Alumni News

Christopher Scott '05

Electrical Engineering alumnus Christopher Scott '05, received a 2009 Black Engineer of the Year Award in the Modern-Day Technology Leaders category at the BEYA Conference, Feb. 18-22 in Baltimore, Md. He works at the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command's (RDECOM's) Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren.

The Black Engineers of the Year Awards recognize individuals who have achieved exceptional career gains in government and industry, in lifetime achievement and in pioneering feats. The category of Modern-Day Technology Leaders honors men and women of color who are demonstrating outstanding performance and will shape the future course of engineering, science and technology.

Faculty News

Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry Mark Benvenuto was part of a Council for Chemical Research team that met with directors of several federal agencies, Dec. 9-10 to discuss the agencies' plans and needs during and after the U.S. presidential transition. A key issue was the incoming administration's view on science research funding. The team met with Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation, as well as with representatives of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The team also met with members of the Obama transition team, including Kei Koizumi, the current American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Director of the R&D Budget and Policy Program.

Art Haman

Associate Dean Arthur Haman was inducted into the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) Hall of Fame at its Honors Dinner, April 30. Haman was recognized for his contributions to DAPCEP as a founding program coordinator and instructor from 1976 to present. Approximately 5,000 Detroit area students annually participate in DAPCEP programs, which help motivate and prepare minority youth academically to pursue careers in science, mathematics, engineering and technically related fields. DAPCEP partners with corporations, foundations, universities, Detroit Public Schools and other organizations to offer its programs. UDM is the largest DAPCEP program site, hosting approximately 1,400 students annually.

Dean Leo Hanifin presented a description of UDM projects related to an alternative fuel curriculum for high schools and the TRANSIT summer camp on intelligent transportation systems at a best practices session of the Department of Transportation UTC Grant Recipients Meeting in Washington, DC in January. The curriculum and the camp were created by faculty members from Biology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering working with high school educators and Dan Maggio, UDM's director of E&S Pre-College Programs.

Student News

Sixteen undergraduate students of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry made research presentations at the National American Chemical Society meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah in March. These students worked on their research with Professors David Bartley, Mark Benvenuto, Katherine Lanigan and Matt Mio. Also at this ACS meeting, the Chemistry Club was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award.

Late last fall a team of UDM Mechanical Engineering students placed 4th in the nation in the American Society for Mechanical Engineers Student Design Competition. The photo below was taken with their robotic window washer when they won the Northeast Regional earlier in the year.

UDM's mechanical engineering team with their autonomous window washer based on the VEX robotics platform.

A team of Civil & Environmental Engineering students participated in the Concrete Canoe Competition, April 4 at Kensington Metropark as part of the Regional Conference for the ASCE Student Chapters. The team, pictured below, placed 7th overall and 4th in the men's and women's endurance races, competing against university teams from Michigan and Ohio, including University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University. The UDM team participants were pleased with the progress they had achieved during the past four years of competition. Civil & Environment Engineering Professor James Lynch served as faculty advisor for the UDM team.

UDM's 2009 Concrete Canoe Competition team