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For the week of April 30th, 2010
@COE and the Career Services @COE will be published on a bi-weekly basis beginning May 7. Please note that due to technical difficulties, the Career Services @COE for this week will be published on Monday, May 3.
Please send your submissions for @COE to Kim Cowart in the Engineering Communications Office at [log in to unmask] by noon on Thursdays.
COE News
Outstanding COE Faculty and Staff are Honored at Awards Dinner
The University of Tennessee College of Engineering held its annual Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 22 at the Knoxville Convention Center.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Nathan W. Dougherty Award to Dr. John
Prados, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. In the photo, Dr. Prados (center) is joined by his wife, Mrs. Lynn Prados (left), as he accepts the Nathan W. Dougherty Award from COE Dean Wayne Davis (right).
Prados is a former Vice President and University Professor Emeritus at UT, where he has served for more than 50 years, beginning as a graduate assistant in 1953. He was a full-time professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering for 13 years, and for the next 20 years he held several administrative positions, including Associate Dean of Engineering, Dean of Admissions and Records, Acting Chancellor of the Knoxville and Martin campuses, Acting Director of Energy Conversion Programs at the University of Tennessee Space Institute and from 1973 through 1988, Prados was the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the statewide University of Tennessee system.
He returned to the Department of Chemical Engineering in 1989 and from 1990-93 he was the department head. He served as the Senior Education Associate in the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation from 1994 through 1997. Prados has been a consultant to industry, government and more than 30 universities and state education agencies in the United States and abroad.
Prados earned his B.S. in chemical engineering at the University of Mississippi and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with majors in chemical engineering at the University of Tennessee.
After the award presentation to Prados, Dr. Bamin Khomami, professor and head of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, announced the establishment of the John W. Prados Professorship in his department. The professorship was created by Malcolm Colditz and additionally supported by J. Michael Stone, both of whom are former students of Dr. Prados.
Additional awards presented during the evening included:
Outstanding Support Staff Award:
Julia Elkins, Administrative Services Assistant, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Kristin England, Communications Specialist, Nuclear Engineering
Outstanding Faculty Advisor:
Dr. J. Wallace Mayo, Instructor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Allen & Hoshall Engineering Faculty Award:
Dr. Michael Berry, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Moses E. and Mayme Brooks Distinguished Professor Award:
Dr. Leon Tolbert, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Leon and Nancy Cole Superior Teaching Award:
Dr. John Landes, Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering
Charles Edward Ferris Faculty Award:
Dr. Carl McHargue, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering and Director, Center for Materials Processing
2010 Teaching Fellow Awards:
Dr. Richard Bennett, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director, Jerry E. Stoneking Engage Program
Dr. James Plank, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. Rupy Sawhney, Professor, Industrial and Information Engineering
2010 Research Fellow Awards:
Dr. Joshua Fu, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Yanfei Gao, Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Dr. Bin Hu, Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Dr. Jian Huang, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. J. Wesley Hines, Professor, Nuclear Engineering
Dr. Stephen Paddison, Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Dr. Xiaorui Wang, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
College-wide faculty award winners, from left to right: Dr. Carl McHargue, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Center for Materials Processing, the Charles Edward Ferris faculty Award; Dr. J. Wallace Mayo, instructor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award; Dr. Michael Berry, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Allen & Hoshall Engineering Faculty Award; Dr. John Landes, professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, the Leon and Nancy Cole Superior Teaching Award. Dr. Berry also accepted the Moses E. and Mayme Brooks Distinguished Professor Award for Dr. Leon Tolbert, also a professor in the ECE department, who was unable to attend the event. COE Dean Wayne Davis, far right, presented the awards.
Faculty Updates
CEE Department Head to Present Keynote Lecture
Dr. Dayakar Penumadu, professor and head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will present one of the keynote lectures at the 9th International Conference on Sandwich Structures (ICSS-9) June 14-16, at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.
Pharr Receives Award from MRS
Dr. George Pharr received the Innovation in Materials Characterization Award (IMCA) at the 2010 MRS Spring Meeting in early April 2010.
This first-time award honors an outstanding advance in materials characterization that notably increases knowledge of the structure, composition, in situ behavior under outside stimulus, electronic behavior, or other characterization feature, of materials. The impact of the advance on materials research is the primary consideration in making this award, which is not limited to the method of characterization or the class of materials observed.
The 2010 IMCA was presented to Warren C. Oliver, Nanomechanics Inc., and George M. Pharr, the University of Tennessee, "for seminal contributions to the development of the instrumentation and analysis methods of nanoindentation for characterizing the mechanical properties of materials at the micrometer- and nanometer-length scales. Their work on nanoindentation has profoundly impacted all fields of materials research where mechanical behavior is important."
Upcoming Conferences
Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference is returning to East Tennessee
50 years after its 1960 conference in Gatlinburg, the Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference is returning to East Tennessee October 30 through November 6, 2010, at the Knoxville Convention Center. The event offers a great opportunity to meet old friends and colleagues, and to make new ones from all parts of the world. The technical sessions and casual meetings offer the best way to exchange knowledge and ideas in nuclear science, medical imaging, and detector development. The conference will include the RTSD and the Molecular Radiology of Breast Cancer workshops.
The Organizing Committee is planning a conference to bring together all aspects of the science in these disciplines to further the state-of-the-art and disseminate up-to-date scientific information through the oral and poster presentations. There will be several short courses and workshops before the main conferences. The popular refresher courses will be held during the week to review current topics of special interest. A commercial exhibition featuring the state-of-the-art products and services from a wide range of companies will take place during the middle part of the meeting.
Companion tours will include several short trips around East Tennessee. These will be both social and historic with visits to Oak Ridge and local museums. Technical tours to ORNL and local companies will also be offered.
For more information, visit http://www.nss-mic.org/2010/ or contact Dr. Chuck Melcher, who is a member of the organizing committee, at [log in to unmask].
PDF: NSS10FinalCall.pdf
Student News
CEE Student is Awarded McClure Scholarship
Hongtai Yang, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been selected to receive a $3900 award from the W.K. McClure Scholarship Fund for the Study of World Affairs to support his proposed research project in China this summer. The Center for International Education's Scholarship Selection Committee chose Yang for the award. Yang’s faculty advisor is Dr. Chris Cherry.
ASME Student Chapter Wins First Place in Student Design Competition
The ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) student chapter from the MABE Department at UT competed this past weekend in the District F (Southeast Section) student conference and competitions. It was held at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
A team of Ashley Trotter, Jacob Barrett and Greg Warren won a first place in the student design contest. The contest required the building and demonstration of a machine that sorted recyclable goods like glass, metal cans and glass jars.
A team of Sarah Keedy and Robert Davis also competed in the design contest. Josh Miller won a second place in the poster contest and Gregory Peterson competed in a speaking contest.
These photos show the machine being set up and in operation.
EECS Student Receives Best Oral Paper Prize
Ashraf B. Islam, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, working under Professor Syed K. Islam, received the CMOC best oral paper prize at the recently concluded 19th Annual CMOC (Connecticut Microelectronics and Optoelectronics Consortium) Symposium held April 7, 2010 in Dodd Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. His paper, titled Fabrication and Characterization of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofiber as a Biosensor Platform, was chosen as the best oral presentation by the organizers of the CMOC 2010. The co-authors of the paper are Ph.D. student Salwa Mostafa and Professor Syed K. Islam. The award includes prize money from IEEE UConn chapter, gift cards from Center for Research on Interface Structure and Phenomena (CRISP) of Yale University and a certificate from the organizers.
CEE Senior Design Project Presentation
The Civil Engineering Senior Design Project Presentation will take place on Friday April 30th. There are two different projects, one presentation will begin at 12:30 p.m. and the other will begin at 2:00 p.m. The presentations are open to all faculty staff and students in 300 Buehler Hall.
The first presentation will be on the civil site design of a middle school in Loudon County. The second presentation will be of a Municipal building in Loudon County. For more information, contact Justin Bryan at 615-830-9335 or [log in to unmask].
COE Alumnus Wins Moot Court National Championship
Stephen Adams, a 2008 graduate of the College of Engineering and a participant in the TLSAMP program, was part of a team from the UT College of Law that won the Giles Sutherland Rich moot court championship in Washington, D.C. Adams is a second level law student. The team initially won the Houston Regional and advanced to the national finals. Adams and his partner, Josh Lee, argued a case before Judges Alan D. Lourie, Alvin A. Schall and Timothy B. Dyk of the Federal Circuit.
UT Space Institute Students Win American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Awards
Two students from the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) have been recognized for their research at one of the nation's top aeronautic conferences.
The students attending the 2010 Southeastern Regional Student Conference of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) were awarded second and third place in the Masters Division. The conference, held in Destin, Fla. on April 8-9, included over 300 delegates from 14 universities from the southeastern region.
Nadim Zgheib won second place for his paper, "Asymptotic Solutions for Longitudinal Waves in Solid Rocket Motors" and Michel Akiki won third place for his paper "Compressible Integral Formulation of the Two-Dimensional Porous Channel Flow." The studies focused on the analytical and numerical modeling of either wave propagation or compressible mean flow description in simulated solid rocket motors.
The two studies were supervised by UTSI Professor Joseph Majdalani who appears as second author on both papers.
Zgheib and Akiki are both from Kesrouan, Lebanon, and both graduated from Notre Dame University shortly before joining UTSI. In 2009, they received their master's degrees in aerospace engineering. Michel is currently working toward his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. Zgheib has received a graduate school fellowship to pursue his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Florida.
AIAA is the world's largest professional society devoted to the progress of engineering and science in aviation, space and defense.
Advising Update
Undergraduate students - Friday, April 30 is last day of classes, the total withdrawal deadline, and the deadline to apply to graduate in Fall 2010. Undergraduate students apply to graduate online at http://registrar.tennessee.edu/graduation.shtml
Graduate students - Friday, April 30 is the last day of classes, total withdrawal deadline, and all Incomplete Grades must be removed for graduation.
Industrial and Information Engineering News
The Department of Industrial and Information is offering an undergraduate scholarship to new IIE majors. Deadline for application is April 30, 2010. For more information, contact Dr. Corky Ford at [log in to unmask].
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.
Outreach News
The College of Engineering is pleased to announce a special opportunity for its honors undergraduates!
HELM, the Honors Engineering Leadership Minor, is a partnership with other colleges and centers in the university to provide interdisciplinary coursework emphasizing the context of engineering in the world. Find out more about this exciting new program here.
At the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s annual Business Plan Competition, several undergraduate engineering students have won awards. They are:
Danny Smith, Senior, Aerospace Engineering for a specialty shoe cover designed to protect rock-climbing shoes.
Aeron Glover, Junior, Industrial Engineering in conjunction with two pre-business students for a web-based business designed around rating host families and other accommodations for study abroad students.
Austin Eldridge, Junior, Aerospace Engineering in conjunction with two management students for a communications business designed to support real estate sales.
Aron Beierschmitt, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering, for a business focusing on gaming apps and open source operating systems.
Congratulations to all!
UTK in Discussions with Chinese Universities
A delegation from UTK and the College of Engineering held a series of discussions in March 2010 with representatives of three Chinese universities. Dr. Masood Parang, associate dean for academic affairs, represented COE and visited Shanghai University (Shanghai), Wuhan University (Wuhan), and Sichuan University (Chengdu) to discuss possible student and faculty exchange agreements along with other methods of cooperation. Get more information along with photos here.
COE Joins Grand Challenge Scholar Program
The University of Tennessee College of Engineering has been named the newest member of a consortium of engineering schools with an approved National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenge Scholar Program (GCSP). Only six engineering schools in the country currently hold this designation.
In 2008, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) identified 14 Grand Challenges for engineering in the 21st Century. These challenges represent the broad themes at the boundary of technology and society like “Make Solar Energy Economical” and “Provide Access to Clean Water”. NAE’s Grand Challenge Scholar Program (is the companion program for engineering schools that have accepted the challenge of designing combined curricular and extra-curricular programs to prepare students to be the generation that solves the grand challenges facing society. The founding members of GCSP are Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering, the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering.
Students graduating from this program will be designated a Grand Challenge Scholar, and nationally recognized with their GCSP peers from other participating schools on the National Academy website.
For more information, visit http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ and http://www.grandchallengescholars.org/.
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 was held on Wednesday, April 14, at 7:00 PM in Melrose Hall Conference Room, but 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: Jacob Philpott
Jacob Philpott is a senior in aerospace engineering and currently working his first co-op rotation with JTEKT in Vonore, Tennessee. He wrote the following about his experience:
“My job involves working with the CAD (computer aided drafting) program CATIA in updating current production parts.”
“Here at JTEKT Vonore we design and manufacture hydraulic power steering gears for many major car companies – the biggest being Toyota. I work with the product engineering team and assist in any way possible, mostly by creating new drawings for new parts, as well as creating new parts using the CAD program CATIA.
“At times I will help assemble new prototype power steering gears that different car manufactures ask for. Since these are prototype gears, engineers will assemble and test the gears, whether it be two or 15 gears. Once completed, we send these gears to the company and from there they receive further testing. Soon the Vonore location will be adding electric power steering gears to the mix, from the JTEKT location in Virginia, which should bring with it all sorts of new challenges.
“The program CATIA was first brought about in the design of the Boeing 777. I hope to use this co-op training with the CATIA program to possibly earn a position as an aerospace engineer with the Boeing company after I complete my degree.”
For information on engineering co-op and internship assignments, contact Engineering Professional Practice at [log in to unmask] or 865-974-5323.
Career Services Announcements
Farewell from Leslie Fox, COE Career Consultant
Dear College of Engineering Students, Faculty and Staff:
I wanted to take a moment to let all of you know that I am leaving my position as the Career Services Consultant for the College of Engineering effective Friday, April 30, 2010. I will be starting a new chapter in my career as I begin my role as an Education Project Manager with Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) on May 10, 2010.
I have enjoyed my time here at the University of Tennessee and I appreciate having had the opportunity to work with each of you and get to know you professionally as well as personally. Even though I will miss all of you, I look forward to continuing to work with you regarding opportunities for students in Oak Ridge and other Department of Energy positions that I may represent through ORAU.
I encourage all of you to continue working with the incredible team at the UT Career Services office and am proud to have had the experience of working with them and learning from them. I am most grateful for the leadership of our Career Services Director, Russ Coughenour, who always supports new ideas and initiatives for the students.
I have no doubt that I leave the COE Career Consultant role in a great place that will only continue to grow and improve. I will always be willing to assist any of you in the future and you will be in excellent hands with Russ Coughenour and the career services team as they plan for my replacement.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment to discuss career planning, resume reviews, job searching, interviews, etc., please feel free to contact Career Services at 865-974-5435 or the Career Services Director, Russ Coughenour at [log in to unmask].
Thank you again for everything!
Sincerely, Leslie
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, visit the Career Services website.
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.