Engineering State (for high school juniors) was hosted this summer by the College of Engineering. This exposure to engineering topics helps high school students learn more about engineering careers and degree choices at Utah State University (USU). Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) participated by providing workshops or "challenge sessions" to students who attended.

MAE's challenge sessions included:

Advanced Manufacturing

This session introduced students to computer-controlled manufacturing processes with examples of what can be made. Using ultrasonic energy and/or lasers, advanced manufacturing techniques are used at USU to add material together into complex three-dimensional shapes. Students learned how these technologies were used to make composite materials, satellite structures and biomedical implants. Computer modeling helped students obtain a better understanding of how parts made with these processes perform in engineering applications.

Baja Buggies

The Baja Buggies session introduced students to the design process that takes place when entering the Mini Baja competition. Topics included: fund raising, 3-D computer models, simple and complex analyses of components, experiments to test components, late nights in the machine shop, success and failures in the competition, and design features critical to winning first place at the national competition and best vehicle of the year.

Wind and Wings

In the Wind and Wings session, students were introduced to basic aerodynamics and aircraft stability. With this knowledge they designed their own aircraft out of balsa wood. These aircraft were then flown in a wind tunnel. In the wind tunnel the students witnessed first-hand how small design changes affect the overall stability and performance of their aircraft.

Hybrid Rocket

This session explained the basic concepts of hybrid rocket propulsion, and provided hands on experience in building small scale hybrid rockets. Hybrid rockets combine two fuels in different states of matter, usually solid and a liquid, to produce thrust. After the brief demonstration of the competition rocket, participants were able to make their own rocket out of a combination of oxygen gas and caramel as fuel.

MAE curriculum at USU provides a strong exposure to the broad based disciplines of Mechanical Engineering while studying in areas of AEROSPACE, MECHANICS, MANUFACTURING, MATERIALS and THERMAL/FLUID SCIENCES. Engineering at USU enjoys a national and international reputation due to close affiliation of both students and faculty with USU's Space Dynamics Laboratory. Those pursuing the Aerospace option are also well rounded in mechanical engineering fundamentals and are qualified for careers in other arenas as well. The same basic principles used to design jet engines, satellites or spacecraft are also applicable in the design of solar collectors, recycling plants, or windmills.

Related Link: http://www.engineering.usu.edu/htm/engineering-news/e-state

Two separate Mechanical Engineering teams from USU tied for first place in the 2008 Direct Digital Manufacturing Competition. Direct digital manufacturing (or rapid manufacturing) can produce any shape component. Student teams were asked to create a fully working prototype for an aftermarket automotive car part, completing their design within a CAD system that was capable of producing robust STL files.

Reid Archibald, Erik Ostler, and Thomas Shupe, designed Car Door Handles using selective laser melting (SLM) from stainless steel. These custom designed door handles will not only help differentiate one car from another, but add unique options to the market. Nathan Fuller, Nathan Donahue, and Prasad Gankanda created Customize Air Vents, adding uniqueness to the vehicle and providing a product that is already extremely limited.

A third USU team was selected as a runner up with a design for 3-D customized hood ornaments such as people's faces, hobbies, or interests. This team included Cormac McCarthy, David Williams, and Jared Campbell.

SME's website states "The primary limitation on how well DDM is exploited may well lie with how imaginative designers can be." These nine students from Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have proven their creative side and talent is top notch!

www.sme.org/ddm

Custom Door Handle

Reid Archibald, Erik Ostler, and Thomas Shupe

Custom Air Vent

Nathan Fuller, Nathan Donahue, and Prasad Gankanda

Every spring the MAE department offers scholarships to honor their hard working students. The 2008-2009 scholarship winners are as follows:

Chunbo Zhang will receive a $5,000 School of Graduate Studies Dissertation Fellowship for the 2008-09 Academic Year. This fellowship is designed to provide additional support during the semester(s) he works on his dissertation. Chunbo is researching in the area of numerical and experimental study of ultrasonic consolidation for composite materials under Dr. Leijun Li. Congratulations!

MAE is pleased to recognize Luke Hanks as the recipient of the prestigious scholarship from the Science Mathematics and Research for Transformation Program (SMART). Luke is currently working on undergraduate research under Dr. David Geller. Luke will be able to complete both his BS and MS degree concurrently at USU. "The reputation of USU’s engineering program is a huge advantage to students when it comes time to apply for scholarships, fellowships and post-graduation employment," Hanks said. "The research opportunities are like nowhere else in the state, especially in aerospace." Congratulations Luke!

View the Utah State Today Article

Colby Jensen, Valedictorian for the College of Engineering Class of 2008 likes to learn about "...the way things work."

As a Mechanical Engineering major, Colby has many academic interests and likes to keep his academic and career options open, feeling that he is best off with the broadest knowledge base possible. He finds nearly every engineering field of study interesting. In particular, heat transfer - the study of the transfer of thermal energy, and solid mechanics - the study of the behavior of solid matter, interest him as potential research areas for graduate work.

The Senior Design Project Colby and his peers are working on is a dynamometer. A dynamometer is a machine that measures the horsepower (hp) of engines. The team is building a small engine (less than 20 hp) dynamometer that will eventually be a tool for the Mini Baja team to use with their Briggs and Stratton engine. Colby really looks forward to hands-on work and testing in the shop.

Although Colby loves hands-on work, he also likes to learn the analytical/theory base of engineering. Some of his favorite projects have involved more in-depth type analyses and understanding as opposed to the typical bookwork. For that reason, one of his favorite classes was the machine design course where he says he got to see theory and applications from many different classes come together, such as a fatigue analysis of a Toyota transmission input shaft.

Throughout his undergraduate career, Colby has worked to support himself through school. He completed two summer internships with ATK. Prior to his senior year, he worked part-time as a framer for a home construction company. Currently, he works as a draftsman/mechanical engineer for Young Electric Sign Company, here in Cache Valley.

Colby was surprised to be named the college valedictorian, saying he's more the type to "take the back row seat" (where you'll usually find him in his classes). He definitely doesn't look for accolades. In fact, his own mother had to find out from his sister, that he was at the top of his class!

In an effort to find out what's important in each class, he has really listened to his professors and always tries to understand the material thoroughly because "...coming up with the right answer is not good enough." Another great quality he utilizes is the willingness to put forth effort to do whatever it takes to meet required objectives both in and out of the classroom.

Colby grew up on a small farm. He is an active person and loves manual labor and physical activities particularly those related to the outdoors. He served a two year mission in Argentina for his church. He has been married just a little over two years to Penny. He plans to attend graduate school and pursue a Master's degree at Utah State. Congratulations Colby!

LOGAN — A group of Utah State University engineering students took home four awards out of seven at the NASA rocketry competition in Alabama April 19. The students received "Best Manufacturing and Quality Control," "Most Innovative Payload Design," "Best Design Documentation and Presentation" and "Best Team Spirit."

The USU team has until May 12 to submit a final report that includes conclusions from its science experiment and the overall flight performance. The preliminary design review, critical design review and flight readiness review are conducted by panels of scientists and engineers from NASA and from NASA contactors and external partners. The overall winner of the competition will be announced Monday, May 26.

"The competition was a great experience because we got to interact with other universities and see what ideas they had for their rockets," said John Parrish, a USU rocket team member.

Parrish said the drag device the USU team designed drew a lot of attention from NASA and the other teams involved in the competition.

"Our drag device was the only payload at the competition that would actually ensure that the rocket would reach a mile above ground level," said Parrish. "NASA paid us a high complement with our reports, saying they were far above what they expected at a university level."

The competition challenged students to design, build and fly a reusable rocket with a scientific payload to exactly one mile in altitude.

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) of Brigham City, Utah, sponsored the event hosted by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. This was the second year of the competition, and the winning school’s team will have the opportunity — courtesy of ATK Launch Systems and NASA — to see a space shuttle launch.

USU’s group decided to incorporate a unique air brake system on its rocket. As the required payload, the air brake system allowed the rocket to reach the required one mile altitude by deploying a drag device that slowed the descent of the rocket until it reached the desired position. The USU team was the only school who used this unique approach.

USU rocket team members include Dustin Braithwaite, Tyler DeSpain, Matthew Fifield, Jacob Haderlie, James Kelsey, Dennis Lazaga, Mike Lewis, Nathan Lodder, Bowen Masco, John Parrish, Jed Peters, Michael Phillips, Jeff St. Clair, David Winget and Shane Robinson.

Other teams who competed in the 2008 event were Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.; Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Ala.; the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.; Harding University in Searcy, Ark; Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo.; the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D.; Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.; Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.; and the College of Menominee Nation in Green Bay, Wis.

For more information about NASA education programs, go to nasa.education.gov. The media can contact trina.patterson@atk.com for more information.

News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com

On April 5th, the USU Chimaera Hybrid rocket team completed their first successful test launch in preparation for the University Student Launch Initiative (USLI) competition. The goal of the USLI competition is to deliver a payload to precisely one mile altitude above ground level. The Chimaera team plans on achieving this goal with a sophisticated navigation and targeting algorithm and actively controlled airbrakes. At the test launch, the rocket had a successful deployment of airbrakes, reached an altitude of about 4600 ft, deployed parachutes at apogee, and was successfully recovered. The objectives for the test launch were met, as the airbrake system and the flight worthiness of the rocket was fully demonstrated. Although the rocket did not reach one mile in altitude, the test flight did not fly the active navigation and targeting algorithm. From the results of this test and feedback from NASA, a first-place performance at the USLI competition in Huntsville, Alabama on April 19th seems entirely feasible.

For more information, see the team website at http://chimaera.usu.edu/usli

Dr. Barton Smith was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Technology Commercialization Luncheon held in the David B.  Haight Alumni Center on the Campus of Utah State University (USU) on April 3, 2008.  Smith is an assistant professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at USU. He directs the Center for Control of Flow in Manufacturing, and is working on a number of new technologies.  Smith's research focus is on oscillating flows and their application to flow control, thermoacoustics, and thermal management.  His CoolJet device was patented in 2007, and he has many other patents pending. 

More on Dr. Smith's research

A group of Utah State University mechanical and aerospace engineering students will be blasting off weeks of senior design work Saturday, April 5 at 10 a.m. near Eagle Mountain, Utah, west of Provo.

The rocket launch is in preparation for NASA’s University Student Launch Initiative at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama on April 19. The NASA USLI is a competition that challenges university-level students to design, build and fly a reusable rocket with scientific payload to one mile in altitude.

The USU team submitted a proposal in fall 2007 to the NASA contest judges. After being selected to compete in the challenge, the students began designing the rocket and payload under the direction of Stephen (Tony) Whitmore, USU mechanical and aerospace engineering professor. MAE graduate student Shannon Eilers is acting as "Chief engineer" on the project and is leading the day-to-day operations of the design and testing. The project satisfies the MAE 4800 senior design requirements for graduation.

The USU rocket team includes Dustin Braithwaite, Tyler DeSpain, Matthew Fifield, Jacob Haderlie, James Kelsey, Dennis Lazaga, Mike Lewis, Nathan Lodder, Bowen Masco, John Parrish, Jed Peters, Michael Phillips, Jeff St. Clair, David Winget and Shane Robinson.

Two MAE students, Blake Rusch and Lance Blake, have been awarded the "A" pin. The "A" pin is one of the oldest traditions at Utah State University. It acknowledges and rewards students who have achieved a 4.0 GPA for two consecutive semesters while taking at load of at least 15 credit hours. Congratulations!

Engineering Week 2008 was a big hit with students, faculty and staff participating in events such as running on a corn starch pool, having lunch with the Dean, getting motivated by Dr. Ron Sims, sumo wrestling, big glove boxing, jousting, participating in club sponsored challenge sessions, a Pinewood Derby, and the first ever crowning of Ms. Engineering 2008. MAE’s own Kevin Hamblin took 2nd place at the Pinewood Derby. So as not to make it sound like total fun, engineering students were spotted with books, laptops, research papers, and T1's not far from the festivities throughout the week.

While there were many notable activities and awards throughout the week, it was the Mythbuster – Non-Newtonian fluid-running on Corn Starch Pool that garnered national attention. The following links provide footage of the pool and pictures from the week.

• Breakfast
• Mythbuster - Non-Newtonian fluid-running on Corn Starch Pool
• Webcam of pool set-up
• See KSL report: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2694253
• See HJ report: http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2008/02/21/news/news01.txt

The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department also celebrated their most outstanding students and faculty during the week. They are:

Gordon C. May retired from Utah State University in March 2008 after giving 35 years of helpful service and support as a research technician. Over the years, he has been a superlative employee who has compiled a long and distinguished record in supporting the faculty, staff and students in the Mechanical & Aerospace Department. His areas of service include installation and maintenance of the department computer network and chief technician for support of all department laboratory courses. His student ratings were consistently high whenever he served as a laboratory instructor and he kept abreast of the current software and hardware technologies. He has done an excellent job and is appreciated for his capabilities in maintaining all the computer equipment for the department. He is very reliable, responsive and always gets the job done. May is always willing to go the second mile to make sure the work is completed on time. His wonderful sense of humor often smoothed out stressful situations. The Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering is grateful for his many years of dedicated service and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

MAE’s William Fish presented research at the Capitol on the optimization of geometric features of a particle sorter primary channel. Research on Capitol Hill is an annual celebration of undergraduate research held in the Rotunda of the State Capitol. Organized by USU, it features the two public research universities' students and their research projects. Students of all disciplines from around the state share the results of their investigations with legislators.

• Research Day Photo Gallery

Doug Hunsaker, a PHD student at Utah State University, has won the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) Foundation Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship is awarded to qualifying students based on achievement and need. Students are recommended by accredited colleges throughout the world. The ISTAT foundation’s primary goal is to provide "funds for scholarships, and educational programs and grants to qualified individuals and charities that promote the advancement of commercial aviation." Most recently the foundation has begun to reach out to causes that use aviation to provide humanitarian aid. The foundation raises money for scholarships and grants through donations, raffles, and auctions.

Hunsaker is a graduate student who is currently pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in aeronautics under the direction of USU professor, Dr. Warren Phillips. His research involves "wing design and computer modeling of fluid flow, which show potential for improving aircraft efficiencies, economics, and modeling processes." He is expected to graduate in December of 2009.

The Commencement ceremony was well represented by Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students. MAE is pleased to have graduated 3 PhD students (Sitikantha Roy, Lin Liao, and Qiang Wu), 20 Master of Science degrees, and 27 Bachelor of Science degrees. MAE’s Stephen Barker was selected as the undergraduate College of Engineering Valedictorian. For Saturday’s ceremony, three of the four color guard members were MAE students and lead the procession. We are pleased to have worked with the outstanding students and wish them the best in their future endeavors. Go Aggie Engineers!

The 60th American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting was held November 18-20 in Salt Lake City with 1600 attendees, and USU played a prominent role in addition to being co-organizers of the event (with the University of Utah, BYU and the University of Idaho). Three MAE faculty (Barton Smith, Thomas Hauser and Heng Ban) and six students (Zac Humes, Cameron King, Dustin Allen, Brandon Wilson, Jack Stepan and Scott Riplinger) made presentations. The USU MAE department also presented a booth in the exhibit hall to promote USU and to demonstrate cluster computing for particle image velocimetry data.

Four USU Aerospace Graduate Students were selected to present at the AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference in August. The four students, Travis Moesser, Scott Jenkins, Bryan Bingham and David Woffinden, are under the guidance of Dr. David Geller, assistant professor in the MAE department. Each of the students presented current research work from innovative approaches for orbital rendezvous and close proximity operations to analyzing powered descent trajectories to the lunar surface for NASA’s exploration initiative using a novel linear covariance analysis tool.

Utah State Aerospace students are increasing the reputation of the department since they were the largest group of students selected from one university. Industry, government, and education professionals were impressed by the knowledge and fantastic work being accomplished in student academics.

The cosponsored AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist conference was held in Mackinac Island, Michigan during the week of August 19-23, 2007. National and international experts in astrodynamics from the top national research institutions, industry, and academia meet to share ideas and results related to current research efforts. Generally the topics presented at this conference included satellite formation flight, interplanetary missions, trajectory design and optimization, orbit determination, spacecraft attitude dynamics, control and estimation, orbital dynamics and perturbations, and tethered satellite systems. This year approximately 170 professional papers on astrodynamics and related topics were given in 24 different sessions.

For more exciting research and education in Aerospace, please contact Dr. David Geller at dgeller@engineering.usu.edu

Prof. Wenbin Yu recently received the Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnston, Jr., Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award from the Mechanics Division of the American Society of Engineering Education at the 2007 ASEE Annual Conference in Honolulu. Established in 1992, this award is given annually to up to three individuals who have shown a strong commitment to mechanics education. The winners are selected on the basis of their exceptional contributions to mechanics education. The award consists of a cash prize, a plaque, and free registration for the ASEE Annual Conference along with registration to the Mechanics Division Banquet and Business Meeting Luncheon. Two other winners of this prestigious award this year are Prof. Adrian J. Lew (Stanford University) and Prof. Junlan Wang (University of California, Riverside).

A new particle sorting technology is being developed at Utah State University in the Experimental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (EFDL) called Aerodynamic Vectoring Particle Sorting (AVPS). As a recipient of an Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunity (URCO) financial grant Will Fish has designed and built a model of the AVPS facility to research the effects of different geometry on the primary channel jet flow. The motivation behind Will’s research experiment is to improve the sorting range of AVPS.

There are many industries such as aerospace, ceramic, life science, coatings, cosmetic and pharmaceutical which use particle sorting. Current sorting technologies are limited by the ability to sort only between small and large particles and often damage the particles in the process. One of the unique aspects of sorting particles using AVPS is that there is no particle to surface contact. The reason this is important is because particles can be damaged or contaminated when impinged against a surface. AVPS will allow a wide range of particles to be sorted simultaneously and without damaging the particles, lower the cost of sorting particles, and have greater throughput compared to current technology.

Aerodynamic Vectoring Particle Sorting sorts small micro size particles. In order to sort smaller particles an increase in fluid velocity at the primary channel exit must be obtained. The maximum exit velocity is limited by the transition of the flow to the turbulent region. The end result of this project will be a way to increase the fluid velocity while maintaining laminar exit flow. This will be achieved by introducing a slight contraction in the primary channel.

MAE welcomes Leila Jannesari Ladani to its faculty. In 2002, Ladani moved from her home country of Iran to the University of Maryland, College Park, where she completed her PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

Her research includes materials and manufacturing with emphasize on characterization, constitutive properties, fatigue, fracture, failure and damage behavior of materials at micro and nano scale levels. In addition, her research involves design and process optimization of microelectronics devices and materials used in aerospace, defense, health care, commercial and other applications for optimum quality and reliability. Ladani’s dissertation focused on the reliability of solder materials used as interconnects in micro-electronic devices. This area of study is vitally important in aerospace, medicine, and military applications. The research enables scientists to predict the life of devices, their failure mode and mechanisms, and further anticipate conditions that would lead to failure of these devices. She is involved in both modeling and experimentation of materials and is actively perusing research in developing experimental techniques for characterization of materials and structures in micro and nano scales, multi-scale modeling of material and bio materials.

After learning that Logan is a family-oriented city and children friendly, Ladani was enthusiastic to move her family here. She and her husband are the parents of an 8-year-old boy. She wanted a place where it was safe for her son to play, make new friends, and explore new skills such as playing the violin.

Ladani describes her teaching style as interactive. She does not like to lecture but rather have the opportunity to work with students on projects, have them ask questions and explore together the subject with "hands on" experience.

Our website has a new face, and some new features. One of these features is our rotating news stories which offer readers an opportunity to get to know our faculty and staff. Learn what's going in the world of research. Celebrate awards won by our students and faculty.

For prospective students the information you need to become a part of our USU family is easier to find. There are links to help undergraduate, graduate, and international students navigate our site with ease. We invite current and future students and faculty to explore our new website and learn how the MAE Department is doing its part in "creating tomorrow… today."

The State of Utah Centers of Excellence Program has renewed the Center for Control of Flow in Manufacturing at the Experimental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at USU. The Center is directed by MAE Associate Professor Barton Smith. The mission of the center is to develop and commercialize technologies that use flow control techniques to improve materials and manufacturing processes. Center personnel are currently working on two technologies: a powder sorting technique, and a new method for controlling thermal sprays for application of metal powders. To learn more, go to www.efdl.usu.edu.

Dr. Geller's expertise is in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control systems, as well as trajectory design for space missions. He will utilize these skills and the USU campus to conduct a three year investigation on Rapid GN&C Analysis for Space Missions. The goal of the investigation is to develop rapid GN&C analysis tools for the following space missions:

LEO/GEO Applications

• Orbital rendezvous
• Formation flying
• Satellite inspections

Lunar Exploration

• Trans-lunar injection and lunar orbit insertion
• Lunar descent/ascent
• Trans-earth injection
• Earth atmospheric entry

Advanced Space Exploration

• Low-thrust electric propulsion
• Mars/Titan sample and return

Others

• Collision avoidance
• Abort scenarios

One or more graduate students will have the opportunity to work on the project team under Dr. Geller. The project represents an excellent M.S. or PhD. research topic and it is planned to utilize funds to support graduate students until completion of their graduate studies program.

The symposium's focus, Challenges and Opportunities for high Performance Computing in Agricultural and Life Sciences will feature national HPC leaders and keynote speaker Dr. Colien Hefferan, administrator of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CREES).

We encourage faculty, researchers, staff, and students interested in learning about computational research to attend this two-day event where your understanding and skills for high performance computing will be enhanced. In hands-on workshops you will learn about high performance computational methodology that supports research in agriculture and related fields.

For more information and to register visit the HPC@USU website at www.hpc.usu.edu or call 435-797-1182.

From Jan 8-11, 2007 faculty and students from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department attended lectures, workshops, and exhibits at the Conference. The Conference provides scientists and engineers a multidisciplinary forum in which to present their research results and an opportunity to get critical feedback from the aerospace community.

At this year's Conference, three graduate students, Jeff Allen, Mark Perl, and Daniel Schauerhamer designed the MAE and High Performance Computing (HPC) @USU exhibit booth. The booth provided USU with exposure in the field and according to Ben Andersen "was a valuable networking tool for both students and professors."

Patrick Jolley was selected from his presentation at AIAA to be awarded the RS5 Student Scholarship Award and to present his paper at the next conference. Dr. Thomas Hauser, Dr. Stephen A. Whitmore, and their students, Jeff Allen, Mark Perl, Daniel Schauerhamer, Ben Andersen, Patrick Jolley, and Joel Ellsworth, and PhD graduate Nick Alley presented research results on the following:

Dr. Hauser's group presented six papers:

• Processing High- Speed Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry Data with an Integrated Cluster Supercomputer
• Numerical Simulations of a Scramjet Isolator Using RANS and LES Approaches
• Parallel, Steady/Unsteady DSMC Simulations of the Aerodynamics of Sounding Rockets
• Applying Genetic Algorithms to Complex Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations
• foamDSMC - An Object Oriented Parallel DSMC Solver for Rarefied Flow Applications
• Single Processor Optimization of OVERFLOW

Dr. Whitmore's group presented three papers:

• Aerodynamic Control on a Lunar Return Capsule using Trim- Flaps
• Aerodynamic and Propulsion Assisted Maneuvering for Orbital Transfer Vehicles
Flush Air Data System for SubOrbital Reentry Based on the X- 34 Design

PhD Graduate Nick Alley presented:

• Minimizing Induced Drag with Blowing Variation Along the Span of a Circulation- Controlled Wing
• Predicting Maximum Lift Coefficient for Twisted Wings Using Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Predicting Maximum Lift Coefficient for Twisted Wings Using Lifting- Line Theory

The department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Utah State University would like to announce that Dr. Heng Ban has joined their faculty as an Associate Professor.  Dr. Ban received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.  Prior to joining USU, he worked at the Center for Applied Energy Research at the University of Kentucky and the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Alabama.  He was an Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he led many projects sponsored by DOE, NASA, EPRI and industry.

His research interests include thermophysical properties of materials, fluid dynamics at micro- and nano-scale, and energy and environmental aspects of coal and biomass utilization.  Dr. Ban’s research will contribute to a better understanding of the material transformation in applications such as semiconductors and next generation nuclear power systems.  The fundamentals of micro-and nano-flows controlled by surface characteristics will lead to better or new medical sensors and devices.  Dr Ban’s work will also contribute to the technological advancement in the clean use of coal and biomass.

Mini Baja is an intercollegiate engineering design competition for engineering students. Each team's goal is to design and build a prototype of a rugged, single seat, off-road recreational vehicle intended for sale to the non-professional weekend off-road enthusiast. The vehicle must be safe, easily transported, easily maintained, and fun to drive. It should be able to negotiate rough terrain in all types of weather without damage.

The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Utah State University has been competing for the last several years and traditionally had many successes.