The University of Tennessee, founded in 1794, is the flagship institution of the University of Tennessee system and home of the Tennessee Volunteers. There are approximately 28,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries currently enrolled at the Knoxville campus.
Facilities for participating students include state-of-the-art research labs at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The campus is home to recently renovated dormitories for lodging, a campus-wide wireless network to facilitate student research and rapid student-student and student-PI communication, a departmental office facility occupied by support staff, and a central (geographic) location making travel to and from Knoxville easy (including Tyson McGee airport just 10 miles from campus, which is served by 8 major airlines).
The city of Knoxville is located on the banks of the beautiful Tennessee River, near the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. A mid-size city, Knoxville is the perfect blend of small-town, Southern charm and big-city opportunities and provides an excellent mix of cultural and recreational activities.
Knoxville’s historic and revitalized downtown is always abuzz with shows and celebrations that bring thousands of visitors. The region’s rich and progressive music scene features everything from local hip-hop concerts at shoebox-sized clubs to large acts like Loretta Lynn and Alison Krauss. Eclectic shopping, an outdoor farmers’ market, two historic theatres, art and history galleries, and museums are a few short blocks from campus.
Lakes and rivers scatter the landscape and sixty-five miles of greenway trails wind through the city, making Knoxville an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. Less than an hour away is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with over 800 miles of maintained trails. The Knoxville area offers more than eighty parks are including Ijams Nature Center, a 275-acre wildlife sanctuary just ten minutes from the university.