College of EngineeringGraduate Student Orientation

23 August 2019

Vahid Motevalli, PhD, PEAssociate Dean for Research

& InnovationCollege of Engineering

vmotevalli@tntech.edu

We Want YOU! to be SUCCESSFUL

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MissionTo provide a balanced academic

environment of teaching, research, and service to prepare

career-ready engineering, computing, and technology

professionals

CORE VALUES

AIM HIGH

STUDENTS FIRST

PROFESSIONALISM

INNOVATION

RECOGNITION

EMINENCE

VisionTo achieve national recognition

as a college of engineering known for innovative education,

use-inspired research, and graduates who are solving

tomorrow’s societal challenges

TTU – A Comprehensive University

• College of Agriculture and Human Ecology

• College of Arts and Sciences

• College of Business

• College of Education

• College of Fine Arts

• College of Engineering

• College of Interdisciplinary Studies

• Whitson-Hester School of Nursing

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An Opportunity for Inter- and Multi-

Disciplinary Research

Degree Programs

7 BS; 5 MS; PhD in Engineering• Chemical Eng., BS, MS & PhD

• Civil Eng., BS, MS & PhD

• Computer Eng., BS

• Computer Science, BS, MS & PhD

• Electrical Eng., BS

• Electrical and Computer Eng., MS & PhD

• Eng. Technology, BS

• Mechanical Eng., BS, MS & PhD

Online PSM in Manufacturing Sustainability (F 18)

Distance MS in Eng. Mgt. (S20)

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College of Engineering Quick Facts

• About 2,500 Students• Peak AY 2018-19 graduate student enrollment: 227

• Largest TTU College

• 27% TTU Enrollment

• Significant Growth Since 2013• 75 Faculty – 6 New faculty

this Fall 2019

• About 50 Staff First PhD Conferred: 1973-74

• 17,000 Alumni

• Occupying space in 8 building (excluding the Foundry)

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Engineering First Offered in 1923

Roles and Responsibilities as Graduate Students: Core Values

Commitment to Personal and Scholarly Integrity

Teamwork

Commitment to Excellence

Commitment to Personal/Professional

Development

Valuing Partnerships, Cooperation, and

Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Compliance with University Policies

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Roles and Responsibilities – Graduate Assistants

• Academic Responsibilities Make progress toward a degree

Embrace a culture of discovery, learning and hard work

Maintain Full Academic Standing (GPA > 3.0)

• Work Responsibilities Half-time ≈ 10 Hours/wk

Full-time ≈ 20 Hours/wk

On time and responsible delivery on tasks

Compliance with required training and regulations

• Key Stakeholders Faculty Advisor/supervisor

Students (both as GTA and GRA)

College, Center and/or Department (Chair/Director and staff)

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Engineering Graduate Students Orientation

Graduate Student Orientation

Fall 2019

Overview of

Graduate Studies

and Research in

College of Engineering

Degree RequirementsMS level - Departmental

MS Requirements, Set by Departments – Thesis and non-Thesis Options

Graduate Assistants (GAs) must pursue a thesis option

24 Semester hours of courses

Concentrate on courses in area of interest

1 credit research seminar required by most departments

6 Semester hours of graduate research

Develop skills for independent study

Write thesis and present findings

• Departments may have areas of focus

• Intended to be a two-year program

• Presentation and publication of your work is highly encouraged. Peer-reviewed publications is the best process

SEE “Navigating Graduate School”10

Ph.D. Requirements are established by each department around these basic college requirement• Form your Advisory Committee before completing 15 credit hours

• Minimum of 18 HOURS OF COURSEWORK AFTER MS (Direct PhD students need more course credit hours )

• Minimum 24 HOURS OF RESEARCH

• Qualifying Exam (only Direct PhD who do not have a BS from an ABET accredited program)

• Comprehensive Exam – complete when you have 80% of your course work completed, includes developing, presenting and defending your research proposal.

• Dissertation – publicly defended, work closely with your entire committee.

• Publications – one peer-reviewed publication is required by all departments.

• Multidisciplinary research and advisory committee is possible within CoE

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Degree RequirementsPhD is College-Wide

Thesis/Dissertation

In-depth investigation on a topic of your interest.

Literature search on the previous research in the topic area.

Develop a hypothesis for your research topic.

Thesis/dissertation must demonstrates competency in independent research, analysis, technical writing, etc.

Dissertation contributes to knowledge in the field.

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How Long it Takes?

Depends on you! Typical program duration:

Two years for M.S. Three - Four years for Ph.D. (post M.S.)

Research and Graduate Program Highlights

• In 2018-19, CoE research activations exceeded $10M.• CEROC has received $500k/yr for 4 years as a match to

the NSF Grant for Cybersecurity Scholarship for Service (5 years, over $4 M) awarded in Jan. 2016.

• Record number of degrees conferred in MS and PhD in 2018-19.

• Graduate enrollment peaked in Fall 2018 at 106 PhD, 121 MS

• CoE is key to maintaining the Carnegie Classification, $300,000 additional support since FY18.

• GTA support continued –App. $770,000 from SCF across the college (AY 20).

• Travel support for graduate students

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CoE Research Activities

FY19 State Appropriations for the Centers: • CEROC - $500,000 (not included in the

activations)• CESR - $947,800• CMR - $1,543,00

Peak Proposal activities: FY16 (122% increase vs. FY13)Peak Grant activations: FY19 (222% increase vs. FY13)

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Mill

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Mill

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Proposals and Activations

Proposals

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Year Proposals Activations* Ext Activ.* % vs (FY13)

2010-11 $16,783,914 $5,770,988 $3,291,788

2011-12 $18,114,441 $5,383,695 $3,057,695

2012-13 $18,079,113 $4,753,151 $2,389,551

2013-14 $22,761,327 $5,934,256 $3,473,856 45.38%

2014-15 $20,304,625 $5,421,118 $3,016,318 26.23%

2015-16 $40,206,022 $6,437,037 $4,073,237 70.46%

2016-17 $35,375,081 $8,031,792 $5,705,992 138.79%

2017-18 $26,855,800 $7,152,660 $4,730,560 97.97%

2018-19 $25,633,890 $10,183,506 $7,692,306 221.91%* Incl. CESR and CMR appropriated funding

FY19 State Appropriations for the Centers: • CEROC - $500,000 (not included in the

activations)• CESR - $947,800• CMR - $1,543,00

Peak Proposal activities: FY16 (122% increase vs. FY13)Peak Grant activations: FY19 (222% increase vs. FY13)

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Expectations and Requirements

Engineering Graduate Students Orientation

Graduate Student Orientation

Fall 2019

Expectations and Requirements• RESPOND PROMPTLY TO EMAIL REQUESTS

• GAs are expected to attend seminars sponsored by their Departments/Centers

• Offer letter is your contract (all GAs)

• Progress Reports signed off by faculty advisors must be submitted each semester (summer if on GRA appt.) – Varies by Center/Dept.

December and May and as required for summer• Worker’s Comp (Accident or Injury Reporting Procedures)

• Copies of Payroll Documents - Appointment letters & I-9 cards

• Confidentiality Agreement, Invention Disclosures, Laboratory Safety Form, & Student Non-use agreement

• Announcement of Thesis and Dissertation Defense (Std format)

• Pdf copy of thesis or dissertation to the Center

• Exit Interview: Contact info., what is next for you,

Equipment & key return

Annual Workplace Conduct and Safety Training

CERTAIN TRAINING IS REQUIRED EVERY YEAR!!!

• Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action https://www.tntech.edu/hr/diversity-equity/

• TTU Policy #143: Sexual Misconduct

• Title VI Training - Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

https://www.tntech.edu/hr/diversity-equity/titlevi.php

• Title IX and VAWA- stipulates that no one, whether male or female, can be -- on the basis of sex -- excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program, service, or activity that is partially or wholly funded by federal dollars.

https://ouweb.tntech.edu/titleix/index.php

Annual Workplace Conduct and Safety Training

CERTAIN TRAINING IS REQUIRED EVERY YEAR!!!

• Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative | CITI https://www.citiprogram.org/

• Visit Environmental Health and Safety web site for laboratory specific Safety Training Modules. http://www.tntech.edu/safety/training.php

• CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION FOR ALL REQUIRED ONLINE TRAINING MUST BE RETURNED TO YOUR RESPECTIVE LABORATORY, DEPARTMENT AND/OR CENTER OFFICE BEFORE September 30!

Graduate Assistantship Stipends

Minimum rate per month for full (20 hours/week) assistantships for students in the College of Engineering.

$1200 - for a master’s student appointed full time.

$1500 for a doctoral student appointed full time.

$1300 for Direct PhD admits

All GRA appointments funded by external sources should also be at the above level or higher. Partial assistantships should be at a minimum of 50% (10 hours/week).

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Tuition and Fees Support

Current policy requires a minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 credit hours per semester for full-time GA’s.

MS, no funding, full-time: 9 credit hours

PhD, full-time: 6 credit hours for all

Tuition and Fees should only cover courses specified by student Program of Study (PoS) and consistent with department, college and university policies.

Recommended Maximum Credit Hour Load as a GA

MS: 15-16 hour per academic year

PhD: 12-15 hours per academic year

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Sources of Funding to support your research

• TTU seed funding for faculty research grants

• Departments, Centers, CoE, Office of Research, University Offices (GTA, GRA, GA)

• Travel grants from Dean’s Office

• Travel funds from Student Organizations

• Foundations and external grants

• Fellowships from Federal Agencies (NSF-GRFP, DOD-NDSEG, NASA, NRC, ORAU, …)

• ORNL based support

• Industry internships

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Process to Obtain/Maintain Funding

• Must be in Good Academic Standing

• Starts with faculty/department

• Must be competitive and Performance-Based

• Expected to be working on a Thesis research (GRA and GTA) – MS students

• Be aware of time limits for funding

• Carefully develop your program of study

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Time Limits for Graduate Assistantship in CoE

Limits are based on first enrollment and regardless of source of funding

M.S. ProgramLimited to maximum of two full years of support. Exceptional conditions required for any funding extension to be granted.

Ph.D. ProgramPost MS - Three year of support regardless of source of funding – candidacy must be achieved and Funding Extension Request Form Required. Direct PhD – Same as post MS, but with four years of support.

Note, Graduate Teaching Assistantships are 8 months appointment per AY, summer support possible either for teaching support or hourly support

Information Sources - internal

Graduate Studies Website

• Calendar

• Forms

• Degree Programs

• Funding Opportunities

• Thesis/Dissertation

• Navigating Graduate School

• Graduate Catalog

• Faculty

• Departmental staff, Grad Studies staff

• Graduate student peers

• CoE Website

• Departmental websites

• Centers

TTU College of Engineering Revolutionizing Engineering

Other Resources for Discovery and Learning (close by)

• Libraries on campus and around the country

• Centers, colleges and departments on campus

• Other Independent State Universities

• Vanderbilt, U Tennessee Knoxville

• Oak Ridge National Laboratories

• Industry in the region and State

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Graduate Student Resources

• Use for additional details and information

• Forms and links included

• This presentation and other material will be provided to you on the CoE web site.

• Research and Innovation:

https://ouweb.tntech.edu/engineering/research/index.php

https://ouweb.tntech.edu/engineering/programs/grad/index.php

CES

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CoE Graduate Committee

• Chaired by the Associate Dean for Research & Innovation

• Representations from the 5 departments + a graduate student representative

• Policies and procedures governing admission and degree requirements

• New courses and changes to programs

• New programs

• Exceptions to policies and appeals

• You need to elect a graduate student member (2-year term).

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Looking forward to working with all of you!

Questions?

vmotevalli@tntech.edu+1(931)372-3172

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Resources at CoE,

Working with the Centers

Engineering Graduate Students Orientation

Graduate Student Orientation

Fall 2019

Research Centers

Current College of Engineering Centers• Center for Manufacturing Research

(CMR)• Industrial Assessment Center (IAC)

– part of CMR• Center for Energy Systems Research

(CESR)• Cybersecurity Education, Research, and

Outreach Center (TTU-CEROC)

University and External Funded Centers• STEM Center • Center for Water Resources (CWR)

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Center forEnergySystemsResearch

Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center (CEROC)

Quick Facts about CEROC

• Founded in January 2016• NSA/DHS designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

(1 of 200+) https://www.caecommunity.org/content/cae-institution-map• First and Largest CyberCorps SFS Program in the State of Tennessee (1 of 70)

https://www.cybersecuritymastersdegree.org/cybercorps/• Community College Pathway (1 of 10)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qjVCcj0CTtsOVNq7YB1x93CbwFob6j4y&usp=sharing

• Only Cybersecurity Scholarship Program (CySP, formerly DoD IASP) in the State of Tennessee

• Partner• Tennessee 3-Star Industrial Assessment Center providing cyber risk

assessment services for power assessment clients• Academic Alliance Partner with DHS in the STOP. THINK. CONNECT! Initiative

• Founder of the Women in Cybersecurity Conference • The largest academia based cybersecurity conference in the nation

https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc / @TechCEROC / ceroc@tntech.edu

CEROC Circle

https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc / @TechCEROC / ceroc@tntech.edu

Cyber Scholar Development

Education

ResearchOutreach

CEROC Mission

• To provide quality (informal) cybersecurity education - one of the essential skill sets for the 21st century;

• To supply adequately trained students in cybersecurity workforce pipeline;• To facilitate and advance research in trending areas in cybersecurity;• To increase public awareness of information assurance and cybersecurity;• To promote and disseminate cybersecurity educational and research artifacts and

experience in the academic community;• To share expertise with partners in collaborative initiatives in cybersecurity

workforce development and research.

https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc / @TechCEROC / ceroc@tntech.edu

CEROC Team

Dr. Ambareen Siraj

Director

Lana Richardson

Financial Associate 4

Travis Lee

Cybersecurity Technologist

Eric Brown

Assistant Director

https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc / @TechCEROC / ceroc@tntech.edu

Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center (CEROC)

• Computer Science affiliation• Undergraduate concentration in cybersecurity

• Started specialized concentration in 2015• Around 200 students in security concentration out of 428 majors

• Masters and Ph.D. program in cybersecurity • 20+ students working towards security graduate degrees

• CyberEagles student club• Over 100 student members• Activities:

• Training• Competitions• Guest seminars• Volunteer services

https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc/education / @TechCEROC / ceroc@tntech.edu

Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center (CEROC)

• 10+ faculty supervises research in security• Computer Science• Computer Engineering• Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Research areas:• Educational

• Cybersecurity education and workforce development

• Core• Network• Cyber Physical Systems• Vehicular Network• Robotics• Malware analysis• Healthcare• Big Data Analytics Applications• Formal methods• Hardware• Cyber Crime• Forensics

https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc/research / @TechCEROC / ceroc@tntech.edu

Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center (CEROC)

• NSF CReST• NSF CyberCorps SFS Bootcamp• NSF/NSA GenCyber Camp• WiCyS• STEMmobile• K12 Site Visits

https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc/outreach / @TechCEROC / ceroc@tntech.edu

Center for Manufacturing Research

Established 1985Mission

To advance and support scientific and engineering knowledge in areas related to manufacturing through fundamental research and technology transfer activities, and to impact the instructional program in those areas.

Direct Return to the State Economy Outreach to more than 500 Industries $3.00 added to State Economy for every

Appropriated dollar.

Director: Dr. Ying Zhang (ME)

Administrative• Michelle Davis: Outreach Coordinator• Suzanne Henry: Contract Compliance• Tammy Martin – Administrative Associate PT(with CESR)• Anysa Milum – Financial Associate (CoE and shared with

CESR)• Phyllis Stallion: Administrative Associate• Darlene Wiegand: Financial Analyst - PTTechnical• Brian Bates: R&D Engineer, Material Science• Terry Guo: R&D Engineer, Communications & Dig. Mfg.• Wayne Hawkins: Manager, Material Science Lab• Robert Mathews: Part-time R&D Engineer

Center Staff

Research Areas

• Materials – coating, alloys, membrane material, material characterization, composites, casting, …

• Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage

• Automotive related research• Robotics• Hybrid-electric• Engines

Trained Staff in Microstructural Testing,

Vibrations, Mechanical Testing, Acoustics,

Rapid Prototyping, and CMM

CMR Material Science Laboratory

• The MSL is a core facility for microscopy and Material Science characterization equipment located in Clement Hall 304.

• A Core Laboratory as a shared resource supporting Research, TTU faculty, students and industry.

• Provides analytical support for Research: Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, Environmental and Kinetics Study of Sustainable Biomass, Nanoparticles for Biomedicine and Components and Devices for Energy Storage and Conversion.

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CMR Material Science Laboratory

• Current MSL Internal Research Project Support:

• Additive Manufacturing: Heat treatment effects on Inconel 625 components fabricated by wire + arc additive manufacturing (WAAM)—part 1: microstructural characterization, WAAM Publication.

• Polymer Nanocomposites: the processing, characterization and prediction of properties.

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CMR Material Science Laboratory

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The FEI Quanta 200 Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM)

is a flexible, general purpose, simple-to-use instrument that can be

operated in either regular high-vacuum or low-vacuum modes, enabling

users to image a wide variety of samples.

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X-ray diffraction (XRD) is one of the most important non-destructive

tools to analyze all kinds of matter—ranging from fluids, to powders

and crystals. From research to production and engineering, XRD is

an indispensable method for materials characterization and quality

control.

CMR Material Science Laboratory

CMR Material Science Laboratory

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CMR Material Science Laboratory

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Magnification 20 to 2,000,000 X

Secondary electron resolution

0.8 nm (accelerating voltage 15 kV)0.9 nm (accelerating voltage 1 kV)

Tennessee Tech University / College of EngineeringFirst University in North America to receive the Hitachi SU7000

Center for Energy Systems Research

Center History

• Center was established July 1, 1985 with the name Center for Electric Power – Modeling Simulation and Control

• Its name was officially approved by THEC January 5, 2005 and changed to Center for Energy Systems Research (CESR) in February 2005

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Center forEnergySystemsResearch

Center for Energy Systems Research

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Some of the External Funding Agencies(Over 35 million dollars in external funding since 1985)

NSF EPRI NCHRP At least half a dozen DOENIST FHWA major utilities including

TVA Argonne NASA Southern Co. Services,ONR Cummins ASHRAE Pennsylvania Power & DOD NSWC US Army Light, Dairyland Power, TDOT Goodrich CDM Genesis Power, and ORNL/ORAU TDECD RTT Duke Power.TRMCA Synterprise Global AerospaceYaskawa Buswell Energy Bridge TechAquashield SPIDA Thermaflex, Inc.EES MSU Eastman ChemicalGastite Square D Naval Postgraduate School

Center forEnergySystemsResearch

Administrative

• Barbara Fenlon – Administrative Associate• Anysa Milum- Financial Associate PT (With CMR)• Tammy Martin – Administrative Associate PT(with

CMR)• Etter Staggs – Financial AnalystTechnical

• Robert Craven: R&D EngineerResearch Faculty

• Dr. Charles Van Neste

Center forEnergySystemsResearch

Center Staff : Center for Energy Systems Research

Center Research AreasCenter forEnergySystemsResearch

Smart GridOptimum and Stable OperationApplication of Power ElectronicsEfficient Integration of Sources and LoadsResilient and Secure CommunicationProtection against disturbances and threatWireless Power Transfer and Charging

Resilient InfrastructureModeling and SimulationMonitoring and Control Cement, Concrete and Other Materials Environmental/Climate Sustainability

Safety at Tennessee Tech

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Electrician receives fatal shock

Electrician falls from ladder due to jerk reaction from shock

Electrician receives minor burn from electric shock

Electrician receives minor shock while connecting light fixture

Electrician connects light fixture with circuit energized

?UNSAFE

ACTS ARERESULTS

OF UNSAFEBEHAVIOR

CHANGE PERSONAL VALUES (BEHAVIOR) and PREVENT the unsafe acts and the injuries and fatalities will take care of themselves.

Safety at Tennessee Tech

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• https://www.tntech.edu/safety/training.php

• Cybersecurity training shows up in Banner

• CITI training in ethics: https://www.tntech.edu/research/researchcompliance/citi_training.php

Safety at Tennessee Tech

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• The most expensive thing in that lab is you and your colleagues.

• The state of the art in safety technology is your brain.

• Think before you walk into the lab each day, habit of mind.

• Prevent.

• Prepare.

• I have only been hurt in my career by someone else’s experiment.

• Label everything, put a lid on everything.

• Incorporate the training into your life; you will lead or design some day and safety mindset in process design and group leadership is paramount.

• Safety, productivity, quality. Equal goals.

• Catch the attitude! Have a safe day!

Introduction to High Performance Computing at Tech

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Mike Renfro, renfro@tntech.edu• HPC Systems Administrator• Clement Hall 224• www.hpc.tntech.edu• NSF XSEDE Campus Champion• XSEDE CC Fellow, 2019—2020• xsede.org

Hardware:• 44 28-core compute servers, including 8

GPUs• 64—384 GB RAM for most servers (1

server with 896 GB)

OS: Red Hat/CentOS Linux

Application software: lots of it

Introduction to High Performance Computing at Tech

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Since September 2017:• 13.3 million CPU-hours delivered

• 183,000 jobs

Common job types:• Molecular dynamics

• Nuclear physics

• Artificial intelligence/machine learning

• Computational fluid dynamics

• Genomics

• Computational hydrology

• Computational solid mechanics