past
present
and future
Making a Difference
Fall 2006-Spring 2008 Highlights
Tennessee Tech engineering
TTU engineering students
◊ CONTENTS ◊
2 students of the past
5 supporting engineering
6 students of the present
8 students of the future
10 chemical engineering
12
civil and environmental
engineering
14
electrical and computer
engineering
16
industrial and systems
engineering
18
manufacturing and industrial
technology
20 mechanical engineering
22 graduate studies
Pictured on the cover: (back row, l-r) Angela
Biney, Daniel Forbes, Ben Eckart, Caleb
Epps, (front row) Rachel Breece, Allen R.
Atkins (EE B.S. „70, M.S. „71, Ph.D. „75),
James Seay Brown (B.S. ME „41, Dean of
PERSPECTIVE FROM THE
DEAN’S OFFICE
It is a privilege and honor to have been asked to serve as interim dean in our College of
Engineering. This appointment was planned for a one year transition but circumstances have changed such that my tenure will last through 2012. I look forward to
helping TTU address the many issues before us. As a TTU alumnus, I have a great affinity for Tech and welcome the opportunity to return in some small measure a portion
of what was given to me by this University.
On behalf of the College of Engineering, I want to express our deep gratitude to Dr.
Glen E. Johnson for his dedication and outstanding leadership from 1998-2007. Much
Interim Dean
was accomplished during his tenure as dean; particularly in the areas of scholarship,
graduate education, and externally funded research. The stature and reputation of our College was enhanced significantly due to his enthusiasm and guidance. We wish him the best as he returns to the classroom to shape future engineers.
David H. Huddleston, Ph.D., P.E.
In view of the ongoing economic turmoil, I want to reassure our constituents that the College will remain strong
and still strives for excellence. The economic challenges we face are formidable. In response, the State, University,
and College will critically evaluate our programs to maintain fiscal integrity, sharpen our focus, and develop alternative funding sources that will enable the College to continue to grow and excel. At the end of this economic cycle,
we strive to be in a stronger position to educate the next generation of engineers who will help develop the economies of this State and beyond. The engineering profession offers exciting career opportunities to talented students
and TTU is prepared to help them realize their dreams.
The College has experienced challenging times before and with an unwavering determination we have held fast to
our vision. The fundamental component of our mission is the preparation of future engineers. The desire to improve
things is a major part of our nature as engineers. With a resolve to continue along the path of excellence in education and research, combined with innovation and sound strategic planning, our efforts to meet the demand for wellprepared engineers will not be curtailed but will only continue to grow more resolute. We seek to not only teach our
students how to think, but also how to learn. Our desire is to attract the best and brightest students and equip
them with the technical knowledge as well as the skills they will need to communicate and work effectively with
others in and outside of the field of engineering.
At every turn we find another TTU alumnus or current student making a difference in the engineering profession.
Those accomplishments are evidence of the commitment that our faculty and staff have to providing the best possible education and preparation for our students to achieve success. We are honored to be able to have a small part
in their achievements. We felt that it was important to focus this issue of our newsletter on our students – past,
present, and future- the students who make our careers so rewarding and demand the best from the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech.
COLLEGE
Interim Dean David Huddleston
Associate Dean Subramaniam Deivanayagam
Associate Dean Roy Loutzenheiser
Director of Development Tracy Russell
Director of Minority Engineering Tony Marable
Tennessee Technological University‟s College of Engineering
DEAN’S ADVISORY BOARD
programs are accredited by the
Dr. Allen R. Atkins / Mr. Bob Bratton Jr. / Ms. Alice Engineering Accreditation ComL. Cannella / Mr. Tommy Chisholm / Mr. David L.
mission of the Accreditation
Davidson / Mr. H. LeRoy Henderson / Mr. Chris
Board for Engineering and TechHetzler / Mr. Thomas M. Hudson Jr. / Mr. Johnny W. nology, the National Association
Masey / Mr. Steve Pearson / Mr. James C. Raines / of Industrial Technology and the
Mr. Larry G. Smith / Mr. Charles Mangrum
Foundry Education Foundation.
TTU: A Constituent University
of the Tennessee Board of Regents/new An EEO/AA/Title IX/
Section 504-ADA University
students of the past
Alumni receive honors
Six alumni were honored by Tennessee Tech University‟s College of
Engineering during their annual Eweek banquets in 2007 and 2008.
Teresa Vanhooser (industrial engineering, „80), Carl W. Sandlin (chemical
engineering, „71), Robert L. Gower
(electrical engineering, „64), and
Stanley N. Manning (chemical engineering, „84) were named the Engineers of Distinction, while industrial
technology alumni Kenneth R. Winter
(„62) and David Vickers („67) were honored as the Technologists of Distinction.
Teresa
Vanhooser, a Johnson
City native, serves as
co-deputy director of
one of Marshall Space
Flight Center's largest
organizations,
consisting of more
than 2,000 civil service and contractor employees with an
annual budget in excess of $135 million.
The Engineering Directorate is responsible for the design, testing,
evaluation, and operation of hardware
and software associated with space
transportation, spacecraft systems and
science instruments, along with payloads under development at the center.
She also manages Marshall's Payload
Operations Center, which is the command post for scientific research experiments aboard the International
Space Station.
She was the first woman and
youngest person ever to serve as mission manager for the Second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and
Science Mission, for which she received
the NASA Exceptional Achievement
Medal for her accomplishments. In
1997, she served as mission manager
for the first Microgravity Science Laboratory on the Columbia shuttle mission.
In 2000 she was named to the Senior Executive Service as manager of
the payload operations and Integration
Department. Under her leadership,
multiple racks were successfully delivered to orbit and 24/7/365 payload support was provided to the International
2
Space Station. She was promoted in
2004 to Deputy Director of Flight Projects.
Vanhooser's career has been
marked with numerous awards. In
2006, she was recognized by President
George Bush with the Presidential
Rank Award for Meritorious Executive
for outstanding leadership and service
in federal government. She also received the 2006 Federal Women's Program Outstanding Woman Achiever
Award for outstanding performance,
dedication and innovations as a supervisor.
As ExxonMobil's
drilling
operations
manager,
Carl
Sandlin is responsible for drilling operations
in
Angola,
Chad,
Equatorial
Guinea and Russia,
for deepwater drilling in the Americas
and for worldwide exploration drilling
in areas where ExxonMobil does not
have production operations. He is also
responsible for the safety, health and
environmental work of the drilling organization.
Sandlin joined Exxon in 1972 and
has held a variety of engineering assignments in both drilling and production. Since 1981, he has held managerial positions in production, exploration
and planning, and business analysis.
In 1990 Sandlin moved to Malaysia as
drilling manager and returned to
Houston in 1994 as drilling operations
manager. With the merger of Exxon
and Mobil in 1999, he retained his position.
After
graduating
from Tennessee Tech,
Kenneth Winter, a
New Jersey native,
returned to his family's boatyard where
he took over the business and built it into
a full-service marina
and boatyard, home base and port of
call for some of the world's finest
yachts.
Spurring innovation in the business, Winter moved the facility beyond
the traditional ship's chandler role. He
brought in large lifts, sophisticated
repair techniques and high-tech materials. Winter Yacht Basin, located on
the Intercoastal Waterway at Barnegat
Bay, grew to be a pre-eminent luxury
yacht service. Winter even added a
helipad for the convenience of his fastmoving clientele.
Winter is past president and board
member of the American Boat Builders
and Repairers Association. A member
of the Marine Trades Association of
New Jersey Hall of Fame, he also
served on that organization's board
and was elected president.
Robert
Gower
started his professional career at
Texas Instruments
as a Summer Development
Program
Student while still
attending TTU. After graduating, he
joined Texas Instruments full time and obtained a MSEE
from Southern Methodist University in
1968. He remained at TI for 21 years
working in many different departments and positions in the Semiconductor Group. While there he had the
opportunity to be part of the team to
start two new businesses, the first produced circuits for a missile project and
the second was TI‟s first venture into
the MOS memory business.
In 1982 he joined a start-up semiconductor memory company called INMOS. There, he again worked in various manufacturing, engineering, and
management positions including the
presidency of the U.S. company. When
the decision was made to consolidate
INMOS with other European semiconductor companies and close the U.S.
operation, Gower helped start a new
company, United Memories, Inc., an
engineering services company supplying design and other engineering services to various Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) manufacturers
in the Far East. He is currently the
President and CEO of UMI.
Stanley
Manning is Operations
Director for the SC
Johnson Company
in the United Kingdom and Australia.
He is charged with
the
establishment
and execution of the
strategic direction for the Product Supply organization. He manages all aspects related to facilities maintenance
and safety, health, and environmental
concerns. From 2004-07, Manning
served as Global Operations Support
Manager, coordinating global supply
chain cost improvement efforts within
Product Supply. In other positions
within the company since 1984, Manning has carried the responsibility for
supervision and management of all
plant functions, development for sourcing and procurement strategies for new
and existing products, and cost reduction opportunities primarily for international Home Storage and Auto Care
markets.
Manning was the catalyst that created the recent Minority Engineering
Program Endowment within the COE.
David Vickers
moved to California
after
graduating
from TTU and built
a career in the materials
industry.
With a progression
of job responsibilities: chief industrial
engineer, director of
manufacturing, president and chief
operating officer with various companies in the cement and concrete industry, Vickers became a leader in the
cement and concrete industry. Perhaps
his greatest achievement was helping
the National Ready Mix Concrete Association secure $13 million in funding
from industry to establish the education-oriented Ready Mix Concrete Research and Education Foundation.
Then, as its chairman, he oversaw the
establishment and funding of research
projects designed to further the cement
and concrete industry.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEGREES CONFERRED
2006-2007
210
52
undergraduate
graduate
2007-2008
259
59
undergraduate
graduate
Garner named International
Alumnus of the Year—2008
Engineering graduate Dudley Garner Jr. was named TTU‘s
first International Alumnus, accepting the honor at a banquet
Feb. 1, 2008 honoring him and five other Outstanding Alumni
of the Year.
Garner, chairman of Symetrics Technology Group with operations in Florida
and Texas, has distinguished himself as a design engineer, manager and entrepreneur.
"I don't believe there is anyone who appreciates what Tennessee Tech did for
them more than I do," Garner said as he received the award. "I don't believe
there's a more vocal booster, or anyone more proud of Tennessee Tech."
Garner, who carved out a career in the aerospace industry after graduation,
credited TTU with much of his success. "Due to the academic background I got
here at Tech, I always felt that I had a slight edge," Garner said.
A staunch Tennessee Tech supporter, Garner, along with his friend Lt. Gen.
Ret. Don Rodgers, contacted classmates and started the EE Class of 1957 Scholarship Endowment in 1995. "As I reflect on my life and career, I see that God
has been leading me all the way through," he said. "Through him, I learned the
gift of giving. I know that many of you are givers, and I encourage you. The gift
of giving is incredible." Garner and his wife have also established three college
scholarships through two churches and a high school for deserving students
needing financial assistance.
Atkins, Blanchard receive 2006 honors
from Alumni Association
Allen R. Atkins
(electrical engineering,
B.S. '70, M.S. '71,
Ph.D. '75) is credited
with being the father
of stealth technology
because of his technical leadership that led
to the success of the
country's stealth programs. He began his
career at Wright Patterson Air Force
Base, where he spearheaded the development of the first electric remotely piloted
vehicle, the first solar powered RPV, the
smallest operational RPV, and the first
truly stealthy RPV.
His success with the RPV programs
led to the extension of the low observable
technologies to the larger manned aircraft, resulting in the F-117 Stealth
Fighter and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. The
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
directly attributed the country's success
in Desert Storm to the technical leadership that Atkins provided on the stealth
demonstrator programs.
Atkins has given valuable counsel,
resource, and leadership to the COE. He
also helped the college create a blueprint
to enhance research and scholarly activities and establish an endowment to support research in honor of his mentor, Carl
Ventrice.
After
graduating
with a B.S. in mechanical engineering
in 1993 Art Blanchford
entered the
automotive industry
as a product development/systems engineer with TRW. He
then took a position with Autoliv, North
America, the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems.
Throughout his career he has demonstrated an ability to increase company
sales and profits by building strong alliances, reducing costs and simultaneously
finding new engineering solutions. He
has made quick ascension through the
ranks of his company due to his ability to
negotiate and lead with successful results. He has displayed determination to
improve the bottom line of his company,
while at the same time maintaining
strong relationships with customers.
Blanchford has been responsible for
several high-profile, multimillion dollar
projects with all of General Motors' companies and brands from Opel in Germany
to Shanghai GM in China. He is in
charge of more than $700M in annual
sales, and it is growing significantly each
year.
3
Damron named Young
Engineer of the Year
Dyan C. Damron (B.S.
civil engineering, „02),
project manager at Neel
-Schaffer, Inc., has received the 2008 Young
Engineer of the Year
Award from both the
Nashville Chapter and
State Association of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE).
The award recognizes young TSPE
members who have made outstanding
contributions to the engineering profession and their communities during the
early years of their career.
As an undergraduate, Ms. Damron
was instrumental in organizing and
chartering a new student chapter for
the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and served as its first
president. She has continued as an
active member since her graduation. In
2005, Ms. Damron was awarded the
TSITE Jack B. Humphreys Award for
Service as a Young Member and was
also nominated by the National Society
of Professional Engineers (NSPE) as
one of the 10 New Faces in Engineering. She is a registered Professional
Engineer in 3 states. Ms. Damron is a
member of NSPE as well as the American Council of Engineering Companies
of Tennessee and is currently the only
certified Professional Transportation
Planner in Tennessee. In addition to
her involvement in numerous professional activities, she serves as a volunteer in the pre-engineering program for
Nashville‟s Martin Luther King Jr.
Magnet School, encouraging youth to
pursue engineering as a career.
Mr. Paul Degges (B.S. civil engineering, „88), TDOT Chief Engineer, was
honored at the Middle Tennessee All
Engineers Banquet. Degges was named
the 2008 Government Engineer of the
Year.
Since 2002, the State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners has made grants to state-funded
universities for undergraduate computer and lab equipment totaling $1.2
million. In 2008, TTU‟s College of Engineering received $34,000 for solar cell
testing equipment, temperature probes
and data acquisition equipment, a
lathe-milldrill, and digital oscilloscopes.
4
Greenway receives NAIT award
Ms. Saski Greenway Bryan Derr, (B.S. industrial manufacturing
technology, ‟97) was the recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Industrial
Technologist Award. This award is presented by the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT) in recognition of exemplary
leadership and application of the principles of Industrial Technology.
Ms. Greenway began her career at GM as a Manufacturing Engineer while concurrently pursuing her Masters in Operations Management at Trevecca Nazarene University. The additional skills
gained in her advanced studies paved the way for advancement into management with
promotions to Senior Maintenance Leader in 2001 and Project Manager in 2003. In
these roles, she assumed responsibility for all plant maintenance functions and personnel, and increased monthly preventative maintenance percentages by more than 20 percent, even while experiencing a reduction in maintenance staff by 20 percent.
In 2007, Ms. Greenway was promoted to the role of Business Manager in which she
assumed responsibility for the planning and implementation of equipment updates and
decommissioning as new vehicle platforms are rolled out. She supervises six maintenance supervisors and 150 skilled trades team members on a daily basis in addition to
tending to continuous improvement, team development, goal-setting, and other administrative functions in her department.
Tech alums serve as
officers for ACEC
F. Lilliard Teasley, P.E., CEO of
Teasley Services Group served as
President of the American Council of
Engineering Companies (ACEC) of
Teasley
Bostic
Saunders
Tennessee Board of Directors for
2008-2009. Teasley received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from TTU in 1987.
Other officers included the First Vice President, Steve Bostic, P.E. (civil, „83), VicePresident with Lamar Dunn & Associates, Inc. and Treasurer, Thomas “Chuck” Saunders, P.E. (civil, „96), Nashville Office Manager with Fisher & Arnold, Inc.
Founded in 1968, ACEC is a statewide organization of more than 110 engineering
companies with chapters in East TN, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis.
Captain William Anderson’s estate gift the single
largest gift in Tennessee Tech history
Seven decades after Captain William Anderson earned a business degree from Tennessee
Tech University, his legacy is becoming clear
with an estate gift that is the single largest
gift in university history. Of the $2.5 million
gift, $1.3M was designated for scholarship
endowments in the College of Engineering—
scholarships that will benefit engineering students for many years to come. Although
Anderson did not have an engineering background, his designation of support for our College is a testament to his recognition of the
quality of education we provide and the importance of engineering to economic development in the state and region.
Anderson was born in 1918 to James and Mary Jane Brock Anderson, friends
of Jere Whitson, one of Tech‘s founding fathers. He graduated from Tennessee
Tech in 1939 with a degree in business and went on to receive his master‘s degree in education from the University of Kentucky. He entered active service with
the Coast Guard, and then left to begin his tenure with the U.S. Maritime Service
as an ensign. He spent the rest of his career there, becoming chief officer, then
captain. The retired merchant marine, who traveled the world but considered his
university relationships his most enduring, passed away in June 2008.
―Captain Anderson left a legacy that will help generations of young men and
women achieve what he so cherished, an education from Tennessee Tech,‖ says
TTU President Bob Bell.
supporting engineering
DENSO maintains strong alliance with TTU
Thanks to the DENSO North America Foundation, TTU electrical and computer engineering seniors will get a taste of what it is like to work in an environment with the look and feel of a typical engineering lab found in industry.
DENSO Corporation is a leading global supplier of advanced automotive technology, systems and components. The company has a large Tennessee presence
serving the major automakers, including Toyota, Honda, Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler.
Jim Woroniecki, senior vice president of DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee
Inc. Maryville and a DNAF board member, presented TTU with a $100,000 check in
the fall 2006 representing a grant to create the DENSO Capstone Design Laboratory in Brown Hall. This lab enables TTU to provide every ECE graduate with a
year-long design experience under the supervision of both an industry engineer and
an ECE faculty member.
The senior capstone course was launched fall 2008, with 12 five-student teams
completing a year-long industry-defined design project, including brainstorming,
specification, simulation, design review, construction, testing, documentation, and
demonstration. Some of this year's project sponsors are ADTRAN, DENSO, Oreck,
P&G, REI, Square-D, TVA, and Cookeville Electric. Other area companies are encouraged to contact TTU ECE if they are interested in submitting future projects.
DENSO's relationship with TTU has greatly benefited the engineering programs over the past seven years by helping create new laboratories designed to
educate students in the disciplines essential to the automotive industry.
In spring 2006, DENSO provided a $75,000 donation to be used for classroom
renovation. The DENSO Mechanical Engineering Smart Classroom was unveiled in
April 2006 and features
state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and networking capabilities, improved acoustics and layout, a drop ceiling, and a
new heating and cooling
unit.
TTU‟s Mini-Baja team
received an unexpected
gift to culminate the 2007
Engineers Week when
DENSO Manufacturing
Tennessee presented the
team with a check for
$4,000. The money will
help fund the Mini Baja
At the dedication of TTU’s newly renovated DENSO MeTeam Endowment created
chanical Engineering Smart Classroom, corporate representatives, from left, Ron Bird of Athens and Russell
in honor of Robert Smoak,
Bearden of Maryville join Jim Woroniecki, senior vice
former TTU professor and
president, in presenting a $75,000 check to TTU repreteam adviser. Tennessee
sentatives, from left, Dale Wilson, professor of mechaniTech ranks as one of the
cal engineering, Darrell Hoy, chairman and professor of
most successful teams in
mechanical engineering, and President Bob Bell.
Mini Baja history.
The Mini-Baja as well as the Formula One student design project, are housed in
TTU's DENSO Vehicle Engineering Center, also funded with a $120,000 grant from
DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee and the DENSO North America Foundation.
These along with other student design projects have proven to help engineering
students obtain advanced skills before they graduate.
“DENSO‟s relationship with Tennessee Tech University has always been
strong,” Woroniecki said. “We want to continue that alliance in helping support
TTU‟s great engineering programs. Good engineers are valuable to our company
and to the automotive industry.”
TVA power relay lab
brings academics and
real-world into sync
Academic and real-world experience often differ, but our new
$500,000 TVA Power Relay Lab
brings the two experiences into perfect sync for electrical and computer
engineering students.
The recently opened lab features
leading-edge power sub-station digital relay and switching equipment -the same equipment TVA and worldwide power providers expect to use
for years to come. TVA Protection
and Control Manager James Kurtz,
who was instrumental for the lab's
creation, says it's essential for his
company to have students better
equipped to enter the workforce.
"Education should be a cooperative effort on the part of our business
and academic communities," says
Kurtz. "As technology changes, so do
educational and professional expectations, and so academic institutions
should re-evaluate their curriculums
for power engineering design," says
Kurtz. "TTU is taking a leading-edge
approach in establishing this power
lab."
In the TVA Power Relay Lab, the
equipment is the same type of equipment TVA chose when replacing the
old-fashioned electro-mechanical
substations with multifunction digital
relays, also widely known as Intelligent Electronic Device or IED, that
form the back-bone of the nextgeneration substation with digital
and fiber connections. Students are
able to set and test digital relays,
select current and voltage transformers, determine relays and transformer taps, conduct research, and
test their protection design schemes
in a laboratory environment.
David Gao, the assistant ECE professor responsible for attracting industry support for the lab, as well as
its setup and operation, says at least
one other major entity, Square D/
Schneider Electric, has joined TVA in
supporting the lab. With a recent
donation of $75,000 worth of relays
and equipment, Square D/Schneider
Electric solidified its relationship with
the program.
Gao says TTU's power engineering teaching and research program
will be greatly enhanced by the lab
and, most importantly, relay engineering knowledge first-hand from
industry practitioners. He says the
connection and collaboration between industries and TTU facilitated
by TVA will be crucial for students'
future success in the power industry.
5
students of the present
118 firms represented at
2008 E-week Career Fair
E-Week—something for everyone
Career Fair sees largest participation to date
Ballard honored as first
student recipient of
Leighton E. Sissom Award
David Ballard became the first student-recipient of the Leighton E. Sissom
Innovation and Creativity Award at
TTU. He was selected for the 2007
award for his innovative and creative
contributions to TTU‟s championship
Society of Automotive Engineer‟s Mini
Baja team. Ballard, who served as captain for the 2005-06 season, had primary
responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the team that won the 2006 SAE
East competition. Mini Baja is a collegiate off-road racing series sponsored by
SAE in which college teams from all over
the world fabricate vehicles in the hope
that their designs will prove to be tough
enough to endure the harsh conditions of
the race environment yet fast enough to
beat the competitors.
Ballard says his biggest contribution
was the organizational management and
experience he brought to a team with a
prestigious past.
"I am so honored to receive this
award, but it is only appropriate that I
point out that Mini Baja is synonymous
with team and that great teamwork is
what I am most proud of when looking at
my contribution," says Ballard, who received his bachelor's degree („05) and
master‟s degree („07) in Mechanical Engineering.
College of Engineering
Fall 2008 enrollment
1552
138
1512
178
20
42
6
Undergraduates
Graduates
Male
Female
States
Countries
Every year the Engineering Joint Council and TTU‘s Career Services join
forces to organize the Engineering Career Fair, one of the highlights of our annual E-week held in February. The 2008 event saw a record number of companies interested in persuading our Engineering and Technology students to go to
work for them with 118 firms participating during the 2-day event. The Career
Fair provides a great opportunity for students to meet with recruiting teams from
firms in all facets of engineering who are anxious to hire quality graduates with a
strong education and technical skills and who are ―ready to work‖ - a reputation
that TTU engineers have enjoyed for many years.
In addition to finding permanent employment matches for students and companies, the opportunities available for students looking for intern and co-op positions are also numerous. These jobs are valuable for BOTH the student and employer, as each has the benefit of a ―test drive‖ before making any long term
commitment. The firsthand experience often gives students a newfound awareness of the relevance of classroom knowledge to the workplace and a greater
focus when they return to campus. An opportunity to actually exercise classroom
knowledge can prove to be a great motivator as these young adults look toward
their future careers.
Another highlight of E-week is the tough competition between the disciplines
in determining the coveted ―Best Darn Major‖ - a contest won by the Electrical
and Computer Engineering Department in both 2007 and 2008. Contests test
physical strength and skill with events such as catapult, dodge ball, and tug of
war, as well as battles of the mind with the imagineering, paper airplane, and
trivia bowl competitions. Another all-time favorite test determines which major
can claim the best cooking skills with a chili cook-off. Round out these contests
with Texas hold-em, a scavenger hunt, and a ―spirit‖ contest and you‘ve got an
equation for a great week of fun.
Each year E-week culminates with a student-organized banquet on Thursday
evening where students, faculty, and alumni gather to see the presentation of
our annual COE awards including the Kinslow Award, the Sissom Award, and the
Brown-Henderson Award. Two engineering alumni are honored with the Engineer
of Distinction Award and the Technologist of Distinction Award is presented to an
industrial technology alumnus. EJC scholarships are also awarded during the
banquet. These are peer awards made to students who have shown an outstanding commitment to engineering excellence throughout their college careers.
Several factors are considered in the application for this honor including leadership, citizenship, academic achievement, publications, patents, and community
involvement. Recipients for the 2007 scholarships were Andrew Bryant, Jennifer
Cloud, Aaron Grills, James Klein, Viktor Orekhov, Jason Phillips, Austin Pinkstaff,
Bethany Lee Smith, James C. Thomason, Tarah Wilkerson; 2008 winners were
Chris Berry, Corey Cooke, Benjamin Eckart, Kenneth Gahan, Christy Holt,
Vanessa Kasten, Matthew
Lewis,
Hunter
McClelland, Micah Murphy, Lindsay Smith, Ava
Zima.
The EJC had another
successful year under
the able leadership of
President Caleb Epps.
Other
EJC officers included D.J. Dearmon as
vice-president,
Azurae
Johnson as secretary,
Matt Redmond as treasurer, and Kenyon Webber as webmaster.
Boden and Thompson
named Scholar Athletes
TTU students
recognized by ACEC
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Tennessee
sees one of the bright spots in the future of engineering for Tennessee to be
in the classrooms of TTU‟s College of
Engineering. In four of the six years
that the scholarship has been awarded,
a TTU engineering student has been
awarded the prestigious ACEC of Tennessee annual scholarship. Hunter
McClelland, a mechanical engineering major from Kingsport, received the
2008 award. He was selected from
among students at engineering colleges
and universities across Tennessee. In
addition to maintaining a 4.0 GPA,
Hunter has been involved in college
activities, including Tech‟s honors program, Autonomous Robotics team,
First Lego League, and intramural
sports. He is expected to graduate in
May 2009. Past TTU winners include
Viktor Orekhov (ME) in 2007; Ryan
Hewitt (CEE) in 2004; Jana Beth
Shoun (ChE) in 2003.
SWE
The Society of Women Engineers
(SWE) is committed to empowering
women to succeed and advance in the
field of engineering, and to be recognized for their life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders. Participation, both female and male, is encouraged from all engineering related
disciplines.
Currently there are 29 members in
a very active TTU chapter. SWE members are engaged in Engineering-aFuture which invites 5th and 6th grade
girls to come and think like an engineer and work with female engineering
students, faculty, and staff from Tennessee Tech and the surrounding communities; philanthropy activities coordinated with the UT-Knoxville chapter;
and Relay for Life. Several social activities are held throughout the year
ranging from ice cream socials to football tailgating to Death by Chocolate
Night! Professional activities include
participation in regional and national
conferences and sponsorship of an industrial speaker series.
Tau Beta Pi helps with Habitat House
Tau Beta Pi
Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor
Society is a student organization that
upholds the values of "Integrity and
Excellence in Engineering." This academic acknowledgement is given to the
top fifth of senior engineering students
and the top eighth of junior engineering students who excel academically
and exhibit high moral character.
This year, the Tennessee Gamma
Chapter of Tau Beta Pi at Tennessee
Tech is under new leadership. Serving
as officers for the 2008-2009 term are
Daniel Forbes (President), Caitlin
Balthrop (Vice President), Clayton
Dowell (Secretary), and Brenda Hutchinson (Treasurer). Faculty advisors
are Dr. Corrine Darvennes, Dr. Jessica
Matson, and Interim Dean David Huddleston.
In the Fall term, the chapter was
involved in the Habitat for Humanity
program, where students worked
painting, caulking, and building on a
Habitat house in Cookeville. The chapter also made a donation to the local
YMCA Trunk or Treat, and each new
member individually performed service
such as tutoring, donating blood, donating clothing as well as other projects. In the Fall 2008, 15 new members were initiated, and we look forward to additional growth this spring.
SWE—committed to engineering
Being a student-athlete is more challenging that it appears. From the classroom to the field, and the preparation
time it takes for each, the days can get
pretty full.
Beth Boden, 2007-08
NCAA Woman of the Year
and OVC Scholar Athlete,
and Bradley Thompson,
2008-09 OVC Scholar Athlete, are great examples of
how college athletes can
balance their lives with excellence in
both academics and athletics.
Boden ended her Golden Eagle softball playing career with 51 home runs,
after breaking the career high as a junior. Her record of 138 runs batted in
gave her a fourth place finish and she
was first in runs scored with 191.
During her final season Boden was
also named to the All-Senior All-America
team as a part of the Lowe’s Senior
CLASS Award program, the OVC’s Steve
Hamilton Sportsmanship Award winner,
as well as a third straight All OVC firstteam appearance. She also served as
president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Boden was named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll three times and
graduated Dec. 2008 with a cumulative
3.75 GPA in CEE. She is currently pursuing her masters degree at TTU.
Bradley Thompson, a
member of the Golden Eagle football team, progressed from a walk-on to a
starter on the defensive line
over his 4-year playing career. In 2007 he played in
11 games, starting six contests. He had 27 total tackles, 3.5 tackles
-for-loss, a sack, a forced fumble and 2
quarterback hurries.
Thompson was selected to the ESPN
The Magazine Academic All-District
team in 2007 and 2008. He earned multiple OVC Medal of Honors and Commissioner Honor Roll selections and has
made the TTU Dean's List and Athletic
Director's Honor Roll for six consecutive
semesters entering 2008-09.
He is a member of the StudentAthlete Advisory Committee, the Pi Tau
Sigma mechanical engineering honor
society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
He has previously earned back-toback Academic All-District honors in
2007 and 2008. Thompson, a junior, finished the fall semester with a 3.97 cumulative GPA in ME.
7
students of the future
Governor‘s school in emerging technology
broadens perspectives for 10th and 11th graders
During the past decade, numerous
studies have documented a pending national shortage of engineers and the resulting adverse consequences for a 21st
century society and economy in a rapidly
changing world. The expectations of the
engineering profession and consequently
the expectations of an engineering education are rapidly evolving to meet these
challenges.
At Tennessee Tech, we place a lot of
emphasis on programs that stimulate the
young scholars in our state and attract
them to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) related disciplines.
Our outreach focuses on high school and
middle school students, as well as their
teachers in STEM disciplines. The goal is
to attract students to these careers by
introducing them to the engineering applications that motivate the study of science and mathematics.
For several years, the College of Engineering has hosted a variety of programs
for students and teachers. In 2007 this
experience led to the formation of The
Governor’s School for Emerging Technologies, jointly hosted by the Office of Extended Programs and Regional Development and the College of Engineering at
Tennessee Tech. The Governor’s School is
8
a summer enrichment program for rising
high school juniors and seniors designed
to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
through the study of current topics in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information
technology, and other emerging technologies. The Governor’s School for Emerging Technologies is one of twelve such programs established in Tennessee through
funding provided by the TN Department
of Education.
Fifty-four Tennessee high school
scholars selected from 151 applicants participated in the inaugural session held May
26-June 27, 2008. Participants represented 26 counties distributed across the
state.
The school capitalizes on partnerships
with a unique array of high technology
research and development organizations
located across the State of Tennessee to
provide students with the opportunity to
learn from leading researchers and experience cutting-edge research facilities
through weekly field trips. Typical partners for high school summer enrichment
programs have included Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering at Vanderbilt University, Arnold Engineering and
Development Center, and the University
of Tennessee Space Institute.
On the TTU campus, students engage
in traditional classes, discussions, laboratory exercises, team projects and individual research projects. Participants develop
and maintain an electronic portfolio of
their work, earn six hours of college credit
in introduction to engineering, computer
programming, and a new emerging technology course, and take part in community service activities. This past year, the
group traveled to Macon County with
other TTU volunteers to help with tornado
recovery efforts.
During the fifth and final week of their
studies and field trips, participants in the
2008 class of Tennessee Tech University's
Governor's School for Emerging Technologies, visited Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security
Complex and the Technology 2020 facility
to learn about some of the world's leading
technologies.
At ORNL, the students received a tour
of the supercomputing facilities at the lab,
which has the fifth fastest supercomputer
in the world, the Jaguar Cray XT4. Its
processing power is being used to calculate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, model efficient designs for biofuel
engines and to study the universe.
Roger McCauley, director, disruptive
technology programs, ORNL, delivered a
lunchtime talk on disruptive, or replacement, technologies. An example of a disruptive technology would be the cell
phone, which has replaced the hardwired, "land line" telephone as the predominant personal communication device.
During the talk, the students were given
three minutes to form groups of three and
come up with predictions for disruptive
technologies or innovations that they
thought would be important in their lifetimes or in the future. Ideas included the
capability to re-grow human limbs or organs, technology to prolong human life
forever and a total recycling machine that
would recycle anything on the spot.
Presentations at Y-12 to the students
focused on the science behind nuclear
technologies and the work of the materials scientist, respectively.
At the Technology 2020 facility, the
students viewed a demonstration courtesy of Y-12's Large Chamber Scanning
Electron Microscope (LC-SEM), one of the
largest chamber SEMs in the world and
the SEM with the largest array of scanning capabilities. The instrument enables
examination of metallic and non-metallic
samples never before achievable on one
instrument and can be applied in aerospace, the automotive industry, medical
manufacturing and other areas. It can
help answer such questions as why a jet
part cracked, whether a new material
could improve a pacemaker or what the
elements of a dinosaur bone are.
The students also observed various
experiments with objects in a microwave
while at the Technology 2020 facility.
The Governor's School experience
provided student Tryston Gilbert of Whitwell High School, Whitwell, Tenn., with an
introduction to the electron microscope.
"It's just amazing how things look on a
tiny scale," he said. Gilbert added that he
had been "juggling a lot of things" in
terms of career ideas--including aviation
and engineering--before the Governor's
School. "I've really become interested in
the new ways of producing environmentally friendly energy," he said. "I don't
know--I might come on back and work
here someday."
Shauna Albritton, a student from
Oakland High School in Murfreesboro,
Tenn., said participating in the Governor's
School has broadened her perspective
and influenced her to think about a different career track. She had thought she
wanted to be a doctor.
"It's definitely opened my eyes to different possibilities and different things to
do," she said. "Now I'm looking into biomedical because it seemed really cool."
The precursor of this program was a
President’s Academy established at TTU in
2005. During the summers of 2005-2007,
190 middle school and high school students from across the State participated
in multiple sessions of the program, ranging from four to thirteen days in duration.
In a compressed format, students were
introduced to many of the same concepts
as in the Governor’s School. This program
was so popular, that we were asked to
continue offering it to students from the
Upper Cumberland in addition to the Governor’s School. In the summer of 2008, 36
students from 12 Upper Cumberland
counties participated in the President’s
Academy. The students were selected by
their school guidance offices and each
Robots and Rockets aren’t just for boys
Girls who wonder how robots and
rockets work just might be well on
their way to becoming engineers who
help design such machinery and impact the world. And those are just
the girls who signed up for Engineering A Future 2008.
Fifth and sixth grade girls registered for the 6th annual EAF event
that has attracted hundreds of area
participants interested in becoming
problem solvers and creative thinkers. The 2008 event was held on Saturday, February 23, at TTU.
―Girls at this age who show even
a glimmer of interest in science find
this workshop encouraging and exciting,‖ said Patty Cowan, EAF cochairperson and member of the Upper Cumberland Section of the Society of Women Engineers. It‘s a great
place to see what piques their interests and involvement. I‘ve been an
engineer my whole life and I know
this is a way to build on the attention
and the enthusiasm these young
women possess.‖
Professional engineers, as well as
TTU engineering faculty members,
lead team activities. Dozens of engineering and education student volunteers guide small groups of girls in
the hands-on learning workshop designed to foster interest in science
their school guidance offices and each
their school guidance offices and each
student was sponsored by a scholarship
provided by the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency.
The second Governor’s School for
Emerging Technologies, under the direction of Associate Professor Ken Hunter,
will be held May 24-June 27, 2009.
and engineering education
and careers.
Engineering A
Future
2008
was sponsored
by TTU‘s College of Engineering,
College of Education, Office of
Admissions
and the Oakley
STEM Center;
the Tennessee
Space
Grant
Consortium;
the Girl Scout
Council of Cumberland Valley; Cummins Filtration; the Society of Women
Engineers and the American Association of University Women.
A summer camp was also held
for 7th and 8th grade girls, offering
them the chance to launch rockets,
build robots, and envision careers in
engineering. This was the second
year for this four-day, residential
mini-camp designed to energize participants and foster their curiosity
about engineering. Mechanical Engineering Professor Corinne Darvennes
served as event chairperson. Engineering A Future—Summer Edition
was sponsored by the College of Engineering, College of Education, the
Tennessee Space Grant Consortium,
Cummins Filtration, and the Society
of Women Engineers.
9
chemical engineering
Chair: Pedro Arce
phone: 931.372.3297; email: parce@tntech.edu
Undergraduate researcher
Azuráe Johnson seizes opportunity,
wins national fellowship
Student achievements
Hope Sedrick and Jennifer Bollig
received 3 local and regional awards in
2007 for their work on a project to study
the effect of charged nanoparticles to
modify the architecture of gel-like materials in the separation of proteins. The
practical application of the project could
have an impact on time-released drug
delivery and on the design of tissue scaffolds. A research poster about that topic
took 3rd place in the student category at
the regional meeting of the American
Institute of Chemical Engineering in
Columbia, S.C. It went on to win a 1st
place award for undergraduate research
at the Southeast conference of the
American Society of Engineering Educators and took an award at TTU‟s 2007
Research Day in the chemical engineering division‟s undergraduate category.
Bollig graduated in May 2007 and is
working as a Process Engineer for Eastman. She has been assigned to be part of
the “start-up” team for their new plant
in Kingsport, TN.
Sedrick was awarded a summer undergraduate research fellowship through
the National Institute of Standards and
Technology. She worked in the chemical
science and technology lab of the National Institutes of Health‟s Cancer Institute. The project related to the use of
microfluidics to research the potential
growth of cancerous tumors. She is currently pursuing her Master‟s degree at
TTU.
Azuráe Johnson was one of 40 undergraduate researchers throughout the
state who presented research at "Posters
at the Capitol 2009.”
10
Your image of a university researcher will never be the
same after meeting Azuráe Johnson. Johnson, 19, has
been selected to receive a 2009 Summer Undergraduate
Research Fellowship (SURF) to work in the Building and
Fire Research Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Only the second Tennessee Tech
University student ever chosen for a competitive undergraduate research fellowship with the National Institute of
Standards and Technology in Washington D.C., Johnson
can already catalogue her biomolecular chemical engineering research experiences at the university.
Less than a year since graduating from Cookeville High
School, she‘s proving there‘s no need to follow traditional
timelines when you love what you are studying. ―In terms
of research, I‘m just a tiny sprout in a magnificent rainforest, surrounded by
mentors, advisors, and graduate students who are paving the way,‖ Johnson
said.
In turn, Johnson is carving a path for young people who want to delve into
research as undergraduates and showing them that Tennessee Tech is one place
where their interests are matched with opportunities.
―Azuráe has an excellent academic foundation, and she demonstrates many
important scholarly attributes allowing her to contribute early to a research environment,‖ according to Dr. Holly Stretz, Johnson‘s advisor. ―One element was
that she took full advantage of the opportunity to explore advanced coursework
at TTU while she was still in high school.‖
She met TTU faculty members as a result of winning the grand prize the annual TTU Science and Engineering Fair, which allowed her to compete at the INTEL International Science and Engineering fair in Indianapolis. Then, as a high
school senior, Johnson took several college classes and expressed her interest in
research.
―I started my research with a literature review and kept asking ‗What‘s
next,‘‖ said Johnson. Stretz assigned her to assist doctoral student Jeffrey
Thompson with work on his patent for novel thermo-sensitive gels that promises
to purify drugs faster and more efficiently.
―The project‘s goal is to develop a gel that yields a more efficient way of
separating complex mixtures of drugs by changing the gel‘s morphology on the
nanoscale level simply by altering the temperature,‖ Johnson explained.
While working with these novel gels, Johnson has already begun a second
independent project. That project involves studying the hot coagulation of novel
carbon nanotubes in efforts to make materials stronger.
―I‘m testing the characteristics of novel carbon nanotubes formed by a Tulane
University researcher,‖ said Johnson. ―This is a rare opportunity because a pound
of the carbon nanotubes cost about half a million dollars; however, these were
donated for my work.‖
At NIST, a federal technology agency that advances the US in innovation and
industrial competitiveness, she‘ll continue her nanotechnology research in Washington D.C., for the summer.
―Tech's chemical engineering department prepared me for this award by giving underclassmen the opportunity to do research,‖ Johnson said. ―It is because
I was encouraged by the Chemical Engineering Female Mentoring Group and
faculty members who teach the chemical engineering ‗Intro to Research‘ course,
that I felt comfortable and excited about doing my own research projects,‖ said
Johnson.
In addition to the fellowship, Johnson presented at the 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineering National Meeting in Philadelphia and earned the
Eastman Chemical Company Merit Award.
AIChE 2008
After much difficulty with airport baggage and a bent axle, Tennessee Tech triumphed over Murphy's Law and managed to
place 8th out of 35 cars in the 2008 AIChE
Chem-E-Car national competition. Students
represented TTU at the October event where
their entry was powered by a biological
process. As the only successful biologically
powered car, the team was awarded a
$1000 prize and an awesome trophy for the
Department.
Ph.D. Student files for patent
TTU ChE PhD student Jeffery Thompson has filed a patent pending
based on his undergraduate research, co-directed and co-patented
by Dr. Pedro Arce and Dr. Holly Stretz. The discovery encompasses
a novel gel, where the very shape of the smallest elements (pores)
making up the gel can be shifted or changed by an external control
such as a simple change in temperature. Traditionally gels and a
process called electrophoresis are used to help separate complicated biological molecules, such as the separation of DNA fragments in forensics
or in other medical diagnostics, or the purification of protein-based drugs such as
vaccines. The ability to control the pore population in the gels by just changing
the temperature could help reduce the cost and level of expertise necessary to
perform high quality separations. After earning his B.S. (ChE 2008) Jeffery was
admitted to the TTU PhD program as a direct admission to continue his education
and to conduct research in how electrical fields interact with these new arrays of
pores to produce unique protein flow characteristics.
ASEE Engineering Deans’ Colloquium
Highlights Federal Research in Tennessee
Derick Weis, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical Engineering, was
selected to represent the Tennessee Tech College of Engineering at a poster session
that was part of an ASEE Engineering Deans’ Council Public Policy Colloquium in
Washington, DC. Each engineering school from Tennessee had a single student
representative present. The purpose of the presentation was to show the Tennessee
congressional delegation specific examples of research supported by federal funds.
At the poster session his research, supported by the Department of Energy, was
presented to members of Congress from Tennessee, and staff from the Science and
Technology Committee. Derick‟s work involves efficiently developing new compounds on a computer with favorable
predicted properties using a powerful
technique called inverse design with
the Signature molecular descriptor.
This approach is much quicker, less
expensive and allows for a more comprehensive search for the most suitable candidates than working with
experimental trial and error alone.
The technique is currently being applied to aid in the discovery of new
therapeutics as well as to optimize
the essential physical properties for
environmentally friendly solvents
that can help reduce costs associated
with the production of cellulosic ethanol. Derick‟s research is directed by Derek Weis discusses his research with Congressman Lincoln Davis and Jeff Vincent of
Professor Donald P. Visco, Jr.
Vanderbilt.
Faculty news
Pedro E. Arce was selected for the
2008 Brown-Henderson Award for his
innovative work in the classroom. His
contributions are described as
―complex, interweaving classroom,
laboratory, advising and technological innovations.‖ He uses methodologies that fundamentally enable the
student not only to learn, but to become a learner.
Joseph J. Biernacki was named
the 2007 winner of the BrownHenderson award—an award that
honors outstanding performance in
teaching and research or service. In
addition to his innovative teaching
style, he has also been instrumental
in setting up a state-of-the-art electron microscopy lab that may be
used across disciplines.
Cynthia Ann Rice-York, assistant
professor,
accepted
an appointment with
the Center for Manufacturing
Research
(2008). She will also
teach courses in the
ChE department. Her
research
interests
include:
PEM/Direct
Formic Acid/Direct Methanol Fuel
Cells – freeze dynamics, mechanical
and chemical durability testing, and
Gas Diffusion Layer influence on PEM
performance. She completed a Ph.D.
in Chemistry at University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign.
Holly Stretz was named the 2007
Kinslow Award winner. Natural
nanoparticles of volcanic ash were
key to the published research that
earned her this honor. Her paper,
"Properties and Morphology of Nanocomposites Based on Styrenic Polymers-1: Styrene-acrylonitrinile Copolymers," was published in Polymer.
Venkat Subramanian earned tenure and was promoted to Associate
Professor (2008).
Donald P. Visco was recipient of
one of three TTU Outstanding Faculty
Awards in Teaching awarded in 2007.
Willing to create an effective and
active learning environment, Visco‘s
contribution begins in his own classroom and ends with national recognition for his accomplishments. He was
also awarded one of the 2007 Distinguished Faculty Fellowships. Fellows
were chosen based on their overall
excellence as faculty members. Visco
was promoted to Professor in 2008.
11
civil and environmental engineering
Interim Chair: Sharon Huo
phone: 931.372.3454; email: xhuo@tntech.edu
CEE earns 100% pass
rate on Fall 2008 FE exam
Caitlin Balthrop selected to participate in
NSF-funded field experiment in Ethiopia
Balthrop (center) and team in Debre Berhan, ET installs a continuously recording rain gauge
Student achievements
Ling Tang, doctoral student, was one
of 50 nationwide to receive the prestigious NASA Earth System Science Fellowship. Her research involves solving
the paradox of rainfall error estimation
over remote regions of the world. Her
proposed research has the potential to
help people in these areas make wiser
decisions on any application that requires the use of rainfall, such as crop
management, irrigation and flood monitoring. Successful research could also
flourish satellite information in these
regions. Tang was chosen out of 200
applicants nationwide across various
disciplines of earth science. “Her award,
being the first in Tennessee‟s history, is
a clear testament of the increasing recognition that peers from other institutions are beginning to place on TTU‟s
graduate program,” says her advisor,
Dr. Faisal Hossain.
The Tennessee Road Builders Association Education Committee selected the
following scholarship recipients for 2008
-09: Ryan W. Rishel, Bethany L. Smith,
Elizabeth A. Boden, James C. Thomason, Ryan M. Frye, Nathan H. Melson,
Lacey M. Kelley, Jed C. Henry, Spencer
D. Stricklin, and Lindsay B. Smith. The
TN Road Builders have been strong supporters of the CEE department for more
than 30 years with generous contributions for scholarships. (see picture below)
12
In the summer of 2007, a group of nine American and Ethiopian students
were selected to participate in National Science Foundation-funded US-Ethiopia
collaborative field experiment in Ethiopia led by the Gebremichael Research
Group at the University of Connecticut. Caitlin Balthrop, a senior Fast-Track CEE
major, was one of two American students selected for the project. The purpose
of the study was to understand the hydrology of the Blue Nile River Basin and to
develop a reliable method for monitoring rainfall using ground measurements as
well as satellite data. When asked about her experience, Balthrop said, "The experience really helped me appreciate my engineering education at Tech. I was
able to be a part of a team of students from across the globe and brought as
much to the table as anyone else did. The hands-on field work helped me develop a whole new understanding of the methods and theories I had learned in
the classroom. I also gained a stronger appreciation for civil engineering and
how it impacts people all over the world. Ethiopia is a beautiful country with a
rich culture and wonderful people, and I hope to go back someday.‖ The study
will continue for three more years (through the summer of 2009) and hopes to
produce promising results for rainfall monitoring in developing nations.
Caitlin is currently engaged in conducting undergraduate research on understanding the hydro-politics of flood forecasting in international river basins under
the guidance of Dr. Faisal Hossain.
CEE Graduating Seniors
continue to excel on FE exam
All graduating seniors in the CEE Department at Tennessee Technological
University are required to take the Fundamental Engineering (FE) exam during
the last semester of their senior year. The FE Exam pass rates of CEE graduating
seniors at TTU have been consistently higher than the average national pass
rate. Notably, the pass rates of TTU CEE Spring 2008 and Fall 2008 graduates
were 89% and 100% respectively, compared to the corresponding national pass
rates of 71% in April 2008 and 68% in October 2008. The average scores of TTU
Civil Engineering students on the FE Exam subjects are also consistently higher
than the corresponding national average scores. In particular, TTU scores on CEE
major technical subjects distinctly surpass the national score. This data provides
insight into the excellent preparation of TTU CEE graduates for the civil engineering profession as well as the CEE graduates‘ mastery of various subjects.
Six students participate in WERC
In April 2008, six students from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, accompanied by Dr. Lenly Weathers, participated in the WERC (Waste
Management Education and Research Consortium) Environmental Design Competition. The competition has been held annually since 1991 at New Mexico State
University in Las Cruces, NM. At the competition, interdisciplinary teams of students from universities throughout the world competed to solve one of several
real-world engineering problems. The TTU team, which consisted of Candace
Vannasdale, Bethany Smith, Bryan Harvey, Chance English, Gavin Casson, and
Spencer Whittier, investigated innovative technologies to reduce the environmental footprint of an existing commercial building. The students demonstrated
their design to WERC judges with a bench-scale model, prepared a written report, and made a poster presentation and oral presentation.
Faculty news
Students prepare for ASCE competition
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) chapter continues to have
another exciting year. With the upcoming Southeast Section Conference at Vanderbilt University in March, the steel bridge and concrete canoe teams are diligently working. Building on a previous QEP grant in 2007, Dr. Ben Mohr has developed a selective and experimental course with the objective of facilitating student development of communication skills, team work, and creative and critical
thinking to address real-world problems. Despite some early setbacks, this
year‘s concrete canoe team is poised to make significant improvements in the
design and construction of the concrete canoe and is looking forward to another
challenging competition.
The 2008 Southeast Student Conference was held at the University of Central
Florida from March 27-30. Tennessee Tech had twenty students participate in
eleven competitions and competed against twenty-five universities. Tech took
home a first place finish in the T-shirt design, a third place in visual display, and
a third place in plan reading. Tech also placed tenth in the Concrete Canoe competition and tenth in Steel Bridge and had an overall ranking of tenth for the
Conference.
As a result of the selection of CEE chair David
Huddleston to serve as
Interim Dean, X. Sharon
Huo has been appointed
to fill the job of interim
chair of CEE during the transition. Dr.
Huo was promoted to Professor in
2008.
Daniel Badoe and Craig Henderson were promoted to Professor
(2008).
Steven Click was recipient of the
2007 TTU Exemplary Course Award
recognizing his work with CEE
4640/5640, Highway Engineering.
This award recognizes the effective
use of technology to enhance student
learning.
L.K. Crouch was chosen as the
2006-2007 Caplenor Faculty Research Award winner for his solid
reputation developed by building a
research program from the ground
up. The founder of our construction
materials program, he has worked
since 1990 to lead the university's
research in construction and paving
materials. Crouch has overseen more
than $1.1 million of funded research
at TTU and is credited with 60 career
publications and 20 presentations.
He has also been the subject of three
national articles written by others
about his research.
Faisal Hossain has been awarded
the prestigious NASA New Investigator Program (CAREER) Award for his
three-year proposal titled,
"Advancing the Hydrologic Potential
of NASA's TRMM-based Rainfall Estimation System for Global Flood
Monitoring in Anticipation of GPM."
He was one of the 18 selected nationally.
Jane Liu earned tenure and was
appointed to Associate Professor
(2007).
Benjamin Mohr received the 2007
TTU Sigma Xi Research Award for his
paper "Microstructural and Chemical
Effects of Wet/Dry Cycling on Pulp
Fiber-Cement Composites" published
in Cement and Concrete Research.
Larry Roberts retired in December
2006 after 27 years of service to the
department. Larry and his wife, Leslie, have moved to Lenoir City, TN.
Noel Tolbert retired in December
2007 after 28 years of service to the
department. Noel and his wife,
Becky, continue to live in Cookeville.
13
electrical and computer engineering
Chair: Stephen Parke phone: 931.372.3397; email: sparke@tntech.edu
ECE students design circuits of fun
for Capshaw Elementary students
About 80 college freshmen boarded a big yellow
school bus to go back to
elementary school recently
and help fourth graders get
excited about engineering.
The entire freshman
class of TTU‟s electrical and
computer engineering program spent three weeks designing projects using Snap
Circuit kits to help about 100 Capshaw Elementary School children build fun devices.
"What was obvious was that our part was to be patient, show
them the design, give them the parts and let them figure it out on
their own," said Ian Youel, a freshman from Brentwood, whose
group showed students how to use circuits to turn a green light and
a fan on and then turn the fan off while turning on a red light.
Michelle Hale, one of the five fourth-grade teachers whose
students participated, said this activity reinforced current chapters
in the science textbook and curriculum.
"Our students loved it!" says Hale. "Many of our students expressed wanting to do more with this, asking for a snap circuit kit
for Christmas or saying 'It would be cool to get to play for a job'
and 'I wanna do this when I grow up.'"
Students had access to equipment such as sound chips, voice
recording chips, speakers and motors. One group tuned in a local
radio station on their AM/FM radio. Others launched helicopter
propellers and produced Star Wars sounds with their devices.
"We knew we had made a real difference when we heard one
girl ask, 'Teacher, can we skip social studies for science again next
week?'" said Stephen Parke, chairperson of TTU's ECE department.
Sherrie Cannon, who owns the Discovery Depot with her husband, volunteers to help local elementary schools with science
education and helped coordinate TTU's efforts with Capshaw.
This Snap Circuits community service project is part of the
new ENGR1020 Connections to Engineering course that all ECE
freshmen take during their first semester on campus. It provides a
fun, hands-on introduction to the various fields of electrical and
computer engineering.
PhD candidate
Ndaga Mwakabuta
has received a grant
from the American
Public Power Association for his research on optimizing the use of distribution power generation.
14
Student Achievements
Benjamin Eckart received national recognition for a new
protocol for transferring large amounts of computer data to a distant
location more quickly and with more stability than is now possible.
Eckart who graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in May 2008,
received the National Science Foundation award for "Best Poster"
created through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, a project led by his adviser, ECE Professor Xubin He. Eckart is
working to improve how extremely large quantities of data are ferried
to remote locations.
The list of applications, which is quickly growing, includes largescale remote operations, such as those produced by large department
stores or commercial businesses, and remote archival of data sets that
run on supercomputers.
"Basically, any high-performance, data-intensive, long-distance
application would benefit from my work," said Eckart. "The trouble is
that the current standard protocols, the agreed rules, for communicating data over long distances do not produce good data transfer speeds
and tend not to be stable. It is not a design flaw; they were designed
for markedly different applications than what we are doing now."
Eckart's research works to mend this disconnect by constructing a
protocol that stably and dynamically maximizes network speeds. So
far his design has seen very good results, beating all other current
protocols in its class.
Ben also received the 2008 Derryberry Award, an annual award
given to the best overall student at TTU.
Eckart, a Computer Engineering fast-track student, is currently
pursuing a Master‟s degree under the direction of Dr. He.
Ndaga Mwakabuta, doctoral candidate, received a
$4,000 national Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Development
grant from the American Public Power Association. He received the
grant for his project titled “Optimal Penetration of Distributed Generation into the Electric Distribution System.”
In the next few years, more electric power will be generated from
green sources such as sunlight, wind and hydrogen (fuel cells) using a
distributed network of small local generators, therefore decreasing our
dependence on large centralized fossil fueled power plants. Population
growth will force electric power systems to install new transmission
lines, but a less expensive and more efficient solution is the subject of
Mwakabuta‟s research. TTU researchers are at the forefront of developing efficient, optimized methods of building and operating this distributed power generation infrastructure.
“Our research will optimize the use of distribution power generation that already exists in an area of electrical energy demand,” said
Mwakabuta.
The idea is to use small power generators available locally to optimize the operation and energy costs of the entire power distribution
system, known as “the grid”. According to Mwakabuta, using distributed generators in the electric system is one option for improving
power stability and reliability, reducing emissions and saving money.
To be eligible for the DEED student research grant, students must
be sponsored by an APPA member power utility. Mwakabuta was
sponsored by the Cookeville Electric Department.
Arun Sekar, ECE professor and Mwakabuta‟s adviser, said localizing utilities generation is a growing trend nationwide due to transportation expenses. The project will help rural areas depend less on
outside power sources and meet power needs more locally.
TTU POWER LINE RESEARCH HEATS UP WITH
RISING TEMPERATURES
As air conditioners hum at full capacity during the summer
heat, Tennessee Tech researchers are watching high-voltage
power lines that heat up, stretch and sag during the power demand. Power line sag caused two major U. S. blackouts in 1996
and 2003, and researchers at Tennessee Tech‘s Center for Energy Systems Research have collaborated with TVA and Oak
Ridge National Laboratory to measure power line sag with global
positioning system technology. ―When an excess of current is
passed through a section of power line, it thermally expands and
can sag even 16 feet or more,‖ said Sastry Munukutla, director
of TTU‘s Center for Energy Systems Research (formerly the Center for Electric Power). ―Overloaded lines may break or collide
with other objects, causing power interruption. ―Since power
lines typically have unobstructed views of global positioning satellites, the technology provides a means of direct measurement
of sag,‖ Munukutla said.
Referred to as ―power donuts,‖ the devices placed on the
power lines to transmit information to a GPS resemble tubular,
silver wheels with spokes. Satish Mahajan, professor of electrical and computer engineering directing TTU‘s portion of the project, says his team‘s goal is to measure sag within one inch.
―It‘s a big deal to replace high-voltage lines that have been in
operation for 30 to 40 years; its extensive,‖ said Mahajan. ―We
are testing to be able to push more power through the existing
line even overloading some components in the line by 400 percent in the lab, to monitor what the lines are truly capable of
handling. ―We want to find out how much overload the lines can
stand and for how long,‖ he explained.
David Till, TVA‘ s transmission planning department manager,
says having this information can greatly increase the efficiency
of power providers, who can pass the savings on to customers.
―This is tremendously practical research and development project,‖ said Till. ―If we overload a line and it causes immediate
problems, it costs the consumer a lot of money. ―If we have information that allows us to know that the line can stand an overload for a certain period of time—like 30 minutes to an hour—we
can anticipate the consequences and operate more efficiently so
that unexpected costs don‘t occur.‖
After receiving a $1 million grant from the Department of Energy in 2006, TTU has led the effort to solve issues related to
high-voltage transmission. HV lines crisscross the country to
transport electrical power relatively long distances from generators at power plants to substations and ultimately consumers.
TTU is working in two other areas related to HV transmission beyond the GPS measurement. The Center established a $200,000
current transformer lab and is conducting thermal modeling of
current transformers using computational fluid dynamic techniques. ―We want to complement our excellent work in the lab
by following through with modeling techniques,‖ said Munukutla.
―We also are investigating reactive power compensation.‖
In its 21-year history, the Center has worked with 22 major
utility companies in the United States, India, New Zealand and
China.
Faculty news
Stephen
Parke joined
TTU in Fall
2007 as the
new
chairperson
of
Electrical and
Computer
Engineering.
Dr.
Parke
came to Tech
from
Boise
State University.
Parke
earned a doctorate from the University of
California, Berkeley, in 1993. He worked for
IBM Microelectronics as Senior Device and
Process Integration Engineer until 1996
when he joined the Boise State University
faculty. His research interests lie in multigated nanoscale silicon transistors, radiation
effects on microelectronics, non-volatile
memories, image & MEMS sensors, wireless
sensor networks, and flexible macroelectronics.
Mohamed Abdelrahman was promoted
to Professor (2006). He visited the University of Qatar as a Fulbright Scholar in Spring
2007 where he taught two courses and established research collaborations focusing on
control and sensing applications in the natural gas industry. During the Fall 2006 semester, he was selected for a noninstructional assignment which enabled him
to spend one semester with the Engineering
Science and Technology Division at ORNL. At
ORNL, he participated in a research project
funded by the NIH for the automatic diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy using image processing.
David (Wenzhong) Gao, assistant professor, accepted an appointment with the
Center for Energy Systems Research (2006).
He also teaches courses in the ECE department. His research interests include: renewable energy systems, electric and hybrid
electric propulsion systems, power system
modeling and simulation, power system protection, and electric machinery and drives.
He completed a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of
Technology.
Xubin (Ben) He earned tenure and was
promoted to Associate Professor (2007).
Sundaram Natarajan retired at the end
of Spring 2008 after 22 years of service to
the department. He and his wife, Geetha,
reside in Cookeville.
Robert C. Qiu, (appointed in the Manufacturing Center) earned tenure and was promoted to Professor (2008).
15
industrial and systems engineering
Interim Chair: David Elizandro
phone: 931.372.3465; email: delizandro@tntech.edu
(from left) Alison Wachs and Jennifer Cloud named 2007 Derryberry Award winners
IE Students share 2007 Derryberry Award
Jennifer Cloud and Alison Wachs shared the distinction of being named winners of the 2007 Derryberry Award. This award, the most prestigious student
honor bestowed by the University, is given annually to the best overall student
at TTU.
Former university president, the late Everett Derryberry, established the
award as one of merit to be given ―to a senior who has exhibited scholastic attainment arising out of moral and intellectual integrity; successful campus activity where participation indicates a commitment to good citizenship, interest in
one‘s fellow persons, and instincts for leadership; and physical vigor as shown by
fondness for and success in sports.‖
Cloud carried a 3.8 grade point average in the Honors Program. She received
more than 10 scholarships, including the TTU Presidential Merit and University
Academic Service scholarships and the Institute of Industrial Engineers Gambrell
Scholarship, an international award.
She was one of only two TTU students selected to attend ―A Gathering of Nobel Laureates‖ at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in February 2005.
She also received numerous other honors and awards, such as Outstanding Honors Freshman, 2002-03; Outstanding Honors Student of the Year, 2003-04; and
membership in campus chapters of various honor societies.
Cloud was a member of several academic organizations. She was active in
the Institute of Industrial Engineers and also served as vice president of the Alphi Pi Mu industrial engineering honor society, treasurer of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society and secretary of the Society for Technical Communication.
A member of the Wesley Foundation, Cloud participated on Wesley/ASG indoor and outdoor soccer, flag football and softball teams. She was named Female Player of the Year for the women‘s indoor soccer team in 2004.
―Jennifer is universally well-liked and respected by students and professors
for her work ethic and her generous, positive spirit that guides her approach to
both academic and extracurricular activities,‖ said Jessica Matson, ISE professor.
―She was valued as a team member on team projects in her courses. She has a
gift for suggesting constructive ideas to advance her team‘s progress in a way
that is readily accepted by other team members,‖ Matson continued.
16
Wachs received numerous honors
and awards, including Industrial Engineering Academic Awards for both her
sophomore and junior years. She was
a member in campus chapters of several distinctive honor societies, such
as Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Alpha Pi Mu industrial engineering honor society, Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society and Omicron
Delta Kappa leadership honor society.
She won a first place award in
2007 in the undergraduate student
paper category at the Society for
Health Systems International competition. Her topic was ―Improving Patient Satisfaction in a Cancer Center,‖
and it was based on research she
conducted locally at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
Wachs was a member of several
academic organizations and served in
leadership capacities in many of
them. She was active in the Institute
of Industrial Engineers, serving as its
secretary from April to October 2006
but stepped down to serve as chairperson of the Student Activities Committee for its 2007 annual conference.
She served as president of the
Alpha Pi Mu industrial engineering
honor society, was cataloguer for the
Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society
and served as both secretary and
treasurer for the Society of Women
Engineers.
Wachs is also a certified American
Red Cross water safety instructor. In
2004-05, she coached a 5th and 6th
grade girls‘ basketball team and
played intramural volleyball at TTU in
2003 and 2006.
―Alison‘s intellect, academic abilities, work ethic, perseverance and
thirst for knowledge combine to make
her one of the most outstanding students I have ever known,‖ said Kenneth W. Hunter, associate professor
of engineering.
―Her ability to integrate material
from multiple courses and apply it to
the solution of complex problems, an
attribute that is not fully developed in
most engineers until they have been
on the job for a couple of years, is
truly exceptional,‖ Hunter continued.
Faculty news
IIE Regional Conference
From February 5-7, TTU industrial engineering students
attended the IIE regional conference at Clemson University.
Other industrial engineering programs represented were
North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee –
Knoxville, North Carolina A&T, Virginia Tech, and the University of West Virginia. Universities competed in IE Trivia, Billiards, optimizing a Straw Tower, and IE Bingo. Conference
participants also heard from several speakers on a variety of
IE topics and learned that the only difference between Superman and an IE is statistics. Superman problems are easier
because of the absence of randomness. Those attending the
conference had an opportunity for a plant tour at either Walgreens distribution, Thomas Creek Brewery, or Taylor Made.
TTU Seniors Daniel Hochstein and Jessica Braun placed
second in the technical paper competition and TTU was presented with the Best Chapter in the Region Award for participation in the conference. Other students who represented the
department included seniors Ayanava Bhattacharjee, Daniel
Hochstein, Michael Normansell, Ravi Patel, Ben Riley; juniors
Brandi Bradley, Jessica Braun, Lauren Collett, Megan Deising,
Andrew Hancock, Dominique West; and international students Tomas Hernandez, Andres Gracia, and Nicolas Alvarellos. Everyone had a wonderful weekend of learning, networking, and good old IE fun.
In addition to departmental support, the IIE Senior Chapter and the Student Monies Allocation Committee (SMAC)
helped defray expenses for the trip. Students were accompanied by Drs. Smith and Elizandro.
David
Elizandro
was
appointed
to
serve
as
Interim
Chair beginning Fall
2007. Elizandro has
been part of the ISE
faculty since 1993.
Jessica
Matson
was elected Chair of Professional
Interest Council I of the American
Society for Engineering Education
(ASEE). She will serve June 20082010.
Matson was also an invited panelist
at a July 2008 Workshop on Women
in Industrial Engineering Academia
held in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey.
The workshop was sponsored by the
National Science Foundation.
Elizandro authors book
David Elizandro, along with Hamdy
Taha has authored a
book
entitled
“Simulation of Industrial Systems.” This
book is written for the
novice who wants to
learn the basics of discrete simulation as
well as for professionals who wish to use
discrete event simulation to model systems described above.
The book assumes that the reader has a
fundamental familiarity with modeling
concepts and Excel; however, it does not
assume any prior programming experience. The book is organized into three
parts. Part I presents concepts of discrete simulation. Part II covers, the Design Environment for Event Driven
Simulation (DEEDS), and Part III presents a variety of applications using
DEEDS. The DEEDS environment is
itself an Excel/VBA add-in.
With these considerations in mind,
the authors embarked on the development of a new discrete simulation environment. The design objectives are to:
Achieve the modeling flexibility of
an event driven simulation language.
Achieve the intuitive nature of a
process oriented language.
Develop a friendly user implementation environment.
In essence, the goal was to design a
development environment that is easy to
use, yet flexible enough to model complex production systems.
The book is published by Auerbach
Publications.
17
manufacturing and industrial technology
Chair: Ahmed ElSawy
phone: 931.372.3263; email: aelsawy@tntech.edu
Student achievements
Zac Minchey participated in the
summer NSF REU internship awarded
to him by the TTU Manufacturing
Center in the summer 2008. Zac coauthored a publication entitled,
―Optimizing Measurement Accuracy
of Hydrogen Gas Porosity in Aluminum Castings under Varying Barometric Pressures‖ with M.A. Baswell,
M.A. Abdelrahman, and F. Vondra.
The publication appeared in the AFS
Transactions in April 2009.
Wael Deabes, PhD candidate, received a $1,000 Foundry Education
Foundation (FEF) scholarship and the
$2,000 Ron & Glenn Birtwistle Memorial Scholarship.
The following MIT majors received
$1000 FEF scholarships: Andrew
Patrick, Caleb Epps, Kyle Adams
and Jonathon Ross.
SME receives awards
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers held its 2008 Leadership
Conference in Nashville, TN, on February 8-9. TTU‘s SME student chapter earned two awards in the student
competitions held during the conference. They received the Golden
Award in the Can Crusher Design
Competition and third place in the
Manufacturing Poster Competition.
ATMAE Certification
Our MIT graduates achieved a
100% pass rate on the December ‗08
Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering Certification Exam and a 95% pass rate
on the May ‗08 exam.
Those scores top the national
average pass rate of about 65 percent and the average of about 62
percent scored by a 27-member peer
group that includes Mississippi State,
Iowa State, Central Michigan and
Eastern Kentucky.
The standardized exam tests students‘ knowledge of core educational
concepts and allows them to be compared against similar programs
across the country.
"These results attest to the quality of our program and contribute to
the increase in enrollment and its
good reputation, the College of Engineering and TTU as a whole," says
Ahmed ElSawy, MIT chairperson.
18
Rapid Prototyping Laboratory
The Remotely Accessible Rapid Prototyping Laboratory, established
through two NSF CCLI awards, was recently relocated to its new room in
Lewis Hall 110B. It has been used extensively by the Basic Engineering
and MIT students in their Graphics and Computer Aided Design courses.
Student teams' design projects have been built by the lab assistants and
submitted back in just few days. Rapid prototyping is one of the tools expected to keep Tennessee and the USA competitive in a global market.
Speed, accuracy, and flexibility are characteristics of rapid prototyping and
are hallmarks of successful, profitable manufacturing. In today's global
market, the window for meeting market dates is shrinking and companies
cannot afford mistakes when they are bringing a product to market.
The lab has also been used by over fifty higher education institutions
including Tennessee Board of Regents Institutions. In addition, many regional and out-of-state P16 institutions have used the laboratory through
its remote access features with Network cameras and Audio connections.
Remote part productions have been scheduled and access has been given to
remote users. Completed parts have been shipped back for their use.
On February 15, 2009, the Technology Enriched Accelerated Charter
High School (T.E.A.C.H.) team (see picture above) in Atlanta, GA, visited
the lab and spent a full day with hands-on real-world prototyping practices. Twelve students and teachers designed complex work pieces using
Pro/Engineer 4.0 solid modeling software and prototyped their designs using the lab facilities.
Professor will be missed
Dr. Delbert (Del) Stone Jr., former associate professor
in the Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Department for 29 years, died suddenly on February 17, 2008.
Stone received his Doctor of Education from the University of Northern Colorado in the field of Industrial Education and Technology in 1978. He was a Certified Weld Educator and Certified Associate Weld Inspector by the American Welding Society. He served between 1985 and 1996 in the Center for Manufacturing Research and Technology Utilization. His duties included the supervision of
computer aided manufacturing laboratory and related equipment, recommendation
of equipment purchases, the instruction of students working with CAM equipment
for various Manufacturing Center related projects, and the support of graduate
students affiliated with the Center. Dr. Stone also was TTU‟s counselor for the
Merit Badge University and the NASA Moonbuggy student club Advisor for several
years. He and President Bell were affiliated with scouting for many years. Dr.
Stone will certainly be missed by his colleagues and co-workers.
Delbert Stone was born June 6, 1947. He and his wife, Sandy, were married for
12 years.
MIT Receives 5 years Reaccreditation
The MIT Foundry program received a 5-years reaccreditation through the
Foundry Education Foundation (FEF) on Sept 10, 2008. This was the longest accreditation of any FEF school last year. One other school received 4-years and
three schools received 3-years accreditations. Mr. Tom Cobett, head of the accreditation board, stated, ―This is one of our top programs.‖
Students race human-powered moonbuggy
TTU‘s Moonbuggy Team participated in the 15th annual NASA‘s Great Moon-
buggy Race which took place April 5th 2008, in Huntsville, AL. The team ranked
eighth among twenty-nine national and international Colleges and Universities
who participated in the race.
The moonbuggy team is an interdisciplinary effort comprised primarily of
students from manufacturing and industrial technology and mechanical engineering. The contest challenges students‘ skills in design, engineering, construction
and
re-
sourcefulness. These
human-powered
ve-
hicles must navigate
a course composed
of
rocks,
―lava‖
craters,
ridges
and
lunar-like soil.
N AS A ‘s
Gr e a t
Moonbuggy Race is
inspired by the original lunar rover designed by engineers
at
NASA‘s
Marshall
Space Flight Center
in Huntsville.
Faculty News
Ahmed ElSawy was selected as
a member of the 2008-2009 Regents Academic Leadership Institute (RALI), a year-long leadership
development program sponsored
by the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Ismail Fidan was promoted to
Professor (2008). He also received
one of the 2008 Innovation
Awards presented by the TBR Distance Education Committee at
their 12th Annual Distance Education Conference for his innovative
uses of technology.
The conference focuses on keeping
students connected around the
globe. Dr. Fidan is well known for
distance delivery of his hands-on
engineering courses. He developed
a remotely accessible lab for rapid
manufacturing and opened its
doors to regional, state and national institutions. His innovative
teaching methods include using
YouTube for video demonstrations,
implementing the Gallery Method
for generating ideas, and developing sites on Moodle, a web-based
course management system. Fidan
has developed WebCT, iLearn and
Moodle sites for his design and
manufacturing courses, and offers
these courses to distance students.
As part of a QEP project, five
TTU faculty members developed a
new Honors course in the fall of
2008 titled HON 4013: INNOVATIVE GREEN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. It is a project based course
involving the topics in 4M
(Marketing, Management, Math
and Manufacturing). Faculty members included MIT professor Ismail Fidan, Ismet Anitsal and
Meral Anitsal (Economics, Finance,
and Marketing), Michael Allen,
(Mathematics), and Bonita Barger,
(Decision Sciences and Management). This is a cross-disciplinary,
university wide thematic course
open to any discipline and major.
The overall objective is to develop
student skills in terms of critical
thinking, creativity and teamwork.
Ahmed Kamal earned tenure
and was promoted to Associate
Professor (2008).
19
mechanical engineering
Chair: Darrell Hoy
phone: 931.372.3254; email: dhoy@tntech.edu
Thanks to the support
and efforts of Randy
Darcy, executive VP of
General Mills and a
1973 ME graduate, the
Mini Baja team was
honored with an appea ran c e on the
“Breakfast of Champions” cereal box.
Elk Mountain construction President Donnie Elkins and workers donated considerable time, skills, and
equipment to help TTU prepare to
host the Baja SAE competition. They
completed excavation for a large water obstacle course/pond for the
event that featured 93 teams from 7
countries. Thank you Elk Mountain!
TTU's Baja SAE team took 5th and 22nd place in the 2008 Baja SAE competition at TTU. More
than 90 teams from universities and colleges around the world took part.
TTU Baja takes another Top 5 finish on
difficult home course
―O, Canada‖ turned out to be the victory cry in the 2008 Baja SAE contest held at
Tennessee Tech last May as Queen‘s University of Ontario, Canada, took top honors
over more than 90 other competitors. Tennessee Tech‘s team, which entered two
cars, took 5th and 22nd place, but churned their way to the top of the water maneuverability trials, placing first and second.
―We broke a lot of Baja vehicles [during the event], and in my four-plus years in
the [college design series], it was the toughest,‖ said Sam Barill, SAE‘s collegiate programs manager.
Just minutes into the competition, several teams were towed or pushed into the
pits to repair damage or make adjustments. Participants and spectators say the
course took its toll because of the skill and commitment of lead course designer Justin
Stacy.
Overall, Rochester Institute of Technology finished second, Virginia Tech took
third, while the University of Louisiana-Lafayette placed fourth.
Formula Car Competes
20
TTU placed third in the Autodesk
Inventor Design Communication honors,
awarded to the team whose exemplary
design report demonstrates the best
written and graphic communication of
their engineering and design process.
TTU also took third for the Polaris Design Award.
Dale Wilson, lead organizer and
team faculty adviser, says hundreds of
volunteers helped make the event successful. ―We want to thank community
sponsors and community and campus
volunteers, some of whom helped
throughout the year leading up to the
event,‖ said Wilson.
TTU‘s team still holds the greatest
legacy in the national competition since
1978. TTU‘s team won the Dayton Cup,
the national Mini Baja award for the
year‘s best team, in 2002 and 2003.
TTU has 11 first place finishes and 27
Top 5 finishes since the team began
competing.
In 2006, 2007, and 2008 TTU's Formula Car team competed in the races at
the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, Michigan, at the California Speedway in
Fontana, California, and at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. In 2007 the team, led by Curtis Easterling and Todd Kaller, achieved TTU's best
ever result. The team came in #2 in fuel economy, #18 in the endurance race, and
achieved strong scores on the skid pad, in the acceleration test, and in the autocross
event. The team now has three functional Formula cars, all powered by 2003-2005 era
Yamaha YZF R-6 engines. The rules of the competition require that the swept volume
of the engine not exceed 610 ccs, and that all air into the engine must pass through a
20mm diameter restriction. The air restriction requires that the students develop their
own fuel and timing maps from scratch using an aftermarket engine control module
and dynamometer equipment that was obtained in earlier years in part due to the generosity of the Thomas M. Hudson Family Foundation.
TTU's FSAE team is currently working on their fourth generation vehicle powered by the 03-05 Yamaha YZF R6 powerplant, refining the designs that were used
for the 2008 car. They will pick a future race venue later this year. Meanwhile, we
anticipate that there will be student "driving days" this spring in order to maintain and
improve driver performance in competition.
Student achievements
Faculty news
Mallory M. Johnston received two
awards from the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
She received the $3,000 Donald E.
Nichols Scholarship for the 2009-2010
academic year and the $1,000 Nashville branch scholarship. The Nichols
scholarship recognizes outstanding
scholastic and leadership abilities,
character, potential service to the
profession and financial need.
James Klein received third place
honors for his student research poster
at the ASEE-SE meeting in Louisville,
KY, in April 2007.
Bryan Lewis was recently elected
to an office of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers. Lewis was
elected Student Sections Committee
Representative for District F, representing students from Tennessee,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi,
and Florida. He will also serve as
Student District Operating Board
chairperson for a one-year term.
Viktor Orekhov won first place in
the poster competition held as part of
the ASME Student Leadership and
Professional Development Contest in
Gainesville, Florida, April 2007.
Richard Russell received a $1,000
Nashville ASHRAE branch scholarship.
Stephen Canfield was awarded
one of the 2007 Distinguished Faculty Fellowships. He also received the
TBR Academic Excellence Award for
his work with the Early Intervention
and Mechanical Engineering Program.
The program engages students in
service learning projects as they design, develop, build, and deliver assistive technology devices to special
needs children. Students benefit
from working as teams within specific
budgets and time constraints of realworld projects and they also acquire
an understanding of the social impact
of engineering. Recent projects include lighted blocks for a legally blind
2-year old to help in her development; a specially designed tire swing
to help calm a 3-year old diagnosed
with autism; and a motorized bicycle
to accommodate the special needs of
a 7-year old with muscular dystrophy.
Jie Cui earned tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor (2007).
Mahesh Panchagnula received
the 2008 TTU Sigma Xi Research
Award for his paper ―Phase field
modeling of hysteresis in sessile
drops,‖ published in Physical Review
Letters (2007).
Kwun Lon Ting received the 2007
-2008 Caplenor Research Award for
his ability to generate applied research that has benefited, even
changed, his field. Ting has been
awarded more NSF research grants
than any faculty member in TTU‘s
history. His N-bar Rotatability Law,
also known as Ting‘s Theorem, has
been recognized as a landmark contribution in machine theory and used
in Norton‘s Design of Machinery, the
most popular undergraduate machinery textbook in the U.S. He is also
one of the few top researchers in the
world in curvature theory. He has
published more than 130 research
papers in journals and conference
proceedings.
Hwan-Sik Yoon, assistant professor, arrived in
August 2007.
He
received
his Ph.D. in
Mechanical
Engineering
from The Ohio
State University in 2002.
He spent the
next few years
Students design winrobo
Dreading the spring cleaning chore
of washing windows? Two TTU mechanical engineering students recently
demonstrated a prototype window
cleaning robot that gives hope to
homeowners who prefer automation
over elbow grease.
Andrew Bryant and Victor
Orekhov won first place in a regional
American Society of Mechanical Engineers student design contest for a
winrobo that can clean both the inside
and outside of a residential doublehung sash window.
The contest asked students to create a device that will be of help to
many homeowners, but particularly to
those with mobility problems, which
keep them confined to a wheel chair.
The robot would also give a safety
benefit to all homeowners, particularly those with older upper floor windows to clean. Bryant and Orekhov
won $500 and expense-paid travel to
ASME‘s national competition to be
held in November in Boston.
at Ohio State as a Post-Doctoral Researcher and Research Associate. His
research interests include: dynamic
systems, control and mechatronics,
smart materials and intelligent systems, optimal design and control of
electromagnetic structures.
Ying Zhang earned tenure and was
promoted to Associate Professor
(2006). She also received the 2008
Kinslow Engineering Research Award.
Her paper, ―Interdiffusional degradation of oxidation-resistant aluminide
coatings on FE-based alloys,‖ was
published in the Journal Materials and
Corrosion. In this research the loss of
Al from the coating into the steel substrate was studied as one of the potential degradation modes of oxidation-resistant aluminide coatings for
power-generation applications.
John Zhu, recognized by the National Science Foundation as one of
the nation's most promising research
engineers and winner of TTU‘s 20082009 Caplenor Research Award, leads
research that focuses on solid oxide
fuel cells (SOFC), which operate at
high temperatures and are best suited
for use by utility companies generating power. Since joining TTU in August 2000, he has attracted more
than $1.6 million in external funding,
initiated and developed a strong SOFC
research program and established a
state-of-the-art fuel cell research
laboratory.
"Researchers have produced extremely efficient fuel cells, but the
cost must come down before it's feasible to use them in common applications," says Zhu. "Our work at Tennessee Tech is focused on finding less
expensive materials to produce the
same efficiency."
In 2003, Zhu became the first TTU
recipient of the NSF CAREER award,
receiving a Faculty Early Career Development grant of more than
$400,000 on the basis of creative
plans to integrate research and education through his work with fuel
cells.
According to data compiled by ASEE using US
News & World Report data,
the M.E. undergraduate
program at TTU ranked
among the 50 largest programs in the United States
in 2005-06.
21
research and graduate studies
The research and graduate studies programs of the College of Engineering experienced a very productive and successful year
during 2007-08. The budget cuts and the overall financial condition of the State of Tennessee did have their impact on these
programs, but the faculty, staff and students worked hard to maintain the vigorous activity levels of the recent years in research and graduate programs.
On the graduate program side, 102 M.S and 44 Ph.D. students were enrolled in Fall 2007; 94 M.S. and 44 Ph.D. students
were enrolled in Fall 2008. While the master‟s enrollment saw a dip, the doctoral enrollment has been on a steady growth for
the last few years. To some extent this is by design, as the four departments offering graduate degrees have been putting more
emphasis and allocating more resources to the doctoral program. The fast-track masters programs introduced within the last
couple of years to attract our own undergraduate students are becoming more popular and are expected to continue to provide a
significant proportion of our master‟s student population. Currently this option is available to students in the ChE, CEE, and
ECE departments.
The College also initiated the direct Ph.D. program and admitted its first student in Fall 2007. Though the general requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program is a master‟s degree in an appropriate discipline, students with a B.S. may be admitted directly if the individual has a record of excellent academic performance in the undergraduate program and the applicant‟s
test scores, personal recommendations, and relevant work experience indicate a high potential for success in doctoral studies
and research. In addition, factors such as appropriateness of the applicant‟s goal to the research interests of the program faculty, availability of faculty to supervise the applicant‟s research, and prior research accomplishments of the applicant will also
influence the admission decision.
The four masters programs graduated a total of 46 students (ChE-4, CEE-7, ECE-19, ME-16) and 13 students received the
Ph.D. in Engineering degree in 2007-2008. The number of Ph.D. degrees awarded for 07-08 was the highest for any year since
the program graduated its first two students in 1974.
During the 2007-08 academic year, all four masters programs underwent the 5-year comprehensive external review as required by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The external reviewers were very favorably impressed by the standards set for admission and graduation of the master‟s students as well as the quality of curricular programs offered in each
department. In summary, the programs received very high ratings for all categories of review.
On the research front, almost all the externally funded research projects were channeled through the three centers of excellence within the college. The centers processed just over 100 research proposals in 2007-2008. The dollar amount of external
funds activated for research and service projects during the year totaled about 5 million dollars. This was in addition to the
state funds of approximately 3.4 million dollars directly received by the centers of excellence. The external funds play a vital
role in improving the research infrastructure in the college. A vast majority of the projects involved graduate students assisting
the principal investigators in the research work. Some projects provided research and employment opportunities for undergraduate students as well, providing them with early exposure and valuable experience in planning and conducting scientific
research.
In addition to the obvious financial benefits to the college and the university, the research programs result in maintaining
the technical competency of faculty and other research staff. The faculty members in the College of Engineering published 191
research based articles in scientific and technical journals and 63 presentations at professional conferences and meetings at
national and international locations. Along the same lines, the graduate students authored or co-authored 114 articles and
made 59 presentations during the year.
In summary, the College has maintained its leadership position within the university in research and graduate studies in
spite of reduced financial support from the state.
Research Expenditures by
Department
22
CEE offers Integrated BS/MS
fast-track program
October 2008 ABET
Accreditation Visit
An Engineering Accreditation Commis-
An integrated BS/MS fast-track option in Civil and Environmental En- sion of ABET evaluation team visited the
gineering was introduced in the fall semester 2007. In this program stu- TTU campus October 17-19, 2008 to cona site visit review. Final accreditation
dents can take up to six hours of senior electives at the graduate level duct
decisions will be made and announced at
which can be used to satisfy both their undergraduate and graduate degree the ABET 2008 Summer Commission Meetrequirements, thereby reducing their overall credits by six hours. This pro- ing in July. We feel that the visit was very
vides an excellent opportunity for CEE undergraduate students with out- successful and look forward to reporting
standing scholarship records to accelerate the completion of their BS and more details in our next newsletter.
MS degrees in five years. Participating in undergraduate research, fasttrack students gain critical early exposure to a state-of-the-art research topic in Civil Engineering. Seven students have
participated in the CEE fast-track program since its launch. Matt Yeager was the first student to complete the program in
December ‟08, and May „09 saw the graduation of two more, bringing our current enrollment to four students. The program continues to enjoy healthy growth with six new students enrolled for Fall 2009. This almost doubles the number of
participants since the program was introduced.
Students admitted to the BS/MS fast-track program must meet the following criteria:
Be enrolled as an undergraduate TTU CEE student with junior or senior standing and have completed at least 90
credit hours of course work toward a bachelor's degree by the start of the Fast-track MS program
Have an overall GPA of at least 3.25 and a GPA for CEE courses of at least 3.5
Be recommended by a CEE faculty mentor
Meet all requirements for admission to graduate school upon graduation
Most fast-track students work on funded research projects supervised by their mentors during their undergraduate
years and this results in several accomplishments. Recent fast-track graduate, Mr. Chris Berry (BS ‟08, MS ‟09) was selected as TTU's representative at Graduate Education Week 2009 in Nashville. Another fast-track student, Ms. Caitlin
Balthrop (BS „09), participated in a 6-week long NSF-sponsored field trip in Ethiopia where she performed hydrologic
research. She subsequently published a peer-reviewed journal article and applied for the NSF graduate fellowship during
her senior year. In addition, many fast-track students present their research posters at the University Research Day and
co-author technical papers with their faculty mentors. Accolades such as these, are becoming increasingly common as
the fast-track program continues to provide promising students with opportunities to realize their research potential.
YOU can make a difference!
Giving (and especially sustained giving) are very important to the success of the College. We are grateful to all those who have
supported our efforts to produce the very best engineering and technology graduates in the world. During this period of increasingly constrained state budgets, the College of Engineering appreciates those who, through their generosity, make it possible for
our programs to excel.
If it weren‘t for the support of our friends and alumni, the College of Engineering would not be the bright, vibrant, exciting place
that we currently enjoy. Donations drive many of our most important student activities that have been noted in this newsletter.
Donations enable student conference participation, projects like the Mini-Baja and the Formula Car, lab equipment acquisition, and
construction of specialized facilities. Some of our key donors are alumni who just want to give something back to TTU. Other key
donors are friends who recognize the value of TTU to the quality of life in Tennessee. Whatever your reason for giving, we want to
say THANK YOU! The spirit of cheerful philanthropy allows us to achieve ever higher goals, it impacts our national stature, and it
acknowledges the important connection between YOU and TTU.
The COE needs your support. If you would like to contribute to a particular student activity, please designate it in the memo line
of your check. Gifts and pledges can also be made online at http://www.tntech.edu/giving/online.html. Be sure to designate engineering, or if you wish to support a particular student activity you can choose ―other‖ to indicate your request.
YOU can make a difference at TTU.
If you would like to be counted among those who make it possible for us to continue to strive for excellence by making a gift to
the College, please call Tracy Russell, of University Development, at (931) 372-3055 or Dean Huddleston at (931) 372-3172.
23
The College of Engineering maintains web pages at www.tntech.edu/
engineering/. You can see this issue of the newsletter, as well as our newsletter archives, online at www.tntech.edu/engineering/newsletters.html. Check
the web site to learn more about our programs and activities.
We would love to hear from you the next time you are promoted or honored, or when there is a major event in your life. If you would like to share
information about your life or your career since you‟ve left TTU, please send Dr. David Huddleston a note at dhuddleston@tntech.edu. Please include your name, graduation year, degree,
contact information, and your news. We look forward to hearing from you.