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CoE Home | momentum | issues |
JUNE 2005 -- Volume lV, Issue VI
R E S E A R C H @ OSU Engineering
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RESEARCH HELPS TEAM REACH SEMI-FINALS IN QUEST FOR $2 MILLION PRIZE--
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 Thanks in part to navigational and sensing technology developed by OSU graduate students, a 30-member contingent of OSU students, faculty and local engineers has been named one of 40 semi-finalist teams vying for a $2 million prize offered by U.S. Department of Defense to a vehicle that can successfully navigate a rugged 175-mile course across a desert with no driver. "To be one of 40 finalists from an original field of 195 teams--in our first year attempting this--testifies to the creativity, ingenuity and perseverance of the people involved. It's an incredible accomplishment," says Belinda Batten, head of the OSU Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. "Now we're looking for sponsors to help us take our vehicle all the way to the finish line." To join the team as a sponsor, call: 541-737-3441. http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2005/06/09/news/community/thuloc02.txt |
S T U D E N T S @ OSU Engineering
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RURAL OREGON STUDENT GRADUATES, PURSUES PHD--
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 Kami Vaniea (pronounced VAN yay) grew up in rural Northeast Oregon where her family lived off the grid in a single-wide mobile home without electricity or running water. Her early hands-on education included helping install a septic system, solar panels, and a gravity-flow water supply. She had very little exposure to computers until high school. This month Vaniea graduated with honors with a degree in computer science and a full-ride fellowship to Carnegie Mellon University, where she will pursue a doctoral degree. Vaniea is a shining example of how OSU Engineering creates opportunity for students. Read the Oregonian story: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/111865698171171.xml&coll=7 |
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A SUPERBOWL RING AND AN ENGINEERING DEGREE--
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 After a successful 10-year career with the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Douglas Riesenberg decided to come to OSU to complete his college education that was interrupted when the standout offensive tackle was drafted by the NFL. On June 12, Riesenberg graduated with two degrees--one in electrical and computer engineering and another in education. He hopes to teach math to high school students...and coach football, of course. http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/news/story/1461 |
I N D U S T R Y C O L L A B O R A T I O N @ OSU Engineering
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INTERNSHIPS AT MOZILLA, NASA WILL AID COMPUTER USERS, CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES--
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 Two sophomore computer science students who gained valuable computer programming experience with the university's Open Source Laboratory, the first facility of its type at any public university in the nation, are working at what they call "the perfect summer internships." Alex Polvi is with the Mozilla Foundation in Mountain View, Calif. helping expand access to Firefox, a highly popular software program used in browsing the Internet. Brandon Phillips is working at NASA's College Park, Md. laboratory with a robot called CosmoBot, which is designed to help educators and therapists give better care to children with special needs. "These opportunities would never have happened if OSU didn't have such a great open source computer organization," Polvi said. "Not only has it given us invaluable experience, it has also made us very attractive to industry." http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2005/Jun05/intern.htm |
K - 1 2 T E A C H I N G A D V E N T U R E S @ OSU Engineering
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HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TEAM UP WITH OSU ENGINEERS--
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 Working alongside OSU engineering students and faculty, local high school students performed hands-on research projects, including how to remove poisonous hydrogen sulfide from landfill gas emissions so the methane can be used in fuel cells to generate electricity. "The single biggest benefit I see ... is the exposure to higher education for the high school kids, and the experience of giving back to the community for the OSU students," said Chemical Engineering professor Skip Rochefort. "This is something you can't teach in the classroom." http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2005/06/08/news/community/wedloc04.txt
To read previous K-12 features, go to: http://engr.oregonstate.edu/momentum/k12/ |
I N T E R N A T I O N A L E X P E R I E N C E S @ OSU Engineering
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STUDENT STUDIES ENGINEERING, FINDS LOVE IN ENGLAND--
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 Rhiannon Parmelee, a 2005 graduate in Civil and Environmental Engineering and member of the OSU Honors College, studied at the University of Nottingham in Nottingham, England from September 2003 to June 2004. Her time in England was so inspiring she hopes to one day "find a career that can take me around the world." Her career goal is to design water and wastewater treatment plants, and she is "fascinated by processes that use plants and organisms to cleanse water." In September, Parmelee plans to move back to England and is currently looking for an environmental engineering position there. "I fell in love last year [while in the UK], and I plan to keep the magic going!" Read more about OSU International Exchange Programs: http://oregonstate.edu/international/ |
B U I L D I N G @ OSU Engineering
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HOFFMAN CONST. EMPLOYEES RAISE $$$ FOR APPERSON HALL--
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 Civil Engineering alumnus Kevin Cady, Hoffman Construction Company's project manager for the Apperson Hall renovation project on campus, sparked an effort within the company to attach its name on a room in the building. To date, approximately $163,000 dollars have been raised, including $53,000 in company matching funds. Read about the Apperson Hall renovation at: http://engr.oregonstate.edu/top25/apperson/ |
F U N D R A I S I N G @ OSU Engineering
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HURRY! HELP PUSH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING PAST $11-MILLION MARK--
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 We're close, but not quite there. By making a gift to the Top-25 Campaign before the fiscal year winds down on June 30th, YOU can help the College pass the $11-million mark for fundraising this year and push us well beyond the half-way mark of the $180-million public-private goal. Make a gift online at http://osufoundation.org or contact Marnie Noble at the OSU Foundation: 800-354-7281 marnie.noble@oregonstate.edu. |
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TEKTRONIX EQUIPS NEW LAB, BOLSTERS HANDS-ON LEARNING--
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 Tektronix, Inc. has extended its support of the OSU College of Engineering by equipping a high-tech lab, supporting hands-on learning, and expanding diversity efforts. As part of the gift, the company is outfitting the analog-mixed signal laboratory in the new Kelley Engineering Center with specialized equipment that will help OSU faculty and graduate students develop new technologies used in products such as cell phones and automobile air bags. http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2005/May05/tekgift.htm |
F A C U L T Y & S T A F F @ OSU Engineering
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PROFESSOR NAMED ONE OF 15 "PEOPLE TO WATCH" BY HPCWIRE--
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 Cherri M. Pancake, OSU professor of computer science and associate director for research, has been named one of 15 "People to Watch" by HPCwire. The honorees represent a cross-section of influential personalities in the high performance computing universe. Most of Pancake's research focuses on usability engineering, the study of how software can be engineered to be more usable, especially for practicing scientists and engineers who need to locate and access large databases across the Internet. Pancake was one of only two women named to the list. To see all 15 honorees, go to: http://www.taborcommunications.com/hpcwire/features/people05/index.html
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I N N O V A T I O N S @ OSU Engineering
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STUDENTS LEARN BY "PLAYING" WITH LEGOS, ROBOTS, OTHER LEARNING INNOVATIONS--
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 OSU engineering students use unusual, hands-on learning tools - from LEGO® vehicles outfitted with vision software to personal robots that students build from scratch - to better grasp engineering concepts, gain invaluable job skills, and have a little fun along the learning curve. Research shows that hands-on learning beats traditional blackboard lectures. So OSU Engineering is using LEGO MindStorms kits; OSU-developed Platforms for Learning like TekBots™, DataLoggers, and Mechatronics; and other roll-up-your-sleeves learning tools to recruit and retain engineering students by making classes more engaging, more effective, and more fun. Read more: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2005/May05/tekbots.htm |
A L U M N I @ OSU Engineering
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VETERAN OF INTEL NAMED CEO OF LSI LOGIC--
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 Abhi Talwalkar, a 1985 OSU electrical engineering graduate, has been named to succeed LSI Logic Corp. founder Wilfred J. Corrigan as president and chief executive officer. Talwalkar, 41, held the title of vice president at Intel and had a high-profile job running that company's digital-enterprise group. http://www.lsilogic.com/ |
H E A R D O N C A M P U S @ OSU Engineering
"The people are great, the climate I prefer, and just to be able to look out my door and see Mary's Peak every morning is pretty cool."
-- Doug Riesenberg, who won a Superbowl ring while playing for the New York Giants and just graduated from OSU with a double degree--one in electrical engineering and one in education.
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U P C O M I N G E V E N T S @ OSU Engineering
July 15-17, Da Vinci Days, Corvallis, Oregon. This year, the College of Engineering will again sponsor the festival's "Wireless Village," where many exciting aspects of our educational and research programs will be on display. http://www.davinci-days.org
July 25-28, 2005 Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference in Portland brings together leaders in research, education, technology development, industry, government, business, and venture capital investments to focus on development of micro and nano technology for new products. Attendees will share ideas and findings, build collaborative networks, participate in working groups, exhibit commercial technologies and services, and help set agendas for developing new microproducts. Plan to attend:
http://www.pnl.gov/microproducts/conferences/2005/index.stm
I M P O R T A N T L I N K S @ OSU Engineering
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Jeffery Smith, who earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering at Oregon State, has been named CEO of Palco Labs, Inc., the Santa Cruz, CA maker of medical devices. 
