CEAS Dean, Dr. Anthony J. Vizzini Elected President of SAMPE Executive Committee

Promoting market diversification, SAMPE disseminates information about the commercial and industrial applications of material and processing engineering. These include land transportation, construction, marine, biomedical and medical, sports and recreation, and industrial applications. It is SAMPE's opinion that the well being and career development of its members as well as the industry by which they are employed requires that technology transfer be successful.

Dr. Vizzini along with the rest of the SAMPE executive board members, will supervise SAMPE's two largest North American Conferences: SAMPE Tech, October 17-20, 2011 in Fort Worth, Texas; and SAMPE 2011, May 21-24, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to the North American conferences, the cabinet will supervise SAMPE Asia taking place February 21-22, 2012 in Kuala Lumpur. Implementation of new international policies will also be directed by the members of the executive cabinet. Congratulations!

CEAS Computer Science Professor Dr. Ajay Gupta Wins Election

Congratulations to Dr. Ajay Gupta on being elected as the Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Parallel Processing.  Here at the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences Dr. Gupta is also the the Director of the Wireless Sensornets (WiSe) Lab, and the Graduate Program Director. The IEEE Computer Society is one of the world's leading membership organizations for computing professionals.

WMU is a Model for Green Manufacturing Work in Academia

"The school's program, launched in early 2010, already has produced numerous real-life results. One example: Two students reviewed a local company's overhead doors and the efficiency of door heaters. They provided design solutions that involved differential steam control valves and proximity sensors to automatically operate the doors. An initial investment of $5,100 now generates annual energy savings of $28,400. " Click on the title for the original press release.

83' Industrial Engineering Grad Becomes the Voice of the Libyan Revolution

Civil and Construction Engineering Department Takes Another Step Forward to Prepare Career-Ready Graduates

Founded in 2002, the Civil Engineering program at Western Michigan University has become the third largest such program in the state of Michigan.  The Civil and Construction Engineering (CCE) department mission is to provide students the opportunity to obtain state-of-the-art engineering knowledge and skills through student-centered education whereas the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) mission is to prepare career-ready graduates.  Looking at both the CCE and CEAS missions, Dr. Upul Attanayake, Assistant Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering, established a process in collaboration with the Michigan Concrete Association (MCA) to provide WMU CCE students to obtain the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Concrete Field Testing Technician - Grade I certification.  ACI defines the Grade I technician as “an individual who has demonstrated the knowledge and ability to properly perform and record the results of seven basic field tests on freshly mixed concrete.” These tests are performed as per the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The Grade I certification process involves two written exams and a performance exam.  Written exams cover fundamentals of concrete and seven ASTM test methods and practices while the performance exam requires examinees performing seven basic field tests on fresh concrete as per the ASTMs.

“As future engineers, our students learn much more than what this certification examination is evaluated in my Civil Engineering Materials course”, stated Dr. Attanayake. ACI certificates are worldwide accepted. Having this certificate provides a competitive edge to our graduates to secure co-op/internships because they finish the coursework and certification during their junior year. Our students will likely not do field testing during their career but need to know how these field test are performed.  State Highway Agencies, Contractors, and Testing Labs prefer students with certification because they can get our students directly walking to a construction site and performing productively. The experience our students gain as certified technicians and the contacts they develop with the industry will help our students secure jobs much easier than the students from other institutes, stated Attanayake.  “By the time our students leave the college they are career-ready graduates”, stated Attanayake.

As the first step, 11 students took the Grade I certification exam on May 24. Mr. David Hollingsworth, Director-Technical Services/Training, Michigan Concrete Association, proctored the entire examination while several other certified technicians helped with proctoring individual practice tests and written examinations. With the help of MCA, this examination will be conducted annually at the end of the spring semester at Parkview campus facilities.

A student preparing to test air content using pressure meter.

II-VI Foundation Provides Funding Support for CEAS Research Project

Back L-R: Dr. Muralidhar Ghantasala, Dr. John Patten, Dean Anthony Vizzini. Front center: Dr. Carl Johnson with project students.

The mission of the II-VI (two-six) Foundation is to “encourage and enable students to pursue careers in engineering, science, and mathematics.” This week they did just that by providing $91,122 in funding support to Western Michigan University and the Manufacturing Research Center for the Micro Laser Assisted Machining of Infared Optical Materials project initiative.

Dr. Carl J. Johnson, chair of the II-VI Foundation, was in attendance at a signing ceremony, which outlined the gift.  Also in attendance were Dean, Anthony Vizzini, Chair of Manufacturing Engineering, Dr. John Patten, and Associate Professor in Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering, Dr. Muralidhar Ghantasala as well as students who will be involved with the project.

Dr. Johnson has served as a director of II-VI Incorporated since 1971 and was its co-founder.   He and his wife also established the II-VI Foundation.  The company, which includes industrial manufacturing, military and aerospace, electronics and telecommunications, and thermo-electronics applications, has a diversified customer base to which II-VI develops, manufactures, and markets its products. Dr. Johnson retired in 2010 but continues to serve as chairman of the board (in a non-executive capacity).  His scientific knowledge along with his technological vision and operational know-how continues to provide strategic direction to the company and the board of directors.

Doctorate of Philosphy in Engineering and Applied Sciences has been approved by the President's Council

The newly added Doctorate of Philosophy in Engineering and Applied Sciences is designed to provide a flexible vehicle to tackle new and emerging areas of research that cut across multiple disciplines. This program, however, is not intended to replace any of the existing PhD programs.

Blood Drive in Honor of Gideon Schripsema is Big Success!

The entire WMU football team, Coach Cubit, and members of the WMU hockey team showed up to give blood as well as many of the CEAS staff, students, and faculty. The Red Cross was amazed at the outpouring of generosity and thoughtfulness in honor of Gideon and his family. The Red Cross received 97 units of blood, which is more than double of what they took in last year!

Front: Gideon on kneeling # 26's shoulders and Brody center with some big donors. Click here for more photos from the blood drive : Blood Drive 2011

Civil & Construction Engineering 2011 Spring Graduates

Seniors in alpahbetical order: David M. Bonga, Jeffrey C. Boyd, Tsolmon Buyantsogt, Ethan J. Clark, Kevin A. Czarny, Daniel C. Guastella, Jonathan T Hannich, Oyewole D. Johnson, Ling K. Kong, Jeffrey S. Landers, Alexander J. Lesher, Perry S. Lyford-Stojic, Matthew T. Markham, Nicholas J. Mannon, Randall L. Meert, Steven A. Morris, Lindsay A. Mukans, Daniel C. Munson, Garrett E. Myland, Andrew T. Paglia, Andrew J Peruski, Devin L. Render, Wadea K. Sindi, Nicholas R. Smith, Ryan S. Stoughton, Bradley J. Whitehead, Alexander Wolf, Stephen C. Wright, & Ryan M. West.

2011 Spring Deans List

Twenty-three Undergrads Win Research Awards!

CEAS Students Win Stryker Challenge!

Friday March 25, 2011

Congratulations to the engineering team that won the first annual Stryker challenge.  They include: ECE student Wei Chiu, MAE students Luke Burley, Kevin Thompson and, Colin Haire. Their faculty adviser is Dr. Damon Miller and Professor Fred Sitkins is their team organizer. The CEAS team coming in at first place beat the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and, Purdue University.
Each team had to construct a vehicle and run it on a timed course. WMU performed flawlessly achieving the best time. Stryker Corporation used this event to narrow down the field of engineering schools that it will be recruiting from. This will be an annual event with a different competition each year. 

L to R: Dr. Miller, Colin Haire, Wei Chiu, Luke Burkey, Kevin Thompson, and Fred Sitkins

Unveiling Ceremony for CEAS Charging Station

March 21, 2011 Senator Debbie Stabenow and President Dunn at the unveiling ceremony introducing the charging stations to the campus and local communities.

WMU is thought to be the first organization in southwest Michigan to make a charging station available to the public and perhaps the only one in Michigan to purposely place its charging stations near public transit bus stops.

L to R: President Dunn and Senator Stabenow plug the Chevy Volt into the charging station in front of CEAS. The University received its stations at no cost through an equipment grant from Coulomb Technologies, a company that manufactures electric-vehicle charging stations.

Right: Dean Vizzini passing the CEAS Challenge Coin to WMU Alumni Todd Bannon at the ceremony.

2011 Engineers Week

February 22, 2011 E-Week Dinner and Scholarship Awards
There were seven CEAS students who received scholarship awards. Of these, four received awards from Eaton: Mitchell Zajac, Rochelle Gillette, Jacob Hill, and Adeel Khan. One award from ASMI: Casy Kick. One award from SPE: Cody Boyne. And one award from IEEE: (not pictured) Fariba Nasiri

Congratulations to the Engineers Week Scholarship Award Recipients. Left to right: Jacob Hill, Cody Boyne, Mitchell Zajac, Adeel Khan, Casy Kick, and Rochelle Gillette.

WMU Community College Cooperation Conference (C4) Presentation

Click Here to view the presentation given at the Conference by Scot Conant - Student Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator.

ASEE NCS Conference

To all,

Just wanted to let you know that our IME students did spectacularly at this last weekend's ASEE North Central Section conference in Pittsburgh. Andy Kline and I were the WMU faculty there, and Sean Derrick, Steven Srivastava, Rob Simmons, and Anson Clawson were the recent WMU grads who attended and presented.

Roughly twenty student papers were recommended for inclusion in the "Best Student Paper" competition by reviewers. That list was painstakingly reviewed down to five, including Sean Derrick's 2009 senior project "Dual Impeller Drive System - D.I.D.S." and Steven Srivastava et al.'s "A Sustainable Waste Oil Solution" senior project from this last fall.

All were evaluated by (non-WMU) evaluators at the conference. Sean Derrick's D.I.D.S. was the runaway winner ("This is a MIT graduate project!" per one very distinguished reviewer), and the waste oil paper finished a strong third. They all did us proud, and we received many compliments from our ASEE colleagues on the quality of WMU students' work, presentations, and professionalism. It was a fine weekend, especially coming home to find the ASCE student chapter finished second in the concrete canoe contest!

- Betsy M. Aller, Associate Professor

ASCE Student Conference

To all,

I want to let you know about the great success this past weekend. The student chapter of ASCE led by Kim Warners put on a first-class regional competition. Hundreds of students and their families came through the Parkview Campus for the Steel Bridge Competition on Saturday and withstood the cold and wet at Ramona Park on Sunday.

Our Concrete Canoe team came in 2nd overall (up from 3rd last year). Our Steel Bridge team, although they did not place in the top three this year, improved dramatically from last year. I am certain that next year will be their year!

In all aspects, WMU looked great. Our students demonstrated professionalism in organization, in engineering design, and in collegiality. I am proud of their accomplishments!

- Anthony J. Vizzini, Dean

WMU Challenge Coin

In 2009, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences struck a Challenge Coin. The age-old tradition of a challenge coin allows individuals to visibly display their loyalty to a unit and to share that membership as a point of pride. Our college's coin is carried by our alumni and friends along with the faculty and staff as a way of connecting all of us together. In this way, each of us will have the Brown & Gold at hand and have a constant reminder of our belonging to CEAS.

The coin is often transferred through a handshake. If you are an alumnus, let me know the next time we meet and I will present you with my coin!

- Anthony J. Vizzini, Dean

Click here for more CEAS News from WMU News