Mechanical Engineering @ Iowa State

InCyde Mechanical Engineering

Women in Mechanical Engineering Program hosts self-defense class
On September 16, 2008, the Women in Mechanical Engineering Program brought in a representative from the ISU Martial Arts Group to demonstrate basic self-defense techniques. The expert covered everything from precautionary advice to tips on how to avert a threatening situation to escaping an actual attack, presenting women with insights that can be useful in any setting.

Next month, the program is hosting a panel discussion titled “Being a Woman in Engineering.” The discussion will explore the different life paths each panelist has taken to achieve a balance in her personal and professional life. The panel will be held on October 21, 2008, from 4 to 6 p.m. in 2004 Black Engineering.

As a reminder, Janelle Miranda is still accepting mentorship applications for the program. Please contact her at jmiranda@iastate.edu or 515 294-1054 for more information.

E-Week 2008 scheduled from September 20 to 28
This year, E-Week 2008’s events are focused on the theme, “Sustaining a Legacy.” Co-chairs Jessica Meredith, senior in construction engineering with a minor in entrepreneurial studies, and Chelsea Peers, a junior in industrial engineering with a minor in Spanish, have been working with a central committee of more than 40 students to plan the week’s activities.

A featured event is the 2008 Engineering Career Fair on Tuesday, September 23, from noon to 6 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. It is expected to draw more than 4,000 students, 900 recruiters, and 300 employers.

Other E-Week highlights include educational seminars and a presentation by Grant Imahara from the Discovery Channel’s MythBusters on September 20; Technical Day picnics sponsored by Exelon and Vermeer starting September 22; Lockheed Martin pancake breakfast on September 23; intramurals all week long; two golf tournaments; and the E-Week Charity Ball on September 27 (tickets available online and at E-Week events). The events conclude with a student golf tournament on Sunday, September 28.

E-Week is an annual event planned to increase involvement between students, the college, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community. Visit the E-Week Web site for further details about the activities at www.eng.iastate.edu/eweek/events%201.htm.

ME in the news
Read the latest ME news articles on the Web site.

New patent
Brian Gleeson, MSE, Dan Sordelet, Ames Lab, and Wen Wang, ME, were issued a patent for High-Temperature Coatings with PT Metal Modified y-NI+y’-NI3AL Alloy Compositions, U.S. Patent #7,273,662.

Funding award
LeAnn Faidley, Qingze Zou, and Gap-Yong Kim, ME, received a $199,999 award for High-Performance Micro-forming, Joining, and Punching Processes Enabled by a Novel Design and Control of Magnetostrictive Actuators from the National Science Foundation.

 



  

Events
The following events are taking place during the next two weeks in the ME department.

Upcoming Technology, Globalization and Culture speakers

  • Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice president and provost at Iowa State University, will present “Iowa State Center for Sustainable and Rural Livelihoods—Uganda 2008” on September 23, 2008.
  • Christopher Sorensen, audio- and videoconferencing representative from France Telecom, will present “From Iowa State University to Paris, France: Technology, Globalization and Culture in the Workplace” on September 24, 2008.
  • R. James Woolsey, former CIA director, now venture partner with VantagePoint Venture Partners of San Bruno, California, will present “Energy and Its Relationship to National Security” on September 25, 2008.
  • Adrian Sannier, university technology officer with Arizona State University, will present a talk still to be determined on September 30, 2008.
  • Dick Stanley, chair of the board of directors of the Stanley Foundation and chair emeritus and past president of the Stanley Group, will present “Principled Multilateralism—Dealing with Global Survival Issues” on October 1, 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.

Department seminar series presentations
The fall 2008 Department of Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series will feature the following presentations in the next two weeks:

  • Zhuomin Zhang, professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, will present a seminar on “Tailoring the Spectral and Directional Thermal Radiative Properties with Micro/Nanostructures” on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, from 11:00 a.m. to noon in 2004 Black Engineering.
  • Kim Stelson, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power at the University of Minnesota, will present a seminar on “The Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power” on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, from 11:00 a.m. to noon in 2004 Black Engineering.