Nadine Aubry - Carnegie Mellon University
Nadine Aubry - Carnegie Mellon University
Nadine Aubry - Carnegie Mellon University
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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 />
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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 />
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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
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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 />
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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 />
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