For the week of Feb. 18, 2011

@COE is published on a weekly basis. The next edition will be sent out on Friday, Feb. 25.

Please send your submissions for @COE to Julie Stansberry in the Engineering Communications Office at [log in to unmask] by noon on Thursdays.

Spring Engineering Fair Announcement

 

Thursday, March 3rd – 4 to 7 p.m.
UC Volunteer Ballroom

 

Students are invited to arrive dressed professionally and prepared to discuss co-op and internship opportunities with engineering employers. Take advantage of this chance to network, as well as the potential to obtain interviews from employers who are filling their own schedules during the fair. Student ID is required at check-in. Appointments to discuss pre-scheduled interviews are underway; the deadline to be added to pre-fair interview schedules is today, and openings are filled on a first-come, first-served basis; therefore, interested students are encouraged to call 974-5323 as soon as possible to set an appointment.

The following employers have registered to attend so far:

• Altec Industries, Inc.
• BAE Systems Ordnance Systems
• Belden
• BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC
• BSH Home Appliances
• Cisco Systems
• ConAgra Foods, Inc.
• Denso Manufacturing
• Dominion
• Duke Energy Corp.
• DuPont
• Emerson - Machinery Health    Management (CSI)
• EMJ Corp.
• ExxonMobil
• Flint Group
• Garmin International
• Georgia-Pacific
• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
• International Paper
• Kimberly-Clark
• Lexmark International, Inc.
• Logan Aluminum
• MAHLE
• NAVSEA
• Nemak
• Nissan North America
• Professional Engineers, Inc.
• Sabic Innovative Plastics
• Shaw Industries, Inc.
• Southern Company
• StandardAero

Outreach News

Global Engineering Education Exchange Schools Sponsor Study Abroad Programs

Summer study abroad programs sponsored by member schools of the Global Engineering Education Exchange (GE3) can be viewed by clicking here.

Engineering Professional Practice Student Feature

Featured student: Blake Adams

Blake Adams is a senior in mechanical engineering. He accepted a co-op assignment with International Paper, wrapping up his first rotation at the end of the Summer 2010 semester. During the term, he shared the following about his experience:

“I worked in the reliability department at International Paper’s Courtland Mill. I came at an integral time for the program. They are creating a new system of basic care routes, improving predictive vibration analysis, improving lubrication methods, and creating a centralized documentation hub.

“They had just finished assigning every piece of equipment, or asset, in the mill (about 60,000 assets) a criticality of either 1,3,5,7, or 9. These criticalities were based on run-ability without the asset, cost of down time, cost of the asset, and if there was a spare. All of the assets were then put into a database that was created at the mill. This database will be used to print out basic care routes that the operators will perform.

“Since that was all done, the next step was to get a group of operators together that had a representative from each job position on the paper machines. The reliability plan was introduced to this group, and then we printed out the lists of equipment that pertained to their route. Multiple days were spent finding all of the equipment on the list and making any name or run status changes that needed to be made. The routes were then sequenced into the best walking route. I was assigned to help the chemical preparation area. We went all over his building finding all of the equipment and sequenced his assets.

“The next step is to train operators on how to use the new IR cameras and vibration pens. I was given one of the pens and was told to create the training for the pen. So I read the manual and went and tested the pen on motors and other assets in order to train the operators on how to use it.

“In regard to the improved vibration analysis, I met with the vibration analysts and compared their current asset list to the criticality model and made a list of assets that needed to either be removed or added to their lists. I met with them after the comparison to double check for any mistakes, and then we met with maintenance staff at their weekly meeting to get their final input. Once all of this was done, I made a final asset add and delete list and sent this to the vibration analyst.

“I also did a lot with lubrication. Courtland has a lubrication database separate from the basic care database. I spent the second half of my rotation manually updating assets in the lubrication database. I attended the oiler’s monthly meetings and listened to any problems they were having. I was able to follow up on these action items. This involved searching for parts throughout the mill. I was also given the task of figuring out the best way to lubricate/seal a gas service plug valve. In order to do this I had to read manuals and contact the manufacturers in order to make sure the oiler knew how to properly service the valve. After finding the best method, I created a short training presentation and presented it to the oilers.

“Another project I contributed to was trying to develop an unwind system on one of the paper machines. They need a fast way to get paper that is left on the reel into the repulper to be sent back to the beginning of the machine to be reused to make more paper. The project that required the most independent work was testing a heat exchanger to see if it was working properly and removing the right amount of heat from a roll lubricant.

“Any kind of training I received was very informal, and was just someone introducing me to the database or teaching me shorter ways of doing tasks in Excel.

“One challenge that I overcame was my ability to stay focused on a monotonous task. Database entry is very repetitive. I was able to make myself sit down and make goals for the day, and I was able to meet/exceed those goals. I learned that setting goals and having an agenda is the best way to get multiple tasks accomplished.”

Adams advises other students considering this employer: “Come prepared to work. Work diligently on the little tasks they give you because they will recognize your effort and start giving you more in-depth projects to work on. Show initiative.

“One of the best things about this assignment is the people I got to work with. It is a very laid-back atmosphere and things tend to move slowly. Don’t let that fool you, though; a lot of work gets done.

“I learned meetings don’t have to be uptight; you can have informal meetings and still get a lot accomplished. Also, I learned that to have an effective meeting, staying on agenda is important. It is very easy to get sidetracked or to stay on one subject too long.

“I gained real workplace experience, knowledge about the paper industry, and mechanical knowledge that can be transferred to all aspects of industry. The money was also very beneficial!”

Students may read more about their peers’ co-op/internship experiences by logging into their Engineering Professional Practice profile via www.coop.utk.edu, clicking “Resource Library” (on the left margin) and selecting “Students at Work – In Their Own Words.”

For information on engineering co-op and internships, contact Engineering Professional Practice at [log in to unmask] or 865-974-5323.

Student News

Design Contest Announcement

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is pleased to announce the First Student Prevention through Design (PtD) Design for Safety and Health Contest. Winners of the contest will have an opportunity to present their project and receive a sponsored trip to the NIOSH conference. All entries must be submitted by May 1, 2011.

For more information about the contest, please click here.

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AREMA Student Chapter Information Meeting Announcement

There will be an AREMA Student Chapter information meeting on Monday, Feb. 28 from 12-1 p.m. in Perkins Hall, Room 217. Come hear about how UT and YOU can have an impact in the railroading industry! Learn about the future of rail transportation, the possibilities at UT and how you can make an impact. Pizza will be served at the meeting. For more information, please contact Jeremiah Parunak at [log in to unmask].

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Center for Executive Education Sponsors Scholarship

The Center for Executive Education will be sponsoring a scholarship for the 2012 Professional MBA program.  Nominations are currently being accepted for the program, which begins in August 2011.  In order to be eligible for receipt of the scholarship, the following criteria must be met:

• Potential applicants must be nominated by his/her Dean or appropriate administrator and complete an application for the Professional MBA program. Nominees must currently be a UTK full-time employee as well as having been employed full-time at UTK for a minimum of three (3) years.
• The Selection Review committee will be comprised of the Vice Chancellor of Business and Finance, the Executive Director of Human Resources, the Director of Equity and Diversity, the Executive Director of the Center for Executive Education, and the Directors of the EMBA/Professional MBA programs.  The committee will select one applicant for the program who must then meet all application requirements for the program.
  
• Scholarship recipients will only be admitted when there is program capacity unused by external customers paying full rates.  The availability of UT slots will be determined 30 days after the priority deadline. 
  
• Scholarship recipients must remain as a full-time employee at UTK for two years following graduation or will be responsible for repaying the scholarship portion and, if appropriate, any departmental funding. 
  
• In addition to the normal waiver of tuition, the scholarship will cover the program fee except for 50 percent of the variable cost, which can be funded by the individual or the appropriate department. Currently the amount not covered by the scholarship will be $7,000 for the 2012 Professional MBA program. Scholarship recipients will also be responsible for any miscellaneous costs that are not covered in the program fee and are required by all students.
   
  Individual leave must be taken for the time required in the program and coordinated with the recipient’s supervisor.
   
  If you have an individual you wish to nominate, please submit the person’s name, job responsibilities, and the reason you feel this person would be a good candidate. Nominations should be submitted to Carolyn Cuddy ([log in to unmask]) no later than April 1, 2011. If you have questions, please call 974-2487.

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Graduate Research Award Program Opportunity

The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), National Academies, is pleased to announce the Graduate Research Award Program on Public-Sector Aviation Issues for the 2011-2012 academic year. This program, sponsored by the U.S. DOT Federal Aviation Administration and administered by the ACRP, is designed to encourage applied research on airport and related aviation system issues and to foster the next generation of aviation community leaders. Under the program, up to 10 awards of $10,000 each will be made to full-time graduate students for successful completion of a research paper on public-sector airport-related aviation issues during the upcoming academic year. Candidates must be full-time students enrolled in a graduate degree program at an accredited institution of higher learning during the 2011-2012 academic year. Successful papers will be presented at the January 2013 TRB Annual Meeting, and exceptional papers could be published in a subsequent TRB Transportation Research Record. Details on the award program, including eligibility requirements and application materials, are available online: http://www.trb.org/ACRP/ACRPGraduateAwardProgram.aspx.

Applications must be received no later than May 19, 2011.

Wireless Roadside Inspection Project News

UT and Partners Work on Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Project

The WRI program is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) project that is analyzing three ways to automatically inspect trucks for safety status. Currently, trucks are inspected very seldom, given the lack of enforcement resources. UT and partners are working, through a grant from the National Transportation Research Center, Inc. (NTRCI), to evaluate a pilot test that develops and test technology that automatically inspects trucks at a high rate. The motivation is to identify problems so that enforcement personnel can be more informed when pulling in trucks, to give good carriers positive credit for passed inspections (even when they are not physically inspected), and to monitor carriers that have systematic problems that need to be addressed.

Dr. Chris Cherry, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with the director of the University Transportation Center, Joe Petrolino, and six student research assistants, are working with partners at Volpe, UT-Battelle, Johns Hopkins University, NTRCI, University of Kentucky, NY State DOT, and ORNL, in addition to some industry partners. They have worked closely with staff at ORNL to develop and evaluate a Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) communication path that will allow trucks and buses to identify when they have passed an inspection point and generate inspection data. The data are sent to the federal system for analysis, and an inspection is generated and sent back to enforcement officers and the carrier. If there is a violation, the enforcement officer can intercept or indicate the truck or bus should pull into the weigh station. If there is no problem, the enforcement officer knows to let that truck or bus pass.

"This has been a fruitful and exciting project, and I appreciate the support of NTRCI in linking UT into the research community associated with this project," Cherry said.

Dr. Dayakar Penumadu, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) commented that one of the high priorities of the engineering faculty at UT is to perform transformative interdisciplinary research that has high impact and is often judged from the peer-reviewed publications resulting from a given project. This joint project already has significant visibility for both NTRCI and the CEE Department at UT as it was recently featured by the USDOT Secretary, Mr. Ray Lahood, who tweeted about the Wireless Roadside Inspection research on Feb. 2, 2011 (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/art-CMV-Roadside-Technology-Corridor.htm).

Seminar Announcement

Materials Graduate Seminar
Department of Materials Science & Engineering

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011
1:25 p.m.
Dougherty 612

Speaker:
Tzung-Fang Guo
Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Engineering, Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

Poly(ethylene-oxide) Functionalized Al Cathodes for High-Performance Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes

Spin-casting or thermal evaporation in vacuum of a salt-free, neutral, poly(ethylene-oxide) ultra-thin film as a buffer layer with an aluminum (Al) cathode has become an alternative approach for fabricating high-performance organic and polymer light-emitting diodes (O/PLEDs). [1] The electroluminescence efficiency of phenyl-substituted poly(para-phenylene vinylene) copolymer-based PLEDs is 0.16 cd/A when Al is used as the device cathode, but is approximately two orders of magnitude higher, 14.53 cd/A, when an poly(ethylene-oxide) functionalized Al complex cathode is used. The organic/Al junction is characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated the cathode buffer layer suppresses the oxidation and the diffusion of Al atoms in the light-emitting polymer layer. The formation of a carbide-like (negative carbon) thin layer, which accompanies interfacial interactions between ethylene-oxide functional groups with Al, is critical to the injection of electrons through Al cathode. This process is specific to the poly(ethylene-oxide)/Al interface, as revealed by a comparison with similar device configurations that have Ag as the electrode, in which no significant interaction in the interface is observed. Additionally, we recently disclosed the tunable injection capabilities of cathodes by co-evaporating the poly(ethylene-oxide) polymer with Al during the deposition of metal electrodes in vacuum. The device performance of PLEDs can be modulated by varying composition ratios of poly(ethylene-oxide):Al complex layer.

[1] T. –H. Lee, J. C. A. Huang, G. L. Pakhomov, T. –F. Guo, T. –C. Wen, Y. –S. Huang, C. –C. Tsou, C. –T. Chung, Y. –C. Lin, and Y. –J. Hsu, Adv. Funct. Mater. 18 (2008) 3036.

Contact: Dr. Ramki Kalyanaraman -- [log in to unmask] -- 974-5539

Career Services Announcements

Upcoming Employer Information Sessions

Visit with these employers to learn more about full-time or summer job opportunities:

Zimmer
Feb. 28, 6-8 p.m., University Center Room 226
Learn about Zimmer's full-time Medical Device Sales position (ideal for biomedical engineering graduates).

ConAgra Foods
March 2, 7 p.m., University Center Room 225
Come learn about the ConAgra Foods Management Development Program for Engineers
Co-sponsored by ASME and Theta Tau.

National Instruments
March 2, 7:30 p.m., University Center Suite 220
Learn about full-time opportunities for MEs, EEs, Computer Science, AEs, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Engineering Physics graduates.

Schlumberger
March 2, 6:30 p.m., University Center Suite 220
Learn about full-time opportunities for Field Engineers.

Kimberly-Clark
March 23, 6:30 p.m., Career Services Office, 100 Dunford Hall
Find out about opportunities for Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers and Industrial Engineers.

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Internship Opportunity for Mechanical or Electrical Engineers
TVA/UT Career Services Engineering Student Intern/Ambassador Program

The UT Office of Career Services and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) are partnering in a joint venture to employ a UT Engineering student for a TVA internship during the summer of 2012 and for seven to 10 hours per week in the UT Office of Career Services during the 2011-2012 academic year.

The person chosen for this position will receive a paid internship for the summer of 2012, working directly for TVA.  Additionally, the student will serve as an Ambassador for TVA during the Fall/Spring semesters of 2011-2012. The person chosen for the position will also work in the UT Office of Career Services (100 Dunford Hall) for seven to 10 hours per week for 14 weeks for both Fall and Spring semesters 2011-2012. 

If interested, please submit your resume through HIRE-A-VOL by March 4, 2011. 

Qualifications: Freshman/Sophomore standing in mechanical or electrical engineering.  MUST HAVE COMPLETED 30 HOURS BY MAY 2011. At least a 2.75 GPA.  Membership(s) in engineering clubs and/or organizations highly desired.  Ability to intern with TVA in the summer of 2012 mandatory. Skills in event planning, presentations, electronic communication and familiarity with Facebook, Twitter and/or other social networking media desired.  

For more information, see the job posting in HIRE-A-VOL or contact April Gonzalez at [log in to unmask].

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Spring 2011 Job Fair
Wednesday, March 2, 2-6 p.m.
Thompson Boling Arena

More than 100 employers are scheduled to discuss full-time post-graduation opportunities. Sample employers include:

• Amazon
• Avery Dennison
• Bechtel Corporation
• Belden
• BMW Manufacturing, LLC
• Burlington Northern Santa Fe
• BWXT Y-12
• ConAgra Foods
• Denso Manufacturing
• Drake Software
• Duke Energy
• Frito-Lay
• Garmin International, Inc.
• Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc.
• Jacobs Engineering
• Kiewit Power
• Kimberly-Clark
• Lauren Engineers & Constructors, Inc.
• MGA Research Corporation
• National Instruments
• NCI Building Systems
• Novelis
• Oak Ridge Associated Universities
• S&ME, Inc.
• Schlumberger
• TVA
• US Department of Energy-Oak Ridge Office

For a complete list of scheduled employers, please log onto www.career.utk.edu and search under the Spring Job Fair link under Upcoming Events.

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So, You Want to Work in Oak Ridge?
A Workshop on How to Get a Job in Oak Ridge

Wednesday, March 9, 2011
3 - 4:30 p.m.
Location: University Center Auditorium

Employer Panelists: DOE, ORNL, ORAU/ORISE, B&W Y-12, SAIC, WAI and Oak Ridge Energy Corridor

This workshop will give students of all majors the opportunity to learn about the many employment opportunities (full-time, part-time, seasonal, internships) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., how to find them and successfully apply for those positions. This event is designed for freshmen through alumni. Learn how to get started on your search for an Oak Ridge job!

This workshop will begin with a brief overview of DOE operations in Oak Ridge by Mr. John Shewairy, Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), followed by a Q-and-A session with leading Oak Ridge employers.

All Majors and Alumni Welcome to Attend

Co-sponsors: UT Career Services, Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, ASME and Theta Tau

For additional information, please contact the Career Services office at 974-5435 or [log in to unmask].

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Students who need an appointment to review their resume, discuss their job search or who have any career-related questions are encouraged to contact the College of Engineering Career Consultant, April Gonzalez at 865-974-5435 or via e-mail at [log in to unmask].

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For more information, visit the Career Services Web site.

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If you have submissions for @COE, the college's electronic newsletter, please send them to Julie Stansberry at [log in to unmask] by noon on Thursdays.