February 2016

One of the most exciting and challenging aspects of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition is the fact that building something like the Hyperloop has never been done before.

Dr. Jerald Caton, the Gulf Oil/ Thomas A. Dietz Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named a service award recipient for the College of Engineering Teaching, Service and Engineering Outstanding Contribution Awards.

Dr. Xiaoning Qian, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, has received the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Dr. Konstantinos Kakosimos, assistant professor in the Chemical Engineering Program at Texas A&M University at Qatar, was awarded the Hutchison Medal by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) for his paper, “Example of a micro-adaptive instruction methodology for the improvement of flipped-classrooms and adaptive-learning based on advanced blended-learning tools,” which was published in Education for Chemical Engineers.

Dr. Michael J. Demkowicz, associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded a grant to speed up the development and application of nanometallic materials (NMMs).

High school students from across the state recently had the opportunity to visit Texas A&M University and gain hands-on experience with engineering during the Society of Women Engineers High School Conference.

Dr. Xia (Ben) Hu, a member of the Texas A& M Engineering Experiment Station’s (TEES) Center for Remote Health Technologies, has joined the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University as an assistant professor.

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station's Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) at Texas A&M University and Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) co-hosted a two and half-day nuclear security training workshop for the Indian academics from Feb. 10-12.

A team of Texas A&M University engineers has been accepted into the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which is managed by the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship (CNVE) of Mays Business School.

Dr. Roozbeh Jafari, associate professor in biomedical engineering, computer science and engineering and electrical engineering (courtesy appointment), joined the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University in August 2015.

Texas A&M University has been selected to join the 100Kin10 Network, a national initiative to add 100,000 top-rate STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teachers to classrooms across America by 2021.

M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Satish Bukkapatnam as the Barbara and Ralph Cox ’53 Faculty Fellow in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. I. Yucel Akkutlu holder of the Flotek Industries, Inc. Career Development Professorship in Petroleum Engineering.

Laura Byrd, Courtney Charanza, Debra Hanson and Eleanor Schuler are four of 25 individuals selected to receive the 2015-16 President’s Meritorious Service Award.

The Professional Association for Industrial Distribution (PAID) recently hosted its annual career fair at Texas A&M University’s Hall of Champions.

Dr. Lydia Tapia, former student from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, was awarded the Denise Denton Emerging Leader ABIE Award at the 2015 Grace Hopper Conference in Houston.

Sujay Shankar, a junior at A&M Consolidated High School who is working with Assistant Professor Akhilesh Gaharwar of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been honored with several awards at the Austin Energy Regional Science Festival for his research project developing biomaterials for medical implants.

Dr. Lewis Ntaimo, associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University, and Dr. V. Jorge Leon, Allen-Bradley professor in the department, were recently featured in the February issue of IIE magazine.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University was well represented at the 2015 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (GHC) in Houston.

Global grand challenges facing the energy and environmental sectors are highlighted by governmental, intergovernmental and corporate entities.

Six former students of the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University recently participated in the Industrial Distribution Program’s ‘Grad Forum’ during the Sales Engineering class (IDIS 330).

His team might not have been from Texas A&M University, but an Aggie still helped take home the top honors at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition Design Weekend held at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field on Jan. 29-30.

Texas A&M University’s Dwight Look College of Engineering was one of six organizations honored by Laserfiche for using its enterprise content management to improve productivity, innovate processes and achieve exceptional business results.

The Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University hosted its Annual Student Paper Contest on Jan. 30, with runoffs held on Feb. 6.

Thousands of potential students and their families visited Texas A&M University and the Dwight Look College of Engineering for Aggieland Saturday, a university open house held Feb. 13.

Dr. Ignacio E. Grossmann, a world renowned researcher for developing novel mathematical programming algorithms and techniques for solving problems in process systems engineering, delivered the Distinguished McFerrin Lecture which is part of the Lindsay Lecture Series hosted by the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

What happens when you mix engineers with education students and design needs from sponsors? You get solutions to healthy eating habits, educational and safe social media, and special needs education tracking.

Carl Runco, a graduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, competed in the southwest regional Robert L. Lichten competition and won first place for his presentation, “Design and Development of a Meso-Scale Cyclocopter,” giving him the opportunity to compete in the national level competition.

Joshua Harris, Ph.D. student and graduate research assistant in the Vehicle Systems and Control Laboratory (VSCL) in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected to join the AIAA Intelligent Systems Technical Committee (ISTC).

The human immunodeficiency virus, HIV-1, can infect, via entry, a variety of cells. The specific cell-type infected by a viral strain is referred to as HIV-1 tropism and can affect treatment and overall patient outcome.

Payman Dehghanian, Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, received a university level scholarship from the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP).

Drawing an analogy between antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the demolition of Kyle Field was apparently clever enough for Texas A&M University doctoral candidate Anthony Sperber to walk away with several titles, including overall winner, at this year’s Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition.

M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Lewis Ntaimo the Marilyn and L. David Black Faculty Fellow in Industrial and Systems Engineering in recognition of his accomplishments and future potential.

M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Amarnath Banerjee the Corrie and Jim Furber ’64 Faculty Fellow in Industrial and Systems Engineering in recognition of his accomplishments and future potential.

Students completing a Capstone course in Electronic Systems Engineering Technology (ESET) at Texas A&M University are getting valuable hands-on experience solving real problems in the space industry thanks to a new collaboration between ESET, NASA, Texas Instruments and Texas Space Technologies, Applications and Research (T STAR).

Laura Byrd, program assistant in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering graduate office, was recently awarded the President's Meritorious Service Award along with 24 other individuals and two teams.

Dr. Alan Needleman, TEES Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, chaired the program committee for the 2016 annual conference of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).

Research shows the United States is facing a crisis with the shortage of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals entering and remaining in the workforce.

Dr. Thomas Ferris, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University, has developed a new two-day course for the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) that examines the impact of human error on the safety and quality of operations in biomanufacturing systems.

Debbie Hanson, engineering organizational services manager in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected to receive the 2015-16 President’s Meritorious Service Award.

A noninvasive device that enables doctors to quickly and accurately identify cancerous tissue in a person’s mouth is a step closer to reality thanks to an international collaboration between Texas A&M University and Qatar aimed at more effective diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer.

Researchers at the Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) in conjunction with the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University, and Professor Charles M. Folden III at the Cyclotron Institute, have developed a new method in nuclear forensics research to determine the reactor origins of weapons-grade plutonium.

Mikayla Barry and Kendal Ezell, undergraduate students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, each have been selected to represent the university in the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.

Dr. Michael J. Demkowicz has joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University as an associate professor.

Dr. Michael Louis Shuler, a leading authority on modern biochemical engineering, delivered the spring’s first Distinguished Lindsay Lecture at the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Dr. Je-Chin Han, Distinguished Professor and the Marcus C. Esterling Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Dr. Ben Zoghi, the Victor H. Thompson Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Automated Identification Technology (IJAIT).

Dr. Daniel F. Jennings, the Andrew Rader Professor of Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University, received the 2015 Runner-Up Award for the 2015 Best Case from the Southwest Case Research Association at its annual meeting in Oklahoma City.

Scoliosis is typically defined as the curvature of the spine, which in severe cases can lead to severe physical deformity in addition to pulmonary and cardiac problems.