Training engineers to build better railroads
As America looks to build a high-speed network of trains, University of Rhode Island engineering students will soon receive a look at one of the busiest and most advanced railroad systems in the world. In May European railroad company Deutsche Bahn signed an agreement with the University that will place interns at the German-based company and provide $25,000 to support the International Engineering Program.
Also during May, University President David Dooley signed an agreement that bolsters the school’s relationship with the Braunschweig University of Technology in Germany. The relationship allows students from both schools to earn two master’s degrees in engineering – one from each school.
Shaking things up in civil engineering
Civil engineering students this fall will shake things up with a new “shake table” that models the effects of an earthquake. Students in introductory engineering courses will use the table to test how their models hold up under earthquake conditions. The exercise will reinforce basic principles such as stiffness, mass and damping that students learn in other courses while providing a chance to evaluate innovative concepts in seismic-resistant design. Professors also plan to organize “shake competitions” for K-12 students to introduce young people to engineering.
Seeing clearly at airports
The Federal Aviation Administration has a new option for measuring the height of obstacles near runways thanks to University of Rhode Island engineering students. The team recently took third place in the agency’s annual Design Competition for Universities: Airport Management and Planning category. Students developed a device that utilizes a camera and lasers to measure the height of obstacles near an airport and eliminates the need to rely on a visual inspection by a person. The project doubled as the team’s senior capstone design project and included Nicholas Child, Brandon Corey, Payam Fahr, André Hofmann and Jeffrey Reinker.
Engineers touch a nerve
A team of researchers building a better way to measure and control the electrical activities of nerve and muscle cells recently received an Intellectual Property Patent Award from the University. Biomedical engineering Professor Ying Sun serves on the team whose invention promises to replace 60-year-old analog technology with digital technology that can enhance research in electrophysiology, neural prosthesis and brain-machine interface. The team also included retired URI biological sciences Professor Robert Hill and URI engineering alumni Jiang Wu and John DiCecco.
College welcomes new professors
This fall there will be new faces at the college. The college welcomes Tao Wei as an assistant professor in the electrical, computer and biomedical engineering department, and Stephen Licht as an assistant professor in the ocean engineering department.
Miller to lead Acoustical Society of America
Ocean engineering Professor James Miller will assume the presidency of the Acoustical Society of America in May 2013. Miller says he hopes to increase membership in the 7,500-strong association that includes experts in physics, math, engineering, biology and music, among other disciplines. Miller also hopes to build international student representation in the 83-year-old organization.