April 2009

"Students"

• The Society of Plastics Engineering (SPE) held its 2009 Polymer Nanocomposite Symposium at Rauch Conference Center from March 2-4, 2009. The event included a graduate poster competition. Of the ten entries, the top three finishers were Ph.D. candidates from the department of Chemical Engineering. Jonathan Longley, Shilpi Vajpayee, and Zhipeng Song received first, second, and third prize, respectively.
• Youngsheng Ou, Chao Xu, and Lixian Luo received the top prizes at the National Academy of Engineering's Grand Challenges Summit, held at Duke University on March 2nd and 3rd. The summit encouraged researchers of all levels in science, engineering, the humanities, and the social sciences to address one of fourteen "grand challenges" in the categories of Energy and Environment, Health, Entrepreneurship, Security, and Learning and Computation. Xu and Ou won first prize for their poster, and Luo won second for his in the Energy and Environment Category. All three student winners are advised by assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, Eugenio Schuster.
• Lehigh's Rossin Junion Fellows (RJFs) teamed up with students from Broughal Middle School to participate in a building contest that benefitted the community in two ways. The Broughal students were given exposure to engineering in an environment that would excite them about the possibilities of a career path in one of numerous disciples. In addition, all of the cans used in the competition were donated to the South Bethlehem Neighborhood Center. Four teams competed, creating a banana split, the Eiffel Tower, Dino from the Flintstones, and SpongeBob Squarepants, and awards were given for a variety of categories. The structures were on display in Packard Lobby until Friday, March 27th.
• The Lehigh student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) hosted an Energy Issues Symposium on Thursday, March 26. The event featured five speakers including Dr. John Chen, professor emeritus and former dean of the engineering college, Dr. Albert Wurth, associate professor of political science, and three engineers from industry. The lectures will discuss different aspects of energy studies, from the social and political impact to technical solutions.
• The Tyco-Lehigh Manufacturing Expo is a collaborative effort that engages Lehigh mechanical engineering undergraduates and eighth-graders from Broughal Middle School to work together to design, manufacture, and race small "Matchbox" style vehicles. The 2009 Expo is set for April 24^th  beginning at 11 a.m., with the race taking place on the walkway leading to Packard Lab at noon.

"Alumni"

• Vincent Pagano, '72 is the most recent addition to the Engineering Advisory Board (EAB) at Lehigh University. He is the head of Capital Markets Practice Group at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he has been a partner since 1986. Pagano, who is one of the leading capital markets lawyers in the United States, graduated summa cum laude from Lehigh in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in engineering before attending the University of California at Berkeley and Rutgers for advanced degrees, and Harvard Law School where he graduated cum laude.
• Dr. Umesh Mishra, '81G, was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Election to the NAE is one of the highest honors awarded to engineers in the United States. Mishra, who graduated with an master's in electrical engineering in 1981, has served as a member of the electrical and computer engineering advisory board for the past two years.
• Autumn Bayles, '92, was featured in the most recent version of the Lehigh Alumni Bulletin. Bayles, a graduate of department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations and Technology at Tasty Baking Company. Bayles has helped to improve the production lines in the current facilities and is spearheading the construction of a brand new and more modern factory.

"Programs"

• The college's annual David and Lorraine Freed Undergraduate Research Symposium occurred on Wednesday April 1, 2009, in Packard Lab. The symposium celebrates the accomplishments of undergraduate engineering researchers and provides students with an opportunity to network with their peers. This year, for the first time Lafayette College engineering students were also a part of the competition.
• The 2009 Khan Lecture Series will feature Dr. Bruce R. Ellingwood, Distinguished Professor and the Raymond Allen Jones Chair in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech. At 4:10 PM on April 17, 2009, he will present Abnormal Loads and Progressive Collapse—Assessment and Mitigation of Risk. The lecture, which will be held in Sinclair Laboratory Auditorium, will discuss how localized architectural weaknesses can, by chain reaction, lead to the failure of an entire structure. Ellingwood will also present design strategies and changes in the national standards to minimize the likelihood of progressive collapse.
• In honor of its 60th anniversary, and the 35th anniversary of its Enterprise Systems Center, Lehigh's department of Industrial & Systems Engineering will host an all-day celebration on Thursday, April 16, 2009. The event will include an open house at Mohler Lab, a panel discussion, the Spencer C. Schantz Distinguised Lecture given by John McGlade, '76, '80G, CEO and Chairman of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and a banquet dinner and awards ceremony.
• The Lehigh Society of Women Engineers is hosting its annual Charting Horizons and Opportunities In Careers in Engineering and Science (CHOICES) program on April 3, 2009. In conjunction with the engineering college, SWE invites middle school girls from the surrounding areas to gather at Iacocca Hall for the day and participate in a variety of engineering-related activities.
• The International Materials Institute for New Functionality in Glass and the National Synchrotron Light Source will host a two-day workshop at Brookhaven National Laboratory, April 6-7, 2009. Professor Himanshu Jain of the department of Materials Science & Engineering is a lead organizer for the event. Participants can register on-site on April 6th.
• As part of its Leadership Development course, the department of Industrial & Systems Engineering hosted founders of FEED Projects, LLC, Lauren Bush and Ellen Gustafson to discuss how they created their own company. The duo spoke about the need for commitment and perseverance when developing your own business.

     

P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science
Lehigh University • Packard Laboratory, 19 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015 • (610) 758-4025