UTC engineering group participates in “Read Across America Week” event at Orchard Knob Elementary

UTC graduate research assistants Ege Can Ek, left, and Atal Bhowmik and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Murat Barisik read to Orchard Knob Elementary School students. Photo credit: Dr. Sandra Affare.

Four members of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Engineering and Computer Science visited Orchard Knob Elementary School on Friday, March 8, as part of “Read Across America Week.”

The four—Dr. Murat Barisik, Dr. Sandra Affare and graduate research assistants Ege Can Ek and Atal Bhowmik from the Mechanical Engineering Department’s Nano-Engineering Research Group—read “Horton Hears a Who!” and participated in interactive activities and demonstrations to explore size and scale with the K-5 students.

“Read Across America Week” is celebrated annually in early March to coincide with the March 2 birthday of renowned children’s author Dr. Seuss. The week is designed to motivate children and adults alike to read, particularly encouraging young learners to develop a lifelong love for reading.

Last fall, Barisik, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UTC, was the principal investigator on a Department of Energy (DOE) research grant looking at how things move and change in a particular gas environment seen in many applications—such as protecting spacecraft from heat. The grant allows a collaborative team of researchers from UTC and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to produce better models of reactive gas transport.

“This was an outreach activity of my DOE project to support the local community and increase the interest in STEM-related fields,” Barisik said. UTC received $562,497 from the DOE’s Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR) initiative for “First Principles Multiphase Modeling of Mesoscale Gas Transport in Porous Reactive Systems.”

Barisik said the selection of “Horton Hears a Who!” was the focal point for engaging the Orchard Knob students in discussions about science and engineering—particularly about nanotechnology.

He said that the UTC group led interactive activities inspired by Horton’s adventures with things invisible to the naked eye. Demonstrations and discussions introduced students to different length scales, nanotechnology and its real-world applications. Exploring size and scale, students gained a deeper understanding of how small-scale science can have big impacts on society.

Barisik emphasized the significance of integrating STEM into literacy initiatives.

“By leveraging the power of storytelling, we can ignite a passion for science and engineering in students at an early age,” he said. “Through discussions inspired by ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ we hope to instill in them a sense of wonder and excitement about the possibilities of STEM.”

Affare is a faculty member in the Engineering Management and Technology Department. Ek and Bhowmik are graduate research assistants in the mechanical engineering master’s program.