Events

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AME Honors Student Award Recipients

The recipients of the Outstanding Student Awards and Graduate Student Awards were honored at the annual award ceremony on April 20th for their hard work and dedication during the 2020-2021 school year. Congratulations to these outstanding students for their achievements!

Top row left to right: Javad Asadi, Md Tanvir Ahad, Joshua Overcash, Benjamin Basden, Christopher Billings, Brenden Chenoweth, and Simon Dempsey.  Bottom row left to right: Roshan Sameer Annam, Anirban Mondal, Emmanuel Hakizimana, Christian Newkirk, Avinash Singh Nayal, Megan Fox, and Lydia England.

 

Outstanding Student Awards

The Outstanding Student Awards include seniors Benjamin Basden and Simon Dempsey, juniors Megan Fox and Joshua Overcash, and sophomores Lydia England and Christian Newkirk.

      Outstanding Senior in Mechanical Engineering: Benjamin Basden

“I’m studying mechanical engineering because I enjoy problem-solving. I started as a little kid working on mechanical components, and getting to OU and working on the Sooner Off-Road team, I have confirmed my love for engineering. After graduation, I will be working at John Zink Hamworthy Combustion in Tulsa, OK.”

         Outstanding Senior in Aerospace Engineering: Simon Dempsey

“I am studying aerospace engineering because I have been fascinated by flight since a very young age. I am excited to join the ranks of a new generation of aerospace engineers seeking to pursue new forms of cleaner air travel, expand humanity’s reach into space, and tackle a whole host of challenging issues. In order to better prepare myself, I will be pursuing a master’s in aerospace engineering after graduation at either Purdue or the University of Illinois.”

     Outstanding Junior in Aerospace Engineering: Megan Fox
“I’m studying Aerospace Engineering because of its wide range of applications. From drones that help in reforestation to helicopters that fly on Mars, there is always something new to build and discover in this field. Studying all of the different mechanisms that contribute to flight has been one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences.”
   Outstanding Junior in Mechanical Engineering: Joshua Overcash
Joshua Overcash is studying mechanical engineering because he enjoys problem-solving and learning about the laws and principles that govern the world around him. He appreciates the challenging coursework and looks forward to using his degree to make a difference.
Outstanding Sophomore in Aerospace Engineering: Lydia England
“Space has always fascinated me. I love the excitement of discovery and creativity that is ever-present in the STEM field and the experimental and analytical aspects of engineering. Several times, I have set my alarm for the middle of the night to wake up and watch live streams of the critical moments of NASA or SpaceX missions, like spacecraft launches and the final moments of the Cassini mission. I am thrilled to be pursuing a career in Aerospace Engineering. In recent history, we looked to the heavens and found that they were within our reach. I hope to be a part of reviving our excitement to explore beyond this world, to pursue personal and scientific growth to the limits of my imagination and capability, and to inspire and educate others to do the same.”
Outstanding Sophomore in Mechanical Engineering: Christian Newkirk

“I’m studying mechanical engineering because of my interest in math and physics. One day I hope to work in the space industry and design space flight systems.”

 

Graduate Student Awards

Marathon Oil Scholarship:

Christopher Billings

 

John E. Francis Scholarship:

Avinash Singh Nayal

Md Tanvir Ahad

 

Jim and Bee Close Scholarship:

Emmanuel Hakizimana

Anirban Mondal

Mohammad Naghashnejad

Fatema Tarannum

Javad Asadi

Parisa Marashizadeh

Roshan Sameer Annam

Avinash Singh Nayal

 

Frank Chuck Mechanical Engineering Scholarship:

Mohammad Abshirini

 

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Dr. Aman Satija Gives Seminar Over Development and Application of Laser Spectroscopy for Gas-Phase Diagnostics

Last Friday, Dr. Aman Satija gave a seminar over, “Development and Application of Laser Spectroscopy for Gas-Phase Diagnostics.” Dr. Satija is a Research Engineer at the Applied Laser Spectroscopy Lab at Purdue University.

Abstract: Laser diagnostics are employed in combustion and propulsion research due to their non-intrusiveness to the flow field, high-accuracy, and fast response time. Laser based techniques are used for measuring important flow parameters such as temperature, pressure, velocity and species concentration. Some laser methods, based on linear optical processes, such as absorption spectroscopy and particle image velocimetry have matured to an extent that they are commercially available and are being actively used in the industry. In this seminar, Dr. Satija will provide a survey of his research in quantitative non-linear spectroscopic methods and high-repetition rate diagnostics. He will: a) discuss the similarities and differences between various types of nanosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) methods along with some applications b) present recent developments in chirped-probe-pulse femtosecond CARS for 5 kHz thermometry c) describe the principle of polarization spectroscopy and present its application towards measurement of minor species in reacting flows d) discuss progress of high-average power high-repetition lasers and present examples of high-repetition rate diagnostics in turbulent atmospheric and high- pressure combustion and e) comment on the challenges and opportunities of quantum modeling of nonlinear light-matter interaction in context of atoms and small molecules.

Bio: Aman Satija is currently a research engineer at the Applied Laser Spectroscopy Lab at Purdue University. His research interests include spectroscopy, photonics, combustion and fluid mechanics. His expertise is in the development of laser-based techniques and tools and their application to gas-phase environments. He has applied linear and non-linear spectroscopic techniques in a variety of applications including laminar flames, turbulent flames and plasmas. Aman received B.E in Mechanical Engineering from the Army Institute of Technology, Pune University in 2002, M. Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University in 2007 and Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 2013.

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Dr. Zhengwei Li Gives Seminar Over Advanced Manufacturing of Emerging Bioinspired Systems: From 3D Curvy Electronics to Living Machines

On Wednesday, we heard from Dr. Zhengwei Li, a Postdoctoral Fellow for Bio-Integrated Electronics at Northwestern University. He gave a seminar over, “Advanced Manufacturing of Emerging Bioinspired Systems: From 3D Curvy Electronics to Living Machines.”

Abstract: Grand challenges facing human society in the 21st century mostly emerge at the interface between human and machines. To efficiently tackle these challenges, the development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding of the principles underlying living systems and utilizing these capabilities in forward design of synthetic systems. In this talk, I will present our recent experimental and theoretical studies on emerging bioinspired systems including, Design and Manufacturing of, 1) Artificial Compound Eye Camera, 2) Arbitrary 3D Curvy Electronics, 3) Biohybrid Valveless Pump-bots and 4) Pump-bots with Flow Loop Feedback powered by engineered skeletal muscle. Underlying mechanics theories, design and fabrication approaches, potential biomedical applications, and the future of biohybrid designs will be discussed. The successful investigation of these systems will not only boost our capability in developing new materials, devices and robotics that possess unprecedented functions and capabilities, but also inspire new technology development for applications toward solving real world problems in health, medicine and robotics.

Bio: Dr. Zhengwei Li is currently a postdoctoral fellow, working with Prof. John A. Rogers in the Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics at Northwestern University, where he works on the wireless electronics manufacturing for healthcare applications. He also had previous postdoctoral research experience in biomanufacturing, working with Prof. Taher Saif in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Li received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering in May 2017 from University of Colorado Boulder, where he won the Outstanding Dissertation Award (one recipient each year across all different engineering disciplines). His primary research interests includes design and fabrication of biohybrid robotics (“Bio-bots”), 3D curvy electronics and soft functional materials.

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Dr. Bin Xu Gives Seminar Over Physics-based/ Data-driven Diesel Engine Waste Heat Recovery and Hybrid Vehicle Propulsion System Energy Management for Fuel Efficiency Improvement

Dr. Bin Xu, a Research Assistant Professor for the Department of Automotive Engineering at Clemson University, gave a seminar on Monday, March 8 over “Physics-based/ Data-driven Diesel Engine Waste Heat Recovery and Hybrid Vehicle Propulsion System Energy Management for Fuel Efficiency Improvement.”

Abstract: For internal combustion engines, the engine efficiency is generally below 40% for gasoline engines and 50% for diesel engines. For a heavy-duty diesel engine, around 40-60% of energy is wasted as heat via exhaust gas, EGR cooler, and coolant. Waste heat recovery (WHR) techniques have the potential to achieve the fuel economy and emission reduction goals for its mature technology and high efficiency. Conventional modeling and power analysis in WHR system focus on static engine operating conditions, whereas engine experiences torque variation even at highway conditions. To overcome the research gaps in dynamic modeling, control and optimization over highly transient engine operating conditions, a series of systematic modeling, control, optimization and experimental validation work are conducted to understand the characteristics of the WHR system and maximize the waste energy recovery. According to dyno test result, 3% absolute break thermal efficiency improvement is achieved in a 13L diesel engine with the developed WHR system.

The automotive industry is in the pace of reforming from petroleum-dependent to renewable energy-dependent for better sustainability and environmental friendly goals. Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is the first step towards the propulsion system electrification. With a given vehicle hardware, one key factor affecting the fuel consumption is the energy management of the engine and the electric motor, which could lead to 20% fuel consumption variation. Conventional energy management strategies (EMS) are either rule-based or model-based. Rule-based EMS lacks optimization and leaves large room for fuel saving. Model-based EMS like model predictive control depends on reduced order models, which require long time to build for the complex vehicle propulsion system and sacrifice model accuracy for short computation time. Model- free reinforcement learning (RL) based EMS is proposed to address the optimization concern of rule-based methods and reduced order model development concern of model-based methods. Parametric study is conducted to interpret the RL state/ action/ reward selection and their impact on fuel economy, which is supported by value functions and policy maps. An ensemble RL framework is proposed to integrate RL with conventional EMS methods for better fuel economy. Moreover, two warm start methods are proposed to reduce the learning time of RL as much as 68%.

Bio: Bin Xu joined the Department of Automotive Engineering, Clemson University in March 2020 as a Research Assistant Professor. Prior to coming to Clemson, Dr. Xu was a Research Scientist at the Stanford University. Dr. Xu received his B.S. degree from Hunan University China in 2013, Ph.D. from Clemson University in 2017, both in Automotive Engineering. Dr. Xu’s research focus on propulsion system modeling and control, particularly in the areas of physics-based and data-driven modeling, control, and fuel efficiency optimization. Over the past 4 years, Dr. Xu has published 31 peer-reviewed articles including 13 first-authored journal articles and his research have been cited 337 times in Google Scholar. Dr. Xu is the Guest Editor of SAE International Journal of Electrified Vehicles and a Review Editor of Frontiers in Energy Research. Additionally, Dr. Xu serves as the reviewer for 10+ journals in energy and transportation fields, such as Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Applied Energy, and IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

 

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AME Hosts Annual Graduate Program Meet and Greet

Saturday, February 20th, we hosted our annual AME Graduate Program Meet and Greet. The slides and Zoom video can be found below if you were unable to make it to the event.

Link to the Powerpoint presentation: Workshop for undergraduate recruitment – 1-14-2021

Link to the complete Zoom meeting: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nUjSXw3SP0KgbJhD-aM6b-nWuc3PZi5v/view?usp=sharing

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Dr. Sergey Averkin Gives Seminar Over Kinetic Simulations of Non-equilibrium Phenomena in Partially Ionized Plasmas

Sergey Averkin, Ph.D., a Research Scientist from Tech-X Corporation, gave a seminar Friday, February 28. He spoke about, “Kinetic Simulations of Non-equilibrium Phenomena in Partially Ionized Plasmas.”

Abstract: Partially ionized plasmas have many applications in science and engineering. The examples of applications include space propulsion, material processing including production of nanomaterials, ion sources, display panels, medicine. Modeling and simulation of non-equilibrium chemically reacting plasmas is a challenging problem owing to the presence of complicated plasma chemistry and coupling between volume, surface, and transport non-equilibrium processes. Simulation approaches span from volume averaged global models that incorporate thousands of chemical reactions and include simplified assumptions regarding transport to computationally expensive kinetic simulation methods that allow to calculate detailed information of plasma transport and usually employ simplified chemical models to speedup simulations.

The first part of the talk presents a Global Enhanced Vibrational Kinetic (GEVKM) model and its application to the simulation of an RF discharge chamber of a new High Current Negative Hydrogen Ion Source developed by Busek Co. Inc. and WPI. The GEVKM is supplemented by a comprehensive set of surface and volumetric chemical processes (22 species and more than 1000 chemical reactions) governing vibrational and ionization kinetics of hydrogen plasmas. The model is computationally efficient. It was used in parametric studies with thousands of points in parameter space.

The second part of the talk outlines new developments in the Particle-in-Cell and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo methods (PIC/DSMC) that are used to model partially ionized plasmas and rarefied gases that are described by kinetic equations coupled with the Poisson equation. The PIC/DSMC method can provide detailed information of the distribution functions of plasma components in complicated geometries. The applications of the PIC/DSMC method to simulations of flows inside nanonozzles and around CubeSat are presented. In addition, novel simulations of plasma assisted growth of nanoparticles using PIC/DSMC method are discussed.

Biography: Dr. Sergey N. Averkin received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in applied mathematics and physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia, in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Worcester, MA,  in 2015. From 2015 to 2016, he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow and an Adjunct Teaching Professor at WPI. In 2018 Dr. Averkin was a Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder. Currently he is a Research Scientist at the Tech-X Corporation, Boulder, CO, USA. His current research interests include advanced numerical simulations of nonequilibrium phenomena in chemically reacting rarefied gases and plasmas. Applications of such simulations include space propulsion, mass and heat transport at micro and nano scales, ion sources, plasma processing. Dr. Averkin is a member of the American Physical Society (APS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

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Shell Fall Festival Gives Students an Opportunity to Get Involved in AME Organizations

Shell Fall Festival occurred in the engineering quad on August 23 where new and returning students had the opportunity to learn about several student organizations. Students also enjoyed a dunk tank and other carnival games, free hamburgers, snow cones and t-shirts, and networking opportunities with Shell and Schlumberger. Below are some of the student organizations that participated in the festival!

Sooner Rover Team is an OU Engineering competition team composed of Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, and Computer Engineers. The team designs, builds, and documents a rover for the University Rover Challenge competition.

Sooner Rover Team Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoonerRover/

Sooner Rover Team Website: http://ou.edu/soonerrover/

Boomer Rocket Team is a group of multidisciplinary engineering students at the University of Oklahoma dedicated to the design, construction, and launch of high powered rockets.

Boomer Rocket Team Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oubrt/

Boomer Rocket Team Website: brt.ou.edu

Sooner Off-Road is an organization that builds an off-road style vehicle for competition. During their competitions, engineering students are given a mission to design and build a vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain and sometimes water.

Sooner Off-Road Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoonerOffRoad/

Sooner Off-Road Website:  http://www.ou.edu/offroad/history.html

The Sooner Racing Team is a competition team at the University of Oklahoma. Their goal is to build a Formula SAE race car to participate in events across the United States and around the world. Teams are judged on criteria involving engineering design, material and manufacturing cost, marketing analysis, and final product performance and reliability.

Sooner Racing Team Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soonerracingteam/

Sooner Racing Team Website: https://sae.ou.edu/

(Combined booth: AIAA and DBF Crimson Skies)

AIAA is the leading professional society for America’s aerospace engineers, offering its members exclusive industry news, business and academic relationships and entrance to national conferences. Through facility tours, technical discussions from industry personnel and AIAA sponsored design competitions the student members gain valuable relationships with and insight into their scientific field, their industrial community, and their engineering family.

AIAA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OUAIAA/

DBF Crimson Skies is the University of Oklahoma Design/Build/Fly competition team. They design, fabricate, and test an R/C aircraft for the AIAA hosted Design Build Fly Competition.

DBF Crimson Skies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DBFCrimsonSkies/

 

 

 

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2019 Capstone Fair Results are in!

The school of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering held the annual capstone fair on May 2, 2019. Forty one mechanical engineering teams and eight aerospace projects participated in the fair.

Overall 1st Place (tie)

“Sooner Off-Road”: Matt Muhlinghause, Haley Ricks, Devin Prochniak

Overall 1st Place (tie)

“B-52 Spoiler Fixture Redesign”: Morgan Wolfe, Tyler Thibodeaux, Alexandra Arment, Roshan Mathews, Alex Mudd

Overall 2nd Place

“Setup to Evaluate Debris-Scrapper Ring Designs”: Courtney Holloway, Nicholas Son, Alexander Nagy, Abel Rivera, Haydn Kirkpatrick

Overall 3rd Place

“Vehicle Mast: Raising/Lowering Methods”: Michael Evans, Armahn Roozbeh, Austin Petit, Sarah Mailot, Luke Starks

Aerospace Winners Overall:

Overall 1st Place Aerospace

“Boomer Rocket Team Analysis Team”: Abby Roper, Ryan Gannon, Tanner Mann, Nick Cobb, Evelyn Webb, Shaik Zehad, Ben Shwaiko, Jordan Masterson

Overall 2nd Place Aerospace

“Boomer Rocket Team Manufacturing Team”: Nathan Cook, David Brown, Trevor Trevino, Joshua Hughes, Jalen Johnson, Levi Lunsford

Overall 3rd Place Aerospace

“Design Build Fly Aerodynamics Team”: Vann Wilkerson, Jake Ewing, Alex Bryant, Jen-On Fung

 

Category – Vehicle Design:

Vehicle Design 1stPlace

“Sooner Off-Road”: Matt Muhlinghause, Haley Ricks, Devin Prochniak

 Vehicle Design 2nd Place

“Sooner Racing Team”: Adam Flenniken, Ryan Cowdrey, Justin Porter, Jack Sartin

 

Category – Experimental and Testing:

Experimental and Testing 1st Place

“Setup to Evaluate Debris-Scrapper Ring Design”: Courtney Holloway, Nicholas Son, Alexander Nagy, Abel Rivera, Haydn Kirkpatrick

Experimental and Testing 2nd Place

 “Test Bench for ESP Seal Section Permeability”: Logan Vitello, Travis Wilbanks, Ifeanyi Ijioma, Marshall Thorpe, Logan Roys

Experimental and Testing 3rd Place

“Recording System for Animal Ocular Movement”: Spencer Gallucci, Shangru Wu, Venus Luong, Joshua McCraw

 

Category – Studies:

Studies 1st Place

 “B-52 Spoiler Fixture Design”:  Morgan Wolfe, Tyler Thibodeaux, Alexandra Arment, Roshan Mathews, Alex Mudd

Studies 2nd Place

 “Vehicle Mast: Raising/Lowering Methods”: Michael Evans, Armahn Roozbeh, Austin Petit, Sarah Mailot, Luke Starks

Studies 3rd Place

“Piezoelectric Sensors for HVAC Applications”: Joseph Nostrand, Ryan Perkins, Spencer Hinkle

Studies 4th Place

“FAA OSHA Compliant Climbing Methods for Human Safety”: Wesley Dale, Lauren Tangney, Brent Fenske, Jon Ballard

 

Category – Prototype Design:

Prototype Design 1st Place

“Gaming/Electronics Assist Equipment”: Pranav Mohan, Ashley Medice, Gerald Lance, David Carris

Prototype Design 2nd Place

“Robotic Arm System for Hospital Use”: Luis Donoso, Pum Mang, Tuan Vu, Aaron Vu

The Practical Engineering Award

 “Piezoelectric Sensors for HVAC Applications”: Joseph Nostrand, Ryan Perkins, Spencer Hinkle

 

Category – Presentation:

Presentation 1st Place

“Vehicle Mast: Load Analysis and Failure Modes”: Wesley Dale, Lauren Tangney, Brent Fenske, Jon Ballard

Presentation 2nd Place

“Setup to Conduct Permeation Experiments on Barriers”: Samuel Infanti, Katherine Faux, Karim Aznag, Austin McKee

Presentation 3rd Place

“3D Printing for Shape Memory Polymers”: Colton Ross, Ryan Bodlak, Luke Whitney, Wyatt Maney, Robert Beem

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AME Represented at AERO Oklahoma Day 2019

Professor Thomas Hays and AME Communications Coordinator Rebeka Morales represented AME at the AERO Oklahoma Aviation & Aerospace Awareness Day on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. The event was held at the Oklahoma City Capitol and open to the public.

“AERO Oklahoma” Day places aviation and aerospace organizations front and center. As Oklahoma’s second largest industry, the purpose of this awareness day was to recognize this vital economic engine and to provide a greater understanding of the impact aviation has on the lives of Oklahoma’s citizens. It is a unique opportunity for Oklahoma aerospace companies, private and commercial pilots, airport managers, municipal officials, drone pilots, educators, flying clubs, and many other users of the Oklahoma Airport System to meet one-on-one with state legislators and other elected officials regarding aviation. During this aviation and aerospace awareness day, free exhibit booths from over 80 companies were represented.

For more information on the event, visit the Facebook event page.

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Giving Day 2018

For 24 hours on Tuesday, the University of Oklahoma hosted Giving Day, a campus wide fundraiser to help our students and programs! Overall the University raised $477,764 through 2,123 gifts.

The engineering department raised $96,100 with 459 gifts and AME’s own ambassador, Rebeka Morales yielded the most gifts university-wide. AME had an encouraging message from Dr. Siddique to get the donations started and a donation center in the Hitachi Conference room where students could donate between classes.

AME would like to thank everyone who donated to support our amazing student teams! They have big goals and with your support that are even closer to reaching them.

Thank you to our challenge from Michelle Coppedge who matched $1000 after we raised $1000 and another $1000 after we obtained 30 total gifts.