Colton Ross Selected for the NSF GRF

Graduate Student Colton Ross was selected for the 2020 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Ross is a graduate student in the BBDL studying Mechanical Engineering.

During the program, Ross, “will be working under Dr. Chung-Hao Lee on the development of a multiscale computational model for one of the heart valves – the tricuspid valve.” They hope to gain, “a better understanding of the complex heart valve mechanics, which can eventually help towards patient-specific surgical planning or the refinement of current therapies.” Ross is looking forward to learning new things and sharing his ideas at research symposia or with fellow lab members.

Ross discovered his passion for research by working for course credit under his advisor, Dr. Lee. Ross said, “since then [his] passion has been fueled by the work and the people around [him] that make that work possible.”

“The AME department is full of extremely supportive people who want nothing more than for you to succeed, and they will provide any resources they can to make that possible,” Ross said.

Congratulations on this outstanding achievement, Colton!

Student Research Spotlight: BBDL Member Colton Ross

The AME Student Research Spotlight this month is Colton Ross, a member of the Biomechanics and Biomaterials Design Lab (BBDL). Ross is a senior student studying mechanical engineering in the Accelerated BS/MS program. In the BBDL, Colton’s research involves mechanical characterizations of heart valve structures. Specifically, his research project involves analysis of the chordae tendineae of the atrioventricular heart valves. Upon completing his thesis and receiving his MS, Colton plans to pursue a Ph.D. to continue performing research in the field of biomedical engineering. In his future Ph.D. research and career (in either academia or industry), Colton wants to focus on the development and improvement of medical devices or limb prosthesis. Outside of his coursework and the BBDL, Colton enjoys playing guitar, going to concerts, and playing video games with his friends.

Click here for more information about the BBDL.

Two Undergraduates Win ASME Awards

Two of our AME undergraduate students, Janella Clary and Colton Ross, received ASME awards on April 26th. Janella received the Tom J. Love Outstanding ASME Student Member Award from ASME Central Oklahoma Section while Colton received the ASME Central Oklahoma Section Undergraduate Scholarship of $500.

Janella Clary a senior from League City, Texas, is a mechanical engineer major with minors in business, Spanish, and international studies. She’s involved in the Gallogly College of Engineering as well as an active member of SHPE, SWE, ASME, MEP, and AISES. Last year she was the secretary for OU’s ASME chapter and this year she is serving as president. Additionally, Janella is involved in the OU Triathlon team, OU Sailing Club, Global Engagement Fellows, and OU Cousins. Recently, she has completed two internships with Exxon Mobil in Spring, Texas, as an offsites and utilities engineer and she will intern with them again for this summer. Next year she will be graduating in June 2019 and plans to start with Exxon Mobil fulltime after graduation, unless she is selected for the Fulbright award, then she plans on completing an independent research project at OU starting in September 2019.                                                                                Colton Ross, who is a junior mechanical engineering major, is a new member of the ASME student chapter. Currently, he is an undergraduate researcher working with his mentor and future M.S. thesis advisor, Dr. Chung-Hao Lee, in the Biomechanics and Biomaterials Design Laboratory. Colton has presented at the ASME/AIAA sponsored symposium, hosted by OCU, in April. His future plans include pursuing his accelerated master’s degree as well as furthering his education through a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering. Congratulations go out to both Colton and Janella on their ASME awards and future endeavors.

 

AME Honors Outstanding Students at Annual Ceremony

        On April 20th, AME recognized current graduate and undergraduate students on their outstanding achievements for the 2017-2018 school year at the annual Board of Advisors and Student Recognition Ceremony. Undergraduate mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering students received the Outstanding Student awards. The graduate student awards include scholarships and fellowships received for the upcoming academic year. Graduate students recognized for their respective scholarships include:  

Thomas Milam, Sr. Endowed Fellowship: 

  • Robert Blake Anderson 
  • Timothy Blackford 
  • Julius Marshall 

Frank Chuck Mechanical Engineering Scholarship: 

  • Jingyu Wang 

Chevron Texaco Scholarship: 

  • Alireza Abdi 

John E. Francis Scholarship:  

  • Mohammad Charara 

Jim & Bee Close Engineering Scholarship: 

  • Tausif Jamal 
  • Rajmohan Muthaiah 
  • Mohammad Abshirini 

Marathon Oil Scholarship: 

  • Richard Perry 

In addition to the graduate students recognized at the ceremony, AME also honored our outstanding students who excel both inside and outside the classroom and are leaders among AME students. The students are selected for these awards by AME faculty for their performance in their respective classes. Dr. L’Afflitto and Dr. Siddique presented the outstanding performance awards for aerospace engineering, and the awardees and their respective awards include: 

Outstanding Sophomore in Aerospace Engineering: 

  • Glenn Medina 

Outstanding Junior in Aerospace Engineering: 

  • Alexander Speed 
  • Alexander Bryant 

Outstanding Senior in Aerospace Engineering: 

  • Joseph Sullivan 

Mechanical Engineering awards were presented by Dr. Baldwin, who is the undergraduate mechanical engineering committee chair, and Dr. Siddique. The awardees with their respective awards include: 

Outstanding Sophomore in Mechanical Engineering: 

  • Duncan Merchan-Breuer 

Outstanding Junior in Mechanical Engineering: 

  • Colton Ross 

Outstanding Senior in Mechanical Engineering: 

  • Sarah Libby 

Congratulations to these groups of outstanding students for their achievements at AME and their great accomplishments!