KNOXVILLE — Lowell Gaertner, associate professor of psychology, will speak at the Pre-Game Faculty Showcase at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on “Understanding Columbine: How Social Rejection Fosters Mass Violence.” Gaertner will discuss whether the victims of mass violence are the intended targets or if the intended target is the social group to which the victims belong.
The Pre-Game Faculty Showcase begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the University Center Ballroom before the football game against Northern Illinois.
The UT Pre-Game Faculty Showcase, now in its 19th year, is held two hours before every home football game. The College of Arts and Sciences selects a top faculty member for each presentation. The programs are free and open to the public.
Gaertner’s research focuses on groups, the self and mass violence. He has been awarded several grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, and his articles have been published in over 30 refereed journals and books. He won the College of Arts and Sciences Junior Research/Creative Achievement Award for 2005-06.
Gaertner has briefed U.S. congressional staff several times on behalf of the American Psychological Association regarding the urgent need to federally fund basic psychological research, behavioral science research and protection of the peer-review process.
UT’s game day opponent is Northern Illinois, the site of a shooting last February when a former graduate student killed five students before taking his own life.
Each showcase program lasts 45 minutes, including 30 minutes for the presentation and 15 minutes for a discussion period. Light refreshments will be served, and door prizes will be awarded.
The Pre-Game Faculty Showcase is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences with the support of the UT Alumni Association, the UT Knoxville Office of Alumni Affairs and UT Athletics.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college on UT’s campus with 600 faculty and 23 departments and schools encompassing the humanities, fine and performing arts, social sciences, life sciences and physical sciences. The college places special emphasis on academic outreach, and its faculty and students are actively involved with the community through the Faculty Speakers Bureau, service learning and other programs.
The University Center is located at 1502 W. Cumberland Ave., a short walk from Neyland Stadium. The ballroom is in Room 213 on the second floor. For more directions, visit http://www.utk.edu/maps/campus/.
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Contacts:
Elizabeth Davis, Media Relations, (865) 974-5179, elizabeth.davis@tennessee.edu
Lynn Champion, (865) 974-5332, champion@utk.edu