Brent Stucker, Tony Whitmore and Kevin Womack, faculty members in USU’s College of Engineering, have received prestigious honors this year for their work.
Utah State University has been included in the institutions to receive funding from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2009. The funding, provided to the NRC via Congress, will be used to boost nuclear education and expand the workforce in nuclear and nuclear-related disciplines.
Representatives from ATK recently presented a $5,000 check to Utah State University’s Chimaera rocket team – one of the perks of winning the grand prize at NASA’s University Student Launch Initiative competition in April.
The MeV summer school is a brand new introduction to Idaho National Laboratories. This program is meant for engineers in the early stages of their careers; it acquaints them with advanced studies in integrated modeling, experimentation, and validation. The INL is planning to make it an annual occurrence, having a different focus each year. This year’s primary topics were thermal hydraulics, reactor physics, and safety analysis. Nuclear experts in these three areas come from around the globe to serve as lecturers for the school.
Brandon Wilson, a student pursuing his doctorate at USU, had the amazing opportunity to participate this summer. During the ‘poster session,’ he was given the opportunity to present his project work and research ideas to colleagues, lecturers, and mentors to receive immediate feedback. Wilson was awarded ‘Best Technical Poster.’
To read more about the MeV program, please see the official website: www.MeVSchool.org
This July, Jeff Boulware, a student pursuing his doctorate at USU, was awarded the 2009 Cryogenic Engineering Conference (CEC) Student Meritorious Paper Award. The award includes not only an impressive certificate, but also a check of $500. This winning paper was titled The Magnetohydrodynamic Response of Liquid Oxygen: Experimentation and Simulation.
“In short, my work is on the magnetic properties of liquid oxygen (LOX). Curie’s Law says that as a paramagnetic material cools down, its susceptibility increases. So, while oxygen at room temperature is fairly benign, once you cool it to -300F, its magnetic response is fairly strong. Magnetic fluids have been studied for decades, but nobody’s ever really done much with LOX. For space applications, LOX is already used in propellant, thermal, and life support systems, so if you could take advantage of its magnetic properties, you might be able to make some of these systems more efficient. Before the technology can get to that point though, the basic research must be conducted to establish a good foundation of its understanding. This is what my research is on,” says Jeff.
He has undoubtedly worked very hard and shown much dedication with this project. Congratulations to Jeff and his advisors, as well as his peers. Good luck in the future!
Utah State University Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering associate professor Brent Stucker was elected chairman of the Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies within ASTM International.
The college's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team just took the first-place prize at the 7th Annual Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Student Unmanned Aerial Systems Competition.
The Utah State University Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony took place on Friday May 1, 2009 in the Eccles Conference Center. The College of Engineering congratulates all of these students from the Army and the Air Force on their graduation and new commissions!
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is pleased to announce Dr. Thomas H. Fronk as MAE’s new Associate Department Head. This new position was created to help the Department manage its dynamic growth in student enrollment and research productivity over the past six years. Dr. Fronk has received numerous student nominated teaching awards; he was even selected as the 2009 College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher. “Although the details of his position are still being worked out, his duties will emphasize curriculum development and student relations,” says Dr. Byard Wood, Department Head. This change will go into effect July 1, 2009.
Congratulations to all members of USU’s Chimaera Rocket Team! Through their hard work and dedication, USU students have snagged FIRST PLACE for the 2nd consecutive year at NASA’s University Student Launch Initiative (USLI). WAY TO GO ROCKETEERS!
MAE is proud to announce the graduation of over 70 bachelor and master students from their program May 1 and 2, 2009. Graduate commencement and hooding ceremonies took place Friday afternoon in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum with families and friends attending. A reception held in the Engineering building Friday provided faculty, staff, along with graduates and their family time to celebrate.
Saturday’s portion of the undergraduate events commenced with a general assembly of all colleges as Senator Robert F. Bennett addressed the graduates- giving them advice for the future. Each college then separated to different locations for the actual award ceremonies.
Congratulations to all students who received degrees this past weekend! Good luck in your endeavors. Also, thank you goes out to all family as well as faculty members that have helped these students along the way.
Contending in the NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI) competition this week in Huntsville, Alabama was USU’s very own Chimaera rocket team. After almost a year’s work of designing, building, and testing their rocket (Pike), they were finally able to see it in action. The Pike launched on Saturday, April 18th along with 33 other opposing teams.
Although the overall winner of the USLI competition will not be announced until May 25, 2009, we are proud to report the rocket team’s successes thus far. Team Chimaera was awarded “Best Vehicle Design” as well as “Best Overall Documentation and Presentation” for their innovative rocket designs providing maximized safety and efficiency along with their outstanding efforts in writing and presenting over 400 pages of text. “We did well,” says project supervisor Dr. Stephen Whitmore, “With a good final report, I still feel we can win the whole enchilada.”
Nick Mckee, team member, described the contest saying, “The basic guidelines are to design and build a rocket that can deliver a scientific payload to an altitude of one mile, document the whole process, and promote math and science to youth… not only did we build a rocket, but we built the skills that each of us will utilize for the rest of our lives as mechanical and aerospace engineers… It has been the most difficult yet rewarding projects we, as engineers, have thus worked on, and we wouldn’t have given it up for anything.”
Dr. Yu was recognized as the 2009 College Researcher of the Year from the College of Engineering. Yu’s current research focus is on the modeling of adaptive materials and structures.
Karen Zobell just completed 25 years of service to Utah State University
and 18 years to the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department.
(Wow! She must have started when she was in middle
school.) Karen is a great multi-tasker. She is responsible for a
multitude of tasks that keep the Department running smoothly. She
maintains a "can do attitude" in working with faculty, students and
other staff. She never gets flustered when stressed with multiple
deadlines. We are all grateful for her dedicated service.
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) students left this week for Huntsville, Alabama to compete against 18 other universities in the college-level rocket launch competition. This competition is sponsored by Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) and hosted by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
The competition requires school teams to design, build and fly a reusable rocket carrying a scientific payload to exactly one mile in altitude. Each university will launch their rocket, but the final judging , done by scientists and engineers from NASA, will include the launch success as well as the design and documentation through MAE’s year-long project.
For more information about USLI and other NASA education programs, go to www.nasa.gov/education
Channel 4 News about the rocket team: VideoArticle
Always interested in space, NASA projects and mathematics, Jessica and Phillip Anderson, both seniors, decided on mechanical engineering with an emphasis in aerospace engineering for their major.
Justin Koeln attended the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Region VI Student Conference (where he presented a technical paper. He took first place for his presentation Bubble Behavior in Nucleate Boiling Experiment Aboard the Space Shuttle. This paper was coauthored by MAE’s PhD student Jeff Boulware and faculty member Dr. Heng Ban.
In addition to winning the $500 first place prize in the undergraduate category, he is invited to present and compete at the AIAA Foundation International Student Paper Conference in Orlando, Florida in January 2010.
Justin Koeln works in Dr. Heng Ban’s research group in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Great job Justin!
PhD student Jeffrey C. Boulware won 1st place in the poster and oral session of the 12th Annual Intermountain Graduate Research Symposium which took place in the Taggart Student Center just last week. Jeff works at the SDL on the Tomorrow Fellowship and won for his work on the Cryogenic Experimentation on the Magnetohydrodynamics of Liquid Oxygen. The awards for the symposium were split by each college, but Jeff was the only one to win both categories out of over 100 graduate students from USU, University of Idaho, BYU, and Idaho State University.
Along with his faculty mentor, Dr. Heng Ban of the MAE dept., Jeff is working with Scott Jensen and Steve Wassom to determine the viability of liquid oxygen as a working fluid. Liquid oxygen, or “LOX”, has a very strong paramagnetic susceptibility and is an ideal candidate for a thermomechanical system driven by magnetic forces instead of moving parts. If successful, eliminating the moving parts will drastically increase the system’s reliability and robustness. Way to go Jeff!
During his nights and weekends, Jeff mentors MAE sophomore Justin Koeln on data analysis for an experiment which flew on the Space Shuttle in December 2001. The experiment was designed, built, and flown by USU’s Get-Away Special team, but was never thoroughly analyzed after returning to Earth. Justin presented his results on thin-wire nucleate boiling at the AIAA Region VI Student Conference in March and walked away with 1st place! As his award, Justin received $500, will have his paper published, and gets to present at the Aerospace Sciences Meeting in Orlando next January. Way to go Justin!
Student Showcase was the highlight of USU’s Undergraduate Research Day. Students gave oral presentations and displayed posters throughout the day, offering audience members the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about each student’s individual research topic.
Hey students! In case you haven’t already heard, this week is Research Week sponsored by the Research Office Vice President, and there is a TON of great stuff going on!
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is well represented by Graduate and Undergraduate students alike. Representing the MAE Undergraduates on March 31st will be:
Jed Butler- The Effects of the Electric Double Layer (EDL) in Micro- and Nano-sized Pipettes
Lucas Anderson- Suspension of Nanoparticles in Cryogenic Fluids
Phillip Anderson- Development of a CubeSat Pico-Satellite
Sarah Isert- Design of Lunar Heat Flow Probe
Justin Koeln- Bubble Behavior in Nucleate Boiling Experiment Aboard the Space Shuttle & Microgravity Experiments for the ISS
Troy Munro- Photoelectric Charging by Ultraviolet Light of a Lunar Dust Simulant in a Microgravity Environment
Graduate lectures will be given Wednesday afternoon, April 1st, in the Sunburst Lounge. Those presenting from MAE include:
Brandon Fox- In-Pile Thermal Conductivity Measurement Method for Nuclear Fuels at 2:00
Jeffrey C. Boulware- Cryogenic Experimentation on the Magnetohydrodynamics of Liquid Oxygen at 2:15
Eli Wilson- Streambed Thermal Property Instrument at 2:45
Zilong Hua- Thermal Effusivity Measurement by Photothermal Method at 3:00
Ryan Z. Davis- Investigation on Mixing and Mass Transfer with Different Baffle and Impeller Configurations in a Stirred Fermentor at 3:15
Zhuorui Song- Electric Double Layer in Nano-Flow at 3:30
Those graduate students submitting poster presentations are: Nathan Fuller-Transmitted Nuclear Fuels: Electromotive Force Measurement, Colby Jensen-TRISO Fuel Compact Thermal Conductivity Measurement, and Peter Zamke- Thermodynamic Analysis of a Full-Scale Anaerobic Digestion Process.
We’d like to invite all faculty and students to attend! Come support Utah State Research! For more information on this event, check out the website- http://researchweek.usu.edu/
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) was one of four finalists for the Department Teaching Excellence Award. A presentation by faculty and students was given to the selection committee March 4, 2009. The established evaluation criteria for the award included: 1) Commitment to sustained excellence in teaching and learning; 2) Ongoing assessment and improvement of teaching and learning quality; 3) Faculty development for teaching; 4) Provision of resources for students; 5) Linking discovery, creative activity, and engagement with teaching and learning for the benefit of students.
Several MAE students took on the task of making a video presentation about why MAE is deserving of the Department Teaching Excellence Award.
The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace (MAE) Engineering at Utah State University has welcomed Assistant Professor Dr. Dhirendra Kubair as their newest faculty member. Dr. Kubair received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the India Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
His current research is in cohesive modeling of dynamic fracture mechanics. His strong background in research and will be an asset to his students and MAE. MAE is pleased to have Dr. Kubair.
The Utah Engineer’s Council has selected MAE department’s Dr. Stephen Whitmore for the Engineering Educator Award for 2009. Dr. Whitmore was the AIAA’s nominee for this award. This honor reflects Dr. Whitmore’s success as an educator and researcher at Utah State’s MAE department. He is one of the many outstanding faculty of MAE being honored this year for pursuit of excellence. More information: http://www.engineering.usu.edu/htm/engineering-news/news-articles/articleID=4205
Dr. Barton Smith, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), was chosen as the MAE department’s Graduate Outstanding Mentor. Dr. Smith went on to represent the MAE department in the College of Engineering where he received the Advising Excellence Award for 2009. He will go forward to represent the College of Engineering in Utah State University’s (USU) Robin Awards.
Dr. Smith has devoted much time and effort to aiding engineering students both in the classroom and outside. His dedication to his students and his profession has made him a valuable asset to students, MAE, and USU. Dr. Smith is an example of the caliber of educators and researchers within the MAE department.
Mechanical and Aerospace (MAE) Engineering’s Dr. Wenbin Yu was chosen to receive the department’s Outstanding Researcher Ward. Dr. Yu also received the College of Engineering’s Research Excellence Award for 2009. He will now represent the college in Utah State University’s (USU) Robin Awards.
Dr. Yu’s research and theories have been widely published in engineering journals. He is an integral part of MAE’s exceptional faculty, and his cutting edge theories and sound research are part of MAE’s state of the art research department.
Dr. Thomas Fronk, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), was selected by MAE students as the Outstanding Teacher of 2009. This honor paved the way for Dr. Fronk to receive the College of Engineering’s Teaching Excellence Award and he will now represent the College in Utah State University’s (USU) Robin Awards.
Dr. Fronk’s passion for teaching is recognized by his students, as is his knowledge of the subjects he teaches. He is a valued faculty member of MAE because of his dedication to educating a new generation of engineers who have received a quality education that fully prepares them for careers in their chosen field.
During Education Week at Utah State University, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering named Wayne Clark, of HyPerComp Engineering, the Distinguished Alumni Award. Alma P. Moser, Emeritus Associate Dean, was given the Distinguished Service Award. Both addressed the students, faculty, and alumni at the MAE Awards Ceremony Friday, February 20, 2009.
Dr. Moser retired from USU after serving 46 years as an outstanding teacher, researcher, administrator, author and elected public official. As Department Head and Associate Dean for 30 years he played key roles in the development of both the department and the College of Engineering. His message to those attending was his own years of service have come naturally as a result of taking ownership of each situation. He shared with students that job success will increase if you say “this is my company, my department’ and service in the community and to school will come from saying 'this is my department, my city.'
Wayne Clark’s message was valuable to students earning their B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering at USU. As the Director of Operations for HyPerComp Engineering, Inc. and Onyx Technologies, LLC., he gave valuable help to those attending with four important things for engineer’s success:
Volunteer for jobs at work. Use initiative to stand out and volunteer.
Grow some elephant hide. Many situations can be difficult in the work place. "Don’t take things personally." You will grow if you can take criticism.
Design for Practibility . Think through the entire design process and understand what you are working with (like manufacturing tolerance, etc.). Better design is keeping the entire process in mind for a better, safer, faster, and cheaper production.
BE ETHICAL. There will be times when all will be confronted with a choice. Do the right thing and your career will show for it.
Many others were recognized at the awards for their academic achievements:
Years ago, Kirt Moser graduated from Utah State University with a Master of Science degree in engineering. Now, he is considered an expert in space systems engineering and space technology and has accomplished many great things. Working for the Aerospace Corps after graduation, Moser spent time at both Edwards Air Force Base and Kirtland Air Force Base in the Space Test Program. According to an article from NDEP, Kirtland Air Force Base also allowed Moser the opportunity to direct the 230-person spacecraft technology division that is spread over 10 major facilities.
As if this accomplishment wasn’t enough, Moser was also given the extraordinary chance to work on a shuttle mission. “During the eight day STS-39 flight, he was the primary payload’s systems engineer on the console at the payload operations center in Houston.” About his experience, Moser stated: “That was the thrill of a lifetime. The opportunity to do stuff like that is built on small decisions you make when you are young. Do I take calculus? Do I take advanced math and physics? You don’t realize the doors those decisions will open later. I was very fortunate to have adults and mentors who helped influence my decisions and guided me to take the right classes and to take advantage of the right opportunities and be in the right place.”
Kirt Moser is son of Dr. Al Moser who is now retired from USU after 46 years of service.
Dr. Stephen A. Whitmore is one of 5 finalists nominated for Utah Engineering Educator of the Year. The award will be given at the annual Utah Engineers Council (UEC) Engineers Week Banquet mid-February.
Utah State University is one of four universities in the nation selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory to conduct a nuclear energy experiment. Leading the USU experiment is Heng Ban, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Mechanical and Aerospace engineering students on the 2008 University Student Launch Initiative team (USLI), were on hand to watch the Space Shuttle Endeavour launch on it's mission to the International Space Station.
http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/ Click on the DLiNfo Channel button on the left menu bar to watch the webcast.
Join Damon Talley of NASA's Kennedy Space Center live, November 14, 2008 at the launch site for a live launch/mission briefing of STS-126. Endeavour's mission to the International Space Station starts spectacularly with what should be a gorgeous night launch!
2008 winners of NASA's USLI (University Student Launch Initiative) from Utah State University will be attending the launch and will be interviewed live during the webcast.
Email your questions and receive answers live during the program. The webcast begins at 6:55 pm EST and continues through the launch at 7:55 pm EST. Click theDLiNfo Channel link to the left on this page to gain your front row seat!
Elizabeth D. Sellers, manager of the the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho Operations Office, visited Utah State, the College of Engineering, and the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department on Thursday, November 6, 2008.
Elizabeth Sellers, Manager of U.S. Department of Energy at the Idaho Operations Office, will present a seminar at Utah State University Thursday, November 6, 2008, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in Eccles Conference Center (ECC), Room 205. The topic will be Nuclear in Relation to Energy, Environment and the Economy.
Engineering State (for high school juniors) was hosted this summer by
the College of Engineering. This exposure to engineering topics helps
high school students learn more about engineering careers and degree
choices at Utah State University (USU). Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering (MAE) participated by providing workshops or "challenge
sessions" to students who attended.
MAE's challenge sessions included:
Advanced Manufacturing
This session introduced students to computer-controlled manufacturing
processes with examples of what can be made. Using ultrasonic energy
and/or lasers, advanced manufacturing techniques are used at USU to add
material together into complex three-dimensional shapes. Students
learned how these technologies were used to make composite materials,
satellite structures and biomedical implants. Computer modeling helped
students obtain a better understanding of how parts made with these
processes perform in engineering applications.
Baja Buggies
The Baja Buggies session introduced students to the design process that
takes place when entering the Mini Baja competition. Topics included:
fund raising, 3-D computer models, simple and complex analyses of
components, experiments to test components, late nights in the machine
shop, success and failures in the competition, and design features
critical to winning first place at the national competition and best
vehicle of the year.
Wind and Wings
In the Wind and Wings session, students were introduced to basic
aerodynamics and aircraft stability. With this knowledge they designed
their own aircraft out of balsa wood. These aircraft were then flown in
a wind tunnel. In the wind tunnel the students witnessed first-hand how
small design changes affect the overall stability and performance of
their aircraft.
Hybrid Rocket
This session explained the basic concepts of hybrid rocket propulsion,
and provided hands on experience in building small scale hybrid rockets.
Hybrid rockets combine two fuels in different states of matter, usually
solid and a liquid, to produce thrust. After the brief demonstration of
the competition rocket, participants were able to make their own rocket
out of a combination of oxygen gas and caramel as fuel.
MAE curriculum at USU provides a strong exposure to the broad based
disciplines of Mechanical Engineering while studying in areas of
AEROSPACE, MECHANICS, MANUFACTURING, MATERIALS and THERMAL/FLUID
SCIENCES. Engineering at USU enjoys a national and international
reputation due to close affiliation of both students and faculty with
USU's Space Dynamics Laboratory. Those pursuing the Aerospace option
are also well rounded in mechanical engineering fundamentals and are
qualified for careers in other arenas as well. The same basic
principles used to design jet engines, satellites or spacecraft are also
applicable in the design of solar collectors, recycling plants, or
windmills.
Two separate Mechanical Engineering teams from USU tied for first place in the 2008 Direct Digital Manufacturing Competition. Direct digital manufacturing (or rapid manufacturing) can produce any shape component. Student teams were asked to create a fully working prototype for an aftermarket automotive car part, completing their design within a CAD system that was capable of producing robust STL files.
Reid Archibald, Erik Ostler, and Thomas Shupe, designed Car Door Handles using selective laser melting (SLM) from stainless steel. These custom designed door handles will not only help differentiate one car from another, but add unique options to the market. Nathan Fuller, Nathan Donahue, and Prasad Gankanda created Customize Air Vents, adding uniqueness to the vehicle and providing a product that is already extremely limited.
A third USU team was selected as a runner up with a design for 3-D customized hood ornaments such as people's faces, hobbies, or interests. This team included Cormac McCarthy, David Williams, and Jared Campbell.
SME's website states "The primary limitation on how well DDM is exploited may well lie with how imaginative designers can be." These nine students from Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have proven their creative side and talent is top notch!
Utah State University mechanical and aerospace engineering students received lift-off from NASA after taking home the grand prize at the annual University Student Launch Initiative in Alabama April 19.
Olsen’s graphic rendering of USU’s Space Dynamics Laboratory’s AIM-SOFIE satellite, earned him Best of Show in the 2008 Seimens PLM Software Calendar competition.
A group of Utah State University graduate students explored lunar life at the Lunar Ventures 2008 New Enterprise Competition in March at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo.
Chunbo Zhang will receive a $5,000 School of Graduate Studies Dissertation Fellowship for the 2008-09 Academic Year. This fellowship is designed to provide additional support during the semester(s) he works on his dissertation. Chunbo is researching in the area of numerical and experimental study of ultrasonic consolidation for composite materials under Dr. Leijun Li. Congratulations!
