University of Tennessee
Materials Science & Engineering Department


MSE Field Day
Knoxville, TN, May 10, 2025


The Materials Science & Engineering Department held a Field Day open to all members of the MSE community. A lively crew of undergraduate and graduate students, along with staff and faculty and a pair of devoted canine companions attended. The event was hosted by our amazing MSE student ambassadors and their fearless leader, Laurel Harrison, MSE professional advisor.

The event was held at the beautiful Charter Doyle Park in south Knox County.


The competition kicked off with the egg and spoon race.


John left the competition in the dust.


Not everyone was so lucky.


And the winners are... John, Meredith & Elias.


Show off!


Then the backward variant of the egg and spoon race.


And the backward winners were...?


Then we moved on to the three-legged race.


I won't identify which two competitors almost instantly face-planted in the grass (but their initials are M.A. and F.P.)


And the winners are... Morgan/Jocelyn, Jakob/Elias & Andrew/Kaden.


Next up was the traditional kickball competition.


There, Laurel was able to show off her true skills! (There are fewer kickball photos than in previous years because the photographer was busy participating in the game. If anyone was wondering if there was an unassisted triple play during the game, the initials are D.K.)


The players.


The playground facilities at Charter Doyle Park were found to be more than adequate.


The culmination of the event was a tug-of-war. The famous Emma served as judge. Make your picks now because the winning team is revealed in the next photo...


Emma tipped the scales. She was never going to abandon Marlena.

We all had a good time. Thanks to everyone who participated and who make the University of Tennessee Materials Science & Engineering Department a special community to call home.

More photos on the Keffer research group site.