Autumn 2005 Issue.pmd - Ohio State Engineer - The Ohio State ...

the 

ohio state 

engineer 

Autumn 2005 

Vol.89 No.1 

Music, Math and Mind 

what’s the connection 

PLUS: 

Speed Detectors 

beat the heat 

Rebuilding Nature 

along Carolina’s coast

Editor-in-Chief 

Catherine Eichel 

Marketing Staff 

Jen Gallo, Manager 

Stephanie Horn 

Elisabeth White 

from the editor catherine eichel 

For many years, man has recognized the healing beauty of Nature and has appreciated 

the wild world as a way to connect to their spiritual existence. We are now starting to recognize 

that this beauty is more than a pathway to healing. It’s good design. 

Professionals in all fields are looking to biology for inspiration, borrowing from nature’s 

designs to create. And the result is good. 

A Cornell University research group recently discovered how to make plastics from a 

cheap, readily abundant, renewable source—oranges. With the help of a catalyst, they combined 

carbon dioxide and limonene, a carbon-based compound found in citrus fruit oils to create a 

polymer called polylimonene carbonate. This polymer has similar properties to the plastic 

polystyrene. Since all plastics are currently petroleum based, this discovery may have the potential 

to reduce our dependency on oil. 

At OSU, Bharat Bhushan, a 

professor in Mechanical Engineering, 

created a new texture to reduce friction 

and repel water. This texture can be 

applied to create self cleaning glass 

or to the tiny mechanisms in 

electronics so that the machines work 

more smoothly. Bhushan copied the 

texture from the surface of a lotus leaf. 

“In designing these surfaces we 

learned from nature and tried to 

imitate those surfaces,” said Bhushan 

in a recent interview with OSU’s The 

Lantern. 

This inspiration is not limited 

to the world of science. Art is also 

taking another look at the world of 

biology. 

“I’m not competing with nature, just taking its principles and building on them,” said 

artist Rachel Wingfield, in a recent interview with Surface magazine. “Light Sleeper,” pictured 

above, mimics the sun. It is bedclothes that slowly wake up a sleeper using light. Her latest 

project is creating a photosynthetic fabric that will hopefully use the sun’s power to recharge 

itself. 

These and other designs inspired by biology herald a new and promising time to live 

in our world. We have learned, from situations like the Dust Bowl, that it costs precious resources 

to try and control nature. Besides, nature has had millions of years to tweak and perfect its 

designs. However, a technology should not be systematically accepted nor rejected because it’s 

“eco-friendly” or “green”. Now, more than ever, we need to look critically at each technology 

we decide to incorporate into our lives, explore its entire lifecycle from creation to disposal, and 

decide if it’s worthy of our resources and time. 

-01- Autumn 2005 


Eichel.7@osu.edu 

Design Team 

Julie Kohus, Layout Editor 



Binaebi Akah 

Alicia Hittle 

Carol McKee 

Fiscal Officer 

Kyle Gerst 

Art Staff 

Binaebi Akah, Art Editor 

Writing Staff 

Elizabeth Zaleksi, Editor 

Mike Ealy 

Nichole Eggert 

Katie Kennedy, Staff Writer 

Kelly McAuley 


Sarah Zaremba 

Staff Advisor 

Ed McCaul 

Special Thanks to 

Gina Langen 

Joan Slattery Wall 

Wendy Whissel 

Location 

Hitchcock Hall 114D 

2070 Neil Ave 

Columbus, OH 43210 

Contact 

eichel.7@osu.edu 

p. 614.292.7931 

Advertising rates and media kits available 

upon request 

The Ohio State Engineer is a member of 

the Engineering College Magazines 

Associated. The Engineer is printed in the 

autumn, winter, and spring by students of 

the Ohio State University.

from the editor a new take on biology 


graduation announcements SP 05 

comic boy meets engineering girl 

Binaebi Akah 

alumni spotlight Tom Ward, Mechanical Engineer 


01 

01 

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departments 

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contents 

autumn 2005 

1057 

05 

03 

features 

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15 

$ 

15 

the technology behind the ticket 

a close look at laser and radar detectors 

Mike Ealy 

rebuilding nature 

spotlight on conservation efforts along the East Carolina’s coast 

Katherine Kennedy 

the power of music 

how the power of music can boost your math skills 

Sarah Zaremba 

valuing our textbooks 

just why do textbooks cost so much 

Nichole Eggert 

Autumn 2005 -02-

the 

technology 

behind the ticket 

One of the biggest nuisances to the law 

bending motorist is the speed gun. 

Unfortunately, unless you frequent the 

Autobahn or move to some remote county in 

Montana, your right foot need be conscious 

of its nemesis. But as with any problem, 

there is a solution, a loophole, an elucidatory 

way out. I’ll show you ways to beat the heat 

but first let’s find out how speed guns work. 

by mike ealy 

Currently law enforcement 

agencies all around the country 

use two distinct types of speed 

detection device, the popular and 

widely used radar gun and the newer 

more accurate LIDAR (Light Detection 

And Ranging) technology (commonly 

called the laser gun). These two 

different technologies work off the 

same basic principles. 

A traditional radar gun works by 

measuring the Doppler shift of the 

radar beam reflected from a car. The 

Doppler shift is a measure of frequency 

change of the radar wave and velocity. 

The radar gun sends out a radio pulse 

and waits for the reflection. Then it 

measures the Doppler shift in the 

signal and uses the shift to determine 

the speed. The Doppler shift is a 

measure of frequency changes with 

respect to wave propagation and 

distance. 

A laser gun also works sends out 

a signal and waits for its reflection. It 

uses a more direct method that relies 

on the reflection time of light rather 

than Doppler shift. A laser gun shoots 

a series of very short bursts of infrared 

laser light and then waits for the light 

to reflect off the vehicle. The gun 

counts the number of nanoseconds it 

takes for the round trip. 

If the gun takes 1,000 samples per 

second, it can compare the change in 

distance between samples and calculate 

the speed of the car. By taking several 

hundred samples over the course of a 

third of a second or so, the accuracy 

can be very high. Fortuntately for the 

heavy footed motorist, a laser is more 

expensive and tougher to use than a 

radar gun. In the U.S., there are about 

100,000 radar units in use, while there 

are only about 15,000 lasers guns. If 

laser was used as much as radar, the 

number of tickets issued each year 

would probably increase dramatically. 

There are devices available 

-03- Autumn 2005

that can detect or block these 

technologies. Radar or laser detectors/ 

scanners are readily available. 

Conventional radar is relatively easy 

As a second and more effective line 

of defense, jammers are an active way 

of beating the fuzz at their own game. 

Radar jammers emit a jamming 

most reflective points on the car; with 

that in mind, older lidar systems could 

be confused if the headlights were on 

or if the license plate had a black 

orshaded cover on them. 

If laser were used as much as radar, the number of tickets issued each year 

would likely make a steep spike upward. 

to detect. The simplest radar detector 

is a basic radio receiver, just like what 

you use to listen openers, for the radio 

detector to be effective it must be tuned 

to the radio in your car. Since the air 

is full of all kinds of radio frequencies, 

from radio stations to garage door 

frequency range used by police radar 

guns. As for lidar (laser) detection, 

Modern radar detectors may also 

include a light-sensitive panel that 

detects the beams from 

lidar guns. The lidar 

system is harder to 

equivocate than 

traditional radar 

because the beam is 

much more focused and 

it doesn’t carry well 

over long distances. 

Unfortunately, by the 

time a detector recognizes 

the presence of 

the laser beam, the car 

is most likely in the 

beam’s sights already. 

Some speeders try to get 

around these systems by 

reducing the reflectivity 

of their car. A black surface reduces 

reflectivity because it absorbs more 

light. Drivers can also get special 

plastic covers that reduce the 

reflectivity of license plates. These 

measures reduce the effective range of 

the lidar system, but not the range of 

the driver’s detector. With this extra 

time, a speeder might be able to slow 

down before the lidar gun can get a 

read on his or her speed. 

Radar and laser detectors are a 

passive methods of eluding the police. 

signal. Basically, the signal 

reproduces the original signal from the 

police radar gun, but mixes it with 

additional radio noise. With this added 

noise, the radar receiver gets a 

confusing echo signal, and the police 

can’t make an accurate speed reading. 

Even while difficult to detect, the 

police laser can be very susceptible to 

interference making it easier to foil. 

Fundamentally laser jammers work 

A diagram of how the lidar system works. 

just as radar jammers do. Some 

cheaper detectors simply have builtinlight 

emitting diodes (LEDs) that 

generate a light beam of their own. 

When this beam shines on the lidar 

system, the receiver can’t recognize 

any reflected light and so can’t get a 

clear speed reading. It is important 

to note that with lidar systems, most 

officers will aim the beam at the front 

license plate or at the headlight being 

that these are some of the 

Unfortunately, the latest lasers are 

so good that turning on headlights or 

shading license plates are virtually 

ineffective. However, with newer, 

more advanced (and more expensive) 

laser countermeasures effectiveness 

has approached nearly 100% in 

jamming signals with such systems as 

the Escort Shifter ZR3 ($449.95 

suggested retail). 

As a duty to the reader I must note 

that such devices as 

these are illegal in 

some states. In 

areas where radar 

detectors are illegal, 

police may be 

equipped with a 

device called VG2. 

The VG2 instrument 

is simply a 

high-powered radio 

receiver tuned to 

the frequency of the 

signals emitted by 

radar detectors. So 

while you’re 

scanning the area 

for them, they 

might very well be scanning the area 

for you. 

The easiest and most cost effective 

way to avoid a speeding ticket is to just 

simply SLOW DOWN! But as with 

our love for fast cars, the open road and 

the wind in a face, the byproduct of 

which is not likely to go away. As long 

as we have devices like this to stay a 

step ahead of the game it doesn’t have 

to! 


ebuilding nature: 

The dedicated efforts of the Nature Conservancy 

Organization are creating successful conservation 

projects along North Carolina’s Eastern Coast 

by katie kennedy 

Although most Americans are familiar with popular conservation projects like ‘Save the Rainforest’ they are 

often unaware of environmental research projects and wildlife refuges. The relative obscurity of projects such 

as the Pamlico Sound Reef Project, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, and the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge 

fails to reflect the significance of these projects. All three are situated on North Carolina’s Eastern Coast, and 

each of them is contributing greatly to the restoration and preservation of animal and plant species, as well as 

entire ecosystems, in this area. The Nature Conservancy, an organization that supports thousands of 

conservation projects around the world, is funding and completing all three of these projects. 

The Pamlico Sound Reef Project: 

Healthy Ecosystems One Oyster at 

a Time 

The researchers working on the 

Pamlico Sound Reef Project are trying 

to restore the formerly dominant 

Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) 

species by establishing a selfsustaining 

complex of oyster reefs 

throughout the subtidal and intertidal 

regions of the sound. An oyster reef 

can support the same biodiversity and 

abundance of life as a coral reef. When 

oysters create reefs, they essentially 

“engineer” an ecosystem by providing 

refuge and a nursery habitat for other 

species such as fish, shrimp, clams, and 

blue crabs. The oyster is one of the 

most important species in the estuarine 

system, and both the South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council and the 

North Carolina Marine Fisheries 

Commission have declared oyster reefs 

an essential fish habitat and a 

requirement for the economic growth 

of the fishing industry. 

In addition to filling this 

foundational role, oysters also clean 

water while they filter feed. Each oyster 

is capable of filtering up to fifty gallons 

of water per day. The healthier and 

more abundant the oyster population 

is, the cleaner the surrounding water 

will be. 

Restoration efforts have been 

focused on the construction of potential 

reef locations. Oysters tend to flourish 

in areas of the sound where the bottom 

is firm and there is a continuous flow 

of water bringing in new food and 

flushing out wastes. Oysters begin life 

as mobile plankton, but grow into 

sessile adults that attach permanently 

to solid objects in large clusters to create 

colonies. With these facts in mind, the 

Nature Conservancy is building highrelief 

limestone mounds throughout the 

sound and placing oysters of different 

-05- 

Autumn 2005

ages on them in order to attract other 

oysters to permanently settle there. The 

broad hope of this project is that 

restoring the reefs will replenish the 

declining ecosystems and that the 

results of restoration will benefit both 

humans and animals. 

Jockey’s Ridge State Park: Home of 

the Tallest Sand Dune on the Atlantic 

Coast 

Jockey’s Ridge State Park is a 

unique place, with its high winds, 

extreme temperatures, lack of water, 

and shifting sand dunes. The dune for 

which the park is named, Jockey’s 

Ridge, is the highest point in the park, 

and is technically a medano, or a huge 

hill of shifting sand without vegetation. 

This park has been compared to the 

Sahara desert, nestled into a tiny space 

between two great masses of water — 

the Atlantic Ocean and the Roanoke 

Sound. The views from Jockey’s Ridge 

are breathtaking: both the mighty 

Atlantic Ocean and the scenic Roanoke 

Sound are visible. 

This huge natural sand dune system 

varies in height from 80 to 100 feet, 

depending on the season and the 

weather. The sand is blown southwest 

in the winter and back northeast in the 

summer, keeping the dunes intact, 

though the net effect is a decrease in 

the sand masses. The dunes were 

formed years ago when strong 

hurricane water currents washed large 

amounts of offshore sand onto the 

beach; the wind then aided in moving 

the sand inland. 

Jockey’s Ridge is a beautiful natural 

wonder that gets smaller every year. 

Though it was once threatened by 

residential communities, the efforts of 

private organizations, residents, and 

The Nature Conservancy produced 

enough money to preserve this 

beautiful ecosystem by making it a 420- 

acre National Park. The park includes 

miles of trails as well as learning 

workshops about the ecosystem both in 

Jockey’s Ridge State Park and in the 

adjoining Roanoke Sound. A major 

sport of the park is hang gliding, and 

lessons, camps, and international 

contests are held regularly. 

Alligator River National Wildlife 

Refuge: Saving North Carolina’s 

Endangered Red Wolves 

Although conservation efforts are 

aiding red wolves throughout the 

southeast United States, Alligator 

River is the largest and most successful 

refuge in the world. The red wolf 

(Canis rufus), among other species in 

the Alligator River Refuge, is being 

reintroduced by the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service to prevent its 

extinction and restore the ecosystems 

formerly inhabited by these animals. 

The red wolf is one of the most 

endangered animals in the world. 

Around 1970, its population had been 

reduced to less than 100 animals 

confined to a small coastal area of 

Texas and Louisiana. Once these 

animals were targeted for recuperation, 

only 14 of the animals were needed to 

provide the necessary genetic 


characteristics for a captive breeding 

program. 

Today, 33 zoos and nature centers 

in over 21 states and the District of 

Columbia participate in the natural 

breeding program to restore these 

wolves. Red wolves have a body type 

similar to the domestic German 

Shepherd. They are mostly brown 

with black on their backs, and they 

usually have a reddish color behind 

their ears, on their muzzle, and on the 

back of their legs. They are smaller 

than gray wolves, but bigger than 

coyotes, and weigh 45-80 pounds. 

Alligator River National Wildlife 

Refuge: Reestablishing Vital 

Wetlands 

The Alligator River National 

Wildlife Refuge was established in 

1984 and is located on 152,000 acres 

in eastern North Carolina. This 

refugeconsists mostly of sponge-like 

wetlands made of deep organic soils 

that can hold large quantities of water. 

When dry, these wetlands are highly 

susceptible to wild fire. Many 

wetlands like this one were drained in 

the mid-1900s for cities and 

agriculture as people didn’t understand 

the extensive ecosystem they were 

destroying. This refuge has 200 

species of birds, and endangered 

species such as the American alligator, 

American bald eagle, peregrine falcon, 

red wolf, and red-cockaded 

woodpecker find refuge here. It is also 

home to the largest remaining 

concentration of black bears along the 

mid-Atlantic coast. 

Numerous steps are being taken to 

restore this ecosystem. A major goal 

of the restoration is to reestablish 

historical water levels and natural 

flooding regimes that have been altered 

by urbanization. To do this, man-made 

drainage ditches are being plugged up 

and water control structures are being 

installed to mimic seasonal water 

levels. To enhance water flow through 

the wetlands, culverts are being 

strategically placed under roads. 

Another large component of the 

restoration is keeping the soil moist to 

promote plant growth. In addition, 

research on various creatures such as 

waterfowl takes place on a “farm-like” 

area in the refuge. 

Each of these refuges, the Pamlico 

Sound Reef Project, Jockey’s Ridge 

State Park, and Alligator River 

National Wildlife Refuge, contribute to 

vital conservation attempts, which aim 

to restore and preserve species and 

habitats. There are thousands of 

research projects, refuges, and parks 

all over the world dedicated to 

conservation. To get more information 

and project resources, visit: 

www.nature.com. 

1 2 

3 

5 

4 

6 

(1) A map of the Outer Banks. 

(2) Two red wolves from the 

Alligator River National 

Wildlife Refuge. 

(3) A forest fire on the edge of a 

wooded area in North Carolina. 

(4) A more detailed map of the 

Outer Banks. 

(5) An oyster reef from the Pamlico 

Sound Reef Project. 

(6) A hanglider at Jockey’s Ridge. 

06 

-07- 


y kelly mcauley 

first year 

new dean 

for the 

In the last year, the College of Engineering has 

welcomed a new Dean, William A. “Bud” 

Baeslack, into the ranks. Dean Baeslack has a 

long history with OSU and is working to make 

his tenure a time of change and improvement 

for the College of Engineering. 

Dean Baeslack is from Seven 

Hills, Ohio, which is southwest 

of Cleveland. He has his 

bachelor’s and master’s in Welding 

Engineering from Ohio State and his 

Ph.D. in Materials Science Engineering 

from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

He researched and specialized in 

materials and metallurgy. 

Dean Baeslack has also worked at 

the materials lab at Wright Patterson 

Air Force Base. He came back to Ohio 

State to teach Welding Engineering in 

1982, and he became the department 

chair in 1991. In 1993, he was 

appointed the Associate Dean for 

Research and College Development in 

the College of Engineering, and for a 

period in 1998-1999, he was the 

interim Vice President of Research for 

the University. Shortly after that, he 

left Ohio State to become the Dean of 

Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic 

Institute. 

In his spare time, Dean Baeslack 

enjoys reading history, traveling, and 

golfing. He also enjoys baseball, and 

is a big Cleveland Indians fan. Dean 

Baeslack has four children, two of 

whom are still in school, and two 

grandchildren. 

A top goal for Dean 

Baeslack is to have the 

Ohio State College of 

Engineering ranked 

among the best 

engineering schools in 

the nation. 

A top goal for Dean Baeslack is to 

have The Ohio State University’s 

College of Engineering ranked among 

the best engineering schools in the 

nation. In order to do this, Dean 

Baeslack’s main priority is to create a 

strategic business plan for the college. 

This plan will detail many specific 

objectives for the college, including 

recruiting a more diverse faculty, 

working with other colleges to create 

new programs, funding new buildings, 

and expanding research and 

coursework into new areas, such as 

biotechnology. 

With a steady hand and clear 

vision, many positive changes have 

taken place in just the one year that 

Dean Baeslack has been at the helm. 

But the best may be yet to come. Dean 

Baeslack is committed to advancing 

the excellence and reputation of the 

College of Engineering, and its impact 

on the State of Ohio. Under his 

leadership, the future of the college 

looks bright. 


The he Power of 

by sarah zaremba 

Music 

er of 

The image of an expectant 

mother placing headphones 

on her bulging stomach so 

her baby can enjoy 

Beethoven’s 5th may seem strange, but 

it is quickly becoming a new 

phenomenon. Deemed the “Mozart 

Effect,” musical training and 

exposure have been shown to 

improve higher functioning 

capabilities of the brain: 

suddenly, those headphones 

aren’t looking quite so 

crazy. 

Studies show that 

music has a strong 

correlation with brain 

expansion, academic 

improvement, and 

overall good feelings. 

Dr. Frances Rauscher of 

the University of 

Wisconsin and physicist Dr. 

Gordon Shaw of the 

University of California led a 

two-year experiment with 

preschoolers that compared the 

effects of musical verses 

nonmusical training on intellectual 

growth. The growth was measured 

using tests that determined spatial 

temporal capacity, the mind’s 

ability to envision and rotate 

images. The results 

were impressive; the 

children who 

received musical 

lessons received scores 

that were 34 percent higher than 

those of children who had not received 

musical training. Researchers 

concluded that a unique function of 

music is to improve the higher brain 

functioning required for mathematics, 

chess, science, and engineering. 

In a similar study, researchers gave 

children at an inner-city daycare center 

singing and piano lessons. Before and 

after the experiment, the children took 

after the experiment, 

the children took tests that measured 

tests that measured their powers of 

reasoning. Six months after musical 

training commenced, their scores 

nearly doubled. The test indicated the 

students had a greater understanding 

of the way things fit together, which is 

equivalent to the type of reasoning 

that engineers or high-level 

mathematicians utilize. 

Music, like math, deals with the 

ability to find, follow, and remember 

patterns. “Playing the piano, for 

instance, requires you to be able to look 

ahead – you have to plan your finger 

patterns based on where you think 

you’re going,” said Dr. Rauscher, 

who is also a psychologist at the 

Center for Neurobiology of 

Learning and Memory at 

the University of 

California. “By 

exercising those brain 

patterns through 

music early in life, 

we think it’s going 

to have an effect on 

your abstract 

reasoning 

throughout life.” 

Rauscher claims 

that music does not 

just benefit children. In 

another study she conducted, it 

was discovered that IQ tests of 

college students were nine points 

higher when Mozart was played for 

ten minutes prior to the test as 

opposed to silence. This limited 

exposure to music will not transform 

anyone into a nuclear physicist, but it 

can produce beneficial short-term 

effects for individuals. 

Many schools are instituting more 

developed music programs to 

encourage the development of the 

brain. Some argue that funding for arts 

programs takes money away from the 

core curriculum. However, in another 

study conducted by Shaw, dramatic 

improvements in mathematical 

performance were seen in children 

who received piano instructions plus 

a math skills video game compared to 

children who had only played the 

game. In the autumn of 2006, a 

secondary school will be opening in 

-09- 


graphics by binaebi akah 

northern London that is devoted to the 

pursuit of excellence in music and 

mathematics. The school’s curriculum 

will be based on the idea that the same 

part of the brain is used to listen to 

music and to perform mathematical 

operations. 

The German mathematician 

Leibniz said, “Music is the pleasure 

that the human mind experiences from 

counting without being aware it is 

counting.” An affinity to music is an 

innate human quality. There is not one 

culture on earth that does 

not have some version of 

music to call its own. Music 

makes us happy because we 

respond to pleasant sounds 

in a positive way. 

Researchers recently 

recorded the reaction of 

babies to various chords. 

The babies only smiled 

when pleasant chords of 

perfect fourths and fifths 

were played, as opposed to 

“ 

unpleasant chords 

containing sharps or flats. 

It has also been 

discovered in a study by 

Robert Zatorre, a neuropsychologist at 

the Montreal Neurological Institute, 

that certain sections of music can cause 

arousal. The area of the brain that 

controls the desire for food and sex is 

the same that responds to abstract 

motifs of sound, thus allowing for the 

argument that humans are pre-wired 

for music. Charlotte Latvala, writer for 

the popular women’s magazine Real 

Simple, stated in a recent article: 

“Perhaps the most striking hint that the 

brain holds a special place in its gray 

matter for music is that people can 

typically remember scores of tunes, and 

recognize hundreds more. But we can 

recall only snatches of a few prose 

passages (‘four score and seven years 

ago...’).” 

Take for example the instructional 

videos “School House Rocks.” One of 

the ways creators of these videos teach 

children is by making lessons into 

songs so they are easier to remember, 

such as the fan favorite, “I’m Just a 

Bill.” 

Music not only aids in memory, but 

it can also evoke an expanse of 

emotions ranging from passion to fear. 

When watching tension-filled films 

such as “The Ring” or “Halloween,” 

the audience experiences the music just 

as much as the picture. The music 

builds the anticipation, acting as a 

harbinger for crisis. It acts as a warning 

to the squeamish, letting them know 

...The most striking hint that the 

brain holds a special place for music 

is that people can remember scores 

of tunes, and recognize hundreds 

more. But we can recall only 

snatches of a few prose passages. 

-- Charlotte Latvala 

Real Simple Staff Writer 

when to cover their eyes. 

Music also increases the size of our 

brains. The corpus callosum is the part 

of the brain that connects its right and 

left hemispheres. A study conducted by 

Dr. Gottfried Schlaug of Beth Israel 

Deaconess Medical Center discovered 

that the front part of this area is 

strikingly larger in musicians than in 

non-musicians, especially if musical 

training is begun before the age of 

seven. 

This discovery is especially 

intriguing when one considers some of 

the functions of the corpus callosum. 

The enlarged part of the corpus 

callosum is the site of connection for 

the prefrontal cortex, the part of the 

brain that controls planning, as well 

as the premotor cortex, which 

blueprints actions before they are 

carried out. These areas are essential 

for musicians, as they have to be able 

to memorize music and plan ahead so 

as to move more accurately and 

efficiently to the new note or location. 

Based on all the evidence, a strong 

argument can be made that humans are 

inherently programmed for music, 

whether to create it or enjoy it. Even 

in the vast expanses of the universe, 

music can be found—however, it is not 

recognizable as such without the aid 

of math. Zoltán Kolláth, deputy 

director of Konkoly Observatory in 

Budapest, Hungry and Jenö Keuler, 

Hungarian composer, 

created a new sound 

appropriately titled Stellar 

Music 1. Kollath and 

Keuler developed this sound 

based on the pulsation of 

stars sending out sound 

waves. These sound waves 

have much slower cycles 

than the human ear is used 

to. Sometimes it takes 

several years to for just one 

sound wave cycle to 

complete. A computer 

program was created to 

speed up frequencies and to 

formulate a unique sound for four 

separate stars—another case of the 

entanglement of math and music. 

Music in general has always evoked 

the scrutiny of the public. 

Disagreements arise over new styles 

and genres, and the importance of 

musical funding in schools. In light of 

all the recent studies and 

accomplishments, however, music 

should be regarded as something 

extraordinary. It improves not only 

moods, but peoples’ lives. Further 

research will undoubtedly explain the 

connection between musical ability and 

mathematical reasoning more 

definitively. Given its already intricate 

relationship with math, music is a 

potentially powerful tool for 

developing the minds of our future 

mathematicians and engineers! 

” 


Congratulations Graduates! 

Aeronautical and 

Astronautical Engineering 

Aubrey Anderson 

Jennifer Bowling 

Jeffrey Bozarth 

Myles Closson 

Robert Corbett 

Matthew Crawford 

Charles Darling IV 

Joseph Davis 

Molly Donovan 

Brian Downs 

Jonathan Eastwood 

Kyle Garwick 

Renae Huebener 

Ryan Huntet 

Michael Jones 

Crystal Klemmer 

Jason Lee 

Jared Linsley 

Derek Loesch 

Michael Lowe 

Chad McFadden 

Kevin McFadden 

Jeromy Menner 

Bryce Miracle 

John Muhic 

John Myers 

Takaharu Okada 

Alan Overmyer 

Alexandru Popesco 

Christopher Prochak 

Eric Reinhart 

Nicole Reinhart 

Kendra Schmies 

Christopher Seaton 

Yasuhiro Wada 

Justin Watson 

Abigail Willis 

Justin Yoder 

Aviation 

George Burger 

Benjamin Hudak 

David Ondo 

James Stiffler 

Steven Williams 

Chemical Engineering 

Russell Baird 

Patrick Bennett 

Megan Boreman 

Drew Braden 

Lauren Brinkman 

Barbara Brown 

Boon Tat Choo 

Evelyn Christanto 

Chad Cramer 

Elizabeth Fanton 

Douglas French 

Sarah Hufft 

Seth Huggins 

Rita Juliana 

Nicholas Knebel 

Heath Litt 

Katherine Nettler 

Garrett Pavlovicz 

Bryan Rumbaugh 

Maren Seibold 

Gary Seto 

Kate Severson 

Neil Severt 

Brent Shroy 

Angela Sparks 

Stefanie Sparks 

Ee Hui Tan 

Shawn Tanagho 

Scott Turner 

Robert Urban 

Aaron Walker 

Scott Wendell 

Jeremy Wilneff 

Civil Engineering 

Ian Aultman 

Michael Bair 

Jerry Bantz 

Nicholas Bidlack 

Aaron Call 

Nigel Carter 

Felix Cestari 

Luis Diez 

Dustin Doherty 

Matthew Dolezal 

Adam Eisan 

Joshua Funk 

Douglas Garvey 

Julia Goodman 

Aviad Guter 

Phillip Haley 

Craig Harley 

Robert Hiss 

Ismail Jallaq 

Najette Kanoun 

Samuel Keck 

Charles Kruger 

Andrew Lee 

Lauren Montero 

Claire Nichols 

Jonathan Norfleet 

Joseph Noser 

Donald Peters 

Bryan Raderstorf 

Steven Riedy 

Mason Schmidt 

Jacob Slechter 

William Stillions 

Brooks Stingel 

Rafael Villalona 

Sheri Wagner 

Ryan Wensink 

Matthew Witter 

Stephanie Woodrome 

Ho-Yin Yiu 

Joseph Zaccardelli 

Jeffrey Zelek 

-Class of Spring 2005- 

-11- 


Computer Science and 

Engineering 

Valentin Akruzhnou 

Nathan Andrysco 

Mohit Belani 

John Coursen 

Edward Cowell, Jr. 

Robert Davis II 

Brian Dawley 

Hamid El Dahdah 

Daniel France 

Amy Ginter 

Tapana Gupta 

Michael Haren 

Calvin Harmon 

Bradley Hittle 

Daniel King 

Gregory Kovacs 

Michael Lewandowski 

Cheng Lu 

Issac Mann 

Jonathan Marballi 

Craig McFarland 

David Menninger 

Charles Miller 

Anish Mistry 

Benjamin Nastal 

Warren Page 

Todd Porter 

John Prystash 

Brandon Ratcliff 

Jordan Robinson 

Canisius Rozario 

Matthew Schwaberow 

Dmitry Sharkov 

Earl So 

Joshua Stein 

Brian Thomsen 

Vlad Toader 

Harshit Varia 

Ryan Yoder 

Electrical and Computer 


Joshua Abbott 

Matthew Adams 

Muhammad Akbar 

Ahmed Al-Katheeri 

Jason Alloway 

Karen Barnard 

Amar Bhayani 

Jeremy Block 

Jeffrey Boes 

David Bradway 

Matthew Brown 

Kenneth Browne 

Kenneth Bukowski II 

Albert Byun 

Jeremy Carrier 

Cheng-Lin Chien 

Josephine Clark 

Jason Crawford 

Yared Debebe 

Patrick Delehanty 

Paul Delre 

Resha Desai 

Derek Edwards 

Sleiman El Hage Ghonein 

Mark Elias 

Jack Frost, Jr. 

Charles George 

Andrew Givens 

Joseph Gorse 

Eric Graham 

Damon Gregory 

Alexander Hain 

Nengah Hariadi 

Nicholas Hegemier 

Chad Helms 

Kok Wai Heng 

Daniel Herman 

Lucien Hertert III 

Hadi Hidayat 

Varun Hingorani 

Joshua Hipple 

Yiran Hu 

Jason Huang 

Jeffrey Hunt 

Ashish Jasani 

Matthew Kabert 

Abdul Rahman Kalash 

Matthew Knollman 

Dana Kohlgraf 

Benjamin Kuhlman 

Manish Lamba 

Aleck Landgraf 

Electrical and Computer 

Engineering (cont...) 

Tian Li 

Patrick Logan 

Michael Luong 

Yanjie Ma 

Derek Miller 

Michelle Miller 

Craig Neiheisel 

Michael Nowak 

Laura O’Rear 

Scott Orlove 

Apurva Parikh 

Chintan Patel 

Hirenkumar Patel 

Eric Pedersen 

Michael Pervan 

Charles Phillips 

Steven Plogsted 

Karthik Ramakrishnan 

Michael Roberto 

Jonathan Rodriguez 

Jonathan Saxon 

Jason Schoenbaechler 

Chad Shaffer 

Samir Sharma 

Ankur Singhal 

Jason Smith 

Ankit Srivastava 

Niyati Tamaskar 

Jayant Taneja 

Brent Thompson 

Matthew Thompson 

Nicholas Tobergte 

Terrence Tuy 

Jason Uhlenhake 

Robert Wieczorek 

Dustin Wilson 

Steven Wise 

Bradley Wolf 

Jin Bang Yu 

Brian Zakrajsek 


Engineering Physics 

Ryanne Kennedy 

Thomas Weisbarger 

Food, Agricultural, and 

Biological Engineering 

Hadi Gani 

Alexander King 

William Lawless 

James Livingston, Jr. 

Nicholas McDonald 

Brian Moeller 

Jacob Preston 

Cole Sanford 

Aaron Weber 

Geomatics 

Brian Bingham 

Tim Burkholder 

Christopher Cook 

Matthew Ference 

David Grant 

Dustin Miller 

Jason Miller 

Daniel Neer 

Andrew Provost 

Porsche Stewart 

Daniel Vojtko 

Industrial and Systems 


Abdirahman Abdikarani 

Michael Barga 

Scott Beall 

Samuel Block 

Eric Bogart 

Tendy Candra 

Richard Cavolo 

Nicholas Ciapetta 

Megan Clary 

Ilyaun Connally 

Robert Dans 

Jia Deng 

Tiffany Djajamartana 

Gerald Eheduru 

Rami Farasin 

Derek Fryfogle 

Michael Fujka 

Keith Gill 

Elizabeth Godschalk 

Marisa Grilliot 

Cem Guner 

James Hannon 

Mark Heitz 

Lisa Herman 

Alexander Jackson 

Gokul Jain 

Inez Jordan 

Adam Kerlek 

Lindsey Kirtley 

Nathan Knueven 

Anthony Kusnadi 

Anthony Kovell 

J. Sean McDaniel 

Ryan McDorman 

Adrienne Milam 

Robert Minderman 

Neil Patel 

Julia Payne 

Jamie Petti 

Jennifer Price 

Jason Rayburn 

Molly Regennitter 

Justin Riggins 

Adipratama Saptaputra 

Omar Sawaf 

Amie Schaefer 

Ryan Schaffernocker 

Hansen Setiawan 

Alan Strancar 

Miya Sunamoto 

Romil Sundesha 

Meina Tanzil 

Industrial and Systems 

Engineering (cont...) 

Annisa Tarub 

Michael Tsavaris 

Joshua Wang 

Alexander Winata 

Gai Wong 

Materials Science and 


Erin Barry 

Aaron Bishop 

Randall Butler 

Chiayun Chou 

Richard Delmont 

Michael Faulkner 

Nicholas Gingo 

Edward Herderick 

Jed Johnson 

Eric Karlen 

Emily Meyer 

Tara Podnar 

Lindsey Saylor 

Paul Shade 

Megna Shah 

Anne Tanner 

Joshua Tuggle 

Brian Welk 

Jonathan Wright 

Travis Wulber 

-13- 


Mechanical Engineering 

Amir Amini 

Michael Arnett 

Brian Ash 

Scott Batdorf 

David Berens 

Brian Berlocker 

William Boerger 

Charles Bonsell 

Thomas Bulea 

Mark Burkhart 

Anthony Canda 

Carlos Castro 

Craig Coates 

Alexander Cristofaro 

Anthony Decrescenzo 

Adam Dunki-Jacobs 

Amy Fischer 

David Fitzgerald 

Kenneth Follen 

Andrew French 

John Goetz 

Jogia Gondo 

Chad Griggy 

Kenneth Henrich 

David Hoelzle 

Scott Huy 

Jennifer Jensen 

Brent Kersey 

Yen Yih Lee 

Jae Lim 

Richard Lodge 

Grant Malmedahl 

Lee Mazurek 

Timothy McCain 

James McNamara 

Timothy McVay 

Scott Meyer 

Ryan Mitchell 

Philip Moeller 

David Moody 

Scott Morris 

Colleen Murphy 

Ryan Murphy 

Todd Nalepka 

Sarah Nelson 

Bridget Nock 

Annette Opbroek 


(cont...) 

Jarrid Pennell 

Travis Petry-Johnson 

Matthew Radcliffe 

Joseph Ranz 

Matthew Reeder 

Brian Roesser 

Brandon Sedgwick 

Abhijit Shetti 

Matthew Shurtz 

Eric Skaug 

Carl Smerdel 

Craig Sorrell 

Matthew Stemmler 

Joel Suckow 

Curtis Sutton 

Nicholas Szweda 

Sam Talameh 

David Talbot 

Spencer Tannenbaum 

James Tinch 

Sheng-Feng Tsai 

Brian Twehues 

Ryan Work 

Seth Wyatt 

Stephen Young 

Welding Engineering 

Dean Alger 

Ruben Alicea 

Joshua Archie 

Jesse Bayless 

Quenton Champ 

Jeffrey Cobbs 

Chad Ellison 

Russell Folger 

Elizabeth Hammond 

Michael Lewis 

Yong Chae Lim 

Morgan Lincoln 

Mark Lorenz 

Miranda Marcus 

Kevin Mendala 

Nicholas Mohr 

Brian Neely 

Ryan Nelson 

Clayton Owens 

Franklin Stewart 

James Stewart 

Andrew Swary 

Brian Victor 

Matthew Williams 

This list reflects the best information 

available and is not intended to be 

used as a record of graduation. 


y nichole desireé eggert 

valuing our textbook$ 

Does your quarterly bookstore visit 

make you see red Does it frequently 

elixcit a call home to the parents Or 

perhaps you are more responsible and 

cut take a cut of your beer money. But 

shouldn’t you know what is costing so 

much Read on to find out more. 

Before you start hitting the 

books, you’ve got to pay for 

them. Each quarter, students 

spend hundreds of dollars on academic 

material in addition to their tuition. 

Many students lessen this financial 

burden by choosing used books 

over new. The National 

Association of College Stores 

(NACS) holds a position 

against this alternative: by 

purchasing used books, 

students are hurting 

themselves financially in the 

long run. 

While students are saving 

money immediately by 

purchasing used books, 

publishing companies are 

forced to drive up prices later. 

When a student purchases a 

used book, publishing 

companies and authors do not 

receive any money from the 

sale. The only entity that 

profits from this transaction is 

the book store. 

The problem with textbooks, 

the NACS suggests, is not the 

expense but the value students 

place on their academic 

experience. The educational value a 

student gets from reading a textbook 

far exceeds the monetary value. The 

price on an average college textbook 

seems outrageous in comparison 

to the free books supplied to students 

in high school, but the profit is 

minimal for publishing companies and 

college bookstores. According to 

NACS statistics, less than 12% of the 

total cost of a textbook is profit divided 

$ 

--Margaret Webb Pressler 

A study this year by the California Student 

Public Interest Research Group found that 

the average release time between 

textbook editions is 3.8 years, regardless 

of whether the information has changed 

since the previous version. Of the 

textbooks surveyed, new editions cost 

58% percent more than the older version, 

rising to an average cost of $104.66. 

--Margaret Webb Pressler 

Washington Post Staff Writer 

between the college store and 

publishing company. 

Another factor driving up the cost 

of books is returns. Students who 

attempt to save money by purchasing 

the same book and returning it 

multiple times, taking advantage of 

store return policies, cause college 

textbook stores to spend more money 

on restocking fees, employee expenses, 

and sending back unused books. These 

expenditures total over 10% of 

the retail cost of the book. 

In reaction to the textbook 

problem, many classes on 

campus are being taught using 

online supplements such as 

WebCT or ebooks offered 

through the library catalog. 

Also, copyright purchased 

anthologies offered by printing 

companies like Cop EZ are 

increasing in use. Online and 

copied materials decrease 

expenses for students and 

allow educators to include only 

relevant information in these 

packets. However, it will be a 

long time yet before 

universities transition 

completely to online or copied 

materials from traditional 

texts. Until then, the next time 

you crack open a textbook, 

don’t think about the price tag 

but the enrichment you’ll 

receive. A great education is a 

powerful thing, and reading textbooks 

strengthens your intellectual muscle. 

-15- 


You’ 

ou’re Invited... 

2005 Gold 

to join our award-winning magazine 

2005 Goldtechnical writing 

2005 Bronz 

onze 

feature writing & 

photography 

 

don’t you want to get published 

The Ohio State Engineer is currently seeking talented people with fresh ideas for: 

Writing Graphic Design Marketing 

Editing Art & Photography Layout 


y elisabeth white 

alumni spotlight 

Tom Ward 


Tom Ward grew up in Columbus 

and graduated from The Ohio 

State University in 1985 with a 

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical 

Engineering and again in 1987 with 

a Master of Science in Mechanical 

Engineering. He went on to work 

at Battelle Memorial Institute as a 

research engineer for five years, 

where he conducted industrial and 

government research. In 1991, 

Tom left Battelle to start his own 

company, Ward Engineering, in 

Columbus. 

Tom has been granted more than 

ten patents, and was awarded 

the “1999 Outstanding Alumni 

Award” by OSU. Ward Engineering has 

a 20,000 sq. ft. R&D and production 

facility and employs approximately 30 

staff members. It has been successful 

in research, development and 

production of medical instruments and 

equipment, and is a supplier to the 

worldwide medical products market. 

OSE: How did your company, 

Ward Engineering, get started 

TW: We began on a credit card, 

engineering products and equipment for 

different companies until 1996, when 

we worked with Harley Davidson and 

Holiday Rambler to design and build a 

motor home from scratch. Our design 

took sales of that motor home from 80 

units per year to 1,400 in the first year, 

and today that design is still selling well. 

The big boost from the motor home 

project allowed us to enter into the 

booming medical industry for which 

we now develop and produce medical 

instruments and equipment. 

OSE: What makes Ward 

Engineering successful 

TW: The people working here; our 

staff is well educated and experienced. 

Our engineers have all graduated 

from four-year universities. Over half 

of them have master’s degrees. Four 

of our engineers have graduated from 

OSU. Most of our designers and 

technicians have two-year degrees 

from local colleges. Each of our 

production managers and business 

staff has over twenty five years of 

experience in their respective fields. 

Our staff members work hard for our 

clients. They focus on what the client 

needs and then perform to give that 

to them. 

OSE: Why did you decide to 

attend OSU 

TW: 

After graduating from high 

school I drove a wholesale foods 

delivery truck for three years. One day 

when I was being told what to do by a 

dock manager at a Kroger, I realized 

that, if I did not want to do this the 

rest of my life, I had to go to college 

and I chose OSU. 

OSE: What made you choose 


TW: I was always interested in 

hands-on work and I took a lot of wood 

shop, auto shop, and metal shop in 

high school that I really enjoyed. 

When I got to college, I decided on 

Mechanical Engineering because, 

when I used to deliver milk, the trucks 

had lift gates. I was always amazed 

with their mechanism, and I wanted 

to know how they worked. 

OSE: What was your most 

memorable experience at OSU 

TW: It was definitely the Walker 

Project (an 18 degree of freedom 

-17- 


walking truck that OSU built), which 

I was involved in for three years. Those 

three years were filled with intense 

commitment by a lot of people working 

hard to make a machine walk. That 

project was memorable because it paid 

for my schooling, gave me great 

experience in hands-on mechanical 

engineering, and taught me a lot; I also 

made life-long friends. 

OSE: What advice would you give 

current engineering students 

TW: Get involved with a hands-on 

project to give yourself some valuable 

experience. The more time you spend 

on a co-op or doing work with a real 

company, the more you will know, and 

knowledge is the most important thing. 

You have plenty of time in school to 

have fun, but it is very important that 

you make time to get experience so you 

can learn what it is like to be a 

professional. 

OSE: What do you see as 

employment opportunities in your 

field, and do you feel that a graduate 

degree in engineering is necessary 

TW: The field of equipment and 

product development in the medical 

industry has great opportunities for 

people who want to work in a 

competitive environment. This 

industry does not take students from 

the bottom of their class, and also looks 

for those who have spent time learning 

how to do engineering hands-on, not 

just by the book. In my experiences, I 

have found that students who have a 

master’s are much better off than those 

who do not, because they have the 

required experience, maturity, and 

interest to go the extra mile. 

OSE: 

Are you hiring right now 

TW: We hire when the right 

student knocks on the door, and if the 

timing is right. If the right person 

knocks on the door, we will hire them. 

OSE: What about internships 

Do you offer them 

TW: We support the same idea: if 

a professor calls me up and says he has 

a good student looking for a summer 

job, we are very open to that. 

Sometimes the business climate does 

not allow us to hire whenever we want 

Get involved with a 

hands-on project to give 

yourself some valuable 

experience. The more time 

you spend on a co-op or 

doing work with a real 

company, the more you will 

know, and knowledge is the 

most important thing. 

to, but generally we want to support 

internships and summer employment 

for junior and senior students. 

OSE: What do you think about 

making Biomedical Engineering an 

official major 

TW: We hire mechanical, 

electrical and computer science 

engineers; however, the more 

biomedical knowledge a student has, 

the better off they will be, especially 

in our industry of developing medical 

instruments and equipment. A student 

with a bachelor’s or a master’s in 

Biomedical Engineering, focusing on 

Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, 

is a combination that we are interested 

in. 

OSE: Lastly, do you still have your 

textbooks from OSU 

TW: Oh yes, I still have every 

single engineering book I bought at 

OSU. As an engineer, I use them 

whenever I have a technical problem. 

Many of my better text books are well 

worn from use. Anyone who sells back 

their textbooks will have a much 

harder time practicing engineering. I 

remember when I was in a course 

called Statics 210, an engineering 

mechanics course, and the question of 

keeping textbooks was posed to my 

professor. His response was, “Have you 

ever seen that guy down on High Street 

that is stumbling around and sleeps on 

the park benches Well, he was an 

engineering student, and he sold his 

textbooks.” We all had a great laugh, 

but the point was made. 

Unfortunately, that is the one class in 

which I borrowed the text book, and I 

still wish I had bought it. 


Technical Minds... 

High Tech Jobs 

Det 645 

Converse Hall 

Capt Aaron St. Clair 

st-clair.38@osu.edu 

614-292-5441 

Scholarships 

Serve Your Country 

afrotc@osu.edu 

...With Endless Possibilities 

afrotc.com 

Non Profit Org 

US Postage Paid 

Permit No. 711 

Columbus OH

Autumn 2005 Issue.pmd - Ohio State Engineer - The Ohio State ...

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