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Students in the News Also, Check out
this link for more information about our students! Students
Present Research at Symposium  presented their
work throughout the day at Louise Slaughter Hall and the
Center for Student Innovation.Photo by A. Sue Weisler RIT Formula Racecar impresses competition at two international meets Team places in top-10 overall in SAE Student Austria and Germany Summer 2011 RIT Formula Racing’s highest event placements in the 2011 season came in autocross and acceleration, the two events where speed is essential. Adding strong placements in the other dynamic events gave the RIT team top-10 finishes at each of its international competitions in Austria and Germany this summer. In its most recent event, Formula Student Germany, RIT placed fifth overall among 78 cars from Europe, Canada, India and the U.S. In separate events, the team placed in the top four in endurance, autocross and skidpad and won the acceleration event.  All teams lined
up prior to the static and dynamic events at SAE Student
Germany. The RIT team competed in two international meets
this year and placed in the top-10 in both. While in Austria in late July, the team placed eighth in cost and presentation. In the dynamic events the team placed second in autocross and seventh in both skidpad and acceleration. They were ninth overall among 32 teams. “We decided to participate in two international events because we feel it gives RIT better exposure and gives us a more meaningful experience,” says RIT Formula SAE Team Manager John Scanlon. “Not only do we learn about European culture, but we consistently prove that an American engineering school can play on the same field as the best-of-the-best in Europe. The success of our team combined with our international exposure has also been an extraordinary advantage to our members when searching for employment.”  In the
SAE Student Germany competition, RIT Formula Racing took
fifth place overall among 78 cars from colleges and
universities across Europe, Canada, India and the U.S. RIT Formula Racing opened its season in May at Michigan International Raceway and placed 21st among 121 teams after a mechanical failure took them out of serious contention for a top-3 finish. However, the team was a design event finalist in the competition, says Scanlon, an honor only awarded to the best-engineered cars. In October, the group will participate in the annual Toronto Shootout, an invitational meet organized by the University of Toronto at Mosport International Raceway. Aug. 19, 2011 by Michelle Cometa Student
Aero
Design Team opens competition in Georgia While the team did not take top placements in the Georgia event, it was an opportunity to get back into major competitions after a lengthy break, says Nathan Hardman, team project manager. The RIT Aero Club had not competed since 2008. Competitors must complete a lengthy fly-over circuit with increasing payload weights. The team needed to make several repairs to the plane before its final flight. The motor mount of the plane ripped apart when the plane crashed on take-off, when it rolled two feet off the ground, Hardman explains.  “It was an enjoyable time though, and we learned a lot about how to improve for next year,” he adds. “We’re looking forward to competing again.” Hardman, who was instrumental in getting the team prepared for the regional SAE Aero event, has been a member of the club since starting at RIT and served as its president for the last two years. “Anyone can join the club, even with no experience building planes, and they can learn. I remember going to my first meeting of the club as a freshman with no experience and I just kept on going,” he says. The Tyndall, S.D., resident will graduate this month with a degree in mechanical engineering and looks to continue in the aerospace field. He had several successful co-op experiences with the U.S. Navy, working on the next generation rail gun in Dahlgren, Va., testing instrumentation and collecting data for next generation rail guns on board. “My experience working in the mechanical engineering field has been great,” he says. “I really look forward to my future endeavors after I graduate.” The RIT team raised money to get to the competition through a series of fundraisers including teaching an elective class on building planes. Members of the club teach the one-credit course in the club’s design lab located in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. They provide three sections of the course that has become popular for those looking to fly the radio-controlled planes competitively or as a hobby. Marion
garners
Empire 8 Track and Field weekly honor Marion tied his season-best time and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 400-meter hurdles. He won the event in 53.38 seconds at the Oneonta State May Meet on Saturday. Marion equaled the time he hit last weekend at the NYSCTC Championships. The Tigers return to action on Thursday and Friday, as they travel to the ECAC Championships, hosted by Moravian College. RIT Air Force ROTC Graduate Kathryn Miles Receives Prestigious Sijan Award Alumna recognized for heroism and leading reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan Winter 2011 First Lt. Kathryn Miles spent more than a year leading a team in one of the most volatile areas of the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, helping to improve security and reconstruct buildings destroyed in combat. For these rebuilding efforts, Miles, a 2007 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, was one of only four Air Force officers and enlisted personnel awarded the Lance P. Sijan United States Air Force Leadership Award. “I was truly humbled when I heard that I was even being considered for this award,” says Miles. “Knowing what other airmen went through during their deployment experiences in other, more dangerous provinces, makes it hard to believe I’ll be getting handed this award over anyone else.” Miles graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. She served in Panjshir Province, located in the mountains of northeast Afghanistan, from July 2009 to June 2010 as a civil engineer.  Photo by RIT Air Force ROTC Detachment 538 RIT and Air Force ROTC graduate First Lt. Kathryn Miles proudly displays an American flag during her deployment in the northern mountain region of Panjshir Province in Afghanistan. She recently received the Sijan Award, one of the military’s highest honors, for leadership. Provincial reconstruction teams, lead by the U.S. and its NATO allies, consisted of military personnel from all branches of service along with civilian members of different government agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Agency for International Development. Rounding out teams were Afghan contractors, interpreters and construction personnel. The Sijan Award is also given in recognition of heroism. While working, Miles and members of her team defended themselves after an improvised explosive device went off near her vehicle. The group held off insurgents that fired upon the four-vehicle convoy long enough for the Afghan National Police to arrive and apprehend 13 suspects. The nomination for the award by her superiors was humbling, says Miles. The Rochester native says the men and women who were part of the convoy “all hold an equal piece of this accomplishment. I am absolutely not a hero, and I’m no more courageous than anyone else serving their country. It is a strange feeling knowing that I’ll be the person receiving such a prestigious award.” Lt. Col. Mark Avery, commander of RIT’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 538 and professor of Aerospace Studies, says winning the Sijan Award is a very big deal. “It’s the Air Force’s highest leadership award, and Lt. Miles winning it speaks directly to the great quality of graduates produced by RIT and Detachment 538,” says Avery. “We are all very proud of her accomplishment and thankful for her service.” Military service is a family affair for Miles, as she and her husband, Brent, are both Air Force veterans. While Miles was in Afghanistan, her husband was deployed to Iraq. Both have since been re-stationed to South Korea, but at different bases. Brent Miles serves at Kunsan AFB, while Kathryn Miles is stationed a few hours away at Daegu AFB. Both are awaiting information about their next assignments. Miles also acknowledged her parents, John and Nancy Berens, for their support and “for constantly worrying about me and, while I was deployed, for sending me anything I asked for and more,” she says. “I think during my nine months in Afghanistan, they spent more time at the post office than a lot of mailmen do.”
Dwight Cooke receives accolades from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society Winter
2011
Cooke made a presentation based on his paper, “Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Over Micro-grooved Surfaces.” In it, he evaluated silicon chips with different surface geometries and tested them under boiling conditions to look at how effective they are at heat transfer. “It was really surprising to win for a second year,” says Cooke, who won in the graduate student category. “Last year they had awards for just an overall graduate presentation, but this year it was categorized between master’s-level and Ph.D.-level presentations.” The conference hosts Native American, First Nations and Native Hawaiian students from universities around the country to highlight their academic achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematical disciplines and to encourage their growth as future leaders of tribal communities. This year, more than 1,800 students participated.  “What was really nice was being able to go to the conference with the other students in RIT’s chapter and the faculty advisers from the Future Stewards Program. We were able to meet other students from different schools, and I realized that through the Future Stewards Program, RIT has more outreach for Native Americans compared to other universities,” says Cooke, who is a St. Regis Mohawk Tribe member who grew up in Castleton, N.Y. “We recruit students from the high school level, but also have the Native American Advisory Council, which puts in place a framework of cooperation between the leaders of the Haudenosaunee nations, state government officials and President Destler.” Cooke has been an active member of the research work done at the Thermal Analysis, Microfluidics and Fuel Cell Lab in the engineering college since 2007. He began as a co-op student working with Satish Kandlikar, professor of mechanical engineering and one of the foremost researchers in fuel-cell technologies. “I work on heat transfer analysis for chip cooling,” Cooke explains. “I had a co-op in the lab as an undergraduate, and was working on fuel cells, but now my thesis topic is about maximum heat transfer and boiling properties. Studies like this one are most important for people researching electronic chip cooling, but boiling also has other applications for nuclear power generation and even inkjet printing.” Over the summer, Cooke joined Kandlikar at the 8th Annual International Conference on Nano-channels, Micro-channels and Mini-channels in Montreal and co-presented “Pool Boiling Heat Transfer and Bubble Dynamics Over Plain and Enhanced Microchannels.” “Dr. Kandlikar has helped me to produce a conference paper as well as a journal paper out of my research,” says Cooke. “My plan is to finish my thesis and graduate at the end of the winter quarter.” RIT Formula SAE Team Formula Race Team Wins in California RIT racecar outperforms 58 teams to successfully defend last year’s title Summer 2010 The Formula Race Team at Rochester Institute of Technology was the top finisher at this year’s California SAE Collegiate Design Series event June 16-19 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. RIT took the championship against 58 teams from around the United States, across Canada and from India, Venezuela, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil and Sweden. With points and top event placements, the RIT Formula team took first place overall followed by universities from Oklahoma, Washington state and Alberta, Canada. RIT, Oklahoma and Washington also received SAE Spirit of Excellence Awards, given to the event’s top three overall finishers. RIT Formula driver Taylor Hattori reacts to winning the endurance event. He and his teammates took first place overall in the SAE Formula West competition for the second year in a row. Photo by ME Student Ashley Shoum. "It is still unbelievable to think that, as a team, we have been able to successfully defend our title after last year's victory. Winning the competition last year was a feat the team had never been able to accomplish before—a first place finish on American soil. Now, to think that we have been able to overcome all of the challenges and obstacles in our way yet one more time is simply amazing," says Timothy Monahan, team member of four years. The team sent a crew out to California the weekend before the competition to do some final testing and tuning of the racecar, said Matt Smith, project manager, RIT Formula SAE Racing Team. "The group did an amazing amount of work to have the car in race condition by Wednesday, the first day of the event. Twenty-one members of the team were present and we were supported by many alumni and families in California," he adds. RIT took second place in both the design and presentation events as well as third in both acceleration and cost events. Additionally, the team placed fifth in autocross and sixth in the skid pad category. In the endurance portion of the competition, RIT managed to hold onto first after fuel system troubles began about two-thirds of the way through the race. "It was a great piece of driving from both Aleksey Kovtun and Taylor Hattori to get us first in the endurance event," says Smith. "Not only were the driver’s fast, but they also knew how to preserve the car to get us across the finish line." John Scanlon, the RIT Formula team engine group leader, agreed. "We had a fuel leak internal to our fuel cell which caused a fuel starvation issues in the second half of our endurance run," he explains. "Taylor used excellent judgment, having already known that the Oregon State car had dropped from endurance; he decided to take it easy in case the car was actually running out of fuel." RIT had the best time in the event despite the fuel leak. Only 19 cars completed the demanding, 22-lap race. "I am very proud to be a member of the RIT Formula SAE Racing Team as we have continually made our mark in the collegiate racing world one year after another," says team member Kursten O’Neill. "Our collaborative talent and dedication amazes me as we move forward each racing season " by Michelle Cometa, June 24, 2010 Cornell, Windsor and RIT Claim Top Positions at Baja SAE Rochester Event International event hosted at RIT welcomes nearly 1,000 college competitors Summer 2010
Baja was back in Rochester and off-road race teams braved the elements, hills, rocks and water at the 2010 Baja SAE Rochester World Challenge June 11-13. Cornell University won the overall championship, and host team Rochester Institute of Technology had its two cars place third and tenth overall.
For three days, 89 collegiate design teams from the United States, Canada, South Korea, India, France and Venezuela participated in hill climbs, chain pulls, suspension and traction tests, all culminating in a four-hour endurance event through the land course and water obstacle.
"It was a remarkable event, from start to finish," said Sam Barill, manager of collegiate programs, SAE International. The Society of Automotive Engineers organization sponsors national and international student engineering design events such as the Rochester Challenge.
Barill praised the RIT planning committee for a strong, well-planned event and very tough field course. This is the third time RIT has hosted one of the major U.S. events.
"I love the sound of hundreds engines revving up," stated Ryan Hurley, RIT Baja team member, at the start of the endurance final. "This event was awesome." Teammate Matt Maccione, driving the #83 car, led for most of the endurance race followed by the second RIT car, driven by Nick Liotta. Canadian teams from the University of Windsor, University of Laval and Ecole de Technologie Superieure made a strong showing in the endurance final and dynamic events.
For several of the teams, including Cornell, this was the first time competing in the water challenge. "We had been working especially hard on research, design and testing of our flotation and propulsion systems to get up to speed with teams that have been floating for years," says Andrew Cypher, co-team leader for Cornell University. The Big Red Racing team placed third in the event.
One of the final awards given, The Determination Award, went to Troy Page and James Coleman. While most crews average 15 members, the two-man team from James Madison University in Virginia, alternated driving responsibilities for all events throughout the weekend.
"We practiced at the lake near school," said Page, an industrial design student at the college, "and we figured, 'hey, the car floats, let's go."
Overall Performance - 1st place — Cornell University #10 car 2nd place — University of Windsor #60 3rd place — Rochester Institute of Technology #5 car
Individual Event – First Place Finishers Design Report — Michigan Tech Cost Award — University of Maryland, Baltimore County Overall Dynamic Events — Cornell University Hill Climb — University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Acceleration — University of Wisconsin, Madison Land Maneuverability — University of Laval (Canada) Water Maneuverability — Memorial University of Newfoundland Suspension — University of Laval Endurance — Rochester Institute of Technology #83 car Teamwork — Michigan Tech Rookie Team Award — Memorial University of Newfoundland by Michelle Cometa, June 14, 2010 Student Team Wins Environmental Protection Agency Collegiate Design Competition Honorable Mention Low-emission cook stove developed to help reduce fuel consumption, decrease deforestation and provide economic incentives in Haiti Spring 2010 Paul Polak of the International Development Enterprise
organization stated that the majority of the world’s
designers focus their efforts on developing products and
services for the richest 10 percent of the world’s
customers. The remaining 90 percent need many of the same
services, yet have the least amount of resources to
acquire or develop them. Students from Rochester Institute of Technology
participated in a national design competition that could
help to turn the balance. They were awarded honorable
mention for their cook stove project that has the
potential to provide a beneficial resource for Haiti,
especially as it recovers from the January earthquake. RIT was one of 42 collegiate teams entered in the
National Sustainable Design Expo that took place April
23-26 in Washington, D. C. The expo was sponsored by the
Environmental Protection Agency as part of its People,
Prosperity and the Planet Awards Program. "Being honored for our design of an innovative stove at
the expo was thrilling. We just hope the project can
continue because there is such a great need for improved
stoves," says Gam Chaijaroonrat, a fifth-year mechanical
engineering student and leader of the stove-testing team.
Participants at the event in Washington, D.C. were (left
to right) Luke Poandl, Ian Donahue, Rob Stevens (faculty
advisor), Shawn Hoskins, Gam Chaijaroonrat, Young Jo
Fontaine, Dan Scannell, Kevin Molocznik, Neal McKimpson,
Chris Brol, and Rick Lux (faculty advisor). "The students did a great job showing off their work to
the public," says Robert Stevens, assistant professor in
the RIT mechanical engineering department, who supervised
the student research. Stevens had also been lead
researcher on a previous engineering project to improve
LED lighting in developing countries. "Lighting is big,
but cook stoves—this is even bigger," he says. Meeting the design and sustainability challenge A multidisciplinary team of undergraduate students in the
Kate Gleason College of Engineering at RIT developed a
stove that uses natural resources efficiently utilizing
thermoelectrics and a simple blower. The student team
focused on use of the stove in Haiti, one of the poorest
countries in the western hemisphere, according to the
World Health Organization. Use of a cook stove is the primary means of preparing
meals by nearly half of the world’s population. Without
electricity or other alternative energy sources,
individuals use wood from local forests or other
biomaterials at increased rates, triggering the domino
effect of deforestation, erosion and changes to natural
ecosystems. In Haiti, only about 4 percent of the original
forest on the island remains, a considerable decrease on
an island that was once a tropical forest, Stevens
explains. "We decided to use a combustion process known as updraft
gasification in our stove’s design. We also optimized
fluid flow in our stove. This greatly reduces fuel
consumption and emissions compared to the current stoves
being used," says Kevin Molocznik, a fifth-year mechanical
engineering student. "With the use of thermoelectrics, the stove will be able
to run a small blower while also charging small electrical
devices such as cell phones or LED lights, a huge benefit
for areas where there is no electrical power available,"
adds Luke Poandl, also a fifth-year electrical engineering
student. In addition to designing the cook stove, the team is
planning to develop a business model toward the
manufacture and maintenance of the stoves. "Because most Haitians are living on less than $2 per
day, developing an affordable stove is critical and
challenging. Our current design uses recycled steel drums,
readily available. The skill set for processing drums
already exists, which enables us to keep the stove cost
below $10 and provide the opportunity for local
manufacturing," says Chris Brol, another of the mechanical
engineering students on the team. Making use of local community connections The team collaborated with Haiti Outreach Pwoje Espwa,
H.O.P.E., a local non-profit agency doing development work
in the areas of health care, education and economics in
Borgne, Haiti. "They worked thoughtfully and gathered information about
the cultural and economic aspects of food preparation in
rural Haiti, the ecological problems caused by charcoal
production and also the health issues that are caused by
the use of charcoal," says Rose-Marie Chierici, executive
director of H.O.P.E. "I believe that the cook stove they
designed stands a very good chance of being accepted. It
is safer and more economic, and at the same time will not
disrupt the way people like to prepare their food. I am
sure that it will be well received." Stevens says the team is going to try to continue
developing the stove and seek other funding opportunities. by Michelle Cometa, May 12, 2010 RIT Aero Design Team Spring 2010
Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired Magazine, was a speaker in early June at a College of Imaging Arts and Science "Future of Reading Conference." In a series of publications, he has identified important new trends in the economy and described new business models for seizing the business opportunities they represent. With his bestseller, The Long Tail, he explained why the future of business is selling small quantities of more things to the few people who want those things; how all of those small communities together make up a vast market potential, and how the efficiencies of digital and web technology make it possible. His new book, Free: The Past and Future of a Radical Price, has generated incredible interest, buzz and debate over the concept of "freeconomics"—what business models look like when free has emerged as a full-fledged economy. Anderson has worked previously at The Economist, and he served as an editor at the two premier science journals, Science and Nature.
After his
presentation, Dean Frank Cost from the College of Imaging
Arts and
RIT Formula SAE Team Formula Race Team Takes Fifth Place Among 120 Teams at Michigan Event Top ten placements in autocross, acceleration and endurance categories Spring 2010 The Formula Race Team at Rochester Institute of
Technology got off to a fast start at its first
competition May 13–15, taking fifth place overall at the
Formula SAE Michigan event at Michigan International
Speedway. The team opened the 2010 season at one of the
largest national competitions among the 120 collegiate
design teams from around the world. Brian Reinheimer, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, takes the green flag for the acceleration event at the recent SAE Formula competition at Michigan International Speedway. Reinheimer led the RIT team to a ninth place finish among 100-plus teams in the individual event. Photo by RIT ME Student Timothy Monahan. The RIT team placed third in the presentation event, sixth in endurance, skid pad and cost categories. They had a seventh place finish in the autocross event. The team placed ninth in the acceleration category, up from fifteenth place at last year’s event. "It was a good four days of competition in Michigan and we came away with an overall finish of fifth place," says Matt Smith, team project manager. "By the time dynamic events started on Friday it was warm and sunny, providing great track conditions for our car." Concerns that traveling costs might impact the number of teams competing were unfounded, Smith explained, with many European and Asian teams making the trip to Michigan for the opener. Teams from the United States, Canada, Turkey, India, Greece, Germany, Japan, Australia and Brazil were represented. The RIT Formula SAE Racing Team defends its overall championship June 16-19 in California at the Auto Club Speedway. It will close the 2010 season Aug. 4-8 at the SAE Formula Student Germany. by Michelle Cometa, May 26, 2010 International Race Teams Compete at Baja SAE Rochester World Challenge Collegiate off–road vehicles challenge terrain and water in events June 11-13 Spring 2010 After the excitement of its recent first place overall win at Baja SAE Washington, the Rochester Institute of Technology Baja team will host some of those same competitors in its hometown event. For the third time, Rochester will be home to the Rochester World Challenge, June 11-13 at RIT’s Gordon Field House and at Hogback MX in Palmyra, Wayne County. There are 89 teams with nearly 700 participants from across the United States, Canada, India, France, South Korea and Venezuela expected for the event. In addition to RIT, local teams include Monroe Community College and the University of Rochester. Statewide representatives registered are from Cornell, Clarkson and Syracuse universities. Teams participate in static and dynamic events over the course of the three days. Technical inspections, design judging and dynamic brake
inspections begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, June 11, at the
Gordon Field House at RIT. The events continue throughout
the day, with design finals at 5 p.m. Beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 12, events taking place at Hogback Hill Motorcross include the hill climb, acceleration, suspension and traction competitions, as well as the land and water maneuverability challenges. The event concludes with the four-hour endurance race at 8:30 a.m. Photo by College of Applied Science and Technology Professor Marty Gordon, team advisor. "It is very interesting to see how well—or not well—the teams work together," says Marty Gordon, associate professor in the College of Applied Science and Technology, and team advisor. "This is a high energy, intense activity taken very seriously by the participants. I get a kick out of watching the excitement of the participants and I also enjoy seeing many former RIT Baja members and alumni come back to RIT to help run the event." The event is free and open to the public at RIT and at the Hogback Hill Motorcross site. by Michelle Cometa, May 28, 2010 Baja Team Takes First Place at Washington Event After numerous top-10 finishes, team takes major award at biggest event of the season Spring 2010 The Rochester Institute of Technology Baja SAE team placed first overall for the first time on U.S. soil in its recent national meet May 19–22 in Washington state. In its 20-plus year history, the team has made the top 10 overall on numerous occasions but had not received the top prize until this meet. The team placed first in the rock climb event and second in maneuverability and it had top placements in endurance, hill climb and design portions of the competition. RIT competed against 99 other collegiate design teams from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, South Africa and India. "I’ve been extremely impressed with our diverse group of students. They are one of the best teams I’ve been associated with in a long time," says Marty Gordon, team advisor. RIT entered two cars in the event. The second car also
had a top-10 placement, taking seventh place overall. It
placed third in the grueling four-hour endurance event. Photo by Christina Buettner. The RIT Baja SAE Team placed first overall for the first time on U.S. soil in its recent national meet May 19-22 in Washington state. It competed against 99 other collegiate design teams from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, South Africa and India. RIT Baja’s first event was in 1980. It was one of 21 teams competing in the Baja East event. After a brief break from competitions in the mid-1990s, the team has consistently competed in at least three competitions yearly. Events have grown with an average of 90 teams participating, many from international colleges. "It is great to see how far the team has come since we restarted in 1997. It is with great pleasure to see their first place victory especially heading into the final Baja SAE event hosted at Rochester, New York," says Jason Rounds, an RIT Baja alumnus. Rounds is currently an engineer at Honda Manufacturing in Alabama. He was instrumental in resurrecting the RIT Baja program in 1997. Since then, the team has gone on to become a consistent top 20 finisher in the world, he adds. "This is a world-class student-run organization. These students have proven their ability to take knowledge from the classroom and apply it to the real world. I can't wait to see how the team does coming home to Rochester to compete in the in the Baja SAE Rochester World Challenge," says Gordon. David Monahan FIRST Robotics: New teams, new mentors for Breakaway Winter 2010 FIRST Robotics crosses many technical boundaries, but also interpersonal communications boundaries. Getting the new game, called Breakaway, means that participants have to not only build a robot to certain specifications, but also train team members, drivers and coaches in how they will communicate during the competition. There are numerous veteran teams in the regional competition, but every year there are a few new teams that come on the scene and have to be able to negotiate the playing field, avoid bumping other robots and move into range—in this case to ‘kick' a soccer ball into a goal using a rolling robot. This year Rochester School for the Deaf joins the regional competition line up. David Monahan, a graduate mechanical engineering student in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, will mentor the team. Adult mentors of robotics team often were on teams in their high school years. This is true of Monahan who brings skills, experience and enthusiasm to this FIRST venture. "My high school had a team; I thought it might be cool to do this," he says. "I joined and had no idea what I was getting myself into." Since that time, he has participated on teams and volunteered at regional events in Rochester and Philadelphia. He's taken on the challenge of helping develop a new team to the Rochester regional and thinks that the youngsters at Rochester School for the Deaf are ready to put into action their many ideas in the next six weeks—the time they must assemble the robot kit they received last Saturday into a formidable robot for the competition in March. "The team is curious and they don't know what they are getting into – just like I was not too long ago," he says. "They are excited and are starting to get their hands dirty." They are currently discovering what it is like to work in a machine shop, a new experience for many of the younger students. That's where the mentors come in, Monahan explained. Bausch & Lomb, one of the team
supporters, will provide engineers to help build the
team's robot. All B&L employees are hearing, Monahan
says. There are inherent challenges in this new working
relationship for both the deaf students and hearing
mentors, but Monahan says that he's encouraged the
students to ask lots of questions "because the mentors
have so much knowledge and They will also have the advantage of having interpreters present at all meetings to build the robot. And the interpreters also bring an equally interesting layer to the communications challenges. "There are professional, experienced interpreters participating with the team and there are some apprentice interpreters," says Kate Leipold, instructor in the mechanical engineering department (shown, with Monahan). The new interpreters are learning to master both American Sign Language and to interpret complex subject matter, in this case engineering design. Monahan, being an experienced FIRST participant, has been working with his team to find the best way to communicate to robot drivers and alliance members, especially those who do not sign. The school-district team has brainstormed using computers, videocams or even new hand signals that all can recognize, he says, and will just have to wait to see their solutions at the same time they roll out their new robot at the March competition. RIT Dubai hosts design challenge for area teens High school students visit campus for engineering program and fun Winter 2010 Faculty and staff of RIT Dubai hosted more than 100 area high school students for the first annual Dubai Challenge, "Dare to Compete." Teams of students from the schools competed in engineering design projects and academic competitions. "The challenge event is way to bring high school students to campus to introduce them to RIT Dubai and familiarize them with our programs in a fun and exciting way," says Mustafa Abushagur, president of RIT Dubai. "Schools were invited to participate with two teams—one to compete for in a general knowledge trivia competition and the second team to design a package that protects an egg from breakage when it is dropped from 10 feet." British Dubai Academy, the winning school, received a scholarship award of 80,000 dirhams, approximately $22,000 U.S. This award will be distributed to the school’s top qualifying students according to RIT Admissions guidelines. The students had a great time competing and enjoyed the
excitement of their teams' participation, Abushagur says.
He plans to have the event annually, expanding the
college's reach in the area. Members of the British Dubai Academy accept a scholarship award from Mustafa Abushagur, president of RIT Dubai, for winning the recent Dubai Challenge, a combination academic competition and engineering design event. "Many of the students and their counselors said this is the first time any university in the country had such a fun event," he adds. Dwight Cooke Research Paper Wins Top Prize at National Conference Fall 2009 Graduate student Dwight Cooke, a student in the Kate
Gleason College of Engineering at Rochester Institute of
Technology, won the top award in the graduate research
paper category at the American Indian Science and
Engineering Society Conference held recently in Portland,
Ore. He was one of several RIT students attending the
annual event focusing on American Indian and First Nations
students in the science, technology, engineering and
mathematics fields in United States colleges. "This was my first time at the AISES conference," says
Cooke, a sixth-year mechanical engineering graduate
student. He is a St. Regis Mohawk Tribe member from
Castleton, N.Y. "One thing I realized during the
presentations, and after I won the award for the graduate
oral presentation, was how well I have been prepared for
creating and speaking for presentations such as this." RIT Formula SAE Team First Place in Individual and Overall Events in California Summer 2009 After several years of top five placements in international competitions, the Rochester Institute of Technology Formula SAE racecar team took first place overall among 81 teams in the 2009 Collegiate Design Series California event on June 20. This was the first time the RIT team placed first overall on American soil and swept the individual categories in the weekend competition. "This is our 17th year doing this," says Alan Nye,
faculty advisor to the RIT Formula team. "We've gone to
multiple events most years and have won the events in
Australia and England, but until this year we had not won
in the United States. We've placed second five times in
the U.S. This event was very close—until the very end, it
was reasonably possible that we would come in second
again." The 2009 racecar placed first in several performance events for endurance, acceleration and skid pad. The group is also required to make a formal presentation about the overall design and development process as part of the competition. Teams competing at the California event included the University of Oregon, Clemson University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as universities from Sweden, Mexico, Korea and Venezuela. In May, the RIT Formula team placed second overall at Michigan International Speedway in Detroit. The California competition is the group's second of the season. RIT will compete again Aug. 5-9 at the HockenhelmRing in Baden-Wurttenberg, Germany. RIT Formula SAE Team Second Place in Overall Events in Michigan Spring 2009 The Rochester Institute of Technology Formula SAE Racing Team returned from its first national racing competition and took second place overall. The F17 Formula team was among 90 college teams, including 15 international representatives, competing at Michigan International Speedway on May 13-16. "This year, the team had quite a few new strengths to
give us the edge," says Anthony Salvo, F17 project manager
and lead aerodynamics engineer who lead the 31-member
racing team. "First, our team is the largest it's been in
quite some time. Next, the team of designers this year was
larger than usual and paid explicit attention to detail. "Lastly, the car was tested for over a month with an extensive data acquisition system that allowed us to dial-in the car's setup much faster this year. The top few teams we really competed with, however, were just as competitive and had clearly improved their designs," adds Salvo, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major. More than 2,000 students attended the annual competition held at one of the premier racetracks in the country. Collegiate design teams from around the country competed with peers from Austria, Canada, Japan, Turkey, Singapore and South Korea. The RIT Formula team took second place in the dynamic events series: endurance, fuel economy and autocross categories. RIT placed third in skid-pad category and had an honorable mention for the car's innovative brake system design. As part of the three-day competition, student teams must make a formal presentation about the design concept, including a cost report and business sales case, as well as compete in performance categories. The RIT team placed second in the sales presentation. RIT Human Powered Vehicle Team RIT takes first place at NASA ‘moonbuggy’ competition Spring 2009 An RIT student team put in an out-of-this-world performance to win the 16th annual Great Moonbuggy Race, held April 3-4 in Huntsville, Ala. It’s the second time in three years that RIT has claimed the top prize in the college division of the NASA-sponsored event. Hosted by the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the race included 68 teams from 20 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Germany, India and Romania. Students were challenged to think like NASA engineers in designing, building and racing lightweight, human-powered buggies. RIT posted the fastest vehicle-assembly and race times in its division and received the fewest on-course penalties. Troy Martin, fourth-year environmental science major,
served as one of RIT’s moonbuggy drivers. He credits the
lighter design of their vehicle as one reason for the
team’s success. RIT received the Most Improved Award for
what judges considered the most dramatically improved
engineering and performance. RIT student Troy Martin, along team member Jackie Hill in the seat behind him, navigates RIT’s moonbuggy to victory during the annual NASA-sponsored race. Photo by NASA. According to Martin, previous race experience also proved to be a factor. 'It helped that a lot of us are seniors and we knew what to expect this year from the trip down to the competition. You get used to all the factors associated with that and can just focus on the race. It was a blast!' Other members of the winning team include Steve Sweet, fifth-year mechanical engineering major; Lowell Smoger, fourth-year mechanical engineering major; Jackie Hill, fourth-year biochemistry major; and Demetrios Koukouves, fourth-year mechanical engineering major. Alumnus Ben Strohman ’07 (mechanical engineering technology) served as the team's advisor. According to race organizers, student racers face design challenges similar to those overcome by Apollo-era rover engineers. Teams build their vehicles from the ground up, typically using bicycle or light motorcycle tires, aluminum or composite-metal struts and parts, and the best drive trains, gears, suspension, steering and braking systems they can find or devise. To commemorate its victory in the Great Moonbuggy Race, the RIT team brought home a trophy depicting NASA's original lunar rover. by Paul Stella, April 6, 2009 RIT Baja SAE Team Team places in top 20 in first international competition Spring 2009 Despite minor transmission problems, the RIT Baja SAE team placed 21st overall among more than 70 teams at its first international competition in Brazil last month. Coming off this opening competition, the team officially unveiled the Baja car April 4 among friends and family in the Slaughter Building. ME Student Chris Crowley, team manager, welcomed guests and talked about the Baja car the team built for this year's competitions. "We designed a car that can take severe punishment over rough terrain. The design team members make Baja magic truly possible," he told the gathering. In the March competition, RIT Baja placed second in the
suspension and traction competition, third in the log pull
and 13th in the design category. Each year, several of the
key components of the car are rebuilt or refurbished.
"Some of the parts are reused; sometimes we have to make
new parts, and we always rebuild the frame," said RIT Baja
team member, Mike Gebrian, a third-year mechanical
engineering technology student. The crowd cheered as the Baja car made a speedy entrance, taking a few turns around the parking lot before it was brought inside for viewing. "He's having way too much fun," observed one guest. Fred Walker, dean of RIT's College of Applied Science and Technology, was awarded honorary membership on the Baja team and given an official team helmet, designed and airbrushed by Matt Wolf, a first-year business student. Walker joined the team in Brazil; it was the first RIT Baja event he attended since becoming dean in August 2008. "It was the first time someone of your level came with us, and you survived us," Crowley said. "The only rule now is to get muddy!" Stephanie Malinowski William F. Halbleib Prize Recipient Spring 2009 This award is intended as a living memorial to William F. Halbleib, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, who died on September 1, 1990. The William F. Halbleib Prize is a cash prize to be awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "most exemplifies the standards of excellence and ethics, and the knowledge and application of technical skills, practiced by Professor William F. Halbleib in his life's work." In short, it is awarded to the "best" ME student as he/she completes the dynamics sequence in the five-year mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT.
David Donohue David Holland Oyuna Myagmar Michael Norton Nicholas Schneider RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars Spring 2009 Each spring, the RIT campus holds a reception and dinner honoring the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars from across campus. Each of these scholars has maintained a minimum 3.85 GPA out of a possible 4.0, and have completed at least 125 quarter credit hours of study. Additional selection criteria include creative work, service to the community, employment, and independent research. Congratulations to all of our Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars for a job well done. Thank you for being such fine mentors to your peers!
Jeffrey Ryan Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize Recipient Spring 2009 The Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize was established in 2004, through support from the thermal analysis laboratory, and is awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "demonstrates outstanding knowledge and application of technical skills in the area of heat transfer while subscribing to the highest ethical standard." This award recognizes the "best" M.E. student as he/she completes the thermal sciences sequence in the mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT. The award has received financial support from the Heat Transfer Chapter of the Rochester Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the RIT Thermal Analysis Lab, and the department.
RIT Formula SAE Team RIT Racing Team Records Four Top Three Finishes in Michigan Spring 2008 Rochester Institute of Technology's Formula racing team recorded four top three finishes in Formula SAE, a national student design and racing competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The event, held May 16-17 at Michigan International Speedway in Dearborn, outside of Detroit, is part of the SAE Collegiate Design Series and featured 104 teams from around the world. The RIT student team, which designed and built the vehicle for competition, finished second in the cost report and acceleration categories and third in skid pad and autocross. The team will next compete in Formula Student Germany, which will be held Aug. 6-10 in Hockenheim. This is the 16th year RIT has developed a car for the Formula SAE competition. The current entry was conceived and constructed by a 35-member student team incorporating a wide variety of disciplines from engineering to computer science to marketing. The Formula-style, six-speed vehicle has a top speed of approximately 85 miles per hour and accelerates from zero to 60 mph in about four seconds. RIT Biomedical Device Engineering Lab Students design innovative heart pumps Spring 2008 The Kate Gleason College of Engineering's multidisciplinary senior design program provides a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on expertise and participate in top-level research while still in college. In addition, a number of the designs created through the program ultimately have significant real-world impacts, enhancing the development of numerous innovations and even saving lives. For example, a 2008 student design team formulated, developed and constructed a test stand which is being used to measure the performance of a new type of heart pump called a magnetically levitated axial flow left ventricular assist device. The pump, developed by a team led by Steven Day, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is more gentle and durable than other types of devices, improves overall performance of the heart in people with various forms of heart disease and could ultimately reduce the number of patients requiring heart transplants. "This project has been incredibly gratifying both in allowing all members of the team to work on high-level research and in giving us an opportunity to help make a real difference in people's lives," notes Jim Cezo, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major and member of the design team. "The work of the student team has been tremendous and the device they have developed will be extremely useful in furthering the development of this technology," adds Day. "I have one other team working on a different aspect of the pump and hope to involve additional multidisciplinary design teams on different aspects of this project as we move forward." The test stand simulates the flow of blood in the body, and researchers can vary the pressure of fluids passed through the system to test the heart pump's performance under a variety of conditions. The device is completely automated and communicates data to computers both on and off campus. Day is using the device to evaluate a prototype version of the pump by running several pumps for two straight years and hopes to begin the process of seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010. "This project has been a very rewarding way to engage students through senior design projects, co-op and graduate theses," says Day. "We hope that the pump developed at RIT might someday be used to save lives and that helps keep everyone motivated." Jonathan Guerrette William F. Halbleib Prize Recipient Spring 2008 This award is intended as a living memorial to William F. Halbleib, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, who died on September 1, 1990. The William F. Halbleib Prize is a cash prize to be awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "most exemplifies the standards of excellence and ethics, and the knowledge and application of technical skills, practiced by Professor William F. Halbleib in his life's work." In short, it is awarded to the "best" ME student as he/she completes the dynamics sequence in the five-year mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT.
Ian Frank Matthew Greco Jonathan Guerrette Andrew Slippey Stephen Sweet RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars Spring 2008 Each spring, the RIT campus holds a reception and dinner honoring the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars from across campus. Each of these scholars has maintained a minimum 3.85 GPA out of a possible 4.0, and have completed at least 125 quarter credit hours of study. Additional selection criteria include creative work, service to the community, employment, and independent research. Congratulations to all of our Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars for a job well done. Thank you for being such fine mentors to your peers!
Ian Frank Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize Recipient Spring 2008 The Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize was established in 2004, through support from the thermal analysis laboratory, and is awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "demonstrates outstanding knowledge and application of technical skills in the area of heat transfer while subscribing to the highest ethical standard." This award recognizes the "best" M.E. student as he/she completes the thermal sciences sequence in the mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT. The award has received financial support from the Heat Transfer Chapter of the Rochester Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the RIT Thermal Analysis Lab, and the department.
RIT Sustainable Energy Systems Lab Students revamp outdoor lighting system Spring 2008 New technology is allowing businesses and organizations
of all sizes to both reduce environmental impact and
improve economic efficiency in ways that were previously
not possible. Currently, RIT students are adding to this
development through a multidisciplinary senior design
project, which is working to design an LED-based device
for the ultimate retrofit of RIT's outdoor walkway
lighting system. LED, or light-emitting diode, based
lights use less energy, are more durable and require less
maintenance than traditional light bulbs and could
drastically reduce the $3 million RIT spends annually on
lighting. The use of such lights will also decrease the
campus' environmental footprint and serve as a model for
the introduction of LED lights in other areas of the
university, including residence halls and classroom
buildings. RIT bioengineering Lab RIT Students to Unveil Smoking Simulation Machine Winter 2008 Students at Rochester Institute of Technology will unveil a smoking simulation machine, which will be used to enhance understanding of the impacts of cigarette smoking, during the Kate Gleason College of Engineering's senior design demonstration Feb. 22. The device, designed and constructed with the assistance of Kathleen Lamkin Kennard, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, simulates how particles inhaled with cigarette smoke build up over time and measures the impact the process can have on breathing, digestion and lung capacity. The machine will be incorporated into particle analysis research by Risa Robinson, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and funded through the American Cancer Society. The work will help provide better evidence of the real-time effects of smoking and more properly link how particle buildup impacts numerous systems in the body. It will also shed light on how these particles can impact passive smokers, through secondhand smoke, and provide data for additional types of particle analysis, including studying the performance of inhaled medications. The college's senior design demonstration will also showcase a host of additional student projects created through the Multidisciplinary Senior Design program. All students in RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering are required to formulate, design and construct a project in their field of study during their fifth/senior year in the program. Maggie Anderson William F. Halbleib Prize Recipient Spring 2007 This award is intended as a living memorial to William F. Halbleib, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, who died on September 1, 1990. The William F. Halbleib Prize is a cash prize to be awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "most exemplifies the standards of excellence and ethics, and the knowledge and application of technical skills, practiced by Professor William F. Halbleib in his life's work." In short, it is awarded to the "best" ME student as he/she completes the dynamics sequence in the five-year mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT.
Maggie Anderson Tim Brackbill Joel Forman David Grymin Bartley Lettenberger Martin Martinez Charles Schillberg RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars Spring 2007 Each spring, the RIT campus holds a reception and dinner honoring the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars from across campus. Each of these scholars has maintained a minimum 3.85 GPA out of a possible 4.0, and have completed at least 125 quarter credit hours of study. Additional selection criteria include creative work, service to the community, employment, and independent research. Congratulations to all of our Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars for a job well done. Thank you for being such fine mentors to your peers!
Susan Elaine Bieck Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize Recipient Spring 2007 The Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize was established in 2004, through support from the thermal analysis laboratory, and is awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "demonstrates outstanding knowledge and application of technical skills in the area of heat transfer while subscribing to the highest ethical standard." This award recognizes the "best" M.E. student as he/she completes the thermal sciences sequence in the mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT. The award has received financial support from the Heat Transfer Chapter of the Rochester Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the RIT Thermal Analysis Lab, and the department.
Joel Forman William F. Halbleib Prize Recipient Spring 2006 This award is intended as a living memorial to William F. Halbleib, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, who died on September 1, 1990. The William F. Halbleib Prize is a cash prize to be awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "most exemplifies the standards of excellence and ethics, and the knowledge and application of technical skills, practiced by Professor William F. Halbleib in his life's work." In short, it is awarded to the "best" ME student as he/she completes the dynamics sequence in the five-year mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT.
Ryan Larcom Raymond Mulato Nikhil Nampalli Andrew Streett RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars Spring 2006 Each spring, the RIT campus holds a reception and dinner honoring the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars from across campus. Each of these scholars has maintained a minimum 3.85 GPA out of a possible 4.0, and have completed at least 125 quarter credit hours of study. Additional selection criteria include creative work, service to the community, employment, and independent research. Congratulations to all of our Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars for a job well done. Thank you for being such fine mentors to your peers!
Gabriella Jaramillo Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize Recipient Spring 2006 The Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize was established in 2004, through support from the thermal analysis laboratory, and is awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "demonstrates outstanding knowledge and application of technical skills in the area of heat transfer while subscribing to the highest ethical standard." This award recognizes the "best" M.E. student as he/she completes the thermal sciences sequence in the mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT. The award has received financial support from the Heat Transfer Chapter of the Rochester Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the RIT Thermal Analysis Lab, and the department.
Cory Hoffman Student Government Vice President Spring 2005 Cory Hoffman, a mechanical engineering student, has been elected to the position of Vice President of the RIT Student Government. Student Government is the representative body of the students of RIT, and serves as the student body's voice on all institute policies, developments, and decisions. SG is comprised of senators from each of the colleges at RIT, Major Student Organizations (MSOs), the executive cabinet, two advisors, and the newly formed GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) and Women's Senator, is designed to empower the students of RIT. It is SG's job to ensure that the "student perspective" is taken into account when decisions are made at RIT. Student Government is led by the President and Vice-President, who are elected to one-year terms. These two individuals are responsible for setting the goals and objectives of Student Government as well as overseeing all functions of the organization and the organizations it recognizes. Congratulations to Cory, and we look forward to his leadership during the coming year!
RIT Human Powered Vehicle Competition Team NASA Great Moonbuggy Race Spring 2005 The 12th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race was held April 8-9, 2005 in Huntsville, Alabama. Students from RIT's Human Powered Vehicle Competition team designed a human-powered Moonbuggy that carried two students, one female and one male, over a half-mile simulated lunar terrain course. As a part of the competition, and prior to course testing, the un-assembled Moonbuggy entries must be carried to the course starting line, with the unassembled components contained in a volume of 4'x 4'x 4'.
The event is inspired by the actual
lunar roving vehicle project, which was successfully
completed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville during the 1960s and 1970s. NASA engineers
then had the challenge to design and build a compact,
light, flexible and durable vehicle that would carry
astronauts on the Moon's surface during the Apollo
missions.
Aimee Lemieux NASA 2005 Goddard Honor Award for Exceptional Achievement Spring 2005 Aimee's summer 2004 project at NASA (for her co-op and thesis work) was given the 2005 Goddard Honor Award in the category of Exceptional Achievement, Group. The project is "Deployment Experiments for Ballooning on Mars (DEBOM)". One of her supervisors at NASA, David Wilcox, noted that
Congratulations to Aimee and her team for this outstanding achievement and national recognition! Aimee's advisor, Dr. Beth DeBartolo is quite proud of Aimee's accomplishments, and enjoys working with her. Aimee was recognized for her achievements by RIT Provost Stan McKenzie and President Albert J. Simone. Ryan Frederick Schkoda William F. Halbleib Prize Recipient Spring 2005 This award is intended as a living memorial to William F. Halbleib, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, who died on September 1, 1990.
The William F. Halbleib Prize is a cash prize to be awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "most exemplifies the standards of excellence and ethics, and the knowledge and application of technical skills, practiced by Professor William F. Halbleib in his life's work." In short, it is awarded to the "best" ME student as he/she completes the dynamics sequence in the five-year mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT. This year, we take pleasure in recognizing Ryan Frederick Schkoda as the Halbleib Award Winner.
Throughout his entire teaching career, Professor Halbleib selflessly and tirelessly gave himself to his students, colleagues, and family. He influenced literally thousands of young men and women, and imprinted on them his loves of excellence, country, profession, family, and creator. The aim of the William F. Halbleib Prize is to seek out those students who excel in scholarship and hold dear the above values, and to provide them with the inspiration to continue on their path.
William F. Halbleib was first and foremost a teacher dedicated to his students and their mastering the subject matter. Bill earned his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T.; M.S. degree from the University of Rochester; and Ph. D. degree from Cornell University. In 1964 Bill moved to California, as the chief mechanical engineer for Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. He promptly returned to Rochester after only one year to become the chairman of the mechanical engineering Department at RIT. It is said that his wife, Ginnie, missed the four seasons of Rochester prompting his return to Rochester. As he arrived at the downtown campus of RIT in 1965, Bill's charge of responsibility was to have the Department accredited by what has become ABET, the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology. Bill led the planning for the Department's move to the new Henrietta campus. The move from downtown required the purchase and installation of all of the laboratory equipment and appropriate curriculum revision. The central administration had allocated a large amount of money for this purpose, and Bill was almost like a kid in a candy store. He purchased first rate equipment for all labs in the department. One salient purchase at time was the low velocity wind tunnel that is still in use today. Shortly after the accreditation, he stepped down as Chair and remained an active force in the growth of the department until his retirement in 1985.
Erin Colquitt Cory Hoffman Lindsay LaRocca Anna Murray Ross Strebig RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars Spring 2005 Each spring, the RIT campus holds a reception and dinner honoring the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars from across campus. Each of these scholars has maintained a minimum 3.85 GPA out of a possible 4.0, and have completed at least 125 quarter credit hours of study. Additional selection criteria include creative work, service to the community, employment, and independent research. Congratulations to all of our Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars for a job well done. Thank you for being such fine mentors to your peers!
Julian Peters Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize Recipient Spring 2005 The Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize was established in 2004, through support from the thermal analysis laboratory, and is awarded annually to the student of mechanical engineering at RIT who "demonstrates outstanding knowledge and application of technical skills in the area of heat transfer while subscribing to the highest ethical standard." This award recognizes the "best" M.E. student as he/she completes the thermal sciences sequence in the mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT. The award has received financial support from the Heat Transfer Chapter of the Rochester Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the RIT Thermal Analysis Lab, and the department. This year, we take pleasure in recognizing Julian Peters as the Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Prize winner.
SAE
Formula car There's the RIT custom-made fuel-injection system, the modified motorcycle engine, the six-speed manual transmission, the chassis made of one-inch diameter steel tubing and the three-piece handmade composite body. And then there are the special touches, including a custom-stitched headrest featuring the RIT logo, the metallic-black, gray and white color scheme and even an intricate dashboard. "A lot of work went into the dashboard this year," says Fernando Fiore, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major and the team's engine group leader. Other enhancements to the newly designed racer include improvements to the chassis, advanced suspension system, wheels and tires, according to Justin LaChausse, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major and project manager, who says the speedster can reach a top speed of 110 miles per hour. Frequent all-nighters spent working on the car led up to the team's first competition of the year, the Formula SAE, in May at the Pontiac Silverdome, just outside Detroit. RIT captured 22nd place among 129 teams from inside and outside the United States. Competing in solo and group performance trials, RIT was one of only a handful of teams to finish every event, including the 14-mile endurance race, for which it earned 19th place. RIT also took second place in the Society of Plastics Engineers Composites Award, which recognizes innovative use of a polymer-matrix composite, and third place in the Continental Teves Best-in-Class Brake Systems Award. Combined, the two citations garnered RIT $1,000 in awards. This year's 25-member team had a mix of new and experienced members, including those who competed in a Formula contest in South Australia last December. In addition to mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology majors, others studied industrial design and information technology. There was even a glass-blowing major on the team. Building a race car from scratch, LaChausse adds, means everyone learns about risk taking, problem solving and working as a team. "You don't get that sitting in a classroom," he says. Note: For more information, visit: http://www.rit.edu/~formula/ or http://www.sae.org/students/formula.htm Royce Abel ASME John and Elsa Gracik Scholarship, National Recognition Summer 2004 Through the
generosity of John W. Gracik, Life Member of ASME, a
scholarship fund was established in 1992 in honor of his
parents, John and Elsa. Applicants must be ASME student
members in good standing at the time of application,
enrolled in an ABET accredited or substantially equivalent
mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology
or related baccalaureate program in the US, and US
Citizens. Award recipients are selected on the basis of
scholastic ability, financial need, character, leadership
and potential contribution to the mechanical engineering
profession. Royce received a cash prize and national
recognition for his achievements and contributions to
mechanical engineering.
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Science offered to take him on a tour of campus afterward.
When asked "what he wanted to see: art or engineering?" He
said that he was "100 percent left brain" and chose
engineering. Mr. Anderson and Dean Cost visited the Aero
Design Lab and engaged in a highly technical
discussion for about 20 minutes. 
experience." 
The Formula SAE events are
annual student design competitions where college students
design and build a small Formula-style race car. Each
student team designs, builds and tests a prototype, and
then enters the racecar in national and international
events against other college teams. The RIT Formula team
has consistently placed in the top 10 of its competitions
throughout its 17 years. The team enters three
competitions yearly with two in the United States and one
overseas. 
A project prototype
and proposed campus LED system design will be showcased
during Imagine RIT. "We hope this effort will reduce the
campus' overall energy use and assist RIT in becoming a
more sustainable university," says Shawn Russell, the
project team leader. The LED light design team also
includes fellow RIT students Arthur Deane, David Eells,
Christine Lagree, Phil Pietrantoni and Taylor Shivell. In
an ongoing effort to increase the sustainability of the
RIT campus, the Kate Gleason College of Engineering
created a sustainable product, and energy track in its
multidisciplinary senior design program in 2006. Projects
developed out of the track seek to enhance the energy
efficiency and use of alternatives in a wide variety of
campus operations. Previous efforts have included the
installation of a wind-powered walkway light and
improvements to the operations of a heating system for
campus buildings. "The alternative energy projects are
designed to enhance engineering students' understanding of
sustainable design and technology development while also
assisting RIT in increasing the overall environmental
quality of campus facilities with innovative
technologies," notes Rob Stevens, assistant professor of
mechanical engineering and primary faculty guide for the
sustainable product and energy track.
worked very well with the
project manager assigned by WFF to the project. Her
diligence and persistence made a big difference in
getting the effort rolling and getting folks talking
to each other. Here is part of the nomination
write-up: The DEBOM project team as demonstrated and
validated the long standing reputation of the Wallops
Flight Facility as being a pathfinder for hands-on,
quick response flight testing. The work performed to
conduct subscale prototype drop tests will be directly
applicable to reducing risks associated with design
and development of planetary balloon concepts for
future missions. 