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Monthly Partner Call

Join us August 27 at 11am ET / 10 am CT for a virtual faculty exchange showcasing cutting-edge research and patent-ready IP in transportation and mobility. Faculty from a network of Tennessee-based universities will present emerging technologies — from autonomous systems to infrastructure innovation to AI tools — with direct applications for industry. This exchange is possible thanks to a partnership with LaunchTN's Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium (TTAC).

 

Featured speakers include:

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  • Prof. Deo Chimba, Tennessee State University

  • Prof. Mohammad Khan, East Tennessee State University

  • Prof. Lei Miao, Middle Tennessee State University

  • Prof. Christos Papadopoulos, University of Memphis

  • Prof. Rory Roberts, Tennessee Tech University

 

This virtual exchange is part of TennSMART Partner Calls series where you can gain insider knowledge about funding opportunities and requests for proposals; share updates on your projects, especially those that could benefit from technical feedback; and listen to founders who are bringing new technologies and solutions to the market.

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Past Featured Speakers 

  • Vasileios Maroulas, Associate Vice Chancellor at UTK and Director of the AI Tennessee Initiative

  • Kevin Heaslip, Director of the Center for Transportation Research at UTK

  • Commissioner Will Reid, TN Dept. of Transportation (TDOT)

  • Rich Davies, Sustainable Transportation Program Director & EERE Coordinator, ORNL

  • Braden Stover, Chief Policy Officer, TN Dept. of Economic & Community Development (TN ECD)

  • Nathan Buttrey, Senior Advisor to the Commissioner, Office of Innovation, TN Dept. of Economic & Community Development (TN ECD)

  • Alexa Voytek, Deputy Director, Office of Energy Programs, TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation (TDEC)

  • Ross Wang, Group Leader, Applied Research for Mobility Systems, ORNL

  • Open discussion, always

Event Details

We know big things can happen at TennSMART events. Partnerships are formed that lead to major federal awards and ideas are shared that drive innovation and industry transformation.

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But the Tennessee Smart Mobility Expo is only once a year and everyone is busy.

 

We are excited to launch a new offering to keep the conversation going: a simple monthly partner call. On this call, you’ll hear exclusive, insider knowledge about notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs), requests for information, and requests for proposals as well as state and federal policies impacting our industry; have an opportunity to share updates on your projects, especially those that could benefit from technical feedback; and listen to some of the founders who are bringing new technologies and solutions to the market.

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Our goal is to keep this straightforward and informative — giving you the information you need, in an hour or less. So bring your lunch, and we’ll see you, virtually!

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Partner Call Rules

  • If you join the call, you must turn your camera on.

  • Each call with have no more than three speakers presenting on a topic to honor our time limit of one hour.

  • Time will be reserved for open-ended discussion (sometimes the best ideas come from this!).

  • Exclusive benefit for TennSMART members (prospects can join one call to see benefit).

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© 2025 by The TennSMART Consortium

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