THE MAGAZINE OF THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY INNOVATIONSPRING 2011 Area’s fi rst environmental scanning centers of excellence microscope is newest research Adding value to the educational experience aid at Lawrence Tech Spring 2011 INNOVATION Volume 3 CONTENTS 1 From the Dean Published by the Office of Marketing and Public Affairs Lawrence Tech’s College of Engineering bolsters its faculty, curriculum and facilities while pursuing a and the College of Engineering, Lawrence Technological valued-added approach to education. University, 21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075-1058; 248.204.2200 or 800.CALL.LTU, ext. 4; 2 Industry-sponsored projects Fax 248.204.2318; [email protected]; www.ltu.edu. Senior projects have been enhanced to provide companies with a cost-effective way to conduct product research and development. Lewis N. Walker President of the University 5 Professor of the Year Nabil F. Grace, Andrew Gerhart has been named the Michigan 2010 Professor of the Year. Dean, College of Engineering 6 Ethics Education Lewis G. Frasch Measuring ethical development of engineering undergraduates. Associate Dean, College of Engineering 8 Ambitious Agenda Elin Jensen The College of Engineering is on a mission to produce graduates who will be leaders and change agents. Associate Dean, College of Engineering; 12 Implementing BOK2 Innovation Magazine Coordinator The Department of Civil Engineering has adopted the ‘body of knowledge’ approach to the curriculum. Vice President of Advancement: Stephen E. Brown 14 Center of Excellence: Materials Executive Editor: Bruce J. Annett, Jr. ([email protected]) The Center of Innovative Materials Research adds a high-force test system to help design bridges to Managing Editor: Eric Pope ([email protected]) last 100 years. Project Writer: Chris Mead 18 Center of Excellence: Mobility The Blue Devils Motorsports team will benefit from a new state-of-the-art water brake engine Design: NetWorks Design, Inc. dynamometer. Production Team: Anne Adamus, Deborah Faes, Sofia Lulgjuraj 19 Center of Excellence: Sustainability Lawrence Tech hosts the seventh annual Seminars on Sustainability conference. Photography: Steve Cantrell, Ken Cook, Sofia Lulgjuraj, 20 Center of Excellence: Life Sciences Justin Munter, Eric Pope, Glen Triest, and others Lawrence Tech adds an environmental scanning electron microscope and the Experimental Biomechanics © 2011 by Lawrence Technological University. All rights Laboratory. reserved. Comments about the magazine, articles, or letters may be sent to the Dean of Engineering. Send 22 Center of Excellence: Energy address changes to (fax) 248.204.2207 or mktngpub@ Lawrence Tech students and faculty work on feasibility studies for a geothermal system at a county ltu.edu. complex and a new conservation approach for a utility. On the cover: Lawrence Tech recently installed the 24 Center of Excellence: Leadership Detroit area’s first environmental scanning electron Lawrence Tech wins two awards recognizing its leadership role in the Kern Entrepreneurship Education microscope in the College of Engineering. Its maximum Network. magnification of more than 500,000 times can reveal details less than a nanometer (one-billionth of a meter) 26 New Faculty in size. Assistant Professor Yawen Li, whose grant Six new faculty bring new expertise to the College of Engineering. application led to acquiring the remarkable instrument, 28 Bookshelf works with students Meagan Richardson and Moses Recent books by Michael Cloud and Vladimir Vantsevich. Thompson. (Cover photo by Glenn Triest) 30 Conference Papers on Education Notice of non-discriminatory policy: Lawrence Lawrence Tech faculty presented papers at several national conferences in 2010. Technological University adheres and conforms to all federal, state, and local civil rights regulations, 32 Faculty Achievements statutes, and ordinances. No person, student, faculty, or 34 Student Achievements staff member will knowingly be discriminated against relative to the above statutes. Lawrence Tech is an Equal Back Cover: Dean Nabil Grace organizes international workshops. Opportunity Employer. From the Dean O n behalf of the faculty and students of the College of Engineering at Lawrence Technological University, I welcome you to the 2011 issue of Innovation, which reflects both the accomplishments of the past year and our aspirations for the future. Our ultimate goal is to produce graduates who will be leaders and change agents, graduates who have learned how to be innovative and who have gained a wide base of knowledge and a global perspective. In order to achieve this goal, we must continue to attract top-flight faculty members who will help develop innovative academic programming and expand our applied research achievements and facilities. In the past year we have added six outstanding new faculty members, including the new chair of the De- partment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Philip Olivier. (See story on page 26.) We are conduct- ing national searches for new faculty in civil engineering, biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and engineering technology. In collaboration with Lawrence Tech’s College of Arts and Sciences, we will add a unique Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering during the coming academic year. Funding from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army has helped us obtain new research equipment for biomedical engineering and the Center for Innovative Materials Research. Also, the Col- lege is working with the Michigan Department of Transportation to develop innovative technology that 2011 could double the lifespan of Michigan bridges. (See story on page 16.) AMERICA’S BEST UNIVERSITIES U.S. News & Beginning on page 14, we provide updates on Lawrence Tech’s centers of excellence that offer numerous World Report® “value added” experiences for students. Applied research and sponsored industry partnerships, internship and co-op placements, and intercollegiate engineering competitions enrich the student experience. These opportunities advance the focus on “theory and practice” that has distinguished a Lawrence Tech educa- 2011 tion for nearly 80 years. BEST COLLEGES in the Midwest Princeton Review® For almost two decades Lawrence Tech has been cited in the top tier of its class, Best Universities- Masters-Midwest, by the U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey, America’s Best Colleges. In that survey, Lawrence Tech is also ranked among the best undergraduate engineering programs in the country. The Princeton Review has also included Lawrence Tech in an elite group of Midwestern colleges. We are striving for pre-eminence in engineering education here at Lawrence Tech, and this issue of Innovation serves as a progress report. We appreciate your interest and support. Nabil F. Grace, PhD, PE Dean, College of Engineering Lawrence Tech Innovation 1 DEVELOPINGGREAT IDEAS Associate Professor Vernon Fernandez (L) meets with New industry-sponsored projects lab produces students Mohammed Alessa, Mohammed Almossabeh, both commercial and educational benefits Justin Martin, and Brendon Mitchell as they work on a project sponsored by the American Iron and Steel Institute. The student team was using non-linear finite element analysis to design ompanies seeking a high-quality, and enthusiasm of top-notch faculty and a light-weight and cost- C cost-effective way to conduct research or students in the College of Engineering efficient bumper. develop the new products they need to while at the same time gaining access to boost their competitive edge in the global Lawrence Tech’s high-tech testing and marketplace are turning to the new Indus- diagnostic facilities. try-Sponsored Projects Lab, which made The program is unique in Michigan and its debut last fall at Lawrence Tech. the benefits, both practical and education- The Industry-Sponsored Projects Lab al, are almost limitless, according to Ver- provides companies with a unique op- non Fernandez, coordinator of the lab and portunity to tap into the expertise, energy, associate professor in the A. Leon Linton 2 Lawrence Tech Innovation Department of Mechanical Engineering. ing with a faculty mentor, the team gives Entrepreneurial mindset “Companies benefit by participat- weekly status reports, three formal oral ing with academia, where new ideas are presentations, and a confidential final The Industry-Sponsored Projects Lab is born, and support academia by providing report documenting all results. a logical outgrowth of Lawrence Tech’s student projects. They also benefit from The client company pays a nominal fee long-standing “theory and practice” getting their projects completed,” Fernan- to cover laboratory use, faculty guidance, philosophy. It also fits into the more dez said. “The students benefit by being administrative expenses, and some local recent emphasis on cultivating the entre- able to work on real-world projects and travel. The company also provides a men- preneurial mindset, which has become a also by being exposed to professionals tor and materials for its design project. major goal for undergraduate engineering from industry and working toward their Under a master agreement signed with the programs. standards. The University benefits by University, each participating company All Lawrence Tech engineering stu- having its faculty interact with industry retains ownership of any technology that dents are required to complete a capstone and its operations.” is developed and sets its own confidenti- project in their senior