Spring 2009 Teaching and Research Excellence Award winners announced

Fifteen engineering graduate students were recently recognized by the Iowa State University Graduate College for excellence in research or teaching. Recipients of the Research Excellence Awards are Benoit Igne, ABE; Yunus Kalay, MSE; Pavan Karra, ME; Atul Madhavan, ECpE; Shourya Otta, AerE; Edward Stanek, ECpE; Jonathan Waugh, CCEE; Yan Yan, ME; and Zhen Yu, ECpE. The Teaching Excellence Award winners are Matthew Clausman, ECpE; Thomas Lewin, CCEE; Som Shrestha, ME; Mark Tannian, ECpE; Jonathan Watson, ECpE; and Hong Yang, AerE.

Porter receives Tewksbury Award

	Porter

CCEE Professor Max Porter recently received the Dennis L. Tewksbury Award for Outstanding Service to the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Porter was recognized for his visionary leadership and service to SEI and ASCE.

Depicting safety in our labs

Faculty, staff, and students are frequently asked to participate in photo and video shoots in laboratory settings. These images and videos are used to publicize the College of Engineering to prospective students and faculty members, to industry representatives, to legislators, and to the public at large.

"Whether these photos and videos are taken while work is being conducted in a lab or are a staged photo shoot, it is extremely important that they show researchers wearing proper personal protective equipment (lab coats, safety glasses, gloves, etc.) and appropriate clothing (long pants and closed-toe shoes)," says Balaji Narasimhan, associate dean of research and economic development. "This reinforces the message to our students and others that safety is a top priority and that everyone is required to comply with all safety regulations at all times. A tragic accident that took the life of a research assistant working in a lab at UCLA last December is a somber reminder of just how important these regulations are."

Learn@Lunch focuses on Facebook

You've likely heard about Facebook, but do you know what it's all about? Engineering Communications and Marketing wants to help you see the potential of Facebook as a marketing platform. It's a quick and easy way to share information and spark discussions. A "Learn@Lunch" is planned for Wednesday, June 10, noon–1 p.m. in 114 Marston. Travis Ballstadt and John Ouart will cover topics including how to create an effective Facebook profile, adjusting your privacy settings, practical uses, and techniques to make Facebook an effective tool to promote your program.

Fulbright Scholar combines teaching, research, outreach

MSE Professor Mufit Akinc spent the fall 2008 semester in Turkey as a Fulbright Scholar. The purpose of the Fulbright program is to develop an international understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. As a Fulbright Scholar, Akinc taught a graduate course at Koc University in Instanbul, began a research collaboration, and presented seminars at universities in less populated areas of Turkey. "It was a very rewarding experience," Akinc says. "The relaxed atmosphere at Koc University gave me the opportunity to try out some new things in my teaching that I plan to incorporate into my undergraduate teaching here at Iowa State."

In the research collaboration, Akinc mentored a young Koc University professor, and a proposal, "Rheology of Alumina Nanoparticle Suspensions in the Presence of Low Molecular Weight Saccharides," has been submitted to the Turkish equivalent of the NSF. Akinc expects it to be funded, and then he likely will travel to Turkey once or twice a year for brief periods to work on the project.

In the seminars he presented across Turkey, Akinc notes that one of the highlights was visiting his birthplace, a town he had not visited for some 30 years. (Ed. Note: The May E-News incorrectly reported Akinc's Fulbright award as being for the 2009–2010 academic year.)

SEECing Connections workshop held

The STEM Student Enrollment and Engagement through Connections (SEEC) project team recently hosted SEECing Connections, a professional development workshop for Iowa State and Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) recruitment, academic advising, admissions, and counseling staff. The purpose was to help address the SEEC project goals of improving awareness and understanding of engineering among those who influence student choices and of advising engineering transfer students in a way that fosters retention and success. SEEC team members provided the nearly 60 attendees information and resources specific to advising and recruiting with a focus on DMACC-to-Iowa State transfer students. Participants also toured the engineering facilities, and leaders from each engineering discipline talked about their respective areas and answered questions.

Alumni E-News on the Web

The College of Engineering sends a monthly electronic newsletter to alumni highlighting news and events from the college. Currently, the college sends the newsletter to more than 19,000 alumni. The newsletters are linked off the college homepage.

Additional NSF fellowship winner named

Computer engineering and human-computer interaction master's degree student Shane Griffith joins three other students with ties to Iowa State University in winning a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship this year. Griffith is studying developmental robots and hopes to play a role in research to create robots that can help humans do laborious tasks such as help assemble large structures, prepare food for the elderly and disabled, and clean and organize homes. (News release)

New video on the Web

The new College of Engineering video "Information Security Takes Center Stage," which highlights the cyberdefense competition that was part of the IT-Olympics held in April is currently ranked 2nd of all videos uploaded to current.com. Current is a peer-to-peer news and information network that focuses on environmental and tech topics. It has a companion television network, started by Al Gore, that dedicates air time to viewer-created content.

'Engineering Kids' camp season is upon us!

Beginning this week, students from kindergarten through ninth grade will be attending ISEK (Iowa State Engineering Kids) camps sponsored by the College of Engineering Enrollment Services and Precollegiate Programs office. Each camp will feature a variety of age-appropriate hands-on activities to help participants learn about engineering, science, and technology. The ISEK camps are being offered at various times during June, July, and August. Engineering—The 2050 Challenge is a two-day camp with specific sessions for 8- to 10-year-olds, 10- to 12-year-olds, and 12- to 14-year-olds; Explore Engineering! is a half-day camp for 6- to 9-year-olds; Girls Only is a three-day camp for girls in grades 6–9; and STEM is a two-day camp for students in grades 6–8.

Camille Sloan Schroeder, manager of precollegiate programs for the college, is director of the camps. She is assisted by engineering undergraduate and graduate students and precollegiate programs assistant Kimberly Glenn.

E-TEC program launched

Thanks to the connection formed between the STEM Student Enrollment and Engagement through Connections project and Iowa State Extension, the Engineering Talent in Every County (E-TEC) program is underway. E-TEC scholarships were rolled out as the first phase of the program. Fifty-four incoming engineers from across Iowa were chosen to receive a one-time $500 merit-based scholarship. Ultimately the project's goal is to attract students to engineering from each of Iowa's 99 counties. In this first year, E-TEC scholarship winners represent 28 counties.

Two students receive Tau Beta Pi scholarships

Angela Boeck, CCEE, and Samantha O'Flaherty, AerE, are among the 234 students from across the country to win Tau Beta Pi senior-level scholarships of $2,000. All Tau Beta Pi scholarships are awarded on the competitive criteria of high scholarship, campus leadership and service, and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession.

Mark your calendars!

June 10—Facebook Learn@Lunch, noon–1 p.m. in 114 Marston

June 11 and 18—Engineering—The 2050 Challenge Camp

June 17—Explore Engineering! Camp

June 24—Girls Only Camp

June 30—Engineering—The 2050 Challenge Camp

July 6—Project Lead the Way

July 8 and 10—Explore Engineering! Camp

July 12—Engineering and Beyond