Engineering & Information Technology at Chattanooga State

Join us for the “Smart Is Cool” event at the Chattanooga Market!

Celebrate education, innovation, and community with fun activities for the whole family.
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Sunday, October 19, 2025 | 11:00am - 4:00pm
First Horizon Pavilion

Future engineers, hypersonic jets, and cutting-edge tech — what a day!

On April 15th, our ENGR 2130 (Circuits 1) and ENGR 272 (Circuits 2) classes had the incredible opportunity to tour the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI)!

We kicked things off with a welcome and inspiring history lesson from Dr. John Schmisseur, UTSI’s Executive Director. From there, we dove into tours of some jaw-dropping labs:

TALon (Tennessee Aerothermodynamics Lab) — where hypersonic testing reaches up to Mach 7 (yes… Mach 7!). Bonus: it’s where former Chatt State student Jacob Jenkins earned his doctorate!

CEAR (Computational & Experimental Aerospace Research) — bringing aerospace dreams to life.

LAMP (Laboratory of Advanced Mobility & Power Materials) — where we got an amazing demo of cutting-edge battery tech and thermal research for electric vehicles.

The day wrapped up with an inspiring panel featuring Sam Dougherty, one of UTSI’s original grads, and a real F-15 pilot who shared what it’s like to fly at Mach 2 — a serious crowd favorite!

Before heading home, we stopped by Arnold Air Force Base to check out the legendary F-14, F-111, and F-15 on display.

An unforgettable experience filled with innovation, inspiration, and a whole lot of speed.

Don't miss the opportunity to participate in our 2025 TECH Academy! From June 9 - 13, rising high school juniors and seniors will learn about career opportunities in the Chattanooga area by touring local companies and performing hands-on work at Chattanooga State Community College. Learn more and request additional information here: https://forms.office.com/e/L3ggyeWBRf.

There’s still time to apply for the 2025 BASF Tech Academy the week of June 9 through June 13! Application deadline is April 17! Link to apply is below!

https://forms.office.com/e/L3ggyeWBRf

So proud of our ANS students!

We are BEYOND proud of our American Nuclear Society student chapter! Over the weekend, 13 of our students attended the ANS Student Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico! The enthusiasm and passion they brought back is outstanding! Special thanks to @tva and @westinghouse_home for their donations to allow our students this opportunity! We would also like to congratulate James Wells on his commendation for service and leadership as the ANS student president at Chattanooga State the past 2 years. Way to go!! #chattanooga #chattanoogastate #communitycollege #nuclearpower #industry #tn

Congratulations to our very own Crystal Gordon, our program lead for Construction and Civil, for being awarded Educator of the Year from the Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee! Way to go!!

“Smart IS Cool”!! Tracie Clifford is representing Engineering & Information Technology at the Chattanooga Market. Visit her to explore high-wage, in-demand career opportunities.

E&IT instructor Jeff Herndon proves you don't need a degree in meteorology to make it rain!

John Brand is this month's Engineering & Information Technologies Alumni of the Month. Read John's inspiring message below.

I started my collegiate career at Chattanooga State in Spring of 2012. This was my second attempt at college, and I didn’t have a clear direction or goal. I just wanted to take a couple classes and see where it would go. My first semester didn’t go as planned; I ended up failing precalculus while withdrawing from other classes. It left me feeling like college may not be the best direction for my life, but ultimately, I decided to push on and try harder. So, three semesters into my college career I was still a non-degree seeking student with no direction, but I was determined to give it one more semester before quitting college for good. As Fall of 2014 rolled around I had to decide what type of classes to register for. My father and grandfather worked in Engineering, so I figured maybe I should try out some Engineering classes. That semester I took Manufacturing Process with Prof. Mark Palmer. I believe this was a turning point for me in my academic career. This was the first time I was genuinely interested in an academic subject, and more importantly it was the first A I ever received in college. This helped me decide that I would pursue an education in Engineering. Over the next few semesters, I took some amazing classes with great professors; James Hawkins, Lynda Pickett, Mark Palmer, Val deOlloqui, just to name a few. These professors really invested in and encouraged me along the way. Fast forward to Fall of 2015, as I was wrapping up my A.A.S in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Val, my academic advisor, asked me if I had considered continuing my education and getting a Bachelors in Engineering. I initially considered it impossible because I was an older student (26 yr old), newly married and looking at starting a family. But, Val continued to encourage me to take the chance and believe in myself and so I did. We changed my major my last semester and I started taking transfer classes. I was introduced to an amazing new group of staff; Beth Ruta, Jackie Smith, Paul Morely, again just to name a few. In the Fall 2017, my time at Chattanooga State as a student came to an end. I went to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga where I completed my BS in Mechanical Engineering and received a post Bachelor's Certificate in Technical Project Management. But, I wasn’t done with Chatt State just yet. My professors became colleagues when I started teaching classes as an adjunct professor. It was such a full circle moment to be teaching many of the classes I first took at the beginning of my Chattanooga State education. There is so much more to my story, but I will try not to ramble on. Since graduating, I’ve been blessed with a rewarding career in aerospace. From working on the next lunar lander for the NASA Artemis program, to testing hypersonic SCRAM jet engines for the AirForce, and testing the half million-pound thrust BE4 rocket engine that powers the Blue Origin New Glenn and ULA Vulcan rocket families. Today, I work as a Launch Engineer for SpaceX, and I have worked on both the Dragon and Falcon programs. If you would have asked me in 2012 when I first walked on to campus, if I thought I would be working for the biggest aerospace company in the world sending humans to space, I would have probably laughed at you. I thank God for putting amazing people in my life and helping guide me to where I am today. I fully believe people like my advisors Val deOlloqui and Jacqueline Smith, and all the many amazing professors along the way at Chattanooga State, are the reason why I am where I am today.

The 2024 TECH Academy is off to a great start this year!

What's Right with Our Schools - BASF Tech Academy Rising high school juniors and seniors in Hamilton County have the opportunity to jump-start their technical and craft careers this Summer with BASF's Tech A...

Dr. Shin is not only interested in ANDE-1, but wants to send his students to ChattState for NDT!

Representing ChattState at the World Conference for Non-destructive Testing