Photo: James Brackett works with East Tennessee middle school students building composite pennyboards at an IACMI STEM education event.
Knoxville, TN, May 1, 2017… The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, IACMI, a Manufacturing USA institute which works to support advanced composite technology and grow capital investment and manufacturing jobs in the U.S. composites market, congratulates James Brackett for his recent acceptance as a graduate student at the prestigious Bredesen Center Energy Science and Engineering Program.
The Program, created in 2012 and located on the University of Tennessee Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) campuses, seeks to create opportunities for exceptional students to engage in interdisciplinary research and education, focusing on science and engineering challenges related to the production, distribution, and consumption of energy.
Over the past two years at IACMI, Brackett has contributed to a number of projects ranging from map-testing to working with a major automobile company. He plans to continue working with IACMI while attending classes at the Bredesen Center.
Brackett is part of IACMI’s Internship Program, which helps develop skills of strong technical undergraduate and graduate students. Interns have the opportunity to use state-of-the-art equipment and interact with scientists and engineers who are at the top of their fields. The IACMI Internship Program offers undergraduate and graduate students a chance to participate in a research experience with an assigned mentor at one of IACMI’s partner sites. The experience provides a maximum of 400 hours of participation either in a 10 week short-term appointment or a long-term appointment spanning the course of one year.
Dr. Uday Vaidya, Brackett’s supervisor and mentor at IACMI, is excited for the opportunities this graduate program will open for Brackett. Dr. Vaidya noted that “James has been able to apply concepts to practical applications at IACMI. This will benefit him as he continues to learn and strengthen his research skills.”
By partnering with ORNL, the Bredesen Center ensures unique hands-on research opportunities. Beth Conerty, an alumna of the Energy Science and Engineering Program, was very impressed at the level of graduate-level research happening at ORNL in conjunction with the Bredesen Center.
Conerty has recently been hired as the Bredesen Center program lead for entrepreneurial development. “There are lots of jobs that doctoral students can do besides academia, and the Bredesen Center gave me the opportunity to gain skills where you could be relevant and impactful,” Conerty explained. “I knew I wanted to be more on the entrepreneurial side of things and the Center helped train me for other career trajectories.” Her new role allows her to work closely with innovators and entrepreneurs in the East Tennessee area.
For Brackett, the interdisciplinary nature of the Program was a major draw, stating that “the program’s interdisciplinary focus will give me the opportunity to learn more about the policy barriers and entrepreneurial possibilities that accompany a career in research.” The Bredesen Center focuses on creating linkages between public, private, and non-profit institutions.
Brackett is also looking forward to the opportunity to continue his work at IACMI. “Working with IACMI has been a huge part in preparing me for both the Bredesen Center and my career afterwards. The constant interaction with graduate students, advisors, scientists, and industry professionals has taught me how the sectors interact. As a part of Dr. Vaidya’s group and as a senior undergraduate student, I was given more freedom and responsibility. My time at IACMI has been vital in preparing me to fully dive in to a research environment in graduate school.”
About IACMI-The Composites Institute: The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate development and commercial deployment of advanced composites. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national institute is part of the Manufacturing USA network and is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI’s partners. Find out more at IACMI.org.
About The Bredesen Center: The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education unites resources and capabilities from the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to promote advanced research and to provide innovative solutions to global challenges in energy, engineering, and computation. Topical areas of the Bredesen Center programs have been chosen to resonate with Department of Energy priorities and industry needs, integrating graduate coursework from multiple disciplines, while providing deep expertise in a chosen specialty. The partnership with ORNL provides graduate researchers unique resources and advanced opportunities to collaborate on a variety of global energy and computational challenges involving science, engineering, health care, and national security. Find out more at bredesencenter.utk.edu.