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Engineering Vistas -- The College of Engineering Campus Newsletters

1-1-2009

Engineering VistasCollege of Engineering

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Alumniissue

volume 3, No.1 • WiNter 2009

Dean’s messagepAge 2

DiversitypAge 3

CollaborationpAge 4

ResearchpAge 6

BalancepAge 8

engineering newspAge 10

Alumni newspAge 9

student newspAge 15

What is the purpose of higher education? If you ask many first year students, the primary objective in their mind is the pursuit of a well-paying job. Other more philo-sophical individuals may refer to the lofty ideals of personal growth and enrichment.

I would say that both are correct, at least in part, but miss the true value of educa-tion. I believe that the primary purpose of higher education is to create opportunities for our

students. And in this age dominated so much by technology, what better preparation for capitalizing on the opportunities the world provides us than a degree in engineering and computer science?

In this issue of Engineering Vistas, you’ll see how a degree from the UTEP College of Engineering has led to a hugely diverse set of opportunities for our past graduates, including: teaching our next generation of engineers (starting in middle school!), fly-ing on the space shuttle, shaking the hand of the President of the United States, serving as an ambassador to the Slovak Republic, starting your own company (even while in school), and even find-ing a spouse and creating future generations of engineers the old-fashioned way!

We are very proud of the alumni the College has produced over the last 95 years. As the University continues its drive to

engineeRingVisTAsWinter 2009 Vol. 3, No. 1

messAge fRom The DeAn Tier One status, we will need the support of this alumni base – a primary characteristic of top tier universities is the engagement of their alumni. The College Chapter of the Alumni Association is a great start to this engagement, and we greatly appreciate the leadership of Keith Fong and the rest of the inaugural chapter board on being the very first College-based chapter of the UTEP Alumni Association.

Another major element required to reach Tier One status is a plan to get there. Over the last two years the College has devel-oped a strategic plan that we believe puts us on the right track. You can find this plan at http://engineering.utep.edu/aboutusplan.

htm and at this site you can provide input to the plan as well as track our progress in achieving its goals and objectives. We have already achieved significant progress on many of the goals, and some details of that progress are provided in this newsletter. The integration of engineering practice and entrepreneurship into our programs has begun through the development of entrepreneurial opportunities for our students, and the development of practice-based professional master’s degree programs in Information Technology, Systems Engineering, and Construction Management. And the development of top tier research programs has begun in advanced manufacturing and materials, through our second round of funding from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, and in infrastructure and sustainability through funding from NASA.

These degree programs and research ventures are sure to provide more opportunities for our students to reach the level of success they aspire to and become the thriving alumni you see described in this issue of Engineering Vistas.

Richard T. Schoephoerster

AspiRing enTRepReneuRs

fouR geneRATions of mineRs

A passion for flying, along with innovative ideas, led recent graduates Michael Everett and Mario Ruiz to team up and develop a business plan. Now, in the product development phase, they are crossing their fingers and hoping their business will take off.

The business, which they‘re thinking of calling New Aerospace, specializes in developing automated systems to incorporate into single pilot, general aviation aircraft. Borrowing ideas from the automotive industry, they also get inspiration from current technologies on military and commercial aircraft. Their idea is to adapt some of these technologies to small airplanes, which typically don’t have the same modern technologies.

“The number one cause of accidents is pilot error,” Michael said. “We need to start incorporating more autonomy into the air vehicles. We don’t want to eliminate the joy of flying from the pilot; we just want to eliminate certain components of the aircraft to help alleviate some of the workload for the pilot.”

Michael and Mario met in graduate school at UTEP, where they both studied Mechanical Engineering. They barely knew each other until Mario became inter-ested in aviation. After getting his pilot’s license, Michael and Mario began to bump into each other regularly at the airport.

According to Michael, they make a great team. “I have been flying for about 12 years. Having Mario as a business partner, who is just coming out of flight school, is a really good opportunity because he has

a fresh perspective, and he has that young pilot viewpoint on aviation. We’ve got two viewpoints on the entire industry, so it works out really well,” Michael said.Both credit three UTEP professors with helping to get their business off the ground. Dr. Gary Williams, Director of the Center for Research Entrepreneurship,

served as a mentor, providing them with invaluable advice and support. Dr. Garry Hawkins, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering was a big inspiration for both, and Dr. Frank Hoy, the former Dean of the College of Business Administration reviewed their business plan, providing significant, positive feedback.

They have now completed the research phase and have begun the final testing phase. “All of the dynamic models and all of the mathematics have been solved, and everything seems to show that we’re going to be successful – but there is

sometimes a big difference between what the math says and what you can really put out,” Michael said.To assist with the testing phase, Michael and Mario purchased a small airplane, which is hangared at El Paso International Airport. They plan to start incor-

porating some of the technologies they’ve developed onto that aircraft so they can begin flight testing. “Now, with the aircraft in the hanger, we’re getting all the parts together and mounting them on the airplane. It shouldn’t be long before we have some very

real results to show,” Michael said.They recognize their biggest obstacle will be selling their products to manufacturers. “We like to think of ourselves as an automated systems company. When it comes down to it, what we’re really doing is selling systems to improve the safety

of the aircraft,” said Michael. “Safety is very difficult to sell and we know there are some skeptics within the industry with some of the technologies we have.“There’s no guarantee that we’re going to be successful, but we’re definitely crossing our fingers and we’re definitely hoping for the best and shooting for

the stars.”

Gilbert Acosta Jr. grew up around miners … UTEP Miners, that is. Gilbert is the third generation in a line of UTEP (formerly Texas College of Mines and Texas Western College) students in his family. Gilbert’s maternal grandfather, Lorenzo Cevallos, gradu-ated in 1931 from Texas College of Mines. Cevallos became a min-ing engineer. He carried his green card with him until his death in 1984.

Next in line, was Gilbert’s father, Gilbert Acosta Sr., who at-tended Texas Western College in the 1950s. He left the college with a technical associate degree in electrical engineering. His

father is proud that his class was the first to graduate women. In 1984, Gilbert Acosta Jr. graduated from The University of

Texas at El Paso. He was also part of the College of Engineering and became a metallurgical engineer.

Gilbert’s son, Gilbert Thomas Acosta, is on his way to becom-ing a Miner as well. In the summer of 2009, Gilbert Thomas Acos-ta attended the College of Engineering-sponsored Excellence in Technology, Engineering, and Science (ExciTES) Summer Institute at UTEP. Acosta Jr. believes UTEP will be the right choice for his son and is looking forward to him earning his TCM green card.

College of Engineering

500 W. University Ave.

El Paso, TX 79968

Phone: (915) 747.6444

Fax: (915) 747.5437

Web: http://engineering.utep.edu

Contributors: UTEP University

Communications, College of Engineering Staff

Photography: UTEP University

Communications, College of Engineering

Faculty & Staff

Engineering Vistas is published annually

by the College of Engineering at

The University of Texas at El Paso.

Have a comment or story idea for

Engineering Vistas?

Contact: Jennifer Rasberry at

915.747.5971

or send an email to

Lrasberry2@utep.edu.

Visit our website at

http://engineering.utep.edu

Cover: Alumni Kaleidoscope of Success

DiVeRsiTy DRivES innovAtion

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING2 ENGINEERING.UTEP.EDU 3

ADC CollABoRATes To pRoViDe sTuDenT oppoRTuniTies

Coy Beginnings: peRsonAl ConneCTions AnD youR AlmA mATeR

LoCAL ALuMni hAvE A PoSitivE MESSAGE FoR utEP’S CoLLEGE oF EnGinEERinG GRADS

A 1997 UTEP graduate, Jesus Chee looks back on his educa-tion—and forward to helping other UTEP graduates succeed. In 1999, Chee began his career as a manufacturing engineer at ADC. Ten years later he is the operations manager of the international communications company’s Santa Teresa branch. ADC focuses in innovative networking infrastructures. As a student, Chee worked at the University through the work study program. Through this program, he had the opportunity to work in a computer lab to help students with computer software applications. Chee believes his UTEP experiences helped him to establish important work ethics and values.

His experiences as a student led him to recognize the impor-tance of providing opportunities for students to further their edu-cation. As a manager at ADC, Chee has been involved in a number of company programs for students. ADC provides scholarships and internships to UTEP’s College of Engineering students. Since 2006, ADC has given scholarships to four engineering students each year. ADC’s internship program has consistently hired UTEP students during the last few years. Through these positions, stu-dents gain industry exposure and learn quality standards. Two of ADC’s current full-time engineers started their careers as interns.

The student program’s success can be measured by the growing demand for collaboration with ADC. In addition to the scholarships and internships, ADC has also provided industrial engineering senior projects. Through Chee’s dedication to student success, Oscar Salcedo and the Research Institute for Manu-facturing and Engineering Systems (RIMES) have been working with ADC to bridge the gaps between academics and industry. Chee and ADC believe these programs will help students build professional values. Chee says, “The most important values that prepared me for my career goals were learning to be responsible, having the discipline to meet my commitments, and finishing my projects on time.”

Being part of a college brings you together with people who have similar inter-ests and ideas. The connections you make can be lifelong and are often special. Alumni maintain relationships with their alma mater and classmates because of these strong connections. Interestingly, these connections can also change your life … in a Coy way.

Richard Coy knew UTEP as the place where his mother and father met—Esther and Charles Coy met at the Student Union, known as the SUB in those days. He also knew of other engineering connections through his two uncles and father, who all graduated with degrees in electrical engineering. His brother, Eric Coy, followed in their footsteps in 1997 and earned his degree in electrical engineering as well. Richard followed his own path to the Computer Science Department.

Although it was the road less taken, Richard earned his bachelor’s degree in com-puter science in 1999 and then continued on to earn his master’s degree in the same field in 2005. His experiences in computer science proved to be life altering. During his time in the department, Richard was preparing for his future. Richard describes his UTEP experiences as, “Good Professors who forced you to do a good job, which ultimately led to a good work ethic. In addition, UTEP provided the basic skill sets and foundation in the curriculum to succeed at most computer science or computer engineering jobs.”

The previous year, Cynthia Campos had begun her master’s program, also in com-puter science at UTEP. Cynthia began working as a graduate assistant in the Computer Science Department. She provided information and help to the students entering the pro-gram. She was able to meet many of the students in the program and briefly met Richard as he was registering.

Soon their paths crossed again when they both joined the Computer Science Honors Society, Upsilon Pi Epsilon. They met while at the annual initiation ceremony, and learned that they had many other things in common besides an affinity for computers. On May 16, 2009, Cynthia and Richard were married.

Richard currently works at White Sands Missile Range as a computer engineer, and Cynthia returned to UTEP for a position as a system analyst in Enrollment Services. They have two dogs and volunteer to raise money for the local animal shelters. They’ve learned that everything you need to know about relationships can be learned from basic computer science skill sets: problem solving, communicating via a common language, and knowing your end goal.

Metallurgical and Materials En-gineers will immediately recognize the name Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. as a leader in the mining industry. With El Paso’s proud mining tradition, Freeport-McMoRan represents a way of life familiar to the local community. The El Paso Operations facility is an integral part of Freeport-McMoRan’s international range of mining operations.

The El Paso Operations facility re-fines copper to create a variety of prod-ucts. Engineers are involved at all levels of the materials manufacturing process from daily operations and maintenance to quality control, providing the local com-munity a rich scale of opportunities.

With roughly a quarter of the El Paso facility’s salaried staff being UTEP alum-ni, the bond with UTEP is evident with a quick tour of the facility. On your average day, conversations include UTEP sports, and an employee wearing an orange and blue shirt will likely be seen. Fond memo-ries and a positive outlook begin every conversation regarding their alma mater. Engineering Vistas explored the impacts of the College of Engineering educa-tion through a series of interviews with Freeport-McMoRan employees. Vista’s learned alumni have a positive message for UTEP’s upcoming grads:

Juan Sanchez, Freeport-McMoRan’s Director of Customer Tech Marketing, re-ceived his Bachelor’s of Science in Met-allurgical and Materials Engineering in 1994 and his Master’s of Science in the same field in 1996. He began to par-ticipate in research with Dr. Bronson and

Dr. Murr as a sophomore and continued throughout his undergraduate and gradu-ate studies. The internship and research opportunities helped him land his first job out of college with the company produc-ing magnet wire. Sanchez’s message is to take all the opportunities the College of-fers to gain experience from industry and hands-on research: “That was one of the things that the companies looked at and were really impressed (by).”

2004 Electrical Engineering Gradu-ate Rick Para is currently an electrical engineer for Freeport-McMoRan and was recently assigned responsibilities as Co-Generation Supervisor. Parra believes his education helped establish disciplined work habits and the background to suc-ceed in his field. Parra’s message: “This Company, especially, knows the value of UTEP graduates and that, to me, helped me get this job—UTEP is known for its engineering program.”

Nicole Cabral has a different kind

of message. Cabral has worked at the El Paso facility for 16 years. She graduated with a degree in metallurgical engineer-ing in 1986. Since then, she has worn a variety of hats in the company, which has led to an exciting career in metallurgy. She began as a customer technical as-sistant metallurgist, where she worked hands on with the materials. From that position she became a process engineer in the precious metals plant. Her experi-ences led her to the company’s manage-ment track, where she joined a Manage-ment Associate Program. After a year, she began managing the oxygen-free cast operation. As a manager, she has now worked in almost every aspect of the plant from the process to operations to maintenance and, now, to quality. She is currently the Quality Assurance Manager. As a “smoke and flames kind of gal,” her career has taken her full circle in the materials processing life cycle. Even as a manager, Cabral gets to “meddle” in ev-

ery aspect of the process, which is what she enjoys. Cabral’s message is to have confidence in yourself and your ability to solve problems: “My education—my level of confidence when I graduated—was what the professors worked so hard to give us, not only the technical skills.”

From Chief Metallurgist John Serra-no, who graduated with a degree in met-allurgy in 1972 and currently works with Dr. Steve Stafford on materials analysis, to General Manager John Quinn, who is a member of UTEP’s College of Engineering Advisory Board, Freeport-McMoRan’s pos-itive relationships with UTEP are abun-dant. These collaborative efforts move beyond the workforce to build a unilateral foundation at the forefront of materials and metallurgical engineering. Quinn said: “We have an outstanding relation-ship with UTEP and expect the opportuni-ties to continue to grow.”

fiRsT Row: John Serrano, Lucy Acuna, Maria Molina, Lydia tullius, Jean Allen Fernandez, and Rebecca Whitaker seConD Row: nicole Cabral, Marny Castillo-Ray, Phyllis Powell, Cuauhtemoc Benitez, and Leila Chavez ThiRD Row: Rick Parra, Juan Sanchez, Dennis Berger, Bradford Wesstrom, and Martin Soltero

Cynthia and Richard Coy

utEP Students visit ADC

DiVeRsiTy DRiVes innoVATion Believing in diversity as an advantage is core to the University’s values. Diversity allows us to open our eyes and see things in a new way—through a series of exclusive lenses. Engineering requires that we train our students to think using a variety of these lenses. Like a kaleidoscope, our College pulls together ideas from diverse goals, back-grounds, generations, ethnicities and genders to create the vision of innovation

CollABoRATion CReATes oppoRTuniTies Working together to build a future for our local community and beyond asks us to consider new ways and open new doors. Through collaboration, our University foundation of students, faculty, staff and alumni, moves beyond UTEP to pursue opportunities that establish our beliefs, values and capabilities in the forefront of our fields.

ReseARCh fuels pReeminenCe National recognition of our research centers, laboratories and programs burns the path for new growth. By producing preeminent scholarship in our fields, we are able to gain new opportunities for the implementation of our ideas and inventions, allowing us to maximize our potential.

BAlAnCe seCuRes susTAinABiliTy Striking a balance in all that we do helps us maintain inspiration, motivation and the willingness to learn new things over a lifetime. Balance is something that must be valued before learned. We strive to create an environment in which each step of academic pursuit is measured as progress. Teaching, research and service activities are all achievements that we honor.

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Pursuing leading aerospace technologies with a nation in an economic crisis can cause federal officials to look for more effective ways of doing business. NASA is seeking to extend its base of expertise beyond its federal facilities to reach into the nation’s academic resources. NASA has 10 facilities spread across the nation to support space exploration flight research, development and testing. These facilities are working to meet the highly advanced mission requirements of building an outpost on the moon for Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) for propellant production and storage and extending space exploration beyond the moon to Mars. In September, NASA civil servants from the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston and JSC White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) in Las Cruces, N.M., visited the UTEP College of Engineering to discuss NASA’s mission and specialized needs. The JSC Engineering Directorate is working to strategically align academic research with NASA’s goals to fulfill technological and economic challenges for both NASA and universities.

UTEP has already stepped up to meet the challenge. NASA awarded the College of Engineering $5.98 million to develop a Center for Space Exploration Technology Research (cSETR). This Center will work closely with other NASA Centers, in particular JSC and WSTF, and will focus on advanced capabilities in the areas of green propulsion and in-situ propellant utilization to support NASA’s vision of space travel beyond the moon.

The goals of the cSETR are not only to advance propulsion system technology but also to educate a minority workforce in advanced propulsion systems, who will be our next generation of aerospace engineers. As the only Mexican-American-majority research university in the nation, the Center will provide the opportunity to train our students in areas where they are critically underrepresented. The NASA grant will provide 35 positions for graduate-level students to conduct research on the future of rocket engines, propulsion systems and propellants. In addition, a Master’s of Science degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering will be developed.

Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri, associate professor of mechanical engineering and Center director, said UTEP is at the “right place with the right focus at the right time” for the development of the new Space Exploration Center. With the additional growth of the aerospace industry in southwestern Texas, as well as in south-eastern New Mexico, UTEP’s research capabilities are expanding to meet the needs of this region. Dr. Choudhuri’s team will be working over the next five years to expand these capabilities and “plant the seed of the next JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology] or APL [Applied Physics Laboratory, John Hopkins University, MD] here at UTEP.”

Students in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MME) De-partment have become experts in new state-of-the-art equipment.

A new transmission microscope was installed in July 2009. The $1.3 million machine is capable of viewing atomic images and materials in areas of up to 100 atoms and can also per-form chemical analysis. Operating at 300,000 volts, the machine can look through dense material and can mag-nify images up to 40 million times.

Ph.D. candidates Sara Gaytan, Brenda Machado and Diana Ramirez are the sole operators of the machine.

“It’s a student facility just like other facilities we have,” said Dr. Larry Murr, chair of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. “They do the research. They run the machines and eventually, they are going to train other people. They have a very powerful role to play here.”

Murr said it’s also a great instruction tool. Images being viewed on the machine can be displayed on a large flat screen nearby.

“The idea is to make some of the things we do available to the public,” he said. “When someone walks by, they can see what’s going on in the lab.”

A second, less powerful transmission microscope is also located in a nearby lab. Installed in 1991, this machine is used as a preparation machine. Students often look at samples on this microscope before viewing them on the larger one. Unlike the new trans-mission microscope, which has only three operators, more than half a dozen students are trained to use this machine. Also being installed is a new X-ray diffraction system. An-other state-of-the-art piece of equipment, the X-ray machine broadly measures the con-stituents in the sample. It often augments what is done with other analytical equipment.

In addition, the department owns a scanning electron microscope, which can mag-nify images hundreds of thousands of times, with the image always remaining in focus. This equipment uses an electron beam to scan the surface of the specimen and perform chemical analysis.

“We can use the scanning electron microscope to look at the outside at high magni-fication,” Murr said. “Then we look inside the material using the transmission microscope, and the X-ray system can take a large sample section and look at the atomic structure. These really are state-of-the-art analytical capabilities.”

The equipment, worth more than $3.5 million, is essentially all student operated, with oversight provide by Murr and Professor John McClure.

“It’s very different from institutions where students don’t run anything,” Murr said. “Here, they are the operators and the experts. They are the people who use the machines.”

In addition to the analytical equipment located in the Metallurgy Department, there is also an Electron Beam Melting System (EBM) located in the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation. The EBM can make complicated parts from powders using additive manu-facturing.

Using additive manufacturing technologies, UTEP has begun producing next gen-eration biomedical implants.

Currently, implants are made of solid rods, which are not compatible with bone. UTEP is developing new implants, made of titanium alloy foam, which are lightweight, strong, and allow for bone in-growth.

“We can imbed nutrients and other scaffolds inside (the implant) and nerve cells,”

Murr said. “If you can put this in and have the bones grow into this thing, then it’s per-manent. Right now, a lot of implants work loose and have to be re-done. They’re not completely body compatible.”

Although the implants haven’t been clinically tested, they are being produced and studied as prototypes. The initial hope is to interest medical researchers in performing animal studies.

“This is advanced manufacturing,” Murr said. “We are supplementing an under-standing of advanced manufacturing components by using these analytical tools.”

According to Frank Medina, Keck Center Manager, UTEP is the first in the world to make titanium foams using this process.

“You cannot do this with any other process and we’ve been able to do it with powder manufacturing,” Medina said. “Anything we generate in computer design, we can make. We feed the design to the machine and it builds the parts layer by layer.”

“The students who are working on this are on the absolute frontier,” Murr said. “I don’t think they quite understand how significant this is.”

“NASA is facing difficult choices in balancing the needs of the agency’s civil servant workforce with the missions the agency conducts on behalf of the nation along with the budget available.” Statement of NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin to the House Science Committee, 2005

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Eduardo Morales just began his first semester as a high school math teacher. Currently in the Alternative Certification Program, Eduardo completed his Ph.D. in

Electrical Engineering in August 2009. Under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Pierluissi, Edu-ardo performed extensive research in electrocardiology.

Although he enjoys the research, getting his Ph.D. is what led him to a career in teaching.

“I taught one undergraduate course in signals and systems and it really caught my attention,” he said.

After a year of applying for jobs at a variety of universities and in industry, Eduardo decided to expand his search to include high schools. He landed a job with the Dallas Independent School District.

Although he plans to teach at the college level someday, he hopes to incorporate his experience as a high school teacher, modeling after Dr. Ben Flores, who recently received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from President Obama.

“Dr. Flores teaches his classes as if they were high school classes,” said Morales. “Instead of just lecturing, he actually takes the time to teach one concept at a time. It means his classes are slower paced than most, but to be recognized by President Obama means he must be doing something right.”

Morales hopes to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Flores.“Now that motivates me even more to actually learn how to teach at the high school

level. I think it’s part of my development as a professional. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll get nominated (for an award) too,” he said.

Certified to teach math in grades 8-12, Morales said teaching high school really is different. He plans to teach at the high school level for a number of years before becoming a college professor.

“Even though I’m an engineer, I really like teaching,” he said. “I will become a col-lege professor someday and continue my research. For now, I’m just trying to adjust to this new change and learn as much as I can.”

The new Engineering Alumni Chapter has officially taken off. With close to 300 members and a newly elected Board of Directors, the chapter is finally ready to start making a differ-ence. Board members include Keith Fong (BSME ’88 and BSMME ’89), president; Antonio Rico (BSEE ’80), vice president; Pablo Trejo (BSEE ’00), secretary-treasurer; Monica Jurado (MSCE ’08), nominations/membership committee chairperson; Mike Acosta (BSEE ’71), campus representative; Yolanda Aguilar (BSEE ’81), member at-large; Elizabeth Cercado (BSME ’07), member at-large; Ruben Chavez (BSCE ’95), member at-large; Salvador Gonzales-Barney (BSME ’67), member at-large; Tommy Goolsby (BSME ’84 and MSME ’87), member at-large; Servando Hernan-dez (BSEE ’63), member at-large; Gabriel Martinez (BSCS ’06), member at-large; and Bradley Roe (BSCE ’64), member at-large.

Graduating from a university can feel like you’re being kicked out of the nest—like there is no longer a role for you at a place where you’ve made strong attachments to the faculty, staff, administration, and students. The university moves on to the next generation, while we are cast to the “real world” with their best wishes for our survival. However, we are given a name—alumni. The name itself indicates there is still a relationship; a role that we must fulfill… The future of our Alma Mater is built upon our accomplishments after graduation, and our “mother” university’s reputation will be altered by her ambitious offspring.

As we transition to the role of alumni, we realize we have become peers of our profes-sors. We have moved from studying the discipline of engineering to engaging profes-sionally in our field. We are the professionals who can provide experience and knowledge to the university. Yet, what is our role? It is my belief that our role is to ensure engineering students are well prepared for their professional careers through our support and advocacy. We should push each other and those who will follow in our paths to better service the community tomorrow than they do today. How is this going to happen? Three things are required: 1) As alumni, we must get organized; 2) we must speak about our past academic experiences and current industry knowledge; and 3) we must actively participate in defining and realizing the ambitions of the College of Engineering and the University at large. The organizing has started. The College of Engineering has formed its first chapter of the UTEP Alumni Association. The interest and enthusiasm of our alumni is thrill-ing—alumni want to reconnect with each other and help the students and College. And, getting organized is fun. You will find yourself reconnecting with classmates and making friends with other alumni who share your enthusiasm for making the world a better place. You might even make a few beneficial career connections. Second, alumni can, should, and must be the strongest advocates for the stu-dents. We know better than anyone else where the students come from, the challenges they face in school, the challenges they will face in the workplace, and the benefits they and our community will receive with their success. Alumni are one of the best groups to provide perspective and voice to ensure the College’s priorities are maintained in bal-ance. Finally, if we are well-informed about where the College and University are going, we can be the eyes and ears for them. Our work is distributed throughout industry, edu-cation, not-for-profit, and government. We can find both the opportunities and pitfalls that the College could encounter. Our efforts can help the College become stronger and as, alumni, we can have the opportunity we desired as students to influence the course of Engineering education. Though Dean Richard Schoephoerster, the College of Engineering has opened its doors to welcome our input. As we grow as professionals, our experiences and knowledge can become a rich stream of opportunity for the College, but only if we allow it to be mined. In addition to providing voices to the College, we also have to help financially. Even though it seems like UTEP is getting a lot of money through research grants, all of that money is limited in how it can be spent. State funding barely covers critical expenses. Some pretty small amounts of money could change lives—a few hundred dollars could help a student go to conference, purchase materials for a design competition, or pay a stipend. If you want to join me in fulfilling the alumni role, please join the UTEP Alumni Association (ia.utep.edu/alumni). If you’d like to donate to UTEP, go to this link (ia.utep.edu/givingtoutep)—you can direct your donation to the specific College, Department, or Program you want. If you want to contact the Engineering Alumni chapter, send a note to: engineeringalumni@utep.edu or call 915-747-6444.

Keith FongBSME ’88, BSMetE ‘89PresidentEngineering Alumni ChapterUTEP Alumni Association

A UTEP engineering alumnus has been inaugurated as the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Slovakia. Harsha Joesoef graduated from UTEP with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering. In 2008 he was named a College of Engineering Gold Nugget. After serving 24 years as president and founder of Repex Perdana International PT (RPX), a full range logistics services company, Joesoef decided to enter public service. In his new role he hopes to improve trade and relations between the two nations.

A seasoned teacher, Jesica Arellano is beginning her eighth year of teaching at the high school level.After teaching technology at Canutillo High School for six years, Jesica became a math teacher at Northwest

Early College High School in Canutillo.Northwest Early College High School is a public school funded by the Texas High School Project and the

Communities Foundation of Texas that accepts only 100 students. After graduating, students receive a high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time. Students are also eligible for a guaranteed $2,000 scholarship and receive a laptop computer to work on their studies during the four years at high school. The school opened last year with freshmen students and has expanded this year to include grades nine and ten.

Jesica received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering from UTEP and even worked in the industry for seven years before becoming a teacher.

“I had always wanted to teach,” she said. “I always say that you should get your degree in something you love because you can always teach. But if you get your degree in teaching, you can’t be an engineer.”

An engineering background has also helped her to be a better teacher.“I can teach more than the technical area—teamwork, design process, real-world applications and working

with other people. I’ve been able to bring real-world applications back to the classroom,” she said.Continuing her quest to be a better teacher, Jesica participated in the UTeach Program at UTEP this summer.

The UTeach Program, offered at UTEP, UT Austin and UT Dallas, supports teachers who are introducing engineering design into the final year of the high school curriculum. The six-week program is in its first year. It will be offered for five years.

“I enjoy teaching. It’s a different kind of stress,” she said. “I think teaching is more having to deal with personalities. Even though you deal with that in industry, it’s a little different.”

Jesica hopes to bring some of her students to visit UTEP this year. “Some of these students have never been outside of the community,” she said. “We have a lot of pre-

engineering kids and they’re already going to have associate degrees, so I want to bring them to tour UTEP. I brought my high school kids here a couple of years ago and they really enjoyed it.”

engineeRing young liVes The new engineeRing Alumni ChApTeR

leTTeR fRom Alumni pResiDenT KeiTh fong

El Paso astronaut John “Danny” Olivas has returned to space for the second time. A 1989 mechanical engineering graduate, Olivas was on space shuttle mission STS-128, which launched Aug. 18. The mission carried science and storage racks and a new crew member to the international space station and included retired Army Col. Patrick G. Forrester, who was born in El Paso but grew up elsewhere.In June 2007, Forrester and Olivas became the first El Pasoans in space.

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hARshA Joesoef nAmeD AmBAssADoR of inDonesiA To The RepuBliC of sloVAKiA

photo by: Erika Jackson

College of Engineering Alumni homecoming Breakfast

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Alumni Association President Keith Fong with his Wife, Maria

Alumni news and announcements are also featured on the Col-lege of Engineering Web site, engineering.utep.edu/alumni. If you have an announcement you would like to share, please send an email to LRasberry2@utep.edu. We’d love to hear from you!

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ViCToR menDez nAmeD 2009 DisTinguisheD Alumnus

The College of Engineering is proud to announce that victor M. Mendez was named one of UTEP’s 2009 Distinguished Alumni.

The UTEP Distinguished Alumni Award was established to honor outstand-ing former students who have accom-plished notable success in their profes-sional service to UTEP or their community.

Formerly the director of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Victor Mendez recently was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Under his leadership at ADOT, Mendez helped implement the state’s multibillion-dollar freeway system and gained exten-sive experience in transportation funding, technology, infrastructure, research and planning.

Mendez has served as past presi-dent of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and in 2008 he was selected as Leader of the Year in Public Policy in Transportation by the Arizona Capital Times.

A graduate of UTEP, Mendez received a bachelor of science degree in civil engi-neering in 1980. He also earned a mas-ter’s of business administration degree from Arizona State University.

A UTEP professor and alumnus was one of 22 honorees named recently by President Barack Obama for their efforts to mentor minorities who are studying science and engineering.

Ben Flores, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering, joined the other recipients of the Presi-dential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring this fall at a White House reception.

Flores was selected for the time, encouragement and expertise he has offered to thousands of students throughout The University of Texas System since joining the UTEP staff in 1990. He leads several University and statewide programs that promote increasing minorities in the workplace with the hope that the next generation of scientists and engineers will better reflect the nation’s diversity.

“These awards represent a heartfelt salute of appreciation to a remarkable group of individuals who have de-voted their lives and careers to helping others, and in doing so have helped us all,” Obama said July 9 in Washington.

The selection, which is made through the National Science Foundation, includes $10,000 the winners can use to pursue their mentoring efforts. Flores planned to use his money to develop a program where undergraduate math, science and engineering majors would help teachers in the Canutillo Independent School District create projects to motivate students to go to college and consider scientific careers.

“This is a great honor for me,” Flores said, adding how grateful he was that UTEP President Diana Natalicio nominated him. “I was very happy that … my work is now being recognized at the highest level.”

The professor said mentoring engineers is crucial to helping students hone their academic and professional skills and prepare them for the workforce. He lauded UTEP for the considerable investment it has made to create a social and academic support system for Hispanic science and engineering students.

His efforts have helped thousands of students complete their science or engineering degrees during the past 15 years, said Richard Schoephoerster, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering.

“Ben is a tireless promoter of science and engineering education, and in increasing the diversity of the workforce in these fields at all levels. (We are) very fortunate to have him in our ranks,” Schoephoerster said.

April Babbit, a design engineer with Lockheed Martin Corp., said Flores acted as a mentor, counselor and source of inspiration as she worked to earn her bachelor’s in electrical engineering in 2003.

Hector Ochoa, Ph.D., assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Tyler, recalled Flores supporting his efforts to earn his master’s in 2003 and doctorate four years later.

“(Flores) always was there to help me with any problem—personal or academic,” Ochoa said. “Now I’m a professor, but I still call him with questions about research, how to handle my students, and how to do administrative work. Although he is no longer my professor, I know he is my friend, and I always can count on him.”

The National Science Foundation awarded UTEP nearly $600,000 for undergraduate scholarships that will be used to recruit high achieving students to the College of Engineering. The project is titled “Cultivating a Culture of Technical Success and Leadership Excellence Among Hispanic Engineering Students: A Transformative Recruitment Model for Attracting High Achievers.” The project team consists of Dr. Arunkumar Pennathur, associate professor of industrial engineering; Dr. Louis Everett, MacGuire Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; and Dr. Luis Contreras-Sapien, associate professor of industrial engineering. The five-year project will be administered by the UTEP Office of Scholarships. According to Pennathur, the project is not about just awarding scholarships to students. Rather, it has an intensive research component. “We are conducting an ethnographic study of factors that will enable our best high school students to come to UTEP to study engineering,” Pennathur said. “What we learn from the research study will inform how we can make our engineering programs more attractive to local talent.” The project will use a multipronged approach to attract the top 10 percent of high school graduates to UTEP Engineering. The unique approach to recruiting students includes show-casing access and opportunity for hands-on research to high-achieving students and challenging scholarship recipients to

voluntarily help mentor other engineering students. The program will also involve alumni, high school counselors, industries that have hired UTEP alumni and faculty researchers to help present UTEP’s case to potential students. Overall, the program aims to make UTEP the “go to” campus for engineering. “We pride ourselves in providing hands-on research op-portunities for our undergraduate students,” Everett said. “Our faculty conduct top-notch research in their labs. So we thought, why not pair up top achievers in high school with our faculty? Scholarship recipients can then mentor their peers who may need additional academic help.” “The project is designed as a win-win for all students and engineering faculty,” said Contreras-Sapien. “We will retain our best talent in El Paso, help all students raise their performance levels and realize their dreams of obtaining a competitive col-lege degree, and we will grow the research productivity of our engineering faculty.”

A UTEP Civil Engineering graduate, Oscar E. Venegas P.E., is currently CEO and president of Venegas Engineering Management and Construction (VEMAC), headquartered in El Paso. Hispanic Busi-ness magazine recognized VEMAC in 2008 as one of the fastest-growing Hispanic businesses in the nation. Venegas found-ed VEMAC in 2003 after a distinguished career that he began as an entry-level engineer with the International Boundary & Water Commission following his gradu-ation from UTEP.

Venegas is a founding member of the Alumni Academy of Civil Engineers and an Advisory Board member for his home department of Civil Engineering. In the community he has served as chair of the El Paso City Plan Commission and board member of United Blood Services.

pResiDenT oBAmA honoRs uTep engineeRing pRofessoR

nATionAl sCienCe founDATion AwARDs oppoRTuniTies foR sTuDenTs

osCAR e. VenegAs, p.e., The 2009 golD nuggeT ReCipienT

Join us foR The BuilDing pARTneRships AnD pAThwAys To ADDRess engineeRing gRAnD ChAllenges woRKshop

feBRuARy 8, 9, AnD 10, 2010UTEP will be hosting a 3-day workshop aimed at opening the discussion between students, researchers, and engineering professionals to discover new solutions for today’s critical engineering challenges. To overcome obstacles and develop strategies, the workshop will engage participants in specific themes and encourage opportunities for participants to build alliances for positive action.

Workshop themes include:• Energy Sustainability in a Carbon Constrained World • Engineering and Manufacturing Tools for Biomedical Discovery and Innovation• Assessment and Management of Decaying Urban Infrastructure

For more information please explore http://engineering.utep.edu/grandchallenges

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Ann gATes nAmeD plenARy speAKeR foR CompuTing ConfeRenCe Dr. Ann Gates, Associate Vice President of Research at The University of Texas at El Paso, served as a plenary speaker at the 2009 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference. The conference, which included a full technical program including papers, panels, workshops, posters, Birds-of-a-Feather sessions, a doctoral consortium and a robotics completion, took place April 1-4, 2009 at the Portland, Oregon Marriott Downtown Waterfront. Gates was one of five plenary speakers who gave talks in line with the conference theme of “Intellect, Initiative, Insight and Innovation”.

Before becoming Associate Vice President of Research at UTEP, Gates served as Chair of the Department of Computer Science. She earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from UTEP and has long been a leading researcher at UTEP. She directs both the National Science Foundation-funded Cyber-ShARE Center of Excellence and the Computing Alliance for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, an NSF-funded consortium focused on the recruitment, retention and advancement of Hispanics in computing.

Dr. Richard Schoephoester, utEP President Diana natalicio, and oscar E. venegas

The NSF grant was provided as a challenge for the College to raise matching funds that will continue the scholarship program for future students.

Contact Manny Pacillasat (915) 747-7628 or manny@utep.edu to learn how to support this program.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING10 ENGINEERING.UTEP.EDU 11

thoMAS BoLAnD, Ph.D., has been named Professor in the Department of Metallurgi-cal and Materials Engineering. He will also serve as the future director of the Biomedical Engineer-ing programs at UTEP.

Previously an associate professor in the De-partment of Bioengineering at Clemson University, Dr. Boland was instrumental in developing Clem-son’s Bioengineering program. He was also Director of a National Science Foundation/National Institute of Health-funded summer institute at Clemson in the area of biomaterials and bioinformatics.

Dr. Boland’s work has been cited more than 800 times. He has received numerous awards and

was featured on CNN and the Discovery Channel for his groundbreaking research using inkjet printers to assemble cells and biomaterials into viable and functioning structures.

RAMAnA ChintALAPALLE, Ph.D., has accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Formerly a research assistant professor in the Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineer-ing, Dr. Chintalapalle’s research interests include energy and power sources, storage and conversion, hydrogen production, solar energy utilization, high-energy density batteries and fuel cells.

Dr. Chintapalle holds a Ph.D. in materials science and applied physics and a M.Sc. in applied physics from Sri Venkateswara University in India. He also holds a B.Sc. in physics and chemistry from Sri Krishandevaraya University in India.

SALvADoR h. hERnAnDEz, Ph.D., has been named Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering.

Dr. Hernandez was formerly a graduate stu-dent in the School of Civil Engineering and instruc-tor for the Minority Engineering Program at Purdue University. His areas of expertise include modeling and analysis of large-scale freight transportation and logistics networks through the use of ad-vanced econometric and network modeling para-digms.

Dr. Hernandez received his Ph.D. in civil en-gineering from Purdue University and both his M.S. and B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from Brigham Young University.

KEnnEth h. ChuRCh, Ph.D., joins the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineer-ing as a research professor to lead the Emerging Technology Fund Program in 3D and printed elec-tronics.

Founder of Sciperio, Inc., Dr. Church currently serves as the company’s managing partner. He is also chairman and CEO of nScyrpt, Inc., a spin-off company of Sciperio. His research interests include lasers, optics and the various ways they interact with different materials, novel antenna designs and optimization, novel and conformal electronic devices and processes, and tissue-engineered ma-terials and processes.

Dr. Church has managed numerous research and development projects funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Founda-tion (NSF), the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the Department of Justice, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), OCAST, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and various private institu-tions. He has been part of raising and leading more than $100 million of research and development funding for a variety of projects within Sciperio and other companies and has been instrumental in raising more than $50 million directly.

Dr. Church holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University. He also holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in physics from Okla-homa Christian University.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently approved two new master’s degrees in engineering and computer science. The Master of Science in Systems Engi-neering is designed to prepare engineers to define, develop, implement and test complex systems of the 21st century. The program is intended for those with an interest in under-standing and applying the systematic approach to development of very complex systems.

Dr. Ricardo Pineda, director of the systems engineering program and head of the Research Institute for Manufacturing and Engineering Systems (RIMES), said there is a tremendous demand for systems engineers throughout the United States and the region.

“There is great interest in the program from the intelligence community, aerospace industry and many others, including Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range,” said Pineda.

The only program of its kind along the U.S.-Mexico border, MSSE faculty expect more than 30 students to be enrolled in the fall 2010-11 school year. The program consists of 30 semester hours and includes concentrations in electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering and computer science. Other concen-trations are being considered.

“One of the major challenges of the 21st century is to have end-to-end systems thinking to address the increasing complexity of systems,” said Pineda. “This program will provide interdisciplinary and systems-based training to engineers to continuously adapt to societal and geopolitical changes being brought by advances in technology.”

The M.S. in Information Technology began this fall with more than 40 students en-rolled in the program. UTEP is in the only university in the region that offers this program, which combines graduate-level computer science with MBA courses for management skills.

According to Dr. David Novick, Professor of Computer Science, there is a huge de-mand for graduates of this program, as companies are always looking for technically educated individuals who can move into management.

The program consists of 30 semester hours. Dr. Luc Longpre is director of the pro-gram.

In addition to the newly approved programs, the U.S. Department of Education awarded close to $1 million dollars in grants to the College of Engineering to support graduate education. Over the next two years, UTEP will develop a doctoral program in bio-medical engineering and a doctoral focus of energy engineering within the Environmental Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program.

As one of the nation’s top engineering schools for Hispanics, the Department of Education recognized UTEP for its “innovative efforts to expand graduate-level academic offerings at colleges that enroll a significant number of Hispanic-American students.” Each of the graduate programs will address current technological needs in the local El Paso area.

Student callers from the UTEP phone center will be calling engineering alumni in February 2010. Twice a year, the phone cen-ter focuses solely on raising funds for the College of Engineering.

During this time, callers have a goal to raise $10,000 for the college by asking alumni for one-time contributions. Funds raised support the Order of the Engineer and pre-commencement ceremonies.

Phone lines closed in October after callers received 217 pledges raising a total of $16,581.40. This is an average of $76.51 per pledge!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the campaign and supported the College of Engineering through your generous pledges.

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engineeRing phone CAmpAign new fACulTy AT uTep

ContACt:Dr. Piñeda, M.S. in Systems Engineeringrlpineda@utep.eduDr. Novick, M.S. in Information Technology,novick@utep.edu

“Building uTep’s future”

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EuniCE E. SAntoS, Ph.D., has been named Chair of the Department of Computer Sci-ence. Dr. Santos previously served an appoint-ment as a senior research fellow at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy in the Department of Defense. She was also director of the Laboratory for Computation, Information and Distributed Processing, and associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech. She is a leading expert and researcher in the areas of large-scale distributed processing, com-putational modeling, complex adaptive systems, and human modeling with applications to the bio-logical, physical and social sciences.

Dr. Santos earned her Ph.D. in computer science from UC Berkeley. She has received numerous awards, including a National Science Foundation Career Award, the Spira Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Robinson Faculty Award. She is a past member of the IDA/DARPA Defense Science Study Group, and has served on DoD (including DARPA) senior technical advisory committees. She is currently a member of the NATO Research and Technology Organization Task Group on Psycho-Social Models and Methods in NATO’s Effects-Based Approach to Operations.

ShAMSnAz viRAni, Ph.D., joins the Research Institute for Manufacturing and Engi-neering Systems (RIMES) as a research assistant professor.

Dr. Virani was formerly a visiting assistant professor in the Industrial and Systems Engineer-ing and Engineering Management Department at The University of Alabama at Huntsville. Her research and teaching interests include systems engineering, quality engineering, software en-gineering and data mining. Her current research includes predictions of subjective assessments using measurements, semantic integration of het-erogeneous models, and modeling team level emo-

tions at different stages of a team project. She is interested in pursuing future research in the areas of systems quality measurement and management, application on lean and six sigma in high technology environments, and application of machine learning techniques in systems engineering to predict expert opinion. Dr. Virani holds a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Alabama at Huntsville. She has a master’s degree in human factors engineering from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pune, India.

AuStin MARShALL, J.D., has been named Clinical Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering.

Formerly president of Geomanagement, LLC, a construction management and engineering con-sulting firm in Ann Arbor, Mich., Marshall will lead the construction management programs at UTEP, including the newly offered Construction Manage-ment Certificate Program.

Marshall has more 30 years of experience managing consulting engineering and construc-tion management operations. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit. He earned a Master of Science in civil and environmental engi-

neering with a focus in construction management from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Cornell University.

John KoRAh, Ph.D., has been named Research Assistant Professor in the Computer Sci-ence Department.

Dr. Korah earned a Ph.D. in computer science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Uni-versity (Virginia Tech) in August 2009. He earned an M.S. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in electronics and instru-mentation engineering from Government College of Technology in India.

His research interests include algorithm de-sign and analysis, with focus on parallel numeri-cal algorithms for hierarchical clusters; design of large scale parallel and distributed architectures

for information retrieval on large dynamic databases; and modeling and performance analysis of large scale networks.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Mad Pete Motor-sports Team is racing to build their Baja Car for the SAE Western Competition that will be held in Bellingham, Wash., this spring. This year, Mad Pete Motorsports has had a setback due to the car industry’s current economic crisis. In previous years, the

team received funding from General Motors to help finance the car, competition fees and team members’ travel expenses to the competition. In order to cover the costs, the team is looking for sponsors and other fundraising opportunities.

Javier Motta-Mena, the team’s captain, is concerned about the future of the organization. Seventy percent of this year’s mem-bership consists of new members. With the graduation of long-standing members, Motta-Mena wants to ensure new members have the necessary training to design, manufacture, test and race a successful Baja car, which is an off-road vehicle capable of withstanding harsh conditions. The main requirement is that the team follows strict safety regulations and uses the same type of engine (i.e. Briggs & Stratton Intek Model 20). Although the team with the best design will most likely lead the race, Motta-Mena believes the competition is not just about designing a vehicle. Mad Pete’s mission is to teach new engineers the fundamentals of machining, welding, project management and organizational leadership.

SAE is looking for sponsors. If you would like to learn more about sponsoring Mad Pete’s Motorsports Racing Team in the Baja Car Competition, contact Javier Motta-Mena at jjmotta@miners.utep.edu or Miguel Chacon at machacon3@miners.utep.edu

sinK oR swim

Eighteen civil engineering students from The University of Texas at El Paso traveled to South Padre Island in April to race a 20-foot concrete canoe.

The 2009 Texas Section of the American Society of Civil En-gineers (ASCE) met on South Padre Island April 2-4. UTEP com-peted against nine other universities, placing third overall and defeating teams such as UT-Austin and Texas A&M.

University teams are judged in four categories: design pa-per, technical presentation, final product and racing. UTEP took first place in the technical presentation portion of the competi-tion. Each team delivered a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges and then responded to questions. Civil engineering stu-dents Daniel Perez, Tania Balboa and Alma Duarte represented UTEP in the technical presentation. Jose Rena and Luis Sanchez placed first in the men’s sprint. Lillian Salas, Jacqueline Cabal-lero and Sofia Escajeda placed third in the women’s long distance race.

“The concrete contest is a great learning experience for those who participate,” said Dr. Charles Turner, civil engineering professor and advisor of UTEP’s ASCE student chapter. “The con-test brought together 20 students who struggled with the chal-lenges of teamwork, design, construction and competition. They will never forget this experience and they will take and use what they learned with them throughout their careers.”

A team of civil engineering students in collaboration with two Chinese universities are finalists for the Mondialogo Engi-neering Award, a worldwide contest for engineering students. They traveled to Stuttgart, Germany this November to participate in the Mondialogo Symposium, where they presented their proj-ects. UTEP’s team included Carlos Duran, Marilyn Valdez, Gabriel Valdez, Jorge Martinez and Ph.D. student Luis Galicia. The two Chinese universities partnering with UTEP were Nanjing Forestry University and Southeast University.

Their project, entitled “Simulation Tools to Promote Round-abouts as Green, Safe and Low Cost Intersections,” aimed to reduce air pollution, accidents and fuel consumption and to enhance landscaping at intersections. In this project, students worked together to develop simulation modeling guidelines for the evaluation of roundabouts. Simulation models based on these guidelines will enable engineers in China to better promote roundabouts as green and safe intersections.

Thirty teams from 28 countries were named finalists for the award. UTEP was selected out of 932 project proposals from 94 countries by an international jury of experts. Gold, silver and bronze awards were presented with a total monetary prize of ap-proximately $440,000.

“We were the only team selected with a project in transpor-tation mobility and security,” said Jorge Martinez. “We were pretty excited about that. It’s a great opportunity to work with people from different countries and from different backgrounds.”

RACing The BAJA wAy

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“Building uTep’s future”

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