News

Texas Tech to Host ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp

Dr. Bernard Harris Jr., the first African-American to walk in space and a Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center graduate, announced that Texas Tech will host a ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp this summer. The announcement came as Harris delivered the keynote address at the 2010 T-STEM Best Practices Conference, hosted by the Texas Tech T-STEM Center at the Overton Hotel on February 8-10.

Educators, students, representatives from NASA, and industry and government leaders were in Lubbock to participate in the conference, aimed at helping Texas students succeed in science, technology, engineering, and math.

The camp, which will take place this summer, is a two-week camp that offers underserved middle school students opportunities to engage in learning about sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities include classroom study, experiments, individual and team projects, field excursions and guest speakers.

Learn More

Lubbers Receives McAuley Distinguished Engineering Student Award

The Whitacre College of Engineering has named Amber Lubbers the recipient of the McAuley Distinguished Engineering Student Award for 2010.

This award, provided by members of the Whitacre College of Engineering Dean’s Council, is named in memory of James A. McAuley, an active member of the Dean’s Council and a Texas Tech Distinguished Engineer.

Lubbers competed for this honor and was selected because of her outstanding academic achievements, honors, activities, interests and aspirations. Academically, she has been on the Texas Tech President’s List with a 4.0 GPA each semester that she has been at the university. She will graduate Summa Cum Laude in May 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a mathematics minor from the Whitacre College of Engineering and the Honors College.

Learn More

Engineers Week Celebrates Engineering

Engineers Week is a time to celebrate engineering. As a part of National Engineers Week, Whitacre College of Engineering faculty, staff, and students participated last week in events such as Pink Engineering Day (in recognition of women engineers), Student Organizations Fair, Trebuchet Contest, and the Honors Convocation.

Engineering Students 'GEAR' Up for Robotics Challenge

With the help of engineering students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech is participating in Get Excited About Robotics (GEAR), a six to eight week LEGO robotics challenge.

Elementary and middle school students compete in the challenge by building and programming LEGO robots in teams. These teams are mentored by Texas Tech engineering students.

GEAR is a nonprofit volunteer organization created to foster interest among school children and young adults in a career in engineering, science or technology.

Learn More

Faculty Recognitions

Awal Develops Plasma-Blasting Device for Rock Fracturing and Characterization

Dr. M. Rafiqul Awal, Kerr-McGee Co. Professor of Petroleum Engineering, has designed the first plasma-blasting device for rock fracturing and characterization in the petroleum industry.

Awal worked in conjunction with Dr. Magne Kristiansen, professor of electrical and computer engineering, Paul Whitfield Horn Professor, and director of the Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics, to create the device. The unit was designed, constructed, and tested by a Lubbock-based company.

Wyrick Named ASEM Secretary

Dr. Dave Wyrick, P.E., Bryan Pearce Bagley Regents Chair of Engineering and professor of industrial engineering, has been elected to serve as Secretary of the American Society for Engineering Management. This begins a four-year progression through the level of President. He is a Fellow of ASEM and has served as a regional director, liaison to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Management Division, and as an assistant editor for Engineering Management Journal.

Grants and Contracts

01-20-2010 - 02-17-2010

Chemical Engineering

• Drs. Gregory B. McKenna and Brandon L. Weeks were awarded $16,609.68 by the Department of Defense. The title of the proposal was "Synthesis, Characterization, and Environmental Impact Studies of Advanced Energetic Materials."

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Drs. Theodore Cleveland, Phillip T. Nash, and Moon Won were awarded $30,000 by the Texas Department of Transportation. The title of the proposal was "Strategic Research Program Development." Nash is the PI.

Computer Science

• Dr. Mohan Sridharan was awarded $82,561 by the Office of Naval Research. The title of the proposal was "Active Learning for Sequential Sensing and Efficient Human Interaction in Collaborative Human-Robot Teams."
• Dr. Sunho Lim was awarded $9,834 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "Collaborative Research: NEDG: Exploring Data Access in Internet-based Wireless Networks."
• Dr. Yu Zhuang was awarded $47,850 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "Computer Simulation of Chemical Dynamics."

Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics

• Drs. James C. Dickens and Andreas A. Neuber were awarded $213,482 by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The title of the proposal was "VUV Radiation and Breakdown (Barker/NE)."

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Dr. Stephen Bayne was awarded $34,059.96 by the U.S. Department of Energy. The title of the proposal was "FY 10 Great Plains Wind Power Test Facility."

Industrial Engineering

• Dr. Shiren Wang was awarded $96,319 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "CAREER: Exploring Novel Organic Thermoelectric Composites with Hierarchical Architecture and High Figure of Merit."
• Dr. Hong Chao Zhang was awarded $49,033 by NSF/Arizona State University. The title of the proposal was "EAGER: Understanding and Optimizing a Supercritical Fluid Process Model for Recycling of Printed Circuit Boards."

Mechanical Engineering

• Dr. Jingzhou Yang was awarded $3,055 by Troy L Carter, M.D. The title of the proposal was "Design and Analysis of Novel Earpiece-less Eyeglass Frame."
• Dr. Stephen Ekwaro-Osire was awarded $119,209.86 by the U.S. Department of Energy. The title of the proposal was "FY 10 Great Plains Wind Power Test Facility."
• Drs. Jharna Chaudhuri and Michelle L. Pantoya were awarded $19,377.96 by the Department of Defense. The title of the proposal was "Synthesis, Characterization, and Environmental Impact Studies of Advanced Energetic Materials."

Nano Tech Center

• Dr. Luis Grave de Peralta (Physics) was awarded $79,504 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "CAREER: Plasmon Tomography."
• Drs. Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin were awarded $157,999 by the U.S. Department of Energy. The title of the proposal was "Optical and Electrical Properties of III-V Nitrides and Related Materials."

Water Resources Center

• Drs. Theodore Cleveland, Annette Hernandez, W. Andrew Jackson, Audra N. Morse, and Kenneth A. Rainwater were awarded $57,700 by the EPA/ City of Lubbock/Alan Plummer Assoc. The title of the proposal was "City of Lubbock Canyon Lakes Water Reuse Project."
• Drs. Phillip T. Nash, Kenneth A. Rainwater, and Lianfa Song were awarded $374,659.56 by the U.S. Department of Energy. The title of the proposal was "FY 10 Great Plains Wind Power Test Facility."
• Dr. W. Andrew Jackson was awarded $8,304.84 by the Department of Defense. The title of the proposal was "Synthesis, Characterization, and Environmental Impact Studies of Advanced Energetic Materials."

Student Accomplishments

Industrial Engineering Doctoral Student Takes Second Place in IIE Lean Paper Competition

Cecilia Martínez, a doctoral student in industrial engineering, has been awarded second place in the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) Lean Division's fourth Lean Student Paper Competition. The competition recognizes outstanding papers in the field of lean research and practices. Awards will be given at the IIE Annual Conference in Cancun, Mexico, on June 5 - 9, 2010.

The paper is titled “A Coordination Mechanism for Lean Product Development.” Her Ph.D. advisors are Drs. Jennifer Farris, assistant professor of industrial engineering, and Alberto Hernandez.

Alumni

Civil Engineering Alumnus David Burkett is Named Young Engineer of the Year

David Burkett, P.E., a 2001 civil engineering graduate, has been named Young Engineer of the Year by the Fort Worth Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers.

Burkett works for Halff Associates in Fort Worth. He joined the company in 2004 with two years of experience in civil and transportation engineering. At Halff Associates, he has served as design engineer and or project manager for several municipal and TxDOT projects involving roadway design, storm drainage design, water and sewer relocations, erosion control, and traffic control plans.

Events of Interest

Submission Information

Email Whitacre College of Engineering Publications with news, events, or stories.