The influence and legacy left by Senator Baker can still be seen in Washington today. This October, Politico highlighted Patrick Butler, CEO of America's Public Television Stations and Baker Center Board Member on his October 25th birthday. Butler was greatly influenced by Senator Baker throughout his career. He recounts the start of his career stating, "I got to know the promising young Senator Howard Baker...who suggested I come to Washington for a year or two and see how I liked it." 

Read the full article here. 

Join us tonight in welcoming documentarian Tim Smith of the American Issue Initiative for a lecture on voter suppression in the US. He will discuss the basis for his newest documentary Rigged: the Voter Suppression Playbook which explains how, certain states have made laws that make it more difficult to vote. 

This event will take place on Monday, November 4 from 5:00-6:00 pm in the Toyota Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. 

Join us in welcoming Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Hedrick Smith for a screening of his book made into a documentary, Who Stole the American Dream? The documentary explores popular social movements seeking political reforms through grass-roots democracy. 

This event is will take place on Thursday, November 7 from 5:00-6:00 pm in the Toyota Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. 

Join us for a forum discussion on smart energy, smart infrastructure, smart mobility, smart water management, and smart waste management in cities. Head of Sustainable Process Integration Labratory, Dr. Hab Jiří Jaromír Klemeš will share his expertise on smart cities. With the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, these smart cities have become all the more feasible. Klemeš will discuss these innovations as well as efforts to minimize the negative impact that IoT technologies may have.

This event will take place on Friday, November 22 from 10:00-11:00 am in HBC room 202. The event is free and open to the public. 

*This is a correction from last month's Baker Buzz which stated that Dr. Matt Buehler authored this piece. 

Dr. Christian Vossler was appointed to the J. Fred Holly Chair of Excellence in the Department of Economics in the Haslam College of Business. The Chairs of Excellence program was passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1985 as an initiative to attract leading scholars, and increase research productivity and fundraising. At present, there are 18 Chairs of Excellence at UTK and 50 in the UT system.

Dr. David Green will co-edit a special issue of international journal Transportation and Research Part D with Dr. Matteo Muratori of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The special issue will focus on electric vehicle infrastructure. 

In March of this year, the Baker Center hosted a Private Foundations Workshop which provided guidance and mentorship for grant proposal writing. Dr. Rebecca Kosalinski, Assistant Professor at the UT College of Nursing attended and has recently submitted a grant proposal to the Gates Foundation, Voices for Economic Opportunity, Grand Challenges. 

If granted, her research would be used to correct flawed assumptions about disability and poverty through the voices of people who understand the causes and consequanceds of disability and poverty. Using an already-developed mobile app that has been vaildated and tested with patients who cannot traditionally communicate their needs it is possible to provide a voice for disabled persons living in poverty. Without this project, these voices will remain unheard, and the underlying reasons for poverty and disability in the Appalachian region will remain unsolved. 

The Center congratulates Kosalinsky on this step forward and will continue to support her through the process. 

Global Security fellow and interim Student Programs Director Dr. Jon Ring co-authored a recently published book, Gaming the System: Nine Games to Teach American Government through Active Learning.

The book takes an active approach to learning about American government, using novel, exciting, and highly instructive games to help students learn politics by living it. These timeless games are the perfect complement to a core textbook in American government—covering key topics like the Constitution, the Supreme Court, Congress, political participation, campaigns and elections, the federal bureaucracy, the social contract, social movements, and public opinion—and can be applied to specific courses at other levels, as well.

Read more about the book here. 

Global Security fellow and interim Student Programs Director Dr. Jon Ring co-authored a recently published book, Gaming the System: Nine Games to Teach American Government through Active Learning.

The book takes an active approach to learning about American government, using novel, exciting, and highly instructive games to help students learn politics by living it. These timeless games are the perfect complement to a core textbook in American government—covering key topics like the Constitution, the Supreme Court, Congress, political participation, campaigns and elections, the federal bureaucracy, the social contract, social movements, and public opinion—and can be applied to specific courses at other levels, as well.

Read more about the book here. 

The Center is proud to support students through educational and professional development. Below is an update on some of the alumni from the Class of 2019.

Bailee Beshires works as an intern for the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Greta Roberts is working as a research assistant at the United States Institute of Peace.

Nathan Timbs is at the University of Iowa pursuing a Ph.D. and working as a political science teaching assistant.