Dear CoE Colleagues,
As we head into the slowest part of our summer on campus, please enjoy news from the end of last semester, as well as more recent updates. In particular, I would like to offer congratulations to all CoE faculty members who have been promoted.
Undergraduate applications in Engineering increased again this year and are up by 59% over just the past three years. Thus, in just one month, we will welcome the best incoming class ever. If you have not escaped Ann Arbor for a vacation, now is the time. Our new students and all of the excitement they bring will be arriving shortly!
Best regards,
Dave
Construction/Renovation Updates
G.G. Brown Building Addition
This long awaited facility, which will support research at the interface of mechanical engineering and biology and nanoscience, is in the final stage of completion. All the major elements of the building have been installed. Furniture should arrive soon and move-in is currently underway. A dedication ceremony is being planned for October 10, 2014 to celebrate the opening of this wonderful addition.
G.G. Brown Building Renovation
Contractors have commenced the renovation of G.G. Brown. The project is beginning with an infrastructure phase of steel column reinforcement, creation of new electrical rooms and duct shafts, and installation of a new substation. The first renovation phase, on the third level, will begin in September. The project is expected to be completed in August 2016.
Nuclear Engineering Laboratory
Renovation planning for the old Ford Nuclear Reactor Building has been completed. We are still waiting for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve the final decommissioning documents prior to approaching the Regents to bid and award the project. Following approval, construction will begin on the 18-month project.
Student and Educational Programs Updates
Michigan Difference Student Leadership Awards
The Michigan Difference Student Leadership Award event, held near the end of last semester, celebrated student achievements on campus and in the community. Engineering recipients included Nicholas Clift, EE Systems, Graduate Student of the Year; Jennifer Hung, Computer Science BSE, Quiet Influence Award; Melissa Sweeney, Materials Science and Engineering BSE, World Leaders Award; Society of Women Engineers, Professional Organization of the Year Award.
Student Organizations’ Summer Experiences Abroad
Throughout the summer, many student organizations have participated in international experiences, representing the College and University through their travels. Nineteen organization trips are occurring across the globe, including in India, Sierra Leone, Guatemala, Jamaica, Germany, and Brazil. Michigan Engineers are involved in service trips, global competitions, design project implementation and other activities. Support for these programs is a collaborative effort between International Programs in Engineering, the Office of Student Affairs, and the Dean’s Office.
2014 Michigan Engineering Common Reading Experience
The book for this year’s Michigan Engineering Common Reading Experience is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. Every incoming first-year student has received a copy of the book to read this summer in preparation for discussion groups and events in the fall. We invite all members of the College of Engineering community to join us in reading the book this summer. Questions about the program may be directed to Stacie Edington, Honors and Engagement Program Officer, via email to sjed@umich.edu or by phone to 647-7015.
commonread.engin.umich.edu
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Updates
Sherif El-Tawil, Mark Moldwin and Steve Yalisove Receive Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize
Three faculty members were awarded the Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize last semester. Sherif El-Tawil (CEE) accepted on behalf of a team that has developed a virtual reality environment to visualize and interact with structural designs in CEE 413. Mark Moldwin (AOSS) was noted for the development of dorm-room labs. These labs engage students in large, introductory science and engineering courses that do not have labs to broaden their appreciation of the content of the course and the process of science, leading to improved assessment outcomes. Steve Yalisove (MSE) received the award for moving entirely away from lecture to more active teaching methods, creating environments that promote peer instruction by using digital technology, small group work, bringing one’s own device, audience response systems, problem-based learning, and visually rich activities including video.
2014 Annual American Society of Engineering Education Conference
This year, more than 40 University of Michigan co-authors made 30 presentations at the 2014 American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference, June 15-18, in Indianapolis. These presentations included recognition of best paper award winners from the 2013 conference, a workshop, technical presentations and posters, panels, and other special sessions.
Investigating Student Learning Grants
Congratulations to the following six engineering faculty who have been awarded Investigating Student Learning grants from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (with matching funds by CoE). The funds and consultation support provided through the grants will allow faculty to investigate aspects of student learning in their courses or programs.
Amy Cohn (IOE)
Matthew Collette (NAME)
Aline Cotel (CEE)
Brian Gilchrist (ECE, AOSS)
Frank Marsik (AOSS)
Dimitrios Zekkos (CEE)
Multidisciplinary Design Program
Second Cross-departmental Senior Capstone Pilot
Last semester, MDP co-directors Brian Gilchrist (ECE, AOSS) and Harvey Bell, together with Albert Shih (ME, BME, ISD), Alan Taub (MSE) and Max Shtein (MSE, ChE) completed the second pilot of a cross-departmental senior capstone design course combining project opportunities for EECS, ME and MSE students to work on significant, multidisciplinary projects. Eighty students participated in 16 teams. This joint course accommodated different departmental educational outcomes (e.g. ABET A-K) and provided students with an opportunity to practice integrating their design skills in a diverse team with external customers. Many of the projects followed a biomedical theme that appealed to students with particular interests in sensors, embedded systems, and wireless communications. Next term, the program will be expanded to include 120 students from 4-5 departments, led by 6 faculty.
Picture Below: Cross-departmental faculty and pilot students.
$100,000+ Awarded to Fund Student Summer Research and Project Work
This year, with funding provided by alumni and corporate sponsors, MDP awarded more than $100,000 to support student research, project and field work for summer 2014. The 40 students who were awarded funding hail from many different academic disciplines and range from first-year through master’s students. By presenting a thorough plan and strategy, these students demonstrated the ability to significantly advance their team’s design work over the summer. We are pleased to support their education through these deep and multidisciplinary experiential learning projects.
Design Expo 2014
The Michigan Engineering Design Expo showcases the achievements of our students in engineering design and prototyping, and demonstrates applications of their studies that solve real-life problems. These opportunities enhance our undergraduate engineering experience and give students an edge in the workplace. With significant efforts by faculty and generous sponsors, and featuring 135 teams from 6 departments, the event provided an excellent display of our talented students’ work. For descriptions of all projects featured, please visit the MDP website at http://mdp.engin.umich.edu/getstarted/designexpo/
MECC Initiative Completes Third Semester of Development Work for Willow Run Site in Ypsilanti, Michigan
The College of Engineering/MDP participation included a MDP team sponsored by the Racer Trust and a team from the IOE Capstone Course. The MDP/Racer Trust team project is to design and prove a sustainable wetlands environment to provide the final water cleanup from the decommissioned Willow Run Factory. The MDP/Racer team is composed of students between their sophomore year and master’s studies from Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Ross BBA, and LSA Plant Biology. The project continues through December 2014, and half of these students are in Ann Arbor this summer with MDP-provided summer research stipends to engage more deeply on their project.
Graduate Education Updates
Beyster Graduate Fellowship
Dylan Bayerl has been chosen as the 2014-2015 fellow for the J. Robert Beyster Computational Innovation Graduate Fellows Program. Dylan is a PhD student in the Materials Science and Engineering department, and has been performing research in computational materials physics with faculty advisor Emmanouil Kioupakis. The J. Robert Beyster Computational Innovation Graduate Fellows Program was established by four-time alum Dr. J. Robert Beyster (BSE Engineering Math ’45, BSE Engineering Physics ’45, MS Physics ’47, PhD Physics ’50) and Betty, his wife.
Dow Sustainability Fellows Program
The Dow Sustainability Fellows program supports U-M graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who are committed to finding interdisciplinary, actionable and meaningful sustainability solutions on local-to-global scales. Five College of Engineering master’s students have been selected for the 2014-2015 Dow Sustainability Fellows program:
Ali Al-Heji (EE:S)
Elizabeth Grobbel (CEE)
Joshua Novacheck (ME)
Deepika Mutukuri (ChE)
Matthew Weibel (NAME)
Sandia National Laboratory Fellowship
Michael Hamel is the recipient of the 2014-2015 Sandia National Laboratory Fellowship. Michael is a PhD student in the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences department. His faculty advisor is Sara Pozzi and his research focuses on radiation detection strategies for non-proliferation and Monte Carlo simulation methods.
Advancement Updates
Barbara Littleton (BS ’68) has made a $125,000 gift ($100K endowment and $25K expendable) to provide support for students participating in Kathleen Sienko’s (ME, BME) international service program. This program enables undergraduates to travel to Ghana — and now also Ethiopia and Kenya — for summer fieldwork and clinical immersion at a maternal health clinic.
Bob Kagle’s $1M gift will be used to support entrepreneurship and business creation rooted in U-M intellectual property in the information technology sector.
Entrepreneurial Programs Updates
New Administrative Home for MCubed
MCubed has a new home, in line with its campus-wide mission. On May 1, MCubed moved administratively to the U-M Office of Research (UMOR), reporting to Interim Vice President for Research Jack Hu, a long-time supporter of MCubed and a faculty collaborator on a Cube. The physical move has occurred to Lane Hall. MCubed looks forward to its ongoing partnership with the College of Engineering.
2014 MCubed Symposium
Save the date! The 2014 MCubed Symposium will occur on Thursday, October 9, in Rackham Auditorium and the Michigan League. Every single funded cube will report on its progress, via TED-like talks, session presentations, or posters.
Here’s what participants said about last fall’s MCubed Symposium:
“Impossible not to find something captivating at the poster session.”
“Made me really proud to be part of such a diverse group of scientists and scholars.”
“The excitement in the room was palpable. Loved it.”
“The conference was beautifully organized and gave me a great sense of Michigan’s vitality.”
“The TED-like talks were inspiring!”
“I learned a ton, and I got to meet colleagues working on research related to mine that I never knew were here at U-M.”
“I actually stayed at one poster for more than an hour engaged in rich discussions related to next steps!”
“It served as an innovation accelerator in and of itself.”
Please mark your calendars now for October 9th. Come and get inspired to innovate!
Xplore Engineering
Is your child or grandchild a budding engineer?
A summer camp for adults and their children or grandchildren
Back by popular demand, Xplore Engineering was expanded to include one- and two-day camps with over 18 workshops on June 26-27, 2014. Xplore Engineering is designed for adults and their children/grandchildren entering the 4th through 7th grade. Attendance doubled to nearly 400.
Faculty News
New Department Chair of MSE
Amit Misra joined Michigan on June 1, 2014 as professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Chair of the department. He joined Michigan from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where he directed the Energy Frontier Research Center for materials operating in extreme conditions. Amit received his BS degree in metallurgical engineering from the Institute of Technology, BHU (now IIT-Varanasi), India and his MS and PhD degrees in materials science and engineering from Michigan.
New Department Chair of BME
Lonnie Shea will be joining Michigan on September 1, 2014 as professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chair of the department. He will join Michigan from Northwestern University where he is professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and director of the Biotechnology Training Program. Lonnie received his BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and his PhD degree in chemical engineering and scientific computing from Michigan.
Sharon Glotzer Elected to the NAS
Sharon Glotzer (ChE, MSE), Stuart W. Churchill Professor of Chemical Engineering, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Election to NAS is one of the highest distinctions for a scientist or engineer in the United States.
Tamas Gombosi and Jessy Grizzle Receive Distinguished University Professorships
Tamas Gombosi (AOSS, AERO), Rollin M. Gerstacker Professor of Engineering, has been appointed Konstantin I. Gringauz Distinguished University Professor of Space Science.
Jessy Grizzle (ECE, ME), Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering, has been appointed Elmer G. Gilbert Distinguished University Professor of Engineering.
Distinguished University Professorships, one of the University’s top honors, recognize full or associate professors for exceptional scholarly or creative achievement, national and international reputation, and superior teaching skills.
SangHyun Lee to Receive Henry Russel Award
SangHyun Lee (CEE) will be receiving a 2015 Henry Russel Award. This award, which recognizes both exceptional scholarship and conspicuous ability as a teacher, is one of the highest honors the University bestows upon members of its faculty who are in the early stages of their careers.
Junior Faculty Awards
Eric Kort (AOSS), NASA New Investigator in Earth Science Award
Kevin Maki (NAME), ONR Young Investigator Award
Jason McCormick (CEE), NSF CAREER Award
Gabor Orosz (ME), NSF CAREER Award
Mina Rais-Zadeh (ECE), ONR Young Investigator Award
Anish Tuteja (MSE), NSF CAREER Award
Faculty Promotion and Tenure
We are pleased to report that the University has approved the following faculty members for promotion and/or tenure:
Teaching Faculty
Luis Bernal (AERO), to professor with tenure
Valeria Bertacco (CSE), to professor with tenure
James Cutler (AERO, AOSS), to associate professor with tenure
Samantha Daly (ME, MSE), to associate professor with tenure
Mohamed ElSayed (BME), to associate professor with tenure
Xudong (Sherman) Fan (BME), to professor with tenure
Krzysztof Fidkowski (AERO), to associate professor with tenure
Jason Flinn (CSE), to professor with tenure
Nina Lin (ChE, BME), to associate professor with tenure
Suljo Linic (ChE, ISD), to professor with tenure
SangHyun Lee (CEE), to associate professor with tenure
Jerome Lynch (CEE, ECE), to professor with tenure
Emmanuelle Marquis (MSE), to associate professor with tenure
Jason McCormick (CEE), to associate professor with tenure
Satish Narayanasamy (CSE), to associate professor with tenure
Edwin Olson (CSE), to associate professor with tenure
Derek Posselt (AOSS), to associate professor with tenure
Mina Rais-Zadeh (ECE, ME), to associate professor with tenure
Jeffrey Scruggs (CEE), to associate professor with tenure
David Sept (BME), to professor with tenure
Jan Stegemann (BME), to professor with tenure
Alexander Thomas (NERS), to associate professor with tenure
Dimitrios Zekkos (CEE), to associate professor with tenure
Zhaohui Zhong (ECE), to associate professor with tenure
Research Faculty
Enrico Landi (AOSS), to research scientist
Valeriy Tenishev (AOSS), to associate research scientist
Gabor Toth (AOSS), to research professor