Engineering News StoriesThe Space Hardware Club at The University of Alabama in Huntsville captured second place honors nationally with its construction of CanSat, a "satellite" that has the dimensions of a soft-drink can. The CanSat contest was a competition where no more than 10 students from any accredited university would build a device no bigger than 72 millimeters in diameter and 279 millimeters in length, the approximate size of a 12-ounce soft drink can. 
The CanSat was rocketed to approximately 2,000 feet where it was ejected and deployed a parachute. Students had to build the machine to perform several tasks autonomously. The CanSat measured and recorded on-board data on temperature, pressure, velocity and altitude and transmitted that information to a ground station. Upon its landing, CanSat had to right itself on the ground and measure the surface temperature of the soil.UAHuntsville finished second among 20 teams at the national competition in Amarillo, Texas, besting Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan and Washington University in St. Louis, each of which sponsored two teams. Other top teams listed for the competition included Penn State, Tuskegee University, Michigan Tech, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas-Arlington. Finishing behind New Hampshire and UAHuntsville were the University of Michigan (third and fourth) and Virginia Tech (fifth). Georgia Richardson, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and the group’s faculty sponsor, said the students get no course credit for this exercise, but get experience that will help them in their coursework. "They developed multi-disciplinary skills with this project. They had electronic systems, a power system, a mechanical system and had to work together as a team to ensure all the pieces fit together in the end." UAHuntsville students said the requirements for the contest were challenging beyond just building the small instrument. The technical requirements included a descent rate of no faster than 4.6 meters per second, and total descent time could not exceed seven minutes. The altitude had to be transmitted to the ground station every five seconds and if a parachute is used as a main recovery device, it must have been released within one meter of the ground. Also, CanSat could cost no more than $1,000 to build. Dr. Richardson said the two most difficult goals were being able to communicate with the instrument through the entire flight and autonomously up-righting the instrument after landing. "The student’s vehicle performed both of these tasks flawlessly." Seiya Shumizu, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Tokyo, was project manager, and wrote most of the code for the flight-control software. He concentrated his time on software design as well as time and risk management. "This was my first experience to lead a team project, so I was very anxious when the project started," he said. "The success gave me confidence, but it also taught me what I should improve. For example, I underestimated the importance of time management. I sometimes failed to redirect the team when necessary. Next time, I can do better." Paul Watts, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from New Jersey, served as mechanical team leader. "I had to ensure that all of the mechanical aspects of the CanSat were reliable, strong, lightweight and low cost." Watts aspires to become a vehicle designer. "Anything from high-performance jets to electric cars and anything between," he said. "I want to design because it allows me to be creative while also requiring me to use what I have learned at UAH which is, so far, all stuff that I enjoy." 
Eric Becnel, a mechanical engineering major from Mandeville, La., led the design and construction of the landing system. "I was chosen for this responsibility because I have most of the machining experience on the team from working with other clubs."One of the key lessons Becnel said he learned from this project was the importance of testing. "This project showed me how important testing is on a system. As I started building different mechanical models, parts would break. We would sit down and figure out why that was a weak point and develop from there. Seeing how testing help find problems before launch day, it really is valuable." Fuhito Fukazawa, a mechanical engineering student from Tokyo, agreed that testing and teamwork are critical for such ventures. "Communication is vital in all of the projects and I also learned that testing is very important. If any of three components — mechanical, electrical, and communication — fails, the CanSat cannot fly." James Mulroy, a mechanical engineering student from Hortonville, Wisc., was the group’s Alternate Project Manager. He assisted the team lead, but also kept track of the project’s costs and assisted the electrical team. Mulroy jokes that the experience will look good on a resume, but he also learned real world work experience. "When going to college and taking classes you only learn what they teach you in class. They don't tell you what's really going to happen on the launch range...because they can't; it's too complex. It's something you can only learn by experiencing it. This project gave me that — experience." Richardson said the CanSat is the next step for the students to construct a larger satellite — the CubeSat. "They have done several BalloonSat instruments (weather balloons) as the first step, " she said. "Balloon payload can be relatively large and heavy (~12 pounds) compared to a CubeSat (~2.2 pounds), so this CanSat step helps them learn how to do things in small packages. The BalloonSat step helps them learn how to build things that will survive in space. The balloons go up to 100,000 feet where the environment is very similar to the on-orbit environment of a CubeSat." The CanSat competition is sponsored nationally by the AIAA, AAS, Naval Research Lab and NASA. The Space Hardware Club was supported by the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, the UAHuntsville Student Government Association, and the university’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research. UAHuntsville, Calhoun will be partners in robotics research, education complex Gov. Bob Riley announced this morning that The University of Alabama in Huntsville and Calhoun Community College will be partners in a robotics training and education center designed to help the state attract high-tech industry, support the needs of existing industry and train workers for high-tech careers. 
The Advanced Technology Robotics Research and Development Complex will consist of three separate facilities, each targeted to meet a specific industry need. The facility will be located at the campus of Calhoun Community College.Governor Riley first proposed the robotics campus in 2006. "This will make Alabama the nation’s leader in robotics research and development. It will make Alabama the national leader in robotics technology education. The benefits will be remarkable for our economy, for our workforce and for our future," said Governor Riley. UAHuntsville has long been involved in applied robotics research and will bring knowledge from some of the world’s foremost engineers and scientists to the center. That expertise, combined with Calhoun’s capabilities at worker training, will create a world-class facility for advanced robotics technology and its applications, according to UAHuntsville President Dave Williams. "This collaborative effort between UAHuntsville and Calhoun will create an effective force in developing Alabama’s engineering education and worker training as well as its research capabilities, educational outreach and economic development," said Dr. Williams. "Alabama is uniquely positioned to become a national leader in robotics and enhance the state’s competitive advantage over other states in this field," Williams added. "The education of Alabama’s workers to adapt these new technologies to training and future applications of robotics through technology transfer will provide Alabama with an extraordinary opportunity to offer world-class developments in robotics." Robotics manufacturers pledged to provide $42 million worth of robots for the robotics campus during a meeting with Governor Riley last year. Representatives from 12 robotic companies were brought together with Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) and agreed to also help design different elements of the campus. AIDT Director Ed Castille said, "This robotics complex is a major part of Governor Riley’s vision for Alabama in his quest for our state to be the world leader in manufacturing technology, continued research and development of cutting edge robotics technology, and the mecca for companies that want to be leaders in their respective markets. Today, Alabama takes another huge step in making that vision a reality. I applaud the governor and look forward to the opportunities going forward." Chancellor Bradley Byrne of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education said, "With this new robotic center our system will be a national leader in robotics training on all makes of robots. Moreover, our partnership with Alabama’s universities, particularly The University of Alabama in Huntsville, on the next research and development building for this campus will allow us to be ahead of the curve as these amazing technologies evolve." The robotics campus will consist of three individual training plants each targeted to a specific industry need. The first plant will be a 40,000-square-foot facility where technicians will be trained to work on robotic machinery. It will be staffed by trainers supplied by top robot builders. The first plant will be home to several major robotics and automation brands and each will have a significant space for training and product demonstration. About 450 people are expected to be trained at the facility each year. The second plant will be used by NASA and the U.S. Army Missile Command for the purpose of research, development and testing of leading edge robotics used for military projects and space exploration. The facility will have appropriate infrastructure to support these activities with substantial outdoor areas for testing in a variety of environments. The third plant of the robotics campus will allow companies to build and adapt robots for new industries. Start up plants will be able to set up manufacturing lines to integrate software and equipment, test systems and train maintenance and production staff. All three plants will have an investment of approximately $71 million including robotics equipment. Industrial and system engineers at UAHuntsville have developed known and proven methods to improve processes for manufacturers around the world, according to Engineering Dean Phil Farrington. "An important aspect is that these professors are using this knowledge to better educate UAHuntsville students, particularly in the engineering field," he said. Calhoun Community College is one of Alabama’s largest two-year schools and provides state-of-the-art training for many of the region’s workers in the automotive and aerospace industries. While this center will provide Alabama manufacturers with trained workers, educated engineers and improved processes, the center will also provide support for the applied research activities at Redstone Arsenal. Redstone Arsenal serves as headquarters for several U.S. Army directorates as well as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The responsibilities that exist at Redstone require robotics support to help these federal agencies carry out their missions. Marshall’s role in future space exploration is heavily tied to robotics development and the U.S. Army at Redstone is a national leader in the concept, design and construction of unmanned ground and aerial vehicles. Research of these robotic vehicles is a priority for the military because it saves American lives in combat. "Robotics can bring about vast improvement in educated and trained workers, but robotics can be expanded to include a much broader involvement in Alabama’s economy, such as systems engineering, sensors, structures, software, simulation, computers, circuits and communications," Farrington said. "Robotics encompasses more than one aspect of engineering and requires all levels of education to successfully accomplish its development." Researchers, executives are among engineers honored by UAHuntsville A pair of corporate executives and two Army researchers were chosen to receive a Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2008 from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville). The awards were given to the recipients at a ceremony over the weekend on the university’s campus. The individuals were chosen by a committee established by College of Engineering Dean Jorge Aunon based on their contributions to the engineering profession. 
These individuals were inducted into UAH's Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy:Dr. Michael Hale receiving the award for his outstanding contributions in electrical engineering. He earned his Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering from UAH in 1998 and 1992, respectively. Dr. Hale started with the U.S. Army Missile Command’s Dynamic Test Branch at Redstone Arsenal in 1983 in the Test and Evaluation Directorate as an Electronics Engineer in instrumentation engineering. In 1989 he moved into the Dynamic Test Branch, Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC), as a Senior Electronics Engineer working as Instrumentation and Vibration Control Room Lead Engineer and the Signal Analysis and Vibration Specification Development Lead Engineer until 1999. Since 1999, Dr. Hale has been a researcher and experimental developer for the Dynamic Test Branch. He is responsible for the integration of modeling and simulation technologies into the Dynamic Test paradigm and to advance the state-of-the-art in Dynamic Test Methodologies, Instrumentation, and Non-Stationary Signal Analysis Techniques. He is principal researcher in the development of a broadband multiple source vibration test facility consisting of multiple acoustic modulators and 6-DOF hydraulic exciters, and Principal Researcher in the design of a large-scale 6-DOF servo-hydraulic excitation system. Dr. Hale has authored and coauthored more than 15 articles in the areas of vibration analysis and structural dynamics. In 1999, he received the “Maurice Simpson Award for Excellence in Technical Writing” from the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology. His professional memberships include: Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Center (SAVIAC) Technical Advisory Group (TAG), Member and Program Committee Member since 1993; Senior Member of The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST), Member since 1999; and the International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA). Dr. Teng Ooi is employed by the Missile Defense Agency and has been awarded numerous honors and awards from NASA, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and the Missile Defense Agency for his engineering achievements including a Defense Certificate of Recognition for Acquisition Innovation, presented by the Under Secretary of Defense. He has been involved in various research projects and has taught several courses at UAHuntsville in both the mechanical and aerospace engineering, and civil and environmental engineering departments. He was a U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering Reservist and currently serves as a Research Project Officer with the Office of Naval Research, US Navy Reserve. Dr. Ooi is a member of the Society for Experimental Mechanics, the American Academy of Mechanics, and the Structural Engineering Institute, as well as an Affiliate Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He frequently organizes and serves as chairperson of technical sessions at professional meetings and his publications include over 60 refereed journals and conference proceedings. Teng is a guest editor for the Sensors Journal (Special Issue: Photonic Sensors for Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Agent Detection), published by Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland, 2007/2008; and, a technical reviewer for the Journal of Composites Science and Technology. He served as a Session Chairperson at the 4th and 6th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, held September 15-17, 2003 and September 11-13, 2007, respectively. In addition, Dr. Ooi has served as co-Chair for the Comanche Helicopter System Safety Working Group, Comanche Program Management Office, Redstone Arsenal, AL (2000-2002) and a co-Chair for the Chinook Helicopter System Safety Working Group, US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL (1996-1998). Dr. Ooi’s citations include: Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, The Metropolitan Who’s Who in Engineering Education, The Dictionary of International Biography, and The Contemporary Who’s Who of Professionals. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the Order of the Engineer. Ronald L. Hollis was chosen for this award for his outstanding contributions in industrial and systems engineering and engineering management. He earned his Master’s of Science in Engineering Management in 1997 and his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering in 2001 from UAHuntsville. Ronald is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Alabama. Ronald has built his career on engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. His initial position was with Boeing where he was involved in systems engineering and engineering design for the International Space Station. Later, as director of the Alabama Industrial Development Training center in Huntsville, he was responsible for the management of a multi-million dollar technology center that provided consulting and support services to companies in Alabama to facilitate implementing advanced technologies in their operations, particularly product development using computer aided design (CAD), rapid prototyping, and advanced manufacturing processes. These technical skills were combined with business development as Executive Vice President of Fastec Engineering, a plastics manufacturing and engineering services company, which he brought to profitability from near bankruptcy in twelve months. After the acquisition of Fastec, he founded and served as the President of Rapid Tech Engineering, a firm that provides product development services through the vertical integration of advanced engineering technologies that became a successful value added reseller for manufacturing services and engineering products. Rapid Tech later became Quickparts.com, a market leading company that provides custom parts to product development companies. It is the first company to provide Internet-based instant quoting and procurement of built-to-order parts. He is the inventor and patent holder for online instant quoting for custom parts. The company has been recognized with awards from INC 500 and Entrepreneur Hot 100 lists, and was a Catalyst magazine Built to Last nominee. Ronald is the author of a book, Better be Running: Tools to Drive Design Success and has been honored with many awards, including the 2004 Catalyst magazine Innovator of the Year, Small Business Person of the Year finalist from the Atlanta Metro Chamber of Commerce and Atlanta Business Chronicle, and he was a Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2004. William Santiago Prins was cited for his outstanding contributions in industrial and systems engineering and engineering management. He earned his Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from UAHuntsville in 1996. His current position is the Vice President of Engineering for the Tactical Propulsion and Controls Division of ATK Corporation. During his career at ATK he has served in a variety of management and technical positions including Vice President, Supply Chain, for the Mission Systems Group, Elkton Site; Vice President, Technology, ATK Advanced Propulsion and Space Systems Group; Senior Engineering Analyst and Program Manager, ATK Tactical Systems Company. Prior to ATK Dr. Prins held manufacturing and technical positions with Thiokol, Aerojet, Atlantic Research Corporation, Hol-Mac Corporation, and Hitco Fabricated Composities Division. He has more than 25 years experience as an engineer in analysis and manufacturing, as a manager at the plant and program level, and as an executive. He is currently responsible for technical excellence in a division with over $500 million in sales with a focus on improved execution through engineering discipline and processes. In this capacity Dr. Prins is responsible for Systems Engineering, design, analysis, testing and research associated with air-breathing and solid rocket propulsion systems, integrated ordnance, and advanced materials. The TPC Engineering organization has a multidisciplinary staff of over 300 engineers, scientists and technicians. Prior to this Group assignment, Dr. Prins worked in engineering on thermal and astrodynamic analysis on numerous programs including Mars Exploration Rover and Pluto New Horizons. Dr. Prins was program manager for the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Solid Divert and Attitude Control System (SDACS) from program inception through fabrication of the first flight test unit. UAH offering two engineering camps during summer months The University of Alabama in Huntsville will be offering two Engineering camps during the summer months. The week-long day camp is designed for high school students interested in learning more about the challenging opportunities in the engineering profession. This unique camp incorporates active participation in a broad scope of learning experiences including "hands-on" lab experiments, group projects and lectures by engineering college faculty. The 2008 camps will be offered June 9-13 or July 14-18 on the UAHuntsville campus. Some of the engineering topics to be covered include: • Bridge Design: Use an interactive computer simulation model to design a truss bridge to carry the load of a truck. Build a scale model of your bridge and test it for failure. • Circuits & Sensors: Learn how sensors obtain information from their environment, and how they convert this information into electrical signals. Then put it together: assemble and test your circuit with its sensors. • Robotics Challenge: Use your imagination to design your team robot. Then create and download computer programs to make it follow your commands. Which team will win the Robo Challenge? • Chemical Reactions: Learn more about bio-diesel fuel and the reactions involved and get ready to blend, blend blend and make your own fuel. • Rocket Launch: Can you be the von Braun of tomorrow? Design your rocket and launch it. Did it reach high enough to complete the mission? "With so many activities, you don't have to face another long, boring summer," said UAHuntsville Engineering Dean Jorge Aunon. "This camp will teach you valuable skills that may help you get a jump on your career or help you decide what careers interest you. Through summer camp, young people learn independence, decision-making and how to get along with others." The camp also emphasizes character development through cooperation, teamwork and respect for other people. Each day, the camp runs from 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Enrollment is limited to 20 students per session. So avoid the race for space and sign up today! The fees for each session (one week) of the camp are $350. Fees include all activities, lunch, instruction & supervision, and materials that will be provided when the student arrives at the camp. A limited number of partial and whole need based scholarships will be available for the summer camp. For more information, visit the camp’s web site at www.eng.uah.edu/camp or contact Robin Douglass at 824.3590 or through email — douglar@uah.edu. UAHuntsville students designing concepts for lunar landing vehicle When a robotics vehicle descends to the moon's surface as early as 2012, the chances are very good that engineering students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville played a role in helping to identify design parameters for that mission. Thirty UAHuntsville students are working this semester to investigate and analyze various concepts and architectures for such a lunar landing vehicle. Their research is part of a senior engineering design class at the university.  Matt Turner, a university research engineer who is monitoring the student's progress, said using UAHuntsville students helps generate new and exciting ideas."One of the things we have found through this process is that these young students think outside the box, often coming up with original ideas," Turner said. "They haven't worked inside the constraints of the workplace, so they frequently bring a fresh perspective to finding solutions for problems." Those students are divided into three teams and will demonstrate their findings to a committee of experts at the end of the spring 2008 semester. That demonstration is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, beginning at 3 p.m. in Room 123 of the Engineering Building on the UAHuntsville campus. These Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) are part of the university's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering curriculum and takes place annually at UAHuntsville. The teams have designed concepts for missiles, lunar landers, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles over the years. Officials at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are taking a great interest in the efficiency of gathering lunar data with potential lunar lander concepts this year, according to P.J. Benfield, another UAHuntsville research engineer who is overseeing the project. Work could begin at the end of the year on the robotics programs with a mission projected in approximately four years. NASA has defined requirements for the project, nicknamed by IPT teams as the Lunar Exploration Transportation System (LETS). The project goal is to design a vehicle to conduct different scientific missions and tasks at different areas on the moon's surface. The UAH design concept is expected to weigh approximately 1,000 kilograms and its first mission is expected to be at a polar location. However, it must also have the capability to land at other sites on the moon and must possess some type of surface mobility. The LETS launch date was given as a requirement as no later than Sept. 30, 2012 and it is expected to survive for one year on the surface of the moon. Other key specifications include the ability to land within 100 meters of its predicted location and the capability of landing at a slope of up to 12 degrees. Students will also be expected to minimize costs by using off-the-shelf technology as much as possible. NASA-Marshall also provided objectives for the vehicle when it reaches the lunar surface, such as determining lighting conditions every two hours during the course of the year as well as assessing micrometeorite flux and electrostatic dust levitation and its correlations with lighting conditions. The LETS must also provide measurements at 15 sites in permanent dark and five sites in lighted terrain, with each sampling site being separated by a minimum of 500 meters. The teams' concepts must be able to determine the composition, geotechnical properties, and the volatile content of the lunar regolith at each of the sample sites. UAH host for IEEE SoutheastCon 2008 The Huntsville chapter of the IEEE, The University of Alabama in Huntsville and Alabama A&M University are hosting the IEEE SoutheastCon 2008 technical conference being held in Huntsville this week. As the premier conference for the IEEE Region encompassing the southeastern United States, SoutheastCon brings together electrical, computer and other engineering and science professionals, faculty and students to share the latest information through technical sessions, tutorials, and exhibits. Workshops on Friday include tracks on circuits and devices, instrumentation for measurement and testing, as well as meetings on power and energy. The agenda also calls for a student program and career fair. Each year, the SoutheastCon sponsors a robotic car competition. UAHuntsville won the regional title three years ago. However, because the university is one of the event’s hosts this year, it will not be allowed to enter the competition. Saturday’s workshops involve communication and information, computer engineering, signal processing and control and animation. The conference will also include workshops on optics and optoelectronics and electromagnetics. The conference is being held in downtown Huntsville at the Von Braun Center beginning Thursday and going through Sunday. More information can be found on the conference at the group’s website — ewh.ieee.org/reg/3/secon/08. UAHuntsville students seeking title at Great Moonbuggy Race Engineering students from The University of Alabama in Huntsville will vie for honors this weekend in the Great Moonbuggy Race.  >
Marshall Space Flight Center organizes the race and the course meanders around the U.S. Space & Rocket Center."This competition really provides a lot of benefit to our students," said faculty advisor Gerald Karr. "They get a lot of actual hands-on experience in designing and building a vehicle that has stringent requirements for flexibility and toughness." The seven-tenths of a mile course resembles a harsh lunar landscape that will test the engineering savvy and physical endurance of high school and college students from around the country. The course has 17 obstacles built of plywood and old tires and is covered with 20 tons of gravel and fine tons of sand. The materials will be shaped in landscape similar to what is found on the moon. Sixty-two high school and college teams have entered this year’s race. Each moonbuggy will be "piloted" by a male and female driver. The vehicle follows a similar concept of the original lunar rover that was built in Huntsville and flown to the moon on ensuing Saturn missions to the moon in the early 1970s. Each buggy must fit into a space no larger than four feet in width, height and length. It must be carried in "collapsed" mode to the starting line, assembled, then checked for all required parts – fenders, a flag and simulated hardware, including batteries, a communications antenna, radio and TV camera. UAHuntsville will defend title in 2008 student launch initiative The University of Alabama in Huntsville will defend its title when 11 universities battle in the NASA-sponsored University Student Launch Initiative. UAHuntsville captured top honors in the competition last year, besting seven teams from six other universities from around the southeastern United States, including two teams from Mississippi State University, as well as Auburn, Vanderbilt, Alabama A&M, Fisk and Harding. "The Student Launch Initiative is a great opportunity for students to obtain hands-on learning in addition to their classroom instruction," said UAHuntsville faculty sponsor Dr. Marlow Moser. "It appears that there is going to be some incredible competition with the quality and quantity of teams this year, but we’re looking forward to defending the title that we earned a year ago." The annual challenge is designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, engineering, math and technology -- fields vital to NASA's ongoing mission in space and to the continued economic prosperity of the nation. The University Student Launch Initiative was founded in 2006 as a sister program to NASA's rocket-building initiative for high school students. The initiative is hosted by Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Alabama Space Grant Consortiums. Primary corporate sponsorship by ATK Launch Systems of Brigham City, Utah. Space Grant Consortiums are coalitions of state colleges universities and other institutions, funded by NASA to promote interest in technical careers through innovative space-related courses, real-world hands-on science and engineering programs and interactive outreach opportunities. The challenge gives students hands-on, practical experience in managing aerospace and engineering projects similar to those found in a professional environment. Guided by Marshall Center engineers and their own science and math professors, the teams will spend eight months designing, building and launching rockets with built-in, working science payloads and a goal of flying to an altitude of 1 mile. Participants this year include teams from UAHuntsville, Auburn University; Alabama A&M University; Harding University in Searcy, Ark.; Mississippi State University in Starkville; Missouri University of Science & Technology; the University of North Dakota; Fisk University; Vanderbilt University; Utah State University; and the College of Menominee Nation in Green Bay, Wis. "It's a pleasure and a privilege to invite these teams to participate in this year's challenge," said Tammy Rowan, manager of the Marshall Center's Academic Affairs Office. "The University Student Launch Initiative is a vital part of NASA's education mission -- helping foster new generations of scientists, engineers and explorers." Each team raises its own funds for the project and associated travel, or seeks sponsorship by local businesses or aerospace industry. The 2007-2008 challenge will conclude in spring 2008, when the student teams gather in Huntsville for a final launch activity. UAHuntsville gets NASA award to evaluate, test turbopump design The University of Alabama in Huntsville has received a Small Business Technology Transfer award from NASA that will improve rocket engine performance and create advances in propulsion technologies and space exploration. UAHuntsville researchers are evaluating and testing a design for a turbopump that will provide more effective deep throttling capabilities for rocket engines. "An engine capable of low thrust levels and versatile enough to accommodate multiple applications would advance the state-of-the-art and enable NASA to meet space exploration objectives," said Dr. Clark Hawk, director of the university’s Propulsion Research Center. The design of the turbopump was conceived by Barner-Nichols Inc., of Denver. UAHuntsville will provide evaluation and testing of the design. Space missions, particularly those to the Moon and Mars, will require engines that can be started and restarted, have a long life and require minimal maintenance, according to Dr. Hawk. The new design uses a partial emission pump combined with a zero net positive suction pressure inducer. This pump will achieve a robust, deep throttling capability in the 5,000 to 15,000 pounds of force thrust range. The partial emission pump provides better low-flow and thrust stability more efficiently than full emission pumps in this throttle range, according to Hawk. "This will enable deep throttling as well as restarts with minimal thermal conditioning of the turbopump and engine," he said. UAH student gets hands-on experience, and supports Redstone Arsenal’s mission Ability is a key word for Chad Reaves’ career. 
The word not only describes his competence, but it goes a long way to describe his role in helping to defend America. The way he describes his position at the U.S. Army’s Engineering Directorate, Reaves is as a Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) engineer.Reaves is working on his doctorate at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and is proving to be a valuable player in one of the university’s newest laboratories — the HALT chamber. HALT, an acronym for Highly Accelerated Life Testing chamber, produces environments that accelerate the life cycle of various parts through extreme environments. Simply put, the chamber is designed to break components to find weaknesses in their structure. The HALT chamber takes components through temperature swings from minus 100 degrees to more than 200 degrees Celsius. At the same time, it has the capability to change the humidity from zero to 85 percent and vary the vibration from zero to 100gs RMS (gravity root mean squared), a means of measuring the level of vibration in terms of “g.” All three parameters can be varied to replicate various test conditions. Reaves said his experience with this HALT chamber is going to allow him to better support the Army’s mission by being able to better design test plans for any components that may require accelerated life testing. “I will have better knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of such testing and be able to advise whether or not HALT testing is practical for such situations,” he said. “I will also have the knowledge of how to design automated data acquisition systems.” Reaves earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UAHuntsville as well as a master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering. As a RAM engineer, Reaves said his team’s job is analyze data collected for different aviation platforms in order to understand and improve system, sub-system, and component level reliability and maintainability. “This ultimately helps ensure the weapon system is ready when the soldier needs it,” he said. Reaves said the combination of classroom instruction and hands-on experience is serving him well. "I would say classroom instruction has played a vital role in understanding reliability theory. You have to understand this to know that different classes of components are modeled by different failure distributions,” he said. “When designing tests, it is imperative that you understand the type of device you are investigating and the potential failure modes that device may experience. Classroom instruction really aids in putting all the concepts together, but like anything, you get a much better feel for all the issues involved only after experiencing it first hand." UAHuntsville created the laboratory to support Redstone Arsenal’s Condition-Based Maintenance program, which has a positive impact on current maintenance practices by reducing the burden on the solder-mechanics and improving the mission reliability of the weapon systems. Braxton Colagross named president of UAH engineering honor society Braxton Colagross of Killen, a senior at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), was elected president of Eta Kappa Nu electrical and computer engineering honor society for 2007-2008. The society honors students majoring in electrical or computer engineering who have excelled in scholarship, leadership, and exemplary character. Graduates and faculty in these fields mentor members. Membership is by invitation only for graduates, faculty and professionals, juniors in the top fourth of the electrical and computer engineering classes, and seniors in the top one-third of their class. Colagross served as vice president of Eta Kappa Nu last year, and assumed the role of president this fall. He completed cooperative education work through Mentor Graphics and is currently employed by Gleason Research Associates. Colagross is a 2002 graduate of Brooks High School. He will graduate from UAH in May 2008. Mitchell adds state co-op title to his UAH resume Cody Mitchell, UAH's 2007 Co-op of the year, has now been named the "Alabama State Co-op Student of the Year" by the Alabama Association of Colleges and Employers (AACE). Mitchell is a senior, with a double major in electrical and computer engineering. He says one major thing that drives him to achieve is his never-ending thirst for a challenge. "I'm always ready for a challenge, to see what I can do," Mitchell said. "In class (at UAH) they give you a challenge. You know that it won't be easy. But you know it's doable if you put in the time and the effort." Mitchell's co-op effort has been spent at Mentor Graphics, a local company that develops software for circuit boards. He's spent three semesters there conducting automation regression testing, looking for any flaws in a circuit design. It was his supervisor and employees of Mentor Graphics who nominated Mitchell for the UAH award. "The first honor for me was knowing that co-workers had nominated me," said Mitchell. "Then I got to know other student nominees and realized they were top students." Mitchell says this was the next big honor. Mitchell enjoyed the work he accomplished for Mentor Graphics because the challenge was there. It gave him something to find. "It was like an investigative role, like problem solving," said Mitchell. He began the educational quest for electrical and computer engineering while attending a UAH College Fair while he was still a student at Sparkman High School. "Someone at the fair explained to me that they were very similar," Mitchell said, "and that it wouldn't take that much more to complete both majors." One of Mitchell's aunts, Karen Hicks, a UAH graduate, also completed a double major in electrical and computer engineering. She served as Mitchell's inspiration for accomplishment at UAH. While at UAH, Mitchell was awarded the UAH Foundation Presidential Scholarship, Alpha Lambda Delta (freshman honor society), Tau Beta Pi (engineering honor society), and Phi Kappa Phi (inter-discipline honor society). He served as secretary and president of Eta Kappa Nu (electrical engineering honor society). With all of the career opportunities in his fields of study, Mitchell plans to stay in Madison County. "There is so much opportunity right here," said Mitchell. "I'm ready for the challenge to see what I can do." Holly Woodall, coordinator for UAH Cooperative Education, has no doubts about Mitchell's abilities to excel. "Cody is an excellent representative of Cooperative Education," Woodall said. "He is an outstanding student, enthusiastic community volunteer, and a dedicated employee at Mentor Graphics. Most important, he is a gracious, considerate, and ethical young man. He has a limitless future, and the UAH Co-op Program looks forward to seeing where his dreams and talents take him." Mitchell will also remain involved in his church work (operating sound equipment for his church, and serving as director of one of the children's programs), and volunteering assistance to Madison Cross Roads Elementary School. His mother and sister are teachers there, and Mitchell has helped the school with computer problems, or if something simply needs moving. UAH's Joshua Eliser applies computer software designs to U.S. Army helicopter technology When deciding on which engineering program to enroll in for college, Joshua Eliser of Saint Amant, La., narrowed the choices down to two schools, UAH and Georgia Tech. 
Knowing that getting real world experience while in school was extremely important, Joshua chose UAH because of the school's smaller size and the many opportunities Huntsville has for computer engineers. "I 'Googled' co-op one day and the first two choices were UAH and Georgia Tech," said Eliser. "I believed the opportunities would be better in Huntsville and I like going to a smaller school." After meeting the minimum requirements for UAH's Cooperative Education Program, Joshua enrolled and eventually accepted a job from SAIC, working for the Joint Analysis Display Environment (JADE) project. JADE is located within the Software Engineering Directorate (SED) on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. While working for JADE, Eliser performed C++ software testing, development, and program deployment. After completing three work terms with JADE (January 2005 — April 2007), Joshua transferred to the Blackhawk Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL) as a UAH research student. While working for the SIL, Eliser has developed software model simulations and performed system integration development and testing. He is integrating his personally designed software programs into simulation tests for the Army's Blackhawk Helicopter, and other simulated helicopter programs. He is working on simulating an Embedded GPS/INS (EGI) system, which provides an aircraft with Latitude/Longitude position, velocity, acceleration, heading, etc. "The goal of my project is to show that you can have either a real hardware EGI running or my software EGI running during a flight simulation," Eliser said. "The challenge is getting the software program to mimic an EGI's real operation." Of course there are always many problems to work through, especially with the expansion of the SIL to include a total of five aircraft, but he loves the new challenges. During his studies at UAH, Eliser was bestowed a special honor by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). He was awarded the NDIA Undergraduate Software Engineering Scholarship for 2006/2007. Eliser is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi (all-discipline honor society), Tau Beta Pi (engineering honor society), Eta Kappa Nu (electrical and computer engineering honor society), and Alpha Lambda Delta (freshman academic honor society). He plans to graduate in the summer of 2008, and then pursue a career supporting defense intelligence. UAH's Nidia Robinson wants her engineering skills to equip research of the future and the past Nidia Robinson of Birmingham is interested in mankind's past and future when it comes to developing her engineering skills. Robinson says UAH is helping her mold a future in mechanical design that could help the space industry, as well as develop tools for paleontology. Robinson, a master's student in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, was involved in an unmanned rotorcraft competition last summer that helped her decide on earning a master's degree in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. The Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Aerial Robotics Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., pitted engineering students from around the world in competition to develop alternative means of aircraft control other than a mouse or joystick. UAH's Team CHARGER successfully completed Level 1 of the competition: the first school to do so in their first year of competition and the first to use an all-electric helicopter. "The group used a program that one of the members wrote," Robinson said. "Once it was placed in autonomous mode, the program sent the coordinates to the helicopter and tracked its progress. "Everything (concerning the project) was a learning experience," said Robinson, who also had the chance to see aircraft and control solutions developed by the other competitors. While at UAH, Robinson has shared her knowledge as a teaching assistant to Marlow Moser, assistant professor in the department of Mechanical and Aeorspace Engineering, in the course MAE 311 — "Principles of Measurement and Instrumentation," and as a member of the Society of Women Engineers. Robinson hopes to complete her master's degree under the direction of Dr. Brian Landrum, associate professor of MAE, in May 2008. Her thesis project is evaluating the feasibility of using small autonomous aerial vehicles in archaeological and atmospheric research in the jungles of Central America. Her goal is to find a job in her field and later begin work on a Ph.D. While in the career world, Robinson will also pursue her second career goal of work in paleontology. She wants to design and develop tools that can be used in paleontology research. Robinson became friends with dinosaurs at an early age in Birmingham. "I have always been fascinated with dinosaurs, Robinson said. "I believe it was in first or second grade that we learned a little about the most common dinosaurs (T-rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Pteranodon, etc). After that, I was hooked. "There was a store in Birmingham called "The Dino Store" and I would beg my parents to take me there almost every weekend or when I got a report card so I could get a new toy or book. I think a year or two later it closed, but whenever I would see a book about dinosaurs I would read it." Since paleontology has always been a part of Robinson's life, it was inevitable that any second career choice would have to co-exist. Robinson also gained first-hand career experience through summer internships at Alabama Power Company in Birmingham, experience that has included: building an inter-company website, date analysis, and learning corporate office interactions. UAH Launches in High Altitude Student Platform A payload designed and constructed by students from The University of Alabama in Huntsville is prepared for launch in the High Altitude Student Platform this week in New Mexico. The payload included an array of infrared detectors designed to measure thermal gradients in the 11.82 million cubic foot balloon. These thermal gradients directly influence the dynamics of the balloon resulting in altitude and other flight limiting effects. Graduate student Robert Hawkins led the student team along with UAH computer systems engineer Jason Winningham. The payload rose to 123,000 feet and stayed aloft for 19 hours after its launch from Ft. Sumner, N.M. Two faculty members from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department oversaw the project, Dr. Gerald Karr and Dr. Georgia Richardson. This project was supported by the Alabama Space Grant Consortium and NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility. |
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