Civil Engineering Students Take a Tour of the MDC Kenny/Obayashi South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel Project

 

An inside look at the pumping well.

 



Professor Saleh Keshawarz pictured with the civil engineering students that attended the tour on October 19.

On Thursday, October 19, twenty civil engineering students from Professor Saleh M. Keshawarz’s junior level Geotechnical Engineering I. class went on a tour of the MDC Kenny/Obayashi South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel project. Many thanks to the MDC, CDM Smith, the Kenny Obayashi venture, Jeffrey Fournier, and Tom Clavin for making this tour possible for the students.

John Stearns, a writer for hartfordbusiness.com, explained how the tunnel-boring machine chews through shale, siltstone and basalt and travels through several inactive fault zones 175-250 feet below ground and as it moves along, the machine lays sections of pipe to line the tunnel while moving extracted material out of the tunnel. “The tunnel will hold the overflows until a pump at the tunnel’s terminus can move the wastewater up to the plant for treatment, after which the water is discharged into the river in a cleaner state.”

The tour began with a safety orientation and a brief project overview. The students were provided hard hats, safety vests, and eye protection. Geoffrey Rowntree, the project emergency management officer for CDM Smith, led the tour.

Architecture Faculty Travel to Switzerland to Present Their Research

 

The faculty enjoying the Switzerland architecture.

Adjunct Assistant Professor Jason Hegenauer presenting his paper at the conference.

On October 2-3, at the 12^th Advanced Building Skins Conference in Bern, Switzerland, faculty from the Department of Architecture in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) presented their research.

 

The goal of the conference is to contribute to an integrated planning approach to the energy consumption of buildings by hosting an exchange of ideas from all aspects of design and construction. There were 234 paper presentations, given by professors, researchers, architects, engineers, scientists, and manufacturers about various topics in sustainable technology and construction.

 

Members of the architecture contingent who presented at the conference include Professor Michael Crosbie, Associate Professor Ted Sawruk, Assistant Professor Timothy Adekunle — who co-authored with Sigridur Bjarnadottir, assistant professor of the civil, environmental, and biomedical engineering department and Samuel Oloyed, department of estate management for Covenant University — and Adjunct Assistant Professor Jason Hegenauer. Former Adjunct Assistant Professor Rebeccah Tuscano-Moss also presented.

 

Below are the four papers that were presented at the conference:

• Natural Ventilation in Connecticut Houses of the 1600s and 1700s, by Ted Sawruk
• James Marston Fitch: Modern Pioneer of Architecture Aligned with Climate, by Michael Crosbie
• Occupants’ Adaptation and Design Parameters Influencing Behavioral Actions of Occupants in Naturally Ventilated Sustainable Timber Buildings, by Timothy Adekunle. The paper was co-authored with Sigridur Bjarnadottir and Samuel Oloyede
• A Case-Study of Implementing Natural Ventilation in Sustainable Buildings, by Jason Hegenauer

UNOTEs - 10/23/17

CETA's Civil Engineering Students Gain Real-World Knowledge

 

Chicopee Wastewater Treatment Plant on October 11.

Westfield Water Resource Recovery Facility on October 18



Civil Engineering students from Professor Todd Brown’s Water Quality Engineering class are continuing to travel to the Mass. area wastewater treatment plants to perform settling tests to help the treatment plant operators model the performance of their settling tanks.

Elijah Stewart, Joe Beauchesne, and Aly Ali performed tests at the Chicopee Wastewater Treatment Plant on October 11. Sarah Socolosky, Ali Alrayshan and Matt Murphy did the same tests at the Westfield Water Resource Recovery Facility on October 18.

The students’ partnership with treatment plant operators and professional engineers is providing some real-world, hands-on learning opportunities that will give them something unique to talk about in their upcoming job interviews!

UNOTEs - 10/23/17

Milanovic and Brzostowki Interviewed for Digital Engineering Magazine

An application ‘Vortical Flow over Open Cavities’ by Christian Mauricio.

 



An interview, ‘COMSOL App Builder Schools Students in Simulation,’ with Ivana Milanovic, professor of mechanical engineering, and Karen Brzostowski, a graduate mechanical engineering student employed full-time at Belcan Engineering Group, has been published in the Digital Engineering magazine.

The article provides an overview of application building in a course environment illustrated with samples of student work. Dr. Milanovic and Tom Eppes, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, have integrated applications (apps) into traditional face-to-face and hybrid engineering courses. Apps were first included in a multidisciplinary modeling graduate course that emphasizes an end-of-semester research project. At the undergraduate level, apps were added into a two-course mechanical engineering thermo-fluids sequence. An application ‘Vortical Flow over Open Cavities’ by Christian Mauricio, undergraduate mechanical engineering student was featured in the article. This work was funded by a grant and resulted in a presentation at an undergraduate research and creativity colloquium.

Digital Engineering (DE) is a monthly print magazine with daily e-newsletters, social media and website, delivering need-to-know information on high-performance computing and simulation-based modeling that is driving up-front design, new rapid prototyping and testing technologies. DE’s mission is to guide the audience through a myriad of new engineering tools by showcasing what is relevant and worth integrating into an optimized engineering workflow.

UNOTES - 10/19/17

Milanovic and Eppes Featured in IEEE Spectrum Magazine

Professor Ivana Milanovic. Clockwise: Professor Tom Eppes, Mark Markiewicz, Stefan Keilich, Karen Brzostowski

An article, ‘Simulation Apps Bring STEM to Life,’ headlining the work of Ivana Milanovic, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Tom Eppes, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has been published in the flagship magazine, Multiphysics Simulation of the IEEE Spectrum, October 2017 issue.

The article describes how ‘In a landmark effort,’ multiphysics analysis software is being introduced into junior-year fluid mechanics and heat transfer courses as a required part of the coursework. In addition, complementary high-value apps are employed to drive industry-sponsored research and increase students’ appeal to potential employers many of whom are aerospace and manufacturing-related.

IEEE Spectrum is the flagship magazine and website of the IEEE, the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and the applied sciences. Its chapters have over 400,000 members and include computer scientists, software developers, information technology professionals, physicists, medical doctors, and many others in addition to IEEE's electrical and electronics engineering core.

Documents

Simulation Apps Bring STEM to Life
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UNOTEs - 10/17/17

Recent Alumna, Rosemarie Day ’17 featured on the Intel website.

Recent Alumna, Rosemarie Day ’17 and the Internet of Things (IoT) project which she completed under the advisement of Professor Hassan S. Salehi, are now featured on the Intel website. Rosemarie, a computer engineering major, has been selected as an Intel Software Innovator for IoT with a focus on health analytics. The innovator program recognizes up and coming developers by featuring them on Intel’s website and recommending them for speaking events and project work.

Hassan Salehi, assistant professor of the Samuel I Ward Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, was Rosemarie’s faculty advisor for her capstone design project where she developed a mobile app to help headache sufferers by tracking environmental patterns. Rosemarie won first place at the spring 2017 CETA Design Expo. Upon graduation, Rosemarie joined iDevices in Avon, Conn. as an IoT DevOps Engineer, where she had interned the summer before her senior year. iDevices sponsored Rosemarie’s CETA Design Expo project.

It is important to the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) that students make connections throughout their college career to enable them to be successful upon graduation, yet this is not the only factor that played into Rosemarie’s success. Early exposure to a STEM field and attending a technical high school enabled her to cultivate an interest in engineering at an early age. The CETA Student Ambassadors & Leadership Society, advised and organized by Dean Hisham Alnajjar, Professor Ying Yu and Director of Collegiate Student Services, Julie Spring, does its part to engage younger students in STEM during Engineers Week.

When Intel asked Rosemarie what she saw for the future in technology, she referenced the growing trend of data analytics. She uses data collection and analysis to identify environmental patterns for her mobile app. Data analytics was a common topic of conversation at the Tech Talent Workshop on September 22.

Rosemarie is currently collaborating with Professor Salehi on a journal article about the research done during her bachelor’s degree for analyzing environmental changes in the home. They are planning to publish the paper soon in the IEEE IoT Journal.

She will be conducting an on-campus Intel Alliance Workshop on Thursday, October 12, educating students on topics such as Amazon Web Services IoT and how to run basic computer vision using OpenCV.

Civil Engineering Students Experience Hands-On Learning

 

Suez North America, the company that operates the Springfield Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, has partnered with the University of Hartford’s Water Quality Engineering class this semester to learn more about how the Facility’s wastewater system is operating.  The goal is to identify opportunities for improving treatment efficiency or for saving energy, which reduces both operational cost and carbon footprint. 

Professor Todd Brown’s civil engineering seniors, Hussain Aljafr, Sahan Bin Shawyah, and Geoff Hook, were at the plant on Tuesday, October 3, to measure the rate at which the microorganisms in the treatment system use up the oxygen in the water. This indicates both the amount of pollutants present at that point in the process and how quickly the pollutants are being removed.

In the CE 420 course, the students learn the physical, chemical, and biological theories of water treatment and wastewater treatment and disposal; operational principles of various treatment plant components; and state and federal regulatory standards. 

To view video footage from the visit, click here.

CETA Professor, Hemchandra Shertukde, Wins the 2017 CT Chapter IEEE Outstanding Engineer Award

Professor Hemchandra Shertukde of the Samuel I. Ward Electrical and Computer Engineering Department has won the 2017 CT Chapter IEEE Outstanding Engineer Award!

IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE’s core purpose is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.

 

Unotes - 10/2017

Green 707 has been officially recorded by NEDRA!

 

Green 707’s record has been officially recorded by the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA)! NEDRA exists to raise awareness of electric vehicle performance and to encourage advances in the technology through competition. NEDRA organizes and sanctions safe electric vehicle drag racing events.

                Green 707 had to meet many requirements to earn a NEDRA record, including track requirements, eligibility, rules set forth by the organization, and to follow the record submission procedure. Paul Mangelsdorf, the club’s president, is excited to see if the new batteries they have ordered will yield even better results next time they hit the track. Professor Hemchandra Shertukde, the club’s faculty advisor, is proud of the club’s recent accomplishments and looks forward to seeing what new modifications can be made to improve the vehicle’s performance.

 

The overall list of records can be seen here; http://www.nedra.com/record_holders.html

The list of college records can be found here; http://www.nedra.com/records-hm-History.html

 

Below are the rules and requirements the team met in order to earn a NEDRA record.

 

Record Rules

1) Track Requirements:
     Any 1/8 mile or 1/4 mile approved tracks.
     Approved Tracks must meet one of the following;
     Authorized for IHRA or NHRA events
     Authorized for FIA events
     Authorized for FIA affiliated organization events
     Additional tracks recognized by NEDRA

2) Eligibility:
      Vehicle driver must be a NEDRA member prior to any record run.
       NEDRA Race Form must be filled out and signed off for each event prior to any record run.
       A NEDRA officer or Regional Manager may collect driver membership dues at an event as long as they are collected prior to any runs being made by the driver.
       Vehicle owner must be a NEDRA member prior to the submission of any records.
        Records must be submitted within 45 days of the date on the record time slip.
        Vehicle must meet applicable NEDRA Class and Voltage Specifications.
        Vehicle must meet applicable track sanctioning body (NHRA or equivalent) Specifications.
         Driver must meet applicable track sanctioning body (NHRA or equivalent) license and rule requirements as required by the event.
         Records can be attempted at sanctioned NEDRA events or independently by the vehicle owner at any approved track.
         Only a sanctioned NEDRA multi-day event can use time slips spanning multiple days. All other events shall require same day/ same event time slips. Participants in NEDRA multi-day events can potentially earn multiple records on different days.

3) Rules:
           Owner, driver and vehicle must meet all eligibility requirements
           Records may be set in any class and voltage division for 1/8 or 1/4 mile distances.
           A vehicle may only set one record at each Event. 
           A valid time slip must not include a driver error (red light). 
           A record time must include a backup time from the same Event.
           If two times are within 1% of each other, the quicker time shall be the record time and the other time shall be the backup time.
           If two times differ by more than 1%, the quicker time shall be the backup time and the other time shall be the record time.

4) Record Submission Procedure:
     NEDRA Race Form must be properly filled out by the vehicle owner and signed by the track inspector. Two valid time slips are required.

Green 707 Sponsors:

Sponsors	Location
Academy Printing Services	Southhold, NY
Brian Jawin
Cornerstone Electrical	CT
D & D Autoworks, Inc.	St. Louis Park, MN
Dean's Office, CETA
Diagnostic Devices Inc.
Dr. Seshan
Patricia Nodoushani
Provost's Office, University of Hartford
RDS Electric, LLC	Terryville, CT
Sally Collins
Samuel I. Ward Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, CETA	CETA, UoH
SGA
Tektronix
Wattsaver Lighting Products

If you would like to join the club or find out more information, please contact Profess Hemchandra Shertukde, shertukde@hartford.edu, or Paul Mangelsdorf, mangelsdo@hartford.edu. You may also follow the clubs Facebook for more frequent updates on the team’s progress: www.facebook.com/UHaGreen707.

Ilumoka, Milanovic, and Grant Publish in the Journal of STEM Education

Abby Ilumoka, program director for Engineering Education, Division of Undergraduate Education, Directorate For Education & Human Resources, National Science Foundation, Ivana Milanovic, professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), and Natalie Grant, deputy validation manager, Pratt & Whitney, have published an article in the Journal of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: Innovations and Research, Vol. 18, No. 3. JSTEM is a half-yearly, peer-reviewed publication for educators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The journal emphasizes real-world case studies that focus on issues that are relevant and important to STEM practitioners.

The paper, 'An Effective Industry-Based Mentoring Approach for the Recruitment of Women and Minorities in Engineering,' is an investigative study on the powerful impact of mentoring partnerships between pre-college students and young engineering professionals in Hartford, CT. It was found that these partnerships provide a strong foundation for a diverse pre-college student engineering pipeline that includes women and under-represented minorities. The approach used is based on the principle of cross-age peer mentoring and combines industry-based mentoring with diversity-aware mentor recruitment strategies to 1) cultivate and train a corps of diverse mentors; 2) develop a suite of informal mentoring activities; and 3) apply and generate knowledge about impact of effective mentoring strategies in overcoming barriers to women and underrepresented minorities in engineering.

The mentoring program was established at three public schools serving different population segments: suburban, multicultural suburban and urban tuition-free charter school. Diverse engineering professionals were recruited from local tech companies and trained to hone their mentoring skills. Additionally, mentoring assistants, female and minority undergraduate engineering students were recruited to help during mentoring sessions. The mentoring activities, evidence of program success, and future plans are presented and discussed. Results show that students who participate in industry-based mentoring are 55% more likely to demonstrate more interest and confidence in STEM subjects as well as 25% more likely to show greater interest in pursuing STEM careers.

Bachelor Degrees in Engineering (Source: NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators 2014, Ch 2, Undergrad Education, Enrollment & Degrees in the US)

 

 Gender Disparities in Engineering Jobs (Source: NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators 2014, Ch 3, Women and Minorities in the S&E Workforce).

 

 

 

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Engineering (Source: NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators 2014, Ch 3, Women and Minorities in the S&E Workforce).

 

Unotes - 10-4-17