Dr. Hong “Helen” Liang, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Dr. Hong "Helen" Liang

The Fellow grade is the highest elected grade of membership in ASME. Fellowship is conferred upon a member with at least 10 years of active engineering practice and who has made significant contributions to the profession.

ASME said Liang’s research in the field of manufacturing and materials, particularly in chemical-mechanical planarization has helped industry to optimize manufacturing processes, to develop new products and to reduce cost. Through her research and education activities, she has mentored more than 100 high school, undergraduate and graduate students throughout her career.

A Texas A&M faculty member since 2004, Liang’s research interests are in surface science and engineering, (nano)tribology, tribochemistry, bio-nanointerfaces, biomaterials, nanomanufacturing and chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP).

Before coming to Texas A&M, Liang was an associate professor at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Prior to that, she was at the microelectronic industry after two years of postdoctoral studies at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She has served as a visiting professor or scholar at the Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Liang received an Award of Excellence from Cabot in 1997 and an NSF CAREER Award in 2002. She is a Fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers in which she also serves as a member of the board of directors; and a member of ASME, the American Society of Metals/Heat Treatment Society and the Materials Research Society.

Liang holds a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Beijing University of Iron and Steel Technology, received a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and world safety. For more information visit www.asme.org.

Written by Lesley Kriewald, lesleyk@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

From left: Rodrigo Garza Urquiza, Rachel Oyler, David Gent, Alexandra Iacob, Colin Bailie, Mark Deimund.

The Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University honored five students with its Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award during a banquet at Miramont Country Club in Bryan.

Seniors Colin Bailie, Mark Deimund, Alexandra (Sandra) Iacob, Rachel Oyler and Rodrigo Garza Urquiza received the annual award due to their academic achievement, character and leadership abilities.

Dr. G. Kemble Bennett, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, presented the awards to the students.

Colin Bailie is a mechanical engineering major from Plano. He is described as a disciplined, dedicated and well-spoken student, both inside the classroom and out.

He is a member of several on-campus groups, and has held leadership roles with the Singing Cadets and the a capella singing group Apotheosis. He has given back to the community through Habitat for Humanity, Replant and Relay for Life.

Bailie is involved with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Nuclear Society. He has been inducted into the Pi Tau Sigma and Tau Beta Pi honor societies.

During summer 2008 Bailie was a test intern for Enfora in Dallas where he helped move the company toward automation. This past summer he was one of 15 research interns at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, and will submit a journal article based on his findings. Currently he conducts research with a Texas A&M professor to build a shock tube for better understanding of multiphase shock accelerated flow physics. Bailie will graduate in May 2010.

Mark Deimund is a chemical engineering major from Oklahoma City, Okla. Cited by one professor as among his top 10 undergraduates in the last quarter-century. Deimund is a member of four honor societies: Tau Beta Pi, Omega Chi Epsilon, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Eta Sigma. His current term as president caps three years of leadership roles in the Texas A&M chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

He has been a Chem-E Car team leader since 2007, guiding his group to multiple wins at regional and national competitions. He has worked summers for Celanese Chemicals as an R&D intern in Texas and a process engineering intern in Virginia. His volunteer work has included Texas A&M Big Event, Habitat for Humanity and Super Summer Southern Baptist Youth Leadership Camp.

Deimund has assisted with Texas A&M research on a biomass processing technique that is being patented and published. He visited 15 states during travels this past summer and still managed to earn his Business Management Certificate for Engineers. He will graduate in May 2010.

Alexandra (Sandra) Iacob is a biomedical engineering major from Bucharest, Romania. A University Research Scholar, Iacob is a three-year leader in the Society of Women Engineers, currently serving as internal vice president. She also has served as president of the Romanian Club.

During summer 2009 Iacob participated in Texas A&M’s Undergraduate Summer Research Grant program, after concluding two years as an undergraduate research assistant in the chemical engineering department. She interned at the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Institute at Brooke Army Medical Center and spent one semester as a student researcher with the Michael E. DeBakey Institute at Texas A&M. She gives back to the community as a hospital volunteer helping in the pre-op room.

Fluent in four languages and knowledgeable of two more, Iacob is recognized for her compassion, leadership and dedication to making the world better for others. She will graduate in December 2009 with the distinction of having completed the Engineering Scholars Program.

Rachel Oyler is an electrical engineering major from Sundown, Texas. She is a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies, and the Society of Women Engineers.

Oyler has been a leader in her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, earning two of its highest awards for exemplifying the core values of love and learning. Since 2005 she has continued to volunteer at a local camp for handicapped, disabled and terminally ill children. Her summers at Texas A&M have been well spent, including a summer internship with The Boeing Company’s International Space Station electrical power system group, Study Abroad in Italy and a summer internship with the IT Design Systems group at Texas Instruments.

She is repeatedly described as exceptionally intelligent and an outstanding leader and role model with a superb work ethic and enviable time management skills—a person who exemplifies the honor and tradition of Texas A&M. Oyler will graduate in December 2009.

Rodrigo Garza Urquiza is a mechanical engineering major from Corregidora, Queretaro, Mexico. He is president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers student section. ASME and Tau Beta Pi national engineering honor society nominated him for the Leadership Exchange Program in Qatar, where he spent spring break 2009.

He has enjoyed three internships: systems engineering for Compressor Controls Corporation; mechanical research, Chicago Bridge and Iron; and sand control technology, Halliburton. He currently serves as a research assistant in the Texas A&M Turbomachinery Laboratory. Professors have described him as a very rare student and the best all-around undergraduate in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M, crediting him with the talent and drive to succeed in any professional situation.

He said prides himself on staying active outside of the classroom as well as with extracurricular activities such as the Texas A&M Golf Club, tennis intramurals, triathlon training and giving back to the community through Big Event and Aggie Replant. He will graduate in May 2010.

Each of the seniors received an engraved medallion and a $5,000 educational grant. Their names appear on a plaque in the Zachry Engineering Center.

The Engineering Faculty Senior Award was renamed the Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award in 1996 in recognition of Brown’s endowment for the award. He received the award as a Class of 1975 civil engineering senior. Currently, Brown is chief operating officer, owner and president of Bray International Inc. as well as chairman and president of the Craig and Galen Brown Foundation.

David W. Gent, Class of ’75, senior vice president of Bray International, represented Brown, who was sick with the flu. Gent also received the award as a senior electrical engineering major.

Popularity: unranked [?]

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University will host GE Energy’s Roger Schonewald for the department’s Fowler Distinguished Lecture Series.

Schonewald is manager of Technology External Programs for GE Energy. His talk, “Wind Energy Today: Opportunities and Challenges for the Future,” is scheduled for Wednesday (Oct. 21) at 4:10 p.m. in Room 106 of the Richardson Building on campus.

Abstract
Over the past four years, the U.S. has been at the forefront of renewable energy, and that’s particularly true of wind energy. The U.S. wind industry hit its highest watermark to date in 2008, when more than 8.5 gigawatts (GW) of wind power were installed — enough to power approximately 7 million homes. Wind energy is clean energy, and in the U.S. wind power avoids the emissions of 28 million tons of carbon dioxide from traditional power plants annually — equal to taking six million cars off the road.

While there are many factors that have led to this U.S. success story, a key one is technology advancement. The innovative work of researchers combined with engineering development and validation has led to significant improvements in wind turbine reliability, energy capture, grid integration and reductions in wind turbine cost — all factors that directly impact the decision a customer makes when considering purchasing wind turbines. The promise of even greater capabilities from tomorrow’s wind turbines will be realized based upon the engineering and research activities taking place now.

As we look to the future, there are significant opportunities for continued growth in wind power generation that will benefit the U.S., both environmentally and economically. A 2008 report issued by the U.S. Department of Energy examines a scenario that could lead, by 2030, to 20 percent of the electrical power generation in the U.S. coming from wind. However, such growth is not certain.

There are challenges and issues in areas such as public policy, siting, and transmission that must be overcome. Taken from the perspective of GE Energy, the leading producer of wind turbines in the U.S., this lecture will explore the wind energy industry today, the challenges and opportunities for the future, and the role of technology.

Biography
Roger Schonewald is manager of Technology External Programs with GE Energy. He is responsible for GE Energy’s advanced technology developments that are performed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy in product areas including wind turbines and gas turbines. Through these programs, GE Energy is developing the innovative technologies needed to meet the power generation challenges facing the United States. Schonewald is also responsible for GE Energy’s Strategic Alliance program with universities.

Schonewald holds master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Penn.

Schonewald’s 30-year career has been in engineering and technology with General Electric. He spent 13 years with GE’s aircraft engines business in Lynn, Mass., in a variety of positions ranging from design engineer to manager of an engineering team. He spent 10 years with GE’s Power Systems business (now GE Energy) in Schenectady, N.Y., with roles including systems manager on the development of a new generation of gas turbine (H System™). He has been located at GE Energy’s Greenville, S.C., facility since 2003.

About the Fowler Distinguished Lecture Series
The Fowler Distinguished Lecture Series was co-founded by Joe R. Fowler and Don W. Fowler.

Don Fowler ’66 serves on the President’s Council of Advisors at Texas A&M University and previously served on the Chancellor’s Century Council. His business, Fowler Energy Co., provides a variety of energy cost-reduction services to large users of electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater. Don is a registered professional engineer as well as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is also a member of the National Energy Services Association, the Gulf Coast Power Association, the Natural Gas and Electric Society of North Texas, the Natural Gas Society of the Permian Basin, the Houston Energy Association and the Electricity Consumers Resource Council. He holds several U.S. and foreign patents related to offshore and onshore transportation of compressed natural gas.

Joe Fowler ’68 is both a former member and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Development and Advisory Board, and he chaired the Department’s first capital campaign. Joe is president and co-founder of Stress Engineering Services, Inc., an engineering consulting firm that provides design, analysis and testing services to a variety of industries. A registered professional engineer, Joe is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a member of the Society of Experimental Mechanics, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and is a past-president of ABET, Inc. (formerly the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology).

Submitted by Pam Hoestenbach, phoestenbach@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University sponsored the university’s inaugural Nano/Micro Poster Symposium to promote multidisciplinary interaction and scientific communication among students and faculty in the field of nano/micro technology.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering sponsored the inaugural Nano/Micro Poster Symposium.

The symposium started with an invited talk, “Three Dimensions of Individualized Nanomedicine,” from Dr. Mauro Ferrari, a world-renowned expert in nanomedicine. He is currently a professor and chairman of the Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering and a professor of internal medicine, at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, as well as a professor of bioengineering at Rice University and president of the Alliance for NanoHealth in Houston. This also was the inaugural talk for the newly launched monthly Texas A&M Nano/Micro Seminar Series.

Following Ferrari’s talk was a poster session, which included more than 65 posters from various disciplines, with more than 150 people from 16 departments across campus participating.

The steering committee was lead by Dr. Arum Han, assistant professor in the electrical and computer engineering department. Other committee members included: Dr. Arul Jayaraman, chemical engineering; Dr. Mike McShane, biomedical engineering; Dr. Dong Hee Son, chemistry; Dr. Winfried Teizer, physics; and Dr. Choongho Yu, mechanical engineering.

Written by Deana Totzke, deana@ece.tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. Jaime Grunlan, right, with Dasarayong Kim, a master's student in Dr. Choongho Yu's research group.

Dr. Choongho Yu and Dr. Jaime Grunlan, assistant professors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, have begun a four-year, $662,897 program with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to develop polymer composites that can convert heat into electricity.

The project, “Energy Harvesting: Thermoelectric Waste Heat Recovery Using Polymer Nanocomposites,” is part of a larger Air Force initiative to explore the use of alternative energy sources.

The materials Yu and Grunlan are developing will be capable of converting waste heat (such as heat from jet exhaust and body heat) into useful electricity.

Dr. Choongho Yu

“The human body alone could potentially produce enough heat through normal everyday motions to power a cell phone if someone was wearing a shirt made of our thermoelectric composite,” Grunlan said.

Dr. Jaime Grunlan

Of particular interest is the use of these devices in military operations. Small, portable thermoelectric devices could supply power to sensors for detecting chemical or biological weapons, or to cell phones used by soldiers in the field. The thermoelectric devices can be attached to military uniforms to utilize body heat for power generation. And as the devices can also be used for heating or cooling, thermoelectric-equipped uniforms could maintain a comfortable temperature in severe environments.

“All currently used thermoelectrics are semiconductors, so our development of polymer-based materials is novel,” Grunlan said. “State-of-the-art thermoelectric materials are based on bismuth telluride, which is relatively toxic and contains some of the rarest elements on earth. So the ability to make polymer thermoelectrics would transform our ability to convert waste heat into electricity that could be used to power cell phones, electronic switches, etc.”

Submitted by Dr. Jaime Grunlan, jgrunlan@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. Harry A. Hogan, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, will give a talk on his musculoskeletal research Wednesday (Sept. 23) at 3:30 p.m. in Room 203 of the Zachry Engineering Center on campus.

Dr. Harry A. Hogan

Hogan’s talk, “Musculoskeletal Response to Simulated Microgravity and Exercise in an Adult Rat Animal Model,” is part of the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s seminar series.

Abstract
The adult hindlimb unloaded (HU) rat has gained wide acceptance and usage as a ground-based analog model for studying musculoskeletal effects of microgravity. This model is employed extensively in a wide range of investigations aimed at better understanding of the effects of long-term space flight on the musculoskeletal system. Obvious advantages of the animal model include the ability to tightly control experimental variables, to include destructive tissue assays, and to complete tests in a relatively short period of time, particularly compared to long duration astronaut missions. Current countermeasure strategies employed on the International Space Station (ISS) have not yet proven to be sufficiently effective, so important questions remain. We have conducted a series of studies in recent years using the rat HU model to seek greater insight into the various contributing factors. More specifically, we have used a muscle stimulation protocol that simulates resistive exercise as a countermeasure during HU and quantified the response of both muscle and bone. Primary muscle outcomes include muscle mass and strength.

Bone outcomes have been derived from peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) scans as well as direct mechanical testing. Several pQCT variables show bone loss and recovery patterns that match analogous astronaut data impressively well. Results also show a dramatic mismatch in the recovery rates of muscle and bone; muscle recovers strength much more rapidly than bone. A series of studies have been conducted varying the details of the muscle stimulation protocol, and the consistent finding has been a very potent anabolic effect on bone but only modest effects on muscle. In order to gain better insight into possible reasons for the responses observed, companion studies were also conducted in which strain gages were implanted on the bone surfaces in order to quantify the strain characteristics experienced by the bone during the exercise protocols. The seminar will also include descriptions of some of the challenges unique to mechanical testing of specimens from the rat. In addition, an overview will be provided on related new projects and future directions.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Two seniors from the Department of Mechanical Engineering have been awarded scholarships by the National Consortium of Measurement and Signals Intelligence Research (NCMR) Scholars Program.

Jason Poole Files and Hugo Rene Martinez Jr. will receive grants of $10,000 each for the 2009-2010 academic year for tuition, textbooks and room and board.

The NCMR Scholarship is awarded through the National Science Foundation and supports scholarships and technical exchange initiatives by the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The scholarship program was established to encourage future scientists and technologists to consider technical career paths within the intelligence community.

Written by Marissa Doshi

Popularity: 55% [?]

Dr. Timothy Jacobs, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been selected for the 2009-2010 Montague-Center For Teaching Excellence Scholar Program.

Dr. Timothy Jacobs

The program recognizes one tenure-track assistant professor from each college who has already demonstrated a commitment to, and potential for, excellence in undergraduate teaching. Jacobs was chosen from the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

Jacobs came to Texas A&M in 2006 after earning bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He teaches courses in thermodynamics and internal combustion engines. His reseach interests are in internal combustion engines; in-cylinder combustion and emission formation processes; fundamental experimental diagnostics and investigations; advanced and novel combustion processes (low-temperature combustion, homogenous charge compression ignition, premixed compression ignition); alternative fuels (natural/compressed/landfill gases, bio-based fuels, hydrogen); and aftertreatment systems (lean NOx traps, selective catalytic reducers, diesel oxidation catalysts).

Also selected to represent the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was Dr. R. Karthi Karthikeyan, assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, which is a joint department between the engineering and agriculture colleges. Karthikeyan teaches courses in hydrology and biochemical engineering, and his research is in the fate, transport and removal of contaminants in soil and water.

The Montague-CTE Scholar program, named for founding donor Kenneth Montague ’37, honors early-career excellence in undergraduate teaching at Texas A&M. This award includes a $6,500 grant for each recipient to encourage further development of undergraduate teaching excellence. Scholars will be honored at a luncheon on Nov. 3 in Koldus 110.

For more information about the program, visit http://cte.tamu.edu/content.aspx?page=48 or call (979) 845-8392.

Popularity: 74% [?]

Texas A&M Engineering’s Dr. Jaime C. Grunlan has received the 2009 Young Faculty Award from the Dow Chemical Co.

Dow's Dr. Andrea Greyson (left) and Dr. Jaime Grunlan

Grunlan is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with a joint appointment in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering.

Grunlan was recognized and presented the award address, “Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites for Energy Conversion, Gas Barrier and Anti-Flammability,” July 23 in Spring House, Penn.

The award was established by Rohm and Haas Co. (now a subsidiary of Dow) and “recognizes a non-tenured faculty member at an accredited university for his/her outstanding research achievement or potential in chemistry, polymers or materials science.”

Grunlan’s award plaque read, “Professor Grunlan’s research on polymer nanocomposites has inspired the imagination of the technologists of The Dow Chemical Company.”

Grunlan joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2004. He received a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. In 2007, he received the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award for his research into controlling the microstructure of high aspect ratio nanoparticles (e.g., carbon nanotubes) using stimuli-responsive polymers.

In addition to being on the mechanical engineering and chemical engineering faculties, Grunlan is also a faculty member in the Materials Science and Engineering Program and runs the Polymer NanoComposites Lab within the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, the engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System. Grunlan’s Lab is currently developing thick and thin film polymer nanocomposites for a variety of applications that include EMI shielding, gas permeation control and sensors.

The Young Faculty Award is now sponsored by the Dow Chemical Technical Community Organization (TCO), which aims to encourage scientific excellence, provide opportunities for professional development, promote the exchange of new technology and fosteri the spirit of cooperation within the company’s technology community.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Materials researchers and engineers from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico (CINVESTAV), Querétaro, will meet with Texas A&M University materials researchers July 13-15 to further academic exchanges between the two research universities.

The goal of the workshop is to open mutually beneficial opportunities for collaborations between Texas A&M and CINVESTAV reseachers, said organizer Dr. Raymundo Arróyave, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M and a member of the Materials Science and Engineering faculty.

Materials-related topics to be presented by researchers on both side of the border are materials processing (experimental and modeling), ceramics, multifunctional thin films, and characterization of materials.

Improvement in materials characteristics can drive advances in personal and large-scale electronics, more efficient energy generation from batteries and fuel cells, more compatibler prosthetic devices and medical instruments, and higher-performance aircraft, said Dr. Igor Roshchin, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and also a Materials Science and Engineering faculty member.

The CINVESTAV researchers will also tour materials laboratories at Texas A&M.

This workshop is a collaboration between the Materials Science and Engineering Program, and the Department of Physics, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering.

More information can be found at http://msen.tamu.edu.

Submitted by Jan Gerston, jgerston@tamu.edu

Popularity: 51% [?]