KNOXVILLE—This Thursday, October 27, the College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will continue a nearly century-long tradition—Engineers Day.
Each October, undergraduate engineering classes are dismissed for one day to allow university students and faculty to spend time interacting with hundreds of potential engineering students from high schools across the region. The college has been hosting Engineers Day for almost a hundred years.
Nine-hundred students from more than thirty-four high schools are expected to travel to UT to learn about a career field that is high-paying and in high demand.
“Engineers Day is a fun-filled day that provides us an opportunity to host high school students from Bristol to Memphis,” said Wayne Davis, dean of the College of Engineering. “We are able to share the opportunities that would be open to them if they pursued engineering and what it is like to be a part of a discipline that is devoted to making a difference and addressing the many technological challenges that we face today and in the future.”
Engineers Day features three high-energy and visually stimulating competitions for visiting students:
- Balsa Wood Bridge Competition at 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Science and Engineering Research Facility (SERF), in which teams will construct bridges and test them for structural efficiency.
- Egg Drop Competition at 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the SERF Lobby, in which students will design a device to protect a large, thin-shelled plastic egg from breaking when dropped.
- Quiz Bowl at 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in 307 SERF, in which teams will compete in a thirty-minute written examination, with the high scorers advancing to a semifinal round and then a final round, where the two top teams will go head-to-head in the Quiz Bowl Championship.
The keynote speaker is Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Ralph Heath. As executive vice president of aeronautics, Heath leads the corporation’s military aircraft business, which employs more than 26,000 people at nine locations across the country. During his thirty-five-year career, Heath has held a range of positions in engineering, logistics, advanced development, program management, manufacturing, and business development. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from UT.
Heath will speak at 10:00 a.m. in the Cox Auditorium in the Alumni Memorial Building.
For more information on Engineers Day, visit http://www.engr.utk.edu/ed/.
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C O N T A C T:
Kim Cowart (865-974-0533, kcowart@utk.edu)
Whitney Heins (865-974-5460, wheins@utk.edu)