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News

Cortinas Wins AIChE National Student Paper Competition

Cortinas
Cortinas

Abel Cortinas, a senior chemical engineering major from Floydada, Texas, took first place in the National Student Paper Competition at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minn. on October 17, 2011.

Cortinas presented his undergraduate research project on "Flow-Aligned Graphene/PVA Nanocomposite Films," advised by Dr. Micah Green, an assistant professor of chemical engineering. Cortinas advanced to the national competition after taking first place at the Southwest Regional Competition at Texas A&M in March 2011. At nationals, he competed against students from universities such as MIT, the University of Kentucky, Penn State University, and the University of British Columbia. This paper competition is the premier chemical engineering undergraduate research competition in the nation, and this first place finish represents a major accomplishment for Cortinas and the department's undergraduate research program.

Cortinas' research on graphene-based nanocomposites is applicable to low-density, high strength aerospace materials. His research is funded by Texas Tech and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (part of the Center for the Integration of Science Education and Research).

He plans to attend graduate school in chemical engineering after finishing his degree in May 2012.

 

Student Accomplishments

ChemE Car Team Wins Safety Award

At the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) National ChemE Car Competition at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., the Texas Tech University ChemE Car Team was awarded the "Safety Award."

The goal of the competition is to provide chemical engineering students with the opportunity to participate in a team-oriented, hands-on design and construction of a small chemical powered model car. Teams must design and construct a car that is powered with a chemical energy source that will carry a specified load over a given distance and stop.



SWE Attends National Conference, Hosts Middle School Students

SWE
SWE

On October 12 - 15, Texas Tech Society of Women Engineers (SWE) officers attended the annual WE11 Conference (The Annual Conference for Women Engineers). Pictured at right are Shelby Schoepf, Hannah Boland, Rachel Hutchinson, and Becky Heinen.

On November 19, 80-100 local middle school girls will be welcomed by SWE volunteers to experience a fun-filled day about engineering at Texas Tech. The day begins with demonstrations from professors and graduate students on the various applications of their degrees.

Following the demonstrations, the girls will visit several buildings in the engineering key for hands-on activities. These activities will allow girls to gain knowledge on all the ways that engineering can be fun for everyone. The day is completely free of charge for the girls attending.



Tatum Receives Houston Materials Handling Society Scholarship

Tatum
Tatum

Lee Tatum, a mechanical engineering student, is the recipient of the Houston Material Handling Society (HMHS) scholarship.

HMHS is the South Texas Material Handling Technical Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). It is an organization that focuses on engineering, operating, manufacturing and supply professionals that are involved in solids processing. The scholarship award was established to promote education at the undergraduate level and it is given to students who have shown success and are enrolled in a mechanical engineering program.


REAP Brings High School Students to Texas Tech

Texas Tech hosted students this summer as a part of the U.S. Army and The Academy of Applied Science's Research and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (REAP).

REAP provides opportunities for high school students, including underrepresented groups, to gain hands-on work experience in scientific research and development programs on a university level. REAP students are exposed to real world scientific research and are able to see themselves making a living as scientists and researchers. Selected students are awarded a stipend for their summer research experience in a university lab. Texas Tech hosted four students that were paid $1,600.00 to participate for the summer.

Four students from Frenship High School participated in the program:

  • Chris Morrison
  • Nicholas Sisson
  • Brock Bouffard
  • Evan Reid
 
 

Faculty Recognitions

Wyrick Elected President of American Society for Engineering Management

Wyrick
Wyrick

Dr. Dave Wyrick, P.E., Bryan Pearce Bagley Regents Chair of Engineering and professor of industrial engineering, has been elected to serve as president of the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM). 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.




Green Receives Faculty Recognition Award

Green
Green

Dr. Micah Green, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has been awarded a 2011 Mortar Board Senior Honor Society/Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Faculty Recognition Award.

The Faculty Recognition Award is unique among those offered from Mortar Board/ODK because it is based solely on student nominations. Green was chosen as one of five awardees based on a pool of over ninety applications from a wide range of departments across Texas Tech University.

Staff Recognitions

Thornhill Receives Rowan Award

Thornhill
Thornhill

Brad Thornhill, unit manager for the Water Resources Center in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was awarded the Chancellor's Colonel Rowan Award for Execution.

The Chancellor's Colonel Rowan Award for Execution is given to those employees who best demonstrate the ability to execute and follow up with important projects, and accomplish an objective quickly and efficiently with minimal oversight.

Whitebread Receives Matador Award

Whitebread
Whitebread

Linda Whitebread, unit supervisor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is a recipient of the Texas Tech University Distinguished Staff (Matador) Award.

The Matador Award is given to a new employee with one to three years of continuous service. These individuals are praised for their innovative, significant and progressive ideas and contributions.

 
 

Alumni News

Edwards Named Firm Principal at Parkhill, Smith & Cooper

Zane Edwards, P.E., a 1996 graduate of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been promoted to firm principal at Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. (PSC).

He began his career at PSC in 1993 and became a full-time engineer upon graduation in 1996. He earned his professional engineering license in 2001 and was named corporate associate of the firm in 2003.

Edwards' engineering expertise brings economic solutions and innovative improvements to the supply, distribution, and transmission of potable water. As a civil engineer, project manager, and team leader for the infrastructure sector, Edwards works with many private and municipal clients in Texas and New Mexico.

He is a member of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, the American Water Works Association, and is a graduate of Leadership Lubbock.

 

Grants and Contracts

9-30-2011 – 10-25-2011

Chemical Engineering

  • Dr. Brandon Weeks was awarded $40,800 by the Dept of Homeland Security/Northeastern University. The title of the proposal was "ALERT: Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats."

Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation

  • Drs. Alon Kvashny, Hongchao Liu, Cynthia B. McKenney, Moon-Cheol Won, and Richard E. Zartman were awarded $81,046 by the Texas Department of Transportation. The title of the proposal was "Lubbock TxDOT IAC 05-1XXIA001." Liu is the PI.

Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics

  • Dr. Michael G. Giesselmann was awarded $40,625 by the US Navy/ARC Technology. The title of the proposal was "Development of a 100 kV Capacitor Charger."
  • Dr. Andreas A. Neuber was awarded $12,500 by the National Physical Science Consortium. The title of the proposal was "NPSC Fellowships for Jacob Stephens and Andrew Fierro."

Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Dr. Hamed Sari-Sarraf was awarded $70,000 by the National Library of Medicine. The title of the proposal was "Human-machine Biomedical Image Segmentation with Hardware Assistance and Web Browser Interface."

Industrial Engineering

  • Drs. Jennifer A. Farris, Timothy I. Matis, and Patrick E. Patterson were awarded $159,324 by DOE/BWXT Pantex, LLC. The title of the proposal was "B&W Pantex Site-wide Safety Culture Survey."

Mechanical Engineering

  • Dr. Darryl L. James was awarded $19,800 by Sandia National Laboratories. The title of the proposal was "Sunshine to Petrol."
  • Drs. William A. Jackson and Kenneth A. Rainwater were awarded $55,254.60 by USAF/AFMC. The title of the proposal was "Identification and Characterization of Naturally Occurring Perchlorate Phase 4."
 

Obituaries

Donald Lloyd Gustafson

Gustafson
Gustafson

Dr. Donald Gustafson, 73, of Duluth, Minn. passed away October 16, 2011 at home, surrounded by his family. He was born December 5, 1937.

Gustafson served 36 years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve. Known as "Dr. Gus," he taught computer science and electrical engineering for 28 years at Texas Tech. In 2000, he retired to Duluth, where he enjoyed hiking, canoeing and camping.

 
 

Events of Interest

See a full listing of the college's events on the Engineering Master Calendar.

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Nov 20, 2014Apr 30, 2020