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Page 1: Anvil The Anvil - UA MTEmte.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/10/The_Anvil_Fall_2011.pdf · 2015. 5. 29. · The Anvil Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Anvil, the newsletter for UA’s Department

C O L L E G E O F E N G I N E E R I N G | M T E D E P A R T M E N T | 1

The Anvil

h t t p : / /m t e . eng . u a . edu

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Newsletter

The AnvilFALL 2011

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2 | T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A B A M A

MTE Advisory Board

Officers

Randy T. Wilson, Chair

Scott Gledhill, Vice Chair

Terry R. Woods, Secretary

Randy Skagen, Past Chair

Board Members

Billy Bobbitt

John Clay

J.P. “Phil” Duke

John R. Koenig, PhD

Jim Lecroy

Edward J. LeVert

Michael Kevin Minor

Ray D. Peterson, PhD

R. Craig Seabrook

Sheila Sanders Sharp

David A. Smith

William B. Smith III

Sid Tankersly

Dale Watring

Ann F. Whitaker, PhD

Carvetta Williams

Dr. Viola L. Acoff, MTE

Department Head

Dr. Greg Thompson, Editor

Mary Wymer, Editor

Tori Nelko, Designer

Issue No. 1The Anvil is published each fall by

UA’s Department of Metallurgical

and Material Engineering. Address

correspondence to the editor:

The University of Alabama

College of Engineering

Box 870202

Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0202

Visit the MTE website at

http://mte.eng.ua.edu.

ContentsDepartment Dialogue 3

Alumni News 4

MTE Department News 6

Faces in the Crowd 10

MTE Student News 11

Pay it Forward 14

Look How We’re Growing 15

Cover photo left to right: MTE students Ashley Johnson, Pierre

Samuels, Kim Kopecki, Anna Willemin Clay, Blake Whitely and

Brandi Freeman in the Ray L. Farabee Metal Casting Laboratory.

These students competed and won the top award at the 2011

American Foundry Society Student Casting competition. Read

more on page 13.

The Anvil

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Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Anvil,the newsletter for UA’s Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. As head of UA’s MTE department, I can honestly say that I have never witnessed a more exciting time here on campus than what we are experiencing now. Since 2003, The University of Alabama has experienced a tremendous growth in enrollment. To accommodate this growth, the footprint of the campus has changed significantly with the addition of numerous new buildings. In preparation for the construction of the fourth and final phase of the Science and Engineering Complex (SEC Phase IV), the Foundry wing of H.M. Comer Hall was demolished during the summer 2011. The new SEC Phase IV building will include materials engineering research and teaching activities. In addition, we are preparing to break ground for our new Foundry.

Other departmental highlights since 2003:

MINT director and joint appointment with electrical engineering), Dr. Laurentiu Nastac (2011) and Dr. Jinhui Song (2011).

building in summer 2013.

degrees (10 of these 12 students graduated in May 2011).

one, we plan to have another one soon!

than 4.0/5.0; the faculty averaged five peer-reviewed publications per year per faculty member; and an average of $253,000 per faculty member in new research grants were awarded in the 2010 fiscal year.

We hope that you enjoy reading our newsletter, and we encourage your

Viola L. Acoff, PhDDepartment Head

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4 | T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A B A M A

1988Rob McKenziequality assurance manager for Mueller Industries in Munford, Tenn., for seven years. His division of Mueller produces copper fittings for the plumbing and commercial industries. He recently celebrated his one-year anniversary with wife, Grace, a nurse who works in Memphis.

very rambunctious dogs and have been enjoying our life here.”

2002Justin Ladnernow a practicing attorney in

he does a lot of failure analysis product liability work where he can use his engineering with the law. He also participates in triathlons in his spare time.

2003Cherqueta Claibornworks in Jackson, Tenn., as a metallurgist for Kaiser Aluminum.

Peyton NicholsonNucor in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He andhis wife just had their first child, a daughter, earlier this year.

working as a team leader-mill operator and enjoying it. I made themove to production from metallurgyto gain a better understanding of the entire process, and even though I am not technically a metallurgist anymore, the job change has made me a better one. Pretty neat to see firsthand the link between theory and practice.”

ALUMNI NEWS

On March 11, 2011, the MTE department hosted an alumni lunch. More than 60 alumni attended and reminisced about the department. During the alumni lunch, Dr. Charles L. Karr, dean of the College of Engineering, visited to share the growth of the College. The

luncheon provided opportunities to tour the department facilities, including classrooms and laboratories. It also gave alumni a great opportunity to meet the rising generation of MTE graduates and pass along advice and encouragement.

If you were not contacted, please contact the MTE department as we hope to make this a yearly department homecoming.

ALUMNI LUNCHEON BRINGS BACK MEMORIES …

ALUMNI UPDATES

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2005Robbie Laneywith ACIPCO, was promoted to product manager at Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Ala., in May 2011. He is married to

Taylor, and his wife is expecting another baby.

2006Chris Smithcoordinator at Nucor Steel in Jackson, Miss.

2007Wesley Nicholsonprocess-quality engineer at the Fairfield Works of US Steel in

2008Germanique Pickensquality lead for Exxon Mobil Development Co. She is working in California and Melbourne, Australia. She handles fabrication issues, design criteria and welding quality.

Joan Reichwein Smitha materials engineer at the

Development and Engineering Center. She has been working on batteries and is pursuing a graduate degree at Columbia University.

Olivia Underwoodis failure-analyst engineer at CGI Federal Defense on the

Huntsville, Ala., and is working on her doctorate at The University of Alabama in Huntsville in the materials science program.

2009Adam Eppersonmaterials superintendent at Aleris Specification Alloys. He supervises the operation of two large reverberatory furnaces that

10 million pounds per month). He lives with his wife, Laura, in

Amber HambyLongview, Texas, and works in the oil-gas industry for Schlumberger.

2010Karen Torres Henry (PhD)

Council postdoc at the National Institute for Standards & Technology and is married to MTE graduate Patrick Henry.

Diondra Meansa process engineer at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas, and is married to Olagbemiga

Robert Morristaken a microscopy position at Knolls Atomic Laboratory in New York.

Patrick Patton

Zeenath Reddy (MS, PhD) has taken an engineer position at Intel.

Karen Robinsonwith NASA at the Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a system-safety engineer. She has oversight

duties for a prime contractor that handles construction, machine-shop fabrication, welding, NDT and pressure-vessel

tell your new students that MTE is a great choice for majors.”

2011Brandi Freemanposition as a teacher in Teach for America in New Jersey.

Ross Hinson (MS) joined Nucor Steel in Memphis, Tenn.

Andrew Nixfoundry and casting engineer at ITT in Cullman, Ala.

Chase Rawlinsonas an associate metallurgist at

Nathan Rimkus (MS) accepted a research position at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Jonathan SteinProgressive Foundry in Iowa.

Marisa VannThyssen Krupp in Alabama.

If we failed to include you,please send us your updates! Please email updates to [email protected].

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6 | T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A B A M A

CHOPRA SELECTED AS

TMS YOUNG LEADER

INTERNATIONAL

SCHOLAR

Dr. Nitin Chopra, assistant professor, was the 2011 recipient of the TMS Young Leader International Scholar award. The recognition

enables TMS and its counterpart, the Japanese Institute of Metals (JIM), to send a representative to each other’s respective annual meeting. Chopra was scheduled to give a

and Multi-functional Nanoscale Heterostructures: Their Morphological Control and Assembly on High Curvature 1-D Nanostructures” at the JIM meeting in Tokyo in March 2011.

tragic events of the earthquake and tsunami, the meeting was postponed, and Chopra will be attending next year. As part of this award, Chopra will visit the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba City and the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Yokohama City, as well as other Japanese industrial research centers, universities and research laboratories.

and laboratories will aid in my establishing strong collaborations with distinguished materials scientists and

opportunity will not only develop my leadership skills but also strongly contribute towards my professional

development, both as scientist and an educator. It is a great honor for me to represent TMS at JIM as a Young Leader International Scholar.”

WILSON RETIRES AFTER

25 YEARS OF SERVICE

Lyndall Wilson, the MTE department administrative secretary for 15 years, retired April 1, 2011. She had 25 years of service to the University,

serving her first 10 years with the

Administration. She assisted faculty for many years in purchasing supplies and equipment, processing paperwork for student hires and balancing grant funds. In 2010, she topped her own University record for the most purchase-card requisitions in a single month — a testament of her perseverance and the productivity of the MTE faculty. In retirement, she plans on spending time between Alabama and New York City, where her daughter lives. Wilson is a constant

Tide.” The MTE faculty wishes her all the best!

MTE WELCOMES NASTAC

In spring 2011, Dr. Laurentiu Nastac joined the MTE faculty as an associate professor. He received the diploma-engineering degree in metallurgy

and materials science from the University

his master’s and doctoral degrees

in metallurgical and materials engineering from the Capstone

Upon graduating from UA, he was a research scientist at Concurrent Technologies Corp., based in Pittsburgh, Pa., until he joined the MTE faculty. His primary research interest is in advanced metal casting and solidification processes with emphasis on the modeling and simulation of casting phenomena. Nastac has developed eight software tools, made more than 100 presentations, co-authored three patents, had over 125 publications in the materials science and manufacturing fields, and wrote two books.

WARREN NAMED TMS

PRESIDENT

Dr. Garry W. Warren was named president of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society at the society’s annual meeting in San Diego, Calif.,

been an active TMS member for more than 30 years, serving as director

MTE DEPARTMENT NEWS

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of publications, financial planning officer, member of the executive committee and vice president. He also served for a number of years as the faculty adviser for UA’s Materials Advantage Student Chapter, which received five Chapter of Excellence Awards. TMS is an international

more than 11,000 professional and student members from industry, academia and national laboratories. The mission of TMS is to promote the global science and engineering professions concerned with minerals,

conferences, offering scholarships and providing important networking opportunities for its members. Warren encourages all former and current students to be active in their chosen professional society (hopefully, TMS), and he would love to see you at the next TMS annual meeting in Orlando,

MS&T meeting in Columbus, Ohio,

SUZUKI NAMED

DIRECTOR OF UA’S

MINT CENTER AND

HONORED FOR WORKS

IN MAGNETISM

Dr. Takao

vice president and professor at Toyota Technological Institute in Nagoya Japan, was hired as the new

Materials for Information Technology

Center director at The University

duties full time on April 1, 2010, and he holds a joint appointment in the MTE department and the department of electrical and computer engineering. UA’s MINT Center is an interdisciplinary research center focusing on developing new materials to advance

his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Waseda University in Tokyo and his doctorate from the California Institute of Technology, had served as a principal professor at Toyota

and a vice president there since 2004. He is currently serving as the 2011 president of the IEEE Magnetics Society. Most recently, he received the 2010 Society Award of the Magnetics Society of Japan for contributions to the developments of magnetic and magneto-optical recording materials and technologies

Magnetic Society. The award is the

HBCU OUTREACH A

SUCCESS

After 12 years of continuous National Science Foundation funding totaling more than $2.2 million, the workshop known as Introducing Science Faculty from Historically

Engineering will come to an end with the summer 2011 class. This workshop, coordinated by Drs. Viola Acoff and Mark Weaver, used faculty across department and College boundaries in providing lectures, tours and hands-on

laboratory demonstrations on how to incorporate materials education into the classroom. The workshop hosted

different institutions and in the latter years provided them the opportunity to come back to work with UA faculty on their research projects.

Participants of the HBCU workshop touring the

SEM laboratory with MTE graduate student,

Peng Qu, showing the capabilities of the

instrument

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8 | T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A B A M A

NOVEL CONTAINERLESS

CASTING PROCESS

STUDIED IN MTE

Drs. Nagy El-Kaddah and Mark Weaver were awarded a National Science Foundation grant titled

and Casting Process for Structural Cast Magnesium Alloys.” In this study, they are using a combination of mathematical modeling and experimentation to investigate electromagnetic confinement of molten magnesium and the influences of casting parameters on the solidification morphology, microstructure and mechanical properties of cast magnesium alloys.

Micrographs of a Magnesium AZ91 alloy processed by Magnetic Suspension Melting

(MSM). The image revealed that Al segregates to the grain boundaries leading to

intermetallic formations. Conventional casting exhibit interdendritic entrapment of Al.

THOMPSON, WEAVER

RECEIVE $1.3 MILLION

NASA GRANT TO STUDY

SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS

Drs. Gregory Thompson and Mark Weaver were awarded a $1.3 million grant over three years from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for research in shape-memory alloys. These metals can recover their initial shape after being deformed by heating. The most common shape-memory alloys are made of nickel titanium and are called nitinol. Currently, these materials have found great promise as a biomaterial, such as stents for heart valves. Unfortunately, the low transformation temperature,

less than 100 degrees Celsius, has prevented their use in higher temperature actuator applications,

discoveries by NASA engineers demonstrated that ternary additions of gold, platinum, hafnium, and palladium to nitinol can increase the transformation temperature hundreds of degrees Celsius. The increase is caused by the formation of nanoscale precipitates. Thompson and Weaver are using a variety of analytical microscopy tools, including the atom probe that provides 3-D representation of individual atoms, to understand how the precipitates form and why they contribute to these improvements. The work is collaboration between UA and the

An atom probe reconstruction of a Ni-29.7Ti-

20Hf specimen. The dark blue features

represent nanoscale precipitates that allow the

alloy to have superior shape memory properties.

MTE DEPARTMENT NEWS

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COE HELPS WITH TORNADO-RELIEF EFFORT

On April 27, an EF4 Tornado struck Tuscaloosa, devastating many parts ofthe city. The scale of destruction was astounding. It was one of many tornados that struck that day in Alabama. The city, local churches, the University and volunteers converged in Tuscaloosa and the other affected areas to help. In one effort, the College of Engineering and UA Intercollegiate Athletics faculty

moving donation supplies collected at the Holt High School gymnasium to

move all the donations, which showed the outpouring of community care in

and May 25, the Holt Community Partnership assisted nearly 2,000 families with approximately 10,000 volunteer hours.

Patrick Henry (BS 2001, MS 2004 and PhD

2008) clearing brush from the Cottondale

area after the tornado.

The COE trailer being loaded up with donations.

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MTE Graduate Student ProfileName:Research adviser:Hometown: Chennai (formerly, Madras), Tamilnadu, India

What attracted you to UA for graduate studies in MTE?

The main attraction was the amount of research in a

research projects, such as plasma processing of materials, fuel cells (SOFC and PEMFC), molten salts for solar applications and electrometallurgy using ionic liquids, which helped me in choosing his group for my doctoral studies.

What is your research topic?

Plasma Synthesis of Fine-Grained Materials” and incorporates various facets of material processing, including thermodynamic-reaction feasibility study,

computational fluid dynamics, and properties of fine-grained materials.

What has been your greatest achievement during your time in MTE?

I have had three peer-reviewed journal publications and four international symposium presentations since I joined the MTE department.

How do you plan to use the knowledge and experience gained at UA in your future career?

I would like to pursue an industrial position in materials processing.

MTE Undergraduate Student ProfileName: Kristy TippeyHometown: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

What attracted you to UA and specifically MTE?

I spent two summers before my junior and senior years of high school interning with research groups at UA. I got acquainted with some top-notch equipment and some welcoming graduate students that made for a nice niche experience and helped turn me towards my hometown university.

What has been your greatest achievement during your time in MTE?

have been able to continue research interests as an undergraduate student here. I really like the general community we have as research groups.

Have you been involved in any student organizations while at UA? If so, which ones?

I serve as treasurer of Alabama Triathletes and ride with

How do you plan to use the knowledge and experience gained at UA in the future?

First, I plan on finishing up my undergraduate degree! From there, graduate school — my interest in high school was bioengineering — and then possibly a professorship.

FACES IN THE CROWD

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MURPHY RECEIVES UNCF/MERCK

RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPAeriel Murphy received the 2011 UNCF/Merck

summer 2011 term at Merck doing research on biomaterials. This is a highly competitive award that consists of an undergraduate scholarship up to $25,000 and a paid internship.

HENRY TAKES HOME MICROSCOPY

HONORS

Karen Torres Henry (PhD 2010) was awarded the Microscopy Society of America’s 2010 Presidential Student Award for her research using convergent-beam electron diffraction and simulations to determine chemical-order parameters in FePt. She presented her findings at the Microscopy and Microanalysis meeting held in August 2010 in Nashville, Tenn. She was advised by Dr. Gregory Thompson.

GRADUATE STUDENTS WIN 2010

COE TOP THESIS AND DISSERTATION

AWARDS

2010) won the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Doctorate Dissertation and Outstanding Master Thesis

Microanalysis of Magnetic Nanostructures,” investigated

the chemical-ordering behavior in FePt. Her research consisted of work using both the transmission electron microscope and atom probe. Upon graduation, she

postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md. Fu’s thesis was

thin films.” In 2010, his work was published in the high-impact journal Physical Review Letters. He has continued

were advised by Dr. Gregory Thompson.

STUDENTS SERVE THE COLLEGE

and Anna Willemin Clay, served as Ambassadors for the College of Engineering. Ambassadors assist in college-recruiting events, such as Engineering Day, as well as Capstone Engineering Society alumni events. Ambassadors are selected based on GPA, activity in the college and their department and recommendations from faculty.

MTE STUDENT NEWS

2010-2011 MATERIALS

ADVANTAGE STUDENT CHAPTER

OFFICERS

PresidentVice-President — Aeriel Murphy

SecretaryTreasurer

Materials Advantage (http://materialadvantage.org) comprises student membership in The American Ceramic Society, Association for Iron and Steel Technology, ASM International and The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society. It is a great way for students to start their involvement in the professional societies. The student chapter adviser is Dr. Nitin Chopra.

Karen Henry holding the Microscopy Society of America Presidential

Certificate at the M&M 2010 Conference

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1 2 | T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A B A M A

MTE GRADUATESCongratulations to our graduating class!

Summer 2010Karen Torres Henry (PhD)

Fall 2010

Debabrata Pradhan (PhD)Partha Saha (PhD)Chris Samuels (PhD)

Spring 2011

HONORS DAY

RECIPIENTSThe University of Alabama Honors Day was held April 7, 2011. Honors week provides an opportunity for the University, colleges and departments

students’ scholastic and leadership achievements. The MTE department recipients were the following:

Departmental Awards John Calhoun, E.C. Wright

Outstanding Freshman Award

Outstanding Sophomore AwardKristin Tippey, E.C. Wright Award for

ExcellenceSean Thompson, Alpha Sigma

Mu Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award

Outstanding Senior AwardAeriel Murphy, C.H.T. Wilkins Award

for Excellence

Award for ExcellenceStephen Hunt, Materials Advantage

(MS&T) Student Chapter Award

Materials Engineering Outstanding Junior

Materials Engineering Outstanding Senior

Citation Corporation Endowed Scholarship Recipients

Joseph Pettit, Samuel Schwarm, Chase Smith, Kristin Tippey,

College Awards

Engineers Outstanding Senior Award

Austin Starnes, 2011 Engineering

of the Year

STUDENT RESEARCH

RECOGNIZEDLarry Summerville and Austin Starnes, both undergraduates, received second and third place, respectively, for their poster presentations at the Tuskegee

Experience for High School conference held in August 2010.

Dr. Nitin Chopra. Starnes’ work involved development of ZnO nanowire growth for chemical sensors, and Summerville studied the morphological evolution and surface migration of gold nanoparticles.

Wenwu Shi and Junchi Wu, both graduate students mentored by

Fu, mentored by Dr. Gregory Thompson, were awarded top poster

for Information Technology Industrial

2010. All three students work on nanomaterial-based issues as they relate to either information storage or energy-based applications. More than 60 posters were presented.

STUDENTS IMPACT

COLLEGE INDUSTRY

CONFERENCE

which is one of the top awards given nationally to students majoring in metallurgical and materials engineering. This award was presented at the College Industry Conference that was held in Chicago,

students were selected as delegates to the 2010 College Industry Conference that was sponsored by the Foundry Educational Foundation.

Stephen Hunt II, David Patton,

Marisa Vann.

MTE STUDENT NEWS

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UNDERGRADUATES GAIN NANOTECH EXPERIENCE

joining the faculty in 2004. As the director of the microfabrication facility, uamicro, she involves students across departments and colleges in using the facility to see how materials research is focused on thin-film metallurgy and device fabrication. Current and former students have worked on nanomaterials and devices applied to the computer-disk-drive industry, non-volatile memory, magnetic, nano- and biosensors and devices, antenna arrays, micro-fuel cells, solar cells, and micro-electromechanical devices. The self-contained user facility has multimillion dollar tools for deposition, patterning, etching and related microfabrication capability. The facility has

to the Science and Engineering Complex Phase IV building scheduled for completion in 2013.

STUDENTS TAKE TOP

CASTING PRIZEUndergraduates Anna Willemin Clay,

Kimberly Kopecki, Pierre Samuels and

the 2011 American Foundry Society Student Casting competition held April 11, 2011, in the Wynfrey Hotel

designed, modeled and made an A356 Impeller. Their casting was part of their class project under the supervision of Dr. Laurentiu Nastac. UA’s second team, consisting of Matthew Heyen and Jonathan Stein, took home second place, outpacing instate rival The University of Alabama

skillet with the script A. The combined hard work of the MTE students allowed the teams to bring home $1,250 for the Materials Advantage

The winning casting projects: A356 impeller (above) and skillet

with script A (right)

MTE students work in the clean-room facility

researching thin film materials.

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1 4 | T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A B A M A

Alumni and friends,

The MTE department invites you to give back to help us continue our growth. If you

would like to make a donation to the department, please send your check to the

These funds are primarily used to enhance the academic experience of our

undergraduate students. We thank you for paying it forward by giving back.

The University of Alabama

Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Pay ItForward!

Through your financial contributions, you can help

support stellar students like Brandi Freeman become

the metallurgical engineers of tomorrow.

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Look How we’re GrowinGAs with the University’s growth, the College has also been expanding. Growing from 1,617 undergraduate students in 2005 to 2,773 in 2010, the College’s undergraduate enrollment is only one area of many to brag about. Some of the nation’s best and brightest are choosing the Capstone for engineering. The 2010 freshman-engineering class had a mean ACT score of 27.7.

The best and brightest are learning in some of UA’s newest facilities. If you have visited the north side of campus lately, you probably noticed the many building, facility and road changes. Engineering has expanded with roles in Shelby Hall and the Science and Engineering Complex, as well as the South Engineering Research Center and the Science and Engineering Complex Phase IV, which are currently under construction. Following are brief area descriptions of the facilities under construction.

South Engineering Research CenterDemolition crews arrived on the Capstone’s campus immediately after finals concluded for the fall 2009 semester. The beginning of construction for SERC started with the destruction of East Engineering and Houser Annex. By the end of January, the buildings were gone and site work was in full swing.

With almost 100,000 square feet, SERC will sit behind Houser Hall and face directly across from Shelby Hall. The three-story building will include seven large classrooms, numerous meeting and conference rooms, over 40 research and instructional labs, and office space for over 175 faculty, staff and students. The building is scheduled to open in January 2012.

Science and Engineering Complex Phase IVThe Science and Engineering Complex Phase IV is scheduled to open summer 2013. The building will include more than 100,000 square feet of research laboratories, faculty offices, graduate-student areas, conference and meeting facilities and other collaboration spaces.

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Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Box 870202

Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0202

Nonprofit

Organization

U.S. Postage PAID

Tuscaloosa, AL

Permit 16

Science and Engineering

Complex Phase IV