A long-time Cheatham County family business joined the UT System’s Everywhere You Look, UT mural campaign. Shearon Construction, operated by Tyler Shearon on his family’s farm, added a 50-foot mural to a former tobacco barn that will be seen by nearly 9,500 passersby each day.
Shearon is related to the late Lady Vols basketball coach, Pat Summitt; his grandfather, Robert Head, and Summitt’s father, Richard Head, were first cousins.
The barn, once slated for demolition, was preserved for the project.
“We were getting ready to tear it down,” says Shearon. “But, once this opportunity came along, it just felt right to keep it.”
Cheatham County became the 70th county in the campaign, which aims to place murals in all 95 Tennessee counties.
UT Hires Two Governor’s Chairs
Deep Jariwala and Orlando Rojas are the latest additions to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Tennessee’s Governor’s Chair program. This program takes the nation’s top scientists and provides them with joint appointments at both organizations, where they work to broaden research partnerships.
Jariwala has a joint appointment with quantum devices and the UT Knoxville Tickle College of Engineering, while Rojas is focused on circular biomaterials and is the first Governor’s Chair based in the UT Institute of Agriculture.
Jariwala is a nationally recognized leader in quantum materials and advanced electronics. He brings an extensive research record in the next generation of computing and quantum device technologies, with multiple patents. Rojas is a globally recognized pioneer in sustainable materials science who works on transforming biomass into high-value, nature-inspired materials with applications in sustainable manufacturing, environmental technologies, biomedical systems and energy storage.
UT Participates in Auto Showcase
UT exhibited at the 2026 Auto Tech Showcase in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, to highlight its work in mobility, transportation and automotive across its campuses and institutes.
This event convenes global innovators from auto manufacturers, suppliers and software companies, as well as electric vehicle battery and autonomous vehicles producers to demonstrate the latest technologies to federal agencies, policymakers and company officials.
UT System, UT Knoxville, UT Chattanooga and the Institute for Public Service’s Center for Industrial Services sent representatives. In 2025, the UT System joined the alliance as an inaugural university since automotive and transportation are significant industry sectors in Tennessee. UT Knoxville and UT Chattanooga researchers are working on two projects with the alliance.