佩里西比州立大学的父子教授二人组影响着下一代工程师

As the academic coordinator for Pellissippi State Community College’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.

在橡树岭国家实验室工作后，Terry被教学的动手性质和指导进入高要求工程领域的学生的机会所吸引。 当机械工程技术项目需要兼职讲师时，他联系了一个他很熟悉的人。

“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.

对老特里来说，看着儿子步入领导层既熟悉又惊讶。 他回忆说，他的儿子在很小的时候就很有创造力，经常用乐高积木组装精致的结构。

“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.”

现在，作为密西西比州立大学的讲师，迈克尔·特里将几十年的制造和工程经验带入课堂，同时也以新的眼光看待他的儿子。

“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.”

对于谢恩·特里来说，这段经历强调了与你关心的人分享有意义的工作的价值。

“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. 该计划强调应用学习和行业一致的认证，帮助毕业生直接进入劳动力市场

Michael Terry带来了他在运营和工程领域数十年的领导经验，而教学似乎是他的下一个篇章。

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

作为一名教授，回到上世纪90年代他开始自己的旅程的地方，对特里来说是一种怀旧。

“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.”