The Tickle College of Engineering was well represented at the 30th Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA)—an annual opportunity for undergrads from across the University of Tennessee to showcase their research and creative projects.
EURēCA 2026, which took place April 7 in the UT Student Union, included nearly 140 entries in the engineering category, demonstrating the incredible scientific motivation and rigor of our undergraduates.
Many of the Engineering Vols who presented this year participated through the TCE Undergraduate Research Program, which pairs faculty mentors with first-year and sophomore students who are interested in conducting research but have not yet had the chance.
During the showcase, every student group’s poster and presentation was evaluated by volunteer judges based on multiple criteria, including the timeliness and relevance of the project, clear presentation and interpretation of results, and thoughtful responses to questions from judges and other attendees.
The students who gave the highest-scoring presentations, listed below, were recognized at the EURēCA Award Reception on April 27th.
Gold Award/Outstanding Poster Presentation
- Davis Freeman, ‘Effect of Pre-Existing Voids on Radiation Damage Evolution in Nickel: A Molecular Dynamics Study’ (Faculty Mentor: Dwaipayan Dasgupta)
- Brianna Lannerd, ‘Machine Learning–Based Anomaly Detection and Accident Classification in a Simulated Pressurized Water Reactor’ (Faculty Mentor: Jamie Coble)
Silver Award/Distinguished Poster Presentation
- Jonathan McColl, Marlena Alexander, Megan Gillespie, Jacob Phillips, ‘Effects of Site Substitution and Size Disorder on La-Containing Pyrochlores’ (Faculty Mentor: Philip Rack)
- Reagan Barr, ‘Development of a Modelica-Based Physics Model for Digital Twin Implementation of a Three-Loop Flow System’ (Faculty Mentor: Xingang Zhao)
Bronze Award/Excellent Poster Presentation
- Oliver Winkler, ‘Effect of Tuning Chemical Composition on Tensile Strength of Refractory Multi-Component Alloys’ (Faculty Mentor: Dayakar Penumadu)
- Zakerie Hubbs, ‘The Development of Ultra-High Power Density Aluminum-Air Batteries for eVTOL Applications’ (Faculty Mentor: Preetam Sharma)
- Jocelyn Hess, ‘Viability and Impacts of Additives in Automotive Pulp Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites’ (Faculty Mentor: David Harper)
- Zachary Sparks, ‘Quantitatively Linking Photopolymerization Reaction Conversions Obtained Using Two Different in Situ Methods’ (Faculty Mentor: Ria Corder)
Merit Award/Honorable Mention
- Thomas Thacker, ‘Linking Filler Network Architecture to Printability: A Rheological Approach to Direct Ink Writing of Epoxy Composites’ (Faculty Mentor: Dayakar Penumadu)
- Samuel Delaney, ‘Extracting Rare Earth Elements via Electrolysis Precipitation’ (Faculty Mentor: Feng Zhang)
- Trevor Albright, ‘Effects of Strut Shape on 3D-Printed Lattices’ (Faculty Mentor: Brett Compton)
- Brennan Cawley, ‘Investigating Scintillation Properties of Doped and Undoped Polycrystalline Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Materials’ (Faculty Mentor: Chuck Melcher)
- Ava Wallace, ‘Ultrasound Analysis of Blood Clot Formation in Cardiovascular Disease Anatomies’ (Faculty Mentor: Bryan Good)
- Hannah Boyd, ‘Systematic Analysis of Multitargeting Guide RNAs in Staphylococcus aureus for Next-Generation CRISPR Antimicrobials’ (Faculty Mentor: Cong Trinh)
- Stephanie Cho, Lily Mize, ‘Pulsed Electric Field–Induced Cell Permeabilization and Its Effects on Leaching Kinetics and Biochemical Responses in Ambrosia Apple Cultivars’ (Faculty Mentor: Michael Danquah)
- Katherine Parker-Repsher, ‘Radiation-Induced Amorphization in WO₃ and MoO₃: Structural Response’ (Faculty Mentor: John Hirtz)
- Lily Holder, ‘Quantifying Stent Retriever Performance in an Experimental Vascular Tortuosity Model’ (Faculty Mentor: Bryan Good)
- Lindsey Fiscor, Aidan Holihan, Sophia Tegel, ‘Reuse of Retired Wind Turbine Blades as Alternative Feedstock for Discontinuous Fiber Composites’ (Faculty Mentor: Philip Barnett)
- Ronan Tollefsen, ‘Introduction of Additives into Lignin-based Electrospun Fabrics’ (Faculty Mentor: David Harper)
- Solomon Muhangi, Coleman Bain, ‘Investigation of Size-Dependent Phase Transition, Surface Diffusion, and Atomic Ordering in AlCoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles’ (Faculty Mentor: Seungha Shin)
Contact
Izzie Gall ([email protected])