EngineeringQuarterly
Welcometothe EngineeringQuarterly, anewsletterpublished fourtimesayearby theUniversityofMary SchoolofEngineering.Weincludenews fromeachofthefiveengineeringmajorsthat wecurrentlyoffer:ElectricalEngineering, MechanicalEngineering,CivilEngineering, ComputerScience,andConstructionManagement.
2020CIVIL ENGINEERING GRADUATES
Aswithalmosteveryotheruniversityinthe world,ourspringsemesterwasdisruptedin Marchbytheonsetoftheglobalviralpandemic.Itcausedtraumatohospitals,sporting events,andcommunitiesacrosstheglobe, alongwiththeclosingofcampusesacross thecountry,includingourRomecampus,our campusatArizonaStateUniversity,andour campushereinBismarckwhereallofour courseswereimmediatelyshiftedtoanonline format.Thismeantthatwewereunableto presentourdesignprojectstothepublicaswe doeveryspringanditalsomeantthatmany ofourlaboratorycoursesanddesigncourses weredisrupted.Asaresult,ourprofessors andstudentshavehadtobeverycreativein developingwaystocompletethesecourses andensurethatthestudentsmetallofthe necessaryeducationaloutcomes.
InthisissueofEQ,weprofileourgraduating classof2020.Weinterviewedthesestudents andfindoutwhattheythoughtoftheiryears attheUniversityofMaryandalsowhatthey plantodonowthattheyarefinished.Unfortunately,theactualgraduationceremonywas canceledduetothevirusoutbreakandsowe decidedwewouldhaveourgraduatespose foraphotointheircapandgownsothatthey wouldatleastgetatchancetowearit.
WeprofileoneofourJuniorengineering projectsthatthestudentswereabletofinisheventhoughtheywereinterruptedinthe middleofit.Theydesignedabenchtoplathe. Theiractualreportwasover40pageslong andsowewillonlygiveasummaryoftheir mainresultshere.
Attheendofthisissueweprofileoneof theprojectsourfreshmanclassdidafterthe moveonline.TheyusedthedailyCOVID-19 virusdatacollectedbyJohnsHopkins’WhittingSchoolofEngineeringandwroteaBash shellscriptthatautomaticallyextractsthedata fromtheregionofinterestandplotsthenumberofConfirmedcasesovertime,thenumber ofDeaths,andthenumberofRecovered.This wasandinterestingwayforthemtotrackthe virusinrealtimeandgetsomerealworlddata analysisexperienceaswell.
TerryPilling
NoahKrebsis graduatingwithaCivil Engineeringdegree. HeisfromBismarck andwillremainin Bismarckaftergraduation.NoahhasrecentlyacceptedapositionasProjectEngineerforBartlett&West.
universityhasprovided.Ifeelthatthenew engineeringschoolisfulloftherightpeople. AlltheprofessorsthatIhavehadgenuinely careaboutthestudentsandhowtheyareimpactingthem.WhatIwillmissthemost aboutmytimeattheuniversityistherelationshipsthatIhavemadewithothersinthe school,morespecifically,theengineeringdepartment.Myadvicetoyoungerstudentsisto takeadvantageofanyopportunitiesthatyou seeinfrontofyouthroughoutyourcollege career.”
NoahKrebs
“MyyearsatMarywereexciting.Fromplayingfootball,beinginthefirstengineering class,tolifeasacollegestudent.Ihavemade someofmybestfriendshereandMaryhas givenmeagreatopportunitymovingforward. Beingthefirstgroupintheprogramwasdifficultbutitforcedmehavetoadaptorchange becauseoftheclassesofferedeachsemester. Ithasmademeabetterengineerbecauseof it.”
“Iwillmissmyclassmatesbecauseofhow closeandsmallweareandalsotheteachers. Theyreallydowantyoutosucceedhere.”
“Myadvicefortheyoungerstudentsisthis: youaregoingtohaveclassesinwhichyou struggleatorneedhelpwithbutthebiggest thingistokeepgoingandnottobediscouraged.”
LeviClagettis graduatingwithadegreeinCivilEngineering.HeisfromFlorence,MTandplansto go“whereverthewind takesme.”Atthemoment,Leviinternsfor theCityofBismarck. “Iwouldlovetopursueacareerhereandgetmymaster’sdegree soIcancontinuetolearnandcontributetothe world.TheUniversityofMaryisok,butthe engineeringdepartmentiswithoutadoubtthe singlereasonIstayed.Itwasawesomelearningwiththeprofessorsandstudents.Theengineeringschoolwasfantastic.Ilearnedmore thanIcouldveeverdreamtof.Incrediblestaff whowereabletoteachuseverythingwithout fancyequipmentandwhat-not.I’llmissthe relationshipswiththeengineeringteachers andstudents,walkingintoeveryclasswas likewalkingintothanksgivingdinnerwith thefamily.EveryclassIfeltlikewewere laughingandlearningthewholetime.My advicetothenextgenerationisnevergettired oflearning.Lastly,ahugethankyoutoyou Terry.Youweretheheartandsoulofthisengineeringprogramandwithoutyounotonly wouldInotbeanengineer,butthere’snoway UMarywouldhaveasuccessfulengineering program,ifoneatall.We’veallseenthework youputintomakingthishappenandwewill allbeforevergratefultoyou.IwishIcanreturnthefavoroneday,untilthenitwastruly anhonorknowingandlearningfromyou.”
AlexDavisisgraduatingwithaBachelor ofScienceinCivilEngineering.Originally fromSaintPaul,heis currentlyseekingajob inCivilEngineering whichwillthendeterminewhereheendsup livingasheworkstowardshisprofessional licenseoverthenextfouryears.
CalebWeisgarber
CalebWeisgarber isgraduatingwitha CivilEngineeringdegree.Heisoriginally fromHensler,North DakotaandwillbelivinginBismarckafter graduation.Calebalreadyhasajobasa graduatecivilengineer atApexEngineeringGrouplinedupforafter graduation.
“IfeelthatmytimeattheUniversityofMary hashelpedmetogrow,notonlythroughwhat Ihavelearnedinmyclasses,butalsoasa personthroughallmyexperiencesthatthe
“IspentfiveyearshereattheUniversityof MarywhereIwastaughtbymanygreatprofessorsandlearnedmorethanIwouldhave everimagined.Iwillmisslearningfromthese professorsandworkingwithfellowclassmatesondifferentprojects.Ifthereisone pieceofadviceIcangivetonewstudents,it isthatschoolwillbeoverbeforeyouknowit soenjoyeverysecondyoucan.Thankyouto
thosewhomademydreampossible.”
engineering.
IdaNarbuvoll
IdaNarbuvollis graduatingwithadegreeinCivilEngineering.Sheisoriginallyfromasmall townnamedNarbuvoll inNorwaybutshewill remaininBismarckfor twoyearsaftergraduation.Afterthatshe willlikelymovetoadifferentcityintheU.S. andpotentiallymakeherwaybacktoNorway inthefuture.
“Idonothaveajobyet,asIhaveafewthings toconsiderbeforeImakemyfinaldecision ofwhattodonextyear.UnlessIdecideto continuemyeducation,Iwillbelookingfor ajobwithinstructuralortransportationengineering.”
“ThefouryearsIhavespentatMaryhave beenveryinteresting,challenging,andfun. ThesmallcommunityofstudentswassomethingthatfitmewellandIhavetrulyenjoyedbeingapartoftheengineeringprogram,whichIfeelhavepreparedmewellfor myfuture.Iamexcitedtobeapartofthefirst graduatingclassattheUniversityofMary andIamalsoexcitedtoseehowtheprogram willexcelinthefuture.Mostofall,Iwill missallmyclassmatesandteammatesIhave spenttimewithduringthelastfouryearsof mylife.Myadvicetotheyoungerstudentsis toworkhardtoachieveyouracademicgoals andrememberthatyourclassesaresupposed tochallengeyousodon’tgiveupwhenitgets tough.Atthesametime,don’tforgettohave funandenjoyyourtimeincollege.Itgoesby somuchfasterthanyouthink!”
JacksonPenneris graduatingwithadegreeinCivilEngineering.JacksonisoriginallyfromThePas, Manitobabuthewill beremaininginBismarckaftergraduation.Hedoesnotyet haveajobbutisactivelylookingforonein civilengineeringaroundBismarck.
“ImetalotofgreatpeopleandI’mexcitedto seetheEngineeringschoolgrowoverthenext fewyears.Iwillmissseeingallofthepeople (classmates,professors,etc.)andmyadvice toyoungerstudentsistogettoknowyour professors,itwillmakeyourtimeatMarya muchbetterexperience.”
AustinKonschak isgraduatingwithadegree inCivilEngineering.Unfortunatelywewere unabletogetachancetointerviewAustinbeforewewereforcedoffcampusbythepandemic.
RobertSpadyis graduatingwithadegreeinCivilEngineering.HeisoriginallyfromMandan. andplanstolivein theBismarck/Mandanareaaftergraduation.Robertiscurrentlylookingforajob inBismarck/Mandantostartaftergraduation withafocusonstructuralortransportation
“Ispentonlymyjuniorandsenioryearat Mary,butIgottomeetmanyexcellentpeopleincludingcolleaguesandstaff.Ireally enjoyedmytimehereandIfeelthat,with theresourcesthatwehave,theEngineering Schooldidverywell.Ithinkthatintheupcomingyearsitwillbeagreatengineering school.IwillmissthepeopleImetherefor sure.ThebestadviceIcangivetounderclassmenistoactuallylearnthematerial,don’tjust rememberit.WhenyoutaketheFEandgo intotheworkforce,itwillbemucheasierif youlearneditinsteadoftryingtopieceit togetherfrommemorization.”
throughtheprogram,fromfreshmenyear tosenioryear,wewentthroughstressand sleeplessnightstogether.Despitethemental challenges,Iwillmissthosetimeswiththem. Myadvicetotheyoungerstudentsisdon’t beafraidtospeakupandaskyourclassmates questions.Youdon’thavetostrugglethrough theengineeringprocessaloneandchancesare theyarestrugglinglikeyouare.Therewill bethingsyouwillbebetteratandthingsthey willbebetterat,soworkthroughclassesas youandyourclassmatesareateam!Challengeeachotherwiththequestionsyouhave becauseitwillmakeyouallbetter.”
“MyfunnystoryisfromaprojectIsaacSaad andIdidinthermodynamicsthathadtodo withhydrochloricacidandDr.Barr,when tryingtoinduceachemicalreactionwith aluminum,filledthebeakertoohigh.This resultedintheacidoverflowingandburning hishand...Moralofthestory:makesurea chemistmessesuptheexperimentwhenthe engineerstryandruntheshow!haha.”
ColinGudereit
ColinGudereitis graduatingwithadegreeinCivilEngineering.HeisoriginallyfromRegina, Saskatchewanandis notyetsurewherehe isgoingaftergraduation–eitherBismarck orDickinson.Colin hadaninterviewwithCivilSciencelastTuesdayandwastheninvitedoutfordinnerwith themafterthat,soitisagoodsign. “IhadsomegreatyearshereandIenjoyed playingbaseballaswell.Thenewengineeringschoolisastepintherightdirection.I reallywishIcouldexperiencethebrand-new buildingformyself,butIhavetogetoutof heresometime.Iwillmissmyclassmates andthefriendshipsIhavemadewiththemr. Iwillalsomisstheprofessors.Ineverhada badoneinmytimeatMary.Myadviceisto justkeepgrindingevenwhenitgetshard,it willallbeworthit.Myfunniestmemoryis prof.Waldenmaier’slegendary‘Shockwave’ presentation”
2020MECHANICAL ENGINEERING GRADUATES
DylanLarsonis graduatingwithadegreeinMechanicalEngineering.Heisfrom Bismarckandisnot surewherehewillbe goingaftergraduation.
“TheUniversityof Marymadeitpossibleformetostayclosetohomeandfinishmy degreefasterthenIwouldhavebeenableto elsewhere.Thesmallerclasssizesreallyhelp youlearnfastersinceyoucanaskallthequestionsyouwant.TheEngineeringprogramis awesomeandwiththenewbuildingsetto openIamsureitisonlygoingtogetbetter.I amgoingtomissmyclassmates.Since,inthe smallerclasses,yougettoknowyourclassmatesprettywell.Myadvicetotheyounger studentsistotryyourhardestanddon’twait untilthelastminutewithanything.”
DylanLarson
JaradZittlemanis graduatingwithadegreeinMechanicalEngineering.Heisfrom Mandanandwillbe stayingintheBismarck/Mandanareaafter graduation.Jaradhas acceptedapositionas ProjectEngineerforBartlett&Westintheir MEPdepartment.
RebekkahKeller
RebekkahKeller isgraduatingwitha degreeinMechanical Engineering.Sheis originallyfromApple Valley,Californiaand willbelivinginSan Diegoupongraduation.Sheislookingfor acareerin3Dmodelinganddesigningofsomekind.“Perhaps manufacturingengineeringofsomekind..I justwanttocreatenewthingstohelppeople: Makethemhappy.”
“IpersonallythinkthatcompletingmydegreeatMaryhaspreparedmefortheunpredictabilitiesoftheworkforce.Ithinkthatlabs andhandsonexperiencescouldhavebeen organizedabitbetterbutIknowthatIwillbe abletoapplytheconceptstomyfutureoccupation.Iamexcitedtoseewheretheprogram willflourishandhowthenewstudentswill betaughtandsculptednowthatthere’ssome yearsundertheunderclassmenclasses.Iwill missthepeopleandtheteachers.MyclassmatesintheMechanicalEngineeringprogrambecamefamilytomeduringourgrowth
“Mydegreewaschallenging,yetmemorable.Studyingengineeringwhileplaying fouryearsoffootballisbyfarthegreatest challengeIhaveeverfacedbutIwouldn’t changeitforanything.Ineverwouldhave imaginedhowfastfouryearscouldgo.It’s unique.Smallclasssizesallowedforusto engageinawiderangeofprojectsthatforced ustothinkoutsideourcomfortzones.We consistentlyworkedwithcivilandelectricalengineeringstudentsalongwithathletic training,speechpathology,andbiomedical students.Iwasabletobuildvaluablerelationshipswithmostofmyengineeringprofessors whoallowedmetoaskquestionsandget helpwhenneeded.Iwillmissinteracting andbeingaroundmyclassmates.Withsuch asmallclass,I’vebuiltfriendshipsthatwill lastalifetime.Myadvicetostudentsisto
askquestionsandengagewithotherstudents. Engineeringisonlyashardasyoumakeit. Seekinghelpandsecondopinionsallowedme toreachahigherunderstandingofconcepts thatIneverwouldhavelearnedatalarger university.”
“Oneofthefunnymomentsformewassenior yearfallsemesterwhenItoldBaileyMeyer thatthehardenedsteelrodcouldnotbebent inthepressbreak.Hedidn’ttakemyadvice andaverylargewindowinthemachinewas shatteredafewmomentslater.”
BaileyMeyeris graduatingwithadegreeinMechanicalEngineering.Heisfrom Sheboygan,Wisconsinandplanstoreturnthereupongraduationwherehehasacceptedapositionwith Aldag/HonoldMechanicalasProjectManager/MechanicalEngineer.
“Icansayitwasthebestyearsofmylife hereatMary.Imetsomelifelongfriends,had greatmemoriesthatwilllastalifetime.Ilove howweareveryhandsonwithprojectsand arenotmicromanaged.I’mgoingtomissthe peoplethatIwasaroundeveryday.Everyone caredaboutme,includingtheprofessors.My adviceistostayontopofthingsandgetto knowyourprofessors.Theywillhelpifyou justtakethetimetogotalktothem.Theyare thereforyou.”
“Afunnystorytorelateisfromfirstsemester ofsenioryearIwasbendingapieceofmetal thatendedupbreaking.Whenitbrokeitshatteredawindowthatwasdirectlybehindit.I wasthetalkofthesemester!”
workearlyonthemoreyouwillbenefitinthe future.”
“Iwillalwaysrememberde-solderingmy equalizerboardprojectforaboutanhouron thedayitwasduebecauseithadn’tworked properlythedaybefore,onlytorealizethatI hadgrabbedthewrongboardandIinfactwas destroyingmyclassmate,RichardBendish’s board.Itwasagoodlaughfortheclass,Iam sorryRichard.”
AaronBalesis graduatingwithadegreeinElectricalEngineering.Heisfrom Bismarckandwillbe stayinginBismarckin hisnewjobasaCommunicationsEngineer atMontana-Dakota Utilities.
“TheengineeringschoolisawesomeanddefinitelypreparedmefortherealworldI’llmiss seeingthestudentsandfacultythatI’vegottentoknowovertheyears.Myadvicetothe youngerstudentsistorememberalwaysthat thestressisonlyatemporarysideeffect.”
“Oneofmyfunnieststoriesiswhen,right beforeafinal,professorKellywenttowrite onthewhiteboard,howeveritwasn’tawhiteboard,itwasaprojectorscreen!Getsme everytime.”
RichardBendish isgraduatingwitha degreeinElectrical Engineering.Heis fromMandanandwill beremaininginMandanaftergraduation. Richardhasaccepteda positionasaTransmissionPlanningEngineerwithMontana-Dakota Utilities.
“MyyearsatMarywe’refunbecauseIwas abletoplayfootballandstudyengineering whichisn’tapossibilityatmanyschoolsin thearea.”
machineryandmanufacturing.
“IfeltlikeIhavegrownimmenselyoverthe pastfouryears,andhavebeenwellprepared tofacethesuccessesandchallengesthatawait meaftergraduation.Thereweremomentsthat Iwishedmytimeherewouldpassquicker,but nowitseemslikeit’sendingsosoon.Ithink thatastheprogramcontinuestogrowafter wehaveleft,itwillbeoneofthetopschools inthefield.Iwillbeproudtohavehelped formitinsomewayasbeingthefirstgraduationclass.Iwillmissthechancetosee myfriendsandclassmateseveryday,andthe camaraderiewehavedevelopedinmyclass overtheyearsofhelpingandencouraging eachothertomakeitthroughtotheend.I willalsomissthesenseofcommunitythatis soprominentatthisUniversity.Myadvice totheyoungerstudentsistonotletstressor failedexamsovercomeyourgoals.Nothing worthwhileisevereasy.Andtobesure,Engineeringisnoteasy.Youwillstruggle,you willfall,butbeingabletopickyourselfup andgoatitagainiswhatwillstickwithyou andseeyouthroughtotheotherside.Also, takebreaksandhavefun.Schoolisimportant,butit’snoteverything.You’lldobetter andhavemorememoriesifyoucangetaway everyonceinawhile.”
EvanAndersonis graduatingwithadegreeinElectricalEngineering.HeisoriginallyfromKenosha, Wisconsinandplans tomovetoPhoenix Arizonawherehehas acceptedajobwith BurnsandMcDonnelldesignfirmattheir Phoenixregionalofficewithintheirnetwork integrationandautomation(NIA)team.
“DuringmytimeatMaryIwasgreatlychallengedintheclassroomandexposedtoinformationandideasthatIcouldn’thavefound anywhereelse.Iamveryluckytohavebeen abletomakemywaythroughthisprogram. Iamveryexcitedforwhatistocomefor UMaryEngineering.Iknowthestudentswill benefitgreatlyfromthenewfacilities.Iwill deeplymissthecloserelationshipsthatIwas abletobuildwithinmycourses.Theabsolute greatestbenefitofgoingtoasmallschoolis therelationshipsthatIhavedevelopedwith myprofessorsandclassmates.Foranyfuture studentsgoingintotheEngineeringprogram, yes,theworkisverydifficultandyouwill bechallengedhowevertherewardintheend ispriceless.Themoreseriousyoutakethe
PhillipSpringsteen
PhillipSpringsteen isgraduatingwitha degreeinElectrical Engineering.Heis planningoncontinuing hisstudieswithaMaster’sdegreeaftertakingayearofftowork withGeneralElectric Medicalwherehehas internedforthepastyearwhilefinishinghis degree.Phillipwasoneofthetopwrestlers ontheUniversityofMarywrestlingteamand competedverysuccessfullyattournaments aroundthecountryduringhistimehere.
JosefSollmannis graduatingwithadegreeinElectricalEngineering.HeisoriginallyfromPortAngeles,Washingtonandhe isunsureastowhere hewillbegoingafter graduation.Hehopes togotoColoradoor Montanabutdoesnotyethaveacareerposition.Hehasbeenapplyingtopositionsinthe aerospaceanddefenseindustryaswellasin
“AfunnystoryIcansharehappenedinsenioryear.Iwaswithagroupoffriendsat theirhouseintownhavingahousepartyone night.Agroupofuswereoutsidetalking anddecidingwhetherweshouldlightafireor not,sincetheyhadafirepit,aswewaitedfor morepeopletoshowup.Aswewerestandingoutside,wesawthroughthewindowthat someofourfriendshadarrivedandwalked intothekitchen.Weallcalledtothemand wavedtogettheirattentionbuttheydon’t noticeus.Thenoneofmyfriendswalked overtothewindowtotapontheglasstoget theirattentionand,thenextthingweknow, hevanishedintothinairrightinfrontofour eyes.Weweredumbfoundedforaminute untilweheardhisvoiceswearingupastorm fromsomewherebythewindow.Uponinvestigation,wefoundoutthathehadforgotten therewasawindowwellrightunderneaththe kitchenwindowandhehadfalleninashe reachedouttotapontheglass.Wewereall laughingsohardwealmostcouldn’tpullhim outofthere.Wefishedhimoutstilllaughing andproceededtotellhimeveryonewhowas insideexactlywhathappened.Itwasagood time.”
JacobLantzis graduatingwithadegreeinConstruction Managementwitha CISminor.Heis orginallyfromDickinsonandwillbeliving inNorthDakotaafter graduationdepending onthejob.Heintendstointendstoapplyto allthemajorfirmsinthestate.
“DuringmytimeatMaryImadefriendswith
peersinrelatedmajorsandthisuniquesituationhelpedmelearntobeabletodevelop crossdisciplinaryfluency,whichistalking todifferentpeopleontheirleveltoincrease understanding.Ihavenodoubtthatthiswill continuetobeusefulinmycareer.Thefirst semesterIwasintheengineeringprogram wasrough,asonemightexpectfromstarting aprogramfromessentiallyscratch.Overthe years,Idefinitelyfeelthatitfoundit’sstride, witheachprogressiveyearhavingfewerkinks thantheoneprevious.Iamconfidentthatthe EngineeringSchoolwillcontinuetogrowand becomeacornerstoneoftheUniversity.We havebeenmovedaroundseveraltimes,from HMCtotheoldgym(machineshop)and thenintotown,withourfinalhomestillunder construction.Ifeelthatthisadversitywas overcomeasadepartmentwithbothstudents andprofessorsandhasbroughtusclosertogetherwithafeelingofacommonlevelrather thananuntouchableprofessoronapillarand ushaplessstudents.Itwasmypeersthat mademytimeattheuniversityinterestingas wellasthecolorfulinstructorsthatarewilling toconversewithstudentsandnotbealoof.
MyadvicetotheyoungerstudentsistoWork hard,butnottoohard.Almostanyproblem getseasiertotackleifyouhaveagoodsense ofhumor.”
“IrememberinwhatIthinkwasmymechanicsofmaterialsorstructuraldesignclass.Our finalprojectwastodesignandbuildatruss bridgeoutof1x2’sandplywoodtospana10 footgap.Astheprojectwenton,Prof.Eric Garciaapparentlygotnervousaboutstandingonthemasoneofthetestsbecausehe gaveusmorematerialseverytimewemet, frommorelumberandthickerplywoodto adhesive.Whentestingdaycame,allthree ofthebridgespassedtheirtests.Apparently unsatisfied,Prof.GarciacalledProf.Waldenmierintowalkacrossthem.Hehadseen usdosomeassemblythemandwasclearly nervousashecrossedtheminthesameway a80yearoldgrandmotherwalksacrossice onthewaytochurchonSunday;onetoeat atime.Prof.Waldenmierwasn’tcompletely throughwithhisordealwhenDr.Pillingcame inandwantedtocross.Insteadofcaution,he skippedacrossthebridges;withthedecksand structurespoppinglikepopcornandcracking likewhips.Icanalmostguaranteethateveryonewatchinghadheldtheirbreathuntilhe madeitacrossthethirdbridge.Nobodyfell, allthreebridgessurvived,itwasagoodday.”
andfutureUniversityofMaryengineering students.WiththeadditionofthenewConstructionManagementworkshop,students willbeabletogetahands-onteachingexperienceduringtheirrelevantcoursework. Theengineeringschoolwasdesignedwith theideainmindofcreatingaprogramthat isamongstthebestinthecountry.Adding thistothealreadyrichcultureoftheuniversity,theengineeringschoolwillbesecond tonone.Iwillalsomissbeingamemberof thetrack&fieldteamandcompetingforthe UniversityofMary.GOMARAUDERS!!”
WilliamKarreris graduatingwithadegreeinConstruction Managementaspart ofthefirstgroupof Constructionmanagementgraduatessince itbecamepartofthe SchoolofEngineering. WewereunabletointerviewWilliambefore thepandemichit.
Thedesignconsiderationsincludedhowto selectanappropriatemotorsize,ensure properalignmentofcomponents(suchas ofthecarriage)anddesignofcriticalcomponentsagainststaticandfatiguefailures.
JUNIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT
ThreeofourjuniorMechanicalEngineeringstudentssubmittedadesignprojectthis semesterfortheirEME323 DesignofMachineComponents coursewhichconsistedof thedesign,testing,andfabricationofafunctionalbenchtoplathe,fabricatedforunder $300.Hereisthefirstpageoftheirreport (whichwas41pageslong):
Failureanalysesusedanalytic,numerical,and FEM-basedmethods.Thedesignwasconductedina3DCADsystemanddetailed drawingsweregeneratedforsomecomponentsinaccordancewithASMEY14.5.
Unfortunately,thefabricationwasinterruptedbytheCOVID-19pandemicand sotheyfinishedtheworkonthesimulations,drawings,andtheprojectreport fromhomewheneverythingshiftedonline.
ShenleyAllen
ShenleyAllenis graduatingwithadegreeinConstruction Management.He isoriginallyfrom Kingston,Jamaicaand willbelivinginBismarckaftergraduation.Hecurrentlyhas a6monthCo-opopportunitywithBraunIntertecCorporationwhichwillcontinueafter graduation.
“MyfouryearsattheUniversityofMary seemtoallwentbysoquickly,butIenjoyed everymomentbeingastudentandanathleteofthisgreatschool.Createdmemories thatwilllastforever.Thenewengineering buildingwillbeofgreatbenefittothecurrent
TheiranalysisincludedsimulationsinAutodesk,CADdesignsofeachoftheirmachine componentsaswellasstresstesting.They performedthebackgroundresearch,ideation, andselectionanddevelopmentofcomponents andsubsystemsbasedonneededfit,form,and functiontomeetperformancerequirements.
Theactualfabricationofthebenchtoplathe willbecompletedwhenthestudentsreturnto campusinthefallwheretheywillgettowork inourbrandnewseniordesigncenterwith thefullymodernmachineshopequipmentat theirdisposal.
MountainPlainsLLC.Bismarck
MountainPlains,LLC,withlocationsinWatfordCityandBismarck,isacompanywhich doesbusinessacrosswesternNorthDakota onprojectsrangingfromsurveyingtooil andgaspipelinemappingandutilitylocating.ThecompanynamedtheUniveristyof MarySchoolofEngineeringFluidDynamics Laboratorywhichisnowcalledthe Mountain PlainsFluidDynamicsLaboratory
“MountainPlains,LLC,wasincorporated in2009andcutourteethinthedistribution powerlinedesignindustryforelectricalcooperativesinwesternNorthDakota.Theindustrystandardsmigrated,anditledtousneedingProfessionalLandSurveyingtobeadded toourcompanyportfolio.Duringthatsame time,wesawaneedfromcurrentandpotentialcustomersforUtilityLineLocationserviceswhichwasalsoaddedtoourcompany portfolio.Inthebeginningof2018MountainPlainsLLCdecidedtobringCivilEngineeringservicestoourcompanyoutofa desiretoofferawidevarietyofserviceslocallytoBismarckareaandacrossthestate ofNorthDakota.Engineeringhasenabled MountainPlainsLLCtofurtherouralready strongconnectiontotheUniversityofMary andgivesourcompanyafantasticopportunitytorecruittheexemplaryyoungmen andwomenoftheengineeringdepartment.” www.mtnplains.com
SPRING CAREERAND INTERNSHIP FAIR
EveryspringtheUniversityofMaryhosts acareerandinternshipfairwherecompanies cometocampusandtalktoourstudentsabout opportunitieswiththeirfirms.Ourstudents arrivewithresum´esandpreparedtointerview witheachpotentialemployer.Thisyearwe hadthefollowingengineeringrelatedcompaniesspeaktoourstudents.
thedriven,client-focusedattitudesofour employeesarewhatmakeBartlett&West great.Webelieveinbuildingabettercommunityforastrongertomorrow,andbelieveinbuildingouremployeesthrough positiveandcollaborativeworkenvironments,volunteerism,continuingeducation, andexposuretothelatestindustrytrends. www.bartlettwest.com
Ackerman-Estvold,Minot
Description: Ackerman-Estvoldisafullservicearchitecturalandcivilengineeringconsultingfirmservingclientsonprojectsrangingfrominitialplanningtocloseoutandeverystepinbetween.Ourexceptionalteam iscomposedofhighlyexperiencedindividualswithacomprehensiveknowledgeofall aspectsofarchitectureandcivilengineering. www.ackerman-estvold.com
AvailablePositions: CivilengineeringIntern inMinotandWilliston.
AvailablePositions: ProjectEngineer,EngineerTechnician,SurveyTechnician,ConstructionTechnician.
BasinElectricPowerCooperative, Bismarck
ApexEngineeringGroup,Bismarck
Description: Apexprovidesconsultingengineeringservicestopublicandprivateclients intheareasofdrinkingwater,wastewater,waterresources,andtransportation.Wearealso themunicipalengineerforseveralcommunities.Ourelectricalengineersprovideconsultingengineeringservicestomanyindustriesin theregion. www.apexenggroup.com
AvailablePositions: Apexwillbelookingat bothfulltimeandinternshippositionsincivil engineering,andpotentiallyelectricalengineering.
Description: Asoneofthelargestpowersupplycooperativesinthenation,weworkhard toproduceaffordable,reliablepowerforour 141memberelectriccooperative.Together weprovideelectricityto3millionmemberconsumersinninestates.We’reproudto callNorthDakotahome,butwealsoemployeepeopleinSouthDakota,Wyoming, NebraskaandMontana.Ourdiverseenergy portfolioincludesnaturalgas,coal,wind,hydro,oil/diesel/jetfuel,nuclear,alongwith purchasedpower. www.basinelectric. com
AvailablePositions: InternshipsandFull TimeEmploymentopportunities.Pleasestop byforafulllistofcurrentopenings.
TheCEOofMountainPlains,TonyWood, hostedtheSeniorlevelengineeringstudentsat hisBismarcklocationonTuesday,November 5thandpresentedthemwithaproblemthat hiscompanyisworkingonrelatedtotheiroil fieldbusiness.Tonywashopingthatsome ofthestudentswouldchoosetotacklethe problemfortheirseniordesignprojectinthe springsemesterof2020andoneofthegroups tookiton.Theybuiltadevice,rantests, wrotecomputerdatacollectionsoftware,designedcomputersimulations,andcompleted theproject.Ican’tgointofurtherdetailssince thatinformationisproprietarytothecompany –butitisgreat!Weencouragecompanies tosuggestproblemsandprojectsthatourstudentscanworkonfortheirdesignprojects.It ismoreinterestingforthestudentsanditalso allowsthemtoshowtheworldhowcreative theyare!
BarrEngineeringCo.,Minneapolis,MN
Description: Barrisaconsultingcompany thatintegratesengineeringandenvironmentalexpertisetohelpclientsdevelop,manage, process,andrestorenaturalresourcesaround NorthAmericaandaroundtheworld.We havebeenemployeeownedsince1966and traceouroriginstotheearly1900’s.Today,wehaveover800employeesaroundthe U.S.andCanadawhoworkwithclientsin themining,power,fuels,public,andmanufacturingsectors,aswellasattorneys,developers,andotherswithcomplexproblems. www.barr.com/careers
AvailablePositions: Pleasevisitourwebsite forafulllistofouropenpositions.
BNICoal,Bismarck
Description: BNICoalisalignitecoal minelocatedinCenter,NorthDakotawww. bnicoal.com
Bartlett&West,Bismarck
Description: Growingcommunities,together.Sincethefirmwasfoundedin1951,
CityofBismarck,Bismarck
Description: TheCityofBismarckemploys over1000employees,bothfullandparttime. Weofferawidearrayofjobswithexcellent benefits
Availablepositions: Engineering,Technology,andAirportinternshipswillbeavailable.
CityofMandan, EngineeringDepartment, Mandan
Description: TheCityofMandan,hometo 22,519peopleatlastestimate,isacityonthe grow.Over20%growthsince2010infact. ThecityofMandanneighborsBismarckto theWest,thoughwearenextdoor,theMissouriRiverthatseparatesusrequiresustobe independentwhenitcomestomostofourinfrastructure.Forexample,Mandanhasaseparatewatertreatmentfacilityandtheplanning andengineeringdepartmentplansforand overseesalloftheCity’sinfrastructurecapital improvementprojectssuchasnewconstructionofroadwaysandundergroundpiping,sizableroadwayandundergroundpipereplacementprojects,waterdistributionandwastewatertreatmentfacilityupgradesandexpansion.Weselectconsultingengineersbasedon theirqualificationsonaperprojectbasisand overseetheireffortsthroughoutonanygiven project. www.cityofmandan.com
AvailablePositions: Summerinternshipfor engineeringmajorswithapreferencefora CE.
HoustonEngineering,Bismarck
Description: Despiteourname,HoustonEngineering,Inc.(HEI),isnotbasedinHouston,TX,butrathernamedafterourfounder GeorgeHouston.HEIfirstopeneditsdoors asacivilengineeringandsurveyingfirmin 1968,inFargo.Sincethattime,wehave expandedourcapabilities,ourstaff,andthe geographicareaweserve.Wenowprovidea fullrangeofcivilengineering,environmental, planning,andtechnologicalconsultingsolutionsforclientsacrosstheUnitedStates.
AvailablePositions: CivilEngineeringIntern (BismarckandFargo),CivilEngineer(Municipal)FargoFT,EntryLevelTransportationEngineerFT0-3yrs,CivilEngineering TechnicianGrandForksFT5+yrs,EnvironmentalScientist/EngineerMapleGroveMN FT15+yrs,SeniorTransportationEngineer MapleGroveMNFT10+yrs,Transportation EngineerMapleGroveMNFT5+yrs,WaterResourcesEngineer(experienced)Maple GroveMNFT10+yrs,CivilEngineering InternMinot,CivilEngineeringTechnician MinotFT5+yrs,CivilEngineeringTechnicianSiouxFallsSDFT5+yrs,SeniorTransportationEngineerSiouxFallsSDFT8+yrs, TransportationEngineerSiouxFallsSDFT 4+yrs. www.houstoneng.com
KnifeRiverCorporation,Bismarck
Description: WeareoneofthelargestconstructionmaterialsandcontractingcompaniesintheUnitedStates,astatuswe haveachievedthroughthehardworkofour 5,600teammembersandtheloyaltyofour manycustomers.Aspartofourcommitmenttoouremployeesandourcustomers, weadheretoourCoreValuesofPeople, Safety,QualityandEnvironmentCompliance. www.kniferiver.com
MDUResourcesGroupInc.,Bismarck
Description: Weprovidevalue-addednaturalresourceproductsandrelatedservices thatareessentialtoenergyandtransportation infrastructure.MDUResourcesGroupInc. isamultibillion-dollarcorporationwithmost ofourbusinessesheadquarteredinBismarck, NorthDakota,butoperationsandcustomers acrossthecountrywithbusinessin44states. Since1948,ourstockhasbeentradedonthe NewYorkStockExchangeunderthesymbol MDU.Montana-DakotaUtilitiesCo.generates,transmitsanddistributeselectricity anddistributesnaturalgasinMontana,North Dakota,SouthDakotaandWyoming.These operationsalsosupplyrelatedvalueadded services. www.mdu.com
DoosanDigitalInnovation America,Bismarck
Description: DoosanDigitalInnovation America,LLC(DDIA)istheprimaryIT sharedserviceproviderfortheDoosanaffiliatesinNorthAmerica.Theircustomer portfolioincludesDoosanFuelCelllocated inSouthWindsor,CTandDoosanBobcat CompanylocatedinWestFargo.DDIAisthe NorthAmericanpresenceoftheSouthKoreanbasedDoosanDigitalInnovationentity. DDIAaspirestoprovidecost-effectivetacticalsupportandbusinessanalystexpertiseto ourcustomers.Theorganizationiscomprised ofthreeteamswhoarefocusedoninfrastructuresupport,operationssupportandapplicationsdelivery.Othercompanyemployees includebusinessanalystswithstrongtiesto theDoosanbusinessunitswesupport. www. doosandigitalinnovation.com/en
AvailablePositions: ApplicationDeveloper Co-op,BusinessSystemCo-op,Information TechnologyCo-op,ComputerInformation/ManagementInformationSystemsmajors.
KilldeerMountainManufacturing, Dickinson
Description: KilldeerMountainManufacturingisanaerospaceelectronicscontract manufacturingcompanycommittedtoour employees,communities,country,andthe familiesweemployandserve.WeoperateoutofKilldeer,Dickinson,andHettingerNorthDakotaandproduceproduct forcommercialandmilitaryaerospaceapplications.OurcustomersincludeBoeing, LockheedMartin,andRaytheon,toname afew.KilldeerMountainManufacturing’s founder,DonHedger,hasbeendedicatedto creatingdistinguishedcareeropportunitiesin southwestNorthDakotasince1987.Come joinourteaminthisprestigiousandunique industry. www.kmmnorthdakota.com
OurMission: Developacompany-wideenvironmentthatpromotesthedevelopmentofan attitudeofexcellencethatsatisfiessupplier, co-worker,andcustomerneedsthefirsttime. OurVision: Createandsustainameaningful, empowering,andsafeworkenvironmentthat encouragesindividualownershiptocontinuallyimproveonesworkwhiledoingthework. AvailablePositions: Engineering-lookingfor electrical,industrial,mechanical,engineering management,qualityengineers.
MooreEngineering,Inc.,Fargo
Description: MoreEngineering,Inc.is anemployeeownedCivilEngineering& LandSurveyingfirmwithlocationsthroughoutNorthDakotaandMinnesota. www. moorenegineeringinc.com
AvailablePositions: InterestedinCivilengineeringstudents.
NISC,Mandan
Description: NationalInformationSolutionsCooperative(NISC)isaninformation technologycompanythatdevelopsandsupportssoftwareandhardwaresolutionsforour Member-Ownerswhoareprimarilyutility cooperativesandtelecommunicationscompaniesacrossthenation.NISCisanindustry leaderprovidingadvanced,integratedITsolutionsforconsumerandsubscriberbilling, accounting,engineering,&operations,as wellasmanyotherleading-edgeITsolutions. Today,morethan20millionconsumersin
all50states,AmericanSamoa,Palau,and Canadareceiveutilityortelecommunicationsservicesfromcompaniesutilizingour advancedinformationtechnologysystems. www.nisc.coop
AvailablePositions: Internships,FTSoftwareDevelopment,ProjectManagement, SoftwareSupport,TechnicalSupport,Networking,Cybersecurity.
STUDYINGTHE COVID-19VIRAL PANDEMIC DATA ByTERRYPILLING
NorthDakotaDepartmentof Transportation,Bismarck
Description: OriginallycalledtheState HighwayDepartment,theNorthDakotaDepartmentofTransportation(NDDOT)was establishedin1917.TheNDDOTstrives tobuildandmaintainasefficienttransportationsystemconsistingofabout8,518miles ofroadwayand4,858bridges.Itoversees thedevelopmentofsurfacetransportation includinghighways,bridges,rail,transit, pedestrianandbicyclepathsacrossthestate. www.dot.nd.gov
AvailablePositions: TransportationEngineerConstructionEngineeringTechnician EngineeringTechniciansummerinternship. WeareinterestedinseeingCivilEngineering, ConstructionManagement,ElectricalEngineering,andMechanicalEngineering.
CSSECOVID-19PandemicDashboard Asweallknow,theworldwasturnedupside downthisyearwhenaglobalviralpandemic startedinWuhan,Chinaandthenquickly spreadaroundtheworldoverthenextfew months.
Inthisarticlewedescribeanassignment completedbyourfreshmanengineeringstudentsintheirENR210course.Theystudiedtheriseandfallofthepandemicinreal timeusingcomputershellscriptsalongwith datacollectedbyTheJohnsHopkinsUniversity’sCenterforSystemsScienceandEngineeringlocatedintheirWhittingSchoolof Engineering.TheCSSEcreatedadashboard totracktheoutbreakaroundtheworldalong withanassociatedGitHubrepositorycontainingtherawdata.Thegithubdatacan befoundhere: https://github.com/ CSSEGISandData/COVID-19 andcanbe clonedordownloadedfromthelinkprovided there.
Inordertofollowalongwiththisarticle usingyourowncomputeryousimplyneedto downloadtherawworlddatahereinthedata folders.TheCSVfilesthatwewillbeusing arecalled:
the -1 optionmeansitwillprintoutonly1 linefromthetopofthefile.Now,ratherthat simplyprintingthetoplineofthefiletothe screen,wewouldliketoturnitintorowsof dataandputitinafile.Sowecreateacommand pipeline andweuseapipe | todirectthe outputoftheaboveintotheprogramcalled AWK.Ifyouhaveneverheardof awk you shouldgoogleit.ItissimilartoPERL inthat itisusedtomanipulatedata.Wetell awk that thedatafileseparatorisacommawiththe -F , optionandthenweruna for loopfrom5 tothenumberoffieldsintheline, NF printing outthecolumnnumberedbytheloopvariable i.Thereasonwestartatcolumn5isbecause thefirstfourcolumnsaregeographicdataand notdates.Finallyweusetheredirection, >,to redirecttheoutputtoafilecalled date.dat whichwillthencontainarowforeachdate. HereisthecompleteBashcommand:
head-1
time_series_covid19_confirmed_global.csv
|awk-F,’{for(i=5;i<=NF;i++)print$i}’ >date.dat
Notethatalloftheaboveshouldbeonasinglelineandnotthreelinesasshown.Thatwas onlydonetomakeitfitinthetexthere.
Nowlet’screateafilewithjustnumbers withnumber1beingJanuary20,2020and numberingthedays.Thiswillhelpuswith furtheranalysislater.
seq1$(catdate.dat|wc-l)>numbers.dat
Nowlet’sgettherowcorrespondingto Hunanusing cattime_series_covid19_confirmed_global.csv
|grepHunan
|awk-F,’{for(i=5;i<=NF;i++)print$i}’ >confirmed.dat
NDNationalGuard, Bismarck
Description: NorthDakotaNationalGuard exceptionaleducationandcareerenhancing benefits.
AvailablePositions: Electronics,communications,dieseltechnicians,cybersecurity,law enforcement,andengineering
time_series_covid19_confirmed_global.csv time_series_covid19_confirmed_US.csv time_series_covid19_deaths_global.csv time_series_covid19_deaths_US.csv time_series_covid19_recovered_global.csv
Ifyoudownloadthethreeglobalfiles1,and youhavealinuxcomputerrunningtheBash shell,thenyoushouldbeabletorepeateverythingwewillbedoinginthisarticle.
Letusbeginwiththeconfirmeddata.If youexaminethedatafilewithaspreadsheet programorwithatexteditorlike vim or notepad youwillseethatthedataisgiven inlinesoftheform:
whereweusedtheregularexpressionsearch program GREP toextractthelinecontaining thesearchterm Hunan andweredirected theoutputtoafilecalled confirmed.dat Thiswon’tworkfordatathatcontainsa commainthename(suchas”Washington, D.C.”forexample)because awk usescommasastheseparatorbetweendatacolumns. Youwillhavetodesignabetterregularexpressiontosendto grep ifyouwanttomake thecodemoreversitileandabletohandle thosecases.
Let’snowdothesamethingforthefile containingthedeaths
cattime_series_covid19_confirmed_global.csv |grepHunan |awk-F,’{for(i=5;i<=NF;i++)print$i}’ >deaths.dat andthefilecontainingtherecovered cattime_series_covid19_confirmed_global.csv |grepHunan |awk-F,’{for(i=5;i<=NF;i++)print$i}’ >recovered.dat
Nowwehave5filesandwecan paste them togetherintoafinaldatafile, hunan.dat, asfollows:
Steffes,Dickinson
Description: Steffesisalean-operatingoriginalequipmentmanufacturerheadquartered inDickinson,NorthDakotawithadditional manufacturingfacilitiesinGrandForks, NorthDakota.Wespecializeinsteelfabricationandelectricalservicesforavariety ofdiverseindustries,includingoilandgas, contractmanufacturingandelectricthermal storage. www.steffes.com
AvailablePositions: Manufacturing Engineer-Internship&FullTime,Product DesignEngineer-Internship&FullTime, HumanResourceIntern-Internship,BuyerInternship&FullTime.
Province/State,Country/Region, Lat,Long,1/22/20,... wherethedatesbeginonJanuary22,2020and continuewithacolumnforeachsubsequent day.Thefileisupdatedeachdaybyanewcolumnofdataadded.Wewouldliketoturnthe rowsintocolumnssinceweareinterestedin graphingthedata.Toformatafileforgraphingwith Gnuplot wewouldlikeacolumnof datesandthencolumnscontainingthedatafor theregionorcityweareinterestedinviewing. WewillusetheHunanregionofChinaasour examplesincethatwastheoneoftheregions firsthitbythevirus.Itwillshowmoreofthe progressionsincetheyaremorethanamonth furtheralongintheoutbreakthantherestof theworld.Letusstartbyextractingthetop rowofthefilewhichcontainsallofthedates. WedothisbyusingtheBashcommandcalled head whichprintsoutthetoplinesofafile:
head-1
time_series_covid19_confirmed_global.csv
pastenumbers.datdate.dat confirmed.datdeaths.dat recovered.dat>hunan.dat
HereisaGNUPLOT scriptthatwillplotthe datainthefilewejustcreated:
Hunan.gnuplot
set termx11
settitle ”HunanCOVID 19Apr
09,2020”
setxlabel ”Date”
setylabel ”Infected”
setkey topleft
setxdatatime
settimefmt ”%m/%d/%y”
setformat x”%m/%d”
plot ”Hunan.dat”u2:3wllw2 t”HunanInfected”, \
”Hunan.dat”u2:4wllw2t” HunanDeaths”, \ ”Hunan.dat”u2:5wllw2t” HunanRecovered” Noticethatweuse
tomakesurethat gnuplot knowsthatthe formatofthe x dataisdatesandtoputthe monthanddayasthelabelsonthe x-axis. HereistheresultingplotoftheHunandata:
Hunan-logistic.gnuplot
set termx11
settitle ”HunanCOVID 19Apr 09,2020(Logisticfit)”
setxlabel ”DayssinceJan20, 2020”
setylabel ”Infected”
setkey topleft
setxrange [0:88]
r=0.222082
K=567220
N=0.507348
x0=320.555
f(x)=x0 ∗K/(x0+(K x0) ∗ exp ( r ∗ (x N))) fit f(x)”Hunan.dat” using 1:3 viar,K,N,x0 plot ”Hunan.dat”u1:3wpoints t”HunanInfected”,f(x)w lt”logisticfit”
andhereistheresultinggraph
generate-data.sh
#!/bin/bash
if [$ # ne1];then echo ””
echo ”USAGE:$0Region”
echo ”” echo ”Example:$0
Hubei”
echo ”Example:$0 \ ”
CostaRica \ ””
echo ””
exit
fi region=$1 date=$(date’+%b%d,%Y’)
head 1Data/time ∗ confirmed global.csv | awk F,’ { for (i=5;i <=NF;i ++)print$i } ’ > date.dat days=$( cat date.dat | wc l) seq1$days > numbers.dat
cat Data/time ∗ confirmed global.csv | grep”ˆ,$region,” | awk F ,’ { for (i=5;i <=NF;i++) print$i } ’ > confirmed.dat
Wewouldliketonotonlyexplorethedataas ithasoccurred,wewouldalsoliketodevise somemathematicalmodelsthatcanbeused topredictwhatitwilllooklikelater.There aremanysophisticatedmodelsthatareused instudyingviralepidemiology,butwewill justlookatthesimplestpossibleonewhichis theLogisticEquation.Thisequationappears instudiesofpopulationgrowth,bacteria,economics,andviruses.TheLogisticEquationis thefollowingdifferentialequation:
dx
dt = rx 1 x K
where x isthepopulationasafunctionof time, r isthegrowthrate,and K isthecarryingcapacity.Thisisafunequationtosimulatewithacomputerprogrambysimplyrunninga for loopovertimeand,ineachtime step,youjustlet x = x + rx(1 x/K)dt, andplottheresults.Wewon’tbesimulatingit here,insteadwewilljustfitourdatatothelogisticequationusing gnuplot curvefitting andseeifwecangetafit.Thenwecanuse thefitparameterstopredictthenumberofinfectedexpectedinthefuture.Tothisendwe need x(t) whichmeansweneedtointegrate theabovedifferentialequation.I’msureyou allrememberhowtodothisright?Haha.Well youjustseparatevariablesandthenusethe methodofpartialfractions(googleit!)theresultis:
x(t)= x0 K x0 +(K x0 )exp( r(x N ))
where x0 istheinitialinfectedpopulationand N isaconstantshiftthatwewillfindbyfitting tothecurve.Ingnuplotwecanfitthedatato aLogisticcurveusing:
f(x)=x0*K/(x0+(K-x0)*exp(-r*(x-N))) fitf(x)Hunan.datu1:3viar,K,N,x0 plotf(x)wlt"logisticfit"
ThecompleteGNUPLOT scripttogenerate thefitisgivenasfollows
Wecanperformalloftheaboveina userfriendlywaybycombiningitallinto ashellscriptandthenmakingthescript executablewith chmod+xscriptname Wecanthenhaveausersuppliedcommandlineargumentstatingwhichregion theywouldliketostudyso,forexample, theaboveHunanresultwouldbegeneratedbytyping: ./generate-data.sh Hunan anditwouldcreateallthedata files,createtheGNUPLOT script,andfinally plotthegraph.Forexample,ifyoutype ./generate-data.shHunan youget theabovegraphscurrentasoftoday.
HerearetheresultsrunfortheUSusing ./generate-data.shUS
cat Data/time ∗ deaths global. csv | grep”ˆ,$region,” | awk F,’ { for (i=5;i <=NF; i++)print$i } ’ > deaths. dat
cat Data/time ∗ recovered global.csv | grep”ˆ,$region,” | awk F ,’ { for (i=5;i <=NF;i++) print$i } ’ > recovered.dat
pastenumbers.datdate.dat confirmed.datdeaths.dat recovered.dat > ”$region”. dat
rmnumbers.datdate.dat confirmed.datdeaths.dat recovered.dat
echo ”settitle \ ”$regionCOVID 19$date \ ”” >> ”$region”. gnuplot echo ”setxlabel \ ”Date \ ”” >> ” $region”.gnuplot
echo ”setylabel \ ”Infected \ ”” >> ”$region”.gnuplot
echo ”setkeytopleft” >> ” $region”.gnuplot
echo ”setxdatatime” >> ” $region”.gnuplot
echo ”settimefmt \ ”%m/%d/%y \ ”” >> ”$region”.gnuplot echo ”setformatx \ ”%m/%d \ ”” >> ”$region”.gnuplot echo ”plot \ ”$region.dat \ ”u 2:3wllw2t \ ”$region
Infected \ ”, \\ ” >> ”$region” .gnuplot echo ” \ ”$region.dat \ ”u2:4wl
lw2t \ ”$regionDeaths \ ” , \\ ” >> ”$region”.gnuplot echo ” \ ”$region.dat \ ”u2:5wl
lw2t \ ”$regionRecovered \ ”” >> ”$region”.gnuplot
gnuplot p”$region”.gnuplot
ContactInformation
Finally,hereisthesourcecodeforourBash shellscriptwhichautomaticallydoeseverythingaboveincludingcreatingtheGnuplot scriptsandevenplottingthem.Giveitatry!
Ifyouwouldlikemoreinformationaboutourengineeringprogramat theUniversityofMarypleasesend anemailtoEngineering@umary.edu. ThankyouforyoursupportandforbeingpartofourUniversityofMarycommunity.Nextissue:August,2020.