Texas Theme Park Engineering and Design (TxTPED), is an organization that's dedicated to exposing students to the opportunities within the Themed Entertainment industry, as well as building semesterly projects for the UT community.
We host meetings with speakers from themed entertainment companies, participate in design competitions, go on behind-the-scenes tours of theme parks, escape rooms, and more! Our mission is to support students from all majors to explore their options within the themed entertainment industry and discover atypical career options within their degrees. |
Jon Siemon
President Jon is a 4th year Mechanical Engineering major. He says, “I love TPED because I met some of my best friends here! TPED has been the motivation behind my degree and my career, and has provided me with so many great opportunities that will set me up for success after I graduate!” His goals are to work as a ride engineer once he graduates. |
Sandhya Iyer
External Vice President Sandhya is a 3rd year Arts and Entertainment Technologies major. She says, “I love the people and the projects!! I’ve met so many talented role models and friends in this organization, and getting the chance to take on the leadership roles in the projects has given me the chance to see a guest experience through from development to execution while learning new skills.” She wishes to work on the creative side of themed experience design, where she will bring art and technology together to tell stories. |
Emily Regner
Internal Vice President Emily is a 4th year Mechanical Engineering major. She says, “My favorite part of TPED is the projects.” She is planning to work in construction on either the design or scheduling side. |
Krista McLeod
Project Chair Krista is a 4th year Arts and Entertainment Technologies major. She says, “My favorite part of TPED is the people and all the friends I’ve made. It’s such a sweet community of diverse yet like minded people and I love how everyone is passionate, driven and fun to be around”. After graduation, she hopes to work in live entertainment. |
Catherine Capurso
Treasurer Catherine is a 2nd year Mechanical Engineering major. She says that “My favorite part of TPED is working with all of the members to create a bigger project at the end of the semester. I love hearing different perspectives and seeing our hard work come to fruition.” Her goal once she graduates is to work in the themed entertainment industry as an engineer. |
Ollie Mae Harrison
Secretary Ollie Mae is a 2nd Mechanical Engineering major. She says, “I love TPED because I found people with similar interests to me. I’ve loved my time here because I’ve finally been able to really dive into the industry and I’m able to see what’s ahead of me”. She hopes to work in the themed entertainment industry after she graduates. |
Gabriel Gomez Reyes
Outreach Chair Gabriel “Gibby” is a 3rd year Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in Scenic Technology. He says, “I have loved coming up with fun projects with everyone and learning new creative ways to achieve the unachievable.” He is still unsure of what he wants to do when he graduates, but he is exploring his options. |
David Trevino
Social Chair David is a 2nd year Honors Computational Engineering and BS Mathematics. He says, “I love TxTPED for its community as everyone is very welcoming and encouraging. Additionally, I enjoy creating projects, like the escape room and giant board games, and game guiding since you get to experience firsthand the effort that goes into making the build and the reaction of people once they run through your project.” |
In 2022, we officially changed our name from Texas Theme Park Engineering Group (TxTPEG) to Texas Theme Park Engineering and Design (TxTPED).
This change was discussed with our members during the Spring of 2022 and implemented over the Summer of 2022. Our organization is welcoming to ALL majors, not just engineers. The new name helps reflect that, and we hope it will continue to help us create a more inclusive environment for everyone with a passion for theme parks and themed entertainment! |