UDM team places third in international competition

UDM's Electrical & Computer Engineering team of nine students, three faculty members and their robot were awarded third place overall at the 14th Annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) in June. The competition includes a design competition, navigation challenge, and autonomous challenge.

Forty-one teams from 30 universities representing the U.S., Canada, India and Japan competed at this year's IGVC at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, Mich. UDM's team, "THOR," took home third place overall, behind Virginia Tech's "Gemini" and "Johnny 5" teams.

The IGVC is an annual international competition created to offer cutting-edge design experience to engineering students. In the specific challenges, UDM's team placed fourth in the autonomous challenge and third in the navigation challenge out of 41 teams. UDM also received the "First to Qualify" award at the competition.

"The skills and experience that our students gained from preparing for the IGVC will help set them apart from others when they enter the workforce," says Nizar Al-Holou, professor and chair of Electrical & Computer Engineering at UDM.                                

High school students attend Tech Day
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More than 600 students from 25 high schools in metropolitan Detroit attended Technology Awareness Day, hosted by the College of Engineering and Science, Oct. 27. The event included the annual UDM Chemistry Magic Show, engineering displays and exhibits with several corporate displays from Ford Motor Company, DaimlerChrysler, Pfizer, Comau Pico, Continental Teves, DTE Energy and the Detroit Police Forensic Department.

Golfing event scores another success

Approximately 80 golfers participated in the UDM College of Engineering & Science 3rd annual E&S Golf Outing held July 17 at Shenandoah Golf Club in West Bloomfield. The event, supported by corporate sponsors, raised more than $13,000 to assist E&S student scholarships and organizations.

Congratulations to the winning Foursome: Phil Kimmel, Brent Mrozinski, Dean Morales and Chris Copp.

Next summer's Golf Outing is scheduled for July 16 and will be held at Shenandoah Golf Club. To reserve a spot, arrange sponsorship, make a contribution or for more information, call 313-993-1218.

Chemistry Society official visits UDM

Bill Carroll, past president of the American Chemistry Society, traveled to different schools, including UDM, to celebrate National Chemistry Week. Read Carroll's blog about his visit to UDM.

Faculty News

Mary Lou Caspers, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, presented the paper, "Exploring the Distribution of Alpha Subunit Isoforms of the (Na ⁺+K ⁺)-ATPase in Mouse Brain," July 11 at the International Jesuit Association of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Universities and Schools (ISJACHEM) Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

Associate Dean of the College of Engineering & Science Arthur C. Haman has been appointed to a three-year term on the Notre Dame Preparatory and Marist Academy (NDPMA) Board of Trustees.  In this capacity, he will become chair of the Educational Policy Committee. NDPMA offers Junior Kindergarten through 12th grade classes enrolling about 1,200 students.

Engineering & Science Dean Leo Hanifin and his wife Angela were named the winners of the Samaritan Award at Focus: HOPE's "WALK 2006" event, Oct. 8. The award is presented to the individuals who raise the most money for the annual event.  Hanifin's involvement with Focus: HOPE in recent years also includes his role as principal investigator for a $15 million dollar project that supported the development of engineering programs for Focus: HOPE workers.  Hanifin was also featured on WWJ Newsradio 950's Making the Grade series, Aug. 31, speaking on "Is There Still a Future in Engineering?"

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Matt Mio and Chemistry Storeroom Manager Meghann Mouyianis were featured in the Oct. 11 Metro Times article highlighting their involvement in the Motor City Haunt Club, a group dedicated to Halloween "haunting" (decorating homes and running haunted house attractions).

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Shulamith Schlick is editor of the book, Advanced ESR Methods in Polymer Research, published this month by Wiley.