launch

COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE

Go Innovate●Learn Integrity●Be Inspiring

Fall 2015

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS & ARTICLES

4 Energy Storage and Conversion

5 Improving Bridge Safety

5 Cybersecurity

6 Faculty Highlights

7 Tech Trek/BEST

8 New Faculty

10 Student Highlights

12 Student, Staff, Alumni Honors

14 At a Glance

ON THE COVER

CME Prof. Yu Lei’s research on In Situ Characterization

under Reaction Conditions

launch Engineering at UAH | Fall 2015

EDITOR:

Jennifer English

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Michael Mercier

●●●

DEAN OF ENGINEERING

Shankar Mahalingam

ASSOCIATE DEAN

GRADUATE EDUCATION & RESEARCH

Michael Anderson

ASSOCIATE DEAN

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

Jennifer English

●●●

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

CHEMICAL & MATERIALS (CME)

Krishnan Chittur

CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL (CEE)

Shankar Mahalingam

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER (ECE)

Ravi Gorur

INDUSTRIAL & SYSTEMS (ISEEM)

Paul Collopy

MECHANICAL & AEROSPACE (MAE)

D. Keith Hollingsworth

●●●

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The College of Engineering (COE) at UAH publishes news and information on current

research, academic programs, and student achievements. To reproduce material contained

in this newsletter, please contact the COE Dean’s Office at:

Birgit A. Gatlin, Administrative Assistant to the Dean

UAH College of Engineering

301 Sparkman Drive, EB 102

Huntsville, Alabama 35899

Telephone: (256) 824.6474 Email: birgit.gatlin@uah.edu

CHARGER GIVING

Friends and alumni can assist our mission by providing financial support and resources that

will contribute to the College’s strategic research and educational goals. Consider giving to

support both undergraduate and graduate student scholarships, to fund faculty

endowments, and to enhance research and educational facilities and programs.

To learn more about giving options, please contact the Dean of Engineering, Prof. Shankar

Mahalingam at shankar.mahalingam@uah.edu or 256.824.6474, or the Vice-President for

Advancement, Mr. Robert Lyon at robert.lyon@uah.edu or 256.824.6501.

BECOME A CHARGER

Faculty: The College of Engineering (COE) has several open tenure-track faculty positions.

For more information, go to www.uah.edu/eng and go to Faculty Search. UAH is an

affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.

Graduate Students: The COE offers MSE and PhD degrees in a broad range of engineering

disciplines. College faculty lead strong research programs to support student research

projects. For more information on graduate programs, go to www.uah.edu/eng.

Undergraduate Students: The COE offers the BS degree in 8 ABET-accredited programs:

Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Industrial & Systems, Mechanical, and

Optical Engineering. Undergraduate students have numerous hands-on opportunities

including nationally recognized engineering teams, undergraduate research, and

cooperative education and internship programs. For more information go to www.uah.edu/

eng/departments/undergraduate-engineering.

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LETTER FROM THE DEAN Once again, a concerted effort to recruit undergraduate students led by UAH’s Office of Admissions has resulted in

a 6.3% increase in enrollment in 2015. Our first-time full-time engineering freshmen numbers increased by 37%

following a 23% increase from 2014. In 2016, we expect undergraduate enrollment in the College of Engineering to

surpass 2000 for the first time in UAH’s history. Our graduate enrollment, although slightly down, is healthy with 520

students pursuing masters and PhD degrees in engineering. UAH awarded 336 BS, 125 MSE/MS, and 18 PhD degrees in

engineering this past year. This is a reflection of the dedication of our college faculty and staff to student success.

We are particularly delighted to welcome several outstanding faculty members to our College in the areas of

systems engineering, outdoor insulators for large electric power systems, antenna theory and design, cybersecurity for

industrial systems, friction stir welding and additive manufacturing. They are profiled in this edition of launch.

UAH alumni Daniel Schumacher (PhD, Sys Eng, 2005) and Krista Walton (BSE CHE, 2000) received the UAH Alumni

of Achievement Award. Johnny Stephenson (BSE ISE, 1987) was named Director of NASA MSFC’s Office of Strategic

Analysis and Communications, John Honeycutt (BSE ME, 1990) was appointed Manager of the Space Launch System at

NASA MSFC, William Emrich (PhD ME, 2003) was named the 2015 National Engineer of the Year by the AIAA, and J. N.

Reddy (PhD ME, 1974) was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering in 2015. Some of our more

recent alumni have had success including Erin Looney (BSME, 2015) started her graduate studies at MIT, and Shreyas

Bidadi (PhD ME, 2015) received a prestigious Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship. Their achievements are a great source

of pride for our faculty, and their success serves as an inspiration for our students.

Earlier this year, our concrete

canoe team placed third in the

Southeastern Regional competition

held in Chattanooga, TN. The AIAA

Region II Student Conference

continues to see an increase in the

number of UAH students participating

(10 presentations in 2015), and our

Space Hardware Club’s membership

continues to skyrocket with 120 plus

members, representing 10 degree programs, 8 project teams, and 46 ballooning missions. Their one month initiation

project is an outstanding example of real world projects that enables member students (freshmen) to learn about

electrical design, embedded system programming, 3D manufacturing, and program management.

Our faculty research activities continue to attract national attention. George Nelson received the very prestigious

National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award in support of his research on batteries operating under elevated

temperatures. Yu Lei received a 2015 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award from Oakridge Associated Universities in

support of his research on catalysts. Farbod Fahimi led a second group of 10 students from around the United States in

an NSF funded Unmanned Systems Research Experiences for Undergraduates program in the summer of 2015. David

Coe is leading a research effort funded by the National Security Agency (NSA) that will help integrate cybersecurity into

the design process for products that are a part of the Internet of Things.

These are just a few examples of the amazing activities and accomplishments of our faculty, current and former

students. I hope you will enjoy reading our fifth Annual College of Engineering Newsletter. I am grateful to our supporters

both within and beyond UAH. Our accomplishments are a direct result of their support of our students, faculty, and staff.

Best regards,

Shankar Mahalingam

Dean and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

December 2015

UAH's 2015 Engineering freshmen working on their one-month project sponsored by the Space Hardware

Club. Junior and senior club members serve as project mentors.

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NSF CAREER Award recipient and MAE Professor George Nelson seeks to understand

degradation in lithium-ion batteries operating under elevated temperature conditions. This goal

will be achieved by comparing the performance and reliability of battery electrodes with

ordered and irregular microstructure based on electrochemical measurements and direct

observation of 3D microstructure using x-ray nanotomography. The nanotomography

measurements will include imaging electrode samples under operational conditions and at

elevated temperatures. Insights from this CAREER research will advance battery performance

and reliability. Improved performance and reliability will in turn extend the range and lifetime

of hybrid and electric vehicles, realizing significant savings to consumers while reducing

negative environmental impacts.

Prof. Nelson leads the Multi-scale Transport

and Energy Conversion (MTEC) research

group which focuses energy storage and

conversion. Research projects address a

diverse set of energy storage and

conversion devices including: batteries, fuel

cells, and thermoelectric materials.

Prof. Nelson and his group seek to

understand how multi-scale geometry

affects the flow of mass, charge, and

energy. Their work focuses on observing the

structure of batteries and fuel cells using x-

ray and neutron imaging techniques, as well

as the design and implementation of in situ

imaging experiments. In situ imaging

allows investigators to observe key energy

materials under operational conditions, and sheds new light on the physical

behavior of these systems. These imaging studies are complemented with

computer modeling and benchtop experiments.

Advancing energy storage technology is an inherently multiscale and

multidisciplinary problem. The 3D image data obtained, and the insights gained

from its analysis, will enable future engineers to design batteries, fuel cells, and

other energy conversion devices with higher performance and enhanced

reliability.

Prof. Nelson joined the MAE Department at UAH in 2012 and received the NSF

Career Award in 2015. Dr. Nelson received his BS (2003), MS (2006), and PhD

(2009) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. Prior to his

appointment at UAH , he worked as Assistant Research professor at the University

of Connecticut. For more information about Prof. Nelson and his research, visit

mtec.uah.edu or email Prof. Nelson at george.nelson@uah.edu.

NSF CAREER: Energy Storage and Conversion Devices

Cross-sections of x-ray nanotomography

data for Li-ion battery materials. This 3D

image data enables characterization of key

materials and computer simulation of

physical processes in real battery structures

Prof. G. Nelson

MAE Department

MAE students van Zandt (l) and Looney (r)

prepare an enzymatic battery test cell for in

situ neutron imaging

A sample containing battery

cathode materials is checked

and aligned (l) prior to nanoto-

mography using an x-ray micro-

scope (r) (Photo Credit: Logan

Ausderau, MAE Graduate Stu-

dent)

Page 4

Improving Alabama Bridge Safety Horizontally curved highway bridges are commonly built throughout

the country where the roadway or surrounding terrain requires curved

geometry and long spans. Unlike a straight girder bridge, the

geometrical nature of a horizontally curved bridge causes torsion in

the girders which can lead to substantial warping and increased shear

stresses. The interaction between the warping/shear stress and the

flexural stress makes curved steel girders prone to lateral-torsional

buckling and other stability issues. Professor Hongyu Zhou and his

research team are investigating the stability performance of

horizontally curved I-girders during construction. This research is

sponsored the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT).

Specifically, all phases of construction including girder transport,

lifting, as well as concrete deck placement are studied in conjunction

with various load combinations. Combined numerical study and field

tests on the SR-203 Pea River Bridge in Coffee County, Alabama are

being carried out, and the results will provide important guidance for

ensuring the safety of curved highway bridge construction.

Professor Zhou conducts his research in the recently completed UAH

Structural Hazard Mitigation and Intelligent Materials (SHM&IM)

Laboratory). This laboratory is supported by the College of

Engineering and the UAH Research Infrastructural Fund (RIF).

The equipment consists of several MTS servo-hydraulic test

systems, and a self-reacting structural loading frame that was

constructed in the Olin B. King Technology Hall. This versatile

loading frame is equipped with high capacity servo-hydraulic

actuators that can be readily assembled into different

configurations to suit the tests of full-scale wall units, girders,

and large-size structural assemblies. “We are excited to be able

to offer large-scale structural test capabilities at UAH.” says

Professor Zhou. For more information, contact Prof. Zhou at

hongyu.zhou@uah.edu or 256.824.5029.

Structural Analysis of curved steel girders.

ECE Professors David Coe, Jeff Kulick, and Aleksandar

Milenkovic are teaming with CS Professors Letha Etzkorn and

Sun-il Kim on a one year NSA grant to develop a lightweight

virtualization architecture that can be used to build cybersecurity

into systems that are part of the Internet of Things (IOT). The

proposed architecture will move the inclusion of cybersecurity

features into the design process of the product. This research will

leverage Profs. Kulick’s and Coe’s research on safety-critical

systems, a domain where safety analysis must be infused throughout the system design and development process

rather than layered on afterwards as security is currently practiced. This research also builds upon Prof. Milenkovic's

work in embedded systems, hardware-software co-design, and secure processing. "While finding flaws and repairing

them will continue to be an important focus in cybersecurity research, this work focuses on an architectural approach to

building security into the system at the outset," says Prof. Coe, the project's principal investigator. For more information,

contact Prof. Coe at david.coe@uah.edu or 256.824.3583.

Prof. D. Coe

ECE Department

Prof. J. Kulick

ECE Department

Prof. A. Milenkovic

ECE Department

NSA Funds Cybersecurity for IOT

Prof. Zhou and CEE student working in SHM&IM Laboratory

Page 5

Faculty News & Highlights

ECE Prof Emil Jovanov has

developed a smart water bottle

which advanced to the final

round in Alabama Launchpad

Start-Up Competition. Launchpad

promotes and rewards high-

growth, innovative startups from

across Alabama that are new,

innovative ventures in the seed or early-growth

stages, or existing businesses moving into a new

high-growth market. Currently in the patent

application process, the smart water bottle has

electronic sensors to make it easy for users and

medical personnel to track the amount of fluids

consumed in a day. The information is automatically

transmitted via the cloud to a smartphone or care

facility network. For more information, contact Prof.

Jovanov at emil.jovanov@uah.edu.

Prof. E. Jovanov,

ECE Department

Launchpad Invention Work Continues

College of Engineering Dean and MAE

Prof. Shankar Mahalingam, has been

elected Fellow of the American

Association for the Advancement of

Science. The AAAS council selects

members whose efforts on behalf of

the advancement of science or its

applications are scientifically or

socially distinguished. Dean Mahalingam is the second AAAS

fellow at UAH and the first in the College of Engineering.

Dean Mahalingam was cited "for distinguished contributions

to the field of combustion using laboratory scale experiments

and computational models leading to improved

understanding of wildland fire behavior, and for service in

administration."

MAE Prof. Kader Frendi was elected Fellow

of the American Society of Mechanical

Engineers (ASME). Prof. Frendi’s research

uses detailed computational simulations to

study acoustically active unsteady flows of

the type found in aeronautical and

aerospace applications. He is also an

Associate Editor of the Journal of

Propulsion and Power and an Associate

Fellow of the AIAA.

MAE Profs. Keith Hollingsworth, Phil Ligrani, and Jason

Cassibry were elected as Associate Fellows of the American

Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The grade

of Associate Fellow is awarded to those “who have

accomplished or been in charge of important engineering or

scientific work, or have done original work of outstanding

merit, or have otherwise made outstanding contributions to

the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics or

astronautics.”

Dean & Prof. S. Mahalingam

MAE Department

Engineering Faculty Honored by

Professional Societies

Prof. K. Frendi

MAE Department

Prof. K. Hollingsworth

MAE Department Prof. P. Ligrani

MAE Department

Prof. J. Cassibry

MAE Department

Governor Recognizes ISEEM Professor ISEEM Prof. Phil Farrington was

recognized by Alabama Governor,

Robert Bentley for his service on the

Alabama Robotic Technology Park (RTP)

Executive Board. The RTP is a

collaboration between the state of

Alabama, Alabama Community College

System, AIDT, and robotics industry

leaders across the nation. Prof. Farrington joined the

board in 2011 and has served as Vice Chair (2012) and

Chair (2013). Contact Prof. Farrington at

phillip.farrington@uah.edu.

Prof. P. Farrington

ISEEM Department

Engineering Outreach

CME Prof. Yu Lei received a 2015

Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award

b y Oa k R id ge Assoc ia te d

Universities (OZRAU). The proposal

titled “Atomistic Design of High-

Performance Bimetallic Epoxidation

Catalysts” was selected for the

$5000 award by ORAU and is

related to an on-going NSF-funded project on

epoxidation catalysts. For more information, contact

Prof. Lei at yu.lei@uah.edu.

CME Prof wins Powe Award from ORAU

Prof. Y. Lei

CME Department

To learn more about MAE Department research, visit the

department’s webpage at uah.edu/mae

Page 6

Engineering Outreach

Tech Trek 2015—”Standing on the Shoulders”

Tech Trek, sponsored by AAUW-Huntsville branch and

UAH, returned for another successful week—June 21-27,

2015. Tech Trek immerses young women in a world that

empowers and encourages them to think of themselves

as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and

computer specialists. The theme of the 2015 Tech Trek

program was “Standing on the Shoulders”, which honored

the female scientists and engineers who have paved the

way for young women in STEM fields. At Tech Trek,

campers participated in core classes as well as

workshops and field trips. The campers learned, worked, and lived

together for one week on the UAH campus. The Tech Trek camp director is

ECE Professor Rhonda Gaede.

Sixty-four (up 33% from last year) rising-8th graders from 41 schools

spanning 14 counties across Alabama came to Tech Trek 2015. The

campers were selected via a thorough interview process from a pool of over

150 participants who were nominated by science/math teachers. These

young women came from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds

where an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

(STEM) was their common bond.

The students participated in one of four core curriculum options: (1) App-

Inventor, (2) Robotics, (3) Energy, or (4) Cybersecurity (new this year). The

students also toured the U.S. Space and Rocket Center as well as local

engineering/technology companies, PPG Aerospace and the Hudson-Alpha

Center for Biotechnology. The highlight of the week was Professional

Women’s Night, where the students meet with female STEM professionals

who serve as mentors and role models. This year’s event was sponsored by

Lockheed Martin.

To ensure that a family finances do not limit participation, the cost of

attending Tech Trek is only $50 per family. With the actual cost per

camper being approximately $800, Tech Trek relies on donations. Major

sponsors for the 2015 Tech Trek program include the UAH President’s

office, the Colleges of Engineering and Science, PPG Aerospace, the

Verizon Foundation, the Fishman-Curry Foundation, Lockheed Martin, and

Jacobs Technology.

“I also learned that if someone tells you

that you cant do something you just do it

and show them you can.”

BEST Experience: Raising Interest in Engineering for High School Students

Prof. Rhonda Gaede,

ECE Department

The BEST Experience (Be an Engineering Student) is a week-long residential

program that gives high-school students a taste of what being an engineering

student at UAH is all about. Students will go to engineering classes, perform

hands-on experiments in engineering labs, participate in UAH student life

activities, work on project teams, and tour engineering companies. In June

2015, forty rising high-school juniors and seniors from all over the country took

part in BEST Experience classes including water treatment, energy-harvesting,

LEAN manufacturing, airplane design and structural analysis. The students also

visited Dynetics and Northrop Grumman.

Page 7

L. Dale Thomas joined the Industrial and Systems Engineering and

Engineering Management Department as a Professor and Eminent Scholar

in Systems Engineering. Dr. Thomas earned his BS in Industrial and Systems

Engineering from UAH in 1981, his MS in Industrial Engineering from North

Carolina State University in 1983, and his PhD in Systems Engineering from

UAH in 1988.

Prof. Thomas came to UAH after a 32-year career with NASA. He most

recently served as the Associate Center Director (Technical) for the NASA

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville. Prior to that, he served as

the NASA Constellation Program Manager which involved responsibilities at

all 10 NASA field centers as well as four prime contractors. In the 90s, Prof.

Thomas led systems engineering and integration for the International Space

Station.

At UAH, Thomas will be working with other faculty members in the ISEEM Department and the College of Engineering, and the

other colleges within the university to establish a vigorous and nationally recognized systems engineering research program.

"Systems engineering is inherently interdisciplinary, and to make any real progress will require the efforts of experts in several

fields," Thomas noted. "The focus of the systems engineering research program will be systems engineering theory, both from

a scientific and a practical perspective." Thomas noted that other engineering disciplines anchor themselves in the laws of

Newton, Ohm, Maxwell, and Bernoulli to name a few, and build a rich basis of principles upon this foundation. "Systems

engineering lacks such a foundation of laws, and as such is overly reliant upon principles derived from best-practice."

NASA Leader is Eminent Scholar in Systems Engineering

Prof. Dale Thomas

Ravi Gorur joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UAH as Professor

and Chair. Prof. Gorur graduated with a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from the University of

Windsor, Canada in 1986. He joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at

Arizona State University in 1987 as an assistant professor, became a full professor in 1995,

Director of Undergraduate Studies in 2006 and Chair of the Electrical Engineering Program

in 2010.

Prof. Gorur has supervised numerous research projects sponsored by the government,

utilities and industry in the field of electrical insulation and has coauthored a textbook and

over 200 papers in IEEE transactions and conferences on the subject of outdoor insulators.

During May 2013-May 2014, he was on an IPA (Intergovernment Personnel Act) assignment

at the US Department of Energy where he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of The

Power Systems Engineering R & D division in the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy

Reliability, where he was responsible for research in three major areas: smart grid, energy

storage and cyber security for energy delivery systems. Prof. Gorur is a IEEE Fellow for contributions in the field of polymeric

materials for outdoor insulation. In 2011, he received the Claude de Tourreil life time achievement award for contributions to

the field of outdoor insulators.

Maria Z. A. Pour joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department as Assistant

Professor. Prof. Pour received her PhD and MSc degrees from The University of Manitoba in 2012

and 2006, respectively, and her BSc degree from Sharif University of Technology in 1997, all in

Electrical Engineering. Prior to joining UAH, she was a Research Associate and Assistant Director

with the Antenna Laboratory at The University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Prof. Pour research interests are in the areas of antennas, applied electromagnetics and remote

sensing. In particular, her research is focused on antenna theory, design and analysis. This

includes reflector antennas and feeds, phased array antennas, wideband and UWB antennas,

virtual aperture antennas, multi-mode antennas, dual-polarized dual-band antennas for remote

sensing, and antenna measurement techniques. In addition, she has a keen interest in computational electromagnetics and

engineering conductors for antenna miniaturization and microwave components.

Prof. Maria Pour

Prof. Ravi Gorur

New Faculty

Page 8

Founding Director of Cybersecurity Research Center Tommy Morris joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department as Associate

Professor and he serves as the founding director of the UAH Center for Cybersecurity

Research and Education (CCRE). Prof. Morris came to UAH from Mississippi State

University where he served as Associate Director of the Distributed Analytics and Security

Institute and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He also served

as director of the MSU Critical Infrastructure Protection Center (CIPC) and as a member of

the MSU Center for Computer Security Research (CCSR).

Prof. Morris received his PhD in Computer Engineering in 2008 from Southern Methodist

University in Dallas, TX with a research emphasis in cyber security. His primary research

interests include cyber security for industrial control systems and electric utilities and

power system protective relaying. His recent research outcomes include vulnerability and

exploit taxonomies, intrusion detection systems, virtual test beds, and a relay setting

automation program used by a top 20 investor owned utility.

Prof. Morris has authored more than 40 peer reviewed research conference and journal

articles in these areas. Dr. Morris’s research projects are funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of

Homeland Security, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, NASA, the US Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research

Development Center (ERDC), Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation, and Entergy Corporation. Prior to his academic career,

Prof. Morris worked at Texas Instruments (TI) for 17 years in multiple roles including circuit design and verification

engineer, applications engineer, team leader, and program manager.

Judy Schneider joined the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department as

Professor. She obtained her BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the

University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1977 and was employed for 16 years in the

design, fabrication and testing of prototype devices for Aerospace and BioMedical

applications. After this industrial experience, she earned her MS and PhD degrees

from the University of California at Davis in 1993 and 1996, respectively.

Following completion of graduate school, she was employed as a Post-Doctoral

Researcher at Sandia Laboratories in Livermore, CA and at the Max Planck

Institute for Powder Metallurgy in Stuttgart, GE. Dr. Schneider began her

academic career at Mississippi State University in the Mechanical Engineering

Dept. where she most recently held the Coleman and Whiteside Professorship.

In the fall of 2015, Judy was inducted into the 2015 class of ASM International Fellows in addition to joining the Acta

Board of Governors. She has been recognized by TMS with the Structural Materials Division Distinguished Service Award.

Her interest in advanced manufacturing techniques and the education of future engineers is reflected in her membership

in ASM International, TMS, SAMPE, and ASEE. Dr. Schneider has published 36 journal manuscripts, 2 book chapters, and

over 120 conference proceedings and technical reports. She has graduated 3 PhD students and 24 MS students.

Judy has established an active research program in friction stir welding and additive manufacturing at UAH Her research

thrust is the correlation of the environmental effects, such as temperature and strain rate, on the mechanical

performance of structural materials. Much of her research centers on characterization of the microstructual evolution

during either the processing or service life of the material. This area of research focuses on how materials can be

fabricated to produce suitable microstructures for specific structural applications. Her approach is to design experiments

which decouple the predicted events to quantify the deformation conditions and correlate this with the microstructural

evolution and material behavior. To achieve this goal, experiments are designed to decouple the physical events to verify

and validate the analytical treatment of the process.

Prof. Tommy Morris

Prof. Judy Schneider

Page 9

UAH Senior Design Team

Engineering Student Highlights

The AIAA 66TH AIAA REGION II STUDENT CONFERENCE was held

April 9-10, 2015 in Savannah, GA. This year, 24 UAH students

attended along with 185 students from other southeastern

universities. There was a total of 66 undergraduate and graduate

student papers and presentations. MAE students competed with 10

presentations and were advised by Dr. Brian Landrum, Dr. Francis

Wessling, and Dr. Jason Cassibry. UAH winners were as follows:

3rd Place in Region—Freshman/Sophomore Open Category:

Ashley Scharfenberg (AE freshman) and Cody Chittenden (ME

sophomore), “Upward and Onward: History and Designs of Vertical

Take-Off and Landing Systems.”

2nd Place in Region—Undergraduate:

Adam Bower (AE Junior), “How Communication Data Rate Requirements Drive Satellite Subsystem Design,”

2nd Place in Region—Team Design

Markus Murdy and Ethan Hopping (AE seniors), “High Powered Composite Payload Fairing Rocket,“

UAH Students Shine at AIAA Regional Conference

Taylan Topcu, a Systems Engineering Master’s student, presented a paper titled “Commercial and

Government Value Functions for Electric Vehicle System Design” at the Institute of Industrial

Engineers Annual Conference and Expo in Nashville in June 2015. Under the advisement of

ISEEM Department Assistant Professor, Bryan Mesmer, Topcu's paper examines the complex

engineered system of electric vehicles using value-driven design, looks at the system attributes

important in forming value functions for the vehicle, and forms some novel consumer,

commercial, and government-oriented functions.

Graduate Research Assistants Anyama Tettey and Jeffrey Dyas are assisting ISEEM Professor and

Chair Paul Collopy with an NSF-funded research project to investigate the feasibility of

constructing and validating a theory of systems engineering based on control theory. UAH’S

microgrid system, located at the UAH Charger Energy Lab, is being used to test and validate the

control model. Anyama and Jeff have collected data on batteries, solar panels, wind generators,

and fueled generators to gain further understanding of the microgrid system, and to help

determine values to be controlled in the system model, which will, in turn, give a better

illustration of the design life cycle. Anyama and Jeff won a $1,600 scholarship for their

presentation, "Life Cycle Cost Model on Microgrid" at the RAM VIII Training Summit, and in

October 2015, delivered a poster presentation at the 8th Wernher von Braun Memorial

Symposium. In both appearances, they presented findings supporting a three-fold impact to a

microgrid control system: reliability, self-sustainment, and reduced emissions.

ISEEM Graduate Students Present their Research

UAH AIAA Students

Jeffrey Dyas, ISEEM

Anyama Tettey, ISEEM

Taylon Topcu, ISEEM

Page 10

The 2015 ASCE Southeast Regional Conference was held in Chattanooga,

Tennessee in March. The UAH Concrete Canoe Team entered their canoe named

PHOENIX. They came in third place behind the University of Florida and the

University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez. The 2016 UAH Concrete Canoe team is

already hard at work for this year’s competition season.

Also hard at work is the relatively new UAH Steel Bridge Team. The 2016

competition season will be only the third time that UAH has fielded a Steel

Bridge effort.

UAH Concrete Canoe Team and Bridge Team

InSPIRESS

UAH ASCE Teams:

Clockwise from upper right: Concrete Canoe Team working on PHOENIX, Team in PHOENIX during Competition in TN, Steel Bridge Team

In 2015, the UAH Space Hardware Club (UAH) sent three CanSat teams to

Burkett, Texas for the annual competition. Facing tough national and

international competition, Team Ground Pounder placed 2nd overall and

1st among U.S. teams. Team SunStreaker placed 10th overall and 6th

among U.S. teams, and Team SkyHammer placed 11th overall and 7th

among U.S. teams.

SHC was also award the Most Outstanding Engineering Student

Organization for demonstrating a commitment to education within the

university, to STEM outreach in the community, to scholarly excellence,

and to enriching their members' through activities and competitions. The

Space Hardware Club (SHC) focuses on the design and development of

flight hardware used in High Altitude Ballooning and Orbital Satellites.

The Club is currently represented by several different academic majors

including engineering, math, and physics.

Further, SHC members enjoy returning the experiences of payload

development back to younger generations. SHC loves getting younger

students excited about science, math, engineering, and technology. This

year, members will work with a local middle school class to incorporate

their ideas into a high altitude ballooning mission. The classroom will

then participate in the launch operations of the experiment.

SHC wins big at 2015 CanSat

UAH Space Hardware Club members at the 2015 competition

Team Ground Pounder—Second Place Overall

Page 11

As part of the day-long celebration for the 2015 UAH Honors Day, the College of Engineering hosted an individual

ceremony for our top performing UAH students, held in the Charger Union Theater. In addition to honoring the very top

students and all students that made the Deans List, the College also recognized outstanding COE faculty and staff, and

the top Engineering student organization.

Ms. Erin Looney was awarded the Most Outstanding College of

Engineering Student for 2015. A Huntsville native, Erin is a double

major in Mechanical Engineering and History. Erin has tackled

problems as an intern at General Electric in Decatur and at Ball

Aerospace in Colorado. At Ball Aerospace, she did thermal system

analysis for the James Webb Space Telescope and the Geostationary

Environment Monitoring System satellites. She was also an

undergraduate research assistant with MAE Professor George Nelson

is his energy research program. Under Prof. Nelson’s direction, she

worked on electrochemical testing and neutron imaging of bio-

batteries from CFDRC, a local engineering company. In that time she

contributed significantly to efforts on in-operando neutron imaging of

bio-battery electrodes using experimental facilities at Oak Ridge

National Lab. Erin was a member of the UAH Honors College and a member of Tau Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma, and Phi

Alpha Theta honor societies. She was a PASS leader with the Student Success Center and a member of the UAH rowing

club.

In May 2015, Erin graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in History. She was

recruited by several prestigious graduate programs and decided to accept an offer from MIT to pursue her graduate

studies.

Top Engineering Student Goes to MIT

Student, Staff, and Alumni Honors

From (l) to (r): Provost Christine Curtis, Erin Looney, Prof.

George Nelson, and Prof. Keith Hollingsworth

Faculty and Staff recognized on Honors Day

Top Row (l) to (r): Outstanding

Teaching Award—Dr. Christina Car-

men, Outstanding Staff Award—Mr.

Steve Collins, and Outstanding Fac-

ulty Research Award—Prof. George

Nelson

Bottom Row (l) to (r): Outstanding

Staff Award—Mr. Jacob Kerstiens

and Outstanding Service Award—Dr.

Rhonda Gaede

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Dr. William Emrich, MAE Department alumnus and

part-time MAE lecturer was named the 2015 National

Engineer of the Year for the American Institute of

Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Dr. Emrich is an engineer at NASA's Marshall Space

Flight Center in Huntsville, Al, and teaches a graduate

-level fission propulsion course at UAH. Dr. Emrich is

the project manager for NASA’s megawatt-class

Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environment

Simulator. The AIAA award recognizes his work

conceiving, designing and bringing the simulator to

operational status. Nuclear thermal rockets have the

potential to provide high thrust at efficiencies at least

twice that of today's best chemical engines. They

may power vehicles traveling to Mars and other

destinations in the solar system. Dr. Emrich’s

simulator allows realistic, non-nuclear testing of nuclear rocket fuel elements by simultaneously reproducing the power,

flow, and temperature conditions that the fuel element would encounter during actual nuclear engine operation.

Only one such award is made each year. At a ceremony at Huntsville City Hall, Mayor Battle presented Dr. Emrich with a

proclamation declaring Monday, July 27, 2015 to be Dr. William Emrich Day to commemorate the AIAA award. Mayor

Battle observed that "Dr. Emrich's research in nuclear fuels may even enable people to travel to distant worlds

unreachable with today's chemical rocket engines. No surprise to us that this groundbreaking research is happening in

the Rocket City." Dr. Emrich received his PhD from the MAE Department after completing an MS degree in nuclear

engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia

Institute of Technology.

Dr. Emrich is congratulated by Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle

MAE Alumnus is AIAA Engineer of the Year

William (Randy) Gaillard graduated cum laude with a BS in Optical Engineering in 2010. That same

year, he began his graduate studies at UAH with the goal of earning both an MS and PhD in Electrical

Engineering. In 2014, Randy received a Graduate Research Scholars award which provides funding to

support graduate research. Randy’s research includes the development of a microfluidic reactor for

oligonucleotide synthesis. Oligonucleotides (oligos) are commercially available short DNA or RNA

molecules with a wide range of functions in genetic testing, antisense therapy, artificial gene

synthesis, DNA amplification, DNA sequencing, as molecular probes, and in forensics. The impact of

this work is to reduce the production cost of oligos for research and commercial applications by a

factor of 50. The result of this research effort is a reusable glass micro reactor and a commercialized

tabletop workstation capable of generating 100-200 pmols of high purity customer specified oligos required to

synthesize short chain DNA, complex transmembrane proteins, site specific proteins, and user generated proteins not

otherwise found in nature. Randy is advised by ECE Professor Robert Lindquist and Dr. John Williams. This work is also

supported by UAH and Oblique Bio Inc., Huntsville, Alabama.

Randy presented his research at the 2015 Science and Technology Open House in Montgomery, Al where he was

awarded $600 and a 3rd place finish in the poster competition.

Alumni Spotlight: Randy Gaillard

Randy Gaillard, ECE

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UAH College of Engineering—At A Glance

Enrollment Fall 2015

Bachelor of Science

Aerospace Engineering (BSAE)

Chemical Engineering (BSCHE)

Civil Engineering (BSCE)

Computer Engineering (BSCPE)

Electrical Engineering (BSEE)

Industrial & Sys Engineering (BSISE)

Mechanical Engineering (BSME)

Optical Engineering (BSOPE)

Master of Science in Engineering

(MSE)

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Industrial & Systems Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science in Software

Engineering (MSSE)

Master of Science in Operations

Research (MSOR)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Civil Engineering

Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Industrial & Systems Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Interdisciplinary Degrees

MS in Cybersecurity

PhD in Biotechnology

MS and PhD in Material Science

MS and PhD in Modeling and

Simulation

PhD in Optical Science and

Engineering

Degrees and Majors

Degrees Awarded 2014-2015

College of Engineering Advisory Board

Page 14

College of Engineering Advisory Board

Dr. Richard Amos

President, Chief Operating Officer

Colsa Corportation

Mr. Kevin Campbell

Vice-President

Northrop Grumman Corportation

Dr. William Craig

Director of Software Engineering

AMRDEC

Dr. Patti Dare

Chief Operating Officer

Davidson Technologies

Dr. Jan Davis

Deputy General Manager

Jacobs ESTS Group

Dr. Chance Glenn

Dean, College of Engineering, Technology, and Physical

Sciences

Alabama A&M University

Mr. Sami Habchi

Executive Vice President

CFD Research Corporation

Mr. Steven S. Hill

Co-Founder and President/CEO

Aegis Technologies

Mr. Todd Hutto

U.S. Army Value Engineering Manager,

Continuous Process Improvement Division

AMCOL-MC

Mr. Greg Lester

President

Dynetics, Inc

Mr. Garry Lyles

SLS Chief Engineer

NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center

Mr. Steven Noojin

Director of Engineering

The Boeing Company

Dr. Roy Rice

Chief Engineer

Teledyne Brown

Mr. Boyce Ross

Director of Engineering

US Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville

Dr. Kevin Schneider

Chief Technology Officer

Adtran

Dr. Louis Weiner

President

Delta Research

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to each of our EAB members for their service.

College of Engineering Student Organizations

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

American Society of Civil Engineers

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Engineers Without Borders

IEEE

Institute of Industrial Engineers

Moonbuggy Club

National Society of Black Engineers

Optical Society of America

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

Society of Military Engineers

Society of Women Engineers

Space Hardware Club

Tau Beta Pi

Page 15

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