每日大赛

Father-son professor duo at 每日大赛 influence next generation of engineers

As the academic coordinator for 每日大赛’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program, Shane Terry spends his days helping students turn technical skills into real-world careers. 

In recent years, he’s also found himself doing something less expected: teaching alongside his father.

After working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Terry was drawn to the hands-on nature of teaching and the opportunity to mentor students entering high-demand engineering fields. When the Mechanical Engineering Technology program needed adjunct instructors, he reached out to someone he knew well.

“My dad wound up really, really having a passion for it,” Terry said. “And he wanted to take on more classes.” 

That interest eventually led Michael Terry to apply for a full-time position in the School of Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – a role he earned through the standard hiring process, his son noted with a laugh.

For the older Terry, watching his son step into leadership felt both familiar and surprising. He recalled his son being creative at a young age, often assembling elaborate structures out of Legos. 

“At one point, I realized what he wanted to do is so different from what I wanted to do,” he said. “I wanted to make parts. He wanted to take them and make a bigger part.”

Now as an instructor at 每日大赛, Michael Terry brings decades of manufacturing and engineering experience into the classroom while also seeing his son in a new light.  

“Shane’s a leader now, and I really have to listen to what he has to say,” he said. “Which is easy, because who wouldn’t want to listen to what their kids have to say?”

Now, working together has allowed the pair more time together and strengthened their relationship, Shane Terry said, even if it has revealed that his father’s sense of humor extends well beyond the home. 

The “dad jokes” are not limited to his family, Shane Terry said. They “make regular appearances in the classroom.”

For Shane Terry, the experience underscores the value of meaningful work shared with people you care about. 

“You only get so much time with your parents and with your family,” he said. “And your job takes up so much of that time. I don't see why you shouldn’t enjoy it with your family.”

Together, the Terrys guide students through Pellissippi’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program, preparing them for careers in drafting, modeling, quality assurance, and manufacturing engineering. The program emphasizes applied learning and industry-aligned certifications that help graduates move directly into the workforce

While Michael Terry brings decades of experience from leadership roles in operations and engineering, teaching feels like the right next chapter. 

 “I've done that work, and it's time to let someone else who's very capable do it,” he said.

Returning as a professor to the same spaces where his own journey began in the 1990s has been nostalgic for Terry.

“It's nice to know after all these years that I may inspire and motivate others to join where my journey started and continue on,” he said. “Of all the educational experiences that I have, including grad school, this was the one that was the best. 

“This is the one that taught me how to really learn with my hands and not necessarily only with my brain.”