AME news The annual newsletter serving the students and alumni of the University of Oklahoma School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Altan Named Director
M. Cengiz Altan, an outstanding educator and prolific researcher in the area of composite materials, has been named as the new director of the OU School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He has served as interim director since August 2013. Altan joined the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in 1989 after receiving his doctorate from the University of Delaware. During his 26 years at OU, he has led the Composite Materials Research Group, where he has received more than $7 million in research funding from both public and private sources. His primary research interests are manufacturing, characterization and design of advanced composites and nanocomposites. His research contributions have been widely applied by various research groups and the composites industry worldwide. During his time at OU, Altan has been recognized with a myriad of teaching awards, including the Presidential Professor Award in 2006, the Alumni Teaching Award in 2008 and the Regents’ Award for Superior Teaching in 1998. Altan holds three patents and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and conference proceedings. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has served on the Executive Committee of the International Polymer Processing Society since 2004. With regard to his new position, Altan said, “I am looking forward to serving our students and working with our faculty to elevate our school. We will continue to provide the best educational experience to our students and carry out high-impact, transformational research in a number of key aerospace and mechanical engineering fields.”
2014
In This Issue AME.news Altan Named Director……………………………1 2014 in Review……………………………………...…2 Research at AME…………………………...……...3 AME.people OU in Arezzo…………………………………..……..4 Remembering Rasmussen…………………....5 Student Spotlight………………………………..6-7 AME.updates Outstanding Students and Recent Graduates……………………………….…8 New Faculty…………………………………………….9 Giving Opportunities…………………………..10
Recent Graduate? Don’t forget to inform AME as soon as you find a job! Keeping track of recent graduates’ employment status is a vital part of our accreditation process. E-mail any job-related updates to AME Director, M. Cengiz Altan, at altan@ou.edu or AME Communications Coordinator, Danielle Geier, at dgeier@ou.edu.
Follow AME on Social Media facebook.com/ou.ame @OUAME blogs.ou.edu/ame/
2014 in Review Faculty and Staff
Career Talks With Board of Advisors
Earlier in the fall semester, three AME Board of Advisors members presented Career Talks to current AME students. The presentations focused on resume preparation, internships and securing employment. This two-day event was attended by more than 60 graduate and undergraduate students. Leading the presentations were Dave Bert, chair; Tommy Lear, vice chair; and Matt Green, board member.
New Faces at AME
Faculty
Jivtesh Garg and Yingtao Liu joined AME as assistant professors and Sezin Kadioglu was appointed as a lecturer. New staff hires are Danielle Geier as communications coordinator and Melissa Foster as staff assistant. Hiring plans are still in effect to expand our AME team. (Continued on page 9)
Ongoing Felgar Hall Renovations
Staff
Over the past year, Felgar Hall has undergone a number of renovations. This includes the lecture hall in Felgar 300 and many staff and faculty offices. Several teaching and research laboratories are being remodeled and updated with new equipment.
GSC Going Strong
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M. Cengiz Altan Peter J. Attar Diana Bairaktarova J. David Baldwin Kuang-Hua Chang Rong Zhu Gan Jivtesh Garg S.R. Gollahalli Kurt Gramoll Takumi Hawa Feng C. Lai Yingtao Liu Wilson E. Merchan-Merchan David P. Miller Farrokh Mistree Kumar Parthasarathy Mrinal C. Saha Zahed Siddique Li Song Harold L. Stalford Alfred G. Striz Prakash Vedula Rebecca Norris Office Manager and Assistant to the Director Debbie Mattax Financial Associate Kate O’Brien Student Services Coordinator
The Graduate Student Community at AME built a strong learning community this year. Some of the events they hosted were an international food festival, weekly graduate student seminars and a field trip to Six Flags Over Texas. GSC members plan to grow and organize new events next year.
Melissa Foster Staff Assistant Danielle Geier Communications Coordinator
Shop Personnel Billy Mays Greg Williams
Research at AME Gan Gives Hope to Those With Hearing Loss Rong Zhu Gan, Charles E. Foster Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering, is conducting research that focuses on the exposure to high-intensity sound or blast, which may lead to hearing disability. Gan is studying how the high-intensity sound waves are transmitted through the ear and what specific changes occur in the ear canal and tissue following blast exposure. The U.S. Department of Defense and Army Medical Research and Material Command recently awarded Gan a four-year, $2.5 million grant for the study of the biomechanical modeling and measurement of blast injury and hearing protection mechanisms. The outcome of this research will include new knowledge of blast overpressure distribution through the ear and nonlinearities of the middle ear with development of a biomechanically validated 3D computational model of the ear for defense-related applications.
Song Continues Research on Energy Efficiency Li Song, assistant professor, developed a method to overcome inefficiencies in heating and cooling systems to reduce building operation costs as well as energy consumption significantly. Song’s research has the possibility of reducing energy consumption in a single structure by as much as 20 percent. Similarly, she has applied the energy monitoring, fault detection and diagnosis manually in the past 10 years. Now, Song’s research has grown beyond the corporate sector and will focus on government buildings, starting at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City. The U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded her research team a three-year, $1 million contract to increase building efficiencies at military installments. Song and her team seek to enable the technology to be adopted across the DoD.
More Research To learn more about our faculty and their research, please visit the AME Blog. The blog is continually updated with the latest news, research and events at AME. Visit blogs.ou.edu/ame.
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OU in Arezzo With Professor Striz
Italian cooking. “The Arezzo teaching experience forced me to better communicate complex ideas to my students, and to utilize examples and experiential learning for improved understanding,” said Striz. “It was exciting to be able to tie all of the covered topics in with the surrounding architecture, history and culture all over Italy.” In Arezzo as a local, Striz was able to experience and attend many events throughout the year, including the annual wine and olive harvests, as well as many food and antique markets and the Giostra Striz teaching in Rome. del Saracino, a reenactment of a Renaissance In the 2011 academic year, Alfred Striz, professor, jousting competition. He also was able to enjoy the had the opportunity to become the first OU Faculty- culture with family. “My favorite time of the stay was in-Residence at the Tuscan branch campus in Arezzo, when all of Arezzo was covered in a powdery white Italy, the university’s first permanent presence snow from an early winter storm with my daughter overseas. At OU in Arezzo, students take OU courses visiting for the holidays just before Christmas,” taught by OU professors. he said. The cost per semester During his stay, Striz is comparable to that of traveled throughout Italy OU’s tuition. Professors to Florence, Rome, Assisi, and students who study in Siena, Ravenna, Bologna, Arezzo live in universityPisa and also back to his owned apartments or hometown in Bavaria, homestays. visiting such sites as the Striz is from a small town Colosseum, Fontana di in the Bavarian Alps near Trevi and Poppi Castle, to Munich, Germany. He came name a few. to the United States on a The Colosseum in Rome “My favorite part of the Fulbright Scholarship in 1975 experience abroad was becoming totally immersed to study aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue in the culture of a country to which I had always felt University, receiving his bachelor of science, master strong ties since my great-grandfather came from a of science and doctoral degrees. In 1981, he moved small town near Ancona, Italy. Teaching abroad made to Norman to begin his professional career at OU’s it possible for me to instill this love for a beautiful School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. country with wonderful history and culture into the In addition to working in academia, Striz spent many students during our stay.” summers performing research and development at such organizations as General Motors Tech Center in Warren, Michigan; the Air Force Research Lab in Dayton, Ohio; and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. While in Arezzo for eight months, Striz taught courses not normally expected of an engineering professor, including Ancient Warfare, Early Italian Music and Structures for Non-Engineers. He also had ample opportunity to learn about art history, sing Gregorian chants in a local choir, experience the other side of the brain in his mostly non-engineering Florence, Italy students, absorb the Italian language and practice AME • 4
Rasmussen Remembered at AME The AME family lost one of awards, including the David its valuable members, Maurie Ross Boyd Distinguished Rasmussen, in November 2013. Professorship in 1988. He Rasmussen obtained his bachelor also held the first L.A. Comp of science degree in mechanical Chair Professorship in 1994. engineering in 1957 and a He was active in the American master of science degree in Institute of Aeronautics and aeronautical engineering in 1959 Astronautics, serving in several from Oregon State University. He leadership positions, including completed his doctoral program treasurer, and also sat on in aeronautics and astronautics many committees. Rasmussen at Stanford University in 1967. was an Associate Fellow of Rasmussen joined the AME AIAA and a member of the faculty in 1967, where he taught American Society of Mechanical and conducted research until Engineers. Rasmussen served his retirement in 1998 as a David as a mentor to a number Ross Boyd Professor Emertius. of students and colleagues at AME, even after Rasmussen was internationally known for his retirement. Rasmussen was a ranked, self-taught research on compressible and supersonic flow and tennis player and who made many friends on campus his waverider design for hypersonic transport. The playing the sport. waverider, which appears to be riding on a shock Rasmussen remained a staunch supporter of wave attached to it, is a AME. A scholarship blended lifting body that was created in his name is formed with a highfollowing his retirement, pressure compression and continues on today. surface bounded by an Many of Rasmussen’s attached shock wave and friends and family a low-pressure surface. donated to the Rasmussen’s monograph on scholarship in honor of hypersonic flow, published his passing. The twinkle in 1994, and is considered a in his eyes, his sense prominent book in the field, of humor, the deadpan with exhaustive coverage delivery of his witticisms of shock-wave/boundary and his insightful Rassmussen with his book Hypersonic Flow in 1994. layer interactions and comments will be sorely unique descriptions of waveriders. Featuring many missed in addition to his friendship, teaching and examples and problems, it can be used as a textbook research contributions. for a course on hypersonic flow. Rasmussen was a Donations co-author of another book, Advanced Engineering Analysis, which has been used in graduate courses To make a contribution to the Maurie Rasmussen Scholarship at many institutions. Over the years, Rasmussen fund, please send a check payable to The University of developed several mathematical mnemonics, such Oklahoma Foundation with Rasmussen Scholarship on the memo line. Mail to the School of Aerospace and Mechanical as integral dcabin/cabin was log cabin. He did not Engineering, 865 Asp Avenue, Norman, OK 73019-0390. hesitate to speak his mind or take action when the Gifts to this scholarship can also be made online. Contact situation demanded it. Debbie Mattax for more information at dmattax@ou.edu. Rasmussen was a considered a superb professor by many and was recognized with a number of AME • 5
Student Spotlight Dan Carlton, a junior in aerospace engineering, has accomplished much during his time at AME as well as before attending the university. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Society of Naval Engineers, Dean’s Leadership Club and the Naval ROTC. He has been named to the Dean’s Honor Roll, President’s Honor Roll and Engineering Dean’s Honor Roll multiple times while at OU. Through the Naval ROTC, he has received academic and performance awards every semester as a top-tier student while serving as a logistics/supply officer. In spring 2014, Carlton was honored with the Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Geospatial Workforce Development Research Award. With a portion of the award money, he was able to visit the Marshall Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Outside of school, Carlton earned his private pilot license in 2011 and has logged over 100 flight hours. He also has completed experimental aviation on an RV-7A homebuilt aircraft, on which he completed the empennage and wings and is now constructing the fuselage. With this experience, Carlton acquired modest aerospace manufacturing knowledge and skills, such as metal cutting, riveting, precise measurements, problem solving and trouble-shooting. Carlton also has volunteered at local schools as a tutor for at-risk teens in high school. Last summer Carlton was selected to participate in the Transatlantic Program for Young Technology Leaders Aerospace Delegation trip to Germany. The TAP-YTL foundation is a program sponsored through the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest. The program serves to promote an understanding and appreciation of technical fields in Germany. During this delegation trip, Carlton was part of a team of 12 people from various parts of the country. The delegation visited Berlin, Hamburg, Brunswick, Ingolstadt and Munich, including stops at the Goethe German Cultural Institute, Big Aircraft and Engine Manufacturers’ Technical University and material manufacturers and research centers. They also toured facilities belonging to Airbus, Rolls Royce and Muto Engines, giving the delegation an inside look into current engineering challenges, manufacturing woes and business strategies within the industry. Regarding the TAP-YTL trip, Carlton learned a great deal. “Thanks to this program, I have an understanding of the dynamics of the engineering industry outside of the United States. I cannot thank the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma enough for providing me the opportunity to go on this trip.”
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Jeremy Smith is a first-year graduate student pursuing his master of science degree in mechanical engineering. He completed his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering cum laude in May 2014 at OU. He said attending graduate school was an obvious next step for him. “I decided to attend graduate school because I love the environment. The free exchange of ideas is liberating. The AME faculty are very passionate about their concentrations, as it’s their life’s work; just ask them!” Smith was on the College of Engineering Dean’s Honor Roll every semester during his undergraduate studies and also was the recipient of many scholarships. Smith presented Design and Modeling of a Martian Rover Leg to Assist Sandy Slope Traverse at two conferences last spring. His interest and knowledge of the design and modeling of a Martian Rover Leg led to his master’s thesis topic: a passive actuation system to assist sandy slope traversal, which he is now developing. Smith also has an impressive list of extracurricular activities. He was the chair of the AME Student Advisory Council, president of Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, president of the Oklahoma Energy Club and mechanical lead of the OU Solar Racing Team. During Smith’s time at OU, he has held several positions on the Sooner Off-Road Team, including chief engineer and powertrain lead. As powertrain lead, he successfully designed a powertrain, which earned a first-place finish in the Acceleration Dynamic Event in Auburn, Alabama. He also mastered advanced machining techniques, such as CNC machining utilizing G-Code and MasterCam. As chief engineer, Smith oversaw design changes of the whole team. He also led an effort to test the vehicle by implementing data-acquisition systems and instrumentation. Smith hopes to continue his education beyond a master’s degree. “I plan to earn my Ph.D. I really am enamored with learning. I would like to become a professor someday, as I think I would make a good one.”
Lauren Reiners, a senior in mechanical engineering, has exemplified herself as a dedicated engineering student throughout the course of her academic career. During her OU career, Reiners has received numerous honors, including inclusion on the College of Engineering Dean’s Honor Roll and President’s Honor Roll and designation as a Chesapeake Scholar. She has been awarded multiple scholarships and was named Outstanding Junior in Mechanical Engineering. Reiners is active in several organizations, including president of the Dean’s Leadership Council, secretary of Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society and Chi Omega Sorority. She works as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the freshman engineering orientation class for Associate Dean John Antonio. Reiners knew AME would offer a great education, but she was unsure of what to expect in the beginning. “After just a short time at AME, my expectations were to gain the necessary skills to become a well-rounded mechanical engineering major,” she said. “I think the professors at AME have done a great job in fostering my creativity and providing me with the skills to succeed.” Reiners also has gained significant engineering experience during her time at AME. She has completed multiple summer internships with such companies as Cronus Technology Inc., Shell Oil Co. and Chevron. In summer 2014, Reiners worked for Chevron as a subsea facilities engineer intern in Houston, where she performed fluid dynamics analyses, gas breakout analyses and conducted an analysis for bearing capacity of a subsea mudmat. After graduation in May 2015, Reiners plans to move to Houston and join Chevron as a full-time facilities engineer in the subsea unit. In the next five years, Reiners hopes to work on major capital projects within Chevron in the Gulf of Mexico or internationally. She also hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a master of business administration degree to assist in her ultimate goal of becoming a project manager. Regarding her time at AME, Reiners said, “I have really enjoyed the relationships between the faculty and the students at AME. The professors take the time to get to know the students and help them grow as engineers.”
Oluwaseyi “Seyi” Ogunsola began his journey as a graduate student seeking his doctorate degree in mechanical engineering in fall 2011. He currently is a teaching assistant for Air-Conditioning Systems while working on his doctorate. Ogunsola’s Ph.D. topic is Development of System-Wide Methodologies for Optimization of Building Electricity Demand and Use. As if graduate school isn’t challenging enough, Ogunsola and his wife, Oyedolapo, welcomed a daughter, Mirabelle, in spring 2012. Ogunsola’s wife and daughter moved to the United Kingdom in order for Oyedolapo to finish her doctorate leaving Ogunsola in Norman to finish his. As a result of his dedication to school and excellence in research, he garnered numerous scholarships and sponsorships, including British Petroleum Fellowship, ASHRAE Oklahoma City Community Foundation Scholarship and Graduate College International Travel Scholarship. The various awards have allowed Ogunsola to publish many of his research findings in journals, and he recently presented his findings at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition in Montreal, Canada. Ogunsola also has developed and validated simplified thermal models for real-time estimation of building load for HVAC system control purposes, equipment sizing and for energy savings opportunities. Ogunsola is active in several student organizations, including AME Graduate Student Community, for which he serves as chair. Under Ogunsola’s leadership and the help of the GSC leadership team, several initiatives have been implemented with great success, including the first-ever field trip to Six Flags Over Texas, a weekly seminar series and an international food festival. Ogunsola also is the president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, which has experienced a swell in its membership ranks this year. “My experience at AME is a lot more than the degree I am studying,” he said. “I have been surrounded by wonderful students, faculty and staff who continually bring out the best in me. I have met people from diverse cultures, I became a leader, learned how to multi-task, made friends, developed research ideas, improved presentation skills and became a better person.” He hopes to become a professor and become a noted novelist in academia and industry. AME • 7
Outstanding Students 2013-2014
Recent Graduates Spring 2014 B.S. Mechanical Engineering Preseta S. Anderson Phillip A. Baker Kyle H. Barry Millie E. Bigler Brandon T. Boos Charles P. Branch Scott R. Bransford Steven N. Brunk Christopher X. Calvillo Matthew P. Cohagan Davis A. Crane Michael J. Demas Randall L. Douty John P. Downs Chandler L. Eidson Julian Elder Alec N. Fraser Chelsea E. Galliart Garret R. Gann Weston G. Hamric Erin E. Hillis Justin K. Hinsdale Blake P. Holland Thomas P. Holland Kevin A. Howell Keith A. Hoza
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Cody L. Huckabaa Edward A. Johnson Brandon L. Kolar Kegan W. Leckness Abraham M. Liongco Benjamin K. Lobaugh Bradley D. Mallinson Alanna M. Maly Michael S. Manigold Joe M. Martin Andrew J. Miller Eli Natividad Forrest R. Nell Matthew T. Oesterle Berit M. Pearcy Eric S. Pyle Nathan D. Sheppard Wade E. Sheppard Timothy M. Sisney Gavin E. Starr Christopher R. Stephens Larry S. Streitmatter Alan D. Tompkins Ethan T. Van Meter Aubrey M. Willis Preston L. Wood Lauren R. Woodbury Christopher J. Foster
Outstanding Students are selected by the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Committee every academic year based on academic excellence, leadership and campus involvement. The Outstanding Students for 2013-2014 are (front to back, left to right) Ann Marie Berryhill, Outstanding Sophomore in Mechanical Engineering; Xinyu Sun, Outstanding Junior in Aerospace Engineering; Michael Petri, Oustanding Senior in Mechanical Engineering; Lauren Reiners, Outstanding Junior in Mechanical Engineering; Alexander Spens, Outstanding Sophomore in Aerospace Engineering; and Aaron Allred, Outstanding Sophomore in Aerospace Engineering. Not pictured: Andrew Rangtisch, Outstanding Senior in Aerospace Engineering.
Kyle P. O’Connor Alexander W. Thoman Sergio A. Zegarra Cabello Michael R. Petri Jeremy Smith B.S. Aerospace Engineering Elizabeth A. Andrew Jawanza N. Bassue Robyn L. Birch John G. Curley Thomas P. Holland Kyle P. Jackson Joseph L. Kidwell Edward B. Poole Andrew J. Rangitsch Daniel H. Sawyer Waylon D. Scheller Lane A. Todd David G. Wilcox M.S. Mechanical Engineering Dustin Baker Boe Green Kaarthik Thangamani John Harrison Jonathan Meyer Jared Wilson
M.S. Aerospace Engineering Christopher Erickson Christopher Valentas Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering Moien Farmahini Junfeng Liang Yunxiang Wang Summer 2014 Graduates B.S. Mechanical Engineering Ibrahim Alali Sean Bradford Kyle Chancey Collin Myers Yicheng Zhang B.S. Aerospace Engineering Mark Olima M.S. Mechanical Engineering Wesley Thomas M.S. Aerospace Engineering Youngho Kang
Congratulations, Graduates!
AME Welcomes New Faculty Jivtesh Garg, assistant professor, earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology in 2011. He currently is teaching AME 5573 Advanced Engineering Analysis. His research interests are in first-principles prediction of transport properties of materials, thermoelectrics, coupled conduction and radiation heat transfer across nanoscale gaps and thermal properties and rheoloy of nanofluids. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Materials Research Society. The excellent research being conducted by the AME team in the field of nanostructured composite materials for applications ranging from energy to mechanical properties is just one reason Garg joined the faculty here.
Yingtao Liu, assistant professor, received his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University in 2012. Liu currently is teaching AME 2113 Statics. His research will focus on developing novel multifunctional nanocomposites and smart sensor systems, which can be potentially integrated within the next generation’s structural health management systems to improve structural safety and reduce life-cycle maintenance costs. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Society of Photonics Engineers. Liu looks forward to the collaborative work environment and outstanding faculty, staff and students at AME and joining a team full of “A” players while having the opporunity to serve as a scholar.
New Faces
Sezin Kadioglu Lecturer
Danielle Geier Communications Coordinator
Melissa Foster Staff Assistant AME • 9
Giving Opportunities Are you interested in making a donation to the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering? To contribute, visit www.ame.ou.edu. Funding Priorities Student Support: -Fellowships for graduate and undergraduate students: $250,000 Program Support: -AME Machine Shop and CAD Lab enhancements: $250,000 Facility Enhancements: -Renovations of Experimental Laboratories: $600,000
The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering is home to more than 800 undergraduate students, 60 graduate students and more than 20 faculty members. We are pleased that our programs have continued to attract highly qualified students and have grown considerably over the past several years. The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering has the highest number of students and graduates nearly 30 percent of all engineers within the College of Engineering. To ensure AME students have the facilities, programs and teaching excellence needed to have a succeessful career, the school must secure strategic resources to recruit, retain and graduate the very best. For questions or more information, please contact Jill Hughes, Executive Director of Development, 405-325-5217 or jillq@ou.edu.
865 Asp Avenue Norman, OK 73019-0390
The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo • This publication was prepared at no cost to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma.