ME-EM
Alumni NewsBrief
April
2006
Greetings from William (Bill) W. Predebon, Chair, Department
of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. This
NewsBrief contains the latest
news and accomplishments from the Department. It will
be sent electronically to all alumni for whom we have
an email address. Our plan is to send it out quarterly.
For the latest news and information about our faculty,
students, staff, and alumni please visit our web site
Department
News or the Alumni
News Page or the Alumni
Page
ME-EM NewsBrief
Vol. 2, No 1, April 2006
Upcoming Events, all alumni are welcome to
participate.
Alumni Reunion, August 3-5th, 2006.
MEEM will again host a MEEM Alumni Boat Cruise down
the Portage Canal from 1-4 p.m. This COMPLIMENTARY cruise
includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and is for alumni
and their families. As this event is usually very popular,
we ask that you sign up early by calling Kathy at (906)
487-2911 or via email: kagoulet@mtu.edu. We promise
to have you back in time for the Pasty Picnic.
Michigan Tech is again preparing to host the Michigan
Youth Engineering and Science (YES!) Expo,
set for Nov. 2 at Detroit's Ford Field. This event attracts
thousands of middle- and high-school students. Dozens
of colleges, universities, corporations and agencies
will be on hand to inspire students to consider careers
in engineering, science and other technology-related
fields. Last fall, YES! Expo attracted more than 40
companies, 25 colleges and universities and about two
dozen organizations ranging from NASA to the Ann Arbor
Hands-on Museum, along with more than 12,500 secondary
school students.
Past Events
A MEEM/MTU Alumni Reception was held at the 2006 International
Mechanical Engineering Education Conference jointly
sponsored by ASME and the Chinese Mechanical Engineering
Society (CMES) in Beijing, China on April 2, 2006.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering
Mechanics and the Keweenaw Research Center at Michigan
Technological University hosted the 2006 SAE
Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) on March 13-18.
The Huskies Pep Band performed as house band for the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Final
Five Tournament in St. Paul, March 16-18. WCHA
officials noted in their invitation that the Pep Band,
with its trademark striped overalls, zany hats and entertaining
style, is known to hockey fans from coast to coast.
Upcoming Travel
Dr. Predebon will be traveling to the following cities
this coming summer:
Week of 5/22/06 - Washington DC for a Michigan Tech
Fund Board meeting
Week of 6/12/06 -- Chicago IL for the ASME Conference
Week of 7/24/06 -- Boston MA for a seminar
When on travel for the Department, Dr. Predebon visits
with alumni to discuss department issues. Please let
the Department know if you would be available for a
visit when he is in your area. (906) 487-2911.
Alumni Accomplishments/Awards
It is my intent to highlight alumni accomplishments
on a regular basis. I would like to hear from you and
about your accomplishments and those of other MTU ME-EM
alumni. Please email me this information at wwpredeb@mtu.edu.
Constantinos A. Balaras (BSME '84)
was promoted to Research Director with tenure at the
Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable
Development, National Observatory of Athens. He is leading
the Group Energy Conservation. He was also elected Fellow
of the ASME in 2004 and received the ASHRAE Distinguished
Service Award in 2006.
Glen Barna (MSME '90), Paul LaVigne
(MSME '89), and Dan Kempppainen at IR Telemetrics were
granted a successful provisional patent application
titled 'Microwave Data Telemetry for Marine Container
Security'.
Curtis Fortier (BSME '91 and MSME
'94) was the guest star on ABC's Rodney show on Tuesday,
February 7, 2006.
James C. Gerdeen (BSME '59) is the
co-author of Engineering Design with Polymers and Composites.
The book also contains material from Dr. Harold
W. Lord (deceased) former MTU faculty member
and the first Chair of the MEEM Department. The ISBN
of the book is 0-8247-2379-1.
Melanie Giasson (BSME '02), Safety
Performance Department at General Motors was recently
selected as the winner of SAE's A World in Motion Volunteer
of the Year. Read
the article
David Hill (BSME '65), who was the
Chief Engineer for the Chevrolet Corvette, which was
voted the 'Best Engineered Vehicle of 2005', retired
from GM in January, 2006.
Carl R. Smith (BSME '84) has been
appointed to vice president of engineering and manufacturing
with executive responsibility for all engineering and
manufacturing processes and regulatory systems activities
across all Defensive Systems Division locations at Northrop
Grumman Corporation.
Jerry Stoddard (BSME '95) and Kyle
Madison(BSME '96) received the prestige Presidents Award
for Innovation from Tennant Company in May 2005. The
award was given for the successful development and launch
of a new way of cleaning carpets, ReadySpace TM.
Kimberly (Passerello) Turner (BSME
'94) was selected for induction into MTUs Presidential
Council of Alumnae. Induction was April 20, 2006 at
MTU.
Dr. Terry Woychowski (BSME '78) has
been appointed as the General Motors Key Executive to
Michigan Technological University.
University News/Awards
Michigan Tech has been listed among the nation's best-value
undergraduate institutions by The Princeton Review.
The guide profiles 150 colleges with excellent academics,
generous financial aid packages and relatively low costs.
It includes 103 public and 47 private colleges in 40
states. Other research universities that made the list
include Georgia Tech, Purdue, North Carolina State,
University of California at Berkley, and Texas A&M.
U.S. News & World Report's 'America's Best
Graduate Schools 2007' has ranked five Michigan
Tech graduate engineering programs among the best in
the country. The programs are Mechanical Engineering,
Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences, Environmental Engineering,
and Materials Science and Engineering.
'On Skid Row,' a playful article about the Keweenaw
Research Center's Winter Driving School, appeared in
the March 14 Christian Science Monitor. New York writer
Harry Bruinius also affectionately profiles Winter Carnival
and our up-north culture. Read more at http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0314/p20s01-lign.html
.
Russ Alger, director of Michigan Tech's
Institute of Snow Research, was mentioned in the February
2006 issue of PRISM. Alger's invention SafeLane, a road
coating to make de-icers more effective, was featured
in the article 'Slippery Solution' in the Transportation
section.
Michigan Tech was also mentioned in the February 2006
PRISM in a side bar, 'Study Abroad,' in the article
'A Surprising Shortage.' The article references Tech
as one of the universities to have a formal study abroad
link with the Manipal Institute of Technology in India.
Dean of the College of Engineering, Robert
Warrington will be stepping down in August,
at the end of his current appointment. Warrington has
served as dean since 1996.
Michigan Tech students will be featured in the April
21-23, 2006 issue of USA Weekend magazine for their
community service in conjunction with Make a Difference
Day that was held on October 22, 2005.
The Winter Baja competition was held Saturday, February
18, 2006 at Lake Linden, MI. Michigan Tech placed 8th
overall out of 17 teams. View pictures and individual
results at: http://www.me.mtu.edu/baja/website/winter_baja.htm.
On Feb. 10, 2006, Michigan Tech students rolled up
a 6 feet, 9 inches in diameter snowball getting them
into the record books. Two other records were broken
with 1,791 snow angels being made and 3,084 snowballs
thrown. Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry
and Michigan Tech President Glenn Mroz were
on hand to throw out the first ceremonial snowballs.
A link to pictures of the event is at: http://www.mtu.edu/carnival/index.html
Department Accomplishments
Our Graduate Program is ranked 50th (top 31%) nationally
and 3rd in Michigan among 163 doctoral granting Mechanical
Engineering Departments in the U.S. by the 2007 U.S.
News & World Report: America's Best Graduate Schools
and our Undergraduate Program is ranked 25th (top 16%)
nationally and 2nd in Michigan among 148 doctoral granting
Mechanical Engineering Departments in the U.S. by the
2005 U.S. News & World Report: America's Best Colleges.
This is the 3rd year our ME-EM Graduate Program is ranked
in the top 50 in the U.S.
NSF ranked the ME-EM Department 29th in Research Expenditures
in FY2003 with $6.127 Million among all Mechanical Engineering
Departments in the U.S.
Our Undergraduate Program is currently 3rd in the U.S.
and 1st in Michigan in BSME degrees granted. We have
been in the top 5 in this category for the past 22 consecutive
years.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering
Mechanics and the Keweenaw Research Center at Michigan
Technological University will host the 2007 SAE Clean
Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) in March 2007 (date to be
announced soon) and has hosted it for the last 4 years.
Faculty Retirements
Dr. Harold Evensen, Associate Chair
and Director of Undergraduate Studies, teaches graduate
and professional courses in dynamic measurements, signal
processing, industrial noise control, and vehicle noise,
vibration, and harshness (NVH). Dr. Evensen is retiring
after 36 years of service.
Dr. John Ligon, is a co-developer
of the field of phytomechanics, which is concerned with
applying analytical and experimental mechanics to the
study of plants. Dr. Ligon is retiring after 35 years
of service.
Dr. Dae Young, who was transferred
to the MEEM Department two years ago from the Mining
Engineering Department, will retire after 24 years of
service. His areas of expertise includes Geomechanics,
Geostatistics, and Space-Based Technology Applications
for Geotechnical Site Characterizations.
Faculty Accomplishments/Awards
Dr. Tammy Haut Donahue, has been awarded
the Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnson Jr. Outstanding
New Mechanics Educator Award for 2006. Presented by
the American Society of Engineering Education, this
award recognizes exceptional contributions to mechanics
education. It will be presented to her at the ASEE Annual
Conference on June 20, 2006 in Chicago, IL.
Dr. L. Brad King was awarded the
2006 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Ralph R.
Teetor Education Award in the Aerospace Category.
Dr. Mohan D. Rao (ME-EM) was recently
elected a Fellow, both of the Society of Automotive
Engineers International and of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers. The ASME Fellow grade of membership
recognizes exceptional achievements and contributions
to the engineering profession. SAE Fellowship recognizes
outstanding engineering and scientific accomplishments
by an individual that have resulted in meaningful advances
in automotive, aerospace and commercial vehicle technology.
The Center for Environmentally Benign Functional Materials
was established within the Sustainable Futures Institute.
The CEBFM Director is Dr. Ghatu Subhash,
MEEM Department.
Faculty and Student Invention Disclosures for
2005
*Indicates MEEM faculty member, ( ) indicates student
contributor
-*Jeffrey S. Allen - 'Oscillation of water droplets
for enhanced water removal from the gas flow channels
of fuel cells'
-Tony N. Rogers, *Burhanettin S. Altan, Allan Jerome
- 'Mixed reactant molecular screen fuel cell'
-*Carl L. Anderson - 'Method and apparatus for detecting
boiling and estimating applied heat flux inside closed
vessels.'
-*Carl L. Anderson - 'Ethanol fuel injection for cold
start'
-Paul Bergstrom, Sarah Green, *Michele Miller, Haiying
Liu, *Gordon G. Parker, *Bernhard Bettig, *Henry Sodano
- 'MEMS Vapor Sensor for detecting biological warfare
agents'
-*Bernhard Bettig - 'Control over Projection using Head
Tracking - Control over Projection using Head Tracking
for a Desktop Virtual Reality System'
-*Jason R. Blough, *John E. Beard, (Paul Rosso) - 'A
variable displacement and compression ratio engine'
-*Amitabh Narain, (Tian Ng), (Anna Siemionko) - 'Fluorescence
based real time thickness sensor for liquid films'
-*Gopal Jayaraman, (P Gratton), Roger C. Haut, E. Meyers
- 'Improved automotive knee bolster (IAKB) 'Concave
knee bolster'
-*Gopal Jayaraman, (Thomas Piaget), Allan Struthers,
(Jeffrey Kemppainen) -'Automotive tie rod bumper system'
-*Gopal Jayaraman, Allan Struthers, Aranggan Venkataratna,
*Josh Loukus - 'Electric staple remover or De-stapler'
-*Kee Moon - 'Smart control system for suppressing boom
oscillation in heavy hydraulic equipment'
-*Song-Lin Yang, (Ka Heng Liew), (Egel Urip), Jack D.
Mattingly, Cecil J. Marek - 'Aerothermodynamic cycle
analysis for a turbofan engine with interstage turbine
burner'
-(Timothy Gumm), (Justin Keske), (Derek Barnes) - 'Scooter
with variable eccentric axle'
Student Competitions and Team Awards
Michigan Tech's Clean Snowmobile Team nabbed the Society
of Automotive Engineers Best Design Award in the 2006
Clean Snowmobile Challenge held March 13-18th 2006.
The best-design award is based on the team's performance
in the oral presentation, static display and written
paper categories. Michigan Tech finished sixth in the
Challenge, the same rank as in 2005, but with a better
snowmobile. Read
more and see pictures and movie clips
MEEM Teams took first, second, third place and honorable
mention in the Senior Design category at the MTU
Undergraduate Expo 'Create the Future: Exploration in
Excellence' held April 13th on the MTU campus.
Enterprise teams, Senior Design project teams and undergraduate
researchers participated in the Expo. The goal of the
Undergraduate Exposition is to provide an opportunity
for students to present their research, design and independent
study projects. Students will gain professional experience
and build their resumes through direct exposure to real
world problems and competitiveness. The MEEM Teams are:
First place project: 'Noise Control' was sponsored
by Terex Handlers. The team members
are Peter Bryson, Matthew Kero, Christopher
Lockwood, Stephen Polzien, Christopher Rokke
and their advisor is Dr. Jaime Camelio.
Second place project: 'Automatically Indexing Tool Holder'
was sponsored by Endres Machining Innovations.
The team members are John Armstead, Casey Coolich,
Andrew Fenderbosch, Jonathan Granstrom, Jeremy Rickli
and their advisor is Dr. Jaime Camelio.
Third place project: 'Casting Optimization' was sponsored
by Kurdziel Industries. Team Members
are Martin Kamensky, Daniel Mayo, Christopher
McNalley, Timothy Reevs, Jillian Rothe, Adam Thielsen
and their advisor is Dr. Mahesh Gupta
Honorable mention project: 'HVAC Noise Control Test
Stand' was sponsored by Caterpillar.
Team members are Kevin Christian, Derek Fultz,
Joseph Hernandez, Jessica Strickland and their
advisor is Professor Charles Van Karsen.
More on the Expo can be seen at: http://www.doe.mtu.edu/expo/index.html.
Student Accomplishments/Awards
Steven R. Anton was selected by the
MEEM faculty as the Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Engineering Mechanics Scholar for 2006.
Undergraduate ME student, Sam Barros,
when asked by kVA Effects in Los Angeles, helped design
the high voltage display used by Mercedes Benz to roll
out their sporty new sedan. Sam gained his reputation
in show business by designing an electrical stunt on
NBC's 'Fear Factor' in January of 2005.
Kristina Owen, ME student and member
of the Michigan Tech Nordic skiing team finished 9th
in the five-kilometer classic of the NCAA national Collegiate
Skiing Championships at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs,
CO on March 9, 2006.
The following ME-EM students are recipients of the Summer
Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) which provides
a stipend to support Michigan Tech students in conducting
research over the summer:
* Adam Brown, working with Associate
Professor Jeffrey Naber (ME-EM), won
$2,800 for 'Characterization and Optimization of Combustion
in High Content Ethanol Fuels'
* Ryan Essex, working with Associate
Professor Gordon Parker (ME-EM), won
$2,800 for 'US Navy Crane Ship, Crane Pay Load Motion
Damping'
* Tara Hansen, working with Assistant
Professor Tammy Haut Donahue (ME-EM),
won $2,800 for 'The Effect of Disuse on Matrix Production
in the Knee Joint'
William W. Predebon, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
Phone No.: 906-487-2551
Fax No.: 906-487-2822
E-mail: wwpredeb@mtu.edu
|
