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For the week of May 25, 2012

@COE is published on a weekly basis throughout most of the academic year. It will be published every other week through August, when the fall semester begins. Please send submissions for to Randall Brown in the Engineering Communications Office at [log in to unmask] by noon on Thursdays.

UT Knoxville College of Engineering Holds Spring 2012 Commencement

The College of Engineering Spring 2012 graduation ceremony took place on Wednesday, May 9, with more than 260 engineering graduates participating in the ceremony. A group of approximately 2,500 parents, friends and relatives attended the event, which took place in Thompson-Boling Arena on the UT-Knoxville campus at 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Thom Mason, the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and president and CEO of UT-Battelle, was the commencement speaker. » Read more

Faculty Collaboration Yields Grant

UT will receive $360,000 in Nuclear Energy University Programs funds from a collaboration of Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering Ivan Maldonado, left, on the Georgia Tech-led project "Fuel Core Design Options to Overcome the Heavy Metal Loading Limit and Improve Performance and Safety of Liquid Salt Cooled Reactors." Maldonado and his colleagues will examine new options for fuel and core designs in liquid salt-cooled reactors. They hope to develop a new, safer, and more efficient design. Yanwen Zhang and William Weber of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering also won grants via NEUP. » Read more

Professor Receives Funding for Nanoparticle Research

Mingjun Zhang, left, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has received more than $168,000 from the US Department of Defense to buy equipment to advance his nanoparticle research. The award was made under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) that augments current university capabilities or develops new university capabilities to perform cutting-edge defense research. The funds will go to purchase instruments for characterizing nanoscale mechanics of nanoparticles. » Read more

UTSI Research Leads to Medical Diagnostic and Surgery Improvement

Researchers at the University of Tennessee Space Institute center for Laser Applications have developed a non-invasive specialized focusing method to tailor interaction of ultra-short, femtosecond laser radiation for imaging and therapeutic purposes. Dr. Christian Parigger, along with Dr. Jacqueline Johnson and Dr. Robert Splinter, has developed this method, which enables the finding and mapping of the anatomical location and size of tumorous tissues. This allows for localizing, diagnosing, and increasing the temperature in targeted area to induce cell necrosis. » Read more

COE Students Complete Grand Challenge Scholars Program

For the first time, students at UT have completed a unique program designed to create a generation armed with skills to tackle life-changing problems. The Grand Challenge Scholars Program is an initiative of the National Academy of Engineering which includes curricular and extracurricular programs meant to prepare students to be the generation that solves the grand challenges facing society.

Mark Walker, top left, is graduating with a degree in nuclear engineering. Morgan Baltz, lower left, a senior in chemical engineering, has her sights set on improving the way drugs are administered. » Read more

IIE Grad Student's Fuel-Cell Paper Earns Notice

Girish Upreti, a third-year Ph.D. student in Industrial and Information Engineering, had the article "Fuel Cells for Non-Automotive Uses: Status and Prospects" published in the February 2012 edition of "International Journal of Hydrogen Energy." As a topic of special interest to the energy sector, the article was also listed in a recent edition of Renewable Energy Global Innovations Series (REGI). The series features the most promising renewable energy technologies. Dr. Rapinder Sawney (Upreti's advisor), David L. Greene, and K.G. Duleep also contributed to the article. » Read more

MSE Grad Student Receives Excellence Award

Pelagie Favi, a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering, was recently awarded the Phi Zeta Excellence in Animal Health Award. Favi's presentation was titled "Bacterial Cellulose and Equine-Derived Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Potential Biomaterial Construct for Tissue Engineering of Cartilage and Bone."

The award was presented at the Comparative & Experimental Medicine and Public Health Research Symposium on May 21 and 22, 2012, at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine.

EECS Grad Student Wins 'Best Student Paper'

Electrical Engineering Ph.D. student Ben McCue won the Best Student Paper Award at the High Temperature Electronics Conference (HiTEC).  McCue is a member of the Integrated Circuits and Systems Laboratory (ICASL) research team at UT.

Titled “SOI Based Voltage Regulator for High-Temperature Applications,” the paper was presented at the IMAPS International Conference on High Temperature Electronics (HiTEC), May 8-10, 2012, Albuquerque, N.M. The paper was coauthored with R.L. Greenwell, M.I. Lawrence, B.J. Blalock, S.K. Islam, and L.M. Tolbert.

Samantha Allen Joins Phi Kappa Phi

Samantha Allen, left, Business Manager of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at the University of Tennessee, Martin. Allen is currently pursuing a bachelors degree in business management and is a junior in good standing at UT Martin. Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and most selective organization that recognizes and promotes academic excellence in all fields of higher education.

Reliability and Maintainability Center News

The UT Reliability and Maintainability Center will sponsor training June 26-27, 2012, at the Nissan Training Facility in Smyrna, Tenn. The "Fundamentals of Reliability & Maintenance and Best Practices Seminar" will be instructed by Ramesh Gulati (Arnold Engineering Development Center/Aerospace Testing Alliance – Jacobs.) View this PDF for details.

The UT-RMC had a record-setting Spring Boot Camp May 7-11, 2012, with eighty-seven participants. The Overview of Reliability and Maintainability Concepts is hosted twice a year (Spring/Fall) and offers a week long classroom-style set up. During Boot Camp, UT-RMC interns head to the Alcoa Plant to tour and experience the atmosphere they may be facing during the summer and the center gives company representatives the opportunity to enjoy a look inside Neyland Stadium. Topics include "What is R&M Engineering," "Reliability Basics," "Ergonomics," "Business Excellence," "Preventive Maintenance," "Change Management," and more. Participants learn from leading companies like GPAllied, ABS Consulting, Meridium, Arnold Engineering Development Center, and System Improvments. The next UT-RMC Boot Camp will be Oct. 1-5, 2012, at the UT Visitor Center.

Engineering and Professional Practice

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.

Featured Co-op Student: Emily Anne Leturno

Our student this week is Emily Anne Leturno, left, a mechanical engineering major who accepted a co-op at BSH Home Appliances located in Jacksboro, Tenn.

"I worked in the Manufacturing Engineering department, which handles a variety of tasks throughout the plant," said Leturno. "They balance the production lines, look for ways to streamline production, make the programs for the punches and lasers, among other projects. When I first got back, they had me look into a high scrap rate for control panels. I had looked into a similar problem during my last rotation, and so I used some of the same strategies as last time. In particular, I tracked parts through the manufacturing process to pinpoint where most scrap was generated and see how we could fix it. I used this to find ways to reduce the defects. Another project I worked on was helping with the launch of a new warming drawer line. I helped make sure that the fixtures were working for production and made sure that the line was supplied with the needed parts and hardware. I also got to talk with the engineers about how they developed and continued to develop the sheet metal parts as well as coordinating part rework. This allowed me to really see the development of the production line and troubleshooting in design. I also learned about ergonomics and worked on ergonomic checks for the production lines and participated in Kaizen and 5S evaluations."

Leturno found that the problem of the high scrap rate for control panels was a challenge to track down. "There were a lot of possible causes for this," she said," and so finding things to change that would have a big impact was not easy because there were so many possibilities."

Still, the challenge paid the most valuable benefit she received during her co-op assignment. "I've learned the importance of gaining experience to being a good engineer," said Leturno. "The more you know, the better you are able to make good engineering decisions."

Students may read more about their peers’ co-op 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 [log in to unmask] or 865-974-5323.

EF 301 – Career Services for Engineers

Planning your class schedule for Fall 2012? Don’t forget to register for EF 301 – Engineering Career Planning!
This class is offered each Spring and Fall semester and is taught 1:25–2:15 p.m. Mondays at Career Services, 100 Dunford Hall. 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 as well. 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!”
• “Well thought out and put together course. I feel much more confident about job searching.”
• “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!

SAVE THE DATE FOR FALL RECRUITING

Career Services Cook-out
8/30, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., outside Dunford Hall
Greater Knoxville Job Fair (Full-time and Part-time),
9/6, 2 p.m.-5 p.m., UC Ballroom
Engineering Career Success Kick-Off Week,
9/10-9/13, More info TBA
Social Impact Fair,
9/19, 2 p.m.-5 p.m., UC Ballroom
Logistics Job Fair (open to IE Majors),
9/24, 4 p.m.-5 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena
Fall Job Fair, 9/25,
2 p.m.-6 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena

And more! Check out www.career.utk.edu for a list of all upcoming events.