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February 2003 -- VOLUME II, ISSUE II

The Oregon State University College of Engineering joins the nation and world in expressing our deepest sorrow and sending condolences to the families, friends, and co-workers of the Space Shuttle Columbia crew. With one of our own alumni, Donald Pettit, currently aboard the International Space Station, and another, William Oefelein, previously scheduled to be a crewmember on the Space Shuttle this July, we feel a close connection with the men and women who work for NASA. Our thoughts go out to everyone touched by this tragic loss of life.

R E S E A R C H @ OSU Engineering

$1.1 MILLION HEWLETT FOUNDATION GRANT WILL ENHANCE ENGINEERING CURRICULUM, ATTRACT STUDENTS--
The College of Engineering has received a three-year, $1.1 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to develop new ways to recruit, retain and educate engineering students, especially women and minorities. Funding will help the College retool first- and second-year engineering courses to make them more hands-on and engaging, including distribution of personal digital assistants and laptops to students for interactive use in lecture halls. Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering professors Toni Doolen and David Porter teamed with professors Robert Paasch (ME), Skip Rochefort (ChemE), Joe Zaworski (CCEE), and Michael Quinn (CS) to secure the funding. The grant will also support more than a dozen faculty in several different OSU colleges who teach engineering students subjects such as technical writing, statistics, physics, and chemistry. Read the full story: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2003/Feb03/improve.htm

PORTLAND EVENT LAUNCHES MICROTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE--
On January 18th, business leaders, researchers, and media representatives gathered in downtown Portland to celebrate the "virtual" groundbreaking of the new Microproducts Breakthrough Institute, a research and development facility to be sited in Corvallis that will help transform microtechnology research being performed at OSU and PNNL into new products and companies. Read the Oregonian coverage the event: http://www.oregonlive.com/science/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/science/104384774052540.xml

S T U D E N T S @ OSU Engineering

LAUREN HUNT WINS WOMEN'S TRANSPORTATION SCHOLARSHIP--
OSU Civil Engineering junior Lauren Hunt has been awarded the prestigious Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) Sharon D. Banks Memorial National Undergraduate Scholarship. The WTS awards only three national scholarships, and just one to an undergraduate. Last spring Hunt received the undergraduate scholarship from the local WTS chapter, earning her the opportunity to compete at the national level with winners from all local chapters. The scholarships are competitive and based on the applicant's transportation goals, academic record, and transportation-related activities or job skills. Hunt will receive $3,500 and be a guest of honor at the WTS national conference in Boston this May. She plans to spend her senior year abroad studying at the Danish Technical University, and after graduation from OSU to work in the public sector before earning a PhD and pursuing a career in teaching and research. http://www.wtsnational.org/scholarship_undergrad.asp

I N D U S T R Y  C O L L A B O R A T I O N @ OSU Engineering

ESI BUILDS LASER SYSTEM FOR OSU ENGINEERING AT COST--
When the College of Engineering found itself without a key piece of expensive laser micromachining equipment, Electro Scientific Industries (ESI) stepped to the plate and smacked a home run in another display of collaboration that has become a common theme in the Portland company's growing relationship with the College. "If we had to describe the ideal relationship Oregon State Engineering would like to have with an industry partner, the one we have with ESI is picture perfect," says OSU Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering professor Brian Paul. Read more at http://engr.oregonstate.edu/news/coe/113

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM THRIVING DESPITE SLUGGISH ECONOMY--
An OSU-based internship program run by some 70 regional companies that offer star engineering students hands-on work experiences in their workplaces is a rare bright spot during these dark economic times. Students participating in MECOP (Multiple Engineering Cooperative Program) and its sister program for civil engineering students (CECOP) earn an average of $35,000 during their two, 6-month internships, and host companies benefit greatly from the arrangement, too. According to Gary Peterson, director of the program, this is the only company-driven internship program of its kind in the country! http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2003/Feb03/mecop.htm

IEEE RECEPTION CONNECTS COMPANIES WITH STUDENTS--
The OSU student chapter of IEEE will hold its third annual reception on Feb. 25 from 5-7 p.m. in Owen Hall on the Oregon State campus. The reception is designed to help companies raise their visibility among students and network with students, faculty and other professionals. To attend the free event that is open to relevant companies and OSU IEEE students, or to request more information, contact ECE Corporate Relations at 541-737-8613 or go to http://engr.oregonstate.edu/news/ece/191

F U N D R A I S I N G @ OSU Engineering

FUNDRAISING ARM OF TOP-25 CAMPAIGN GAINS PEOPLE POWER--
The OSU Foundation has just hired two new people to help with fundraising as the Top-25 Campaign swings into high gear. Jean Nelsen and Vicky Heintzman will join Marnie Noble and Melanie Marshall to facilitate raising the $132 million in private gifts needed to fund the College of Engineering's ascent to the top. If you'd like to support this exciting campaign, call Melanie Marshall at 800-354-7281 or visit the website: http://www.osufoundation.org

F A C U L T Y & S T A F F @ OSU Engineering

CHERRI PANCAKE NAMED IEEE FELLOW LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER BEING NAMED ACM FELLOW--
OSU computer science professor Cherri Pancake has just been elected a Fellow at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) for her technical leadership in improving the usability of computing technology. The IEEE Fellow is one of the most prestigious honors of the IEEE, and is bestowed upon a very limited number of senior members who have made outstanding contributions to the electrical and information technologies for the benefit of humanity and the profession. Pancake, who directs the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering (NACSE) at Oregon State, is doing groundbreaking, cross-disciplinary research on ways to make computers easier to use. Just last April, Pancake became the first faculty member in the Department of Computer Science to be named a Fellow of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), the largest professional society for computer science in the world. It is rare for a person to be named a fellow by both these organizations. Learn more about Pancake's innovative work at: http://www.nacse.org

I N N O V A T I O N S @ OSU Engineering

OSU FACULTY, RESEARCH SHOWCASED ON HEWLETT-PACKARD WEBSITE--
OSU Engineering is breaking new ground in helping educators and high-tech companies better understand how to increase the effectiveness of wireless technology in the classroom. Toni Doolen and David Porter, OSU assistant professors of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, are prominently featured on HP's website, where they're in very good company. The other three schools featured--Georgia Institute of Technology, Purdue University, and University of Texas-Austin--are all top-tier engineering programs. http://h21030.www2.hp.com/us/programs/univ_mobility_osu.html

COE LAUNCHES "NEW-AND-IMPROVED" WEBSITE--
Take a spin through our NEW home on the web and let us know how you think it handles and looks! http://engr.oregonstate.edu

A L U M N I @ OSU Engineering

COE GRAD JON DEVAAN DOING GREAT THINGS AT MICROSOFT--
As a boy growing up in Minnesota, Jon DeVaan played some of the world's earliest computer games. But he played them on $5 million mainframe computers when his father, a salesman for Control Data Corporation, occasionally took his children to the office. DeVaan's father was not an engineer, but he "always showed me how things worked," DeVaan says. He also impressed upon his son that the engineers at his company were the people who added "tremendous value" to the final products. Today, DeVaan is a senior vice president at Microsoft and has added plenty of value to a wide range of Microsoft products. During his 18-year tenure with the company, he has led teams that developed Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, and other products. DeVaan was featured in the 2002 COE Annual Report, read that story here.

CLASSMATES.COM TO BE FEATURED ON "60 MINUTES"--
The dot.com company that's become a runaway sensation during the economic downturn, Classmates.com, which was founded by OSU Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering alumnus Randy Conrads in 1995, is tentatively scheduled to be profiled on 60 Minutes II on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Tune in and watch one of our rapidly rising stars!

NASA ASTRONAUT EVENT AT OSU WILL GO ON!--
OSU Engineering alum and Space Shuttle astronaut William Oefelein is still scheduled to visit campus as planned on Friday, February 21st for a 2-hour presentation at the LaSells Stewart Center beginning at 1:30 p.m. The event will also feature OSU students and faculty involved in NASA-related engineering research, representatives from Oregon Space Grant, and colleagues and friends of alumni Oefelein and Donald Pettit. (Pettit is aboard the International Space Station and tentatively scheduled to speak to OSU students via a live radio link before the main program.) This main program is FREE and open to the public. Should Oefelein's visit be postponed by NASA, the event will still go forward. For more information, contact Gail Mathieson at 541-737-3003, toll free at 877-257-5182 (press '5'), or Gail.Mathieson@oregonstate.edu. We will continue to track Don's progress aboard the ISS at: http://engr.oregonstate.edu/pettit/

H E A R D  O N  C A M P U S @ OSU Engineering

"The MECOP/CECOP internship program at OSU is a world class model for college internships that greatly benefits industry, the university, and most importantly the student. This program is highly structured, well managed, and establishes excellent ongoing synergy between the university and industry partners. Through this program, we have successfully augmented our engineering workforce by utilizing interns on key programs as well as hiring many well qualified MECOP/CECOP students upon graduating."

--Norm Armour
Vice President and General Manager, LSI Logic Corporation, Gresham, Oregon

U P C O M I N G   E V E N T S @ OSU Engineering

FEBRUARY 16-22, National Engineers Week. Campus activities include a model bridge building contest, banquets and awards ceremonies, and a direct link to the International Space Station. See the national site http://www.eweek.org/
FEBRUARY 19, Professional Engineers of Oregon (PEO) National Engineers Week Annual Student Banquet in Portland. "The World Trade Center Structural Design," a presentation by John Magnusson, Chair/CEO of Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire, Inc., Seattle. Event brings together professional engineers, high school students, and engineering students from Oregon's engineering schools. Dean Ron Adams will speak and Assistant Dean Roy Rathja will be in attendance. Double Tree Hotel, Lloyd Center, Portland, 5:00 p.m. (Displays and Exhibits), 6:30 (Dinner & Program).
FEBRUARY 21, CANCELLED OSU Engineering Connects to the International Space Station! See story under "Alumni" above.
FEBRUARY 21, Oregon Stater Awards honoring outstanding OSU engineers (by invitation only) http://engr.oregonstate.edu/oregonstater/
FEBRUARY 22, 34th Holly Cornell Model Bridge Contest sponsored by OSU, the Professional Engineers of Oregon and CH2M HILL, 8:30am, Owen Hall.
FEBRUARY 24, 6 p.m., CH2M HILL Alumni Center, National Engineers Week SWE Banquet, for engineers and engineering students from the Willamette Valley. Sponsored by the Willamette Valley Section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), a national service organization that supports women in engineering. Keynote speaker: Skip Rung, retired Hewlett-Packard R&D manager, member of the Oregon Engineering & Technology Industry Council, and co-founder of the Oregon New Economy Coalition. For more information, contact Patty Kellar (patty_kellar@hp.com) or Mary Kent (mary_kent@hp.com).
FEBRUARY 25, IEEE Reception. IEEE Reception. See story above under "Industry". For more information contact ECE Corporate Relations Tina Batten at 541-737-8613 or tina.batten@oregonstate.edu.
FEBRUARY 26, OSU Engineering Career Fair, where businesses have the opportunity to meet OSU Engineering students who are about to enter the job market. Join this great event: http://oregonstate.edu/career/Connections/Engineer.htm
APRIL 23, MECOP/CECOP Internship Program 25th Anniversary Banquet. COE alum and Intel executive Mark A. Christenson will speak about the program's impact on industry. Embassy Suites, Tigard, Oregon. For more information: http://mecop.orst.edu
APRIL 29, OSU Over Lunch: "OSU Engineering Goes for the Green!" Join OSU faculty and students for a Portland discussion of OSU's growing research and teaching program in sustainable engineering, including "green" power, biodiesel, an water issues. More information at: http://alumni.oregonstate.edu/events/over_coe.html

I M P O R T A N T  L I N K S @ OSU Engineering