May 2018

Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Michael J. McShane head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University. The appointment will be effective June 1.

Sophia Esteban encourages her peers and prospective college students to find something to be passionate about and stick to it. Esteban, a sophomore in the Department of Ocean Engineering at Texas A&M University, has pursued her own advice and followed a passion to eventually work for the ocean view maps department at Google, Inc.

In a time of critical demand from industry, students from the Texas A&M University Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution hosted a seminar focusing on ethics, leadership and entrepreneurship—better preparing the capstone cohort for the post-graduation experience.

When biomedical researchers have a technology they believe can help patients, they want to get it into the clinic as soon as possible. However, some therapies that look promising in the lab are challenging to “scale up” and produce in sufficient quantities to test in a larger group, or eventually make broadly available to patients.

Researchers in the Texas A&M University College of Engineering are conducting research on arsenic intake in rice plants during their cultivation, which may decrease the number of health issues caused across the globe from this important staple crop.

Texas A&M University’s Department of Residence Life and Utility & Energy Services announced the winners of the 2nd annual U-Challenge. The team that took first place at the graduate level included five doctoral students from Dr. M.M. Faruque Hasan’s research group in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering – Ishan Bajaj (team leader), Shachit Shankaran Iyer, Salih Emre Demirel, Akhil Arora and Spyridon Tsolas – and one master’s student from the subsea engineering program – Mohammad Alvi. The team was assigned Davis-Gary Hall.

Dr. Hadi Nasrabadi, assistant professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, is working in collaboration with professors in the chemical and mechanical engineering departments at Texas A&M University to better explain and predict hydrocarbon phase behavior in the nanometric spaces of unconventional reservoirs.

It may one day be possible to power electronics using your body heat, based on research conducted by a team that included Texas A&M University professor Dr. Jaime Grunlan.

During the second annual "Aggies Celebrate Teaching! – Recognizing Transformational Learning" reception, three faculty members from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering were honored by the Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas A&M. This year’s award reception was part of the inaugural Texas A&M University Transformational Teaching and Learning Conference.

A Texas A&M University-led consortium has received support from a local, innovative telemonitoring device and service company to support diabetes and heart disease research.

Anita Brown, a doctoral student in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, has received a scholarship as part of the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship program.

More than 40 engineering students from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering shifted into high gear the week of April 30 to May 5, placing second overall in the first competition milestone of the General Motors and Society for Automotive Engineers’ AutoDrive challenge in Yuma, Arizona.

Quentin Baker, Class of ’78 graduate from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was recently recognized as a 2018 College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Honor Award Recipient, an honor he said he was stunned and honored to receive.

The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) recently signed a collaborative research agreement with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Smart Grid Center and the center’s extension in Qatar on the study, “Optimizing KAHRAMAA’s Smart Grid Capabilities and Setting its Future Roadmap.”

Houston-based Arovia, creators of the Spontaneous Pop-Up Display (SPUD) a collapsible portable desktop display, was awarded $50,000 as the winner of the 2018 Texas A&M New Ventures Competition hosted by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).

Dr. Mladen Kezunovic, Eugene E. Webb and Regents Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, was named a 2018 Distinguished Member of the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRÉ) for his longstanding service to the organization.

Dr. Hae-Kwon Jeong, associate professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has developed a novel method to separate light olefins – such as ethylene and propylene that are used in packaging, plastic processing and textile manufacturing – from paraffins – such as ethane and propane. This is one of the most significant separations in chemical and petrochemical industries, with propylene production amounting to around $90 billion annually worldwide, yet one of the most challenging due to the similarity of their physical and chemical properties.

The paper "Comparing Visual, Textual and Multimodal Features for Detecting Sign Language in Video Sharing Sites," by Caio Monteiro, Dr. Frank Shipman, and Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez-Osuna from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University won the Best Paper Award at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Multimedia Information Processing and Retrieval.

This past semester, a group of engineering students at Texas A&M University has been working closely with an artist from New York to help her design a new smoke painting tool. Rosemarie Fiore isn’t a traditional painter. Instead of using paint brushes and paint, she uses fireworks and colorful smoke to create beautiful large-scale paintings.

The Crisman Institute for Petroleum Research, a center within the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, is under new leadership. Dr. Jeff Spath, the new department head of the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University, has taken on the role of director for the institute.

After becoming captivated with the Texas A&M University at Galveston campus, William “Mick” Prouse decided to pursue a degree in ocean engineering, with a concentration in coastal studies. Prouse strives to raise the bar in both his academics and the field of ocean engineering.

Dr. Manoranjan Majji, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elevated to the grade of Senior Member by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Civil engineering sophomore Nicholas Rossi was recently named sergeant major in the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, making him the highest ranking junior cadet in the band.

With a total pool of $380,000, $165,000 in cash and $215,000 in in-kind and investment prizes, this is the largest prize pool yet for the Texas A&M New Ventures Competition (TNVC). This year’s startups include companies from across a wide spectrum of fields including healthcare, IT/software, digital health, transportation and clean energy technology.

In the fall of 2015, two Texas A&M University students worked alongside faculty and a local space commercialization company to develop equipment that would be used on the International Space Station (ISS) for research by NASA. Capstone teams are continuing their work.

Dr. Dimitris Lagoudas, associate vice chancellor and deputy director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), recognized Faculty and Staff Award winners during the 2018 Faculty and Staff Awards banquet.

Texas A&M University at Qatar graduated its 900th engineer on May 10 in a ceremony attended by Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, vice chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation.

A senior design capstone team in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University evaluated IBM Watson for use as the “brain-system” in an on-campus autonomous paratransit shuttle. This was the first time IBM partnered with a major university to explore the use of Watson’s services in alternative transportation mobility solutions.

The Texas A&M Energy Institute is joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) and the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy to support implementation of the Department of Energy-led U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program to advance women’s participation and leadership in clean energy.

A new technology combining a laser beam and a particle beam for interstellar propulsion could pave the way for space exploration into the vast corners of our universe. This is the focus of PROCSIMA, a new research proposal by Dr. Chris Limbach and Dr. Ken Hara, assistant professors in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University.

To help better predict the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, two researchers from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University have joined a grant project to develop better monitoring tools in coastal areas.

Texas A&M University Department of Mechanical Engineering graduate student Cole Fincher has been selected for the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program, an honor bestowed upon only the most outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.

Two students have recently received awards for their research and co-curricular activities. Scott Wilson, a former student in the Department of Biomedical engineering at Texas A&M University, received the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Research-Master’s, and Dr. Charles W. Peak, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering, received the Buck Weirus Spirit Award, both from the Association of Former Students (AFS). Both work in a laboratory in the department under assistant professor, Dr. Akhilesh Garharwar.

Held from April 11-14, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) 2018 ASCE Texas-Mexico Student Symposium, hosted by the ASCE student chapter at Texas A&M University, invited students from 21 universities in both Mexico and Texas to participate in competitions, professional networking opportunities and learning activities.

Four students from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University have been awarded the 2018-2019 Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) scholarships from the American Helicopter Society (AHS). This is a merit-based scholarship, given by the AHS, to students who conduct cutting-edge research related to vertical flight.

Dr. Andreas Polycarpou, head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, co-chaired a successful 2018 International Mechanical Engineering Education Leadership Summit as part of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in March. Dr. N.K. Anand was a panelist for a discussion on various mechanical engineering partnerships ranging from government and industry to academia and nonprofits. Dr. Arun Srinivasa also attended the summit as a panelist on a Safety and Security of Autonomous Systems.

Natural disasters can disrupt communications, restrict access to basic needs like electricity and water, and can isolate entire communities, forcing them to fend for themselves. As a part of the AggiE-Challenge students are working to change the way communities survive and thrive during natural disasters with a multifaceted program called Disaster IQ.

Dr. Zachary Grasley, presidential impact fellow, director of the Center for Infrastructure Renewal and professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M, has been named a fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS).

Texas A&M University students were recently recognized for their efforts to end hunger in Texas as part of the Hunger Free Project - an intercollegiate effort to facilitate meaningful, sustainable interactions between Texas A&M students and organizations representing core values of leadership and selfless service in the community.

A research group in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University led by Dr. Shiren Wang, is working to find efficient solutions to reusing and repurposing wasted heat energy.

James McElreath, an undergraduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, was named the international runner-up of the American Helicopter Society’s (AHS) prestigious 2018 Robert L. Lichten Award competition.

Former student Ron Smith found the key to his dream of building and installing underwater habitats was earning a degree in ocean engineering from Texas A&M University.

Three College Station startups are among the 16 semifinalists announced for the 2018 Texas A&M New Ventures Competition (TNVC). At the May 17 competition, judges will narrow the field of 16 semi-finalists from across Texas down to six finalists. The final judging round begins at 1 p.m. and is open to the public and the media. The finals will take place in the All American Club at Kyle Field.

Kyle Field’s Hall of Champions was packed for the sixth annual Engineering Project Showcase, the annual celebration of the technical accomplishments of Texas A&M University’s engineering undergraduate students.

A senior design course capstone team in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University won first place in the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Design Challenge for their presentation on 3D printed antennas.

Engineers from Texas A&M University and Virginia Tech report important new insights into nanoporous gold--a material with growing applications in several areas, including energy storage and biomedical devices--all without stepping into a lab.

Texas A&M University Zachry Department of Civil Engineering doctoral student Kambiz Rasoulkhani is studying the long-term resilience of water infrastructure systems in urban communities in order to help enhance water infrastructure resilience.

Seven faculty members from the College of Engineering were selected to receive a 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award from Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students.

Nine sophomore and junior mechatronics engineering technology (MXET) students from Texas A&M University took their first industry field trip by traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, to visit and tour Bell Helicopter. Glenn Isbell ’96, vice president of rapid prototyping and manufacturing innovation, and Glenn Rodriguez, quality operations manager, hosted the students visiting from the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University was well-represented at the annual Physics and Engineering Festival, hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M on Saturday, April 7.

Innovation and advancements in biomedical and engineering research was the theme of this year’s Lasker Lecture and spring Biomedical Imaging Symposium hosted by Texas A&M University and the Houston Methodist Hospital’s EnMed program. Event attendees came together April 25-26 to share best practices and attend sessions led by some of the nation’s most renowned experts in the fields of medicine and engineering.

Dr. Dennis Assanis, president of the University of Delaware, met with graduate students on March 21 as part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Fowler Distinguished Lecture Series at Texas A&M University.