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Ohio Consortium Appoints New Director
Dr. Taio Chang, professor of civil engineering, has recently been selected as Executive Director of the Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education (ORBCRE).
Founded in 1985, ORBCRE is made up of universities, colleges, government agencies, industries and individuals and provides a forum for members to address research issues and solutions for the many water and environmental-related problems in the Ohio River basin. The Ohio River Basin is a region of 204,000 miles, stretching across 14 states and affects the population of nearly 25 million people.
Chang, who has been involved with ORBCRE since it was established in Louisville, Kentucky, will handle the day-to-day affairs and prepare agendas for the consortium’s annual board of trustees meeting.
To find out more about ORBCRE, visit www.orbcre.org.
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Russ College Receives Software Donation
Xilinx, the leading supplier of complete programmable logic solutions, recently donated $265,000 worth of software and computer chips for the Self Organizing Learning Array, or SOLAR, project led by Dr. Janusz Starzyk.
Starzyk, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, will use the donation as a foundation to develop a design that connects thousands of artificial neurons in a network and creates machines that solve problems without needing to be programmed. His long-term objective is to create a thinking machine that works similar to how a brain works by organizing itself and interpreting tasks autonomously without being told how to do it.
The machines could have applications ranging from security in everyday life, to military and commercial uses. Developing this type of technology will move machines toward becoming more intelligent, Starzyk says, reflecting on how far the personal computer has come in the last 50 years.
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Avionics Engineer Paves the Way for Better Navigation
Dr. Andrey Soloviev, an Avionics Research Center research scientist who works on improving Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for aircraft navigation, recently won the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, Inc.’s William E. Jackson Award for the work presented in his dissertation on an onboard positioning tool called Inertial Navigational System (INS).
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking at approving the GPS for use on aircrafts as a primary navigational tool. Soloviev’s research on improving the GPS may help spur on a new standard in aircraft navigation. The INS works by taking readings from two onboard motion sensors: the accelerometer and gyroscope. When the GPS signal cuts out during flight – which it does in certain areas – the INS acts as a back-up system so pilots always know their position while in the air.
Soloviev accepted the award’s personalized plaque and $2,000 prize at RTCA Inc.’s annual symposium in February. RTCA is a private, not-for-profit corporation that gives recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration and businesses about communications, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management.
The annual award is named in honor of a true aviation pioneer. William Jackson helped develop almost all of the electronic aids still used in air navigation and air traffic control today. He was known for encouraging and advising young engineers seeking a career in aviation electronics and was as interested in the junior engineer’s ideas as he was in those of top management-level positions.
Soloviev’s research was part of the NASA/FAA Joint University Program (JUP), an organized air transportation research effort under NASA since 1971—with the FAA joining the effort in 1979—that consists of partners Ohio University, Princeton University and MIT.
The Jackson Award has gone to Ohio University students 12 out of the 21 times the award has been offered.
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IMSE Students Run Circles Around Competitors
Richard Bornhorst, Mohammed El-Hag, Brad Hollingsworth and Chistina Snyder, all Industrial and Manufacturing System engineering students, received an honorable mention in the 2001-2002 Materials Handling Student Design Competition sponsored by the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education and the Material Handling Institute.
The team’s design and award was profiled in the November 2002 special issue of Modern Materials Handling.
The four students competed in a field of 11 teams judged by professionals in both industry and academia. The competition challenged students to design a new distribution center for Sneaky Sneakers, a fictional retail business with 500 stores and a recently launched Web site selling shoes direct to consumers via the Internet.
Dale Masel, assistant professor of industrial manufacturing and systems engineering, is the team’s advisor.
To view the team’s strategy, visit www.contentconvergence.com/nov2002/honorable01.html.
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Latino Students Organize at the Russ College
The newly organized Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) chapter was founded in December 2002 by ten students: Eileen Saenz, MariaPaz Hermosilla-Hernandez, Christian Hermosilla-Hernandez, Julio Cumba, Dan Parra, Joel Delgado, Noelia Bravo, Rafael Hobson, Nina Shaut, and Alexia Finotello.
SHPE is the largest and most influential national organization for Hispanic professionals and students in engineering, math, and science. More than 6,000 members make up the society, which promotes the development of Hispanics in engineering and science toward reaching educational excellence, equality and economic parity.
In April, the chapter is hosting “Science and Technology Day” at Stocker Center for 30 Athens Middle School students who will compete in science and technology-related events. It will also be active in several community events this year, such as volunteering at Ohio University’s ABLE Lab, which helps individuals learning English as a second language.
Next year, the chapter hopes to invite Ellen Ochoa, the first female Hispanic astronaut, to the Russ College to speak about her experience.
Eileen Saenz, a senior in electrical engineering, serves as chapter president. Juan Merkt, associate professor and Aviation Department chair, serves as the chapter’s first advisor.
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50th Year for Society Chapter
The Ohio Delta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society, received a certificate congratulating the chapter on its 50th anniversary at the Russ College from the association’s national headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Founded on February 21st, 1953, the Ohio Delta Chapter has initiated 1,601 Russ College students into the society.
“The association recognizes the effort your chapter has devoted to enable us to mark in a fitting manner those students who have excelled at the Russ College. We are proud of their contributions to campus affairs and to the leadership and governance of our national society,” a letter from the society states.
Eric Bucher, a senior in mechanical engineering, serves as chapter president. Michael Prudich, professor and chair of the department of chemical engineering, is the chapter’s advisor.
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