Ingenuity Magazine 2009

F R I T Z J. A N D D O L O R E S H . R U S S C O L L E G E O F E N G I N E E R I N G A N D T E C H N O L O G Y

is published annually by the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology at Ohio University. Share your comments or questions by contacting us at ingenuity@ohio.edu or 740.593.1488.

Editor/Writer Colleen Carow, M.B.A. ’05, M.A. ’97, B.S.J. ’93, director of external relations Assistants Spencer Elliot, M.S.J. ’09 Photographers Kevin Riddell Rick Fatica

Institutional Equity Statement It is the policy of Ohio University that there shall be no discrimination against any individual in educational or employment opportunities because of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, gender identity or expression, mental or physical disability, or veteran status. Ohio University is an affirmative action institution. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President and Provost, Office for Institutional Equity, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, Telephone: 740.593.2620.

©2009 Ohio University.

All rights reserved.

UCM#0721-15.8M

FEATURES

Russ College Research Paves Path to a Better Highway ...... 8

First-year Engineering Courses Engage Students .... 19

From the Ivory Tower to a Ship in the Desert .... 18

DEPARTMENTS From the Dean’s Desk ....................................... 2

President’s Perspective ....................................... 7

Faculty and Staff Awards ..................................... 14

New Hires/Retirees ..................................... 21

Student Achievements ....................................... 4

Selected External Research Awards ..................................... 10

Giving to the Russ College ..................................... 15

Class Notes ..................................... 22

Research Spotlight ..................................... 12

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments ..................................... 20

Student Life: Aviation Competition ....................................... 6

Cooperative Education Report ..................................... 24

From the Board ..................................... 13

1.

FROM THE DEAN’S DESK

Dean Dennis Irwin

Dear alumni and friends:

the initial presentation that I presented to the chancellor

I

last spring – it was the chance for us to make our case for ngenuity is going into the design phase at a very

the Russ College as a leader in this area. For details, see

exciting time for the Russ College and Ohio

President McDavis’s column on page 7.

University: Governor Ted Strickland and Board

of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut just announced that Ohio University will be the state of Ohio’s Center of Excellence in energy and the environment. It’s a designation that recognizes our reputation for energy and pollution research, as well as great job creation potential.

Last year at this time, we were hosting U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson as he announced $4 million in federal appropriations for two Russ College projects: Gerri Botte’s diesel alternative, and Khairul Alam’s work with several aerospace industry leaders on the next generation of lightweight heat exchangers for airplanes and spacecraft.

The Russ College is proud to be working with faculty and staff across the University on the production and delivery of energy and fuels, and the monitoring and control of the air and water pollution that results from fuel production.

Our centers in coal research and air quality, and our newly created Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research, are all involved. I’d like to commend Ohio Coal Research Center Director Dave Bayless for his work on developing

All of this influential work has contributed to a significant accomplishment. I’m thrilled to share that Russ College external research awards reached $20.4 million in fiscal year 2009—more than an $8 million gain over 2008.

Again, see more details in the President’s Perspective column.

In other research news, last fall we celebrated the independence of the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology with a “note-burning” ceremony to commemorate the retirement of the facility’s debt.

Research at the institute has grown from $223,000 in 2002 to more than $2.2 million in 2009.

Energy and the environment is a focus area identified by an external working group that President McDavis and I convened to advise on how to allocate the transformational Russ gift in years to come. Comprising engineering and technology leaders, the group met in

Chuck Stuckey, B.S.M.E. ’66, HON ’05, talks with senior mechanical engineering major Nick Vargo, a Charles and Marilyn Stuckey Scholar.

2.

August to carefully review the Russ College’s long-range

plan. Read more in the editorial from Russ College Board of Visitors Chair Debbie Burke, B.S.Ch.E. ’85, on page 13.

Our students are making their mark as well. Two mechanical engineering senior design teams won national awards—one of them first place—in the National Institute for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation and Design.

Their projects make the workplace more accessible and comfortable for the disabled, a contribution about which we can all be proud.

And the Engineering Ambassadors, our select group of students who help recruit prospective students and who host distinguished guests, have started a blog in order to connect in a more personal way with prospective students.

Sharing their activities, accomplishments, and challenges both in and out of the classroom, the Ambassadors share first-hand what it’s like to study engineering and technology at Ohio University today. Visit it at www.ohio.edu/engineering/ambassadors/blog/.

The Russ College has taken another plunge into social media with a Twitter account at twitter.com/russcollege/.

Associate Professor Gerri Botte demonstrates ammonia electrolysis to U.S. Representative Charlie Wilson.

Follow us to see what’s news, and feel free to share your feedback.

But perhaps most exciting right now is that just about the time you receive Ingenuity, Russ College faculty, staff, and students will be collaborating in new ways in the Academic & Research Center, the new 100,000-square-foot classroom and research facility originally envisioned several years ago and jump-started with a lead gift from Chuck Stuckey, B.S.M.E. ’66, HON ’05, and his wife Marilyn.

Most of our classrooms have moved into the new building, which is shared with the College of Osteopathic Medicine and thereby will create dynamic opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and clinicians to engage in new ways of learning and working. Don’t miss the photo feature on pages 16 – 17.

We were honored to host Chuck this fall at our annual first-year student welcome event, where he greeted the first class that will spend its Russ College years learning in the building he helped make a reality. At the event, the students met faculty and peers, and also learned about the

Dean Irwin talks with Beijing native and senior industrial and systems engineering major Yanyan Shen at the annual scholarship luncheon.

Russ College’s commitment to academic integrity.

Until then, keep an eye on our Twitter page for more about the ARC and our grand opening on Saturday, May 8. All of us at the Russ College wish you a happy and prosperous new year filled with tweets about our accomplishments!

3.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

soaring high

(L – R): Mechanical engineering senior design students Daniel Stockton, Dan Held, Nick Stewart, Grant Honroth, Ryan Lynch, and Chris Dodd with the tricycle they designed to be easy to pedal through different gradients and carry baked goods in its drawers.

Team Lean on ME, comprising mechanical engineering seniors

First place in the Intercollegiate Asphalt Mix and Design

Thomas Burke, Brady Doudna, Matt Hinssen, Chuck Lampp,

Competition went to the Russ College’s civil engineering

Luke Lindsey, Adam McNally, and Jeremy Spivack, won first

students, the third time Ohio University has won the

place in the National Institute for the Severely Handicapped

competition in as many years.

(NISH) National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation and Design, a national competition intended to enhance

The Russ College Engineering Ambassadors began

employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, with

a regularly-updated blog, allowing prospective students

their design of a jig to assist in the assembly of pop nozzles.

an inside look at the daily lives of engineering majors at

Team Chaos Theory, comprising Ryan Lynch, Chris Dodd,

Ohio University. Read it at www.ohio.edu/engineering/

Nick Stewart, Grant Honroth, Dan Stockton, and Dan Held,

ambassadors/blog/.

was awarded an honorable mention for the design of an adult tricycle for a Logan, Ohio, woman with arthritis.

Two junior chemical and biomolecular engineering majors, Courtney Abram and Jocelyn Marshall, won Ohio University

The Ohio University chapter of Epsilon Pi Tau won the honor

Student Enhancement Awards to travel to Brazil in December

society’s Region 3 Outstanding Chapter Award for the fourth

to work with Leonardo Nimrichter of the Universidade

time in five years for the group’s accomplishments.

Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Abram and Marshall will continue their research project on biophysical/biochemical characterization of cancer cell glycosphingolipids.

4.

Mechanical engineering senior

Anthony Schwartz, B.S.E.E. ’07, M.S. ’09, received an

Bryan Crosby was admitted into

internship from Interthyr Corporation to study in Chieti,

the Nuclear Propulsion Officer

Italy, where he demonstrated the potential of the anti-cancer

Candidate Program, one of 35

drug phenylmethimazole to have therapeutic applications in

this year who will be trained in

diabetes. Schwartz also contributed to a U.S. patent application

nuclear carrier operations in this

regarding methods and compositions for the treatment of

highly selective United States Navy Officer Candidate School (OCS) training program.

Bryan Crosby works on a circuit in an electrical engineering lab.

melanoma, breast, prostate, colon, papillary thyroid, and pancreatic cancer with faculty members Doug Goetz, Leonard Kohn, Kelly McCall, Frank Schwartz, and Ramiro Malgor.

Lauren Logan, a senior electrical engineering major, was

Twenty-six Russ College students were among the 135 Ohio

awarded a nationally competitive scholarship from the

University students to win awards at the 8th Annual Student

engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi worth $2,000.

Research and Creative Activity Fair in May. More than 600

Sponsored by the nation’s second-oldest honor society, the

undergraduate, graduate and medical students and post-

scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement, campus

doctoral fellows presented their original work at the event. The

leadership, service, and promise of future contributions to the

winners were:

engineering professions. Logan was one of 428 applicants.

• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Session 1) 1st: Damilola Daramola; 2nd: Becky King

Jocelyn Marshall, a junior chemical and biomolecular

• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Session 2)

engineering major, won a $1,020 award from the

1st: Roberto Marin, Susmitha Gopu; 2nd: Karissa Luers;

Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fund for her project

2nd: Andrew Szink, Jeff Cannon, Patrick Fahey, and

“Characterization of Glycolipid-Mediated Adhesion of

Scott Hunter

Cancer Cells to the Blood Vessel Wall.”

• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Session 3) 1st: Jiabin Han; 2nd: Dake Xu • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Session 1) 1st: William Young; 2nd: Scott Nykl, Chad Mourning • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Session 2) 1st: Heath Honaker, Jason Markijohn, Kiel Diller, Rick Bond; 2nd: Priyanka Muvvala • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Session 3) 1st (tie): Lauren Logan, Jordan Sevcik, Theodore

Finished with the spring polishing of “the bent,” Tau Beta Pi members gather in front of Stocker Center. The statue represents a watch key in the shape of the bent of a trestle, the load-bearing part of a bridge, and symbolizes the oldest engineering honor society’s principle of integrity and excellence in engineering.

Hollingsworth, Randy Morris • Engineering 1st: Josh Kranyik and Aaron Hill; 2nd: Tripura Vadlamani

5.

STUDENT LIFE

Aviation junior spreads wings during competitive FAA internship

By Erin Derosa

The vice president of the student chapter of Women in Aviation, International, Erin also has participated on Women’s Crew and as vice president of the student chapter of Amnesty International for two years. On top of all that, she works at Baker University Center. After graduation, she’s aiming for a job at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., or with the National Transportation Safety Board in airport management.

W

hen I received the call from The Washington Center, which specializes in government internships and scholarships, offering me an internship with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), I had no idea what to expect. I packed my things up one day after spring quarter classes ended and headed for the North Las Vegas Air Traffic Control Tower (VGT) in Las Vegas.

I’ll never forget my helicopter ride with the Las Vegas Police Department. The goal was to orient me with the surroundings so I could recognize the layout of the area on the radar screen. Many of the controllers I worked with had gone up for the same reason. Flying through the entire valley provided an impressive view of the strip and the mountains.

I had moved across the country to live alone, with no friends or family in the area. At the beginning, all I could think was, “You couldn’t pay me enough money to sit in this desert one second longer!” I wasn’t sure if I had put enough thought into the entire experience.

I was fortunate to gain the perspective of controllers at a small facility like VGT, where I spent most of my time, and a very busy, large airport such as McCarran International Airport. When I was lucky enough to visit McCarran, I got to listen to important conference calls, discuss airspace problems, and listen to the tower operations in the tower cab and also the TRACON (air traffic control facility).

However, throughout the summer, Vegas grew on me. I developed a great sense of independence and freedom. I got to work with air traffic controllers during both their shifts in the tower and in administrative offices. I wasn’t allowed to talk directly to pilots, but I learned from listening to the controllers’ interactions with them. I was allowed to ask questions about airspace and sequencing airplanes, which helped me understand the phraseology of the controllers.

6.

I value the experience and knowledge I gained over last summer. I learned so much more about aviation and managing people than I ever could have in a classroom. If I could do the entire thing over again, I would without a doubt.

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis

Engineering the Future Russ College role in energy, environmental initiatives a key part of OHIO’s centers of excellence

D

uring the last year, Ohio University, along with the other public universities in the state, engaged in a process to identify its centers of excellence. This process, which was requested by Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut, is one part of the University System of Ohio’s strategic plan. The plan aims to raise the national profile of its higher education institutions, prioritize resources, and better meet student needs.

We identified three proposed centers of excellence at Ohio University for submission to the Ohio Board of Regents. Each has synergies with Vision Ohio, our comprehensive strategic plan. Each program enjoys sustained academic excellence that can be benchmarked nationally or internationally. Financial indicators and capital projects further informed our decision.

In October, Gov. Ted Strickland and Chancellor Fingerhut named Ohio University as one of nine Centers of Excellence in Energy and the Environment. The inclusion of Ohio University as one of the state’s Centers of Excellence in Energy and the Environment speaks to the research and scholarship achieved by our outstanding faculty and staff. Gov. Strickland and Chancellor Fingerhut recognize the talent, creativity and scholarship of Ohio University faculty on important issues focused on energy and the environment.

The Russ College of Engineering and Technology is integral in our energy and the environment work, which includes more than 30 faculty and researchers from the college as well as the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health and

Vice President for Research and Creative Activity, and Dean of the Graduate College Rathindra Bose (R), with (L-R) Central State University President John Garland, Governor Ted Strickland, and Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut at the center of excellence announcement in October.

Human Services, and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. Current research focuses on the production and delivery of energy and fuels, as well as the monitoring and control of the air and water pollution that results from fuel production.

These researchers have received more than $28 million in total external funding for fiscal years 2004 through 2008. To date, Ohio University has submitted 38 invention disclosures, 96 patent applications, and nine patents related to energy and the environment – generating $745,000 in royalty fees from energy-related technologies since 2005.

In 2006, energy and the environment was found to be among Ohio University’s significant research strengths, according to a study of institution-based research core competencies commissioned by the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of Development.

Ohio University stands as the first university in the state to recognize the need to integrate the multidisciplinary work of energy and its related environmental impacts through the establishment of the Consortium for Energy, Economics and the Environment (CE3) in 2005. Just this fall, the Gov. Strickland recognized the work of CE3 and the Russ College, in collaboration with the university’s Voinovich School, with a one-time discretionary grant of $100,000 to support energy efficiency and renewable energy services.

In addition, the university is located in the heart of Ohio’s coal and oil fields, and the Ohio River Valley is home to nearly 40 percent of the nation’s coal-generated electricity. The Russ College’s Center for Air Quality, Ohio Coal Research Center, and newly formed Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research Center are all key to these crucial research efforts.

The Russ College also deserves recognition for its external research awards garnered in fiscal year 2009, which helped bring the university’s total to $67.7 million. Awards to the Russ College reached more than $20 million, a 68 percent increase. In fact, The Ohio Coal Research Center enjoyed an increase of $6 million, thanks in large part to the Ohio Research Scholars program, which will bring to the Russ College an eminent scholar in coal syngas utilization. We believe that the work of the faculty and staff in the Russ College is significantly helping to enhance the university’s national prominence.

7.

RESEARCH FEATURE

Russ Research Paves Path to a Better Highway

By Colleen Carow

ORITE engineers save state millions over five years you lined up a dollar bill for every one that researchers at the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE) saved the state of Ohio over five years, you’d almost be able to drive from Chicago to L.A. on Route 66.

ORITE engineers found that a material that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) used to build new roads in the state wasn’t improving pavement performance as expected—and was actually making it worse in some spots. Based on those studies, ODOT in 2001 stopped using a particular material in road bases, which are sandwiched between the asphalt or concrete pavement and the ground below.

The move by ODOT translates to an estimated $22 million saved on pavement construction in Ohio from 2002–2007. Line up those dollars and they reach 2,132 miles—just a bit short of Route 66’s original length of 2,448 miles.

Shad Sargand, professor of civil engineering at the Russ College and associate director of ORITE, said that at the time, ORITE’s recommendation to quit using the material—called free-draining base (FDB)—flew in the face of popular opinion.

“Our research allowed Ohio to be ahead of the curve during a time when there was widespread pressure to use them in road construction,” he said.

ODOT Pavement Engineer Roger Green affirmed, saying that FDBs were recommended as recently as 2001 by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP).

“ORITE was one of the first research projects to question the cost effectiveness of the FDB,” he added.

8.

Beyond those millions in savings, Sargand said taxpayers will continue to benefit from the hidden savings of reduced road repair costs and resultant traffic delays.

In order to measure stress caused by loads of passing cars and trucks, Research Engineer Sam Khoury installs strain gauges at the bottom of the fatigue resistance layer of the perpetual pavement on WAY- 30 in Wooster, Ohio.

Cracks and ruts in the road can come from excessive moisture that causes the ground, or subgrade soil, to soften and sink under traffic loads. FDBs are used to move water off the roadway as quickly as possible—up to 25 times as fast as a standard base, according to Green.

ORITE’s studies, however, found that FDBs didn’t, in fact, increase pavement performance when compared with standard bases.

ORITE analyzed roadways around Ohio—including S.R. 2 in Vermillion, U.S. 33 in Bellefontaine, and U.S. 50 near Athens—and found that FDB had no effect on keeping the soil underneath the pavement dry.

ORITE also led a collaboration of Case Western Reserve University, the University of Toledo, and Ohio State University in a project on U.S. 23 in Delaware that reached similar conclusions.

Engineers learned that existing base materials could drain the water effectively, but a significant amount of water was already present from the water table—so ORITE Research Technician Mike Krumlauf (L) and Research Engineer Issam Khoury (R) install strain gages on Asphalt Concrete pavement on WAY-30 in Wooster, Ohio.

Greene added that nondestructive testing techniques reduce the need to sample and test material from the pavement. “This allows us to test more sites, which leads to more confidence in our conclusions,” he said.

Used for in-situ “recycling” of existing concrete pavement, a rubblizing machine breaks up old concrete on I-86 in Anglica, New York, for use as a base before new pavement is placed on top.

the FDB didn’t prevent moisture. In addition, ORITE learned that FDB can be porous, thus creating potential instability, or, it could be very stiff, making it difficult to put concrete pavement on top.

Recent studies, including reports by the NCHRP and the American Concrete Pavement Association, have confirmed ORITE’s findings.

The savings generated by ORITE research come at an opportune time for Ohio: The Ohio Department of Transportation is projected to see budget shortfalls for projects in the billions of dollars for the next five years, according to the state agency’s estimates. Meanwhile, Ohio is ranked fifth nationally in interstate road length and seventh in total public road length in the United States.

“Once again, the rest of the nation is catching up,” Green noted.

Drivers, start your engines.

Being able to separate road components and analyze them individually was key to ORITE’s research.

According to Sargand, advanced monitoring and sensor technology now enables researchers to isolate parts of a roadway to measure environmental factors and pavement response.

“In the old days, you couldn’t single out each component. Now, with advanced technology, we’re capable of looking at the contribution of each,” he said.

“We came to the conclusion that when you‘re designing a base, you don‘t focus only on drainage.”

ORITE Operations Manager Mike Krumlauf and students Bob Heady, B.S.C.E. ’06, and Kris Ruggles, B.S.C.E. ’06, take asphalt core samples from ORITE’s WAY-30 perpetual pavement project in Wooster, Ohio.

9.

RESEARCH

Selected External

Research Awards For 2008-2009, the Russ College reported $20.4 million in research and sponsored programs – an increase of 68 percent over the prior year. The top 10 awards, also including one award from each department and research unit, are:

$4,978,462 Ohio Department of Development

$714,000 General Electric Corporation

Ohio Coal Research Center

Center for Advanced Software Systems Integration

Ohio Research Scholars Eminent Scholar • Create an eminent scholar position in coal syngas utilization, as part of the Ohio Research Scholars Program

$1,186,066 Federal Aviation Administration Avionics Engineering Research Center FAA Navigation and Landing Systems • Provide navigation and landing support for ground-based navigational aids

$984,000 U.S. Dept. of Energy

Ohio Coal Research Center Ohio Biorefinery Project • Create an advanced utility-scale biorefinery—powered by renewable fuels—at the Ohio University Lancaster campus, for the continuous production of transportation fuels such as biodiesel, biogasoline, and ethanol

Cost Model Development and Enhancements • Develop and improve methods for estimating manufacturing costs in a variety of GE businesses, including jet engines, gas turbines, and wind turbines, to evaluate costs of new product designs

$560,756 Federal Aviation Administration Avionics Engineering Research Center FAA Navigation and Landing Systems • Develop, support, and evaluate distance-measuring equipment for aircraft navigation

$554,192 U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Avionics Engineering Research Center Automated Aerial Refueling • Analyze navigational performance requirements for the automated refueling of unmanned aerial vehicles in flight

$783,870 Ohio Department of Development

$499,711 NASA

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Avionics Engineering Research Center

Third Frontier: A Facility for the Development and Commercialization of an Ammonia Integrated Power System • To establish the Center for Electrochemical Engineering and Research to pursue alternative energy work on hydrogen production, ammonia fuel cells, and wastewater remediation

Design, Development, Verification, and Validation of an Integrated Alerting and Notification Function for an Intelligent Integrated Flight Deck • Design and prototype a system that detects and assesses external and internal threats to an aircraft and alerts and notifies the flight crew via a single integrated alerting and notification function

$698,068 Federal Aviation Administration

$418,985 Petronas

Avionics Engineering Research Center

Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology

System Engineering Support for FAA Flight Standards Office of Flight Inspection • Determine flight inspection standards for local area augmentation GPS systems and airport surveillance and detection systems, and for the effects of wind turbine farms; support flight inspection office during development of automatic dependent surveillance 10.

Corrosion Prediction for Mild Steel in High Pressure CO2 Environments • Predict corrosion when recovering natural gas from wells with extreme carbon dioxide content

$170,000 Federal Highway Administration

$63,751 GS1-Global

Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment

Industrial Technology

Technical Support for the Pavement Design and Performance Modeling Team • Develop a jointed plain concrete pavement design catalog for New York State

GS1 Global Symbology Hardware Setup • Develop a methodology to test bar code error rates

$150,000 Members United Corporate Federal

Reaching more than 800 feet, the WOUB Television tower, two miles west of the Athens campus, welcomes a prototype anemometer mounting boom (top right of image) at a height of about 70 feet. This anemometer and twelve others will measure wind speeds for the next two years in the first endeavor to accurately characterize southeastern Ohio’s wind energy resources.

Credit Union Center for Scientific Computing and Immersive Technologies Second Life Teen Financial Literacy • Create a financial literacy game for high school students

$140,000 Air Force Office of Scientific Research Center for Advanced Materials Processing Affordable, High Conductivity Graphite Foam Heat Exchangers for Thermal Management • Develop materials for a heat exchanger that will use lightweight graphite foam in aerospace applications

$120,000 U.S. Department of Labor Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Cyber Center for Ohio Development Region 11 • Establish and operate an Ohio Valley Informational Technology Alliance Cybercenter to train the local workforce in interactive digital technology

$120,000 Appalachian Regional Commission Mechanical Engineering Feasibility Study for Wind Energy Development in Appalachian Ohio • Obtain the first tall tower wind data in Appalachian Ohio in order to create regional wind maps and identify the best one percent wind energy resources in a 2,000 square mile region surrounding Athens, Ohio

$30,889 U.S. Dept of Agricultural Forest Service Center for Air Quality Injury and Mortality Risks from Wildland Fire Smoke and Heat Exposures • Model smoke dispersion through woodlands during prescribed fires to determine potential effect on the endangered Indiana bat

$26,114 U.S. Dept of Transportation Civil Engineering Determination of Traffic Control Device Selection for Nighttime Maintenance of Traffic • Evaluate the effectiveness of drums with high-intensity sheeting, compared to drums with DG3 diamond-grade sheeting, in work zones regarding delineation and safety

11.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

The Latest on

Russ College Research Avionics Engineering Center The Avionics Engineering Center has created a system that can remotely identify, capture, and analyze data from GPS satellites during signal interruptions.

The GPS Anomalous Event Monitor (GAEM) enables users to study and compare data relevant to them, troubleshoot satellite problems, and make better use of the GPS. It is the first known monitor based on instrumentation-quality, software-defined radio technology

Center for Advanced Materials Processing The Center for Advanced Materials is developing a solidstate fan with no moving parts.

The air flow is generated by electrical discharge that pushes air molecules from one electrode to another. The result? An airflow that can be used to cool electrical circuits efficiently, and with high reliability. The fan uses a patented electrode configuration developed at Ohio University.

Center for Advanced Software Systems Integration (CASSI) As part of a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation, CASSI is investigating the reliability of nanoelectronics, in which reliability is critical for successful fabrication and manufacturing. The NSF project supports development of novel and practical statistical tools based on nonparametric Bayesian methods to assess the reliability of nanoelectronic products during early design and development stages. The proposed methods will be validated using newly developed nano memory devices fabricated by a collaborator.

Results will enable manufacturers to quickly and economically

12.

culture, and history. The lab also partnered with members of the credit union industry to create Credit Union Island, a Second Lifebased game that teaches financial skills to young people.

Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research Avionics Senior Research Engineer Sanjeev Gunawardena works with graduate student Mat Cosgrove on the GAEM project. assess the reliability of new nanoelectronic products before mass production, estimate the costs associated with manufacturing and warranty, and make reliability-related decisions in a timely manner. As a result, manufacturers will be able to introduce highly reliable products to the market.

In addition, the center’s history of development of cost estimation methods for GE’s jet engines and gas turbines has led to another project in wind turbines. A team of Russ College faculty, engineers, and students is now working to develop tools that will enable design engineers at GE Energy to estimate the cost of different alternatives.

Center for Scientific Computing and Immersive Technologies Formerly the Center for Intelligent, Distributed, and Dependable Systems Ohio University’s Virtual Immersive Technologies and Arts for Learning (VITAL) Lab has used the virtual world Second Life as a medium for developing several immersive learning experiences.

The VITAL Lab collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution to create the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum, an interactive online museum of Latino art,

A newly formed, state–of-theart in-situ electrochemical/ analytical facility, the Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research has been working to optimize an alternate process for the production of hydrogen and liquid fuels from coal. During “coal electrolysis,” a small dose of electric power is applied to coal slurries. The complex structure of coal gets oxidized into small quantities of carbon dioxide and large hydrocarbon structures (liquid oils/fuels). In addition, pure and inexpensive hydrogen is produced. The process is portable, scalable, and compatible with renewable sources of power (e.g., wind and solar energy). If successful, the technology could be commercialized through the State of Wyoming, which is funding the research.

Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE) ORITE researchers are helping the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) determine how vegetated biofilters – which use roadway vegetated slopes to treat stormwater runoff -can be optimized for pollutant removal. Initial highway runoff in particular usually contains a high density of pollutants. ORITE engineers are assessing how to optimize design parameters such as slope, length, soil type, and vegetative cover, along with other issues, to help ODOT facilities meet best management practice standards.

EDITORIAL

From the Russ College Board

Strategic Stewardship Debbie Burke, B.S.Ch.E. ‘85, is chair of the board of visitors. A former engineering and construction manager for Columbia Gas of Ohio and Kentucky for 16 years, she also serves on the National Alumni Board. She lives in the Columbus area with her husband, Bill, D.O. ‘88, and their children, Lydia, 13, and Ross, 11.

Dollars Make a Difference: Bridging the gap with targeted scholarships Extra dollars make the difference for students who need to bridge the gap between what a college education costs and what they can realistically afford. A $3,000 renewable scholarship effectively doubles the likelihood that a student will enroll at the Russ College. A new, top-priority fund at the Russ College aims to create strategically targeted, undergraduate scholarships in order to: • Open the doors to an engineering education for a new generation of engineering and technology professionals • Increase the Russ College’s yield (admitted students who enroll) from 36 to 46 percent annually • Help the Russ College reach capacity enrollment (1,450 undergraduates) • Enable the Russ College to “make” — in tuition and state fund reimbursements—all that it “spends” on providing an education • Fuel the Russ College’s plan for growth.

Your dollars make the difference, too — every gift to this fund helps bridge the gap to create an additional scholarship that can bring another Bobcat into the fold!

To give, visit www.ohio.edu/give or call Associate Dean of Development Dan Stroh at 740.593.0894

Generosity, coupled with effective planning, shapes the future of Russ College Last year at this time, I was proud and humbled to read in Ingenuity about the amazing gift left to the Russ College by our wonderful friends, Fritz, B.S.E.E. ’42, D.ENG. ’75, and Dolores Russ. Since then, Dean Irwin and President McDavis worked together to convene engineering and technology leaders to advise the college on how to strategically allocate gift earnings: • William Wulf, former president, National Academy of Engineering; professor of computer science, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia • Nan Mattai, senior vice president, Engineering and Technology, Rockwell Collins • William Marcuson, III, former president, American Society of Civil Engineers; director emeritus of the Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center • Leah Jamieson, dean, College of Engineering, Purdue University • Daniel Hammer, professor and chair, bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania • Norman Fortenberry, director, Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education, National Academy of Engineering • Richard Alkire, professor emeritus, chemical and biomolecular engineering, University of Illinois • Emmett Boyle, M.S. ’70, principal and chair, The Elmwood Group; Member, Russ College Board of Visitors Focusing closely on the college’s longrange plan and working with Dean Irwin as well as new provost and Executive Vice President Pam Benoit, the Russ Gift Working Group has recommended that the college shift its traditional research focus areas in avionics, biomedical engineering, energy and the environment, and smart civil infrastructure to a focus on transportation as well as fuels, mediation, and remediation — also acknowledging that biomedical engineering has the greatest potential for future investment.

The group also recommended to focus on recruiting senior faculty in focus areas, continuing to nurture the biomedical engineering group, and continuing to graduate what we call “meta-engineers”— or graduates whose education is “beyond engineering.”

There are four areas in which we have developed tactical, targeted investments.

For students, we will invest in scholarships, especially those aimed at women and minorities. We’ll also concentrate on student leadership and entrepreneurship, math retention, student competitions, international initiatives, an undergraduate research fund, and grad student research initiatives.

For faculty, we will invest in research incentives, eminent scholar and graduate student recruiting, matching funds for grants, travel for research promotion, the Russ professorships, chairs in research focus areas, and a biomedical engineering development fund.

To support our physical infrastructure, we will plan for renovations in Stocker Center as a result of the space being freed by the Academic & Research Center.

And to support personnel and prominence, we will invest in peer-led learning programs, grant writing, math retention, a discretionary reserve, and national partnerships such as the Russ Prize, The Board of Visitors will assist Dean Irwin with next steps. We will help develop a longrange plan/spending guidelines, help modify the Russ College’s strategic plan, and be a sounding board as the research unit structure is transformed.

I, as well as many of our current board members, was fortunate to know the Russes well, and we are honored to help steward their wishes and vision for the Russ College.

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FACULTY AND STAFF AWARDS

The Russ College Honors

Alumni, Faculty, and Staff R uss College faculty and staff gathered in May to celebrate outstanding teaching, research, and performance in 2008–2009.

The Russ College’s Outstanding Administrative, Technical, and Classified Employee Awards recognize employees with outstanding resultsbased performance. Recipients for 2009 were: Bonnie Behm-Geddes, administrative associate for the Department of Industrial Technology (classified); Micah McCreery, laboratory technician for the Ohio Coal Research Center, (technical); and Bruce Brown, assistant director of operations for the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology (administrative).

The late Fritz and Dolores Russ established the Russ Awards, which carry a cash award of $1,500 and a personalized plaque, in 1981. The Russ Outstanding Research Paper Award recognizes research and scholarship excellence across the college by faculty who published papers in refereed journals. The 2009 recipient was Srdjan Nesic, professor of chemical engineering and director of the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology.

Chosen by Russ College students, the Russ Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award recognizes outstanding teaching and advising across the college. The 2009 recipient, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Israel Urieli, said that no award can be more satisfying than being chosen by the students themselves.

“When I first started teaching thermodynamics, students would tell me with a yawn, ‘You must admit that this is rather a dry subject,’” he recalled. “I have spent the past 18 years continually trying to show the exact opposite.”

The Marvin E. and Ann D. White Awards, which carry a cash award of $500 and a personalized plaque, were established by alumnus Marv White and his wife, Ann, in 1988.

The White Research Award recognizes continued and sustained achievements in research, scholarship, and the 14.

creation of new knowledge in each department of the Russ College.

Recipients for 2009 were: Bryan Branham, associate professor in the Department of Aviation; Nesic; Shad Sargand, Russ Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering; Chang Liu, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Dale Masel, associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Kevin Berrisso, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Technology; and Khairul Alam, Moss professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The White Teaching Award recognizes dedicated teaching and student advising in each department of the Russ College. Recipients for 2009 were: B.J. Galloway, associate professor in the Department of Aviation; Michael Prudich, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Eric Steinberg, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering; Doug Lawrence, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Gursel Suer, professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Zaki Kuruppalil, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Technology; and Greg Kremer, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

In addition, the Russ College advisory board and Robe Leadership Institute honored Jim Rankin, associate dean for research, graduate studies and planning, with its Board of Visitors/ Robe Leadership Institute Leadership/ Service Award. Rankin was recognized for his service to the field of aviation navigation and to the University at the institutional, center, and college level.

Professor emeritus of electrical engineering Joe Essman also was honored for his 25 years of support for the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS), which works to increase high school student interest in engineering and enhance the visibility and importance of engineering to society.

Academy of Distinguished Graduates Welcomes New Members

Edmund “Ed” K. Cheng, B.S.E.E. ’72 Cheng began his career at Intel, where he held various design and management positions in the microprocessors group for several years.

Currently, he is president and CEO of Gradient Design Automation, a leader in thermal analysis technologies for integrated circuits, which he helped to introduce into the industry.

Bill Englefield, B.S.C.E. ’52 Englefield and his wife, Janet, started a petroleum products distribution company out of an office in the basement of their home.

Today, Englefield Oil, Inc., which includes almost 100 Duke and Duchess convenience stores, has total annual sales of about $700 million and employs 1,500 people.

Carla Lucchino, M.S.I.S.E. ’82 Lucchino began her 25-year career with the U.S. Department of Defense as an industrial engineer in the machine shops of the Seneca Army Depot in Romulus, N.Y. Since 2002, she has served as the assistant deputy commandant in installations and logistics at the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. Richarld H. McFarland, B.S. ’50 McFarland, who returned to Ohio University in 1962 to join the electrical engineering faculty, was recognized in May as an honorary Russ College graduate. Holding more than 18,000 hours as pilot in command, McFarland founded the Avionics Engineering Center in 1963 and spent more than 40 years in the research and development of aircraft navigation and landing systems.

GIVING TO THE RUSS COLLEGE

The Sky’s the Limit Former stay-at-home mom works on Space Station, Hubble missions at NASA

By Mary Reed The stars seemed to align for Miller. She got good grades in Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering David Koonce’s rigorous statistics and database classes (“always a challenge, but they taught me to think like an engineer”), and during her first academic quarter, she wrote a résumé to complete a technical writing assignment. She got an A on the assignment, so she decided to submit the résumé to NASA Glenn Research Center. Within a month, she was hired.

After working as a systems safety engineer on NASA’s Constellation program, through which NASA hopes to send astronauts back to the Moon and to Mars, a contractor based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston hired her. She was able to move to Houston and complete her degree, thanks to the flexibility of the master’s program, which includes an online video component.

Terri on-console at the mission control center during the last mission STS-128.

T

eresa a.k.a Terri Miller, M.S. ’09, holds an engineer’s dream job: she works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on the Constellation program, Hubble Space Telescope, and International Space Station. Remarkably, just three years ago, she was a stay-at-home mom who had been out of the workforce so long that she couldn’t even score a job interview.

Going back to school to earn a master’s in engineering management from Ohio University is what changed the arc of her career trajectory.

Today, Miller works as a safety and operations engineer for extravehicular activities (EVAs—those activities performed outside of the spacecraft in pressurized suits). Her responsibilities include evaluating hardware designs for all NASA safety standards, observing EVA astronaut training activities, and supporting real-time missions from her post at mission control.

Some of Miller’s on-the-job training includes taking classes alongside astronauts, like her upcoming stint as a zero-gravity test subject in a C9 aircraft. “To be able to work directly with the astronauts and ‘play’ in the flight mockups with the EVA tools (is) so much fun for me; I can’t believe I get paid to do it,” she says.

Miller acknowledges that deciding to go back to school was intimidating. But she couldn’t be happier that she made the leap.

“Returning to school changed my life in ways I could never have imagined,” she says. “It would be great if my story could give others the hope and faith to take that chance.”

“I was 47 years old, a former NASA engineer, and now a lunch lady,” Miller says, assessing her situation in 2007. She had worked at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, but returned home to raise her three children. She was a single mom working at her kids’ school lunchroom, and she was running into brick walls trying to return to the engineering field.

“I knew I had to change my situation.”

That’s when Miller heard about the master’s in engineering management, a track in the industrial and systems engineering master’s program offered at nearby Lorain County Community College in partnership with Ohio University’s Russ College of Engineering. The program teaches skills needed to manage engineers and other scientists in high-tech fields. “Returning to school was a process of redefining myself and proving to myself that yes, I am still smart even though I haven’t done this for years,” she says.

Strapped into the Orion capsule mockup, Terri acts as a human factors test subject to evaluate umbilical port locations, reach distances, and line-of-sight measurements.

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GIVING TO THE RUSS COLLEGE

A Foot in the Door

Your sneak peek into the new Academic & Research Center

A

gainst the cool backdrop of a winter sky, the Academic & Research Center (ARC) welcomed its first occupants with winter quarter. The 100,000-square-foot, $35 million state-of-the art facility houses most Russ College classes, and some additional research space.

Open spaces, modern classrooms with flexible furniture and break-out rooms, a café, a sky-lit atrium “living room,” gathering nooks, and a holographic fireplace are just a few of the places that encourage collaboration and new ways of working.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine will expand its research efforts with multiple new cutting-edge labs and research support space, providing additional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

The living room is flanked by open staircases and encircling hallways with moveable furniture for gathering.

The cafe´ counter can be seen at the far end of the first floor.

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Offering natural illumination, the afternoon sky passes above the three-story living room skylight.

Left exposed, an array of utility pipes serve as a teaching tool.

The largest classroom features electric glass along one wall—it can be switched from clear to opaque.

The third-floor holographic fireplace nook invites casual conversation.

Host to a swirl of activity, the ARC café is a spot for students, faculty, and staff to gather.

Students meet, greet, and pass through the living room.

Both the second and third floors feature a wing of state-of-the-art research labs.

With its garage-style doors opened to the atrium beyond, the “hangar” was designed to facilitate senior design and competition team work on large items such as automobiles.

A view into the hangar from a second-floor classroom shows the large ceiling crane, which can be used to move heavy equipment.

A wall of blue boasts angled support beams.

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ACADEMIC FEATURE

From the Ivory Tower to a Ship in the Desert

By Mary Reed Engineering students help take an artist’s concept to execution

S

culptor Duane McDiarmid has long been interested in exploring the influence of technology on humanity.

Technology is often associated with the decline of direct human interaction and civility (think cell phones). With a recent art installation, The Trickster Project, McDiarmid turned that notion on its head. And he did it with the help of students from the Russ College of Engineering.

Trickster is a movable, thousand-pound, sailboat-sized sculpture on wheels, red flags shooting up on masts. McDiarmid, an associate professor of sculpture at Ohio University, has installed the artwork in deserts throughout the American West. To up the ante, Trickster carries a solar-powered freezer filled with ice cream.

If anything will start a conversation among strangers, it’s the head-scratcher that is Trickster. “The people that intersect with the project and each other form a kind of community bond, no matter how disparate they are in other parts of their lives,” McDiarmid says.

It’s a piece of art that couldn’t have happened without engineering. When Trickster was in Ryolite, Nevada, the temperature hit 122 degrees Fahrenheit. “Trickster places this solar-powered ice cream freezer in these remote locations. In order to achieve that, we needed a power supply and we used solar,” McDiarmid says.

Ryan Kephart (B.S.E.E. ’07, M.S.E.E. ’09) was on the senior project team that tackled the solar power for Trickster as well as the computer interface that allows passersby to blog about the sculpture on site. “For me, the most useful thing was the whole systems engineering process,” Kephart says, referring to the

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process of getting requirements from the client, investigating alternatives, designing, testing, and finally delivering the product. Specifically, the students were using batteries from the solar panel, so they had to come up with a DC power supply for the freezer and computer. They also had to make sure all components worked individually and then together as a whole. And they had to do it within budget.

Kephart says he’s grateful for the experience of working with a client who had no background in engineering— something engineers do all the time in the business world. “Some of the things were pretty unrealistic from an engineering standpoint with the money and time, so we had to meet in the middle.”

Avionics Engineering Center Director Michael Braasch served early on as an advisor to Trickster. “It is the senior design project that allows them to get real experience with a real project,” he says.

“That was a fantastic learning experience for the students to be able to take the needs and goals and desires as expressed

by Duane and translate that into a set of technical specifications and requirements so they could go off and build a system that would accomplish those goals.”

As for McDiarmid, he’s already thinking about his next hightech work of art: a solar-powered backpack that can record and project video. “They don’t know it yet in the Russ College,” he says, “but I’ll be knocking on their door.”

See more online: tricksterproject.wordpress.com

ACADEMIC FEATURE

First-year Engineering Courses Engage Students

P

By Colleen Carow and Josh Weinstein

ositive without a doubt that mechanical engineering is the thing for you? Undecided?

Wondering what the heck a comparator is? Or just looking for some extra credit hours? The Russ College’s first-year engineering and technology courses get new students engaged in their majors right away while also opening the eyes of those who are undecided or just plain curious.

teaching assistants. Master’s student Kyle Sink, B.S.M.E. ’09, took the course as an undergraduate and is now a T.A.

the class. “It seems like a cool career if you’re into building and designing,” Toy says.

“We learned what it means to be an engineer and how we affect society, both our responsibilities and the privileges.

It is where I realized that I had made the right choice not only come to Ohio University but to be an engineer,” he says.

Mechanical engineering master’s student Jeremy Allen, B.S.M.E. ’09, another T.A. for ME101, is not only gaining experience right along with his students, but perspective as well.

Aimed at helping students learn to use mathematics, experimentation, and computation to solve engineering problems, ME101, “Mechanical Engineering Gateway,” links its students with those in senior design courses to teach the culture and problem-solving methods of the mechanical engineering profession.

The most popular of the Russ College’s beginning courses, ET280, “Engineering Technology: An Overview,” is intended for students of all majors. The course covers engineering and technology’s history and moral and ethical issues. Like many of the college’s other beginning courses, it also emphasizes a “problem-solving” approach, which is the hallmark of an engineering education.

Professor David Bayless, who is also the director of the Ohio Coal Research Center and a leader in energy and the environment research on campus, taught the course for the first time fall quarter. “Bringing freshmen into the department like this is extraordinary— linking their design project to reviews by the senior design students. It’s so much better than my freshman experience,” he says.

Learning opportunities are furthered because mechanical engineering graduate students serve as the course’s

ET280 Instructor John Dolan says the course’s hands-on aspects engage students. “We build a hands-free flashlight from a box of aluminum foil, some popsicle sticks, a plastic cup, and rubber bands, Dolan says. “We also have the students design an assembly line that builds Lego cars around the clock,” he added.

Sophomore Kylie Toy, a communication studies and prelaw major, never had an interest in engineering before she took

“As a student, I looked up to T.A.s. I knew they were grad students and in my mind they knew everything. Now I realize they’re just regular students who are continuing their education,” he says. “In the end, it’s all about starting to prepare students for the rest of college and life after that.”

If you’re still wondering about that comparator, check out EE101, Introduction to Electrical Engineering.

You’ll build a light detector that gives an audible output when light is present.

The comparator is a handy device that shows voltage levels.

CE 200 • Civil Engineering Fundamentals: Provides an overview of the civil engineering profession and specialization areas.

CHE 100 • Introduction to Chemical Engineering: Provides an overview of the profession’s history, present status, and future opportunities.

ME 101 • Mechanical Engineering Gateway Course: Introduces students to the culture and problem-solving methods of mechanical engineering.

ET 280 • Engineering Technology: An Overview: Provides an overview of engineering and technology, with an emphasis on problem-solving approaches.

EE 101 • Introduction to Electrical Engineering: Introduces students to the profession of electrical engineering. Students develop knowledge of key technical concepts of electricity including voltage, current, resistance, and power.

ISE 200 • Introduction to Computers and Industrial Engineering: Introduces the major skills that industrial engineers are responsible for in practice, including engineering economy, methods of analysis, and system design.

Mechanical engineering major Tolu Osunsanya (center) engages with fellow students in ME 101.

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FACULTY AND STAFF

Faculty/Staff

Accomplishments 2009–2009 Gerri Botte, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: • Named editor-in-chief, Journal of Applied Electrochemisty Mike Braasch, Thomas Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: • Named fellow, Institute of Navigation (ION)

•

Engineering Communications, vol. 196, pp. 481–490, 2009.

Authored “Radial flow chromatography for bioseparations,” in Encyclopedia of Industrial Biotechnology: Bioprocess, Bioseparation, and Cell Technology, M. C. Flickinger (ed.), Wiley, New York, in press (2009).

Dennis Irwin, dean, Moss Professor of Engineering Education: • Served as department chair of space systems engineering, International Space University 2009.

Sang-Soo Kim, Department of Civil Engineering: • Selected as a 2008 Trendsetter by Public Works magazine for his work creating the Asphalt Binder Cracking Device. This list names the 50 people, places, and events that had the greatest influence on the nation’s infrastructure over the past year.

Monica Burdick , assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: • Co-authored “E-selectin receptors on human leukocytes,” Blood, vol. 112, issue 9, pp. 3744–3752.

Michael F. DiBenedetto, senior research program engineer, Avionics Engineering Center: • Co-authored and co-presented “RF Coupling Simulation Model Development for Optimal Placement of Antennas Supporting Wireless Communication Systems,” Proceedings of the 2009 ASME Joint Rail Conference, Pueblo, Colorado, March 3–5, 2009.

Tingyue Gu, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: • Co-authored “Scale-Up of Affinity Chromatography for Purification of Enzymes and Other Proteins,” Enzyme and Microbial Technology, vol. 33, pp. 433–437, 2003.

• Co-authored “Kinetic Modeling of Cell Growth and Product Formation in Submerged Culture of Recombinant Aspergillus niger,” Chemical

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Peter W. Klein, associate professor, Department of Industrial Technology: • Is president of the manufacturing division of the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) • Authored Fundamentals of Plastics Thermoforming, Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2009.

Avinash Kodi, assistant professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: • Co-authored “Adaptive Inter-Router Links for Low-Power, Area-Efficient and Reliable Network-on-Chip (NoC) Architectures,” Proceedings of the IEEE 14th Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (ASP DAC ’09), Yokohama, Japan, pp. 1–6, Jan 19–22, 2009. (Nominated for Best Paper Award).

Richard H. McFarland, professor emeritus, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; chief engineer and director emeritus, Avionics Engineering Center: • Honored in May as an honorary graduate of the Russ College and was inducted into the Russ College Academy of Distinguished Graduates. He also

received the Air Traffic Controllers Association’s president’s citation in October.

Todd Myers, assistant professor, Department of Industrial Technology: • Elected the Region 3 Director of Epsilon Pi Tau, the technology honors society.

Charles Overby, professor emeritus, Industrial and Systems Engineering: • Facilitated the Ohio University Alden Library exhibit on Hiroshima and Nagasaki with assistance from Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima (April 2008).

• Authored “Reflections on an Article 9 Without Borders,” Dharma World, Jan.–March 2008; and “Sustainable Living: Resource-War and Global Warming Prevention with Green Technology by Design,” for the 2008 Veterans for Peace annual convention, Minneapolis, Minn.

Tonya Seelhorst, administrative associate, Industrial and Systems Engineering: • Named the first United States Appeals Ambassador to the MaryRose500, an organization dedicated to preserving Henry VIII’s 16th-century flagship, which was recovered in 1982 from waters off the coast of Plymouth, England.

Robert L. Williams, professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering: • Co-authored “A Stiffness Discrimination Experiment including Analysis of Palpation Forces and Velocities,” (best research paper award) at the Ninth Annual International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH), in Orlando, Fla., January 12–13, 2009.

• Co-authored the book chapter “Digital Human Modeling for Palpatory Medical Training with Haptic Feedback,” Chapter 48, Handbook of Digital Human Modeling for Applied Ergonomics and Human Factors Engineering.

• Co-authored “Vehicle Simulation System: Controls and Virtual-Reality Based Dynamics Simulation,” Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, 52: 79–99.

Russ Prize

Bringing Medicine to the Masses Noted bioengineer receives fifth Russ Prize

By Colleen Carow and Jennifer Krisch

T

o say Elmer Gaden’s work made the widespread production of antibiotics possible may be a monumental understatement—it also saved untold numbers of human lives.

Long considered the “father of biochemical engineering,” Gaden was awarded the 2009 Russ Prize at a National Academy of Engineering gala in February for his pioneering research that enabled the large-scale manufacture of antibiotics, such as penicillin.

“The prize places a capstone on my career,” stated Gaden’s acceptance speech, read by his wife, Jennifer.

Gaden’s research began more than 50 years ago while he was a doctorate student at Columbia University. During this postwar period, antibiotics were becoming increasingly in demand, particularly penicillin, which had been successfully used to treat battlefield injuries.

Drug companies were looking for methods of quickly growing mass quantities of the mold-derived drug. Chemical engineers began experimenting with a mechanical process of microbial fermentation—used primarily to produce yeast for food.

Gaden, building on a lifelong interest in biology and medicine, instead decided to focus on accelerating the yeast’s growth.

Through the engineering concept of mass transfer—in this case, the movement of molecules and atoms through the yeast cells while in a fluid—he then introduced oxygen to the yeast. The process provides more fermentation energy that enables yeast to grow and multiply more rapidly, thereby providing the method of large-scale antibiotics manufacturing.

Gaden’s accomplishment, launched a new field: bioengineering.

During his illustrious career, Gaden also established the international research journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering, the first of its kind and now recognized as the leading journal worldwide for the profession.

Gaden’s methods remain commonplace and are still applied to produce numerous drugs, including insulin and interferon.

Today the antibiotic market is estimated at more than $25 billion worldwide.

Established by Fritz, B.S.E.E. ’42, HON ’75, and Dolores Russ and administered by the National Academy of Engineering, the Russ Prize honors a bioengineering achievement that is of critical importance, advances science and engineering, and improves the human condition. Honorees receive a $500,000 cash award and a gold medallion.

Elmer Gaden, recipient of the 2009 Russ Prize

Russ College of Engineering and Technology Dean Dennis Irwin says the Russes’ contribution to and support of the engineering field is immeasurable.

“The Russes truly dedicated their lives to engineering,” Irwin said. “They wanted the Russ Prize to recognize and promote the profession, and to attract more men and women to the field. It is part of their great legacy,” he said.

Other than a brief stint at the drug company Pfizer, Gaden spent his entire career teaching and collaborating in academia, first at Columbia then in teaching and administrative appointments at the University of Vermont and the University of Virginia, from which he retired in 1994. He still holds the title of Wills Johnson Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering.

Gaden’s dedication has paid endless dividends to his students, who are education and industry leaders in biotechnology and bioengineering. “Participating in their education has been perhaps my greatest contribution,” he stated in his speech.

Watch online: http://streaming.ohio.edu/russ/russprize09.mov About the Russ Prize Established with a multimillion-dollar endowment in 1999 by the late Fritz J. Russ, B.S.E.E. ’42, HON ’75, and his wife, Dolores, the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in bioengineering that significantly improves the human condition. The Russ Prize is presented biennially. Previous recipients are: • 2007 – Yuan-Chen “Bert” Fung, pioneer in tissue engineering • 2005 – Leland C. Clark, Jr., inventor of biosensors • 2003 – Willem J. Kolff, inventor of kidney dialysis • 2001 – Earl E. Bakken and Wilson Greatbatch, inventors of the heart pacemaker www.ohio.edu/russprize 21.

CLASS NOTES

Keeping Track of

Classmates Mark Arnold

M

ark Arnold, B.S.I.S.E. ’81, was promoted in October to

brigadier general with the U.S. Army Reserves. He has more than 32 years of military service and served on active duty from January 2002–September 2003 in Afghanistan and Iraq. Arnold also recently was named president and CEO of GSE, Inc., a $500 million multinational manufacturing firm headquartered in Houston.

Arnold says that it’s a significant honor to serve the Army and his country at this senior leadership level. “This is not the type promotion that you really set out to shoot for because the odds are very long: only one percent of Army Reserve colonels are selected for general,” Arnold says. “I’m excited by this opportunity to continue to lead in the Army Reserve and in the military’s Special Operations commands.”

An active member of the Russ College Board of Visitors, Arnold also served as chair for six years and in 2007 was awarded the Ohio University Alumni Association Medal of Merit for distinction in his profession and showing loyalty to and interest in the University. He and his wife, Karin, reside with their two children in Columbus and have a second home in Houston.

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Jim Abraham, P.E., B.S.E.E. ’43, B.S.I.E. ’48, has written a new book titled Worlds Which Might Have Been and Could Be, in which he explores the question, “What if we lost World War II?” His earlier work, A Time of Ignorance and Terror, tells how small cell lung cancer took the life of his wife of 42 years. Both books are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Abraham is the former president of the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers, and this year saw the establishment of the Jim Abraham Award for Best Army ROTC Unit in Ohio, in honor of his long service to the ROTC. Arun K. Bansal, M.S. ’71, passed away on October 12, 2006.

His widow would like to establish a scholarship in his name.

Herbert Bates, B.S.I.T. ’49, passed away in 2008.

Michael S. Bendell, B.S.M.E. ’73, was recently recertified for another five years by the Florida Bar as a board-certified civil trial lawyer. For the past 25 years, Mike has made his living suing insurance companies, corporations, and negligent parties for personal injuries, mostly in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Larry Brannan, B.S.I.T. ’63, is president of Corporate Computer, Inc., which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the computer software business. Corporate Computer helped to develop

the Authorizers’ Oversight Information System (AOIS), a sophisticated compliance software system for charter schools.

Christopher M. Ergood, B.S.I.T. ’83, was recently promoted to Account Manager -Americas, for the Photovoltaic division of Vesuvius’ Fused Silica division.

Lucy Evans, B.S.I.T. ’97, graduated with Master of Science in Aviation from Everglades University in August, 2008. She has been a captain on G100 aircraft for Jet Concepts, Inc., since 2003.

M. Ragip Gener, B.S.E.E. ’82, became manager of IT Systems and Operations Department at Isbank in 2008. He resides in Istanbul with his wife Sema and two children, Sercan and Serhan.

Kenneth A. Grano, B.S.E.E. ’08, is currently working as an instrumentation and control engineer at the Washington Division of URS.

Natalie Kruse, B.S.C.E. ’04, is an assistant professor in environmental sciences at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.

Her research interests include post-industrial pollution, hydrogeochemistry of mine water

production, engineering lowenergy mine water remediation systems, and alternative energy.

Most recently, she researched mine water remediation in Northern England, geothermal energy exploitation in England and Montserrat, interactions between groundwater and an active volcano on the island of Montserrat, pollutant transport in the Allemendares River in Cuba, and modeling particulate air pollution resulting from open-cast coal mines in India.

She holds a doctorate in hydrogeochemical engineering from Newcastle University, U.K. Jose R. Leon, B.S.M.E. ’66, retired from his position as vicepresident of engineering for Exxon Mobil. He continues to reside in Houston.

Forrest Martino, B.S.E.E. ’78, P.E., retired from engineering last year to work in the emergency medical field. His engineering career included patents and new product awards with National Oilwell for work on U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine. He also designed hydrogenerators for Siemens and motors for Toshiba.

Martino obtained professional registration in Ohio, Texas, and Florida.

William J. Mraz, B.S.E.E. ’51, passed away on October 16, 2008.

Joel Schopis, B.S.C.S. ’09, is a software engineer at BCS Engineering, working on programming and Web development.

Wei Sun, Ph.D. ’06, received the 2009 A.B. Campbell Award from NACE International in recognition of the most outstanding

manuscript published in Materials Performance or Corrosion in the current year by an author, or authors, less than 35 years old at the time the manuscript was submitted for publication.

Sun is currently an engineering specialist at ExxonMobile in Houston.

If we missed your announcement, we apologize; a technical problem prevented us from retrieving online submissions from April and May.

What’s new with you?

New job? Addition to the family? Other personal or professional news? Or, do you know someone who would like to receive Ingenuity? Drop us a line and let us know! Visit www.ohio.edu/ engineering/update or contact us at ingenuity@ohio.edu or 740.593.1488.

23.

NEW HIRES AND RETIREES

Russ College

Welcomes and Farewells New Hires Becky Gill, administrative coordinator, Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology Munir Nazzal, assistant professor, Civil Engineering Chuck Reardon, administrative associate, Ohio Research Instittute for Transportation and the Environment

Retirees Wouter Pelgrum, assistant professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Omer Tatari, assistant professor, Civil Engineering Julie Venrick, administrative coordinator, Dean’s Office Ken Walsh, assistant professor, Civil Engineering

Janelle Baney, department administrator, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 28 years Janet Blazyk, software engineer, Avionics Engineering Center, 22 years Edie Chalfant, administrative coordinator, Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology, 21 years Hope Mills, administrative assistant, Avionics Engineering Center, 31 years Kay Reeves, administrative coordinator, Dean’s Office, 30 years Helmut Zwahlen, professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, 38 years

Salley Hyatt, math instructor, Dean’s Office

Rememberances

Hollis C. Chen

, professor emeritus of electrical engineering, died September 9 at the age of 73. During Chen’s years 38 years of teaching from 1967–2005, he also served as interim chair from 1984–1986, received several outstanding teaching awards, and received a faculty excellence award in 1990.

Among his many published works, Theory of Electromagnetic Waves: A Coordinate-Free Approach (1983, McGraw-Hill; 1992, TechBooks) is his best-known. As a 13-year-old boy, Chen escaped from Mainland China to Taiwan during the Chinese Communist Revolution with two of his younger brothers, Wai-Kai and Wai-Fah, who also went on to become distinguished engineering professors. He held degrees from National Taiwan University, Ohio University, and Syracuse University.

24.

C

arleton A. Sperati, passed away at his home in Parkersburg, W.Va., on Oct. 3 at the age of 91. The first Stocker Visiting Professor, Sperlati spent 38 years with the DuPont Company and was instrumental in the research and development of polytetrafluorethylene (Teflon).

He also held multiple patents.

Following his time in Athens, he continued to be active in chemistry through participation in standards organizations (ASTM, ISO) and consulting. Sperlati was an active outdoorsman, but the love of his life was music. He began playing flute at the age of 10 and continued playing and conducting in bands, theater, and other musical organizations until age 89. He held a bachelor’s degree from Luther College and a doctorate from the University of Illinois.

M

enno DiLiberto, former chair of the Department of Industrial Technology, passed away in 2008. He worked for several companies, including San Diego’s Ryan Aircraft Company, which built Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of Saint Louis,” for 14 years before earning his master’s degree in 1958 and coming to Ohio University for two years in 1962. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Illinois, he returned to Ohio University in 1967 and became chair of engineering graphics a year later.

When that department merged with industrial technology, DiLiberto became chair, serving from 1979¬–1985. He retired in 1989 but returned every fall to teach engineering drawing until 1996.

Cooperative Education Report

T

he Co-op Office offers students the use of eRecruiting®, a Web-based,

24/7 comprehensive career management system that connects Russ College students with alumni for mentoring—and with employers for co-op and internship opportunities.

For more information or to sign up, contact the Office of Career Programs at coop@ohio.edu or 740.593.1618.

Co-op student Dane Turk, right, with Justin Yance, B.S.M.E. ’01, left, discussing the characteristics of a reciprocating compressor lubrication system at Ariel, where Turk is on assignment in the technical services department.

Each year, Russ College students participate in co-ops—salaried positions at various companies where they gain realworld experience and perspectives on career paths. For the 2008–2009 academic year, nearly 100 students worked in co-op assignments, choosing from 338 employers in eRecruiting®.

The Russ College thanks its co-op employers for their commitment to engineering and technology education.

To get your company involved as an employer, contact the Russ College Office of Career Programs.

Co-op Employer Highlights • ABB, Inc. • ADB Airfield Solutions • AK Steel • AEP • ANSYS • ATS Ohio, Inc. • Abbott Labs • Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) • Allegheny Energy • Ariel Corporation • BBC & M Engineering • Battelle Memorial Institute • Boeing Company • Buckeye Power, Inc. • Cintas • Component Repair Technologies, Inc. • Cooper Tire and Rubber • Cornerstone Consolidated • Diebold • Duke Energy • E. I. Dupont • FirstEnergy • Fusite • GKN Sinter Metals • General Electric • Glatfelter • Hendrickson Trailer Suspensions • Honda of America Motor Manufacturing • Honeywell Aerospace Electronic Systems • International TechneGroup • Intel

• Kenworth Truck Company • Kokosing Construction Company • Korda/Nemeth Engineering, Inc. • LAU Industries • Lincoln Electric • Marathon Petroleum Company LLC • Michelin • Microsoft • Moen, Inc. • Momentive Performance Materials • Montgomery County Sanitary Engineering • NASA (various locations) • National Security Agency • New Product Innovations, Inc. • Nifco • Northrop Grumman • Ohio Coal Research • PCC Airfoils • Preformed Line Products • RoviSys • SABIC Innovative Plastics • Simpson Gumpertz & Heger • Speedway SuperAmerica LLC • Strand Associates • Toyota Motor Manufacturing • Turner Construction • U.S. Air Force Metrology and Calibration Laboratory • U.S. Air Force Wright-Patterson Air Force Base • U.S. Coast Guard • United Space Alliance • Whiting Turner Contracting Company

Nonprofit Org.

PAID Athens OH

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