K-State achievements--2004 Engineering

Kansas State University achievements

2004 Engineering

* K-State's student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers won the 2003-2004 Chapter of the Year award at group's annual meeting Nov. 7. K-State also placed sixth in the Sixth Annual Chem-E-Car Competition. Teams from 31 universities competed in the event The competition challenges chemical engineering students to test their classroom knowledge by building shoebox-sized cars powered by controlled chemical reactions. The students from K-State's team include Tyler Selbe, senior in chemical engineering, Kansas City, Kan.; Tyler McGown, senior in chemical engineering, Tonganoxie; and Ashley Robertson, senior in chemical engineering and pre med, Wichita. Gina Mercurio, senior in chemical engineering, Salina, was the 10th consecutive member of K-State's student chapter to receive the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Othmer National Scholarship. Walter Walawender, professor of chemical engineering, is the chapter adviser. November 2004

* K-State chemical engineering students placed sixth in the Sixth Annual Chem-E-Car Competition Nov. 7. Teams from 31 universities around the country competed in the event at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers annual meeting. The schools that made it to this competition are those that placed best in regional Chem-E-Car events. The competition challenges chemical engineering students to test their classroom knowledge by building shoebox-sized cars powered by controlled chemical reactions. The small cars must transport a certain payload a specified distance -- this year's students were challenged to transport 400 milliliters of water 75 feet. Students don't learn until 60 minutes before the competition begins what the payload and distance will be. The college teams then make critical calculations and adjustments needed. The students from K-State's team include Tyler Selbe, senior in chemical engineering, Kansas City, Kan.; Tyler McGown, senior in chemical engineering, Tonganoxie; and Ashley Robertson, senior in chemical engineering and pre med, Wichita. Walter Walawender, professor of chemical engineering, is the chapter adviser. November 2004

* The Associated General Contractors of America Construction Education Committee selected the K-State Associated General Contractors student chapter as the third place winner of the 2003-2004 Outstanding Student Chapter in America competition. The award was presented Sept. 30 at the national group's midyear meeting in Phoenix, Ariz. The K-State Associated General Contractors student chapter has received first, second or third place awards every year for the past 15 years, which is more than any other school in the nation. Judges for the education committee noted that the K-State student chapter's community service projects and outreach exemplified the ideals that everyone in the construction industry should strive to achieve. There are more than 150 student chapters in 45 states eligible for the award. September 2004

* K-State is a member of a new federally established center to examine air quality in aircraft cabins and to assess chemical and biological threats in airliners. The Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Airliner Cabin Environment Research is being established by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration. Auburn University will head the new center with assistance from K-State, Purdue University, Harvard University, Boise State University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The FAA will provide at least $1 million to the center the first year and $500,000 in each of the center's second and third years. Matching funds are to be provided by the private sector. September 2004

* Mark Schrock, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, was part of a team that worked on a product receiving the AE50 award at the American Society of Agricultural Engineers International Annual Meeting Aug. 1-4, in Ottawa, Canada. Schrock and biological and agricultural engineering graduate student Ganesh Bora worked with Capstan Ag Systems on the development of the N-Ject anhydrous ammonia metering system, a 2004 winner of an AE50 award. The N-Ject system makes it possible to accurately and uniformly meter anhydrous ammonia fertilizer so that its use can be controlled more precisely. The AE50 award is for products that represent the best and brightest developed in the agricultural, food and biological systems industries. Schrock accepted the award on behalf of Capstan at the meeting. August 2004

* K-State's student branch of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers was presented the 2004 Annual Association of Equipment Manufacturers Competition Cup at the American Society of Agricultural Engineers International Annual Meeting Aug. 1-4, in Ottawa, Canada. This cup is awarded each year to the student branch of the association that the judges think has the most outstanding record of activities and achievements for the year. This award means that K-State's biological and agricultural engineering students have the best student organization in the U.S. and Canada among the more than 47 ASAE-affiliated departments. The K-State Fountain Wars team beat out 12 other teams to take home the first place trophy for the 2004 American Society of Agricultural Engineers Gunlogson Environmental Student Design Competition. August 2004

* A paper describing a robotic project designed to show under-served school children that math and science can be fun has won a national award for Scott DeLoach, assistant professor, and Eric Matson, instructor, both faculty members in the K-State department of computing and information sciences. "Using Robots to Increase Interest of Technical Disciplines in Rural and Under-Served Schools" was named Best Zone Paper for 2004 at the national meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education June 23 in Salt Lake City. The paper had previously taken first-place honors at the American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference, which qualified it for the recent June competition where it was selected as best paper from more than 600 entries. The paper reports on results of a project begun by DeLoach and Matson in 2002 called Robot Roadshow. The pair, assisted by graduate and undergraduate students in computing and information sciences, travel to area elementary schools and demonstrate games and activities for the children using AmigoBot robots. June 2004

* The K-State Powercat Pullers again proved to be one of top design teams by placing third at the 2004 American Society of Agricultural Engineers International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition in Moline, Ill. The K-State team is the only team to place in the top three, including four firsts, continuously since 1999. The competition began in 1998. Entries were judged in four areas -- an oral team presentation, a written report, a maneuverability course and a pulling competition. Up against 29 teams from around the country and world, the 15-member K-State team took first in the written report, third in the oral presentation and first in two of the four pulling competitions. June 2004

* In its first year of competition, a K-State architectural engineering design team took first place at the regional competition for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, student design project competition. The K-State team won in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, or HVAC, System Selection, and was selected to move forward to national competition. The three member K-State team included Matthew Smith, Topeka, fifth-year student in architectural engineering, Alyssa Adams, Newark, Del., also a fifth-year student in architectural engineering, and Shannon Volkmer, Hastings, Neb., May graduate in architectural engineering. June 2004

* Kelli Simmelink, Esbon, a senior in industrial engineering at K-State, has been named the recipient of the Modern Materials Handling Magazine Honor Scholarship. The scholarship, worth $3,000, was awarded by the Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. Selection for the national award was based on applicants' academics, course of study, stated objectives and involvement in the material handling industry. The foundation, as a part of the Material Handling Industry of America, was established as a way to further the advancement of material handling and education. According to the foundation, it has awarded more than $1 million in the form of scholarships, faculty/student travel conference grants, instructional aid grants and fellowships. The foundation's scholarships are awarded each year to students dedicated to entering the field of material handling and logistics. The scholarships are sponsored by the industry's member companies. May 2004

* Two K-State mechanical and nuclear engineering students were recently named recipients of the 2004-05 American Nuclear Society Undergraduate Scholarship Award. Rebecca Simon, senior in mechanical engineering, Topeka, and Clell Solomon, senior in nuclear engineering, Wichita, will each receive $2,000 for the scholarship. The award is nothing new for Simon and Solomon as both were on the list of last year's recipients as well. Only 21 recipients are selected annually for this national award. The American Nuclear Society members include engineers, scientists, administrators and educators. May 2004

* Mackenzie Dewerff, Towanda, a K-State December 2003 graduate in electrical engineering, received a Phi Kappa Phi Award Of Excellence for the 2004-05 academic year. She will receive $2,000 to assist her in pursuing a law degree. A 1999 graduate of Circle High School, Dewerff was among 40 students nationwide to receive the Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence. The selection process for the Phi Kappa Phi Awards of Excellence is based on the applicants' undergraduate academic performance; leadership and service on the campus and in the community; evidence of graduate potential; personal statement of educational perspective, purpose, and objectives; evaluation reports from three individuals who are in a position to attest to the student's performance, citizenship and character. May 2004

* Three K-State engineering students received national Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society scholarships for the 2004-05 academic year. Scott Rock, senior in computer engineering, Chapman received a Nagel scholarship; Jack Bauer, senior in electrical engineering, Overland Park, received a Duke Energy scholarship; and Austin Wareing, junior in computer engineering, also of Overland Park, received a Record scholarship. Each scholarship is worth $2,000. The scholarships were awarded to Tau Beta Pi student members based on academics, campus leadership and service and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession. May 2004

* K-State student Kenneth Norton, a senior in industrial engineering, Wichita, received the $600 A.O. Putnam Memorial Scholarship from the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Only one student is selected for the scholarship annually. A student's scholastic ability, character, leadership and potential service to the industrial engineering profession are factors. April 2004

* Kyle Grabill, a graduate student in industrial engineering, is the recipient of a $2,000 Gilbreth Memorial Fellowship from the Institute of Industrial Engineers. The fellowship is one of just two awarded for the 2004-2005 school year by the institute. April 2004

* The board of trustees of the American Council for Construction Education has announced the renewal of accreditation of the construction science and management program in the College of Engineering at K-State. A visiting team of peers and industry practitioners, in announcing the reaccreditation, cited the K-State program for having "maintained the stringent standards of the ACCE." The first courses in this program were offered in 1965 and called building construction. Today the construction science and management program has approximately 360 students. The American Council for Construction Education, established in 1974 to be a leading global advocate of quality construction education, supports, promotes and accredits quality construction education programs around the world. April 2004

* J. Kenneth Shultis, professor and nuclear engineering program director in the mechanical and nuclear engineering department at K-State, has been named a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society. It is the society's highest membership grade, presented to a select group of individuals in recognition of their contributions to the advancement of nuclear science and technology. Shultis joined the College of Engineering faculty at K-State in 1969, following a term as scientific officer of the Mathematics Institute, University of Groningen, Netherlands. His education includes a B.A. Sc. in engineering physics from the University of Toronto, and an M.S. in nuclear engineering and a Ph.D. in nuclear science and engineering, both from the University of Michigan. Included among his research interests are transport theory and radiation transfer, remote sensing, radiation protection and shielding, radiological assessment and utility power analysis. He is the author of one book, co-author of four others and has more than 140 publications to his credit. April 2004

* Zhijian "ZJ" Pei, assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at K-State, is one of the newest recipients of the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, award. The award is one of the most prestigious awards for new faculty members. The recipients are selected based on "creative career-development plans that effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their institution." Pei's research will focus on more efficient manufacturing of silicon wafers, upon which microchips are built. Microchips are used in modern electronics. Pei will receive $400,000 from the National Science Foundation as funding for the five-year project. In addition to his research objectives, Pei said he also plans to integrate education into the project in the forms of curricula, a textbook, an Internet forum, online courses and workshops. Through his research and educational activities, Pei said he hopes to facilitate what he calls a quantum leap in manufacturing of silicon wafers. February 2004

* Mo Hosni, K-State professor and head of the department of mechanical and nuclear engineering, was named a Distinguished Fellow of the Mississippi State University Bagley College of Engineering. The award recognizes graduates of the college who have made significant contributions in the field of engineering. The award will be presented Feb. 26 at the Mississippi State University Engineering Week Banquet. Hosni received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State in 1989, and then accepted a postdoctoral research associate position there to continue work on a project sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. February 2004

* The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, also known as ASHRAE, recently announced the five finalists for its New Faces of Engineering program. Included in those five is Julia Keen, an instructor of architectural engineering, who is pursuing her master's degree in architectural engineering at K-State. The New Faces program was created to promote the accomplishments of young engineers who, within five years of graduating, have made an impact on their engineering profession. Innovations or involvement in the society are of particular importance. Keen's involvement in the society has been extensive. As an undergraduate at K-State, Keen was active in the university's student chapter. Following graduation, she continued her membership in the Cedar Valley professional chapter of the society, serving as chapter president and holding three different officer positions in addition to three chair positions. As a New Face finalist, Keen was recognized at the society's winter meeting in Anaheim, Calif., where she spoke at a student breakfast. She also received recognition during National Engineer's Week, Feb. 22-28, as well as being named in the January issue of ASHRAE Insights. January 2004

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