Hundreds of West Tennesseans joined Gov. Bill Lee, Sen. Bill Hagerty, members of the Tennessee Board of Regents, TBR Chancellor Flora W. Tydings, and other state and local officials Friday, June 14, in opening Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Stanton, the state’s newest technical college campus. Read more of the article.

By Dr. Michael Torrence is president of Motlow State Community College and a TEAM TN workforce development working group collaborator. Transportation electrification is Tennessee’s future. Major automotive manufacturers are pivoting toward electric vehicles (EVs), battery suppliers are opening or ramping up operations in the Southeast — now seen as the nation’s “battery belt” — and Tennesseans are benefitting from high-paying green jobs. Put simply, electrification offers endless opportunities for economic and community development in our state. After all, current Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development figures indicate that EV projects represent over $16.2 billion in capital investments since 2017, while the industry employs more than 20,800 Tennesseans. Read more of Dr. Torrence’s op-ed.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is one of 90 organizations within a statewide coalition that has been awarded a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation for the state’s Advancing Technology-Enabled Mobility Solutions program. ATEMS-TN is an alliance of academics, industry and technical societies that is trying to position Tennessee to compete for up to $160 million in federal funding awarded in 2025 to implement their strategy.

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, program catalyzes and fosters innovation ecosystems across the United States to:  Advance critical technologies like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, advanced wireless, and biotechnology; Address pressing national and societal challenges; Cultivate partnerships across industry, academia, government, nonprofits, civil society, and communities of practice; Promote and stimulate economic growth and job creation; and Spur regional innovation and talent.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is at the helm of a statewide coalition leveraging expertise in the public and private sectors to create lighter, safer, more efficient EVs – and supporting infrastructure – that can compete with gasoline-powered motor vehicles.

Yesterday was a good news day for The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and the Volunteer State. In an announcement Thursday from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a team led by UTK was one of 44 organizations that received up to $1 million each in the first-ever “NSF Regional Innovation Engines Development Awards” program. It was the only awardee in Tennessee and received the full funding for an effort in advanced mobility.