Engineering New Frontiers Summer Camp - the School of ...

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cuaengineer ACM Chapter Initiated at CUA On Tuesday, March 29, 2011, students gathered in Pangborn 301 for the inaugural meeting of CUA’s chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Founded in 1947, ACM is an international organization headquartered in New York City. Though not yet officially recognized as a student organization, the chapter is making progress toward becoming University approved. Still, the ACM leaders drummed up considerable interest in computing by choosing an interesting, fun topic for its first meeting — video games. Students used the Students Steeled for Bridge Event At 8:30 on the morning of May 19, 2011, a handful of CUA engineering students boarded a plane at BWI bound for Houston, Texas. From Houston they faced a two-and-a-half-hour car ride to College Station, home of Texas A&M University and site of the 2011 National Student Steel Bridge Competition. The journey took more than 10 hours and seemed to be ripped from the screenplay of the Steve Martin comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. But it was merely the culmination, the final steppingstone, of an odyssey that began months, even years before that Thursday morning flight. Three years ago two civil engineering students approached the American Society of Engineers faculty adviser seeking information on the Student Steel Bridge Competition. Taking on the role of team captains, Chris Scotti and Chris Ridgeway recruited a small group of students with an eagerness to learn and a desire to get their hands dirty. These novice bridge builders earned 4th place in 2009 and 3rd place in 2010 competing in the Virginias Regional Conference. The 2011 school year saw the loss of several key members of the team, including team captain Ridgeway and political and legal adviser Anthony Scotti. Michael Lauriello (ME) stepped into Ridgeway’s shoes as co-captain, Team builds their display bridge prior to the main competition. 16 | cuaengineer Unity 3d game engine to create interactive objects in a virtual world. Physics, lighting, sound, and many other real-world phenomena are pre-programmed in Unity 3d, so no previous experience was necessary. The EECS department treated the students to pizza and soda as they created the beginnings of a first-person-shooter type game. Our soon-to-be official chapter of ACM continues to plan future meetings beginning this fall. Voice your opinions, suggestions, or ask questions by emailing Evan Votta at 26votta@cardinalmail.cua.edu. and together with Scotti, now a civil engineering master’s student, began one last run at victory. The goal was simple: Beat Virginia Tech, the powerhouse of the Virginias Regional Conference, and earn a bid to the national competition. Months of work and many late nights went into the design and fabrication of a 20-foot-long, 3-foot-high, 3-foot-wide steel structure. In April the team traveled to West Virginia University where they stunned the conference by shattering the competition and earning 1st place in all but two of the judging criteria. CUA’s Steel Bridge team dominated the competition, including Virginia Tech, in the construction speed, lightness, construction efficiency, and construction economy categories, earning them their bid to national competition. The national competition is a two-day event bringing together the top 48 engineering programs from throughout the country. Although Catholic University was now counted among them, there had never been more of a David and Goliath story. Most schools boasted teams of 20 or more students, sometimes with entire courses dedicated to the competition. Master machinists, full metal shops, and even professional fabricators are common among the teams, which frequently achieve national status. CUA worked a bit differently. The team’s design work was done on scraps of paper in the back of class, or on the chalkboards and computers of the civil engineering lounge. The fabrication was done by a handful of students who literally taught themselves the necessary techniques in the McCarthy building as they went along. Brainstorming, creativity, and dedication served CUA’s team well. At the national competition they posted a build time of 11:55, the 16th fastest of the competition. Their bridge, made of just 200 pounds of steel members, nuts, and bolts, held 2,500 lbs. directly at the center and deflected a mere 0.75 inches. The CUA team earned 29th place overall, outperforming schools that had competed on this level many times before. The team gained the respect of every school represented there. The team’s core members, led by Scotti and Lauriello, included Amedeo Petrongolo (CE), Dan Joyce (CE), Chris Reymann (CE), Brenda Tedrick (CE), and Frances MacKinnon (ME). They were supported by many others, including Patrick Terry (ASCE Chapter president), Megan Dever, (CE), Negar Gargari (CE doctoral student), Tim Quine (ME), Jimmy Quine (ME), Professor Lu Sun, (CE chair), Dean Nguyen (dean of engineering), Assistant Professor George Mavroedis (ASCE faculty adviser), Associate Professor Scott Mathews (EE), the CUA ASCE Student Chapter, and the CUA Student Fee Allocation Board. Although the team once again faces the loss of many integral members who have graduated, it is poised to continue this tradition of excellence and plans to represent Catholic University at the national level for years to come.
cuaengineer Ph.D. Students Present Findings at Buenos Aires Conference In August 2010, Ph.D. students Sasha Godfrey and Elizabeth Brokaw attended the 32nd Annual Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This conference brings together scientists from around the world to share their research in the field of biomedical engineering. Godfrey and Brokaw study with Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Peter Lum, Ph.D., in the department’s Center for Applied Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Research. At the conference, Godfrey presented her work on the Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot. She spoke about a training study working with stroke subjects and its outcomes. Brokaw presented her research on a passive device for hand rehabilitation after stroke. The device provides finger extension assistance, helping stroke survivors use their affected hand for functional grasp of diversely shaped objects. Both students discussed current issues in the field of rehabilitation devices with experts and viewed lectures relating the state of the art science in biomedical engineering. They also enjoyed Argentine food and the sights of Buenos Aires, like Caminito, a vibrant neighborhood known for its brightly painted houses and mannequins. Photo (left to right) Elizabeth Brokaw and Sasha Godfrey in Buenos Aires. Faculty and Staff Recognized for Excellence The School of Engineering’s motto “Cutting-edge research driving superb education” has served as a guiding light for its faculty to strive for excellence in research and teaching. Each year the award selection committee consisting of all program and department chairs of the school selects recipients for the Kaman Faculty Excellence Awards and the Burns Faculty Fellowship Awards. In addition to a monetary award, each recipient is presented with a plaque at the school’s annual diploma distribution ceremony. For 2011 John Judge, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering, received the Kaman Award for Excellence in Teaching and Jessica Ramella-Roman, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering, the Kaman Award for Excellence in Research. Erion Plaku, Ph.D., assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Tongyan Pan, Ph.D., assistant professor of civil engineering, were named Burns Faculty Fellows. Ramella-Roman has conducted research in the area of applications of bio-photonics for screening and diagnosis of injury and disease in biology tissue. During 2010–2011 she published one book chapter, seven journal papers, and six conference papers and delivered four invited lectures. Judge taught four courses in 2010–2011 in mechanics, dynamics, vibration, and acoustics. He received excellent evaluations from students for his courses, with the average instructor score of 9.7/10 and the average course core of 9.2/10. (L to R) Provost James Brennan with Professors Tony Pan, Jessica Ramella-Roman, and Erion Plaku, and Dean Nguyen. Maria Sorensen and Dean Nguyen The Burns Faculty Fellowship will provide Plaku with financial support for his research activities in the areas of control of snake-like cannula robot for orthopedic surgery and intelligent planning for enhanced surgical automation. Pan will receive support from this fellowship to develop an atomistic model to investigate growth of oxides on rebar surface to inform and predict maintenance costs and life service of reinforced concrete bridges and structures. In addition to recognizing faculty excellence, the school annually recognizes excellent staff members through an award that was established in 2010. Maria Sorensen, administrative assistant of the Engineering Management Program, received the 2011 School of Engineering Staff Excellence Award for to her skillful assistance to the program director for administration and excellent service to students and faculty of this program. fall2011 | 17
Page 1 and 2: cuaengineer THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
Page 3 and 4: Dean’s Message • Greetings from
Page 5 and 6: Professor Applies Computer Science
Page 7 and 8: Engineering School Launches New Sum
Page 9 and 10: Noted with Sadness, Charles Kaman,
Page 11 and 12: Alumni Corner 1940s Robert T. Schro
Page 13 and 14: Recent Grad Earns Top Gun Award Whe
Page 15 and 16: CUA EECS Faculty Establish High-Per
Page 17: Energy in the Wind by Associate Pro
Page 21 and 22: high-accuracy and full-field 3D ima
Page 23 and 24: whole blood clots using pulsed-high
Page 25 and 26: Delta,” Chesapeake Biological Lab
Page 27 and 28: ■ Li, R., You, K., Sun, L., and G
Page 29 and 30: 2001-2002, by ASCE’s G-I Institut
Page 31 and 32: Anwar H. Alharbi American Electric

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