Volume 9, No.1 March 2010
T.J. Smull College of Engineering Alumni Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE: LEADING DOUBLE LIVES ENGINEERING NEWS ring ceremony alumni GIVING BACK
Freshman Experience at ONU
A Message from the Dean of the College of Engineering Faculty members within Ohio Northern University’s College of Engineering have always lived up to the “Northern tradition of teaching,” whereby we strive to achieve excellence in undergraduate engineering and computer science education. Therefore, it is not surprising that we have made significant efforts to improve the first-year engineering experience at ONU through new faculty members and facilities. The college was very pleased to welcome Dr. Kenneth Reid to ONU as its first director of freshman engineering, especially given that Reid is one of the first people in the nation to receive a Ph.D. in engineering education. The college also renovated some of our existing space to create the “First-Year Engineering Design Studio,” which represents a location for our first-year students to congregate and work together collaboratively on design projects as well as a welcoming environment for our students to receive tutoring support. One important aspect of achieving excellence in undergraduate engineering and computer science education is the need to mentor and guide our students throughout their studies so that they can achieve success. In this edition of Smull Talk, we highlight a number of faculty, students and alumni who mentor and guide others throughout their daily endeavors, including those faculty who contribute to our first-year engineering program. The college recently celebrated the re-accreditation of our four engineering programs by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission and the first accreditation of our computer science program by ABET’s Computer Accreditation Commission. The college remains ranked as one of the top 50 undergraduate engineering programs by U.S. News & World Report in America’s Best Colleges 2010. Our graduates leave our institution prepared for their professional lives and achieved a 93 percent pass rate on the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, taken by 94 percent of eligible engineering graduates last spring. Overall, the college remains an exciting and vibrant place for our students to learn and grow. We have welcomed to our ranks a number of new faculty members who will carry forward the “Northern tradition of teaching” to our students of today and tomorrow. As always, many thanks go out to our alumni community for their tremendous support of our programs. I look forward to seeing you on the ONU campus or at one of our alumni professional development events in the near future.
Eric Baumgartner, Dean of the College of Engineering
10 Spring
Campus Contacts
table of
Dr. Eric Baumgartner Dean of Engineering Voice: 419-772-2372 E-mail: e-baumgartner@onu.edu
contents
Leading double lives: a freshman perspective PAGE
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Engineering news PAGE
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faculty on sabbatical PAGE
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NEW FACULTY PAGE
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engineering RING CEREMONY PAGE
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IT’S IN THE BOOKS PAGE
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Dr. Jonathan Smalley, BSCE ’71 Chair, Civil Engineering Voice: 419-772-2377 E-mail: j-smalley@onu.edu Dr. John Estell Chair, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Voice: 419-772-2387 E-mail: j-estell@onu.edu Dr. Jed Marquart, BSME ’80 Interim Chair, Mechanical Engineering Voice: 419-772-2384 E-mail: j-marquart@onu.edu Dr. Ken Reid Director of Freshman Engineering Voice: 419-772-2383 E-mail: k-reid@onu.edu Professor Laurie (Kahl) Laird, BSME ’86 Director of Corporate and Alumni Relations Voice: 419-772-2421 E-mail: l-laird@onu.edu
SMULL TALK Publication of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering
For three consecutive years, ONU’s College of Engineering
at Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio.
has been ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 undergraduate
419-772-2371, www.onu.edu
engineering schools in U.S. News & World Report, America’s Best Colleges 2010.
Leading Double Lives A freshman perspective
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hey come from all over, with different dreams and different backgrounds. Yet they are all united as freshmen in the College of Engineering. They meet each day in the same classrooms, the same labs, the same libraries. Their outside interests can be found all over campus: in the pool, on the stage, in the community, or in the mud behind Dial-Roberson Stadium.
Micromouse
2010
At Ohio Northern University, engineering freshmen share an instant, common bond of an engineering education, but soon branch out toward other pursuits. “Engineering can get very math-driven after a while,” says Nick Saunders, a freshman electrical engineering major from West Mifflin, Pa. “It’s nice to take a break.”
Lost in music For Saunders, this break comes primarily in the form of music, an art he’s pursued for the better part of a decade. “About 10 years ago, I just decided that I wanted to play violin,” he recalls. “My mom looked into it, and a year later I started with tuba. As the years went by, I picked up more and more instruments. And now I know pretty much all of the low-brass, violin, viola, piano, trumpet.” It was important, then, for Saunders to attend a University that appealed to both his interest in engineering and his love of music. Thus, his college search was on. “I found Northern through a college fair back home. I was visiting all the booths and Northern was the only one that actually impressed me while we were there,” he remembers. Since arriving on campus, Saunders has kept a busy schedule. In addition to his engineering courses (20 credit hours during the winter 2010 quarter), Saunders is active in Northern’s symphonic band, orchestra and marching band. “I’m also involved with Kappa Kappa Psi,” he adds. “I occasionally try to do things with IEEE. I’m involved with a string ensemble and a violin quartet. And there’s a few other things going on outside campus.”
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Of mice and freshmen Kyle See, a freshman computer engineering major from Lucasville, Ohio, came to Northern with the influence of friends and family members: an uncle, Matthew Wilson, BS ’94, and a friend from church, William McKell, BA ’82. A lifelong interest in robotics prompted See to choose computer engineering as a major. “My parents bought me a little robot kit, and I was fascinated by it. It came with all the resistors and capacitors and transistors. And I put it together and started learning from that. And I was really interested in it.” On campus, See quickly became involved with the college’s Micromouse team, a group of five students working to create a miniature robot that will compete against mice from other schools in racing toward the center of an arbitrary maze. “The Micromouse has to be a completely intelligent robot. In the competition, we don’t know the formation of the maze, so we have to build a robot that can solve it,” See explains. Sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Micromouse competition will take place in April 2010 and include a design contest, a paper contest and the actual Micromouse maze navigation. As one of two freshmen on the team, See worked on background research, investigating the specific parts to use and why. “We knew basically what we wanted, but we didn’t know what type of motors worked better or what type of power sources we were going to need,” he says. See’s Micromouse participation led him to another activity: IEEE Joint Engineering Council (JEC) Representative. “JEC is the link to the dean of engineering,” See explains. “All the professional organizations and all the classes have representatives. It’s a way for us to talk and
work directly with the dean. I represent IEEE, which came about through Micromouse. Two members of the team are also officers of IEEE. They knew I was interested in getting involved, so they offered me the job.”
Racing in the dirt While See works on Micromouse, Sean Rutt, a freshman mechanical engineering major from Apple Creek, Ohio, is involved in a different kind of race on a much larger scale: Ohio Northern University’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja team. The Baja competition challenges engineering students to research and design an off-road vehicle that is subjected to a battery of rigorous performance tests and measured against other schools during regional competitions. Students must act as a team not only in designing, building and racing the vehicle, but also in generating financial support for the project. All this work can be very time consuming. “Within the last month, I put in 90 to 100 hours,” Rutt says. “On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, I put in about three hours on average. But on Wednesday, I try to put in a full day, which is more like five or six hours.” Baja is a year-round activity. When the 2010 competitions are complete, the team will begin working on next year’s design. But the hard work is paying dividends. In February 2010, Rutt and the rest of the ONU Baja team competed in the Winter Baja 2010 race at Michigan Technological University, finishing in third place out of 41 teams. Like many other freshmen, Rutt’s interest in mechanical engineering and Baja came about as a child. “I just always liked math and building things,” he says. “I always played with LEGO® when I was a little kid. I like working on vehicles.” With his major firmly set, Northern was always Rutt’s No. 1 choice. “I’m from a smaller town, so I always felt more at home here. And I definitely liked that the classes were smaller, so there was more one-on-one interaction.” Smull Talk
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Getting her feet wet Other engineering students participate in a more traditional form of competition: college athletics. “That was one of the main things I was looking for in a school: somewhere where I could also dive,” explains Amy Elmer, a freshman computer science major from South Milwaukee, Wisc. “I really loved being in sports in high school, and I wanted to continue in college.” While visiting colleges as a high school student, Elmer had the opportunity to attend a swim meet at Ohio Northern. She met with coach Peggy Ewald, toured campus, talked with the dean and attended a class. “I thought the campus was really pretty, and the coach encouraged me to apply even though it was already the middle of January,” Elmer says. “The whole University just seemed like such a perfect fit. It was small, it was what I was looking for, I got to talk to a few of the professors, and I got to sit in on a few classes.” Like Rutt, Elmer faces a similar time commitment with her diving schedule. “We practice every day, Monday through Friday, and occasionally on Saturdays,” she says. “Our diving practices are 90 minutes, and then I
go in 30 minutes early and do ab-stretching and a lot of conditioning. And then twice a week we do ‘drylands’ in the morning, which is about 90 minutes.” The hard work is worth it. “I’ve done pretty well this season, generally finishing first, second or third. As an incoming freshman, that’s really good.” During the OAC Championships in Akron in February 2010, Elmer broke ONU’s 22-yearold record in 3-meter diving with a score of 374.00. She finished third overall, earning All-OAC status and helping the ONU women’s swimming and diving team clinch its third OAC Championship in four years.
Already giving back Carrying over interests from high school into college is not uncommon for engineering freshmen. In the same way that Elmer continued diving and Saunders continued with violin, Sarah Massella, a freshman civil engineering major from Bridgeville, Pa., brought along her interest in volunteer work. “I was like this in high school. I was really community-oriented. I worked with the local athletic association, I coached a T-ball team, I worked the concession stand, and that was all volunteer,” says Massella. Massella discovered ONU through an online college search engine. She entered her criteria – things like distance from home, intended major, class size and variety of on-campus activities – and Northern came up as one of her matches. “I went from the search engine site straight to onu.edu, and I looked at all the Res Life pages, and I thought, ‘It looks so fun there.’ I was very easily sold.” At Northern, Massella has become heavily involved with ONU’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a group that makes it easy for students to engage their philanthropic sides. She participated in ASCE’s Trick Or Treat for Canned Goods event, gathering donations for the Ada Food Pantry. She helped with another project in September 2009, when ASCE joined with Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, to design and construct a
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wheelchair ramp for a family in Ada. “There is a man who lives in Ada who was in a wheelchair, and he hadn’t been out of his house in two years. So we went to his house, and we built the ramp.” Massella also helped interview incoming freshmen during the “very intense” Presidential Scholarship Day, and she serves as the Student Senate representative from Founders Hall. “Right now, I’m planning an event with the Park and Maglott Hall representatives. We’re taking over most of the lounges and putting on a gaming night for all the freshmen.”
Goals for engineering freshmen The primary goal in regards to engineering freshmen at Ohio Northern University is retention. Extracurricular activities play a large part in meeting this goal. But retention means so much more than simply keeping students enrolled in the program, explains Ken Reid, ONU’s first director of freshman engineering. “Effective retention means helping students who want to succeed in engineering do so to the best of their abilities,” he says. Reid has instituted a two-part plan to accomplish this primary goal. First, he believes that students need to be introduced to and involved in engineering early in their plan of study. Second, he wants to facilitate a sense of community among the freshmen. “I know many schools that accept students into engineering, but then schedule them for physics, calculus and chemistry,” he explains. “It’s only after they survive the first year that they get to explore the analysis, design, creativity and problem-solving that engineering has to offer.
“So at Northern, we introduce engineering right away,” Reid says. Innovative engineering projects bring the real world into the classroom. Freshmen students work individually and in teams to design and build drawbridges, parachutes and the fabled “tower of straws.” In fact, a paper on this straw activity co-authored by John-David Yoder, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and John Estell, professor of computer engineering and computer science, won the 2007 Best Paper Award from the First-Year Programs Division of the American Society for Engineering Education.
work, solve problems and be creative. “I’m happy to see that the room almost always has a group of first-year students working or hanging out,” he says.
The difference In addition to the early introduction to engineering concepts and the attempts to create a freshman engineering community, the college has made many other efforts to help its young students. Reid mentions open-door policies, the willingness of faculty members to get involved in activities like the engineering competitions, and the “teachingfirst” atmosphere of the entire college.
These hands-on, experiential projects go a long way to inspire friendship and teamwork among the freshmen.
“Large research universities can
“They really focus a lot on team-building, and they switch the groups all the time so you have to work with different people. It’s really team oriented,” comments Massella.
isolate faculty offices behind main
attract large numbers of students, but I know many schools that desks, keeping students away to allow faculty to do research,” reid says. “ONU faculty members involve
Saunders agrees. “The main purpose of these projects is to get us working in groups and teach us how to develop our criteria. It’s not necessarily about how to build a drawbridge.”
students in their research, and they understand that teaching students is the most important thing we do. This is a huge advantage of
“Working in teams allows our students to meet their classmates, which leads to study groups and friendships, both of which are important to college success,” Reid adds. Another factor in the development of engineering friendships is the new First-Year Engineering Design Studio, a workspace designed by Reid as a place for student teams to meet,
engineering at ONU.” Engineering freshmen will finish their first year with a large design project. They select the topic, choose the design and then complete the design process. They create and present research posters, which are displayed alongside the Senior Capstone project posters at the end of the year.
The future for future freshmen Incoming classes in the years to come can expect further enhancements to the program, all aimed at improving retention. First, the college is working to incorporate more real-world engineering applications into classroom projects. In the past, engineering freshmen were called
upon to design solutions to problems dealing with poverty in developing countries. “We are changing that by concentrating on individuals,” says Reid. “Instead of the broad scope of ‘an impoverished nation,’ we are working to focus on helping the people that live within the country. This will emphasize the importance of finding engineering solutions.” A formal mentoring program is in the works, one that gives first-year students access to successful upperclassmen role models. “Most students leave high school, enter college and discover all kinds of questions they never knew they had,” Reid says. “They can talk to a professor, but sometimes it’s more helpful to talk to a student instead.” In addition, the college is redesigning its firstyear courses in anticipation of the University’s transition from quarters to semesters in fall 2011. As for Elmer, Massella, Saunders, Rutt and See, their futures are bright and varied. Rutt would like to pursue a career in dirt track racing. Saunders is interested in NASA or Dow Corning but would like “to be playing violin somewhere on the side.” Massella sees herself consulting as a structural engineer. See plans to find a job that offers “a good balance between hardware and software development.” And Elmer would like to go into networking and information security.
Looking back Looking back on this new class of freshmen, Reid certainly sees signs of success. “I think we have definitely seen the formation of a first-year engineering community, and I hope we have helped students explore problem-solving and how engineering fits into the global big-picture,” he says. See agrees. “The best way I can describe it is that it’s just the kind of place that feels like home. I feel like this is the right place to be.”
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ENGINEERING NEWS ONU receives grant to bolster entrepreneurship in engineering In August 2009, the Kern Family Foundation awarded Dr. J.D. Yoder, professor of mechanical engineering, a KEEN III grant to expand ONU’s entrepreneurship efforts directed at undergraduate engineering students of the College of Engineering.
that addresses the continuum of workforce needs across all skill levels and all education levels for those individuals and companies who currently work or seek to work within the advanced energy industry. When fully developed, the program will include emphasis on educating students about alternative and advanced energy systems (including wind, solar, and fuel cell systems) as well as technologies that electric companies utilize for increasing energy efficiency and reducing the environmental impacts of power generation
Funds will support a summer faculty workshop, additional faculty incentives to encourage incorporation of entrepreneurship elements in courses, student pitch contests and travel to conferences. The grant also funds the development of program assessment tools, printing/publicity costs and travel to regional KEEN events.
In December 2009, the College of Engineering received a $500,000 grant from the American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation to be used in the development and implementation of an advanced energy curriculum program. Ohio Northern will develop the program over a three-year period. The primary objective of the program is to develop an integrated advanced energy curriculum 8
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Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), the two-hour event focused on hydrogen and fuel cell technology in Ohio, its role in the state’s economy, and developing opportunities associated with hydrogen and fuel cells. Speakers at the event included Patrick Valente, director of the OFCC, Dr. Michael Martin, vice president of Alternative Energy Technologies at Edison Materials Technology Center, Steve Hatkevich, research and development director at American Trim, and Eric Jensen, research and development manager at Crown Equipment Corporation.
The $75,000 grant will fund “The ONU Engineering Experience: 2005-2015,” whose primary goal is to develop the College of Engineering with an entrepreneurial mindset.
ONU receives $500,000 grant from AEP
ONU hosts fuel cell technology forum The Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition (OFCC), in conjunction with the Ohio Northern University College of Engineering and the Ohio Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Center, conducted a fuel cell forum at The Inn at ONU in August 2009.
College of Engineering Programs accredited by ABET
Ohio Northern University receives KEEN Most Improved Institution Award Ohio Northern University received the 2009 Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN) Most Improved Institution Award at the KEEN conference in Orlando in January 2010. The award was given to ONU “in recognition of the institution as demonstrating the greatest change to align with KEEN goals.” One long-term goal for KEEN is to encourage newly graduated engineers to enter the workforce with the intent to foster economic and technical commerce within their communities. Since 2005, the Kern Family Foundation has provided ONU with $175,000 in funding through the KEEN program in support of ONU’s efforts to develop an entrepreneurship program that instills the entrepreneurial mindset in students in the College of Engineering and across campus.
In August 2009, the College of Engineering’s bachelor’s degree programs in civil, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering were re-accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET Inc., and the computer science program was accredited for the first time by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET Inc., the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and technology. ABET accreditation is a voluntary, peerreview process that requires programs to undergo comprehensive, periodic evaluations. The evaluations, conducted by teams of volunteer professionals working in industry, government, academe and private practice within the ABET disciplines, focus on program curricula, faculty, facilities, institutional support and other areas.
ONU competes in IBM-sponsored Collegiate Programming Contest Ohio Northern University’s engineering and computer science students participated in the 34th annual IBM-sponsored Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC) at the University of Cincinnati in October 2009. The two teams from Ohio Northern finished 40th and 45th out of 113 teams in this regional competition, which pitted teams of three students against eight or more complex, real-world problems, with a grueling five-hour deadline. Huddled around a single computer, competitors raced against the clock in a battle of logic, strategy and mental endurance. ONU competed against and defeated teams from the University of Cincinnati, Purdue University, University of Dayton, Wright State University, University of Notre Dame and Kent State University. Engineering global service
In November 2009, Chris Senesi, from Hinckley, Ohio, Matthew Pierce, from Grove City, Ohio, and Nathan Harris, from Alexandria, Ohio, travelled to Masara, Kenya, accompanied by civil engineering professors Dr. Jonathan Smalley and Thomas Zechman, to begin work on the students’ senior design project, “Project Masara, Kenya.”
From Nov. 27 to Dec. 7, 2009, the team visited the SHARE Kenya Clinic in Masara, Kenya, assessing the needs of the clinic and collecting necessary data to successfully design and implement their projects. The team determined that the greatest needs of the clinic were supplying hot water and increasing the availability of clean water. The final steps of the project will be to take the data collected during the site visit, design two projects and create a plan of implementation. The end goal is for fellow engineering students to implement the project next year as well as design future projects for both the clinic and the village of Masara. Pixar Animation Studios’ Bob Peterson speaks at Ohio Northern University Bob Peterson, BSME ’83, awardwinning director and screenwriter for Pixar Animation Studios, was the featured speaker for the Ohio Northern University Spotts Lecture in March 2010. His presentation, titled “How to fly your House: My Pixar Adventure,” was seen by 1,500 people.
and animator on Toy Story. He later served as story artist on A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2, story supervisor on Monsters, Inc., and one of the screenwriters for the Academy Awardwinning feature Finding Nemo. Most recently, Peterson co-wrote and co-directed DisneyPixar’s feature film Up, the 2010 Golden Globe winner for Best Animated Feature Film. Up also won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. In addition to his story work, Peterson has voiced several of Pixar’s memorable animated characters: the aged chess-playing hero of Geri’s Game, paperwork-obsessed slug-woman Roz in Monsters, Inc., and the tuneful teacher Mr. Ray in Finding Nemo. He also lends his voice talents to Up for the character of Dug the dog. While on campus, Peterson also received the first T.J. Smull College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award and conducted two master classes, one for engineering students titled “The Pixar Animation Pipeline” and a second for writing students titled “Writing in the Pixar Pipeline.” ONU’s Baja team finishes third at Winter Baja 2010 In February 2010, Ohio Northern University’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja team finished in third place out of 41 teams at the Winter Baja 2010 race at Michigan Technological University, in Houghton, Mich.
Peterson received his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Ohio Northern in 1983 and has been a key player at Pixar Animation Studios since 1994. His first assignment was that of layout artist
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faculty on SABBATICAL Dr. John-David Yoder, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is on sabbatical during the 2009-10 academic year. During this time, he is working as an invited professor at Institut national de recherche en informatique et automatique (INRIA) Grenoble – Rhône-Alpes in Grenoble, France. With several centers around France, INRIA is the country’s national research agency for computing and automation. Yoder is working in the e-Motion team, which consists of about 24 members from around the world and is focused on using probabilistic approaches for robots and intelligent vehicles. The team is headed by Dr. Christian Laugier, who is well known in the field of robotics. Laugier has supervised more than 25 PhD theses, published over 250 papers, and received the prestigious Nakamura Prize for his scientific contributions on “Intelligent Robots.” He has also been involved with four startup companies. While in Grenoble, Yoder is working on the ArosDyn project. The goal of this project is to make “smarter” cars – ones capable of helping
Dr. Srinivasa Vemuru, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is on sabbatical from the ONU College of Engineering this academic year to pursue joint research activities, complete curriculum modification in the area of analog electronics, and attend graduate level courses in ad hoc networks, photovoltaics and power management at University of Toledo’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). To date, he’s managed to accomplish much. On the research-side, Vemuru is working with Dr. Mohammed Niamat of the EECS Department at Toledo, in the area of digital testing on three different projects. The first project is in the area of electromigration failure testing in field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). Vemuru co-authored a paper on this work and will present at the IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems in Paris, France, in May 2010. The second project is to develop efficient test strategies for embedded cores. 10
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around it and to understand the intentions of the driver. In addition, the system needs to be able to predict the actions of other vehicles and pedestrians in the scene. Because none of these things can be known exactly, this problem requires probabilistic methods. The e-Motion team is using a variety of probabilistic methods to map the environment, monitor the driver and predict the actions of others in the scene. Many of the tools developed by the e-Motion team are available commercially or for research from companies such as Probayes. the driver be aware of unsafe situations or, in some cases, even respond automatically if the driver is not responding. Some new cars, such as the most recent Mercedes E-class, have limited versions of this feature already. The e-Motion team has developed methods to use cameras and lasers to “map” the area in front of the car and analyze the risk of the situation. The problem of assessing the level or risk while driving is very difficult. It requires the car to be able to understand the scene
Vemuru and his colleagues are developing test methodologies using core wrappers to efficiently test individual cores based on test sequences developed or given by the IP core providers. The third project is to develop synthesis of logic functions for quantum cellular automata (QCA). QCA is a contender for postCMOS computing and offers a new method of computation and information transformation. Additionally, Vemuru has joined his colleagues in Toledo and Bowling Green State University to submit two collaborative proposals to the National Science Foundation. i. A Digital/VLSI Test and Reliable Computing Research Laboratory with Drs. Mohammed Niamat, Mansoor Alam and Rashmi Jha (EECS, Toledo). The project focuses on building computational infrastructure to support undergraduate research at ONU and collaborative research with graduate students/ faculty at the University of Toledo. ii. A Trustworthy Intelligent Metering Infrastructure for Smart Grid with Drs. Lingfeng Wang and Mohammed Niamat (EECS, Toledo), Dr. Weiquing Sun (Engineering Technology, Toledo) and Dr. Sri Kolla (College of Technology, BGSU). The project focuses on
During his stay in France, Yoder is also traveling to other robotics laboratories in Europe. He has given presentations at the LAAS laboratory in Toulouse, France, as well as the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Upcoming trips will include presentations at DLR (Germany’s national research center for aeronautics and space) in Munich, Germany, and at IRIS, a robotics laboratory in Paris.
improving the security and reliability in the advanced metering infrastructure of smart grid. A major component of ONU research will be in the area of design of smart meters and secure hardware implementation for FPGAs. In the area of curriculum development, Vemuru has prepared a paper for the ASEE North Central Section meeting in March 2010 that focuses on analog electronics courses that support electrical and computer engineering programs. Additionally, he made significant modifications to his embedded systems laboratories, sat in a graduate course on “Quantum Computing,” and attended a two-day Freescale Semiconductor Market solutions seminar in Schaumburg, Ill., where he met practicing engineers and learned about the types of microprocessor and embedded systems projects they are involved with and the tools they are using. On a more personal note, Vemuru has been able to drive less, spend more time with his family, visit his family in India when his mother fell ill, and even take a vacation in the middle of the school year!
NEW Faculty The College of Engineering’s electrical & computer engineering and computer science (ECCS) department welcomed three new faculty members this year. Dr. Nathaniel Bird, BSCPE ’03, joined the ECCS department as an assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering. This year, Bird is teaching programming, data structures and operating systems courses along with a new course on computer vision. He received his Ph.D. and MS in computer science from the University of Minnesota and his BS in computer engineering from Ohio Northern University. Bird’s research interests include medical imaging, human activities recognition, image processing and coded structured light systems. While at the University of Minnesota, Bird was co-coordinator of a weeklong computer science camp for middle school students. Dr. Firas Hassan joined the ECCS department as assistant professor and is primarily responsible for the instruction of the communications courses in the electrical and computer engineering programs. Hassan completed his Ph.D. at the University of Akron and conducts research in the area of FPGA-based architectures. At the University of Akron, Hassan was a visiting assistant professor and a post-doctoral fellow. Prior to his arrival in the United States, Hassan was a research assistant at the American University of Beirut, where he also received a master of engineering. His bachelor of engineering is from Beirut Arab University in Lebanon. Dr. Yonglian Wang joined the ECCS department as a visiting assistant professor while Dr. Srinivasa Vemuru is on a one-year sabbatical. Wang received her Ph.D. and MS in electrical and computer engineering from Southern Illinois University and her bachelor of engineering from Shandong University of Science and Technology in China. At ONU, she is teaching microprocessors, embedded computing systems, the analog electronics sequence and advanced electronics courses. Her research interests include the areas of speech recognition, computer architecture and FPGA design.
The civil engineering department welcomed two new faculty members this year. Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Mohti joined the department as a visiting assistant professor in the area of structures after Dr. Farhad Reza accepted a position at Minnesota State University Mankato. Abdel-Mohti received his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Nevada Reno, his MS in civil engineering from Lawrence Technological University, and his BS in civil engineering from Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt. He performs research in the area of theoretical and experimental structural engineering and structural dynamics and has worked as a structural engineer in Egypt for EHAF Consulting Engineers. Wesley Dawsey joined the civil engineering department as an instructor in the area of environmental engineering. Dawsey is completing his Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the University of Illinois, where his research focus is on understanding complex environmental systems through the creation and use of modeling and knowledge inference tools. At Illinois, he received the Roy S. Carver Fellowship from the college of engineering and twice received the Racheff Travel Award. Dawsey completed both the MS in civil engineering and the bachelor of civil engineering at Auburn University. He has worked as a hydrologist for the Illinois State Water Survey and as a project engineer for Malcolm Pirnie.
Do you need some new College of Engineering apparel? Do you want to show your pride in your alma mater? If so, here’s your chance! The Joint Engineering Council (JEC) is having their annual engineering apparel sale. For an order form, go to www. onu.edu/org/jec For more information, please contact Greg Back, JEC president, at g-back@onu.edu or Lori Goldsmith in the engineering dean’s office at 419-772-2538.
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ONU ENGINEERING RING CEREMONY Although not an engineer myself, two of our three sons graduated from the College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, in the past 10 years. Our youngest is a mechanical engineer and he shares his PE Magazine with me so I can enjoy it. Although it is October, I just read the July 2009 issue, which contained the article “Call to Order,” by Eva Kaplan-Leiserson.
The Order of the Engineer is a roster of engineers in the United States who have participated in an engineering ring ceremony and who have publicly accepted the “Obligation of an Engineer.” The Order was initiated in the United States in 1970 to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the engineering profession, to bridge the gap between training and experience, and to present the public with a visible symbol identifying the engineer. The College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University conducted the Order’s fourth ceremony on May 18, 1971. Since then, the college has inducted 2,973 engineers into the Order at ring ceremonies held annually on Honors Day and other special occasions. In June 2011, the College of Engineering will host a special 40th anniversary ring ceremony during alumni weekend. Alumni of the College of Engineering who have not participated in a ring ceremony will have the opportunity to receive a ring during this event. The college will distribute additional information about this special ceremony as the date draws near. If you have any questions, please contact Lori Goldsmith at 419-772-2538 or l-goldsmith@onu.edu
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Having attended two Order of the Engineer ceremonies at Ohio Northern, I was excited to read this particular article. Ohio Northern has been presenting rings to engineering graduates since 1971! Our youngest son, Dan, wears his ring every single day ... and we are very proud of him. I have become very observant of people who wear a stainless steel ring on the little finger of their working hand and usually inquire about it. Our older son, John, also wore his ring every single day. John was a civil engineer and, unfortunately, he passed away five years ago this month, only 13 days after being diagnosed with leukemia, at the age of 26. We are fortunate that he had managed to become the assistant city engineer for our city, was well respected, and continues to be remembered to us by his co-workers and friends. An Employee Excellence Award was established in his name! One reason the article really meant a lot to me is because not too long after John passed away, I decided to try John’s engineering ring on. I would never wear it on my little finger because I am not an engineer ... of course, it was too big anyway! But, it fits perfectly on my ring finger. I wear it with great pride, and I have never taken it off! In his loss, seeing that ring on my finger means the world to me. No one really knows what it means, but occasionally I am able to share the story about the ring. I think the Order of the Engineer and the stainless steel ring are both wonderful for the engineering profession. I hope many engineers wear theirs with pride! Beth Seman Findlay, Ohio
Originally published in PE Magazine and reprinted with the permission of Beth Seman, the mother of John Seman, BSCE ’00, and Daniel Seman, BSME ’07. John passed away on Oct. 28, 2004, from complications for treatment of leukemia. John’s educational experiences, from grade school through college, contributed to his success at such a young age. One of the most important aspects in John’s education at ONU was the emphasis on ethics in the business world. At the time of John’s death, he was the assistant city engineer for the city of Findlay, Ohio. His family established an ONU civil engineering scholarship in his memory.
ENGINEERING ADVISORY BOARD A view from the Advisory Board Frederick “Fritz” Kucklick, BSME ’69
I was invited to join the Ohio Northern University College of Engineering Advisory Board a number of years ago, and in 2009 I was elected to be the chair. When I first started as a Board member, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I quickly learned something important: The challenges facing the dean of the college are remarkably similar to the management challenges that I and the other Board members have faced in our own careers. The Board includes 17 professional men and women who hold or have held key management positions in industries such as electrical power distribution, nuclear power generation, petroleum production, federal government operations, computer software, manufacturing and construction. Most of us are ONU engineering alumni, and all of us are examples of what engineering graduates can become with their degrees. Board
2009-10 Members of the College of Engineering Advisory Board Dr. Donald Campbell BSME ’59, Hon. D. ’98 Retired: Deputy Administrator Special Assistant and Director NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, Ohio Michael Chow, P.E., LEEP AP BSEE ’92 Owner/Principal Metro CD Engineering LLC Worthington, Ohio Kevin Freese BSME ’84 President and CEO Bridge Development Group LTD Cleveland, Ohio
members are critical members of the college’s network and help connect the college with co-op opportunities, the engineer-inresidence program, grant funding and other opportunities. One common denominator among Board members seems to be this: We believe that ONU is a gem that provides society with wellrounded engineers and computer scientists who can handle the technical aspects of their professions and, perhaps more importantly, possess excellent communications and social skills. The Board is a “working board,” meaning we form subcommittees that will assist Dean Baumgartner and the college. For example, our meeting in fall 2009 resulted in a subcommittee to examine the college’s strategic plan and to suggest a plan that would help the College of Engineering support the University’s efforts to “Become ONU.” Objectives include increasing the college’s rank within U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s Best Colleges and for the college to be recognized as a competitor among some other nationally recognized baccalaureate engineering programs. This work continues, and I personally believe we will come up with a winning plan that will ultimately be proposed to the college and its faculty for ultimate refinement.
Bruce Hollinger BSCE ’75 CEO/President/Co-Founder WiSys LLC Flowery Branch, Ga. Deborah (Green) Houdeshell, P.E. BSCE ’87 Project Manager Stearns & Wheler Akron, Ohio Frederick “Fritz” Kucklick BSME ’69 Engineering, Mgmt and Lit. Consultant IMT Consulting Inc. Cassopolis, Minn. Dr. E.F. Charles LaBerge Retired: Senior Fellow Honeywell Baltimore, Md.
Susan (Di Nezza) Lettrich BSEE ’85 Director, Performance and Process Improvement FirstEnergy Services Company Akron, Ohio Victor Marone Senior Partner Chesapeake Management Associates Annapolis, Md. Brett S. Mason BSEE ’86 Senior Program Manager Mission Essential Personnel LLC Chantilly, Va.
The Board’s assignment during our spring meetings is to review and critique Senior Capstone projects. For me, this is one of our most fascinating assignments. Student projects today are much more complex than the ones we did as students. Cross-functional teams among different majors combine talents to design, manufacture, demonstrate and make presentations about their projects. Reviewing these presentations make me positive that our graduates are ready for business. Certain funds that support the college’s capstone projects, student competitions, and equipment assets and maintenance are provided through the generosity of its alumni and corporations by donations to the Dean’s Discretionary Fund, the Sholl Competition Fund, the Archer Fund and The Northern Fund. These funds directly support the efforts of the college’s students and faculty, and I would encourage you to work with Dean Baumgartner to find ways that your annual donation can best support the College of Engineering and The Campaign for Ohio Northern University’s Tomorrow. Fritz Kucklick is an ONU mechanical engineering graduate, the chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board and a member of ONU’s Board of Trustees. If you have questions or comments about the Board’s activities, please contact him at kucklick@imtcusa.com or 269-445-8826.
Scott McClintock, P.E. BSCE ’86 Vice President EMH&T New Albany, Ohio
Brent Schwartz BSME ’83 VP, Solutions Engineering MetoKote Corporation Lima, Ohio
Neil Naiman, P.E. BSEE ’74 Manager, Downstream Planning and Strategy Marathon Petroleum Company LLC Findlay, Ohio
Khalil Shuhaibar BSEE ’93 Project Manager Discovery Communications Inc Facility and Infrastructure Engineering Technology & Media Services Silver Spring, Md.
Brenda Reichelderfer BSEE ’80 Retired Senior Vice President ITT Corporation Nyack, N.Y. Michael Rencheck, P.E. BSEE ’83 President/CEO AREVA NP Inc. Lynchburg, Va.
Daniel Walker, P.E. BSCE ’71 Senior Vice President Kokosing Construction Co. Fredericktown, Ohio
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It’s in the books With two grandsons currently enrolled in the College of Engineering, Charles “Larry” Busch, BSEE ’63, and his wife, Joyce Ann (Dellefield) Busch, BA ’67, have witnessed firsthand the extra expenses incurred by students in the college. At the same time, the couple was looking for a way to give back to the University. Disk drives for a 1620 IBM computer
A history of computing at ONU Ohio Northern University’s first computer, an IBM 1620 with 20k of memory, arrived in February 1963. Along with card reader, four standard 026 keypunches and one printing card reader, it was purchased with a National Science Foundation Grant to support academics. In 1964, the University purchased additional hardware: a 1443 printer and a single 1311 disk drive with 2MB removable disk packs. With this purchase, administrative computing began at ONU. Programs were written in symbolic machine language to support the registrar’s office, the controller’s office and a few others. In the 1970s, the University purchased a DEC PDP 11/70 to service ONU’s academic and administrative computing needs. Butch West and Charles “Larry” Busch, BSEE ’63, became the University’s administrative computing department, writing all of the administrative applications used by ONU. By the mid-1980s, however, this machine was becoming obsolete. On July 9, 1987, then-President DeBow Freed, Hon. D. ’99, created a taskforce to “review the administrative data processing needs of the University … and recommend a system … to serve the University for the next several years.” Eighteen months later, this taskforce returned with its recommendation: SCT Banner, a true relational database product that used Oracle as its engine. Implementation of the new system began in fall 1989, and the final piece went live in January 1997. Banner is still in use today. 14
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“When we realized that the physics book alone was $200, we knew we wanted to do something for expenses like these,” Larry says. “Larry had a very sleepless night,” Joyce recalls. “When he woke up in the morning, he said, ‘I have an idea!’”
“I came in 1959, graduated in 1963, and have been working here ever since,” he says.
Now director of administrative computing services in the Office of Information Technology with the rank of professor, Larry has spent his entire career helping the University move into new areas of technology. From writing applications in the mid-1960s to generating alumni lists, budget and payroll files, to bringing Banner to ONU in the 1980s, he has consistently sought better ways to use technology. “I’ve Standing, from left are: grandsons Charles Thomas Busch, always been freshman electrical engineering major from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and Stephen Daniel Graessle, junior computer engineering curious about major from Chesapeake, Va. new things,” he Seated, from left are: Joyce Ann (Dellefield) Busch, BA ’67, and explains. Charles “Larry” Busch, BSEE ’63
That sleepless night and subsequent idea led to the formation of The Ohio Northern University College of Engineering Endowed Course Resource Fund. Using an initial gift of $100,000 from the Busches, income from the fund will directly assist students in the College of Engineering in purchasing textbooks and other course materials that are often not immediately factored into a family’s college budge. This award will be based on the student’s need and will be independent of the student’s academic record. A life at Northern Larry joined ONU as a staff member in 1963, the same year the University purchased its first computer. “During my senior year, I heard rumors that they were getting something called a digital computer,” he says. Inspired by the new piece of hardware, Larry turned down a job with IBM after graduation.
Likewise, Joyce spent 25 years teaching college-prep advanced English and computer classes at Ada High School, from where she has recently retired. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 3, 2010. “We’ve enjoyed 47 years here,” Larry says, “We felt we would like to contribute, and we really wanted to contribute to the kids directly and their families.” Joyce and Larry offer a special challenge: They will match every gift (up to a maximum of $10,000) contributed to the fund in calendar year 2010. If you would like to contribute to the College of Engineering Endowed Course Resource Fund, please contact Ken Block, executive director of development, at 419-772-2008 or k-block@onu.edu
Thanks, in their own words... “I am really enjoying my time here at ONU. and I owe it all to you. Your gift made it possible for me to attend.” “ONU has become more than a college to me. It feels more like a family. I can only hope I will be in a position to help future students the way that you have blessed me.” “It means the world to me to have the opportunity to study engineering. I am a junior now, and I understand that my studies will not be easy, but this major gives me great pride and satisfaction. Thank you for giving back to ONU.”
Tomorrow Starts Today. Giving Back, Changing Lives. What does a gift to The Northern Fund support? Northern Fund gifts support ONU’s highest priorities— scholarships, research, technology and more. Alumni participation in giving back affects national rankings and is widely used as an indication of our prestige. The true impact of loyal giving cannot be overstated. Support the College of Engineering by giving online:
www.onugive.com Smull Talk
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 43 Ada, OH 45810 College of Engineering Ada, Ohio 45810
Engineering Pathways
What: A weeklong residential camp that introduces students to civil, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering. Where: Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio When: June 13-18, 2010 Who: High school students entering the 10th or 11th grade in fall 2010 Cost: $390, which includes room, board and educational materials.Transportation to and from camp is not included. Info: Contact the Laurie Laird, director of the camp, at 419-772-2421 or l-laird@onu.edu
College of Engineering 525 South Main Street Ada, Ohio 45810
Camp GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math and Science)
What: A four-day residential engineering, mathematics and science camp Where: Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio When: July 25-28, 2010 Who: Girls entering the seventh or eighth grade in fall 2010 Cost: $295, which includes room, board and educational materials.Transportation to and from camp is not included. Info: Visit campgems.onu.edu or contact Laurie Laird, director of the camp, at 419-772-2421 or l-laird@onu.edu
Upcoming Continuing Professional Development events
• April 22, 2010 at Hull & Associates in Bedford, Ohio • Oct. 8, 2010, at The Inn at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio • Nov. 5-6, 2010, (weekend workshop) at The Inn at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio
If you have questions, are interested in hosting or speaking at an event, or have suggestions for topics, please contact Laurie Laird, director of corporate and alumni relations for the College of Engineering, at 419-772-2421 or l-laird@onu.edu