Bring your buns back to TU. - TUAlumni.com

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c o l l e g e o f e n g i n e e r i n g a n d n a t u r a l s c i e n c e s
TU wins international Chem-E-Car contest
Ateam of chemical engineering
majors won the first
International Chem-E-Car
Challenge in Glasgow, Scotland,
during the World Congress of
Chemical Engineering in July 2005.
TU’s winning model car,
the “Hydrogen Hurricane,” was
shipped separately and received a
last minute part replacement after
arriving on the eve of the contest
with a damaged foam panel, which
holds and insulates the capacitors.
With stores closed, resourceful TU
junior Taylor Coleman retrieved a
pizza box from a garbage bin, and
the students fashioned a substitute
part from it.
“It was disgusting, but it was
what we had to do at the time to
get the car running,” Coleman said.
Nine teams from seven
countries competed in events
No science teacher left behind
in order to help science teachers provide their students
a better education, TU and local public schools partnered to
launch the Science Teachers’ Workshop, a two-week program
followed by nine months of continuing education.
“I would like to thank The University of Tulsa for
empowering my science content knowledge and confidence as an
educator in the state of Oklahoma,” said Suzanne Giddens,
seventh grade science teacher at Jenks Middle School and
program participant.
Designed to exceed the government’s Priority Academic
Student Skills objectives, the program helped secondary
education science teachers develop effective math-intensive
demonstrations and lab exercises illustrating key science
concepts using commonly found items. The 21 participants
were encouraged to pass on the knowledge to their
colleagues.
The program debuted last summer through a $105,000
grant from No Child Left Behind and will continue this year with
a $118,000 grant from the State Department of Education.
“It was a very successful two-week workshop and will
continue in follow-up,” says Jerry McCoy, Department of Physics
and Engineering Physics applied assistant professor and primary
coordinator of the workshop.
testing model cars
in distance and
accuracy. The car
coming closest to
the finish line while
carrying 375 grams
(about 12 ounces) of
water was declared
the winner. TU’s
car, the “Hydrogen
Hurricane,” came within 15
centimeters (about six inches) of
the line to claim first place and
a cash prize of 1,000 pounds
(about $1,870).
“This is a testament to the
high caliber of the students and
faculty in our college,” College of
Engineering and Natural Sciences
Dean Steve Bellovich said. “It
is very gratifying to see their
creativity, initiative and hard
work recognized in such a
prestigious setting.”
Team members were sophomores
Ismail Fahmi and Dorian Marx,
juniors Michael DeShazer and Taylor
Coleman, and Christine Bishop
(BSCE ’05), an industrial engineer
with Michelin in Ardmore, Okla.
Chemical Engineering Professor
Christi Patton was faculty adviser.
“The competitions are wonderful
experiences for the students largely
because they are such a fun way to
put their education into practice,”
Patton said.
Student named to
all-star academic team
Brigid DeCoursey, a 2006 graduate, was named
by “USA Today” to the All-USA College Academic Third Team.
After being nominated by TU for the honor, DeCoursey
applied with approximately 600-700 other outstanding
college students from across the nation.
The All-USA College Academic Team honors full-time
undergraduate students who excel
in scholarship while also working for
the betterment of society. Students
are judged according to their grades,
academic rigor, leadership, activities
and an essay describing their most
outstanding intellectual endeavor
completed while in college.
DeCoursey
DeCoursey holds numerous
academic honors including National Merit Finalist, Harry
S. Truman Scholar, Coca-Cola National Scholar, Morris K.
Udall Scholar, Congress-Bundestag Scholar, TU Presidential
Scholar, 2004 Best Senior in Environmental Policy, 2002
TU Top 10 Freshman, 2005 TU Top 10 Senior and 2005 TU
Homecoming Court, among others.
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