The UT journey for Jennifer Wortham '95 and Lori McRae '95 started when they were college roommates, both studying marine science and biology. While pursuing their degrees, they did multiple undergraduate research projects with biology, and both were published authors. They graduated together in 1995 and thank their wonderful undergraduate experience at UT for setting them on a path to pursue graduate school, which eventually led them back to working at UT as faculty members in the early 2000s.
Wortham currently serves as a professor and chair of the Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance, and McRae is an associate professor of biology, both in the College of Natural and Health Sciences (CNHS).
Wortham states, "My life is “all-in” with UT with my husband graduating and working at UT and my son graduating from UT with his bachelor's and master’s; we are a UT family. I give back to UT financially, every year. I have seen how undergraduate research has shaped my professional development and helped create this great life. I have also witnessed how being a faculty research mentor for current undergraduate students helps teach them independence, creativity, ownership and other career options.”
Together, Wortham and McRae hope that you will go #AllinforUT by supporting cross-disciplinary research in the College of Natural and Health Sciences.