Mary Brow
MABE alumna Mary Brow has returned to her alma mater to head up the new Integrated Business and Engineering Program (IBEP), a cross-discipline learning experience for undergraduate students in business and engineering.
The Tickle College of Engineering and Haslam College of Business have partnered to create the new program, which officially launched this fall. Through the program, students will be studying how to apply engineering processes in a business setting.
As director, Brow’s responsibilities include building the curriculum by getting new courses added to the system; developing program-specific courses; scheduling co-curricular activities; working with companies to find summer internships for the students; and raising awareness about the program both on and off campus.
Brow, who received her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2007 and graduated from the Professional MBA Program in the Haslam College of Business in 2016, is excited to be back at UT and leading IBEP.
“It feels great to be working with the two colleges I received degrees from,” said Brow. “It is really nice to be familiar with the curriculum, campus, and faculty and staff.”
Before joining UT, Brow worked in the medical device industry for over 10 years, starting out as a development engineer and then advancing to management positions.
“With the growing responsibilities I had in those positions, it became clear that knowing the engineering side of the equation wasn’t enough if I wanted to make a true impact on the company. This real-world experience has a direct correlation to knowing what to include in IBEP.”
Brow envisions IBEP helping students understand how companies work above and beyond engineering roles; equipping them with the skills to communicate with non-engineers; teaching them how to consider aspects of problem solving in addition to traditional science; and building professionalism.
Brow welcomes the opportunity to speak to anyone interested in the program.
“Alumni participation in this program will be extremely valuable. If you are interested in participating as a speaker, mentor, providing internships, hosting site visits, or any other way, please contact me.”
Brow can be reached at marybrow@utk.edu or 865-974-2454.