Students enjoying the presentations and guest speaker at the second annual UT Martin Engineering Banquet on February 20, 2024. | University Photo/ Erika O'Brien

The University of Tennessee at Martin’s Engineering Department hosted its second annual Engineering Banquet on Feb. 20, 2024.

The department sold tickets for a month and welcomed over 200 attendees to the Russell Duncan Ballroom. Participants included students, industry sponsors, high school STEM coordinators and students and some middle school students.

At the event, senior engineering students showcased their capstone projects to industry sponsors, potential employers, prospective students and professors. The teams presented included:

Blake Johnson (president), Sam Ferguson, Shayla Lewey, Steffie Silva, Annie Bass and Whitten Luker presenting their steal bridge experiment at the engineering banquet on February 20, 2024. | University Photo/Erika O’Brien
Victor Rodriguez presenting their concrete canone at the engineering banquet on February 20, 2024. | University Photo/Erika O’Brien
Michael Armour, Paul Atkins and Peyton Kiddy presenting their study on the Richland Creek Watershed Flood Hazard on February 20, 2024 at the UT Martin Engineering banquet. | University Photo\ Erika O’Brien
Haley Baker (president), Alec Beaman, Jack Nanney, Gavin Olson, Clint Southworth and Josiah Tingley presenting their aerospace airplane project at the UT Martin Engineering banquet on February 20, 2024. | University Photo/ Erika O’Brien
Dylan Taylor (president), Tanner Tucker, Javeon Walton, Wesely Bomar, Jordan Campbell and Matt Bryant presenting their research and test results for their Baja car at the UT Martin Engineering banquet on February 20, 2024. | University Photo/ Erika O’Brien
Erin Evans (president), Tim Bowman and Jonathan Xoinis explaining their robotics project and their future expectations for the next competition. This presentation was given at the UT Martin Engineering banquet on February 20, 2024. | University Photo/ Erika O’Brien
Clayton Smith and Kyle Wallace sharing their innovations and experiments for the tractor team at the UT Martin Engineering banquet on February 20, 2024. | University Photo/ Erika O”Brien

The event was sponsored by Weakley County Municipal Electric, H&M Electric and Construction INC., Gerdau, Forcumlannom Contractors LLC, Parker Hannifin, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), McLean Power Systems, Cohler, ERMCO distribution transformers, PictSweet Farms, L.I. Smith & Associates INC, Allen & Hoshall and TLM Associates. The donations from these sponsors allowed complimentary attendance for high school students. Moreover, this banquet served as a fundraiser for the department’s Friends of Engineering fund, which supports senior students participating in capstone projects and accompanying competitions.

Attendees at the banquet were enthralled by keynote speaker Jonathan Criss, Development Manager of Starlink. Criss, an Embry Riddle Aeronautical University graduate, previously served as an engineer and lead on Dragon 1, the first partially reusable cargo spacecraft. With over 12 years at SpaceX, Criss humorously remarked, “That’s an eternity for an engineer at SpaceX,” during his speech.

Criss showcased various SpaceX products, including highlights of spacecraft crashes and takeoffs. He shared insights from his early career and encouraged students to embrace the fluidity of their careers, noting that what they work on now may differ in 3-5 years.

For those interested in studying engineering, please contact Ms. Benita Evans at (731) 881-7571 or via email at bevans11@utm.edu.

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