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For the week of April 23th, 2010
@COE is published every Friday. Be sure to check out the news for this issue as well as the Career Services dedicated student version
Please send your submissions for @COE to Kim Cowart in the Engineering Communications Office at [log in to unmask].
Please note that @COE will be published on a bi-weekly basis beginning May 6.
COE News
Bryson is Officially Named Senior Director of Development
Dorothy Barkley-Bryson, who was previously the Interim Senior Director of Development for the College of Engineering, has been named to the position of senior director on a permanent basis.
Ms. Bryson, who was formerly a UT Associate Vice Chancellor for Development, has been with the college since 2008.
Faculty Updates
MSE Professor Receives Chancellor’s Honor Award
The 2010 L. R. Hesler award was awarded to Peter Liaw, professor of materials science and engineering and the College of Engineering’s Ivan Racheff Chair of Excellence, at the Chancellor’s Honors Awards Banquet on Monday, April 19.
Since joining the faculty in 1993, Liaw’s contributions to students and the university have been outstanding. His prominent role in the field of materials sciences and his pursuit of research dollars have resulted in more than $20 million in education and research funds for the university. His leadership resulted in a multi-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to create the International Materials Institute at UT, a program that provides students with a formal opportunity for international collaborations. In addition to his research and classroom work, Liaw has devoted a great deal of his time to the service of the university, participating on numerous committees to help better the campus community.
He has been honored as a College of Engineering Research Fellow in 2004 and a National Alumni Association Distinguished Service Professor.
CEE Professor Emeritus Moderates Technical Session
At the invitation of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Dr. Arun Chatterjee presided (moderated) over a technical session at ITE’s 2010 Technical Conference and Exhibit held recently in Savannah, GA. The session was held on March 15 on the topic of “Freight Gateway Communities and Federal Perspective”. The speakers represented the Port of Savannah, Federal Highway Administration and also Georgia’s Logistics Innovation Center.
Student News
Civil Engineering Students Visit UT Construction Site
CEE students received hands-on training courtesy of the local construction companies working on the new UT Student Health Clinic. The group was afforded a unique opportunity to not only visit a construction site but also to perform field compaction tests using information provided by Blaine Construction. The students also witnessed the operation of a nuclear density gage and talked about the project with technicians on the site. Nancy Rector Roberts, a teaching associate in the CEE department, and the Society of Professional Engineers helped to facilitate the opportunity for the students.
SAE International Competes in Baja Event
The UTK chapter of SAE International competed in the Baja SAE Carolina competition from April 8th through 11th in Greenville, South Carolina. The team placed 1st out of 103 registered teams in the Traction and Pulling Event. The team was able to tow a 5400lb BMW 75 feet in only 8.90 seconds, besting the nearest competition by over 0.1 seconds. The UTK Baja team is only in their second year of competition since reforming in 2007. The vehicle is powered by a Briggs and Stratton 10HP engine and is sponsored by Polaris, Bell, SAE, Briggs and Stratton, CVTech, and Denso. Team members have high expectations for next year’s vehicle and hopes to record even stronger performances in the future.
2010-2011 COE Ambassadors are Chosen
Congratulations the 2010-2011 College of Engineering Student Ambassadors! The COE Student Ambassadors are a student team of volunteers focused on public relations efforts to support the College of Engineering (COE). Their main purpose in the College is to assist in recruiting students through conducting campus tours, attending college fairs at local high schools, and writing letters to prospective and incoming students. They work to stimulate community interest in engineering-related activities through participation in activities such as Engineer’s Day and the Scholar’s Invitationals as well as hosting COE information tables at various campus events.
Do you have a COE public relations need with which the Ambassadors can help? Please contact 974-4008.
The 2010-2011 Engineering Ambassadors from left to right: John Scobey (Civil), Josh Clark (Comp Engr.), Katie Peay (Biosys.), Emily Morin (Biomed.), Geoff Conklin (Aerospace), Corie Davis (Biomed.), Rachel Kidd (Chem Engr.), Tyler Rowe (Nuclear), Emily Leturno (Mech.), Stephen Fly (MSE), Bailey Primm (MSE), Bradford Taylor (Indus.), Scott Strickler (Biomed.), Caroline Hunter (Mech.). Not shown: Ashley Thomas (Indus.).
SIGMA XI STUDENT COMPETITION WINNERS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chapter
The UTK Chapter of Sigma Xi sponsored the student research competition on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. There were 50 presentations made by students from different departments. The entries submitted reflected scientific diversity of the UTK. The entries were grouped into six sessions. Each student was given 15 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for discussion. A panel of faculty members from interdisciplinary fields judged the presentations. The winners in the competition were recognized on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 during the award cookout luncheon, which was open to all participants and their advisors. First and Second place winners in each session were honored with a monetary price as well as a certificate of recognition. The winners are announced below. Sigma Xi specifically appreciates the time and effort from all faculty judges. Without their support, the event would not have been a success. They are:
From College of Engineering: Itamar Arel, Roberto Benson, Qing (Charles) Cao, Jeremy Holleman, Kevin Kit, Husheng Li, Tom Meek, Chris Stephens, Shanfeng Wang, and Zhili Zhang.
From College of Arts and Science: Barry Bruce, Jim Caponetti, Chien-fei Chen, Kermit Duckett, Bonnie Ownley, and Joe Williams.
From College of Communication and Information: Dania Bilal.
From outside UT: Lou Germinario.
Session 1:
First Prize: Dan Close (Autonomous Bioluminescent Expression of the Bacterial Luciferase Gene Cassette (lux) in a Mammalian Cell Line). Advisor: Gary Sayler
Second Prize (Tie): R. Graham Reynolds (Inference of Historical Demography in Simulated Metapopulations). Advisor: Ben Fitzpatrick
Second Prize (Tie): Seth Albright (Solution NMR Studies Provide a Structural Basis for Endotoxin Pattern Recognition by the Innate Immune Receptor CD14). Advisor: Nitin Jain
Session 2:
First Prize: Xiaodong Wang (Dynamic Duty Cycle Control for End-to-end Delay Guarantees in Wireless Sensor Networks). Advisor: Xiaorui Wang
Second Prize: Jennifer Weisent (Comparison of Three Time Series Models for Predicting Campylobacteriosis Risk in Georgia, Minnesota and Oregon). Advisor: B. Rohrbach
Session 3:
First Prize: Jonathan Page (Analysis of Macrophage Behavior on Polymerized Bilayers). Advisor: Wei He
Second Prize: Lu Huang (Biocompatibility of Zr-based Bulk Metallic Glasses: Effects of Pre-immersion and Micro-alloying). Advisor: Peter Liaw
Session 4:
First Prize: Jonathan D. Bethard (Inka Imperialism and Biological Variation: A Bioarchaeological Perspective). Advisor: Lyle Konigsbeg
Second Prize: Rachel Gabriel and Jessica Lester (Teacher Educators' Discursive Construction of Learning Disabilities). Advisor: Richard Allington
Session 5:
First Prize: Ifeyinwa Iwuchukwu (Improved Electron Transport for Hydrogen Production by Direct Electron Transfer from Cyanobacterial Photosystem I to a [Ni-Fe] Hydrogenase). Advisor: Paul Frymier
Second Prize (Tie): Zhenke Teng (Room Temperature Ductility of NiAl-strengthened Ferritic Steels: Effects of Precipitate Microstructure and Hot Rolling). Advisor: Peter Liaw
Second Prize (Tie): Olga Ovchinnikova (Molecular Cartography: Combined Topographical and Chemical Imaging using AFM and Mass Spectrometry). Advisor: Gary Van Berkel
Session 6:
First Prize: Shenyan Huang (Investigation of the Nanoscale NiAl Precipitates in the Ferritic Superalloy by USAXS). Advisor: Peter Liaw
Second Prize: James H. Hinderer (Radioisotopic Impurities in Promethium-147 Produced at the High Flux Isotype Reactor). Advisor: Lawrence Heilbronn
COE Students to Participate in the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Competition 2011
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the team Living Light an opportunity to be a part of the Solar Decathlon Competition 2011 at the Mall in Washington. UT will compete among the best 20 universities around the world in this prestigious competition. Students from both the engineering college and the College of Art and Architecture will be part of the team.
COE student participants include: Electrical Engineering: Ryan Trentham, Mikey Murphy, Tyler Griffin, John Kelly, Bryan Hunter and Fate Filno, team leader
Mechanical Engineering: Mindy Ren, Isaac Bosley, Matt Berwind, Cheyanne Hardt, Steven Coley, Nicole Birdwell, Peter Ditmer, Josh Miller, Zac Cobb and Greg Petersen.
Faculty member involved in the initiative include Dr. Leon Tolbert, Dr. Hairong Qi and Dr. Gregory Petersen from EECS; Dr. Randy Gentry from CEE; Dr. Ramki Kalyanaraman from MSE; and Dr. Moonis Ally, Dr. William Miller and Dr. Stan Johnson from MABE.
Special Events
Materials Special Seminar
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering will be hosting a Materials Special Seminar on Monday, April 26 in 409 Dougherty beginning at 9:30 a.m. The speaker will be Dr. Ju Li from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. The topic will be “The Nature of Deformation Twinning and a Model for Its Size Dependence". For more information, contact the MSE department at 974-5336.
Attention COE Seniors: Senior Gift 2010
Visit the Senior Gift 2010 web site in order to make your contribution online to the College Fund for Engineering or to one of the seven department funds.
Gifts of any size are welcome; however, seniors or graduate students who donate at least $50 will receive commemorative honor cords to wear at graduation as well as have a personalized brick placed on the Senior Sidewalk in Circle Park. Call the Tyson Alumni House at 974-3011 for more information.
Your support is important, as it will benefit your fellow engineering students. Recently, the College Fund for Engineering has served as a crucial resource for college-wide programming such as Engage, expanded advising services, and the Pre-Collegiate Scholars Program as well as for purchasing specialized equipment and facility renovations.
Additionally, a Senior Gift will allow the college to seize future opportunities and jump-start future initiatives. Please consider joining your classmates in support of Senior Gift 2010. Your Senior Gift will not only serve the immediate needs of engineering students, but it will set a wonderful example for other seniors, graduate students, underclassmen and future engineering students.
Please visit the Senior Gift web site or the Office of Engineering Development in 120 or 121 Perkins Hall in order to make a Senior Gift via check or credit card or contact them via email at [log in to unmask] for more information.
Student Opportunities
Journal of Undergraduate Research Solicits Submissions
Pursuit: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee
Call for Submissions
Fall 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1
Pursuit: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee is the first UT publication dedicated to undergraduate research. The inaugural issue was released in March 2010. Please find the online version and more information here.
Submissions for the Fall 2010 Issue will be accepted from April 1, 2010 through May 31, 2010. Pursuit accepts advanced, original, research-based submissions from undergraduate students in all academic colleges at the University of Tennessee. Graduates may submit their work within one year of their graduation date.
More information is found here.
Contact the editors at: [log in to unmask]
Pursuit is also currently accepting applications for the review board. Students in all majors are eligible and should have strong writing and editing skills. Applicants should submit a current resume and writing sample to the Pursuit editors via email [log in to unmask] or hard copy (F101 Melrose Hall, Chancellor's Honors Program Main Office) by May 14, 2010.
An information session will be held on Wednesday, April 14, at 7:00 PM in Melrose Hall Conference Room. Any questions may be directed to [log in to unmask].
Engineering Professional Practice Announcements
Announcing a New Name!
Engineering Professional Practice will be the new name of the College of Engineering co-op and internship program. The phrase “Office of” has been replaced with the word “Engineering” in an effort to be more descriptive and align better with other College of Engineering department names. While it will take the office several weeks to get the new name implemented in all printed and electronic media, the engineering community is invited to begin using the new name when speaking with other people about the office. For additional information about the use of the new name in any other printed material, please contact Todd Reeves, director of the Engineering Professional Practice program, at [log in to unmask] or 865-974-5323.
PLEASE NOTE: Students receiving engineering co-op or internship offers must go through the Office of Professional Practice if they want recognition for them on their UT transcript. Students receiving offers directly from employers may forward the information to the office and inquire about how to fulfill program requirements and receive credit for their work.
Engineering Professional Practice Student Feature
Featured student: Morgan Helton
Morgan Helton is an electrical engineering major who accepted a co-op position with ExxonMobil. He worked his first rotation in fall 2009 and is scheduled to return for his second rotation in summer 2010.
In the fall, Morgan wrote: “I am currently in the instrument and analyzer engineering group at the ExxonMobil Beaumont Refinery. Basically, what we do is develop and maintain the devices used to measure and control the refining processes. These devices measure quantities that are used by process engineers to control and optimize the chemical processes used in refining.”
“An instrument is a device that measures quantities such as level, temperature, pressure, or flow. An analyzer is a little more complex; they are devices that measure the composition of gases and fluids in certain processes. Analyzers are used to maximize the efficiency of the refinery. Although we could run without them, they are used to eke out the most from our resources, as well as to maximize product quality.”
“My work this term has been primarily focused on analyzers; I've spent time looking at a variety of different types and functions with a focus on reliability and utilization. In some cases, I've been the first engineering eyes on some of these installations in years. This is considered very important work; some of these analyzers are both safety critical and incredibly unreliable. I was able to identify design flaws in some of the installations that will be rectified in the months to come; in some cases, I've even managed to start some of these implementations.”
“I believe that my time at ExxonMobil has been very beneficial to my career. Although I may not have used very much of my classroom learning from a conceptual standpoint, the thought processes that I've gathered in my classes served me well during my term. Additionally, I became exposed to the business environment and culture, which is something that will benefit me greatly in the future.”
For information on engineering co-op and internship assignments, contact Engineering Professional Practice at [log in to unmask] or 865-974-5323.
Engineering Professional Practice Hosts Reception for Prados Scholars
A reception was held the afternoon of April 16 in honor of the John W. Prados Chemical Engineering scholarship recipients. Attendees included J. Michael Stone, creator and sponsor of the Prados scholarship; Dr. John W. Prados, professor emeritus of the University of Tennessee’s chemical engineering department; Dr. Brian Edwards, chemical engineering professor and associate head; and the Engineering Professional Practice staff.
The 2009-10 recipients of the scholarship – Amanda Mathews, Mark May and Patrick Bowland – received a library of books, which Mike Stone provided in honor of their upcoming graduation; while the 2010-11 recipients of the scholarship – Shelley Parker, Brian Yount and Jacob Buchkovich – were present to meet Mr. Stone and be recognized for their accomplishment.
Mike Stone earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Tennessee in 1963 and had a very successful career in the chemical industry. He created the John W. Prados Chemical Engineering Scholarship in honor of Dr. Prados' lifetime of commitment to the university, its students, and the profession.
One of the key points Stone wants students to understand is, "The more they learn the more valuable they are." Recipients of the scholarship are majoring in chemical engineering, pursuing a minor in business and are participating in the Engineering Professional Practice co-op program.
Career Services Announcements
For more information, visit the Career Services website.
Be ready for Fall Recruiting!
| Part Time Job Fair | Wednesday, August 25 |
| Engineering Career Success Week | Monday–Friday, September 12–17 |
| Graduate School for Engineers Workshop | Tuesday, September 14 |
| Volunteer & Service Corps Fair | Wednesday, September 15 |
| Logistics Fair (Industrial Engineers invited) | Monday, September 27 |
| Fall Job Fair | Tuesday, September 28 |
For more information or questions, contact Leslie Fox,
Career Services Engineering Consultant at[log in to unmask].
If you have submissions for @COE, the college's electronic newsletter, please send them to Kim Cowart at [log in to unmask] by 12:00 noon on Thursdays.