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Mangal Roy and Weston Wood Successful at Wiley Research Exposition

Graduate students Mangal Roy and Weston Wood won awards in the Wiley Research Exposition 2009 in the Engineering and Physical Sciences Division. Roy won third place in the oral presentation awards, he is pursuing a PhD in Materials Science. Wood won third place in the poster presentation awards, he is pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. (see complete list of awardees on the Graduate and Professional Student Association GPSA website.)

WSU Auvil Scholars Program Awards Undergraduate Researchers for Fall 2009

Twenty-two undergraduate students participating in mentored research on campus have received awards for fall semester from the Auvil Scholars program, according to an announcement by the Office of Undergraduate Research at Washington State University. Eight of the students are from the WSU Honors College.

The $1,000 Auvil awards are intended to further their research. The Auvil Scholars program was created in 2006 through an estate gift from WSU alumnus Grady and Lille Auvil, Wenatchee tree-fruit entrepreneurs. Awards for fall, spring, and summer semesters have been awarded to more than 60 students total.

“This semester’s awardees are from a broad range of majors across the university,” says David Bahr, director of undergraduate research. “It’s a pleasure to see that students from disciplines across campus are taking part in academic research, including scholarship and creative activity.”

Undergraduates applying for an Auvil award this semester were already involved in research with a mentoring faculty member. The Auvil awards are administered through WSU Undergraduate Research.

From MME: Marc Groundwater, sophomore, material science and engineering, low-frequency vibration power harvesting system, David Bahr; Sarah Miller, senior, material science and engineering and Honors College, whiskers on tin-plated copper, and using tin-plated copper as an anode substitute in lithium ion batteries, M. Grant Norton; Gavin Mitchell, sophomore, material science and engineering and Honors College, chemical synthesis of a novel block copolymer with multiple functions, Katie Zhong. (read entire article and see complete list of awardees on the Undergraduate Research website.)

Governor appoints M. Grant Norton

M. Grant Norton, professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and associate dean of research and graduate programs in the College of Engineering and Architecture, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Washington Technology Center. The center is a statewide economic development organization focused on technology and innovation.

It channels state, federal and private resources to match university researchers with companies to develop and commercialize new products and technologies. Its work has generated more than $600 million in additional investment for Washington companies and researchers.

Other WSU members of the board include: Vice Chair Hal Dengerink, chancellor of WSU Vancouver; Dennis Dyck, vice chancellor of research at WSU Spokane; and Howard Grimes, professor of plant molecular sciences and molecular biosciences, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School.(read entire article in WSU Today news)

The Men’s Track and Field Team Captain is Reny Follett, an ME Senior, from Lewiston, Idaho.

The WSU Track and Field Team will have 6 returning All Americans, as well as one returning double national champion (Jeshua Anderson). The team had 2 members competing at the World Junior Championships in Trinidad. The team had former members competing and winning medals at the World Championships this year in Berlin. Coach Macdonald was named the 2009 West Region's Men's Assistant Coach of the Year. Men's track team was 4th at the Pac-ten championships in 2009 (2 pts behind 3rd place).

Reny Follett achieved All American honors this last track season. He has received a letter award every year he's competed. He was a part of WSU's indoor record setting 4X400 meter relay team. (Time_3:06.74) Pac-ten championship scorer every year competing. (highest was 2nd place, 2009 championships, 4x400m relay).

The coaching staff themselves determine who is Team Captain each year. They choose someone who will set a good example for the team and who will also be able to lead and help guide the younger athletes. Here is what Reny has to say about being chosen for Team Captain: "I am hoping to work together with the Women's Team Captain and Cross Country Captains to set up a good network of guidance for the rest of the team. I'm really looking forward to being able to give back to a program that has helped me so much during my time here at WSU."

He Huang Receives Travel Grant for ASME's Conference in Purdue

He Huang has received travel grant for traveling to ASME’s Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference in Purdue. He will receive full registration and 100 dollars towards his travel to the conference. He is going to present his paper titled “Towards a Design Framework for Bi-Level Estimation of Turning Energy for Parts and Assemblies” at the conference.

Forgotten Photo Links Baseball History and Research

PULLMAN - Sunlight sparkles on the metal barrel of a baseball bat as a teenage boy tries it out for size. Nearby, a well-dressed gentleman watches him - a smile of approval edging out from the shadow of the fedora set jauntily on his head.

It was 1944 – wartime at Washington State College - and the image in that long-forgotten photograph tells a tale of foresight and innovation a quarter century before its time.

It wasn’t just any bat that clean-cut, 13-year-old Wallis (Wally) Friel was holding that day in front of Bohler Gym. It was a prototype of a hollow aluminum bat, engineered at the old WSC foundry, – and something most people had never heard of at the time.

Sixty-five years later, the WSU Sports Science Laboratory resides – ironically - near the location of the original foundry. Directed by Lloyd Smith, associate professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the lab is one of three in the nation – and the only one in the West - that test performance characteristics of bats and balls.

Smith – who came to WSU in 1996 and is known among baseball/softball engineers worldwide - had never heard of the university’s venture with aluminum bats until Friel offered to donate the photograph to WSU Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections. It was a piece of campus history that had all but disappeared from memory.(read entire article in WSU Today news)

Clayton Crowe Receives Certificate of Appreciation

Clayton Crowe, WSU professor emeritus, recently was honored with a certificate of appreciation from his associates in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his services in advancing engineering as a profession. Crowe was a member of the WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering faculty from 1969 through his retirement in 2000. He delivered a plenary address on turbulence in fluid-particle flows during the summer meeting of the society in Colorado.

MME Graduate Students Study Bremerton Airport Terminal

MME graduate students will be studying ways to improve the energy efficiency of the Bremerton National Airport terminal building. Read the press release from the Port of Bremerton's web site. View an article in the Kitsap Sun.

Nicole Overman Receives Scholarship Award from ASTM International Committee on Metallography

Nicole Overman, a graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., is the recipient of the Mary R. Norton Memorial Scholarship from ASTM International Committee E04 on Metallography.

Established in 1975, the scholarship encourages female college seniors or first-year graduate students to pursue the study of physical metallurgy or materials science, with an emphasis on the relationship between microstructure and properties.

Overman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Washington State, has worked as a research assistant at the university and has completed internships at USS-POSCO Industries, Pittsburg, Calif., and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash.

Overman is a member of the Materials Research Society; the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society; ASM International – the Materials Information Society; the Association for Iron and Steel Technology; and the national engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi.

Established in 1898, ASTM International is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems and commercial transactions around the globe.

Experiences of Summer 2009 Research Experience for Undergraduates

The summer of 2009 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at Washington State University has been a productive season for MME’s REU students. You may read profiles about MME’s REU student experiences on the WSU Undergraduate Research web site http://undergraduateresearch.wsu.edu/index.html:

• Yannick Mathews and Ngoc Le working with Dr. Zbib and Dr. Mastorakos
• Gavin Mitchell working with Dr. Zhong
• Ryan Needs working with Dr. Bahr

Learn more about the MME REU programs at: http://reu.mme.wsu.edu/.

To see in person the results of the summer, visit the poster session on July 31st in the Smith Center for Undergraduate Education (CUE) Atrium, Halls, and Rooms 512 & 518 -- 10am to 1pm.

Erin Diedrich has been awarded a Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today Scholarship (FeMET)

Erin Diedrich, Materials Science and Engineering, Washington State University has won a Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today Scholarship (FeMET). The American Iron and Steel Institute and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation have joined together to create the Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today [FeMET] Initiative to increase the number of students studying metallurgy and materials science in North America, and to increase the number of such students electing to pursue careers in the iron and steel industry upon graduation. Ten recipients of the scholarship and summer internship program will be awarded $5,000 their junior year, a paid summer internship with a North American steel company between their junior and senior year, and $5,000 toward their senior year tuition. Congratulations Erin!

Dr. Jeongmin Ahn has received research grant of $300,000

Dr. Jeongmin Ahn has received research grant of $300,000 for 2 years from Korea Fuel Cell Energy for the project entitled “Compact Solid-Oxide-Fuel-Cells (SOFCs) Driven Electricity Power Generator”. The objectives of this work are to make major innovative strides through 1) SOFC’s in conjunction with a combustor for self-sustained thermal management at small-scale, 2) further improvements in coking and sealing problems, 3) further reductions in the fuel cell operation and ignition temperatures, and 4) dramatic reduction in heat losses and improvement in thermal management.

Dr. Konstantin Matveev Received NSF Grant to Study Thermoacoustics of Small-Scale Systems

Dr. Konstantin Matveev has been awarded an NSF grant of $245K over three years for the project “Thermoacoustic Phenomena in Small-Scale Systems”. The objectives of this project are to understand the fundamentals of oscillatory gas thermodynamics and heat transfer in miniature enclosures, to develop efficient solutions for small scale energy conversion, and to advance education in high performance energy systems. Dr. Matveev will investigate thermoacoustic transport in tortuous porous media, effects of strong non-uniformity of acoustic and temperature fields in the system elements, means for mitigating viscous and thermal losses, and efficient coupling with small heat sources and electroacoustic transformers. The development of compact thermoacoustic energy conversion devices will enable broader implementation of a variety of small scale systems, such as MEMS, sensor networks, unmanned vehicles, and biomedical instruments. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Public Law 111—5).

First ARRA (Stimulus funding) Grant Received from NSF to Study Nanocomposites

Dr. Weihong (Katie) Zhong received a grant award starting July 1, 2009, from the National Science Foundation for the project entitled "Collaborative Research: Tribologically Durable UHMWPE Nanocomposites for Total Joint Replacements: Nano-mechanics and Bio-tribological Modeling" in collaboration with Dr. Xiangqing (Annie) Tangpong at North Dakota State University. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Public Law 111—5). The objective of this project is to study the nano–mechanics and bio–tribology aspects of graphitic UHMWPE nanocomposites for total joint replacements, and to establish models for the design of tribologically durable materials that can provide longer life expectancy for prosthetic implants. The overarching goal of the project is to conduct transformative and synergistic research in the fields of bio- and nano-mechanics and materials science which will significantly advance the fields of bio-tribology science, bio-mechanics, and nano-materials and engineering.

Alum Provides Students With Solar Arrays – And A Chance To Learn

Peter Wiseman (BS Mechanical Engineering, ’03; MS, ’05) who works at Lockheed-Martin as a quality engineer for the commercial space systems branch of the company, fondly recalls his time participating in the WSU student chapter of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). There, he says, he learned skills that have proven to be invaluable in the workplace, such as teamwork, budgeting, organization, and time management. He also remembers working really hard with a tiny budget to get badly needed supplies. In his position at Lockheed-Martin, Wiseman works to put together commercial satellites for launch into outer space. A company several years ago had ordered three satellites but then decided they didn’t want the third satellite. Many of the other satellite parts found other purposes, but the engineers were unable to find a way to re-use the solar arrays. “I just asked a few favors and got it off the floor,’’ he says. Wiseman contacted his sister, Lindsay Wiseman (BS, ME, ’08), who had followed her brother in becoming active in the AIAA club. She put him in touch with Andy Wekin (BS, ME, ’08), who was president of WSU’s Solar Splash club. The group participates in an international, solar-electric boat competition each summer in boats that they design and build. The group had been using some ancient solar arrays that had never worked very well in the first place. The gift provides a great opportunity for the club, says Minor, and the students hope to take advantage of it at this summer’s competition. The students are looking forward to pushing their boat harder and having more energy available.(more)

Bob Ames wins campus Crimson Spirit Award

Bob Ames, the school's fiscal specialist, won the May 2009 Crimson Spirit Award. A special monthly commendation for superior efforts in quality service, exceptional creativity in problem solving, noteworthy extra effort, and demonstration of trust and respect in a difficult situation, in support of Washington State University's Strategic Goals. (more)

Two MME students are awarded Graduate Student Travel Grants

Bin Li and Weston Wood, Mechanical Engineering graduate students, were each awarded a $450 Graduate Student Travel Grant for the summer 2009 grant period. Of the 56 proposals submitted to the Graduate School office, only 35 students received an award. They will travel to Hawaii to attend conferences through these travel grants and a NSF research grant in June and July. Congratulations!

MME Researchers Receive NSF NIRT Grant to Study Collective Behavior of Nanotubes/Nanowires

Sinisa Mesarovic, David Bahr and David Field are awarded NSF Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) grant of $750K over three years, to study nanoturfs – foam-like nanostructures formed of disordered intertwined structural units (nanowires, nanobelts, nanotubes), which have exceptional electromagnetic, thermal and optical properties. Applications include thermal switches, flat panel displays, hard discs drives, and, chemical and biological sensors. Under externally forced deformation, the nano-topology of the turf changes, which, in turn, affects all the other effective properties: electrical, thermal, optical, sensing and permeability. The MME team will study the effect of mechanical changes on other properties through experiments, multi-scale models and nano-scale characterization.

Dr. Susmita Bose receives ACerS Schwartzwalder-Professional Achievement in Ceramic Engineering Award

Every year, the American Ceramic Society recognizes one person with the ACerS Schwartzwalder-PACE Award under the age of 41 years for their significant contribution in the field of ceramic science and engineering. This year Dr. Susmita Bose, Associate Professor in MME, has been selected to receive the ACerS Schwartzwalder-Professional Achievement in Ceramic Engineering Award. This year will be the 50th anniversary of this very prestigious award. Recognition of this award will be given at the Honors and Awards Banquet at the American Ceramic Society's 111th Annual Meeting, Monday, October 26, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

MMEs honored at 2009 the CEA Convocation

The College of Engineering and Architecture announced the names of its outstanding faculty, students and staff members at its annual Convocation ceremony on Tuesday, April 14, 2009.

Award winners include the following:

• Professor David F. Bahr received the 2009 Anjan Bose Outstanding Researcher Award.
• 2009 CEA Outstanding Sophomore is ME student, Melissa Street
• 2009 CEA Outstanding Junior is ME student Stephanie Pitts
• 2009 CEA Employee of the Year is Bob Ames

Other nominees included:

• Outstanding Sophomore (MSE) Ken DeVoe
• Outstanding Junior (MSE) Whitney Patterson
• Outstanding Senior (MSE) Kale Stephenson
• Outstanding Senior (ME) Cameron Wheeler
• Outstanding TA (MME) Cory Overman
• Outstanding Teaching Award (MME) Assistant Professor Jeongmin Ahn

Dr. Gaurav Ameta receives Best-Paper award

Dr. Gaurav Ameta, Assistant Professor of the WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, received a Best-Paper award for his paper titled “Worst-Case Tolerance Analysis for a self-Aligning Coupling Assembly using Tolerance-Maps” in the 11th CIRP International Conference on Computer Aided Tolerancing held on March 26th-27th 2009 in Annecy, France. The specific scope of 2009 conference was Geometric Variations within Product Life-Cycle Management.

Two CEA students receive Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships

Two students in the College of Engineering and Architecture at Washington State University recently received Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships for the next academic year. The Scholarship is widely considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. conferred upon undergraduates studying the sciences. It is awarded to about 300 college sophomores and juniors nationwide in the amount of $7,500 per academic year for their senior year, or junior and senior years.

Whitney Ann Patterson, a junior majoring in materials science engineering and Svetlana Lockwood, a junior majoring in computer science learned they were two of six students from the state of Washington to receive the award in April of 2009. Patterson is the treasurer of the Material Advantage (MA) club and last year volunteered her time as the College of Engineering and Architecture Coordinating Committee representative for MA. She enjoys participating in community outreach activities with the group, such as making educational kits for middle school students and teaching nanoscience to children at the Palouse Discovery Science Center. During the 2006-2007 school year, Patterson worked with Professor Kip Findley to create an educational Web site about steel for the Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today initiative. She currently works with Professor M. Grant Norton to study the characteristics of gold nanoparticles applied to the surface of silica nanosprings to continue developments in alternative energy technology. Patterson hopes to spend some time in industry to gain experience before attending graduate school with a focus on renewable energy.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.

ASME North American Graduate Student Conference in Pullman on April 17

Washington State University will be sponsoring an ASME North American Pacific District D 2009 Graduate Student Conference in Pullman on April 17^th and 18^th, 2009.

Details on the conference may be found on these links:
Call for Papers; as a MS-Word or as a PDF file.
The conference web site; http://districts.asme.org/spdc/wa.

The District, in keeping with ASME's mission of promoting and enhancing the technical competency and professional well-being of their members, has organized this conference as a forum for ME graduate students to develop their technical credentials and to establish their professional identity. This program is designed to enhance the ability of graduate students and young engineers to compete in a global market place by providing and developing the skills and the demonstrated technical performance that will make them standout among their peers. In providing conferences such as this, the District also wants to establish a bond between ASME and the young engineer that encourages continued participation in ASME activities, increased use of ASME resources and programs, and reinforces the concept of "ASME for a Lifetime."

Sinisa Mesarovic was MTS Visiting Professor in Geomechanics at University of Minnesota

Dr. Sinisa Mesarovic was MTS visiting professor in Geomechanics at the University of Minnesota, Civil Engineering Department, for the last two weeks in February 2009. In recognition of inspiring cooperation with the University of Minnesota, MTS Systems Corporation established the MTS Professorship in Geomechanics. Since 1990, twenty outstanding scholars from several continents have visited the Department of Civil Engineering.

Julia Reid wins 2009 TMS Annual Meeting Student Poster Competition

Julia Reid, senior in MSE, wins an undergraduate poster competition at the TMS Annual Meeting. She won $500 in the Best Undergraduate Electronic, Magnetic, and Photonic Materials Division poster. See website for more details: http://materialstechnology.tms.org/edu/article.aspx?articleID=2475.

Dr. Sankar Jayaram was invited to present a keynote speech at the Fifth INTUITION International Conference

Dr. Sankar Jayaram was invited to present a keynote speech at the Fifth INTUITION International Conference - Virtual Reality in Industry and Society: From Research to Application, held at Turin, Italy, from Oct 6 thru Oct 8 2008. Cost effective VR technologies are now becoming available and will revolutionize the manner in which the products of the future will be designed and manufactured. Virtual manufacturing is the utilization of VR in all of its guises as a means for providing useful engineering data at all of the stages of the product manufacturing lifecycle from specification and conceptual design through manufacturing to product support and disposal. A goal of the conference and the Virtual Manufacturing workshop was to provide an opportunity for researchers and industry practitioners from the European Union and USA to meet together in one forum to explore both state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-practice in virtual manufacturing in the widest technological and applications context. Dr. Jayaram’s talk focused on the integration of virtual manufacturing related technologies into everyday engineering tools to provide exciting and innovative solutions. Several key challenges and solutions were presented using examples from industry and research organizations. Dr. Sankar Jayaram is a Professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and also an Affiliate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University. Dr. Jayaram has been at Washington State University since 1993 and is the Director of the Virtual Reality and Computer Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory at Washington State University. He is a world renowned expert in the areas of virtual reality, CAD customization, engineering software solutions, and CAD data translation.

Material Advantage Chapter wins Chapter of Excellence Award.

On October 7th WSU was named one of the 5 Chapter of Excellence awards from the International Material Advantage program. MA is the student program of four of the largest professional materials engineering societies, ASM International, TMS, AIST, and ACerS. In addition to the award plaque on display on the 2nd floor trophy case between EME and Dana, the chapter received a $500 award for their activities. The WSU chapter has been named a chapter of excellence 8 times in the past 8 years. This honor is based on the activities from the 2007-8 academic year, including the chapter's activities in developing teaching toolkits for junior high schools to use as demonstrations of density, magnetism, and conductivity. During last year they distributed kits to three schools, and over 200 junior high students used the kits.

Dr. Hani Saad, PhD 2004, Joins Eastern Washington University

Dr. Hani Saad, PhD 2004, has joined Eastern Washington University as Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Design. Dr. Saad was previously a member of the faculty at Merced College, Merced CA.

Kale Stephenson, an MSE student, has won a $250 ACerS NETD Travel Scholarship

Materials Science student, Kale Stephenson, has won a $250 ACerS NETD Travel Scholarship, one of only 4 grant awards offered this year! The Nuclear & Environmental Technology Division of The American Ceramic Society will be sponsoring several stipends to help fund students in attending Material Science & Technology 2008 Conference and Exhibition combined with the ACerS 110th Annual Meeting, October 5-9, 2008, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These stipends are targeted at deserving students with current or future interests in the nuclear and/or environmental fields of ceramic and materials engineering.

Dr. Leland Weiss has joined Louisiana Tech University as an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Leland Weiss has joined Louisiana Tech University as an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Weiss recently finished his PhD at WSU.

Announcing Winners of the COE Ice Cream Social ASME T-Shirt Drawing

Julia Reid, senior in MSE, and Robert Moore, senior in ME, were the winners of the ASME T-Shirt Drawing at the College of Engineering and Architecture Ice Cream Social held on August 26, 2008.

Assistant Professor Konstantin Matveev Received a Research Grant from Advanced Marine Concepts

Assistant Professor Konstantin Matveev received a research grant from Advanced Marine Concepts to investigate an air induction system for reducing hydrodynamic resistance of ships by air-lubricating ship hulls. Dr. Matveev will carry out experimental studies in the open-water surface channel at Albrook Hydraulics Laboratory and develop mathematical models describing this process. This work can lead to 30% reduction in fuel consumption of marine vessels.

Former Graduate Student Dr. Kakoli Das will be Receiving an Annual Acta Student Award

Former graduate student Dr. Kakoli Das will be receiving an annual Acta Student award http://www.elsevier.com/framework_products/promis_misc/ActaBioStudentAward.pdf for 2007 for her paper, “Surface Modifications and Cell-Materials Interactions with Anodized Ti.’’ Das’ paper, published in the highly regarded journal, Acta Biomaterialia, was noted for its “exceptional value to the materials community.’’ Working with Professors Amit Bandyopadhyay and Susmita Bose, Das’ research is in the area of cell-material interaction. For instance, Das has worked to grow titanium oxide in a nanotube form on titanium metal implants, improving the interaction between the titanium and surrounding biological cells. Researchers hope that improving such interactions will eventually lead to better results in surgical bone implants and decreased healing time for patients. Das will be presented with the award at the 2008 Materials Science & Technology Meeting in Pittsburgh in early October. She is currently employed at Micron, VA.

Dr. Jeongmin Ahn Authors a Book

Dr. Jeongmin Ahn, Assistant Professor in Mechanical and Materials Engineering authored a book on “Swiss Roll Heat Exchangers/Reactors and Solid-Oxide-Fuel-Cells Power Generation”, published by VDM Publisher in April 2008. This book is based on his experimental study of the performance of a Swiss roll heat exchanger/reactor and the development of combustion driven power generation devices employing single chamber solid oxide fuel cell.

WSU Fuel Cell Research Group Receive Research Grant from Boeing

WSU Fuel Cell Research Group (Su Ha: Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering, M. Grant Norton: Professor in Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Jeongmin Ahn: Assistant Professor in Mechanical and Materials Engineering) received a research grant from Boeing to develop efficient direct jet-A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC). This efficient direct jet-A SOFC system can replace existing low efficient turbine powered APU for the future aircraft.

WSU Researchers Receive NIH Grant for Bone Research

A group of Washington State University researchers has received a four-year National Institutes of Health grant to develop better materials for biodegradable, bone implants. The researchers include Susmita Bose and Amit Bandyopadhyay from the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and Neal Davies, professor of the College of Pharmacy.

With the more than $1 million grant, the researchers will conduct a series of studies in which they will develop calcium-phosphate-based materials with different chemistries at the nanoscale. To develop stronger bone implants, they will be researching material chemistry, studying varying ratios of calcium to phosphorus as well as the addition of trace elements like those are found in human body. Then they will make three dimensional scaffolds using a “ceramic printing” technology to test the materials’ physical, mechanical and biological properties. Similar to a color Inkjet printer, the rapid prototyping technology allows them to print out three-dimensional ceramic and ceramic-polymer composite “copies’’ of bones.

“Our long term goal is to understand how calcium-phosphate-based materials and scaffolds lose strength and to develop bone grafts for specific applications. Fundamental information on the way that calcium-phosphate-based materials degrade can help us identify optimal material composition to design and tailor engineered bone replacements based on application needs,” said Bose.

“Our preliminary data indicate that a minimum amount of trace elements (dopants) can have significant effects on physical and mechanical properties of calcium-phospate-based materials,’’ said Bandyopadhyay.

The research builds on work that the reserachers have conducted over the years with funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Research will also use equipment that was acquired through funding from the W. M. Keck Foundation and the Murdock M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

“Funding by the National Institutes of Health of this biomaterials research is significant,’’ said Dean Candis Claiborn, College of Engineering and Architecture. “This grant helps to take this important bioceramic research to the next level.’’

MME's Professor Lloyd Smith on National Public Radio

Dr. Smith was a guest on the July 4th National Public Radio’s (NPR) Talk of the Nation; Science Friday. Dr. Smith talked about maple baseball bats.

Talk of the Nation, a nationally distributed radio program from NPR, links the news headlines with what's on people's minds. On Friday's journalist and host Ira Flatow is joined by listeners and studio guests to explore science related topics.

Science Friday's web site with audio of recent shows may be found at http://www.sciencefriday.com/.

Thomas Barlow (WSU ME class 1957) Former ASME President

NEW YORK, June 12, 2008 – Thomas M. Barlow, formerly of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is the 127th president of ASME. Barlow will serve a one-year term, effective June 2008.

The announcement was made during the proceedings of the 2008 ASME Annual Meeting, June 7-11, in Orlando, Fla.

A longtime member of ASME, Barlow has participated on numerous technical, regional and Society-wide committees and boards and has demonstrated a strong record of support and leadership in student outreach, membership development, technology and engineering diversity. He is a fellow of ASME and former member of the ASME Board of Governors, serving from 2003 to 2006.

Barlow is the recipient of the ASME Advanced Energy Systems Division Award and has co-authored several papers, including "Benefits of Energy Storage Technologies" published in 1984. Barlow served as the site manager of the Mechanical Energy Storage Technology Project of the U.S. Department of Energy from 1977 to 1981. He also served as a mechanical engineer, specializing in aircraft structures, while on active duty at the U.S. Air Force Research and Development Command at Wright-Patterson Air Base in Ohio, from 1957 to 1960.

Barlow attended Washington State University and received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 1957. He also earned an M.B.A. degree from Golden Gate University in 1985.

Barlow has been a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and American Society for Engineering Management, and has served on the Engineering and Computer Science Research Advisory Council at California State University at Fresno. He is currently a member of the External Advisory Board of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department at Washington State University and also member of the Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Tau and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies. Barlow is the recipient of the ASME Dedicated Service Award and the Society’s Membership Development Award.

Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the global engineering and technology community. ASME has more than 127,000 members worldwide.

Source: ASME press release: http://www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/PressReleases/Thomas_Barlow_Begins_Term.cfm

Sarah Miller has been awarded a Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today Scholarship (FeMET)

Sarah Miller, Materials Science and Engineering, Washington State University has won a Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today Scholarship (FeMET). The American Iron and Steel Institute and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation have joined together to create the Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today [FeMET] Initiative to increase the number of students studying metallurgy and materials science in North America, and to increase the number of such students electing to pursue careers in the iron and steel industry upon graduation. Ten [10] scholarships of $5000 each will be awarded to college juniors for the 2008-2009 school year. Each scholarship will include a paid internship at a North American steel company during the summer of 2009 and a second scholarship of $5000 in the student¹s senior year, based on satisfactory academic and internship performance. Congratulations Sarah!

Professor W.H. Katie Zhong presented a short course at Boeing; Nanocomposites and their Functionalities for Aerospace

Professor W.H. Katie Zhong of WSU MME presented a two-day class (16 hours) on June 2-3, 2008 to professional engineers from Boeing and selected Boeing partners on the subject of Nanocomposites and their Functionalities for Aerospace.  The course was organized and funded by Boeing Ed Wells and the Boeing Learning, Training & Development organizations.  It was in high demand as the class was full with a long waiting list.  The benefits include the initiation of nanotechnology to another class of engineers who will bring that experience back and infuse it into their home organizations, as well as introducing Boeing engineers to the capabilities of WSU in this leading edge field of research.  As evidenced by post-class emails, several Boeing engineers have already expressed interest in joining WSU grad school in nanotechnology and others have refocused their career objectives toward more emphasis on nanotechnology.

Material Advantage Goes to Washington D.C.

This month, more than 60 students, faculty members, and industry professionals met in Washington, D.C., to support an issue that affects materials scientists and engineers in all sectors: better funding for science and engineering research in the United States. Members of this group visited the offices of Congressional leaders to encourage strong increases in funding for science agencies like the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The visits were part of the annual Congressional Visits Day activities organized by the Federation of Materials Societies, which coordinates an orientation session for volunteer scientists and engineers. This year's event took place April 8–9 and included the participation of eight Material Advantage chapters: Drexel University, Iowa State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Johns Hopkins University, University of Tennessee, University of Washington, Virginia Tech, and Washington State University. Those who couldn't make the trip to the nation's capital showed their support by sending letters to members of Congress. If you couldn't attend Congressional Visits Day but would like to lend your support to materials science and engineering, visit the Materials Voice web site, run by the Materials Research Society, through the link below. Here you can personalize and send messages to members of Congress in support of the physical sciences. http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=MRS

Rebecca Hiles is WSU Student Employee of the Year!

Congratulations to Rebecca Hiles, the WSU Student Employee of the Year and Washington State Student Employee of the Year! Rebecca worked with Annette Cavalieri in the MME Undergraduate student office. Rebecca has moved on to new challenges.

Material Advantage Awarded $800 Grant

The Washington State University Material Advantage Chapter has been awarded a grant of $800 for their project, "Bringing Materials Science & Engineering to the Junior High Science Curriculum for the Washington state Assessment of Student Learning."

Material Advantage Students Bring the Trophy Home

The MSE students just competed in the annual WSU-UI paper night competition,where the Material Advantage chapter hosts the regional professional ASM Inland Empire Chapter from Spokane for a night of presentations by undergraduates from both schools.  3 students from each school presented their research activities and results, and we are pleased to announce that Kale Stephenson won first place, and Jameson Root won third place.  Due to the performance of Kale, Jameson, and Casey Stratton, the total scores for the WSU team were high enough to bring the ASM Inland Empire paper night trophy back to the WSU campus. Awards were also given to students who submitted microscopy photos for a variety of categories.  Whitney Patterson of Washington State University also won an award for the most artistic electron microscopy photo.  The ASM Inland Empire chapter gave awards totaling over $2000 on April 8th to the 6 students in the speaking competition and students that competed in the microscopy competition.

Outstanding Student Awards for Spring 2008

Ok Joon Kim (PhD) Named MME Outstanding Researcher Award

Isaac Sprague (MS) Named MME Outstanding Researcher Award

Alex Ockfen Named MME Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

Romit Dhar Wins Grand Prize in 2008 MRS Entrepreneurship Challenge

Competition finals for the MRS Entrepreneurship Challenge gave attendees a look at what it takes to pitch an idea to practicing venture capitalists. Now in its third year, the MRS Entrepreneurship Challenge continues to help our members develop the entrepreneurial skills that get their ideas out of the lab and directly into the marketplace. After an introduction to the competition goals and format, the three finalist teams pitched their materials technology based business plans to a panel of six judges from the venture capital community. The questions from the judges were challenging, but were well addressed by the teams. The participants enjoyed a celebratory reception and dinner following the presentations where they were introduced to the creators of the competition, the venture capitalists that participated as judges and sponsors, and MRS officers and HQ executive staff. The grand prize award of $3000 was presented with a laser etched crystal award to Washington State University team Romit Dhar and Avimanyu Datta. Team mentor, Therus Kolff, was in attendance as well as the team accepted the award for their business plan entitled, "Cost Effective Single Crystal Piezoelectric Devices for Energy Harvesting and Transduction". Romit Dhar is a research assistant for the Materials Research Center at WSU.

Dr. Firas AKasheh joined Tuskegee University as Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Firas AKasheh joined Tuskegee University as Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Akasheh earned his MS and PhD degrees at WSU.

Dr. Russell Westphal Develops Novel Approach to Icing Studies

Dr. Russell V. Westphal of the WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, along with WSU staff Steve Jordan, Don Frame, and students Bryce Thompson and Jimmy Wanner, are applying unique, robust measurement systems developed in their WSU Tri-Cities laboratory during the last two years to help characterize the performance of an aircraft wing in icing conditions. The project involves a novel approach to icing studies, whereby the accretion of ice on a wing would be simulated by adding a simulated ice shape to a wind tunnel model and then measuring its influence. A more prevalent approach to icing studies involves the use of an "icing tunnel", but these tests are expensive and result in somewhat random-shaped ice accretions that can be difficult to quantify. The measurements made on a few simulated ice accretion shapes will then be compared to computational models. If the computational work proves sufficiently accurate, future icing characterization may bypass wind tunnel or icing tunnel studies entirely. This work is being done with the collaboration and financial support of Northrop Grumman Corp.

Whitney Patterson, Material Science Student, Wins a $500 TMS Travel Scholarship

Materials Science student, Whitney Patterson, has won a $500 TMS Travel Scholarship, one of only 10 in the country, for the TMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana!

Thomas M. Barlow, 1957 ME graduate and MME Advisory board member named president-elect of ASME.

NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2007 – Thomas M. Barlow, formerly of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has been named president-elect of ASME. Barlow will become the 127th president of ASME when he begins his one-year term in June 2008.

A longtime member of ASME, Barlow has participated on numerous technical, regional and Society-wide committees and boards and has demonstrated a strong record of support and leadership in student outreach, membership development, technology and engineering diversity. He is a Fellow of ASME and former member of the ASME Board of Governors, serving from 2003 to 2006.

During his association with ASME, Barlow has served within the local, regional and technical division structures, including participation on the Council on Engineering, the Public Information Operating Board, the Board of Governors’ Committee on Organization and Rules and the Editorial Advisory Board of Mechanical Engineering magazine. He is also a member of the ASME Auxiliary.

In the area of student outreach, Barlow has served as a judge in student paper competitions and played a key role in developing ASME’s university-level Human-Powered Vehicle Challenge.

Barlow enjoyed a 40-year career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, serving in a number of management and leadership positions before retiring in 2000. His professional interests include instrumentation, energy storage systems and machine tool technology, as well as project and program management.

Barlow is the recipient of the ASME Advanced Energy Systems Division Award and has co-authored several papers, including “Benefits of Energy Storage Technologies” published in 1984. Barlow served as the site manager of the Mechanical Energy Storage Technology Project of the U.S. Department of Energy from 1977 to 1981. He also served as a mechanical engineer, specializing in aircraft structures, while on active duty at the U.S. Air Force Research and Development Command at Wright-Patterson Air Base in Ohio, from 1957 to 1960.

Barlow attended Washington State University and received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 1957. He also earned an M.B.A. degree from Golden Gate University in 1985.

Barlow has been a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, American Society for Engineering Management, and has served on the Engineering and Computer Science Research Advisory Council at the California State University at Fresno. He is currently a member of the External Advisory Board of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department at Washington State University, a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Tau and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies, and is the recipient of the ASME Dedicated Service Award and the Society’s Membership Development Award.

Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community.

Source: ASME press release: http://www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/PressReleases/Thomas_Barlow_Named.cfm

Lecture Examines Global Steel Industry

Professor Yasutaka Iguchi, the president of Hachinohe National College of Technology and former dean of graduate studies in Tohoku University in Japan, spoke on the long-term impact of the steel industry at a lecture last week on the WSU campus. Iguchi, winner of the 2007 Association for Iron and Steel Technology John F. Elliot Lectureship, selected WSU as one of three institutions in the U.S. to present his seminar, entitled, “Far-Reaching Impact of Today’s Steel Industry Relative to metals, Ceramics, and Bio-Materials.’’ At the seminar Iguchi discussed the state of the steel industry in Japan and in the world including the merger and cooperation among steel industries all over the world and the increase in Chinese steel production because of the rapid economic growth there. He presented new and advanced developments to make steel-production less energy-intensive and more environmentally friendly. Some of these innovations include using low grade iron ore and more efficient coke ovens that produce carbon for the steel. The interest in steel as an innovative material continues to grow in automotive and biomedical applications, he said. For instance, advanced stainless steel wire is in competition with titanium wire for use in functional electrical stimulation (FES) devices for the human body. Faculty and student groups, including the Materials Advantage and Materials Research Society student clubs, met with Iguchi to discuss his research, perspectives on materials engineering, and management of intellectual property during his stay at WSU. Dr. Iguchi received his MS and PhD from the Department of Metallurgy at the Tohoku University in Japan. He was a Professor at the Tohoku University from 1974 until 2006, serving as dean of the Graduate School of Engineering in 2006. He is currently professor emeritus there. He is president of the Hachinohe National College of Technology and of the Japan Institute of Metals. He is also a board member to a number of organizations, including Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, The Engineering Academy of Japan, and the Society of Intellectual Property Rights. Dr. Iguchi is also a Special Adviser of Intellectual Property to the Superior Court in Japan.

Federal Appropriation Would Aid WSU Research

Research programs in WSU's College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences and Center for Materials Research would each receive $1 million in funding through the 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill, which passed the US Senate this week. The appropriations would support research in microwave sterilization technology and on harnessing the power created by positron energy conversion. The positron research is being done in the Center for Materials Research, led by Dr. Kelvin Lynn, Boeing Chair of Advanced Materials. Positrons, particles that are like electrons but with the opposite electrical charge, could well be the fuel of choice for space propulsion in extremely remote locations where transporting the weight of other fuels is impractical and solar energy is unavailable. WSU researchers are exploring this idea in conjunction with the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command. "This funding will allow for the beginning of pioneering research into energy storage of positrons," Lynn said. "This research is valuable for the future not only of space travel but also for enhancing current uses in human, animal, and plant medical science, reducing and eliminating pathological biological agents, reducing defects in metals and materials and enhancing national defense. The defense appropriations bill was passed in the Senate by a voice vote. It will now be reconciled with the House version of the bill before being sent to the president.
Taken from WSU News, October 4, 2007

Dr. Russell Westphal Deploys a Unique New Flow Sensor for Aircraft

The WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering is collaborating with Northrop Grumman Corporation to develop small, lightweight, robust, low-power, entirely self- contained instruments that attach non-intrusively to the skin of an aircraft for in-flight flow measurements. The collaboration began in 2005 and has produced two different types of instruments that have successfully provided in-flight measurements of skin friction and boundary layer properites on over a dozen flights of two different aircraft at altitudes up to 35,000 ft. The project is led by WSU Tri-Cities Mechanical Engineering Professor Russell Westphal, working with WSU TC technical staff Donald Frame and Steven Jordan. A number of WSU students have been involved, including alumni Mark Bleazard (MSME 2006, now working for Boeing) and Seth Thompson (BSME 2007, now working for Energy Northwest). Current WSU undergraduates Bryce Thompson, Evan Comben, Lindsay Wiseman, Scott Hertzel and Derek Dixon have also contributed to the work. The ongoing project will deploy a unique new flow sensor in upcoming flights and extend the effectiveness of these instruments for testing aimed at improving the aerodynamics of high altitude, long endurance aircraft. Additional proposals are pending to extend the applications of these instruments to higher flight speeds and other applications where their attributes are also attractive.

Materials Science and Engineering Students Win National Awards

Washington State University's student chapter of Material Advantage has received two prestigious national awards. They were named the winners of the 2007 World Materials Day competition, based on their outreach efforts in the field of materials science towards K-12 students. Out of nearly 100 student chapters nationwide, they have also been named one of five student Chapters of Excellence for 2007. The WSU group, which includes about 25 students, has received many national awards in recent years and has been named one of the top five chapters each of the last seven years, making it one of the most nationally recognized student chapters in the country. "In our increasingly globally competitive marketplace, it's more important than ever that high school and junior high school students know about the great career possibilities and really cool stuff that material scientists and engineers do," said David Bahr, professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and advisor to the WSU Chapter of Materials Advantage. "Our MSE students do a great job of bringing this fascinating world of engineering to younger students and the public in a way that's just a lot of fun."
Taken from WSU Today, Thursday, September 13, 2007

Robert and Cecilia Richards Driven to Sustainability

WSU's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering professors Robert and Cecilia Richards recently purchased their pink electric car, called the Xebra, in an effort to reduce emissions and do their part for the environment. The four-door, three-wheeled Zap Xebra is the first of its kind in Pullman. The surprisingly-spacious 1,800 pound Chinese import, roughly the size of a Geo Metro, has a top speed of 40 miles per hour with a maximum travel distance of 25 miles per charge. At a cost of about two cents per mile for electricity, the Zapcar, as it's also called, gets a gold star for economic efficiency. In the world of gas guzzlers, which usually average at least 10 to 12 cents per mile for fuel, that's the equivalent of getting 160 to 180 miles per gallon. But saving money wasn't the primary motive behind Richards' purchase. "The real advantage from our point of view, as engineers, is that when you deal with electricity you don't have all the emissions," Cecilia said. "Electric cars use electricity produced from power plants which have more thoroughly regulated emissions standards than automobiles." "It's a practical way of getting away from oil and gas," Robert said. Electricity isn't the only sustainable alternative fuel source that Robert is testing. He, along with a number of WSU engineering students, are developing a biodiesel processing system that could use processed cooking grease to fuel garbage trucks from the facility motor pool. The current system would use leftover frying oils from the Hillside Cafe. If sucessful, the project could expand to provide fuel for the entire WSU Facilities Operations motor pool.
Taken from WSU Today, September 27, 2007

Sudip Dasgupta, Material Science Graduate Student, Wins in International Poster Competition

Materials Science graduate student,Sudip Dasgupta, won third place for his poster, "Hydroxyapatite Grain Size Effect on Bone Cell Materials Interaction" in the CEC Graduate Student Poster Competition held at the International Materials Science and Technology 2007 Conference and Exhibition in Detroit, Michigan September 16-20, 2007.

Megan Reynolds, Material Science Student, Wins in Material Advantage Speaking Contest

Materials Science student, Megan Reynolds, won second runner up (third place) in the Material Advantage Speaking Contest and received $350 for winning the award. Megan's talk, "Microstructural Analysis and Growth Mechanisms of Silicon Beads Using Fluidized Bed Methods", was presented Sunday at the student speaking contest for the Materials Science and Technology (MS&T) Meeting in Detroit, where students from nine universities competed in presentations to over 100 audience members and a panel of judges from the MS&T member societies (ACerS, ASM International, TMS and AIST). She later gave a longer version of the presentation to the Special Session hosted by the Journal of Undergraduate Materials Research. All speaking contestants had to do an internal competition at their university to participate, Megan participated in the paper night competition in April with ASM from Spokane. Megan's work is part of her senior thesis project, and has been supported by REC Silicon in Moses Lake, WA. REC is a major manufacturer of silicon for solar cells. Her advisors are Dr. David Bahr and Dr. M. Grant Norton.

Dr. Jeongmin Ahn's Innovation Could Replace Batteries

A prototype plastic 'Swiss Roll' developed by Assistant Professor Dr. Jeongmin Ahn in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and a group of undergraduate and graduate students may some day allow cell phones and other portable electronics to be powered for hundreds of hours instead of just a few. Dr. Ahn and his team of students will take their 'Swiss Roll' as one of ten teams invited to participate as finalists in the national Innovation Showcase competition sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The winning team will receive seed funding for their project. The event will take place November 9 in Seattle, before the 2007 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Students on the team include undergraduates Lindsay Sanford and James Huang, and graduate students ChienShung Lin and Jungmin Lee.

Introducing New Faculty Member, Weihong (Katie) Zhong

The School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering welcomes new faculty member, Associate Professor Dr. Katie Zhong. Dr. Zhong received her PhD from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA) in 1994. Her research interests include nanocomposites and multifunctional materials, aerospace materials and composites, composite manufacturing technology, biomaterials and processing, renewable energy materials, and electronic materials.

Undergraduates Tap into WSU Research

Kale Stephenson's friends are doing manual labor or construction work at their summer jobs. The 20-year-old WSU junior spent his summer implanting ions on titanium samples. Stephenson has been working at WSU since the summer before his senior year at Pullman High School. "I've been doing serious research on complicated equipment," he said. "I like to call it 'Grad School 101.'" Stephenson is part of a growing number of undergraduate students at WSU who are participating in research projects earlier in their college career. Stephenson plans to major in bioengineering in material sciences, a major he didn't know about before getting involved in research at WSU.
Taken from Moscow Pullman Daily News, August 3, 2007

Summer 2007 REU

Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Poster Session was held on Thursday, August 2^nd 2007 in the Facilities Communication Addition (CADD). This was the 9th summer of the ongoing REU program at WSU-MME. This year these undergraduate students were from schools such as the University of Montana, Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, University of Texas - Pan American, SUNY-Buffalo, Walla Walla Community College, Boise State, Lousiana State, University of Puerto Rico - Humacao, South Florida, WSU and several others.

Washington State University Material Advantage chapter hosts ASM International Vice President

Dr. Dianne Chong, ASM International Vice President, recently visited the Washington State University chapter of Material Advantage on the WSU campus. Dr. Chong visited with faculty and administrators in WSU’s College of Engineering and the School Mechanical and Materials Engineering, as well as with Material Advantage advisor Dr. David Bahr and the club officers. In the evening, Dr. Chong spoke to an audience of about 50 students. She told them about the integral role that material scientists play at Boeing and the relationship between materials engineering and other programs within the large company. After the talk, she answered questions from students about the company, mentoring, career opportunities in materials science, and the Materials Advantage program. The visit was truly a great opportunity for the chapter to learn about Boeing and ASM.

Finding a degree of satisfaction

Nick Maximovich, a Richland resident, graduated this May from Washington State University Tri-Cities with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and the beaming smile on his face while talking about achieving his life-long dream. The first time Nick Maximovich went to college, he only stayed one quarter, the second time he stayed nearly 40 years, chipping away at his degree class by class until he finally finished at age 70. His career as a student outlasted his career as an engineering draftsman. He retired from Fluor in 1997 at age 59.
Please see, http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/8860333p-8760898c.html Published Sunday, May 6th, 2007 for more of the story.

Russell Teeter and Mohammad Al-Khedher successful at Wiley Exposition

Graduate students Russell Teeter and Mohammad Al-Khedher won awards in the Wiley Research Exposition 2007 in the Engineering and Architecture Division. Russell Teeter explained his research as: “Physical Phenomena governing projectile instabilities during penetration of granular media (e.g. sand) are not well understood. To gain insight into projectile – granular media interactions, 2-D mesoscale simulations were performed to examine projectile penetration into sand targets with explicit representation of sand grains and representative porosities.” Mohammad Al-Khedher said his research “…aims to develop a new technology to estimate and control nanomaterial behavior using advanced in-situ instruments and Artificial Intelligence. The proposed methodology in this research utilizes Artificial Neural Networks and image processing techniques to study the structural and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes and to develop a quality control approach for the production of these nanostructures. This scalable process will dramatically improve nanotubes design, the use of carbon nanotubes in Nanotechnology and MEMS, and it will facilitate full scale production.”

Prashanta Dutta developes novel microfluidic sensor

Assistant Professor Prashanta Dutta and his colleagues at University of Akron have developed a novel microsensor to detect harmful pathogens in the environment. The existing technique, which uses micro- or nano-pores to detect and separate particles, can only detect tiny volumes of material at a time in a single channel, limiting its effectiveness for detecting particles rapidly in large volumes. The improved design uses multiple microchannels for parallel processing of large volume of sample without any cross-contamination. The channels on the tiny microchip are less than 10 microns in size and can detect particles, ranging from a single molecule to a single cell, within a large sample (up to five milliliters of liquid, for instance). This integrated microdevice has been fabricated on polymeric materials at the Clean room facilities of Washington State University. This microfluidic sensor shows great sensitivity in discriminating different nanoparticles and cells based on their sizes and charges. The researchers hope that the new system could someday allow detection of dangerous pathogens in food or the air, ranging from e-coli to anthrax, in minutes with a portable device.

Nichole Schatz wins EPD Scholarship

Nichole Schatz was awarded the Extraction and Processing Division Scholar award at the TMS 2007 Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, in February 2007. This scholarship is a $2,000 cash award to undergraduate students majoring in the extraction and processing of minerals, metals and materials. She was also given the opportunity to select up to five Extraction & Processing Division-sponsored conference proceedings or textbooks to be donated in the recipient's name to her college or university library. Up to $500 for travel expenses was awarded in order to accept the award. This scholarship was open to full-time undergraduate applicants in their sophomore or junior years. Scholarship recipients are known as EPD Scholars.

Dr. Matveev co-authors new book

Dr. Konstantin Matveev, assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering co-authored a book on “Small Waterplane Area Ships”, published by Backbone Publishing in January 2007. His contributions to the book include a scale effect in model testing, wave resistance calculation, hydrofoil hydrodynamics, drag reduction by artificial cavitation, and concept design of future Small Waterplane Area Ships. These vessels have excellent seaworthiness and large deck area, which make them a superior ship type for many oceanic applications.

David Bahr awarded by TMS

David Bahr is the 2007 recipient of the Robert Lansing Hardy Award from the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). The national award each year recognizes a metallurgist under age 35 with “outstanding promise for a successful career" in the field of metallurgy. He will receive the award at the group’s annual meeting Februay 27, 2007 in Orlando, Florida.

Lisa Anne Deibler wins at MS&T

Lisa Anne Deibler a WSU MSE senior, won the National American Ceramic Society Student Speaking Contest at MS&T 06. Her presentation was on Ultrasonic Testing of High Attenuation Materials Using Pulse Compression Techniques. Material Advantage chapters were invited to send one student who had won a local speaking competition to the national competition to represent their club.

Students work on FeMET Curriculum

Whitney Patterson, a WSU freshman, and Nick Gosseen, a senior MME student are continuing work on the FeMET Curriculum Development Program. The program is funded by the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation and the American Iron and Steel Institute and its objectives are to utilize undergraduate researchers to help improve metallurgy course content and resources for WSU students. Their work will aid the development of an educational WSU Ferrous Metallurgy website (femet.wsu.edu).

Susmita Bose invited to Kavli Frontiers of Science symposium

Susmita Bose, an associate professor of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, was invited to participate at the "Kavli Frontiers of Science" symposium organized by the National Academy of Sciences (www.nasonline.org/kfos). Every year only 80-100 scientists in US under the age of 45 gets this invitation from the NAS to attend this highly prestigious meeting in which attendees are picked up by a committee of NAS members based on their scientific achievements.
This year the symposium took place at the Arnold Mabel Beckman Center, Irvine, CA from October 25 to 28, 2006 and it was jointly organized by the US National Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Only 35 scientists from US and 35 scientists from China were invited this time to attend this meeting. This symposium was of its own kind where it brought together professionals from many different disciplines such as chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics as well as electrical engineering, bioengineering, materials science and engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering, geophysics, astronomy.
Prof. Bose has also been invited by the US National Academy of Sciences to serve in a seven member organizing committee to lead the 2007 Kavli Frontiers of Science symposium which will be held in Beijing, China. As a part of the organizing committee member, she will develop and select topic/s for the next years' symposium and lead session on a selected topic.

Solar Splash and Dr. Matveev at Boats Afloat in Seattle

Students from the Solar Splash club and their faculty advisor Assistant Professor Matveev from MME presented the solar-driven boat and ongoing research work at Boats Afloat Show in Seattle on September 15-17, 2006. Advanced energy-conserving and environmentally friendly marine technologies raised strong interest in the boating community. Efficient implementation of hydrodynamic and aerodynamic lift for high-speed boats is currently on the agenda of the Solar Splash team and a research group of Assistant Professor Matveev.

Dr. Matveev receives grant

Assistant Professor Matveev received a starting $15K grant from Art Anderson Associates to build a radio-controlled demonstrator of Power Augmented Ram (PAR) platform and to promote advanced marine technologies at Navy conferences. PAR platform on the full scale is expected to achieve speeds up to 150 mph. This craft can serve as a landing transport and operate in arctic, tundra, and shallow-water areas.

Two MSE students win FeMET Scholarships from AIST

The American Iron and Steel Institute and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation have joined together to create the Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today [FeMET] Initiative to increase the number of students studying metallurgy and materials science in North America, and to increase the number of such students electing to pursue careers in the iron and steel industry upon graduation. WSU MSE students, Jason W. Drexler and Nicole R. Schatz win FeMET Scholarships from AIST this year. Ten scholarships of $5000 each will be awarded to college juniors for the 2006-2007 school year. Each scholarship will include a paid internship at a North American steel company during the summer of 2007 and a second scholarship of $5000 in the student’s senior year, based on satisfactory academic and internship performance.

Nicole Schatz awarded $6,000 ASM scholarship

WSU Materials Science and Engineering senior, Nicole R. Schatz is one of the Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients, who wins a $6000 ASM scholarship this year. See the link below for the announcement. Nicole won the George A. Roberts Scholarships which was established in 1995 through a generous contribution by Dr. George A. Roberts, the past President of ASM and Retired CEO of Teledyne, as an expression of his commitment to education and the materials science and engineering community. These scholarship awards were presented at the ASM Leadership Awards Luncheon, Monday, October 16, during the Materials Science & Technology Conference and Exhibition (MS&T '06) in Cincinnati, OH, October 15-19.
http://www.asminternational.org/images2/undergraduate_scholarships_2006.pdf

WSU students continue to win big scholarships in the Materials Advantage Club

Nicole Schatz (MSE senior) won a $6000 ASM scholarship. Last year Jon Winterstein won the same award.
ASM Undergraduate Scholarship Program

Investigating Deformation and Failure Mechanisms in Nanoscale Multilayer Metallic Composites

Objectives: Uncover fatigue damage suppression and ultimate failure mechanisms of NMM composites. Develop a novel fatigue experiment for NMM composites. Establish guidelines for designing NMM with optimum properties.

Uniqueness and Innovation: Design a trimetallic NMM composite (Cu/Ni/Nb) which might possess more superior properties than the two types of bimetallic systems(Cu/Ni & Cu/Nb). This might be achieved by building a new system that combines the two bimetallic systems with their respective interface strengthening mechanisms and properties.

Principal Investigators: H. M. Zbib, D.F. Bahr, S. Medyanik, and F. Akasheh

Partners: Los Alamos National Laboratory

 

Funding Agency: Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy

School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, PO Box 642920, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-2920, 509-335-8654, Contact Us