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Hines leads NE study-abroad trip to Europe

Dr. Wes Hines, fourth from right above, led a study abroad class to sites in the
Czech Republic, such as the Temelin Nuclear Power Station pictured, and
in Austria during a recent trip.

Dr. Wes Hines, head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, recently led twelve students on a tour of nuclear facilities in Prague, Czech Republic, during a mini-term program abroad. The students also participated in a reactor-physics training program for which they will receive upper-division laboratory credit in the nuclear engineering program.

The study-abroad class had a first-hand look at a uranium yellow cake processing facility; two Czech research reactors at the country's national laboratory; and reactors at the Temelin Power Station.

They also received an International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) Safeguards Tutorial and a United Nations Tour in Vienna, Austria. In addition to visits heavy on technical content, the group made cultural-site visits to the historical city of Tabor, Czech Republic; Prague sites such as Prague Castle, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, etc.; and Vienna sites such as Belvedere Palace, Stephansdom Cathedral, and others.

Hines gave a seminar during the trip at the Czech Technical University of Prague. Research Assistant Professor Dr. Ondrej Chvala also accompanied the group.

FACULTY & STAFF NEWS

Dr. Eric Lukosi

Lukosi earns Ralf E. Powe award

Dr. Eric Lukosi, an assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, received a Ralf E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). These awards are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities.

Lukosi's proposal for the award focuses on the development of a long-lived High Temperature Direct Energy Conversion (HiTDEC) nuclear battery. The proposed battery operates through converting radioactive energy to electrical energy through a semiconducting diamond transducer. The first step required in the development of this battery is a feasibility study of in situ radiation damage curing through high temperature annealing.

The award amount is $10,000, including $5,000 from ORAU and $5,000 in matching funds from the UT Office of Research. The funds will be used to support initial investigations into high-temperature operation and how this effects radiation-induced damage creation versus healing rates in the diamond transducer. Experimental evidence of the feasibility of in situ high temperature radiation damage mitigation will support further development of this innovative nuclear battery concept, potentially leading to nuclear batteries with direct radioactive to electrical energy conversion efficiency as high as 25% and energy density approaching 70 W/kg.
Read more about the Ralf E. Powe Award >>

Dr. David Clarke

CTR director quoted in USA Today article

Dr. David Clarke, director of the Center for Transportation Research, was quoted in a USA Today story this week on the subject of train wrecks. He told the nationally published newspaper that recent high-profile train crashes in Maryland, Missouri, and Connecticut are more likely a coincidence than a trend.

"I don't think there is any long-term trend that we're seeing develop here," said Clarke. "It was more coincidence than anything that we've had three high-profile accidents in the last few weeks. I am hopeful that we'll go several months before we have another one. The railroad industry is in excellent condition. When you see reports about the transportation infrastructure being dilapidated, that's not the railroads."
Read the full article in USA Today >>

STUDENT NEWS

Front row, from left:
Victoria Vest, Kiley White, and Michelle Morin
Back row, from left:
Avik Purkayastha, Vick Singh, Matt Lloyd, Faith Frye, Megan Ferrell, and Emma Hollman

From left:
Kevin Gayler, Jason McDonald, and Zach Wood

COE students go international with trips to Costa Rica, Madrid

Two trips organized by the College of Engineering allowed participating students to experience engineering internationally during the spring of 2013. COE International Coordinator Judith Mallory oversaw an “Alternative Spring Break” in Cartago, Costa Rica, and an end-of-semester visit to Madrid, Spain.

Mallory accompanied nine students—Faith Frye, Avik Purkayastha, Vick Singh, Matt Loyd, Victoria Vest, Emma Hollman, Megan Ferell, Kylie White, and Michelle Morin—to Cartago in March for service projects each morning and cultural activities in the afternoons.

COE students Zachary Wood, Kevin Gayler, and Jason McDonald participated in the trip to Madrid, Spain, from May 11 to 18 at the end of the spring semester. The trip included seminars at the Universidad Carlos III Madrid in Leganes and a visit to the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA).
Read more >>

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

Alternative summer-break trip offered for engineering students

"Alternative Summer Break in Peru," based in Cusco, is scheduled for August 10-17, 2013. It includes dormitory accommodations with three meals per day; an engineering-related service project in the mornings; cultural activities in the afternoon, including a Peru city tour. Approximate cost is $1,550 plus airfare.

Approximately 50% of participants' time will be spent on an engineering-related service project, with the remaining time devoted to cultural activities and free time. The project will take place in the Manu Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Activity examples during the service project include constructing a canopy tower in the Amazon, building a structure over an oxbow lake as part of a wetland monitoring project, construction of biogarden roofs, and construction of a catamaran. For the cultural portion of the trip, participants will visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, tour an off-the-grid eco lodge, and explore the Amazon rainforest.

A limited number of scholarships are available for these trips, in amounts up to $500 each. If interested, contact Judith Mallory at 865-974-9234 or [log in to unmask].

Call for papers for CISPEE

The First International Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (CISPEE) will take place in Porto, Portugal, on October 31 and November 1 with the theme "Education in Engineering: Challenges for Innovation." The deadlines for submission of full papers is June 2, 2013. Notification of acceptance will be sent on July 21, 2013.
Read more >>

Design Thinking and Innovation class offered this summer

The course "Design Thinking and Innovation" (IDS 425, Section 502) will be offered during the second summer section July 8-August 9. The course will be team instructed by Tom Graves, from the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Business College, and David Matthews from the College of Architecture and Design.

Students will experience creativity, innovation, and solve real-world problems in a project-based collaborative, multidisciplinary learning environment applicable for all majors at all levels. This course provides a team-based approach to Design Thinking and innovation. Through collaborative activities that emphasize creative problem solving skills the students will learn and apply various proven techniques that can be used in their future classes and careers and complete implementable projects that explore new-idea evaluation, feasibility analysis, prototyping, and iterative thinking.

The class will meet from 9:00 a.m.-noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in Room 229 of the Art and Architecture Building.

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: Kristin Woodward

Our student this week is Kristin Woodward, pictured at right, a mechanical engineering major who accepted a co-op at Duke Energy Corporation located in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Woodward described the department she worked in and what her main responsibilities were.

“I worked with the Condition and Performance Monitoring group," said Woodward. "In this group, I had projects that dealt with decreasing the heat rate at different plants and maintaining the performance of the equipment at our plants. I worked in the Monitoring and Diagnostics Center with other engineers who worked on performance and reliability. Some of the work I did will result in changes at the plants that should decrease the heat rate of that plant.”

A challenge that Woodward had to overcome during this assignment was in conducting data analysis in order to find the target curve for a set of parameters.

"This project didn't turn out well the first time because there was not a good set of data," said Woodward. "By working with my mentor and by changing how this project was conducted, we were able to manipulate a curve that could be used as a target curve. I learned that not everything will go well the first time you try, but you can always ask for help from others and try again.”

Woodward said that the most valuable benefit she received was getting to apply what she learned in the classes that she took in college.

"Without this real world experience I feel that I would be at a real disadvantage when entering the work force one day,” she said.

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.

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.

Career Services News

Attention: Seniors & Graduate Students Graduating in May 2013
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 our pleasure to work with many of you, and we 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:
*Log into MY UTK at http://www.utk.edu and search under Academic Links for the HIRE-A-VOL link
*Under Your Profile on the HIRE-A-VOL Homepage, click on View/Edit your Profile
*Click on Employment & Continued Education

On the survey page, please click on Add An Employment Reporting or View Details under Continued Education and fill out your placement information.** Please be aware that your data is confidential and will not be shared with other departments. This data is collected in an aggregate/anonymous manner and is used for purposes that include salary averages, geographic preference, benchmarking and reporting to ranking organization.

**If you have any difficulties accessing our survey, you may also e-mail your placement data to [log in to unmask]. Please include your name, e-mail address, employment status (Still seeking, Graduate School, Internship/Summer Job, Out of Job Market, Employed), Company or Grad School, Salary/Wage, Location of new job or Grad School.

Fall 2013 Important Recruiting Dates:

Career Services Kick-Off Cookout, 11:00-2:00 p.m. Thursday, August 29, outside Dunford Hall. Stop by for free hotdogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers and more! All provided by our Corporate Sponsors.

Part-Time Job Fair, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 4, UC Ballroom. Looking for a part-time on-campus or off-campus job? Consider attending this event to learn more about opportunities in the area.

Engineering Career Success Week: September 16th-September 19, TBA-Watch the Career Services website at www.career.utk.edu for a list of scheduled events.

Logistics Fair (for IE and ME majors interested in operations positions), 4:00-6:00 p.m. Monday, September 23, Thompson-Boling Arena.

Fall Job Fair, 2:00-6:00 Tuesday, September 24, Thompson-Boling Arena. Open to all majors, all levels, students and alumni.

Donald Asher’s Applying for Highly Competitive Graduate Schools Presentation, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 2, UC Auditorium.

Social Impact Fair, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 9, UC Ballroom. Find about jobs that make the difference.

For more information, contact April Gonzalez , Career Services Consultant, College of Engineering at [log in to unmask] or 865-974-5435.

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

The Office of Multicultural Student Life offers these academic services.

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 >>