Engineering enrollment exceeds 5,000

With 5,086 undergraduates majoring in engineering this fall, the College of Engineering has achieved a 25-year high in enrollment. The increase is 410 more students than last fall. The college, which is routinely among the top 10 in the nation for undergraduate enrollment, has averaged more than 4,600 students per year since 1998. Enrollment has exceeded 5,000 students just three other years--1982-1984. The biggest increases for 2009 are for resident freshmen (45) and resident transfers (39) followed by foreign transfers (36) and non-resident freshmen (29). The enrollment figures also show positive trends in gender and ethnic diversity. The number of females is 755, up from 681 in 2008. The number of underrepresented students is up 79 from last year and represents 8.6% of the engineering student body. (News release)

Wind Energy Manufacturing Lab to be established on campus

A grant from the Iowa Power Fund is helping to support development of the Wind Energy Manufacturing Laboratory on campus. The lab will feature the work of Matt Frank, Frank Peters, and John Jackman, all associate professors of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, and Vinay Dayal, an associate professor of aerospace engineering. The grant will also support the research of five graduate students and several undergraduates. (News release)

Space station hosts Iowa State experiment

	Trivedi

When Space Shuttle Discovery headed toward the International Space Station last month, Iowa State University's Rohit Trivedi took more than a casual interest. An experiment he designed more than 10 years ago to study crystal growth patterns in a microgravity environment was finally headed to its destined location onboard the International Space Station. Trivedi, an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, is now eagerly waiting for the day in November when real-time video of his experiment will begin being transmitted to his lab in Wilhelm Hall. (News release)

Career Fair is September 22

Bormann
Wiggen

For seniors Justine Bormann and Julia Wiggen, fall semester has gotten off to an incredibly busy start. Bormann, an aerospace engineering major from Clinton, Iowa, and Wiggen, a chemical engineering major from Duluth, Minnesota, are co-chairs of the 2009 Fall Engineering Career Fair planned for Tuesday, September 22, from 12 noon to 6 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum and the Scheman Building. The two co-chairs, who have worked closely with Engineering Career Services to organize the fair, expect to match or exceed the 2008 fall career fair attendance when approximately 3,800 engineering and technology students explored full-time, co-op, intern, and summer employment opportunities. Bormann and Wiggen have organized professional seminars and mock interviews to help students prepare for their interactions with recruiters. Visit the Career Fair Web site for details, including a list of participating employers.

College to host Diversity Fair on October 6

The College of Engineering is excited to host Iowa State University’s first Diversity Fair on Tuesday, October 6, to collaborate, network, and share efforts centered on broadening the participation of undergraduate women and underrepresented engineering students at Iowa State. The Diversity Fair will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall.

Freeman A. Hrabowski III, who has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) since May of 1992, will give a keynote presentation on mentoring. His research and publications focus on science and math education with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. Under Hrabowski’s leadership, UMBC has attained a #1 ranking among “Up and Coming” national universities in the U.S.News and World Report College Guide and is in the top five in commitment to undergraduate teaching. Please visit the Diversity Fair Web site for further details.

Washington Monthly gives Iowa State high marks

Iowa State ranks 32nd among 258 colleges and universities in the 2009 national university college rankings in Washington Monthly. The rankings rate schools on their contribution to the public good in three categories: improving social mobility, producing research, and promoting public service. Iowa State’s highest markets were in federal work-study funds spent on service (#4), science and engineering degrees awarded (#33), ROTC (#55), research expenditures (#63), and faculty in national academies (#79). Washington Monthly college guide

University Convocation is September 21

Iowa State President Gregory Geoffroy will give remarks on the 2009-2010 academic year and university awards will be presented to faculty and staff at the University Convocation on Monday, September 21, at 3:15 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room.

Engineering faculty and staff who will be recognized are: Mufit Akinc, MSE, International Service Award; Maneesha Aluru, ECpE, Professional and Scientific Outstanding New Professional Award; Jody Danielson, CBE, Professional and Scientific Excellence Award; Lawrence Genalo, MSE, University Professor; Charles Jahren, CCEE, Iowa State University Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching; Edward Kannel, CCEE, ISU Award for Academic Advising Impact; Rameshwar Kanwar, ABE, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences; Nancy Knight, Graduate Enrollment Management, Professional and Scientific Excellence Award; Steve Martin, MSE, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering; and Hans van Leeuwen, CCEE, ISU Award for Outstanding Career Achievement in Research. (More information)

In addition, faculty appointed to named professorships and chairs in 2008-2009 will be recognized. The engineering honorees are Venkataramana Ajjarapu, David C. Nicholas Professor of Electrical Engineering; Srinivas Aluru, Ross Martin Mehl and Marylyne Munas Mehl Professorship; Robert Brown, Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering; Theodore Heindel, Bergles Professorship in Thermal Science; Valerie Levitas, Schafer 2050 Challenge Professor; Surya Mallapragada, Stanley Chair in Interdisciplinary Engineering; Gary Mirka, John Ryder Professorship in Engineering; Ralph Napolitano, Alan and Julie Renken Professorship in Materials Science and Engineering; James Oliver, Larry and Pam Pithan Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Jacqueline Shanks, Manley Hoppe Professor in Chemical Engineering; Sivalingam Sritharan, Wilson Professor in Engineering; and Jonathan Wickert, James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Professorship.

College welcomes new graduate students


With more than 240 new graduate students joining the College of Engineering, the Howe Hall atrium was a busy place on September 2 as the Engineering Graduate Programs office sponsored a special event to welcome the new students. It was a great opportunity for these students to get to know each other and to meet faculty, staff, and members of the Graduate Student Dean's Advisory Board. In his remarks to the students, Balaji Narasimhan, associate dean for research and economic development, said that graduate students are the lifeblood of the College of Engineering and noted that the college enjoys an international reputation for being highly interdisciplinary. (News release)

New video on the homepage

Check out the new Two Minutes With video featuring Tim Bigelow, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering, as he discusses his research on using ultrasound to treat cancer cells.

E-News schedule

E-News is published the first and third weeks of each month when classes are in session. The next E-News will be published October 7. If you have news items or event dates to include, please send them to Mary Jo Glanville by September 24.

Mark your calendars!

September 18--E-Week Charity Ball, 8 p.m., Memorial Union

September 19--E-Week speaker Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise, "Failure is not an option," 7 p.m., CY Stephen Auditorium

September 21--University Convocation, 3:15 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union

September 22--Engineering Career Fair, noon-6 p.m., Hilton Coliseum and Scheman Building

E-News is distributed by Engineering Communications.
If you have questions or news items to suggest, please contact Mary Jo Glanville at mglanvil@iastate.edu or call 515 294-8787.


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