Benjamin Barnhill, a senior from Memphis, is thankful for the role donors and scholarships have played in his education at UT.
In a scene straight out of the movie October Sky, Benjamin Barnhill and his design project partner Drew Nickel place their hybrid rocket on the launch platform at the UT Cherokee Farm in South Knoxville, pour in oxidizer from a nitrous tank, step into their protected shed, press the big red button for a static test-fire of the motor, then gather thrust data. “We’ve done that dozens of times,” says Barnhill, a senior aerospace engineering major. “Hybrid rockets are cheap to develop and fire. You could fire it off six times in one day for about $30.”
Barnhill grew up in Memphis. His father, Brian, is a physical therapist. His mother, Rhonda, is CPA and vice president of accounts for First Tennessee Bank. “Mom has always stressed how important math is, which geared me toward STEM,” says Barnhill. “I always thought I’d be an accountant like her. Then in high school I started taking physics classes, and I wondered, ‘Can I combine the two into engineering?’ I was always interested in space, and I’ve always been a huge science fiction fan.”
While choosing a college, Barnhill looked at the aerospace programs at Georgia Tech, Purdue, and Embry Riddle in Florida. But UT—including the research work of Clinical Associate Professor Evans Lyne and the Tennessee Volunteer Scholarship, awarded on the basis of Barnhill’s academic record— won out.
Without scholarships I could not have prospered in my undergraduate career in the way that I have.
– Benjamin Barnhill (’19), recipient of multiple scholarships
“When I found out I was the recipient of the scholarship I was overjoyed,” says Barnhill. “It meant I would be getting a substantial amount of money toward my college expenses every semester. Thanks to the scholarship, I was able to devote time I would otherwise have spent at a job to undergraduate research and extracurricular activities like the Student Space and Technology Association, of which I am the vice president.
“In that club, students propose and develop projects related to space and space technology. My group is developing a hybrid rocket that will reach an altitude of 10,000 feet and collect microbial samples from earth’s upper atmosphere upon descent. This club not only gives me hands-on experience in fields like systems integration, aircraft vehicle design, and propulsion—career paths I intend to pursue once I get my degree—but it also forges lasting friendships with my fellow engineers, who have kept my social life active and kept me sane in the tougher points of the semester.”
Barnhill also received a First Horizon Scholarship, available to children of First Tennessee employees. “It took a whole load off my shoulders,” he says. “I could go to school without worrying about the engineering fees I would have. The financial stability the scholarships offer means that I am less stressed than those who have to consider how they might pay for school, allowing me to focus better on my school assignments and projects.
“To those whose donations go toward those scholarships, I would like them to know that without their contribution to my education, the end result would likely have been much different. Without the scholarships I could not have prospered in my undergraduate career in the way that I have, making friends and gaining valuable experience through extracurricular clubs and activities.”