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Faculty and Staff in the News
Summer 2011 Residential Energy Efficiency Studied at RIT DubaiOnline resource to be created in project funded by Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy A Rochester Institute of Technology researcher at RIT Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is exploring ways to make residential homes there—and in hot climates anywhere—more energy efficient. Alex Friess, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, is leading the project, which was recently awarded $27,000 from the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy. Although energy resources—notably crude oil—aren’t particularly scarce in the Middle East relative to other parts of the planet, concerns about global climate change and finite fossil-fuel resources worldwide boost the incentive to conserve energy, Friess says.  Alex Friess, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at RIT Dubai, is leading a research project exploring ways to make residential homes more energy efficient. The project recently received $27,000 from the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy. The image at right shows an infrared photograph of hot, outside air infiltrating a window frame. The United Arab Emirates has one of the highest per capita energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emission rates, he says—adding to the urgency for renewable energy sources and, equally important, energy conservation in a climate requiring significant cooling much of the year. The RIT Dubai Residential Energy Assessment Centre will conduct local field studies of residential villas and explore energy-saving alternatives in both the design and “post-occupancy” stages. Researchers will measure the effects of factors such as shading options, insulation, roof treatments, windows and ventilation. Findings, to be reported publicly online, will be a resource for architects, engineers, scientists, homeowners and others. “While the generation of clean energy represents the most visible avenue to decrease the UAE’s high per-capita CO2 production, the potential and practice of improving energy efficiency often takes second stage—driven primarily by aesthetics,” Friess says. “This project will help quantify potential energy savings in residences and provide a platform for continuing studies and to promote energy efficiency practices to the general public.” Friess received the award as part of an Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy competition promoting energy efficiency in the United Arab Emirates and supported by ExxonMobil and Abu Dhabi Gas Industries. “Energy efficiency is one of the largest and lowest-cost ways to extend energy supplies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Morten Mauritzen, president of ExxonMobil Affiliates in Abu Dhabi. The firm provided $1 million to the project as part of a $5 million commitment to the Emirates Foundation. RIT Dubai’s Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency Group, led by Friess, is also studying the performance of a variety of “e-mobility” (electric vehicle) solutions in the United Arab Emirates (from sustainability, technological and economic standpoints) and the deployment of sustainable energy technology in extreme climates. June 15, 2011
by Michael Saffran Spring 2011 Margaret
Bailey receives Edwina Award for gender diversity. Bailey, a professor of mechanical engineering in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, is the founding member of the women in engineering program, WE@RIT. The organization hosts numerous outreach and community-building programs each year for middle- and high-school-age girls and provides academic and career support for young women in RIT’s engineering programs. She acts as mentor, teacher and researcher. Additionally, she co-chairs the President’s Commission on Women helping to create strategies to increase the representation of female undergraduate students and improve recruitment, retention and advancement of female faculty at RIT. The Edwin  a
Award for Gender Diversity and
Inclusiveness is given by the Center for Women and Gender to
honor
staff and faculty that have made gender diversity at RIT a
significant
part of their work. It is named for Edwina Hogadone, who was
appointed
dean of the College of Business in 1960, becoming the first
female dean
at RIT and the first female dean of a college of business in
the U.S.This is the second year that a member of the Kate Gleason College of Engineering has been recognized for efforts to support and advocate for women at the university. In 2010, Harvey Palmer, dean of the engineering college, was recognized for his support of increasing the acceptance, retention and graduation rates of young women in the engineering programs. Nearly 600 people attended the event on May 2 at RIT’s Gordon Field House. It is sponsored by the Center for Women and Gender, the RIT Leadership Institute and the Office of Alumni Relations. The annual dinner highlights the accomplishments of female students who have excelled in academics, community service and leadership activities, as well as successful alumnae from each of the colleges. The Women’s Career Achievement Certificate program provides an understanding of leadership as it relates to women by helping participants develop confidence when entering leadership roles or their chosen career fields. Certificates were awarded to: Jodie Chibi, Georgeanne Hogan, Emily Levine, Katherine McCooey, Roberta Ofori, Rauncie Ryan, Molly Sebastian, Victoria Mac Pherson and Yamile Rodriguez. Alumnae recognized at the event include: Alison Tyler ’97, ’01, technical director, Beacon Converters Inc., and adjunct professor, packaging science; Susan Smith-Hartmann ’89, chief sonographer, Genesee Valley OB/GYN; Lisa Stauch Smith ’85, senior manager, The Camden Group; Jackie Schertz ’83, ’97, practicum coordinator, ASLIE, NTID; Michelle Koplitz ’08, public health analyst, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Service Administration; Paula Yandow-Reilly ’03, lead programmer analyst, University of Rochester; Jenny Cisney ’99, chief blogger, Eastman Kodak Co.; Megan Thompson ’06, ’08, test manager and agile coach, Xerox Corp.; and Cynthia Gray ’07, managing director, RIT and Rochester General Health Systems Alliance.
Spring
2011 Robert
Stevens has been granted tenure and promoted to
Associate Professor
of Mechanical Engineering Steven
Day has
been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of
Mechanical
Engineering
Winter 2011 Faculty and staff provide strong Pillars of Hope to area elementary studentsAt first, it was hard for the students to imagine that the tall professor in the suit used to be a seventh grader just like them. But when Chance Glenn started to talk about his life growing up, then showed them his grammar school photo, they heard a story about a boy’s perseverance and a grown man’s dream of being a teacher realized. The students made the connection that there were possibilities for them, too. Glenn and his RIT colleagues are part of the Pillars of Hope program, a City of Rochester initiative, where teams of local professionals adopt an elementary or middle school in the Rochester City School District. Team members visit classrooms, lead activities and infuse the learning with real-world stories and examples of how the adults overcame obstacles that the students might encounter in their own quest for success. The RIT Pillars of Hope group is 2 years old and 48 members strong, says Mechanical Engineering Staff Member Venessa Mitchell, the RIT team organizer. She leads the group, often 10 at a time, for visits to Laurie Payne’s seventh grade class at Nathaniel Rochester Community School in Corn Hill.  RIT’s Pillars of Hope team is preparing for its upcoming session, a Jeopardy-styled game show. They will play the popular trivia game with the students Feb. 18 at the school to enhance students’ understanding of the significant contributions of African Americans in business, science and the arts. “The teacher was so excited to see all the men that had come because some of the kids don’t have fathers in their homes,” says Mitchell, an administrative financial coordinator in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. “There is a fair amount of women participating, but there is really a lot of men committed to the programs.” In the United States, less than half of all African American males will complete high school, one third between the ages of 20-29 are in correctional facilities and 69 percent of African American students cannot read at their grade level in the fourth grade, according to researchers at the National PTA and Human Rights Watch. Programs like Pillars of Hope look to change that. The participation of male professionals from RIT can provide the role models necessary to increase the percentages of young, African American males completing high school and aspiring to college, Glenn explains. “We want to show that there are possibilities,” says Glenn, associate dean of RIT Graduate Studies. “We were like them once. We can tell our stories of how we grew up, how we became professionals. And we are hearing their stories through this program.” Glenn’s activity with the photographs took place during last year’s program, and it was about overcoming adversity. He asked all the RIT participants to bring copies of photos from their elementary school years to show the students. “I had to call my mother for a photo,” says Mitchell, laughing. The photos were cut up like puzzle pieces, and the students had to piece them back together. They were then read a short story about that individual’s experience growing up. They’d win prizes for guessing which adult mentor was the ‘child’ in the photo. Glenn expects to do the activity again in this year’s program. The message was also about how there are many pieces of an individual’s life and situations that occur over time that make you who you are, says Mitchell who participated on the Pillars of Hope team at the University of Rochester where she worked before coming to RIT. “RIT is big on community service. I just felt like there was an opportunity to do something like this,” she says. The team will measure the success of the program, following the students and assisting them as they begin to think about professional life and education, especially college, Glenn adds. “Even though many of the students are at risk, they are beautiful, with their bright eyes—we want the light to stay lit.” To learn more about the RIT Pillars of Hope group, contact Venessa Mitchell by phone 475-2162 or email vmmeme@rit.edu.
Spring 2010 Alan Nye Becomes Six-Time Winner of Society of Automotive Engineers Faculty Advisor Award ... International award given in recognition of longtime support to student-engineers
The Society of Automotive Engineers International recognized Alan Nye, professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, with the 2009 Faculty Advisor Award. This marks the sixth time the professor of mechanical engineering in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering has received the prestigious award.
"I am honored to receive this award from SAE, but I am more honored to work with the students that get involved with the design competition teams, particularly the Formula SAE RIT team," says Nye, who has been advisor to the RIT chapter of SAE since 1978 and advisor to the RIT Formula SAE Racecar team since 1991. "Their involvement on this project gives them such a boost for their careers that it gives me tremendous pleasure just to be a part of it."
Alan Nye won
Faculty Advisor Award from the Society of
Nye has received numerous awards for his role as mentor and advisor to the team as well as undergraduates in the college.
"Dr. Nye is not only supportive, but extremely generous," says Kursten O’Neill, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student who is also a member of the Formula team. "The RIT Formula SAE Racing Team would not be the successful racing team it is today if it was not for Dr. Nye."
The Faculty Advisor Award is given annually to college faculty who support and develop undergraduate engineering students, particularly acting as advisors to the collegiate automotive design series teams. The award was given at the 2010 SAE World Congress held April 13-15 in Detroit.
Spring 2010 Kate Leipold Named FIRST Robotics Volunteer of the Year
Juggling 40 robots, nearly 1,000 students, mentors and volunteers plus coordinating two days worth of team matches takes precision, patience and humor. Kate Leipold made it look easy. For her efforts, the engineering instructor from Rochester Institute of Technology was named 2010 FIRST Robotics Outstanding Volunteer for the Finger Lakes Region.
"I'm very proud to be awarded the outstanding volunteer award," says Leipold, an instructor in the mechanical engineering department in RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering.
"Kate has been a tremendous help organizing the dozens of volunteers necessary to make the Finger Lakes event run smoothly," says Richard Bryant, Finger Lakes Regional Planning Committee chairperson. "It takes dedicated volunteers like Kate to make the Finger Lakes Regional at RIT the fun and exciting competition that we have come to expect."
Leipold, a resident of Irondequoit, N. Y., received her bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from RIT. She also has a long history with FIRST Robotics. She is faculty adviser to the FIRST robotics club at RIT and has been a mentor to several local high school teams.
"When I started in 1997, there were three Rochester teams, sponsored by Xerox, Kodak and Harris RF. We traveled to New Jersey, New York City and Cleveland for regional competitions," she says. "Gradually, several more teams joined in, and we were still travelling for competitions.
"In 2003 there were six local teams. Shortly after that it was announced that Rochester would host a regional competition," she explains. "At this year's competition, more than 20 high schools from the local area had teams competing. The kids are still incredibly enthusiastic, the mentors are still dedicated, and the sponsors are even more generous."
This is the second award Leipold has won for service to FIRST. In 2008 she received the Woodie Flowers Award, another of the prestigious awards given to mentors who lead, inspire and empower teams and demonstrate excellence in teaching science, mathematics and creative design. She was nominated by the team she mentored at Churchville Chili High School.
Winter 2010 William Humphrey has been appointed as a lecturer of mechanical engineering at RIT. Bill is an accomplished mechanical engineer experienced in industrial product development testing and testing systems optimization as well as engineering education. His formal education at Carnegie Mellon University was in the area of atomization and sprays and at Case Western Reserve University he studied aerospace engineering. Bill is committed to enabling students to develop intuitive understanding of fundamental concepts to maximize their ability to retain and successfully apply the concepts beyond the classroom. Bill was previously a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and earned his M.S. from Case Western Reserve University in 1992 and his B.S. from Case Western Reserve University in 1987. Bill has taught as an adjunct faculty member here in mechanical engineering since 2002. He has taught "Intro to Automotive Engineering" a number of times, and has taught Fluid Mechanics once. Bill will be teaching multiple Materials Science Labs and Intro to Automotive Engineering this winter quarter, and will be getting trained into other courses in our curriculum at the same time. In addition to his formal training in Aerospace Engineering, Bill has nearly a decade of industrial work experience in the Automotive Industry with Delphi and Trialon Corporations. He has outstanding laboratory experience, and while working at Delphi, he
Fall 2009 Mario Gomes has been appointed as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at RIT.
Mario Gomes earned his PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University, his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell.
An experienced teacher, Dr. Gomes previously served as a lecturer at Arizona State University. He previously worked as a Project Engineer at O;Brien and Gere Manufacturing, and as a Control Systems Engineer at Atlantic Orient corporation. He earlier help a co-op position at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, CA. While at O'Brien and Gere, Dr. Gomes conducted Concept and Detailed Mechanical design and project management for custom furnaces, loaders, and other machinery, Designed, programmed, and performed start-up of electrical controllers for furnaces and machinery, wrote operation manuals for control systems, and Trained others in the operation of the furnaces and machinery.
Fall 2009 Karuna Koppula has been appointed as a visiting assistant professor of mechanical engineering at RIT. Karuna recently completed her PhD in Chemical Engineering at Michigan State University with her dissertation entitled "Universal Realizable Anisotropic Prestress Closure for the Normalized Reynolds Stress". She holds an MS degree in Chemical Engineering from theUniversity of New Hampshire, and a Bachelor's degree from Andhra University. While an engineer at Bechtel National Inc, she conducted Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations of a Pulse Jet Mixer, which investigated simulations of a Pulse Jet Mixer involving multiphase flow turbulence using Fluent to study particle accumulation and suspension characteristics, compared predictions using different turbulence models in Fluent and studied design improvisations, and conducted post-processing of data for simulations involving heat transfer analysis of a storage unit. Spring 2009 RIT's Satish Kandlikar Receives Rochester Engineer of the Year Award Satish Kandlikar, professor at the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology was named this year's Leo H. East Engineer of the Year. The prestigious award is given annually by the Rochester Engineering Society to recognize an individual's contributions to the engineering profession. "This was truly a team effort – of the students, staff
and
administration in the college," Kandlikar says. "These
things do not
happen to just a lone person. This was a collective
success. I feel
that this recognition is really about the countless
students, who
opened their minds in pursuit of knowledge." Kandlikar has been a member of the RIT mechanical engineering department since 1980. He was recognized for his research activities, teaching excellence and contributions to the engineering discipline. His research areas include fuel cells, flow boiling, critical heat flux, contact line heat transfer and advanced cooling techniques. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, editor of the journal Heat Transfer Engineering and founder of the E-Cubed Fair, a science and engineering fair held annually at RIT for area middle school students. In 1997, he was presented with RIT's Eisenhart Outstanding Teaching Award. Outside of the classroom, he manages the Thermal Analysis Lab and advises graduate and Ph.D. students. The award was presented at the 107th Rochester Engineering Society Annual Gala at on March 14 at the Riverside Convention Center. Winter 2009 RIT Receives Grant to Study Recruitment, Retention and Advancement of Female Faculty in ‘STEM' Programs Rochester Institute of Technology was selected as one of 11 schools to receive a prestigious Institutional Transformation Catalyst grant through the National Science Foundation's ADVANCE program. The catalyst grant for $200,000 was awarded for the proposal "Establishing the Foundation for Future Organizational Reform and Transformation @ RIT." The proposal was developed by a cross functional team of faculty and staff who have embarked on a two-year study across five RIT colleges. IT-Catalyst grants support institutional self-assessment activities focused on the recruitment, retention and promotion of female faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics departments, commonly called STEM disciplines within higher education. The goal of the research is to identify barriers for our current women STEM faculty in regards to rank, tenure and leadership role progression," says Margaret Bailey, Kate Gleason Chair and associate professor, Kate Gleason College of Engineering and EFFORT@RIT principal investigator. The team has started to analyze historical data available
from
Human Resources, Faculty Recruitment and Institutional
Research and
Policy Studies, departments at RIT specific to hiring,
tenure,
promotion and retention. The project team will be
developing a climate
study based on this data that will be launched fall of
2009.
EFFORT @ RIT is a means to assess the best practices and
developmental
needs of faculty within the STEM programs to ensure a
diverse
workforce, encourage leadership opportunities within the
profession and
provide role models to young women who also look to take
their place
within STEM fields. "In academia, institutions receiving
ADVANCE grants
have been recognized as those at the forefront of
institutional change
in the area of gender inclusiveness and equity within
faculty ranks,"
Bailey says. Fall 2008 Jason Kolodziej has been appointed as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at RIT.
Fall 2008 David Gee
has
been appointed as an assistant professor of mechanical
engineering at
RIT. Summer 2008 Margaret Bailey wins Women in Science honors.
Spring 2008 Kate Nordland 2008 Rochester Finger Lakes Regional Competition Kate Nordland of Greece, an RIT instructor of mechanical engineering, FIRST planning committee volunteer and mentor to the Churchville-Chili FIRST team, received the Regional Woodie Flowers Award, presented to an outstanding engineer for teaching excellence. Spring 2008 Risa Robinson Professor takes methodical approach in smoking study ‘Smoking machine' measures particle inhalation and effects on human body Research at RIT is seeking to enhance knowledge surrounding the impact of smoking on human health. Risa Robinson, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is utilizing computational modeling, medical imaging and mechanical simulation to illustrate how individual particles inhaled with cigarette smoke affect the body and how they travel from the lungs to other organs. The effort includes the construction of a smoking
machine,
built and designed by RIT students, which will be used to
simulate how
these particles build up over time and the impact the
process can have
on damaging the body's particle-clearance mechanisms. They
are
particularly interested in the impact smoking "Previous research on the impact of particle deposits has focused on inundating laboratory samples with toxins and studying the response, the so-called ‘avalanche' approach," notes Robinson. "The work at RIT uses a ‘snowflake' method whereby particles are allowed to build up over time, as they would in the body." Robinson believes her research can provide better evidence of the real-time effects of smoking and more properly link how particle buildup impacts numerous systems in the body. She also hopes to shed light on how these particles can impact passive smokers, through secondhand smoke, and use her data in additional types of particle analysis, including studying the impacts of nanoparticles and allergens. "Through the use of new computational and imaging technologies we can learn more than ever before about how particle inhalation and buildup affect human health," Robinson adds. "This information will increase our knowledge of the negative effects of smoking and air pollution, while also providing needed information to enhance treatment, including better application of inhaled medications." Robinson's collaborators include Kathleen Lamkin Kennard, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Richard Doolittle, professor and head of the Department of Allied Health Sciences, both at RIT; Todd Pagano, assistant professor of science and mathematics and Director of the Laboratory Science Technology program in RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and undergraduate and graduate student researchers.
Spring 2007 Edward Hensel 2007
Rochester
Finger Lakes Regional Competition Edward Hensel, of Fairport, an RIT professor of mechanical engineering and a mentor for the Fairport High School "Blue Lightning," sponsored by Gleason Corp., received the Regional Woodie Flowers Award, presented to an outstanding engineer for teaching excellence. Fall 2007 Tuhin Das has been appointed as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at RIT.
Fall 2007 Marca Lam has been appointed as a lecturer of mechanical engineering at RIT.
Fall 2006 Satish
Kandlikar October
24, 2006 CONGRESSMAN JOHN R. RANDY KUHL, JR. (NY-29) ANNOUNCES FUNDS FOR ALTERNATIVE FUEL RESEARCH $2.7 million will go to RIT and GM to study fuel cells ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Rep. John R. Randy Kuhl, Jr. (R-Hammondsport) announced the award of a $2.7 million grant for the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), in concert with the General Motors facility in Honeoye Falls, for expanded federal research into automotive fuel cell development. The grant was made by the U.S. Department of Energy. "The ground-breaking work that RIT and GM are doing in alternative fuels right here in our backyard is impressive and vital to our nation's energy independence," said Rep. Kuhl. "These funds will be used to further study how to resolve the water transport issues which can cause negative performance and keeps fuel cells from becoming a viable alternative fuel for commercial purposes. I'm proud of the researchers at RIT and GM for their incredible work in this field and thank the Department of Energy for recognizing that work in this way." "RIT can play an important role in the future of how we power our homes and cars," Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said. "I thank Congressman Kuhl for his leadership in recognizing the need to develop alternative energy sources here in the United States. It's possible that hydrogen may be the key to weaning our nation off of petroleum and thereby reducing our reliance on foreign nations for our energy. The work that is being done at RIT and around the country brings promise of a more energy secure future for America." "The Department of Energy is committed to breaking our addiction to oil by creating a diverse portfolio of clean, affordable and domestically produced energy choices," Secretary Bodman continued. "We expect hydrogen to play an integral role in our energy portfolio and we are eager to see hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the road in the near future." Dr. Albert Simone, President, Rochester Institute of Technology said, "This grant represents an excellent example of higher education-industry collaboration, demonstrating that universities are not only strong partners in, but also drivers of today's economy. It is great news for RIT, the Greater Rochester region and New York State as a whole." Dr. Harvey Palmer, Dean, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, said "I am especially pleased and proud that RIT has received this grant not only because it addresses an area of critical importance to the nation but also because it was earned through rigorous peer review." Dr. Satish Kandlikar, the James E. Gleason Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology said "Developing alternative energy sources requires the latest technological tools to overcome complex scientific and engineering challenges. We are excited to be awarded this project in partnership with Dr. Trabold at General Motors and Dr. Allen at Michigan Technological University. We hope our efforts will contribute in advancing automotive hydrogen fuel cell technology and allow the United States to gain leadership in the world market. We are eager to meet the challenges that lie ahead of us with the help of our talented and dedicated students at RIT." Advanced research associated with this award directly furthers the goals of the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI), an integral part of the President's Advanced Energy Initiative. The HFI seeks to make it practical and cost-effective for large numbers of Americans to choose to purchase fuel cell vehicles by 2020. It primarily involves increasing research and development of hydrogen technologies including hydrogen production from diverse domestic sources; hydrogen storage and; polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The President's 2007 budget requests $289 million for the HFI, an increase of $53 million over FY 2006, to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cells and affordable hydrogen-powered cars. As a result the President's investment in this initiative, the cost of a hydrogen fuel cell has been cut by more than 50 percent in just four years. Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity, with only water and heat as byproducts. They can power small portable devices and provide heat and electricity to buildings, and they can be used to power vehicles, with two to three times the efficiency of traditional internal combustion technologies. Fuel cells are currently more expensive than internal combustion engines, however, and have difficulty maintaining performance over the full useful life of the system. The problem associated with water transport occurs when electricity is produced by a fuel cell as a result of an electrochemical reaction producing protons (hydrogen ions). Thos protons have to move across the membrane of a fuel cell and can only do that if water is present. Too much water can flood the fuel cell and too little causes the membrane to dry out. If either one happens, the fuel cell performance is negatively affected. So research by RIT is needed to understand how water is transported through the membrane to mitigate those problems. Contact Information about this News Release: Bob Van Wicklin Deputy Chief of Staff to Rep. John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (NY-29)
Fall 2006 Benjamin
Varela has been recognized as one of Rochester's
Emerging Latino
Leaders by the Rochester Publication ConXion, to honor the
contributions of Hispanics to our community during
Hispanic Heritage
History Month.
Fall 2006 Kathleen Lamkin Kennard has been appointed as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at RIT.
Fall 2006 Marca Lam has been appointed visiting associate professor of mechanical engineering at RIT. Dr. Lam is filling in for Dr. Kevin Kochersberger, who is on leave during the 2006-07 academic year.
Fall 2005 Steven Day has been appointed as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at RIT.
Fall 2005 Robert Stephens has been appointed as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at RIT.
Fall 2005 Margaret Bailey has been awarded tenure in mechanical engineering. Dr. Bailey, Associate Professor, and Kate Gleason Endowed Chair, is leading college efforts focused on increasing women in engineering program providing outreach to young girls in middle school to consider engineering, science, and technology careers. At the same time, Dr. Bailey is actively engaged in her own research, and is a driving force behind the ME Department's Energy and the Environment Option.
Fall 2005 Elizabeth DeBartolo has been awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor of mechanical engineering. Dr. DeBartolo teaches courses in the areas of materials science, and is engaged in our capstone design project course development. She engages 10 teams of students each year through NSF sponsored projects to develop assistive devices for individuals with disabilities. Dr. DeBartolo plays an important role in the development of the Bioengineering Option in mechanical engineering.
Spring 2005 Ramesh
Shah
has been awarded the coveted Donald Q. Kern Award by the
American
Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute
of Chemical
Engineers.
Fall 2004 Risa Robinson has been awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor of mechanical engineering. "Dr. Robinson exemplifies the role of a teacher-scholar amongst our faculty members here in mechanical engineering at RIT," notes department head Ed Hensel, "I forward to working with Risa as her career develops over the next several years." Dr. Robinson's career goals are three-fold, consisting of an individual research program, collaborative relationships with other researchers, and excellence in engineering education.
Dr.
Robinson's
scholarly activity is directed towards developing a series
of
increasingly sophisticated lung deposition models to
accurately account
for morphology, air flow patterns, subject breathing
variability's and
particle dynamic behavior. She plans to use the models to
predict
carcinogen specific dosimetry,
Dr. Robinson is a central contributor in the department with respect to innovative curriculum changes, and integrating open ended projects and data acquisition tools throughout the curriculum. Dr. Robinson will continue to develop engineering programs for minorities and underrepresented persons from k-12 in engineering, by integrating her research and industry standard equipment into existing outreach activities. The department of mechanical engineering is moving forward with developing a bioengineering option at the undergraduate level, to be offered in a manner analogous to our existing automotive and aerospace engineering options. We anticipate that Dr. Robinson will play a pivotal role in this offering. Dr. Robinson introduced a new course, "ME 756 - Fundamentals of Aerosol Mechanics in Biological Systems" at the graduate level that has inspired young researchers to continue her work in applying engineering science to the study of particle deposition in the lung.
Fall 2004 Stephen Boedo has been awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor of mechanical engineering. "Dr. Boedo is emerging as a significant scholar among our junior faculty members here in mechanical engineering at RIT ..." notes the department head, who observes that "Steven is integrating his research interests with the educational offerings in the department and across the campus as a whole."
Dr. Boedo
has introduced new courses in "Inventive
Problem Solving"
and "Tribology and Lubrication." He recently took
over as faculty
coordinator for the
Dr. Boedo's scholarly activity is headed in three parallel directions. First, he specializes in the computer-aided simulation and design of mechanical systems, with particular emphasis in the design and analysis of fluid-film bearing systems. Current research studies the interaction of thin lubricant films with structurally compliant surfaces, including effects of geometric irregularity, lubricant supply, and lubricant cavitation on predicted mechanical system performance. These analysis methods have proven useful in the real-world understanding of automotive engine bearings, the nonlinear behavior of fluid-film rotors, and the lubrication of artificial human joints. Dr. Boedo's second area of research involves computer simulation and experimental testing of automotive systems and related components. Applications have included contact mechanics of pin-link surfaces in chain link systems, dynamics of engine timing chain systems, simulation and measurement of the shift dynamics in manual, automatic, and continuously variable transmissions, invention of novel dual-speed alternator drives, and modeling and measurement of cross-strand load distributions in link and roller chains.
Fall 2004 Lawrence
Agbezuge has joined the mechanical engineering
department as a
Visiting Associate Professor. Prior to his appointment to
the faculty,
he served two years as Adjunct Professor. He brings over
25 years of
industrial experience to the department along with
part-time teaching
experience.
Dr. Agbezuge received his B.S.M.E. (Honors) in 1966 from the University of Science & Technology, Ghana (awarded under the auspices of Imperial College of Science & Technology, England). He received his M.S.M.E from Columbia University, New York in 1968 and his Dr. Eng. Sci. (Ph. D.) from Columbia University in 1972. Between 2002 and 2004, he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Statics, Numerical Methods and Finite Element Analysis at RIT.
Most of Dr. Agbezuge's industrial experience involved the creation of mathematical models and computer programs that were used for investigative work and for designing and optimizing engineering systems and subsystems His work in the 1970's included the maintenance of a drilling riser simulation program that was used for offshore drilling operations by Exxon Production Research Company, Houston, Texas. He was also responsible for monitoring the testing and development of buoyancy modules that were required for offshore drilling operations. In the 1980's he created mathematical models that were useful in understanding and interpreting experimental data related to ink-paper interactions. His work helped in defining driving mechanisms that controlled print quality in ink jet printers. In recognition of his work, Dr. Agbezuge served for two consecutive years as invited lecturer at the 13th and 14th International IS&T (Imaging Science and Technology) Conferences held at Seattle, WA and Toronto, Canada. At the conferences, he provided tutorials on Ink-Media Interactions. In the 1990's and the early part of the 2000's he worked on several projects related to paper deformation in xerographic machines and also on reliability engineering problems. Subsequently, he provided computational and programming support for projects related to ink jet technology, image processing algorithm development and color calibration of scanners and printers. He also spent some time creating SIMD programs (as an alternative to FPGAs and ASICs) to determine whether parallel computing would provide acceptable speedup for certain image processing algorithms.
One of Dr. Agbezuge's primary goals at RIT is to integrate modern computational methods into appropriate mechanical engineering courses and to make the ME graduate from RIT well-prepared for performing industrial computational tasks.
Summer 2004 Ramesh Shah, research professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Advanced Fuel Cell Research Laboratory in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, was named a Distinguished Lecturer on fuel-cell technology by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Shah becomes one of only 16 such lecturers, representing all fields of mechanical engineering, among more than 100,000 society members. The organization will support presentations by Shah at national and international section meetings for three years beginning July 1. Shah also was awarded an Honorary Professorship at Xi'an Jiaotong University and a Guest Professorship at Tsinghua University, both in China, where he recently lectured on fuel cell technology and compact heat exchangers. Shah, of East Amherst, N.Y., has been on the RIT faculty since 2001.
Summer
2004 Ali Ogut, professor of mechanical engineering, was named chair of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fluids Engineering Division. Ogut, of Pittsford, specializes in energy efficient and environmentally friendly industrial equipment design and analysis, fluid dynamics and mixing, and turbo machinery flows. He has been on the RIT faculty since 1985.
Summer 2004 Ramesh Shah, research professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Advanced Fuel Cell Research Laboratory in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, was named a distinguished lecturer on fuel-cell technology by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was awarded an Honorary Professorship at Xi'an Jiaotong University and a Guest Professorship at Tsinghua University, both in China, where he recently lectured on fuel cell technology and compact heat exchangers. He presented a similar lecture at Beijing University of Technology.
Summer 2004 Ali Ogut, professor
of mechanical
engineering, in Rochester
Institute of
Technology's Kate Gleason College of Engineering
received $222,612 from
the New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority to develop
a particulate trap to clean diesel, coal and gasoline
engine emissions.
The device cleans emissions by charging and trapping
sub-micron
particles and oxidizing them to gases, thus reducing air
pollution.
Last year, NYSERDA gave RIT $205,000 for the first phase
of the
project, which is being led by Ali Ogut, RIT professor
of mechanical
engineering. RIT provided additional funding of
$202,000. The latest
grant is part of more than $15 million in statewide
funding to support
development of clean and efficient advanced technologies
for use in
combined heat and power applications. "Support from
NYSERDA shows
commitment to energy efficiency and improving the
environment of New
York state," Ogut says.
Preparing
for
a powerful future.
Summer 2004 Satish
Kandlikar Gleason Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at Rochester
Institute of Technology, received the IBM Faculty Award
for the second
consecutive year. The award recognizes his research into
computer chip
cooling
Kevin Kochersberger, associate professor of mechanical engineering, gave presentations at Rochester Museum & Science Center and at Virginia Tech on his participation in the Countdown to Kitty Hawk centennial celebration and his Dec. 17 re-enactment of the Wright brothers' first powered flight.
Spring 2004 Alan Nye, professor of mechanical engineering, received the 2004 Excellence in Engineering Education Award from SAE International at the SAE 2004 World Congress in Detroit. The award recognizes outstanding contributions in support of Society of Automotive Engineers engineering education initiatives, including SAE Collegiate Design Series competitions. Nye has advised RIT's Formula SAE team since 1991.
Spring 2004 Alan Nye
was
elected to the society's board of directors, becoming one
of only 21
directors among 84,000 members in 100 countries. Nye is a
five-time
recipient of the society's Faculty Advisor Award for
excellence. He has
advised RIT's student Josef Török of Brighton has been selected a recipient of the 2003 Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching from Rochester Institute of Technology. The prestigious award recognizes faculty excellence as determined through rigorous peer review. Students like his lively classes and easy-going nature. Despite the latter, he admits, he's also demanding. "I expect my students to work hard," he says. Török's passion and communication skills help him connect with students and explain what can be abstract concepts of nonlinear dynamics, mathematical modeling and computational methods, his areas of expertise. "I go way out on the limb to explain everything in complete detail, to make the complicated look easy," Török says. And, he adds, he can sense when he's getting through to his students. "I'm totally in touch with my group," he says. "I know exactly when they're following me and when they're stumbling." Török joined the RIT faculty in 1986 from The Ohio State University, where he taught and earned his master's and doctoral degrees. In addition to teaching, he's founder and director of RIT's Estelle H. and Howard F. Carver Engineering Learning Center and active in RIT's new microsystems engineering Ph.D. program. He also concentrates on writing, both professionally and recreationally. Török wrote Analytical Mechanics with an Introduction to Dynamical Systems, an instructor's solutions manual to Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, other supplemental text material and numerous journal articles. He's currently working on engineering and mathematics books, a medieval romance novel (so far about 50 pages along, and "quite the opposite of everything I do," he says) and a cookbook containing recipes of 150 German, Hungarian and Mediterranean dishes. The Esztergom, Hungary native enjoys cooking—especially outdoor grilling and Hungarian meals—and playing blues and jazz on the guitar. He travels yearly to Germany, where his youngest son Steven works as a systems analyst, and every other year to Hungary. Another son, Joseph, is an RIT student majoring in information technology. Interacting with students, Török adds, keeps him feeling young. "I love sharing in their discoveries and their learning. It brings me a lot of joy." RIT's Eisenhart Award for Outstanding
Teaching was
established in 1965 by the Eisenhart family to recognize
faculty
excellence. Winners are chosen through rigorous peer
review of student
nominations. The late M. Herbert Eisenhart, chairman and
president of
Bausch & Lomb Inc., was an RIT trustee for more than
50 years.
Richard Eisenhart, trustee emeritus and past chairman of
RIT's board of
trustees, has served on the board since 1972. Satish Kandlikar RIT helps develop Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MRE) heating technology Steaming hot entrée selections like Pot Roast and Thai Chicken could be straight from the menu of any five-star restaurant—but on the battlefield? Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, are served in the deserts of the Middle East and throughout the world, providing sustenance, and a taste of home, to U.S. troops. MRE heating technology making hot meals possible was developed with help from researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology. Further, RIT is developing similar technology for hot drinks and thermal sterilization of surgical instruments on the battlefield, as well as "tub rations" that will permit hot meals for groups of soldiers. Here's how it works: magnesium combined with water produces heat, says Satish Kandlikar, RIT professor of mechanical engineering and director of the university's Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Laboratory. Water added to a plastic pouch containing a magnesium-and-salt mixture makes a "heater" for MREs, he explains. Kandlikar notes his students helped develop the technology to optimize heat generation and delivery in MREs. The device has been part of every MRE used by U.S. troops since the Persian Gulf War in 1991. "Applying high-tech research tools to enhance support of soldiers in battlefield conditions is something for which we're very proud," says Kandlikar.
RIT Mechanical Engineering - We Design the Future!
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Automotive
Engineers for his mentoring and academic support of
student-engineers,
particularly those like, Matt Smith (left), project
manager for the RIT
SAE Formula Racecar Team.
It
takes approximately 100 volunteers a day, Wednesday
through Saturday,
to pull the competition together. "I've been lucky to have
really great
volunteers that come back year after year and work
tirelessly to make
the Finger Lakes Regional well respected as one of the
smoothest run
regional events around," Leipold explains about the team
that includes
college students, retired business and engineering
professionals, team
mentors and individuals she describes as "friends of
FIRST." 
has on teenagers,
whose lungs are affected to a greater extent due to having
smaller
airways. The research is funded through a grant from the
American
Cancer Society and is being conducted in cooperation with
RIT's
Departments of Medical and Biological Sciences and Medical
Illustration. 
Varela was
recognized for his major
accomplishments which include: Varela is the faculty
advisor to the RIT
section of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers,
and is
actively involved with the Northstar Center at RIT. He has
published
his research on Geopolymeric materials internationally,
and has worked
with small businesses in Rochester on technology
development. In 2005,
Dr. Varela was recognized by the NTID for his commitment
to equal
access for students with disabilities. 
The award is named
in honor of
Donald Q. Kern, a pioneer in process heat transfer, and
recognizes an
individual's expertise in a given field of heat transfer
or energy
conversion. Recipients of the award must have made
significant
contributions to applied heat transfer or conversion or in
the
translation of research results into useful technological
applications.
Each recipient is prepares an extensive written review on
a topic of
their choice, which is usually published in an AIChE
publication. The
award consists of a plaque and $1500. Dr. Satish Kandlikar
notes that "I
take particular pride as I have been associated with
Ramesh for over
two decades during his exemplary career at General
Motores, and later
requested him to join RIT to lead the ME Department's
fuel cell
initiative when I was the department head."
human
risk assessment and
toxicology relationships for all ages, specifically
children with
healthy and diseased lungs such as patients with asthma,
bronchitis or
other chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders. 
Design
of Machine
Elements class, a core course in the ME Department, in
anticipation of
the retirement of Professor Budynas. 
and
microchannels
and includes a grant from IBM Corp. for future research.
Kandlikar has
been a member of RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering
faculty
since 1980. He also serves as director of RIT's Thermal
Analysis and
Microfluidics Laboratory, associate director of RIT's
Advanced Fuel
Cell Research Laboratory, and associate editor of the
Journal of Heat
Transfer, published by ASME International. He is on the
research
proposal review panel of Fluid Physics NRA, part of NASA's
Physical
Sciences Division, and is currently working on projects
sponsored by
General Motors Corp. and the National Science Foundation.
He was editor
in chief of the book, Handbook of Phase Change: Boiling
and
Condensation, and he wrote chapters for the books, Compact
Heat
Exchanger Design and Handbook of Multiphase Flow and Heat
Transfer,
along with more than 100 journal articles and conference
papers.
Spring
2004
chapter of SAE
since 1978 and the university's Formula race-car team
since its
inception in 1991. In 2003, he was honored with the Carrol
Smith
Mentor's Cup, presented by the Sports Car Club of America,
in
recognition of outstanding mentoring. "I have been
involved with
student design competition teams for the past 25 years
because they
give students an incomparable educational opportunity,"
says Nye, a
member of the RIT faculty since 1977. "The fact I love it
also helps."
The Society of Automotive Engineers is the primary sponsor
of Formula
SAE student competitions. RIT's Formula team has competed
in national
and international competitions yearly since 1993 and was
international
champion in 1999.
"I
love teaching," says Török, a
professor of mechanical engineering in RIT's Kate
Gleason College of
Engineering. 