CETA student's graduation cap

Senior EE student Amy Golebieski's graduation cap honoring her EE degree.

Craft and Filburn Awarded Grant From Office of Naval Research

Professor of Chemistry Andrew Craft, A&S, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Tom Filburn, CETA, have been awarded a $48,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research to investigate techniques to miniaturize the underwater rebreather systems used by Navy divers.
This work will involve collaboration with scientists at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Florida. The grant will fund one full-time graduate research assistant as well as undergraduate researchers at the University of Hartford.

Graduate Research Assistantships Available in Mechanical Engineering Thermal/Fluid Sciences starting Fall 2012

The Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Hartford announces openings for Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs). The 9-month research positions are funded through an extramural research project by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and require 50% or 20 hours per week including possible teaching and grading responsibilities. Research Assistants are required to become Graduate Students in Mechanical Engineering leading to Master of Engineering and will also receive full graduate tuition reimbursement in addition to a monthly salary of $1,500.

The purpose of the NRC grant is to further develop state-of-the-art research relevant to energy production from nuclear resources with specific focus on the use of air-cooled condensers in nuclear power plants, the investigation of coupled convection heat and mass transfer phenomena, and overall system efficiency improvements.   The emphasis will be on applied, system level projects in conjunction with our corporate partners Westinghouse and Electric Boat.  Summer internships (paid by corporate partners) are also available with this program.

Requirements for these positions include:

• Excellent academic record with a BS in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent).

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.


• Strong interpersonal skills.

• The ability to deal professionally with a wide range of people.


• Ability to make sound decisions under pressure and to meet strict deadlines.

• Fluency in English language, writing and speaking.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled.

Apply by submitting a letter of application, resume with at least three academic references and copies of undergraduate transcripts.

Applications materials should be sent to Filburn@hartford.edu as a single pdf file:

Dr. Thomas Filburn

University of Hartford

Mechanical Engineering Department

200 Bloomfield Avenue

West Hartford, CT 06117

Phone: 860-768-4843

Students recognized: Accardo, Arsenault, McCann given top awards for leadership

On Sunday, April 29, this year’s Student Leadership Awards were announced.
Recognizing students and student organizations, the awards were given out at a ceremony and brunch.
The Robert Hanley Award, which is considered the most prestigious out of all the awards, was given to Ben Accardo. The Hanley Award is given to a student who has demonstrated a solid commitment to the University. Accardo’s award was based off his involvement in student organizations, service to the community, having a positive spirit and serving as a role model for other students.
The M. Kevin Fahey Gengras Student Union Award was given to Daniel Arsenault. M. Kevin Fahey was actually in attendance at the ceremony. Fahey is retiring this year from Student Union Director at UConn after 41 years. He also served ten years as Student Union Director at UHa. The award is given to someone demonstrating student leadership in the development of the overall program and mission of GSU.
The Richard D. Keller Award was given to John McCann. This award is given to recognize one student with a physical disability that demonstrates the perseverance in his involvement in University programs or student organization. McCann was awarded this award for his complete participation and involvement in campus life even with his disability.
Along with these three awards, awards were given out for Student Organization, Community Service, Best Program, the Dean of Students Recognition of Service Award, the First-Year Student Award and the Good Neighbor Award.

Senior Biomedical Engineer Kudernatsch Named Baseball Player of the Week

Near-perfect hitting has landed senior Simon Kudernatsch on the weekly honor roll as America East Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday. Kudernatsch closed out a four-game weekend series with the UMBC Retrievers with 10 hits in 14 at bats for a .714 average at the plate.

The honor is the second of the season for Kudernatsch who earned the first such distinction of the season on March 28. Over six total games last week, the Hawks’ third baseman averaged .667 (14-of-21) and extended his current hit streak to nine games. In total, Kudernatsch accounted for 17 of the Hawks' runs last week, scoring eight times and driving in nine runs. He also hit three doubles and worked three walks.

Over the nine-game hit streak, Kudernatsch is hitting an impressive .594 with 19 hits in 32 at bats. He has hit two or more times in seven of the nine games and has driven in 10 runs. In the Hawks' series against UMBC, Kudernatsch hit better than .700 in both double headers including a perfect 3-for-3 in the series finale on Sunday. In that game, he also drove in and scored three runs. Two of those three hits went for two bases.

For the season, Kudernatsch leads the Hawks with a .364 batting average with 55 hits in 159 at bats. He also leads the way with 36 RBI and is second in power hitting with 13 doubles, three triples and three home runs.

Kudernatsch and the Hawks return to the diamond for a three-game home series against Maine this weekend. The Hawks and Black Bears will play a doubleheader on Saturday (noon) and a single game on Sunday (1 p.m.). The Hawks will honor Kudernatsch and his four senior classmates in a special ceremony prior to Suday's game.

Emerole and Harrison Earn New England Sprint Titles Emerole is a CETA student

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Senior Anderson Emerole and freshman Tiffany Harrison each earned the title of New England Champion Saturday (May 12) after picking up first-place finishes in the men’s 200-meter and women’s 400-meter dashes, respectively, in the final heats of the NEICAAA Championships hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Hawks track & field teams wrapped up the 2012 outdoor campaign on Saturday afternoon. The Hawk men notched 18 total points at the meet to finish 14th out of 38 scoring teams. The Hawk women took 12th place out of 35 scoring teams, picking up 30.50 total points.

Emerole picked up the men’s 200-meter dash crown while also breaking his own school record with a championship time of 21.45 seconds. Emerole also scored for the Hawks in the 400-meter dash final. The senior notched fourth place in the race with a time of 48.66 seconds.

Harrison won the 400-meter title on the women’s side, stopping the clock at 55.37 seconds. Junior Priscilla Appiagyei took third place in the event, finishing with a time of 56.67 seconds. Harrison also took seventh in the 200-meter final, posting a time of 24.74 seconds.

Harrison was also a part of a pair of relay teams that scored points. The foursome of Kenterra Richardson, Harrison, Merrica Modeste and Stephanie Hanson set the school record in the 4x100-meter relay, rounding the track in 48.31 seconds to take sixth place. The women’s 4x400 team of Harrison, Natalie Bonham, Rebecca Cheatham and Appiagyei earned a fourth-place finish with a 3:51.17 mark.

Sophomore Alisha Beeman added to the point total for the Hawk women as she took fourth in the high jump after clearing a height of 1.60 meters.

The Hartford men also scored in a pair of relay events. The 4x100 relay finished seventh with a time of 42.58 thanks to Ansu Diggs, Emerole, Gario Graham and Rashawn Providence. The 4x800 relay team of Kevin Brandon, Chris Rodriguez, Wayne Lawrence and Bobby Giuliani posted a time of 7:51.29.

Two other Hawks, Andy Chalmers for the men and freshman Sam Crisafulli for the women, contributed school-record times on Sunday. Chalmers set the Hartford record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, posting a time of 9:29.15 to finish 13th. Crisafulli covered the 800-meter run in 2:16.66, more than a full second faster than her previous record.

Dautova, Milanovic, and Hammad Present Paper at ASEE-NE Conference

Contours of velocity magnitude: CFD

Contours of velocity magnitude: PIV

Lyutsia Dautova, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, CETA; Ivana Milanovic, associate professor of mechanical engineering, CETA; and Khaled J. Hammad, assistant professor of engineering at Central Connecticut State University, presented a research paper at the American Society of Engineering Education–North East Section (ASEE-NE), which took place in Lowell, Mass., in April.

The paper, "CFD Study of the Effect of Jet Placement on Flow Patterns Inside a Jet Stirred Tank," reported the effects of jet placement on the resulting flow patterns inside a tank. Detailed descriptions, both quantitative and qualitative, are documented in Dautova’s thesis.
Her work was also selected for presentation at the University of Hartford's annual Graduate Research/Creativity Symposium, which took place on May 2.

Acoustical Engineering Grads Win 'Best Student Paper' Award

Adam Wells (left) and Ari Lesser work on their undergraduate senior capstone research project on acoustic floor treatments for reducing classroom activity noise

Adam Wells and Ari Lesser, both 2011 graduates of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), won a Best Student Paper Award at the recent 162nd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) in San Diego, Calif.
It was the third time in four years that University of Hartford students have won the award.

The presentation by Wells and Lesser was among a number of sessions on architectural acoustics held throughout the conference by both professional researchers and students. The winners were selected by a subcommittee of ASA judges, who anonymously attended each session and scored student participants based upon the content of their papers and the quality of their presentations.

Wells and Lesser presented the results of their undergraduate senior capstone research project on acoustic floor treatments for reducing classroom activity noise. The team designed testing apparatus in the Acoustical Engineering’s Reverberation room to evaluate and design optimal floor characteristics to minimize noise from chair scrapes and impacts, such as foot falls. The project was part of a research grant from the Paul S. Veneklasen Research Foundation obtained by Professor of Mechanical Engineering Bob Celmer '78 and Assistant Professor Michelle Vigeant.

Wells graduated summa cum laude in May 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, majoring in acoustical engineering and music. Originally from Wayne, PA, Wells is currently an acoustical engineer with Phoenix Noise & Vibration Consultants, Inc. in Frederick, Maryland.

Lesser graduated magna cum laude in May 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, majoring in acoustical engineering and music. A native of Baltimore, MD, Lesser is currently an acoustical engineer with Cerami & Associates Consultants in New York City.

CETA's "See through reactor team" recieves $5,000 dollar check from Regis Matzie

The picture is  some of the members of the "See-through" reactor team at UH.  Senior VP (retired) Regis Matzie presented CETA with a $5,000 check to support the "see-through" project development at UH.  This donation is in addition to $10,000 received from Dominion and $121, 560 received from the NRC. Dr. Yavuzturk and Dr. McDonald are missing from the UH team.

WELFund Announces 2012 Dorothy Goodwin Summer Scholars, CETA student Roshel Vas recieves one.

(L-R) WELFund donor and University Regent Alison Gallagher Coolbrith; Erica Lorenzo '13; Maria Arroyo '13; Erica Maas '13; WELFund Program and Grants Manager Donna Haghighat; Roshel Vas '13; and Staci Bechard '13

The Dorothy Goodwin Summer Scholars Program provides stipends for a select group of sophomore and junior women students who propose innovative summer research projects in partnership with a University of Hartford faculty member. This year marks five years since Dorothy Goodwin’s passing, so the Women's Education and Leadership Fund (WELFund) is pleased to award five scholarships!

– Maria Arroyo, a junior studying politics and government in the College of Arts and Sciences, will be working with Assistant Professor Katherine A. Owens. They are researching why water projects in developing countries don’t often yield the desired results. They will assess how local governance is related to water access.

– Roshel Vas, a junior studying biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture, will be working with Associate Professor Jonathan Hill. Vas will be researching how to properly use a mechanical vibrotactile stimulator (VTS) in infants who are born prematurely to sustain normal breathing.

– Staci Bechard, who is majoring in integrated elementary and special education in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, will be working with Assistant Professor John Tapper. Bechard is exploring instructional practices for itinerant teachers in third world countries. She will travel to Haiti to investigate the instructional strategies that can be used by non-governmental organizations placing teachers in short-term assignments in high-needs areas. Bechard will also create a manual to support and guide itinerant teachers working in developing countries for short periods of time.

– Erica Maas, a junior in The Hartt School studying vocal performance, will be working with Hartt Community Division faculty member Susan Mardinly. This project will empower girls through music, education, and performing experience. She will offer an eight-week program of free private voice lessons to high school girls from Greater Hartford who would like to learn to sing.

– Erica Lorenzo, a junior studying chemistry and biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, will be working with Assistant Professor Aime Levesque. This project will study how breast cancer grows on a cellular level.

Help to advance more wonderful women like these by donating to the WELFund today! Visit our website at www.hartford.edu/welfund.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/Article/View/12959

Professor Britt interviewed on radio station

Professors at University of Hartford are often interviewed for efforts related to their teaching. Tim Britt, who teaches in the Audio Engineering Technology program of which he has acted as Program Director for the last 10 years has been interviewed twice in the last few months by WATR out of Waterbury, Connecticut.

The interviews took place surrounded Britt's involvement in the Animal Rescue Foundation of Connecticut's fund raising efforts to help homeless and abused puppies and kittens.

This foundation takes in these helpless animals and brings them to full health and applies the required vaccinations in order to allow qualified families the chance to gain a pet at almost no charge.

Tim Britt and the band he is a part of, Tommy and the Rivieras, have performed at two events that have been great successes as fund raisers for the organization. This band, Tommy and the Rivieras has shared the stage over the years with over 200 internationally known recording stars such as The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry and so many more. Members of this band that Professor Britt records and performs with included former members of such Rock n Roll Hall of Fame bands such as the Animals and Bill Haley's Comets.

Tim Britt and the band have recorded at the University of Hartford's CETA Recording Studios with great success and those tracks are available for you listening pleasure at http://www.myspace.com/tommyandtherivieras . Tim Britt has extensive experience in recording and live sound in addition to having been been the former owner and founder of Axis A/V Services which acted as a technical support center for the music industry in the tri-state area and handled authorized warranty service for music equipment manufactures such as Fender, Peavey, Yamaha, Roland, Trace Elliot, Crate, Dean Markey, Foxtex and many more. This company supported 8 music retailers customer repair needs in addition to providing sound reinforcement and audio system installation services to clients throughout New England and New York. All of this experience is brought to the students in the classroom to aid them in their career goals.

CETA Faculty Members Receive U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Grant

Cy Yavuzturk and Tom Filburn, faculty members in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), are co-principal investigators on a recently awarded U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Fellowship Grant. Yavuzturk is associate professor of mechanical engineering and chair of the department, and Filburn is professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering.

Under the grant, they will team with Professor Hanchen Huang at the University of Connecticut. The grant will provide $340,000 in funding for graduate students at both schools over the next four years.

Yavuzturk’s team at the University of Hartford will use these funds to expand their research efforts in the design and operation of nuclear power plants in the U.S. This new grant directly supports the Energy and Sustainable Design concentration available within the mechanical engineering program at the University of Hartford.

The grant will fund two full-time master’s candidates over the four-year period, paying tuition and a monthly stipend during the grant period.