Mechanical Engineering Newsletter - 2022-2023

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TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Message From The DEO

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Ching-Long

Method

Student Participants in the AIMS Certificate

A Look at our Student Orgs

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A Hydrodynamic Summer 9 14

3-Minute-Thesis/ Donate & Apply

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New ME Office Assistants!

Rabiah Na’Allah Rose

Rabiah is a third-year double major in Graphic Design and Cinema, with interests in Marketing and Spanish. Her hometown is Peoria, Illinois and she is a huge Iowa Basketball fan. Rabiah began working with

the Mechanical Engineering department in August of 2022. Additionally, She is an Art editor for earthwords: the undergraduate literary review, leader for the Honors Program DEI council, an Honors Outreach Ambassador and executive member of African Student Association. Outside of class, Rabiah spends time analyzing her favorite movies, reading, and enjoying nature. She is so excited to be part of the ME family!

Rose is a junior here at the University, pursuing a BFA in Graphic Design and a certificate in Event Management. Her professional work up until this point has given her real world experience in areas such as

branding, marketing, print design, social media, and more. She is always eager to gain experience in real world application of her studies and hopes to land a creative job that she feels passionate about after graduation. In her free time, she loves spending time with her loved ones, especially playing card games, as well as going out to attend concerts or other activities. She also enjoys watching Formula One racing with her family and reading.

Foley

Casey Harwood Earns NSF Career Award to Study Fluid-Structure Interactions

Caterina Lamuta Recieves 2023 Young Investigator Award for Naval Research

Shaoping Xiao Uses AI to Control Water Reservoir Discharge

Lin Among Researchers Creating New COVID Detection

Venanzio Cichella Earns Amazon Research Award

Alumni Spotlight

Congratulations to our Graduate Student Scholarships + Phil Deierling!

A MESSAGE FROM THE DEO

Ching-Long Lin, Ph.D.

The ME department has had an exceptional academic year in 2022-2023, thanks to its Strategic Vision plan that was launched in 2018, aimed at pioneering a new frontier in autonomy. To achieve this goal, the department has recruited four assistant professors in the field of Robotics and Autonomous Systems since 2018 and is currently in the process of adding one more to their team. Additionally, the department launched the Artificial Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation (AIMS) certificate program in the Fall of 2022, which was generously funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Since its launch, the program has been a huge success, with ten undergraduate and eight PhD students enrolled in the AIMS certificate program by the end of the Fall semester. Notably, among these students are two nonME undergraduates, and three ME undergraduates who have already completed the AIMS certificate. In this newsletter, we are excited to share some great news and updates from our department. Firstly, we would like to celebrate the accomplishments of our assistant professors - Casey Harwood, Caterina Lamuta,

and Venanzio Cichella - who have been recognized for their hard work and dedication with prestigious awards such as the NSF CAREER Award, ONR YIP Award, and Amazon Research Award, respectively. We will also feature the latest research conducted by our esteemed associate and full professors in AI-related water management and post-COVID-19 medical imaging. Additionally, we have included interviews with three talented undergraduate students from our AIMS certificate program, who will share their unique perspectives and experiences.

Lastly, we wanted to share some heartwarming news with you all. Last December, we had our first departmental winter party since the pandemic began. The festivities were highlighted by a fantastic performance from a band made up of our very own students and faculty. We even took a group photo to commemorate the occasion, which you can find on the last page of this newsletter. Seeing the smiles and happiness of everyone in that picture truly represents the bright future of our department. We appreciate your continued support and hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during these challenging times.

Edward M. Mielnik and Samuel R. Harding Professor Department Executive Officer Department of Mechanical Engineering

Engineered structures and the fluids that surround them are constantly interacting. The flapping of a flag or the humming of power lines in a strong breeze are near-daily reminders of these mutual interactions. The interactions also produce important effects on bridges, aircraft wings, and ship hulls. At worst, it can lead to catastrophic infrastructure failures, such as the infamous collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge in 1940. These structures also impact the flow of fluids around them, and if properly controlled could lead to safety and performance improvements.

This dynamic known as the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) is at the heart of research of Casey Harwood, University of Iowa assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and the focus of Harwood’s new National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award. "Fluid-structure interactions are everywhere, affecting transportation and infrastructure that the world relies on," Harwood said. "Despite that, the engineering community lacks rigorous methods to study and understand these interactions. “Engineers are skilled at designing around the potential hazards of FSI, Harwood said, but he sees value in understanding these interactions. "I want to flip the concept on its head – take FSI from something to be avoided and turn it into a well-understood and well-controlled aspect of day-to-day design," Harwood said. "Doing so can open up new avenues for improving the fuel efficiency and the safety of transportation by air, land, and sea." Harwood views the NSF CAREER award as a statement that scientists and engineers recognize the importance of FSI research and education. The CAREER grant is among NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of early-

CASEY HARWOOD

EARNS NSF CAREER AWARD TO STUDY FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTIONS

career faculty. The five-year, $604,690 CAREER grant will support the project titled, “Understanding and Harnessing the Dynamics of Complex Fluid-Structure Interactions.”

Harwood, who joined the UI College of Engineering in 2017 and is also a researcher at IIHRHydroscience & Engineering, said the current experimental methods do not paint a complete picture of the potential hazards or the realizable benefits of fluid-structure interaction. When a structure is immersed in water, for example, the water can increase the effective mass of that structure by as much as 500%, but the way that additional mass is distributed – as well as the effects of bubbles, waves, or currents – are not captured by existing experimental methods. Vibration of structures also produces small motions in the surrounding fluid that Harwood hypothesizes can be used to make wings and propellers more resistant to stall or to reduce the drag of objects like tractor trailers or ship hulls.

As part of the grant, Harwood plans to conduct a series of experiments to attain a deeper and more actionable understanding of the mutual effects of flexible structures and fluids upon one another. The goal is to leverage the information for smarter, safer, and more efficient design, modeling, and monitoring and ultimately improved safety and performance. Harwood expects to involve graduate and undergraduate research assistants, with pipelines for paid assistantships, for-credit projects, and involvement with student outreach initiatives on and off campus. He also plans to initiate a project-based workshop for secondary school students in a rural and economically disadvantaged school district in Washington state.

Casey

in

and

Research

and

Dr.

received his M.S.E. and Ph.D in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan and his B.S. also in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, from the Webb Institute in New York. At the University of Iowa, Dr. Harwood leads the Marine Science and Technology (MaST) lab, which performs research in experimental marine hydrodynamics. His current areas of focus include fluid-structure interactions, model-scale testing of marine vehicles, and surf-zone hydrodynamics.

Harwood is an Assistant Professor

Mechanical Engineering

an Assistant

Engineer with IIHR – Hydroscience

Engineering.

Harwood

CATERINA LAMUTA

RECEIVES ONR YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD FOR SOFT ROBOT RESEARCH

The Office of Naval Research has awarded Caterina Lamuta, a University of Iowa assistant professor of mechanical engineering, funding through the 2023 Young Investigator Program to conduct innovative scientific research that will benefit science and technology for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Lamuta’s project is intended to create “Softopus,” a soft underwater robot with the form and capabilities of a real octopus. An octopus can swim and crawl into tiny spaces, change texture to blend in with its surroundings, and use its tentacles to grasp and manipulate objects. That flexibility and freedom of movement underwater interests the Office of Naval Research. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 80 percent of the ocean remains unexplored. An octopus-like robot could uncover the vast wonders of the ocean, as well as monitor hard-toreach places and assemble, retrieve, or repair submerged equipment. Its size and adaptability would serve as an advantage over underwater drones and autonomous vehicles.

“These robots can reach places where humans cannot go,” says Lamuta. Known as the “softopus,” Lamuta’s 1-meter-long robot would be made from soft rubber, which is stretchy and lightweight. Twisted and coiled artificial muscles inside could lift upto 12,600 times their weight and change texture with a small input voltage. By changing texture, the robot can become camouflage or more hydrodynamic. The softopus, which contains sensors and cameras, also can shed biofilms that tend to deteriorate other manmade items underwater. Lamuta and her lab will receive $502,242 over the next three years for the project, which builds upon previous work she has done for the Navy, Air Force, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

In addition to recognition from the highly competitive Young Investigator Program, Lamuta received DARPA’s Young Faculty Award for her innovative scientific research. Besides scientific papers, Lamuta’s research has included observing octopuses at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. She’s also a fan of the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher. “I’m originally from Italy, where we have a lot of salad and pasta dishes that are based on the octopus,” she says. “But since I started working on this topic and know how intelligent octopuses are, I quit eating them.”

Lamuta is among 25 Young Investigator Program recipients chosen from more than 170 applicants. The highly competitive program targets early career researchers who demonstrate prior academic achievement and potential for significant scientific breakthrough.

Assistant professor of mechanical engineering Caterina Lamuta works with a prototype “softopus” in her lab at the University of Iowa.

VENANZIO CICHELLA EARNS AMAZON RESEARCH AWARD

SHAOPING XIAO WATER RESERVOIR

XIAO USES AI TO CONTROL RESERVOIR DISCHARGE

A University of Iowa mechanical engineering associate professor is developing an artificial intelligence-powered model to optimize how water reservoirs are used to regulate streamflow during flooding. Shaoping Xiao, who is also a researcher at the Iowa Technology Institute, hopes to improve how hydrological systems are managed in the face of expanding constraints, such as the increased frequency of severe weather events and the growth of urban centers. Flood mitigation is an increasingly complex task that requires high-level coordination. Officials must make time-sensitive decisions with incomplete information. At times, the best solutions may not be feasible. Severe weather presents disastrous consequences to infrastructure, public health, and national security.

The National Science Foundation has awarded Xiao, the principal investigator, a three-year, $547,101 grant for the project to develop applications to help scientific communities of hydrologic systems, control, and robotics. The project will also provide undergraduate research opportunities and outreach activities, including educational materials for K-6 students to learn how climate change affects people’s lives, with emphasis on enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The project is titled “Boosting Research Ideas for Transformative and Equitable Advances in Engineering (BRITE) Pivot: Learning-based Optimal Control of Streamflow with Potentially Infeasible Time-bound Constraints for Flood Mitigation.”

CHING-LONG LIN AMONG RESEARCHERS NEW COVID DETECTION

For patients dealing with lingering respiratory symptoms from the novel coronavirus, a chest X-ray can reveal only so much. The two-dimensional (2D) scans simply can’t distinguish compromised lung function. For that diagnosis, a more expensive, three dimensional (3D) technique called a CT scan is necessary. Many medical clinics in the United States don’t have CT scanning equipment, leaving so-called long-COVID patients with little information about their lung function. That may change. In a new study, researchers at the University of Iowa have developed what is called a contrastive learning model. This model “learns” from composite 2D images constructed from 3D CT images to detect compromised lung function in long-COVID patients. Another technique, called transfer learning, then conveys lung diagnostic information from a CT scan to a chest X-ray, thus allowing chest X-ray equipment to detect abnormalities the same as if those patients had used a CT scan. In the study, the researchers showed how their contrastive learning model could be applied to detect small airways disease, which is an early stage of compromised lung function in long-COVID patients. Of the long-COVID patients, the models were advanced enough to distinguish the severity of the compromised lung function.

“The new element to the model is taking information from 3D CT scans showing lung volume and transferring that information to a model that will show these same characteristics in 2D images,” says Ching Long Lin, Edward M. Mielnik and Samuel R. Harding professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at Iowa. “Clinicians would be able to use chest X-rays to detect these outcomes.

That’s the bigger perspective.” Researchers based their modeling on CT scans of 100 people who were infected with the original COVID strain and went to UI Hospitals & Clinics for diagnosis for breathing problems between June and December 2020. Many of these long-COVID patients had small airways disease, a diagnosis reported by Alejandro Comellas, clinical professor of internal medicine–pulmonary, critical care, and occupational medicine, in a paper published last March in the journal Radiology.

Small airways disease affects a network of more than 10,000 tubes at the nexus in the lung where oxygenated air mixes with blood to be carried throughout the body. Lin and his team collected data points at two intervals in the CT lung scans—when the patient inhaled and when the patient exhaled. The researchers compared their results with a control group that had not contracted the virus as they created the contrastive learning model. “Our models successfully identified decreased lung function from longCOVID patients compared to those who had not gotten the virus,” says Lin, whose expertise is in machine learning and computational fluid and particle dynamic simulation.

Lin’s team advanced the model so it could separate patients with small airways disease from those with more advanced complications, such as emphysema. “The study demonstrated in an independent way that patients with post-COVID have two types of lung injuries (small airway disease and lung parenchyma fibrosis/inflammation) that are persistent after having recovered from their initial SARS CoV-2 infection,” says Comellas, a co-author on this study. “Chest X-rays are accessible, while CT scans are more expensive and not as accessible,” Lin adds. “Our

RESEARCHERS CREATING

METHOD

model can be further improved, and I believe there is potential for it to be used at all clinics without having to buy expensive imaging equipment, such as CT scanners.” The authors note the study is limited, in part because the sample size is small, and the patients are from a single medical facility. A larger sample size, they write, may uncover more variations in lung function stemming from long COVID. The study, “Contrastive learning and subtyping of post-COVID-19 lung computed tomography images,” was published online in the journal Frontiers in Physiology.

Ching-Long Lin received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He is currently a professor in the Department of Mechanical engineering, and also a faculty research engineer at the IIHR –Hydroscience and Engineering.

STUDENT PARTICIPANTS

In Spring of 2022, the United States Department of Education awarded a $1 million-grant to Ching-Long Lin, Sharif Rahman, Jia Lu, Shaoping Xiao, Rachel Vitali and Jane Russell to promote research and education in artificial intelligence, modeling, and simulation (AIMS) at the University of Iowa. They pioneered the AIMS certificate program for both undergraduate and graduate students to study that has started classes this Fall. The undergraduate AIMS certificate program requires students to complete 18 semester hours of credit, which can be tailored towards their engineering focus area. In addition to the core courses of Scientific Computing and Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligent in Engineering, other course options include Advanced Linear Control Systems, Uncertainty Quantification and Design Optimization, and Finite Element Analysis. Students are also encouraged to participate in a workshop offered by Information Technology Services and HACKUIOWA organized by the University’s Hydroinformatics Lab.

Three undergraduate students have begun pursuing the AIMS certificate. Fourth year Luke Weger first heard about the AIMS certificate while browsing LinkedIn one day. It immediately caught his attention as a brand-new certificate for mechanical engineering majors to pursue. His first reaction to this certificate was that it would allow him to have a more narrowed focus area within the robotics FA and give his course selection more direction towards an area of industry that is quickly growing. Weger is enjoying his classes because they are very computer based and have granted him great exposure to programming, 3D modeling and different softwares capable of simulating engineering applications. Fourth year Yajatra Kulkarni heard of the AIMS certificate when his professor Shaoping Xiao mentioned the certificate in class. Kulkarni saw it as a useful addition on his transcript since he is pursuing a focus area in robotics. Kulkarni recommends ME students to investigate the AIMS certificate because most students on the robotics FA will likely already complete the necessary requirements, so the certificate is an added bonus. Fourth year Harvin Neth was elated to first hear about the AIMS certificate opportunity because he had a growing interest in Artificial Intelligence. As Harvin is soon to graduate, he reflects on his time here at Iowa:

“Take every moment to the fullest and don’t regret. There comes a point when firsts become lasts, seeing friends everyday becomes rare, and Iowa City becomes hours away. Stay up. Sleep in. Be spontaneous. Try new things. In the end, everything will in fact be okay.”

The AIMS certificate is open to all Undergraduate and Graduate students. For further information, please contact: Professor Shaoping Xiao (shaoping-xiao@uiowa.edu). If you are a Graduate student interested in the AIMS certificate, please contact Professor Jia Lu (jia-lu@ uiowa.edu) for further information.

“Take every moment to the fullest and don’t regret. There comes a point when firsts become lasts, seeing friends everyday becomes rare, and Iowa City becomes hours away. Stay up. Sleep in. Be spontaneous. Try new things. In the end, everything will in fact be okay.”

-Harvin Neth, ‘22 Graduate

PARTICIPANTS IN THE AIMS CERTIFICATE

A LOOK AT OUR STUDENT ORGS!

SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS

The University of Iowa chapter of the Society of Women Engineers is a group where women can be empowered within the engineering industry and work alongside their peers to prepare them for success. There are several Mechanical Engineering undergraduate students serving on the executive team for this organization. Third year Abby Temple acts as the Recruitment Chair for SWE, recruiting new members and coordinating mentoring groups. She refers to SWE as “a resource and supportive group of female engineers.” Temple feels her involvement in this student organization better prepares her to be a mechanical engineer because it gave her a strong network that she can lean on for advice and support, while also providing her leadership opportunities to grow her soft skills. Fourth year Abby Hayes served as the Social Media Chair, posting to the SWE Instagram and Facebook. One of her favorite parts about the Society is attending professional development events with other women. She talks about the group of women she become close with who all “understand what the engineering course load is like, but also understand how important it is to have a good work-life balance.”

If you are interested in joining SWE or have any questions at all about the organization, feel free to reach out to Abby’s email at abigail-temple@uiowa.edu.

Mechanical Engineering boasts a number of student organizations dedicated to providing friendship, learning and hands-on experience to its participants.

IOWA BAJA

Iowa Baja is a hands-on organization where students design, build, and race off-road vehicles. Though the club is offered by the college of engineering, the organization is open to all disciplines. Iowa Baja goes to multiple regional races a year, with a national’s race right around May. Their racing events are made up of several events such as hill climb, brake checks, suspension, acceleration, cost reports, design presentations, and a favorite of many, the endurance race. One of their races hosted in Michigan has a pickled egg eating contest built into gridding, and Baja is on a winning streak! On top of the hands-on application, Iowa Baja offers resume workshops, volunteering, and builds connections with valuable companies looking for interns, co-ops, and full-time job opportunities. Iowa Baja hopes to foster a foundation of knowledge to their team members.

On October 22nd, Iowa Baja attended the Backwoods Baja race in Stout, WI. Overall, the race went pretty smoothly. This year, they participated in the car carry where you take off the tires, carry the car a short distance, then put all the tires back on. Although one of their bolts got bent, they got the tires on eventually and completed the dynamic event. Baja sent two cars to the endurance with no major breakdowns. 51s front steering got stuck at one point and 33 had some carburetor issues, but the team finished off the race pretty strong.

Baja hosts an annual Alumni Tailgate, and this years’ was hosted for the Northwestern v. Iowa football game. It was great for all of Baja’s alumni to come together and cheer on the Hawks.

A HYDRODYNAMIC SUMMER

“I was able to practice not only engineering skills and software, but also had the opportunity to give formal presentations on designs and analysis on a weekly basis. “

--Ryan Lain

Naval science and technology (S&T) have a tremendous impact upon defense, world commerce, and energy production. The US Navy is expanding its fleet to the largest size in nearly twenty years, and the number of offshore solar, wind and wave energy installations have continued to increase. The underlying science and technology challenges demand a workforce with a strong foundation in the engineering sciences related to fluid flow, computational and experimental methods, autonomous systems, and control. The Certificate in Naval Science & Technology introduces students to the principles of naval hydrodynamics including propulsion, resistance, maneuvering, and seakeeping, as well as the fundamentals of autonomous systems, including control systems, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

During the summer of 2022, three Mechanical Engineering undergraduate students completed internships at Navy labs through the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP). Dustin Stansberry, a senior earning a bachelors and master’s degree in mechanical engineering, worked as an intern this summer at the NSWC Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview, Idaho. He spent three months working on Lake Pend Orielle, Idaho’s largest and quietest body of water. According to the NAVSEA website, the “state-of-the-art facilities support a wide variety of research and technology development programs.” Dustin says one of the most interesting facts is that there is only one other facility the navy has that uses models as large as the ones in Bayview.

Another undergraduate NREIP scholar, Ryan Lain, was stationed at The Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). The headquarters are in Bethesda, Maryland with the historic David Taylor Model Basin. Ryan talks about the amazing time he had this summer, which he says, “provided a great introduction to ship design and evaluation.” His project included working with other interns, as well as experienced engineers and naval architects to create a concept design for a future surface vessel. He was able to practice not only engineering skills and software but give formal presentations on designs and analysis on a weekly basis. He had many opportunities for networking, participated in tours around Carderock as well as other NAVSEA facilities and bases. Ryan says he learned and practiced many skills that he will be able to use in his remaining time in Iowa as well as in the workforce.

development of a fully autonomous release and the retrieval of those vehicles. Leonard says he learned a lot from this experience and acquired skills from all fields, including software development, computer-aided modeling, and autonomy integration. He feels it will benefit him in future careers where there’s a need to be adept in multiple fields of engineering. Leonard also made many connections in the Naval Base, teaching him a lot about collaborating as a team as well as how the process of designing and creating systems works.

One of the requirements of the Naval Science & Technology certificate is completion of a capstone project. This year, two teams of students are participating in capstone design projects in the Naval S&T curriculum. One project involves the design of a stern plane measurement and control system for a free-running submarine under development at the University of Iowa, where students collaborate with faculty and engineers at NSWC Carderock Division. The other project, sponsored by Mercury Marine, involves the design of a vessel with electric propulsion. To kick off the Mercury project, the student team traveled to the Mercury headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on August 30th to meet with Mercury personnel, tour some of the facilities, and initiate project planning. One of the highlights of the visit was an excursion, with Mercury Technical Fellow Dr. John Scherer, on a 42-foot Boston Whaler center console cruiser, powered by three of Mercury’s new 600 horsepower outboards. Students took turns trying out the advanced joystick piloting system.

Undergraduate student Austin Leonard was stationed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City. He worked with fellow interns on developing a mechanism that both deployed and captured UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) from a USV (unmanned surface vehicle). Leonard worked alongside subject matter experts who guided him through the 19

Top row left to right: Prof. James Buchholz, John Scherer (Mercury Marine), Andrew Gunderson ,Dan Roske

Bottom row left to right: Josh Wolf, Madison Drilling, Rylie Tu, Govind Kannoly

CONGRATULATIONS

Graduate Student Scholarships

Congratulations to the graduate students who received scholarships for the Fall 2022 semester. This group of outstanding students are all graduate teaching assistants (TAs) who work really hard on their studies, research, and TA duties. They are pulled in many different directions and do an excellent job setting examples for future students and representing the College and Department. Pictured from left to right are Eben Shelton, Christian Milano, Nicholas Winter, Samuel Murphy, and Wuji Huang.

Eben Shelton received the Venkatachalam Planjery Memorial Scholarship. He will be graduating with his MS degree in fall 2022. He is a U2G (undergraduate to graduate) student and took a semester off to work at Tesla.

Christian Milano is a PhD candidate working with Fred Stern. He received the Sharada Devi Planjery Memorial Scholarship. His research focuses on multi-fidelity multidisciplinary simulation-driven digital design process for a new high-speed small craft.

Nicholas Winter received the Richard B. Stewart Scholarship and is the head TA for ME:3351 Engineering Instrumentation. He has a lot of TA experience and will be the head TA for ME:2300 Manufacturing Processes in the spring 2023 semester before he graduates with his MS degree.

Samuel Murphy received the Rajyalaakshmi and Shankar N. Planjery Scholarships He is a PhD candidate and works with Rachel Vitali on his research which focuses on using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to perform gait analysis in unstructured and unconstrained environments.

Wuji Huang received the Ray L. and Edna P. Sweigert Memorial Scholarship. Wuji’s research is on laser materials processing, surface wetting modification, machine learning and 3D metal printing. He has been working with Professor Ding on the development of a quantitative method to study the factors affecting surface wettability.

Professor Phil Deierling

The Office of Strategic Communication asked UI students who their favorite Professor is and why. Over 400 students replied and our own Phillip Deierling received this comment "GOAT of Engineering Professors.” We agree that Professor Deierling is GOAT (Greatest of All Time)! Thanks for all of his work and dedication to student instruction!

“GOAT”

Parth Kotak wins the 3-minute-thesis competition

The annual College of Engineering Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition took place late October, featuring graduate student contestants from each department of the college. Students were challenged to articulate their innovative research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience. This year, Parth Kotak, a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, won first place out of 9 contestants. Kotak presented a thesis focused on the phenomenon of marine biofouling. One of his talking points was the fact that Biofouling also leads to a spread of invasive species to ecosystems where they compete with local species and end up destroying entire ecosystems.

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS APPLY TODAY!

Thank you to the generosity of the scholarship donors. This financial assistance will help students fund their education and help the College and Department attract superior graduate students. Being a graduate TA allows the student to build their leadership skills, work closely with a faculty member, develop a deeper understanding of the course information, and satisfies a desire to help others. If you are interested in donating or starting a scholarship, please visit the ME.engineering.uiowa.edu website and click on the “Give Now” link.

The Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) awards fellowships to support outstanding graduate students at Iowa and Iowa State pursuing research opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines that support the mission of NASA. Scan the code below to browse internship and funding opportunites today!

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

I graduated from the University of Iowa with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in December 1989. During my time at Iowa, I was a member of the Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, and Theta Tau engineering fraternities. I also competed on the men’s varsity tennis team, which was a major challenge from an athletic and academic standpoint. Growing up in Bettendorf, I always wanted to be a Hawkeye, and working hard to accomplish my goals while still having some fun, has been a great source of pride throughout my life.

I am currently the Division Chief Engineer (DCE) in the Propulsion and Power Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, where I’ve worked for the last 31 years. During that time, I’ve had an opportunity to apply the fundamental engineering knowledge and skill-set developed at the University Iowa to many different projects and programs at NASA. Examples include the liquid propulsion systems on the Space Shuttle, the liquid propulsion systems on the Orion spacecraft, which is about to launch to the moon on Artemis I, and countless other propulsion, power, pyrotechnic, and insitu resource utilization (ISRU) test campaigns at our Energy Systems Test Area (ESTA) and the White Sands Test Facility (WSTF).

Collectively, the outstanding education from experienced faculty members, the time management skills, and the career placement support I received at the Iowa College of Engineering made everything possible.

I graduated with a BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in English in 2013 and 2014. Immediately l went to work at GE Aerospace for 7 years where l successfully completed the Edison Cornerstone Engineering Program. During my time there, l worked in design, ceramic matrix composites, and finally as a Field Service Engineer at Boeing in Seattle. I currently am a Senior Project Manager at Schneider Electric where l manage projects around Michigan that provide electrical equipment to power COVIDvaccine plants, hospitals, and Bitcoin mining farms. While jet engines will always be cool, being able to propel Schneider Electric’s mission to providing sustainable and greener energy solutions for the planet is a great opportunity.

I look fondly back at my time at IOWA as the classes l took really prepared me for success in my career. Being a Technical Writing Tutor at the Hanson Center for Technical Communication really set me apart from my engineering colleagues and helped me communicate technical issues to both technical and nontechnical customers. Completing the 5-year BS/ MS program propelled my career and continues to make me marketable.

Finally, l was actively involved with National Society of Black Engineers as President. While a senior, I founded a children’s STEAM outreach program called Black Girls Do Science®. This program is open to everyone and has served over 600 students over the past 10 years. Being able to give back to the Iowa City community and inspire all children that participate that they too can be scientists, continues to be my fondest memory of my time in the College of Engineering.

JOHN ALBRIGHT CLASS OF 1989

BRYNE BERRY CLASS OF 2013

Mechanical Engineering

The University of Iowa

103 South Capitol Street

3131 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences

Iowa City, IA 52242

The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preferences. The university also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to university facilities. For additional information on nondiscrimination policies, contact the Director, Office of Institutional Equity, the University of Iowa, 202 Jessup Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242-1316, 319335-0705, oie-ui@uiowa.edu.

Staff, Students and Families at the ME Fall ‘22 Holiday Party