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MEME Mechanical Engineering Department

A newsletter for alumni, students and friends of the ME department

CollEgE of EnginEEring UnivErsity of WisConsin-MaDison

www.engr.wisc.edu/me

t takes eight days, 12 hours, 18 minutes and 53 seconds to fly west around the world. At least

it did for CarolAnn Garratt (BS ’77), who set a new world record for flying her single engine plane around the globe in the short-est amount of time in December 2008. Her flight, which shattered the previous record of 11 days, was not only a race against the clock but a mission for a cause very close to Garratt: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

For Garratt, who lost her mother to ALS in 2002, more research to discover a treatment for ALS is crucial. ALS is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that leaves a patient entombed in a body that gradually shuts down motor function and eventually results in respiratory failure.

Garratt first flew around the world in her single-engine Mooney M20J to raise money for ALS research in 2003, shortly after her mother’s death. She spent seven months fly-ing and stopping to meet people in countries ranging from Singapore to Djibouti to Green-

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SPRING / SUMMER 2009

land. She wrote a book about her journey, Upon Silver Wings: Global Adventure in a Small Plane, and donated all of the revenue to the ALS Therapy Development Foundation.

Garratt, who lives in a fly-in community near Gainesville, Florida, knew she wanted to fly around the world again. However, Garratt was the caretaker of her father, who inspired her love for aviation, and she couldn’t leave him for a long journey. So she decided to do it in a week.

Fellow pilot Carol Foy joined Garratt for the world-record flight, which took 18 months of preparation. The pair paid for all of the flight costs out of pocket to ensure all of the funds they raised would go directly to ALS research.

n summer 2008, 12 African American high school students from Madison, Milwaukee and

Chicago spent a week on campus with Assistant Professor Dan Negrut. The students participated in a pilot program designed by Negrut to promote computational science, engineering and college in general.

In addition to being a fun experience for the students, the program, dubbed Promoting the Computational Science Initiative, or ProCSI, attracted the attention of the National Science Foundation, which awarded Negrut a prestigious 2009 Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER). CAREER awards recognize faculty members who are at the beginning of their academic careers and have developed creative projects that effectively integrate advanced research and education.

Negrut’s high school program exposes students to the work of his team at the UW-Madison Simulation-Based Engineering Laboratory. The lab focuses on using computer modeling and simulations to understand the dynamics, or motion, of complex mechanical systems. One of the group’s projects is to calculate granular flow dynamics with high-performance parallel computational hardware.

Granular flow simulations earn Dan negrut nsf CAREER award

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alumna sets record for flight around

the world

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CarolAnn Garratt (left) and co-pilot Carol Foy

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ChaIR’S MESSaGE

pring of 2009 was an exciting semester for the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In April, the

department hosted the first-ever Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Research Symposium, which showcased research and projects by undergraduate students working in labs across the department. Along with students and faculty, UW-Madison Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin, College of Engineering Dean Paul Peercy and UW-Madison Interim Provost Julie Underwood were in attendance. Please see the photo essay on p. 7 of this newsletter to learn more about the symposium.

We were particularly glad to introduce Chancellor Martin to the award-winning student snowmobile team, which claimed victory at the 2009 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge in both the zero-emissions and internal- combustion divisions.

As demonstrated by the symposium, our students have extraordinary opportunities to learn from and work closely with our top-notch faculty, who continue to garner awards and funding for cutting-edge research. For instance, be sure to read about Assistant Professor Dan Negrut’s CAREER award on the front page of this newsletter. The expertise of our faculty frequently benefits industry,

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realize how big the world is and how little of it we see,” she says. “I’m looking forward to getting to know people and other cultures like my first trip, but this one will be longer.”

For more information about Garratt’s flights and her efforts to raise funds for ALS research, visit www.alsworldflight.com.

alumna sets world record (Continued from front page)

Roxann L. Engelstad, Chair

3065 Mechanical Engineering Bldg.1513 University Avenue

Madison, WI 53706

Phone: 608/262-5745Fax: 608/265-2316

E-mail: engelsta@engr.wisc.eduwww.engr.wisc.edu/me

and a recent example of this is Professor Tim Osswald’s collaboration with a local entrepreneur to produce innovative fishing lures, which is highlighted on p. 5.

Of course, a crucial component of the ME department family is our alumni, and this newsletter is especially dedicated to former students who continue to stay connected to the ME department. We always enjoy hearing from our alumni, and we are pleased to include in this issue an alumni news section and the story about CarolAnn Garrett on the front page.

I personally encourage all of our alumni to stay in touch—never hesitate to let us know what you are up to by sending your news to perspective@engr.wisc.edu or to the address listed on p. 5.

I am very pleased to introduce you to a particular group of alumni who engage actively and regularly with our department as members of the ME Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). The IAB provides the department with professional guidance and support for the strategic goals and objectives that impact the department and its mission of excellence in education. The IAB is actively helping the department evaluate our curriculum, priorities and opportunities for growth. IAB members are distinguished indus-try leaders and experts in their fields, and their input directly benefits our students and faculty. For the first time, the newsletter is highlighting the IAB members with profiles and photos on the following page.

As always, we welcome you to visit the department the next time you are in Madison. We would be glad to arrange a tour of our facilities or programs—just let us know when you would like to stop by. Thank you for your continued support.

CarolAnn Garratt with her single-engine Mooney M20J plane

Garratt attributes their successful run to thorough preparation and a low number of refueling stops—they only stopped nine times during the entire flight. The longest leg of their journey was the final one; Garratt and Foy flew almost 23 hours and more than 3,300 nautical miles nonstop over the Atlantic Ocean to complete the flight in Orlando, Florida.

Garratt, who has been flying since high school and obtained her pilot’s license shortly after graduating from UW-Madison, attributes her ability to plan and execute the flight to her engineering education. “Being an engineer is about using logical thought processes, and I had the background in problem solving and planning I needed for this trip,” she says. “It’s like managing a project—you have to figure out the details and the calculations and get everything ready.”

Garratt spent several years as a manufacturing engineer in a variety of companies that make industrial equipment, including John Deere. She now tours and gives presentations about her flights full time, and she has written a second book, Upon Silver Wings II: World-Record Adventure, about her 2008 journey. A DVD about the trip is also available.

To date, Garratt has raised more than $200,000 for ALS, most of which is from private, individual donors. She hopes to raise $1 million, and her next plan is to fly east around the world on a two-and-a-half-year journey and then write a third book. “When you’re flying, you

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original equipment and acoustical compo-nent supplier. He directs and coordinates the marketing objectives and long-term strategic initiatives for UGN, which provides products to Japanese automotive manufacturers oper-ating in North America. After graduating from UW-Madison, he went on to receive his MBA from the University of Akron, Ohio, in 1987.

Monte Parker (BS ’89) is the solutions director for GE Healthcare Technologies. He manages the

division that consults with hospitals and other healthcare facilities, such as surgery centers or individual service lines, in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, region. Parker advises these businesses on how to efficiently grow via best practices and operational processes used in conjunction with technology. He earned an MBA in 1996 from the University of Michigan. He is a certified purchasing manager through the Institute for Supply Management. He is also affiliated with the American College of Health-care Executives and is active in the North Texas chapter of the UW Alumni Association.

Brian Rauch is vice president of engineering for the John Deere construction and forestry equipment

division. He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UW-Platteville in 1986 and his master’s and PhD degrees in

Richard Anderson (BS ’76) retired in 2008 from his position as presi-dent of Wheel to Wheel, Inc., an au-

tomotive supplier based in Madison Heights, Michigan. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he went on to work as an engineer for Ford Motor Company, followed by positions at Auto-Fab Inc., and TDM Technologies Inc., before he co-founded Wheel to Wheel in 1995. He is affiliated with SAE, ASME and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and was a contributor to the Mechanical Engineering Building project.

Brian Haas (BS ’86) is a division vice president and general manager at KLA-Tencor and has previously

served as an engineering director and general manager at Applied Materials. He launched his career as a research scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center. Along with his engineering degree, Haas earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UW-Madison. He went on to receive his master’s degree and PhD in aeronautics and astronautics in 1987 and 1991, respectively, from Stanford University. He holds 10 patents.

Daniel Laird (MS ’93, PhD ’96) is a project manager and principal member of technical staff in the

wind energy technology department at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He conducts research in design and analysis codes, manufacturing processes, and power system integration. He also leads Sandia’s internal energy systems education program in addition to holding multiple lead-ership positions in professional organizations. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in general engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1990.

Luis Marrero Jr. (BS ’91) is director of global marketing for Rockwell Automation. Marrero’s global

responsibilities include all processes and planning associated with marketing, business and global market analytics, and budgetary duties. He obtained his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1998. He also sits on the board of directors for the Nativity Jesuit Middle School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Paul Papke (BS ’79) is the vice president of sales and marketing for UGN Inc., an industrial automotive

Meet the Mechanical Engineering

2009 Industrial Advisory Board

engineering mechanics from UW-Madison in 1990 and 1993, respectively. In 2000, he also completed an executive MBA from UW-Madison. Rauch has held many engineering leadership positions at John Deere. In addition to serving on the UW-Madison IAB, he has served on advisory boards at UW-Platteville and the University of Iowa.

Andrew Rensink (BS ’79) is the president and chief operating officer for Tapemark Inc. As president and

COO, he is responsible for helping Tapemark restore profitability, foster a continuing improvement culture and regain national prominence in the pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing field. He received his MBA equivalent from the GE manufacturing management program in 1981.

Christine (Chris) Schyvinck (BS ’89) is executive vice president of global marketing and sales at

Shure Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. Schyvinck is the second highest-ranking female executive at Shure and is one of very few women in an executive management position within the professional audio industry. She completed a master’s degree in Engineering Management from Northwestern University. She has worked for Shure for 19 years.

Vicki Slavik (BS ’86) is a director of quality for Consolidated Container Co., a supplier of blow molded

plastic packaging with 65 plants across the United States and Mexico. Slavik has more than 20 years experience in the quality area working in various manufacturing companies including Weyerhaeuser, Ingersoll-Rand and Federal Mogul.

Darrell Sterzinger is retired from his position as general manager of chassis design for Toyota Motor

Co. Sterzinger obtained his bachelor’s degree in physics from UW-Madison in 1970. He then earned his master’s degrees in physics and materials science and engineering in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Sterzinger is stepping down from the Industrial Advisory Board in summer 2009. He says he has thoroughly enjoyed serving on the Industrial Advisory Board for more than seven years.

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The Society of Automotive Engineers International honored Faculty Associate Glenn Bower in April with the 2008 Faculty

Advisors Award. The award comes with a travel stipend that Bower will use to attend the Small Engine Technology conference in Malaysia, where he will present his team’s work on an electric snowmobile.

On campus in May, Bower also received a 2009 Polygon Engineering Council teaching award. The award is chosen by engineering undergraduates.

A March 5 story in the Wisconsin State Journal featured Professor Emeritus Kenneth Ragland. Ragland talked about the differ-

ences between biomass and coal as energy sources. “Simply put, it takes about twice as much biomass to replace an equivalent weight of coal,” he said. He also pointed out the benefits of burning biomass, such as no impurities or net carbon dioxide release. Read the full Q&A at www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/wonder/curiosities/441656.

To understand friction on a very small scale, a team of UW-Madison engineers, including Assistant Professor Kevin Turner, had to

think big. At the nanoscale, friction can wreak havoc on tiny devices made from only a small number of atoms or molecules. Yet, researchers have trouble describing friction at such small scales because existing theories are not consistent with how nanomaterials actually behave.

Through computer simulations, the group demonstrated that friction at the atomic level behaves similarly to friction gener-ated between large objects. The simulations showed that, at the nanoscale, materials in contact behave more like large, rough objects rubbing against each other, rather than as two perfectly smooth surfaces, as was previously imagined.

The team, which was led by Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Izabela Szlufarska, published its findings in the February 26 issue of the journal Nature and a variety of news outlets carried coverage of the research.

FaCULTY NEWS

P atrick V. Farrell, former UW-Madison provost and professor of mechanical engineering, was named Lehigh University provost and vice president of

academic affairs. Lehigh is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Farrell will begin his new position on July 24.

As Lehigh provost, Farrell will serve as the university chief academic officer. Among his responsibilities are leading efforts to attract, recruit and retain highly talented individuals. He also will play a central role in working to ensure the success of institutional goals over the next decade.

A UW-Madison mechanical engineering faculty member since 1982, Farrell became the College of Engineering associate dean for academic affairs in 2001. He was named engineering executive associate dean in 2005 and served as UW-Madison provost from 2006 to December 2008.

“Pat’s vision, collaborative approach, and academic and administrative leadership helped shape the future of both the College of Engineering and the university,” says College of Engineering Dean Paul S. Peercy. “We will miss his sound judgment and quick wit, and we wish him well in his new position.”

One of Farrell’s priorities as UW-Madison provost was to develop a more strategic vision for the campus. To that end, he managed the university’s two-year reaccreditation self-study initiative, which included input from thousands of people on and off campus, and the resulting work on a strategic framework for the university’s next decade.

Farrell’s other accomplishments include leading the complex effort to define the “Wisconsin Experience” as a recognized set of learning outcomes expected of all UW-Madison graduates. He also served as a strong advocate for student access and affordability, both as a policy advocate and by working personally with individual and corporate donors.

In engineering, Farrell’s research focuses on fluid mechanics, combustion and optical methods as they relate to engine design and function. He was part of the original team that developed an innovative hands-on design course for freshman engineers, and is a fellow of the UW-Madison Teaching Academy.

Farrell earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, his master’s degree at the University of California-Berkeley and his doctorate at the University of Michigan, all in mechanical engineering.

farrell takes Lehigh University post

Ghandhi named Grainger Professor of Sustainable EnergyProfessor Jaal B. Ghandhi has been named the first Grainger Professor of Sustainable Energy. The professorship was established by the Grainger Foundation of Skokie, Illinois, which is the charitable arm of Grainger Inc. “As you can imagine, I am very excited and humbled to be given this title and to be recognized in such

a way by the university,” Ghandhi says. “It is a great honor and is especially poignant for me because I grew up in a family of engineers and the Grainger catalog was ever-present.”

Ghandhi is interested in internal combustion engines, turbulent mixing and combustion, optical diagnostics and piston ring tribology. His work focuses on understanding the physics of combustion to allow for new engine developments. He is a member of the Engine Research Center, the Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

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adison-area entrepreneur Ben Hobbins is among the nation’s top 10 inventors featured in the June issue of Popular

Science magazine. The magazine cites Hobbins, CEO of Lake Resources Group, for the novel fiber-reinforced soft-bait fishing lures he de-veloped in collaboration with Kuo K. and Cindy F. Wang Professor Tim Osswald, who is also co-director of the Polymer Engineering Center.

The reinforced lures can sustain 93 pounds of tensile load and, unlike their toxic, soft-plastic counterparts, won’t tear and disintegrate at the bottoms of lakes and rivers.

Osswald and then-graduate students Nick Newman and Eric Foltz initially helped Hobbins address materials and manufacturing questions. They also helped Hobbins develop prototypes. Hobbins now manufactures and sells the lures in sporting goods stores nationwide under his “IronClads” brand.

“Without development collaboration by UW-Madison’s Polymer Engineering Center, development of the IronClads project would have been nearly impossible,” says Hobbins. “I owe Tim, his team and the university much in our success.”

To bring his vision to fruition, Hobbins also drew on resources at UW-Whitewater, UW-Extension and the Wisconsin School of Business at UW-Madison. He and Osswald now are working together to develop new applications for and iterations of the fiber-reinforced soft plastics.

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aLUMNI NEWS

We Would like to hear from you!

Please send updates about your promotions, honors, family news, etc.,

to perspective@engr.wisc.edu or to the following address:

ME ALUMNI NEWS3065 Mechanical Engineering Bldg.

1513 University Ave.Madison, WI

53706

Popular Science cites Wisconsin inventor among nation’s best

Ben Hobbins poses for photographers from Popular Science.

Dennis Hong (BS ’94) has developed a unique robotic hand that can firmly hold objects as heavy as a can of food or as

delicate as a raw egg, while dexterous enough to gesture for sign language, according to a May 27 article at Ecnmag.com. Hong, who now leads the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech, has won several awards for his robotics work. To learn more about his latest project, read the full article at: tinyurl.com/nt2q48.

Mike Casper (BS ’04) took third place in the advanced manufacturing category at the 2009 Governor’s Business Plan Contest for FLEx Lighting, a company Casper founded with other UW-Madison alumni. FLEx Lighting offers a new type of LED-to-film lighting method that evolved from Caper’s 2004 entry in the UW-Madison Innovation Day competition. Winners of the Governor’s Business Plan Contest were announced June 9 at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Milwaukee and will share more than $200,000 in cash and prizes from 33 sponsors.

Daniel A. Japuntich (BS ’71) has received a 2009 senior scientist award from the American Filtration and Separations Society. Japuntich, who is a corporate scientist for 3M, is recognized for his many impressive contributions in the field of filtration, including numerous publications, inventions and global recognition for advancing technology in aerosol physics, air filtration and respiratory protection products.

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Vending machine developed by students succeeds at invention competitionsnew type of soft-drink vending machine developed by under-graduate student Michael Deau

and graduate student Chris Meyer collected several prizes from university competitions this spring. The machine, called EcoStream, will integrate digital technology with environ-mental values, allowing people to reuse plastic or steel bottles and pay for their drinks via Web-based accounts.

After spending more than 100 hours building a working model, Deau won first place and $2,500 in the Tong Prototype Prize, which rewards the best prototype in Innovation Day, an annual UW-Madison invention competition held in February. At Innovation Day, Deau also won third place and $4,000 in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity, which rewards innovative and marketable ideas, and the Younkle Best Presentation Award, which comes with a $1,000 prize.

EcoStream was also recognized as the best state solution at the inaugural UW-Madison Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) Climate Leadership Challenge competition through the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. The prize came with an award of $10,000 for Deau and Meyer. More than 20 student teams entered the competition, held April 22, 2009, with ideas to combat the effects of global warming and help the environment in general. Four teams won cash prizes, three of which included UW-Madison engineering students.

Additionally, Deau and Meyer took third place in the 2009 UW-Madison G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition.

wo UW-Madison student-built snowmobiles swept the 2009 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge,

winning both competition divisions: the National Science Foundation Award for the best sled in the zero-emissions division and the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association Award for first place in the internal-combustion division.

Although the weather turned unseasonably warm during the competition, which was held

ClEan sWEEP for UW-Madison snowmobile team

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STUDENT NEWS

Meyer says he and Deau plan to build a production-feasible prototype of the system in summer 2009 since winning a prize at SAGE comes with the expectation that they will work to implement their idea.

Mike Deau peers through the earliest version of the EcoStream prototype.

The Bucky EV electric snowmobile

at the Keweenaw Research Center on the Michigan Tech campus in Houghton, Michigan, March 16-21, the UW-Madison snowmobiles excelled in the less-than-ideal snowmobile trial conditions.

The teams plowed through slush and splashed through standing water during the 70-mile endurance event. In addition to winning the overall competitions, both sleds earned numerous awards, including the Society of Automotive Engineers Award for Best Design in the internal-combustion and zero-emissions categories.

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2009-2010 faustin Prinz Undergraduate Research Fellowship recipientsEach fellow receives an award of $5,000 to offset tuition costs for two semesters, as well as up to $2,000 in expenses related to their research project.

• BrettA.Lindeman “Creativity in product development” Advisor: Professor Jay Martin

• HammadMazhar “An investigation on GPU collision

detection using spatial subdivision” Advisor: Assistant Professor Dan Negrut

• BryantW.Mueller “Measurement of shear stress in

microfluidic channels using traction force microscopy”

Advisor: Assistant Professor Kevin Turner

• TheodoreJ.Steiner “A variable inertance tube for improved

pulse tube cryocooler performance” Advisor: Professor John Pfotenhauer

These fellows join three fellows who began their research projects in spring 2009: Matthew Carlson, Jeremiah Olson and Nathan Weltzin.

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“I almost had a heart attack at the end,” says team captain Nick Rakovec. “It’s almost too good to be true.”

The team would like to acknowledge its major sponsors, which allow the students to apply their engineering fundamentals in a real-world application: Polaris Industries, United Wisconsin Grain Producers, Weber Motor AG and Woodward-Mototron Control Solutions.

Read more about the team’s victories at: www.engr.wisc.edu/news/headlines/2009/Mar24.html.

Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin sits on a snowmobile as Dean Paul Peercy, Interim Provost Julie Underwood and vehicle team members watch.

ME Symposium: Highlighting undergraduate research

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The Bucky 750 Clean Fuel Sled

he first annual Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Research Symposium, held

April 30, 2009, highlighted research and projects by undergraduate students working across the department. In addition to the student vehicle projects, students displayed more than 25 projects in the Mechanical Engineering Building. A panel of alumni and faculty judged each project and gave awards to the top three poster presentations.

Pictured (top): Professor Tim Shedd presented first prize to Amy Lenz, second prize to Nathan Weltzin and third prize to Matthew Carlson.

(Bottom): Student Tom Mulholland poses with his poster about Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography material friction testing.

This publication is paid for with private funds.

negrut/CAREER award

Department of Mechanical Engineering1513 University Ave.Madison, WI 53706

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is published twice a year for alumni and friends of the UW-Madison Department of Mechanical Engineering.Editor: Sandra Knisely / Design: Phil Biebl, Engineering External Relations Paid for with private funds.

Negrut and his students have developed simulations that can calculate all the collisions between 10 million bodies, such as grains of sand, in as little as four seconds. To do this, the team uses parallel processing units that execute commands simultaneously, rather than sequentially as in regular computer processors. The parallel solution developed by Negrut can perform a multi-million body collision detection task about 40 times faster than can a regular computer. (For simulation movies, see sbel.wisc.edu/Animations/index.htm.)

The next step for Negrut’s research is to compute the friction and contact forces between grains by solving differential equations that explain exactly how each grain moves and interacts with other grains. Solving dynamics equations with parallel computers has applications far beyond granular material, as differential equations are used in a broad range of engineering problems. For example, Negrut’s research could eventually be used to look at the movement of atoms. For now, his work has applications in construction vehicle and military vehicle design, and he has ongoing projects with P&H Mining of Milwaukee and the U.S. Army.

Negrut is also collaborating with Professor Alessandro Tasora from the University of Parma, Italy, and Mihai Anitescu, a computa-tional mathematician from Argonne National Laboratory. This summer, Negrut will spend a month working at the mathematics and com-puter science division at Argonne, and next November he will travel to Italy for a week.

How does Negrut make his research accessible to high school students? He explains problem-solving as a step-by-step process where each component builds on itself. The first day of ProCSI, the students learn about mechanical engineering problems. The next day they learn how math is used to solve engineering problems. Then they learn

how computers can be used to solve the math that solves the engineering problem. On the final day, the students learn how to put all of the problem-solving components together and actually run simulations themselves. Thanks to the CAREER award, Negrut will be able to continue this program for the next five years.

Assistant Professor Dan Negrut (back row) poses with high school students at the inaugural session of ProCSI.

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