Mechanical AT MINES
WINTER 2019
ADAPT engineers solutions to the U.S. military's parts problems
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ME undergraduates win inaugural Manufacturing Innovation Challenge
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4................................................................................................................................................................. From the Top 5........................................................................................................................................ Graduate Student Spotlight 6................................................................................................................................ Department and Research News 10............................................................................................................................................... Awards and Accolades 12........................................................................................................................................................... Alumni Updates 14.............................................................................................................................................................. Student News 16................................................................................................................................................ Welcome New Alumni 18................................................................................................................................................... Mechanical Mondays 19.................................................................................................................................... Distinguished Seminar Series
ColoradoSchoolofMines 1500 Illinois Street Golden, CO 80401 303-273-3000 or 800-446-9488 MECHANICAL.MINES.eDU minesnewsroom.com WINTER 2019 • VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 A newsletter for friends and supporters of the Colorado School of Mines Department of Mechanical Engineering MAILING/DELIVERY ADDRESS: 1500 Illinois Street Golden, CO 80401 MAIN OFFICE: Brown Hall W350 1610 Illinois Street Golden, CO 80401 (T) 303-273-3650 (F) 303-273-3602 PRESIDENT: Paul C. Johnson, PhD DEPARTMENT HEAD: John Berger, PhD jberger@mines.edu DESIGN: Traci Case tcase@mines.edu
Above: Undergraduate student Michelle Butler works in the Colorado Fuel Cell Center on a unique project to store renewable wind and solar energy in the form of chemical energy. Michelle is working with ammonia (NH3), a carbon-free liquid fuel and the second most produced chemical in the world. Photo by Joe DelNero.
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Wijesuriya participates in UN Youth Climate Summit
Contents
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John R. Berger Department Head Department of Mechanical Engineering Colorado School of Mines
Zachary brunson wins tms light metals magnesium best poster award Zach Brunson was recognized for individual excellence of a poster in the area of magnesium technology that was presented at the prior year's TMS Annual Meeting. Zach's poster was titled "In Situ Characterization of the Deformation Mechanisms Present in Biaxially Loaded Mg."
Greetings from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines! Mines ME is the largest department on campus, with over 1,360 undergraduate students, over 250 graduate students and 39 faculty. Although the department continues to grow in student enrollment, faculty size and research volume, we pride ourselves in our close community and our strong hands-on curriculum that emphasizes the connections between fundamental engineering analysis and practical engineering design. Our graduates are offered jobs across industry sectors, such as aerospace, fossil and renewable energy, manufacturing, biomedical and automotive, among others. We graduated 93 BS, 28 MS and 8 PhD students at this year's winter commencement. Read on to learn how our students and alumni are proudly representing Mines ME both close to home and around the globe. Another exciting development on campus is the growth of interdisciplinary programs that blend traditional engineering concepts to advance research and solve problems in evolving fields. The ME department houses four rapidly expanding programs: Operations Research with Engineering (ORwE), Advanced Manufacturing, Space Resources and FEA Pro. While some of these programs offer traditional master's and doctoral degree options, they are also helping to grow Mines' online educational presence with non-thesis master's and professional certificate opportunities. Research continues to grow in the ME department, with over $11.9 million in awards in fiscal year 2019. Our expanding research volume is fueled by a number of centers that call ME home: the ADAPT Center (Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies), the Continuous Casting Center and the Colorado Fuel Cell Center, to name a few. In this issue, we highlight some recently awarded grants that demonstrate the breadth and depth of activity within our department. Enjoy reading this snapshot of the activity and accomplishments of our dynamic department, and be sure to stop by for a visit next time you're in Golden!
Peter Weddle receives prestigious Rath Award
Peter Weddle was awarded Colorado School of Mines' Fall 2019 Dr. Bhakta Rath and Sushama Rath Research Award. The honor, which recognizes the Mines doctoral graduate whose thesis demonstrates the greatest potential for societal impact, was presented during the Fall 2019 Graduate Commencement ceremony on December 13. Weddle’s dissertation research focused on the design, modeling and control of advanced lithium-ion batteries. That includes the development and implementation of new physical models to provide quantitative predictions of battery performance using electrode chemistries based on lithium-iron-phosphate and lithium titanate. The phase-transformation electrodes present a number of advantages, including a very high life cycle and virtually no fire hazard. “Peter’s cutting-edge battery research is very well positioned to beneficially influence technologies ranging from consumer electronics to grid-scale energy storage,” said Robert Kee, George R. Brown Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, who advised Weddle along with Electrical Engineering Professor Tyrone Vincent. Weddle was also the winner of the Emeritus Faculty Exemplary Graduate Award in Mechanical Engineering.
Mines Mechanical Engineering grads are in high demand! Over 140 companies, national labs and universities hire our graduates.
Professors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering were awarded nearly $12 million in research funding in fiscal year 2019.
GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
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Richard pratt & lauren sepp present at high-profile venues Richard Pratt presented his first conference paper, "Magnetic Needle Steering Model Identification Using Expectation-Maximization," at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Macau, China. Lauren Sepp presented her research, "Enabling Access to Better Prostheses: The Effect of Prosthesis Choice on Joint Health for Runners With an Amputation," at the Academic Research Colloquium at the University of Dayton.
william hamilton presents at solarpaces conference Bill Hamilton presented his research on the optimal design and dispatch of concentrating solar power (CSP) systems at the 25th SolarPACES Conference in Daegu, South Korea. As a result of his work, Mines and NREL will work with international technology developers to evaluate designs of the next-generation CSP facilities.
thomas gallmeyer wins best paper award at gvsets 2019 Tom Gallmeyer won the Best Paper Award at the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium for his paper "Systematic Development of Framework for Validation and Performance Quantification of Additively Manufactured (AM) Replacement Parts for Structural Steel Applications."
FROM THE TOP
Greetings from the department head
Mines was ranked #19 for return on investment among 4,500 two- and four-year public and private institutions 30 and 40 years after graduation, according to a Georgetown University study.
Mines wins award to engineer online learning
Designing extra-tough nanocomposites for coatings, armor
Associate Professor Garritt Tucker has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Army Research Office for work designing a new class of multilayered nanocomposites that exhibit unprecedented mechanical strength and toughness. Tucker is collaborating with the University of Nevada, Reno, on the project through an integrated computational and experimental research partnership. Tucker will use atomistic computational modeling and simulations to inform innovative processing and mechanical testing techniques to develop the new "metal-MAX" materials. "Advanced materials with improved strength and toughness are of broad interest to the Army and DoD," Tucker said. "This project will offer a first step toward the predictable design of nanostructured materials by controlling the activation of fundamental deformation mechanisms." Nanocomposites offer improved strength, ductility and toughness, all of which make the multilayered materials attractive in a wide range of temperatures, mechanical loadings and environmental conditions. Tucker and Pathak’s proposed nanocomposite will alternate metallic and MAX phase layers with a lamellar thickness reduced to the nanoscale—one nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. "Potential uses of the material could be protective coatings for structural applications and possibly armor," Tucker said.
DEPARTMENT AND RESEARCH NEWS
When the U.S. Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center requested help creating an effective replacement to failing door hinges, the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) stepped in with an innovative solution that exceeded expectations. Modifications to the Army's mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles to combat improvised explosive devices led to cab doors that were 50 percent heavier than what the door hinges were designed for. Hinge failure caused some vehicles to be out of service for years while replacement parts were procured, delivered and installed. ADAPT researchers, led by Rowlinson Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and ADAPT Executive Director Aaron Stebner, used additive manufacturing (AM) to design a hinge replacement that outperformed the original. They went a step further and used AM to build a second iteration of the hinge as one piece instead of the original's seven pieces. "The result was a hinge that had about half the stress of the original part, was printed as one piece instead of seven and could be printed in a matter of hours," Stebner said. Increased confidence in 3D-printed parts is clearly the way forward for the U.S. military, providing safer, more reliable equipment for soldiers at home and overseas.
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For more information, visit Mines Newsroom at minesnewsroom.com.
Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Philip Wagner Jr./U.S. Department of Defense
A team of Colorado School of Mines educators and researchers has been awarded nearly $2 million in National Science Foundation funding to develop online learning opportunities that empower the workforce to better harness the power of data in advanced manufacturing. The Production Engineering Education and Research (PEER) award, awarded to five universities nationwide, was made possible by a $10 million gift from The Boeing Company in 2018. PEER awardees will create online coursework that builds key STEM skills at the community college, undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. The Mines team is led by Sam Spiegel, director of the Trefny Innovative Instruction Center, and includes ME faculty Craig Brice and Jenifer Blacklock. Brice and Blacklock lead the Advanced Manufacturing interdisciplinary graduate program. The team will focus on data science in advanced manufacturing by developing adaptive learning progressions such as self-assessments, modules and fully online courses that assess and advance current workers as well as students at community colleges and universities. "In today’s changing workplace, updating workforce skills has never been more important," Spiegel said. "Cognitive flexibility, creative problem-solving and emotional intelligence alongside data science are the highest required competencies going forward." Red Rocks Community College and Colorado Community College Online will inform the design and testing modules. At Mines, core courses in the Advanced Manufacturing program will serve as test cases in which the researchers can embed the newly designed assessments and modules. "The challenge in today’s manufacturing environment is that while process data exists, our manufacturing process engineers are unsure how to manipulate and analyze it and convert it into process improvements," Brice said. By providing data science skills to manufacturing employees, the datasets become analyzable, resulting in more efficient processes and a reduction in errors and defects. "With this funding," Spiegel said, "we'll be able to extend our process for online learning within industry and community colleges."
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Human Centered Design Studio is a two-semester capstone course at Mines focused on developing adaptive equipment for people (and sometimes animals) with disabilities.
Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Xiaoli Zhang is the lead researcher on a $1 million National Science Foundation project to create an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tool for retraining workers in the metals industries. "While AI assists people in many ways," Zhang said, "it and other advanced technologies may replace humans in some work." For Zhang, the solution to the problem is clear: apply AI to the problem of workers losing their jobs. The NSF-funded project will create an AI-enabled tool to develop faster, more individualized retraining for workers in the metals industries—mining, processing and manufacturing—who are at risk of losing their jobs to automation or other reasons. The grant is from NSF's new Convergence Accelerator Pilot program, which aims to fast-track "use-inspired, convergence research in areas of national importance." The team includes ME professors Craig Brice and Aaron Stebner, Trefny Innovative Instruction Center Director Sam Spiegel, and professors from the Mining and Metallurgical and Materials Engineering departments. Efficiency is at the core of the AI tool Mines researchers are developing: Workers can get personalized retraining that doesn't waste time teaching them what they already know. The team will gather a large dataset and build an algorithm to understand knowledge and training gaps in metals industries. AI will be used to assess a worker's existing skills and identify gaps. The tool can then quickly create a personalized retraining plan. Zhang hopes that what they build will lead to a second phase of funding and ultimately an open-source online tool.
Mines partners with OxEon Energy in NASA initiative
Using AI to develop training for displaced workers
A research team led by Mechanical Engineering Professor Greg Jackson and including Professor of Practice George Sowers and Research Assistant Professor Chris Dreyer is partnering with OxEon Energy of North Salt Lake, Utah, to integrate an electrolysis technology to process ice on the moon to separate the hydrogen and oxygen. The molecules could then be cooled to produce fuel for cislunar transport. The partnership was one of 14 awarded in the NASA Tipping Point initiative, which aims to bring technologies to market to enable the agency's Moon to Mars exploration approach. The Mines team will receive close to $800K to integrate an OxEon solid oxide water electrolyzer in a system to demonstrate hydrogen and oxygen production. The project will increase the technology readiness level to the point that it can be selected for a mission. "This project is exciting," said Dreyer, "because the system will be designed to produce propellant from ice gathered from the moon's permanently shadowed regions."
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Human Centered Design Studio (HCDS) was launched in 2015 by Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Joel Bach. It operates much like a design firm, with Mines students expected to work on at least three projects over two semesters. The program welcomes new students every semester, which means project knowledge doesn't disappear when a cohort graduates. Two recently completed projects are pictured above: a next-generation climbing wall hold with built-in accessibility features, and a neoprene bootie for a geriatric hawk in the care of the Raptor Education Foundation. Climbing wall holds typically use different colors or markings to indicate the level of difficulty of a particular path, which is challenging for visually impaired climbers. In this case, the idea was relatively simple: create holds with built-in speakers, set up so only four holds emit sound at any one time—one for each hand and foot. However, at a projected cost of $50 to $60 each, "there’s no way a gym will invest in that," Bach said. The solution, while counterintuitive, was to pack even more features into the holds, including LEDs that display different colors and that can be linked to apps or games. "Suddenly, we've got something that can appeal to everybody," Bach said. "Not only does it make climbing accessible, it's hitting the economics of what gyms need." A remaining hurdle is how to power the holds. HCDS is investigating wireless charging technology and will be ready to go commercial when that challenge is solved. Another HCDS project found a solution for a geriatric ferruginous hawk that suffers from a condition that causes ulcers on her talons. The caretakers at the foundation used bandages, but the hawk kept stepping in water bowls, leading to infections and loose bandages. The team 3D-printed a model of the hawk's talon and used that to design a washable, reusable, quick-drying neoprene bootie that the handler could easily take on and off and secure using just one clip.
Designing possibilities
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
Publications of note
Schweikert moderates panel at U.S. STRATCOM symposium
Wagner, NREL researcher and Mines grad, receives PECASE
H. Hou, E. Simsek, T. Ma, N. S. Johnson, S. Qian, C. Cissé, D. Stasak, N. Al Hasan, L. Zhou, Y. Hwang, R. Radermacher, V. I. Levitas, M. J. Kramer, M. Asle Zaeem, A. P. Stebner, R. T. Ott, J. Cui, and I. Takeuchi, "Fatigue-resistant high-performance elastocaloric materials made by additive manufacturing," Science, vol. 366, no. 6469, pp. 1116–1121, Nov. 2019. C. Duan, R. Kee, H. Zhu, N. Sullivan, L. Zhu, L. Bian, D. Jennings, and R. O'Hayre, "Highly efficient reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells for power generation and fuel production," Nature Energy, vol. 4, pp. 230–240, Mar. 2019. N. Zhang and M. Asle Zaeem, "Effects of twin boundaries and pre-existing defects on mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia," Journal of the European Ceramic Society, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 108–114, Jan. 2020. R. A. Stewart, J. G. Speer, B. G. Thomas, E. De Moor, and A. J. Clarke, "Quenching and partitioning of plate steels: Partitioning design methodology," Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, vol. 50, pp. 4701–4713, Oct. 2019. M. D. Teter, J. O. Royset, and A. M. Newman, "Modeling uncertainty of expert elicitation for use in risk-based optimization," Annals of Operations Research, vol. 280, pp. 189–210, Sept. 2019. P. C. Tabares-Velasco, A. Speake, M. Harris, A. Newman, T. Vincent, and M. Lanahan, "A modeling framework for optimization-based control of a residential building thermostat for time-of-use pricing," Applied Energy, vol. 242, pp. 1346–1357, May 2019. D. E. Spearot, G. J. Tucker, A. Gupta, and G. B. Thompson, "Mechanical properties of stabilized nanocrystalline FCC metals," Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 126, no. 110901, Sept. 2019. J. J. Abbott, E. Diller, and A. J. Petruska, "Magnetic methods in robotics," Annual Review of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems, vol. 3, May, 2020. M. Minniti, A. Ziaee, D. Curran, J. Porter, T. Parker, and D. Dunn-Rankin, "Femtosecond digital holography in the near-nozzle region of a dodecane spray," Atomization and Sprays, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 251–267, 2019. S. C. DeCaluwe, "Open software for chemical and electrochemical modeling: Opportunities and challenges," The Electrochemical Society Interface, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 47–50, Spring 2019. L. A. Sepp, B. S. Baum, E. Nelson-Wong, and A. K. Silverman, "Dynamic balance during running using running-specific prostheses," Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 84, pp. 36–45, Feb. 2019. S. Koumlis and L. Lamberson, "Strain rate dependent compressive response of open cell polyurethane foam," Experimental Mechanics, vol. 59, pp. 1087–1103, Sept. 2019.
PhD candidate Sajith Wijesuriya participated in the United Nations Youth Climate Summit in September. The youth summit is a platform for young leaders who are driving climate action to showcase their solutions at the UN and to meaningfully engage with decision-makers on this defining issue of our time. The event brought together young activists, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers who are committed to combating climate change at the pace and scale required by science. The event outcomes fed into the UN Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit. Sajith’s advisor is ME Assistant Professor Paulo Cesar Tabares-Velasco.
Research Assistant Professor Amy Schweikert was invited to moderate a panel at the 2019 U.S. Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium. About 700 people were in attendance at the event, including flag-level leadership from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army; U.S. congressmen; and other dignitaries, ambassadors and DoD personnel. Schweikert led a panel on academic research in nuclear deterrence and assurance. Topics included complex systems, space warfare, strategic thinking and cybersecurity as well as surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance in the context of nuclear deterrence. Schweikert works with Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Mark Deinert on the intersection of complexity, policy and infrastructure resilience.
Dr. Mike Wagner (ME PhD, '17) was one of two NREL researchers to be awarded the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Wagner was recognized for his work addressing fundamental questions on the capability and grid value of concentrating solar power. ME professors Alexandra Newman and Robert Braun were Wagner's PhD advisors and are co-investigators on DOE-awarded projects that were referenced in the nomination. "NREL's partnership with Mines has led to opportunities to apply operations research and optimization to traditional ME subjects like power generation," Wagner said, "and I believe this award is a recognition of outcomes from that groundbreaking crossover."
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Casey Bernal, '02
Owners ENERGYneering Solutions Inc.
Casey Bernal was awarded a BS Engineering degree with a Mechanical specialty in 2002. He has 15 years of professional experience working with a research company using a multitude of engineering disciplines for creating prototype devices. In 2019, he enthusiastically returned to Mines as the Instructional Machine Shop manager in the Mechanical Engineering department. He is excited to develop the ME Machine Shop into an enjoyable place for students to learn fabrication skills to create mechanically functional workpieces for their projects. Teaching students has been an aspiration for Casey, and he is happy to share his industry experiences with them. Casey's father, Carlos Bernal, is a Mines alumni (BS Geophysics, '76) and loves Golden so much that Casey's parents are still calling it home.
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Where are they now? Recent updates from Mines Mechanical Engineering alumni
Manager ME Instructional Machine Shop
Julie came to Mines not knowing what she wanted to do with her career, but because she won bridge-building competitions in high school and was good at math, engineering piqued her interest. While at Mines, Julie was on the swim team and participated in the marching band (see a photo of Julie in the band in the The Golden History Museum!). Getting a degree at Mines was a challenge at a time when only 10 percent of the students on campus were women. Julie completed her coursework at her own pace, which allowed her time to travel internationally while a student at Mines. Benny transferred to Mines from Fort Lewis College during his junior year. Benny made sure to balance his coursework with enjoyable activities like skiing, rock climbing and kayaking. Julie and Benny met at Mines, where they began their journey together. The Bensons founded ENERGYneering Solutions Inc. in 2007 because it offered the lifestyle that they wanted after 17 years in industry. ENERGYneering—specializing in renewable power fueled by biogas—was created in their spare bedroom but quickly grew to 40–70 employees, and is the only engineering company in Sisters, Oregon. The Bensons have a daughter, Cammi, who is majoring in ME at Mines.
Kurt graduated from Mines in 2011 with a BS Engineering degree with a Mechanical Engineering specialty. While at Mines, he played on the varsity basketball team and the club men’s volleyball team. After graduating, Kurt worked as a machinist on a shop floor. His time spent learning the struggles of manufacturing proved to be a major advantage before he moved into a technical engineering role. As an engineer, Kurt has focused on test engineering high-speed centrifugal pumps and compressors, and product engineering for packaged equipment. He currently is working in engineering management at Sundyne, which designs and builds high-efficiency turbomachinery. Kurt has met many fellow Mines alumni in industry and maintains connections with his peers that are extremely valuable in solving technical problems. In his free time Kurt can be found on the greens of a golf course or up in the mountains skiing. He’s also an amateur blacksmith and carpenter.
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ALUMNI UPDATES
Julie and Benny Benson, '88
Kurt Lindgren, '11
Project Engineering Manager Sundyne
STUDENT NEWS
Team Semipro, made up of ME undergraduates Erchis Erdenebat, Gage Gellerman and Claire Thomas, won Mines' inaugural Manufacturing Innovation Challenge and a $3,000 grand prize. The challenge was inspired by the 50th anniversary of the NASA Apollo moon landing and prompted student teams to develop an innovative design solution and a manufacturing pathway for an extraterrestrial rover wheel that met specific criteria. The university-wide challenge was sponsored by the Advanced Manufacturing interdisciplinary program, with support from Space Resources, the FEA Professional Certificate and KEEN, the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network, of which Mines is a partner. Of the 18 teams that entered the challenge, six advanced to the prototyping phase after the first round of judging in October. Each team's wheel met the criteria regarding deflection under load, stowed volume, a built-in soil sampling mechanism and economic viability. Team Semipro designed a collapsible aluminum wheel fabricated via powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. They named their wheel the Collapsible Ground Truthing Rover Wheel, or CLOVER Wheel for short. As for winning, Claire Thomas said, "We were super-surprised and excited, because we knew other teams had more overall experience than us." The team presented a poster on their design at the AIAA Rocky Mountain Technical Symposium and plans to submit an abstract to the International Astronautical Congress next year.
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MEGN 301 COMPETITION WINNERS Students in Mechanical Integration & Design designed solutions to the four steps in the plastic waste upcycle to convert plastic waste to 3D printer filament in a challenge inspired by the Precious Plastic program (preciousplastic.com). The winners for each step were: Filament extruder: R. Allsop, L. Doerr, S. Fiorica, R. Kinder, A. Schwaderer, P. Smith Injection molder: M. Elliott, S. Nolan, C. Tello, J. Terriquez, A. Vogel Plastic shredder/granulator: J. Cassata, J. Cogan, R. Cook, R. Gipson-Hansen, N. Holewinski, S. Ryan Filament winder/haul off: C. Collins, H. Hodge, R. Jackson, N. Mulay, J. Pisarra, A. Wood
Connor McClean’s (BS ME, '18) senior design team was presented a unique opportunity by their advisor, ME associate professor Aaron Stebner: build a custom, open-platform additive manufacturing (AM) machine to kick-start the new Advanced Manufacturing program's teaching lab. Their machine, a three-axis, gantry-style direct write printer (pictured below), can print in a range of viscous materials from metallic paste to ceramics to biomaterial. Connor's passion for AM—and his entrepreneurial spirit—were born in the midst of the fidget spinner craze a few years back. He bought his own machine and 3D-printed custom fidget spinners from his home for customers around the world. Connor continues his work and his entrepreneurial pursuit as a master's (non-thesis) student in the Advanced Manufacturing program. Working with program director Craig Brice, he is building another machine that uses high-powered lasers to melt metal powder together. He is using his graduate work at Mines to kick-start his "dream job"—his own AM company to produce custom, open-platform, research-oriented AM machines that will advance knowledge in the field.
GENE HAAS FOUNDATION SCHOLARS Mines ME was awarded a $10,000 grant for student scholarships from the Gene Haas Foundation (GHF). The department uses the GHF grant to fund specialized multiyear scholarships for students who work in the ME Instructional Machine Shop. The GHF scholars are provided additional training on the CNC mill and then become trainers for the shop’s mill. The Instructional Machine Shop, located in the basement of Brown Building, is home to two Haas CNC mills. The Fall 2019 GHF scholars are Shelby Ryan, Senior; Jacqueline Pierce, Senior; Nicholas Johnson, Senior; Justin Rozendaal, Junior; Keely Stevenson, Sophomore; and Devon Ownbey, Sophomore.
ME undergrads win inter- disciplinary Manufacturing Innovation Challenge
MEGN 503 COMPETITION WINNERS Amogh Thatte (left) and Jesse Wales (right) won the MEGN 503 competition in their respective sections. MEGN 503 is a seminar forum for graduate students to present their research projects, critique others' presentations, understand the breadth of engineering projects within their specialty area and across the division, and hear from leaders in industry. Each student is required to present a seminar in the course before their graduation. Amogh's seminar was titled "An Evaluation of High Temperature Water Splitting Systems Using Protonic Ceramic Electrolyzers," and Jesse's was titled "Optimizing Vehicle Fleet Size, Mix, and Assignment for Solar Power Plant Mirror Washing."
Kick-starting a program and a dream job
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Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Benjamin Arledge-Bottlinger Kristen Baker Victoria Bennett Shawn Berry Kevin Billings Alexander Blanchard Eric Bond Corbin Cargil Sean Cash Christopher Ciccarelli Chase Clayton Jennifer Compton Tyler Cooney Cooper Cordero Charles Courtad Mystic Currey Austin Edmondson Gabriella Emery Justin Erickson Joshua Esty Amanda Etcheverry Madalyn Eustis Brandon Farmer Sean Fennig Tyler Fenton Benjamin Ferrera Taylor Frandsen Keegan Gallagher Chase Ganim Michael Gump Benjamin Hamel Shona Hansen Bradley Harger Oliver Heatwole Jacen Hogard Peter Hunt Jeremy Ingalls Rebecca Jewell Dawson Johnson Patrick Keane Geoffrey Keating Taylor Keller Harrison Koh James Kohlschmidt Caylin Kuenn Chanise Kurz Luke La Rocque Dong Lee Tyler Lee Kaitlyn Leiker Kylie Liddell Ryan Mabee Ian Macwithey Mitchell Magdaleno Averie Mansfield Adam Marcinkowski Nicholas Martinez Andrew McClain Dylan McClain Jordyn McGrath Taylor McRae Jennifer Mencin Jacob Moran Spencer Morgan Joshua Nelson Thomas Nortman Sean O'Dell Joshua Odom Gretchen Ohlhausen Eric Perez Jacob Peroutek Tristan Prukop Bryce Remmenga Jonathon Rivera Dominique Rivera Jonathan Roberts Sefrie Roybal Dustin Salley Alexander Samarchuk Peyton Sanders George Sandoval Andrew Schmitt Aaron Siu Riley Stein Brockton Sterling Gary Stimson Max Sweeney Hunter Szuszczewicz Peter Taenzer Cody Ullestad Benjamin Volkmann Connor Weddle Ira Weyand
Congratulations to our newest alumni!
William Hamilton Advisors: Robert Braun, Alexandra Newman "Design and Dispatch of Concentrating Solar Power Tower Systems With Utility-Scale Photovoltaics" Sri Sesharam Avinash Mamidanna Advisor: Owen Hildreth "Morphology Prediction of Reactive Silver Ink Systems" Evan Reznicek Advisor: Robert Braun "Design and Simulation of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Recompression Brayton Cycles With Regenerators for Recuperation" Lauren Sepp Advisor: Anne Silverman "Running Biomechanics for People With a Unilateral Transtibial Amputation Using Running-Specific and Daily-Use Prostheses" Claire Strebinger Advisors: Gregory Bogin, Juergen Brune "Modeling Large-Scale High-Speed Methane Gas Deflagrations in Confined Spaces: Applications for Longwall Coal Mines" Peter Weddle Advisors: Robert Kee, Tyrone Vincent "Developing and Identifying Physically Based Li-Ion Battery Models to Inform Real-Time Control Applications" Xu Zhou Advisor: Xiaoli Zhang "Self-Reflective Experiential Learning for Persistent Autonomy" doctor of philosophy, materials science Sean Mills Advisors: Aaron Stebner, Behnam Amin-Ahmadi "Development of Nickel-Titanium-Hafnium Alloys for Impact Resistant Tribology Performances"
Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering
A special thanks to our veterans: Taylor Keller Tyler Lee Mitchell Magdaleno Jonathon Rivera Dustin Salley
Ira Weyland is ME's Fall 2019 Outstanding Graduating Senior. Weyland will commission into the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant after graduation, pursuing his military career in the National Guard while also beginning his civilian career as a technical analyst for Citrix.
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Sean Barrett Curtis Burke Peter Caltagirone Matej Cernosek Christina Champion Tyler Evans Andrew Fleming Ryan Friedman Alexander Garcia Allysun Hatton-Bannister Karl Heine Marcos Hernandez Rodriguez Amneh Jaber Arran James Noopur Dilip Jamnikar Sebastian Joly Yunsik Jung Aleksei La Rue Kyle Larsen Amy LeBar Eli Ludtke William Machemer Duc Nguyen Samuel Nichols Collin Quinn Corey Randall Matthew Stanley Kasra Taghikhani
MECHANICAL MONDAYS
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Mines ME continues the tradition of hosting Mechanical Mondays for undergraduate students. This hour-long lunchtime series brings ME undergrads together with faculty, alumni, industry and academia every other Monday to connect on topics of interest, engage with panelists and have some fun. The Fall 2019 series featured: Industry Perspective: Mike Casey, Antarctica Experience Alumni Spotlight: Andrew Bradt, BP Global Concept Development Alumni Spotlight: Doug Collins, Avid Product Development Industry Perspective: Dave Wolenski, Electro-Mechanical Products Alumni Spotlight: Matthew Dawson, Utility Global Alumni Spotlight: Kurt Lindgren, Sundyne LLC Alumni Spotlight: Benny and Julie Benson, ENERGYneering Solutions Industry Perspective: Tony Glocker and Mike Puckett, SolidProfessor The Spring 2020 series will feature: Alumni Spotlight: Geordie Campbell, Jabil Graduate Student Panel Industry Perspective: Earl Benson, Northrop Grumman Industry Perspective: Mike Karty, TMMI Alumni Spotlight: Devin Sammon, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. Industry Perspective: ET1 (SS) Ryan McCabe, U.S. Navy Alumni Spotlight: Jessica Reeves and Will Martin, Ingersoll Rand Study Abroad Program
The Mechanical Engineering Department hosted distinguished speakers for the Fall 2019 Distinguished Seminar Series. The seminars were held once a month during the semester and featured speakers from industry, academia and national laboratories. The series attracts world-class leaders to deliver seminars on cutting-edge topics.
Mines ME hosts Mechanical Mondays
prof. reinhard radermacher Minta Martin Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland; Director, Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, Maryland Energy Innovation Institute "The Future of Indoor Climate Control"
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Dave Wolenski, owner of Electro-Mechanical Products in Lakewood, speaks during the Fall 2019 Mechanical Mondays series.
Dr. chris debrunner Fellow, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Autonomous Systems Group "The Future of Autonomy at Lockheed Martin"
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prof. chris weinberger Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University "Developing Physically Based Multiscale Models of Plasticity in BCC Metals"
Dr. guangdong zhu Research Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory "A Perspective on Concentrating Solar Power Technologies: An Undervalued Foundation and an Underestimated Potential"
Mechanical Engineering Department Distinguished Seminar Series
We are always looking for engaging alum and industry speakers for our Mechanical Mondays! Contact Traci Case: tcase@mines.edu
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES
prof. joseph samaniuk Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines "Understanding Particle-Particle Interactions that Drive Self Assembly of 2D Film Materials such as Graphene, Molybdenum Disulfide, and Hexagonal Boron Nitride"
Dr. Mark tschopp Research Lead, U.S. Army Research Laboratory Central "ARL Central: Polycrystalline Materials by Design, and Other Short Stories"
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