Two members of the ASM Student Board (left) present the University of Tennessee Domesday Team with “Overall Runner Up” award. Photo credit Jakob Scroggins
A team of MSE students earned an award in the “DomesDay” competition at the ASM 2023 International Materials, Applications & Technologies (IMAT) annual meeting in Detroit, Michigan on October 17, 2023.
The DomesDay competition involves the design, synthesis and testing of a structurally stable geodesic dome. The UT MSE team consisted of two MSE graduate students, Jack Fredrick and Raymond Wysmierski, two MSE undergraduate students, juniors Marlena Alexander and Madeline Maben, and Mechanical Engineering senior, Charles Brush. Under the advising of Dr. Jerry Egeland, MSE laboratory manager and safety officer, and Prof. Claudia Rawn, they cast an aluminum geodesic dome in the MSE laboratories in Dougherty Hall.
To qualify, the dome had to meet certain specifications, including a compression test, to protect an egg. The team named the dome “Lil’ Domey III”.
The MSE dome received the “Overall Runner Up” award out of nine domes entered in the contest. Last year, MSE was the only team with a cast aluminum dome. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This year a majority of the teams cast an aluminum dome. Their dome received a lot of praise regarding its aesthetics. The judges and competitors loved the Power T’s and anodized orange color.
Congratulations to the team!
The competition includes the presentation of a poster describing the manufacture of the dome.