College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
Dr. Nancy Buschhaus began her career at UT Martin in 1997 after completing her doctorate the previous year at The Ohio State University. In 2022, she was named College of Engineering and Natural Sciences interim dean.
While at UT Martin, Buschhaus has participated in and advocated for interactive research projects to provide students with first-hand research experience and prepare them for further education. These projects not only include studying bat behavior, Buschhaus’ field of expertise, but in the past, she has mentored students studying topics that include trail cameras, hummingbirds and sea urchins.
“So along with wanting to study bats, I also wanted to be able to train undergraduate students, not necessarily to go on into research with bats, but to be able to understand how research is conducted and potentially go on to graduate school or on to professional school and know what it’s like to participate in the scientific process,” Buschhaus said.
Buschhaus has also taken on leadership roles by serving on various committees dealing with enrollment and faculty evaluation, serving as chair of the Faculty Senate’s undergraduate council and as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. In 2021, she was selected to participate in the University of Tennessee’s Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), which seeks to prepare internal faculty and staff members for future leadership positions.
“(ELI) helps the participants to see every campus in the UT System and how each campus has unique needs as well as similar needs, so that you can form collaborative interactions between different campuses,” Buschhaus said.
Buschhaus will continue to build upon her leadership skills as she guides her college through the transition between the former and future deans. She hopes to continue to attract students who are passionate about STEM and provide faculty members and students with the tools necessary for success. She has been heavily involved in the move to the new Latimer-Smith Engineering and Science Building, which opened for classes in spring 2023 (see related story in this edition on page 22). Buschhaus will continue planning for the Tennessee Entrepreneurial Science and Technology (TEST) Hub, which will serve as a classroom, workshop and collaborative workspace for UT Martin STEM students, students at Dyersburg State Community College and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, and members of the community.
Serving as interim dean is “an honor as a faculty member who has been here at UTM this long. It is an honor as a woman in science to provide a positive role model for women in STEM,” Buschhaus said.
