May 2015

In the News
Penn State's Society of Engineering Science Rube Goldberg team featured in The Verge MORE>

New York Times op-ed: More women are enrolling in Penn State's humanitarian engineering courses MORE>>

Researchers look for the next big thing in infrastructure MORE>>

Design News features ESM alumnus Cas Smith's work in biomimicry MORE>

Civil engineering alumnus named chief operating officer of Garden Spot Village MORE>

Gro Greenhouse Initiative project gives students hands-on experience MORE>

High school students visit the Radiation Science and Engineering Center MORE>

Company co-founded by engineering sophomore Justin Keenan enhances 3D printing options MORE>

Intelligent Light mentions Penn State engineers as wind leaders MORE>>

Mechanical engineering alumnus takes the Hollywood path MORE>>

Civil engineering faculty featured in WITF program Keystone Crossroads: Bridging Our Communities MORE>>

Environmental engineering alumnus Cox named head of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville MORE>>

Restaurant Unstoppable interviews mechanical engineering alumnus Lipple of NoWait MORE>>

Civil engineering junior knits scarves, donates profits to Kidney Cancer Association MORE>>

First-year chemical engineering student encourages others to volunteer MORE>>
Recognitions and Awards
Penn State honors Thole and Zhang for achievements MORE>>

Bakis inducted into Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence MORE>>

Civil engineering's RadliƄska wins ACI achievement award MORE>>

Lanagan elected fellow of American Ceramic Society MORE>>
 
Huang named Royal Society of Chemistry Fellow MORE>>

Werner wins ACES Technical Achievement Award MORE>>

College announces winners of Engineering Design Showcase awards MORE>>

Five engineering students selected for Penn State's Presidential Leadership Academy MORE>>

Two engineering alumni receive NASA leadership award MORE>>

Penn State places seventh at national aircraft design contest MORE>>

Industrial engineering doctoral student receives IIE fellowship MORE>>

Civil engineering senior Kearney honored with national title MORE>>
 
Penn State Race to Zero team wins two excellence awards MORE>>

Czyzyk wins first place award for undergraduate research on sustainability and the environment MORE>>

Ocampo receives Way Paver Student Award MORE>>

Team that includes chemical engineering junior Hamaker takes second place at Ag Springboard MORE>> 
Around the College
Dean Amr Elnashai discusses current priorities and his vision for the future of the College of Engineering MORE>>

Institution of Structural Engineers leaders visit the College of Engineering MORE>>

Dow commits $500K to new building for chemical engineering and biomedical engineering  MORE>>

Videon Central CEO encourages graduates to be visionaries, take risks MORE>>

Lion Launch Pad awards grants to spur students' innovations MORE>>

Students use gaming techniques to develop new learning apps MORE>>

Industrial engineering senior makes the most of study abroad opportunities MORE>>

Biomedical engineering department offers global learning experiences MORE>>

Model uncovers malaria parasite causes red blood cell changes MORE>>

Bhatia's personal initiative lands her early Microsoft experience MORE>>

Lynch receives Air Force fellowship to study cost-effective alloys MORE>>

Boschitsch receives National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship MORE>>

Students work with international peers in Global Cyber Learning Factory course MORE>>

Industrial engineers apply traditional approaches to service industry challenges MORE>>

Penn State hackathon celebrates the good side of hacking MORE>>

Boothby book examines 19th century design methods MORE>>

Tucker and Jackson partner with Lion Surplus for classroom and lab supplies MORE>>

Middlesex University business students join Engineering Leadership initiative MORE>>

Senior mechanical engineer follows passion for space exploration MORE>>

Engineering team projects are going global MORE>>
Upcoming Events
May 18: Summer classes begin

July 22-23: Facility Topics for Today's Professional Engineer MORE>>

August 15: Summer commencement
CoverPhoto
About this month's cover photo:

Penn State and Temple University students and Boeing representatives look on as a quadcopter carries cargo (tennis balls) from one side of the floor to another and drops it into a container. Boeing organized and judged the Quadcopter Competition at Penn State's Multi-Sport Facility on May 4 as part of a senior design capstone project through Penn State's Learning Factory. The project challenges students to design and build a quadcopter using specific criteria and remaining within a budget and then have a friendly fly-off competition. Three Penn State teams and two Temple teams competed for bragging rights. Penn State Team 2 won the contest and also received an award at the spring 2015 Engineering Design Showcase.

  

 
For more photos from College of Engineering events, follow us on Flickr.
Story6The Learning Factory Marks 20 Years of Enhancing Engineering Education
Engineering students gain practical hands-on experience through industry-sponsored design projects

In the early 1990s, the model for engineering education in the College of Engineering at Penn State was designed such that only a small percentage of students were afforded opportunities to apply what they learned in the classroom before graduating and starting their careers. That model would change drastically following the inception of the Learning Factory in 1995.

 

The Learning Factory helps bring the real-world into the classroom by providing engineering students with practical hands-on experience through industry-sponsored and client-based capstone design projects. The projects are displayed and judged during the College of Engineering Design Showcase, held at the end of the fall and spring semesters.

 

Over the past 20 years, more than 1,800 projects have been completed involving 8,600+ students.

 

To celebrate its milestone anniversary, faculty, alumni, and industry representatives recently reflected on two decades of award-winning, world-class engineering education at the Learning Factory.

 

LINK TO FULL STORY>>  
Story5Patrick J. Fox Named Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Fox will begin his new role August 1
Patrick J. Fox has been named the John A. and Harriette K. Shaw Professor and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering within Penn State's College of Engineering.

 

Effective Aug. 1, Fox will replace Peggy Johnson, who is stepping down after nine years in the position. Johnson will remain in the department as a faculty member.

 

"Pat has achieved a great deal in his academic career and has a nationally and internationally prominent research program as well as leadership positions in the profession," said Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering Amr Elnashai.   

LINK TO FULL STORY>>  
Story3Penn State and Axalta Partner to Drive Awareness of STEM and Business Education
NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon visits Penn State to celebrate





Penn State welcomed four-time NASCAR Cup Champion Jeff Gordon to campus on April 14 to kick off a partnership between the University and Axalta Coating Systems. The celebration also included the unveiling of a special paint job on Gordon's No. 24 car in Penn State blue and white. 

 

The partnership between Penn State and Philadelphia-

based Axalta, a leading manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, is designed to drive awareness and support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and business education.

 

 LINK TO FULL STORY>>     
Story6Peter J. Butler named associate dean for education
Duties will encompass undergraduate, graduate, and online engineering education
Peter J. Butler, professor of biomedical engineering, has been named associate dean for education in the College of Engineering, effective July 1, 2015.

 

He will succeed Catherine Harmonosky, who has served as interim associate dean for undergraduate and graduate education since July 1, 2014.

 

Amr Elnashai, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering, said, "Peter served on the faculty council and has shown commitment and success in both undergraduate and graduate education, as well as research. I look forward to working with him to strengthen the college's programs and add even more innovative curricular content and delivery modes."

 

 LINK TO FULL STORY>>    
Story1Penn State My Day app could help older adults with memory loss
App will soon undergo preliminary usability testing for a clinical trial
From time to time, forgetting to pay a bill, misplacing car keys or searching for reading glasses (while you're wearing them) can be an irritating, yet normal, part of life. But for people over the age of 60, memory loss that encroaches into daily living - like habitually forgetting to take medications or missing appointments, for example - might have more serious consequences.  

 

Nikki Hill, a postdoctoral fellow in Penn State's College of Nursing who works with older adults, wants to improve the lives of people living with memory loss and is developing an app that might offer a solution.

 

John Hannan, associate professor of computer science and engineering, helped turn Hill's vision into a reality.
 

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