College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Levitas and students published in foremost physics journal

An Iowa State professor and his PhD student are gaining global recognition for their work on surface-induced phase transformations. Valery Levitas, Schafer 2050 Challenge Professor and faculty member of aerospace engineering and of mechanical engineering, along with PhD student Mahdi Javanbakht were published in Physical Review Letters (PRL, 2011, Vol. 107, 175701), the world’s foremost …Continue reading “Levitas and students published in foremost physics journal”

Manatt, Dakovich inducted into AGC of Iowa Hall of Fame

Milt Dakovich, 1976 and 1977 construction engineering alumnus, and the late Michael Manatt, 1975 civil engineering alumnus, were inducted January 11 into the Associated General Contractors of Iowa (AGC of Iowa) Hall of Fame. The AGC of Iowa Hall of Fame inducts those, like Dakovich and Manatt, who have “exhibited extraordinary leadership and commitment to …Continue reading “Manatt, Dakovich inducted into AGC of Iowa Hall of Fame”

CoE student receives new national award

Each year the National Engineers Week Foundation presents its New Faces of Engineering award to a handful of young engineering professionals. In December 2011, the organization recognized a group of talented engineering students with a new annual award: the New Faces of Engineering College Edition. Among the 15 students honored was Aaron Nissen, senior in …Continue reading “CoE student receives new national award”

Iowa State adds sustainability minor

Mark Bryden, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, started off his class by reading the headlines from multiple newspapers, all of which had one thing in common: sustainability.  “This is the age of energy,” he told his class as he held up a paper. This class, TSC 220, “Globalization and Sustainability,” is one of many …Continue reading “Iowa State adds sustainability minor”

Light-emitting nanofibers shine the way for optoelectronic textiles

Nanowerk, one of the web’s top destinations for news on all things nanotechnology, is highlighting the work of Iowa State’s Liang Dong in its January 27 edition of Nanowerk Highlights. Dong, the Harpole-Pentair Assistant Professor in electrical and computer engineering (ECpE), is working with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and has built a one-dimensional electroluminescent device into a …Continue reading “Light-emitting nanofibers shine the way for optoelectronic textiles”

Vote for Iowa State engineers in America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge

MSE graduates and postdoc research associates Joel Rieken and Andy Heidloff are competing in the Department of Energy’s America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge. The duo started the company Iowa Power Atomization Technologies (IPAT) to bring titanium powder, a substance that can be used in military, biomedical, and aerospace applications, to market. Their technology uses a …Continue reading “Vote for Iowa State engineers in America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge”

Nontraditional engineering student inspires as student, mother, wife

Photo courtesy of The Ames Tribune (Nirmal Majumdar) A typical day for Alexandra Bruns begins at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 2 a.m. the next day. Each day she completes a 20.5-hour cycle in the life of a stellar graduate student, mother, and wife. Bruns is 32 and recently completed the undergraduate portion of her …Continue reading “Nontraditional engineering student inspires as student, mother, wife”

Aliprantis wants to ‘sculpt’ more powerful electric motors and generators

Dionysios Aliprantis took up an imaginary hammer and chisel and pounded away at the air. “Think of the ancient Greeks and their sculptures,” said the Iowa State University assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Now apply the idea of a sculptor precisely chipping away at stone to the electric motors that run our machines and …Continue reading “Aliprantis wants to ‘sculpt’ more powerful electric motors and generators”

Jacqueline Shanks named to US Department of Energy committee

Manley R. Hoppe Professor Dr. Jacqueline Shanks has recently been appointed to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC). As one of four engineers on this 25-member national committee, Shanks lends her expertise in biorenewable and environmental engineering research to recommend solutions to national biological and environmental issues. “I …Continue reading “Jacqueline Shanks named to US Department of Energy committee”

David Holger named AIAA Fellow

                  David Holger has been named to the prestigious rank of Fellow by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Holger is a professor of aerospace engineering, associate provost for academic programs, and dean of the graduate college at Iowa State. The award will be in …Continue reading “David Holger named AIAA Fellow”

What the power industry has to learn about cyber vulnerability disclosure

IEEE, the world’s largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, published the January edition of the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter, which kicks off the new year with a look at what the power industry has to learn about cyber vulnerability disclosure and mitigation in software. Of equal significance are articles on ensuring interoperability amongst products …Continue reading “What the power industry has to learn about cyber vulnerability disclosure”

ISU Solar Car Team to make longest journey yet

Team PrISUm, Iowa State’s solar car team, has been working to put the finishing touches on this year’s car. In July, the team will be participating in a three-week solar car race from Rochester, N.Y., to St. Paul, Minn., its longest journey yet. PrISUm races every two years, allowing one year for design and one …Continue reading “ISU Solar Car Team to make longest journey yet”

CoE receives grants to maintain infrastructure, create new programs

The College of Engineering will receive central funding from Iowa State University to enhance its programs and improve student learning opportunities. The projects, funded by the University’s Institutional Excellence Fund – with matching funds from the College of Engineering – are meant to encourage college-level investments in programs and infrastructure. Overall, the program funded about …Continue reading “CoE receives grants to maintain infrastructure, create new programs”

Civil engineering alum earns ASCE Citizen Engineer Award

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) chose Dr. Craig Denny for the 2011 Citizen Engineer Award, an honor designated to four civil engineers in the U.S. this year. Denny is a graduate of both Iowa State’s civil engineering bachelor’s and master’s programs in 1971 and 1973, respectively. He also is a current member of …Continue reading “Civil engineering alum earns ASCE Citizen Engineer Award”

ISU prof’s aim: Avert asteroid hit

Iowa State University professor Bong Wie stood in Hungary’s gilded parliament building in May with a modest plan that might one day save the planet. His idea: avert a catastrophic asteroid strike on Earth by launching a nuclear weapon to intercept the object, a difficult engineering problem that carries enormous legal, political and ethical hurdles. …Continue reading “ISU prof’s aim: Avert asteroid hit”

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