May 2014

The Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) at Khalifa University's Abu Dhabi campus commemorated the conclusion of the fourth year of the program with a two-day symposium on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards May 18-19.

Hieu Truong, a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Mechanical Engineering was recently awarded the prestigious NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF).

In 2012, RPSEA, the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, funded a project involving Advanced Hydraulic Fracturing Technology for Unconventional Tight Gas Reservoirs and granted it to the Texas A&M Department of Petroleum Engineering, with professors Ding Zhu and Dan Hill as the principal investigators.

The inaugural Engineering Genesis Award for Multidisciplinary Research was presented to three Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) researchers and their research teams during the TEES Inaugural Advisory Board meeting held May 29.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering and director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), recognized Staff Award winners during the 2014 Faculty and Staff Awards banquet.

John Horn, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected as a graduate scholar at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

Dr. Thomas K. Ferris, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, gave a talk at the Houston Human Factors and Ergonomics Society’s seminar held recently at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center in the George Bush Presidential Library.

Dr. David E. Claridge, Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s (TEES) Energy Systems Laboratory and the Leland Jordan Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University has joined the Board of Directors of the Continental Automated Buildings Association.

Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus, assistant professor and the William and Ruth Neely Faculty Fellow in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded the 2014 KANEKA Junior Faculty Scholarship for her excellence in research.

The Thomas and Joan Read Center for Distribution Research and Education, part of the Industrial Distribution Program at Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), recently offered short courses in El Salvador and Panama.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering welcomes the students selected to be part of the Texas Center for Undergraduate Research in Energy Propulsion, a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Texas A&M University.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Yunlong Zhang the E.B. Snead ’25 Career Development Professor II in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Luca Quadrifoglio the E.B. Snead ’25 Career Development Professor I in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Reza Langari holder of the J.R. Thompson Department Head Chair in Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution.

Carter Henderson, a junior Texas A&M University petroleum engineering student, obtained third place in the Student Paper Contest held at the Fifth Annual East Meets West International Student Petroleum Congress and Career Expo.

A student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University recently had his paper accepted by a prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conference.

During a recent visit to Gävle, Sweden, Texas A&M Associate Professor Dr. Tracy Anne Hammond met with representatives of industry and academia to cultivate interest in her team's smart vest research project as well as other ongoing investigations.

The Master of Industrial Distribution (MID) Program graduated its 11th and largest cohort of 37 students recently.

Relatives of Allen Walsh ’82 have recently endowed a scholarship in his memory. Allen Walsh’s brother Fred ’74 and his wife Merri along with niece Trecie Hoff ’96 and her husband Randy ’97 have created the Allen W. Walsh ’82 Scholarship in Industrial and Systems Engineering through their gift to the Texas A&M Foundation.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Hamn-Ching (H.C) Chen holder of the A.P. & Florence Wiley Professorship I in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Mark Burris holder of the Herbert D. Kelleher Professorship in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

Clayton Mulvihill, a graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded the Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The Lynx Cub Payload Carrier (LCPC) developed jointly by the United States Rocket Academy and the Space Engineering Research Center, part of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), is a new research platform that promises to dramatically reduce space flight cost for small science and education payloads.

Department of Computer Science and Engineering staff, Sybil Popham, Theresa Roberts, and Bruce Veals, received Staff Excellence Awards at the Texas A&M Engineering Faculty and Staff Awards Banquet on May 1, 2014.

At the Texas A&M University Engineering Project Showcase, held on April 25 in Reed Arena on campus, more than 150 student engineering teams composed of over 600 undergraduates exhibited their projects from Senior Capstone Design courses.

Al White and Judith Dietz of Austin have established the Judith Dietz and Al White '86 Scholarship with the Texas A&M Foundation.

John Mayo, a former student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was awarded the Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Arun Srinivasa holder of the Holdredge/Paul Professorship in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering and the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University have taken the first steps toward establishing a “Cluster of Excellence” in the multi-scale systems engineering for energy and environment with the hiring of Dr. Christodoulos A. Floudas and Dr. E.N. Pistikopoulos.

World-renowned scholar, Dr. Peter Michael Rentzepis, recently joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University as professor and holder of the TEES Distinguished Research Professorship.

Dr. Johannes Strobel, director of education outreach programs for the Dwight Look College of Engineering and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, will present a webinar entitled “Make a Difference Now — Why Early STEM Education is Essential,” on Wednesday (May 21).

Troy and Pamela Toman of San Antonio recently endowed the Pamela and Troy Toman '88 Scholarship in Computer Science and Engineering.

A team led by Arum Han, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, recently had its paper on microfluidic systems for algal biofuel development published in the journal Lab on a Chip as a cover article.

The cyber-world was terrorized last month with the surfacing of the Heartbleed Bug, and though a fix for the bug was released, many people were impacted.

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Robin Autenrieth head of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering. The appointment is effective June 1.

Texas A&M University and the engineering program hold many fond memories for Jamie and Dennis Mudd. Both earned degrees from Texas A&M, and they credit the engineering program for bringing them together.

Congratulations to the following graduating ECE students who were recognized at the Honors and Undergraduate Research ceremony.

Donna and Steven D. Leist of Pantego, Texas recently established the Donna '92 and Steven D. Leist '93 Scholarship for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University.

The Texas A&M University Chapter of Pi Tau Sigma hosted its Spring 2014 semi-annual induction banquet and annual awards ceremony on April 30th.

Dr. Marvin Adams, HTRI Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Director of the Institute for National Security Education and Research at Texas A&M University, accepted membership to the Committee on International Security and Arms Control (CISAC).

Dr. Robert Wattenbarger, a professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, passed away Friday, May 9, with loved ones by his side after a serious short illness.

On Thursday, May 8, Richard Vega, former undergraduate and soon-to-be graduate student of nuclear engineering, received Outstanding Thesis Award for the Undergraduate Research Scholars program as representation of the best undergraduate research thesis in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at Texas A&M.

Houston businessman and Texas A&M University distinguished petroleum engineering graduate George P. Mitchell ’40 built a billion-dollar energy empire and an international reputation on his penchant for hard work and his belief in a basic but powerful premise: Actions speak louder than words.

The Dwight Look College of Engineering celebrated an academic milestone by awarding its 100,000th degree at the spring 2014 commencement ceremonies held in Reed Arena on the Texas A&M University campus.

Dr. John Valasek, Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been selected as the recipient of the 2015 Leland Atwood Award in honor of his outstanding work with students at Texas A&M University as well as his contributions to the aerospace profession.

The Department of Aerospace Engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University inducted nine alumni into the Aerospace Engineering Distinguished Alumni Academy April 30 during the Aerospace Engineering Annual Awards Banquet.

A $100 million fund at The Texas A&M University System known as the Chancellor’s Research Initiative (CRI) is credited for successfully attracting four world-renowned scholars and researchers to elevate the engineering research portfolio: Christodoulos A. Floudas, professor of engineering and applied science, Princeton University; E.N. Pistikopoulos, professor of chemical engineering, Imperial College of London; Alan Needleman, professor of materials science and engineering in the College of Engineering, University of North Texas; and Peter M. Rentzepis, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, University of California at Irvine.

The Houston section of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) awarded scholarships to two engineering graduate students from Texas A&M University.

Joshua Harris '14, an undergraduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been awarded a National Defense Science Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) for 2014.

Haley Marks, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named recipient of the Whitaker International Fellowship.

The Dwight Look College of Engineering hosted the second-annual Texas A&M Engineering Project Showcase April 25 in Reed Arena to demonstrate and display the diverse projects in the college and exhibit the ways in which engineers build solutions that solve real-world problems.

Dr. Helen Reed, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been selected as a Piper Professor of 2014 by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation.

Dr. Ralph Wurbs, Arthur McFarland Professor in the Environmental and Water Resources division of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, was recently named an Honorary Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (Hon.D.WRE) of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE), a subsidiary of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Dr. Judea Pearl will present The Science of Cause and Effect on Friday, May 9, 2014 at 10:20 a.m. in room 169 of the Blocker Building on the Texas A&M campus.

The department would like to congratulate the 2014-2015 American Nuclear Society (ANS) scholarship and fellowship recipients.

Technology capable of sampling water systems to find indicators of fecal matter contamination that are thousandths and even millionths of times smaller than those found by conventional methods is being developed by a team of researchers at Texas A&M University.

On April 14, 2014, Dr. Yassin Hassan, department head of nuclear engineering, named David Barker ’66 a distinguished former student of the department.

Drs. William Marlow and Leslie Braby retire from the Department of Nuclear Engineering. A retirement reception will be held on Friday, May 2 at 4 pm on the third floor of the Zachry Engineering Center.

Wireless LAN networks such as Wi-Fi are now the connectivity medium of choice and with wireless traffic expected to exceed wired traffic by the end of 2015, it is becoming crucial for students to gain knowledge and real-world experience with mobility technology.

Refining, whether oil or natural gases, can be a costly process because of the need to remove impurities found when extracting them from the ground.

On Monday, April 14, the Department of Nuclear Engineering held its annual Awards and Recognition banquet in the Memorial Student Center.