Honors

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AME Alumnus Named AIAA Fellow

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) recently selected the Class of 2016 AIAA Fellows and Honorary Fellows. This group of Fellows and Honorary Fellows represents the best of the aerospace community, as well as those who have contributed and advanced the aerospace industry. AME alumnus Brian Argrow, Ph.D., was selected as a 2016 AIAA Fellow.

Dr. Argrow graduated from AME with his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering in 1983, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1986 and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 1989. During his time as a student, he worked closely with Dr. George Emanuel and Dr. Maurice Rasmussen. Dr. Argrow still remains in close contact with Dr. Emanuel today. While pursuing his M.S., Dr. Argrow focused his research on the design of supersonic minimum-length nozzles (MLN) and its application ranged from rocket and scramjet engines to gasdynamics lasers. During his doctoral studies, his research concentrated on the verification and analysis of the MLN flow field. After he completed his Ph.D., Dr. Argrow worked at AME as an Assistant Professor from 1989 to 1992.

In 1992, he move to Boulder to begin his career at the University of Colorado (UC). Dr. Argrow is now a Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Director of the UC’s Integrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing Program and founding director emeritus of the Research Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (RECUV).

Professor Argrow’s research interests range from small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) design and airspace integration to satellite aerodynamics, sonic boom, and engineering education. In the mid-1990s, he led supersonic wind tunnel tests at the NASA Langley Research Center that were the first to verify the method of osculating cones for supersonic waverider design. In 2000, Dr. Argrow’s research team created the first of its kind shock tube to create uniform static initial conditions near 800°F to explore non-classical dense gas dynamics. In 2010 he led the first UAS team to intercept a supercell thunderstorm as part of the second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX-2), the largest project ever organized to understand tornadoes. The technologies developed by Professor Argrow’s VORTEX-2 research group led to the formation of two companies, UASUSA, a manufacturer of small UAS, and Black Swift Technologies, a company created by RECUV Ph.D. graduates to manufacture autopilots and networked sensing/communications solutions.

Along with Dr. Argrow’s recent honor of being named an AIAA Fellow, he has received several teaching and education awards including the W.M. Keck Foundation Award for Excellence in Engineering Education and is a CU President’s Teaching Scholar, as well as a Fellow of the CU Center for STEM Learning. In 2007, he served as co-chair of the first Symposium for Civilian Applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and since 2008 he has chaired workshops and moderated several panels on research directions for the integration of UAS into the National Airspace System. Dr. Argrow is chair-emeritus of the AIAA Unmanned Systems Program Committee (USPC). During his tenure as chair, he led the USPC to expand its focus to include a technically informed discussion of airspace integration policy and developed a formal partnership with the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI). He then organized and chaired the first major joint AIAA/AUVSI event, the second Workshop on Civilian Applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2014 Conference in May 2014.

In 2014, Dr. Argrow completed a semester sabbatical at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Severe Storms Laboratory at the National Weather Center in Norman, where he is continuing to collaborate with severe-storms researchers to develop new capabilities for using small UAS for in-situ and remote data collection to advance severe weather forecasting and reduce warning times.

Lastly, Dr. Argrow leaves current AME students with some advice, “I hope that you understand that what you ultimately get out of your education is directly proportional to what you put into it in terms of hard work, perseverance, and the recognition that learning is both a personal responsibility and a life-long commitment.”

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AME Senior Jerry Varughese Attends 2016 Pi Tau Sigma National Convention

4AME Senior Jerry Varughese recently traveled to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles to represent the Pi Tau Sigma OU Chapter at the 2016 Pi Tau Sigma National Convention from February 19-21st. Jerry Varughese currently serves as President of the OU Chapter. During his time as a member of Pi Tau Sigma, Jerry has held the following roles: President (2015-2016), Vice-President (2014-2015) and Webmaster (2013-2014). Pi Tau Sigma has been an integral part of his experience at the University of Oklahoma School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

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, also known as ABET.

Over 200 Pi Tau Sigma members from across the United States, Mexico and Qatar were in attendance at the 2016 Pi Tau Sigma National Convention. Some of the highlights of the convention include: (1) the design competition hosted by Autodesk in which members gained exposure to their new CAD software Fusion360, (2) the tour of the California Science Center given by American Astronaut Dr. Paul Rooney, and (3) the Saturday evening keynote speaker Dr. Mau deRidder of Virgin Galactic.

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During the tour of the California Science Center, Pi Tau Sigma members were granted access to Space Shuttle Endeavour. This space shuttle was the last to be launched into orbit under NASA’s STS Program.

2Pictured to the left is Jerry with American Astronaut Dr. Paul Rooney. He is the faculty advisor of USC’s Tau Beta Chapter.

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Pictured above is Jerry with one of the Space Shuttle’s main three engines. “Growing up, I still remember watching the space shuttle launches on TV,” said Jerry. “It was an amazing experience to finally be able to see one of these engineering marvels in person.”

Jerry will graduate in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. “Pi Tau Sigma has been one of the greatest experiences in my college career. It has afforded me the opportunity to not only attend this convention, but also network with my fellow Pi Tau Sigma Colleagues, as well as, industry professionals,” said Jerry. “Pi Tau Sigma has added significant value to my experience here at the University of Oklahoma, as well as, my future career in industry.”

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AME GSC Hosts Poster Fair

On Monday, March 7, 2016, the AME Graduate Student Community hosted a Graduate Student Poster Fair. Students presented their research to a panel of judges. The team of judges included AME faculty Andrea L’Afflitto, Yingtao Liu and Kuang-Hua Chang, and AME Board of Advisors members Dave Bert, Tommy Lear and Matt Green. The judges rated each presentation and selected first, second and third place winners.

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Anand Balu Nellippallil received third place with his research titled An Inductive Method for the Exploration of Solution Space for Studying Thermo-Mechanical Behavior of AA 5083 Aluminum Alloy during Hot Rolling.

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Mortaza Saeidijavash received second place with his research titled High Thermal Conductivity Polymer Nanocomposites.

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Arun Balakrishnan received first place with his research titled Effects of Degree of Fuel Unsaturation on NOx Emission Form Petroleum and Biofuel Flames.

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Congratulations to the winners and to all the participants! To view more photos of the GSC Poster Fair, please visit the AME Facebook Page.

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Dalton Awarded Brandon H. Griffith Award

Dalton_WebChris Dalton, Ph.D., was recently awarded the Brandon H. Griffith Award at the Engineer’s Week banquet on Saturday, February 27, 2016. The Brandon H. Griffith Award was established in 1969 in honor of Professor Brandon H. Griffith, one of the most beloved and respected professors ever to teach in the Gallogly College of Engineering. The award recognizes excellence in teaching and extraordinary support for students. Professors receiving this award have demonstrated their dedication while making their teaching a priority.

Dr. Dalton was born in Wichita, Kansas, but has spent over 11 years of his life in Norman as both a student and a faculty member. He received his Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Dalton returned to OU AME in August 2015 as an Assistant Professor of Engineering Practice after spending several years as a Professor of Practice in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Even though Dr. Dalton has only been teaching at OU for less than one year, it is evident to his students that he will do amazing things at AME for many years to come.

When asked what his favorite thing about teaching students is, Dr. Dalton stated, “I love seeing improvement in performance over the course of the semester.”

Congratulations, Dr. Chris Dalton!

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Graduate Student Spotlight with Alejandro Rivas

 

Alejandro Rivas is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering working Alejandro Rivas ASHRAE 5x7alongside Dr. Li Song. Recently, Alejandro received a joint scholarship from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the Central Oklahoma American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He is the current President of the ASHRAE student chapter at OU, and he also attends many Central Oklahoma’s ASHRAE meetings and activities in Oklahoma City.

His research interests are in the field of energy efficiency, such as enhancing heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems’ performance with new control techniques that provide high accuracy with lower cost, and also airflow measurement for variable air volume (VAV) systems under field and testing conditions. Alejandro is currently working with Dr. Song, Dr. Gang Wang, Jesus Elizondo and Wesley Thomas on a research project at Tinker Air Force Base, which is sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD). The project is testing new technologies in flow measurement.

“With this research, I am looking forward to improving and updating the current airflow measurement industry methods and standards,” said Alejandro. “The final goal is to build a robust and accurate measurement method for HVAC researchers and contractors taking full advantage of what a VAV System has to offer in terms of energy savings.”

With plans to graduate with his M.S. degree in December 2016, Alejandro hopes to find a full-time job as an HVAC Design Engineer in the U.S. He also hopes to acquire the Professional Engineering License, as well as the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Certification. Furthermore, his long-term goal is nothing short of vast.

“I would like to have enough experience and knowledge to start my own HVAC Consulting Engineering Firm either in the U.S. or Venezuela,” said Alejandro. “In the future, I would like to be the leading HVAC Engineer in Venezuela by introducing all the latest technologies and ASHRAE standards that the Venezuelan HVAC industry has not yet implemented.”

Alejandro is from Caracas, Venezuela. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Reliability of Industrial Systems from the University Simon Bolivar in Caracas. After that he began working as an HVAC&R Engineer. Not long into his career, he realized there was a breach of information and experience that he wanted to fulfill through academics, which brought him to the U.S. in January 2015. He chose the University of Oklahoma School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering due to Dr. Song’s research.

“During my program search, I found Dr. Li Song’s research work at OU, and I felt that her research interest contained everything that I was looking for,” said Alejandro. “A global vision of the building where the architecture, materials of the envelope, heat load calculation, selection of mechanical equipment and design of the HVAC system are all important factors that need to be considered for improving the energy performance of the building.”

Alejandro_Venezuela2In addition to Alejandro’s research and academics, he enjoys spending time outdoors, especially at the beach and hiking in Venezuela. He also enjoys watching and playing sports. One of his favorite sports is baseball; he even played in college. Alejandro has a love for animals, especially his dog, Danna.

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Siddique Appointed as Associate Director

Zahed Siddique, Ph.D., recently was appointed as associate director of the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. In his role, he will work to improve AME’s profile to both internal and external stakeholders, involvement in special projects and the capstone program, and working closely with student groups and AME competition teams.Siddique

“I am excited for the opportunity to work with our exceptional faculty members, students, staff and industry partners to enhance the educational and research experiences of our students,” said Siddique.

Joining the AME team in 2000, Siddique currently is a professor teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses. Many of the courses he teaches are related to engineering design. Siddique also is the head of the mechanical engineering design practicum program. Some of his research interests include development of tools and framework to enhance engineering design education; design methodology; design for product variety; graph grammars in engineering design; product platform design; product portfolio management; virtual prototyping; and CAD support for product family design and design for the environment, just to name a few.

Siddique was awarded the Regents’ Award for Superior Teaching at OU and also the Ralph R. Teetor Education Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers in 2008. He belongs to many professional organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Tau Beta Pi National Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, and the International Association of Science and Technology for Development, where he has served on the Technical Committee since 2001. 

In addition, Siddique recently was appointed to the Dick and Shirley O’Shields Professorship in Engineering. The professorship was made possible by the O’Shields’ devotion to the University of Oklahoma and their desire to provide opportunities for students and faculty. The couple donated roughly $1.5 million benefiting four separate funds in the Gallogly College of Engineering with one of them being the professorship. Mr. O’Shields was an AME graduate.

“I am honored to be appointed to the Dick and Shirley O’Shields Professorship, which will allow me to make significant contributions toward GCoE’s strategic goal on experiential learning,” said Siddique. “I expect to develop research-based education programs and tools for in-class and online courses to have a sustained and broad impact for the engineering community.”

AME director M. Cengiz Altan, Ph.D., says that private donations such as the O’Shields’ allow the school to recruit and retain faculty of the highest caliber.

“I am excited to have Dr. Siddique as the associate director. He has been an exemplary educator at OU and a national leader in engineering product design,” said Altan. “I am looking forward to working with him. He is a great addition to the AME leadership team.”

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SWE Members Win Engineering Challenge

In February 2015, the Society of Women Engineers’ advisor, Dr. Sezin Kadioglu, approached Jacki Bradshaw, mechanical engineering, and Katie Crowley, chemical engineering, about an Engineering Challenge hosted by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and PepsiCo. After reviewing the challenge details, Jacki and Katie knew they could create something amazing for this proposal. They sent in their finished proposal to PepsiCo before the May deadline feeling accomplished and hopeful in their research proposal. After several months had passed, they received an e-mail in September informing them they had been selected for the final round of judging.

In order to see Jacki and Katie’s proposal presentation, PepsiCo funded their flights, registration and hotel costs for the National Society of Women Engineers’ Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. At the end of October, the girls flew to Nashville for the conference where they gave their presentation in front of eight PepsiCo representatives. As Jacki and Katie stood on stage with all the finalists and the PepsiCo representatives, their names were called as the first place winners.Jacki_Katie_PepsiCowinners

“The feeling of accomplishment, disbelief and overwhelming pride have still yet to wear off,” said Jacki Bradshaw. “They told us that sometime this winter we will be flying to New York to present our proposal to senior leadership in the company, as well as take a tour of the PepsiCo headquarters.”

Congratulations to Jacki Bradshaw and Katie Crowley on this outstanding achievement. You represented the OU Gallogly College of Engineering and OU’s SWE Chapter so well! Good luck in New York!

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Gollahalli Honored for Outstanding Achievements

GollahalliSubramanyam R. Gollahalli, AME Professor, was recently honored as a Top 100 Educator by the International Biographical Centre. This honor is awarded to 100 educators of all disciplines who have made a significant contribution in their field to create influence on a local, national and/or international basis.

Dr. Gollahalli was also selected as Who’s Who in the World® 2016. This honor is also based on Dr. Gollahlli’s hard work, dedication and achievement in his area of research.

Professor Gollahalli’s research interests encompass fundamental as well as applied topics in the energy and combustion fields. The projects under his direction include combustion of liquid drops and sprays, flame characteristics of pulverized coal and synthetic fuels, combustion of biofuels, hybrid fuels such as emulsions and slurries, internal combustion engine and gas turbine combustors, turbulent diffusion flames in cross-flow streams and microgravity combustion.

Congratulations, Dr. Gollahalli!

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TCS Collaborative Grant awarded to Allen, Mistree, and Panchal

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Inc., a multinational company based in India, has awarded a multi-year collaborative grant to Janet K. Allen, Ph.D., of the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Farrokh Mistree, Ph.D., of the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. This wife and husband engineering team will also work with Jitesh Panchal, Ph.D., of Purdue University on this grant. The first year’s grant totals just over $220,000. The title of the project is, Decision-Based Collaborative, Design Workflow Management and Robust Networks.

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The OU-Purdue team plans to develop a decision-based engine for collaborative workflow management that can be integrated with the Platform for the Realization of Engineered Materials and Products (PREMɅP), which is currently being developed by TCS. Here, workflow refers to a sequence of computational tasks in which information flows from one task to subsequent task via a graph topology with decision steps at certain graph nodes. Workflow management encapsulates collaborative creation and execution, modular reuse, and reconfiguration. The team’s focus is on supporting product designers and systems engineers who have fundamental engineering knowledge but may not be experts in all the aspects of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering. The team plans to apply robust design principles, specifically the Compromise Decision Support Problem, to realize fail-safe networks. Potential applications of fail-safe networks include networks that need to take into account variations and disruptions that affect profitability. Some examples include: company mergers (e.g., Halliburton’s impending purchase of Baker Hughes), labor union strikes (e.g., labor strike on the west coast of the United States in 2002), sanctions imposed or lifted (e.g., economic sanctions against Iran being lifted by the UN in July 2015), plantations being destroyed (banana plantations were destroyed by Hurricane Mitch in 1998), air traffic being suspended due to weather or terrorism, main suppliers put out of commission by natural disasters (e.g., the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan disrupted semiconductor fabrication facilities), etc.