. “Having the department rank as one of the top five in the United States—public or private—is an excellent indication of his leadership and commitment in the areas of faculty achievement. He is an excellent leader.”

Hines has received several accolades, such as the American Society for Engineering Education’s Glenn Murphy Award—one of its highest honors—in 2014, as well as being named a distinguished professor by Duke Power.

He has served on or spoken to nuclear-related boards around the globe, including the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, and the American Nuclear Society. He holds four patents and ten inventions related to nuclear engineering, and recently helped the department reach an agreement with Czech Technical University in Prague.

Hines was one of fourteen SEC professors to receive the 2015 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award.

“This year’s SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipients are to be commended for their unwavering dedication to higher education,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “The SEC is pleased to recognize fourteen individuals who have made such a positive impact on our students.”