University of Tennessee
Materials Science & Engineering Department


MSE Halloween Trivia Night
Knoxville, TN, October 30, 2023




The MSE department hosted its fifth(?) MSE Halloween Trivia Night. Eight teams of MSE undergraduates, graduate students, staff, faculty and friends participated.


MSE Professional Advisor, Jake Working organized and hosted the event.


Team Hat Prime with members of the Page research group.


Team SMRCows and Cowgirls with members of the Scintillation Materials Research Center.


Team Mental Mavericks with astounding MSE undergraduates. Tavin Morgan (center) won an award for best individual costume. Here we see him unmasked with his light-up helmet on the table.


Team ASCE with more MSE undergraduates and one civil engineer.


Members of the Lass research group with one furry blue dragon!


Team 1970's with members of the Harper-Keffer research group.


Team 1980's with members of the Harper-Keffer research group and guest-members Department Head Prof. Veerle Keppens and MSE seminar speaker, Prof. Roel Snieder visiting from Colorado School of Mines.


Team Red Scare (1950's) with retro MSE undergraduates. The Red Scare won best team costume award.


Team Working judged the competition.


Team Lass was in the lead after four rounds with only the final jeopardy round left. They boldly bet it all and stumbled, but they went out swinging. The 80's team opted for a more conservative route, betting zero points in the final round and hoping that no one could get the answer right. Their strategy paid off and they took home the cherished plastic star trophy.


MSE department head Keppens and associate department head Keffer. So 80's!



More photos from the Harper-Keffer Research Group


We encouraged Mohsen and Maryam to send this picture of them with Mohsen's coadvisors home to their parents.


Cotton Pekol rocked the Donkey Kong beach shirt and PAC-MAN lettermen's jacket. His sunglasses match the shirt. So cool.


Everyone wanted their picture taken with the ever popular Prof. Harper. (It must have been his braids.)


Seniors Emma & Matthew would recall the MSE in the 1970's except MSE didn't become a separate department until 1984.

More photos on the Keffer research group site.