Ingenuity 2010 by Russ College of Engineering and Technology

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 Photographers Brad Chaffin Octavio Jones Kevin Riddell

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.

FEATURES

Thinking Globally ...... 6 1935 • 2010

Russ College Celebrates Grand Opening .... 18

Strategic Partnership, Remarkable Results .... 12

DEPARTMENTS From the Dean’s Desk ....................................... 2 Student Achievements ....................................... 4 Academic Feature: Thinking Globally ....................................... 6 Student Life: Images Meet Innovation ....................................... 8

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments ....................................... 9

Selected External Research Awards ..................................... 14

Faculty and Staff Awards ..................................... 20

President’s Perspective ..................................... 10

From the Board ..................................... 16

New Hires and Retirees ..................................... 21

Research Spotlight ..................................... 11

Alumni Profile: Building on a Foundation ..................................... 17

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

Research Feature: Strategic Partnership, Remarkable Results ..................................... 12

Giving to the Russ College ..................................... 18

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

FROM THE DEAN’S DESK

Dean Dennis Irwin

’m proud to bring you our sixth issue of Ingenuity, but moreso about the following pages and the stories on them. We have so many accomplishments and activities to share, from the grand opening of the Academic & Research Center (ARC) to our biennial dean’s retreat where department chairs, center directors, and Board of Visitors members collaborated to plan the Russ College’s future.

As 2010 nears its end, we look forward to the future while also reflecting on the Russ College’s 75-year history, which we’ll celebrate with a range of events around Homecoming this October. You’re invited (see below)! It was in 1857, fifty-three years after Ohio University was established, that the first engineering course—simply called “Civil Engineering”—was listed in the University catalog. Other milestones followed: • 1890: The first reference to engineering as a discipline occurred with the introduction of a series of courses in electrical engineering • Late 1800s/early 1900s: Two- and four-year programs in electrical and civil engineering were offered • 1935: The Board of Trustees established the College of Applied Science—with courses in civil engineering, electrical engineering, agricultural engineering, industrial arts, and home economics • 1936: Albert A. Atkinson, a professor of physics and electrical engineering, was appointed as our first college dean

Standing ready to cut their ribbon, Charles, B.S.M.E. ’66, HON ’05, and Marilyn Stuckey (R) listen as Dean Dennis Irwin addresses the hundreds of guests who attended the Academic & Research Center grand opening in May.

The highlight of the past year has no doubt been seeing how quickly our students took to the ARC. Literally overnight, the bright, open “living room” atrium was filled with students meeting, greeting, studying, and snacking at all hours. Now it’s customary to see our students propping their feet on the tables with their computers on their laps. They gather in project team rooms for impromptu study groups or to work on senior design projects. I have no doubt that what they’ll show us in years to come will amaze us.

• 1940: Aviation training was offered • Late 1950s: The Board of Visitors was organized Russ College 75th Anniversary Celebration

1935 – 2010

Fri., Oct. 15 4-6 p.m. Academic & Research Center: • Russ College poster session • Tours • Networking reception: Reconnect with former faculty and classmates + advise and mentor current students! Sat., Oct. 16 • 10 a.m.: Ohio University Homecoming Parade • 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Russ College Tailgate Picnic • 2 p.m.: OHIO vs. Akron Football Game For tailgate info. and tickets, visit www.ohioalumnireception.org by Oct. 11 Questions? ingenuity@ohio.edu or 740.593.1488

• 1962: In April, C. Paul, B.S.E.E. ’26, HON ’74, and Beth Stocker began their tradition of giving to Ohio University, with a gift of $500; that November, Fritz, B.S.E.E. ’42, HON ’75, and Dolores Russ also made their first gift: $25 • 1963: The College of Applied Science was renamed the College of Engineering and Technology • 1978: Paul Stocker bequeathed $8 million to the college • 1980: The Stocker Endowment was established; 30 years later, it still supports student scholarships and fellowships, faculty research and enrichment funds, and Stocker Visiting Chair Professors • 1983: Ground was broken for the largest Ohio University project at the time: the $11.7 million Stocker Engineering Center, which would renovate Crook Hall into a five-story complex joining all engineering and technology departments • 1985: Stocker Center opened, during the 50th anniversary year of the college • 1988: Ten years after the Stocker bequest and three after Stocker Center opened, all degree-granting departments reported growth in enrollment and programs • 1994: The 59-year-old College of Engineering and Technology was renamed The Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology • 1999: Fritz and Dolores Russ established the Russ Prize, now today’s top bioengineering prize in the world, with a multimillion-dollar gift to Ohio University • 2001: The first Russ Prize was awarded to Earl E. Bakken and Wilson Greatbatch, inventors of the heart pacemaker • 2004: Charles, B.S.M.E. ’66, HON ’05, and Marilyn Stuckey made a gift of $5 million for a new learning and research facility

Dean Dennis Irwin makes a point with Engineering Ambassador Nick Schaefer, B.S.I.T. ’10 (center), and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Mike Prudich (R) at the Russ College spring awards celebration in May.

Looking at the past 75 years, it’s clear that each “stitch” contributes to growing and strengthening the Russ College in ways we still can’t imagine. In other news, our Department of Industrial Technology (IT) has changed its name to the Department of Engineering Technologies and Management (ETM). Why? ETM has better name recognition in business and industry, most IT alumni have job titles of engineer or manager, and the department’s accrediting organization changed its name from the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT) to the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE). I don’t know about you, but I’m heading into the coming academic year deeply inspired by the last 75. I hope you’ll join me.

• 2007: Ground was broken for the $34 million Osteopathic Heritage Foundations - Charles and Marilyn Stuckey Academic & Research Center, a collaborative effort between the Russ College and College of Osteopathic Medicine • 2008: Fritz and Dolores Russ bequeathed $95 million to the Russ College, the largest gift to any public engineering college and to any public university in the state of Ohio • 2010: The Academic & Research center opened, during the 75th anniversary year of the college • 2011: The sixth Russ Prize will be awarded Ours is a rich history, one about which we should all be very proud. It’s one woven with people who have made engineering and technology advances that have improved our lives. It’s one woven with an incredible tradition of charitable giving with a range of $25 to $95 million.

Russ College Board of Visitors member Ray Fogg, B.S.C.E. ‘53, and Civil Engineering Chair Gayle Mitchell, at work during a Russ College strategy session at the biennial dean’s retreat in June.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

soaring high Russ College students recently established the first student chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Ohio. Jibril Shehu, B.S.C.E. ’06, M.S. ’09, initiated the group. Civil engineering graduate students Brad Hoffman, B.S.C.E. ’09, and Drew Hatton, B.S.C.E. ’08, developed bylaws and recruited the group’s first 40 members.

(L-R) SEAoO President Richard Meyer with Brad Hoffman and Drew Hatton.

Electrical engineering graduate student Joe Morris, B.S.E.E. ’10, received $5,900 from Ohio University’s Council for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity for “Novel Ultraviolet Germicidal Light Engine for Water Disinfection,” a project to research, design, and construct a system of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes that inactivate bacteria and viruses in a water storage tank. Morris is now further developing the project and plans to implement it in the village of Maase-Offinso, Ghana, where mechanical engineering students in July installed a solar-powered water pumping system they developed for their senior design course.

Chemical engineering students developed a Chem-E-Car that qualified to compete in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers national competition in November. Group leader Leesha Blake and team members Ashley Angelo, Brian Bell, David Ginley, David Homol, Morganna Keith, and Alysia Watson developed an ammonia electrolytic cell that enables a shoe-sized car to carry a certain load and travel a certain distance.

Russ College students participated in the 2010 ASCE

Kendal Clark, Ph.D. ’10, was part of a team that discovered the world’s smallest superconductor, a sheet of four pairs of molecules less than one nanometer wide. Published as an advance online publication in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the study provides the first evidence that nanoscale molecular superconducting wires can be fabricated, which could be used for nanoscale electronic devices and energy applications.

Steve Carroll, B.S.C.S. ’08, computer science master’s student and STEAM Fellow, received a certificate of accomplishment in recognition of valuable contribution to the Graduate STEAM Fellows in K-12 Education from the National Science Foundation GK-12 Program Directors.

Electrical engineering students Sonja Abbey, B.S.E.E. ’10; Bill Dixon, B.S.E.E. ’10; Eric Rico, B.S.E.E ’10; and Pat Dowell, B.S.E.E ’10, won first place in the IEEE Region II Micromouse Kit Competition at Temple University. The team was charged with building a small, autonomous robot that can explore a large maze while intelligently finding a route to the center. Once it has found several routes, it computes the fastest and then executes it. The 2010 Micromouse team was the first one of its kind for the Russ College.

Ohio Valley Regional Conference’s concrete canoe, steel bridge, survey, technical paper, and AutoCAD competitions held at the University of Kentucky. The team placed first in the AutoCAD Competition, third in the presentation portion, and second in a racing heat of the concrete canoe competition. This was Ohio University’s first canoe since 1994.

Ohio University’s 27th Annual Leadership Awards Gala recognized several Russ College students. William Young II, B.S.E.E. ’02, M.S.E.E. ’05, Ph.D. ’10, received the Outstanding Graduate Student Leaders Award, and Lauren Logan, B.S.E.E. ’10, was a finalist for the Outstanding Senior Leader Award. Other students nominated for awards include Joshua Cosper, B.S.M.E. ’10; Michael Logue, B.S.A ’10; and Shad Williams, B.S.M.E. ’10.

Ohio University’s micromouse robot from the IEEE competition.

Senior electrical engineering student Ben Ashman, B.S.E.E. ’10, won third place in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Region II paper competition in April at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for his paper “An Investigation into Variable Chirped FM-LADAR: Analysis and Implementation.”

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Graduate - Session 3)

1st: Vedasri Vedharathinam; 2nd: Thunyaluk Pojtanabuntoeng Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Graduate - Session 1)

1st: Kendal Clark; 2nd: Ed Steinke, Amanda Bryan, Bakhthiyar Nikombekov Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Graduate - Session 2)

1st: Rajesh Bezawada; 2nd: Sudha Vana Industrial and Civil Engineering

1st: Stephen Busam; 2nd: Phanindher Patlola Mechanical Engineering

1st: Ernur Karadogan; 2nd: Robert Meholif, Bradley Arnold, James Hayes, Bob Herpy, Schuyler Redding

The Ohio University WERC team’s sample—prepared and delivered for testing.

Five chemical and biomolecular engineering juniors recently participated in the WERC (Waste-management, Education and Research Consortium) design contest at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Nicholas Frank, Arthur Gildea, Matthew Moyer, Fritz Hoffmann, and Nicholas Van Horn were challenged to develop a method to concentrate pond water samples to achieve reduced volume, thus making the samples easier to send to testing laboratories. The U.S. Department of Energy sponsors the international design contest. Twenty-eight Russ College students were among the 147 Ohio University students to win awards at the 9th Annual Student Research and Creative Activity Fair in May. More than 600 undergraduate, graduate, and medical students and post-doctoral fellows presented their original work at the event. The winners were: Biomedical Engineering (Graduate - Session 1)

1st: Lucila Sackmann-Sala; 2nd: Chinthasagar Bastian Biomedical Engineering (Graduate - Session 2)

1st: William Broach; 2nd (tie): William Porter and Chris Stork Biomedical Engineering (Undergraduate)

1st: Sarah Gutzwiller; 2nd: Hiroyoshi Tanda Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Graduate - Session 1)

1st: Yao Xiong; 2nd: Ramasamy Palaniappan, David Ginley, Leesha Blake, Alysia Watson, Ashley Angelo, Brian Bell, David Homol, Morganna Keith Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Graduate - Session 2)

1st: Karissa Henson; 2nd: Raghu Kumar Alluri

Mechanical engineering students demonstrate their basketball shooter at the Research and Creative Activity Fair.

Three Russ College students received Ohio Space Grant Consortium scholarships from NASA for research they proposed to conduct through the Avionics Engineering Center. Electrical and mechanical engineering major Daniel Shapiro, who received a $4,000 senior scholarship, will investigate the feasibility of using ground-based navigation aids to provide avionics datalinks. Electrical engineering major Joseph DiBenedetto and David Edwards, who each received a $3,000 junior scholarship, will study autopilot systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and “sense and avoid” technology for UAVs to operate in the National Airspace System, respectively. All will present their results of their research at the OSGC student symposium in Cleveland in April 2011.

Engineering lab, 1968

1968 5.

ACADEMIC FEATURE

Thinking Globally

By Mary Reed

Team Pump It Up designs, installs solar-powered water pump for African village

Team Pump it Up and community members work together to align and level the solar panel mounting structure.

community in the West African country of Ghana once again has access to its spring water—and income from selling the water to neighboring villages—thanks to a group of recent mechanical engineering grads. “It was field engineering at its best,” said Nick Stormer, B.S.M.E. ’10, who served as team leader for Team Pump It Up, which designed a solar-powered water pumping system for the village of MaaseOffinso and installed it in July. “I don’t think there could have been something more real-world-or more difficult.”

But, as the team learned, things in developing countries happen very differently than here at home. They spent seven hours one day driving around a nearby city to find some bolts. The in-country dealer for the pump company never delivered on the second pump. There was an unexpected port-clearing charge to get the solar panels into Ghana. The subcontractor they hired to drill a well arrived a week late. And then the well collapsed. “We participated in the ritual sacrifice of a sheep to fix the well—and it worked,” Stormer reported, noting that water started flowing about two hours later.

Stormer and four other June mechanical engineering graduates—Adam Hensel, There were also cultural differences to Brent Willey, Kegan Kavander, and civil overcome. Americans were accustomed engineering grad Eric Gilliland—along to trying to minimize labor costs and with advisor Greg Kremer, Mechanical use technology to make processes more Engineering chair, spent three weeks efficient. In Africa, by contrast, labor Demonstrating community hospitality, in Ghana installing the system they had costs are low and technology is hard to these two villagers, posing with Mechanical Engineering Chair Greg Kremer, helped with designed back at home. Over the course of come by. But in the midst of eight- to the 2009–2010 academic year, the students all the team’s meals. ten-hour days, there was also some designed a mounting structure for a 20-panel, 3.5-kilowatt fun. The American engineers joined their Ghanaian hosts array to power two pumps to transfer water at a rate of 10,000 to crowd around a television for Ghana’s final World Cup gallons per day to nearby storage tanks. soccer game.

There was help from the local hosts, too. Kremer stayed in the home of the village chief. Village elders coordinated the necessary labor to dig the pipeline trench. But the one constant, it seemed, was change. “Almost everything we did changed on the spot when we were there, from the pipe diameter to the structure to hold up the solar panels we redesigned while we were there,” Stormer said.

The hands of Chief Nana Kwarteng and Mechanical Engineering Chair Greg Kremer under the water, just after the pumping system was completed.

who plays wheelchair basketball. Team Count on Me worked with a company that employs people with physical and mental disabilities to create a “parts kitting” device that helps employees count nuts, bolts, and washers before placing them in a bag. “We look for projects that are truly what I call integrative learning experiences, where students have an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned about how to do engineering, but also in the context of how to be an engineer,” said Kremer, who also served as technical project lead. “One of the aspects of how to be an engineer is the aspect of service to society. They see themselves in their roles as engineers, as solvers of important problems. It can really change the course of a student’s whole career—whole life—if he or she really enters it.”

Every morning, village women and children fill buckets of water from the water distribution tap (foreground), which is gravity-fed from the tanks (background).

“Remembrance in the long run will be bittersweet,” said Stormer, citing the high costs and frustrations with the project. “It was a learning experience and in some ways not much fun while I was there, but at the end of the day, I brought water to a village in Ghana.”

The Russ College has had a relationship with Unlike most who Maase-Offinso complete senior for more than five design projects, years. The village Team Pump It Up is the hometown In the end, the engineers completed a had to raise funds of Nana Kwaku 10-panel, 1.75-kilowatt array that’s now for the project. The Owusu-Kwarteng, powering a pump to transfer water at cost of the pumping former assistant a rate of more than 5,000 gallons per system alone director of Ohio day. “The highlight for me was seeing came to $18,500. University’s water flowing from the end of the pipe, Ohio University Institute for the a quarter mile away from where we Just a few of the many children who will contributed African Child, who installed our panels,” he said. “It was benefit from the water pumping system, this curious trio stopped in the middle of a game $3,000, the Russ proposed a project a big relief. We got it to work a few College contributed to investigate the project. there. Kremer hours before we left—honestly. $2,000, and the visited in 2006 But it worked!” Department of Mechanical Engineering for a previous engineering project and added another $1,500. Team Pump since then, the water pump broke. The Designing to make a difference It Up sent an appeal letter to alumni, village had been without it for more Team Pump It Up was just one of many who contributed than two years. senior design teams about $3,000 operating under to the project. “We strengthened the relationship last year’s theme, Kremer covered the between the community (MaaseDesigning to Make remaining expenses Offinso) and the University, and they a Difference. For all to allow the team now trust our ability to really do engineering majors, to complete something to help them,” Kremer said. the senior design the project. “We’re just thrilled there’s clean water project is a quarterTransportation, flowing through the village again.” long to year-long meals, lodging, and capstone course logistics totaled in which teams Team member Brent Willey, B.S.M.E. ’10, of students work discusses the solar panel wiring with the crew about $19,500. To from African Energy. cover these costs, with real clients to team members had design, test, and Flying Bobcats team, 1969 to pitch in to pay their own way build engineering solutions to real-life to Ghana. problems. Other projects came from Team Rocky Ball-Throa, which designed a basketball shooter for a disabled client

1969

STUDENT LIFE

Images Meet Innovation Computer science student’s personal project becomes one of nation’s most popular websites By Alan Schaaf, B.S.C.S. ’10 Alan Schaaf, who received his bachelor’s degree in computer science this June, writes about his extra-curricular experience developing and releasing a photo-sharing website, imgur.com (pronounced “imager”), which attracts 750 million image views a month and has been ranked by alexa.com as one of the top 150 most-visited sites in the United States. Alan Schaaf and sister, Sarah, B.S.C. ‘08, celebrate his graduation.

’ve always had small projects that I work on in my free time, and like most home projects, none of them led anywhere. Some were never finished, some had no use—but they always kept me busy. I like solving puzzles and being creative. Imgur was supposed to be one of those projects. When I released Imgur on the Internet, I fully expected a few people to use it for a couple weeks and then forget about it. To my surprise, it exploded. All of a sudden I had companies like Google and Facebook calling me, asking if I’d like to interview for a job. I also started to receive interview requests from different websites and blogs. That’s when I realized that I was onto something. From that point forward, Imgur was no longer a small home project that I worked on in my spare time. Instead of going to work for another company, I’ve chosen it as my career. Many challenges were completely new to me. I wasn’t sure how to solve them, and I didn’t know how my competitors were solving them, so I just invented a way. I think this is how you come up with something completely new and game-changing. Shortly after Imgur was launched, thousands of spam images about online pharmacies were being uploaded every day. I ended up creating an image recognizer that detects and blocks new spam, based on a scale of 0–100 on how similar it is to other known

spam images. Later on, I learned that this was a widespread problem and that other image sharing sites had to be deactivated because of it. I also had no money, which means I could never purchase a prebuilt solution to solve a problem. If I knew what the end goal was, even if I’d never done it before, I was able to come up with my own solution. All the best things I did with the site came from that. The end result is that every single thing I built was unique and worked great, and I’d never once done any of them before in my life.

www.imgur.com

FACULTY AND STAFF

Faculty/Staff

Accomplishments 2009–2010 Tingyue Gu, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, co-authored “A Green Biocide Enhancer for the Treatment of SulfateReducing Bacteria Biofilms on Carbon Steel Surfaces Using Glutaraldehyde,” International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, vol. 63, pp. 1102–1106, 2009. Avinash Karanth Kodi, assistant

professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: • Co-authored “Design of a Scalable Nanophotonic Interconnect for Future Multicores,” ACM/IEEE Symposium on Architectures for Networking and Communications Systems, Princeton, New Jersey, Oct. 19–20, 2009. • Co-authored “Workload Capacity Considering NBTI Degradation in Multi-core Systems,” proceedings of the IEEE 15th Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference, Taipei, Taiwan, Jan. 18–21, 2010. Jens Lichtenberg, visiting post-doc/

bioinformatician, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: • Co-authored “The Word Landscape of the Non-Coding Segments of the Arabidopsis Thaliana Genome,” and “Word-based Characterization of Promoters Involved in Human DNA Repair Pathways,” BMC Genomics, 10:S18, 2009. • Co-authored “Scalable parallel word search in multicore/ multiprocessor systems,” The Journal of Supercomputing, July 7, 2009. David Matolak , graduate chair and

professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science: • Authored “Chapter 2, Radio Channel Modeling for Vehicle-to-Vehicle/Road Communications,” Wireless Technologies for Intelligent Transportation Systems, Nova Science Publishers, March 2010. • Co-authored “Outdoor-to-Indoor Channel Measurements and Models, Cellular Telephone Industries Association,” Standards Working Group Document, September 2009.

Gayle Mitchell, Neil D. Thomas Professor,

chair, Department of Civil Engineering, and director, Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE); R. Guy Riefler, associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering; and Andrew Russ, research engineer/scientist, ORITE: • Co-authored “Removal of Pollutants From Simulated Highway Runoff Using a Vegetated Biofilter,” presented at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., Jan. 2010. • Co-authored “Vegetated Biofilter for Post Construction Storm Water Management for Linear Transportation Projects,” draft final report, Ohio Department of Transportation, ORITE, Civil Engineering Department, Ohio University, Jan. 2010. Shad M. Sargand, Russ Professor of Civil

Engineering and associate director, ORITE; co-authored and then presented “Controlled Load Vehicle Testing and Numerical Modeling of US30 Perpetual Pavement AC Test Section 664” at the International Conference on Perpetual Pavement 2009, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 30–Oct. 2, 2009. Eric Steinberg, associate professor,

Department of Civil Engineering: • Co-authored “Structural Reliability of Prestressed UHPC Flexural Models for Bridge Girders,” Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 65–72, 2010. • Co-authored and presented “Evaluation of Damaged Prestressed Concrete Bridge Box Beams,” Proceedings of the National Bridge Conference, San Antonio, Texas, Sept. 2009. Ben Stuart , associate professor, Department

of Civil Engineering, co-authored “The Challenges of Biofuels from the Perspective of Small-Scale Producers in Ohio,” Energy Policy, 37, pp. 522–530, 2009. Israel Urieli, associate professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, was chosen as one of 10 college and university faculty members in Ohio to receive the Ohio Board of Regents’ 2010 Faculty Innovator

Award for his work to integrate technology into his thermodynamics class and help make course materials more affordable for his students. State Senator Jimmy Stewart (R-Albany) presented Urieli with the resolution on the Ohio Senate floor in May. Ken Walsh, assistant professor,

Department of Civil Engineering, presented “Modeling and Simulation of an Amplified Structural Damping System in a Seismicallyexcited Truss Tower,” Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7643, 76432S, 2010. Lonnie R. Welch, Stuckey Professor,

Director of the Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was named 2010 Claymont High School (Uhrichsville, Ohio) Alumnus of the Year in recognition of leadership in his field. Bob Williams, professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering: • Created 100 MATLAB problems and solutions to augment an existing successful mechanisms textbook, Theory of Machines and Mechanisms, 2010, 4th edition, Oxford University Press. • Co-authored “The Virtual Haptic Human Upper Body,” CD Proceedings of the ASME International Design Technical Conferences, 33rd Mechanisms and Robotics Conference, Paper #DETC 2009-87050, San Diego, California, Sept. 2009.

Mechanical engineering project, 1969

1969 9.

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis

Excellence and Innovation Russ College continues to play a leading role in research and education

hio University is a place of promise. It is a community that is focused on helping students achieve their full potential by offering an engaging and transformative learning experience. We achieve that through the breadth and excellence of our degree programs, state-of-the art facilities, and the engagement of notable experts in our community of scholars. I am pleased to announce that we have a new member joining our distinguished Ohio Coal Research Center. Ohio University’s fourth eminent scholar, Dr. Sunggyu “K.B.” Lee, the new Russ-Ohio Research Scholar in Coal Syngas Utilization in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, is the top scholar in his field. The author of seven books and the recipient of 27 United States patents and 80 international patents, he is renowned for his work in chemical process engineering as applied to emerging technology, conventional technology enhancement, and green engineering. His work will strengthen the Russ College’s successes in fuel cell and clean coal technologies. We are honored to welcome him into the Ohio University and Russ College family—a community that continues to distinguish itself within the state and nation. For example, during the 2010 spring quarter, we opened the doors to the state-of-the-art Academic & Research Center. The research and transformative learning taking place within its walls will advance the human condition. The Russ College, which anticipates nearly $15.5 million in external research funding this year, continues to make significant impact, especially in the strategic research areas of energy, the environment, and transportation. Proof of that success is evident in the nearly $3 million grant the college received to enhance facilities for algae research from the state of Ohio’s Third Frontier Wright Projects Program. The project supports a growing industry in Ohio that aims to harness the algae plant for alternative energy innovations and air pollution mitigation. Ohio University will serve as a testing ground for a statewide coalition of public institutions and private companies engaged in developing algae technologies. The Avionics Engineering Center was awarded a five-year contract with a ceiling of $9.5 million to continue supporting the Federal Aviation Administration’s navigation services office on projects similar to the one featured on page 1213. Center researchers are at work analyzing the safety of

10.

Mechanical engineering graduate student Shailendra Singh (L) and senior chemical and biomolecular engineering major Nickolas Van Horn construct a new raceway pond for culturing algae.

antenna structures alongside runways to ensure they collapse safely in the event of a collision. This important research will minimize passenger risk and plane damage. We are proud of Ohio University’s role as a leader in testing the safety of these navigation systems, which are used by aircraft operating across the United States. The Russ College also continues to lead in the area of engineering education—not just by training the engineering and technology leaders of tomorrow, but by strengthening teachers’ skills and building a pipeline of future students. Building on a $1.67 million grant from the National Science Foundation STEAM (Science and Technology Enrichment for Appalachian Middle-Schoolers), researchers received a fiveyear, $2.6 million grant for The Boat-of-Knowledge in the Science Classroom project. As part of a federal push to encourage more young Americans to pursue high-demand careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), the University is partnering with high schools in southeastern Ohio to offer teachers more hands-on training in conducting and analyzing research data, which they will use in the classroom for STEM education. Ohio University and the Russ College are bettering our world by supporting new research and scholarship, providing important tools to teachers, and engaging and transforming students and the engineering leaders of tomorrow.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

The Latest on

Russ College Research The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) CAMP is working in partnership with Applied Sciences Inc. of Cedarville, Ohio, to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of a lightweight, nano-enhanced, electrically conductive polymer electrode. Applied Sciences is one of the world’s leading developers of carbon nanofibers and nanocomposite products. CAMP researchers will analyze and design nano-enhanced electrodes for reduction of multiple pollutants from oil- and coalfired industrial boilers. Applied Sciences will develop the scale-up technology.

Research Project Agency for Energy call for proposals.

Center for Scientific Computing and Immersive Technologies (CSCIT) CSCIT’s Medical Image Analysis Lab has been collaborating with researchers from the University of Kentucky in using a neuroimaging approach to study multiple sclerosis (MS) brain tissue damage (lesions). A software package for segmentation of MS lesions has been developed to accurately measure subjects’ brain volumes in structures associated with MS pathology. New methods to conduct longitudinal studies on the development of the lesions over time are being explored. The research has potential to help identify the biomarkers of MS in the future.

The Biofuels Research Laboratory within ISEE was recently granted a $545,444 project award to work with AlgaeVenture Systems (AVS) of Marysville, Ohio, to develop and commercialize low-energy harvesting and dewatering of microalgae. The processed microalgae are available for use in a variety of products, including fuels, bio-polymers and synthetic chemicals, nutraceuticals, and animal feed. AVS and its partners were successful in securing one of 37 projects awarded from more than 3,500 applicants under the U.S. DOE’s first Advanced

Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE) ORITE’s National Asphalt Laboratory (NAL), on Ohio University’s Lancaster campus, purchased new equipment by matching funds donated by alumni and industry friends. The equipment is being used in a project funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation that involves collecting asphalt/ concrete samples from 20 pavements from around the state, including pavements with performance histories exceptionally above average. The aim of the NAL analysis is to identify the material properties that distinguish exceptional pavements, in order to improve the quality of future asphalt/ concrete pavements.

Avionics Engineering Center

Mechanical engineering master’s student Thomas Burke tests a device he designed and fabricated to improve the collection efficiency of a newly patented algae harvesting system.

Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (ISEE)

ICMT is entering its third year of collaboration with the Ohio Coal Development Office on studies about the corrosive potential of transporting the captured carbon dioxide.

Associate Professor of Computer Science Jundong Liu (L) and doctoral candidate Shuisheng Xie review experimental results of a neuroimage software package developed for the University of Kentucky Hospital for Multiple Sclerosis’ work in brain tissue damage detection.

Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology (ICMT) As part of a multiyear grant from Alstom Power and in collaboration with the Dow Chemical Company, the ICMT has been developing experimental and modeling tools for the study and prediction of corrosion and material selection issues encountered in the next generation of carbon capture and storage from fossil fuel power plants. In addition, the

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relies heavily on the Avionics Engineering Center to support flight testing and performance evaluation of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance– Broadcast (ADS-B) System. ADS-B is a key surveillance element of the U.S. Next Generation Air Transportation System. In addition to providing air traffic controllers with improved aircraft position reports for display on their tower monitors, it enables air crews to have access to this information for display in the cockpit. ADS-B is the largest single flight-test effort undertaken by the Avionics Engineering Center to date.

Engineering class, 1970

1970 11.

RESEARCH FEATURE

Strategic Partnership, Remarkable Results Avionics Engineering Center helps FAA improve navigation safety, efficiency

By Mary Reed

f you’re a passenger on an airplane approaching the airport on a foggy night, you might understandably worry about how the pilot will ever find the runway. Current landing technologies, while good, have gotten even better with a new landing system developed in part at Ohio University’s Avionics Engineering Center.

The local area augmentation system (LAAS) is a new ground-based augmentation to global positioning system (GPS) satellites. It uses a fixed receiver, combined with mathematical computations, to correct any errors in the positions calculated from satellite signals. “The number-one function of the LAAS is to remove errors safely,” says Dean Bruckner, Avionics Engineering Center assistant director-technical. “It’s basically the FAA’s eyes and the ears on the GPS system, for airplanes that are using it for high-precision approach and landing.” The chance of a plane missing the runway due to faulty navigation input from LAAS? “One in a billion,” Bruckner answers. The aircraft’s corresponding LAAS equipment uses the satellite-to-user range corrections provided from the ground-based system to guide the aircraft safely to the runway.

One of four GPS reference receiver antennas installed as part of the LAAS ground facility at the Newark Liberty International Airport.

12.

The first FAA-approved LAAS system—which is based on the prototype developed at Ohio University—is now active at one of the New York City area’s top three international airports: Newark, New Jersey. Still others are coming online. LAAS systems are intended

FAA automated flight inspection system and mission specialists conduct the Newark LAAS flight inspection.

Taxiing at Newark en route for an afternoon flight inspection mission.

LAAS can serve the entire airport. It does have an economy of scale.” These cost savings are one priority of the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, along with improved safety and volume capacity. NextGen is ushering in a satellite-based system of air traffic management, from the current ground-based system, so the LAAS system is the first step in an entire transformation of how the FAA manages air traffic safety. NextGen goals also include reducing emissions while increasing air traffic volume. Another FAA adaptation of GPS helps with this, too. Currently, air traffic controllers stair-step the altitude of arriving planes into airports; using a few stages of constant altitude and speed makes it easier to control multiple planes in densely packed airspace. The Automated Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system—in which airplanes use GPS to report their location and trajectory in relation to another— will allow controllers extra leeway to permit smooth, continuous descents into airports, which in turn conserves fuel, limits emissions, and reduces noise pollution. The Avionics Engineering Center has been partnering with the FAA

since the 1960s, when the groundbased instrument landing system was the newest technology. “We still have a role in supporting the ILS and other ground-based navigation aids as well as helping them move toward this Next Generation Air Transportation System,” said Mike DiBenedetto, senior research program engineer for the Avionics Engineering Center. DiBenedetto and his colleague Rob Thomas manage the center’s participation in the FAA’s Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast (ADS-B) program. This long-standing relationship is based on the center’s unique facility that has on hand test aircraft to evaluate prototypes developed

FAA mission specialists discuss flight inspection results during the Newark LAAS flight inspection.

by faculty and staff. “We have a good fundamental understanding of navigation and landing systems and, obviously, interest in new technology,” DiBenedetto says. “We’re always interested in learning more to help the FAA sustain what they have and to bring new technologies into existence.”

FAA Awards Millions to Avionics Center

to replace the current instrument landing system (ILS), which is specific to not only every airport, but every runway end. “If you have four runways, as in a large airport, you may have up to eight ILS installations. These are expensive,” Bruckner says. “However, just one

The FAA has awarded three recent contracts to the Avionics Engineering Center to continue its support in modernizing the National Airspace System and to provide technical services for air operations. • Navigation Services: This nearly $10 million, five-year contract includes work to analyze and modify ILS structures located near runways to ensure they collapse safely if struck by an airplane. • Electronic FAA Accelerated and Simplified Tasks (eFAST): The Avionics Engineering Center has teamed with UrsaNav and ACS International to provide technical services to the FAA, including redesign of air traffic controllers’ work environments. The Avionics Engineering Center is the only university team member out of the 200 small businessled teams sharing up to $2.5 billion over seven years. • Systems Engineering 2020: This contract supports research and development for NextGen, including design and flight tests for navigation systems. The Avionics Engineering Center is teamed with ITT, one of three prime contractors sharing up to $1.5 billion over seven years.

Research and Technology Building, 1974

The LAAS program has received more than $14 million in funding from the FAA since 1997.

1974 13.

RESEARCH

Selected External

Research Awards For 2009–2010, the Russ College reported approximately $16.3 million in research and sponsored programs. The top 10 awards, also including one award from each department and research unit, are:

$2,061,500

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Electrochemical Engineering Research Center Distributed Power from Wastewater • To develop technology for producing hydrogen from waste, for use in military operations

$1,849,036 ITT Corporation

Avionics Engineering Research Center Ohio University Support of FAA Surveillance and Broadcast Services Program Office and Flight Test Activities for Key Sites • To perform flight testing of GPS based air traffic control surveillance technology

$951,000

U.S. Department of Energy Ohio Coal Research Center Ohio Biorefinery Project • To create an advanced utility-scale biorefinery—powered by renewable fuels—at Ohio University’s Lancaster campus, for the continuous production of transportation fuels such as biodiesel, biogasoline, and ethanol

$777,000

General Electric Corporation Center for Advanced Software Systems Integration Cost Modeling Enhancements for GE Infrastructure • To develop and improve methodolo gies for estimating the manufacturing cost of a variety of products, includ ing jet engines, gas turbines, and wind turbines

14.

$685,000

Baker Petrolite, BG International Limited, BP America, Champion Technologies, Chevron Energy, Clariant, ConocoPhillips, Encana Corp., ENI, ExxonMobil, Nalco Energy Services, Occidential Oil & Gas Corp., Petrobras, Petronas, PTT Exploration, Saudi Aramco, Teikoku Oil, TOTAL, Tublar Goods Research, and Wood Group Integrity Management Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology Corrosion Center Joint Industry Project • To advance the scientific knowledge and practical understanding in the field of carbon dioxide corrosion in multiphase flow systems and to educate and train future researchers who will implement and disseminate this knowledge throughout the corrosion engineering community.

$545,444 Univenture, Inc.

Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment Scaling and Commercialization of Algae Harvesting Technologies • To develop an economically viable, commercial-scale microalgae harvest ing and de-watering system that allows for the advancement of domestically produced liquid transportation fuels and other bio based products for the algae-based feedstock industry

$515,619 Resolute CM, LLC

Civil Engineering Al Anbar University ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) Accreditation Services • To assess civil, electrical, mechani cal, and dams/water resources engi neering programs at Al Anbar University, Iraq

$443,347

Interthyr Corporation Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering TLR Signal Inhibition: A Novel Therapeutic Paradigm • To develop molecular therapeutics for autoimmune-inflammatory disease and cancer

$418,985 Petronas

Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology Corrosion Predictions for Mild Steel in High Pressure CO2 Environments • To develop a predictive model for the internal corrosion of multiphase transport pipelines in high pres sure and supercritical aqueous carbon dioxide environments.

$401,083

National Science Foundation Mechanical Engineering MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Comparative Experimental Biomechanics Research • To procure shared equipment for biomechanics research across disciplines at Ohio University

$397,533

$111,261

$54,593

Avionics Engineering Research Center

Center for Air Quality

Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment

Federal Aviation Administration

Satellite-Based Aircraft Precision Approach and Landing Research • To support the FAA’s development of GPS-based automatic aircraft land ing system technology

$393,580

Ohio Department of Transportation Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment Structural Evaluation of LIC-3100396 Box Beams with Advanced Strand Deterioration • To test a full scale, three-span adjacent box prestressed concrete bridge scheduled for replacement, in order to assist the ODOT in determin- ing the remaining system strength of these popular types of bridges

$360,000

BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ENI, OXY, PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Ltd., Saudi Aramco, TOTAL Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology Top of the Line Corrosion Extension –“Lab to field” • To develop a practical tool for the prediction of internal corrosion of multiphase transport pipelines at the top of the line and under dewing conditions.

$140,000

Ohio Aerospace Institute Center for Advanced Materials Processing Affordable, High Conductivity Graphite Foam Heat Exchangers for Thermal Management, Phase II • To develop thermal models for graphite foams in phase II of a grant in which Russ College researchers are developing and optimizing high conductivity graphite carbon foams for heat exchangers and thermal energy storage devices in aerospace and also high heat flux systems.

Ohio Department of Development Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Climate Change Impact Analysis • To team with the Voinovich School and Ohio State University to develop a carbon management system for the state of Ohio; Russ College research ers will develop a state-of-the-art, scalable and robust computer applica tion for establishing the database and management system necessary for tracking green house gas emissions within the state of Ohio

$104,577

Ohio Board of Regents Center for Scientific Computing and Immersive Technologies Ohio Consortium for Bioinformatics • To provide scholarships to 30 Ohio University students (20 undergradu ate and 10 graduate) to study bioin formatics as part of the Choose Ohio First grant to attract and graduate an estimated 345 students in science, technology, engineering, mathemat ics, and medical fields over five years

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Fire Monitoring and Modeling for the Smoke and Bat Projects • To develop methods to use airborne infrared images to map the amount of fuel consumed in a forest fire

$50,000

Junior Engineering Technical Society Electrical Engineering and Computer Science JETS TEAMS Program • To develop and execute the written test portion of TEAMS, a national engineering competition asking high school students to solve real-world challenges, as admin istered by JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society).

$75,000

National Science Foundation Industrial and Systems Engineering Partnerships for Adaptation, Implementation, and Dissemination (PAID): Career Success in Science and Engineering-Related Fields for Female Faculty at Public Two-Year Institutions • To understand models for success of female science, technology, engineer ing, and mathematics faculty at two-year schools, where gender parity is greater

Engineering technology and management senior William Loar loads the high-speed conveyor simulator with bar codes for testing at speeds up to 660 feet per minute.

$49,795 GS1-Global

Engineering Technology and Management GS1-Global Symbology Test 4 • To execute bar code symbology robustness testing, in order to find character substitutions and perform comparative analysis on different barcode symbologies

Industrial technology students, 1974

1974 15.

EDITORIAL

From the Russ College Board

Rising Numbers 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.

Strategic initiatives drive positive trends in enrollment, student math metrics While the Russ College continues to make strong advances in research— as you’ll read about President McDavis’s column on page 10 and the feature story on pages 12-13—academics are a continued area of growth and strength as well. The Russ College is already seeing results from several areas targeted in strategic metrics I shared in the last issue of Ingenuity. In the key area of enrollment, one new tactic in the last year is targeted scholarships. The result? For fall 2010 (as of July), the Russ College had received 1,073 applications, with 341 first-year students committed to attend. This is compared with fall 2009’s final numbers: 1,187 applications with 314 students enrolled. Applications are down for this year almost 10 percent—but admissions are up almost 9 percent. This shows us that even though the applicant pool decreased, more students are choosing the Russ College and Ohio University. We are successfully attracting more students—with the same high quality—from a smaller available group. The number of high school graduates is declining across the nation, particularly in Ohio.

Representing the Russ College Board of Visitors, Burke cuts the ribbon for the board-named project team room in the Academic & Research Center. Members contributed a $50,000 gift to name the room.

Keeping these students—what we call “retention”—is just as important as bringing them into the Bobcat fold. In fall-to-fall retention, the Russ College saw a five percent increase from academic year 2007–2008 (67.2 percent) to academic year 2008–2009 (72.1 percent). Math retention is a specific strategy aimed at continuing to improve this number. Getting tactical, the Russ College hired its own math instructor for fall 2009; as we know, mathematics preparation is key to success in engineering and technology. If we can ensure that our students gain the skills they need and are confident and secure in their knowledge and environment, we have a better chance that they’ll succeed with their career choice. The results are significant. For fall quarter, in Math 115 (pre-calculus), the Russ College pass rate was 83 percent—as compared to Russ College students’ previous success rate of about 50 percent in the same course. During winter quarter, in Math 263A (calculus), the Russ College success rate was 74 percent, again compared to the previous pass rate of about 50 percent in the same course. These are just two tactics in two strategic focus areas. Several Board of Visitors members spent a retreat weekend this summer with Dean Irwin, department chairs, center directors, and other Russ College leaders to review and refine our metrics, with the goal of making the Russ College a top choice in engineering and technology education. We look forward to reporting more good news next year!

16.

ALUMNI PROFILE

Building on a Foundation Mechanical engineering alumnus now heads Silicon Valley company

By Mary Reed

hen David Lazovsky, B.S.M.E.’95, returns to campus for homecoming weekend this fall, it will be the first time the 1995 grad has been in Athens since graduation. From Europe to Silicon Valley, he’s been busy in the interim with a career that has led to the creation of a multi-million-dollar high-tech company. Shortly after earning his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Lazovsky was hired by Applied Materials, where he got into the business side of the company and worked his way up to director of business management for Europe (he was based in Grenoble, France, for a couple of years). By the time he left the company, he was managing $1.2 billion of Applied’s semiconductor manufacturing equipment business. Lazovsky says that the Russ College can claim quite a bit of credit for his early success. “I certainly had the tools that I needed coming out with a bachelor’s to ensure success at Applied.” Building on his experience and industry connections, Lazovsky founded Intermolecular in 2004, where he serves as president and CEO. Based in San Jose, California, Intermolecular conducts materials processing research and development for the semiconductor and clean energy industries. Using their proprietary High Productivity Combinatorial (HPC) technology to test up to 100 different semiconductor devices at a time, Intermolecular drastically reduces R&D costs and time to market for manufacturers. “High productivity combinatorial technology is basically massively parallel experimentation,” Lazovsky explains, noting that the technology is not particularly new; rather, it’s borrowed from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. In order to launch Intermolecular, Lazovsky developed a team with core competencies in the semiconductor industry. “We’re the only company in the world that’s applying these combinatorial technologies in earnest in semiconductor and green energy applications.” Intermolecular in turn earns royalties on products sold using their HPC technology. A large percentage of the company’s revenues—estimated to be more than $100 million annually by 2013—come from royalties. Lazovsky says his objective is to take the company public within the next 24 months. “The only way to take new ideas and make them into next generation, higher performance devices is to run experiments. You have to grind it out; there are no shortcuts. There’s a lot of

David Lazovsky, B.S.M.E.‘95

complexity and a lot of uncertainty. What we’ve done is created a capability for running those experiments about 100 times faster than anybody else in the world,” says Lazovsky, who can claim 16 filed and issued U.S. patents to his name. While he’s largely working in the business end of things, Lazovsky relies regularly on the technical foundations he gained during his time at the Russ College. “My company employs about 150 people, 50 percent of whom have Ph.D.s, so I have to maintain my understanding of core scientific principles. The base of that came from my undergraduate (mechanical engineering degree) at OU.” When he visits campus in October, Lazovsky will speak to students enrolled in an entrepreneurship seminar in the College of Business about business startup and venture capital. He also plans to reconnect with his Phi Kappa Tau fraternity brothers and kick around the brick streets of Athens and campus. “(If) you lived through OU, you know how romantic an experience it is. I loved it. I fell in love with the campus and with the people there.”

Avionics Engineering Center Director Emeritus Richard H. McFarland with the DC-3, 1981

1981 17.

GIVING TO THE RUSS COLLEGE

Russ College Celebrates Grand Opening of the Academic & Research Center In May, more than 300 donors and Ohio University community members celebrated the grand opening of the $34 million Academic & Research Center. The building was made possible by private donations, including $5 million from Russ College alumnus Charles Stuckey, HON ’05, and his wife, Marilyn, and $10 million from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations. The Russ College Board of Visitors also contributed $50,000 to name a project team room in the state-of-the art facility that features open, flexible learning spaces and cutting-edge research labs. Left: As part of his senior design course demonstration, Team Bio Filtration Technology member Seth Beachy, B.S.M.E. ’10, shows Mechanical Engineering advisory board member Tom Moehring, B.S.M.E. ’06, the pre-filters in his team’s water purification system— built for and shipped to the village of Konalai in Southern India, where there is a contaminated water supply.

“It’s so much more than just bricks and mortar. It was designed from the beginning to be a catalyst for advanced learning techniques and collaboration in research—to create an environment for faculty-to-faculty, student-to-student, and most importantly, faculty-student interaction.” “Ohio University has a more-than 200-year history of delivering excellence in education, affordability, and availability. We all need to help ensure that history continues for years to come. Our children and future generations deserve no less.” Top: Srinath, M.S. ’71, and Kathryn, B.F.A. ’73, Balakrishnan pose outside of the project team room they named. Above: Paul, B.S.E.E. ‘50, and Barbara, B.S. ’53, Batchelder join Dean Dennis Irwin outside of the project team that bears their name. Right: Charles, B.S.M.E. ’66, HON ’05, and Marilyn Stuckey

18.

—Charles Stuckey, B.S.M.E. ’66

Top: Donors of a gift totaling $50,000, Russ College Board of Visitors members gather with Dean Dennis Irwin outside of the project team room they named. Above: Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering Monica Burdick works in her new, state-of-the art lab, where she will pursue breast cancer research.

New Art Piece Unifies ARC Disciplines

According to artist Alyson Shotz, the reflection of light is an interference-effect similar to the iridescence in butterfly wings.

Ohio University’s newest Percent for Art piece now shimmers and shines—25 feet high in the living room atrium of the Academic & Research Center. The sculpture, “Angle of Incidence,” is the work of Brooklynbased artist Alyson Shotz, whose work has been collected by New York City’s Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of Modern Art, as well as Harvard and Yale universities. A double-helix wave form of reflective acrylic-coated aluminum rods, the piece was funded by the state of Ohio’s Percent for Art Program, which provides for public works of art in public buildings with appropriations of more than $4 million. To read more, visit http://www.ohio.edu/compass/stories/09-10/7/arc-art-piece-723.cfm

Dollars Make a Difference: Get and Give For Russ College Distinguished Graduate Bill Englefield, B.S.C.E. ’52, giving back means giving a student the opportunity he got. That’s why he and his wife, Janet, created the Bill and Janet Englefield Scholarship—a renewable, $3,000 scholarship designed to bridge the gap between what a college education costs and what a student can realistically afford.

As announced in Ingenuity magazine 2009, a new, top-priority scholarship fund at the Russ College creates strategically targeted, undergraduate scholarships and opens the doors to a new generation of engineering and technology professionals. In addition, such a scholarship effectively doubles the likelihood that a student will enroll at the Russ College—and helps the Russ College reach capacity enrollment of 1,450 undergraduates. “Ohio University gave me a full scholarship and got me a parttime job so I could have some spending money,” says Englefield, whose accounting clerk father was raising three boys on his own. Ohio University continued the scholarship Englefield’s senior year so he could graduate on time. Englefield is now chair of the board of Englefield Oil Co., a company he and his wife founded in 1961 and which operates 96 Duke and Duchess convenience stores.

Associate Professor of “The helix is a form found throughout nature. It’s similar to half of a strand of DNA, a helix describes a mathematical curve in three-dimensional space, and it’s similar to a wave—which is the form of light and sound,” says artist Alyson Shotz.

Measuring approximately 16 feet long and 11 feet high, the piece is composed of square-shaped aluminum tubes laminated with dichroic acrylic on all sides to transmit and reflect different wavelengths of light.

Industrial Technology Tim Sexton (L) and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Israel Urieli, 1985

1985 19.

FACULTY AND STAFF AWARDS

The Russ College Honors

Alumni, Faculty, and Staff The Russ College honored faculty and staff in May for outstanding contributions in teaching, research, and service. By Courtney Kessler

he The Russ College honored faculty and staff in May for outstanding contributions in teaching, research, and service. The Russ Awards were established by alumnus Fritz J. Russ and his wife, Dolores, in 1981 and carry a cash award of $1,500. The 2010 Russ Outstanding Research Paper Award recipient was Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Cindy Marling for her paper, “Toward Case-Based Reasoning for Diabetes Management: A Preliminary Clinical Study and Decision Support System Prototype.” Marling noted that she was proud to have her work, a collaboration with faculty from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, be acknowledged. “With all of the fascinating research going on at the Russ College, I felt honored and delighted that my work with Drs. Schwartz and Shubrook was singled out for special recognition. Combined with the Academic & Research Center grand opening the following day, this was a very special weekend,” Marling said. Selected by Russ College students, the Russ Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award recognizes one professor with outstanding teaching and advising across the college. The 2010 recipient was Greg Kremer, chair and associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (see pages 6-7 for a story on Kremer’s work with mechanical engineering senior design students). 20.

The Marvin E. and Ann D. White Awards, carrying cash awards of $500 each, were established by alumnus Marv White and his wife, Ann, to recognize continued and sustained achievements in research, scholarship, and the creation of new knowledge. The awards honor a faculty member in each department. Recipients were: Bryan Branham, associate professor, Department of Aviation; Gerardine Botte, professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Tiao Chang, professor, Department of Civil Engineering; Frank Van Graas, Russ Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Dale Masel, associate professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Pete Klein, chair and professor, Department of Industrial Technology; and Dave Bayless, Loehr Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering. The White Teaching Awards also honor a faculty member in each department for dedicated teaching and student advising. Recipients were: Deak Arch, assistant professor, Department of Aviation; Darin Ridgway, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Eric Steinberg, associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering; Doug Lawrence, professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Dusan Sormaz, associate professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Todd Myers, associate professor, Department of Industrial Technology; and Frank Kraft, associate professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering. The Outstanding Administrative, Technical, and Classified Employee Awards honor employees with superior results-based performance, with a $750 cash prize. Recipients were: Stephanie Walker, undergraduate secretary, Department of Mechanical Engineering (classified award); Tom Chambers, laboratory technician, mechanical systems (technical award); and Dan Stroh, assistant dean for development (administrative award).

Pidwell Honored as Distinguished Graduate Alumnus David Pidwell, B.S.E.E. ’69, M.S.I.S.E ’70, is the newest member of the Russ College Academy of Distinguished Graduates, which honors and celebrates the achievements and contributions of alumni to the field of engineering and technology. A partner with Silicon Valley venture capital firm Alloy Ventures since 1996, Pidwell’s investments are concentrated in the computer software industry. Upon receiving the award, Pidwell described how when he left Ohio University for the San Francisco Bay Area 40 years ago, everything he owned was in the back seat of his Volkswagen. “When I arrived, Silicon Valley was nothing more than a cattle grazing area and fruit orchards,” he said. “Today it’s clear to me that the basic know-how and principles that I employed in my career were first established at Ohio University.” Prior to joining Alloy Ventures, Pidwell was CEO of Rasna Corp., a mechanical design automation software company he founded in 1986. The firm was acquired by Parametric Technology Corp. in 1995. He was also president and general manager of the Mil-Spec computer division of Rolm Corp., having been with the company for 14 years from the time of its startup. IBM acquired the company in 1985 with more than 2,500 employees and $1.2 billion in annual revenue. A faculty member of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Pidwell is also a trustee of the Ohio University Foundation and a member of the Russ College Board of Visitors.

NEW HIRES AND RETIREES

Russ College

Welcomes and Farewells New Hires Dean Bruckner, assistant director-technical, Avionics Engineering Center Branden Buxman, research pilot, Avionics Engineering Center Sunggyu “K.B.” Lee, Russ-Ohio Research Scholar in Coal Syngas Utilization, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Steve Riesbeck, grant writer, Dean’s Office

Moving Up Shawn Ostermann, associate dean for research, graduate studies and planning; formerly chair, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Moving On James M. Rankin, associate dean for research, graduate studies and planning, Dean’s Office, accepted the position of vice provost for research and economic development at the University of Arkansas.

(L-R) Shawn Ostermann and Steve Riesbeck in the Academic & Research Center

Remembrances

Helmut Zwahlen

, professor emeritus of industrial and systems engineering, died on Feb. 28 in Athens. He was 71. Zwahlen was a research professor with the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment. He joined the Russ College in 1971 as an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering. An Ohio University alumnus, Zwahlen received a master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from the Russ College in 1968. He also earned a doctorate in industrial and systems engineering from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the State of Berne Institute of Technology in Burgdorf, Switzerland.

Outside of his teaching duties, Zwahlen served as the principal investigator for numerous federal- and state-supported research projects. Many of the projects dealt with transportation, traffic safety, visibility, traffic signing, human factors, driver performance, driver eye scanning, and driver risk-taking topics. Zwahlen was a fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and a past recipient of its A. R. Lauer Traffic Safety Award, which is given to a person for outstanding contributions to human factors aspects in the broad area of safety. During his distinguished career, he published more than 100 technical papers and reports and served on several committees of the Transportation Research Board.

im McKnight, 71, passed away March 18 in Nelsonville, Ohio. A skilled machinist, McKnight worked at Anchor Hocking in

Lancaster, Ohio, before joining the engineering research faculty as a mechanical systems technician. He was awarded the 2003 Russ College Outstanding Employee Award (technical).

ary Conlan died April 15 after a long battle with cancer. Conlan earned his bachelor’s degree in commerce at Ohio University in 1958. He was executive vice president, chief operating officer, and corporate director at Neer Manufacturing from 1977 until his retirement in 1994. He was a member of the Russ College’s Department of Industrial Technology advisory board from 2000–2006.

Electrical engineering project, 1989

1989 21.

CLASS NOTES

Keeping Track of

Classmates Ernest Bechstein, B.S.C.H. ’63, passed away October 19, 2006.

1970s Grads Reunite with Alma Mater

rigadier General James Abraham,

James Dawson, B.S.I.T. ’67, retired as a program manager at WrightPatterson Air Force Base and has embarked on a new career as a large format fine art photographer.

B.S.E.E. ’43, B.S.I.E. ’48, officially

received his diploma in 2010—67 years after earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in the summer of 1943. Abraham’s service in World War II—on the beaches of Normandy in France, to be precise—prevented him

Richard Brown, B.S.A. ’10, is an airframe and power plant technician for Heavy Aircraft Maintenance in Bridgeport, West Virginia. He works primarily on CRJ airliners.

Jim Abraham with Dean Dennis Irwin after commencement in June.

Tad Dritz, B.S.C.E. ’93, leads a nonprofit, Green Columbus (greencbus. org), that conducts Earth Day in central Ohio. He and his wife, Sarah Straley, B.S.Ed. ’98, live in Worthington, Ohio.

from attending the 1944 commencement ceremony. Abraham returned to Athens to earn a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1948. He attended commencement that year but still hadn’t walked for his first degree. Assistant Dean for Development Dan Stroh gets credit from Abraham for the idea to participate in another commencement ceremony more than six-and-a-half decades after earning his first undergraduate degree. During a conversation with Stroh several years ago, Abraham shared the story of why he was unable to attend the 1944 ceremony. Stroh told Abraham that he had an open invitation to attend an upcoming ceremony. Abraham chose to “walk” in June—but he didn’t go it alone. Graduates from 1970 were invited to join as well, to

Ron Hadsell, M.B.A.’96, M.A. ’99, M.S. ’01, is a candidate for Ohio State Representative, 89th District. Hadsell is vice president of business development at Hadsell Development. The Portsmouth-based firm designs and builds industrial buildings/parks. Christopher T. Jech, B.S.E.E. ’08, is working at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona, as a navigation systems engineer.

commemorate the 30-year anniversary of their graduation

Wayne B. Kelley, B.S.I.E. ’43, passed away March 9, 2010.

because commencement exercises were not held in 1970. Russ

Thomas G. Lee, B.S.M.E. ’55, passed away February 21, 2010.

College alumni Suresh Anbil, John Baginski, Arnoldo R. Cruz, Jim Edwards, Stephen Felton, Paul Hunt, Robert Indre, Ron Ives, Ron Starks, Bruce Stewart, William Tschudi, and John White participated.

22.

(L-R): Tad Dritz and Governor Strickland at Earth Day Celebration in Franklin Park, Columbus, Ohio.

Carla Lucchino, M.S.I.S.E. ’82, was appointed as assistant to the secretary of the Navy in June. Overseeing an annual budget of about $2 billion for 40+ Navy and Marine Corps organizations comprising 6,000 individuals, she is responsible for managing a range of aspects, from Department of Navy directives, to human resources, to information technology. Formerly, she was assistant deputy commandant of installations and logistics for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Matthew McGee, B.S.M.E. ’04, and his wife Reona welcomed Roman Jacob on Dec. 31, 2008. McGee is a quality engineer with Magna in Greenville, South Carolina. Jesse Megenhardt, B.S.I.T. ’07, married Brooke Sheppard, B.S.C. ’07, on July 17 in Athens, Ohio, amidst Ohio Brew Week festivities. Megenhardt, a manufacturing engineering manager at Itron North America, met Sheppard while attending Ohio University. Originally from the Southeastern Ohio area, the couple resides in Burlington, Kentucky. Alexander Murray, M.S.I.S.E. ’08, was named chair for the School of Drafting and Design at ITT Technical Institute-Columbus, Ohio Campus. He oversees the computer drafting and design and associate of visual communications degree programs. Previously he worked as an adjunct instructor at two other Columbusarea colleges and also as a full time engineering designer. Victor W. Roush, B.S.Ch.E. ’64, M.S.Ch.E. ’66, retired in 1999 after working for Shell Oil Company for 34 years. He recently moved from Houston to Spring, Texas, and is busy enjoying life with his grandchildren, his church, and Rotary International.

Cruse Moss

ruse Moss, B.S.I.S.E. ’48, L.D.D. ’85, and his wife Virginia (Ginny) have

endowed three Cutler scholarships, including the Drs. Cruse W. and Virginia Patton Moss-Manasseh Cutler Scholars Award for a student accepted into the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

(L-R): Ginny Moss, Meghan McGuire, Natalie Kruse, Brad Gough, and Cruse Moss.

This spring, former Cutler Scholars Meghan McGuire, B.A. ’06; Brad Gough, B.S.C.E. ’05 (also a current civil engineering master’s student); and Natalie Kruse, B.S.C.E. ’04, assistant professor of environmental studies at Ohio University, visited their benefactors in the Mosses’ Ann Arbor, Michigan, home. The Cutler Scholars Program offers unique opportunities, like this visit, to establish relationships with the people who made the scholarships possible. The program intends to provide links with

Nicholas Stewart, B.S.M.E. ’09, is a control area operator for Duke Energy in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is responsible for operation and financial control of wind turbines across the United States.

mentors who can help provide guidance and counseling with the

Lee Wright, B.S.E.E. ’77, works for General Dynamics in Scottsdale, Arizona, developing wireless communications systems for the firm’s homeland security business.

organizations that share the ideal of identifying young men

Nick Youna, Ph.D., ’88, is department head and James Worth Bagley Chair at Mississippi State University. His research interests are radar signal processing, digital signal processing, computational electromagnetic and signal detection and estimation.

its goal of having 200 scholars on the Athens campus at all times,

personal interests and abilities of each scholar in mind. Each Cutler scholarship is privately funded by individuals and and women with uncommon intellect, maturity, and leadership potential. Each year, the Cutler Scholars Program moves closer to including at least one from each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Cruse Moss also is a member of the Russ College Board of Visitors.

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.

Stocker Center

1990 23.

Cooperative Education Report

he Russ College Office of

On assignment with the Russ College’s own Ohio Coal Research Center, senior mechanical engineering major Brandon Juszczyk constructs a pilot-scale bioreactor to grow algae in order to remove carbon dioxide from a synthetic flue-gas stream.

Career Programs offers students the use of

eRecruiting®, a Web-based, 24/7

comprehensive career management system that connects Russ College students with employers for coop and internship opportunities. For more information or to sign up, contact the Office of Career Programs at coop@ohio.edu or 740.593.1618.

Each year, Russ College students participate in co-ops—salaried positions at various companies where they gain real-world experience and perspectives on career paths. For the 2009–2010 academic year, nearly 100 students worked in co-op assignments, choosing from 371 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.

Highlighted Co-op Employers • 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 • Boeing Company • Buckeye Power, Inc. • Cintas • Component Repair Technologies, Inc. • Cooper Tire and Rubber • Cornerstone Consolidated • Diagnostic Hybrids • Diamond Power Specialty Company • 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

24.

• 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 • Toyota Motor Manufacturing • Tracewell Systems, Inc. • Turner Construction • 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

Russ College of Engineering and Technology Stocker Center 1 Ohio University Athens OH 45701.2979

Permit No. 100