Archived News 2005

December 2005

A recently published document was based on research conducted in our department. "Development of a Standard Method of Test for Commercial Kitchen Effluent Grease Removal Systems", Final Report, Thomas H. Kuehn, Bernard A. Olson, James W. Ramsey, Joshua Friell and Joshua Rocklage was published by ASTM International. You can see the document summary page on their web site.The document number is F2519-05.

from left, Professor Kuehn, Professor Ramsey, Bernard Olson, and Joshua Rocklage in the lab kitchen

The basic motivation for this standard test method was that there was no test method that would allow users to compare the performance of different types of kitchen grease filters in terms of pressure drop and grease particle capture efficiency. Our research project developed a method of test using oleic acid particles as the challenge rather than real food with the results reported as capture efficiency versus particle size from 0.3 to 10 microns. The project was funded by a consortium of 13 companies that consisted of a mix of manufacturers and end users.

Professor Rajesh Rajamani's new book, Vehicle Dynamics and Control provides a comprehensive coverage of vehicle control systems and the dynamic models used in the development of these control systems. The control system topics covered in the book include cruise control, adaptive cruise control, ABS, automated lane keeping, automated highway systems, yaw stability control, engine control, passive, active and semi-active suspensions, tire models and tire-road friction estimation. In developing the dynamic model for each application, an effort is made to both keep the model simple enough for control system design but at the same time rich enough to capture the essential features of the dynamics. A special effort has been made to explain the several different tire models commonly used in literature and to interpret them physically.

The use of feedback control systems on automobiles is growing rapidly. This book is intended to serve as a useful resource to researchers who work on the development of such control systems, both in the automotive industry and at universities. The book can also serve as a textbook for a graduate level course on Vehicle Dynamics and Control.November 2005

Professor Max Donath, Director of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, will give a lecture on the Legacy of Auto Safety Pioneer, James J. (Crash) Ryan, Tuesday, November 15, 7:00 PM, at Coffman Memorial Union Theatre. The lecture if free and open to the public.

October 2005

2005 Community Fund Drive Kick Off Event

Stop by Wednesday morning, October 5, in 125 ME for some treats, and put your name in the pumpkin for a prize drawing. You can donate online at: http://www1.umn.edu/cfd

Setember 2005

Professors Sue Mantel and Kim Stelson, and Sanjay Parthasarathy received the Best Paper Award from the Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control for 2005 for their paper, entitled "Estimation, Control and Optimization of Curing in Thick Sectioned Composite Parts."August 2005

July 2005

Professor Steven L. Girshick received the 2005 Plasma Chemistry Award at the 17th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry, in Toronto, Canada. This award is given once every two years to an individual who has made significant, longtime research contributions in the areas of plasma chemistry and plasma processing science, and for exemplary service to the scientific community. Professor Girshick gave a plenary lecture on "Nanoparticles and Plasmas" at the conference. July 2005

Borealis III Solar Vehicle came in 2nd in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge, finishing just 10 minutes behind the University of Michigan. The race went from Austin, Texas, to Calgary, Canada. For race details, and updates visit the solar vehicle website.

June 2005

Professor Frank Kulacki has received the Distinguished Service Award from the ASME for his contributions in 2004.

Professor Joachim Heberlein has received three major awards in the past year;

American Society for Metals, Thermal Spray Society Hall of Fame, in recognition of significant contributions to the science, teaching, and practice, education, management, and advancement of Thermal Spraying;

Best Paper Award from ASM TSS, for the paper entitled, "Arc Instabilities in a Plasma Spray Torch";

ASM TSS award for Outstanding Leadership and Service as Chairman of the TSS Journal of Thermal Spray Technology Committee, 1996 - 2005.

May 2005

2005 Borealis III solar vehicle, completed in April 2005, came in First Place at Formula Sun.

• Formula Sun (Qualifier) in Topeka, Kansas at the Heartland Park race track from
  May 16 - May 20
• North American Solar Challenge, from July 17 to July 27 Borealis III will rayce from
  Austin, Texas 2500 miles to Calgary, Canada

April 2005

ME celebrated its 4th Annual Founders Day on April 20, 2005. Two Oustanding Alumni Awards were presented to Ronald D. Christenson, BME 1972, Vice President of Corporate Plant Operations and Chief Technology Officer, Cargill, Inc., and to Richard M. Kruger, BME 1981, Vice President of Asia Pacific/Middle East, ExxonMobil Production Company.

Professor Uwe Kortshagen has been named the winner of IT's George Taylor Distinguished Research Award.

March 2005

Innovalight, a technology company developing next generation lighting, has just moved from Austin, Texas to St. Paul, in part to be closer to the researcher whose work has been essential to their core technology. Professor Uwe Kortshagen, a leading researcher in applications of plasmas in nanotechnology, developed a key element in Innovalight's silicon nanocrystals.

While Innovalight is a small, young company, it hopes to employ between 15 and 20 researchers and other scientists by the end of the year. The University (and Professor Kortshagen) are helping to provide qualified applicants for those jobs.

ME Professor Jane Davidson was selected as the University's recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Women Scholar Award in Science and Engineering.

February 2005

Craig Shankwitz will be a guest on Tech Talk, a television series produced by the Digital Media Center, OIT. The show will discuss Global Positioning Systems and will air Sunday, February 13 at 9 PM on Channel 17. Dr. Shankwitz is the Director of the Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory, which has developed a number of systems using GPS to assist drivers.

ME Professor Thomas R. Chase has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Fellow grade, the highest elected grade of membership in the Society is conferred upon a member with at least 10 years of active engineering practice and who has made siginificant contributions to the profession.

Dr. Chase has been recognized as an outstanding educator, being the recipient of two teaching awards, the Horace T. Morse Award, and the Charles, E. Bowers Faculty Teaching Award.

Dr. Chase works in the field of computer-aided engineering and has actively published on the topic of mechanism synthesis.

December 2004

Nelson Assistant Professor, Traian Dumitrica joined the ME faculty in December. Professor Dumitrica received his Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Texas A & M University. His specific area of research is in theoretical and computations aspects of materials science, with emphasis on the mechanical properties, stability, and behavior of distinct nanoscale objects.