ISSE Staff
Kimberly L. Davis
Assistant Director, Programs and Outreach
Senior Research Associate
Office Phone: (865) 974-1847
Email: kdavis17@utk.edu
M.S., Environmental Engineering, Clemson University
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Clemson University
Ms. Davis works closely with the Center for Environmental Biotechnology (CEB) and its director, Dr. Gary S. Sayler. In this role, Ms. Davis serves as a communication link between researchers at ISSE and CEB.
Her past policy research interests have focused on the study of compliance with environmental regulations at sites on the National Priority List and sites with leaking petroleum underground storage tanks. Her current research initiatives examine public attitudes toward urban tree canopy protection. She is also an investigator on a National Institutes for Environmental Health Sciences project to conduct community-based participatory research on contamination problems and potential health disparities around Chattanooga Creek.
Ms. Davis is involved in education and outreach activities as part of her duties at UT and as a volunteer. She co-directs workshops for college undergraduates and high school teachers about UT research on "extreme bacteria" and ethical issues presented by biotechnology and astrobiology. During the past ten years, she has also participated in Shared Adventures in Engineering and Science (SHADES), a biannual hands-on workshop developed to mentor and encourage 12- and 13-year-old girls to consider science and engineering careers. Through her involvement with the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE), Ms. Davis has overseen the regional program for awarding undergraduate scholarships to prospective engineering majors and coordinated a local engineering outreach program called Discover-E for Knox County middle-school students.
As a PhD. student in Sociology, Ms. Davis also is interested in the mobilization of environmentally based social movements and the relationships among environmental knowledge, action, and sustainability.
Ms. Davis, a certified professional engineer, is past president of the Knoxville Technical Society and the Knoxville chapter of the TSPE. She also serves on the Knoxville Environmental Appeals Board, the Knoxville Tree Board, and the board of Tennessee's only food cooperative (Three Rivers Market). In her spare time, she works as an advocate for Knoxville's urban forest through the Web site www.downtowntrees.com, and rows on the Tennessee River with the Knoxville Rowing Association.
Selected Publications
- Kimberly L. Davis and Robert E. Jones, "Understanding Public Opinion and Support for Maintenance and Protection of Trees in Knox County Tennessee: A Mail Survey of Area Homeowners," Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry, August 2006.
- Mary E. Rogge, Kimberly L. Davis , Deborah N. Maddox, and Milton Jackson, "Leveraging Environmental, Social, and Economic Justice at Chattanooga Creek: A Case Study," Journal of Community Practice, 13(3), 2005.
- M. Swanson, A. Weissman, G. Davis, M.L. Socolof, and K. Davis, "Developing priorities for greener state government purchasing: A California case study," Journal of Cleaner Production, 13(7), June 2005.
- Kimberly L. Davis and Maria L. Socolof, "State of California Guidelines for Procurement, Use and End-of-life Management of Electronic Equipment," California Department of General Services 4-01-03-0005A, May 2003.
- Kimberly L. Davis and C. Bolton, "Reducing Costs of UST Site Management Using a RBCA Strategy," ASCE Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste Management, April 1999.
- Gary S. Sayler, John Sanseverino, and Kimberly L. Davis, eds., Biotechnology in the Sustainable Environment (New York: Plenum Publishing, 1997).
- Kinya Kato and Kimberly L. Davis, "Current Use of Bioremediation for TCE Cleanup: Results of a Survey," Remediation, Fall 1996.
- M. Russell and Kimberly L. Davis, Resource Requirements for NPL Sites: 1996 (Knoxville, TN: Joint Institute for Energy and Environment, 1996).