Tennesse nuclear engineering professor receives SEC award

The University of Tennessee announced last week that its nuclear engineering department head has received a Southeastern Conference (SEC) award for outstanding teaching and scholarship.

Under the leadership of honoree Wesley Hines, the university’s engineering department is now ranked among the top five nationally.

“Wes Hines is a tireless champion of the nuclear engineering program and the University of Tennessee,” College of Engineering Dean Wayne Davis said. “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.”

By winning the award, Hines receives a $5,000 honorarium and is eligible for the SEC Professor of the Year award. The winner of that honor, which will be announced this month, will earn an additional $15,000 honorarium and be recognized at the SEC Awards Dinner in May and the SEC Symposium in September.

Hines is regarded as one of the country’s foremost experts in the field of nuclear energy. He won the American Society for Engineering Education’s Glenn Murphy Award — one of its highest honors — last year and was named a distinguished professor by Duke Power. He has also served on a number of nuclear-related board groups around the world.