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SPRING 2012<br />

d e p a r t m e n t o f m e c h a n i c a l e n g i n e e r i n g<br />

See feature story on page 3<br />

cmu.edu/me


Message From the Department Head<br />

<strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong><br />

“ There are few people who<br />

support our young students as<br />

enthusiastically as Harry Shimp,<br />

while also providing much-needed<br />

financial support to MechE that<br />

helps them pursue their dreams.”<br />

7<br />

Faculty News<br />

Zhang Develops 4-D<br />

Diagnostic Tools<br />

2 CARNEGIE MECH<br />

10<br />

People sometimes ask me if it’s difficult to produce a 20-page department<br />

newsletter every six months. My answer is that it’s remarkably<br />

easy! There’s always a wealth of news about the ongoing achievements<br />

of the faculty, alumni, and students in the Department of<br />

Mechanical Engineering.<br />

In fact, I often receive important updates just as the newsletter is going to<br />

press. For example, you’ll have to wait until our Fall edition to learn the details<br />

of the new NSF CAREER Award that was just won by Assistant Professor<br />

Jessica Zhang and the new ONR Young Investigator Award won by Assistant<br />

Professor Carmel Majidi.<br />

In this issue, you can read about a host of other faculty honors, including<br />

the diverse achievements of Professor Metin Sitti, profiled in our Spring feature<br />

story. With his growing start-up business, his newly published textbook, his<br />

interdisciplinary collaborations, and the many competitive grants that support<br />

his innovative research, Professor Sitti truly exemplifies the dynamic nature of<br />

today’s MechE faculty members. Along with the other stars profiled in our<br />

“Faculty News” section on pages 5-9, Sitti is bringing global attention to both<br />

MechE and <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>.<br />

The “Alumni News” section (pages 10-13) showcases the remarkable<br />

accomplishments of alum Harry Shimp, who has made his mark as a pilot,<br />

engineer, consultant, and venture capitalist. By attending <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> and<br />

earning a graduate degree in MechE, Shimp was carrying on a family legacy,<br />

and he has a tremendous love for our <strong>University</strong> and our Department. There<br />

are few people who support our young students as enthusiastically as he does,<br />

while also providing much-needed financial support to MechE that helps them<br />

pursue their dreams. I am honored to feature Harry Shimp in this issue of<br />

<strong>Carnegie</strong> Mech.<br />

I hope you’ll consider sending a note or an e-mail, letting me know about<br />

your latest news. I would welcome the opportunity to share your own story with<br />

the global MechE community in the next issue of <strong>Carnegie</strong> Mech.•<br />

Alumni News<br />

Harry Shimp:<br />

A Family<br />

Tradition<br />

17<br />

Student News<br />

Success by Design:<br />

Student Expo


f e a t u r e s t o r y<br />

Metin Sitti Works on Many Fronts to Advance Biologically Inspired Technologies<br />

Metin Sitti<br />

AMechE faculty member since 2002, Professor Metin Sitti has been one of<br />

the pioneering researchers to investigate the implications of incorporating<br />

biologically inspired components, and lifelike movements, into miniature<br />

robots. Over the years, Sitti has made global headlines with his adhesives<br />

inspired by gecko feet, his water-striding robots based on insects, and his tiny<br />

swimming robots informed by the natural motion of bacteria.<br />

Sitti has also won millions of dollars in grant money to bring his innovations<br />

to life, including two NSF awards totaling more than $1.5 million which were<br />

announced late last year. (See <strong>Carnegie</strong> Mech, Fall 2011.)<br />

Today, Sitti is taking his bio-robotics leadership to the next level by creating<br />

new ways for interdisciplinary <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> researchers to collaborate on<br />

technology development—as well as commercializing his own most promising<br />

robotics research.<br />

EstAblIsHIng CMU As A globAl lEADEr<br />

Metin Sitti recently led the creation of the new Center for Bio-Robotics at<br />

<strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>, which will help establish the <strong>University</strong>’s global leadership in<br />

this groundbreaking field. By bringing robotics experts within MechE together<br />

with leaders at the Robotics Institute, the Department of Electrical and Computer<br />

Engineering, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sitti hopes<br />

the Center will fast-track technology development.<br />

Other MechE faculty affiliated with the new Center include Professors<br />

Steven Collins, Philip LeDuc, Carmel Majidi, William Messner, Burak<br />

Ozdoganlar, Kenji Shimada, and Donghyun You.<br />

“Over the years, <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> has hired more and more experts<br />

in bio-robotics—creating an impressive roster of talent,” notes<br />

Sitti. “In founding the new Center for Bio-Robotics, my main<br />

objective was to create larger-scale, interdisciplinary research<br />

activity that can leverage this diverse expertise—attracting<br />

new funding and making the <strong>University</strong> a global leader in<br />

biologically inspired robotics innovations.”<br />

“By sharing our equipment, facilities, and specialized expertise,<br />

I believe we can make incredibly rapid progress,” adds Sitti.<br />

Continued on page 4 ›<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

3


While the Center will begin as<br />

a virtual think-tank that brings<br />

diverse expertise together, Sitti hopes to one day create a<br />

shared physical space which can be used for collaborative<br />

bio-robotics research and development.<br />

IntroDUCIng A lAnDMArk tExtbook<br />

Sitti is also helping to establish <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>’s global<br />

robotics leadership by co-authoring the world’s first textbook<br />

focusing specifically on nanorobotics technologies.<br />

Titled Atomic Force Microscopy Based Nanorobotics:<br />

Modelling, Simulation, Setup Building and Experiments,<br />

this book will be used by engineering students around<br />

the world.<br />

The new book brings together a range of expertise in<br />

this area, and was co-authored by Sitti’s former doctoral<br />

student Cagdas Onal (Ph.D. 2009); Stéphane Régnier, a<br />

Professor of Systems Intelligence and Robotics at the<br />

<strong>University</strong> Pierre and Marie Curie who visited MechE in<br />

2010; and Hui Xie, a former Research Associate working<br />

with Régnier.<br />

“Atomic force microscopes have been used to perform<br />

nanorobotics manipulations for years, but there has never<br />

been a single, authoritative textbook that collected all the<br />

insights gained in nanoscale dynamics, systems, and controls,”<br />

says Sitti. “Our goal in publishing this book was to<br />

reflect the state-of-the-art progress that has been made in<br />

an organized, structured, and detailed manner. We hope<br />

it will become an invaluable resource for nanorobotics<br />

students and researchers in every corner of the globe.”<br />

brIngIng HIs InnovAtIons to MArkEt<br />

Sitti has also been actively working to bring some of his<br />

most groundbreaking biologically inspired technologies to<br />

an international marketplace through his start-up company,<br />

nanoGriptech LLC, which he founded in 2009. At a new<br />

2300-square-foot<br />

facility in Pittsburgh’s<br />

Lawrenceville neighborhood,<br />

Sitti and his<br />

fellow researchers are<br />

working diligently to<br />

create commercial<br />

and military applications<br />

for his adhesives<br />

<strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong> joins Metin Sitti at an<br />

October reception at nanoGriptech.<br />

4 CARNEGIE MECH<br />

inspired by the sticky<br />

feet of geckos.<br />

continued<br />

Sitti is leveraging a range of funding to adapt his technologies<br />

for practical applications—including two Small<br />

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the U.S.<br />

Army and two SBIR awards from the National Science<br />

Foundation. This support will be used to create scale-up<br />

micro/nano-manufacturing methods for commercializing<br />

gecko-inspired adhesives for defense, sports, packaging,<br />

space, home development, and other applications.<br />

Two grants from the Pennsylvania Nanomaterials<br />

Commercialization Center are helping Sitti’s company<br />

commercialize his adhesives for use as<br />

closures on athletic clothing, as well as<br />

gripping surfaces on gloves used by<br />

football receivers, golfers, hockey goalies,<br />

and other athletes. This project is<br />

being undertaken in collaboration with<br />

Bayer and Under Armour.<br />

“At nanoGriptech LLC, we are currently focused on<br />

adapting our technologies for large-scale, high-volume,<br />

low-cost micro/nano-manufacturing,” says Sitti. “By<br />

introducing our revolutionary adhesives to a broad inter-<br />

national marketplace, I believe we can create a breadth<br />

of consumer benefits and significantly improve some<br />

existing products.”<br />

An InsPIrAtIon to MAny<br />

According to MechE Department Head <strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong>,<br />

Sitti’s energetic and diverse work in robotics is exciting and<br />

inspiring to his many colleagues and students. In addition<br />

to his research activities at his Nano-Robotics Laboratory<br />

in MechE, Sitti also teaches popular courses in the Department,<br />

including “Micro/Nano-Robotics,” an interdisciplinary<br />

course that focuses on the design, physics, analysis,<br />

manufacturing, and control of state-of-the-art micro/nanorobotic<br />

systems.<br />

“I was delighted to attend the opening reception for<br />

Metin’s new nanoGriptech facility in October, along with<br />

faculty, students, and staff members from across the<br />

<strong>University</strong>,” says <strong>Aubry</strong>. “It has been rewarding to watch<br />

Metin’s many successes since joining MechE, and everyone<br />

applauds his most recent accomplishments.”<br />

“Metin is an excellent ambassador for our Department,<br />

and has helped create positive global recognition for both<br />

MechE and <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> <strong>University</strong>,” adds <strong>Aubry</strong>. “I<br />

think the only question with regard to Metin is...what will he<br />

accomplish next? It will be thrilling to see how he continues<br />

to advance the fast-growing field of bio-robotics.”•


Faculty News<br />

Making His Mark<br />

Jonathan Malen’s Latest Success: An NSF CAREER Award<br />

Assistant Professor Jonathan Malen,<br />

who joined MechE in 2009, is already<br />

making his mark in the Department. In<br />

early 2011, he won a Young Investigator<br />

Award from the U.S. Air Force Office of<br />

Scientific Research (AFOSR). This threeyear,<br />

$360,000 grant is funding Malen’s<br />

ongoing research into how the vibrational<br />

Jonathan Malen<br />

properties of small organic molecules can<br />

redefine thermal management strategies.<br />

Less than a year later, Malen has followed this success<br />

with another impressive achievement. He recently received<br />

a five-year, $400,000 Early Faculty Development (CAREER)<br />

Award from the National Science Foundation<br />

(NSF).<br />

Provided by the Thermal Transport<br />

Processes program within NSF’s Chemical,<br />

Bioengineering, Environmental, and<br />

Transport Systems division, the new<br />

funding will allow Malen to investigate<br />

thermal energy transport in organic-inorganic<br />

hybrid materials. His work will help<br />

make these hybrid materials a viable,<br />

cost-effective solution for manufacturing<br />

an array of electronics, photonics, and energyconversion<br />

devices.<br />

“The AFOSR Young Investigator Award and the NSF<br />

CAREER Award are two of the most prestigious honors<br />

that a junior faculty member can achieve,” notes MechE<br />

Department Head <strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong>. “The fact that Jon Malen<br />

has won both awards so quickly speaks volumes about the<br />

quality and relevancy of his studies in thermal transport.”<br />

Since 2004, junior faculty members at MechE have won<br />

a total of 16 AFOSR/ONR Young Investigator and NSF<br />

CAREER Awards. “It’s gratifying to see Jon Malen not only<br />

continue this tradition, but make an impact in such a short<br />

time period,” adds <strong>Aubry</strong>. “We are delighted to celebrate<br />

this most recent accomplishment.”<br />

tHErMAl MAnAgEMEnt: A CrItICAl CHAllEngE<br />

Scalable solution-based manufacturing makes hybrid materials<br />

an attractive alternative to single-crystal semiconductors<br />

for electronics, photonics, and energy conversion. For<br />

these applications, the organic-inorganic interface has been<br />

leveraged to control electronic transport, but thermal properties<br />

remain uncultivated.<br />

Malen’s CAREER Award will fund a pioneering study of<br />

thermal transport in two novel hybrid materials: self-assembled<br />

monolayers (SAMs) and nanocrystal superlattices<br />

(NCSLs). SAMs are 2-D molecular crystals that form on<br />

inorganic surfaces, and NCSLs are 3-D arrays of inorganic<br />

spheres, spaced by organic molecules. By coupling and<br />

aligning dissimilar vibrational states in the organic and inorganic<br />

components via chemistry, Malen aims to produce<br />

diverse thermal transport properties and unprecedented<br />

control of the thermal phonon spectrum.<br />

Malen’s new ability to manipulate the phonon spectrum<br />

will broadly impact a wide range of applications<br />

in energy and biology. With shorter<br />

phonon wavelengths (


Faculty News<br />

Breath of Fresh Air<br />

Ryan Sullivan Brings Nanoscale Perspective on Air Quality<br />

Assistant Professor Ryan Sullivan is<br />

the most recent addition to the MechE<br />

faculty—and he brings a unique research<br />

perspective to the Department. With a<br />

specialization in atmospheric chemistry,<br />

Sullivan studies the complex relationships<br />

among air pollution, particulate matter,<br />

cloud formation, and climate change.<br />

Ryan Sullivan<br />

He achieves this by analyzing individual<br />

nanometer-sized particles with specialized instrumentation.<br />

Growing up in his native Toronto, Sullivan was interested<br />

in environmental chemistry from an early age. He earned<br />

a B.S. in Chemistry, with a specialization in environmental<br />

chemistry, from the <strong>University</strong><br />

of Toronto in 2002. Sullivan<br />

then earned both an M.S.<br />

(2006) and a Ph.D. (2008) in<br />

Chemistry from the <strong>University</strong><br />

of California, San Diego<br />

(UCSD). Before joining MechE<br />

in January, Sullivan served as<br />

a Post-Doctoral Fellow and<br />

Research Scientist at Colorado<br />

State <strong>University</strong>.<br />

While at UCSD, Sullivan<br />

was part of a team that coauthored<br />

a paper published in Proceedings of the National<br />

Academy of Sciences called “Detection of Oxygen Isotopic<br />

Anomaly in Terrestrial Atmospheric Carbonates and Its Implications<br />

to Mars.” The paper won the 2011 Cozzarelli Prize,<br />

which recognizes outstanding contributions to the disciplines<br />

represented by the National Academy of Sciences.<br />

InnovAtIon tAkEs off<br />

Sullivan’s research endeavors focus on the development of<br />

improved analytical instrumentation to characterize individual<br />

atmospheric particles and their interactions with clouds.<br />

These instruments can be deployed at remote sampling sites<br />

during intensive atmospheric chemistry field campaigns.<br />

Their installation in scientific aircraft, such as the Department<br />

of Energy’s G-1 aircraft, enables researchers to measure<br />

in situ the composition of individual particles both in clear<br />

air and within clouds.<br />

Sullivan has used this unique instrumentation to<br />

investigate the physicochemical properties of atmospheric<br />

6 CARNEGIE MECH<br />

particles emitted and produced from a variety of sources,<br />

the chemical processes they experience during atmospheric<br />

transport, and how these processes affect their ability to<br />

nucleate both warm cloud droplets and ice crystals. Sullivan’s<br />

research involves equal parts instrument development, laboratory<br />

experiments, and field measurements.<br />

At MechE, Sullivan will continue his efforts to investigate<br />

physicochemical particle properties using custom instruments<br />

that allow him to rapidly characterize atmospheric aerosols in<br />

real time, one particle after another. This research includes<br />

developing improved analytical methods that rely on both<br />

laser ablation mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy.<br />

Sullivan’s new instruments will be utilized in both laboratory<br />

studies and field experiments<br />

that rely on ground-based, shipmounted,<br />

and aircraft-mounted<br />

sampling platforms. Small cloud<br />

simulation chambers will also be<br />

used to determine the ability of<br />

chemically processed particles<br />

to nucleate warm cloud droplets<br />

and ice crystals via heterogeneous<br />

ice nucleation.<br />

MECHE: A nAtUrAl fIt<br />

Sullivan was drawn to <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

<strong>Mellon</strong> because of its world-renowned Center for Atmospheric<br />

Particle Studies (CAPS). This Center consists of five interwoven<br />

research groups directed by faculty members associated<br />

with five academic departments at the <strong>University</strong>, including<br />

MechE.<br />

“Atmospheric chemistry is a very specialized area, with<br />

only about 100 faculty in this field in the U.S.,” says Sullivan.<br />

“<strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> is known as a center of transformative<br />

research in this area, with a lot of expertise and equipment<br />

already in place to support my research.”<br />

While Mechanical Engineering might seem an odd fit for<br />

an atmospheric chemist, Sullivan feels right at home in the<br />

Department. “The field of mechanical engineering was<br />

originally tied to air-quality issues because of the pollution<br />

caused by combustion processes,” notes Sullivan. “But today<br />

the collaborative, interdisciplinary nature of MechE allows<br />

me to expand the focus to encompass the mechanics and<br />

chemistry of air quality and cloud nucleation at the individual<br />

particle level.”•


The Mechanics of Nutrition<br />

Grant From Gates Foundation Will Help Philip LeDuc Study Food Improvements<br />

Professor Philip LeDuc has won an<br />

like African leafy vegetables could<br />

extremely competitive Grand Chal-<br />

significantly improve infant and child<br />

lenges Explorations Award from the<br />

nutrition in developing countries.<br />

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation<br />

“We have chosen to focus initially<br />

that will help improve nutrition in<br />

on amaranth, a plant indigenous to<br />

underdeveloped countries. Working<br />

Sub-Saharan Africa, due to its high<br />

with research assistant Mary Beth<br />

content of pro-vitamin A and other<br />

Wilson—a Ph.D. candidate in the<br />

micronutrients. We hope that inte-<br />

Department of Biomedical Engineergrating<br />

amaranth leaves into feeding<br />

ing—LeDuc will study the cellular<br />

strategies as infants transition from<br />

mechanics of certain leafy vegeta-<br />

breast milk to solid foods could<br />

bles in order to make them more<br />

Mary Beth Wilson and Philip LeDuc contribute to a reduction in vitamin<br />

palatable to malnourished infants and children.<br />

A deficiency,” says Wilson. This deficiency is the greatest<br />

“We are studying how to alter a plant’s cellular and<br />

single cause of blindness in developing nations.<br />

molecular structures to optimize release of nutrients during According to LeDuc, the team’s work involves signifi-<br />

digestion,” explains LeDuc. “The idea originated when we cantly changing the palatability of the end product. “These<br />

became interested in how structural mechanics affects the African leafy vegetables are perceived as ‘poor man’s food,’<br />

taste of different foods. We then explored how we could and despite their nutritional value they have a bitter taste,”<br />

apply this idea in an innovative way to tackle global chal- he says. “We aim to change both taste and perception by<br />

lenges—especially the health of children in poor regions of reengineering the plant’s cellular structure—using traditional<br />

the world.”<br />

principles of cell mechanics that have been used for<br />

Both LeDuc and Wilson believe that generating widespread<br />

acceptance and consumption of nutrient-rich plants<br />

decades in understanding diseases such as cancer.”•<br />

Envisioning a Better Outcome<br />

Jessica Zhang Develops 4-D Diagnostic Tools for Lung Cancer<br />

Assistant Professor Jessica Zhang has<br />

developed exciting new software tools that<br />

will allow medical professionals to detect<br />

lung cancer at an earlier stage—as well<br />

as treat tumors with greater accuracy. Her<br />

work, which allows technicians to visualize<br />

tissues accurately despite natural organ<br />

motion, will prove significant for about<br />

Jessica Zhang<br />

221,130 Americans diagnosed with lung<br />

and bronchus cancer each year.<br />

Working in the Computational Bio-Modeling Laboratory in<br />

the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhang has developed<br />

new software-based modeling tools that will not only<br />

speed lung cancer diagnosis, but also support more accurate<br />

radiation therapy by targeting very specific areas of tissue.<br />

“Our new computational modeling framework provides<br />

technicians with an image-based, geometric way of identifying<br />

and tracking lung cancer tumors through multiple layers of<br />

tissue—and through natural<br />

variations and movements<br />

caused by breathing,” says Zhang. “While our software tools<br />

are still in the research and development stage, ultimately we<br />

hope to see them deployed in clinical treatment settings—<br />

where they should have a positive impact on patient outcomes.”<br />

Because effective cancer treatment requires complete<br />

destruction of cancerous cells—while preserving normal organ<br />

function and surrounding tissues—Zhang’s ground-breaking<br />

4-D modeling tools are expected to improve treatment<br />

outcomes and quality of life for many patients.<br />

“Our modeling tools now give technicians the ability to target<br />

very specific areas of the lung with radiation despite normal tissue<br />

movements. The old method of blasting a large segment<br />

of the lung with radiation has caused many treatment-related<br />

toxicities,” Zhang points out. “Our new 4-D modeling approach<br />

should reduce these toxicities by focusing radiation more<br />

specifically on cancerous cells.”•<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

7


Faculty News<br />

Faculty News BrieFs<br />

Professor <strong>Nadine</strong><br />

<strong>Aubry</strong> has been<br />

named a Fellow of<br />

the American Institute<br />

for Aeronautics<br />

and Astronautics<br />

(AIAA) for her<br />

pioneering contributions<br />

to fluid dynamics. In addition to<br />

her work on turbulence for improved<br />

and more efficient flights, <strong>Aubry</strong> has<br />

proposed judicious microfluidic solutions<br />

which, because of their reduced<br />

weight, size, and energy consumption,<br />

are appealing to the field ofaerospace.<br />

<strong>Aubry</strong> joins the ranks of 28 new AIAA<br />

Fellows, selected from more than<br />

36,000 AIAA members worldwide.<br />

She will be inducted at the AIAA Aerospace<br />

Spotlight Awards Gala on May<br />

9 in Washington, DC. In other news,<br />

<strong>Aubry</strong> was elected Vice-Chair of the<br />

American Physical Society (APS) Division<br />

of Fluid Dynamics. She will become<br />

Chair-Elect in November 2012<br />

and Chair in 2013. She also serves<br />

as co-chair of the 66th APS Division<br />

of Fluid Dynamics Annual Meeting in<br />

2013, to be held in Pittsburgh.<br />

. . . . .<br />

Professor Kenji<br />

Shimada was recently<br />

awarded the<br />

2011 International<br />

Meshing Roundtable<br />

(IMR) Fellow Award<br />

by Sandia National<br />

Labs for developing<br />

novel meshing<br />

software for the<br />

manufacturing industry. The Fellow<br />

Award was created this year, IMR’s<br />

20th anniversary, to “recognize an<br />

individual with a distinguished record<br />

of research accomplishments in the<br />

area of mesh generation.” Shimada’s<br />

8 CARNEGIE MECH<br />

innovative research focuses on a<br />

novel, physically based approach to<br />

key geometric problems in engineering<br />

and medical applications, such as finite<br />

element mesh generation, interactive<br />

curve and surface design, threedimensional<br />

shape reconstruction,<br />

robotic path generation, and surgical<br />

planning. His physically based mesh<br />

generation method, BubbleMesh, has<br />

been licensed and used by more than<br />

50 companies.<br />

. . . . .<br />

Professor Philip<br />

LeDuc has been<br />

named a Fellow<br />

by the American<br />

Institute for Medical<br />

and Biological<br />

Engineering (AIMBE)<br />

for his outstanding<br />

contributions to the field of cell and<br />

molecular biomechanics and bioengineering.<br />

He was honored during a<br />

formal recognition ceremony held on<br />

February 20 at AIMBE’s 21st annual<br />

meeting in Washington, DC. AIMBE’s<br />

College of Fellows is composed of the<br />

top 2 percent of medical and biological<br />

engineers in the country, including<br />

engineering and medical school chairs,<br />

research directors, innovators, and<br />

successful entrepreneurs.<br />

. . . . .<br />

Associate Professor<br />

Shelley Anna has<br />

received Honorable<br />

Mention in the <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

Science Awards<br />

in the category<br />

“Emerging Female<br />

Scientist.” This<br />

category recognizes a female leader<br />

whose cutting-edge work inspires<br />

change in math, science, or technology.<br />

The <strong>Carnegie</strong> Science Center established<br />

the <strong>Carnegie</strong> Science Awards<br />

program in 1997 to recognize and<br />

promote innovation in science and<br />

technology across Western Pennsylvania.<br />

Anna will be recognized at a<br />

reception at the 2012 awards celebration,<br />

held on May 11 at <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

Music Hall in Oakland.<br />

. . . . .<br />

Assistant Professor<br />

Ryan Sullivan was<br />

recently featured in<br />

Science Connection,<br />

the <strong>Mellon</strong> College<br />

of Science’s annual<br />

magazine. An article<br />

called “Air Apparent”<br />

highlights Sullivan’s research<br />

focusing on the many particles in the<br />

air we breathe. Sullivan is developing<br />

novel tools to study these particles,<br />

including a modified single particle<br />

mass spectrometer that can be fitted<br />

to an airplane to take precise airquality<br />

measurements in real time<br />

(see page 6).<br />

. . . . .<br />

Assistant Professor<br />

Carmel Majidi was<br />

quoted in a recent<br />

Associated Press<br />

article that has received<br />

wide coverage.<br />

In the article—<br />

focusing on recent<br />

advancements in soft, flexible robotics—Majidi<br />

noted the importance of<br />

achieving life-like, biological motion.<br />

An acknowledged expert in this area,<br />

Majidi heads the new Soft Machines<br />

Laboratory in the Department of<br />

Mechanical Engineering.•


Jonathan Cagan (center) is joined by students in his new “Grand Challenge” course.<br />

Cagan Launches New Course<br />

to Solve “Grand Challenges”<br />

Professor Jonathan Cagan has launched a new course aimed at<br />

researching future technologies to help solve the list of 14 “Grand<br />

Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century” published by the<br />

National Academy of Engineering (NAE). This list—which spans topics in<br />

energy, medicine, and the environment—is designed to spark innovation<br />

and solve a myriad of problems, from restoring aging infrastructures to<br />

developing better tools for scientific discovery.<br />

In Cagan’s new course, “Grand Challenge: Technology Identification and<br />

Product Design,” MechE students are charged with identifying future technologies<br />

and resulting products that could help solve some of the world’s most<br />

daunting problems. One student team is researching better ways to package<br />

water filtration systems for drought-stricken Sub-Saharan Africa, while another<br />

is studying how to make solar power more economical for average home-<br />

owners.<br />

“This new course helps students understand what it takes to develop truly<br />

cutting-edge products that deliver emerging technologies in a new way. It also<br />

gives them a taste of creating a product before consumers knew they needed<br />

it,” says Bob Wooldridge, Director of <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>’s Center for Technology<br />

Transfer and Enterprise Creation.<br />

“It would be hard to imagine where we would be today or how different<br />

our lives would be without the many recent innovations we often take for<br />

granted,” adds Cagan. He is the co-author of three landmark books focusing<br />

on product design methods, theory, and practice.•<br />

MechE Names Two<br />

Faculty Fellows<br />

Associate Professors Shelley Anna and<br />

Maarten de Boer were named Career<br />

Faculty Fellows in Mechanical Engineering<br />

on November 1, 2011, with a term of<br />

two years. These Fellowships recognize<br />

the outstanding accomplishments and<br />

promise of junior faculty members within<br />

the Department. The appointments carry<br />

an annual award of $10,000 to support<br />

professional activities. Both professors<br />

were honored at an April 9 reception<br />

in the Department.<br />

Shelley Anna was awarded the Russell<br />

V. Trader Fellowship, supported in<br />

memoriam of Russell V. Trader by his<br />

wife Rachael. Though Russell Trader<br />

attended just one year at the <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

Institute of Technology in 1920, his wife<br />

Rachael bequeathed funds to establish<br />

this Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering<br />

as a lasting memorial to him. Anna is<br />

considered a rising leader in the area of<br />

interfacial fluid mechanics and surfactant<br />

transport.<br />

De Boer was appointed the Clarence<br />

H. Adamson Career Faculty Fellow. A<br />

1915 graduate and successful entrepreneur,<br />

Clarence “Cee” Adamson and his<br />

wife Pauline believed that his <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

<strong>Mellon</strong> experience was one of the most<br />

important of his life. De Boer’s expertise<br />

is in the area of adhesion and friction of<br />

MEMS devices. He has also developed<br />

a novel device for measuring frictional<br />

characteristics of micro-fabricated<br />

surfaces.•<br />

Shelley Anna<br />

and Maarten<br />

de Boer<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

9


10<br />

Alumni News<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

A Family Tradition<br />

Harry Shimp Carries on a Legacy of Engineering—<br />

and Attending <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong><br />

MechE alum Harry Shimp (M.E., M.S. 1979) has a family that is known for two<br />

traditions. First, it is a family of engineers. Shimp’s father, Harry Sr. or “Pete,”<br />

earned an Industrial Engineering degree from Penn State and worked<br />

as an engineer for U.S. Steel. From an early age, Shimp was also<br />

drawn to engineering—attending science fairs,<br />

assembling go-carts, and building rockets and airplanes.<br />

Second, Shimp’s family has a legacy of attending <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

<strong>Mellon</strong> <strong>University</strong>. Shimp’s mother, Margaret Halnan Shimp,<br />

and his aunt, Dolores Halnan Wohlfarth, both graduated from<br />

Margaret Morrison, the women’s college, in the 1930s. His uncle,<br />

Francis Halnan, also attended the <strong>University</strong> before leaving in<br />

1942 for the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he became a<br />

Lieutenant Colonel.<br />

“My maternal grandparents emigrated to Pittsburgh<br />

from Ireland in the 1890s, during the second potato<br />

famine,” says Shimp. “As immigrants, they had little<br />

choice but to work as laborers. Although my grandfather<br />

had been a teacher in Ireland, here he worked<br />

in a steel mill. They had six children, and all six went<br />

to college—three to <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>. My grandparents<br />

instilled in their children that, with education<br />

and hard work, they could achieve the American<br />

dream. And they were right.”<br />

Shimp’s parents actually met on the <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

<strong>Mellon</strong> campus, when Margaret or “Peggy”<br />

was a senior and Pete was doing graduate<br />

study in metallurgy while working for U.S.<br />

Steel. After graduation, Peggy also went to<br />

work for U.S. Steel, where she eventually<br />

became an assistant to the company’s Vice<br />

President of Engineering.


CrEAtIng HIs oWn sUCCEss story<br />

Encouraged by the lessons of his parents—and<br />

inspired by his love of engineering—Shimp set<br />

out to fashion his own success story. With a<br />

young man’s desire to leave his hometown for<br />

a few years, he earned his bachelor’s degree in<br />

Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh <strong>University</strong> in<br />

1973. Following graduation, Shimp joined the<br />

Marine Corps aviation program, where he first<br />

flew planes, then conducted critical research<br />

on rockets, air defense systems, and nuclear<br />

weapons.<br />

While conducting this research, Shimp<br />

became interested in the business aspects of<br />

technology development. “In my undergraduate<br />

education and my work with the Marine Corps,<br />

I learned a lot of technical content,” notes<br />

Shimp. “But I began to wonder, ‘How can you<br />

establish a successful company around technology?<br />

How do the worlds of business and<br />

research intersect?’”<br />

Fueled by these questions—and, perhaps,<br />

also pulled by his family legacy—Shimp<br />

returned to Pittsburgh to study at <strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

<strong>Mellon</strong>. In 1979, he graduated with a dual<br />

degree: an M.E. in Mechanical Engineering and<br />

an M.S. in Industrial Administration.<br />

“I loved my time at <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>,” says<br />

Shimp. “For the first time, I was able to understand<br />

the interrelationships among engineering,<br />

technology development, and running a successful<br />

company. I learned the tools needed to<br />

earn a profit from a great scientific idea. I was<br />

combining engineering theory with practical<br />

business lessons for the first time—and that<br />

was a life-changing experience for me.”<br />

As a distinguished graduate, Shimp was<br />

recruited by the Cleveland office of consulting<br />

firm Booz Allen Hamilton. He spent the next two<br />

years helping companies overcome their strategic<br />

challenges—but he missed the hands-on<br />

nature of his previous work as an engineer.<br />

“I was looking for a position that would combine<br />

my technical expertise with my knowledge<br />

of business management,” Shimp remembers.<br />

“I had a unique combination of skills that I was<br />

looking to maximize.”<br />

Shimp found the perfect opportunity when he<br />

was recruited by a client, GE Lighting. He steadily<br />

rose through the ranks in the company’s hightemperature<br />

materials business, a $350 million<br />

division which was known for its high profits—<br />

but also for its high degree of technical content.<br />

In managing the engineering, production, and<br />

marketing of these high-tech materials—sold<br />

primarily to semiconductor clients—Shimp was<br />

able to combine his business acumen with his<br />

technical insights. He remained at the company<br />

for a decade, eventually becoming Vice President<br />

and Division General Manager. He also met<br />

his wife Helen, who enabled him to combine his<br />

growing professional success with a rich and<br />

rewarding personal life.<br />

bEgInnIng A nEW CHAPtEr<br />

In 1991, at the pinnacle of his success, Shimp<br />

was approached by a retired former boss at GE<br />

with a unique proposition: an invitation to become<br />

a junior partner in a new private equity firm.<br />

“With my business and technical background,<br />

it seemed like the ideal next step—and an exciting<br />

new venture,” explains Shimp. “I could help<br />

small businesses improve their technologies,<br />

commercialize their ideas, and achieve incredible<br />

success. I immediately wanted to seize the<br />

opportunity.”<br />

But Shimp hesitated for a slew of practical<br />

reasons. He was 38 years old, and a very<br />

successful executive at GE. He and Helen had<br />

just had their first child. While the idea of a new<br />

venture was thrilling, it was also fraught with risk.<br />

“When I came home and talked the opportunity<br />

over with Helen, I was surprised by her swift<br />

reaction,” recalls Shimp. “She said, ‘I know you<br />

“ My grand-<br />

parents really<br />

instilled this<br />

idea that institutions<br />

like<br />

<strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong><br />

are a pathway<br />

to achieving a<br />

dream. This<br />

<strong>University</strong> has<br />

been so important<br />

to me and<br />

my family.”<br />

Continued on page 12 ›<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

11


12<br />

Alumni News<br />

Harry Shimp Carries on a Family Tradition continued<br />

can do this. You will be successful. I trust you<br />

completely, and you absolutely have to do this.’<br />

Her confidence in me was overwhelming. And<br />

she convinced me that I had to take this giant<br />

leap of faith. That moment changed my life, and<br />

I owe it all to her.”<br />

Unfortunately, the companies managed by<br />

the new firm relied heavily on defense contracts.<br />

With the end of the Gulf War, their business<br />

prospects were no longer promising by 1993.<br />

Shimp and his partner made the difficult decision<br />

to dissolve their firm that year.<br />

fInDIng HIs DEstIny<br />

While his partnership had ended, Shimp believed<br />

that, with Helen’s support, he had found his true<br />

calling as a venture capitalist. He quickly joined<br />

with fellow <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> Industrial Administration<br />

alum Donald McMurchy (M.S. 1980)<br />

to found their own private equity firm, Charon<br />

Industries.<br />

Named for the mythological ferryman who<br />

transports the dead over the River Styx, Charon<br />

was founded to help small high-tech businesses<br />

transform themselves and achieve new levels of<br />

success. “We chose the name because we are<br />

agents of change,” explains Shimp.<br />

As President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)<br />

of Charon, since 1993 Shimp has had profitand-loss<br />

responsibility for 17 different industrial<br />

manufacturing and manufacturing service<br />

businesses. He has helped companies in a<br />

range of industries—including water chemistry,<br />

engineered materials, precision optics, and<br />

aerospace—identify and address their most<br />

critical strategic challenges.<br />

One of Shimp’s most notable successes<br />

was Solarex, a photovoltaic company that<br />

was acquired by BP in 1999. Shimp served as<br />

President and CEO of BP Solar for the next four<br />

years, leading the division to an annual growth<br />

rate of 55 percent and eventually capturing<br />

nearly 20 percent of the global solar market.<br />

Today, Shimp serves as the CEO or Chairman<br />

of four middle-market manufacturing companies<br />

that serve the energy and aerospace markets.<br />

With his valuable insights, he also serves on the<br />

boards of numerous other technology-focused<br />

businesses.<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

Shimp’s professional success has been<br />

matched in equal measure with personal happiness.<br />

His three children with Helen are creating<br />

their own success stories. Continuing a family<br />

legacy, Elizabeth is a senior engineering major<br />

and Jon Paul is a junior engineering major. Both<br />

attend Miami <strong>University</strong> of Ohio. Son Christian,<br />

a high school freshman, also plans to follow the<br />

Shimp family tradition by pursuing an engineering<br />

education, hopefully at <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>.<br />

onCE A tArtAn, AlWAys A tArtAn<br />

While Harry Shimp has found incredible success<br />

as an agent of change, one thing has remained<br />

constant: his close ties to <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> <strong>University</strong>.<br />

Since he graduated in 1979 and moved<br />

to Ohio, he has made frequent visits back to the<br />

Pittsburgh campus.<br />

“<strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>—and the Department of<br />

Mechanical Engineering—will always be an important<br />

part of my history,” Shimp points out. “I<br />

think it’s critical to stay in touch with the <strong>University</strong><br />

and serve as a mentor to students. Successful<br />

people in all fields should make an effort to come<br />

back to campus and expose current students to<br />

different career paths. It’s all part of the idea of<br />

giving something back.”<br />

“My grandparents really instilled this idea that<br />

institutions like <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> are a pathway<br />

to achieving a dream,” he adds. “This <strong>University</strong><br />

has been so important to me and my family. I<br />

really feel that it’s my obligation to help other<br />

young people advance by actively supporting<br />

<strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>.”•<br />

Shimp’s mother<br />

Peggy (left) was a<br />

member of the<br />

Margaret Morrison<br />

rifle team— which<br />

won the NCAA<br />

championship in<br />

1937.


Three Alums Collaborate on Electric Charger<br />

New At-Home Device Will Power the Ford Focus Electric<br />

Three alumni from the Department of Mechanical<br />

Engineering are at the heart of a collaborative<br />

team that developed a new at-home charger for<br />

the Ford Focus Electric, due to hit the streets in<br />

late 2012.<br />

Stephanie Janczak (B.S. 1988) of Ford Motor Company<br />

worked with Michael Mattei (B.S. 1987) and Manoj Karwa<br />

(B.S. 1989) at Leviton to design the charger and bring it<br />

successfully to market.<br />

Leviton is a global<br />

leader in electrical wiring<br />

devices, network and data<br />

center connectivity solutions,<br />

and lighting energy<br />

management systems.<br />

Starting three years ago,<br />

Mattei—Vice President<br />

and General Manager for<br />

Leviton’s Commercial and<br />

Industrial Division—and his<br />

team began planning their<br />

company’s entrance to the<br />

electric vehicle market.<br />

Mattei brought in Karwa,<br />

who had worked in the auto industry, as Program Manager.<br />

As luck would have it, fellow alum Stephanie Janczak,<br />

an Engineering Manager at Ford, was on the core team<br />

responsible for the specification and sourcing of Electric<br />

Vehicle Infrastructure at Ford. Janczak’s team had created a<br />

bid request for just the sort of electrical vehicle charger that<br />

Leviton was developing.<br />

After Ford selected Leviton’s proposal for its electric<br />

charger, the three MechE grads met weekly throughout<br />

2011 to bring the innovative charger to market.<br />

A PrACtICAl grEEn solUtIon<br />

The new Ford Electric Vehicle Home Charging Station<br />

provides up to 32 amps at 240 volts AC (7.7 kW output)—<br />

fully charging a Ford Focus Electric’s battery in a little over<br />

three hours, more than four times faster than the standard<br />

portable charger. The device’s energy-efficient design—the<br />

enclosure is made from nearly 60 percent recycled materials—features<br />

a low-energy standby power design, contributing<br />

to a 50 to 80 percent reduced carbon footprint.<br />

The team designed the practical at-home device with<br />

the customer’s safety in mind. A ground monitor circuit<br />

and built-in communication system verify proper connection<br />

before charging can commence. The device’s “Auto<br />

Restart” feature enables charging to restart following a<br />

minor fault, thereby reducing the chance of being stranded<br />

with an undercharged battery. With a weatherproof NEMA<br />

Type 4 enclosure, the device is safe for both indoor and<br />

outdoor use. “Non-permanent”<br />

plug-in installation<br />

is ideal for indoor applications,<br />

while a “hard wired”<br />

conversion kit is available<br />

for outdoor locations.<br />

Since charging is one of<br />

the most important components<br />

of owning an electric<br />

vehicle, it was a priority<br />

for the team to develop<br />

an easy, affordable solution,<br />

according to Janczak.<br />

The charger had to meet<br />

stringent automotive quality,<br />

product development,<br />

and testing requirements that would allow Focus Electric<br />

owners to charge with ease.<br />

“This innovative solution will help promote the adoption<br />

and expansion of electric vehicles around the world—and<br />

it speaks volumes about the Department of Mechanical<br />

Engineering that three of its alumni were closely involved<br />

in this groundbreaking effort,” says Mattei.<br />

While the Ford Focus Electric will not debut until later<br />

this year, the Ford EV Home Charging Station is now available<br />

through select Ford dealerships and Best Buy stores<br />

to support the upcoming launch. The device retails for<br />

$1,499, including standard installation.<br />

The at-home charger features an ADA-compliant, simple,<br />

one-button user interface. Installation of the device’s<br />

wall mount is impermanent, making relocation easy, while<br />

the included 18-foot long “wrap-around” charging cable<br />

offers maximum convenience. The device is backed by an<br />

industry-leading 10-year limited warranty and is certified<br />

by UL.•<br />

CARNEGIE MECH 13


14<br />

Student News<br />

Jumping Ahead<br />

Matthew Woodward Takes a Leap<br />

Forward in Robotics<br />

Doctoral candidate Matthew Woodward<br />

(M.S. 2010) has developed a miniature prototype<br />

robot that both jumps and glides.<br />

His robot is the first to incorporate two<br />

high-performance functions.<br />

Woodward began his innovative work<br />

as a masters student in a class taught by<br />

Matthew Woodward<br />

Professor Metin Sitti. His initial goal was to<br />

add a jumping mode to a climbing robot. Woodward quickly<br />

became so intrigued by the advanced research taking place<br />

in the Nano-Robotics Lab at MechE that he stayed to earn<br />

his doctorate, with Sitti acting as advisor.<br />

Like Sitti, Woodward has relied on the natural world for<br />

inspiration. “Animals have, in many cases, developed strategies<br />

for integrating locomotion modes,” Woodward explains.<br />

“For example, the vampire bat uses its flying structure to<br />

actually jump. It can consume its own body weight and still<br />

jump off the ground high enough to get its wings open and<br />

fly away.”<br />

Woodward also noticed that insects’ jumping legs and<br />

birds’ flying wings have almost identical components, except<br />

SAE Race Team Cooks Up Philanthropy<br />

“Racing Against Hunger” Raised Awareness and Sparked Donations<br />

<strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>’s Society of Automotive Engineering<br />

(SAE) Race Team participated in the<br />

national USA Weekend’s “Make A Difference Day”<br />

on October 21, 2011, by collecting food and donating<br />

a self-published cookbook to the Greater Pittsburgh<br />

Community Food Bank. The charitable event,<br />

held in the Scaife Hall Garden, featured a racing<br />

demo of the SAE team car and a bagpipe parade.<br />

MechE students Hugh Ross and Mike Ornstein<br />

were among those who helped create the event,<br />

dubbed “Racing Against Hunger,” to help raise<br />

awareness of hunger and malnutrition. In addition to food<br />

donations, team members presented Food Bank officials with<br />

a unique cookbook called What’s Cookin’: Engineering One-<br />

Dish, No-Fuss Meals.<br />

The team also enlisted the help of the H.J. Heinz Company,<br />

which donated bottles of its famed Heinz 57 sauce. “We are<br />

so very pleased that Heinz helped us, because our team<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

for the small interconnections.<br />

“I started<br />

thinking about not what<br />

a structure does—but<br />

what it could do,” he says. “Birds could potentially jump, with<br />

some small design changes. Because I’m an engineer, I can<br />

make those changes.”<br />

Woodward’s vision resulted in a three-inch robot with<br />

eight-inch flying legs that can currently jump 20 feet and glide<br />

back down. He’s looking forward to getting his creation “up<br />

and jumping” outdoors this year for testing and refinement.<br />

Possible applications for the relatively inexpensive robot<br />

might include interplanetary exploration, search and rescue<br />

missions, general environmental studies, and surveillance.<br />

Woodward, a Santa Barbara native, came to MechE largely<br />

for its interdisciplinary capabilities. “I chose <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong><br />

because of the close collaboration between the Robotics<br />

Institute and the Department of Mechanical Engineering,”<br />

Woodward notes. “I originally came thinking I’d only be here<br />

a year. Now I’m staying four or five.”•<br />

car this year drew the competitive racing number<br />

57,” says Adjunct Faculty John Wiss. Other food<br />

contributors included the Oakmont Bakery, the Frick<br />

Park Market in Point Breeze, and Ruggeri’s Deli in<br />

Squirrel Hill.<br />

In recognition of their efforts, the SAE Race Team<br />

won a 2011 Communitas Award. The annual Communitas<br />

Awards are an outgrowth of the pro bono<br />

recognition program of the Association of Marketing<br />

and Communication Professionals (AMCP). Founded<br />

in 1995, AMCP fosters and supports the efforts of its<br />

members who contribute their unique marketing and communication<br />

talents to public service and charitable organizations.<br />

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank CEO Jermaine<br />

Husser notes that the SAE students were able to energize<br />

the entire <strong>University</strong> community with their creativity and drive.<br />

“Their action to help others is the real hope for the future of<br />

this region and this nation,” Husser says.•


Student AIAA Chapter Takes Flight<br />

New Organization Is Already Making a Huge Impact<br />

Last summer, Department Head <strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong><br />

led the creation of a new student chapter of the<br />

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics<br />

(AIAA) at <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>. Less than a year later,<br />

the organization boasts more than 40 members—and<br />

recently hosted some high-impact events that brought<br />

MechE students together with global leaders in this field.<br />

“With 31,000 members around the world, AIAA is the<br />

largest international society dedicated to the aerospace<br />

industry,” notes <strong>Aubry</strong>, an AIAA Fellow who serves as<br />

Faculty Advisor to the student members. “I believed it was<br />

critical to bring a chapter of AIAA to the <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong><br />

campus, so we could connect our students with industry<br />

leaders for educational and networking opportunities. I’m<br />

delighted at the number of students who have already<br />

embraced this idea. There’s an incredible level of energy<br />

and excitement about the new chapter.”<br />

MechE junior Jayon Wang, who was elected Chair of<br />

the student group, immediately recognized the value of<br />

creating an AIAA chapter. “There is no formal aeronautics<br />

program at <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>, yet so many MechE students<br />

are focusing on research topics that are central to aerospace<br />

initiatives, including fluid dynamics and heat transfer,”<br />

says Wang. “The new student AIAA chapter provides<br />

a formal way for us to come together in a group setting to<br />

discuss aeronautics topics, as well as create long-lasting<br />

connections with some global thought leaders. It’s created<br />

a real aeronautics and astronautics community here at<br />

MechE.”<br />

Other elected officers of the<br />

newly formed chapter include<br />

Emerson Mello Silva<br />

(Vice Chair), Ketaki Shashank (Secretary), Krystina Calfo<br />

(Treasurer), Siri Amrit Ramos (Webmaster), and Margaret<br />

Hall (Events Chair).<br />

HIgH-vIsIbIlIty EvEnts ProPEl CHAPtEr<br />

Two recent events sponsored by the student AIAA chapter<br />

have created a high level of visibility for the organization<br />

at <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong>. In February, the organization hosted<br />

a “Breakfast with the Recruiters” where MechE students<br />

met with representatives from Boeing, BMW, Caterpillar,<br />

and Sandia National Labs. According to Wang, this<br />

informal event provided an invaluable way to get conversations<br />

started between students and recruiters—and<br />

several job interviews and offers followed.<br />

Later in February, the AIAA chapter hosted a visit by<br />

NASA astronaut Catherine “Cady” Coleman, who has<br />

logged more than 4,330 hours in space aboard the Space<br />

Shuttle Columbia and the International Space Station.<br />

Coleman’s visit to Pittsburgh was highlighted in a February<br />

24 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called “Astronaut<br />

Gives Down-to-Earth Lecture.”<br />

“We were very honored to meet such a prestigious<br />

aerospace leader who has traversed the world and beyond,”<br />

says Wang. “She is a pioneer and someone we all<br />

wish to emulate. Without the new chapter of AIAA here<br />

on campus, we would not have had the means to arrange<br />

this kind of inspirational meeting.”<br />

“The two events already hosted by the student chapter<br />

have generated even more interest in this dynamic and<br />

growing organization,” adds <strong>Aubry</strong>. “I’m looking forward<br />

to more exciting developments as our AIAA chapter<br />

continues to gain momentum.”•<br />

s<br />

MechE students join NASA<br />

astronaut Cady Coleman (center)<br />

and Department Head <strong>Nadine</strong><br />

<strong>Aubry</strong> (right). Students shown<br />

(left to right) are: Molly Hall,<br />

Emerson Silva, Siri Amrit Ramos,<br />

Jayon Wang, Erin Hurbi, and<br />

Krystina Calfo.<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

15


16<br />

Student News<br />

Ph.D. Candidates Win Dowd Fellowships<br />

Three of Four Winners Affiliated With MechE<br />

Two Ph.D. students and one alum from the Department of Mechanical Engineering<br />

recently were awarded research grants from the Philip and Marsha<br />

Dowd Engineering Seed Fund. The Dowd Fellowship program, established<br />

in 2001, supports graduate students conducting cutting-edge research for which<br />

traditional sources of funding may not be readily available. Three of four 2011-12<br />

Dowd Fellowships were awarded to students affiliated with MechE.<br />

Doctoral student Katherine Hess won<br />

funding for her proposed research,<br />

entitled “In-Situ, Through-Plane Measurements<br />

to Advance Aqueous Hybrid<br />

Batteries for Grid-Scale Energy<br />

Storage.” Hess is studying improvements<br />

to hybrid batteries which will<br />

make them efficient, reliable, dynamically<br />

matched, environmentally benign,<br />

versatile, and cost-effective. Her<br />

research aims to integrate renewable<br />

electricity into the grid, improving its<br />

reliability. Hess is advised by Assistant<br />

Professor Shawn Litster.<br />

. . . . .<br />

Ph.D. candidate Zonghui Su was<br />

awarded a grant for his research,<br />

A Whole New World<br />

In January, MechE senior Gabriella Coloyan had the chance to<br />

experience a completely different culture when she traveled to<br />

Saudi Arabia. Coloyan was one of nearly 50 finalists chosen<br />

worldwide in an annual Research Poster Competition<br />

sponsored by King Abdullah <strong>University</strong> of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal.<br />

Coloyan was selected as a finalist based on an abstract of her poster, which focused on heat flow in carbon nanotubes.<br />

While in Saudi Arabia, she presented her poster to a panel of judges—and won third place overall.<br />

“It was fascinating to meet so many engineering students from around the world and learn about their research,” says<br />

Coloyan. “But it was also an exciting cultural experience.”<br />

During her all-expenses-paid, 10-day trip, Coloyan had the opportunity to snorkel in the Red Sea, visit an animal market,<br />

and dine in a Bedouin tent. When she traveled to the nearby city of Jeddah, she had to wear the traditional women’s robe<br />

called an abaya. “Not many Americans get to experience the Middle Eastern culture, where the roles of women are so<br />

remarkably different,” she notes.<br />

Back home in Pittsburgh, Coloyan is President of the Student Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers<br />

(ASME). She plans to pursue a Ph.D., with a focus on heat transfer at the nanoscale.•<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

“Thermal Transport in Solid-State<br />

Lighting and SSL Efficiency,” which<br />

seeks to mitigate heat generation in<br />

LEDs. High operating temperatures<br />

in GaN and InGaN LEDs degrade<br />

their efficiency, shift the emission<br />

spectrum, and reduce their lifetime.<br />

In fact, for every 10-degree increase<br />

in operating temperature, the lifetime<br />

is approximately halved. Su is<br />

advised in this research by Assistant<br />

Professor Jonathan Malen.<br />

. . . . .<br />

MechE alum Prahlad Menon (M.S.<br />

2010) also won Dowd funding to<br />

support his doctoral work in the Department<br />

of Biomedical Engineering<br />

(BME). His advisor, Assistant Professor<br />

Kerem Pekkan, holds appointments<br />

in both BME and MechE. Menon’s<br />

research is entitled “Hemodynamic<br />

Performance Characterization of Aortic<br />

Outflow Cannula Jets for Improved<br />

Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Bypass.”<br />

Menon hopes to maximize neonatal<br />

heart surgery outcomes by developing<br />

new medical devices that minimize<br />

platelet activation, as well as vascular<br />

and blood damage, during bypass<br />

surgery.•<br />

Shown left to right are Katherine Hess,<br />

Prahlad Menon, and Zonghui Su.


Success by Design: Student Expo<br />

MechE’s Annual Expo Showcases Student Ingenuity<br />

On December 12, the Department of Mechanical Engineering held its<br />

annual Design Expo in the Singleton Room in Roberts Engineering<br />

Hall. This event is the culmination of the work done in the senior class<br />

called “Design Conception and Realization,” which challenges MechE students<br />

to create prototypes for useful consumer products.<br />

“This year, the students showcased some real functional products, ranging<br />

from a portable coffee maker to a safer bench press that may reduce exercise<br />

injuries,” says Associate Professor Levent Burak Kara, who taught the course<br />

during the Fall semester. “This is an exciting class because students get to put<br />

theory into practice by designing workable product prototypes.”<br />

The theme of the recent Expo was “Improving Life on Campus.” Ten student<br />

teams focused on enhancing everyday aspects of the <strong>University</strong> experience,<br />

including laundry, bike storage, refilling<br />

portable water bottles, and working<br />

more comfortably on a laptop. One<br />

team designed a mechanical door<br />

charger and opener that automatically<br />

opens doors for physically challenged<br />

people.<br />

“Each year, I am surprised and<br />

delighted by the innovation demonstrated<br />

by our student designers,”<br />

says Department Head <strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong>.<br />

“Based on the hard work and ingenuity<br />

The “SupeRack” bike storage unit was<br />

designed by (left to right) Kyle Andrews,<br />

Nick Ciccone, Matthew Jacob, and Alex<br />

Psomopoulos.<br />

they have displayed in creating these<br />

product prototypes, I’m confident that<br />

they will embark on successful careers<br />

after graduation.”•<br />

s<br />

Automatic<br />

Door Opener<br />

James Mesmer, Gabbi<br />

Coloyan, Joe Boerner,<br />

and Andrew Burks (left<br />

to right) designed an<br />

automatic door opener<br />

to assist people with<br />

physical challenges.<br />

The “Go ’n Brew” portable coffee-making<br />

system was designed by (left to right) Andrew<br />

Chen, Kevin Falconer, Peter Kang, Ben Allen,<br />

and Doug Bernstein.<br />

Nick Jelen, Emily Griffen, Elizabeth Mahaffa,<br />

Go Okumura, and Kevin Chung (left to right)<br />

set out to address the daily laundry crisis.<br />

Joe Kromka, Patrick Rosas, Cooper Barth,<br />

Daniel Miller, and Rick Musgrave (left to right)<br />

designed a safer bench press that eliminates<br />

the need for a spotter.<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

17


18<br />

Student News<br />

Pi Tau Sigma: Reviving a MechE Tradition<br />

Students, Alums, and Faculty Join to Revitalize Honors Society<br />

The <strong>Carnegie</strong> Iota chapter of Pi Tau Sigma—the International<br />

Mechanical Engineering Honor Society—<br />

was founded in May 1930. For decades, the MechE<br />

student chapter was a vibrant part of the Department,<br />

sponsoring picnics, holding seminars for new students, and<br />

even publishing a newsletter. Many alums have fond memories<br />

of their involvement in Pi Tau Sigma, but unfortunately<br />

the MechE chapter lost momentum several years ago.<br />

Today, an energetic group of MechE students is reviving<br />

the chapter, with the help of Faculty Advisor Jon Malen and<br />

Alumni Advisors Kim Lord (B.S. 2007, M.B.A. Tepper 2011)<br />

and Robert Keelan (B.S., M.S. 2009), who is currently a<br />

doctoral student in the Department. Both Lord and Keelan<br />

were past presidents of the <strong>Carnegie</strong> Iota chapter, and have<br />

been serving as consultants to the chapter’s new officers.<br />

Current chapter President and MechE junior Huan<br />

“Steve” Qin was eager to get involved when he heard<br />

of the efforts to revive the defunct Pi Tau Sigma chapter.<br />

Qin was especially interested in leveraging the chapter to<br />

engage MechE students in philanthropic activities. “<strong>Carnegie</strong><br />

<strong>Mellon</strong> and the Department of Mechanical Engineering<br />

have done so much for me in providing me with so many<br />

great educational opportunities, including study abroad and<br />

an upcoming summer internship,” says Qin. “I want to give<br />

something back—and I know many of my fellow students<br />

feel the same way.”<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

Other newly elected chapter officers include Erin Hurbi<br />

(Vice President), Jillian Wollenberg (Secretary), and Joseph<br />

Barbish (Treasurer). The chapter, which currently has 15<br />

members, is open to students who represent the top 35<br />

percent of MechE seniors and the top 25 percent of juniors,<br />

based on academic performance.<br />

brIngIng nEW EnErgy AnD foCUs<br />

Steve Qin and his fellow Pi Tau Sigma leaders are confident<br />

that membership will continue to grow as the revived<br />

chapter gains ground. In early March, Qin and chapter<br />

member Andre Sutanto traveled to San Jose, California,<br />

for the 2012 Pi Tau Sigma National Convention. There, they<br />

attended seminars and presentations, as well as meeting<br />

students from active Pi Tau Sigma chapters across the<br />

United States. “The convention was a great opportunity to<br />

learn what other chapters are doing to benefit their communities,”<br />

notes Qin. “It was very inspiring.”<br />

The <strong>Carnegie</strong> Iota chapter has already begun engaging<br />

in its own outreach efforts back home. In February, the organization<br />

worked with the student chapter of the American<br />

Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) to host a<br />

“Breakfast with the Recruiters” (see related story on page 15).<br />

On April 11, the Pi Tau Sigma chapter provided essential<br />

support for the annual “Different Color Hair Day” event<br />

initiated by Professor Bill Messner as a fundraising effort<br />

(see <strong>Carnegie</strong> Mech, Fall 2011). This year’s proceeds will<br />

be donated to World Relief, which provides disaster relief,<br />

health care, agricultural assistance, and advocacy for<br />

impoverished regions.<br />

Eventually, Qin would like to engage Pi Tau Sigma members<br />

in more charitable efforts and professional networking<br />

events, as well as providing outreach to local high school<br />

students who are interested in engineering careers.<br />

“There are so many opportunities to get involved, both<br />

here on the <strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> campus and in the larger<br />

Western Pennsylvania community,” says Qin. “I hope in<br />

just a few years we will look back with pride on our efforts<br />

to get the Pi Tau Sigma chapter going again. I hope this<br />

is the beginning of a renewed focus on the chapter here<br />

at MechE.”•<br />

Left to right: Assistant Professor Jonathan Malen with Pi Tau Sigma<br />

officers Steve Qin, Joseph Barbish, Erin Hurbi, and Jillian Wollenberg.


Department News<br />

MechE Updates Computer Cluster<br />

Students Will Benefit From New Power, Flexibility<br />

Over the recent winter break, the MechE Student Computer<br />

Cluster in Hamerschlag Hall was renovated to provide more<br />

powerful technology resources—as well as more flexible<br />

space that students<br />

can use in a number<br />

of ways. The space<br />

was re-opened to students<br />

on January 24.<br />

The new space<br />

offers improved hardware,<br />

new monitors,<br />

and specialty software<br />

used in MechE<br />

coursework and<br />

research.<br />

In order to offer<br />

more flexibility, the renovated room includes glass doors<br />

that, when closed, can separate the space into two distinct<br />

areas. In the closed-door configuration, each room can be<br />

used separately and can be accessed through its own door<br />

from the hallway.<br />

The smaller room contains 14 computers, and the larger<br />

room offers 31 computers—including an instructor’s<br />

MechE Celebrates the Holidays<br />

e<br />

On Friday, December 9, MechE faculty, staff, and family members<br />

gathered to celebrate the holiday season. Held in the Singleton<br />

Room in Roberts Hall, the party offered<br />

excellent food and the creative work of “Mike<br />

the Balloon Guy,” a local expert in twisting<br />

balloons into hats and other festive<br />

creations. For the attendees, the annual<br />

event also offered a welcome respite<br />

from their busy work, research,<br />

and teaching schedules—<br />

and a chance to reconnect<br />

and share the holiday spirit.•<br />

Kacy Hess<br />

s<br />

computer—for a total of 45 stationary computers. Ten<br />

additional laptop stations are available on the sides of<br />

the large room, and new chairs provide extra seating. A<br />

television will also be<br />

mounted in the large<br />

room for the possibility<br />

of hosting lectures<br />

in the room.<br />

“It is critical that<br />

the Department keeps<br />

pace with the changing<br />

technology needs<br />

of our students,<br />

while also managing<br />

its space plan<br />

for the future,” says<br />

Department Head <strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong>. “The updated Computer<br />

Cluster provides a brighter, more open work environment<br />

that will allow the room to be used in a flexible manner as<br />

the needs of our Department, and our students, continue<br />

to evolve. Today it is a more accommodating space that<br />

supports individual work, as well as collaboration and<br />

group learning.”•<br />

s<br />

From left to right<br />

are B.J. Robbins,<br />

Ryan Sullivan, and<br />

Kelsey Patsch.<br />

CARNEGIE MECH<br />

19


Department of Department Head: Designer: Photographer:<br />

Mechanical Engineering <strong>Nadine</strong> <strong>Aubry</strong> Dan Hart Michael Scampone<br />

<strong>Carnegie</strong> <strong>Mellon</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 Editor: Contributing Writers:<br />

Cynthia Fusco Cynthia Fusco<br />

Volume 16 • Issue 1 Chriss Swaney<br />

Nonprofit Org.<br />

U.S. Postage<br />

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of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or handicap in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title<br />

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