Featured Image: UT Martin engineering students present at the Engineering Banquet on March 3, 2026, in the University Center ballroom. (Photo Credit / University Relations)

The Russell Duncan Ballroom was filled on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, as the annual Engineering Banquet took place at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

The banquet is the engineering department’s way of showcasing students’ senior design projects to industry professionals, high school students and non-senior engineering students.

Welcoming remarks were delivered by interim chair Jeff McCullough, Ph.D., and Chancellor Yancy Freeman.

The banquet has featured a guest speaker in years past, but this year, the focus stayed solely on student projects, which were presented in front of the crowd. The format allowed attendees to hear directly from each team about the design process, testing and results. Many of the projects were also funded by industry partners. This year marked the first time construction management students participated in the senior design showcase.

Ray Witmer, Ph.D., a civil engineering professor, introduced the projects.

One of the night’s featured teams was the concrete canoe group, which shared the challenge of building a vessel strong enough to withstand stress while still remaining light enough to float and perform on the water. The steel bridge team, another staple of the program, discussed how their design prioritized strength and build efficiency, emphasizing that assembly strategy can matter just as much as the structure itself.

The tractor team walked attendees through the realities of designing under strict constraints, balancing performance with safety, reliability and the practical limitations that come with building a competition-ready machine.

Other projects leaned into emerging technology and real-world applications. An AI prosthetic concept explored how machine learning could help a prosthetic respond more naturally to a user’s intent. Students said the goal was to improve control and responsiveness while maintaining reliability, especially for a device that directly impacts mobility and daily life.

A driving simulator project showcased how engineering can recreate high-stakes scenarios in a controlled environment. The team presented the simulator as a tool with potential for training, evaluation and research, allowing users to practice decision-making and reaction time without the risks of real traffic.

In the agriculture space, an autonomous sprayer project is centered on precision and efficiency. Students discussed how automation and sensing could help target applications more accurately, reducing waste and limiting unnecessary chemical use. A watershed project rounded out the showcase by focusing on environmental monitoring and management, with students explaining how engineering tools can support better decisions about runoff, land use and water quality.

The event was supported by industry sponsors, some of whom also help fund senior capstone work. Sponsors included L.I. Smith and Associates, Inc.; H&M Electric & Construction, Inc.; Weakley County Municipal Electric System (WCMES); Allen & Hoshall; Forcum Lannom Contractors, LLC; TLM Associates; Gerdau; and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

For seniors, the banquet served as a final public presentation of projects representing months of work and a chance to practice explaining technical solutions to a wide audience that included potential employers. For younger students and visiting high schoolers, it offered a preview of what the program expects at the finish line: not just a build, but the process of planning, testing, revising and communicating results.