* Ruth Dyer, associate provost and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at K-State, was among 295 senior members of the IEEE, formerly known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, to be elevated to the grade of fellow, effective Jan. 1, 2008. Dyer has belonged to the IEEE, formerly known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, since 1986. The grade of fellow recognizes unusual distinction in the profession and is conferred by the IEEE board of directors upon senior members who have demonstrated an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. December 2007
* A team from the construction science and management program in the department of architectural engineering and construction science at K-State has advanced to the National Construction Management competition in Las Vegas in March 2008. At the Associated Schools of Construction Region IV annual Construction Management competition, Oct. 25-28, in Nebraska City, Neb., K-State competed in the heavy/highway, design/build and commercial building divisions, with the heavy/highway team taking first place and moving on to the national competition. K-State's design/build team placed third, while the commercial building team placed eighth. November 2007
* The Advanced Manufacturing Institute at K-State has developed a metal bonding machine for Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita. The device increases structural metal bond capacity and reduces vacuum bagging requirements. It also significantly decreases costs and cuts the bonding cycle time in half for this class of assemblies, according to the Advanced Manufacturing Institute's Rick Windholz, project manager for the new machine. October 2007
* The Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University has been awarded $510,000 over three years from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to provide business and technical assistance to Kansas entrepreneurs and businesses. Other supportive funds include $150,000 from the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation; $75,000 from the North Central Regional Planning Commission; and $45,000 from the Kansas Department of Commerce, which will be applied during the same period. The institute will use the funding to continue to expand its product and technology development capabilities and broaden its impact across Kansas, according to Brad Kramer, institute director. Oct. 2007
* L.T. Fan, K-State university distinguished professor of chemical engineering, will receive the Particle Technology Forum Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Fan will be presented a plaque and $1,000 honorarium at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Nov. 7, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The award recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of particle technology and the teaching of particle technology as evidenced by the aggregate contributions of the nominee's doctorate students to the field. The award also recognizes the advocacy of particle technology within industry, academia and government. At K-State, Fan is active in both teaching and research. He has traveled the world in connection with conferences and collaborative research, and as a consultant to governmental agencies and private corporations. He has authored or co-authored seven books, several hundred refereed journal articles and is credited with 16 patents. Sept. 2007
* Driver education students at Manhattan High School's East Campus are getting help to improve their driving performance by participating in research designed to measure the effectiveness of driver education using driving simulators. The study is being conducted by the Simulation Training and Assessment Research -- STAR -- Lab, part of K-State's University Transportation Center. The research is to help identify high-risk tendencies during the driver education program rather than later on the road by educating students to become safer drivers in a safe environmentThe simulator software, STISIM Drive, was developed by Systems Technology Inc. and donated to the University Transportation Center for its use in performing research at USD 383, the Manhattan-Ogden School District. Renee Slick, associate director of the center, developed the Driver Behavior Assessment Tool to assess students' behavior. The tool is a computerized questionnaire that evaluates how students'personal attitudes and beliefs are related to involvement in vehicle crashes. Sept. 2007
* The Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University has been awarded $510,000 over three years from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to provide business and technical assistance to Kansas entrepreneurs and businesses. Other supportive funds include $150,000 from the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation; $75,000 from the North Central Regional Planning Commission; and $45,000 from the Kansas Department of Commerce, which will be applied during the same period. The institute will use the funding to continue to expand its product and technology development capabilities and broaden its impact across Kansas, according to Brad Kramer, institute director. Sept. 2007
* Robert Stokes, professor of civil engineering, has been elected director of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Region Seven. The region represents sections, branches and student chapters in Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado and Kansas. Stokes will begin a four-year term effective in November. He also will serve as appointed member to the national finance and program committees. September 2007
* Two faculty members from K-State's department of biological and agricultural engineering were honored recently by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Stacy Hutchinson, associate professor, was awarded the society's A.W. Farrall Young Educator Award. The award, given to an individual under the age of 40 at the time of selection, honors outstanding success in motivating the application of engineering principles to the problems of agricultural engineering. Jim Koelliker, professor, was recognized with a Presidential Distinguished Award for his service and leadership on the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Foundation's board of trustees. August 2007
* Brian A. Coon, associate professor of civil engineering, has been appointed to the Committee on Emerging Technology Law by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee. The board is a division of the National Research Council, a private, nonprofit institution that provides expertise in science and technology to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The National Research Council is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. Coon is director of the University Transportation Center, which coordinates interdisciplinary transportation research, training and outreach efforts at K-State. Focusing on the sustainability and safety of rural transportation systems and infrastructure, the center emphasizes the unique needs of rural transportation systems. August 2007
* A dedication to connecting their students with the world beyond campus has won national recognition for two faculty members in K-State's department of architectural engineering and construction science. Julia Keen, an assistant professor, and Fred Hasler, instructor, have been named advisers of the year by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers for their work with K-State's student branch of the organization. It is the first year for the award. They'll be presented with a plaque at the society's January 2008 meeting in New York. August 2007
* Student groups from K-State's department of biological and agricultural engineering received honors at the annual international meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, June 17-20, in Minneapolis, Minn. The student branch of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the Agricultural Technology Management student club each won first place in the 2007 Association of Equipment Manufacturers student club report and activities competition. K-State's Fountain Wars Design Team placed second in the Fountain Wars competition and was awarded "best use of electronics." The Biological and Agricultural Engineering Robotics Team won the meeting's first ever robotics competition. July 2007
* A team from K-State's student chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers took first place in a recent international design competition sponsored by the society. The first-place finish was in the system selection category of the competition. Teams had to select a heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system for a more than 127,000 square-foot facility in New York City. Julia Keen, assistant professor, and Fred Hasler, instructor, both of architectural engineering and construction science, were team coaches. It's the third time a K-State team has participated in the competition. The team also had top five finishes in 2004 and 2005. July 2007
* The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has named K-State's Pat Murphy a Fellow of the society. Only 2 percent of the group have achieved the level of Fellow, which requires that a member demonstrate outstanding qualifications and unusual professional distinction; candidates must also have been society members for at least 20 years. Murphy, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering, specializes in livestock systems. He also is interim assistant director of agricultural and natural resource programs for K-State Research and Extension. Murphy is recognized as one of the country's first environmental engineers. He's known for his ability to apply engineering principles to the construction of feedlots, feed mills and corrals. He also has developed techniques for the handling of manure and waste water. His designs for cattle, hog and dairy facilities have improved their efficiency and safety while reducing the harm done to the surrounding environment. July 2007
* Jeremy Dreiling, a master's student in architectural engineering, Hays, has received the 2007-08 Professional Engineers in Industry Scholarship from the National Society of Professional Engineers. Among the scholarship requirements included a minimum 2.5 grade point average, letters of recommendation from at least two of his professors and a 500-word essay, along with work experience, membership in professional and technical societies, activities and honors. Dreiling is president of K-State's chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. He has been president and fundraising chair of the Architectural Engineering Institute, a student organization in the department of architectural engineering and construction science. He is a student member of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He also is a member of Phi Alpha Epsilon, an architectural engineering society; Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honor society; Golden Key, an international honor society; the National Society of Collegiate Scholars; and Phi Eta Sigma honor society. June 2007
* K-State's Aero Design Team placed sixth out of 47 teams in the Aero Design East competition, May 4-6, in Fort Worth, Texas. K-State placed third amongst U.S. teams in the international competition. The competition requires engineering students to plan, design, construct and test a radio-controlled aircraft that can take off and land while carrying the maximum cargo. The team built an 8.5-pound radio-controlled plane, named "The Manhattan Project." The plane won the Society of Automotive Engineers Aero Design West competition in March. June 2007
* For the second consecutive year and the sixth time in the 10-year history of the event, the K-State Powercat Tractors Design Team finished first at the annual American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, May 31-June 3, in Peoria, Ill. Competing against 28 teams from the United States and Canada, the K-State team also received the "Sound Quality Award" for having the quietest tractor and minimizing noise pollution. The team earned first-place points for the written design report and took second place in the four pulls of the "tractor pull" portion of the competition. The K-State Powercat Tractors Team, made up of undergraduates in biological and agricultural engineering, agricultural technology management and mechanical engineering, is the only team to place in the top three, including six firsts, continuously since 1999. The competition began in 1998. June 2007
* K-State's Konza Prairie Biological Station was the inspiration for the winning entry in the Student Design Competition at the annual meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society, May 21-25, at K-State. The winning project was a rain garden microcosm. The goal of the five-member K-State team was to design an ecologically engineered structure that absorbs water into the soil very quickly, but that also holds as much water as possible. According to the competition organizers, the K-State team's exceptional infiltration dynamics and other design elements earned the team this year's competition award. Team members, all biological and agricultural engineering majors, included Patrick Bussen, Laura Christianson, Trisha Culbertson, Alicia Greene and Hale Sloan. June 2007
* The K-State department of mechanical and nuclear engineering has received a three-year, approximately $550,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy Research Initiative for the project "Experimental Development and Demonstration of Ultrasonic Measurement Diagnostics for Sodium Fast Reactor Thermohydraulics." Principal investigator Akira Tokuhiro, associate professor, along with Bruce Babin, assistant professor, Terry Beck, professor, and Mohammad Hosni, professor and department head, will look at technology issues in sodium-cooled fast reactors. June 2007
* K-State architectural engineering students Jennifer Lybarger and Susan Nagel have been awarded scholarships by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers for the 2007-2008 school year. Lybarger, senior, Overland Park, is the recipient of the inaugural Past Presidents' Scholarship for $2,000. Nagel, senior, St. Peters, Mo., is the recipient of the Kansas City American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Scholarship for $1,000. May 2007
* Anatoliy Zeltser, senior in architectural engineering, Overland Park, has been chosen as one of 11 summer 2007 interns for the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering program. The program brings together college students from across the country to spend nine weeks, June 4 to Aug. 3, in Washington, D.C. They will learn how government officials make decisions on technological issues and also see how engineers can contribute to legislative and regulatory public policy decisions. April 2007
* Monica Palomo, a graduate student in civil engineering, has received a 2007 Environmental Chemistry Graduate Student Award. She was nominated by her adviser, Alok Bhandari, associate professor of civil engineering at K-State. Palomo, Manhattan, is just one of 19 national recipients of the award, which is given by the American Chemical Society's Division of Environmental Chemistry. She is currently working toward her doctorate in civil engineering with an emphasis on environmental engineering. April 2007
* A team of five Kansas State University engineering students recently won first place in the American Concrete Institute's Concrete Construction Competition. The international competition is a weeklong activity for engineering students where each team's project manager is sent a real-life, high-profile job problem for their team to solve. Each team had to come up with a short toolbox talk that a company's superintendents could give on a day when their field crews are placing concrete in a tall column and wall forms. The talk is to remind the field crews how to properly place and consolidate concrete when they can't see the concrete surface during placements. The students then have seven days to turn in their answer. It couldn't be more than 600 words, and they were allowed a maximum of four pictures. The team received a $300 cash award as part of its first-place finish. April 2007
* The K-State Aero Design Team placed first out of 27 teams in the Society of Automotive Engineers Aero West competition, March 24-25, in Van Nuys, Calif. The contest involves three parts that groups are scored on: a written designer's report, an oral presentation and the actual flight of the plane. The team, which is organized and lead by students, made an 8.5-pound remote-controlled plane, named "The Manhattan Project," that won by carrying its maximum predicted payload weight of 20.73 pounds. In addition, the team was recognized at the event for submitting the best design report. April 2007
* K-State's Advanced Manufacturing Institute was recently recognized in OEM Off-Highway magazine, which provides information to help product development teams design and produce better off-highway vehicles and component systems. The article highlights a project the institute completed for GGB, formerly known as Glacier Garlock Bearings, in Thorofare, N.J. GGB manufactures metal-polymer plain bearings. For the project, the Advanced Manufacturing Institute was responsible for testing GGB's sealed bearing cartridge against greased hardened steel bearings. To do this, the K-State institute developed a test rig that simulated the most abusive field applications possible, tested the bearings and reported the results. March 2007
* Jeremy Dreiling, a fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, has been awarded an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Graduate Student Grant-in-Aid for the 2007-2008 academic year. Dreiling will receive $8,000 as a full-time graduate student at K-State for studying technologies related to the society. His research will be related to air quality in health care systems, and he'll specifically analyze air cleaning methods. Grants are given based on the relevance of the research proposed by the student and the participation of the student and his or her advisor in the society. Recipients of the grant are to use the money to help prepare for service in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration industry. Typically 10 to 25 grants are given out each year. The money is normally used for tuition and living expenses, as well as experimental equipment, supplies and travel to American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers meetings. February 2007
* The city of Manhattan estimates the work by a group of K-State graduate students performing a service-learning project on wastewater issues recently saved the city approximately $9,500. During fall 2006, K-State graduate students from Alok Bhandari's wastewater engineering class consulted with Manhattan's department of public works to develop a management plan to improve the city's wastewater treatment plant. The team conducted chemical characterizations at key locations in Manhattan's sewage collection system to test for growth of problematic bacteria in the aeration tank system. Because the presence of such bacterial activity could potentially prevent the city from meeting National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System standards, the team's findings were of utmost importance, according to Bhandari, an associate professor of civil engineering at K-State. The project was funded by WaterLINK, a Kansas Campus Compact project that works with colleges and community colleges to support service-learning projects that improve or protect water resources, and was co-funded by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The project follows two previous service-learning opportunities by Bhandari's classes, including a spill response project with the city of Manhattan and a water capacity project for Fort Scott Lake. February 2007
* A first-ever college course and a ground-breaking professor and graduates are getting K-State noticed in the construction industry. The most recent issue of trade magazine Tilt-Up TODAY features the story "Industry Meets Education" by Kimberly Kramer, K-State assistant professor of architectural engineering and construction science, about her course on tilt-up concrete construction, the first on a college campus. Kramer also is featured in the story "Women in Tilt-Up," while she and two recent K-State construction science and management graduates, Angela Perry and Rebecca Waldo, are among 14 women profiled in another section. The article Kramer contributed also includes photos and descriptions of tilt-up projects by recent K-State construction science and management graduates Beau Hahn and Brock Beran. A photo of one of Kramer's award-winning tilt-up projects is the issue's cover. February 2007
* K-State's Brian A. Coon, associate professor of civil engineering and the new director of the University Transportation Center, is receiving the 2007 Practice-Ready Paper Award from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science. Coon's paper, which guides transportation engineers on the selection of the appropriate placement of guardrail, was co-written with Dean Sicking of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and King Mak, a Texas engineering consultant. Coon's research consisted of reconstructing more than 850 real-world accidents to determine how the vehicles left the roadway. The research included blood alcohol concentrations, ages of drivers and passengers, and other detailed information about the crashes. The information will be used for future analysis in an attempt to reduce the number of crashes on the nation's roadways, Coon said. January 2007