Honors

Leave a comment Posted on October 24, 2016November 15, 2019 by Margaret Cross Alumni, Events, Faculty, Honors

Former AME Board Member and Educator Donna Shirley Receives the Annie Oakley Society Award

It is no secret that each day at AME we salute the work of our students, staff and faculty members past and present. On October 13, 2016, we were fortunate enough to celebrate the work of our own alumna and former College of Engineering Assistant Dean & Instructor Donna Shirley, who was presented with the Annie Oakley Society Award at the society’s sixth annual luncheon and award ceremony. Notably in attendance were Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, Gallogly College of Engineering Dean Tom Landers and other GCoE leadership, AME Professor David Miller and members of the Sooner Rover Team. The Annie Oakley Society is comprised of women leaders and philanthropists who, like Annie Oakley, play significant roles in shaping our communities and creating new horizons.[1] Also recognized at the award ceremony was Jo Rowan, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions in the field of dance and creative arts.

Meet Donna

At age 17, Donna Shirley earned her pilot’s license, won the Miss Wynnewood, OK crown, and competed in the Miss Oklahoma pageant. Following high school, she enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, obtaining a technical writing degree in 1962 and a bachelor’s degree from AME in 1965. She went on to enjoy a more than 30-year career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and retired in 1998 as the Manager of the Mars Exploration Program. During her time at NASA, Ms. Shirley lead the team that built and successfully landed the Mars rover “Sojourner” in 1997. Ms. Shirley remarked that the was the lone female of 2000+ person group at JPL at that time. She then became assistant dean of the College of Engineering at OU, where in the past she was told that girls could never be engineers – she has fought successfully to help transform that attitude. After a brief introduction, the conversation with Ms. Shirley spearheaded into a discussion of the role and importance of women in engineering.

It’s “easier” now…

Ms. Shirley gave clear and concise advice to all in attendance regarding the state of affairs for women in highly scientific fields like Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering. She said, “It’s easier [being a female in engineering] now but remember, you must be good [at whatever you’re doing].” She went on to explain that in the competitive hiring and retention environment of engineering, we must all strive to be the best at what we do. “Learning is ultimately important and not relying solely on grades”, she explained. Donna casually outlined one story she thought was important to note in which a disagreement developed between her and a male colleague. She handled the situation by relying only on the technical work she had done – outshining the negative attention only by being better. This an attitude she hopes all engineers (not only women) will adopt.

Congratulations!

We at the School of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering congratulate Donna Shirley on her award and applaud her for the way she continues to advocate for women in engineering. To celebrate her efforts, AME pledges to strive to always be an environment conducive to the success of everyone we interact with. Please join us as we recognize her hard work.

By: Jawanza Bassue – MS Aerospace Engineering Candidate 2017

[1] http://nationalcowboymuseum.org/join-give/the-annie-oakley-society/

Leave a comment Posted on June 24, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Honors

AME Senior Christine Greve Awarded the Astronaut Foundation Scholarship

AME Senior Christine Greve was recently chosen as a recipient of the Astronaut Foundation Scholarship. This foundation was created by the Mercury 7 Astronauts and their families to provide merit-based scholarships to the best and brightest university students who excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The prestigious Astronaut Scholarship is known nationwide for being among the largest monetary scholarships awarded to undergraduate STEM students. Candidates for the scholarship must be nominated by their university professors and must exhibit leadership, imagination and exceptional performance in STEM.

Christine is a senior at the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma pursuing her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a minor in Spanish language.

Living in Alabama, Christine grew up around the space industry and had always had a love for it, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year of college when she realized her love of the space industry could also be turned into a career.

“I was looking at the different disciplines of engineering one morning when I realized that the college offered aerospace engineering,” said Christine. “The word ‘aerospace’ caught my attention, causing me to talk to one of the professors. About an hour after the conversation, I realized that I could actually pursue a job in the space industry and I was sold.”

As a selected recipient of the Astronaut Foundation Scholarship, it is no surprise that Christine has the credentials to back it up. She is a National Merit Scholar and has been on the University President’s Honor Roll, University’s Deans Honor Roll and the Gallogly College of Engineering Dean’s Honor Roll. In addition, she is a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Christine is a member of OU’s Chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a member of Crimson Skies Design Build Fly.

Last summer, Christine interned at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where she characterized components of a propellant feed system through test design, data acquisition and data analysis. Since January 2016, Christine has continued her work with an independent study program through the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. During her ongoing independent study, she has been designing an attitude control system for cube satellites using pulsed plasma thrusters, modeling the satellite using SolidWorks for technical presentations, and communicating with professionals to better design a test satellite for optimal results.

As you may expect, Christine plans to work in the space industry after graduation in May 2017, and she also hopes to earn her graduate degree while continuing her research in the field of in-space propulsion.

“For my career, I see myself focusing on either electric or nuclear propulsion,” said Christine. “I want to work towards the advancement of in-space propulsion for manned spacecraft to make interstellar travel an achievable goal in my lifetime. I want to offer new opportunities in spaceflight to help inspire younger generations to continue exploring the stars. I want to rekindle the flame that enabled the incredible engineering of the Apollo missions and that held the world captive as man first stepped onto the moon.”

Christine has big dreams. We think with her leadership, imagination and exceptional performance in STEM, she can achieve it.

Congratulations, Christine! We are proud of your accomplishments thus far, and we look forward to see what this year holds for you as the recipient of the Astronaut Foundation Scholarship!

To learn more about the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, click here.

1 Comment Posted on June 16, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Events, Faculty, Honors, Robotics

Sooner Rover Team Breaks Record at NASA Competition

Sooner Rover Team recently took home the gold at the 6^th Annual RASC-AL Robo-Ops Challenge sponsored by NASA. Not only did the Sooner Rover Team win the national competition, they set records, beating the standing rock yard record by over 200%. The team finished with a final score of 132. The second place team trailed behind with a score of 48.

The Robo-Ops Challenge took place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The selected student teams had to design life-sized rovers that could move and climb through various terrain, collect rock samples and store them, and navigate through the rock yard all while being controlled remotely from each team’s home university with real-time video feeds from the rovers’ cameras. Teams had one hour to collect and secure the rock samples along with bonus challenges. In addition to the rock yard challenge, teams also had to present a technical paper, a poster and carry out a public outreach program.

Among the eight teams at the competition, Sooner Rover Team stood out from the beginning with their unique design. Rovie McRoverface (the rover’s given name) was modeled after a 1980’s Russian lunar rover featuring a spine, six cone-shaped wheels and a robotic arm. This allowed the rover to bend and travel through various terrain at the competition more easily. Clearly, the unique design paid off.

Rovie McRoverface collected all 26 rock samples and completed all four bonus challenges flawlessly. The team’s score was recorded on the scoreboard by NASA followed with a “WOW.” But, seriously.

“I felt a little like I was dreaming that the rover was performing so well,” said Dane Schoelen, Sooner Rover Team Project Lead. “When mission control successfully completed the contingencies task through amazing teamwork and improvisation, I felt like there was no way I wasn’t dreaming. It is satisfying that after all of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into creating our rover, we were able to put on an outstanding performance.”

The team is made up of all Gallogly College of Engineering students and advised by AME Professor David Miller, Ph.D. The team members at mission control were Bill Doyle, Brent Wolf, Alex Borgerding, Jacob Jordan, Oskar Paredes, Ashley Findley, Janella Clary, Matthew Solcher and Aaron Condreay, and the members who went to competition were Nathan Justus, Dane Schoelen and Kevin Cotrone.

The team won first place, broke and set records and brought home a $6,000 prize that they hope will go towards next year’s rover. It is safe to say the team will be set with experienced members as Nathan Justus was the only senior. He will start his career at NASA in Houston as an operations engineer at mission control for the International Space Station.

“I cannot emphasize enough how hard our team worked to make sure that we were prepared for that day. Our performance and the recognition we got from NASA, NIA, and the other teams made all of that work worth it,” said Nathan Justus, Sooner Rover Team Chief Engineer. “Of course, the project had merit of its own and the learning process was substantial, but whatever, it feels good to have DESTROYED and earned that with blood and mind power.”

Congratulations, Sooner Rover Team! We are so proud of your hard work and success!

Leave a comment Posted on May 10, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Events, Honors

AME Hosts Annual Senior Design Poster Fair 2016

On Thursday, May 5, 2016 the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering hosted its annual Senior Design Poster Fair in Devon Energy Hall and the ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility. A total of 33 senior teams participated in the poster fair. These student groups have worked on their capstone research throughout their senior year. Students presented their posters to a group of judges who later selected the outstanding teams in each category. The categories consisted of aerospace engineering, prototype design, studies, testing, interdisciplinary and vehicle design. Click here to see the project summaries.

Aerospace Engineering:

1st Place Aerospace Engineering: AIAA DBF Crimson Skies-Aaron Allred, Alex Spens, Chris Sherlock, Dalton Gregory, Nathan Justus, Seth Fackler

2nd Place Aerospace Engineering: Composites Processes and Weather Rocket Design-Justin Jackson, Alex McKinstry, Karl Verschuren, Dustin Rann, Jon Stone, Mitch Lonergan

3rd Place Aerospace Engineering: Unmanned Aerial System Dynamometer-Daniel Carlton, Alec Watson, Hannah Hunt, Tonči Maleta

Mechanical Engineering:

First Place Overall (Tie): Design of a Test Setup for Multiple Butterfly Valves-Michael Howell, Tyler Spencer, Colin Sullivan, Garrett Svane AND Experimental Setup to Evaluate Life of Dynamic Polymer Seals in Fluids with Particulates-Karl Geerts, Jordan Miller, Marli Sussman

Third Place Overall: Error Free Part Identification-Caleb Davis, McKenzie Middle, Sylivia Tran, Matthew Von Gonten

Fourth Place Overall: Optimization of an Impeller-Christie Alexander, Sean Davison, Sam Delagi, Alli Haselwood, Patrick Helms

Fifth Place Overall: Design of a Green-Energy Tricycle-Tyler Spencer, Mckenna Beard, Addison Berryman, Austin Burrus

Outstanding Prototype Design: MEMS Subsea Autonomous Robot-Bao Ngo, Nick Julch, Ryan Jacob, Viet Tran, Moises Bernal

Outstanding Prototype Design: Optimization of an Impeller-Christie Alexander, Sean Davison, Sam Delagi, Alli Haselwood, Patrick Helms

Outstanding Interdisciplinary: Error Free Part Identification-Caleb Davis, McKenzie Middle, Sylvia Tran, Matthew Von Gonten

Outstanding Interdisciplinary: ESP Warehouse Productivity-Abdullah Albukhidhr, Aziz Taylakh, David Graft, Elyssa Mooney

Outstanding Interdisciplinary: Cable Preparation Cell in ESP Control Plant-Jackie Chen, Christopher Flix, Kitty Winstel, Jerry Varughese

Outstanding Studies: Tinker Energy Assessment-Konnor Lohman, Tanner Nees, Vu Tran, Michele Musgrove

Outstanding Studies: Mechanical Seal Test Stand-Christina Chavez, Wenyuan Luo, Alex Stockyard, Briek Pauwels

Outstanding Testing: Design of a Test Setup for Multiple Butterfly Valves-Michael Howell, Tyler Spencer, Colin Sullivan, Garrett Svane

Outstanding Testing: Experimental Setup to Evaluate Life of Dynamic Polymer Seals in Fluids with Particulates-Karl Geerts, Jordan Miller, Marli Sussmann

Outstanding Vehicle Design: Design of Green-Energy Tricycle-Tyler Spencer, Mckenna Beard, Addison Berryman, Austin Burrus

First Place Phillips 66 Presentation Award: Design of a Test Setup for Multiple Butterfly Valves-Michael Howell, Tyler Spencer, Colin Sullivan, Garrett Svane

Second Place Phillips 66 Presentation Award: Sooner Off-Road: Semi-Trailing Arm Suspension-Gatlin Arnold, Stephen Walta, Tim Willis

Third Place Phillips 66 Presentation Award: Optimization of an Impeller-Christie Alexander, Sean Davison, Sam Delagi, Alli Haselwood, Patrick Helms

To view the full album from the poster fair on the AME Facebook page, please click here.

Congratulations to all the outstanding groups and all the seniors on their success as undergraduates at OU and AME. We wish you the best in your future endeavors and your engineering careers!

1 Comment Posted on May 6, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Academics, Honors

Pi Tau Sigma Honor Society Initiates New Members

On April 14, 2016, Pi Tau Sigma National Mechanical Engineering Honor Society held its 2016 Initiation Ceremony. Devin Laurence, Kirsten Perry, Courtney Baukal, Taewoong Kim, Brian Flin, Lindsey Cox and Alana Harris are the seven newly initiated members. In addition to the initiation ceremony, Pi Tau Sigma also elected the 2016-2017 executive officers as follows, Miles Burnett, President; Alexis Heuangsayaseng, Vice-President; Kirsten Perry, Treasurer; and Lindsey Cox, Secretary.

Meet the 2016-2017 Officers:

Miles Burnett is a junior from Diamondhead, Mississippi. He is a National Merit Scholar and also works as a Student Manager for the University of Oklahoma Track and Field program. He is a second year member of Pi Tau Sigma, serving as Treasurer for the 2015-2016 school year.

Alexis Heuangsayaseng is currently double majoring in mechanical engineering and mathematics and minoring in economics. In addition to becoming an engineer, Alexis plans to obtain her teaching certification in mathematics. Alexis is a transfer student from the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in Edmond. During her time at UCO, she was on the Dean and President’s Honor Rolls. She was also on the University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering Dean’s Honor Roll for the Fall 2015 semester.

Kirsten Perry is a junior double major in mechanical engineering and mathematics. She is working at her third internship with Shell Exploration and Production Company this summer in Houston on a multi-disciplinary team focused on onshore unconventional completions. She has performed academic research in mechanical, industrial and systems engineering. Additionally, she was Historian of Engineers’ Club this past year.

Lindsey Cox is junior majoring in mechanical engineering. This summer she will complete her third co-op term with American Airlines in Fort Worth. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Society of Mechanical Engineers. She was a member of Omega Phi Alpha, National Service Sorority for two years before transferring to OU and is now an active alumna. Lindsey is a recipient of the Transfer Award of Excellence Scholarship.

Pi Tau Sigma is a National Mechanical Engineering Honor Society. Members are selected on a basis of sound engineering ability, scholarship (upper 35%), personality and probable future success in their chosen field of mechanical engineering. There are three grades of membership: honorary, graduate and active. Honorary members are technical graduates who are actively engaged in engineering work or mechanical engineering faculty members. Graduate membership is designated for those continuing their education through graduate studies. Active members are selected from the junior and senior mechanical engineering classes at their respective universities whose mechanical engineering curriculum must be accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.

Leave a comment Posted on May 2, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Board of Advisors, Events, Honors

Outstanding Students and Graduate Scholarship Recipients Honored at AME Spring Luncheon

The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering recently celebrated the end of the school year with their annual Spring Senior Luncheon in conjunction to the Spring Board of Advisors’ (BOA) meeting. During the luncheon, Tommy Lear, BOA Chair, gave a keynote presentation. AME also celebrated the seniors and bid them farewell and good luck in their future endeavors. Lastly, AME honored two special groups of students. The first was the AME Undergraduate Outstanding Students and the second was the Graduate Student Scholarship Recipients.

Outstanding Students (left to right): Joel Jimenez Cortez, ME Outstanding Junior; Nathan Justus, AE Outstanding Senior; Jordan Logue, AE Outstanding Junior; Dickens Danson Mugumya, AE Outstanding Sophomore; Octavio Serrano, ME Outstanding Sophomore; and Tim Willis, ME Outstanding Senior.

Graduate Student Scholarship Recipients (left to right): Mustafa Ghazi, Thomas Milam Scholarship; Anand Balu Nellippallil, Frank Chuck Mechanical Engineering Scholarship; Mortaza Saeidijavash, Jim & Bee Close Scholarship; Alejandro Rivas, Jim & Bee Close Scholarship; Jawanza Bassue, ConocoPhillips Scholarship; and (not pictured) Jelena Milisavljevic, Close and Francis Family Scholarship.

Congratulations to the recipients, and good luck to the seniors!

2 Comments Posted on April 20, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Events, Honors

Crimson Skies Places 5th at International AIAA DBF Competition

Congratulations to the University of Oklahoma’s Crimson Skies Design Build Fly team for their 5^th place finish at the International AIAA Design Build Fly Competition in Wichita, Kansas on April 15-17, 2016. The competition hosted 80 teams from across the world including the University of Texas, Georgia Institute of Technology, Cornell University, University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cairo University, Johns Hopkins University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and many more.

Competition Details:

The team successfully completed tech inspection on its first attempt.
[Mission 1] The airplane overheated and short circuited a motor on the first flight (working hard against 20 MPH Wichita winds melted the insulating enamel on the coils).
The team was prepared with spare parts to repair the aircraft and propulsion system. They removed took two cells to avoid a similar motor failure and were successful in the very next flight window (~1.5 hours later, still in 20MPH winds).
[Mission 2] Mothership airplane carried the smaller craft internally, one lap, good landing just as practiced (25MPH winds).
[Mission 3] The team executed the most problematic mission without issue in the most challenging winds of the contest (30MPH).

Team members of Crimson Skies include:

Dalton Gregory, Project Manager
Seth Fackler, Chief Engineer
Alex Spens, Structures Group Lead
Dan Carlton, Propulsion Group Lead
Nathan Justus, Aerodynamics Group Lead
Aaron Allred, Control Systems Specialist
Alec Watson, Propulsion Dynomometer Development
Chris Sherlock, Manufacturing Specialist
Christine Greve
Hunter Herzfeld
Timothy Blackford
Clayton Smith
Amy Griffin
Alex Bryant
Vishnu Priya Parasaram
Dylan Gregory
Thomas Hays, Faculty Advisor

This top five finish was the best ever finish for OU’s Crimson Skies DBF! A very special thanks to NORDAM for its team sponsorship. The success of the University of Oklahoma at this competition is in great part due to the resources made available by NORDAM.

Congratulations, Crimson Skies! We are so proud of your hard work and great success!

Leave a comment Posted on April 19, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Honors

OU Student Working on Second Book while Pursuing Engineering Degree

by Lama Agha, OU Daily

OU student Ciore Taylor pursues multiple interests ranging from mathematics to professional writing.

Taylor, a mechanical engineering junior, has already written and published her first book and is now in the process of writing her second.

Taylor grew up in a small town in Kansas with a population of 8,000. Her family now lives in Tulsa.

“Attending a public school in a small town taught me the value of hard work, individuality and respect for people,” Taylor said. “When I was 16, I moved to Tulsa and attended a private school and learned the value of diversity, communication and respect for myself.”

The transition from a small public school to a larger private school altered Taylor’s life, and she talks extensively about her experiences in her book, she said.

Taylor’s first book, “The Conversation Starts Here: A Perspective of Self, Culture and the American Society,” talks about bridging the miscommunication gap.

“My purpose in writing this book is to shed light on the gray areas of communication and help others to understand that not all people who impact you in a negative way have negative intentions,” Taylor said. “My life has equipped me with many examples that force me to give humanity the benefit of the doubt in regards to other people’s motives.”

These lessons have taught Taylor about starting new relationships with a clean slate and giving multiple chances to walk in someone else’s shoes, she said.

Taylor is currently working on her second book, “Pressing Past the Pain,” which has a different intended audience than her first book.

“This book is for the ladies and highlights the power of self-love, letting go and pressing past the pain of a relationship that did it’s best to break you,” Taylor said. “This book teaches women how to root themselves with faith and hope for the future rather than an unchangeable past that only brings your spirit down.”

Though Taylor has been a successful writer, she chose to major in mechanical engineering. In fact, she said she never considered majoring in English.

“I was visiting OU and had a tour scheduled for the College of Journalism at four, so I was encouraged to visit another tour as I waited,” Taylor said. “I chose to go tour the College of Engineering, and visiting that college felt like home from the moment I set foot into Rawls Engineering Practice Facility. That day, I never made it to hear about the school of journalism, and I absolutely do not regret it.”

For four terms, Taylor has worked for two leading companies in the engineering industry, Shell Oil Company and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Company, she said.

“Success in writing has been a great accomplishment, but the success I have accomplished in engineering is also rewarding,” Taylor said.

To read more from Taylor, follow her blog here. Her novel can also be purchased here.

To view the original article, please visit the OU Daily.

Leave a comment Posted on April 18, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Events, Honors

AME Graduate Student Receives Third Place in AIAA Region IV Competition

Andrew Kocarnik is pictured on the right with his third place certificate.

AME Graduate Student Andrew Kocarnik recently participated in the AIAA Region IV Graduate Student Paper Competition receiving third place. His paper is titled, “Analysis of the Momentum Method and Blade Element Theory as Applied to Rotorcraft.” Andrew is currently pursuing his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering at OU.

“His work in our helicopter-centric independent study has been exemplary, and the award is well deserved,” said Assistant Professor Thomas Hays, Ph.D. “This paper was based on just the first portion of his work in the semester!”

As a third place winner, Andrew received a $250 cash prize.

Congratulations, Andrew!

1 Comment Posted on April 5, 2016November 15, 2019 by Danielle Academics, Events, Honors

AME Undergraduates Receive UROP Support

Two teams of mechanical engineering seniors recently received financial support from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) funded through the Office of the Vice President of Research. AME students Mckenna Beard and Tyler Spencer worked together on one project; Robert Berryman and Austin Burrus teamed up for the other project. With the support from UROP, the two teams received research grants of $1,000 each for creative, hands-on projects under the mentorship of a faculty member. Dr. Kuang-Hua Chang, AME Professor, mentored both teams while Jawanza Bassue, AME graduate student, mentored as a design consultant.

Both of the teams had similar objectives: to design a green-energy tricycle that will appeal to commuters at a sale price of $2,000. For Beard and Spencer, their ultimate goal was to create a vehicle that would allow an individual to travel more than 40 miles on a single battery charge without exerting excessive energy. As for Berryman and Burrus, their goal was to improve frame integrity through analysis and lab testing while also reducing the cost of building the frame.

Every year, UROP recipients present the results of their research or accounts of their work in progress at the Honors College’s Undergraduate Research Day. The AME teams presented their research at the annual event on Saturday, April 2, 2016.

Tyler Spencer and Mckenna Beard

Robert Berryman and Austin Burrus

AME Blog