Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering News

Category: Students

Michigan Tech in Global Trajectory Optimization Competition

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The Michigan Tech Space Trajectory Optimization Team was ranked 20 in the 7th Global Trajectory Optimization Competition. This Competition is an event that takes place every one-two years over roughly one month during which the best aerospace engineers and mathematicians worldwide challenge themselves to solve a “nearly-impossible” problem of interplanetary trajectory design.

The 7th edition of the competition was organized by Politecnico di Torino – Università di Roma “Sapienza”, Italy. There were 38 participating teams worldwide. The first place in the 7th edition of the competition is the Outer Planets Mission Analysis Group of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA.

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Deisenroth Receives NSF Fellowship

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David Deisenroth, a graduate student pursuing an MS in Mechanical Engineering, has received an National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship to travel to Korea this summer to conduct research.

Deisenroth will conduct an in-depth study on the collision of a falling drop of water and a resting drop of water. He will film the drops at high speeds and observe their characteristics. The results can be used to further the understanding of thermal management systems, aerosols and fuel injection.

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Michigan Tech Students Head to Detroit for Alternative Spring Break

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Students from the Michigan Tech National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) visited seven middle and high schools in Detroit over their Spring Break, March 11-14, 2014, to promote college and engineering to K-12 students. Two ME-EM students were in the group, Anza Mitchel and Taylor Driscoll. In the evenings, they conducted Family Engineering Night events at three K-8 schools. NSBE’s Alternative Spring Break is conducted in collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools Office of Science and the Detroit Math & Science Center, and funded in part, with a grant from John Deere.

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ME-EM Senior Awards Banquet December 2013

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The Department of Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics celebrated the December 2013 Fall Semester graduating class Senior Awards Banquet and Order of the Engineer Induction on December 10, 2013 at the Memorial Union Ballroom. Timothy P. Coffield was the keynote speaker for the December 2013 ME-EM Senior Awards Banquet. However, transportation to Michigan Tech was affected by a winter storm causing flight cancellations. So he spoke to the banquet by way of the internet.
Timothy P. Coffield Biographic Sketch

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Energy Poster Session

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Students from Principles of Energy Conversion (MEEM 4200) and Advanced Thermodynamics (MEEM 5200) presented the results of their semester-long projects on energy systems. There were 28 different projects at the symposium. A few of the projects being presented are:

Advancement of Combustion Process – RCCI Engines
Exergy Analysis of Thermal Power Plant
Factors Affecting Flame Propagation in Spark Ignition Engines
Plasma gasification and potentially its usefulness in the elimination of MSW
Space heating using a Solar Wall
Power Harvesting for Transportation Tunnels
Air Powered Vehicles

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Michigan Tech Students Win National Mining Competition

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The National Mining Competition announced the three winners from the 2013 event. First place Michigan Tech, second place University of British Columbia, and third place Edwards School of Business.

The winning Michigan Tech Mining team, “the fabulous four,” was Cora Hemmila, Matthew Younger, Matthew Schuman and Matthew Schwalen. The team advisor is James Murray Gillis, Instructor, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Director, Mine Safety and Health Training Program.

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Order of the Engineer, Senior Awards Banquet and Capstone Design Day

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The ME-EM Order of the Engineer, Senior Awards Banquet and Capstone Design Day was April 23, 2013.

The keynote speaker for the banquet was Colleen L. Jones-Cervantes.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 1983. After graduation, Colleen joined Chevron Corporation as a Project Engineer. She has been challenged for twenty-eight years by progressing through a variety of assignments in Chevron’s Marketing business, product supply operations, asset management, lubricants and retail functions. Her varied assignments have required eleven relocations, including two international assignments.

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Jaipur Foot Design Teams In India for Spring Break

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During the Spring Break 2012, Dr. Nina Mahmoudian and Dr. Mo Rastgaar and two Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Teams are in Jaipur, India. Below is a group picture of them in City Royal Palace. They are going to visit hospital and see Dr. Jain also on the trip.

The Jaipur foot was developed to provide amputees with a simple, practical, and low cost prosthetic, that is compatible with an active and culturally-appropriate lifestyle. During the 2011-2012 school year, a design team made improvements to the Jaipur foot to reduce weight and standardize the manufacturing process and materials used. A major problem now is incompatibility of materials with the rubber vulcanization process used in manufacturing. This must be optimized while maintaining the affordability and functionality of the foot. Team 7, consisting of Reid Barber, Stephanie Boomgaard, Ben Cottrill, Miriam Paquet, and Kevin Peterson, is traveling to India to meet Dr. Anil Jain of the Dr. P.K. Sethi Rehabilitation and Jaipur Limb Training Center. The main goal of the trip is to gain a better understanding of the process used in India to fabricate the Jaipur foot and to communicate the current status of the project to Dr. Jain. Also, several prototypes will be delivered, with the hope of seeing them demonstrated by amputee patients. The team will return to Michigan Tech at the end of Spring Break and will incorporate feedback to finish improving the design.
The Jaipur foot was developed to provide amputees with a simple, practical, and low cost prosthetic, that is compatible with an active and culturally-appropriate lifestyle. During the 2011-2012 school year, a design team made improvements to the Jaipur foot to reduce weight and standardize the manufacturing process and materials used. A major problem now is incompatibility of materials with the rubber vulcanization process used in manufacturing. This must be optimized while maintaining the affordability and functionality of the foot. Team 7, consisting of Reid Barber, Stephanie Boomgaard, Ben Cottrill, Miriam Paquet, and Kevin Peterson, is traveling to India to meet Dr. Anil Jain of the Dr. P.K. Sethi Rehabilitation and Jaipur Limb Training Center. The main goal of the trip is to gain a better understanding of the process used in India to fabricate the Jaipur foot and to communicate the current status of the project to Dr. Jain. Also, several prototypes will be delivered, with the hope of seeing them demonstrated by amputee patients. The team will return to Michigan Tech at the end of Spring Break and will incorporate feedback to finish improving the design.
Ruth Fisher, James Hartel, Bobby Pizzey, David Weyland are members of Senior Capstone Design Team 8. This team is redesigning and evaluating a cost optimized prosthetic knee joint created by a previous senior design team. The joint must be manufactured in India with local materials and be affordable for the hospital and patients. Current solutions to knee replacement are expensive or ineffective. The team has worked to develop a design that is lightweight, low-cost, and easy to use. The design incorporates a 3-bar linkage system between the upper and lower frames of the device as well as an adjustable damping pad to provide a variable resistance of the swing of the knee which can be tailored to each patient.
Ruth Fisher, James Hartel, Bobby Pizzey, David Weyland are members of Senior Capstone Design Team 8. This team is redesigning and evaluating a cost optimized prosthetic knee joint created by a previous senior design team. The joint must be manufactured in India with local materials and be affordable for the hospital and patients. Current solutions to knee replacement are expensive or ineffective. The team has worked to develop a design that is lightweight, low-cost, and easy to use. The design incorporates a 3-bar linkage system between the upper and lower frames of the device as well as an adjustable damping pad to provide a variable resistance of the swing of the knee which can be tailored to each patient.
On Saturday March 16th, Team 8 and advisors visited Prosthetic & Orthotic Rehabilitation Clinic (PORC) and presented their work and their prototype and received technical feedback. Team 8 will apply the necessary improvements in the prototype and send it back to India for clinical trial on patients.
On Saturday March 16th, Team 8 and advisors visited Prosthetic & Orthotic Rehabilitation Clinic (PORC) and presented their work and their prototype and received technical feedback. Team 8 will apply the necessary improvements in the prototype and send it back to India for clinical trial on patients.
The group toured the Amber Fort before leaving Jaipur on Tuesday March 12th to Agra.
The group toured the Amber Fort before leaving Jaipur on Tuesday March 12th to Agra.
Visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra was the highlight of the day 4 of India trip on Wednesday March 13th.
Visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra was the highlight of the day 4 of India trip on Wednesday March 13th.
On Thursday March 14th, Michigan Tech's senior capstone design teams 7 and 8 visited All India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi and Team 8 presented their new prosthetic knee prototype to Dr. Malhotra. Dr Malhotra was impressed wit...h the design concept and expressed the design can lead to a viable and inexpensive prosthesis for below poverty line patients in India. The group was scheduled to meet with orthotic and prosthetic experts on Saturday March 16th to get detail technical feedback.
On Thursday March 14th, Michigan Tech’s senior capstone design teams 7 and 8 visited All India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi and Team 8 presented their new prosthetic knee prototype to Dr. Malhotra. Dr Malhotra was impressed wit…h the design concept and expressed the design can lead to a viable and inexpensive prosthesis for below poverty line patients in India. The group was scheduled to meet with orthotic and prosthetic experts on Saturday March 16th to get detail technical feedback.
On Thursday March 14th, Michigan Tech's senior capstone design teams 7 and 8 visited All India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi and Team 8 presented their new prosthetic knee prototype to Dr. Malhotra. Dr Malhotra was impressed wit...h the design concept and expressed the design can lead to a viable and inexpensive prosthesis for below poverty line patients in India. The group was scheduled to meet with orthotic and prosthetic experts on Saturday March 16th to get detail technical feedback.
On Thursday March 14th, Michigan Tech’s senior capstone design teams 7 and 8 visited All India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi and Team 8 presented their new prosthetic knee prototype to Dr. Malhotra. Dr Malhotra was impressed wit…h the design concept and expressed the design can lead to a viable and inexpensive prosthesis for below poverty line patients in India. The group was scheduled to meet with orthotic and prosthetic experts on Saturday March 16th to get detail technical feedback.
On Friday March 15th, the group visited Delhi Council for Child Welfare Orthopedic Center and toured the facilities. Both teams 7 and 8 were participated in a workshop to familiarize with fabricating the knee orthoses for polio patients. De...lhi Council for Child Welfare Orthopedic Center provided Michigan Tech teams with sample orthoses that they use for low income patients and requested us to suggest improvements that lead to improved durability and lower costs of the items.
On Friday March 15th, the group visited Delhi Council for Child Welfare Orthopedic Center and toured the facilities. Both teams 7 and 8 were participated in a workshop to familiarize with fabricating the knee orthoses for polio patients. De…lhi Council for Child Welfare Orthopedic Center provided Michigan Tech teams with sample orthoses that they use for low income patients and requested us to suggest improvements that lead to improved durability and lower costs of the items.
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