Photo courtesy of Dr. Termaath of UTK.

Strongwell would like to congratulate Melanie Rae Smith, a University of Tennessee sophomore studying Civil and Environmental Engineering, for placing 2nd at the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation undergraduate research conference poster competition (engineering category).  TLSAMP is a national science foundation sponsored program geared towards increasing the number of underrepresented minorities receiving degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in the state of Tennessee.

Vanderbilt University hosted the two day conference to showcase the research efforts of students from six colleges and universities within Tennessee. Melanie’s research project, “Probabilistic Analysis of Composite Lamina Properties,” utilized Strongwell-donated samples and their varying matrixes to provide detailed results on how composites materials can optimize the design of structural parts. Melanie worked under the guidance of Dr. Stephanie Termaath and Dr. Jennifer Retherford. Melanie’s performance in the competition was evaluated based on scientific merit, originality, comprehension and defense of her research from conference participants and judges.
Great Job Melanie!