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DaNang On October 1, 2008, a delegation of Vietnamese officials representing the University of DaNang and DaNang University of Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish joint academic activities with the College of Engineering. The universities agreed to exchange faculty and students and could develop joint master’s degree programs in engineering. To read more about the agreement, click here.




Mesonet The West Texas Mesonet team received the the 2008 Larry R. Johnson Special Award from the National Weather Association (NWA) at a luncheon at the NWA Conference in Louisville on Oct. 15. Wes Burgett, operations manager, along with West Texas Mesonet team members Brian Hirth and Ross Williamson, and faculty director Dr. John Schroeder, comprise the team. The award is presented to an individual or a group to recognize unique events or extraordinary accomplishments which significantly contribute to operational meteorology.




Donor Breakfast The annual Homecoming and Donor Appreciation Breakfast was held on October 11 in the Red Raider Ballroom in the Student Union Building. Chancellor Kent Hance, President Guy Bailey, Dean Pamela Eibeck, and student scholarship recipients Kerry Anderson, Amanda Gordon, and Ernie Onyia welcomed and thanked donors to the College of Engineering for their support. More than 225 faculty members, staff members, students, donors, and alumni attended the event.




Job Fair The 2008 Engineering Job Fair was held on September 30 at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. This fair was the college's largest job fair, welcoming 600 more students than the largest job fair in the past. More than 1,975 students registered at the door and 496 recruiters from 191 companies were able to reschedule to the new date to accommodate the victims of Hurricane Ike.

Faculty Recognition

Faculty and Staff Awards Banquet At the Fourth Annual Faculty and Staff Awards Banquet, recognition was given to faculty and staff for accomplishments in the 2007-08 academic year. For a complete listing of awards, click here.

Teaching Awards
George Gray was given the Dr. Charles Burford Faculty Award. Dr. Mary Baker received the Butler Distinguished Educator Award. Dr. Michael Giesselmann was awarded the Halliburton Teaching Excellence Award.

Research Awards
Dr. Michelle Pantoya was named a Whitacre Faculty Fellow. The Whitacre Excellence in Research Award was given to Drs. Jordan Berg and Andreas Neuber, and the Whitacre Excellence in Research - Growth in Research Award was given to Dr. Ayrton Bernussi

External Grant Recognition
The following faculty members received more than $250,000 in external research funding during fiscal year 2007-08:

Over $500,000 $250,000-$500,000
Jordan Berg Xinzhong Chen
Ayrton Bernussi Tim Dallas
James Dickens Audra Morse
Magne Kristiansen Sergey Nikishin
Greg McKenna Michelle Pantoya
Andreas Neuber Ken Rainwater
Henryk Temkin Sindee Simon
  Susan Urban
  Yu Zhuang

Dr. Brian Nutter, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, will receive $480,928 to devise an innovative way to model the human brain as a part of the Texas Tech Vice President of Research's Grant Competition. Nutter's project was one of two selected from 22 applications submitted by Texas Tech researchers. Independent experts reviewed the proposals and made recommendations to Texas Tech's Office of the Vice President for Research. Click here for more information.


Zhishan Liu was hired as a post-doctoral research associate in the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center on September 1.

Kornel Rozsavolgyi was hired as research associate in the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center on September 10.

Nabila Shamim was hired as post-doctoral research associate in chemical engineering on August 1.

Mohan Sridharan was hired as an assistant professor of computer science on October 20.

Siva Vanapalli was hired as an assistant professor of chemical engineering on October 1.

Richard Walker was hired as research associate in the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center on September 1.

Staff Recognition

Mora Birkenfeld At the Fourth Annual Faculty and Staff Awards Banquet, the 2008 Orval Leroy Lewis Awards were given to Derek Birkenfeld, PC/network support specialist in computer science, and Isaac Mora, senior technician in mechanical engineering. The awards are given in recognition of employees who demonstrate positive and friendly attitudes toward faculty, students, and colleagues, and commit personal energy over and above that required by the job description.

Marian Blaylock, coordinator in TechMRT, retired at the end of August.

Tosha Chambers was hired as an assistant advisor in mechanical engineering at the end of August.

Vanessa Hocutt-Jehangiri was hired as a senior business assistant in mechanical engineering on August 13.

GinaMarie Munch was hired as a senior business assistant in electrical and computer engineering on September 1.

Sarah Obenhaus was hired as an advisor in electrical and computer engineering on October 20.

Paula Saint-Ours was hired as a senior office assistant in computer science on September 15.

Joel Perez was hired as a technician III in electrical and computer engineering at the end of September.

Grants and Contracts

Chemical Engineering

  • Dr. Gregory B. McKenna was awarded $180,000 by the U.S. Department of Energy. The title of the proposal was "Cyclic Macromolecules: Rheology and Flow Induced Crystallization."
  • Dr. Gregory B. McKenna was awarded $10,750 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The title of the proposal was "JPS - Physics."

Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation

  • Dr. Moon Won was awarded $67,749 by the Texas Department of Transportation. The title of the proposal was "0-5549: Horizontal Cracking in Concrete Pavements."
  • Drs. Priyantha W. Jayawickrama, William D. Lawson, and Charles D. Newhouse were awarded $102,981 by the Texas Department of Transportation. The title of the proposal was "0-5849 Evaluating Existing Culverts for Load Capacity Allowing for Soil Structure Interaction."
  • Dr. Moon Won was awarded $67,749 by the Texas Department of Transportation. The title of the proposal was "0-6190: Use of Dowel Bars at Longitudinal Construction Joints."
  • Drs. Priyantha W. Jayawickrama, Sanjaya P. Senadheera, and Moon Won were awarded $59,289 by the Texas Department of Transportation. The title of the proposal was "0-6326 Rational Use of Terminal Anchorages in Portland Cement Concrete Pavement."
  • Dr. Moon Won was awarded $18,034 by the Texas Department of Transportation. The title of the proposal was "5-4035-01: Construction and Evaluation of Post-Tensioned Prestressed Concrete Pavement."

Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics

  • Drs. James C. Dickens and Andreas A. Neuber were awarded $39,992 by the BAE Systems Bofors, Sweden. The title of the proposal was "Flux Compression Generator."

Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Dr. Donald Lie was awarded $40,000 by the Texas Instruments Foundation. The title of the proposal was "CMOS Power Amplifier Design."
  • Dr. Brian S. Nutter was awarded $11,950 by Enduro Corporation. The title of the proposal was "Cable Tray Interference Measurements."
  • Dr. Mary C. Baker was awarded $51,012.78 by the Greater Texas Foundation. The title of the proposal was "Middle School Math and Science (MS)2: Understanding by Design."
  • Dr. Timothy J. Dallas was awarded $149,996 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "The 18mm2 Laboratory."

Mechanical Engineering

  • Drs. Valery I. Levitas and Michelle Pantoya were awarded $40,110 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "Melt-Dispersion Mechanism for Energetic Reactions of Aluminum Nanoparticles."

Nano Tech Center

  • Drs. Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin were awarded $113,343 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "1.54 Micron Optical Amplifiers and Emitters Based Upon Erbium Doped III-Nitrides Grown on Silicon."

National Institute for Engineering Ethics

  • Dr. William D. Lawson was awarded $35,494 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "Ethics Instruction for International Graduate Students in Engineering."

Water Resources Center

  • Drs. W. Andrew Jackson and Kenneth A. Rainwater were awarded $24,438.92 by B&W Pantex, LLC. The title of the proposal was "Laboratory Demonstration of In Situ Treatment Effectiveness for Reduction of Perchlorate, TCE, and Chromium at Pantex Plant."

Student Accomplishments

The student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) was awarded the Outstanding Student Chapter Award for the year 2007–08. This is the second consecutive year that the Texas Tech student chapter has been recognized by AIChE for their outstanding professional activities and leadership. A total of 15 student chapters are recognized in the country from over 150.

Timothy J. Sansone has been named a recipient of the Samuel Fletcher Tapman ASCE Student Chapter/Club Scholarship. Sansone is a senior civil engineering major. He was initiated into the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society for his scholastic attainments and his service to the community. He served as the vice president of the university’s ASCE chapter and in 2009 will chair its committee overseeing the chapter’s participation in ASCE'S National Concrete Canoe Competition. At a meeting of ASCE'S Texas Section held this past spring, Sansone was awarded first place for a presentation entitled "The Solution to Building a More Efficient Infrastructure: An Ethical Response to Privatization."

Alumni

David Wetz Dr. David Wetz, a 2006 electrical engineering Ph.D. graduate, received the "Outstanding Young Scientist" award at the second Euro-Asian Pulsed Power Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. He also received the 2006 IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Wetz also holds a B.S.E.E., B.S.C.S., and a M.S.E.E. from Texas Tech. He is employed by the Institute for advanced Technology at The University of Texas in Austin, where he works on electromagnetic acceleration of projectiles.

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Chemical Jan Hudson
Civil and Environmental Glenna Andrews
Computer Science Mysti Digby
Electrical and Computer Sandi Willingham
Engineering Technology Mary Reigner
Industrial Terry Wilson
Mechanical Lori Walraven
Petroleum Joan Blackmon
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Apr 30, 2020