February 2015

In the News
Can a boulder stop a speeding truck? MORE>>

Mechanical engineering alumnus saves lives, millions for taxpayers MORE>>

Dan Combs, Khanjan Mehta, and Dom Mirabile to speak at 2015 State of State conference MORE>>

Nuclear engineering graduate to become commander of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility MORE>>

Industrial engineering's Wisniewski  balances coursework with his role on the Penn State men's basketball team MORE>>

Salis explains benefits of cloud solutions for researchers MORE>>

HESE greenhouses help developing countries adapt to climate change MORE>>

Engineered nanostructure transforms polarization state of light MORE>>

Recognitions and Awards
Zydney and Narayanan named distinguished professors MORE>>

Student home builders team takes first place at national competition MORE>>
 
Tony Huang elected fellow of two institutes MORE>>

Qiu to study landslides with NSF CAREER Award MORE>>

Chimay Anumba named editor of international engineering management journal MORE>> 

Peter Butler elected AIMBE fellow MORE>>

Kearney recognized as one of 10 ASCE New Faces of Civil Engineering-College Edition MORE>>

Around the College
Business and Engineering Group takes flight MORE>>

Facilities Engineering Institute courses approved for GSA Schedule MORE>>

O'Connor receives Air Force Young Investigator grant MORE>>

Evans' gift to benefit engineering students, entrepreneurship programs MORE>>

Engineering students develop field guide, app, and website for project to study pollination behavior MORE>>

College welcomes two new faculty members MORE>>

Student group It's All About M.E. receives grant to create stronger community of women in engineering MORE>>

PJ Dick, Trumbull Corp. establish scholarships for students MORE>>

Pa. Housing Research Center to host annual housing, land development conference MORE>>

Former students honor Ravindran with international symposium MORE>>

Energy Institute announces spring Energy Exchange schedule MORE>>

Upcoming Events
Feb. 22-28: National Engineers Week MORE>>

Feb. 28: Rube Goldberg Machine Contest MORE>>

March 4-5: PHRC Housing and Land Development Conference MORE>>

April 2: College of Engineering Research Symposium MORE>>

CoverPhoto
About this month's cover photo:
Students talked with recruiters during the 2015 Engineering Career Fair Jan. 28 at the Nittany Lion Inn. The fair is part of Engineering Career Week, which offers engineering students opportunities to make personal connections with prospective employers.   

For more photos from College of Engineering events, follow us on Flickr.
Story6Civil Engineering Undergrads Design Water Treatment Facility
Project will combat water pollution near abandoned coal mines

According to the Schuylkill Action Network, the Schuylkill River and its tributaries provide drinking water to more than 1.5 million Pennsylvania residents and habitats for both fish and wildlife. It's also being actively polluted.

Two abandoned coalmines in Minersville - the Oak Hill Collieries and the Pine Knot Complex - are releasing thousands of gallons of contaminated water into the river each minute.

To combat this pollution problem, Penn State civil engineering undergraduate students helped the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection develop what will become the largest mine water treatment facility in the state.
 

LINK TO FULL STORY>>

Story6Lesieutre Chairs 2015 AIAA SciTech
Conference is the largest event for aerospace research, development, and technology
When the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) needed someone to take the lead on organizing the society's premier gathering of aerospace researchers and technologists in 2015� -- the world's largest event of its kind -- they called George Lesieutre, professor and head of aerospace engineering at Penn State.

"Lesieutre was a natural choice for us," said Sandra Magnus, executive director of the AIAA, who picked him for the job "in recognition of his proven leadership skills, his commitment to aerospace education, and his knowledge of aerospace technology and innovation."
Story5Penn State Collaborates with Seven Universities to Advance Technologies for Visually Impaired
Narayanan is Principal Investigator on the NSF project
To help make shopping easier for the visually impaired, Jack Carroll - a distinguished professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at Penn State - completed a study that explored how smart cameras could eventually guide visually impaired shoppers to find the items they need. Carroll worked on the study with Mary Beth Rosson, interim dean of the College of IST, as well as graduate student Jake Weidman as part of a $10 million National Science Foundation-funded project that's seeking to replicate the human vision system using information technology (IT).

The project, dubbed Visual Cortex on Silicon, is led by Vijay Narayanan, distinguished professor of computer science and engineering and electrical engineering, and Penn State is the lead university alongside seven other universities.

 

"This project brings together the strengths and efforts of technical leaders in multiple disciplines," says Narayanan. "It draws on the expertise of several industry and national lab partners. A major goal is advancing the technologies available for the visually impaired."

 
Story3Students Pitch Ideas for Chance to Participate in NL3 Program
Student entrepreneurs to spend spring semester fine-tuning their products at New Leaf Initiative


Six student projects have been selected for the spring 2015 New Leaf - Lion Launch Pad (NL3) program.

Established in May 2014, the University-community partnership provides an opportunity for students to work on a specific project at New Leaf Initiative. 

 

Located on Allen Street and close to Penn State's University Park campus, New Leaf offers a gathering space for mission-driven individuals, organizations and resource providers from diverse backgrounds to connect and collaborate.

 
Story1Tours, Contests, Guest Speakers Highlight National Engineers Week
Activities to raise awareness of engineering initiatives

The College of Engineering will celebrate National Engineers Week Feb. 22-28 with activities scheduled through the week.


Organized at the national level by DiscoverE, National Engineers Week aims to celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world, increase public dialogue about the need for engineers, and bring engineering to life for kids, educators and parents.
 
Members of the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society and students from the Society of Women Engineers, the Engineering Undergraduate Student Council and the Engineering Graduate Student Council coordinated the events, which include presentations and tours of labs, a wing eating contest, trivia night and a women's engineering leadership panel discussion and reception.
 
The week will culminate with the annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest on Feb. 28.


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