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Message from the Dean Promoting Excellence in Research UNT is growing as a national leader in education, research and scholarship, and the College of Engineering is committed to fueling that growth. This past year has seen a flourish of research activity at the College as our faculty members and their teams are advancing knowledge that will improve our quality of life, as well as the economy. There have been growing pains as we’ve made adjustments to accommodate construction at Discovery Park. However, these changes will help us to provide the best educational experience to our students as well help attract the best minds to our college and innovative industries to Texas. While we are growing, with the largest ever undergraduate and graduate enrollments, graduating classes, and faculty numbers, we are also reaching out to the world, building partnerships across the globe. Taking time to research manatee feeding in Peru. For starters, our Tamaulipas agreement has resulted in the recruitment of two Ph.D. students, Veronica Perez Rosas and Alberto Castro Hernandez. In addition, a joint Ph.D. program has been signed with the National Scientific Research Center of Greece. A Ph.D. student from Universidad del Valle (Cali, Colombia), Juan Manuel Gonzalez, visited UNT for six months to conduct research with Thomas Scharf, associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Exchange visits with researchers from Cinvestav (Mexico) also included a student, Haideé Ruiz Luna, who worked on a project at UNT that was related to her doctoral dissertation. Another agreement with Chulalongkorn and Mahidol Universities in Thailand has resulted in seven juniors spending their research internship at UNT, and working with Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical and Energy Engineering faculty. Our International Discovery workshop in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems brought 26 researchers from 10 countries to our campus, and I am pleased to report that the connections we’ve made have led to an agreement to hold a workshop in Estonia this May. These fruitful and concrete partnerships increase the reputation of UNT and enhance our research and graduate education. In addition to our international efforts, in this annual report you can read about other collaborative, inter-disciplinary research being conducted at the College and the people who have recently made UNT their home, including a new department chair and a National Academy of Engineering member. Our research programs also are garnering recognition on the regional and national level such as the Center for Information and Computer Security (CICS), which is an interdisciplinary center, bringing together individuals and organizations with an interest in the areas of information security, computer security, information assurance, and cybercrime. Not to be left out are the College’s high quality students who have their own success stories, including two NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients. While we use these milestones as building blocks to further success, we will continue to strengthen our collaborations with our many educational, business and community partners.
Dr. Costas Tsatsoulis
Summer program brings undergraduate researchers to UNT, page 4 photo goes here
Table of Contents
The College 2
Faculty and Student Research The College’s research centers, faculty and students earn recognition, while the College attracts new faculty talent dedicated to innovative research.
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International and Industry Outreach Industry and international collaborations are promoted through agreements and faculty participation and leadership in international workshops.
Departments 6
Computer Science and Engineering Innovation Corps award, Computational linguistics competition
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Electrical Engineering Research through online game, Summer teacher program
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Engineering Technology New department chair, Cold-formed steel student competition
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Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Research Professor, Student symposium
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Mechanical and Energy Engineering International competition winners, Young Engineer of the Year
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New Faculty
17 Sponsors
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Faculty and Student Research
Two New Facilities to Boost Research
To ensure that faculty and students, as well as visiting researchers, have the resources needed to carry out research, the College has added, and continues to add, lab space with state-of-the-art equipment. In April 2012, the College marked the completion of the new Zero Energy Research Laboratory with a ribbon-cutting ceremony (pictured, above). The lab is a state-of-the-art facility – the only one of its kind in Texas – designed specifically to test various energy technologies and systems in order to achieve a net-zero consumption of energy. As work was finalized on the Zero Energy Research Laboratory, construction was underway on the Nanofabrication Cleanroom (pictured, right). The cleanroom occupies approximately 3000 sq. ft. of clean space and includes a Class 100 lithography area and a Class 10,000 wet and dry processing and characterization area.
Driving Innovation Through Research
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The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that the University of North Texas is one of only nine universities to receive a research project grant to support innovation and development of clean coal technologies. Dr. Rajiv Mishra, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, received a two-year grant to develop high performance materials for use in high-temperature applications at coal-fired energy plants. Next generation materials would allow these plants to operate at higher temperatures, which makes coal combustion more efficient, and in turn, results in lower emissions. Mishra’s grant was part of an investment by the DOE and the White House to leverage a broad range of domestic resources to advance cheaper technologies for coal-fired energy. UNT will partner with the University of Idaho to develop new computationally designed nickel-chromium alloys that could be used in high temperature applications in coal plants. Also, researchers in UNT’s Network Security Laboratory have pioneered a way to measure an individual’s blood pressure with nothing more than a smartphone and a small attachment. The new technology will not only be less uncomfortable for users than traditional methods, but will be cheaper and provide quicker, more accurate results. In addition to developing these medical applications, Prof. Ram Dantu also received an Innovation Corps award from the National Science Foundation to develop a program aimed at making roads safer. The application, known as Mobile Life Guard, would allow drivers to integrate their smartphones with their cars’ on-board computers. Through the integration, the smartphone would be able to analyze driver behavior and road conditions, and then send alerts to the driver or other drivers in the area.
Research Centers Receive National Recognition The University of North Texas has gained the designation of National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE/R) from the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. UNT was one of seven institutions in the country to receive the CAE/R for 2012. UNT also reapplied successfully for the designation of National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE), which the university originally earned in 2004. Institutions with Center of Academic Excellence designations are recognized as the leaders in cyber security education and research. UNT is one of only four schools in Texas to hold both the designation for education and the designation for research. Additionally, The Net-Centric Software & Systems Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (NetCentric I/UCRC), a research center based at the University of North Texas, won the Tech Titans of the Future University Level Award. The award was presented to Dr. Krishna Kavi, Net-Centric I/UCRC director, on Aug. 24, 2012, at the 12th Annual Tech Titans Gala in Dallas, which was attended by 700 of the Metroplex’s who’s who in industry and technology. The Tech Titan Awards are sponsored by the Metroplex Technology Business Council. A joint venture between academic, government, and commercial institutions, the Net-Centric I/UCRC has been formed so that the university environment can be used to promote collaborative research between industrial and academic partners. The Center’s focus is on fundamental research needed for the development and deployment of software and applications into cloud and netcentric environments. NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Two Engineering students received National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, which are given to students who plan to earn research-focused master’s and doctoral degrees in science, social science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Jennifer Williams, who completed her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at UNT, is the first student from the College of Engineering to be named an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Jessica Rimsza, who arrived at UNT thanks to a recommendation from her undergraduate advisor at the University of Arizona, is pursuing her research as a doctoral student in the laboratory of Jincheng Du, associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. SUPER Students Conduct Research The University of North Texas College of Engineering brought undergraduates from other universities, including one from Mexico (see International Section) to conduct research projects at the Summer Undergraduate Program in Engineering Research (SUPER). Each participant of the SUPER Program was provided with a stipend, on-campus room and board if needed, and funds for travel expenses. They had access to office space and research facilities in Discovery Park, and were assigned a faculty mentor. Projects included an autonomous powered shelter for air pollution monitoring and an interactive mapping game.
Improving Properties of Glass Materials From car windshields to smartphone screens, consumers expect their glass products to be strong, durable, and have high optical quality. Achieving this combination of properties can be a challenge for manufacturers working with the naturally brittle material. Dr. Jincheng Du (pictured), an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, recently received funding from the National Science Foundation’s Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry program to work with Corning Inc., a fortune 500 company specializing in glass and ceramic materials. During the four-year project, Du will investigate how the mixed glass former effect alters the structure and properties of glass compositions. The UNT team will use sophisticated computer simulations to study how mixing these compounds changes the mechanical, electrical, thermal and other properties of glass materials. The team also will study the structural origins of these changes. The simulations efforts at UNT will be correlated closely with experimental research carried out at Corning Inc.
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International and Industry Outreach International Agreements
The National Center for Scientific Research – Demokritos, signed a joint-program agreement with UNT that will allow Greek Computer Science students to spend some time at Demokritos and some time at UNT with coadvisors at both institutions. At the end of their of their study and research period these students will get a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from UNT. The joint program will start in the Fall term of 2013. UNT also signed a memorandum of understanding with Future House Real Estate Co. Ltd., a research institution in Beijing, to research and promote green building technologies. The university hopes to leverage the agreement to form a consortium known as the U.S.-China Network and Demonstration Partnership for Zero-Net-Energy Research, which would bring together U.S. and Chinese partners from industry and academia to conduct research in the area of zero-net energy. The agreement also extends UNT’s involvement with the American House, previously known as the Future House USA (pictured, right).
Bringing Researchers to UNT
Student Exchange
Two postdocs and one graduate student, all from the University of Ioannina in Greece, did a one-month research visit to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. They came to UNT as part of the European Union Erasmus Grant with Dr. Rick Reidy. These researchers report to Dr. Dimitrios Gournis from the Department of Materials Science at Ionnina University. The visiting researchers worked with Reidy on projects to study magnetic properties of buckyballs in clays and magnetic materials inside carbon nanotubes. The results of these collaborations have led to two joint publications on the Microelectronic Engineering Research Journal.
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In the summer of 2012, the College hosted renowned energy experts, research scientists and energy engineers from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States for the 2nd Global Discovery Workshop (pictured, left). The theme of the workshop was “Alternative & Sustainable Energy Systems,” and the purpose was to foster international research collaborations and joint research funding initiatives, promote faculty and student research exchanges, and facilitate opportunities for doctoral student training and postdoctoral research. Attendees included Dr. Yong Tao, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, and visiting presenters Dr. Javier Rodriguez Varela, Cinvestav (Mexico), Dr. Giovana Wiecheteck, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa (Brazil), Dr. Jie Lu, Harbin Engineering University (China), Dr. Ener Salinas, London South Bank University (Great Britain), Dr. Tõnu Mauring, University of Tartu, Institute of Technology (Estonia), Dr. Doo Man Kim, Korea Aerospace University (Korea), Dr. Maria Esther Quintana Caceda, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (Peru), and Dr. Cristian Lungu, National Institute for Laser Plasma and Radiation Physics (Romania). This workshop has resulted in specific collaborations between faculty and students from Cinvestav and UNT, as well as City of Denton and UNT delegation trips to Brazil and Estonia to meet with university representatives, city officials, and industry leaders and to explore opportunities for academic, research, and outreach collaboration.
SUPER
Eduardo Hernandez-Basilio (in the photo on the right), a student from UAEM (Mexico), researched with Dr. Kamesh Namuduri, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, on a project titled “Autonomous Robot Navigation.” The goal for this project is to program the robot so that it can navigate around in a known environment. He was responsible for estimating the location of the robot based on its initial location, pose (direction it is facing), and the distance it travelled. Knowing its own current location, the robot can plan its course of action when it is instructed to go to a given location. Namuduri stated, “In a short duration of time, he was able to understand the overall project and what was expected of him during the project. He demonstrated positive attitude, individuality, and team spirit that are important for an engineer.”
Workshop on Sustainability
From June 12-13, 2012, Dr. Yong Tao of the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering chaired a two-day workshop on Analytics for BuildingScale Sustainable Ecosystems (BSSE) in Beijing, China. The workshop, which Tao designed and led in collaboration with UNT’s partners at Tsinghua University in Beijing, brought together participants from eight U.S. and Chinese institutions. In addition to faculty participants in the BSSE workshop, six U.S. students had the opportunity to attend the workshop as a part of a UNT research abroad program on sustainable building technologies.
Collaboration Agreement
In July 2012, Dr. Barrett Bryant and Ph.D. student Danielle Gaither visited the INRIA research lab in Rennes, France, to establish a collaboration in the area of formalization of domain-specific modeling languages. Domain-specific modeling languages provide a very high level of abstraction for constructing models of software systems within a given application domain (for example, aerospace, automotive, health, or telecom). This work intends to establish such a formalization for the purpose of automated tool generation to facilitate the software engineering of such systems. The planned collaboration with INRIA will include the opportunity for UNT students to visit their lab.
Exchange visits with professors, students
Dr. Narendra Dahotre, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. Rick Reidy visited Cinvestav in Queretaro, Mexico, on November 2-5, 2011, at the invitation and sponsorship by the Director of Cinvestav. During their visit, Dahotre and Reidy made technical presentations, took tour of a research facility and conducted several discussions on mutual research interests and possible collaborations. Haideé Ruiz Luna, Ph.D. student in the Materials Science Ph.D. Program of Cinvestav - Querétaro (Mexico) under the supervision of Professor Juan Muñoz Saldaña, visited UNT’s Department of Materials Science & Engineering from Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2012, to conduct part of her doctoral dissertation research work. Luna, worked under the supervision of Dahotre and conducted laser based processing of Ni-Al coating on stainless steel materials for aerospace and land based turbine applications. These coatings are envisioned for enhanced high temperature corrosion, oxidation and fatigue performance. A host of high power lasers configured in various modes in Dahotre’s Laboratory of Laser Materials Synthesis and Fabrication (LLMSF) made it possible to synthesize the coatings in various configurations. Luna conducted extensive post laser process characterization and analysis of the coated samples using the analytical tools within MSE department and Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART). Several follow-up online and telephone discussions were conducted between the collaborators at Cinvestav and UNT. Presently, a joint manuscript is in preparation for publication in a refereed journal on the work performed under these collaborative efforts. Additionally, an MOU is being prepared for collaborations between Cinvestav and UNT.
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Computer Science and Engineering
On Feb. 2, 2012, more than 40 high school students from the North Texas area came to the University of North Texas to participate in the regional competition for the 2012 North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO), hosted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). NACLO is an educational competition in Computational Linguistics, the science of designing computer algorithms to solve linguistic problems. It challenges students to develop strategies for tackling problems in fascinating real languages and formal symbolic systems. This was the third time that UNT hosted the competition. Dr. Rada Mihalcea, CSE associate professor, and Genene Murphy, CSE staff, supervised this event, along with the following graduate students: Bharath Dandala (CSE), Chris Hokamp (Linguistics), Ben Leong (CSE), Vanessa Loza (CSE), and Veronica Perez-Rosas (CSE). Schools represented at the competition included R.L. Turner High School (Carrollton), Denton High School, and R. L. Paschal High School (Fort Worth). The students from these schools were inspired to enter the competition by their instructors, who noted that during the month before the competition, the students were meeting before and after the school day to work on practice problems and to coach each other. Additionally, the teachers said they were glad that the university hosted the Olympiad because by preparing for the competition, the students were learning a different way of thinking. One of the teachers commented that the competition allowed the students to put their problem-solving skills to the test in a way that is not normally represented outside of the classroom.
Grant Funds Student Recruiting, Retention Efforts
A grant from the STARS Alliance will help the Computer Science and Engineering Department to broaden participation in computing, funding students to work on various projects involving outreach, recruiting, and retention. The project is led by Professors Ryan Garlick and David Keathly of CSE. A class has formed, with a team of students tasked with working on CSE’s popular RoboCamp and adding an AppCamp component to the existing summer camp lineup in 2013. The project also includes plans for an App Development Incubator, which will bring students, multi-disciplinary faculty, and industry together to learn about app development while creating real-world software. Another team will revive the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) chapter at UNT, promoting the programming competition and bringing guest speakers to campus.
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UNT Center Helps Place Denton Among Top Data Security Cities
In a recent nationwide study conducted by the New Jerseybased The Boyd Company, Inc., Denton, Texas, was found to be one of the top 10 sites for operating highly secure, low-cost data security centers in the country. One of the major factors The Boyd Company cites as a benefit for companies considering Denton for a secure data center is UNT’s robust computer security program. Headed by Dr. Ram Dantu (pictured), UNT’s Center for Information and Computer Security (CICS) represents one of the few institutions to be accredited by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education and Research. CICS brings together individuals and organizations with an interest in the areas of information security, computer security, information assurance, and cybercrime. In addition to UNT’s accredited education program, The Boyd Company also cited Denton’s robust bandwidth, telecommunications and power infrastructures, favorable operating cost structures and secure location insulated from natural disasters. Thanks in large part to UNT’s information security program, the report’s recommendation will likely bring many companies to the Denton area. Engineering graduate students Yiwen Wan and Samu Chakki received 2nd prize as a team in a competition in which UNT student teams presented their mobile/iPad app ideas to Dallas-Fort Worth business and technology leaders. The event, “The Innovation Challenge,” was held on Nov. 19 at the Alcatel-Lucent Gravity Center in Plano, Texas. UNT and Alcatel-Lucent sponsored the competition for which around 15 teams were originally entered. Each team was required to describe an innovative idea for a mobile/iPad app, a product based on the idea, a marketing plan, and a business model that supported it. In addition to Wan (a research assistant in Computer Science and Engineering) and Chakki (an M.S. student in Electrical Engineering), the team included Michael Wang, a senior at the Texas Academy of Math and Science. The product proposed by the team is called funNECT, a mobile app that connects people with family and friends across the world through a long distance virtual PhotoBooth and using photos, video and other media. The competition started with an idea pitching and team-up session. Both Wan and Chakki pitched ideas in the starting session. Wang worked with Chakki and Wan in the team-up session. Afterwards, they brainstormed and agreed on the funNECT idea. Then, the team worked together on idea polishing, the business plan and the presentation. Wan stated, “It is a very wonderful opportunity to get involved in The Innovation Challenge. I am happy that I am part of it and have experienced a whole process of delivering a new product”.
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Electrical Engineering
Researchers Harvesting Human Intuition to aid Development of Portable, Low-energy Electronics As the demand for smaller and more energy efficient electrical devices continues to grow, electrical engineers are faced with the challenge of figuring out how to best fit all the electrical components into the devices. Dr. Gayatri Mehta, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, and her team of student researchers are taking an innovative approach to this challenge, turning the problem of efficiently mapping electrical components into a webbased computer game. The game features various series of blocks inlaid on a graph. Players are asked to arrange the blocks more efficiently while adhering to certain constraints. Mehta and her team have been working to develop the game for about a year, and a beta version is now available at http://untangled.unt.edu. By visually and mathematically analyzing the graphs of the top scoring players, the team hopes to harvest human intuition and develop new algorithms, or mathematical equations, that will help engineers develop the next generation of cell phones, medical devices and other electronics. The interdisciplinary project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. “Humans are very good at observing patterns. Algorithms pick nodes and randomly swap them, but humans can see clusters that can be moved together,” Mehta said. “What we are learning is how humans observe patterns and what strategies they use, and then, we plan to use that information to develop new, smarter and faster algorithms based on these strategies.” Last summer, Mehta had 10 students working on the project, including students from computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering and graphic design. Two of the students, Marc Reisner of Johns Hopkins University and Natalie Parde of UNT, participated in UNT’s Summer Undergraduate Program in Engineering Research.
Best Paper Award Presented to Student
Eric Ayeh, a Computer Science and Engineering Ph.D. student and Research Assistant in the Department of Electrical Engineering, co-advised by Electrical Engineering faculty members, was presented with a best paper award at the 2012 IEEE Communications Society Communications Quality and Reliability (IEEE CQR) International Workshop, held May 15-17, 2012 in San Diego, Calif. The paper he presented, “Joint Encryption Error Correction and Modulation (JEEM) Scheme,” describes a physical layer encryption scheme that is capable of providing data reliability, secrecy, and integrity to wireless devices. In addition, the scheme is also able to modulate the data. The IEEE CQR International Workshop brings together industry and academic experts to present and discuss communications quality, reliability and security issues as they relate to real world issues.
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UNT helping area teachers bring research into the classroom
Eleven North Texas middle and high school teachers made the transition from instructors to researchers this summer during a six-week National Science Foundation program at the University of North Texas. The teachers participated in UNT’s Research Experiences for Teachers in Sensor Networks program. The program gives teachers the opportunity to conduct engineering-based research projects while also learning how to translate their experiences into innovative classroom lessons. The program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation started in 2011 and will run through 2013. “This program is crucial to promote STEM disciplines among high school students in the North Texas area. We critically need our youth to consider engineering among their first choices for college. Engaging their teachers in university research goes a long way in accomplishing this goal,” said Dr. Miguel Acevedo, a Regents professor in UNT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and coordinator of UNT’s Research Experience for Teachers program. This was the second year that UNT has offered the Research Experience for Teachers program. UNT also ran a pilot program in 2009. The 2012 participants used electrical engineering concepts and tools to investigate air and water quality, the impact of emissions on the area’s carbon footprint and the ability to equip robots with depth-capable vision. The eleven participants came from six different school districts and teach subjects from chemistry and algebra to aerospace engineering and aquatic science. Two teachers who participated in the 2009 pilot and the 2011 Research Experience for Teachers served as Master Teachers, helping the other participants make the most of the program.
Student Works at NASA Johnson Space Center
Emma Zemler, an electrical engineering senior at the University of North Texas (UNT), worked from January until August 2012 at the NASA – Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston under the JSC Cooperative Education Program. The Cooperative Education Program at Johnson Space Center is open to graduate and undergraduate students from around the country. As a co-op, she alternates semesters at school with semesters at JSC working in a paid, full-time position directly related to her field of study. Zemler, who is enrolled in both UNT and Texas Woman’s University dual degree program in electrical engineering and math, worked previously at JSC under the Texas Aerospace Scholars’ Internship Program and has participated in other NASA-related programs for students. Zemler said that her goal is to work as a full-time employee at Johnson Space Center. “This has been my childhood dream,” she continued. “I always wanted to be a flight controller, helping others explore the realms of space. My participation with the NASA programs has allowed me to be exposed to that type of atmosphere. It gets my foot in the door, allowing me to get closer to my dream.”
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Engineering Technology
College Welcomes Department Chair
Dr. Enrique Barbieri (pictured), the new Chair of Engineering Technology, comes to UNT after having led departments at both Tulane University and The University of Houston, where he improved enrollment and expanded research funding. Additionally, he has been the principal investigator (PI) or Co-PI of research grants, contracts, and fundraising projects from federal, state, and private agencies exceeding $3.7 million and is the co-recipient of a U.S. patent on a 3-D ultrasonic ranging system with application to motion detection in flexible structures. He joined UNT as the Engineering Technology Department celebrated its 20th anniversary, and he organized an event that hosted alumni from as early as 1949, current students, faculty, staff and College and University administrators. Along with reaching out to alumni, Barbieri hopes to create close relationships with other departments, allowing for synergistic sharing of ideas and resources. He is already working closely with faculty to plan courses and curriculum for the next three to five years. He believes strongly in reaching out, not only to students and faculty within the school, but also to high schools and local community colleges. He was a Technical Associate Editor of IEEE Control Systems Magazine (1992-1995), and served at different times in a variety of positions such as finance chair, exhibits chair, program co-chair, publicity chair and associate editor for national and international conferences. He co-directed the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center-Gulf Coast (TMAC) during the Center’s 2005-2006 transition to the College of Technology; was a member of the TMAC Executive Council (2006-2011); and served as chair of the Council (2007-2009). He was also a board member (2005-2008) for the Engineering Technology Leadership Institute of the ASEE.
New Mean Green Machine The University of North Texas, Department of Engineering Technology, in the College of Engineering located in Denton, Texas, is proud to announce that the BSET-Construction Engineering Technology program has been accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
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The Mean Green Machine, a 1931 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan, is a staple at football games and it’s driven at parades and other special occasions to promote UNT spirit. A team of Engineering Technology students worked for two semesters to convert the car to an electric vehicle. Their work was presented during Senior Design Day on April 27, 2012.
New Competition Engages Interest in Cold-Formed Steel The inaugural Student Competition on Cold-Formed Steel Design in 2011 received a total of 78 entries from 9 universities in the United States, Canada, China, Turkey, and Australia. The competition was launched by Dr. Cheng Yu (pictured below), associate professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and coordinator of the Construction Engineering Technology Program. Yu’s research focuses on thin-walled, cold-formed steel structures, computational mechanics, finite element method, earthquake engineering, structural dynamics, structural stability, and sustainable engineering. “We thank all the participating students and their faculty advisors for making the first CFS Design Student Competition a truly successful one. Everyone is a winner in this competition,” Yu said. The students were challenged with designing an optimal cold-formed steel cross-section shape. The optimal shape was required to yield an as high as possible critical elastic buckling load for half-wave lengths equal to or less than 12 inches when uniform compression stresses were applied. Student entrants were required to work on the challenge individually, and no team solutions were accepted. The judge panel carefully reviewed all entries and ranked them according to the design’s efficiency and constructability as well as the quality of the essay. The top students were: Jiazhen Leng, Johns Hopkins University (1st place); David Cross, Virginia Tech (2nd place); and Michael Palles IV, Virginia Tech (3rd place). The top three winners received an award plaque, and the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute awarded a one year student membership to each of the top 10 students, which included UNT’s Roger Rovira.
Recent Graduate Makes “40 New Voices of Quality” List
Nergis Soylemez-Sayed, an Engineering Technology alumna, was recently among 40 quality professionals from throughout the world to be named to Quality Progress magazine’s inaugural “40 New Voices of Quality” list. The “40 New Voices of Quality” list, which recognizes individuals under 40 who are making a difference in their organizations, was printed in an issue of Quality Progress, published by ASQ. Soylemez-Sayed said that it was such an honor to be recognized by a prestigious organization such as ASQ. Soylemez-Sayed, who works at Presbyterian Hospital-Texas Health Resources, joined a list of talented quality professionals that includes engineers, professors, company presidents, and physicians. Soylemez-Sayed (Electronics Engineering Technology in 2006), is an ASQ-certified quality engineer, Six Sigma Black Belt, and lean bronze-level certified. She is a member of ASQ’s Influential Voices where she blogs regularly on topics related to quality and continuous improvement. “I have a lot of passion for what I do, and in order for me to advance in the field, I thought it was absolutely necessary to get certified and expand my knowledge and skills and to be part of organizations like ASQ and the International Society of Six Sigma Professionals” she said. While having a busy professional life, she continues to be active with UNT, which she says has been a big part of her life during and after college. She met her husband, Harris Sayed, while she was in school, and both of them have attended recent alumni events. As an alumna, she has helped one of the professors in business administration with his operations management class. She also agreed to serve as the chair of the College of Engineering Recent Graduate Advisory Board. The purpose of the advisory board is to have recent graduates assist the Dean in achieving excellence in education and research as well as providing a new perspective on future directions for the College curricula to better serve the students, and technology trends for the College faculty to better meet industry needs. Soylemez-Sayed is very excited about the opportunity to give back to UNT College of Engineering and help engineering students grow academically and professionally.
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Materials Science and Engineering Engineering Welcomes Second National Academy of Engineering Member to Faculty
Dr. Jim Williams, one of the world’s leading authorities on titanium alloys and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, has joined the College of Engineering faculty at the University of North Texas. Williams came to UNT as a distinguished research professor with an appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering on July 1, 2012. Most recently Williams served on the faculty and previously as the Dean of Engineering at Ohio State University. He also served on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University for 13 years, including six years as their dean of the College of Engineering. In addition to his extensive experience in academia, Williams also has had an impressive career in the aerospace industry. He has worked for Boeing, Rockwell and GE’s aviation division. His work in the aviation industry is credited with improving safety, fuel efficiency and environmental impact. While at GE his team introduced several new materials and worked to decrease titanium defects in aeronautical turbine engines. No titanium-related catastrophic engine failures have occurred since this work was implemented. “I enjoy interacting with the students, and, particularly in engineering, I think it is really important that the undergraduate students get exposed to people with industrial experience,” said Williams. At UNT, Williams plans to help the department further strengthen its structural materials program by collaborating on research projects, participating in strategic planning and facilitating outreach with industry. “Structural materials are important to high-quality manufactured goods in this country, yet many of the materials departments around the country have either abandoned or reduced their effort in that area,” said Williams. “To revitalize America’s manufacturing sector we are going to have to make high-value products. High-value products can’t be competitive without high-quality and high performance materials.”
University Hosts Student Symposium
Students from the University of North Texas and other area universities met for an evening of research presentations during the 2012 North Texas Inter-University Student Symposium on Materials Science & Engineering. The symposium involved student-only presentations with participants in materials and related fields from the University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Dallas, and UNT. The event, held at UNT on March 28, 2012, was organized by the MSE and Materials Advantage UNT Chapter. Twelve students, including four UNT students, had the opportunity to give an overview of their research and answer questions from an audience of faculty and peers. A panel of judges reviewed the presentations, and the top students were rewarded for their efforts.
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Professor Receives Recognition The UNT Office of Research and Economic Development presented Dr. Raj Banerjee with the first Special Recognition for Sustained Contribution to the Research Enterprise award for his role as director of the university’s Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART). The Office of Research and Economic Development created this new award to provide recognition and thanks for an individual’s sustained efforts and accomplishments that benefit UNT’s research enterprise over a period of multiple years. Banerjee was among the six faculty members who were recognized for their work at the 2011 Annual Research Reception and Awards Ceremony hosted by the Office of Research and Economic Development. Banerjee’s development and implementation of new rules and policies for the center has significantly aided in the expanded use of this state-of-the-art nanoscale synthesis and characterization facility. CART now supports the work of more than 30 faculty members and 180 graduate students from various departments and colleges. Users also include researchers from numerous U.S. universities and for-profit U.S. companies. The center also supports collaborations with researchers from 23 foreign universities in at least nine different countries, some of which are among the very top international universities. He, along with Dr. Soumya Nag, recently had a peer-reviewed book chapter published in the ASM Handbook Volume 23: Materials for Medical Devices. This reference book provides state-of-the-art information on the most common materials that are used for medical devices, namely, stainless steels, cobalt-base alloys, titanium alloys, shape memory alloys, noble metals, ceramics, and polymers. The chapter extensively covers material properties like biocompatibility, bio-tribology, corrosion and implant wear, along with a detailed discussion on failure analyses of implant materials. As a replacement for the Handbook of Materials for Medical Devices edited by J.R. Davis (ASM, 2003), this new volume expands the scope and depth of coverage, including a more in-depth discussion of materials and focus on applications. The ASM handbook series has a large readership and one of the most widely cited handbooks by both industry and academia around the world.
II-VI Foundation Funds Project
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering was awarded a gift from the II-VI Foundation to support a project titled “Mitigating Effects of Thermal Cycling in Electric Power Generation.” This gift will fund the continued research to improve the effectiveness and extend the service life of thermoelectric generator (TEG) devices, which provide safe, non-toxic cooling. The research could result in replacing Freon used in refrigerators and also in using waste heat from automobile exhaust to provide cooling inside the vehicle. In 2010, the II-VI Foundation awarded UNT a gift for the project “Polymeric Sealants for Improvement of Effectiveness of Electric Power Generation.” Power generation from TEG devices offers a promising solution to the challenge of sustainable and renewable energy sources. The project is being headed by Dr. Witold Brostow, Regents Professor and director of the Laboratory of Advanced Polymers & Optimized Materials. Attending the signing of the agreement were Brostow (standing third from the right), Dean of Engineering Costas Tsatsoulis (seated on the right), and Dr. Carl J. Johnson, chairman of the II-VI Foundation (seated on the left), along with students who work with LAPOM.
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Mechanical and Energy Engineering
Researcher, Student Receive Recognition from ASME North Texas
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) North Texas Section recognized Dr. Jaehyung Ju (left) with the 2011-12 North Texas Young Engineer of the Year award. “The award makes me feel humble,” said Ju, “and motivates me to make more significant contributions to the engineering society in my career.” The award recognizes the accomplishments of mechanical engineers with less than 10 years work experience in the field. In 2011, Ju organized ASME technical divisions, as well as submitted four journal articles and co-authored eight technical papers for ASME. Throughout his career, Dr. Ju has published approximately 50 journal articles and conference proceedings and has filed four U.S. patents as a main inventor on non-pneumatic tire components with cellular materials while collaborating with Michelin. He is an assistant professor with the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering and a researcher in UNT’s PACCAR Technology Institute. “I believe UNT is a superb research institution,” Ju said. “UNT has great resources of technical journals, equipment, and excellent students.” ASME North Texas Section also chose College of Engineering student Chris Stallings (right) to receive an award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student at the University of North Texas. “I felt honored,” said Stallings. “I’m actually really proud of the accomplishments that we had this year,” commented Stallings about the Student Chapter at UNT, “my motto this year was network, compete, contribute.” Since taking over as President, Stallings has taken the Student Chapter of ASME to multiple competitions, including some in which UNT has never before competed.
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UNT Students Win Big at International Wind Energy Competition
University of North Texas graduate students Joseph Koruth and Carlos Peña-Sanchez demonstrated the strength of UNT’s energy engineering program by defeating students from the world’s top schools at the Winnovation case competition in Aarhus, Denmark. After two days (Feb. 2-3, 2012) of case challenges, the students made the 14-hour journey home from Denmark as members of the first place and runner-up teams in the competition. Sponsored by leading wind-energy company Vestas, the Winnovation case competition challenges graduate students to develop out-of-the-box methods to reduce the cost of and to improve the quality of wind energy. Peña-Sanchez was part of the winning team and won a cash prize to be used on airfare for an around-the-world trip; Koruth was a member of the runner-up team. Both students were mentored by Drs. Kuruvilla John and Srinivasan Srivilliputhur. John is an associate dean of the College of Engineering and a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, and Srivilliputhur is an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. John said, “Carlos’ and Joseph’s successes at the Winnovation 2012 highlight the caliber of our students and the outstanding graduate programs we have at UNT. Their achievement is a testament to their hard work, creative abilities and solid technical training as they excelled over students from worldrenowned institutions such as Harvard and MIT. I am very proud of their accomplishment, and I wish them the very best as they move on to bigger things in life.” Koruth and Pena-Sanchez said the mentoring they received helped them to anticipate what they faced during the competition. They also took their mentors’ advice to “have fun,” and they said they enjoyed participating in competition, talking about UNT and meeting students from other universities.
UNT Representative Invited to China TV to Discuss Energy Efficient Housing
In July 2012, Dr. Yong Tao, Mechanical and Energy Engineering Chair and member of the UNT Renewable Energy and Conservation research cluster, and Dr. Richard Nader, Vice Provost of International Affairs with UNTInternational, shared ideas about the future of energy efficient housing as featured guests on a news program hosted by the China.net TV Channel in Beijing. Tao and Nader discussed university objectives and motivations for the future of green building construction and the role of Sino-American cooperation in meeting these goals. Tao discussed the need for balance between comfort and efficiency in creating future sustainable housing, and said he envisaged homes where people could easily customize their comfort preferences by manipulating conditions such as indoor air quality, temperature, and drinking water, while maintaining efficient energy management standards. He cited the successful completion of green and sustainable buildings and the range of energy efficient materials, technology, and equipment used to make them, and he additionally emphasized the need for sensors and gauges to monitor the energy performance of the buildings. Tao said that the cost of making zero energy homes would be affordable with large scale production in place; manufacturing costs would be reduced with increased demand. He cited proper business planning and government policy support as being additional factors in offsetting cost. Both UNT representatives spoke to the role of the new Zero Energy Research Laboratory at the University of North Texas as a model home and adaptable laboratory to showcase the latest innovations and research on renewable energy and sustainable development.
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New Faculty for 2012 Ikechukwu Agbor Lecturer Research interests include electromagnetics and microstrip antennas. He received a M.S. from Southern Methodist University in 2011 and a B.S. from Prairie View A&M University in 1997. Mihai Burzo, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Research interests include heat transfer in microelectronics and thermophysical properties of thin films, nanostructures, and novel electronic materials. He received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from SMU (2001) and an Engineer Diploma (B.S.+M.S.) in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania (1995). Jiangtao Cheng, Ph.D. Associate Professor Research interests include electrowetting solar cells and solar houses, drop wise condensation on lotus-leaf-likestructures, adaptive beam tracking and steering via electrowetting-controlled liquid prism, wickless vapor chamber with active electrowetting control, hydraulic tomography, and nanoparticle transport in a microchannel. He received a Ph.D. in physics from Purdue University in 2002, a M.S. in computer science from Purdue in 2002 and a B.S. in applied physics from Peking University in 1991. Francis D’Souza, Ph.D. Professor Research interests include artificial photosynthesis for solar energy harvesting, carbon nanomaterials, photovoltaics, energy storage and conversion, and sensors and biosensors. He received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India (1992), and a M.S. in Chemistry (1984) and B.S. (1982) from the University of Mysore, Mysore, India.
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Jaehyung Ju, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Research interests include the mechanics and design of multifunctional materials and structures; compliant cellular materials, electro-active materials and non-pneumatic tires; and energy efficiency and energy harvesting. He received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University (2005), a M.S. from Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, (1998), and a B.S. from the Korea Aerospace University (1996). Xiaohua Li, Ph.D. Lecturer Research interests are vibration control, structural health monitoring and nanocomposite materials for mechanical sensing and actuating. He received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Florida International University (2009), and a B.S. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Lanzhou University, China (1996). Rajiv Mishra, Ph.D. Professor Research interests include friction stir welding and processing, processing and properties of ultrafine grained materials (including nanocrystalline), and superplastic forming. He received a Ph.D. in Metallurgy from the University of Sheffield, UK (1988), a M.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (1985), and a Bachelor of Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India (1982). Ali Nouri Lecturer Expertise areas are ferrous and non-ferrous metal forming, high-conductive cables, automotive AC and HVAC systems, and quality systems implementation. He received a M.S. (1987) and B.S. (1985) in Industrial Technology from the University of North Texas.
Cherish Qualls, Ph.D. Lecturer Research interests include flight dynamics, development of guidance and control systems, and statistical orbit determination. She received a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering (2004), a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering (2000), and a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering (1998) from Auburn University. Tamara Schneider, Ph.D. Lecturer Research interests include response plan analysis and optimization. She received a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of North Texas (2010) and a Diplom in Computer Science from the University of Passau in Germany (2007). Sheldon Shi, Ph.D. Associate Professor Research interests include natural fiber biocomposites and nanocomposites, adhesion and interfacial bonding, and engineered building products. He obtained a Ph.D. from Michigan Technological University in 1997, and a M.S. and B.S. in Wood Engineering from Northeast Forestry University (1991 and 1988 respectively). Xun Yu, Ph.D. Associate Professor Research interests include nanotechnology-based smart materials and smart structures, and multifunctional materials for energy and biomedical applications. He received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2006), an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China (2002), and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Tiedao University, Shanghai, China (2002). Visit page 11 for Enrique Barbieri and page 13 for Jim Williams.
Thanking our Sponsors Corporations Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Avatier Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. Blackberry/Research In Motion Bowen Eye Associates BNSF Railway CBS ArcSafe, Inc. Freese and Nichols, Inc. Gussy Up n Go Huber Engineered Woods LLC James Wood Denton Inc. Labinal, Inc. Lockheed Martin Corp. MicroDev, Inc. Microsoft Matching Gifts Program NUCONSTEEL Corporation Peerless Manufacturing Co. PepsiCo Raytheon Matching Gifts for Education Program Research in Motion Schlumberger-Doll Research Schneider Electric Siemens PLM Software, Inc. Stryker Communications TDIndustries Zodiac Aerospace/Weber Aircraft Foundations II-VI Foundation Bobby Labonte Foundation Inc. Communities Foundation of Texas PACCAR Foundation Verizon Foundation Others Richardson Chamber Of Commerce Society of Plastic Engineers South Texas Section
Trucking Industry Defense Association Individuals Richard A. Akins Hassan A. Al Fadhli Ali Q. Al Zawwad Mary A. Allen Justin A. Allston Anurag Arepally James M. Babin Carolyn F. Barth Evelyn M. Barthold Ariunsanaa Batbold Mojgan Bernstein Moiz H. Bhukhiya Maia C. Bischof Robert L. Bowns Patricia K. Brown Barrett R. Bryant Bill Buckles Dong T. Bui Nancy A. Bunce Travis T. Carrico Lisa M. Carroll Abel Casanova Vikram Chandrasekaran Chi-Chen Chiu Vivek S. Chokhani Shahnaz Z. Chowdhury Etta B. Clark Christopher N. Cloutier Ashley E. Cook Susan M. Corkern Cathy M. Culp Jeffrey R. Curtis Steven J. Dalton Bharath Dandala Jesse W. Davis Sebastian S. Delgadillo Deekshitulu V. Dokka Richard T. Drouillard Nandika A. D’Souza Mario P. Errante Manuel Flores Ryan E. Freels Michael J. Frerichs Ping Y. Fung John M. Garcia Oscar N. Garcia
Joshua T. Gleaton Anthony M. Gonzalez Reginald Grant Sarah F. Griffin Sherman C. Griffith Sai Krishna R. Gunna Ann M. Gura Sravan K. Gurijala Patti Hamilton Ryan M. Hammel Chucky Hawkins Yolanda Hawkins John T. Hickman Keith D. Hodge Rick L. Hoff Henry G. Huey Joan E. Jolly Deepa Kalluru Victor K. Karani Avinash Karri Venkata Praveen Karri Srinivas Kasaraneni Arshad Khan Jeffrey B. Knape Rajakumari Kochara Sravani Konda Robert A. Krause Brian K. Kucharski Ivan Langford Tsang-Pey B. Lee Li Li Eric R. Lorentz Mitra Mahdavian Russell W. Malesovas Sirisha Mandadi Catherine M. Manshack Stephen F. McGee Rizwaneshiraz Mohammed Michael G. Mohler Victor M. Morales Barbara J. Morris Ahmed M. Mosih John E. Muskara Brack T. Nall Loc Q. Nguyen Igbinerha T. Ohonba Atmaram Palakodety Daniel Pan Brett D. Patchen Christopher E. Pearce
Kranthikiran Pendem Zachary B. Perry Hemanth V. Potluri Venkatesan Iyengar Prasanna Michael D. Pritchett Oludemilade M. Raji Manish R. Ratnani Seyed M. Razavi Matthew D. Reynolds Amanda Sanchez Arminio Serrano Antariksh R. Singh Elizabeth Ostrow-Smith Nergis Soylemez Ankit Srivastava William A. Stamm Scott W. Stein Eric J. Stotzer Lawrence B. Sullivan Yong X. Tao Joshua R. Taylor Sri Harsha Thotakura Ruth A. Torgerson Costas Tsatsoulis Murali R. Varanasi Charles M. Vincent Srikanth C. Vinukonda Dat T. Vo Patti A. Weatherred H. A. White Craig C. Whitney Elaine M. Whyte Neva D. Wilson DeAnna L. Wolf Troy J. Wolf Thomas C. Wood Sashi Prabha Wunnava Charles K. Yao Liqin Zhang Yuhua Zhang
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University of North Texas College of Engineering 1155 Union Circle #310440 Denton, TX 76203-5017
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Engineering Students Receive Prestigious Fellowships
Jennifer Williams and Jessica Rimsza bring to their graduate pursuits a strong academic and research background – qualities that helped them to be a good fit for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Williams (on the right in the photo) is pursuing research with focus on environmental monitoring systems. Rimsza (on the left in the photo) is pursuing her research as a doctoral student, studying the use of organosilicate glasses for separating the electronic charges that run through computer chips. Visit page 4 to learn more about Williams and Rimza, as well as other UNT Engineering student researchers.
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