{"id":1865,"date":"2026-05-07T15:54:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/?p=1865"},"modified":"2026-05-07T16:16:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:16:59","slug":"mae-awards-banquet-spring-2026-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/news\/mae-awards-banquet-spring-2026-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty, Staff, and Students Honored at MAE Awards Banquet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On April 30, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering hosted its annual awards banquet to celebrate the achievements of its outstanding faculty, staff, and students. This year\u2019s ceremony marked a new chapter for the department, being the first held since biomedical engineering transitioned into its own separate department last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MAE Award Recipients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Faculty and Staff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Thomas Stewart McCorkle Family Endowed Teaching Award<\/strong><br>Caleb Rucker<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Caleb-Rucker-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0387-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Caleb Rucker and MAE Department Head Kivanc Ekici\" class=\"wp-image-1867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Caleb-Rucker-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0387-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Caleb-Rucker-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0387-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Caleb-Rucker-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0387-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Caleb-Rucker-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0387.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Louis and Ann Hoffman Endowed Excellence in Research Award\u2014Tenure-Track<\/strong><br>Prashant Singh\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Prashant-Singh-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0399-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Prashant Singh and and MAE Department Head Kivanc Ekici\" class=\"wp-image-1868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Prashant-Singh-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0399-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Prashant-Singh-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0399-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Prashant-Singh-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0399-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Prashant-Singh-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0399.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>B. Ray Thompson Endowed Excellence in Research Award\u2014Tenured<\/strong><br>Zhili Zhang\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Zhili-Zhang-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0405-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Zhili Zhang and and MAE Department Head Kivanc Ekici\" class=\"wp-image-1869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Zhili-Zhang-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0405-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Zhili-Zhang-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0405-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Zhili-Zhang-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0405-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Zhili-Zhang-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0405.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Faculty Initiative &amp; Leadership Award<\/strong><br>Chad Duty\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Chad-Duty-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0413-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Chad Duty and and MAE Department Head Kivanc Ekici\" class=\"wp-image-1870\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Chad-Duty-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0413-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Chad-Duty-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0413-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Chad-Duty-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0413-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Chad-Duty-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0413.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>J.A.M. Boulet Outstanding Service Award<\/strong><br>Danny Graham <em>(No photograph available.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Translational Research &amp; Innovation Award<\/strong><br>Uday Vaidya <em>(No photograph available.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Volunteer Spirit Award<\/strong><br>Bradley Jared\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Bradley-Jared-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0419-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Bradley Jared and and MAE Department Head Kivanc Ekici\" class=\"wp-image-1871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Bradley-Jared-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0419-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Bradley-Jared-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0419-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Bradley-Jared-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0419-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Bradley-Jared-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0419.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cThe Momentum\u201d Award<\/strong><br>Damiano Baccarella\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Damiano-Baccarella-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0428-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Stephanie Termaath and MAE Department Head Kivanc Ekici\" class=\"wp-image-1872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Damiano-Baccarella-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0428-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Damiano-Baccarella-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0428-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Damiano-Baccarella-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0428-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Damiano-Baccarella-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0428.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pi Tau Sigma Excellence in Teaching Award<\/strong><br>Stephanie TerMaath\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Stephanie-TerMaath-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0434-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Stephanie TerMaath and and MAE Department Head Kivanc Ekici\" class=\"wp-image-1873\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Stephanie-TerMaath-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0434-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Stephanie-TerMaath-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0434-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Stephanie-TerMaath-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0434-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Stephanie-TerMaath-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0434.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Student Awards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Junior Award in Aerospace Engineering<\/strong><br>Evan Eidshaug, Reagan Nelson, Gabriel Padilla, Jacob Premo, Calvin Sapp, and Carson Waddell<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0443-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Outstanding junior award recipients in aerospace engineering at the MAE spring 2026 awards ceremony\" class=\"wp-image-1874\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0443-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0443-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0443-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0443.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Junior Award in Mechanical Engineering<br><\/strong>Mara Donahue, Mallori France, Zachary Gras, Sachi Griffin, Andrew Hall, Joshua Hoekstra, Joshua Hunsinger, Alyssa Johnson, Kohen Kilburn, Matthew Kolakowski, Addison Menges, Kaylee Rafferty, Noah Thomas, and Kendal Wright<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0448-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Outstanding junior award recipients in mechanical engineering at the MAE spring 2026 awards ceremony\" class=\"wp-image-1875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0448-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0448-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0448-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Juniors-in-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0448.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Senior Award in Aerospace Engineering<br><\/strong>Avah Cherry, David Nguyen, and Logan Searfoss<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Senior-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0452-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Outstanding senior award recipients in aerospace engineering at the MAE spring 2026 awards ceremony\" class=\"wp-image-1876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Senior-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0452-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Senior-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0452-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Senior-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0452-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Senior-Aerospace-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0452.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Senior and University Scholar in Mechanical Engineering<br><\/strong>Jacob Arbogast, Jackson Banks, Henry Coatney, Hannah Cox, and Jack Davis<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Seniors-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0458-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Outstanding senior award recipients in mechanical engineering at the MAE spring 2026 awards ceremony\" class=\"wp-image-1877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Seniors-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0458-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Seniors-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0458-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Seniors-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0458-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Seniors-Mechanical-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0458.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Graduate Student Award<\/strong><br>Mohammad Alipanahrostami<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Mohammad-Alipanahrostami-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0467-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Mohammad Alipanahrostami\" class=\"wp-image-1878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Mohammad-Alipanahrostami-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0467-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Mohammad-Alipanahrostami-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0467-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Mohammad-Alipanahrostami-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0467-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Mohammad-Alipanahrostami-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0467.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Graduate Student Award<\/strong><br>Sabrullah Deniz<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Sabrullah-Deniz-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0482-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Sabrullah Deniz\" class=\"wp-image-1879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Sabrullah-Deniz-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0482-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Sabrullah-Deniz-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0482-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Sabrullah-Deniz-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0482-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Sabrullah-Deniz-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0482.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Graduate Student Award<br><\/strong>Erdem Caliskan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Erdem-Caliskan-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0471-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Erdem Caliskan\" class=\"wp-image-1880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Erdem-Caliskan-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0471-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Erdem-Caliskan-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0471-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Erdem-Caliskan-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0471-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Erdem-Caliskan-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0471.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outstanding Graduate Student Award<br><\/strong>Alek Clark<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Alek-Clark-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0475-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Alek Clark\" class=\"wp-image-1881\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Alek-Clark-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0475-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Alek-Clark-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0475-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Alek-Clark-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0475-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/Alek-Clark-20260430_MAE_Banquet-0475.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On April 30, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering hosted its annual awards banquet to celebrate the achievements of its outstanding faculty, staff, and students. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[384,7,382],"tags":[524],"class_list":["post-1865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty","category-news","category-student","tag-awards"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Faculty, Staff, and Students Honored at MAE Awards Banquet - Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On April 30, the Department 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