More Herff Headlines 

The University of Memphis Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research (CAESER) is teaming up with Tipton County to set up the county's first groundwater monitoring network. This project is a big step toward understanding and protecting the area's most important natural resource: groundwater.

While skeletons and mummies roam Memphis streets this Halloween, something far more unsettling lurks on the third floor of the Herff College of Engineering's Engineering Technology building. There, in Dr. Carl Herickhoff’s lab, two skulls split into halves sit locked away in a steel suitcase. 

The University of Memphis chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) passed out more than 120 "Boo Grams" on Thursday, October 29 as part of their annual Halloween fundraiser. 

The Polytechnic@UofM is changing organizational leadership education and it's no secret. Dr. Alfred Hall, Director of the Polytechnic@UofM and Department of Applied Technology Chair, and Dr. Nicholas Smith attended the Assessment Institute at Indiana University Indianapolis between October 18 and 20. 

More than 2,000 students in grades 3-8 attended the Herff College of Engineering's inaugural fall eDay on Friday, October 23. 

Dozens of companies and hundreds of students attended the Herff College of Engineering and Polytechnic@UofM career fair on October 16. 

Herff College of Engineering Dean Okenwa Okoli and Assistant Dean of Engineering Student Services Dr. Isaiah Surbrook traveled to Bermuda during the first week of October to recruit the next generation of Herff engineers and strengthen the Herff College of Engineering’s articulation agreement with Bermuda College. 

Several members of the University of Memphis' American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) student chapter traveled alongside faculty advisor Dr. Alexander Headley to Indianapolis during the first weekend of October for ASME's Student Leadership Weekend. 

Scientists have spent decades trying to answer one of the most difficult questions in earthquake research: How do earthquakes begin? But there is another question that could be just as important: What makes them stop?

Have you ever been accused of having your head in the clouds? The Polytechnic@UofM may have just the program you need to get there. The Polytechnic@UofM offers two degrees for the aviation industry: Commercial Aviation and Aviation Management.

Dr. Nate Phillips grew up in Memphis and always stayed close to his hometown professionally and academically, traveling to Starkville, Mississippi, for his PhD before returning to Bluff City as a professor of teaching at Rhodes College. At 38, Phillips entered the next chapter of his life and career this fall semester as an assistant professor of teaching and graduate program coordinator in the Polytechnic@UofM’s Department of Applied Technology.

While many colleges and institutes across the country face the enrollment cliff, Herff College of Engineering enrolled 6% more first-time, full-time (FTFT) students in Fall 2026 than in the previous academic year: 361 students. 

Flintco scheduling manager and Herff College of Engineering alumna Ashley Woodall is no stranger to giving back to her alma mater. From representing Flintco at Herff’s Career Fairs to serving as an advisor for her former sorority, Woodall has always been passionate about helping the next generation of engineers. In Fall 2026, she took that support to the next level by accepting a position as an adjunct professor in Engineering Technology.

Dr. Sina Bahrami, assistant professor in the Herff College of Engineering’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, hasn’t taught his first class yet, but he’s already envisioning the impact he’ll have on his students far into the future.

Thirty organizations competed Wednesday morning in the Herff College of Engineering Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering's second annual golf tournament. 

Dr. Evan Main, a researcher at the University of Memphis' Herff College of Engineering, received the University of Memphis Retirees (UMAR) Dorothy Atra University-Wide Dissertation Award. 

As the new academic year settles in, students' calendars are quickly filling up with different colors boxing out times of their day for class, research and study. Jean Yves Thiemele-Marco, a 21-year-old junior in the Herff College of Engineering Department of Biomedical Engineering, accomplishes all of those tasks while also devoting much of his time to the University of Memphis Track and Field team.

Dr. Sabya Mishra, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Center for Transportation Innovations in Education and Research (C-TIER) at the University of Memphis, has received a $124,929 research award from the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) for the project, “Transit Asset Management Plan for MATA.”

The Center for Transportation Innovations, Education and Research (C-TIER) and the Tennessee Highway Safety Office co-hosted the third annual "Drive Safe" campaign at the University of Memphis on September 2. 

As West Tennessee experiences significant new industrial development, University of Memphis researchers are working to ensure that one of the region’s most important natural resources—the groundwater beneath it—is understood and protected for generations to come.

The Herff College of Engineering Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Student Chapter received the Robert Stammer Student Chapter Award for the third consecutive year. 

Dr. Sungyong Jung began his appointment as department chair on August 3. Jung left South Dakota State University to join the University of Memphis, a decision he said the University of Memphis’ national reputation made easy.

Graduate students returned to the Herff College of Engineering on Thursday, August 20, for a Welcome Back Kickoff event. 

Herff College of Engineering senior Madison Cole received a $2,500 scholarship from Smith + Nephew, money she says will help her complete her goals as she enters her final undergraduate academic year in Herff's Department of Mechanical Engineering.