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
Andrew Mueller, STEM Skills
Fatima Bowers, STEM Skills
Fatima Bowers is a recent graduate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she majored in computer science. Her interests include art, psychology, and technology. Fatima has several years of experience as a teaching assistant at UTK, and this will be her third year as a TA for GSSE. She is looking forward to meeting each of you!
Andy Zeng, STEM Skills
Stephen Hill, Biology
Stephen Hill is a paleontology PhD student in the Department of Earth Environmental & Planetary Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is originally from Tampa, Florida, and received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Geology from the University of South Florida. His research focuses on Echinoderm paleoecology and functional morphology.
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 first time being a TA for GSSE, and he looks forward to getting into some math with everybody!
Alex Brassington, Physics
Emma Counce, Materials Science & Engineering
Emma earned her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is pursuing her Master of Science Materials Science and Engineering while working as a graduate research assistant under Dr. Gerd Duscher. Her research, funded by the Department of Defense, focuses on the processing and development of aluminum-cerium (Al-Ce) alloys, employing various materials testing techniques to optimize their properties for high-temperature applications. This summer marks her second year as a Teaching Assistant for the GSSE, and she is excited to meet everyone!
Emmaline Howard, Materials Science & Engineering
Emmaline recently earned her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Tennessee. In her four years at UT, she has worked on a variety of research projects at the Center for Renewable Carbon (CRC) such as carbon quantum dots, electrospinning of lignin, mechanical impact testing to improve sheep osteoarthritis, and creating biodegradable alternatives to plasticized PVC. Currently she is working with the CRC to improve the recyclability of paper-fiber composites through the screening of a variety of additives. Emmaline has shared STEM values with students for years at Bricks4Kidz, and she is looking forward to sharing her passion for STEM and research to the engineers of tomorrow
Jessie Wilson, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Jessie is a senior in the Industrial & Systems Engineering Department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This is her second year as a TA for Industrial & Systems Engineering and she is thrilled to be returning! Jessie attended GSSE in 2019 and loves being part of the program as a college student. Jessie works on campus as an ambassador for the ISE department and an undergraduate research assistant for the Center for Advanced Systems Research and Education. Outside of engineering, she enjoys pursuing her minor in applied music by playing oboe in both the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra in the College of Music.
Alaina Washington, Industrial & Systems Engineering
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.