Hunter Kallay, STEM in Society
Hunter Kallay is a PhD student in philosophy completing coursework with interests in moral epistemology, AI ethics, and philosophy of religion. He also writes for an AI newsletter, FryAI, which has over 20,000 subscribers. This is his first time volunteering for the Governor’s School.
Brant Entrekin, STEM in Society
Brant is a 2nd year PhD student in philosophy with interests in epistemology, philosophy of science, and feminist philosophy. He is currently working on projects thinking about the ways that bad scientific practices can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and obscure our understanding of various social phenomenon. This will be his second year TAing for GSSE, and he is super excited for another great summer with the program!
Kaeleigh Damico, STEM in Society
Jessie Wilson, STEM Skills
Jessie is a master’s student in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. Her research focuses on system modeling and optimization for healthcare and clinical applications. A GSSE alum from 2019, Jessie enjoys giving back to the program as a teaching assistant. She served as a TA for the Industrial & Systems Engineering class for two years and is excited to be part of the STEM Skills class this year. Outside of engineering, she enjoys ballet and plays oboe in the UT Wind Ensemble.
Faith Keating, STEM Skills
Faith is going into her third year as an undergraduate studying Industrial and Systems engineering. She is passionate about exploring many disciplines and teaching her findings to others. She has able to do this through her job at the Kao Innovation and Collaboration Studio where they are able to train on machines such as: 3D printers, laser engravers, and CNC mills. This will be her first year as a TA, and she is excited for a fun summer with the STEM Skills class!
Andy Zeng, STEM Skills
Hannah M. Maddox, Biology
Hannah M. Maddox was recently awarded the Master of Science degree from UTK (graduated May 2025) under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Drumheller, and is a soon-to-be PhD student at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Hannah specializes in vertebrate paleontology and taphonomy, and has extensive experience doing paleontological fieldwork and museum collections management in the Western US. Her current research interests lie in understanding the role anatomical differences play in patterns of decomposition across Vertebrata and how these differences are reflected in the fossil record. This will be her first time as a TA for GSSE.
Shannon Hall, Mathematics
Shannon is going into his fourth year as a PhD student in mathematics. He studies operator algebras, and Hadamard matrices, with Dr. Remus Nicoara, who is teaching the GSSE math course. This is his second time being a TA for GSSE, and he looks forward to getting into some math with everybody!
Aya Rutherford, Physics
Aya Rutherford is a second year PhD student in physics with a concentration in condensed matter. Her interests lie in material synthesis, the study of the geometrically-induced magnetic properties of materials, and physical-chemical analysis of artworks. She attended UTK as an undergraduate majoring in art history and physics and continued onto the physics PhD program. This is her first time TAing for GSSE and is excited to meet everyone.
Charlotte Buchanan, Materials Science & Engineering
Charlotte Buchanan is a second year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering. Her primary research is in magnetic skyrmions in thin films, but she has participated in a wide variety of other research projects including experimental archaeology, restoration of a musical reed organ, and studying the magnetic response of various insects. Outside of school, Charlotte plays cello and competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This is her first time as a TA for GSSE, and she is excited to work with the next generation of engineers!
Maddie Maben, Materials Science & Engineering
Maddie Maben recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. During her undergraduate years, she had the opportunity to conduct research in multiple areas of MSE: metallurgy, ceramics processing, and magnetic materials. She is currently pursuing an accelerated Master of Science degree in MSE with Dr. Dustin Gilbert. Her current research is focused on developing magnetic thin films for electronic applications, and she ultimately wants to work as an R&D engineer in the electronics industry. This is her first time helping with GSSE, and she is excited to do some lab experiments with everyone!
Rebecca Terc, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Rebecca is a junior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, pursuing a degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering. She’s a member of the Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program, in which she collaborates with cross functional teams on class projects to assist local businesses. Beyond her studies, Rebecca is very passionate about music, playing the flute and saxophone, in addition to serving as a piccolo player in the Pride of the Southland Marching Band. She also holds a leadership role as the primary iLab attendant in the Tickle building where her responsibilities include teaching underclassmen 3D modeling software, fulfilling departmental projects, and more. Rebecca is looking forward to being a part of the program!
Katy Daniels, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Katy Daniels is currently a Ph.D. in Biosystems Engineering student at the University of Tennessee’s Tickle College of Engineering. Her background includes a BS/MS in Industrial Engineering with a certification in Fire Safety Engineering and a double minor in Leadership and Reliability & Maintainability (RME).
Her expertise spans sustainability, manufacturing, supply chain management, and data science, with experience applying machine learning and statistical analysis to complex milling manufacturing challenges. Katy has held research and teaching assistant positions, contributed to industry projects with Radio Systems Corporation, John Deere, and Keurig Dr. Pepper, and played a key role in optimizing industrial processes through Lean Six Sigma methodologies.
A passionate leader, Katy founded and presides over ROPES (Rural Outreach for Prospective Engineering Students), engaging future engineers through outreach. She has also served as President of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) and Systers: Women in EECS @ UTK, significantly growing membership and impact. Her accomplishments include first-place wins in the UTK ACEI Graves Business Plan Competition and her Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education’s Energy Harvesting Necklace project, along with recognition as one of Knoxville’s 20 Under 20 for her extensive volunteer efforts. She is also Miss Tennessee Revolutionary and is representing the state in Nashville, TN where she will present on her platform, ROPES, and compete for the title of Miss America Revolutionary.
Katy’s skill set includes proficiency in programming (R, C++, Python, MATLAB), data analysis, public speaking, and project management. She is committed to sustainability, problem-solving, and fostering STEM education, making her a standout in both academia and industry.
Shelby Watson, Chemistry
Shelby Watson-Sanders is a PhD candidate at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, who is expected to graduate in 2024. With a specialization in Polymer Concentration, her research is supervised by Dr. Mark Dadmun. Her journey towards becoming a PhD scholar started with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Western Carolina University (WCU) in May 2020. During their undergraduate years, she was awarded the Denver Talmage Byrson Scholarship for Chemistry majors, the U.S.-China Rising Star Program, and the U.S. State Department Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for their outstanding academic achievements. In 2018, she completed a non-degree program at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, where she became a certified intermediate speaker in Chinese (中文). She also completed skill development programs in the areas of Cultural Responsiveness and Professionalism as part of DegreePlus at WCU. Her undergraduate research focused on biochemistry and utilizing CRISPR DNA editing. In her Graduate years, she has been awarded the Graduate Student Senate Travel Award and certified by the Center for the Integration of Research Teaching and Learning (CIRLT). Her area of research as a graduate student focuses on recycling consumer waste plastic to generate a simplified way to recycle plastic. She has tutored over 25 students one-on-one to ensure they pass all general and organic classes with high B’s or A’s. She hopes to one day become a professor herself and have a research lab.