This Fall Semester the new class of engineering students assembled in the Rozsa Center Performance Hall to hear a speech by Michigan Tech alumnus David House on September 4th, first day of classes. He shared his engineering experiences from a 47 year career.
Graduate student Brennan Tymrak (ME-EM) has received $17,625 from the NSF for the first increment of a potential $126,000 project, “NSF Graduate Research Fellowship–Technologies for Developing Countries.”
Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics Graduate Seminar: September 6, 2012; 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., Room 112, ME-EM Building
Dr. Ilias Belharouak
Materials Scientist Leader and Energy Storage Expert
Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division
Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. Ilias Belharouak is a Materials Scientist Leader and Energy Storage Expert in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois, USA. He published over 200 peer-reviewed publications, papers at professional society meetings, and patents. He is a reviewer for several international journals in the field of electrochemistry, batteries, and materials physics and chemistry. Dr. Belharouak was recognized with several awards including R&D-100 awards, Pacesetter awards, and Federal and State Laboratory Consortium Awards. Dr. Belharouak holds Ph.D. and Master’s Degrees in Materials Science from the Institute for Solid State Chemistry, National Center for Scientific Research, University Bordeaux 1, France; and a Bachelor’s Degree in Inorganic Chemistry, University Cadi Ayyad, Morocco.
Lithium Batteries: Current State and Beyond
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries were first commercialized by Sony in early 90’s. The high cost of cobalt and relatively low specific capacity of LiCoO2 (140Ah/kg) have been major obstacles against the application of these batteries in transportation where the battery energy density should significantly increase to meet the goals for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and essentially for electric vehicles (EVs). Also, despite the abundance of iron and manganese, olivine LiFePO4 and spinel LiMn2O4 will not likely be adequate candidates since neither of them can provide enough gravimetric and volumetric energy densities for transportation applications. Therefore, research groups have been under the challenge of inventing and developing new advanced positive electrode materials whose main characteristics is to store more and more electricity per mass and volume. Of these materials, advanced composite materials were found to deliver a high reversible capacity (250Ah/kg) while being structurally and electrochemically stable upon charge and discharge. These thermally stable materials are considered as potential candidates to surmount the energy density shortfall of current lithium ion batteries. The journey for materials design and discovery will be unveiled in the light of the most recent developments in lithium-ion batteries. Also, the implementation of the very challenging lithiumsulfur and lithium-air batteries will be discussed.
The Mobile Lab Coalition, an international coalition of traveling, laboratory-based STEM education programs, featured Michigan Tech’s hybrid electric vehicles mobile lab in the organization’s newsletter. See Mobile Lab.
Dr. Gustavo Gioia, from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University in Okinawa, Japan will give a presentation entitled “Linking energy spectra and mean-velocity profiles in wall-bounded turbulent flows”
on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 2:00 in 112 MEEM
Michigan Tech is again hosting seven middle and high school teachers from Michigan and Wisconsin in a six-week Research Experience for Teachers (RET), a program funded by the National Science Foundation, which ends this week.
The teachers presented posters on their research experiences, as well as the development of classroom/laboratory units, Friday, Aug. 17, in Memorial Union Alumni Lounge B.
MORE
After 18 years of service to Michigan Tech, Donna Michalek left in 2010 to fulfill her dream of leading an engineering program. Tragically, she died in April after less than two years as chair of the Department of Engineering at the University of Mount Union.
Read more
The Michigan Tech Mobile Lab is on the road to southeast Michigan today through Tuesday, Aug. 14.
Lab director Jeremy Worm led a team of graduate and undergraduate students and members of the Michigan Tech Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. They will meet with engineers and training coordinators from two companies, Mahle Powertrain and Detroit, to showcase the Mobile Lab’s offering of hands-on short courses.
As well, the lab will provide fun-filled STEM activities for inner city youth at the Parental Boot Camp being organized by Heroes Alliance of Detroit.
When you think of environmentally friendly sports, auto racing probably doesn’t spring immediately to mind. But the Green Racing Initiative aims to change that.
“Our directive is to bring green technologies to the motor sports industry,” says research scientist Jeremy Worm, who leads Michigan Tech’s involvement in the initiative.
William Worek, Michigan Technological University’s dean of engineering, has accepted an appointment to serve on the Board of Governors of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.