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Dr. Leon Tolbert

Engineering professor Leon M. Tolbert named head of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dean of Engineering, Dr. Wayne T. Davis, named Dr. Leon M. Tolbert, the Min H. Kao Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), as head of the EECS department effective January 1, 2013.

Tolbert, an internationally respected researcher in the areas of power systems and power electronics, hybrid electric vehicles, renewable energy, and silicon carbide power electronics, will take leadership during a time of tremendous growth for the EECS department. The department completed a move to the new Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building in January of 2012, and celebrated the dedication of the new facility in March. The expanded classroom and laboratory space offers tremendous potential for both teaching and research.
Read more >>

Working Safely Is No Accident website

UT project wins grand prize in nation-wide safety-awareness competition

A team comprised of members of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) and the Construction Industry Research and Policy Center (CIRPC) won the "Safety in the Workplace Innovator Award" grand prize of $15,000 in the Worker Safety and Health App Challenge, a national competition created by the Department of Labor.

ISE professor Dr. Xueping Li and graduate student Alison Yu Huang collaborated with CIRPC members to create the interactive website "Working Safely Is No Accident," aimed at teaching workers ages 13-24 about factors that increase workplace safety. The site features a game in which users evaluate relative probabilities of interesting events. The concept is then applied to workplace safety, with additional links to work-safety sources.

2012 Engineering Study Abroad class in London

Study Abroad Fair and info sessions

The College of Engineering will participate in the University Study Abroad Fair 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Wednesday, January 23, in the UC ballroom. Students can get information about summer and other study-abroad programs from college representatives.

The college is sponsoring three programs in summer of 2013: the Engineering in London program; climate-change study in Innsbruck, Austria; and a third trip based in Dublin, Ireland, to explore sustainable energy technologies. In addition to the university fair, there will be two study-abroad information sessions for engineering students interested in one of these faculty-led engineering programs: 3:30 p.m. Thursday, January 17, and 3:30 p.m. Monday, January 28, both in 108 Estabrook Hall. Deadline for application for these programs is February 1, 2013.

Deadline for COE Study Abroad Fellowships for summer 2013 programs is February 8, 2013. Deadline for fellowship applications for fall 2013 study-abroad programs is March 15, 2013. Read more >>

Also, Heather Grigsby, Programs Abroad Coordinator in the Center for International Education, will offer information sessions on study-abroad options in the United Kingdom at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 30, in the International House Great Room; and at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 19, in the Programs Abroad Office Resource Room.

Other summer 2013 study-abroad programs of interest to engineering students are:

• IPL International Summer School in Lyon, France
• Sustainability and Supply Chain Management Summer Schools in Munich, Germany
• Energy Tomorrow, an Engineering and Management Perspective Summer School at the University of New South Wales in Australia

FACULTY NEWS

Dr. William Hofmeister

Dr. William Hofmeister receives patent

Dr. William Hofmeister, research professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, was awarded US Patent Number 8,344,281 for "Use of beam deflection to control an electron beam wire deposition process."

Colleagues Karen Taminger and Rob Hafley of NASA Langley worked with Hofmeister to improve the control of electron-beam free-form deposition used to make large aircraft and space structures for NASA and the US Air Force. Electron Beam Direct Manufacturing is a flexible additive manufacturing technique that can create flight-quality hardware under computer control.
Read more about Hofmeister >>

Dr. Joshua Fu

Study by Dr. Joshua Fu and team predicts climate change

A recent study by Dr. Joshua Fu, a civil and environmental engineering professor, and Yang Gao, a graduate research assistant, found that heat waves will become more severe in most regions of the eastern United States and both the Northeast and Southeast will see a drastic increase in precipitation.

The research team produced its forecast using the supercomputing power of UT’s Kraken and Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) Jaguar (now called Titan) to combined high-resolution topography, land-use information, and climate modeling.
Read more >>

Dr. Zhili Zhang

Dr. Zhili Zhang collaborates with Air Force Research Lab on propulsion research

A research collaboration on aluminum nanoenergetics by Dr. Zhili Zhang, assistant professor in mechanical, aerospace, and biomedical engineering, and the Air Force Research Lab was featured in the December 2012 issue of "Aerospace America," a publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Zhang and colleagues demonstrated that aluminum nanoenergetic particles can serve as an active photothermal medium to enhance and control local heat generation, particle motion, and ignition via the photothermal effect induced by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR).

Dr. Andy Sarles

Dr. Andy Sarles contributes to multi-university research project

Dr. Andy Sarles, assistant professor in mechanical, aerospace, and biomedical engineering, will participate in a project to study the development of a new class of materials that uses biological molecules for sensors, actuators, and energy conversion devices. The project, led by Virginia Tech professor Don Leo, received a $3.75 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Sarles will be responsible for making arrays of individual cells that can mimic higher-order functionality of biological systems.
Read more >>

COE team to use EPA award to teach high schoolers about e-bikes

A sustainability-project proposal created by College of Engineering professors has made it through the first phase of the P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The four professors earned a $15,000 grant in the annual competition for the project titled "PSTAT: Promoting Sustainable Transportation Among Teens." In this project, the professors are advising undergraduate engineering students working with teams of high-school students to design and construct electric bicycles. The student teams will then report on the impact of using them for daily commute. Three local high schools are participating in the project: West, Fulton, and Farragut. A competition between the teams will be held in January.

Faculty involved in the project are Dr. Paul Frymier, associate professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering; Dr. Christopher Cherry, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering; Dr. David Irick, research assistant professor in mechanical, aerospace, and biomedical engineering; and Dr. Leon Tolbert, Min H. Kao Professor and head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

In the second phase of the P3 competition, in April 2013, teams will go to the National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, DC, to compete for the P3 Award and a grant of $90,000 to take their design to real-world application.
Read more >>

Honors program seeking faculty for 2013-2014

The Chancellor's Honors Program (CHP) is currently accepting course proposals for 2013-2014. The Honors Program sponsors both one-hour first-year seminars and three-hour general education courses.

UNHO 101 is a one-hour fall-only course that is required of all first-year CHP students. Similar to the more widely known FYS 129, these classes are discussion based. Small course sections combined with top faculty and interesting topics provide students with an intellectual introduction to the college classroom. Application deadline is January 22.

UNHO 200-level courses are three-hour interdisciplinary seminars designed for honors students of all levels and open to non-CHP students. Faculty design their course to meet one of the "broadened perspectives" categories of the university's general education requirements (Arts/Humanities, Social Sciences, Cultures/Civilizations, Natural Sciences) and also have the option of making their course a writing course. Application deadline is January 22.

For more information, contact Rebekah Page.

EVENTS

Enhanced UTK Leadership Program seeks nominees, applicants

The UTK Leadership Program is designed to provide mentoring to faculty and exempt staff members who are interested in exploring leadership roles at the university. The program provides participants an opportunity to acquire knowledge of best practices in leadership and of all the operations on the campus.

Nominees and applicants are sought from tenured faculty (professor or associate professor) and exempt staff who have been at UT for at least five years; are already in leadership positions or have an interest and potential for such roles; are recommended by their dean, department head, or supervisor; have an exemplary record of service; and evidence of leadership potential.

Deadline is January 31, 2013. Applicants should send the following electronically to Linda Silvers, [log in to unmask]:

• Current vita or resume
• Letters of recommendation
• Two short essays on the topics of "What would you like to achieve through your participation in the UTK Leadership Program?" and "What are your leadership and career goals?"

CURENT takes Family Engineering Night to Sequoyah School

The Center for Ultra-wide-area Resilient Electrical Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT) partnered with Knox County Schools to bring Family Engineering Night to Sequoyah Elementary School on December 12, 2012. The program was designed to bring households together to explore basic engineering concepts in an effort to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Activities were selected to ensure that they met Knox County Schools' grade-level expectations in the K-5 science curriculum.
Read more >>

MARCON 2013 will be February 25-28 at the Knoxville Marriott

MARCON 2013, the seventeenth annual Maintenance and Reliability Conference, will be held February 25-28, in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Knoxville Marriott Hotel.

This one-of-a-kind conference is a forum for practitioners, specialists, educators, students, and even the new and uninitiated to learn and exchange information in the area of reliability and maintenance engineering and management, from new and emerging technologies to proven methods and techniques. MARCON attendees from will immerse themselves in ideas—some new, some reinforcing already known truths—to help them better understand their role in leveraging their reliability and maintainability programs to world-class status.

Discounted early-bird conference rates are available until January 30, 2013.
Read more about MARCON >>

Members of the UT College of Engineering Reliability and Maintainability Center receive a 10% discount. Read more about RMC membership >>

Tennessee Science Bowl seeks volunteers

The 2013 Tennessee Science Bowl needs volunteers for its state competition on Saturday, February 23, 2013. Volunteer positions include moderators, scientific judges, rules judges, scorekeepers, and timekeepers. Training for volunteers is scheduled for 4:00-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 12, at the Pollard Technology Conference Center in Oak Ridge.
Click here for volunteer information >>

The 2013 Science Bowl will be on Friday, February 22, at Hilton Knoxville Airport, and on Saturday, February 23, at the Pellissippi State Community College Blount County Campus, 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Friendsville.

STUDENT NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

Scholarship applications are due February 1

Scholarship applications are due February 1, 2013. The 2013-2014 Continuing & Transfer Student Undergraduate Scholarship Application is now available on MYUTK (under UTK Financial Links, select Financial Aid Main Menu).

College of Engineering seeks 2013-2014 Ambassadors

The College of Engineering is now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 class of College of Engineering Ambassadors. Founded in 2004, the Ambassadors are the undergraduate arm of recruitment for the college. The purpose of the Ambassadors is to recruit prospective students to the College of Engineering, involve the college's student body in its goals, and stimulate community interest in the field of engineering. The application is available online on the Ambassador website. Submissions are due by 4:00 p.m. Friday, February 15, in 202 Estabrook Hall. Applications are welcome from all engineering majors, including biosystems engineering.

Academic services offered by Multicultural Student Life

The Office of Multicultural Student Life offers these academic services:

Appointment Tutoring: Students can schedule appointments with tutors beginning Monday, January 14. To schedule an appointment, students should visit multicultural.utk.edu.

Walk-In Tutoring: Expanded hours for Monday, January 14, through Thursday, January 17: 2:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. (Only during this week.)

Vols Success Seminars: During the Spring semester, in collaboration with the Student Success Center and other campus departments, Vols Success Seminars will be offered to all UT students. This series of workshops is designed to equip all students with the knowledge and resources to be successful, inside and outside of the classroom at the UT. Students can register in advance for each workshop at multicultural.utk.edu or studentsuccess.utk.edu. View the Vols Success Seminars Spring 2013 calendar >>

Counselors sought for summer 2013 pre-college programs

The College of Engineering is seeking counselors for its 16th Annual Summer Pre-college Programs during 2013 for rising seventh through twelfth grade students. Each program provides hands-on learning experiences designed to motivate thirty-two students who have the interest and aptitude to consider careers in engineering. Participants learn about careers in engineering, explore the UT campus, tour engineering labs and facilities, compete in engineering challenges, and have an opportunity to jump start their academic career.

Program dates are June 9-14; June 16-21; June 23-28; July 7-12; July 14-19; and July 21-20, 2013. The deadline to apply is by Friday, January 25, 2013.
Download counselor application >>
Read more about the programs >>

Program Requirements:
• Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher
• Must be classified as a STEM major, rising sophomore or higher as of Summer 2013
• Attend/monitor all sessions with participants including weekends
• Live in residence halls with participants throughout the duration of the programs
• Be on time and courteous to all participants, other counselors and office personnel
• During June & July, counselors are permitted to enroll in classes but no more than 3 hours

Applications are open for EUReCA exhibition

The 17th Annual Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EUReCA) will be held March 18-19, 2013, in the University Center Ball Room. The event highlights research and creative projects completed by UT students in collaboration with a faculty mentor. Cash awards will be presented in each division. Winners may submit their projects to Office of Research to be considered for the Summer Internships.

Applications are due by noon on January 25, 2013. Participants will set up their presentations between noon and 4:00 p.m. on March 18; judging will begin at 5:30 p.m. All participants must be present during the judging period. The event is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on March 19. An awards ceremony will be held at 6:00 p.m. on March 19 in the UC auditorium.

The exhibition is sponsored by UT’s Office of Research and supported by the Office of the Chancellor. For application and abstract information >>

Tennessee Engineering Foundation offers scholarships

The Tennessee Engineering Foundation (TEF) awards scholarships on an annual basis. The scholarship fund is supported by contributions from members of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee and the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers.

The Foundation will give three scholarships in 2013, open to any rising junior or senior in an accredited engineering school in the state of Tennessee. The award may be used for tuition, books, room and board, or any other charges related to registration for the fall or spring semester in the year it is awarded. The recipient must certify that this scholarship, plus the sum of all other scholarships, grants, or gifts, does not exceed the cost of the items listed above  This scholarship will be reduced appropriately if the sum of all other scholarships, grants, or gifts exceeds the cost of the items listed above.

Scholarships available are:
• Dorothy and Arthur Crouch Memorial Scholarship: funded by the Ladies Auxiliary and the TSPE Nashville Chapter, for applicants meeting the qualifications above - $4,000
• TEF Scholarships (2): for applicants meeting the qualifications above - $3,500

Applications will be accepted until February 1, 2013. Selection by the TEF Scholarship Committee will be done in March. The application is available on TSPE's website here.
Read more about the Tennessee Engineering Foundation Scholarships >>

Grants and internships available from APPA

The American Public Power Association (APPA) awards student research grants and internships each year to university students as part of its Demonstration of Energy Efficient Developments (DEED) program. The APPA offers ten $4,000 grants/internships to undergraduate or graduate students to work with a DEED member utility. Annual application deadlines are February 15 and October 15. APPA also offers one $5,000 technical-design project research grant for a student or student group studying in an energy-related discipline. Annual deadline for this grant application is October 15.
Read more >>

Summer 2013 research experiences in science & engineering

The Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program allows undergraduates to gain hands-on experience in conducting original research and apply it to cutting edge applications in fluid power and related disciplines. Students from a diverse range of majors, experiences, and interests work in a university research lab on a project related to fluid power, along with a faculty advisor and graduate student mentor with expertise in the field.

Students come from across the country to work at the seven universities that are part of the center. Positions are available at Georgia Tech in Atlanta; University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign; University of Minnesota in Minneapolis; Milwaukee School of Engineering in Milwaukee; North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro; Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana; and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

The program and center are funded by the National Science Foundation. Application deadline for the program is Friday, January 25, 2013.
Read more about the REU program >>

Resident Assistant selection process accepting applications

Applications are being accepted for the Resident Assistant (RA) recruitment/selection process. RA applications must be submitted online by 5 p.m. on January 18, 2013. For students who want to find out more about what the RA job entails, there will be meetings at 7:00 p.m. Monday, January 14, in Massey Hall; and at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 15, in Morrill Hall. Read more about the RA job description >>

What else can you do with your major? You can now receive your degree and a secondary education teaching license with VolsTeach. The VolsTeach program is available to Math and Science majors who wish to expand their career options by earning a secondary education teaching license. Given the current economy VolsTeach offers one degree with two career paths which will make you more competitive in the future job market.

VolsTeach provides:

• early and frequent field experiences
• personal guidance by Master Teachers and program advisors
• the opportunity to have paid exclusive internships during regular and summer terms
• a comfortable learning environment that will further enhance your professional skill set

This is your opportunity to be a part of the program. VolsTeach is open to freshmen, sophomores and juniors who are ready to start a journey that will give them a chance to connect with the community. Become a part of this exciting venture by signing up for the Fall Step 1 course now.
Click on the flyer at left for registration information.
For more information contact VolsTeach Coach, Jada Johnson at [log in to unmask] or visit the program's Facebook page, VolsTeach, for current events, and the program's website, http://volsteach.utk.edu.

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.

Upcoming Events

• Information Session:
  5:00 p.m. Thursday, January 17, Min Kao Building, Room 404
• Prep for Success— "Promoting Yourself":
  5:00 p.m. Thursday, January 24, Min Kao Building, Room 405
• Prep for Success— "Interview Strategies":
  5:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 5, Min Kao Building, Room 405
• Interview Deadline— Last day to be added to interview schedules:
  12:00 noon, Friday, February 15
• Spring Engineering Expo:
  3:00–6:30 p.m. Thursday, February 28, University Center Ballroom
• Interview Day:
  Friday, March 1, East Stadium Skyboxes

Students may read 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.