Matthew Mench in the UT Student Union

Dean’s Message

Over the last three years, the Tickle College of Engineering has experienced strategic growth in nearly every metric we track. From student enrollment numbers and retention rates to research expenditures and patents filed and issued, the college has positioned itself as a leader on the state, regional, and national level in educating the next generation of engineers. TCE faculty continue to stay at the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing, leading a demonstration this summer that showcased what is known as “expeditionary manufacturing”. Expeditionary manufacturing is where parts normally supplied though a complex supply chain are instead manufactured onsite at a forward operating base. In the demonstration exercise, Army soldiers with no previous additive manufacturing skills were taught to build or repair equipment in the field and demonstrated feasibility for the approach. It was the first field demonstration of its kind.

The Tickle College of Engineering continues to be a home for large-scale research programs. In recent months, the TCE has been chosen to lead a $25M nuclear energy consortium awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and a $5M US National Science Foundation Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts. UCOR Fellow and NE Professor Jason Hayward will lead a team of 15 universities and eight national labs to make advances in global security, clean energy, and AI critical to our nation at this time. TCE is one of four universities to receive funding for a global center, joining the likes of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UC-Berkeley, and Michigan State. Acting head for CBE and the UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Biorefining Art Ragauskas will lead efforts on Rocky Top.

The number of engineers needed to meet the workforce demands of our state is growing and we have been challenged to meet this need. One of the strategic initiatives of the university and TCE is to take innovation from the lab to the community through an enhanced start-up ecosystem. Take graduate students Brian Washington and Colt Griffith and their company, AluminAry, which specializes in aluminum-air battery technology for electrical vehicle applications. Through his work with the Spark Cleantech Accelerator at the UT Research Park, Washington is ready to make the most of the entrepreneurial ecosystem that is Knoxville.

Adding to this ecosystem is the recently dedicated Innovation South, an 85,000-square-foot multiuse facility in UT’s Research Park at Cherokee Farm. UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Uday Vaidya, who will be a main tenant of the facility, and was key in the execution of the vision for Innovation South. UT’s Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility and IACMI – The Composites Institute will both make their headquarters there.

Engineering Vols light the way to make the future bright for all Tennesseans.

Thank you for your support of the university and college and Go Vols!

 

Matthew Mench
Dean and Wayne T. Davis Chair
Tickle College of Engineering
Follow me on Instagram @deanengtce

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