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UT Engineers Day Welcomes More Than 1,800 High Schoolers

Students Participating in Houston, We Have a Problem

The Tickle College of Engineering played host to more than 1,800 students from across the region for its annual Engineers Day on Thursday, a celebration that dates back more than 100 years.

The event brings together high school and transfer students from Tennessee and surrounding states for various competitions and learning opportunities.

“This is one of our key annual traditions, a way to introduce students not only to engineering in general, but specifically to what we have to offer as a college,” said Interim Dean Mark Dean. “It allows our future students to interact with and ask questions to current students, faculty, and staff, giving them a better impression of engineering at UT.”

Houchin told attendees that they should embrace their ability to solve problems.

“When you study engineering, you’re not just learning theories; engineering teaches you to think about the world differently,” said Houchin, who earned her MBA at UT in 2013. “Engineers constantly work new and interesting projects, often going out in the field to see their work being implemented.”

She encouraged students to stay positive, inspired, and dedicated to seeing all that is possible through engineering.

Students came from high schools around the region, including all local schools, as well as from community colleges. A group from Texas made the trek to Knoxville just for the event.

The day started with an address from UT alumna Megan Houchin, who serves as a lead engineering manager at Y-12. She believes in outreach, and has roles on the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge Board of Trustees, Women in Nuclear’s Oak Ridge chapter, and helps organize Y-12’s annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering event.

To accommodate the surge in people, the college cancels classes for the day, allowing for better interaction and for student groups to assist in the events.

This year’s events included:

  • Quiz Bowl
  • ASCE High School Balsa Wood Bridge Competition
  • Egg Drop Competition
  • Penny Boat Competition
  • Mover’s Challenge Competition
  • Radiation Shielding Competition

Visitors were also given tours of some of the college’s spaces, getting to see the SynDaver—a synthetic cadaver used in biomedical engineering—lab, a wind tunnel used in aerospace engineering, and UT’s EcoCAR.

The Tech CarniVol student organization also hosts events in conjunction with Engineers Day, including contests focused on robotics and artificial intelligence.

Photo Gallery

Check out some of the photos taken at this year’s Engineer’s Day.

Contact

David Goddard (865-974-0683, david.goddard@utk.edu)