On January 25, 2025 the UTK High School Upward Bound Programs teamed up with Dr. Thura Mack, the UTK Assistant Dean of the Libraries’ Community Services and Engagement department and Coordinator of Community Learning Services and Diversity Programs to host the 14th Annual Big Orange STEM Saturday (BOSS) Conference. BOSS is a one day professional mini-conference that is designed to introduce underrepresented student populations to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers through faculty led workshops and interactive tabling by UT STEM clubs and community sponsors and supporters. This event is one of the highlights of the academic year Saturday Sessions led by the TRiO programs within the Education Research & Opportunity Center (ERO) and is highly looked forward to by staff and students who have had the privilege of attending the prior year/s.

The theme for this year was “The Future is Now” and the event was attended by 110 students within ERO’s Academic Enrichment Upward Bound, Math and Science Upward Bound, and Pre-College Upward Bound programs. Students benefited from multiple workshops and interactive exhibitor displays. There were also seven breakout sessions on topics including the Artemis Program, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship in STEM, data analysis, statistics, and digital simulations to aid with natural disasters. Between sessions, students mingled among the tables and hands-on displays provided by UT colleges and groups such as Vol Edge, Tickle College of Engineering, VolsTeach, UT Physics & Astronomy, Drone Club, College of Nursing, Pilot Company, and Kao Innovation and Collaboration Studio. Students enjoyed interacting with technology such as the Unitree Go2 Robot Dog and virtual reality headsets.

Since its inception in 2012, this annual event has striven to bridge the gap between underrepresented student populations and STEM majors at the University of Tennessee. Conceived by Dr. Mack, this program aims to spark excitement about STEM, university life, and the Vol community. In a recent interview, Dr. Mack shared her thoughts on the success of BOSS Day.
How has it evolved?

At first, we invited everyone in all the Knox County public schools, private schools, and middle school students. We quickly found out that our program wasn’t designed for middle school students, who didn’t have the capacity or energy for the conference we plan. During that evolution, we found it difficult for BOSS to rely on individual families to show up – and parents came too, because they had to bring their children! We had generally low numbers of enrollment and even lower numbers of attendees.

In 2017, we began our illustrious partnership with CAPS, which is now the ERO Center, and our attendance has more than tripled – consistently. We now serve between 100 and 150 students, who have reliable transportation and food during the day while they’re here to assure that their basic needs are met so they can better engage with our curriculum. The internal support from the libraries and from the campus has also strengthened throughout the years. We have been able to become a strong, viable, and impactful conference over the years !

What do you love about BOSS?

Everything! What I love the most is sharing the power of BOSS. Sharing the planning and execution of the conference with my students and colleagues allows us to continue to do exceptional work. It amazes me each year that BOSS is able to improve. We use the same foundational methodology and concept – to share the benefit of libraries with our community of high school students – but our momentum enables us to perform each year better than the last. I attribute that to the collaborative nature of BOSS, and our developing relationships with our community members.

Extra Reflection
I believe this collaborative conference has given BOSS a presence with the communities that our Libraries serve. For the most part, BOSS is all about the students. We plan and execute each conference taking into account a great deal of student input and feedback, and I sincerely hope that the students who attend BOSS in their high school years feel our efforts in putting together this program for them. I hope that they are able to tell that all of our hard work and many hours we sink into planning the program is for their enjoyment, edification, and education futures.

Leigh Elkins & Amy Asbury
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Upward Bound Math and Science