Fifty Brainerd High School students showed Dr. Bradley Harris the power of “problem-based learning” (PBL) and are the inspiration behind a winning proposal for a UT System “Grand Challenges” grant. Harris, associate professor and head of the UTC Department of Chemical Engineering, is principal investigator for the proposal titled “Thermal runaway in EV batteries: A transformational PBL unit for high school chemistry.” Dr. Stephanie Philipp, assistant professor of education and director of the UTC STEM Education Program, is co-principal investigator.
NSF funding award to help prepare advanced manufacturing workforce
A historic partnership for the state of Tennessee and the nation is being launched with an $800,000 funding award from the National Science Foundation. EXPAND TN (Experiential Learning in Advanced Manufacturing towards Novel and Diverse Career Opportunities for Rural Tennessee Students) was successfully proposed by Dr. Bradley Harris, director of the Chemical Engineering program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.