“I have a plethora of experiences and insights to share,” said Jannat Saeed, who—as a triple major receiving bachelor’s degrees in history, humanities: international studies and software systems as well as being a Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College—will undoubtedly have one of the most extended introductions in crossing the McKenzie Arena stage at commencement this Saturday, May 4.
Chamyra Teasley wins Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award
UTC junior Chamyra Teasley has won the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award, given by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to 10 individuals in higher education throughout the state who demonstrate a lasting, meaningful impact through service; are valued by peers and community leaders; and embody the legacy of the late Rep. Harold Love Sr.—the namesake of the award.
Turning ideas into reality
The featured speaker for both May 2024 undergraduate ceremonies is UTC alumnus Richard Zhang, a Brock Scholar who graduated summa cum laude in 1992 with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry, economics and accounting.
The Roundhouse will be rockin’: McKenzie Arena to host UTC commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday
Spring commencement at UTC will be celebrated with three separate ceremonies over two days starting Friday, May 3. And for the first time since 2019, commencement will fill McKenzie Arena to the rafters.
Seeing students have ‘those light bulb moments’ keeps adding up for Meg Kiessling
Meg Kiessling’s path to math began after obtaining electrical engineering degrees from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Tim Gritten named dean of the UTC Library
Tim Gritten, who has spent the last six years as Executive Director of the Library and Special Collections at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, has been appointed Dean of the UTC Library. The appointment is effective July 1, 2024.
Capstone achievement: UTC’s Emma Sprayberry lands Fulbright Scholarship
One of the most highly decorated students in recent UTC history has received another prestigious award before her time as an undergraduate comes to a close. Senior Emma Sprayberry, an Innovations in Honors student in the UTC Honors College majoring in both humanities: international studies (with an emphasis on Asian studies) and Spanish, along with a minor in anthropology, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Taiwan for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Global citizen: UTC’s Emma Roy awarded Boren Scholarship
Emma Roy, currently completing her junior year at UTC, has been selected for the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship, an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense. Beginning in mid-September, she will spend 25 weeks—the equivalent of an academic year—at National Taiwan University as part of the International Chinese Language Program.
Perfect chemistry: Two UTC young alums land research fellowships
Recent graduates Christine Rukeyser, an Innovation in Honors student in the UTC Honors College who received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in December 2023, and Bre-Anna Willis, recipient of a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in December 2022, have been selected for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program—a highly competitive program that supports outstanding graduate students in STEM fields.
Call me HAL: UTC nursing students learning from state-of-the-art patient simulator
HAL® S5301, billed as the world’s most advanced interdisciplinary patient simulator, is a new addition to the UTC School of Nursing. HAL has artificial intelligence capabilities and can speak, mimic many different emergent situations such as strokes and heart attacks, and be utilized to practice numerous invasive procedures. “We can make him have a stroke. It can have full facial droop. You can change the eyeballs. It can sweat, it can cry.”