Engineering in Africa: Iowa State professor makes a global impact

Tim Ellis, associate professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering, spent two weeks of this semester on a volunteer work trip to help design a water/wastewater treatment system for the Bilingual Christian University of Congo in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Ellis story)

Lyons makes gardening "oh so simple"

When he graduated in 2009, Iowa State University electrical engineering alumnus Austin Lyons didn’t imagine that just three years later he would be on the verge of starting a company with four of his closest friends. Their company, Oso Simple Technologies, is based on a soil moisture monitor that simplifies the art of gardening. (Oso story)

Sauer-Danfoss donates equipment to Iowa State University student lab

Sauer-Danfoss Inc. of Ames has donated advanced hydraulic and electronics equipment to Iowa State University’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering to enhance hands-on training of students. (Sauer-Danfoss release)

Undergraduate enhances lessons with research, explores bioengineering

For Christian Tormos, working in a research laboratory is second nature. Actively participating in research projects since his freshman year, Tormos, now a senior in chemical and biological engineering, is investigating a treatment for acute mechanical damage that can to occur to cartilage and lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis, a disorder that occurs from wear and tear on a joint after an injury.

On April 4, 2012, he was one of 24 Iowa State University undergraduates who presented their research to legislators and others during the seventh annual “Research in the Capitol." (Tormos story)

Hashemi receives NRC/ASEE research publication award for optofluidic approach

Nastaran Hashemi, William March Scholar in Mechanical Engineering, was chosen to receive the 2011 Naval Research Laboratory NRC/ASEE Research Publication Award for her paper “Optofluidic characterization of marine algae using a microflow cytometer.” (Hashemi publication award release)

Polikar earns College of Engineering alumni award

Robi Polikar (MSEE’95, MSBME’95, PhDEE’00, PhDBME’00) will receive the 2012 Professional Progress in Engineering Award from the College of Engineering at the Marston Club Dinner on April 19. (Polikar release)

Student to practice civil engineering in US Navy

In a family with a long history of serving their country, civil engineering senior Willie Hennings is the first to join the United States Navy. Hennings was sworn into the US Navy by retired Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer and CCEE Lecturer Beth Hartmann on March 26. (Hennings release)

Three engineering faculty receive CAREER awards

The National Science Foundation has honored three faculty from the College of Engineering with the prestigious CAREER award.

• Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is combining computational and experimental research with “A predictive modeling framework for exploring process-structure-property relationships in organic solar cells.”
• Aditya Ramamoorthy, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, is developing signal processing algorithms to help analyze soft materials with “Joint topographic imaging and characterization using atomic force microscopy – a systems approach.”
• Song Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is hoping to take his 3D technology to a new speed with the project “Dense superfast 3D sensing of extremely rapidly changing mechanical and biological scenes.”

Undergraduate researchers love the lab

Thanks to an undergraduate research opportunity, Katelyn Dahlke, Scott Meester, and Drew Sikkema are running experiments on polymer micro-emulsions under the guidance of Jennifer O’Donnell, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering. (Undergraduate research story)

ME senior recognized for abundant accomplishments

The College of Engineering advances many successful engineers into industry each year, and they all have unique experiences and accomplishments from their time at Iowa State. Mechanical engineering senior and Mason City native Chloe Dedic is no exception. (Dedic story)

CoE reflects on Biden visit

When Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack came to Iowa State this March, campus was a flurry of excitement as final preparations were pulled together. Students, faculty, and staff at the university partnered with secret service and governmental administrators to coordinate an event that ran seamlessly.

Afterwards, three students who were involved in the day's events share their perspectives on engineering and the economy, the dean discusses his thoughts on advanced manufacturing, and Joe Schaefer, aerospace senior lecturer, gives an “eyewitness” account of the event's preparations.

E-News schedule

E-News is published twice a month during the academic year. The next issue will be published on April 24. If you have news items or event dates to include, please send them to Jessi Strawn by April 19.

Mark your calendars!

April 10 – Stretchable sensors and actuators for interdisciplinary research
April 10 – CELT Teaching Poster Symposium
April 11 – Polymorphic computing
April 12 – CBE Graduate Seminar Series: James Katzer
April 13 – The next wireless frontier: Opportunities and challenges at millimeter-wave and higher frequencies
April 16-22 – Veishea
April 18 – Microfluidics in biomedical applications
April 19 – CBE Graduate Seminar Series: Lockheed Martin Lecture
April 19 – Ensemble of classifiers for learning in nonstationary environments
April 19 – CE Lecture Series: Rear Adm. Katherine Gregory, U.S. Navy
April 19 – Conceptual design and analysis of planetary defense technology (PDT) demonstration missions