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Mechanical engineering department appoints five new graduate fellows
Daniela Faas, Victor Orlando Roa-Baerga, Yan Yan, Melissa Wickham, and Tristan White—all graduate students in mechanical engineering—were recently appointed Seward, Ratcliffe, and Galloway Foundation Mechanical Engineering Fellows for fall 2008. This named assistantship is awarded to selected on-campus graduate students who are enrolled full-time in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is made possible through the Roderick Seward, Flossie Ratcliffe, and Helen M. Galloway Foundation, Inc.
Read the entire news story at www.me.iastate.edu/news- events-amp-seminars/news-article/article/2093/983.html.
Robert Brown appointed to the Hoover Chair in mechanical engineering
Robert Brown, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering, has been appointed the Hoover Chair in mechanical engineering. Brown, a world-renowned expert and researcher in the thermochemical processing of biomass into energy, fuels, and chemicals, serves as the founding director of the Bioeconomy Institute and coordinates research, education, and extension functions in bioenergy and biobased products. For the past six years, he held the mechanical engineering department’s Bergles Professorship of Thermal Science, a position that is now open.
The Hoover Chair was created last year through the generosity of Gary and Donna Hoover. Gary, BSME ‘1961, and his wife Donna, have been long-time supporters of the university and are members of Iowa State’s Order of the Knoll. Brown is the inaugural recipient of this endowment.
Engineering professors are finalists in Pappajohn competition
Atul Kelkar, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Jerald Vogel, an emeritus professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, are among the finalists for a $25,000 prize in the John Pappajohn Iowa Business Plan Competition. Three Iowa technology companies share this distinction. Kelkar and Vogel co-founded Innovative Vibration Solutions, a subsidiary of an Ames business Kelkar created in 2004 to produce commercial uses for research he conducts in noise and vibration control. The first product of the subsidiary is a device used to reduce the vibrations experienced by over-the-road truckers.
To read more, visit www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=2008809200325.
Outreach to graduate students is collaborative effort
Amy Carver, program assistant for graduate education, has been on the road making connections with academic institutions and prospective graduate students. Working closely with Nancy Knight, director of graduate enrollment management for the College of Engineering, Carver has been targeting her visits to institutions that have strong undergraduate students whose education would naturally prepare them for graduate education in mechanical engineering.
Carver visited University of Wisconsin-Platteville with Ted Heindel, associate chair for academic affairs and mechanical engineering professor; Luther College with Kathryn Andre, graduate assistant working with Knight, and Wartburg College with Knight; and she has one trip coming up to Dordt College. “I have enjoyed meeting with prospective students, and extending the outreach of our department,” Carver said. “The payoff from these personal visits will be significant.”
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EVENTS
Department awards reception
The mechanical engineering department will be recognizing the achievements and awards of faculty and staff during the Honors and Awards Reception. The reception will be held October, 8, 2008, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in 2004 Black Engineering.
Women in Mechanical Engineering program hosting “Being a Woman in Engineering”
This panel discussion will explore the different life paths women engineers take to achieve a balance in their personal and professional lives. It will be held October 21, 2008, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in 2004 Black Engineering.
Prospective graduate student open house
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is holding an open house for prospective ME graduate students on October 17, 2008, from noon to 6:00 p.m. In addition to being a recruitment tool, the open house is part of the department’s initiative to encourage faculty collaboration with other institutions.
Department seminar series presentations
The fall 2008 Department of Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series will feature the following presentations in the next two weeks:
- Yoed Rabin, professor of mechanical engineering with Carnegie Mellon University, will present a seminar on "Engineering aspects in cryobiology: From solid mechanics in cryopreservation to automated planning of cryosurgery," on Tuesday, October 7, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. in 2004 Black Engineering.
- Mario Rotea, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering with the University of Massachusetts—Amherst, will present a seminar on “Optimization and Control of Mechanical and Aerospace Systems," on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. in 2004 Black Engineering.
- Richard Gould, professor and department head of mechanical and aerospace engineering with North Carolina State University, will present a seminar on "Numerical and experimental investigations of solid-liquid flow with mixed convection for MicroPCM applications," on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. in 2004 Black Engineering.
Upcoming Technology, Globalization and Culture speakers
- Christian Sinclair, assistant director for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at University of Arizona, will present "New Media and Identity in the Middle East," on October 7, 2008.
- Chris Clover, president and CEO of Mechdyne Corporation, will present "Entrepreneurial Considerations in a Global Economy—Competition, Culture, and Currency," on October 8, 2008.
- Gregory S. Churchill, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Rockwell Government Systems, will present "10 Realities of Doing Business Globally,” on October 14, 2008.
- Richard Longworth, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and distinguished visiting scholar at DePaul University, will present "Caught in the Middle," on October 15, 2008.
- Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch and founding board member of the International Forum on Globalization, will present a talk still to be determined on October 21, 2008.
- Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, will present "Observations on the Changing American University and Globalization," on October 22, 2008.
The presentations will be in the Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Course instructors James Bernard and Mark Rectanus are opening the course Web site and the auditorium classroom to anybody who wants to learn more about globalization and the issues swirling around it. For a complete schedule of speakers and more information, visit the course Web site at www.ede.iastate.edu/TGC/TGC/Technology-Globalization- Culture.html.
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