Amy Kurr has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Trailblazer Award, which is the highest doctoral student honor conferred by the University of Tennessee.
Kurr is pursuing her PhD through the Bredesen Center in Energy Science and Engineering with a focus on polymer engineering. Her research in Professor David Harper’s lab within the Center for Renewable Carbon at the UT Institute of Agriculture focuses on the degradation and decomposition of electrical wire and cables in the automotive and energy industries.
Recipients of the Trailblazer Award, which is new this year, must demonstrate high academic achievement and outstanding commitment to others as demonstrated by the student’s various activities and significant contributions to the university or their discipline. They must embody the Volunteer Spirit, displaying initiative and excellence in service and leadership, and have demonstrated resilience during their life.
“I am surprised, grateful, and humbled to receive the Trailblazer Award,” Kurr said. “I am surprised that I was selected among the dozens and dozens of amazing PhD students I have met and collaborated with over the past few years. I am grateful to have had such a large impact on the University of Tennessee and the lives of the individuals I have met while studying, and I am humbled to think where I’d be if hundreds of people had not endlessly reached out their hands to help me along this journey.”
Kurr is funded under a Graduate Advancement & Training Education (GATE) Fellowship from the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII).
Kurr is a program manager and founder of the Technical Standards in Engineering Program, which serves as a resource for educators providing free, open-source curriculum delivering foundational technical standards training for young engineers.
Kurr, who can speak three languages and excels in strongman powerlifting, is the founder and president of UT’s Society of Women Engineers Graduate Group (GradSWE), and a member of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
“I surmise that my nomination package for this award reflected the value I see in those around me and the ways I’ve worked to cheerlead, refine, and reaffirm that value,” Kurr said. “With the help of many, I’ve worked to build programs, reshape structures, and create networks that elevate others and strengthen our community.”
Kurr will be celebrated alongside other award winners at the upcoming Chancellor’s Honors Banquet.
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu)
