HAPPENINGS
Fall 2011
MINDS-On
EXPERIMENTATION
towards
a Brighter Future
Hands-On
Engineering Science and Mechanics
Happenings Fall 2011
1
LETTER FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD
Happenings
Publisher
Ishwar K. Puri
Editor
Anne-Marie Bracken
Layout and Graphics
Christine Burgoyne
Contributing Writers
Anne-Marie Bracken
Lynn Nystrom
Ishwar K. Puri
Mehran Tehrani
We want to hear from you!
Please forward your comments,
suggestions, and story ideas to:
Anne-Marie Bracken
ESM Department
221 Norris Hall, Virginia Tech
Mail code: 0219
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: 540-231-3243
Fax: 540-231-4574
Email: brackena@vt.edu
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis
of race, sex, handicap, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, or political affiliation. Anyone having questions concerning
discrimination should contact the
Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative
Action Office.
FRONT COVER IMAGES:
Front and back cover images
courtesy of Michael J. Diersing
ESM students, faculty and staff continue to thrive, earning significant recognitions, conducting innovative and collaborative research, and teaching and sharing their creative and
scholarly achievements. Inside this issue of Happenings, you will see such examples.
Dr. Shane Ross research on how microbes travel through the air could provide agronomists with strategic management ideas to deal with the spread of infectious diseases influencing plants, domestic animals, and people. The Collegiate Times reported that Dr. Roger
Chang was voted second best teacher at Virginia Tech and Dr. Scott Hendricks the nineteenth best out of over one thousand such instructors on our campus. Both have previously
received major recognitions and awards for their teaching.
Undergraduate students Gary Nave and Brian Chang collaborated with Dr. Sunny Jung
to study the capillary rise outside a nozzle. Their work culminated in an article titled
munication in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation. Mr. Alirezah Salmanzadeh,
an ESM graduate student, was recognized for his poster Isolating Cancer Cells from Blood
using Contactless Dielectrophoresis.
Our alumni continue to reflect favorably on our programs. Dr. Mohammed F. Daqaq, an
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University, received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award. His research will turn electronic devices into self-powered
units by designing scalable micro-power generators than can scavenge mechanical energy
from the surrounding environment and transform it into electricity, leading to sustainable energy pathways. Another alumnus Dr. Bala Balachandran, who is a Professor of
Mechanical Engineering at University of Maryland has been appointed the Chair of his
department.
I am also greatly saddened to report the passing of Reynolds Metal Professor Hassan Aref.
A former Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech, he was also a renowned scholar of fluid mechanics who pioneered the concept of chaotic advection. The notion that regular, laminar
flows can produce chaotic particle trajectories is now understood as a cornerstone of fluid
flow kinematics and the term chaotic advection is used as a classifying keyword by leading
journals of the field and for major conferences. Applications of chaotic advection range
from mixing by atmospheric and oceanographic flows to mixing in microfluidic devices.
Rest assured, Dr. Aref s legacy will remain strong in ESM.
We are committed to the honorable traditions that you know ESM to
uphold while also changing to address the future. Therefore, to maintain your connection with ESM s news, please access our website:
http://www.esm.vt.edu. Your continued support is always appreciated
and helps us to grow. Thank you!
Ishwar K. Puri
N. Waldo Harrison Professor
and Department Head
Contents
Department and Faculty News.......................................... 3
Student News..................................................................................12
Graduate Degrees........................................................................15
Staff News........................................................................................16
Alumni News...................................................................................17
2
Happenings Fall 2011
D E PA R TM E NT N E WS
Microbes travel through the air; it would be good to know how and where
by Lynn Nystrom
Preliminary research on Fusarium, a
group of fungi that includes devastating
pathogens of plants and animals, shows
how these microbes travel through the
air. Researchers now believe that with
improvements on this preliminary research, there will be a better understanding about crop security, disease
spread, and climate change.
Engineers and biologists are steering their efforts towards a new
aerobiological modeling technique,
one they think may assist farmers
in the future by providing an early
warning system for high-risk plant
pathogens. It will also provide
the basis for more effective management strategies to address the
spread of infectious diseases affecting
plants, domestic animals, and humans.
Using initial studies on the efficient
movement and subsequent atmo-
spheric dispersal of these microbes,
Dr. Shane Ross, Assistant Professor
of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Dr. David Schmale III, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology,
Physiology and Weed Science, both at
Virginia Tech, have received close to
half a million dollars from the National
work, combining the study of biology
with engineering dynamics, will allow
the prediction of atmospheric transport barriers that might govern the
motion of Fusarium between habitats.
In preliminary work leading to their
new study, also funded by the National
Science Foundation, but through
a different project led by Schmale
and Ross, more than 100 airborne samples of Fusarium were
obtained using UAVs. The resulting information has led to
strong evidence that specific atmospheric structures play a role
in determining atmospheric concentrations of Fusarium,
oss
Dr. Shane Ross and Dr. David Schmale
said. This work was published on
line Sept. 9, 2011 in the American InScience Foundation to use autonomous stitute of Physics journal Chaos.
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to
collect new samples of Fusarium in the
continued on page 19
lower atmosphere. They believe their
Jake Socha selected for National Academy of Engineering symposium
Adapted from an article by Lynn Nystrom
Dr. Jake Socha,
Assistant Professor
in Engineering Science and Mechanics
was one of the four
Virginia Tech faculty members selected
to take part in the
National Academy
of
Engineering s
(NAE) third Frontiers of Engineering
Education (FOEE) symposium. A total
of sxity-five of the nations most innovative young engineering educators were
selected to participate in this symposium.
concentrated on insect biomechanics,
using powerful synchrotron X-rays to
visualize the living internal anatomy of
species such as beetles and butterflies. In
the past two years, Dr. Socha has conceived and developed an innovative twosemester series of courses focusing on the
mechanics of animal locomotion. This
series teaches advanced undergraduates
and graduate students how animals move
on land, in fluids, and at the air-water
interface; Dr. Socha directly teaches the
fluids-based course entitled "Biomotion: Life in Moving Fluids." His work
has been featured major national media,
including the The New York Times, The
Washington Post, National Geographic,
Dr. Socha came to Virginia Tech from and the Discovery channel.
Argonne National Laboratory where he
was the Ugo Fano Postdoctoral Fellow Early-career faculty members who are
from 2004 until 2007, and then a re- developing and implementing innovasearch scientist. His research at Argonne tive educational approaches in a vari-
ety of engineering disciplines will come
together for the event, where they can
share ideas, learn from research and best
practice in education, and leave with a
charter to bring about improvement in
their home institution. The attendees
were nominated by fellow engineers or
deans and chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants. The symposium
was held Nov. 13-16 in Irvine, CA.
"The Frontiers of Engineering Education program creates a unique venue for
engineering faculty members to share
and explore interesting and effective innovations in teaching and learning," said
NAE President Charles M. Vest. "We
want FOEE to become a major force in
identifying, recognizing, and promulgating advances and innovations in order to
continued on page 19
Happenings Fall 2011
3
D E PA R TM E NT A N D F A C UL TY N E WS
Experiments in ESM: Hands-On Minds-On Work Toward a Brighter Future
by Anne-Marie Bracken
There is exciting research and education going on in
ESM not only in computational modeling but also
in experimentation. Dr. Norman Dowling, Frank J.
Maher Professor, teaches and conducts experiments
with undergraduate and graduate students. He aptly
states, It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I would add that a real experiment
is worth a thousand pictures. This is a lab where the
students do materials tests themselves, make mistakes, get their hands dirty, and see firsthand how
materials behave.
The Mechanical Behavior of Materials Lab, also
known as the Busting Lab has undergone a renovation. Its refurbishment now provides an
roved
learning environment with updated acoustics, lighting, AV, and climate control, states Mr. Danny Students work with Danny Reed in the Bustin Lab. L-R: Kevin Granderson, Alex LinReed, Lab Manager. The lab had a 60 s look and we sner, Matt Harris, Armanj Hasanyam, Brandon Fleming, and Danny Reed.
needed to get it into the next century to prepare the
students for the current technology, changing it from analog to digital, he adds.
The lab is equipped with screw driven universal testing machines, metallographic equipment (for polishing specimens), a Charpy
impact tester, hardness testers and a state-of-the-art nano-indenter system. These experiments conducted are used for testing tensile
strength, nano-indentation, compression, fracture, toughness, bending, impact (ductility), hardness, creep (time dependent load),
and stress relaxation. Currently only three labs in the U.S., including one in ESM, offer such a wealth of instrumentation for use
by undergraduate students.
The lab manual and all other written materials regarding experiments are now posted on the Scholar website for student/faculty access. Dr. Je rey Bolton, ESM alumnus and former instructor wishes, I could go back and take my materials courses again, just so
I could use the new equipment that is available.
Both undergraduate and graduate students use the lab from
several ESM classes, and classes for the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering (AOE). During the summer,
demonstrations are conducted for the Engineering Open
House (hosted by the Department of Engineering Education). Mr. Reed and Mr. Mac McCord, Mechanical Engineer with ESM, purchase, install, set-up, and maintain
equipment in the lab. They instruct, train, and supervise
students how to conduct experiments in a safe environment.
They also assist with ESM senior design projects, and automotive design teams.
Student Myles Dunlap
4
Happenings Fall 2011
The opportunities provided to students are designed to whet
their appetites to continue in engineering whether it is as a
graduate student or in industry. Their hands-on practical experience in the lab gives them a leg up to get an internship
states Danny. The major goal for this lab is for students to be
able to go to their future employers and state that they know
how to proficiently operate test equipment and analyze the results. Mac added that they are always looking for a way to do it better
and rely on feedback from students and faculty.
ESM graduate student, Mr. Arnab Gupta comments, ve had an opportunity to frequently use the Busting Lab for my research
and, in particular, I ve extensively used the Instron testing machine to run experiments on composite materials.
I have worked with the nano-indenter for the last four years using a fairly new technique by
which sample preparation is far easier than for other alternative methods. This cutting-edge
method enables me to measure multiple mechanical properties from a single test in a very
short time. Since the field is new, there is still a great deal of ongoing research left, observes
Mr. Mehran Tehrani, ESM graduate student.
Dr. Marwan Al-Haik, Associate Professor with ESM, utilizes the lab especially for the Nano
Test equipment. He explains his work, Nano-indentation is a mechanical testing technique
by which the material of interest is probed with another material whose properties are known
(which is typically diamond). Several properties (such as the material s modulus, hardness,
ductility and toughness) can be obtained from a single test cycle. The nano-indenter system
records deformation and loads with resolutions of 1 Angstrom and 1 micro Newton. Besides
indentation, the system can be used for other mechanical tests such as scratch, friction, fatigue,
and impact. Our instrumentation allows the in-situ indentation of samples at elevated temperatures up to 750°C, and we can also test soft materials and bio samples in wet environments.
Atomic force microscope (AFM)
scan for series of 2,6 and 10 mN
indentations on a human tooth
dentine surface.
Throughout the United States engineering programs that are introducing nanomechanics to
undergraduates are typically limited to theoretical and computational practices. Instead, our
instrumentation provides a hands-on and minds-on experience for Virginia Tech engineering students, significantly enhancing their
nanotechnology education.
A student taking the ESM class is able to appreciate the nanometer length scale in a more practical and relevant manner by considering the wealth of information that is extracted from a simple loading/unloading cycle of the nano-indenter tip inside the sample being tested. ESM is revising several of its lab courses to enable students to also test the failure of microscale devices, biological tissues,
and very thin polymeric membranes.
ESM doctoral student, Mr. Suvojit Ghosh has been conducting research using an experimental setup that facilitates the self-assembly of
magnetic nanoparticles in a polymer. For visualization, i.e., to see with nanometer resolution, he uses X-Ray tomography, a transmission electron microscope, and magnetic force microscopy, all at Virginia Techs Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory.
Suvojit explains, Building nanostructures from the bottom up requires
methods quite different from building a wall with bricks. Using nanoparticles that have magnetic properties, we can use a magnetic field to build
a structure of choice that has very useful magnetic properties. The theory
that governs this mechanism of building is not well understood at the
moment so that its development requires intense experimentation and
visualization. Potential applications for his research are magnetic drug
targeting, tissue engineering, vertical recording media, and non-contact
optical and magnetic templates for lithography with nanoscale resolution.
So now we might ask, What does this mean for the future? The experiments being conducted on materials may improve component testing for auto prototypes, as well as aid in design verification.
Students who move into positions in industry will be better trained in utilizing materials testing equipment and will be prepared to
continue innovative experimentation and research.
Our department s leading experimental research in nanotechnology is an overture into an expanding field that will continue to be
an integral component of various disciplines for decades, even centuries, to come. v
Happenings Fall 2011
5
DEPARTMENT AND FACULTY NEWS
ESM Adhesive and Sealant Science Professor David Dillard Receives
2011 Dean s Award for Excellence in Research
by Lynn Nystrom
Dr. David Dillard of Engineering Science and Mechanics received a 2011
Dean's Award for Excellence in Research. Dr. Dillard s research expenditures exceed $56 million, with personal
expenditures in excess of $9.3 million.
His efforts have included gaining improved insights into processes relevant
to hydrogel manufacturing for biomedical devices; and studying reversDean Richard Benson (left) congratulates Dr. David ible adhesion for a novel class of microDillard during the Dean's Award ceremony
electronic adhesives. In February 2010,
Professor Dillard received the Adhesion
Society s prestigious National Award for
Excellence in Adhesion Science. One of
the nominators of Dr. Dillard for this
award wrote: In my view Prof. Dillard
is the world s leading authority on the
mechanics of adhesive bonding, and
he has played a leading role in the application of mechanics approaches to
problems in adhesion science. Much
of his work has been very influential
in my own research. v
Roger Chang and Scott Hendricks Voted in
the Top 20 Best VT Teachers
by Anne-Marie Bracken
Virginia Tech students recently voted for
their favorite teachers through the www.
ratevtteachers.com website. Engineering
Science and Mechanics Dr. Tsu-Sheng
Roger
was voted second best
teacher at Tech and Dr. Scott Hendricks
the nineteenth best out of over one thousand such instructors on our campus.
Both have received major recognitions
and awards for their teaching.
When asked about his
teaching philosophy, Dr.
the class the way I would
want to be taught. I love
to hear from students regarding what they want
to learn from the class. Dr. Chang received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from
ESM in 1992 and 2002 respectively.
Since that time he has frequently served
ESM in various roles including his current one as an instructor. He teaches
Statics, Dynamics and Mechanics of Deformable Bodies.
Dr. Hendricks joined
ESM in 1979. He
teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in Statics,
Dynamics,
Advanced
Mechanics of Materials,
Mechanical and Structural Vibration,
and Mechanics of Deformable Bodies.
In 2008, Dr. Hendricks was named the
W.S. Pete White Chair for Innovation in
Engineering Education.
Regarding knowledge and teaching, Dr.
Hendricks remarked, Many great scientists have toiled to discover how things
work. Today we have a collective body
of knowledge about the mechanics of
the universe that accurately describes our
world within certain bounds. It is my
great pleasure to unveil this knowledge
to eager students. I love to see the change
in focus, understanding, and confidence
that students gain as they begin to understand and apply this knowledge. v
ESM Clifton C. Garvin Professor Romesh Batra selected as Fellow of the U.S. Association
for Computational Mechanics
ESM Clifton C. Garvin
Professor Romesh Batra has been selected as
a Fellow of the U.S. Association for Computational Mechanics in rec-
6
Happenings Fall 2011
ognition of his contributions to the field putational Mechanics that was held from
of computational mechanics.
July 25-28, 2011, in Minneapolis, MN.
There, Dr. Batra was presented with a
This was formally announced at the USACM lapel pin and his selection was
USACM appreciation dinner during the mentioned in the Congress program. v
11th U.S. National Congress on Com-
In Memoriam: Hassan Aref (1950-2011)
Dr. Hassan Aref (b. 1950, Alexandria, Egypt, d. 2011 De Land, Illinois, U.S.A.) was the Reynolds
Metals Professor in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech, and also
served as the Niels Bohr Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Denmark.
Prior to joining Virginia Tech as Dean of Engineering in 2003-2005 Professor Aref was Head of the
Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
for a decade from 1992-2003. Before that he was on the faculty of University of California, San Diego, split between the Department of Applied Mechanics and Engineering Science and the Institute
of Geophysics and Planetary Physics 1985-1992. Simultaneously, he was Chief Scientist at the San
Diego Supercomputer Center for three years 1989-1992. Dr. Aref started his faculty career in the
Division of Engineering at Brown University 1980-85.
He was educated at the University of Copenhagen Niels Bohr Institute, graduating in 1975 with a cand. scient degree in Physics
and Mathematics. Subsequently he received the Ph.D. degree in Physics from Cornell University in 1980.
Professor Aref was particularly well known for having developed the concept of chaotic advection in fluid mechanics. The notion
that regular, laminar flows can produce chaotic particle trajectories is now understood as a cornerstone of fluid flow kinematics
and the term chaotic advection is used as a classifying keyword by leading journals of the field and for major conferences. Applications of chaotic advection range from mixing by atmospheric and oceanographic flows to mixing in microfluidic devices.
Dr. Aref received the 2000 Otto Laporte Award from the American Physical Society for this work and for his work on vortex
dynamics for which he is also well known. He also received the G. I. Taylor Medal from the Society of Engineering Science in
2011 for seminal applications of dynamical systems theory to fluid mechanics.
Professor Aref was the author of some 80 articles in leading journals in the field of fluid mechanics. He also authored chapters in
several books, edited two collections of papers, and given presentations at conferences and universities around the world.
Throughout his career Professor Aref was involved in editorial work. He was Associate Editor of Journal of Fluid Mechanics
1984-94, founding editor with David G. Crighton of Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics, and on the editorial board of
Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics and as co-editor of Advances in Applied Mechanics. He served on the editorial
boards of Physics of Fluids, Physical Review E, and Regular and Chaotic Dynamics.
Dr. Aref served as chair of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American
Physical Society. He chaired the US National Committee on Theoretical and
Applied Mechanics and served on advisory boards for several professional
societies. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Congress
Committee of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM), a member of the National Academies Board on International
Scientific Organizations, and a member of the Board of the Society of Engineering Science. He served as Secretary for the Midwest Mechanics Seminar,
1994-2003.
Professor Aref was president of the 20th International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics held in Chicago in 2000. In the 70+ years of
these significant congresses they have been held three times in USA: In 1938 in Boston, MA, with MIT and Harvard University
as the host institutions, in 1968 with Stanford University as the host, and in 2000 with a consortium led by University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign as the hosts.
Hassan Aref was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He passed away, sitting in his chair, in De Land, Illinois, U.S.A. He is survived by
his wife Susanne, sons Michael (daughter-in-law, Lan) and Thomas. v
Happenings Fall 2011
7
DEPARTMENT AND FACULTY NEWS
Università degli Studi di
Roma La Sapienza Presents
the Liviu Librescu Award for
Best MS Thesis in
Aerospace Structures
by Anne-Marie Bracken
University degli Studi di Roma a Sapienza in Rome, Italy, recently established the
Liviu Librescu Award for the best MS Thesis in Aerospace Structures. To be eligible
for this award, students must be enrolled
in Italian MS Aerospace Programs. The
first recipient of this
award is Mr. Michele
Pasquali for his thesis
Geometrically exact
models of thin plates
towards nonlinear dynamics system identification via higher
order spectral approach.
ESM Alumnus Dr.
Walter Lacarbonara
(ESM MS 1997),
who is an Associate
Professor at La Sapienza, helped facilitate
the award promoted
by Dr. Franco Mastroddi from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering at La Sapienza. Professor
Lacarbonara advised Mr. Pasquali s MS
Thesis, co-advising with Professor Pier
Marzocca from Clarkson University. v
ESM Advisory Board
Michael Hayes, Chair
Michael Fisher, Co-chair
Balakumar Balachandran (new member)
Col. Marty France
Scott Hart (new member)
Shelley Henkell
Jennifer Holmquest
Russell Jamison (new member)
Satish Kulkarni (new member)
Larry Marcus
Fred McBagonluri
Jay Smith
Chris Strickland
John Troll (new member)
Mark VanLandingham
Jennifer Wayne
8
Happenings Fall 2011
2011 Liviu Librescu Prize Awarded to
Dr. Michael Madigan
Dr. Michael Madigan is the 2011 recipient of the Liviu Librescu Faculty Prize.
The prize honors the memory of the late
ESM professor, Dr. Liviu Librescu, particularly his leadership in scholarship and his
service to humanity throughout his life. It
is awarded annually to a "young scholar"
in our department.
movement, and trains scientists to become leaders in the field of musculoskDr. Madigan directs the Kevin P. Granata eletal biomechanics. He also consistently
Biomechanics Laboratory. There, the maintains high student evaluations of his
Madigan Group investigates the dynam- teaching and mentors many undergraduics and neuromuscular control of human ate researchers. v
New Norris Hall Art Exhibit
by Anne-Marie Bracken
On May 10, 2011, the latest rotation in the
ongoing art exhibit co-hosted by the Center
for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention
(CPSVP) and the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics' (ESM) featured
work by ESM and CPSVP faculty and staff.
portunity to interact with the artists and
view their work.
Media employed by the artists are photography, watercolor and sculpture. An interesting range of subject matters include human
action, cityscape, and public gardens, using
a variety of styles such as realism, impressionism, and expressionism. Participating
artists were: Mr. Mike Diersing, Dr. Jake
Socha, Ms. Amy Splitt, Ms. Pris Sears and
Ms. Anne-Marie Bracken.
Reflections shared about works in the
exhibit included,
sun brings
the warmth to the gloomy sky, bare
rees and cold water...the appearance of
the sunshine gives me an inspired and
lively feeling...
A reception was held in the west wing of
Norris Hall on Friday, June 3, 2011, from
3:00-4:00 pm where visitors had an op-
As part of their program, The VT Language and Culure Institute (VTLC)
brought students to critique the artwork.
ve to say thank you to [the artist] and it is because the art gave me an
idea how to express what is inside. It
is such statements that make the entire process of coordinating these art
shows worthwhile. v
First Annual Cancer Symposium at Virginia Tech
by Anne-Marie Bracken
During the Spring of 2011, co-chairs President and Provost, offered closing state- Tech, and Dr. Karen Brewer, Professor
Ms. Kristin Canavera, a graduate stu- ments at the symposium.
of Chemistry.
dent in Clinical Psychology and Mr.
Alireza Salmanzadeh, an ESM graduate Keynote speakers included Dr. Frank Besides presentations, there was also a wonstudent, organized the first annual Can- Torti, Vice President for Strategic Pro- derful poster session with over fifty submiscer Symposium hosted by the Virginia grams, Director of the Comprehensive sions covering a wide spectrum of cancerBioinformatics Institute (VBI) on the Cancer Center and Chair of the Depart- related topics.
Virginia Tech campus.
ment of Cancer Biology at Wake Forest
Baptist Medical Center, and Dr. Mela- Ms. Canavera and Mr. Salmanzadeh did
The symposium was coordinated by the nie Bonner, Associate Professor at Duke a splendid job fund-raising for the event.
Cancer Research Scholars, http://www. University Medical Center. Other notable Numerous sponsors included: the Departcancerresearchscholars.org.vt.edu/, which speakers were Dr. David Kingston, Uni- ment of Engineering Science and Mechanis a newly created interdisciplinary graduate versity Distinguished Professor in the De- ics (ESM), the Institute for Critical Techstudent organization whose goal is to bring partment of Chemistry at Virginia Tech, nology and Applied Science at Virginia
together the cancer researchers represented Dr. Rafael Davalos, Associate Professor Tech (ICTAS), the School of Biomedical
across various departments, colleges, and in the School of Biomedical Engineering Engineering and Sciences (SBES, Virginia
labs here at Virginia Tech. The symposium and Sciences (SBES, Virginia Tech/Wake Tech/Wake Forest University), Fralin Life
gave researchers the opportunity to learn Forest University), Dr. John Rossmeisl, Science Institute at Virginia Tech, Virginia
from one another and network for poten- Associate Professor of Neurology and Bioinformatics Institute (VBI), Women in
tial future collaboration. It also promoted Neurosurgery at the Virginia-Maryland Leadership and Philanthropy, Virginia Tech
the visibility of cancer research within the Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Institute for Society, Culture and Environcommunity. Not least important, the orga- (VMRCVM), Dr. Ishwar K. Puri, N. ment, Appalachia Community Cancer
nization hoped that the symposium would Waldo Harrison Professor and Depart- Network (a program of the National Caninspire researchers by having survivors and ment Head of the Department of En- cer Institute), the Virginia Tech Graduate
advocates share stories that demonstrate and gineering Science and Mechanics, Dr. School, and the American Cancer Society.
bring to life the importance of research.
Carla Finkelstein, Assistant Professor The symposium was such a rousing success
in the Department of Biological Sci- that sponsors for the second annual Cancer
Dr. Charles Steger, Virginia Tech Presi- ences and Adjunct Assistant Professor Symposium in 2012 are already lined up.
dent, provided opening remarks and Dr. in the Department of Biochemistry, Dr. ESM is proud to be a sponsor of this event
McNamee, Virginia Tech Senior Vice John Roberston, Director of the Center and extends its admiration to Mr. Salmanfor Comparative Oncology at Virginia zadeh and Ms. Canavera for their vision
and hard work. v
Happenings Fall 2011
9
Hannah E.
Baldwin
Oanielle N.
Beringer
Wesley S.
Buxton
Zachary A.
Cates
laid
Hasnain
Patricia A.
McNulty
Class
Jacob l.
Moyer
Matthew A.
Paluszell
Stephen M.
Restaino
. Stephen
C. Robinson
Lindsay E.
Clayton
Tara J.
Cozier
Sean W.
Gart
Adam J.
Golman
Christopher A.
Lamb
. Ralph R.
Navarrete
.
Chad M.
Olenick
Stevens
Photography, Inc.
Christiansburg, VA
Kelly M.
Tate
Jonathan D.
Thompson
Andrew C.
U ndercoffer
S T UD E N T N EWS A N D A WA R D S
ESM doctoral student Yasser Aboelkassem received
recognition at ASME 2011
Mr. Yasser Aboelkassem, a third year doctoral student in the ESM
department, received an
Honorable Mention and
a $500 award for his
entry to the Student Paper Symposium and Competition of the
ASME 2011 Pressure Vessels and Piping
Conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland in July. The award was presented
on July 20 during the conference's
Honors Luncheon.
Yasser's paper "Microscale Flow Pumping
Inspired by Rhythmic Tracheal Compressions in Insects" is co-authored with his
thesis advisor and lead mentor, ESM Assistant Professor Anne E. Staples, and
ESM Assistant Professor Jake Socha.
His work was supported by a National
Science Foundation Emerging Frontiers
in Research and Innovation grant. It was
selected for recognition from over 60 submissions to the competition. v
ESM Undergraduates Gary Nave and Brian Chang Collaborate with Dr. Sunny Jung in Fluid Mechanics Research
by Anne-Marie Bracken
Upon completion of a research project
under the supervision of Dr. Sunghwan
Sunny Jung, ESM undergraduates
Gary Nave and Brian Chang collaborated with Dr. Jung on an article titled
"Drop Formation from a Wettable Nozzle." The article was recently published
in the prestigious scientific journal Communication in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation. The online link to the
article is: http://www.sciencedirect.com/
science/article/pii/S1007570411004588.
research project is
about an extraordinary
finding on capillary rise.
In a fluid mechanics
course, students would
typically learn about the
"capillary rise" effect inside a tube. In our experiments, we have found a
novel example of capillary rise affecting a drop
outside a nozzle. This article explains
the capillary rise outside a tube both
experimentally and theoretically, stated
Dr. Jung.
Currently, Brian Chang is involved in
another research project with Dr. Jung
called "Clapping Wet Hands," which
deals with the ejection of water when wet
hands clap. The fast-flowing fluid sheet
breaks up into many drops, which is the
focus of the research. v
L-R: Gary Nave, Brian Chang, and Dr. Sunny Jung
ESM Doctoral Student Mehran Tehrani Awarded
2011-2012 PerkinElmer Graduate Scholarship
The Society of Plastic
Engineers (SPE) announced that ESM
doctoral
student
Mehran Tehrani is
the recipient of the
PerkinElmer Graduate Scholarship for
the year 2011-2012. This scholarship is
sponsored by the PerkinElmer Instruments Company in conjunction with
the Composites Division of SPE and is
awarded on a yearly basis. The award is
dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of information on the science,
engineering fundamentals and applications of advanced polymer composite
materials. This year, 39 applications were
reviewed and judged blindly (no student
names or university affiliations were visible to the judges) by six judges who
12
Happenings Fall 2011
work in the composites industry and are
members of the SPE Composites Division. In May, Mr. Tehrani received the
award during the reception lunch at the
SPE annual Technical Conference; ANTEC 2011, Boston, MA. His research,
as described in the winning abstract, will
be presented in a paper at ANTEC 2012,
Orlando, Florida.
Mehran is working under the supervision
of ESM Associate Professor Marwan
Al-Haik. The objective of his research is
to investigate the fundamental processes
for developing hybrid, multifunctional
composites using surface grown carbon
nanotubes (CNTs) on carbon fibers'
yarns. This work will enable significant
advancements in protection methods
against impact/blast events and is funded
by National Science Foundation (NSF)
and Army Research Office (ARO). Dr.
Al-Haik highlighted Mr. Tehrani's accomplishments by: "Mehran's research
skills span over diverse fields such as
nanomaterials, composites, and solid
mechanics. He is extremely creative, unpretentious, collegial and cooperative."
Mehran has already won several other
awards both at Virginia Tech and the
University of New Mexico (UNM) including: The 1st place in Oral presentation in the 27th Annual GSA Research
Symposium, Bechtel Travel Fellowship
(ESM, 2011), Mechanical Engineering
Outstanding Graduate Student (UNM,
2009) and the UNM Regents' Graduate
Fellowship (2009). He is currently the
vice president of the Iranian Society at
Virginia Tech (ISVT). v
Alireza Salmanzadeh Earned Poster Award at the ISVT Research Symposium
and Cultural Showcase
by Mehran Tehrani
On September 10, 2011, at the
T
Research Symposium and Cultural
Showcase 2011, ESM graduate student Alireza Salmanzadeh was awarded third place for his poster Isolating
Cancer Cells from Blood using Contactless Dielectrophoresis (CDEP).
Mr. Salmanzedah explained his research, There are numerous situations in which it is highly desirable to
separate similar yet distinct cells and/
or small organisms. One critical application is the isolation of circulating
tumor cells (CTCs) from blood, which
is important in studying metastasis and
early cancer detection. I presented a
new microfluidic technique, contactless
dielectrophoresis (cDEP), to detect and
isolate circulating tumor cells from biological fluids. Dielectrophoresis (DEP)
is the motion of a particle due to its
polarization in the presence of a nonuniform electric field. Dielectrophoretic force is a function of cell volume
and polarization, the conductivity and
permittivity of the surrounding media,
and the properties (frequency and spatial gradients of the magnitude) of the
applied electric field. When subject to
the same electric field, different cells
Posters were evaluated by a panel of
judges comprised of faculty members
and university administrators from
various colleges. Dr. Muhammad Hajj,
Professor and Director of Research and
Graduate Studies, ESM, chaired the
committee. Provost Mark McNamee
presented the award to Mr. Salmanzadeh. Co-authors on the poster included
Dr. Hadi Shafiee, Mr. Mike B. Sano,
Dr. Mark A. Stremler, and Dr. Rafael
V. Davalos.
may experience different DEP forces
due to their different intrinsic electrical properties and sizes. Advantages of
cDEP over other cell sorting methods
include eliminating extensive sample
preparation (no antibody labeling), a
high speed of isolation (minutes versus
hours) and inexpensive fabrication.
The symposium was hosted by the Iranian society at Virginia Tech (ISVT)
which represents the fourth largest international community within the university. Coordinators of the symposium
and showcase included ISVT officers
from ESM: Amir Alipour Skandani,
Vice President, Mehran Tehrani, Vice
President, and Farid Jafari, Treasurer.
The showcase was intended to represent
the cultural contribution and scholarly
achievements of the VT Iranian community. It was also organized to promote an exchange of ideas between researchers from a variety of backgrounds.
v
ESM Doctoral Student Timothy Hartman receives Jefferson Goblet Award
by Anne-Marie Bracken
Timothy B. Hartman was the recipient
of the Jefferson Goblet Award for the best
student paper at the 52nd AIAA/ASME/
ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural
Dynamics, and Materials Conference recently held in Denver, Colorado. At the
conference, four student paper awards
were presented; the Jefferson Goblet
Award is the top award. The award
consists of a cash prize and a silver
goblet fashioned after one designed by
Thomas Jefferson.
Tim's paper was entitled Stress Recovery in Composite Laminates and was
co-authored by ESM Professor Emeritus M.W. Hyer and ESM Professor
S.W. Case and was based upon research
activities sponsored by Pratt & Whitney. It was selected from over 60 papers
submitted for the four awards based a
review of each conference paper by multiple referees and a judging of the oral
presentation of the paper. v
Happenings Fall 2011
13
S T UD E N T N EWS A N D A WA R D S
ESM Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients for 2011
ESM Advisory Board Scholarship
Stephanie Bridgeman
Dawn Jackson Gary
Nave
Robert A. Heller Scholarship
Victor Stewart
Abigail Zadnik
Frank J. Maher Scholarship
Katherin Sherman
Alice and Dan Pletta
Scholarship
Andy Borum
Dan H. Pletta Award for Outstanding Senior Project 2011
(Advised by Danielle Beringer)
Wesley Buxton
Tara Cozier
Adam Golman
Professor C. William and Doris
Smith Scholarship
Austin Fergusson
Houston Fox
Alex Friedman
Nicholas Sharp
James H. Sword Award for Outstanding Senior Project in Computational Mechanics 2011
Zaki Hasnain
Christopher Lamb
Louis O’Shaughnessy
Scholarship Winston
Becker
ESM Graduate Fellowship and Scholarship Recipients for 2011
ASME 2011 Pressure Vessels & Piping (PVP) Conference Student Paper Honorable Mention Award
Yasser Aboelkassem
Liviu Librescu Memorial Scholarship 2010-2011
Abdessattar Abdelkefi
Mehran Tehrani
Mehdi Ghommem
Ali Yeilaghi Tamijani
American Society of Composites Award 2010
Grant Vogl
Manuel Stein Scholarship
Alireza Salmanzadeh-Dozdabi
Alfriend and Bechtel Graduate Travel Fellowships
Abdessattar Abdelkefi
Mehdi Ghommem
Yasser Aboelkassem
Leila Nasr Azadani
Ganesh Balasubramanian
Alireza Salmanzadeh-Dozdabi
Saikat Basu
Omer San
Alireza Chadegani
Mehran Tehrani
Kevin Connolly
Navish Wadhwa
Frances Davis
Matthew Webster
Mohsen Ghisarieha
Dan Frederick Scholarship
Mohammad Amin Karami
Davenport Graduate Fellowship for Fall 2011
Arka Chattopadhyah
Qian Li
Yanqing Fu
Peng Zhang
Ford Foundation Scholarship
Frances Davis
Jefferson Goblet Award-52nd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/
AHS/ASC Conference 2011
Timothy Hartman
14
Happenings Fall 2011
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Christina Rossi
Perkin Elmer Graduate Scholarship
Mehran Tehrani
Pratt Presidential Graduate Fellowship Fall 2011
Bilel Aidi
Yuan Lin
Cesar Alvarez
Anupam Pandey
Roobeh Kalhor
Haithem Taha
Virginia Tech Graduate Man of the Year 2011
Ganesh Balasubramanian
Walts Graduate Fellowships
Fall 2011
Nathan Cholewa
Hoda Koushyar
Anthony Nelson
GRADUATE DEGREES
M.S. Graduates Fall 2010-Summer 2011
Name
Thesis Title
Advisor(s)
Susie Frasca
A Mechanics Approach to hte Analysis of Shape-Sensing Fibers
Case
Siuta Chase
Measuring Material Properties of Proton Exchange Membranes Using Pressxure
Loaded Blister Testing and Digital Image Correlation
Case
Lewis Cox
Patterns of Hemolymph Pressure Related to Tracheal Tube Collapse in the Bettle
Pterostichus Commutabulis
Socha
Valerie Walters
Design and Analysis of a Collagenous Anterior Cruciate Ligament Replacement
Freeman
Katherine Arthur
Predicting the Failure of Aluminum Exposed to Simulated Fire and Mechanical
loading Using Finite Element Modeling
Case
Sarah Dellinger
Materials Properties of Skin in a Flying Snake (Chrysopelea Ornata
Socha
Katie Murray
Characterization of hte Interfacial Fracture of Solvated Semi-Interperetrating
Polymer Network (5-IPN) Silicone Hydrogels with a Cyclo-olefin Polymer (COP)
Dillard
PhD Fall 2010-Summer 2011
Name
Dissertation
Advisor (s)
Mohammad Amin Karami
Microscale and Nonlinear Vibrational Energy Harvesting
Inman
Ali Yeliaghi Tamijani
Vibration and Buckling Analysis of Unitized Structure Using Meshfree Method
and Kriging Model
Kapania
Zheying Guo
Mechanical Investigation of Damage in Ligaments
De Vita
Mohsen Gheisarieha
Topological Chaos and Chaotic Mixing of Viscous Flows
Stremler
Ganesh Balasubramanian
Modeling Nanoscale Transport Phenomena: implications for the Continuum
Puri
Yihong Yang
Experimental Study of Multi-Phase Flow Hydrodynamics in Stirring Tanks
Telionis
Gautam Gopinath
Progressive Damage and Failure of Unidirectional Fiber reinforced Laminate
Under Impact Loading with Composite Properties Derived from a MicroMechanics Apporach
Batra
Chalitphan Kunaporn
Probabilistic Analysis of a Thin-Walled Beam with a Crack
Singh/Thangjitham
Saurabh Bisht
Vibration Measurement Damage Identification for Structural Health Monitoring
Singh
Ratchada Sopakayang
Viscoelastic Models for Ligaments and Tendons
De Vita
Jeffrey Bolton
Single-and Dual-Plane Automatic Balancing of an Elastically-Mounted Cylindrical
Rotor with Considerations of Coulomb Friction and Gravity
Kraige
Hadi Shafiee
Marker-Free Isolation and Enrichment of Rare Cells Including Tumor Initiating
Cells Utilizing, Contactless Dielectrophoresis
Davalos
Hung-Chieh Lo
Vibration Characteristics of Thin-Walled Noncircular Composite Cylinders
Hyer
Sansavini Giovanni
Network Modeling Stochastic and Deterministic Approaches
Hajj/Puri
Pranindra Tallapragada
Identifying Dynamical Boundaries and Phase Spare Transport Using Lagrangian
CoHerent Structures
Ross
Pankaj Kumar
Chaos in Pulsed Laminar Flow
Stremler
Happenings Fall 2011
15
STAFF NEWS
in coordinating ESMs logistical reorganization. She created floor plans, worked with
vendors and staff members to help redesign
work spaces. She was the departments resiMs. Bev Wildent expert in HokieMart. As an original
liams has worked
volunteer for the pilot program, she used
with us for more
her knowledge to move the subsequent
than 25 years,
implementation of the purchasing database
more than 30 at
to become an invaluable resource to the dethe
university,
partments faculty, staff and students as well
and carries one of
the longest tenures among our staff mem- as providing assistance for other departbers. She has compiled a strong record of ments throughout the university.
proposal preparation for several active
faculty members. More recently, she has In June, ESM hosted a farewell barbecue
taken over the facilitation of the activities for Ms. Baker. Family, friends and work colof the ESM Advisory Board and main- leagues attended and took the opportunity
tains our alumni records. She is known to wish her well. v
for her pleasant disposition and is greatly
VT Staff Employee of the
appreciated by those who work with her,
Week - Anne-Marie Bracken
including students.
by HR Staff
Mr. Danny Reed has
Ms.
Anne-Marie
also worked with ESM
Bracken leads by examfor nearly 25 years. He is
ple by showing respect
cited for his critical work
for others and listening
in seeing that the various
and encouraging open
technical
laboratories
communication among
work is accomplished as
ESM faculty, staff, and
intended. His recent service in overseeing students. She seeks input about staff assignthe inventory process has been outstanding. ments. Her leadership style is appropriate
This is a difficult job involving a very large to each situation. She supports staff training
number of individuals as well as on and off to advance skills and offers mentoring for
maps locations. This year, the ESM inven- software or protocol questions. She utilizes
tory was completed with a very high per- positive reinforcement and provides feedcentage of equipment accounted for over a back and guidance. In this manner, she difshorter duration than other departments.v
fers from others who hold similar positions
Bev Williams and
Danny Reed Receive 2011
ESM Department Head Award
Pat Baker Retires from ESM
In October 2011, Ms.
Pat Baker, former Fiscal
Technician, retired from
ESM. Ms. Baker came to
our department in 1988.
While serving as Fiscal
Technician, Ms. Baker had
an extraordinary record of accuracy and
timeliness in processing purchase orders,
personal reimbursements, and invoices due
to her diligent attention to detail.
Happenings Fall 2011
Early Morning Trail Ride
Mike Diersing
Once again, Mr. Mike Diersing, ESM s
talented Media Specialist, is in the limelight. He received the second and third
prizes in the 2011 Juried Photography
Competition and Exhibition through O.
Winston Link Museum and the Western
Virginia Land Trust. The theme of the
Land + Link competition/exhibition was
Preserving Our Landscape.
His two pieces,
y Morning Trail Ride
and Old MacDonald Barn were featured
in an article on September 8, 2011 in the
Roanoke Star Sentinel.
ESM and its visitors, who frequent Norris
Hall, continue to enjoy the wonderful art
exhibits of which Mike often participates.
v
in our institution.
As the departments HR and leave representative, Anne-Marie provides support for
those who require information ensuring
that employees needs are met. Whenever
she can, she enjoys assisting or mentoring
students. Whether it concerns creating resumes, learning interviewing skills, evaluating job opportunities, or work-related
issues, she shares her years of experience.
She uses a leadership style that is appropriate to the academic level and maturity of
the student (undergraduate or graduate) or
In early 2007, Ms. Baker utilized superior postdoctoral associate. v
organizational and planning skills to assist
16
Photographer Mike
Diersing featured in
Land and Link Competition
by Anne-Marie Bracken
Old MacDonald Barn
Mike Diersing
ALUMNI NEWS
ESM alumnus Dr. Mohammed
F. Daqaq receives
NSF CAREER Award
by Anne-Marie Bracken
ESM alumnus Dr. Mohammed F. Daqaq, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at
Clemson University, is a
recipient of a CAREER
award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). He
is also a two-time successive recipient of
Clemsons Eugene Bishop Award for excellence in teaching and of another two
NSF research grants. Dr. Daqaq credits
his success to the exceptional education
that he received in ESM and the highquality research he was able to do with
his mentor Dr. Ali Nayfeh, a University
Distinguished Professor, who is now an
ESM emeritus.
The focus of Dr. Daqaq's CAREER
award is to turn electronic devices into
self-powered units by developing scalable micro-power generators that can
scavenge mechanical energy from the
surrounding environment and transform it into electricity. His educational
efforts will enable undergraduate students to design an energy harvesting
carpet that will be placed on the Clemson campus. Once fabricated, the carpet
will harness energy from the motion of
thousands of students crossing over it
and convert it into electricity. v
Professor Balakumar Balachandran Named Chair of the
Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of
Maryland
by Anne-Marie Bracken
Dr.
Bala
Balachandran (AE MS'86; ESM
PhD'90) who is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University
of Maryland has been appointed to serve as the
Chair of the department. He was the departments former Director of Graduate
Studies, and in this role, he helped increase
the diversity of its graduate student population and the number of students recruited
from highly ranked undergraduate programs, the number of fellowship holders,
and the number of Ph.D. graduates placed
in tenure-track positions.
Dr. Balachandran has been a faculty member at Maryland since 1993. He received
his B. Tech (Naval Architecture) from the
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, and his M.S. (Aerospace Engineering)
and Ph.D. (Engineering Mechanics) from
Virginia Tech. He has authored and coauthored numerous publications in the
general areas of vibrations, dynamics and
control, serves in editorial capacities for
major journals, and is a fellow of AIAA
and ASME.
In ESM, Dr. Balachandran was mentored
by Dr. Ali Nayfeh, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus. v
ESM Alumnus Dr. Soumik Banerjee Joins
Washington State University
by Anne-Marie Bracken
ESM alumnus Dr. Sou- dential Graduate Fellowship in 2006 and
mik Banerjee (ESM 2007 and the Best Poster Award at Deans
PhD
) joined the Forum on Energy Security and SustainSchool of Mechanical ability at Virginia Tech. Since graduating
and Materials Engi- from ESM, Dr. Banerjee has held several
neering at Washing- prestigious positions including a Research
Scholar position at the Max Planck Inton State University
as an Assistant Professor this Fall. While stitute in Magdeburg, Germany (2008
at ESM, he worked in the Multiphysics - 2009) and Research Fellow position at
Research Group (MuRG) led by Dr. Ish- the University of Michigan Ann Arbor
war K. Puri, N. Waldo Harrison Profes- (2009 2011). His current research insor and Department Head. His research volves molecular modeling of a range of
involved molecular modeling of nanoscale nanoscale processes including growth and
transport phenomena. He was a recipient agglomeration of nanomaterials with applications in energy devices. v
of several awards including the Pratt Presi-
ESM Alumnus Zac Cates Cycles TransAmerica
From May 22nd through July 30th of
this year, ESM alumnus Zac Cates cycled on a TransAmerica route covering a
distance of approximately 4,500 miles.
He joined his best friend, Wes Robison, and together their trip took them
through ten states starting in Yorktown,
Virginia and culminating in Florence,
Oregon. They stayed in campgrounds,
parks, friends
ew acquaintances homes, churches, volunteer fire
departments, historical societies and two
hotels.
In Zacs senior year at Tech, he was involved
in a senior design project that involved
developing test methods for novel cancer
treatments. Thus, he decided to raise money for future cancer research through riding
a bike, which will be the motivation for his
next bike trip. The cancer research organization is called Roll over Cancer: Crossing
the Country to Crush Cancer. v
Happenings Fall 2011
17
E SM A LUM NI N E WS
Virginia Tech honors engineer Charlie Harris for his career achievements
by Lynn Nystrom
Charlie Harris of Poquoson, Va., who so he opted to earn his master's degree in He began as the Head of the Mechanics of
earned his bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering Science and Mechanics, which Materials branch, and beginning in 1991,
Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1972, he completed in September 1973. Not only he simultaneously managed NASAs Aging
a masters degree in Engineering Mechan- did he earn his master's degree during this Aircraft Program. In 1997 he was named
ics in 1972, and his doctorate in Engineer- time, he also married his wife, Sherry, an NASAs Chief Technologist for the Strucing Science and Mechanics in 1983, is a alumna of Radford University. After gradu- tures and Materials Center of Excellence.
2011 inductee into Virginia Techs College ation, they headed to Lynchburg where he
of Engineering Academy of Engineering worked for Babcock and Wilcox, a nuclear In 2000, Harris was promoted to the
Deputy Directorship of NASAs Structures
Excellence, joining an elite group of 105 engineering firm.
and Materials Competency. From 2003
individuals out of more than 55,000 living
until 2006 he was a Principal Engineer in
engineering alumni.
NASAs Engineering and Safety Center
(NESC), where he lead part of the space
The Academy of Engineering Excellence
shuttle return-to-flight investigation after
was founded in 1999 by F. William Stethe Columbia accident. This work was the
phenson, past Dean of the College of Engimost challenging of my career at NASA. I
neering, and the Colleges Advisory Board.
led teams of people who were the best in the
The inductees are engineering graduates of
agency. We had to pull together everything
Virginia Tech who have made continuous
meaningful we had ever learned in our caand admirable engineering or leadership
contributions during their careers. This year L-R: Chris Hall, Ishwar K. Puri, Charlie Harris, reers, and tackle really challenging techniand Richard Benson
cal problems. Our work allowed the space
marked the twelfth anniversary of the first
shuttle to return to flight, Harris said.
induction.
After several discussions with Dr. Dan
Harris started at Virginia Tech as a junior Frederick, who was then the head of the Tenacious as ever, Harris is still a driving
and became fascinated with aerospace engi- Department of Engineering Science and force today. He leads some 800 scientists,
neering after he had heard a presentation. It Mechanics, he opted to re-enter this cur- engineers, and technicians working in 21
sounded like an exciting field although he riculum. Virginia Tech engineering icon disciplinary research branches as the direcd no idea why airplanes were able to fly, Dr. C.W. Bill Smith, who directed the tor of research and technology at NASA
Harris recalled. He checked out an aviation fracture mechanics laboratory, and his Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.
book from the library, and after reading it, Ph.D. advisor Dr. Don Morris, also an En- His ground transportation skills have gradthought he would never be able to master gineering Science and Mechanics professor, uated to space travel in support of NASAs
the principles of flight. But, master the became two of the three greatest influences mission in aeronautics, space operations,
of my adult professional life, Harris said. and space exploration.
principles, he did.
The third was Frederick. These three genWhen he graduated in June 1972, the tlemen live their lives in the right way. They Although retirement eligible, Harris plans
country was in a recession and the Apollo care about people and they are marvelous to continue working indefinitely. As if he
isnt busy enough, he is adding to his plate
and supersonic transport programs had just role models and mentors, Harris added.
by writing a book about the evolution of
been canceled. Aerospace engineers all over
At
NASA
Langley
since
1987,
Harris
rescience, technology, and religion that he
the country were being laid off, he recalled,
sponsibilities have continued to increase. hopes to eventually publish. v
Alumni Update
device. He has an upcoming publication in of interest concern non-invasive medical
Brian Allen
Applied Physics Letter, A versatile MEMS technology applications. These include
ESM Class 2009
LED treatment of traumatic brain injuBrian is currently a Graduate Research device for nanomechanical testing. v
ry, posttraumatic stress disorder, wound
Assistant at Georgia Institute of Technol- Franklin Campbell
healing and tissue repair, also rapid freogy, Atlanta, Georgia. He is researching ESM Class 1960
monotonic and cyclic properties of nano- Franklin is the President of Internation- quency impedence interrogation monitoring of hemodynamic parameters. v
scale metals using a MEMS-based testing al Liaison, LLC His current programs
18
Happenings Fall 2011
Microbes travel through the air; it would be good to
know how and where
...continued from page 3.
In engineering terms, the atmospheric
structures are called Lagrangian coherent
structures, named after the 18th Century
Italian-French mathematician Joseph Lagrange. He introduced a point of view
into the study of fluids, like the atmosphere, which the research will employ.
Ross and Schmale will be able to compute, track, and predict atmospheric
transport barriers governing the motion
of microorganisms such as Fusarium between habitats, using engineering methods including the Lagrangian methods.
By comparison with results of microbiological analysis, we expect to reveal
how dynamical structures partition and
mix airborne populations of microorganisms, and relatedly, how mixtures
of microorganisms might encode their
recent history of large-scale atmospheric
mixing, they said.
For microbes to move through the atmosphere to a new habitat, they must pass
thr
yers - the laminar
boundary layer, the surface boundary
layer, and the planetary boundary layer.
The surface boundary layer often contains strong vertical gradients in wind
speed, temperature, and humidity, accounting for the turbulence.
smallscale motion can be characterized as random, Ross added.
If the microbes make it above this surface
boundary layer, and enter the second
layer of the atmosphere, defined as being
at a height of about 50 meters to about
three kilometers above the ground, they
can be transported over long distances.
In this second layer, known as planetary
Jake Socha selected selected for National Academy
of Engineering symposium
...continued from page 3.
boundary layer, there are a lot of uncertainties in the trajectory computa- build a strong intellectual infrastructure
and commitment to 21st-century engitions, Ross explained.
neering education."
With Ross and Schmale s research
they hope to reduce some of these
uncertainties. Schmale has already
published his findings about reliable
methods for collecting and studying
populations of Fusarium in the lower
atmosphere. (see: http://onlinelibrary.
wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rob.20232/
abstract and http://www.springerlink.
com/content/d203130563348570/
This year's program will focus on teaching leading-edge engineering knowledge,
project-based learning, active and selfdirected learning, and assessment of student learning and education innovation.
"In our increasingly global and competitive world, the United States needs
to marshal its resources to address the
strategic shortfall of engineering leaders in the next decades," said Edward F.
Crawley, Ford Professor of Engineering
at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the chair of the FOEE planning
committee. "By holding this event, we
have recognized some of the finest young
engineering educators in the nation, and
will better equip them to transform the
educational process at their universities."
Using UAVs, Schmale has collected
data that shows the lower atmosphere
is teeming with Fusarium. Schmale
has DNA sequence data for hundreds
of strains of Fusarium collected from
the atmosphere, and they have preliminary data validating the important
role that atmospheric transport barriers play in the transport of the microThe other three faculty members from
organisms.
Virginia Tech include Aditya Johri and
Ross said their work should allow them Lisa McNair of Engineering Education
to make more predictable assessments and Tom Martin of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
of the transport of the microbes.
In the future our work may be able
to assist farmers by providing an early
warning systems for high risk plant
pathogens, oss said. It might also
pave the way for more effective management strategies for the spread of
infectious diseases affecting plants, domestic animals, and humans. v
The 2011 Frontiers of Engineering Education symposium is sponsored by the
O'Donnell Foundation.
The NAE is an independent, nonprofit
institution that serves as an adviser to
government and the public on issues in
engineering and technology. Its members
consist of the nation's premier engineers,
who are elected by their peers for their
distinguished achievements. Established
in 1964, NAE operates under the congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1863. v
Happenings Fall 2011
19
Dr. Ishwar K. Puri, Ph.D.
N. Waldo Harrison Professor and Department Head
Engineering Science and Mechanics
Virginia Tech, MC 0219
Blacksburg, VA 24061
The Department of Engineering
Science and Mechanics (ESM)
provides a strong foundation
and a sturdy framework for the
discovery, development, transfer, and implementation of new
knowledge in the areas of mechanics of materials and material systems, fluid mechanics,
dynamics and vibration, biomechanics, and computational
methods.
The department is fully committed to providing an environment for strong undergraduate
and graduate education that
emphasizes fundamental understanding rather than specialization, high-quality teaching, innovation, frontier-level research,
and service to the professional
mechanics community.
20
Happenings Fall 2011
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Permit no. 28