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For the week of
November 18, 2011
@COE is published on a weekly basis; however, the next edition will not be sent out until Friday, Dec. 2 due to the holiday.
Please send submissions for @COE to Julie Stansberry in the Engineering Communications Office at [log in to unmask] by noon on Thursdays.
Student News
Scholarship Information Available
Information about ACEC and ACEC of Tennessee's scholarships is now available at http://www.acectn.org/Scholar.htm. The deadline for submitting applications is January 20, 2012.
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships Application Deadline Approaches
The application deadline for the 2012-2013 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships is quickly approaching. The deadline to apply is Dec. 5, 2011, at 5 p.m. EST.
Opportunities
Placement opportunities are available in congressional offices and 15 executive branch agencies. The five fellowship areas offered for September 2012 through August 2013 are:
• Congressional
• Diplomacy, Security & Development
• Energy, Environment & Agriculture
• Health, Education & Human Services
• Roger Revelle Fellowship in Global Stewardship
Eligibility
To be considered for a fellowship, all successful applicants must hold a doctoral level degree (PhD, MD, DVM, etc.) in any of the following:
• Social/Behavioral Sciences
• Medical/Health Disciplines
• Biological, Physical or Earth Sciences
• Computational Sciences and Mathematics
• Engineering Disciplines (applicants with a master's degree in engineering and three or more years of post-degree professional experience also qualify).
Non U.S. citizens and federal employees are not eligible for the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships. Visit the Fellowships website to learn more about eligibility requirements.
Benefits
Stipends range from approximately $74,000 to $99,000 (depending on years of experience and previous salary). Other benefits include health insurance, travel/training allowance and relocation allowance. For more information about benefits, click here.
To learn more about the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships, visit the website at http://fellowships.aaas.org. Please contact the Fellowships staff at [log in to unmask] or 202-326-6700 with questions.
Engineering Professional Practice Announcement
Stay up-to-date with Engineering Professional Practice information and events by clicking the “Like” button on the program’s Facebook page, following the program on Twitter, visiting its website at www.coop.utk.edu or calling 865-974-5323.
Students, please note: If you receive a co-op or internship offer, please contact Engineering Professional Practice for help with paperwork and any preparations you may need – [log in to unmask], 865-974-5323 or 310 Perkins Hall.
Engineering Professional Practice Student Feature
Featured Student: Michael Dion Swift
Michael Swift is an electrical engineering major who has been assigned to Memphis Light, Gas, & Water Utilities located in Memphis, Tenn., to complete his co-op assignment. He has this to tell us about his assignment:
“I worked in the Systems Operation Department with the Gas & Water utilities," Swift said. "In this department, water flows, gas pressures and electric power are controlled and utilities are provided to the customers of Shelby County. It plays the biggest role in relation to handling storms, dispatching crews to fix problems in the field, catastrophes and other emergencies.
"My project assignments related to the development of the Gas utility’s Control Room Management Manual," Swift said. "Due to various explosions and catastrophes by other gas companies, the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) required all gas providers/companies to develop a plan document for all gas controllers (employees who control and monitor the gas (and sometimes water) system).
"My responsibilities during my co-op experience included: (1) researching a fatigue training opportunity for the gas controllers, coordinators and supervisors; (2) developing a record keeping document that supports Systems Operation’s Internal Communication Plan; (3) developing report forms for abnormal conditions and false alarms in the field; (4) developing review forms for the safety-related alarm database and the annual training program; (5) learning about the SCADA System and the department’s processes for different operations; and (6) editing, reviewing, researching and writing the information to be placed in the CRM manual.
"The assignment brought out the best of my technical, analytical, and ethical skills," Swift said. "It strongly related to classes that I have taken in the past (Engineering Fundamentals, English Composition and Engineering Ethics). This assignment allowed me to learn even more and allowed me to have a better appreciation and understanding of utility companies.”
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.
Seminar Announcements
Materials Graduate Seminar
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011
1:25 p.m. Dougherty Engineering Building, Room 612
Speaker: Dr. Edward N. Sickafus
President, Ntelleck, LLC
(Author: Unified Structured Inventive Thinking – How to Invent)
How to Invent and Why:
Inside Ford Motor Company’s Research Laboratories in the 1990s
The HOW: Inventions are concepts that solve problems. The most common technique used by technologists for inventing is brainstorming. It works ... up to a point. When it wanes, it leaves the struggling inventor mentally stranded high and dry. The way back to effective intellectual activity is along thinking paths. These are paths through solution space that intercept at heuristic nodes. Many heuristics are at our disposal; some we learned in academia, some from introspection, and some on the job. Invention and problem solving can be treated as identical processes using the same problem-solving tools. They both have the goal of finding a concept that solves the problem at hand. Building a problem definition compatible with a problem solving process will be discussed. It begins with an effective problem definition that is continually iterated for change; i.e., to produce thought paths.
The WHY: Ford experience, 1985 – 2000. ‘Fresh-eyes teams’ of technologists (engineers, scientists: BS – PhD’s) Enthusiastic, productive brainstorming ... until brainstorming wanes ... then they’re stuck for lack of thinking paths to follow.
Biography: Dr. Edward N. Sickafus received his Ph.D. in solid-state physics from the University of Virginia. He taught for seven years in the Physics Department of the University of Denver where he also held the position of Research Physicist in the Denver Research Institute. From teaching he moved to the Ford Motor Company Research Laboratory where he developed electron scattering techniques for fundamental surface physics studies. He held positions as President of the American Vacuum Society and member of the Industrial Advisory Board at the University of California, Berkeley. After retirement from Ford Motor Company, he started a consulting business teaching on-site courses in structured inventive thinking. He published the textbook, Unified Structured Inventive Thinking – How to Invent, writes a USIT newsletter that goes to 43 countries and is translated into three languages and maintains a USIT website: www.u-sit.net.
Contact: Dr. Peter Liaw, [log in to unmask], 974-6356
STAIR/SEERC Graduate Seminar
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011
9:40-10:50 a.m. Dougherty Engineering Building, Room 601
Speaker: Ralph D. Boroughs
Electrical Engineer
Technology Innovations and Sustainability
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Sustainability of Plug-in Vehicles
Abstract: This presentation will address different measures of sustainability in terms of environmental, economic and social impacts. The greenhouse gas and air quality impacts of plug-in and hybrid vehicles will be compared to conventional vehicles using gasoline, diesel or biofuels. The resources required for sustainable battery production will be discussed for various battery chemistries. Battery recycling technologies and their challenges will be outlined. The importance and supply of rare earth materials will also be discussed.
The following questions will be addressed:
Former Los Alamos Lab Director to Speak on Iran, North Korea Nuclear Programs
The Global Security Program at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy will host Dr. Siegfried Hecker, who will speak on the challenges that Iran and North Korea pose to efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Hecker is co-director of the Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation, and prior to this served as Laboratory Director for Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1986 to 1997. He has made numerous trips to North Korea.
This talk will be held in the Toyota Auditorium of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at 7 p.m. today (Nov. 18). This event is free and open to the public. This event is sponsored by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the UT Student Chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management and the Global Security Program in the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. For more information, please contact Dr. Howard Hall at 974-2525 or [log in to unmask].
Career Services Announcements
EF 301 – Career Services for Engineers
Planning your class schedule for Spring 2012? Don’t forget to register for EF 301 – Engineering Career Planning!
This class is offered each Spring and Fall semester and is taught at Career Services, 100 Dunford Hall, on Mondays, 1:25 – 2:15 p.m. This class is a perfect fit for all juniors and seniors and will equip students with the right tools to land that great job. Sophomores and graduate students may also register for the course. The class is offered on a 1-hour Satisfactory/No Credit basis and is taught by Career Services Consultant for the College of Engineering, April Gonzalez. Expect visits from company representatives, tips and tricks from HR Recruiters, advice on resumes, cover letters, interviewing and salary negotiation and learn the ways you can stand out and get noticed at the job fairs.
Here’s what students are saying about the class:
• “This is the most useful non-engineering class I have ever taken. It gave me insider information about what employers are looking for during interviews, and I have a resume that I feel great about!”
• “I felt that I knew exactly what the companies were looking for at the job fair and on my interviews. The tips we got in class really helped me feel comfortable talking to the employers.”
• “This class exceeded all my expectations – it really works!”
Don’t wait to sign up as space is limited, and the class will fill up fast!
Get Ready for Spring 2012 Recruiting Dates!
Summer Job & Internship Fair
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, 2 p.m.-5 p.m., UC Ballroom
Interact with employers to find out more about summer part-time jobs/short-term experiences and non-academic credit internships. A list of employers attending will be available online via HIRE-A-VOL in mid-January 2012.
College of Engineering Etiquette Dinner for Engineers Workshop
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., UC Hermitage Room
Students enjoy a free 4-course meal and interact with employers in a less formal networking environment while learning more about dining in a professional or business setting. Registration will be available via HIRE-A-VOL in mid-January 2012. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Employer Sponsors: ConAgra Foods, Inc., DENSO Manufacturing, Eastman Chemical & Mechanical Resource Group
Student Organization Co-sponsors: National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Women Engineers & Theta Tau
Diversity Job Fair
Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., UC Ballroom
Meet with employers interested in recruiting students with diverse backgrounds and experiences. A list of employers attending will be available online via HIRE-A-VOL during the beginning of the Spring 2012 semester.
Spring 2012 Job Fair
Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena
Meet with employers recruiting for full-time post-graduation, part-time summer experiences and non-academic credit internships. A list of employers attending will be available online via HIRE-A-VOL during the start of the Spring 2012 semester.
Attention: Seniors & Graduate Students Graduating in December 2011
Don’t forget to complete the Post-Graduation Survey.
Congratulations from all of us in the UT Career Services Office upon your upcoming graduation! It has been my pleasure to work with many of you, and I wish you the best in your life and new endeavors! In order to keep Career Services’ records up-to-date and provide the best service to you, please take a moment to fill out the Post-Graduation Survey via HIRE-A-VOL.
To complete the survey, log in to your Hire-A-Vol student or alumni account:
https://utk-csm.symplicity.com/students
User Name: your entire email address
Password: your net id password
Find the Graduate Placement Survey link on your homepage on the right hand side under the Career Tools and Advising Section. On the survey page, please click on Add New and fill out your placement information.** Your submitted information will be anonymously included in our Annual Report as well as shared with College of Engineering, prospective students and employers interested in recruiting at the university. All the individual information will remain confidential and will only be reported in aggregate form.
**If you have any difficulties accessing our survey, you may also email your placement data to [log in to unmask] Please include your name, email address, employment status (Still seeking, Graduate School, Internship/Summer Job, Out of Job Market, Employed), company or grad school, salary/wage and location of new job or grad school.
Again, congratulations and thank you for completing the Post-Graduation Survey.
Regards,
April Gonzalez
Career Consultant-College of Engineering
UTK Career Services
100 Dunford Hall
[log in to unmask]
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.