spring/summer 2012 - department of mechanical engineering

M ENewsMechanical Engineering

Spring/Summer 2012

Inside:

The new Kuhrmeyer Chair in Mechanical Engineering: Professor John Bischof with Carl and Janet Kuhrmeyer

ME News is published twice a year by the Department of Mechanical Engineering for alumni, students and friends of the department. Circulation is 11,000+.

Comments or submissions may be sent to:Nancy G. Johnson, editor, 111 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 or by e-mail:[email protected].

!e University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. ©2012 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Printed by the University of Minnesota Printing Services.

ON THE COVER: Professor John Bischof, Kuhrmeyer Chair, with Carl and Janet Kuhrmeyer

from the department Head

ME News Spring/Summer 20122

Dear Alumni and Friends:

Another exciting academic year, one with a lot of posi-tive developments for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has just come to a close. Let me update you on a few of the highlights.

From my previous letters, you know that the depart-ment’s facilities are heavily on my mind. !e old Me-chanical Engineering building, constructed in 1948, is in a state where major renovation is long overdue in or-der to allow our faculty and students to work and learn in a safe and state-of-the-art environment. A recent pre-design study determined that the old ME renovation will be an almost $40M project. I am pleased to report to you that, with the active and vocal support of MANY of you behind us, we are one step closer to getting this ambitious project started. Your support was instrumen-tal in moving the legislature to increase the University’s Higher Education Asset Preservation and Restoration (HEAPR) funding from the $20M recommended by the Governor to the $50M passed with the "nal bill.

Of this increased HEAPR funding, $12.7M has been allocated to the "rst phase of the old ME renovation, which includes $4M for the design of all phases of the renovation project. I believe that the many letters sent by you to your state representatives, and the testimony given by some of our alumni and students to the House and Senate Higher Education committees, played an im-portant role in increasing the University’s HEAPR fund-ing. On behalf of the entire Mechanical Engineering

Department, let me say THANK YOU for your support! It made a di#erence!

A big step towards renovation of old ME is "nding a new home for the 4th Floor Engine Lab. !e lab is a jewel in our program and has generated millions of dollars in revenue for the University and produced many patents and publications. !e lab (on the fourth $oor of the old ME building) is out of compliance with a fright-ening number of building and safety codes, severely limiting the research that can be performed in this na-tionally important facility. After many months of design studies, a team of designers, University o%cials, and ME faculty "nally identi"ed a suitable location that, in the near future, will host many of the lab’s activities and en-able our students and faculty to perform research on a much wider range of new fuels in a safer and up-to-date environment. Watch for further updates on this topic.

In our e#orts to rejuvenate our faculty and strengthen our core size, and to better serve the expanding ME undergraduate population, we hired three outstanding new faculty, who will be arriving over the coming aca-demic year. Professor Lian Shen and Dr. Jiarong Hong, both from Johns Hopkins University, are experts in $uid dynamics. !ey emerged as the top candidates out of more than one hundred applicants in a search that the ME Department conducted jointly with the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (also known as SAFL). Professor Shen and Dr. Hong will be leveraging SAFL’s unique facili-ties in their research and they will strengthen the already strong collaboration between the ME Department and SAFL. Professor Peter Bruggeman will join the depart-ment from the Technical University at Eindhoven, Neth-erlands, to strengthen the department’s world renowned High Temperature and Plasma Laboratory. I am con"-dent that these three additions to our faculty will enrich

Department News


Accolades and Awards

Uwe Kortshagen Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Head of Mechanical Engineering

Professor Rusen Yang has received the Faculty Early Career Develop-ment (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation. Pro-fessor Yangs's project is set to study piezoelectric nanomaterials for har-vesting otherwise wasted mechanical energy and producing renewable

electricity. !e approach is focused on the signi"cant factors in the energy conversion at the nanoscale with the development of a 3-dimensional energy harvester, which capitalizes on the signi"cant advantages in mate-rial properties and dynamics that nanowires o#er.

Professor Zongxuan Sun has received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Founda-tion. !is award provides a grant of $400,000 to support Professor Sun's work on control of mecha-tronic automotive propulsion sys-

tems. Professor Sun also received the Taylor Career De-velopment Award, which is given to a recent Promotion and Tenure candidate for excellence in teaching.

Mechanical Engineering announces three named professorships: Pro-fessor John Bischof holds the Carl and Janet Kuhrmeyer Chair in Mechanical Engineering.

Professor Steven Girshick has been named the Kenneth T. Whitby Pro-fessor of Mechanical Engineering.

Professor Terrence W. Simon has been named the Ernst G. Eckert Professor of Mechanical Engineer-ing.

our teaching and research innovation in priority areas. With the retirement of Professor Virgil Marple last month, after serving the department for 41 years, a new chapter is dawning for the department’s Co-op program. For decades, this program has played a crucial role in providing ME undergraduate students with the oppor-tunity to gain important practical experience by work-ing in industry while "nishing their degree at the same time. Upon graduation, Co-op students continue to be highly sought after by companies since they already have an edge in work experience. Adjunct Associate Professor Frank Kelso, himself an alumnus of the Co-op program, will serve as its new director. I am looking forward to working with Frank on implementing his new ideas to improve and expand the program.

!is was an exciting and productive year for the ME De-partment. Again, let me take the opportunity to thank the many of you who have supported us and chosen to become involved. However, we are not done yet. !ere is a lot of hard work to be done to make this department the best it can be when it comes to serving our students, performing cutting edge research, and supporting indus-try (in the state and around the world).

At a time of shrinking public resources, we will be look-ing to our alumni and friends to help us achieve our mission. Your contribution can make a positive impact in a variety of ways: by contacting your state and lo-cal o%cials and informing them about the value of the Minnesota’s $agship ME department; by lobbying for the ME department within your companies; and by sup-porting some of the department’s priorities with your giving. Every level of support helps and counts. Also, consider joining the ME Alumni Network, not only to support the department, but also to stay connected with fellow alumni and to participate in our many fun events. More than 700 of your fellow alumni already have!

I wish all of you a wonderful summer.

Sincerely,


Mechanical Engineering Development PrioritiesFor decades, the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been an economic engine for the State of Minnesota and the nation by graduating thousands of mechanical engineers at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level and by creating innovation through cutting-edge research. Our alumni alone have founded more than 750 companies that employ over 60,000 people worldwide; more than 22,000 of those jobs are in Minnesota.

With our rejuvenated faculty and energized sta#, our momentum is strong to pursue our mission of the high-est quality engineering education and innovation through impactful research. However, dwindling public resources for higher education have left facilities in need of repair and increasing tuition has made it more di%cult for talented students to pursue an engineering education. Growing com-petition for institutions with larger resources is threatening to attract some of the department’s most outstanding faculty.

21st CENTURY PRIORITIES!e Department of Mechanical Engineering has identi"ed a set of six priorities for philanthropic support. Supporting these key areas will allow us to do our part to secure the eco-nomic future of the State of Minnesota and the nation. Our priorities are designed to better support and train students, serve industry, and enhance our ca-pabilities to perform innovative research on many of the grand challenges facing the world today.

Over the coming months, the department will be approach-ing corporations, alumni, and friends with an invitation to invest in the department’s future. Every dollar invested into the department is a dollar invested into the economic future of the State of Minnesota and the nation’s engineering competitiveness. Every dollar invested will go directly into educating and training students and into fostering innovation through research.

Support the Co-op ProgramA Co-op experience is an extension of the classroom that inte-grates a student’s academic and career interests with paid, pro-ductive work experience. Currently one third of ME under-graduates enhance their education with a Co-op experience. !e department seeks to expand the program and increase participation to at least 50%. Your gift to the Co-op Program will help us to endow the Co-op program director position, thus putting the program’s "nancial future on secure footing.

Undergraduate ScholarshipsChange individual lives and make a di#erence in the world. Your gift will address the nation’s engineering talent impera-

tive and help the department better attract and retain the brightest, most promising undergraduates and providing them with the support they need to help them earn their degree in a timely manner.

Graduate Student FellowshipsGraduate students are our knowledge generators - students who have transitioned from knowledge absorption to knowl-edge producers. Your gift in support of graduate student fellowships will help us compete more e#ectively to attract top graduate students, enhance our national standing, and help our nation maintain its technological leadership.

Endowed Chairs and ProfessorshipsOur most successful strategy for retaining faculty is to provide them with the best possible climate for teaching and research, and to o#er endowed appointments that support their teach-ing and research pursuits, enriching innovation in priority research areas.

ME Engine Laboratory!e 4th $oor engine lab – now the Power and Propulsion Laboratory and the Center for Diesel Research - is a jewel in our program. For over 60 years the faculty, sta# and students

participating in engine research have built a stellar reputation for conducting cutting edge engine research. Ironically the very history of engine research at the University threatens its future.

!e laboratories are located in one of the oldest buildings on campus and the facilities require a major renovation to bring them up to current code and regulatory requirements.

ME Strategic Initiatives FundGifts to this fund allow the department head discretionary resources to leverage opportunities - enabling the department to enhance special student programs, buy instructional equip-ment, renovate teaching and research labs, and help with new faculty hires and their start-up funds.

INVEST IN TOMORROWLeadership in this new century demands talent and resources. In keeping with its history of achievement and excellence, the Department of Mechanical Engineering has set ambitious goals for the future. With your help, we can attain that vision. We invite you to join us as we invest in the innovations and innovators of tomorrow. Every contribution counts, regard-less of size!

For more information, please contact Jennifer Clarke at 612-626-9354 or via email at [email protected].

!e United States faces an unprecedented crisis in science and engineering. Within the next decade, a signi"cant supply shortage of quali"ed scientists and engineers is expected.


Department News

!is year’s TSI Fingerson Lecture was given by Professor Sotiris E. Pratsinis of the Particle Technology Labora-tory, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineer-ing, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. His presentation “From Agglomerates to Aggregates by Sintering - Coalescence” was given on May 17, followed by a reception and din-ner. !e Fingerson Lecture series is sponsored by TSI and Leroy Fingerson. Pictured from left, Professor and Department Head, Uwe Kortshagen, Tom Kennedy, president of TSI, Professor Pratsinis, Leroy Fingerson, Ruth Fingerson, and Professor Da-vid Pui, head of the Particle Tech-nology Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Accolades and AwardsProfessor Allison Hubel was in-ducted as a Fellow in the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in Washing-ton in February. !e AIMBE Fellows comprise the top two percent of medi-cal and biological engineers in the country. Professor Hubel was chosen

for “leading contributions in advancing our understand-ing of damage during freezing, development of preserva-tion technology and the practice of biopreservation.”

Dr. Eduardo Reategui is the winner of the Best Dissertation Award, Physical Sciences & Engineering in 2012, from the University’s Graduate School. His thesis title is “Encapsulation of Proteins and Cells in Silica Nanoporous Materi-als.” He graduated with his Ph.D. from our department in 2011 and is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Engineering in Medicine in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. His advisor was Professor Alptekin Aksan.

Professors Wojciech Lipiński, "omas Chase and Jane Davidson, along with Professor Sos-sina Haile at the California Institute of Technology, and their industrial partner Abengoa Solar, Inc., have been awarded a DOE Advanced Re-search Projects Agency Energy grant "Solar fuels via partial redox cycles with heat recovery."

Professor Jane Davidson was named a Trailblazer by the Girl Scouts of the USA. Trailblazer honorees are alumnae whose pioneering e#orts opened doors for other women to follow.

Professors Uwe Kortshagen and Chris Hogan are part of a Depart-ment of Defense, Multidisciplinary University Re-search Initiative

(MURI) program grant with researchers from Rice University, the University of Michigan, and Ohio State University. !e research will address the topic of “novel nanostructures for the controlled propagation of elec-tromagnetic energy.” !e ultimate goal is to develop coatings, paints, or even aerosols that absorb or transmit light in a predesigned manner. !e $6.25M grant, of which the University will receive $1.73M, will fund this research over a period of "ve years.


Department News

Professor Tom Kuehn presents the memorial bucket

Department Head, Uwe Kortshagen, presents one of the last Regents Seals

with Professor Richard Goldstein

Of an era: Professors Emeriti, Marple, Ramsey and Starr

Marple with with his wife, Therese, and members of his family at the celebration.

with Professor Steven Girshick

Marple addresses the guests

Professor Tom Kuehn led the celebration and program

Dean Steven Crouch presents a medallion

Happy Retirement, Virgil!


Professor Virgil Marple Retires - Longtime director of the Co-op Program

Dean’s Club Members

Kenneth J AlbrechtBradley A AndersonNicholas J BarsicDavid BennettRobin L Berg SrWilliam N BlattBrian E BlizilKurt M BrungardtJames E CabakChiu-Ying W ChienRonald L ChristensonRichard W ClarkeDonald H CraigheadJohn B CusterEdward H EganRoger Eichhorn!omas R EngelsDavid E FeinbergConrad F FingersonJerry E FruinBernard W Ga#ronSatya P GargGershon L GendlerRichard I GiertsenRoger R Haxby James E Heppelmann

Orville D JohnsonSharon A JohnsonSeth M Kirk Uwe KortshagenRichard M KrugerArvie A Lake JrEino K LatvalaKei Yun LauEdwin H LeePeter J LeeGordon C LewisDana R LonnRobert R MelcherRichard K NelsonTerryl K QualeyRichard A Ruh JrJames L RutzickCarl A Sannes JrRobin E Schaller Ephraim SparrowGarrett R StockburgerKevin J SwansonWesley R SwansonJe#rey L VermurlenBrian J WaibelRandy S Weinberg

!e Dean’s Club recognizes donors who support the College of Science and Engineering with annual gifts of $1,000 or more. We thank the Department of Mechani-cal Engineering alumni, faculty, sta# and friends who are members of the Dean’s Club.

Professor Virgil Marple retired this spring after 41 years of teaching, research and service with the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He received his BME with distinction from the University in 1962, his MSME from the University of Southern California in 1965, and returned to the University of Minnesota to complete his PhD in 1970. He became an Assistant Professor in 1971.

Professor Marple’s research was in particle technology and aerosol science, speci"cally developing instruments that monitor the size distribution of aerosol particles, such as those found in the mining industry. His many patents for impactors, and associated devices, are still widely in use.

Professor Marple was a member of the leading societies in his research area, including the American Associa-tion for Aerosol Researchers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Gesellschaft fur Aerosolforsc-hung, and the Aerosol Society. In 1988 he received the David Sinclair Award from the American Association for Aerosol Research, in recognition of sustained work in aerosol science and technology.

Professor Marple had a distinguished career in this de-partment, based on all of the above accomplishments, but he will likely be remembered for his long, and dedi-cated service to the Engineering Co-op Program, which he has directed since 1980. While a student, Marple worked for John Deere, and it was this experience that motivated him to ensure that students at the University should continue to have this opportunity. Many hun-dreds of students have bene"ted, and the program has grown to include electrical and computer engineering students.

At the celebration, Professor Marple received a regents seal plaque from Department Head Uwe Kortshagen, a silver medallion from CSE Dean Steven Crouch, and a very special memento from Professor Kuehn, the “Virgil Marple Memorial Bucket,” to remind him of his watershed days in the department – and a leaky roof above his desk.

Padriac “Pat” McGuire (BME 1981) received the Alumni Service Award for his dedicated service to the University, College of Science and Engineering and the Depart-ment of Mechanical Engineering. “Pat served on my 2009 Undergrad-uate Education Task Force,” said Department Head, Uwe Kortsha-gen. “He has been active in the department for many years, serving as an engaging alumni speaker, as an advocate for our Co-op and In-ternship programs at 3M, and as a vocal booster of the Solar Vehicle Project. Pat represents the best of Minne-sota’s thriving technology leadership.”

Photo by Jayme Halbritter


Department NewsFormula SAE competes in Michigan!e University of Minnesota’s Student Chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) went to com-petition this year in Michigan with a new car and a new strategy. President Nick Levin described how splitting up the team into an engineering side and a business side moved the team to a higher level of competition. Levin focused his energies on the business side, and that has literally paid o#. !ey raised the most amount of money in ten years, and increased their sponsorship, both in parts and machining time. !is enabled the team to buy some needed items, including the "rst new set of tires in four years.

Another breakthrough was setting up a product data management (PDM) system, and loading all their data on a server. With the PDM, members could see what parts had been worked on, see a revision history, track changes, and document why and when the changes were made. !is was a tremendous help to the design team, allowing more time for testing. !ey concentrated their e#orts on what had been failures last year – such as the cooling system, which overheated at competition. !ey did some testing of radiator sizing, fan sizing, ducting, as well as spindles, which had also failed last year.

!ey designed a new spindle, had time to test it, and with the quick turn-around from Proto Labs, one of their sponsors, they had the new part in a week. !ey were able to test the car by !anksgiving Day, 2011. !eir strategy – redesigning the failure points and keep-ing what did work – got them a drivable car in record time. By meeting the February 17 deadline they were awarded $2500.

!e next goal was to work on endurance. Finishing the endurance part of the competition is 30% of the total points. “Basically that boils down to a 22 km. race with a driver change in the middle. So you need valid engine tuning to be able to re-start the engine when it’s hot. It seems easy, but is really a challenge,” explained Levin. With 120 teams at Michigan they set their sites on plac-ing in the top 20, provided they get a reasonable lap time.

!e team is made up of around twenty students. !ey ask each member to commit to 15 hours per week. Most members put in more time, including Saturdays, which can go 9-5. Most team members are sophomores or ju-niors, with a couple of freshmen. !e biggest problem is that there is so much to learn. But the rewards are there too. “!ey get access to SolidWorks, a 3D design pro-gram,” said Levin, “It requires some talent to use it. !is year we have two guys that know it well, and we’ve prob-ably made $50,000 worth of parts from it, so it is really valuable to have.” !ey also form relationships with the sponsors that can prove crucial when looking for jobs. “Every team member that graduated last year had an engineering job when they left the U, which is really im-pressive,” said Levin.

team members at work after an all-nighter

Michigan Stats:

the finished product

Competing against over 100 teams from all over the world, the University "nished 61st overall. Following is a breakdown of the competition:

First, there is an inspection to verify that the driver’s gear is up to regulations and safe for competition. With the purchase of extra "reproof socks for the second driver,

"e 11th Annual Design of Medical Devices Conference was held at the University Hotel inMinneapolis on April 10-12, 2012.

Highlights from this year’s conference included a live minimally invasive laparoscopic colectomy surgical pro-cedure performed at the University of Minnesota Medi-cal School-Fairview Hospital by surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Raskin, Department of Surgery, University of Minne-sota and transmitted to the conference with commen-tary by Dr. Genevieve Melton-Meaux, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota. US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken gave presentations.

Norman Dann, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Innovation Fellows Program, Medical Devices Center, University of Minnesota, was awarded the 2012 DMD Conference Award.

!e conference had an-other successful year with attendance reaching over 1,141 and raised $122,000 from 37 spon-sors. !e money raised will support medical devices education at the University of Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Medical Devices Center and the Design of Medical De-vices Conference expenses.

Dates for next year’s conference are April 8-11, 2013. For more information, visit: www.dmd.umn.edu


Professor Art Erdman presents award to Norman Dann

Goldy visits sponsor booths during the conference

the team was ready for the technical inspection. !e only item found in non-compliance was the fuel level "ll tube, which they replaced from a local hardware store. Minnesota’s vehicle was the 6th team to pass successfully through the technical inspection, the earliest in four years.

Day two included a marketing presentation and design judging. !e marketing presentation went well with great feedback from the judges. No major vehicle $aws were revealed so it was on to a tilt test. !e vehicle was strapped to a chassis and tilted 45 degrees to check for $uid leaks, and then to 60 degrees to verify that it would not role over under high incline. Next was a sound test. !e engine was revved to ~10,500 RPM and a decibel meter measured the exhaust noise. To pass, the noise must be below 110dB. !ey passed on a second attempt. Now the vehicle moved to a brake test, in which all four tires must lock as the running vehicle skids to a stop. On the third attempt, the vehicle remained running while locking all four tires.

Next the team attended the cost report review session. !e cost report su#ered only minor point deductions due to errors in the cost of the seat belts and brake $uid. Considering the 400+ page document was submitted with only two errors the team was quite happy with the review.

Day three of the competition was the skidpad and accel-eration events. An acceleration time of 4.29 seconds set a temporary track record. But during one of the second at-tempts, the car failed to move and a puddle of $uid was found underneath the vehicle. !e Torsen di#erential had failed. Fortunately, they had a spare di#erential from the 2011 vehicle, but by the time they made the repair, and were waiting in line to compete, the cut-o# time for the event occurred – they were fourth in line. !e "nal event of the day was an autocross, completed with a "n-ish time of 64 seconds.

On the fourth and "nal day of the competition there is a single event – the Endurance competition which tests durability and resilience. Two drivers each complete 10 laps on the course. !e driver change is expected to take less than three minutes. Fuel economy is another objec-tive in this event. After the "rst 10 laps, their uno%cial time was 64.9 seconds. But during the driver exchange a

competition o%cial noticed oil on the lid of the oil over-$ow-catch bottle. !e vehicle was disquali"ed on the spot, because the oil could become a hazard to drivers on the course. In spite of this disappointment, the team was “very glad that no vehicle systems failed, and that the vehicle did not mechanically or electrically fail.”

ME News Spring/Summer 2012 10

Alumni News Who Killed St. Olav? A Tale from Two ME Alumni

Moster Kirke, Old church, in Bømlo; one of the oldest churches in Norway, from ca. 1100, it replaced a wooden church where St. Olav held a “Thing”, wherein Christian Law was introduced in Norway about 1024.

Two men met through their association with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor David Pui. Johan Soenstaboe, a Fulbright student from Norway, is pursuing a Masters degree. He took Professor Pui’s ME 5113 class this fall. Gilmore Sem, received a Masters Degree in ME from the University in 1967. He led the TSI Aerosol Instruments Group for many years. On a "eld trip to TSI, Professor Pui learned that Johan traced his ancestry back to St. Olav. He also recalled hearing about Gil Sem’s ancestors, and what they did to St. Olav. He knew he had to bring the two together to share their unusual connection. Meeting in Professor Pui’s o%ce, and over lunch at the Loring Pasta Bar, Johan and Gil pored over a large map of Norway. Gil began, “I’ve told many friends about the story of Olav and how he met his demise try-ing to Christianize the people near Stiklestad. Stiklestad is about a kilometer from the south end of Leksdalsvat-net, [a large lake] on the border between Sparbu and Verdal Kommuner. Nedre Sem is on the north shore of Leksdalsvatnet, about 15 kilometers from Stiklestad. If the sagas are anywhere near correct, I’m sure many of my direct ancestors were part of the group who met Olav’s Swedish Christian army and killed him. While that may not be something to be proud of, Olav became a saint just 13 months later - because my ancestors killed him!” Johan is from the island of Bømlo, on the south-west coast of Norway. One of his older relatives told him their family line can be traced back to St. Olav. “I visited Stiklestad this past summer. Every year around the end of July they have a theatre play at the site of the battle of Stiklestad, where Olav was killed,” he said. Bømlo is the

site of the oldest church in Norway, the Moster Kirke, from which Olav introduced Christian law to Norway. Gil has almost made a second career of tracing his family ancestry in Norway. He has made thirteen trips to Norway, always visiting Nedre Sem, from which his family takes their name. To Gil it is the most beauti-ful place in the world. In 2003, he published a detailed

Photo: Per Storemyr

At left, Battle of Stiklestad, death of Saint Olav II, King of Norway, by Peter Arbo.

Johan participated in a family wedding at the Moster Kirke when he was a small child.


At far left, Sem family reunion in 2008. All the folks in the photo are relatives or married to relatives of Gil Sem. Photo taken at Nedre Sem farm on the north shore of Leksdalsvatnet.

Left, Gil Sem and his wife on the Nedre Sem farm. Sem’s great-grandfather was born and grew up at that farm, as did his great-grandmother. They emigrated in 1881.

Stiklestad, where St. Olav was killed, is about half a mile beyond the far end of this lake; about 8 or 9 miles from the Sem farm.

Gilmore Sem and Johan Soenstaboe met in Professor Pui’s office. Sem’s book about his family history, published in 2003, is at left.

book about the Sem family, tracing most of the descendants of Haldor Christophersen and Kirsten Olsdatter, who married in 1749, and had a large family at Nedre Sem, Sparbu, Nord Trondelag. When in Norway, Gil visits the village church, which unearthed pagan artifacts from around AD 900 on the site, and which now deco-rate the church. He likes looking at them and thinking of his ancestors who may also have gazed at them in their pagan ceremonies. As we enjoyed our lunch, the two shared stories of their favorite Scandinavian dishes, told a few Norwegian and Swedish jokes, and re$ected on their shared history. Johan chose to come to Minnesota for his Ful-bright scholarship. “Some of my family also emigrated to America,” he said, “and I have relatives in Duluth, Minnesota. We share the same great-great-grandfather. Two of my great-grandfathers had to go to America to earn money in the 1920s, but then they went back to Norway. One of them participated in the building of the Empire State Building, which I’m proud of.” When not studying, Johan is active in the University’s skydiving club, and is also an o%cer of the club. It is a pursuit he enjoys, and which is much more a#ordable here than in Norway. He has sky dived around the Twin-Cities, and in Duluth. Norwegian immigration to Minnesota is another of Gil’s interests. “Between 1865 and 1900, there were three waves of Norwegian immigrants who settled on farms in the Midwest, especially Minnesota. !ey came, as most immigrants do, to better their lives. Norway was overpopulated, with poor work prospects, and America

had open farmland available under the Homestead Act of 1862. Many had no hope to own land in Norway. !ey also came to Minnesota because the climate was similar, and there were parts of the state almost com-pletely settled by Norwegians; Sverdrup Township, Otter Tail County, was one,” he explained. Gil’s great-grand-parents immigrated between 1866 and 1881, and his grandparents were born in Otter Tail County. His family were dairy farmers. As we came to the end of our lunch, Gil men-tioned that Fulbright was one of his heroes. J. William Fulbright was the founder of the prestigious program for international educational exchange that carries his name. He understood the promise of increased understanding between people around the world to foster compassion, reason, and increase the chance that nations would learn to live in peace and friendship. It was a "ne note to end

a meeting of age-old enemies, now friends, as we walked back to campus.


U of M takes 2nd place in Chainless Challenge

Student News

L to R: Andrew Maxwell-Parish, Karl Kroll, Qianrong Huang, Jaime Wilcox, and Henry Kohring in Irvine, CA.

!e Parker Chainless Challenge is a national competition in which college undergraduate students design a $uid-linked (hydraulic) drivetrain for a hu-man powered vehicle (typically a two or three wheeled “bicycle”). A key requirement for the vehicle is that it cannot have a chain between the pedals and wheels. !e culmination of the Chainless Challenge is a competition where the students demonstrate their vehicles perfor-mance in several races and are evaluated on aspects of their design such as ingenuity and novelty, manufactur-ability, workmanship, and cost analysis. !e Chainless Challenge is sponsored by Parker Hanni"n Corporation. Parker Hanni"n’s motivation for sponsoring the Chain-less Challenge is to meet potential employees, to pro-mote interest in hydraulics and to have multiple teams of students take a fresh look at resolving some of the dif-"culties of low-speed hydraulic systems. !e 2011-12 Chainless Challenge included teams from 12 schools from around the US competing in Irvine, California. !e University of Minnesota team, made up of "ve undergraduate ME students, began as an ME 4054 Senior Design Class project. When the semes-ter ended in December, the students continued working on the project, volunteering twice per week, to complete their bike and compete in the race on April 11. !e student team was advised by Brad Bohl-mann, a member of the Center for Compact and Ef-"cient Fluid Power (CCEFP), the NSF sponsored research center in the department, and an adjunct pro-fessor in ME. Henry Kohring, a Masters student who had participated in the Challenge when he was an un-dergraduate student, provided expert guidance and assis-tance. Professor Will Durfee gave them access to a room to store and build their bike. !is room was adjacent to the CCEFP’s hydraulics lab which gave them access to equipment and tools. !e team chose a recumbent bike style so that they would have more stability and room for a more complicated circuit, but that also meant more weight. In spite of this fact, they competed extremely well against the upright, lighter bikes, coming in second place over-all. “!is was very much a group e#ort,” said Jamie Wilcox, a member of the team, “and everybody had a hand in the concepts and decisions.” Other members were Andrew Maxwell-Parish, Joe Foley, Karl Kroll, and Qianrong Huang. Andrew had the most design experi-ence and knowledge of parts. He was able to design and

machine mountings for the pump and motor. Once they had all the parts, there was only four weeks left to assemble and test. “It was so exciting to see it work – and work well,” said Qianrong. “When we started we knew very little about hydraulics, but we learned while we were doing it.” Joe was unable to travel to Irvine, but the rest of the team members got to ride the bike during the competition’s three race events: a long distance race, a short sprint race and an e%ciency challenge. !e long distance race was just over ten miles, which on a stan-dard chained bicycle is quite easy. Chained bikes are very e%cient – 95 to 97% e%cient. !e ME team’s bike, with the added hydraulics, was about 60% e%cient, making it harder to pedal than a chained bike. !e team "nished the long distance race in a little over 90 minutes. !e sprint race was 100 meters, with the objec-tive being to go as fast as you can in the shortest time. Karl Kroll, a long boarder and biker, had the muscle power for this race. In their heat they were competing against a light, upright bike from Cal Poly. Cal Poly beat the U team by just .04 seconds, so close that the two rid-ers didn’t know who had won. In the e%ciency challenge, the bikes could not be pedaled, and could only use energy that was stored in the accumulator. !e challenge was to go for 100 meters, come to a full stop, go another 100 meters and make another full stop, and then go as far as possible. !is was Jaime’s event, as she was the smallest member of the team, and the bike traveled a total of 374 meters, the furthest of any vehicle in the competition. !e U of M team took "rst place in two of elev-en categories - marketability and the e%ciency challenge.

ME News Srping/Summer 201213

Brian Jennissen is a "rst year master’s student who recently won a "omas F. Ellerbe Scholarship from the Minnesota Architectural Foundation. He grad-uated from St. John’s University with a B.A. in physics, and decided to pursue engineering after studies on aero-sols and the environment sparked his interest in the "eld of air quality. With no engineering program at St. Johns, he decided to come to the University. Growing up in Lindstrom, Minnesota and com-ing from the relative isolation of Stearns County to live in the uptown area of Minneapolis has taken some get-ting used to, but Brian is enjoying the advantages of city life. He plays $ag football in a city league, has joined the local ASHRAE chapter, and was able to attend their winter conference in Chicago. He is also looking for-ward to summer and being close to Lake Cal-houn. He met with Professor Tom Kuehn over the summer and decided to pursue stud-ies in heating, ventila-tion, air condition-ing, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) – the com-fort science. In his "rst semester he took Pro-

fessor Kuehn’s class, !ermal Environmental Engineer-ing, and loved it. Despite a sharp learning curve, he has found his background in physics to be quite helpful in making the transition to engineering. As a Masters Plan B student he will do a research project, which provided the impetus for applying for grants and scholarships. In his research project, Brian will be analyzing the feasibility of using $at panel displays in insulated walls versus windows in commercial buildings. !ere are many questions to consider in this kind of study, but given the time constraints, Brian will be focusing on ar-eas that can be more easily calculated, such as the cost of installing displays versus windows, the e#ect on energy consumption, both heating and lighting, and the cost to maintain a system of displays. Other considerations, such as trends in display technology and the average lifespan of the equipment, will be studied as well. Using photo voltaic cells on the outside to harness some of the sun’s energy is another idea Brian may explore. As to whether or not this will be bene"cial to building occupants - their mood, productivity, etc. – that will be left to the psychologists to "gure out. Brian’s goal is to assess whether displays might be a good idea in "ve to ten years, based on estimates of cost, energy sav-ings, and the like. Current economic conditions and infrastructure trends suggest that renovating and retro"tting existing buildings will likely be favored over new construction in the years to come. With increased e#orts to conserve energy and move toward more sustainable energy solu-tions, there will be abundant opportunities and chal-lenges in the HVAC "eld. Brian Jennissen will be ready to meet them.

Professor Tom Kuehn with Jennissen

ME Graduate student, Pradeep Kumar Gillella receivedthe “Best TA Award” at the ME graduation ceremony in May. Associate Department Head, Professor Sue Mantell, and Professor Tom Chase, DUGS, presented the award.

!ey took second place for reliability and safety, sprint race time, and best paper and presentation, third place for workmanship and cost analysis. !e bike "nished second overall among 12 participating schools. Parker Hanni"n awarded the team $5,525 in prize money, of which $1700 was paid to the students. Parker Hanni"n also provided $3,000 during the design and build phase of the competition to cover the cost of the hardware and an additional $1,000 for bringing an operating bicycle to the competition. Parker Hanni"n is sponsoring the Chainless Challenge again during the 2012-13 academic year and the U of M will be entering the competition. “I’m very proud of the students on the team” said Brad Bohlmann. “For a team competing for the "rst time, second place is a huge accomplishment. Our goal is to win the compe-tition next year.”


In Memoriam

Mary Zumberge, age 89, passed away February 29, 2012. Mary served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and was retired from the

University of Minnesota, Department of Mechanical Engineering where she had been secretary to Profes-sor Ernst Eckert for many years, and then became the THT Division secretary. She worked from 1975 to 1990. She is survived by four daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Willis G Anderson BME 1948 March 28, 2012Howard P Bushnell BME 1941 September 2, 2011Harold L Conrad BME 1941 April 23, 2012Karl H Doeringsfeld MSME 1949 February 15, 2012Sidney E Donaldson MSME 1949 February 1, 2011Warren R Elert BME 1947 March 3, 2012Dale Edward Ewers BME 1973 January 25, 2012Earl R Fairbanks BME 1948 February 23, 2011Fred E Farnsworth Jr BME 1950 May 27, 2011Donald F Geng BME 1948 April 26, 2011Lin L Grisham MSME 1947 January 8, 2012Eldon W Hall BME 1942 April 1, 2012Henry M Hanson BME 1939 November 7, 2011Neil H Hanson BME 1952 January 29, 2011Cavour H Hauser BME 1944 March 1, 2011Carol A Ice BME 1980 March 8, 2011J Gregory Juettner BME 1964 February 17, 2012Kyle M Kinter BME 1996 July 5, 2011Robert B Klein BME 1947 October 7, 2011Leonard F Lampert BME 1943 January 9, 2011Don J Lundberg BME 1959 January 2, 2012Herbert H Mielke BME 1959 April 9, 2012John R Moilanen BME 1969 January 6, 2012 John Brand Moxness BME 1944 April 2011Harold M Nelson MSIE 1972 April 12, 2012Rex L Nelson BIE 1952 November 9, 2011Fielder A Nordstrom BME 1943 February 16, 2011Glenn A Norsted BME 1947 December 3, 2011Roger A Nosker BME 1950 March 28, 2012Gordon W Nygren BME 1951 April 24, 2012David A Olson BME 1966 October 16, 2011Gerald L Park BME 1955 April 15, 2012Verne A Peck BME 1944 December 19, 2011George J Petre BME 1946 March 1, 2011Richard B Pilgren BME 1960 June 2011Richard D Starn BME 1949 December 29, 2011Charles G Storms BME 1958 December 12, 2011David R Storrar BME 1951 April 22, 2011Gene W Swain BME 1959 March 11, 2012Vernon J Worrel BME 1948 October 2011Robert L Youngdahl BME 1958 February 21, 2012

Dr. Gertrude L. Blackshear, 90, beloved wife of Professor Emeri-tus Perry Blackshear, died on May 27. Born Gertrude Julianna Liebl on December 16, 1922 in Sheboygan, WI. She was one of three women to graduate in the University of WI Madison medi-cal school class of 1947. She met her husband on a double date

and they married in 1948. !ey raised six children. She returned to the U of M to get her PhD in Psysiology in 1974, and taught as a graduate student and assisstant professor of Physiology.

Perry wrote, “her relationship with the department was more than spousal. She was an important physiological consultant in the department’s early bioengineering re-search.” Dr. Blackshear is survived by her husband, sons, daughters, their spouses, as well as 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Sign up for Summer Aerosol Short Courses Register online (link on ME department homepage) www.me.umn.eduCourse dates are as follows: Aerosol and Particle Measurement - August 20-22, 2012 Bioaerosol Measurement - August 23-24, 2012

New Video Game helps Teen DriversBy Jeff Falk, University News Service

Being in a life-threatening vehicle crash due to distracted driving teaches a painful lesson, but makers of the new video game Distraction Dodger hope there is a much safer way to teach the same lesson.

Distraction Dodger is an Internet-based video game developed by mechanical engineering researchers in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Institute at the University of Minnesota. !e game, designed to help teens and young adults understand the importance of concentrating on driving, will premiere at the Teen Safe Driving Summit on !ursday, Feb. 2, at the Rosemount Community Center, 13885 S. Robert Trail, Rosemount.In the video game, players drive a virtual pizza delivery vehicle in the pizza-loving city of Little Moots. To help build a successful pizza business, players are tempted to use a smart phone, social media, and GPS while driving. If they choose to distract themselves, they must do so while avoiding obstacles, tra%c tickets, damage to the vehicle, and personal danger.

“!is is a video game, but the choices presented in the game are true to life,” said Max Donath, director of the ITS Institute and a professor of mechanical engineering in the University's College of Science and Engineering.According to the National Safety Council, distractions are the leading cause of motor vehicle crashes. !e use of a cell phone for texting or calling is a particularly well-documented danger, signi"cantly slowing a driver’s reac-tion time and increasing the likelihood of a crash. Other demonstrably dangerous driving distractions include vis-iting with passengers, eating and drinking, using a navi-gation system, applying make-up, shaving and adjusting audio systems.

As the Distraction Dodger player progresses through the game’s levels, feedback is o#ered about driving perfor-mance and the level of distraction. !e feedback can be an eye opener.

“For young drivers who believe they can do it all and not negatively a#ect driving, the Distraction Dodger game o#ers a reality check,” said Michael Manser, director of the HumanFIRST Program at the ITS Institute within the University's Department of Mechanical Engineering. !e HumanFIRST program, which helped develop the

game, studies how drivers interact with in-vehicle tech-nologies on a psychological, perceptual and behavioral level and how those technologies may then support or detract from driving. “Improving road safety isn’t just about improving infrastructure, technology and laws,” Manser said. “Improving road safety is also about teach-ing and changing behaviors.

!e game, developed by the ITS Institute with the help of Web Courseworks and educational consultant David B. Glick & Associates, has already received attention with an award at the 2011 International Serious Play Conference. It has also gotten the attention of national transportation leaders.

“!is is a valuable new tool for "ghting distracted driv-ing that delivers its message in a fun and interactive way,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “I hope everyone who plays this game applies its lessons to the real world: Keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel and your focus on driving.”

!e ITS Institute, is housed in the College of Science and Engineering's Department of Mechanical Engi-neering and is part of the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota. !e Institute is a federally funded university transportation center dedi-cated to enhancing the safety and mobility of road- and transit-based transportation through a focus on human-centered technology.

To learn more about Distraction Dodger and play the game online, visit www.its.umn.edu/DistractionDodger.

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