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2020 Magazine
J. MIKE WALKER ’66 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
LEADERS IN ENGINEERING TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 Letter from Department Head
The J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical
Engineering is one of 14 departments in the 5 Department Overview
Texas A&M University College of Engineering
(the biggest college on the Texas A&M campus). 6 Faculty Awards
Among public institutions in the nation, our
8 Staff Awards
undergraduate program is ranked 11th and our
graduate program is ranked 9th. Our faculty 10 Staff Spotlight
members are internationally recognized in
research areas including thermal and fluid 11 We Bleed Maroon
sciences, materials and manufacturing, mechanics 12 The Sky is the Limit
and design, systems and controls, biomechanics
and human health, energy and environment, and 13 A Life-Saving Cause
robotics and mechatronics.
14 Playing on Keys
15 On Alert
HIGH IMPACT 16 Into the Extreme
18 Fulfilling Dreams
The department’s research encompasses a wealth
of mechanical engineering disciplines and houses 19 Critical Shortage
both state-of-the-art turbomachinery and energy
20 Boeing & Beyond
systems laboratories, as well as national network
for manufacturing innovation and connected 21 One Gallon to the Future
autonomous safe transportation facilities. Active
research efforts within the department are in the 22 Inspiring Students Through Teaching
areas of combustion, energy systems mechanics,
23 Smart Building Ventilation
fluid mechanics, heat transfer, polymers, systems
and controls, tribology, and turbomachinery. 24 Advancing Energy Storage
Research within the department has resulted in
improved processes in various industries, new 25 NSF Award
companies and increased economic activity.
26 Walker Eminent Lecture Series
27 Fowler Distinguished Lecture Series
28 Legacy of Remembrance
STUDENTS 29 Industrial Advisory Council
Students within the department receive a broad 30 Stewardship
education in basic theory courses complemented
by laboratory experiences in dynamic systems
and controls, design, experimentation, fluid
mechanics, heat transfer, manufacturing, and
materials. Graduates of the department’s
undergraduate and graduate programs are
recruited by manufacturers, health care providers,
transportation companies, engineering consulting
firms, national laboratories and universities. Texas A&M Engineering Communications 2020
2
TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
PAGE 15 PAGE 22
PAGE 25
3
LEADERS IN ENGINEERING
LETTER FROM THE
DEPARTMENT HEAD
Greetings from Aggieland! Army Futures Command and established his Hypervelocity
Impact Laboratory.
Howdy! On behalf of the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of
Mechanical Engineering, I hope you and your family are safe We welcomed three new tenured faculty this year and are
during these trying times. actively screening top-notch candidates for recruitment. We
know their contributions to the field of mechanical engineering
As we face this global crisis together, I have been proud to will continue to propel our department toward preeminence.
see how our department has responded with resilience,
compassion and innovation. I am confident that we will The department continues to transform our undergraduate
overcome this together and be stronger on the other side. curriculum to promote experiential learning while fostering
student growth and development. Our faculty continue to be
This past year has been filled with achievements and a number recognized for their outstanding contributions to engineering
of exciting developments. education. We are committed to leading the way in innovations
The generous endowment provided by the late Dr. J. Mike to advanced pedagogy in engineering education to educate the
Walker ’66, established in 2018, has already made a big mechanical engineers of the future.
difference in the department. The J. Mike Walker ’66 Impact There are so many undergraduate and graduate students
Award was established and awarded to four undergraduate in our program who exemplify the standard of excellence in
and six graduate students for their academic and innovative education and research we hold in the department, and it is
excellence. Additionally, four faculty members have received my pleasure to introduce some of them featured in this issue
grants to pursue research. The department was also able to along with their many accomplishments.
make renovations to both the Mechanical Engineering Office
Building and the James J. Cain Building, including an expanded I would also like to offer a sincere thank you to the donors
rapid prototyping lab. who generously support programs in our department through
significant contributions in support of faculty, students and
Our faculty continue to gain success in high-impact research, facilities. Your support enables us to continue enhancing the
obtaining major research grants in areas of national quality of education we provide to our students.
importance and receiving recognition from their peers as
recipients of prestigious awards, including Dr. Matt Pharr,
who received the National Science Foundation’s CAREER
Andreas A. Polycarpou, Ph.D.
Department Head
Award for his work on developing improved rechargeable
James J. Cain ’51 Chair in Mechanical Engineering
batteries, and Dr. Thomas Lacy, who partnered with the
Meinhard H. Kotzebue ’14 Professor
4
TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
DEGREES AWARDED (2018-19)
387 Bachelor’s
51 M.S.
37 M.Eng.
47 Ph.D.
ENROLLMENT (2019-20)
1,447 Undergraduate
(excluding freshmen) 144 M.S.
100 M.Eng.
254 Ph.D.
AREAS OF RESEARCH FIELDS OF APPLICATION
• Energy Conversion and Combustion • Energy and Environment
• Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics • Micro and Nanosystems
• Materials
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Fluid Mechanics
• Solid Mechanics • Biomechanics and Health
• Design and CAE • Rotating Machinery
• Controls
• Robotics and Mechatronics
• Dynamics, Vibrations and Acoustics
FACULTY
TENURED/TENURE TRACK 64
FULL PROFESSORS 29
ENDOWMENT ENDOWED
POSITIONS
$86.4M
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS 18
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS 17
ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL TRACK 17 CHAIRS 7
PROFESSORS OF PRACTICE 4 PROFESSORSHIPS 12
INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY 8 RESEARCH FACULTY FELLOWSHIPS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
11
RESEARCH FACULTY
TEXAS A&M AT QATAR FACULTY
6
11
EXPENDITURES PROFESSORSHIPS 4
EMERITUS FACULTY
NATIONAL ACADEMY MEMBERS
23
5 $28.9M
AFFILIATED FACULTY 18 5
LEADERS IN ENGINEERING
Ali Erdemir, Ph.D.
Professor – TEES Eminent Professor
FACULTY AWARDS Governor’s University Research Initiative
N.K. Anand, Ph.D. Alan Freed, Ph.D.
James M. and Ada Sutton Forsyth Professor – Professor
Regents Professor – Executive Associate Dean
National Academy of Sciences – Member
of Engineering – Associate Director, Texas A&M
Engineering Experiment Station
American Society of Mechanical Engineers –
James Harry Potter Gold Medal
Dion Antao, Ph.D. Jaime Grunlan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Professor – Linda & Ralph Schmidt ’68 Professor
TEES – Engineering Genesis Award Government of Australia – Australian Research
Grant
Peggy L. and Charles Brittan ’65 Outstanding
Undergraduate Teaching Award
Shadi Balawi, Ph.D. Cynthia Hipwell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Instruction Professor – TEES Eminent Professor – Member,
National Academy of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory
Council Outstanding Faculty Contribution Award Aggie Women Network and the Texas A&M
University Office of the President – Eminent
Scholar Award
Debjyoti Banerjee, Ph.D. James Hubbard, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor – James J. Cain ’51 Faculty Fellow I Professor – TEES Eminent Professor – Member,
National Academy of Engineering
Texas A&M Engineering Medicine Program
(EnMed) – Fellow The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and
Science of Texas – Member
Adolfo Delgado, Ph.D. Pilwon Hur, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Assistant Professor
James J. Cain ’51 Faculty Graduate Teaching South Central American Society of
Award Biomechanics – Best Paper Award
6
TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
Waruna Kulitilaka, Ph.D. Tillie McVay, Ph.D.
Associate Professor – Morris E. Foster Faculty Associate Professor of Instruction
Fellow I Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory
TEES – Engineering Genesis Award Council Faculty Mentoring Award
Thomas Lacy, Ph.D. Michael Moreno, Ph.D.
Professor Assistant Professor – Director of Innovation
for Engineering Medicine – J. Mike Walker ’66
TEES – Engineering Genesis Award
Faculty Fellow
College of Engineering – EnMed Fellowship
ChaBum Lee, Ph.D. Prabhakar Pagilla, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Professor – James J. Cain Professor II – Associate
Department Head of Undergraduate Programs
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology –
Alumni Award – Director, Advanced Robotics Manufacturing
Institute
American Society of Mechanical Engineers -
Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award 15th International Conference on Web Handling
– John J. Shelton Best Paper Award
Ying Li, Ph.D. Eric Petersen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor – Professor – Director, Turbomachinery Laboratory
Pioneer Natural Resources Faculty Fellow III Institute of the Dynamics of Explosions and
Reactive Systems – Vice President
American Chemical Society – New Direction
Mercator (Germany) – Mercator Fellow
Award
J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical
Engineering – Nelson-Jackson Chair
American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics – Associate Fellow
Hong Liang, Ph.D. Matt Pharr, Ph.D.
Professor – Oscar S. Wyatt J. Professor Assistant Professor
European Union Academy of Sciences – Member Kaneka Foundation – Kaneka Junior Faculty
Award
National Science Foundation – CAREER Award
Daniel A. McAdams, Ph.D. Bryan Rasmussen, Ph.D.
Professor - Robert H. Fletcher Professor – Associate Department Head
Director of Undergraduate Programs – Associate for Graduate Programs
Department Head of Research and Strategic College of Engineering – Charles Crawford
Initiatives Distinguished Teaching Award
NFL Helmet Challenge Symposium – Travel
Grant Award
7
LEADERS IN ENGINEERING
Sivakumar Rathinam, Ph.D. Steve Suh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Associate Professor
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers – American Society of Mechanical Engineers –
Senior Member Fellow
J.N. Reddy, Ph.D. Bruce Tai, Ph.D.
Professor – Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. Chair Professor – Assistant Professor – Mechanical Engineering
University Distinguished Professor – Regents Professor Industry Advisory Council Faculty Fellow
– Member, National Academy of Engineering
American Society of Mechanical Engineers – Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station –
The Timoshenko Medal; TEES – Engineering Engineering Genesis Award
Genesis Award; International Research Center for
Mathematics & Mechanics of Complex Systems,
University dell'Aguila – The Eugenio Beltrami
Senior Scientist Prize
Luis San Andres, Ph.D. Ya Wang, Ph.D.
Professor – Mast-Childs Chair Professor Associate Professor – Leland T. Jordan Career
Development Professor
American Society of Mechanical Engineers-
Structures and Dynamics Committee – Best Paper Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station –
Award Engineering Genesis Award
Arun Srinivasa, Ph.D. Justin Wilkerson, Ph.D.
Professor – Holdredge/Paul Professor Assistant Professor – James J. Cain ’51 Faculty
Fellow II
American Society of Mechanical Engineers –
Worchester Reed Warner Medal TEES – Engineering Genesis Award
Texas A&M University at Qatar, Mechanical
Engineering Program – Faculty of the Year
STAFF AWARDS
JAMES J. CAIN STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARD J. MIKE WALKER ’66 STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARD
Amy Caldwell Reveca Vazquez Ashley Schmitt Mitch Wittneben
Budget Manager Administrative Associate IV Academic Advisor III Associate Director,
Information Technology
8
TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
AGGIES LEAD
by Example
IMPACT AN ENGINEERING STUDENT
Scholarships
You can give undergraduate students a better
opportunity to succeed at Texas A&M through a
variety of scholarship programs that allow you
to direct your gift in creative ways.
Faculty Fellowships
The College of Engineering has made
a significant investment in obtaining
world-class faculty. Endowed
faculty fellowships are needed
to reward exemplary career
achievement and retain these
distinguished researchers
and professors in today’s
competitive market.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Reagan Chessher, Senior Director of Development Stephanie Lampe, Assistant Director of Development
rchessher@txamfoundation.com slampe@txamfoundation.com
979.862.6415 979.458.3137
STAFF AWARDS
STAFF SPOTLIGHT ASHLEY SCHMITT
working with my co-workers, they are a Schmitt first worked in the Office of
fabulous group of individuals that make Graduate and Professional Studies,
this department function. I also enjoy first as graduate student specialist
our students, they are amazing and I am processing student documents, then
honored I get to support their growth.” as an assistant editor in Thesis and
After receiving her bachelor’s degree Dissertation Services.
in music from Texas A&M University- Her time in the mechanical engineering
Corpus Christi, and her master’s degree department has helped to fuel further
in music education from Stephen F. professional growth outside of her
Austin State University, Schmitt spent job as well. In 2019, Schmitt earned
two and a half years at Stephen F. her Doctor of Education degree from
Austin State working on high-impact Concordia University - Portland.
practices for the school’s quality Now, every day Schmitt’s goal is
enhancement plan before traveling to provide exceptional service and
abroad to Japan, where she taught information with those she works with.
In her role as an academic advisor,
English to elementary and junior high
Ashley Schmitt spends her time “In my position, I want to make an
students in Higashimatsushima, Japan.
advising undergraduate students impact on those I serve,” Schmitt
and supporting their educational and After a year in Japan, Schmitt decided to said. “It doesn’t have to be large, even
career goals, as well as helping to a return to higher education in Texas – small ones are important. I want to
develop targeted recruiting programs, and what better place than Texas A&M. impact students for a positive college
developing support programs for An Aggie connection through her family, experience. I want to be their advocate
current students and creating semester combined with an interest in joining and their guide in navigating college
course schedules for the department. In a larger university and the school’s processes, opportunities and choices. I
addition to her normal job duties, she resonant culture, helped draw Schmitt to want to create positive experiences for
also serves as chair of the department’s Texas A&M. “I knew it would be a great them at the university through advising
staff advisory council. environment to work in,” she said. and superior programs.”
“I enjoy many things about working in Before joining the mechanical
this department,” Schmitt said. “I enjoy engineering department in 2017,
PRESIDENT’S MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD Sharli Nucker has been honored as one “I am very happy to have recruited
of the 2020 President’s Meritorious Sharli in the department more than
Service Award recipients for Texas five years ago,” said Dr. Andreas
A&M University. Nucker serves as Polycarpou, mechanical engineering
administrator in the J. Mike Walker ’66 department head. “Her contributions
Department of Mechanical Engineering, to the department have been
where she acts as chief of staff. substantial and I am very thankful
Recipients of the prestigious award for all her hard work to make our
have demonstrated their commitment department better.”
to the Aggie core values of excellence,
integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect
and selfless service.
10TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
WE BLEED MAROON
Quentin Baker arrived on the Texas
A&M University campus in 1974
with one goal in mind; to become a
mechanical engineer.
His experiences as an Aggie have
played a significant role in his success.
The lessons that Texas A&M instilled
in Baker is why he strives to provide
the same opportunities for current
students in the J. Mike Walker ’66
Department of Mechanical Engineering.
“When you go through undergrad,
your blood turns maroon,” said Baker.
“I had the chance to speak at a seminar
and reconnect with the university, and
I realized how much I missed it. I then
had the inspiration to give back to the
institution that helped me make my
way through life.”
Baker, who serves as president of Baker
Engineering and Risk Consultants,
Inc., is heavily involved with students
on campus. He frequently speaks at In addition, Baker and his
seminars and recently funded two wife, Jana, created the Jana
capstone projects. and Quentin A. Baker Faculty
“Companies who aren’t taking Fellowship. Currently, the
advantage of the opportunities to have recipient of this fellowship
those interactions with students are is Dr. Lesley Wright, an
missing a great time,” Baker said. “It’s a associate professor.
chance to learn how they're doing, and “My wife and I created the
for us to feed off their energy.” endowment so that there
As a member of the J. Mike Walker would be funding to help with
’66 Department of Mechanical the attraction and retention
Engineering’s Industry Advisory Council, of high-quality faculty,” said
“The Industry Advisory Council is trying
Baker has an avenue to ensure that Baker. “Dr. Wright is the first recipient.
to get alumni and companies more
students are prepared for their careers. I recently met with her and had the
connected to support the department,”
chance to see her laboratories. It is great
“I get to have interactions with faculty, Baker said. “The council’s Mechanical
to make that connection and see how
learn what's being done in terms of Engineering Advancement Fund is a
our endowment is being put to use.”
curriculum and give feedback on what great way for alumni to support the
industries need from the students,” In 2018, Baker was awarded the mechanical engineering department
said Baker. “It’s a rewarding experience, Outstanding Alumni Award by the since 100% of the funds go to
and I will continue to be involved College of Engineering. He hopes department advancement, faculty
because of that.” that his work inspires other alumni to support and student scholarships.”
contribute to Texas A&M.
11COVER STORY
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
Catherine Dillier has always loved the temperature sensitivity, or the strength
science of mixing chemicals – now, of a propellant.
her attention is on the fuel that makes
“I get to formulate these propellants,
rockets go.
and then burn them, it is the best of
Growing up with a strong interest both worlds. You get the chemistry and
in math and science, Dillier enjoyed then you get the combustion and fire,”
mixing random household items Dillier said. “That’s the fun stuff. If you
together, spent summers doing had told me when I was little that this
educational workbooks and found is what I was going to do, I'd laugh and
refuge in her ability to solve equations. say that this is not a real job.”
Although she did not know then how to As an undergrad, Dillier intended to
apply her interests, she has found her work toward a safety certificate in in 2016 and is now working toward her
niche within the Turbomachinery Lab. chemical engineering until she crossed doctoral degree.
paths with Dr. Eric Peterson, director
Her current research focuses on “The nice thing about mechanical
of the Turbomachinery Laboratory.
solid composite propellants. Using engineering is that you're exposed to
Peterson invited her to tour the lab and
formulations, she adjusts additives so much,” said Dillier. “You can find
offered her a position.
to a propellant so it can meet specific the avenue you like because of the
criteria. This criterion can include Dillier graduated from the department broadness and available routes within
things like burning rate and how this with her bachelor’s degree in December mechanical. For me, that avenue is
burning rate can affect the impact and 2014, completed her master’s degree combustion.”
12TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
A LIFE-SAVING CAUSE
Featured Faculty
Dr. Chandler Benjamin
Assistant Professor
ccbenjamin@tamu.edu
979.862.4201
Although engineering is typically
associated with metals, polymers and
plastics, day-to-day materials from
paint and toothpaste to the human
body have also been engineered to
perform. For those researchers who “If an aortic dissection occurs on the under which it might occur, allowing
study these materials, the impacts are arch – the part that attaches right into the patient and their physicians time to
potentially life saving. the heart – I hope you are already in take steps toward prevention.
the hospital on the operating table,”
These materials must first be tested To accomplish such goals, they take
Benjamin said. “If it occurs in the
so that it is known how they behave the materials they study and seek to
descending or the abdominal aorta, it's
in certain situations – a task which determine how they behave when put
very bad and you have some time to get
Dr. Chandler Benjamin and his lab under stress. It is at this point where
to the hospital, but still, the fatality of
approach through the use of material Benjamin’s lab sets itself apart, taking
that disorder is high.”
characterization and nonlinear models. these characterizations and using them
Unfortunately, the condition is difficult to test nonlinear models.
One of the main areas of Benjamin’s to diagnose and can often be confused
research focuses on harnessing these “If you’re unable to describe how a
with an aneurysm based on current
models to help health care providers material is going to behave under
methods of detection, including an
determine a condition of the body’s different loads and different conditions,
MRI, leaving physicians with no choice
largest artery – aortic dissection – which and if you have no models to represent
but to perform surgery to physically
can often be fatal. this, you can’t even start,” Benjamin
observe the artery.
said. “You can’t even think about how
An aortic dissection typically occurs To help assist health care providers in you’re going to predict something like
when an injury to the innermost layer determining the likelihood of an aortic this. So, this is always the first step in
of the aorta allows blood to flow dissection, Benjamin and his lab group any mechanical development, it’s the
between the layers of the aortic wall, are working to create a model that first thing that has to be done.”
forcing the layers apart. could accurately detect the conditions
13STUDENTS
These capstone senior design projects were funded by an endowment from the department’s
namesake, Dr. J. Mike Walker ’66. For more information about the senior capstone design program
or to sponsor a future capstone project, email Dr. Joanna Tsenn at joanna.tsenn@tamu.edu.
PLAYING ON KEYS
A team of mechanical engineering
seniors brought music back to the
pressure sensors, a child can step on
a piano key, and the corresponding
periods, it became evident that a whole
new design was needed.
Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley key plays music. After years of excited
Rather than work through pressure, it
by refurbishing a large walk-on piano. children bouncing on the keys, the piano
now uses a switch-like function, which
has several parts that no longer function.
“The importance of this project is to help the team believes will be more suitable
out the people of this community,” said The mechanical engineering department for the environment the piano is in.
senior Madelyn Dudley, who is partially used this as an opportunity for a new
“We are changing the way that the
responsible for the fabrication of the group of students to develop their skills.
piano actuates energy — how the
design as well as team communication. Along with Dudley, the team included
piano detects someone stepping on a
“As a student at Texas A&M, it is Randall Mozingo, Charlie Green, Reagan
key and turning that into a sound and
sometimes hard to remember that there Tucker, Etoroabasi Nwoko, Joanna Steele
light response,” Dudley said. “We have
is so much more to the community and Moyinoluwa Adejumo.
redesigned the piano to use a switch-like
than just the university. This is a small
The team of seven students were function, which we are expecting to last
way that the mechanical engineering
responsible for reconstructing the much longer. We have also designed
department can say thank you.”
piano in a way that provides more a code that enables the piano to hold
The piano serves as an interactive way durability. Realizing that the pressure notes as long as a child stays on the key,
to expose children to music. By utilizing sensors would only work for short time which was not the case beforehand.”
14TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
ON ALERT
A new mechanism designed by a team of
students from the mechanical engineering
department looks to innovatively help
to be able to help the Rocha family,”
said Riordan, who is responsible for
the mechanical aspects of the design,
the box, as well as researching other
solutions,” said Riordan.
When the handler showcases signs
those who suffer from seizures by way as well as team communication. “Right
of a seizure, the dog activates the
of a small computer-like device attached now, our biggest hope is to produce a
mechanism by pulling on a cord that
to a service dog’s vest. The goal of the sturdy and reliable prototype.”
is a stretch sensor. The stretch sensor
design is to send an alert when the user
Rocha’s illness causes him to connects to a microcontroller that is,
is experiencing symptoms of a seizure.
experience frequent seizures. in essence, a small computer equipped
Its inspiration comes from a local Through technology, he desires to live with a SIM card and GPS capable of
family’s teenage son, M.J. Rocha, who safely, but also self-sufficiently. After alerting the emergency contact of the
needed a better way to alert his family months of deliberation, using a small, user’s location. The team hopes that
when he may be in danger. After computer-like device connected to a this could be a system used by other
hearing the options for their capstone service dog’s vest yielded the most families with similar issues.
senior design project, Claire Riordan promising idea.
“Our team is in the process of
and her five fellow teammates Lexi
“We came to this design firstly with exploring options with the Engineering
Atwood, Garrett Brewer, TJ Chorba,
help from Dr. Srikanth Saripalli, who Entrepreneurship program,” said Riordan.
Walker Clayton and Zac Yelich, felt an
helped immensely in answering our “If this is a route our team decides to
instant pull toward the assignment.
questions about circuitry, sensors go, we may consider a way to make this
“Everyone in the team connected with and microcontrollers. We also really product something families everywhere
the topic immediately and were excited tried to encourage thinking outside of could buy for their service animals.”
15HIGH IMPACT INTO THE EXTREME 16
TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
Modern cars use lightweight plastics Texas A&M will employ an Agile
to cushion travelers in high-speed methodology in computer modeling,
crashes. Police use Kevlar vests to stop experimentation, adjustment and
speeding bullets. repetition. The academic team will
work closely with Army researchers
But the science behind those
and other experts in the field.
safety measures isn’t much use
to researchers exploring which Much of the experimenting will
materials can best occur at the Hypervelocity Impact
Featured Faculty mitigate the damage from Laboratory, established by Lacy in fall
hypervelocity blasts. 2019 at the RELLIS Campus.
Dr. Thomas Lacy Jr. The scorching heat caused
by speeds exceeding
The lab features a two-stage light-
gas gun (two stages of acceleration
Professor Mach 5 radically alters are needed to reach hypervelocity).
how different materials The 45-foot gun accelerates 4- to
telacyjr@tamu.edu
tolerate collision. 10-millimeter diameter spherical
979.845.9397
projectiles up to 8 kilometers per
“It’s one of the grand
second, the equivalent of Mach 24 or
challenges,” said Dr.
18,000 mph.
Thomas Lacy, professor.
“The nature of material The gun will impact projectiles
response is fundamentally through a variety of target materials
different.” at various speeds and measure the
resulting eruption of shrapnel and
Lacy is on a Texas A&M team that
debris. It uses high-tech diagnostics
is tackling the problem along with
including laser intervalometers, high-
a team of experts in engineering,
speed imaging and, in the future,
polymer chemistry, materials science,
flash X-ray, ultra-high rate laster
mathematics and computational
diagnostics systems to characterize
mechanics.
fracture of both projectile and
This challenge is a key research target, study debris cloud expansion
area for the university through and perform three-dimensional
its partnership with Army Futures fragmentation tracking.
Command (AFC). Its aim is to mitigate
Hypervelocity impact experiments
damage from extreme-speed blasts
will focus initially on thermoplastic
and shock waves.
polymer materials, which are plastics
The research might lead to better- that soften when heated, as well as
built vehicles and safer gear, such as lightweight metals and geomaterials
helmets. It could help with construction such as concrete. The team also will
of protective buildings and low-cost, test layered combinations of various
portable structures that would be flown metals, ceramics, polymers and
into endangered areas or be made composites.
from what’s readily available nearby.
The entire field of study began out
The research also could improve the of NASA’s concerns for satellites and
materials used to make hypersonic other spacecraft being smacked by
weapons, which have to tolerate out-of-this-world debris.
weather and possibly other obstacles
When the Earth’s gravity gets hold of
as they race toward targets.
even small pieces of dust in space,
“It’s really about the material that the pieces can accelerate to 10 to 70
will withstand hypersonic flight,” said kilometers per second.
Gen. Mike Murray, AFC commanding
“It’s absolutely devastating,” Lacy said.
general. “That’s the important part.”
17STUDENTS
FULFILLING DREAMS
Interning at General Dynamics
Mission Systems (GDMS) last summer
His role at GDMS involved supporting
and analyzing the maintenance of
“Overall, I had a lot of talks about
leadership with my manager and grew
in Georgia earned Eddie Chavez an security systems, system installation and from my experience while having fun,”
opportunity to work with electronic vulnerability testing. The internship gave Chavez said.
security systems for the government him the chance to learn how to write
Next summer, Chavez said that he
and travel coast to coast. procedures at a technical level and learn
hopes to find a dream position where
about team and project management.
“The internship was a brand-new he can get involved in designs and
program, and I was able to play a big Chavez’s internship also meant fulfilling work with structural analysis, using
part in defining my role,” Chavez said. a few of his lifetime dreams of traveling. Finite Element Analysis. Ultimately, he
“GDMS allowed me to explore various discovered that seeking an internship
“Getting to travel through work was
areas that fall under the company’s far from Texas allowed him to
a fantastic experience,” Chavez said.
umbrella.” experience new adventures and forced
“Most of my time on travel was spent
him to mature.
Chavez, a mechanical engineering junior, working, but I never expected to have
believes it was through his involvement an opportunity to visit Seattle.” "I highly encourage other students to
with the Society of Automotive pursue internships out of their comfort
Although moving to another state can be
Engineers, the Society of Hispanic zones because that is the best way to
challenging emotionally because students
Professional Engineers and help from learn," Chavez said.
are away from family, Chavez was able to
the Career Center that helped him stand
find emotional support in his manager.
apart from other applicants.
18TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
CRITICAL
SHORTAGE
Texas A&M, through its unique Engineering Medicine (EnMed)
partnership with Houston Methodist Hospital, stepped up
Featured Faculty
Dr. Michael R. Moreno
to help the health care system keep up with the demand for
medical supplies brought on by the increasing number of
confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases.
Assistant Professor
By early April, a team led by Dr. Michael R. Moreno has
J. Mike Walker ’66 Faculty Fellow
already delivered hundreds of 3D-printed diffusers for
metered dose inhalers (MDI) to the Houston hospital. Director of Innovation for
Engineering Medicine
“The spacer, or diffuser, that we created will allow the
doctors to use metered dose inhalers to treat diagnosed michael.moreno@tamu.edu
and suspected COVID-19 patients who are not yet in need 979.845.8500
of ventilator therapy, without using nebulizers that may
aerosolize the virus,” Moreno said. “And this is important
because if this early stage intervention is effective, then it is
possible that these patients may recover before reaching that breathe. In the hospital setting, these would typically be
critical point where ventilator therapy is required.” Moreno administered using nebulizers. The concern is that the use of
said the hospital was facing a critical shortage after being nebulizers could aerosolize the virus, placing those in the area
unable to find the diffusers from its normal suppliers. at a higher risk of contracting the disease.
He said one of the most powerful aspects of the project Consequently, inhalers are the preferred method of delivery
is that it came from direct communication with doctors for these drugs with confirmed and potential COVID-19
who, at the forefront of this crisis, are identifying emerging patients. The inhaler devices require precise timing of
unanticipated needs. inhalation for proper delivery to the lungs, which is something
“In some cases, the solutions are not that complicated, but Moreno said even experienced users, like himself, can find
you have to know that the problems exist,” Moreno said. “And challenging.
the only way you’re going to know that as an engineer is if you With the help of a diffuser, patients are better able to get
have an open line of communication with the doctors.” more of the medication into their lungs.
While ventilators are reserved for patients experiencing Although the concept being utilized for the diffusers is not
severe symptoms, respiratory inhalers are a part of the early new, this is among the first times it has been locally 3D
treatment plan for most hospitalized patients exhibiting signs printed and delivered on this scale.
of the COVID-19 infection.
Moreno and his team have made the stereolithography file
Bronchodilator drugs used for treatment of asthma can for the 3D-printable design publicly available on the EnMed
be utilized in COVID-19 patients to improve their ability to website at no cost.
19STUDENTS
BOEING &
BEYOND
Mitch Carson ’17, a graduate of the I hoped to have. After researching a picture in my head become a physical
mechanical engineering department, is different fields, it became clear that structure in front of me, especially one
making the most of the skills he learned mechanical engineering was the perfect that gets put on top of a rocket and
while at Texas A&M. discipline to meet these goals. shot into space.
Carson, who started with Boeing by Q: What do you do in your job now? Q: How did your time in the
interning as a student, now works as a mechanical engineering department
A: Many engineering designs look great
shift engineer and helped oversee the help prepare you for your career?
on paper but turn out to be unviable
production of the company’s Starliner
when it comes time to build them. A: It made me tough and gave me the
space capsule, which made history last
My job is to work with technicians to grit I need to persevere through difficult
year as the first crew-capable capsule
identify these issues during spacecraft situations. It also taught me how to
to make a land-based touchdown in the
construction, modify the design so that effectively manage my time, work
United States.
it can be built, analyze my modifications productively with a variety of people
Q: What interested you in to make sure that they maintain the from diverse backgrounds, and create
mechanical engineering? spacecraft’s design intent and integrity, tools to solve mechanical problems. The
and finally oversee the solution’s department put an emphasis on learning
A: Growing up, I spent a lot of time
implementation. I really enjoy it; I’ve how to use Matlab and C++. I didn’t
taking things apart, figuring out how they
gotten to work on several satellites and understand why at the time, but can now
worked and putting them back together
for the past seven months have been see how useful those skills are. Already
again. I played with Legos, built props for
helping build the Starliner space capsule. at Boeing I’ve been able to take what
plays and even restored a 1976 Camaro.
I’ve learned and automate processes
I knew that I had a knack for all things Q: What excites you most about
that other engineers have been doing
mechanical but needed more than just your work?
manually for years. As a result, I’m able
intuition to really build things well. With
A: I feel like an artist. I get to take ideas to create more robust designs and
that in mind, I started seeking a career
as they pop into my head and then go complete my work much more quickly
that would both employ my talents and
build them. It’s really cool getting to see and correctly than many of my peers.
provide financial stability to the family
20TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
ONE GALLON TO THE FUTURE
Texas A&M University senior design
students are doing their part to move
and Internal Combustion Engine
categories at the competition with a
gained by members of the team far
exceeded the standard senior design
automobile energy efficiency into goal of developing a vehicle that could project and will likely be built off of in
the future alongside their peers from average hundreds of miles per gallon our careers.”
around the world. and featured four wheels, space for
In addition to Modi and Hartzer, the
a driver, a luggage compartment and
A team of 10 graduating seniors team included Grayson Aldrich, Larsen
other common car components such as
from the department won the prize Dempsey, Colin Michels, Connor
headlights, brake lights, turn indicators,
for off-track safety at the annual Michels, Stephen Lara-Ramirez, Vikas
hazards, a horn and a windshield.
Shell Eco-marathon energy efficiency Rao, Christian Rivera and Ziad Wardeh.
competition in Sonoma, California. It Team member Jacob Hartzer said he
Ultimately, the team’s win for the off-
was the first time a team from Texas and his peers were inspired by the
track safety award was a testament to
A&M had competed. competition’s goal of directing the
their dedication to the project with no
brightest young minds from around
The global competition — which began previous car to improve upon like many
the planet toward making an impact on
in 1939 as an informal competition of their peers at the competition.
some of the challenges facing the future
between Shell scientists to see who
of energy consumption among vehicles. “We were able to build a car from
could get a car to run furthest on
scratch in less than seven months
one gallon of fuel — aims to give “This project serves to propel
and clear technical inspection, a feat
high school and university students technology and innovation in the
many first-year teams are not able to
the opportunity to participate in a automobile industry, technology that
accomplish,” Modi said. “The judges
collaborative, hands-on experience could impact the daily lives of billions
were overwhelmed with the quality of
pursuing the development of highly of people,” Hartzer said. “On a much
the team's safety report submission
energy-efficient vehicles. smaller scale, this project introduces
and display of safety concern at the
students to an extremely complex and
The team, led by project manager Vishal competition itself.”
comprehensive project. The experience
Modi, competed in the Urban Concept
21HIGH IMPACT
INSPIRING STUDENTS THROUGH TEACHING
Dr. Shadi Balawi feels that as a Balawi comes from a history of
Featured Faculty
professor, it is his job to make sure academia, beginning with his graduate
Dr. Shadi Balawi
every student who walks into his studies at the University of Cincinnati,
classroom fully grasps the concepts he where he was adjunct faculty in the
is teaching. It is this connection that Department of Aerospace Engineering
inspires his passion for academia. and received his Ph.D. It was then he Associate Professor
realized his passion for teaching others. of Instruction
“I think one of the things to maintain
as a professor is that we need to “I liked the idea of clarifying issues that sbalawi@tamu.edu
encourage and inspire,” said Balawi, people may not have understood,” said 979.862.2060
an associate professor of instruction Balawi. “I figured out that I could do
in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department that. I had always liked academia, and
of Mechanical Engineering at Texas I felt that maybe I had some kind of
A&M University. “We need to help the talent there.”
students fulfill their potential. We need
With nearly 20 years of teaching
to make sure they are engaged and that
experience, Balawi has worked for “I always tell my students that you are
they like what they’re doing.”
Texas A&M since January 2018. He not hired for your ability to do math
When he gets the opportunity to see a currently teaches Materials and and figure out what to do with the
student truly understand a topic, Balawi Manufacturing (MEEN 360 and 361). numbers in terms of equations and
said it is gratifying to know they will be models,” Balawi said. “It is about what
Balawi wants his students to learn skills
able to move forward independently. these numbers actually mean and
that can be applied to make important
“That type of interaction is something decisions. To him, teaching goes how you make use of them in real-life
that I really treasure,” he said. beyond numbers and words. applications.”
22TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
SMART BUILDING VENTILATION
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, common public buildings such as
Featured Faculty
there is a need to look ahead for innovative offices, classrooms and retail stores.
Dr. Zheng O'Neill
new ways to make public buildings safer
“During the outbreak period of the
for both visitors and employees.
pandemic, to maintain essential
Dr. Zheng O’Neill of the J. Mike activities, some public buildings such as
Associate Professor
Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical retail stores and essential government
Engineering and a team of Texas A&M facilities have to remain operational. J. Mike Walker '66
Faculty Fellow II
University researchers are seeking to Critical employees are required to work
develop a smart ventilation control inside these public buildings,” O’Neill
zoneill@tamu.edu
system with grant support from the said. “With proper measures, the built
979.845.4931
National Science Foundation. environment could help minimize
the potential for COVID-19 infection,
O’Neill, who serves as associate
including smart and enhanced heating,
professor and J. Mike Walker ‘66 Faculty
ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC)
Fellow II in the department, is partnering
design and operations, higher humidity
on the project with Dr. Qingsheng Wang, “These buildings are designed and
levels, surface cleaning and hygiene
associate professor in the Artie McFerrin operated in normal conditions by
specification, spatial configuration, etc.”
Department of Chemical Engineering, default,” O’Neill said. “The fundamental
as well as her postdoctoral research She said the social-economic impact question is, with the current HVAC
associate Dr. Yangyang Fu and her generated by COVID-19 has the equipment and systems in existing
doctoral student Xing Lu. potential to be mitigated by the public buildings, can we do something
implementation of the proposed smart with a transformative and smart
The goal of the project is to investigate
ventilation control system, increasing ventilation control by diluting the air in
the viability of a smart ventilation
the resilience of HVAC systems and a space with cleaner air from outdoors
control system that could operate with
possibly reducing the infection risk even to reduce the infection risk of an
a normal mode and an emergency
during times of global pandemic. individual occupant?”
“pandemic mode,” as needed, for
23HIGH IMPACT
ADVANCING
ENERGY STORAGE
Featured Faculty
Dr. Shima Hajimirza
Assistant Professor
Dr. Shima Hajimirza has been awarded properties is integral to the continued
two grants from the National Science advancement of clean, renewable shima.hm@tamu.edu
Foundation (NSF) for her research in energy – both on a national and 979.845.4280
radiation heat transfer in materials. global scale.
Her first project “EAGER: Predictive By applying machine learning
Surrogate Modeling and Analysis of and artificial intelligence to the
Radiative Heat transfer in Porous Media” investigation of radiation transfer,
aims to develop a more efficient and Hajimirza aims to revolutionize
effective way of measuring the response how researchers and engineers
that materials have to radiation. approximate, predict and However, the efficiency of thin film
understand the properties of porous solar cells is significantly lower than
“We are using artificial intelligence
materials undergoing radiative bulk cells,” said Hajimirza.
to study the radiation effects in
heat transfer. Her state-of-the-art
materials,” said Hajimirza, an assistant Because the technology is still very new,
computational models will be a vital
professor. “To our knowledge, this is there have not been rigorous analytical
tool to both industry and academia.
the first time that these methods have models and studies that fully describe
been used for problems in this context, Similarly, her second project “Enhancing the operation of thin film solar cells –
and I’m very excited to be one of the Quantum Efficiency of Thin Film creating a gap in knowledge that makes
pioneers of this area.” Solar Cells via Joint Characterization it highly difficult to pinpoint how to best
of Radiation and Recombination” target and solve efficiency issues. This
As Hajimirza described, radiative heat
focuses on conducting a fundamental project will provide an understanding
transfer in porous media is a complex
investigation of nano-textured and modeling of joint radiation and
and ambiguous phenomenon that
complex thin films used in harvesting carrier transport effects – two critical
is vital to the simulation and design
solar energy. The findings will lead elements used in thin film solar cells –
of energy technologies such as
to improved methods used to that will lead to more efficient, cost-
pebble beds, solar absorbers, solar
systematically enhance the efficiency of effective solar cell devices.
thermochemical reactors, biological
this emerging technology.
tissues, and thermal barriers for jet “Both projects aim to study the
engines and space vehicles. “Thin film solar cells are at the fundamentals of radiation heat transfer
forefront of innovation in photovoltaics in materials,” said Hajimirza. “Both
As such, the development of a
technology. (They) are lightweight and projects are based on very novel
reliable method of measurement and
can be made flexible, which makes scientific approaches and, if successful,
estimation of a material’s radiative
them ideal for a lot of applications. will lead to breakthrough technologies.”
24TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
NSF CAREER AWARD
Dr. Matt Pharr has been awarded From portable electronics to electric
Featured Faculty
National Science Foundation (NSF) vehicles, rechargeable batteries are
Dr. Matt Pharr
support for his work on developing abundant in daily life, with lithium-
improved rechargeable batteries. based batteries often selected as the
power source of choice. By properly
Pharr, an assistant professor, was
distributing batteries into a connected Assistant Professor
selected for the 2020 NSF Faculty
grid, Pharr said energy storage from
Early Career Development (CAREER) mpharr85@
renewable resources — such as wind,
award for his work, an honor designed tamu.edu
solar and wave — could be enabled.
to allow promising junior faculty to 979.458.3114
pursue cutting-edge research while Coupled with broader integration
simultaneously advancing excellence with electric vehicles, the emission of
in education. greenhouse gases could be reduced.
However, challenges still remain.
In addition to supporting Pharr’s
research, the award will also provide “Commercial batteries utilize materials
resources toward developing interactive with relatively low energy densities: “Unstable deformation occurs during
and immersive augmented and virtual batteries add substantial weight to operation, producing so-called dendrites
reality-based learning modules, with vehicles and occupy huge volume and damage. Materials and mechanics-
the goal of improving undergraduate in portable electronics, but must be based studies are thus necessary to
and graduate students' understanding recharged every few hours,” Pharr said. enable safe and durable operation.”
of the mechanics of materials in
Pharr’s research is investigating lithium Pharr said the goal of this project is to
electrochemical systems.
and sodium metal anodes and key provide an understanding of the interplay
“I am honored to receive this award,” alloys as potential components of between functional and structural
Pharr said. “The funding will provide next-generation batteries and how to behavior of lithium and sodium anodes.
key resources to develop my research overcome the challenges of safety and
program at an important stage in durability currently associated with “Combined with materials discovery
my career. In particular, it will allow these chemistries. of alloys, these studies will guide
me to continue to pursue mechanics appropriate charging conditions,
“While the electrochemistry of lithium applied pressures and material
of materials-based research in
and sodium has been studied extensively, properties that prevent damage with an
nontraditional areas, in this case, that
at the heart of the issue lies a mechanics eye toward enabling safe and durable
of electrochemistry.”
of materials problem,” Pharr said. operation,” Pharr said.
25HIGH IMPACT
WALKER EMINENT LECTURE SERIES
The Walker Eminent Lecture Series was established by Dr. J. Mike Walker '66 in 2018. With this endowment, the J. Mike Walker
'66 Department of Mechanical Engineering invites nationally recognized scholars to Texas A&M University to conduct lectures as
part of the graduate department seminar class.
Dr. Jacqueline H. Chen
Dr. Jacqueline H. Chen is a senior scientist at the Combustion exascale direct numerical simulation capability for turbulent
Research Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. combustion with complex chemistry and multiphysics.
She has contributed broadly to research in turbulent She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
combustion elucidating turbulence-chemistry interactions and a fellow of the Combustion Institute and the American
in combustion through direct numerical simulations. To Physical Society. She received the Combustion Institute’s
achieve scalable performance of domain name systems Bernard Lewis Gold Medal Award in 2018 and the Society of
(DNS) on heterogeneous computer architectures, she leads Women Engineers Achievement Award in 2018.
an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, applied
mathematicians and computational scientists to develop an
From left: Dr. Andreas A. Polycarpou and Dr. Jacqueline H. Chen, speaker.
26TEXAS A&M MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | engineering.tamu.edu/mechanical
FOWLER DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES
The Fowler Distinguished Lecture series was established by Mr. Donald Fowler ‘66 and Dr. Joe Fowler ‘68 in 1999. With this
endowment, the J. Mike Walker ‘66 Department of Mechanical Engineering invites nationally recognized scholars to Texas A&M
University to conduct lectures as part of the graduate department seminar class.
Dr. Ali Erdemir
Dr. Ali Erdemir was previously a distinguished fellow and the European Union Academy of Sciences, the presidency
a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. He of the International Tribology Council and STLE. He is also
recently joined the department as a professor and TEES a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement
Eminent Professor. He received his B.S. degree from of Science, ASME, STLE, the American Vacuum Society
Istanbul Technical University in 1977 and his M.S. and Ph.D. and ASM International. He has authored/co-authored
in materials science and engineering from the Georgia more than 300 research articles (230 of which are peer-
Institute of Technology in 1982 and 1986, respectively. reviewed) and 18 book/handbook chapters, edited three
books, presented more than 180 invited/keynote/plenary
In recognition of his research accomplishments, Erdemir
talks and holds 26 U.S. patents.
has received numerous coveted awards (including
the University of Chicago’s Medal of Distinguished His current research is directed toward the development
Performance, six R&D 100 Awards, two Al Sonntag Awards of novel tribological technologies for a broad range of
and an Edmond E. Bisson Award from the Society of applications in manufacturing, transportation, and other
Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) and the Mayo energy conversion and utilization systems.
D. Hersey Award from ASME) and such honors as being
elected to the National Academy of Engineering,
From left: Dr. Ali Erdemir, speaker, Dr. Joe Fowler, Mrs. Joyce Fowler and Mr. Donald Fowler
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