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University of Tennessee Materials Science & Engineering Department |
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MSE Stress-Relieving Finals Study Day Lunch with Pizza, Ferrets & Persian Sweet Treats Knoxville, TN, December 7, 2023  As part of the MSE CaReS mentoring program, the Material Science & Engineering Department hosted a lunch on the study day before final exams commenced. Pizza was advertised.  Undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty gathered in Ferris Hall to take a deep breath and share a few laughs before finals week.  MSE graduate student, Matthew Cothrine (in the background), surprised the group by bringing in his three pet ferrets to help everyone melt their stress away.  Ferrets have a particular way of communicating their carefree perspective on the world.  Graduate students were not immune to the ferrets' appeal...  nor were faculty  nor lab managers!  One serious senior worked on Professor Lass's epic metallurgy take home final in the corner, but made time to have a few bites of pizza.  As a dessert, we shared Persian sweet treats made by an artisanal baker, Maryam, who just happens to be married to a PhD student in the MSE department, Mohsen Samandari.  Everyone enjoyed them. They were just as delicious as they looked.  Now we are in the right frame of mind to take finals head on! More photos on the Keffer research group site. |