Iowa Power Fund advances Iowa State development of clean energy technologies
ME researchers are collaborating with other faculty, researchers, and students across Iowa State to produce clean, renewable energy by developing a new, low-emissions burner and a new catalyst for ethanol production.

Song-Charng Kong, an Iowa State assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is leading the project. The research team also includes Robert C. Brown, the Iowa Farm Bureau director of Iowa State’s Bioeconomy Institute, an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering, and the Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering; Victor Lin, a professor of chemistry, director of Iowa State’s Center for Catalysis, director of chemical and biological sciences for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, and founder of Catilin Inc., an Ames-based company that produces catalysts for biodiesel production; Samuel Jones, an assistant scientist for the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies; plus seven graduate students and two postdoctoral researchers.

Read about their work at www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2009/mar/ cleanenergy.shtml.

Camp Courageous Train is delivered
On March 6, 2009, the new, totally accessible car for the Riley’s Camp Courageous Train was put on the tracks. Students in the spring 2008 ME design course designed the wheelchair-accessible car, which will allow campers to enjoy a train ride around the camp. Camp Courageous is a respite care and recreational facility for children and adults with disabilities.

ME seniors designed a car for the Riley Camp Courageous train during the spring 2008 senior design course.

ME alum blogs about Uganda experience
Chris Deal, BSME’08, is blogging about his experience in Uganda. He is there for 10 months studying third world development with Makerere University and is coordinating a service project in his free time.

See what Deal is up to at http://dealinafrica.blogspot.com/.

Students, faculty, and staff enjoyed a bowling night hosted by the Women in Mechanical Engineering program.

Women in Mechanical Engineering continues its mission
Janelle Miranda, program assistant for undergraduate education, has had a busy month coordinating efforts to recruit women to the mechanical engineering department. On February 27, the Women in Mechanical Engineering program held an entertaining bowling night at the Memorial Union, giving students a chance to reconnect and have some fun in the middle of the semester.

Hosting a booth at the Scholars’ Day event on February 28, Miranda, along with two student leaders, Bethany Juhnke and Courtney Polk, answered questions and generated interest from undecided engineering majors.

Additionally, Miranda has been contacting prospective students, working with our alumni mentors, implementing our ASME Diversity Action Grant activity, and collaborating with faculty in preparing a proposal for facilitating undergraduate research activities. All of these efforts provide a uniquely welcoming environment for growing numbers of women and students from diverse backgrounds.

As of March 1, the number of women who have accepted offers of admission to the department has increased 58 percent from fall 2008.

ME faculty member responds to grand challenges
In the winter 2008 issue of SWE magazine, Judy Vance, professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State, discussed virtual reality’s role in addressing the 14 grand challenges that the National Academy of Engineering has identified for the 21st century.

The article, available at www.me.iastate.edu/fileadmin/www.me.iastate.edu/docs/ SWEWinter09GrandChallenges.pdf, is reproduced with permission from the winter 2008 issue of SWE magazine (copyright 2009, volume 55, number 1). SWE magazine is the official magazine of the Society of Women Engineers.

Funding award
Bruce Babcock, Econ, and Robert Brown, ME, received a $37,000 award for “The Future of Economics of United States Ethanol” from Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Inc.