Kiewit leaders join mechanical engineering department in dedicating student services center
Undergraduate students in the mechanical engineering department have a new home for advising and academic support. The Kiewit Undergraduate Student Services Center, which has been up and running since the beginning of the spring 2009 semester, was dedicated during an afternoon reception on April 8, 2009.

Read the entire article at www.me.iastate.edu/news-events-amp-seminars/news-article/article/2474/983.html.

Wickert named College of Engineering dean
Jonathan Wickert, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State and the Larry and Pam Pithan Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed dean of the College of Engineering effective July 1.

He succeeds Dean Mark J. Kushner, who joined the University of Michigan faculty in September 2008. James Bernard, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering, has served as interim dean.

Read more at www.me.iastate.edu/news-events-amp-seminars/news-article/article/2470/983.html.

Undergrads are interested in research opportunities
Nearly 40 students attended the Undergraduate Research Information Session hosted by the Women in Mechanical Engineering program on March 27, 2009. The event provided students with information on how to get involved in research programs through PERUSE, a college unit that’s mission is “Providing Experiences in Research for Undergraduate Students in Engineering.” After the event, PERUSE reported an increase of ME students who completed the online profile form.

Additionally, ME professors were present to discuss some research opportunities within the department and answer questions students had about being an undergraduate researcher.

Zou combines nanotechnology and biomedical research with CAREER award
Over the past four years, Qingze Zou has been working to increase the speed of a scanning probe microscope with ambitions to improve the technology as our eyes and hands to see, touch, and manipulate matters in the nano world.

His research as an assistant professor in mechanical engineering has been delivering promising results, which is an important asset for his next project—characterizing soft materials such as DNA or cells. Recognizing the importance and potential of this work, the National Science Foundation selected Zou to receive a CAREER award to support the investigation.

More details can be found at www.me.iastate.edu/news-events-amp-seminars/news-article/article/2475/983.html.

ME alum speaks at Poverty Awareness event
On April 6, 2009, Gregory McGrath, ME’08, visited Iowa State to engage students, faculty, staff, and community members as part of Poverty Awareness Week. During a presentation, McGrath gave advice to students on how to stay involved in projects centered on sustainability and international development after graduation, emphasizing that engineers bring an important technical expertise to such projects.

More than 30 students came to listen to the talk and asked questions about projects they were working on for an engineering class or the student organization Engineers without Borders. McGrath; Lee Beck, an Iowa State senior studying horticulture, food science, and Spanish; Chris Deal, ME’08; and Wes Meier, ME’08, are executive directors for EOS International, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to building emerging opportunities for sustainability.

Funding award
Xinwei Wang, ME, received a $46,667 award for “Multi-Laser-Beam Open Atmosphere Surface Coating Techniques Based on Precursor Excitation, Photodissociation and Controlled Cooling” from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.