Exemplar 2009 - College of Engineering - Wayne State University

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of ENGINEERING
20 th Anniversary Issue, April 2009
Inside This Issue:
• Cynthia Bir, Sport Science Scientist
• The Marvin I. Danto Development Center
• Exemplar: 20 years old
• Understanding “Blasts on the Brain”
Cynthia Bir,
Scientist on the Sport Science set

EXEMPLAR:
Sydney Redigan
Associate Editor
David Reich
Editor
Matthew Garin
Graphic Designer
Rick Bielacyzc
Mary Jane Murawka
Alonso delArte
Photography
Indera Robinson
Proofreader, WSU Marketing
and Communications
Message from the Dean
“Moving On In Big Ways”
20 th Anniversary Issue, April 2009
Ralph Kummler
Dean
Yang Zhao
Chair, Electrical and Computer
Walter Bryzik
Chair, Mechanical
Chuck Manke
Chair, Chemical and Materials Science
Carol Miller
Chair, Civil and Environmental
Ken Chelst
Chair, Industrial and Manufacturing
Chih-Ping Yeh
Engineering Technology
Albert King
Chair, BioMedical
Michele Grimm
Associate Dean, Academics
Mumtaz Usmen
Associate Dean, Research
Gerald Thompkins
Associate Dean, Students
EXEMPLAR is published annually for
alumni, friends and corporate sponsors of
the College of Engineering.
Please address comments to:
Exemplar editor
Wayne State University
College of Engineering, Rm. 1153
5050 Anthony Wayne Drive
Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 577-6531
(313) 577-5300 fax
dreich@eng.wayne.edu
Please visit www.eng.wayne.edu
Welcome to the 20 th
anniversary of
EXEMPLAR in this, the
75 th anniversary of the College
of Engineering at Wayne State
University. The old Chinese
proverb says, “May you live in
exciting times!” We certainly
are. By the time you read this,
we will have taken over most of
the Marvin I. Danto Engineering
Development Center (EDC), adding
82,000 square-feet of premier
space for faculty and student
experimental and theoretical
studies. We will be expanding
our already elite Department
of Mechanical Engineering engine dynamometer
capability, our alternative energy
capacity, consolidating our strong nanoengineering
capability in the Department
of Chemical Engineering, and providing
new facilities for the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering in
smart sensors, robotics and imaging.
Finally, the student Formula SAE team
will be able to consolidate in a single lab.
The new endowed chair holder and student
Collegiate Entrepreneurial Organization
(CEO), sponsored by alumnus James
Anderson, will have office space. Also, the
college will finally have conference and
multimedia space, including a PACE Lab
to focus our $408 million gift from GM/
PACE. Reallocation of faculty labs will enable
expansion for all our departments
and student organizations. We will hold a
ribbon cutting for the EDC on April 28 th .
This has truly been the year of the outreach
as you will see in the following pages.
President Jay Noren announced our joint
programs with the Macomb Community
College’s South Campus, and the college
immediately responded with programs
in engineering technology, mechanical
engineering, and a new construction
management degree. Formula SAE competed
all across the country; students were
chaperoned in South Africa by Associate
Dean Thompkins; and dozens of alumni
have contributed their favorite stories to
our 75 th anniversary theme. Yousif Ghafari
became our first alumni ambassador (to
Slovenia), Professor Cynthia Bir of the
Department of Biomedical Engineering
hit the Fox Sports Network and Ford Field
in big ways, and much, much more that
you can read about inside, check out on
the Web, read in our new email newsletter,
or visit on LinkedIn.com on the
Engineering Alumni Association page. So
read on and keep sending us your stories!
Ralph H. Kummler
photo by Rick Bielacyzc

Contents of this Issue
UP FRONT
The Marvin I. Danto Development Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Exemplar 20 Years Old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
AROUND HELIOS
Blast Symposium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Flash of Genius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Drive Safely to Wayne Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Engineering Job Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
2
FEATURE STORIES
Embracing a Green Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Understanding the Effects of Blasts on the Brain. . . . . . . . . 22
Q and A with Ralph Kummler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Undergraduate Writes Code for NASA Robotics . . . . . . . . . 26
Direct Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
12
FACULTY/STAFF BRIEFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
NEW FACULTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
STUDENT SECTION
Polishing the Bent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Student on Fulbright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Order of the Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
COVER STORY
Cynthia Bir Sport Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
20
28
TRANSITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
REFLECTIONS
Looking back 75 years-A college timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Avoiding a Catastrophe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
College Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
The Race for Clean Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
40
PHOTO GALLERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
ALUMNI
Message from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Dear Exemplar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Alumni Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
NIGHT OF THE STARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
CLASS NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
PROFILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
DONORS TO ENGINEERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
62

The
Marvin I. Danto
Development
Center
New Facility Inspires and
Clarifies College Vision
A ribbon-cutting to officially open the
EDC is planned for April 28
photo by Alonso del Arte

The Wayne State University College of
Engineering enters a new era in its 75-
year history with the official opening
April 28 of the Marvin I. Danto Engineering
Development Center. The cutting-edge facility
-- four years in the making -- clarifies the
future course of the college, while its monochrome
silver and glass exterior showcases its
assets to the outside world.
The Engineering Development Center
(EDC) is the new home for strategic research
and development activities producing essential
applications and engineering services –
alternative fuel technology, nanotechnology,
cancer diagnosis and treatment advances,
and other products meeting the challenges
of our time.
As faculty, students and staff begin to transition
to the new facility, the lobby/atrium
has already become a magnet for students
congregating in the open spaces furnished
with small tables and upholstered chairs.
“We’ve been burgeoning out but have been
confined by space for nearly a decade,” says
Ralph Kummler, dean of the college. “The
new facility focuses our energies and redoubles
our purpose.”
“When Michigan returns to economic
health, it will be because
Wayne State and Michigan’s
other research universities act
now to commit ourselves to
nurture and attract knowledgebased
economic ventures in
numerous cutting-edge fields”
Labs in the new three-story facility are designed
and equipped for the most advanced
research and development. The floor plan
includes various teaming areas for students
and faculty to work in multi-disciplines. And
the modular lab spaces and other areas are
flexible to facilitate collaboration and accommodate
rapid changes in existing and emerging
fields.
By design, construction of the new building
followed a package of criteria specified by
the U.S. Green Building Council for its green
building rating system. Facilities, Planning
and Management at WSU is expecting the
EDC to be certified in the silver category, a
level just below the top in sustainable energy
and environmental design.
Also by design, the new futuristic-looking
facility gives the college a face to the outside
world. “We wanted it to be a focal point for
the college,” says Michele Grimm, associate
dean of academic affairs. “The building is
now in three parts. We have our 1950s old
lab wing. We have the 1980s office wing.
And we have this beautiful area in front with
a great face on Warren Avenue that includes
the Alternative Energy Lab and the student
studio and activities space where we can display
student team projects.”
Pivotal engineering programs expected to
gain the most from the new center are: the
Advanced Propulsion Alternative Energy
Lab, which is advancing fuels, emissions
and vehicle wear automotive systems; the
Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems
lab, which is developing micro-systems
for artificial vision, real-time cancer detection,
and other types of biological and
neurological implants and smart sensors;
the Nanotechnology Lab, which focuses on
advanced research in surface science, tissue
engineering, drug delivery and biomaterials;
the Urban Infrastructures Research Lab,
which concentrates on infrastructure and
transportation systems; and the Team-based
Student Project Lab.
More than four years ago, the college
launched the first master’s degree program
in alternative energy technology (AET) in
the country. Enrollment in this multi-disciplinary
program has grown as auto engineers
transition careers to work on renewable and
non-fossil fuel technologies critical to sustain
the environment.
Biofuel research and development has
become an important piece in the energy
puzzle made up of different alternative energy
developments all needed to wean the
U.S. off its dependence on foreign oil. Wayne
State engineering researchers at the National
Biofuels Energy Lab at Techtown just north
of campus are working on the best formulation
for a standard biofuel using 20 percent
biomass (B-20). At the same time, other college
researches led by leading diesel engine
expert Naiem Henein, professor of mechanical
engineering, are testing these formulations
in their labs, soon to be housed in the
new building.
“When Michigan returns to economic
health, it will be because Wayne State and
Michigan’s other research universities act
now to commit ourselves to nurture and attract
knowledge-based economic ventures
in numerous cutting-edge fields,” says WSU
President Jay Noren. Among the fields he
lists are biomedical sciences, alternative
energy, engineering innovation, nanotechnology,
robotics and health care. “These
approaches and other sources of energy
like wind power, have much potential for
Michigan — the Wayne State and URC research
capacity can make these innovative
ideas functioning realities,” he says.
Research and development activities at
the college, particularly in the last decade,
have been producing successful spin-off
companies with engineering products and
services. Examples include the Smart Sensors
and Integrated Microsystems (SSIM) program,
SenSound and NSec. “The EDC offers
continued on page 39

BIGGEST Class Notes Section Ever! 66
UP FRONT
Exemplar was created
20 years ago to be a
communications tool
for the college
C O L L E G E O F E N G I N E E R I N G
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of ENGINEERING
In that time,
we’ve learned that
“communications” is
about connecting the
human spirit and our
experiences.
2 0 0 3
SMART SENSORS &
INTEGRATED MICROSYSTEMS
Lab Expansion
Celebrated
ALSO INSIDE:
WOMEN’S RIGHTFUL PLACE
IN ENGINEERING
Danto Donates $3 Million
For Engineering Development Center
ALSO INSIDE:
STUDENTS HELP DEVELOP
ARMY PARTS HOSPITAL
2002 NIGHT OF THE STARS:
A CELEBRATION
OF ACHIEVEMENT
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of ENGINEERING
The PACE Era
Begins
• WSU Police To Operate World’s First F-Cell Powered Police Car
• Agreement With Chinese University To Bring 200 Grad Students A Year
• Concussions In The NFL: Assessing The Stress And Strains On The Brain
by Distinguished Professor Albert King
• College/Karmanos Researchers Demonstrate Promising Breakthrough In
Targeted Cancer Drug Delivery
photo by Alonso del Arte
Fall 2006 www.eng.wayne.edu
2007 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Michigan Job Report:
Budding Engineers Find
Jobs In Michigan 32
Jack Morton
BSEE’35, Was On Path To
Develop The Microchip 46
www.eng.wayne.edu
When we did a tribute to EX-
EMPLAR magazine on its 10 th
anniversary, we wrote about how
the magazine was conceived and inaugurated
in 1988. We then traced the major
developments the college went through
over the decade from 1988 to 1998.
In 1998, I had been the college’s information
officer for three years and editor of
four issues. The current issue is my 12 th . It’s
been a long run, and while I’m neither a
graduate nor a faculty member, the magazine
has been my connection to you.
What binds us, keeps us interested and
attracts me to this job—in addition to the
engineering, fascinating research, technology
and students who keep us young and
are definitely the reason we’re here—is
the experience we’ve all had at one time
spent on a common ground called the
Wayne State College of Engineering.
That’s what keeps us connected.
We could write about all the important
benchmarks of the college. And
we do in other stories in our “Reflections”
section as we celebrate the 75 th
year of the college. EXEMPLAR is about
accomplishments, but it is also about
people -- their achievements, of course,
but more importantly, their humanness.
The stories we tell about human achievement,
the stories we’ve shared with you
over the past 20 years that emerged most
poignantly to tell a human story, are
the heart of EXEMPLAR magazine.
My favorite story, “Photos from Joe Scheufler,
BSCE’50” was a simple piece that ran last
year on the inside back cover. The story started
with a large packet— including a letter
and disc of photos— left on my desk by the
chair of civil engineering. Joe Scheufler had
captured his memories of a field trip he and
4

ingrained by the river and our camaraderie,” Wayne State female engineering students.
Fred began his story. It may not be widely The piece resonated with the voices of those
known by today’s students— who might not courageous female engineering students of
think WSU ever had a crew team— and, we the time who walked in the hallways and
were proud to document it in EXEMPLAR. attended class more than 70 years ago.
In the 1996 EXEMPLAR, freelancer Wensdy This magazine is about you. As we
White wrote about Harold Donnelly, the celebrate EXEMPLAR’s 20 th anniversary
most popular professor of the college, at and look back on 75 years of history, I
least as legend has it. “He was here almost a invite you to send us your memories. After
half century, from 1936 when he made his all, they are what make us today. ■
teaching debut while still an undergraduate,
to his retirement in 1982,” we wrote David Reich
in the introduction to her story. Donnelly Editor
was instrumental in initiating the chemi-
EXEMPLAR magazine
a handful of classmates had taken in 1948 cal engineering Phd program at the college
from Detroit to Hinton, W. Va. to study the by recruiting his former students, many
Bluestone Reservoir Dam. And he wanted to working as chemical engineers, to teach
share his memories with us. Thank you, Joe. here. To do so, he helped them obtain Phd’s
Ten years ago, the 1998 EXEMPLAR cover from other schools so they could return to
included the photo of 10 undergraduate the college as educators. The story includes
mechanical engineering students and their one of my favorite EXEMPLAR photographs.
professor proudly standing by their reengineered
Chevy Malibu ethanol vehicle nelly as a young, strapping undergraduate
It is a black and white image, with Don-
parked in front of the Capitol Building in during “Flag Rush” of 1931 in the center
Washington, DC. They had just become of a group of young male students engaged
in what looks like a rugby scrum.
winners of the national 1998 Ethanol
Vehicle Challenge. “The emerging tightknit
team of student engineers succeeded peared in the last issue, “Path to Discovery,”
In another “Reflections” story that ap-
in doing something others have not,” we we chronicled the story of another alum
wrote. It was easy to get swept up with their named Jack Morton. “In 1936, Jack Morton,
enthusiasm. The memory of their accomplishment,
and that enthusiasm, became next leg of his path to discovery. He was
BSEE’35, landed at Bell Labs by chance, the
an inseparable part of the college spirit. headed for a career in academia when
“Men of Eight” by Fred Levantrosser,
he graduated from Wayne State in electrical
engineering, but a chance meeting
BSCE’60, MSCE’67, ran in EXEMPLAR 1999.
Fred was a member of the original WSU with a Bell Labs research director landed
varsity rowing crew formed in 1957, of which him a job at the telephone research facil-
engineering majors
made up the
leadership. “The
rowing shells are
long gone, who knows
where, but most of the
members of the WSU
original rowing crew
are still around – albeit
getting on in years and
scattered across the country
– with vivid memories
the experience we’ve all
had at one time spent
on a common ground
called the Wayne State
College of Engineering
ity. In his 35-year career,
the former WSU Tartar
football player and engineering
alum pioneered
the development of the
transistor at Bells Labs.”
Another story, “They
Paved the Way” written
by freelancer Jackie
Headapohl in the
1997 EXEMPLAR, was
about the history of
5

AROUND HELIOS
Study abroad in
South Africa
Neil Patel, an electrical engineering
senior, knew very little about South
Africa except for what he briefly read in
the news. But the mystery of the country
is what Patel says attracted and led him to
apply for the opportunity to learn firsthand
about the history of apartheid.
CAE students (back row, left to right) Darushan
Govender, Neil Patel, Nakaiya Okan-
Mensah, Mark Mock, Kendall Calkins, (front
row, left to right) Ashantie Alford, Ernestine
Lyons-Mayweather, Sara Bratek; photo by
Neil Patel
Patel and Nakaiya Okan-Mensah, who
graduated last May with a master’s degree
in biomedical engineering, were among
11 Wayne State undergraduate and grad
students who spent three weeks last June
on a study abroad trip to South Africa. The
students were accompanied by WSU Engineering
Associate Dean Gerald Thompkins,
history Professor Ron Brown, and
Study Abroad Director Kelli Pugh-Dixon.
They toured historically significant places
in the South African major cities of Durban,
Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria,
and Soweto, as well as an African village
in Zululand, and took a course in South
African history taught by Professor Brown.
The group was exposed to the many
faces of the country, from a single mother
living on 220 rand a month (less than
$1 a day) to a Catholic lawyer heading
a think-tank working to bridge church
and state. The group spoke with people
residing in shantytowns outside Johannesburg
and with students from universities
in each of the major cities.
Despite her awareness of apartheid,
Okan-Mensah says she was completely
surprised by what she saw. “I knew South
Africa has struggled as a country, but
I have never encountered a divide between
races like I did in South Africa.”
Says Patel, “I left the country with a great
appreciation for America and a belief in
the strength of human will. Despite dire
circumstances, people with hope and
optimism showed they could survive.”
The students who participated in the
study abroad trip are majoring in various
disciplines, but are all participants
in the Center for Academic Excellence
(CAE) program. The trip was conceived
to provide an opportunity for students
to fulfill the cultural immersion requirement
for the CAE program.
“Students take undergraduate classes
in National Security Intelligence Studies
as well as earn a bachelor’s degree
in their respective fields,” says Thompkins,
who developed the program for the
Wayne State campus supported by $2.3
million in grants from National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency. The program is
designed to increase the pool of eligible
applicants for positions within the intelligence
community with an emphasis
on students with diverse cultural backgrounds,
language proficiency, geographical
expertise and related competencies.
After graduating in summer 2008, Patel
planned to start graduate work in biomedical
engineering at the University of
Southern California while working for
the Information Sciences Institute. The
institute is a government-related group
that laid the foundation for the Internet
and works today on satellite signal processing
and RADAR. Okan-Menseh is looking
for her first job at a governmental agency.
The trip brought Patel new insight into
his future career, he says. “It reinforced
my direction toward working globally
and keeping my perspective. Academically,
I came back grateful for the
opportunities available to me.” ■
—by Sydney Redigan
WSU researchers receive
$790,000 grant to study
traumatic brain injury
Wayne State University biomedical engineering
researchers have increased
efforts to determine why so many soldiers
return from Iraq with symptoms often
associated with mild to moderate trauma
to the brain after being exposed to the
pressure wave caused by roadside bombs.
The researchers have received more than
$2 million in grants for their research as
they redouble their efforts not only to
determine the cause of the injuries, which
include long-term headaches and memory
lapses, but also treatment and prevention.
Blast Researchers Cynthia Bir and Pamela
VandeVord take blast tube measurements
photo by Rick Bielacyzc
6

“The $790,000 grant we received from
the Office of Naval Research allows us to
continue our efforts to investigate this
critical issue that will potentially affect
thousands of Americans as our soldiers
return home,” says Cynthia Bir, associate
professor of biomedical engineering,
and the lead investigator in their project
called “Blast Induced Neurotrauma.”
The injuries to U.S. troops and bystanders
are being called the signature wound of
the Iraq War. Roadside bombs, also called
improvised explosive devices (IEDs), are
the cause of most cases of brain injury
and account for almost 80 percent of all
wounds to U.S. troops. Many troops caught
near these explosions suffer symptoms
such as perforated eardrums, ringing in
the ears, blurred vision, memory lapses,
headaches, and more long-lasting effects.
Bir and her co-investigators Drs. Mark
Haacke and John Hannigan, and Pamela
VandeVord, assistant professor of
biomedical engineering, use a specially
designed air-driven blast tube that simulates
the features of mild traumatic
brain injury (mTBI) observed in human
victims exposed to explosions.
Currently, methods to identify and treat
soldiers with mild traumatic brain injury
are lacking. There are key questions without
answers: How is the pressure wave transmitted
through the body How is the pressure
causing shock and injury to the brain cells
“We suspect that the wave passes directly
through the skull and causes high stresses
to the brain, starting a process of cell death,”
says VandeVord. “When cells die, they give
off proteins. If our theory is correct, we hope
to be able to identify damage by administering
a blood test to detect the proteins
linked to the trauma caused by the blast.”
The researchers will also be investigating
the effectiveness of drugs both before and
after exposure to the air blasts. “We understand
that time is of the essence,” says Vande-
Vord. “Our goal is to identify a biomarker
and an effective drug treatment that can be
provided to the medical staff in the field as
both preventative and treatment tools.” ■
see page 22 for feature story on this work
WSU Formula SAE Team competes in California
team of engineering students competed
at the Formula SAE West
A
Competition June 25 through 28 in
Fontana, Calif. The Wayne State team
worked on its mini Indy style car over the
past year to compete. The team ranked 42
in overall performance out of 82 teams
from around the world, and earned an
outstanding 7th place in the Cost Event.
It was the fifth Wayne State team to
compete in one of the annual Society
of Automotive Engineers International
student competitions. The events, initiated
by SAE in 1979, are now held at
seven international locations each year.
The team has been advised for the past
five years by Michele Grimm, associate
dean of academic affairs for the college.
Past accomplishments for Wayne
State include the Henkel Technologies
Award for best use of structural foam
in the 2005 Formula SAE car.
The 2008 WSU Formula Team; photo by Amanda Luba
The 2008 WSU Formula SAE team
members who attended the competition
in Fontana, Calif. were Lucas Bultema,
Dan Fryatt, Phil Hughes, Rachelle
LaPorte, Amanda Luba, Tom Miller,
Gil Poisson, Sanket Sirpotdar, Rohit
Tanksale and Murtatha Zalzala. ■
The WSU Formula SAE Team will
be attending these Spring/Summer
2009 events with its racecar:
• SAE 2009 World Congress (at
Cobo Center) April 20 - 23
• Formula SAE Michigan
Competition, May 13 - 16
• Ann Arbor Classic Car Show - the
Rolling Sculpture Car Show - July 10th
• Bloomfield Township’s Classic Car Show
during the Woodward Dream Cruise
7

AROUND HELIOS
WSU hosts international
blast injury symposium
Film immortalizes “the
professor from Detroit”
Research on how to detect and prevent
mild traumatic brain injury
(mTBI) from bomb blasts is crucial. That
is why Wayne State’s Department of
Biomedical Engineering hosted the
Blast Injury Symposium, May 15 —16,
at the McGregor Memorial Conference
Center. Researchers from the Department
of Biomedical Engineering, which
is conducting landmark research on
mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with
funding from the U.S. Office of Naval
Research, chaired the symposium.
The symposium attracted world experts
to discuss what is known about
brain injury, including mTBI, and what
the next steps are for researchers.
The symposium drew internationally
known researchers who addressed
several key aspects of blast injury by
presenting data on highly relevant
topics, including blast injury models,
protective equipment, vehicle safety,
injury diagnosis and treatment.
David Woodruff, the brother of ABC
news anchor and traumatic brain injury
victim Bob Woodruff, was the co-keynote
speaker. Bob Woodruff’s brain injury,
sustained during his coverage of the
Iraq War, drew national attention to the
pervasiveness of traumatic brain injuries
among U.S. troops. David Woodruff
discussed how the impact of his brother’s
injury affected him and his family, and
how this syndrome debilitates countless
American soldiers and their families.
Unanswered questions remain
about how changes in air pressure
caused by a blast can result in
brain damage even when there is no
sign of external physical trauma.
“Thousands of soldiers have suffered
brain injury, and although they may
be experiencing symptoms, they may
not understand,” says Pam VandeVord,
assistant professor of biomedical engi-
(left to right): Pamela VandeVord, Wayne
State assistant professor of biomedical engineering;
keynote speaker Dr. Ibolja Cernak,
from the applied physics Laboratory of the
Johns Hopkins University; keynote speaker
Dave Woodruff, brother of injured ABC News
correspondent Bob Woodruff; and Cynthia
Bir, WSU associate professor of biomedical
engineering at the Blast Injury Symposium
neering and conference co-chair. “We’re
working hard to understand how the
brain injury is occurring and what
can be done to prevent and treat it.”
Ibolja Cernak, from the Applied Physics
Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins
University, presented the other keynote.
Cernak has 20 years experience in both
clinical and experimental blast injury
research, as well as clinical management
of blast injured patients. She has
been recognized as one of the world’s
authorities on explosion-induced neurotrauma,
and as such has been invited to
present at various international forums.
“We were very excited to have two, very
prominent keynote speakers for the
conference,” says Cynthia Bir, associate
professor of biomedical engineering and
co-chair of the conference. “By bringing
together researchers from around the
world, we hoped to provide an environment
that will foster further collaboration
in a much needed research area.” ■
Robert Kearns was on the faculty of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering at
Wayne State for more than a decade (1957
- 1967). But the life of the creator of the
intermittent windshield wiper as portrayed
by Hollywood in the recently released docudrama,
Flash of Genius, was not on campus.
Associate Professor Kearns first worked
in the basement laboratory of his modest
Detroit home near Eight Mile Road where
he and his wife, Phyllis, raised six kids. He
continued to tinker with the wiper electronic
control and assembly system that he cobbled
together until he was finally able to manipulate
the wiper to engage in a new mode.
It then became his one-man battle against
the automakers to recognize his invention after
Ford Motor Company withdrew an agreement
to buy his patented creation. The battle
consumed his life and took every ounce of his
being to endure. It was a David-versus-Goliath
story—Kearns became his own lawyer early
on, making his
personal case
before the courts
—only Goliath
did not fall in a
heap from a deftly
thrown rock.
Kearns’ battle
lasted more than
20 years until the
last word by the
Supreme Court
in 1995 confirming
his lower court victories.
But it came at considerable expense. The
wreckage of his obsession included what
most of us recognize as the most important
thing in life—love. Kearns may now be a rallying
cry for the individual inventor, which
the movie clearly depicts. But he mostly
lost his family, friends and community. (He
died of cancer in 2005 at the age of 77.)
In Flash of Genius, a very good film, Greg
Kinnear acts powerfully as Kearns and is
8

supported artfully by Lauren Graham in
the role of Phyllis Kearns. Not considered a
box-office hit, the movie opened on Sept.
3 and played in theatres only until Sept.
23 before its DVD release in February.
This is a very tough film. It delves into difficult
issues, not the least of which is the spousal
and family stress caused by addiction. This
was a loving family with good intentions, and
it is hard to watch the family disintegrate.
The College of Engineering was engaged
peripherally with this independent docudrama
directed by Marc Abraham, produced
by Spyglass Entertainment, and distributed
by Universal Pictures. When Spyglass began
preparations to shoot on location in the
spring of 2007, its costume designer contacted
the college for images of students and
campus life from the 1960s, when Kearns
taught here. The college kindly obliged.
As with most independent films, the producers
had a tight budget. They opted to shoot
the dramatic scenes in Toronto – including
the one classroom scene at the University of
Toronto—where tax incentives at the time
were more attractive than Michigan’s. Later,
the film crew spent several days in Detroit
filming Rouge River shots and the Ford
Assembly Plant for B-roll footage that appears
in the movie. The dramatic scene when
Kearns brings his invention to Ford engineers
for a demonstration was not shot in front
of Ford Headquarters in Dearborn as it appeared.
The scene was shot on the roof of the
municipal building in downtown Toronto.
Abraham invited the Kearns family members
to Toronto to watch filming and meet
with the actors portraying them. Abraham
and Kinnear often talked to Phyllis and the
older sons on the phone to better understand
the family and the person who was Robert
Kearns. Phyllis and most of the children, who
are now grown up and raising families of their
own, came to Toronto at the end of the summer
to see the dramatic courtroom scenes
that define the final phase of the movie. They
were struck by the remarkable resemblance
between Kinnear and Kearns, and the authenticity
he gave the part, according to Phyllis
who has been in contact with the college.
The studio publicist in Detroit
arranged for special preview
showings at the Southfield AMC
in late September and early
October of 2008 for the College
of Engineering and Wayne State
community. The making of the
film precipitated much anticipation
at the college. At the preview,
which was attended by Dean Ralph
Kummler, WSU Director of Corporate
and Public Affairs Francine Wunder,
and College of Engineering Public
Affairs Officer David Reich, Phyllis
and several of the children were introduced
to the invitation-only audience.
The family’s presence was a ringing
endorsement of the film. Despite leading
to divorce, the fight had led to redemption
in the courts. The film brought the
story to the world. And its showing in Detroit
brought it back to where it all began.
When this “Detroit professor,” as he is referred
to in the film, is asked by the Ford
engineer in the scene outside Ford headquarters
what school he graduated from,
the professor replies, “Case Western.”
Kearns earned his PhD from there.
Kearns earned his master’s degree in mechanical
engineering from Wayne State. While the
university can claim Robert Kearns as its student
and professor, it is never mentioned in the film.
Flash of Genius, the docudrama, as a body
of work, may not have achieved the acclaim it
deserves. It is an excellent dramatized documentary
appealing to a small vocal population
of viewers, in particular, viewers who relate to
the crushing impact of the corporate culture
on the individual. To them, he is a hero.
But in the creative process of retelling the
story, the other dimensions of the real Bob
Kearns are not so developed, including his
role as professor. Both friends and those who
remembered his time at Wayne State say he
was a good and caring teacher. Bob Kearns
lived many lives, each full of rich and amusing
stories, his friends say. None of these
other lives were portrayed in the film. ■
— by David Reich
Kearns
left Wayne
State and
became
Detroit’s
Building
and Safety
Commissioner;
photos courtesy
WSU Walter
Reuther Archives
9

Thanks to considerable
press, most metro Detroiters
have heard about the new
green roof on the Joe Louis
Arena People Mover station.
What most people
don’t know is that a
small group of Wayne State
engineering graduates are
responsible for the idea.
photos by Alonso del Arte

STUDENTS
HELP
MAKE THE
DETROIT
PEOPLE
MOVER
GREEN
In February 2007, Leslie Coxon, Rich
Gifaldi and Amit Shah were researching
the sustainability of the Detroit People
Mover for Professor Carol Miller’s Environmental
Management and Sustainable
Development course. As part of their
research, the students attended a board
meeting for the People Mover where they
learned that most of the stations would
soon be getting new roofs and that General
Manager Barbara Hansen was interested
in environmentally-friendly options.
Gifaldi graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s
degree in civil and environmental
engineering and is currently pursuing a
master’s degree while working for the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers in Detroit. He
spoke with Hansen after the meeting and
asked if she had considered green roofs as
an option. “She said, ‘yes,’ but was having
trouble convincing staff at the People
Mover to go with green roofs,” says Gifaldi.
Gifaldi proposed shifting the focus
of the project for Miller’s class from
the general sustainability of the People
Mover to the costs and benefits of adding
green roofs to the stations. With
Miller’s support, the team began work.
The students did extensive research
on green roofs, studying different projects
in Michigan and Chicago and finding
information on various suppliers so
that if the board picked up the project,
they would have ample information.
Coxon, who also graduated in 2007 with
a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering
and currently works as a structural engineer
with Ruby and Associates in Farmington
Hills, credits the U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC) as a critical source. A
nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable
building design and construction, the
USGBC offers courses and workshops that
educate people about green buildings.
According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, there are two types:
intensive and extensive. Intensive roofs
require at least a foot of soil depth, considerable
maintenance, elaborate irrigation
systems and space to accommodate larger
trees, shrubs and gardens. Extensive roofs
require only one to five inches of soil depth,
accommodate vegetative ground cover
or grasses, use simpler irrigation systems
and need only minimal maintenance.
“Our specific recommendation to the
People Mover Council was to use an extensive
roof because of its lighter weight
and lower cost,” says Coxon. “While a
more substantial roof is nicer to look
at, this one will still have its benefits.”
These benefits are mostly temperature
The green roof on the Joe Louis People
Mover station (left page) The view of
downtown Detroit from the green roof.
and noise control. “The roof will create
a situation much like with a basement;
it will be significantly cooler in the station,”
says Coxon. “It can also absorb a
certain amount of decibels of sound.”
The team presented their research to
the People Mover Board of Directors in
May 2007, but heard nothing for more
than a year. Gifaldi recalls seeing the
roof on the station at Michigan and
Cass redone with traditional gravel and
thinking the team’s efforts had failed.
Then, in August 2008, a co-worker
handed Gifaldi the business section
from that day’s Detroit Free Press. “There
was the article about the new roof,” he
says. “Even though the work of my
team wasn’t mentioned in the article, I
was very happy to see the work from
a class project come to fruition.”
Coxon shares Gifaldi’s sentiment that,
although their contribution was never
formally acknowledged, just being involved
in the process is satisfying. “It
feels great to work with a city on such a
project,” says Coxon. “And Wayne State,
because of its location, gave us an opportunity
you wouldn’t have, say, at a
university in the middle of nowhere.” ■
—by Sydney Redigan
11

AROUND HELIOS
Drive Safely to Wayne
State Campaign 2009
photos by Rick Bielaczyc
With 60 years of experience
in automotive safety design
research and testing, and with the
only graduate degree program in
transportation engineering in the
state, it is only fitting that Wayne
State produce an annual campaign
highlighting traffic and road safety.
Fox 2 Traffic Reporter Jackie Paige
kicked off the fifth annual Drive Safely
to Wayne State Campaign September
22 before an assembly of the state’s
leaders in traffic and road safety.
The two-day event, which takes
place on Wayne State’s Gullen Mall, is
organized by the Wayne State Transportation
Research Group (TRG) with
participation by the Michigan Office
of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP),
The ceremony brings several prominent
elected officials and experts in the
area of transportation research, including
Terri Lynn Land, Michigan secretary
of state; Robert A. Ficano, Wayne
County executive; Alberta Tinsley-
Talabi, councilwoman, city of Detroit;
Kirk Steudel, director of the Michigan
Department of Transportation (MDOT);
Capt. Harold Love, second district commander
of the Michigan State Police;
Kathy Farnum, planning and program
development manager of OHSP; and
John Friend, engineer of delivery of
MDOT. WSU Provost Nancy Barrett
and College of Engineering Dean Ralph
Kummler also spoke at the ceremony.
“The Drive Safely campaign is not
about Wayne State or the Transportation
Research Group, but the bigger
idea of saving lives,” says Tappan
Datta, professor and head of the TRG,
who made the closing remarks.
Elected officials and experts in the area of
transportation research, as well as Dean
Kummler, Jackie Paige and Tappan Datta at
the Drive Safely ribbon cutting
Safety belt usage up
While work to reduce injuries and fatalities
on the road remains, Michigan road
safety leaders can be proud of their role
in raising awareness of the importance
of using safety belts. A second statewide
safety belt observation survey at the end
of the summer by the WSU Transportation
Research Group revealed belt use
in Michigan has jumped yet again to an
all-time high of 97.2 percent. Michigan’s
belt use rate far exceeds the national average
rate, which stands at 83 percent.
“This is a positive achievement for Michigan
motorists who have adopted the important
and life-saving habit of buckling up,” says
Col. Peter C. Munoz, director of the Michigan
State Police. “We believe this bodes well
for safety on our streets and highways.” ■
Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and
Capt. Harold Love, second district commander
of the Michigan State Police, at the Drive Safely
opening ceremony
12

photo by David Reich
Summer programs
offer educational
fun for middle and
high schoolers
Several dozen seventh and eighth graders
from the Detroit area now have ideas
about their futures they may never have
thought about before. The college launched
a new, two-week engineering camp last
summer concluding July 18 for young men
designed to strengthen their interest in math
and science, and develop life goal skills.
The Young Men in Engineering Program
(YMEP), a federally funded program,
attracted 23 youths from Detroit,
Hamtramck, Warren, Pontiac, Southfield,
Romulus, Sterling Heights, and Eastpointe
to Wayne State’s campus. Associate Dean
Gerald Thompkins says he established the
program to reach out to urban youth, who
are dramatically underrepresented in the
numbers of U.S. engineering graduates.
“The numbers are a disgrace,” Thompkins
says. “We can’t always rely on the
public schools to deal with this issue.
Students from these areas who show
an early interest in math and science
deserve the same opportunities others
have to form a vision for their future.”
Students take one-hour courses in chemistry,
technical writing, engineering, math
and life skills. The instructors are African-
American men. The students also take field
trips and participate in team-building recreational
activities. On one of the last days of
camp, the young men gathered in teams on
the athletic field to launch remote triggered
chemically-powered miniature rockets.
“Judging from the look of awe on their
faces as they watched their rockets punch
into the muggy skies, these young men
are already aiming higher,” says David
Reich, public affairs officer for the college.
Cost for the camp is $100 and participants
receive all supplies for the
classes during the program. This YMEP
program joins other summer programs
at the college, including one for
girls, another for high school students,
and one for incoming freshmen.
“My goal is to expand the YMEP program
to a four-week summer program next year
for it to be effective,” Thompkins says. “We
are currently soliciting additional funding
to help make that expansion a reality.” ■
—by Arthur Bridgeforth
Other WSU summer
engineering programs
The High School Engineering Training
Institute (HSETI) was developed
to increase the pool of underrepresented
minorities and women in the field of
engineering. Students begin the four-week
program in the summer after their freshman
year of high school and continue
with the program every summer until they
graduate. Offering courses in engineering,
science, mathematics, national security
and writing, this year’s program was held
June 23--July 18 with 24 students attending.
The Women in Engineering Training
(WET) program was held at the same
time as the HSETI program. This year, 30
middle school girls from metro Detroit
attended. The program is designed to
spark interest in math and engineering
in girls through hands-on activities and
projects, and provides opportunities to
interact with female students at Wayne State.
From July 7 to Aug. 1, 21 recent high school
graduates participated in the Michigan
Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Participation
(MI-LSAMP) program. MI-LSAMP
is a joint effort by Wayne State, the University
of Michigan, Michigan State University
and Western Michigan University to significantly
increase the number of underrepresented
minorities earning bachelor’s degrees
in science, technology, engineering and
mathematical fields. For four days a week,
the students take courses related to these
fields, work in labs on Fridays, go on tours
and hear speakers. The MI-LSAMP program
works with students throughout their undergraduate
careers, providing tutoring and
research and internship opportunities. ■
(top and above) Students at the Michigan
Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Participation
(MI-LSAMP) program
photos by Michelle Reeves
13

AROUND HELIOS
Program to lead to
intelligence careers
The Center for Academic Excellence
(CAE) in National Security Intelligence
Studies at Wayne State provides
a great opportunity for students interested
in pursuing a career in intelligence
with one of the 16 federal agencies.
Undergraduates who complete the
program in National Security Intelligence
Studies are guaranteed priority
access when applying for a job
with federal intelligence agencies.
Although the program is centered
within the College of Engineering,
the government is interested in
recruiting students from all disciplines,
says Gerald Thompkins, associate
dean of student affairs, and
creator and director of the program.
Besides elevating the image of the
intelligence community and increasing
the pool of qualified individuals,
the U.S. government seeks diversity in
its intelligence community. “They are
trying to change the mindset of people,”
says Assistant Director Michelle
Reaves. “They’re not only interested in
students from Ivy League schools, but
also schools such as Wayne State with
its diverse population of students from
different cultural backgrounds with
fluency in two or more languages.”
There are only 10 CAE programs in
the United States, including Wayne
State. While some of the courses existed
as part of the regular WSU curriculum,
Reaves sought professors to create
Intelligence Community courses when
the two-year National Geospatial Intelligence
Agency grant of $750,000 for
Wayne State was approved in 2006. The
grant support now totals $2.3 million.
The courses provide the following skill
sets: foreign language proficiency, Middle
Eastern awareness and understanding,
Far Eastern and Asian competencies,
international relations, geopolitical
Gerald Thompkins
and cultural awareness, communications,
personal development, interpersonal
skills and financial management.
A total of 46 students have participated
in the CAE program. They are
eligible to receive study abroad scholarships
and participate in internships at
various intelligence agencies. Students
from a variety of academic disciplines
are eligible for the CAE program.
While Thompkins describes the certificate
as more of a symbolic gesture, he
says, “It does alert Intelligence Community
recruiters that a student has participated
in a CAE program. That fact
alone gives students a major advantage
when applying to intelligence agencies.”
Those agencies include Air Force Intelligence,
Army Intelligence, Central
Intelligence Agency, Coast Guard Intelligence,
Defense Intelligence Agency,
U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department
of Homeland Security, U.S. Department
of State, U.S. Department of the
Treasury, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Marine Corps Intelligence, National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National
Reconnaissance Office, National Security
Agency, Navy Intelligence and the Office
of the Director of National Intelligence.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and
enrolled in any undergraduate program at
Wayne State. They are also required to have
a grade-point average of 3.0 or above. ■
—by Justyna Konczalska
Ford and WSU partner
to improve quality
production
As the Ford Motor Company fights for
its survival in hard economic times, 70
Ford factory workers are participating in a
year-long quality control retraining program
taught by Wayne State engineering and business
instructors Ford initiated to improve
the quality of vehicles coming off the production
line.
Ford and the UAW worked closely with
Wayne State to design the program that
brought the workers from each of Ford’s U.S.
assembly plants to Wayne State last June.
14

The participants then returned to their
work sites to continue the retraining by
way of seminars and online coursework.
The workers are using their new skills
to track statistical data derived from the
assembly line, identify problem areas and
contain them before new vehicles roll off
the line. “The coursework focuses on everything
from basic computer training to
complicated analytic skills workers can take
back to the production line,” said Ahmad
Ezzeddine, associate vice president for education
outreach at Wayne State. ■
Professor Ece Yaprak
heads to Finland on
Fulbright Fellowship
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Ece Yaprak,
professor of engineering technology,
was not raised for the cold, rough winters
of Finland. But after being selected
for a Fulbright fellowship there, she
packed her suitcases with warm clothing
to spend six months to Oulu, Finland,
where she is conducting research
on a Fulbright-Nokia Award. Hopefully,
she did not forget a pair of wool socks.
In January, Yaprak began work at the
University of Oulu Research Center For
Wireless Communications. Before applying
for the Fulbright fellowship, Yaprak
knew that besides her research work and
letters of recommendation, she would
also need an invitation from a university
where she could conduct her research
work. After studying different schools,
Yaprak found the wireless communications
center at the University of Oulu. “I
saw that their lab is a good fit for what
I’ve done research on,” she says. After
exchanging emails with the Oulu faculty,
“They said they’d love to have me.”
Oulu is the largest city in Northern Finland
with a population of about 130,000.
The University of Oulu, which is one of
Oulu’s most important employers, expressed
interest in Yaprak’s work and published
papers. “I have had NASA and navy
fellowships before,” she says. The University
of Oulu will pay for Yaprak’s housing
costs and the Fulbright fellowship should
cover the travel and living expenses.
The Fulbright Fellowship program is
one of the U.S. government’s flagship
programs that allow international educational
exchange of faculty and students.
In 1945, Senator J. William Fulbright
of Arkansas proposed this program to
the U.S. Congress. It was approved and
signed into law one year later by President
Truman. Fulbright viewed the proposed
program as a much-needed chance for
promoting “mutual understanding between
the people of the United States
and the people of other countries of the
world.” Fulbright grants are made to U.S.
citizens and nationals of other countries
for a variety of educational activities,
primarily university lecturing, advanced
research, graduate study and teaching
in elementary and secondary schools.
“I always wanted to do this, but when
my children were young, I didn’t even
apply,” says Yaprak, a mother of three.
Today, her 26-year-old daughter is working
as an engineer in California, her
22-year-old son will soon graduate
with a degree in International Studies,
and her youngest son, a sophomore
in college, is majoring in engineering.
While Yaprak is in Finland, her husband,
Professor Attila Yaprak, a WSU professor
of international business, will be teaching
and conducting research in France,
Spain and Turkey. “Somehow we will
meet,” Yaprak says. She wants to fly across
Europe on weekends to meet her husband.
Yaprak is very enthusiastic about this opportunity
to study in Finland. “Their lab is
great, and I am looking forward to doing
research with them,” she says. She knows
that the winters in Oulu can be very cold.
The average temperature in December is
Ece Yaprak embarked for Oulu, Finland in January
2009 to study on a Fulbright fellowship.
17.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but can drop to as
low as 40 below zero. “I know it’s cold there,
so I will focus on working,” says Yaprak.
She hopes to network and to establish
long-term relationships with the Oulu
faculty. Yaprak imagines writing and
eventually publishing research papers
with professors from the Oulu faculty.
She also considers establishing a studentexchange
program in the future. ■
—by Justyna Konczalska
15

AROUND HELIOS
Beaumont Hospitals and
SSIM lab collaborate to
retrain surgeons
Thanks to the collaboration between Beaumont
Hospitals and Wayne State University’s
Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems
(SSIM) program, many surgeons
returning from active military duty will be
retrained on the newest technology.
The project is funded with a $242,931
grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s
Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies
Research Center.
Researchers led by Beaumont’s Dr. Charles
Shanley, and WSU Professor Greg Auner,
director of the SSIM program, are measuring
surgical skills and designing retraining protocols
for surgeons whose specialized skills
may have depreciated during deployment
or who need to learn new surgical advances
developed during their time in the field.
The research may also have implications for
training of new surgeons, including those
about to be deployed on active duty.
This pioneering research pairs the advanced
simulation capabilities in Beaumont’s
Marcia and Eugene Applebaum Surgical
Learning Center at the Royal Oak facility
with sophisticated motion and vision-tracking
technologies developed by Wayne State’s
SSIM program. The center is a virtual reality
lab equipped with two, full-scale operating
rooms, patient simulators, a tissue skills lab
and a distance-learning classroom.
“To our knowledge, this is one of the first
attempts to objectively measure technical
skills in surgeons and to use that information
to help them return to their pre-deployment
skill level or better,” says Shanley,
chairman, Department of Surgery, and senior
vice president. “Objective assessment of
surgeon performance using the technologies
developed from this research will contribute
greatly to improved patient safety and could
potentially contribute to bioterrorism medical
response.”
Inside Beaumont’s Surgical Learning Center; courtesy of Beaumont Hospital
Wayne State’s SSIM lab is equipping a surgical
simulator with hand and eye-tracking
sensors and using real-time digital video
analysis to give immediate feedback on the
trainee’s performance during different tasks.
These tasks include both basic techniques
(for example, knot-tying and suturing) and
more advanced (for example, connecting
two blood vessels). Reset training protocols
are being developed by surgical and educational
specialists to target skill deficiencies.
“The implementation of advanced and
emerging technology will enable us to provide
new insights on surgical assessment and
greatly aid in the retraining process,” says
Auner. “This requires the pioneering of new Inside Beaumont’s Surgical Learning Center,
technologies and understanding for the measurement
of surgical skill sets and advanced
courtesy of Beaumont Hospital
models for individualized retraining at the
highest skill levels possible.” ■
16

Students and company reps network
at the college's Engineering Job Fair
Two floors of the College of Engineering’s
main building were packed last
October with students and representatives
from more than 45 companies
looking to network with each other.
DTE Energy, Ford Motor Co., Microsoft
Corporation, Marathon Oil and other
companies registered for the College of
Engineering 2008 Job Fair to meet the current
crop of engineering students at WSU,
and recruit them for internships, co-ops
and, possibly, employment opportunities.
“Given the current economic climate, I
was quite surprised by the number of
companies present this year,” says Gerald
Thompkins, associate dean of student affairs.
“We had more than 45 companies.”
He adds that the companies came “not
to show their flag, but were here to
hire. A lot of students have already received
follow-up interviews as a result.”
When asked why they recruit at WSU, the
representatives responded similarly. “The
curriculum at Wayne’s College of Engineering
is why we recruit here,” says Kristi
Wynne-Jones, a human resources generalist
at Plastipak, which makes plastic bottles.
“We wouldn’t keep coming if we weren’t
impressed by Wayne State,” says Vinh Dok,
a subject matter expert for mobility at Ford.
Ala Bataresh, BSECE’00, a Microsoft software
design engineer and graduate of WSU,
says he has confidence in WSU engineering
graduates because of his own experience
with the college. “My education at Wayne
has offered me great opportunities,” he says.
“Because of internships through Wayne, I
was prepared to get the job I have now.”
Gary Madej, BSCE’73, MSCE’78, vice
president of Soil and Materials Engineers,
Inc., says he recruits at Wayne State because
he can trust the students and likes
the diversity of the graduates. “My Wayne
State education has helped me a lot,” he
says. “That’s how I got my job here, and
I’ve been with SME 35 years now.”
Shayla Fletcher, who expects to graduate in
2009 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical
engineering, has already seen many of
the Wayne State educational benefits of
which alumni speak. She received a job
offer from a hybrid mechanical engineering
design company in Indianapolis and
says that she has greatly benefited from a
co-op at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive
Research Development and Engineering
Center (TARDEC) that complements her
in-class education. “At TARDEC, I was able
to use things that I had just learned in
class,” she says. “And being able to do those
things makes the concepts come alive.”
While most of the students say they feel
confident in their preparedness for the
work force, concerns were raised about the
current economic downturn and depressed
job market for graduating students. Selina
Zhao, a mechanical engineering student
who expects to graduate in about one year,
expressed such a concern. “Two or three
years ago, you could always find a job in
Michigan,” she says. “Now, that’s not so.”
But many company representatives and
students were optimistic. Mia Johnson, a
senior staffing specialist with DTE Energy,
says she was excited about the challenges the
energy field is facing and the opportunities
that will be created as a result. “Energy is the
future,” she says. “In regard to the Michigan
Gary Madej, far right, Vice President of SME,
talks about the company.
Ala Bataresh, a Microsoft software design engineer,
reviews a student’s resume
economy, DTE has awesome opportunities.
This state used to be all about automotive.
DTE is now the big thing in Michigan.”
Danton Garcia and Nick Johnson, who
both graduated in December 2008 with
bachelor’s degrees in Alternative Energy
Technology, believe that green engineering
will continue to expand. “The future of
engineering will be in renewables, solar and
winds,” says Johnson. “Anything to find usage
out of what we already have is key.” Garcia
agreed, adding that he looks for environmental
responsibility in a future employer.
While students at the job fair were looking
for various qualities in potential employers
ranging from location and benefits to
environmental awareness. Recruiters were
looking for these traits in job candidates:
experience, leadership and motivation.
“Drive and initiative are important,” says
Thomas Pakula, BSChE’78, MSChE’81, a
representative from Marathon Oil. “We
can train employees in skills, but you
can’t train drive and initiative.” ■
—by Sydney Redigan
photos by Alonso del Arte
17

AROUND HELIOS
WSU engineering
degrees offered in
Macomb County
The College of Engineering, and other
Wayne State colleges are establishing
a new presence in Macomb County
to bring four-year, advanced technology
and business degree programs
where there is a strong demand.
In a much ballyhooed press announcement
last October, WSU and Macomb
Community College (MCC) presidents
Jay Noren and Jim Jacobs said the degree
programs will address new workplace
demands to retool the work force in a
slumping Michigan economy. To this
effort, Wayne State will lease space in
a building to be constructed by MCC
on its South Campus called the WSU
Advanced Technology Education Center.
The Engineering Technology program
began offering two courses at
MCC last fall, and planned to add
three more for the winter semester
as it builds a complete course offering
leading to a bachelor’s degree.
The College of Engineering plans
to add a new bachelor’s program in
construction management, and later
in mechanical engineering, and master’s
degree programs in engineering
Macomb Community College students congregating
on the South Campus Quad; photo
courtesy Macomb Community College.
management, industrial relations, and
global supply chain management.
Classes in social work have been available
to MCC students. Future offerings by
other WSU departments include bachelor’s
degree programs in computer science and
graphic design, in executive education,
and professional development courses.
“This is something Macomb Community
College students want and the times
demand,” says Chi-Ping Yeh, director of
the WSU Division of Engineering Technology.
“Wayne State’s programs will not
only serve the population of Macomb
County where there are no four-year colleges,
but also surrounding counties.”
Students will have dual enrollment
through the Wayne Direct Program at both
WSU and Macomb, and will be able to register,
transfer credits, and continue with
financial aid through the WSU system. ■
BME researchers
mapping brain injury
About 50,000 Americans die each year
after sustaining a traumatic brain injury
(TBI). The majority of the 1.5 million
injuries per year are the result of auto
crashes, followed by sports accidents, falls
and violence. For many victims there is
no effective prevention or treatment.
A team of Wayne State biomedical engineers
has embarked on a unique fouryear
study of the biomechanical basis of
brain trauma, which may lead to more
effective prevention of these injuries.
Supported by a $1.3 million grant
from the National Institutes of Health,
the researchers are tracking and mapping
the response of laboratory-induced
trauma to shed light on the precise
mechanical events that lead to brain
injury at the axonal and cellular levels.
“At Wayne State, we’re uniquely positioned
to study and understand the mechanisms
Liying Zhang
of severe brain trauma because of our
expertise in impact biomechanics and
our leading position in the development
of world class computer models of the
human brain,” says Liying Zhang, associate
research professor in the Department
of Biomedical Engineering and the
principal investigator on the project.
An expert in injury biomechanics and
neurotrauma, Zhang is one of only a
few researchers in the world specialized
in computer modeling of head protection
using finite element techniques.
“Brain injuries can be prevented with
available technologies if we can understand
the mechanical conditions that
produce the injury,” says Zhang. “The
standards that exist today for crash safety
are based on data more than four decades
old. The standards need to be updated
if we are going to make significant inroads
into preventing brain injuries.”
The critical missing piece is a reliable
predictor of the stresses and strains that
produce these injuries. Once mapped,
protective equipment such as helmets and
airbags can be designed to prevent these
injuries. The NIH study will examine
photo by David Reich
18

how brain tissues respond to mechanical
insult at the cellular level and the stresses
and strains that cause brain injury.
Zhang is working with WSU Professor of
Biomedical Engineering John Cavanaugh,
M.D., an expert in impact biomechanics
and neurophysiology. Cavanaugh’s lab has
performed extensive research in axonal
injury, concussion and spinal disorders.
While researchers elsewhere study the
mechanics of the impact and response
of the brain to injury, or analyze the
cellular changes in the brain using histopathologic
techniques, the Wayne
State team is uniquely capable of reconstructing
the injury process dynamically
by integrating both approaches.
“Dr. Zhang and Dr. Cavanaugh have been
leaders in the study of brain injury,” says
College of Engineering Dean Ralph Kummler.
“This new NIH grant allows them to
translate years of experimental research into
computer analysis and design tools that will
save lives and enhance the lives of thousands
of accident and battlefield victims. It
is an outstanding example of the leading
edge research being done in BME.” ■
John Cavanaugh
Dendrimer research
stepped up
The use of dendrimers or polymer nano-vehicles
in targeted drug delivery has been quite
promising for cancer treatment. And the lessons
learned are being applied to treatments
for other diseases. Supported by grants totaling
more than $2 million, Rangaramanujam
Kannan, professor of chemical engineering,
has teamed with DMC Ligon Center and
Children’s Hospital clinical researchers to
develop targeted therapeutic approaches
for the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP) and
age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).
An increasing body of literature demonstrates
how neuron-inflammation plays a
key role in the pathogenesis and evolution
of both ARBD and CB. “Our collaborative
research in animal models has revealed
that dendrimers are preferentially taken up
by the activated microglial cells that cause
neuro-inflammation,” Kannan explains.
“We have also discovered that these nanodevices
show significantly better therapeutic
efficacy in treating retinal degeneration
than the current state-of-the-art methods
for sustained drug delivery within the eye.”
Kannan says he expects the collaborative
research to have a strong impact
on advancing treatment of neuroinflammatory
diseases in general.
Macular degeneration is estimated to affect
9 million older adults in this country, while
cerebral palsy affects millions of children.
In addition to Kannan, the collaborators
are: Dr. Sujatha Kannan, Kannan’s wife
and a pediatric physician at Children’s
Hospital of Michigan, Dr. Roberto Romero,
director of the National Institute of Health
(NIH) Perinatology Research Branch (PRB),
and Dr. Ray Iezzi, a Ligon Center ophthalmologist
at the Kresge Eye Institute.
Rangaramanujam and Sujatha Kannan
work with a team of students, physicians and
postdocs from engineering, pharmaceuticals,
and medical backgrounds to build an effort
that goes from nano-device design, chemistry,
all the way up to clinical applications.
Rangaramanujam Kannan
Kannan and other chemical engineering
researchers concentrating their work
in nanotechnology will soon move into
new advanced laboratory space in the new
Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development
Center. The physical improvement of the
lab should facilitate and enhance their
work with the other collaborators.
Kannan and his group have been successful
using folic acid to solve a challenging issue:
getting drug carrying dendrimers (5 to
10 nanometers in length) to transport themselves
through the targeted tumors, into
cells, and release the drug at the right time.
Grant money from the National Institute
of Child Health and Development
(NICHD) and the Wilson Medical Research
Foundation ($200,000), and the Dryer
Foundation ($75,000 per year) are going to
directly support the ARMD and CP project.
Kannan is also supported by an NIH grant
to create a nanotechnology branch in the
PRB for the development of dendrimerbased
nanotechnology platforms for the diagnosis
and treatment of chorioamnionitis,
and maternal-fetal medicine in general. ■
photo by Rick Bielacyzk
19

At The Crossroads
FEATURE STORIES
In April 2008, several hundred people
assembled at Wayne State’s Community
Arts Auditorium to discuss,
espouse and take on a subject critical to
our future. The unusual conference was
organized by the University Research
Corridor institutions – Wayne State, University
of Michigan, and Michigan State,
in partnership with WWJ-AM Radio.
Faculty experts, including those from
the WSU College of Engineering, in
combination with business leaders and
the directors of nearby NextEnergy
and TechTown, expressed with passion
their understandings of the energy and
economic challenges we face in Michigan.
WWJ broadcasted live from the
auditorium foyer, and posted interviews
and conference forums on its Web site.
It became apparent that
this was no ordinary conference.
The issues had implications
for the future, and
those who spoke did not shy
away from expressing this.
In some strange way, the
experts as well as the attendees
became bound in the
understanding that each of
us has, as one of the speakers
suggested, “a moral responsibility”
to embrace the future.
Embracing
A Green
Michigan
Carbon Culture
At The Crossroads
Following is a report of the event by
the editor of the Great Lakes ITT Report,
a daily e-newsletter on technology
news produced by WWJ. If his story
moves you, you can learn more about the
event, and listen to podcasts from that
day by going to http://www.wwj.com/
Embracing-A-Green-Michigan/2042402.
You didn’t have to be there to learn, and
to figure out how you can embrace the
future, too. How you do it is up to you.
For some, it may start with a diligence at
home to recycle. For others, it may reach
a higher level that could include lobbying
your state congress person. But the
underlying message is clear: Embracing
means cultivating a compassionate space
in our hearts for the survival of the planet,
beginning with our communities. ■
Michigan Alternative
Energy: Frustrated Now,
Optimistic Long Term
By Matt Roush
Editor, Great Lakes ITT Report
Members of Michigan’s alternative
energy community Tuesday
expressed a mixture of immediate
frustration and long-term optimism
about the future of the renewable power
industry in our state and nationally.
Skip Pruss, special adviser for alternative
energy and the environment to
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, urged passage
of a renewable portfolio standard
(RPS) for the state, which would require
power companies to generate or buy
a certain percentage of their power
output from renewable sources.*
Speaking at a WWJ Newsradio 950 and
University Research Corridor event at
Wayne State University, Pruss said it would
be irresponsible for Michigan to fail to
take advantage of alternatives like wind
and solar power. Such power sources, he
said, could provide Michigan with the
chance to grab a piece of a growing industry,
while also limiting its exposure to big
fluctuations in the price of fossil fuels.
Pruss also said Michigan policymakers
have a moral obligation to support energy
alternatives, calling global climate change
“the mother of all good reasons” to limit
carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.
At a panel discussion after Pruss’ speech,
James Croce, former CEO of Detroit’s Next
Energy Center and WSU electrical engineering
alum (1986), lamented that while
Michigan was once a leader in developing
an alternative energy strategy, the state
has fallen behind other states in terms of
creating the policies needed to make the
industry grow here as well as it should.
20

photos by Mary Jane Murawka
Better Policies Needed
However, Croce said, while the state is
letting itself become “more and more irrelevant”
in terms of energy policy, it is
far from irrelevant in terms of resources
and talent. He said the level of talent
here, the expertise of our manufacturers
and capabilities of our universities,
make him optimistic that Michigan will
be able to leverage “our carbon legacy”
and become a leader in new energy.
Stephen Forrest, a professor and vice
president of research for the University
of Michigan, said green business has
shown that it can be good business. He
also said Michigan’s natural on-shore
and offshore wind resources, along with
its manufacturing capabilities, put it in
a good position to become a renewable
energy leader. He described himself as
Michigan was once a leader
in developing an alternative
energy strategy, the state has
fallen behind other states in
terms of creating the policies
needed to make the industry
grow here as well as it should.
“extremely optimistic” and Michigan as a
place where “transformation is going on.”
Randal Charlton, director of Wayne State’s
TechTown technology business incubator, said
Michigan can be a world leader in the business
of combating global warming. But, he
added that attitudes have to change and a new
sense of urgency is needed. Unlike Europe,
Charlton said, the U.S. treats fuels “in an abusive
way” and does not do enough to promote
conservation and alternative fuels. For that
reason, he said, it is not enough for Michigan
to make itself a leader among U.S. states when
it comes to alternative fuels. He said Michigan
needs to start comparing itself to places like
Germany, Denmark and Sweden, where the
commitment to environmentalism is deeper.
Soji Adelaja, director of the Land Policy
Institute at Michigan State University, said
recognizing the importance of alternative fuels
is part of recognizing that the world has
changed and that Michigan is now part of
a “flat world” global economy. Michigan was
a technology leader in the past, he said, and
is in a good position to be one in the future
– if we change the “Michigan mindset”
and come to terms with new realities.
A good way to show a change in mindset,
Adelaja said, would be to adopt an RPS. He
said RPS statutes are one big factor that separates
states making big progress in alternative
energy from those that are making less
progress. He also said the state’s universities
have a big role to play going forward,
in educating the state about the need for
sustainable power and helping to develop
the technologies that will make it a reality.
A second panel at the event featured
representatives of Michigan’s traditional
industries – autos, steel, glass – and representatives
of the emerging energy industry, and
how they’re coping with energy changes.
Ray S. Siada, corporate energy manager
at Guardian Industries Corp., the
glassmaker that is a prodigious user of
energy, complained that Michigan lacks
an aggressive state policy to promote
energy efficiency. He also said Guardian
invested in a wind farm to provide part
of its power needs at a plant in India.
Paul Savage, CEO of New York-based Nextek
Power, which is manufacturing its distributed
power generation accessories in Detroit,
said he’d like to work more closely with
the auto industry – since his “boxes” are
virtually identical in function to the power
control boxes in hybrid electric vehicles.
Ronald P. Krupitzer, vice president for automotive
applications at the American Iron
and Steel Institute, pointed out that steel
has a lower carbon footprint than producing
aluminum, other metals or carbon fiber.
Mary Beth Stanek, director of environment,
energy and commercialization at the
General Motors Corp. Public Policy Center,
defended the auto industry against charges
continued on page 39
E
A
M
C
A
21

FEATURE STORIES
Understanding
the effects of blasts
on the brain
Cynthia Bir and Pamela VandeVord; photo by Rick Bielacyzc
It’s a scientific question driven by the hard
realities of today’s global war on terror:
What happens to the brain of someone
who has been exposed to a blast
The answer is likely
to come not from the
battle fields of Iraq
and Afghanistan, but
from research labs
thousands of miles
away – such as that
of biomedical engineers
Cynthia Bir and
“The goal is to learn how the
cells respond to different levels
of blast injury. The researchers
look at whether cell membranes
Pamela VandeVord,
PhDs. They are part of
a small but growing
number of researchers
studying the biological
effects of blasts on the brain.
With funding from the U.S. Department
of Veteran Affairs (VA) and the Office of
Naval Research (ONR), the Wayne State team
studies brain cells that have been exposed
get damaged, for example, or at
what point cells ultimately die.”
to “overpressure” in a lab device called a
barochamber. The investigators dial up or
down the pressure and control its duration.
“If there’s an explosion, there’s a shock
wave,” says VandeVord.
“But once it gets transmitted
to your brain,
it’s not a shock wave
anymore. It’s a highspeed
compression wave.
We are generating that
compression wave in the
barochamber. It simulates
what we believe
occurs in the brain.”
The goal is to learn
how the cells respond
to different levels of
blast injury. The researchers look at whether
cell membranes get damaged, for example,
or at what point cells ultimately die.
While the VA study focuses on cells, the
ONR project focuses on tissue. The find-
22

ings from both will help create a complete
picture of the biology of brain injury.
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury
Center estimates that from 10 to 20 percent
of troops serving in Iraq or Afghanistan have
suffered some type of brain injury. Most of
the injuries are considered mild – but many
of these cases will involve permanent cognitive
and emotional problems that can tear
apart the lives of veterans and their families.
Much of the ONR-funded phase of Wayne
State’s work takes place in a large, open space
equipped with a 22-foot-long metal shock
tube. The back end of the device – the driver
– forces a sudden burst of air down a long cylinder,
simulating the pressure wave of an explosion.
The researchers wear ear protectors
and wait in a separate, Plexiglass-enclosed
room when the blasts rip through the tube.
Inside the shock tube is a lab rat or
brain cells suspended in gelatin. The
blasts range in size from 5 to 20 pounds
per square inch (PSI) – small by comparison
with typical roadside bombs. But
the blasts are scaled down for testing on
PhD candidate Alessandra Leonardi Dal Cengio
checks the settings on the “shock tube” that
the WSU research team is using to simulate the
pressure wave caused by a bomb blast; photo
by Lawrence Marchionda
rodents. Depending on the duration
of exposure, a lethal dose of overpressure
for a rat would be around 35 PSI.
“We’re trying only to induce mild brain
injury,” says VandeVord. She says using
animals is the only way scientists can
learn what might be happening in human
brains. ‘We’re at a critical point in the
research, and we can’t practice on people.
We have to go through these steps and
optimize what we can before we can get
approval to try something in humans.”
Research may lead to
therapies for combat zones
Based on findings from both the VA and
ONR-funded work, the WSU team will
aim to design therapies that can be administered
in the combat zone to troops
– either before they go out on patrol as a
preventative measure; or after a blast has
occurred, to stem damage to the brain.
According to VandeVord, in more
severe injuries, brain cells die and the
damage is more likely to be irreversible.
In milder brain injuries – including
many instances where soldiers or
Marines are many feet away from the
blast and suffer no visible wounds – cells
may not die, but they become damaged.
Says VandeVord: “A lot of the guys
with mild TBI can recover in six months’
time. What is the point where the cells
will die, and what is the point where
the cells can still repair themselves”
Figuring out the relationship between
the power and distance of a
blast, and the exact effects on brain
cells and tissue, is her focus right now.
Studies include genetic
component
Some of the lab rats undergo post-blast
brain scans using a rodent-sized MRI
machine. Others undergo blood tests
in which the scientists look for proteins
released by injured cells that could be
biomarkers of brain injury. This may lead
to a blood test that military medical personnel
could give to troops immediately
after a blast to determine if they are physically
okay, or if there is subtle damage.
“We’re hoping this can translate to the
soldiers,” says VandeVord. “If we find
something that’s in the blood, it could
enable doctors to do a quick test to see
how much damage has occurred and
then administer therapy accordingly.”
The rats also undergo cognitive testing
before and after the blasts. The researchers
hope to correlate changes in memory to the
level of blast exposure and to specific changes
they are seeing in the rodents’ brains.
“We use a maze,” explains Vande-
Vord. “We do several training periods
and we see how long it takes the rats to
perform a task. Then we test them after
the blast to see if it takes them longer.”
Through the VA-funded cellular work and
the ONR-funded animal studies, the WSU
team also hopes to learn which genes get activated
in brain injury. Figuring out a way to
turn off those genes with a drug could spell
a breakthrough for the treatment of brain injury
on the battle field and in field hospitals.
“When the brain is exposed to overpressure
from a blast, we believe there’s a cascade of
negative events that occurs, and this is set
in motion by certain genes that get turned
on,” says VandeVord. “If we can learn how
to stop the expression of those genes with
some type of pharmacologic agent, we
can stop this cascade of events within the
brain and possibly limit the damage.” ■
This story appeared originally in the April-
May 2008 edition of VA Research Currents.
23

FEATURE STORIES
Q A and with
Dean Ralph
Kummler
The Alternative Energy Landscape:
the state and direction of emerging
non-fossil fuel technologies and
what WSU is doing to find solutions
Ralph Kummler was a steady presence at the
college long before he assumed its leadership
in 2001. A critical and creative thinker, his
educational background in chemical engineering
and experience in solid waste management
and environmental engineering matters
have given him a keen perspective on the issues
of the economy and the environment.
His particular experience has taken him on
the path of leadership related to environmental
matters and events. Former Gov. John Engler
appointed Kummler in 1996 (he was reappointed
in 1998 and 2001) to the Michigan
Environmental Science Board. He is co-chair
of the Cairo Conference on Energy and the
Environment,which is now in its third decade
and provides the forum for an international
exchange of research and technology to reduce
our dependence on fossil fuels. He was appointed
by former President Irvin D. Reid to head Wayne
State’s Task Force on Environmental Initiatives,
charged with examining and implementing ways
to reduce the campus environmental footprint.
The college, in many ways, is a footpath and a
crossroad to the interchange of ideas and proposals
that often end up in collaborative projects
between the university and industry. In these
times when the environment and economy are
the critical issues of the day, new start-ups and
young companies emerging in the alternative
energy sector come to the college for collaborations.
Perhaps Dr. Kummler’s best talent is
encouraging faculty and industrial interactions.
EXEMPLAR: Considering the current state
of the economy, and our environmental
challenges, what exactly is our task
KUMMLER: Weaning the United States
off of oil. The reason is two-fold: finding
alternative energy sources would not only
benefit the environment, but would boost
the U.S. economy, keeping more American
dollars in the country, rather than overseas.
EXEMPLAR: However apparent the need
for no-fossil energy is, the best alternatives to
oil are much more difficult to decipher. How
do you sort through all the options Where
are we going with this It’s rather daunting
to wrap your arms around. Let’s start
with automotive, given that this sector is so
important to the Michigan economy and
its environmental impact is large. How do
you see the challenge playing out here
KUMMLER: The production of hybrid
cars has grown tremendously. In 2010,
we will see the second generation Ford
Escape, the first hybrids from BMW and
Mercedes, as well as improved hybrids
from Ford, Honda, Chevrolet and Saturn.
However, some of the biggest buzz is around
the Chevrolet Volt, available in 2010.
(The Volt is different from both regular hybrids
and plug-in cars of the past. Unlike a regular
hybrid, which runs on both an engine and
a battery pack, the Volt operates entirely as
an electric car for its first 40 miles after a full
charge. It burns no gasoline during those miles,
drawing energy from a 400-pound lithium-ion
battery pack. Current from that pack powers
an electric motor that drives the Volt’s front
wheels. After the first 40 miles, the Volt’s flex-fuel
engine kicks in, but only to power a generator
that recharges the battery enough to give
the car another 300 miles of range -- ed).
The Volt can be practical for people with
both long commutes and short commutes.
Some people drive 5 or 10 miles to work. For
them, the Volt may never have to use gasoline.
Others may drive 20 or 30 miles and will
have to use some combination of gasoline and
plug-in overnight. The introduction of the Volt
has an additional bonus for Michigan. The
lithium-ion batteries used in the car will be
manufactured in Michigan, providing many
jobs to a state that desperately needs them.
24

But despite the economic and considerable
environmental benefits of the Volt and
other plug-in vehicles, there is still a huge
question about electric vehicles. Where do
we get the energy from The U.S. is both
blessed and cursed with the existence of the
world’s largest coal resources, and so we
can create whatever energy we need to run
our transportation fleet in hybrids, plug-in
hybrids or all-electric vehicles by using coal.
But, do the economic benefits of coal outweigh
the environmental risks While coal has
become 70 percent cleaner since 1970, it still
emits 30 percent more carbon per unit of energy
than oil, and 80 percent more carbon than
natural gas. Today’s coal plants are much cleaner
than they used to be. But, again, society will
need to evaluate whether cleaner than yesterday
is good enough for today and tomorrow.
EXEMPLAR: What about
wind and solar power
KUMMLER: Wind and solar are possible
alternatives to coal, but alternatives not always
viable in Michigan. We couldn’t go 100
percent to wind because the wind doesn’t
always blow. The same is true of solar energy. I
think, yes, we should be installing some solar
energy capacity. Yes, we should definitely be
taking care of wind energy, but we need to
be careful about going overboard in any of
those areas. But that doesn’t mean that they’re
not really helpful to the overall approach.
EXEMPLAR: What else is on your list
KUMMLER: Hydrogen and compressed
natural gas (CNG) are two fuel alternatives
potentially viable for the United States. CNG,
made by compressing natural gas (mostly
methane) to 1 percent of its regular volume,
produces greenhouse gases, but is environmentally
cleaner than gasoline or diesel
and is much safer in the event of a spill. It is
used extensively in many other parts of the
world, and California uses it for local city and
county fleets as well as public transportation.
It’s viable, but because you don’t have the
compressed gas station on every corner, like
we have a gasoline station, it will be somewhat
limited until we decide this is really a viable
way to go. The same is true of hydrogen.
However, hydrogen has found more popularity
in the United States, including several fueling
stations in metro Detroit. Hydrogen might
have a real positive effect on the economy.
Normally, we’d say that if we change from
a gasoline to a hydrogen economy, it would
be too expensive. But that may not be true
anymore. It would certainly be a good economic
stimulus package to the country if
we decided to convert. We’re not ready in
terms of vehicles and the length and ability
of fuel cells available. But I think those who
say economically it will never happen are
probably not having the proper vision yet.
EXEMPLAR: Let’s turn to what Wayne
State is doing. What is the college doing
to address these issues of our time
KUMMLER: The Wayne State University
College of Engineering is the premium university
in the U.S. on diesel engine work.
We’ve got a bank of 10 labs, we’re building
five more in the Engineering Development
Center, and those labs do cutting-edge
research for the army, which of course
moves its material using primarily diesel.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced her 21st
Century Jobs Initative Grant program from the
college in 2006.
Diesel, which has long had a reputation as
a noisy and smoky fuel, is now considered
a feasible oil alternative. Many of us at my
age remember the old diesel engine era
when you could smell and hear it. Diesel
engines have dramatically improved, so
in many cases, unless you knew ahead of
time, you wouldn’t know the difference
between diesel and a gasoline engine.
WSU is also home to the National Biofuels
Energy Lab (NBEL), a joint effort between
mechanical engineers who do diesel engine
research and chemical engineers who characterize
the biodiesel fuels. This work is important,
as one of the keys to making biodiesel
viable is standardizing the biodiesel fuels
and making sure that they are consistent.
Our chemical engineering faculty is trying
to do that standardization and characterization.
After they’ve done that, they give it to
the mechanical engineers who run it in our
diesel engines and test it and characterize it
in terms of the power, fuel efficiency and its
environmental emissions. So between the two,
they’re trying to make a quantum jump toward
the commercial viability of the biodiesel
fuels. Auto companies are happy with B5, but
NBEL has attained an ASTM standard for B20.
EXEMPLAR: There are so many options
and different ways to go. Do
you see any pattern to all of this
KUMMLER: The next issue is where are we
moving in terms of possible long-range solutions
Is it the hybrid, the plug-in hybrid, the
all electric vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen,
compressed gas I think the answer
is not one of these options, but all of these
options. Each one is a piece of the alternative
energy puzzle. Every piece, whether
it’s 1 or 5 percent, will be in commercial
application and will help us in the next five
years. Every percentage represents a large
amount of money that we don’t send overseas.
Sending money overseas prevents us
from competing for existing oil supplies. ■
25

FEATURE STORIES
Undergraduate
writes code for
NASA robotics
camera
By Amy Oprean,
WSU Graduate Research Information Officer
Though her sights are set on a career in the
aerospace industry, third-year mechanical
engineering major Kelly Foster’s undergraduate
research at Wayne State has already proven to
be an asset to a NASA-funded research project
in the college.
As a student assistant in the Computer Assisted
Robot Enhanced Systems (CARES) group
under the supervision of Abhilash Pandya, PhD,
assistant professor of Electrical and Computer
Engineering (ECE), and Keshav Chintamani, an
ECE graduate research assistant, Foster was part
of a team developing camera features aimed
at improving astronauts’ ability to operate the
remote-controlled robots that build and repair
facilities on the International Space Station.
“It was the first time I had done research, in
any respect,” says Foster, who presented her
project at Wayne State’s fifth annual Undergraduate
Research Conference in November.
“And being a project that was contributing to
this bigger aspiration for NASA made it very
interesting.”
photo by Alonso delArte
NASA uses robotic systems to build and
maintain the facilities on the space station.
Too dangerous for astronauts to complete
themselves, the labor is performed using
robots, which the astronaut controls with
a joystick inside the station. In order to
see their work area, operators previously
depended on several static cameras positioned
around the site. Using cameras with
two-dimensional camera views to navigate a
three-dimensional work area, however, can
skew the robot operator’s perception of his
work space, potentially causing errors.
To amend the problem, pan/tilt/zoom cameras
– which give operators a broader, more
dynamic view – were recently integrated
with static cameras at work sites. The WSU
CARES group is developing several additions
that could make the cameras even more
user-friendly. The first is “augmented reality,”
which is projecting a three-dimensional view
of the robot arm on the two-dimensional
viewing screen, complete with trajectory information
and the overlaying of coordinates
of the robot arm’s position in space.
Another feature being developed enables
the camera to automatically follow the robot
arm as it moves, a task that is currently accomplished
by astronauts manually adjusting
their cameras. The goal of both features is
to increase the robot operator’s speed and
efficiency, and avoid possible errors while
performing a mission.
“One of the examples we use in the training
program is grabbing a satellite without
damaging or sending it off, because even
lightly bumping a satellite in space will send
it traveling away indefinitely due to the lack
of gravity,” Foster says.
Upon joining the project out of an interest
in robotics, Foster was given the job of
creating the code that enables the camera to
follow the movement of the robot arm – no
small feat for someone who had never used
Visual C++, the programming language of
the code. Used mostly by computer programmers
and electrical engineers, C++ is
Kelly Foster; photo by Rick Bielacyzc
not traditionally taught to mechanical engineering
undergraduates. Despite her unfamiliarity
with it, Foster learned the language and
used it to write the code in only four months.
“They pretty much just threw me in and said,
‘Try it, and if you have any questions, ask us.’
It was actually a really good way to learn a
programming language.”
The next step of Foster’s research with
Professor Pandya will be testing whether the
pan/tilt/zoom camera actually increases the
robot operator’s speed and efficiency when
performing a task, when compared to operators
using only static cameras.
Foster’s ultimate goal is to obtain a career
in aerospace design, a field that she began
exploring last summer with an internship at
Cessna Aircraft Company, where she worked
on the design aspects of revamping a jet. Her
experience in code writing will help her in
any job along the way that involves designing
and testing components.
26

“Learning C++ is something I never
would’ve had a chance to learn, especially
with the type of supervision and mentoring
that I had with Dr. Pandya’s lab,” she says.
“And the fact that I was able to develop
something using this code really adds to
what I can offer in future jobs.”
Pandya says that not only will Foster’s
use of C++ make her stand out to potential
employers, but her involvement with CARES
also gives her an edge.
“She has taken advantage of the fact
that Wayne State is a research facility by
proactively immersing herself in a research
laboratory,” says Pandya. “The knowledge
and experience of doing research projects,
presenting them, preparing reports, working
with peers/professors and struggling
through technical challenges is invaluable
and will give her an advantage in today’s job
environment. I encourage more undergrads
to follow suit.” ■
Amy Oprean graduated in 2008 with
a bachelor’s degree in journalism from
Michigan State, where she was a reporter for
The State News, MSU’s independent student
newspaper. She has also contributed to
venuszine.com and Real Detroit Weekly.
Green story continued
from page 23
of foot-dragging on environmental
advances, saying GM now has a large
demonstration project of hydrogen
vehicles in the field. She also said
there are other factors behind ethanol
production in recent food price
inflation, including poor harvests in
some parts of an increasingly food-interdependent
world, and a weak dollar.
Aaron Crumm, co-founder of Ann Arbor
fuel cell maker Adaptive Materials,
pointed out that he’s helping run the
largest fuel cell company in Michigan,
with 57 employees making solid oxide
fuel cells that run on commonly available
fuels like propane. They’re intended
as higher-powered, longer-lasting
replacements for batteries in high-end
applications like the military. ■
*On Sept. 18, 2008, Michigan legislators
passed the state’s first Renewable Portfolio
Standard (RPS). The legislation mandates
10 percent of the electricity the two providers
sell to Michigan retails customers be
generated from renewable or advanced
cleaner-energy sources by the end of 2015.
Also at the event, Version 2.0 of the
Michigan Alternative Energy Directory
was released, compiled by the staff
of WWJ Newsradio 950 to demonstrate
the extensive resources and capabilities
of Michigan’s alternative energy industry.
To find it, go to: http://www.wwj.com/
Embracing-A-Green-Michigan/2042402.
—Editor
College of
Engineering WSU
Participants:
Simon Ng,
director,
AET degree program
Carol Miller,
chair,
civil and environmental
engineering
Greg Auner,
director,
SSIM program
Caisheng Wang,
assistant professor,
engineering technology
Ralph Kummler,
dean,
College of Engineering
27

FEATURE STORIES
direct
IMPACT
Celebrating 70 Years of Bioengineering at Wayne State University
Wayne State’s
bioengineering
department is an
internationally
known hub
for automotive
research. But it’s
also making a name
for itself in other
areas, including
blast injuries and
sport science.
by Leslie Mertz
photos by Carol Gould
“The Biomedical Engineering Department
has touched the daily lives of every single
person who drives.” says King Yang, professor
in the Biomedical Engineering Department
and the director of the Bioengineering Center.
It is a bold statement, but every word
is true. Standards developed through
work performed by Wayne State’s biomedical
engineers have been used
for decades to make our lives safer.
Wayne State began this research with carsafety
testing in 1939, when Bonnie and-
Clyde-style cars rumbled along U.S. roads.
Now, nearly 70 years later, department researchers
continue to perform car-safety testing,
along with research in many other areas,
including blast injuries and sport science.
“The one area for which Wayne State
is the most famous comes from its location
in Detroit, the Motor City,” Yang
says. “We are really the very first university
in the United States and also in the
world to study automotive crash-related
injury using modern-day technology.”
Wayne State’s place in automotive history
can be traced most notably to late professors
Herbert Lissner and Lawrence Patrick
and the so-called Wayne State Tolerance
Curve, which used data collected for about
three decades — in part through tests on
cadavers — to determine the amount of
force required to cause head injuries in
a car crash. A major paper published in
1960 summarized the findings, and that
in turn led to the development of the
Head Injury Criterion that is used today
to design safe cars around the world.
In the 1970s, Wayne State researchers
examined the safety of laminated and tempered
side windows for cars and found that
laminated windows were more dangerous
than tempered glass. Because of that, car
windows are made of tempered glass, and
chances are, your house windows are, too.
The department’s researchers also
had a hand in the familiar threepoint,
shoulder-and-lap seat belt.
“The three-point belt was originally
developed in the 1950s at Volvo,” Yang
says. “They thought it was a good idea,
but they didn’t know if it was actually
good or not. So, they sent the invention
over to Wayne State for testing, and we
tested it and collected the data saying
that it was a very good design. Nowadays,
all cars have a three-point belt.”
Today, the Biomedical Engineering Department,
led by department chair Professor
Albert I. King, remains an internationally
known hub for automotive-safety research,
and has a reputation for research on developing
better athletic safety equipment.
“Biomedical engineering is a combination
of biological sciences and engineering,
so we’re trying to look at different ways
of treating or preventing injuries to the
28

ody through engineering analysis,” says
Assistant Professor Pamela VandeVord.
Currently in the department, work
ranges from the effects of explosive blasts
to developing a computerized model of the
human body its designers believe will one
day take the place of the presently used crash
dummies. The department also is adding
an imaging concentration that is tapping
magnetic resonance (MRI) and computerized
tomography (CT) scans to observe how
traumatic injury causes blood-flow and
changes in different areas of the body.
As an exclamation point to the department’s
many accomplishments, one of the
department’s researchers is even creating a
buzz as the engineering expert for an Emmy
award-winning sports television program.
King Yang, professor of biomedical engineering
and director of the Bioengineering
Center: “We are the first university in
the United States and also in the world
to study automotive crash-related injury
using modern-day technology.”
Engineering for ‘dummies’
1939 — Wayne State engineers start to do
tests on cadavers to learn how much force
the body can sustain before injuries occur.
1960s — Wayne State engineers publish
data related to impact response and tolerance
for different body regions based on
tests on cadavers. That data, in turn, are
used to develop crash-test dummies to
estimate the risk of human injury from an
automobile crash or other severe force.
1972 — GM engineer and Wayne
State graduate Dr. Herald Mertz introduces
a frontal-impact crash dummy
that quickly becomes the gold standard
for automotive crash-related testing.
Wayne State’s car-safety testing
Now, fast-forward to 2008. Although dates back to 1939, and has included
crash-test studies have continued, and crash tests using cadavers.
updated data are available, the same
1972 model of the crash dummy is still
used for automobile-safety testing.
“Over the years, the whole paradigm of
automotive safety was to do cadaver tests,
then use the biomechanical data gathered
from cadavers to design crash dummies,
and then use the crash dummies to
design cars,” says King Yang, professor of
biomedical engineering and director of
the university’s Bioengineering Center.
“When you still have crash-related injuries,
you go back to the biomechanical
data to design a better crash dummy.
“The reality, however, is that the dummy
hasn’t changed. The currently used frontalimpact
dummy was designed in 1972, and Lawrence M. Patrick, a research professor
we are still using it 36 years later. In that at Wayne State from 1958 to 1976,
36 years, you can imagine there are a lot of volunteered to ride the crash sled for
data that have been generated, but unfortunately
they are not put into the dummy.”
the sake of scientific advancement.
In other words, Yang explains, “If a
dummy is not designed properly, then
you could design a whole bunch of
photos from the WSU Walter Reuther
cars that are really safe for this dummy and College of Engineering archives
but not very safe for a human.”
29

FACULTY BRIEFS
Yinlun Huang, professor
of chemical engineering,
was co-chair of
an international chemical
engineering sustainability
forum held Sept.
25--28 at South China
University of Technology
in Guangzhao,
China. The forum, the
first of its kind in Asia, attracted more than
400 researchers, scientists and practitioners
from throughout the world to discuss the
advancement of product and process engineering
through the effective integration of
sustainability. Charles Manke, chair of the
WSU Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, spoke on how to promote
PhD research in a session co-chaired by
WSU PhD student Christina Piluso. The
event provided a unique forum for sustainability
experts to assess and critique the
current status and direction of research and
development in designing and manufacturing
green chemical products and materials
using green processes and technologies.
The WSU Alumni Association has honored
Greg Auner, professor of electrical
and computer engineering, with its Faculty
Service Award. The award is presented to
Wayne State faculty whose professional or
civic efforts have brought about a greater
appreciation of the university’s contributions
to community service. In 2007, Auner,
director of the Smart Sensors and Integrated
Microsystems (SSIM) lab, was named an
“Everyday Hero” by the RARE Foundation.
SSIM projects are finding solutions to critical,
real-world problems such as delicate fetal
and infant surgeries, early diagnosis and
treatment of diseases such as Parkinson’s,
and auditory and visual implants to restore
failing eyesight and hearing loss to people
with hearing and visual impairments.
Congratulations to the 10 engineering
faculty and 8 staff members who were
recognized for their years of service to the
university at the 2008 Employee Recognition
Program: Albert King, chair of biomedical
engineering, for 50 years of service; Karen
McKissick, personnel officer, for 30 years
of service; Eugene Snowden, instrument
design leader (30); Josephine Zito-Zasuwa,
administrative assistant for Academic Affairs
(30); Feng Lin, professor of electrical and
computer engineering, for 20 years of service;
Marvin Santure, instrument designer
(20); Gary Wasserman, associate professor
of industrial and manufacturing engineering
(20); Sean Wu, distinguished professor
of mechanical engineering (20); Angela
Childrey, budget analyst, for 15 years of
service; Yinlun Huang, associate professor
of chemical and materials science engineering
(15); Gina Shreve, associate professor of
chemical and materials science (15); Mukaa
Ssemakula, associate professor of engineering
technology (15); Ece Yaprak, professor
of engineering technology, (15) Ivan
Avrutsky, assistant professor of electric
and computer engineering, for 10 years
of service; Timothy Jones, multimedia
specialist (10); Michelle Pickett, secretary
for the associate dean of students (10); Barbara
Richardson, budget analyst (10);
and Hwai-Chung Wu, associate professor
of civil and environmental engineering (10).
Olena Palyvoda, SSIM researcher, was
recognized by the 2008 Nikon Small
World Photomicrography Competition
for her fluorescence image captured on
a microscope. Her image of “rat embryo
cortical neuronal network on nano-layered
self assembled mono-layers” was selected
for an Image of Distinction Award.
Warren Hardy,
researcher and
instructor in biomedical
engineering, was
the winner of the
Best Paper Award at
both the 2007 and
2008 Stapp Car Crash
Conference. The Conference
is the most
prestigious conference
dealing with automotive-related
injuries. Hardy is now an associate professor
at the Mechanical Engineering Center for
Biomechanics at Virginia Tech University.
photo by Rick Bielacyzc
Greg Auner
Olena Palyvoda
Albert King (right) with Tsinghua Vice President
Wang Jinsong.
30

Simon Ng, professor
of chemical
engineering and director
of the National
Biofuels Energy Lab,
has been named by
former WSU President
Irvin D. Reid a Gershenson
Distinguished
Faculty Fellow.
Albert King, distinguished professor
and chair of the Department of Biomedical
Engineering, was named Honorary Professor
at Tsinghua University in China. Tsinghua
Vice President Wang Jinsong presented the
letter of appointment to Professor King.
Founded in 1911, Tsinghua University – one
of China’s most famous universities – is
closely linked to China’s development and
is a major contributor to classic and modern
knowledge in the sciences and humanities.
Tsinghua is particularly interested in
automotive safety and impact injury because
of the high traffic fatality rate in China.
King, 73, has served Wayne State University
now for more than 50 years, starting
at the WSU Bioengineering Research
Center. Wayne State recognized his many
years of service to the university at the
Employee Recognition Program on April 18.
Dean Ralph Kummler made the keynote
address on “The Future of Engineering”
to the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers
(MSPE) annual conference June 5--8 in
Chantelle Hughes and Olena Palyvoda
Thompsonville. Kummler argued that in order
for human development to be sustainable,
it must look to alternative solutions. Also
participating at this year’s Building a Better
Engineer conference was Mumtaz Usmen,
associate engineering dean of research, who
led a seminar on “Ethics in Engineering
Construction: The Global Perspective.”
Harpreet Singh,
professor of electrical
and computer
engineering, has
been named editorin-chief
of the Journal
in Computer Engineering
and Electronics.
Associate Dean Mumtaz Usmen was honored
with the highest Engineering Society
of Detroit (ESD) award, the Gold Award, at
the 37th Annual ESD affiliate council Gold
Award Banquet.
The Gold Award
is presented annually
to distinguished
individuals who
demonstrate outstanding
professional
achievement and
community service.
Usmen was the
chairman of the WSU Department of Civil
Engineering for 18 years until his appointment
in 2007 as the college’s associate
dean of research. During his leadership,
the department was actively involved
in civil engineering projects throughout
the region as well as in developing wellqualified
civil engineers. He is an active
researcher in his specialty of construction
engineering and management with a focus
on site safety, quality, ethics leadership,
and organizational movement. Usmen
has received numerous academic awards
for university teaching excellence such as
Michigan Society of Professional Engineer’s
Outstanding Engineering in Education
and Engineer of the Year awards, and ESD’s
Outstanding Council/Committee Leadership
and Distinguished Service Awards.
Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems
(SSIM) research staff members Olena Palyvoda
and Chantelle Hughes each received
2008 Women of Wayne Awards. The awards,
which include a $1,000 research grant, are
an attempt by the Women of Wayne association
to expand women’s opportunities for
education and to recognize Wayne women
for their contributions to society. In 2007,
SSIM staff members Barbara House and
Michelle Bruscatori received the same award.
Nabil Sarhan, assistant professor,
electrical and computer engineering,
received the 2008 Outstanding Professional
of the Year Award from the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE), Southeastern Michigan Section, for
his many accomplishments in multimedia
computing and networking research
and university teaching profession.
Nabil Sarhan
Jeffrey Potoff, assistant professor
of chemical engineering, received
the Engineering Society of Detroit’s
Chemical Engineer of the Year Award
at the 37 th Annual ESD affiliate council
Gold Award Banquet in 2008.
31

FACULTY BRIEFS
photo by Rick Bielacyzc
SSIM program coordinator
earns entrepreneur award
Katherine Abramczyk made the segue
from a fine arts major at the College
for Creative Studies to a vice president
at Visca L.L.C., a nanotechnology
and microtechnology firm.
Late in 2000, Abramczyk, who was trying
to figure out how to make a living from her
artistic talents, was told by a friend there
was a temporary job available at Wayne
State's College of Engineering, assisting an
associate dean. She started in January 2001.
“I thought it was going to be two weeks.”
Going on eight years later, she’s still
in the department, and for more than
six years she has been coordinator of
the school’s program for Smart Sensors
and Integrated Microsystems (SSIM).
Funded by a large number of big federal
grants, the program involves tiny but
powerful sensors with applications that
range from deep space aboard NASA
satellites to inside the human body
(cochlear implants to help the deaf hear
and retinal implants to help the blind see).
Visca
L.L.C. was
formed in
2004 by Greg
Auner, SSIM
director,
and cofounded
with
Abramczyk.
Its purpose
is to help
bridge the
gap between
university
research
and industry needs, finding realworld
applications for its sensors and
microsystems. It develops, markets and
licenses technology in a wide range of
markets, including biomedical, homeland
security, defense, automotive and
aerospace. The company’s business
headquarters is in Troy while lab
space remains in TechTown.
Abramczyk, 32, who currently is in the
MBA program at WSU, has an equity
stake in Visca. As vice president of
administration, she oversees important
parts of the business, such as grant
applications, Small Business Innovative
Research grants from the U.S. Small
Business Administration, industry
liaisons, invoices and billing. She
leads marketing efforts, has headed
lab and office space design and is
responsible for contractual oversight.
The company has 13 full- and parttime
employees. It has generated about
$660,000 in revenue in the first nine
months and $2 million to date.
Abramczyk has blended her vocation
with her avocation. A microscopic
cross-section of a retina, for example,
which she found “absolutely beautiful,”
provided inspiration for a painting
she titled, Eye Candy, which was
accepted into a juried art show.
“I’ve found that the creativity that
goes into the scientific process is
very much the same as what goes
into art. You start with an idea
and work through it,” she says.
This story by Tom Henderson was reprinted
with permission from Crain’s Detroit Business
Yinlun Huang in
Europe on Fulbright
Yinlun Huang, professor of chemical
engineering, is working with
various European universities for six
months in the area of sustainable engineering
on a Fulbright Scholarship.
He is lecturing and conducting research
mainly at the Technical University Berlin
where he is teaching an intensive onemonth
course. “I will not teach a whole
semester because I have to travel,” he says.
Huang will also lecture at the
University of
Achen, Germany,
the University of
Manchester in the
United Kingdom,
and the Technical
University of
Denmark. Huang
will also visit BASF
company headquarters
in Ludwigshafen,
Germany.
Huang’s uses
the principles of profitable pollution
prevention to minimize waste, the
use of raw materials, local energy and
exchange waste in the manufacturing
process. His work is supported by
the National Science Foundation.
Huang is abroad with his wife Jianning
Wu. Their 19-year-old daughter is currently
studying English in London. Their
23-year-old son, a MIT engineering
graduate, remains in the United States.
At the University of Berlin, Huang
is collaborating with Günter Wozny,
one of Germany’s leading sustainability
engineers, and his team. ■
32

NEW FACULTY
Amar Basu, Assistant Professor,
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Assistant Professor
Amar Basu joined the
ECE faculty after receiving
a PhD in electrical
engineering-circuits and
microsystems from the
University of Michigan
in August 2008. He also
has a master’s degree in
biomedical engineeringbiotechnology,
a master’s degree in electrical
engineering, and a bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering, all from the University
of Michigan. Assistant Professor Basu’s
primary research interests are MEMS and
integrated microsystems for applications
in biology and nanotechnology. Specific
interests include high-throughput analytical
systems for cellular and biomolecular
analysis, droplet-based microfluidics, surface
tension-based fluidic actuation using
the Marangoni effect, microprobes for cell
stimulation and sensing, scanning thermal
microscopy (SThM) and microcalorimetry,
and maskless nanolithography with scanning
probes.
Mark Ming-Cheng Cheng,
Assistant Professor, Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Assistant Professor
Mark Ming-Cheng
Cheng joined the ECE
faculty in 2008. He
was a research assistant
professor at the Brown
Institute of Molecular
Medicine and Biomedical
Engineering, the
University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston, TX. He
received a bachelor’s degree and a PhD in
electrical engineering from National Tsing-
Hua University in Taiwan. He was a joint
postdoctoral researcher between National
Cancer Institute and the Comprehensive
Cancer Center at Ohio State University
from 2003 to 2006, working on biomedical
nanotechnologies for early detection of
cancer and treatment. From 2001 to 2003,
he was a Physics Department researcher at
Georgetown University to develop novel
bandages for real-time glucose monitoring
for American soldiers. Assistant Professor
Cheng’s research interests include biomedical
microdevices, integrated microsystems,
lab-on chip, controlled drug delivery
systems, nanobiotechnology, nanofludics,
BioMEMS, micro/nanofabrication and biosensors.
Marcis Jansons, Assistant Professor,
Mechanical Engineering
Assistant Professor
Marcis Jansons has
most recently worked
at the WSU Center for
Automotive Research as
a postdoctoral research
fellow and as a lecturer
at the U.S. Coast Guard
Academy. He received
a bachelor’s degree in
mechanical engineering, aerospace option,
from Rutgers University in 1990, a master’s
degree in mechanical engineering from the
New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1992,
and a PhD in mechanical engineering from
Rutgers University in 2005. Assistant Professor
Jansons is performing engine research
in the Center for Low Combustion group at
WSU as well as teaching graduate courses in
internal combustion engines and emissions,
and serving as the student SAE chapter
advisor. With his research, Assistant Professor
Jansons hopes to explore fundamental
questions regarding auto-ignition, kinetics
and combustion, as applied to practical
combustion systems.
Shawn McElmurry, Assistant Professor,
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Assistant Professor
Shawn McElmurry, who
joined the department
in fall 2008, received
both his PhD (2008)
and his master’s degree
(2002) in environmental
engineering from
Michigan State University
where he was a graduate teaching
and research assistant. Assistant Professor
McElmurry earned his bachelor’s degree
in chemistry with a minor in biology from
Central Michigan University (1998). His
research interest is assessing how geochemical
processes within surface water systems
are altered by anthropogenic influences in
an effort to address fundamental gaps in
the understanding of aquatic chemistry. His
work continues to shed light on this area of
aquatic chemistry that holds the key to sustainable
water practices. He is examining the
mechanisms responsible for dissolved organic
carbon (DOC)-pollutant interactions, as
well as DOC formation and transformation.
33

STUDENT SECTION
Polishing the Bent
Each semester, new initiates to the
Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society
can be found gathered outside
of the engineering building, cleaning
and polishing a small brass sculpture.
The cleaning of the Bent, as the sculpture
is called, is part of the Tau Beta Pi
initiation process. Initiates are given
a smaller version of the Bent to polish
individually before they come together
to work on the large Bent.
This academic year, however, the society
met with an obstacle. The Bent happened
to be blocked by a construction
fence for the Marvin I. Danto Engineering
Development Center. The construction
company, however, realized the
value of the Tau Beta Pi tradition and
allowed the students access to the construction
site for one day in October.
With the weather cooperating, the
students washed the Bent with Brillo
pads and polished it with Brasso. “The
Brasso is what really makes it shine,”
said Vanda Ametlli, an industrial and
manufacturing engineering student.
Vanda Ametlli
In addition to the cleaning, Tau Beta Pi
initiates perform several other tasks such as
tutoring, community service, and gathering
canned food and clothes. Elias Taxakis, vicepresident
of the Tau Beta Pi Michigan Epsilon
Chapter, said the society hopes to better
Wayne State University through these volunteer
efforts and “washing the good Bent outside
that represents our good organization.”
story and photos by Alonso del Arte
A Green Technology
Symposium
The growing trend toward environmentally
friendly technology makes this an exciting
time in the metro Detroit engineering
community. In 2008, a group of engineering
students organized the Green Technology
Symposium, which provided an opportunity
for companies to showcase their products
and innovations as well as spark dialogue
and partnerships for future research and
development with university researchers.
“We are proud that Wayne State University
can act as a host,” says Lavie Golenberg,
president of the Wayne State chapter of
the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization,
which organized the symposium along with
the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
The symposium attracted 150 students,
faculty, and industry representatives
from seven companies who gathered
to discuss the sustainable future of Michigan,
and what it means for engineers.
“The event was a great success,” says Rebecca
Whalen, president of the Wayne State section
of SWE. ”It gave students the opportunity to interact
with industry professionals who are currently
implementing sustainable technologies.”
Speakers from top local companies presented
the ways their companies are embracing green
technology. DTE Energy Executive Vice President
Steve Kurmas (BSCHE’79, MSCHE’83) discussed
alternative energies, including the benefits
and costs of solar, wind and nuclear power
There were several breakout sessions.
Ryan Kline of Turner Construction Co. presented
“Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design.” Christopher Bradlee, a
BASF Chemical Co. representative; Ross
Good, Chrysler’s senior manager for energy
and substance control; and PhD student
Cristina Piluso also made presentations.
This spring, students were busy preparing
for the second annual conference April 3
A familiar scene in front of the college
—by Lavie Golenberg
34

PhD Student studies in
Germany on Fulbright
Last June, Jenifer Blacklock, MSBME’06, a
26-year-old biomedical engineering PhD
student, embarked for Germany to research
localized gene delivery. Four years ago, she
would never have imagined herself studying
gene therapy on a Fulbright grant, let alone
pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering.
As an undergraduate manufacturing
engineering student at Miami University,
Blacklock was intrigued by the doctoral
work some of the university’s graduates
were doing in biomedical engineering.
“I never imagined I’d be working in this
area when at Miami,” Blacklock says.
Intrigue led her to Wayne State, where the
Sylvan Lake native was familiar with the biomedical
engineering program. She enrolled
in an introductory class on gene polymers
with Guangzhao Mao, a professor of chemical
engineering and materials science and associate
professor of biomedical engineering, and
from there Blacklock’s future came into focus.
“I liked her,” Blacklock says of Mao. “I liked
her research. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to
go into, but I liked what she was doing.”
Jenifer Blacklock (foreground) with adviser Guangzhao Mao
Fortunately for Blacklock, Mao had just begun
collaborating with David Oupicky of the namics of layer-by-layer films, which is
Her research focuses on the release dy-
WSU Department of Pharmaceutical Science. achieved by the layering of DNA and polymer.
When inserted into the body, the
Blacklock’s interest in biomedical engineering
proved to be a good match for their research. polymer, or coating, breaks down and the
“Jeni was perfect for the project,” says Mao. DNA is then able to permeate the nucleus
She was so perfect for the project that its area of cells and produce therapeutic proteins.
of research – bio-reducible layer-by-layer films Blacklock is working with another student
for localized gene delivery applications - became
the focus of Blacklock’s doctoral work. paper. She says that if there were ever a place
from Russia, conducting research and writing a
Gene therapy is the insertion of genes
to do highly focused work, it’s at Max Planck.
into an individual’s cells and tissuees to
“If you’re there for a couple of months and
treat hereditary diseases in which a defective
mutant allele is replaced with
Blacklock. “I have every piece of equipment
you have a goal, you can reach it,” says
a functioning one, according to the
I could ever need there and also have technicians
and people who are willing to help.”
U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Researchers are making promising advancements
in localized gene delivery,
work, Blacklock says she’s enjoy-
In addition to her academic
but treatment is still delivered through
ing the other aspects of Germany.
inhalation which can be dangerous, or
Her experience has been so positive, she’d
injection which is not as effective.
like to conduct post-doctoral research at
During her Fulbright year, Blacklock is
Max Planck for another one to two years
working at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids
and Interfaces in Potsdam (where
“I am learning German, and I am learning to
after she receives her PhD this spring.
Mao was a visiting professor in 2002) in
work in an international environment,” she
collaboration with the Fraunhoffer Institute
of Biomedical Technology. Because
the world, which is interesting in itself.”
says. “I am meeting people from around
of her particular research area, she acts
as a go-between for the two institutes.
—by Sydney Redigan
photos by Alonso del Arte
35

STUDENT BRIEFS
Success at Hydrogen Design Contest
Two teams from Wayne State were
among five runner-up finalists in the
Hydrogen Education Foundation’s 2007-8
Hydrogen Student Design Contest.
Teams from around the world were challenged
to use a budget of $3 million to
design the most effective airport hydrogen
system that would address the three main
challenges for airports today: noise, air
pollution and groundwater contamination.
The two WSU teams stemmed from the
2007 fall semester Advanced Thermal Fluid
System Design Class taught by Ming-Chia
Lai, professor of mechanical engineering,
and Monier B. Botros, adjunct professor.
The students joined other finalists
from McMaster University, Missouri
University of Science and Technology and
the University of Waterloo to present their
designs at the National Hydrogen Association
Conference 2008 in Sacramento, Calif.
Mark Winston-Galant and Donald
Edwards, grad students in the AET
program, and mechanical engineering
undergrads, Roxane Elders, Dan
Lascu, Reema Gupta, and Amandeep
Singh, made up the first Wayne State
team. They designed a plan for the
Columbia International Airport in South
Carolina using Ford Silverado pickups
converted to fuel-cell powered HIEC
(Hydrogen Internal Engine Combustion)
vehicles for the airport’s service fleet.
Mark Winston-Galant, Reema Gupta, Roxane Elder, Dr. Monier Botros and Donald Edwards
at the Hydrogen Education Foundation’s 2007-8 Hydrogen Student Design Contest.
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE) Sustainable Engineering
Forum’s Award Committee has selected
Cristina Piluso, a recent graduate in chemical
engineering advised by Professor Yinling
Huang and now with BASF, as the co-recipient
of the AIChE 2008 Best Paper Award.
Jennifer Blacklock, a PhD student in
biomedical engineering, was awarded a Fulbright
Award for 2008-9 to conduct research
at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and
Interfaces in Germany. She is a student of
Guangzhao Mao, professor of chemical and
material science engineering, and David
Oupicky, associate professor of Pharmacy
and Health Science. (See story on page 37)
Tara Troxel, BMEPhd’08, along with her
advisers, Professors Michele Grimm, John
Melvin, and Paul Begeman, won the Ralph
H. Isbrandt Automotive Safety Engineering
Award for their paper submitted to the
2008 Society of Automotive Engineers World
Congress. Troxel was the lead author for the
paper entitled, “Biomechanical Investigation
of Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures in
Indianapolis-type Racing Car Drivers During
Frontal Impacts.“ The award was presented by
alumnus Priya Prasad, MSME’68, PhDBME73,
and SAE President Thomas W. Ryan, III.
During his 45-year automotive career, Isbrandt,
SAE’s 1967 president, provided a constant
inspiration to young engineers seeking and
following a mobility engineering career.
A team representing the WSU Student
Chapter of the Biomedical Engineering
Society won First Place and a $1,000 prize in
the design competition at the First Annual
Stryker Engineering Challenge held last year at
Stryker’s facility in Kalamazoo. The challenge
required the students to redesign the existing
Waste Management System Neptune 1
with inputs from nurses, doctors, field nurses
and technicians. For the second contest, the
students needed to modify and/or create
a new test fixture for their Stryker Saggital
Bone Cutters. The student team consisted of
Aditya Belwadi, Adinarayana Kadapa,
Saurabh Deshpande and Kyle Sutton.
36

Civil Engineering
graduate Mark Mathes,
CEE’07, received the university’s
David D. Henry
Award for fall 2007. The
award is given annually
in the fall semester to
a Wayne State student
who has made outstanding
contributions to the Mark Mathes
university in the areas of
student activities, leadership and service, while
also demonstrating high scholastic achievement
Among various academic distinctions, Mathes
was awarded the 2007 Institute of Transportation
Engineers’ student scholarship for his
involvement in student activities as president
of the Chi Epsilon National Honor Society
and vice president of the Institute of Transportation
Engineers student organization.
Described by Carol Miller, chair of the
Department of Civil Engineering, as an
“exceptional leader and mentor to many
undergraduate students,” Mathes continues
to demonstrate these qualities as he pursues
a graduate degree in transportation.
Luke A. Mackewich, a senior in civil engineering,
was awarded the 2008 Major Elbert A.
Welsh Education Award at the banquet of the
Society of American Military Engineers (SAME).
Mackewich is a full-time student and supports
his studies through his responsibilities as a resident
advisor in a campus dorm. He is also involved
in engineering activities on campus, including
the American Society of Civil Engineers
and the Engineering Student-Faculty Board.
Richard Gifaldi, a graduate student in
civil engineering, was selected to receive the
Michigan Society of Professional Engineers
Detroit Chapter 2008 Student Engineer of
the Year Award. Gifaldi received a bachelor’s
degree in civil and environmental engineering
in May 2008. Since then, he has been
working as a hydraulic engineer at the US
Army Corps of Engineers – Detroit District. His
master’s coursework is increasing his expertise
in hydraulic modeling,
sustainable design and
river restoration. Gifaldi
balances his studies and
career with community
service activities,
including his work as
founder and president
of Amagoro Charitable
Fund, which provides Richard Gifaldi
assistance to underprivileged
children in Amagoro, Kenya.
The Wayne State Chapter of the American
Society of Civil Engineers visited the
new MDOT Ambassador Bridge Gateway
Construction project last spring. The project
features reconstructed freeways, a new I-75
and I-96 interchange, a pedestrian bridge that
will connect east and west Mexicantown, and
a redesigned Ambassador Bridge Plaza. The
students experienced firsthand the various
civil engineering aspects of the project.
Order of the Engineer
Forty-two December engineering
graduates, both undergrad and
grad students, were inducted into
the professional Orders of the Engineer
and Engineering Technology at
special commencement ceremonies
held by the College of Engineering
at the Community Arts Auditorium,
December 13. Dean Ralph Kummler,
associate deans, and department
chairs officiated the Order of
Engineer and Professional Order of
Engineering Technology ceremonies,
with 95 relatives, friends, faculty and
staff witnessing the event. Paul Sgriccia,
MSCEE’97, managing principal
of Golder Associates, was the guest
speaker.
(above) Amrinder Singh and Pargat
Singh at the December 2008 Order
of the Engineer (above left) Professor
Harpreet Singh surrounded by electrical
and computer engineering graduates.
Many students come to study at the
college as a result of Professor Singh’s
ties and recruiting trips to India.
37

STUDENT BRIEFS
The Howard M. Hess Award for academic
excellence is given to outstanding
Engineering Technology graduating
seniors from each semester.
Andre L. Tillman, (ET’07), graduated
Summa Cum Laude with a 3.8 GPA. A
graduate of Henry Ford Community College,
he is currently employed by DTE Energy
as an associate nuclear engineer and
plans to pursue an MBA at Wayne State.
The Robert C. Wingerter Award is presented
each year by the college to outstanding engineering
seniors demonstrating exceptional qualities
of scholarship, character and leadership.
Roxanne Elder, (ME’08), graduated with
a 3.64 GPA. She has served as Tau Beta Pi
vice president twice and has been secretary
and an Engineering Student Faculty Board
representative. In addition, she has mentored
for the Engineering Bridge Program and was
a key member of a design team that won
first runner-up for the National Hydrogen Association’s
Design Contest. She had planned
to work for Chrysler beginning last summer.
Roxanne Elder (right)
Andre Tillman (right)
Iniabasi Nkanga, (IME’08), graduated
with a 3.73 GPA. She has been president
of the Engineering Student Faculty Board
and has won numerous awards and scholarships,
including the College of Engineering
Community Service Award, the Chrysler
Corporate Minority Scholarship and
the Willoughby Annual Scholarship. She
interned with Ford where she planned
to work full-time beginning last fall.
Iniabasi Nkanga (right)
Scott Bone (right)
Scott Bone, (ET’08), graduated
with a 3.7 GPA. He holds an associate
degree in computer-aided design
from Oakland Community College
and designs suspension components
for Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee.
His next goal is to pursue an MBA.
Benjamin Langrill, (ECE’08), graduated
with a 3.97 GPA. A four-year Presidential
Scholarship recipient, he was named
president of Tau Beta Pi, received the Richard
R. Kaminski scholarship and the Tau Beta
Pi Outstanding Tutoring Award. He is now
a graduate student and an assistant in the
Department of Biomedical Engineering.
David Peraino, (CE’08), graduated with
a 3.7 GPA. He served as president of the
American Society of Chemical Engineers
with which he has developed a tutoring
program. Additionally, he organized a
meeting on greenhouse gas emissions and
global warming and participated in a co-op
assignment at EFTEC. He planned to work
at Marathon Oil following his graduation.
Benjamin Langrill
David Peraino (right)
38

New building story continued from page 4
a mechanism for the business community to
identify opportunities for collaboration by
which new companies are born, and existing
ones can accelerate their R&D activities,”
says Kummler. “In the larger arena, as one
of the state’s three research universities, we
are accelerating these activities, helping to
create critical business activities and jobs to
drive the state’s economy toward health and
prosperity.”
The new building has already invigorated
student life as students congregate socially
and study together in the open spaces in the
lobby of the new building. “Other than the
student organization office, I’ve never really
hung out in the college,” says Ben Langrill,
president of the Engineering Student Faculty
Board (ESFB). “This gives us a much nicer
area -- both the lobby and auditorium – and
the ability to host events here.”
On the road
with WSU
Show your Warrior pride with the
updated Wayne State University
license plate now available from the
Michigan Secretary of State. The plate
features the new graphic W that is easy to recognize at a
distance and immediately identifies you as a Wayne State
supporter. These special fundraising plates cost $35 and
WSU receives $25 of that fee. The money — between
$25,000 and $35,000 annually — is donated to the Alumni
Association Scholarship Fund.
Those familiar with the college remember
the courtyard at the center of the old engineering
building wings, accented with Helios,
a tall, brushed aluminum sera fated sculpture.
In warm weather, students and staff
used the courtyard for various events, but it
never became a general congregating area.
While the new building footprint has taken
up much of the courtyard space, a smaller,
perhaps more functional one remains.
“We’re making use of the windows and
outside area,” says Grimm. “The courtyard is
actually more functional than we had before
because it really connects with the inside
space. In nice weather, we’ll have picnic
tables and benches out there.”
The new building features a new PACE
Teaming Center on the second floor for
student design and learning that encourages
multi-disciplinary team collaborations.
Partnership for the Advancement of
Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE),
a consortium of industry partners and
universities, supports the college with computer-based
engineering tools. “Instead of a
classroom with rows of chairs, it’s actually
designed for team-based work,” says Grimm.
The students will also have their own
studio to design, build and test entries for
student engineering competitions. The current
Formula SAE racecar team will soon take
over this area, but it will be available for all
future student design competition projects.
“We have a wonderful institution here,
but not many people know about us,” says
Grimm. “We have tremendous amount of
top research. If you look at research per
faculty member, we compete very well with
top institutions in Michigan and around the
country. With this facility, we are positioning
ourselves to take a greater leadership role
in the University Research Corridor.” ■
39

COVER STORY
Bir was recruited in 2005 to
serve as consultant and on air
scientist for Fight Science, the
Original National Geographic
Channel series bringing
together martial arts and scientists
on the dojo stage set
Cynthia Bir
enjoys role of
TV scientist
researcher
mom
photo courtesy Base Productions
By David Reich
College of Engineering
Public Affairs Officer
At the annual giant “YES” science
expo at Ford Field in Detroit, she
signed autographs for high school
students on photos of herself on the set of
Sport Science, a popular television show.
She has not reached the notoriety of the
likes of Mr. Wizard or Mr. Science, the
popular television hosts who introduced
the world of science to millions of kids in
the 1950s and 1990s. But in their absence,
Cynthia Bir, associate professor of biomedical
engineering, is the face of science
and technology for today’s generation of
school-age children who watch the show.
The fact that she is a female makes
her role even more inspiring.
Mrs. Scientist, PhD is not a role she sought,
or even imagined. Before she was discovered
by Los Angeles producers looking for on-theset
scientists for their new show nearly four
years ago, she was perfectly content doing
what she studied long and hard to do: investigate
the mechanism of injury and hoping
to make a difference in discovering treatments
and improving the quality of our lives.
It’s not that she has given up that role.
Most people, including her four children, see
her on television attaching accelerometers to
such top-notch athletes as NFL wide receiver
Chad Johnson. But her true calling puts
her steadfastly in the lab, examining with
colleagues and her grad students weighty
issues such as injuries caused by roadside
bombs or so-called non-lethal weapons.
Her 7-year-old daughter, Becca, once asked
Bir, “Mommy, how do you get on TV” Bir
had the right answer. “The best way is
to go to school, work hard, and someday
someone might recognize you for it.”
In a nutshell, that’s what Cynthia Bir
is all about – being true to your calling,
looking at your possibilities and options
early on, and loving it along the way.
And while she does not describe herself
as a soccer mom, she manages to be deeply
engaged in life at home with four kids
with the strong support of her husband.
Family is important to her. And so is her
calling. And while the two don’t perfectly
mesh, you get the feeling that her road
has been a lesson for us all about how
it is possible to do both successfully.
We need more students interested in science
and math. Our country is losing our
former technological edge in the world. Bir
understands this, and moreover, her place
and opportunity as a role model in making
40

it happen. “There are two reasons why I do
this show,” explains Bir. “The first is to get
Wayne State’s name out there and to show
we’re leaders in research. The other reason is
to show how science can be cool, the many
neat things that can be taught, and that
science and engineering has a fun side to it.”
What is really neat is, that unlike
Mr. Science and Mr. Wizard, Cynthia
Bir is a working scientist.
So, how do you get on TV
Bir, 40, grew up after Don Herbert (Mr.
Wizard) went off the air, and before the first
broadcast of Mr. Science personified by Tim
Perkins. Instead, she had a “visible doll” and
a basement science lab her dad, a computer
programmer, built for her in the house in Sturgis.
Her grandmother, a nurse, had the first
“visible woman and a visible man,” the same
type that can be seen today on Gray’s Anatomy,
the popular TV show. Her grandmother
gave the doll to Bir when she was about 10.
“I’m going to come off as a real geek, but
I had a science lab in the basement, and
my mom was always concerned I was going
to start a fire,” says Bir “I had a whole
chemical set.” She also had a microscope
she got for Christmas she used to look at
spider legs and other things she’d collect
from the natural world outside her house.
By the time she arrived in high school,
her thoughts were already focused on
med school. At Sturgis High School, she
participated in a women’s engineering
program at Michigan Tech and began
thinking about biomedical engineering
for her undergraduate studies.
“I don’t think that’s unusual,” says Bir. “I
think there’s a lot of high school kids who
start thinking early on what they want to be
when they grow up. I wish my kids would
start thinking about what they want to do.
You don’t have to have a set plan. But I think
you should be aware of what’s out there.”
Medical school was on her mind in high
school, but that was before she started dating
a guy named David. “At the time, I was
dating a guy who I ended up marrying,” Bir
At Ford Field last November at the “YES” expo, Bir demonstrated that an accelerometer attached
to the ankle can measure the force used to kick a football and soccerball.
says with a certain look in her eye. “I just coursework, she enrolled in night classes
kind of thought, ‘I don’t want to spend at community college to “get up to speed
eight years in school and another four or and make up deficits” in basic engineering
five in residency. I knew I wanted to have courses she would need to apply to grad
a family. When you’re 18 and in love, I
school in biomedical engineering.
just decided a career in medicine was
In 1990, the same year she graduated
not going to work out that well.”
from nursing school, she was accepted into
Bir’s choices perfectly
express the
biomedical engineer-
the graduate program in
added complications
faced by bright
Michigan. She worked
ing at the University of
women growing
as a nurse on a surgical
up in America with
floor and she went to
ambitions who want
graduate school, earning
her degree in 1992.
to make an impact
on the world beyond
Cynthia and David,
a patent attorney
raising a family. The
path was not as clear
with a law degree and
to her as it would have
master’s degree in electrical
engineering, embarked
been if she was a man.
Cynthia and David were married between as partners on a path that included the
her junior and senior year at Nazareth College
in Kalamazoo. But she did not give up topher (13), Rebecca (7) and Rachel (4).
raising of four children, Alex (15), Chris-
on her high school ambition. During her Bir also embarked on her individual path
senior year while taking full-time nursing to earn a PhD in biomedical engineering.
photo by Mary Jane Murawka
41

COVER STORY
But first, she needed another graduate
degree in mechanical engineering
at Wayne State, which has a great
tradition in bioengineering research
and applications. As usual, she was
working full time, raising a family,
and taking a full load of courses.
“It’s how I am,” she says. “I’m type A.
I’ll be the first to admit that. But I like
to think I’m type A positive most of
the time. I want to rewrite that book.”
Today, Bir does the juggling without
much thought to it, along with the
help of her husband. Her work with
Sport Science, now entering its second
season, sometimes takes her away from
her family for a month when shooting
takes place in Los Angeles. It tears at
her. “He (David) has been supportive. He
knows I enjoy doing it, and it’s not easy
for him for me to be gone for a month.”
But this is not typical. Typical is getting
up at 6 a.m. on school days to get
the kids ready for school, and arriving
at work at 9 a.m. “When I leave here
at the end of the day, I can’t afford
to relax, although by 10:30 p.m., I’m
ready to go to bed. Even though I’m
not a Brownie Troop Leader, I am a
mom with mom responsibilities.”
When you think about it, Bir is the
perfect role model for kids. She is bright,
and a woman with naturally good looks.
She is quite relatable. She is engaging.
She talks a common language and
can communicate with us non-geeks.
Because of her path that included
an early vision and a natural bent
Setting up a test for Fight Science.
Fight Science martial artists with Bir on the dojo stage set; photos courtesy Base Productions
to work hard at a goal, she carries an
high school classes as a result of the show.
important message for today’s generation
of youth, a generation weaned
show, Bir wants to get high school kids to
As a spokesperson for science and the
on television, video games, computers
start thinking as early as possible about
and the Internet, of fading newspapers,
microscopes and spider legs.
love my job and I’m very fortunate. As
what they want to do with their lives. “I
“I don’t see in my kids what I had as a you have choices presented to you, you
child,” says Bir. “While they’ll be great have to take everything into consideration,
when they get older working with technology,
their curiosity is not the same
how it will affect your entire life.” ■
with all these computer games and
graphics catching their eyes. There’s no
interest anymore in conducting experiments,
because it’s not that entertaining.
Everything is so real on the screen.”
That’s where Sport Science comes in. It’s
a hook. “The producers know what I
refer to as ‘eye candy,’” Bir says. “One of
them is computer graphics. It may not
be scientific, but it pulls people into the
show. You need that hook, something that
catches their eye and they can relate to.”
Recognizing the value in this, the
producers have created and are broadcasting
a classroom version of the show. Bir
has already led several tours of her lab for
42

Sport Science Wins Emmy
How do you go from studying brain
trauma to holding up an Emmy your
Hollywood production team won last
year at the 29th Annual Emmy Awards
for Sports held in New York City
Wayne State University Associate Professor
of Biomedical Engineering Cynthia Bir can
tell you. It is hard to believe how the world
for this mother of two boys and girls, ages 4
to 15, has changed in the past several years.
She started her career as a research nurse,
earned her PhD in biomedical engineering
at WSU, and joined the faculty in 2000.
In 2005, Base Productions sought bioengineering
consultants for its National
Geographic Channel project to analyze
and capture the science of martial arts. The
show aimed to demonstrate incredible
athletic feats and answer such questions as,
“How powerful and lethal is a karate chop”
Starting that summer on a Hollywood
dojo stage set, Bir rode the show’s success
-- leading to a new series on Fox Sports Net
called Sport Science in 2007, and renewal
of the show by Fox for a second season.
As the lead scientist and the only female
engineer on the set, Bir is a natural icon
for the show. She has given interviews
to Detroit print and radio media, was
showcased on WXYZ TV, and appeared
on the cover of Twist, the Detroit Free
Press Sunday feature supplement.
In the laboratory, Bir’s research examines
the effectiveness of non-lethal
weapons and, most recently, the injury
mechanism and treatment of head trauma
caused by the pressure wave produced
by roadside bombs in Iraq.
Sport Science was nominated for four
Emmys, including the Technical Achievement
Award. The technical team consisted
of Bir and Base Productions Executive
Producers Mickey Stern and John Brenkus.
Besides setting up and analyzing
the data, Bir and Brenkus appear in
the on-air shots with the athletes.
On Emmy night, the Sport Science team
went one for four; the Emmy won was
for Outstanding Graphic Design. “I’m
really happy that Wayne State and our efforts
were recognized by the nomination
and by Mickey Stern [executive producer]
during the acceptance of the award,” Bir
says, “Even though we didn’t win the
technical achievement Emmy, John (Brenkus)
said several times that the Emmy
for Outstanding Graphic Design should
be considered ‘won’ by everyone.”
The second season of Sport Science began
March 22 at 9 p.m., Eastern time. This
season features many new athletes, including
NFL stars Ray Lewis, Drew Brees, Larry
Fitzgerald, Vernon Davis and Tank Johnson;
NBA stars Stephon Marbury, Kevin Love, Amare
Stoudemire and Luke Walton; and Major
League Baseball’s Matt Kemp and James
Loney of the Los Angeles Dodgers and pitcher
Jake Peavey of the San Diego Padres. ■
Sport Science photos by Jose Garcia Davis
43

TR ANSITIONS
James McMicking,
1929-2008: His door
will always be open
Michael J. Rabins,
mechanical engineering
professor, 75
By David Reich
James McMicking tells the story about
failing German in high school. It
ultimately factored into his decision
to scuttle plans to become a Lutheran
preacher. Instead, he landed at Wayne
State, studied chemical engineering, and
became an institution in the Department
of Chemical Engineering where
his door was always open to students.
James Harvey McMicking, professor
emeritus of chemical engineering and
materials science, passed away Aug. 9,
at his home in St. Clair Shores, from
congenital heart failure. He was 79.
During an era when research became
king, McMicking was the last faculty
member to be hired (in 1958) who was
not tied to research. He stood out as the
increasingly rare professor who placed the
student above all. Throughout his 40-year
teaching career, he dedicated himself
to his students inside and outside class,
maintaining positions on the Engineering
Student Faculty Board, and other
student-related councils and committees,
not to mention leading roles in social
activities involving students and faculty.
To his four children and six grandchildren,
he was also constantly teaching, says
son, James. “He taught people no matter
what he was doing. Whether it was with
us, at church, at Boy Scouts, the Power
Squadron, whatever organization he was
with, he was always engaged in teaching.”
Upon his retirement in 1999, McMicking,
by far the longest-standing faculty
member at the college, maintained an
office in the chemical engineering wing
and continued to teach two classes
a semester as professor emeritus.
James McMicking
McMicking leaves sons, James C. (wife
Carolyn), John (wife Judy); and daughters
Jane, and Joan (husband Paul) Monson;
grandchildren Lauren, Brendan,
Joshua, James, Naomi and Isaac; and
sister Faye (husband Lester) Fouchey.
The funeral service was held Aug. 13 at Historic
Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit. ■
In memory of his special contribution to the
College of Engineering, the college has set up
a scholarship fund to support undergraduate
chemical engineering students. If you wish
to make a donation, make checks payable to
Wayne State University and on the memo line
write James McKicking Fund.
Send your check to:
Attention: Kate Kendro
Assistant Director of Development
Wayne State University
College of Engineering
5050 Anthony Wayne Drive
Detroit, MI 48202
Michael J. Rabins, former chair of the Department
of Mechanical Engineering, passed
away Sept. 30, 2007, in College Station, Texas,
from complications of leukemia. He was 75.
Rabins served as chair of the department
from 1977 to 1987, and associate dean of
research from 1985 until he resigned in
January 1987 to become head of the mechanical
engineering department at Texas
A & M University in College Station. While
research dean, he wrote the proposal for
the Institute of Manufacturing Research
at Wayne State, which still exists today.
Rabins co-authored Engineering Ethics:
Concepts and Cases, with Michael S. Pritchard
and Charles E. Harris, a best-selling textbook
translated into many languages.
His professional success, however, was
superseded by the happiness he created in
his personal life, according to his family.
He traveled the world with his wife
and family, and was always happiest when
he could be with the people he loved.
Michael J. Rabins
44

Rabins was born February 24, 1932, in New
York City. He earned his bachelor’s degree
in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in 1953,
master’s degree in mechanical engineering
from Carnegie Institute of Technology in
1954, and a PhD in mechanical engineering
from the University of Wisconsin in 1959.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Joan;
sons, Andrew (wife Teresa Borzcik), and
Evan (wife, Yee-Way Chow); daughter, Alix
(husband, Jeff) Clyburn; grandchildren,
Sophia, Dexter and Julius; and sister, Elaine
(husband Robert) Adamenko. A memorial
service was held Oct. 5, 2007, at Memorial
Funeral Chapel in College Station. ■
Edward Zobel, former
professor of mechanical
engineering, 84
We recently learned of the passing of
Edward Zobel, longtime respected
professor of mechanical engineering,
who died Oct. 27, 2005, at his home in
Traverse City. He was 84. Ed was interim
chair of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering from 1984 to 1985 after serving
as associate chair for six years. After
his retirement in 1986, he was bestowed
with the title of professor emeritus.
He was born Oct. 25, 1921, in Manistee,
and earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical
engineering (1948) and master’s degree
in engineering mechanics (1950) from the
University of Michigan. He was a fighter
pilot in the U.S. Air Force during World
War II. He joined the WSU Aeronautical
Engineering faculty in 1948 as a part-time
instructor, left WSU for outside engineering
work in 1951, only to return to the Department
of Engineering Mechanics in 1954. In
1959, he became the first recipient of the
Arthur Carr Excellence in Teaching Award.
In retirement, the Zobels moved to
Traverse City, where Ed spent summers as
Edward Zobel
a boy. He leaves his wife of 50 years, Faith;
daughters Mary Shoichet of Bloomfield
Hills, Faith Rowean of Augusta, Ga., and
Nancy Zobel of Traverse City; granddaughters,
Catherine Shoichet, Jennifer Mason
and Anne Bradford; sister, Natalie Wade of
Marathon, Fla.; and nieces and nephews.
Burial was at Boughton Cemetery in
Vicksburg. Visit Ed’s memory page at
www.lifestorynet.com, where you can read
his life story and share a memory. ■
Edward Fairchild, former
electrical engineering
associate professor, 96
The College of Engineering honors
the memory of Edward Fairchild,
former long-time associate professor
of electrical engineering who died
Oct. 20, 2007, at the age of 96.
Fairchild studied and taught power engineering
and materials in the pre-microchip
era, and was a local chapter leader in the
Illumination Engineering Society of North
America, which seeks to improve the
lighted environment to benefit the public.
Fairchild earned his bachelor’s degree
(1932) and master’s degree (1942) in electrical
engineering from University of Michigan.
In 1946, he became a special instructor on
electrical engineering at Wayne University,
and became a full-time member of
the faculty until his retirement in 1976.
“He was a good teacher, and a good
friend,” says Robert Thornhill, BSME’51,
MSBE’55, and a longtime colleague of
Fairchild’s who taught mechanical engineering
at the college from 1955 to 1980.
Fairchild served more than three years as
counselor for the Joint Student Branch of
American Institute of Electrical Engineering
(AIEE) and Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE),
devoting considerable effort and time, both
off and on campus. He was also a member of
the Educational and Student Branches Committees
of the AIEE’s Michigan Section. ■
Edward Fairchild
45

TR ANSITIONS
Robert Dane Barnard,
former electrical engineering
professor, 79
Research support
officer, Ed Sackett,
retires
The College of Engineering laments the passing
of former long-time and well-respected
electrical engineering professor Robert
Barnard of Sterling Heights, who died after
a long illness and heart failure on April 2,
2008. He was 79.
Barnard joined
the faculty as
an associate
professor in 1965.
He was an example
of a bright
mathematician
who applied his
skill to advance
control theory,
including nonlinear
issues. He
was an unusually
good teacher as well, and colleagues and
students alike praised him for his ability to
engage his students.
He served as interim chair of electrical and
computer engineering in 1993, and after
retiring in May 1994, was asked to return to
serve as interim chair and teach one course.
He enjoyed serving as a part-time professor
for many more years.
“My husband’s love was mathematics,” says
Jean Barnard, his wife of 59 years.
Barnard continued to teach part-time until
ill-health forced him to quit, family members
said.
He was born Robert Dane Barnard in Chicago,
Ill., on March 17, 1929. In high school,
he excelled in track, basketball and football,
and was drawn to mathematics as an early
teen. Having been exposed to music early
by his classical pianist mother, Barnard also
played violin.
At 18, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1946 as
an electronics technician to be eligible for
G.I. benefits, according to Jean. He served
until 1948, and again from 1952 to 1953
when he was recalled to serve during the
Korean conflict, but not before earning his
bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering
from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1952.
He earned his master’s in 1955, also from BPI,
and he earned his PhD in electrical engineering
in 1959 from Case Western University.
Barnard worked for Bell Laboratories in
Murray Hill, N.J.,from 1959 to 1961, and
again from 1962 to 1965 after a one-year
stint as an associate professor at Wayne State.
He returned to the faculty in 1965 to make
research and teaching his career. In 1977 for
his sabbatical, he conducted collaborative research
at the Department of Applied Mathematics
at the prestigious Weizmann Institute
in Israel. He helped establish mathematical
controllability criteria for stabilization and
tracking of large-scale nonlinear systems, in
particular, electrical power systems.
In addition to his reputation at work, he
was devoted to his family. According to his
children, he was an exemplary role model
and mentor. “His sound advice and his interminable
support for his family was unwavering,”
says Laura Barnard.
Barnard leaves his wife, Jean; four children:
Christine Shlagor (Peter), Laura Barnard,
Timothy Barnard (Margaret), and Janet
Barnard; seven grandchildren: Sean Carlson,
Jeremy Andres, Jessica Carlson, Katurah
Peters, Breanna Cheek, Chelsea Kneip, and
Celeste Barnard; and one brother, James Barnard.
He is preceded in death by his parents,
Dr. Robert D. Barnard and Kathleen Barnard,
and sister, Hannah Barnard.
There was no funeral. He requested cremation
and the family held a private gathering.
Memorial contributions can be made to the
Michigan Humane Society in memory of
Barnard’s dog Danny and cat Puddy, or to
the American Heart Association. ■
After 27 years, the College of Engineering’s
research support officer, Edward
Sackett, has retired.
“I’m glad I spent this time in academia
and in research support,” Ed told a
gathering of well-wishers at a retirement
reception held for him at the college last
spring. “I may not have lit any candles of
knowledge, but at least I helped keep the
matches dry.”
In a college where some $15 million in
grant and contract supported research
is conducted annually, Ed’s job assisting
faculty with proposals, tracking grant
opportunities, and preparing, managing
and recording the many individual
faculty researcher budgets was critical. “Ed
was the mainstay of our pre-award effort
for most of my time at WSU,” says Dean
Ralph Kummler. “It has been difficult to
continue work without him. I always enjoyed
a good budget discussion with Ed.”
Besides these responsibilities, Ed served
on university and college committees,
including the Academic Staff Tenure and
Promotion Committee and the Engineering
Academic Staff Salary Committee.
46

Ron Gibson, former
ME professor, retires
Ed used his expertise and fluency in the
English language – he holds a master’s
degree in English from the University of
Wyoming – to edit documents and other college
materials. And his skills as a cartoonist
provided much humor to the workday.
Ed is the author of the guidebook, A Short
Guide to Proposal Preparation, and a short
story, “A Full Day’s Wages,” published in the
Saturday Evening Post, among other works.
Ed is busier now than before retirement, he
says, as recognition of his pottery work widens.
His pottery can be bought at Pewabic
Pottery on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. ■
With no formal training in the characteristics
of composite materials, he built a
lab at the college to research its mechanics
that became instrumental in the development
of Wayne State’s undergraduate
and graduate programs in this field.
Ronald Gibson, professor in the Department
of Mechanical Engineering for the
past 19 years, retired last May. He now
lives in Reno, Nev., where he is an adjunct
professor at the University of Nevada-Reno.
Together with his wife Maryanne, he
will travel the western United States, including
Seattle where their daughter Tracy
lives with her husband and two children.
The study of composite materials was
just beginning when he was a student. “I
tell my students that I never had a course
in composite materials as a student because
there were no such courses available
then,” Gibson says. “So I had to pick it up
on my own by experience and attending
professional conferences.”
After receiving a PhD in mechanics
from the University of Minnesota in 1975,
Gibson taught at Iowa State University
and the University of Idaho. He came to
Wayne State in 1989, bringing with him
this expertise in composite materials. The
university also benefited from Professor
Gibson’s personal successes, which Ken
Kline, former chair of mechanical engineering,
says helped spread the name of
Wayne State to the engineering community
worldwide.
Gibson’s personal achievements include
being elected president of the American
Society for Composites and fellow of both
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
and the American Society for Composites.
He has also published a widely
used textbook, Principles of Composite Material
Mechanics, now in its second edition.
When asked what in his career has
brought him the most pride, Gibson recalls
his students. “I’m very proud of the
accomplishments of my students, both
undergraduate and graduate. It is very
satisfying to see that many of them have
gone on to have successful careers in industry,
government or education, and to
know that I played a small role in preparing
them.”
Former colleagues praise Gibson for
his dedication and outstanding work in
teaching, research and service. “He was
the perfect colleague and the ideal friend,
hard-working, loyal, extremely capable,
always willing to take on a difficult task,”
says Kline. “Taking into account the
three areas of teaching, research and service,
I cannot think of any other professor
at other universities across the country
or at WSU who surpassed Ron.” ■
47

REFLECTIONS
Looking back 75 years - A college timeline
They Paved the Way
In 1928, a mere eight years after women won
the right to vote, Wayne State, then known
as Detroit City College, awarded a degree
in chemical engineering to its first female
engineering graduate. Elinor Batie blazed
a trail for women
engineers at Wayne
State, but it took six
more years before
another woman
followed in her path.
Today, there are
many more women
in engineering
than there were
30 years ago, but
the numbers of male and female engineers
are still disproportionate. While Batie and
other female pioneers across the country
cleared the path for women in engineering,
there is still a long journey ahead.
The 1970 Clean Air Car Race
The year was 1970. Unleaded gas was not yet
part of everyday vocabulary. But to four Wayne
State University students, it was the formula
for an unforgettable summer. With Newsweek,
The New York Times, and Motor Trend magazine
tracking the progress of the 1970 Clean Air
Car Race, the Wayne
State team emerged
victorious.
Brian Geraghty,
MSME’72, then a
grad night student
and full-time Ford
Motor Company
carburetor engineer,
remembers it like
yesterday and the
experience rivals anything he has done in all
his years at Ford, says the 62-year old. “We
took what was available in the labs and
stretched them out into the unknown,” he says.
48
Joe Scheufler Trip
In 1948, Joe
Scheufler, BSCE”50,
10 classmates, and
their professor, Bob
Zumstein, caught a
train and traveled
495 miles to the
little town of Hinton,
W. Va., to study the
Bluestone Reservoir
Dam that was nearing completion.
“The dam was very impressive,” said
Joe. “However, one of my lasting memories
was a poker game that five of us played
on the train. Five-card draw, nothing wild,
and I hit a full house. Three of us bet like
crazy. When the betting was over, I was
beat by a bigger full house that was beat
by a four-of-a-kind,” he remembers.
Walter O. Stanton
Anyone who grew up before compact discs
(CDs) remembers that
when a phonograph
needle wore out, you
simply replaced it
with a new cartridge
assembly. Before
they were available
in the early 1950s,
you’d have to send
back your worn-out
needle to the factory.
This easily replaceable stylus was
the invention of Walter Oliver Stanton,
former Wayne State University electrical
engineering student. It was one of
many designs developed by Stanton, a
pioneer in the audio phonics industry.
Men of Eight
The boat house on Belle Isle no longer
exists. The rowing shells are long gone, who
knows where. But most of the members of
Wayne State University’s original rowing
crew are still around – albeit getting
on in years and scattered across the
country – with vivid memories ingrained
by the river and their camaderie.
Fred Levantrosser, BSCE’60, MSCE’67, MBA’73,
recalls how he and the other members of the
1958 crew set the tone for the university’s
once great rowing program and how the
experience of the demanding sport has carried
him throughout his professional career.
Ethanol Vehicle Challenge ‘98
Ten years ago, a team of ten engineering
seniors landed first place in the 1998 Ethanol
Vehicle Challenge. Working diligently for nine
months in a first-floor lab, the emerging tightknit
team of student engineers succeeded in
doing something neither the competition’s
major sponsors – General Motors and the
U.S. Department of Energy – nor the other
automobile manufacturers had done. They
were able to convert a stock gas powered car
to clean burning ethanol without sacrificing
fuel economy or performance. The team, in
fact, improved on the baseline fuel economy.
To read these reflections in their entirety, visit
www.eng.wayne.edu/news.phpid=1269

AVOIDING A
In 1984, faulty steel truss welds were discovered during construction
of the Engineering Faculty Administration Building...
photos and story by David Reich
Sometimes we hear a story that seems too Anthony Wayne Drive to the corner of
far-fetched to believe. Often, the story has
Warren Avenue where a welder was working
on a steel truss to go into the struc-
been stretched by time as it passes by word
of mouth. On rare occasions, the person who ture, now about three-fourths erected.
is part of the original story appears, and
The truss was suspended overhead from
we are treated to the story straight from the a crane when the multi-ton steel beam
horse’s mouth. The following is such a story. dropped to the ground almost directly at
their feet. The impact caused the beam to
In the fall of 1984, when construction of break into separate sections at the weld.
the new Engineering building to house faculty
and administrators was nearing comple-
to a halt. “If you can tell me, Mr. Mi-
The impact also brought their discussion
tion, John Micheli, BSChE’86, was arguing cheli, why that truss broke, I’ll give you 15
with his professor, Clark Corey, for seven points,” Professor Corey told his disciple.*
more points on his metallurgy midterm.
Micheli, a junior engineering student at
They had just completed class at Manoogian
Hall and had walked across
detail and clarity as if it was
the time, recalls the story today with such
yesterday.
Micheli explains that Corey, a former Air
Force engineer, had taught himself and his students
to be incredibly resourceful and efficient.
And so, Micheli, with only a sheet of sandpaper,
a handsaw, and hydrochloric acid, set out to
test a piece of the truss broken off at the weld.
“We used the handsaw to break off the piece;
the workers weren’t even aware of what was
happening,” says Micheli. “We did it in his
office in one of the old houses on Putnam.” In
those days before completion of the new building
in 1986, the faculty and administrative
offices were located in apartments on Putnam
just north of the existing engineering building.
They found that the truss had broken in the
“heat-inflected zone” where a worker had welded
the two surfaces. The hydrochloric acid applied
to the surface in a petri dish revealed that
the truss consisted of a high carbon grade of
material. That kind of material requires an entirely
different welding treatment, Micheli says.
Faced with the discovery of defective welds,
the contractor had no choice but to replace
all the trusses—one at a time. Under closer
scrutiny, the steel beams showed signs of
cracking, causing further delay, says Tapan
Datta, professor of civil and environmental
engineering. Datta recalls clearly the problems
with the defective materials and how
construction was delayed about a year.
The loss of life and injuries that might have
occurred if the defective welds had gone
undetected can only be conjecture. But one
thing is certain, it wouldn’t have been good. ■
* Professor Corey was notorious for his impossibly
tough exams. A score of 15, therefore,
was considered a good score. —editor
49

COLLEGE REFLECTIONS MEMORIES
Brian Geraghty,
MSME’72
Geraghty has retired
from Ford Motor
Company and is now
on the adjunct faculty
of the College of Engineering.
He began
working at Ford in
1965 and was doing
a co-op there. He
stayed for 42 years. He says the greatest professional
lesson he learned at the college was how
to work as a trusting team member. Geraghty’s
favorite memory of his time at the College
of Engineering was being a part of the team
that won the 1970 Clean Air Car Race, beating
out competition from more than 90 other
universities. His best advice for students is to
keep current in technical fields and explore the
newest ideas.
Dan Simon
BSME’01, MSME’04
Simon, who works
for NVH as a vehicle
development engineer,
says his favorite
memory of his time
at the College of Engineering
was staying
up all night to install
a sound system in
the Chevy Silverado that Wayne State entered
in the 1999 Ethanol Vehicle Challenge. He says
the most important things he learned at Wayne
State was how to give a good formal presentation
by practicing and taking pride in it. “It is
a great reflection of what type of engineer you
are,” he says. His advice to current students is
to get involved in student programs to make
friends and contacts that last a lifetime.
Joe Boelter,
BSChE’65,
MSChE’66
Boelter, owner of Management
Recruiters of
Plymouth, L.L.C., says
his favorite memory
of the College of
Engineering was the
sense of community
and family from college
offices in an old house and the tree-lined
street on which it was located. Boelter’s advice
for current students is to be active in student
groups and to “network like crazy.” He says the
most important lesson he learned at the College
of Engineering was how to do structured
problem solving.
Edward Paley, BSME’58
Paley, now retired, is the owner of Hydraulic
Powers Systems, Inc., a design and manufacturing
firm providing hydraulic components
and systems for industrial, aerospace and oil
exploration. Paley advises current students to
learn and apply concepts, not merely memorize
them. A married veteran with a child while
at Wayne State, Paley says his favorite memory
was graduation.
Paul Nahra,
BSME’98, MSME’00
Nahra got his job as a
combustion engineer
at GM through the
College of Engineering
Job Fair and by
networking. He says
the most important
professional lessons he
learned at the college
were to pay attention to detail and that “close
is not good enough.” Nahra’s favorite memory
of his time at the College of Engineering was
winning the 1998 Ethanol Vehicle Challenge.
“It was the culmination of a lot of hard work, a
great year of learning and building a team of
lifelong friends.” Nahra’s advice for current
students is to ask questions.
James H. Frye, BSME’51, MBA’64
Frye retired in 1995 after 44 years with Chrysler,
where he helped plan and implement the
Chrysler Challenge Fund, Chrysler’s university
research program. Some of his favorite instructors
were Alfred Nelson who taught Math
107 and Differential Equations, Bill David, and
Robert Jones (industrial engineering). “One of
the more interesting assignments took place in
senior Mechanical Engineering Lab where we
were given the assignment of installing equipment
used to measure the cetane rating diesel
fuels in one of the test cells in the “new” engineering
building (currently the old lab wing),”
says Frye.
Alumni have responded to our call to send
us your college memories. Here are a few.
We'd love to hear yours. To submit your own
memories, visit www.eng.wayne.edu/page.
phpid=5487 or email David Reich at
dreich@eng.wayne.edu
50

ALUMNI
Membership is available to alumni and friends of the university.
Alumni Association Membership Registration
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Member #1
Student/member ID
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Let
#2 (must reside
WSU
at same address; regular memberships
Help
only)
Your
Organization
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of Black Alumni
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Education
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Member #1 e-mail
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Recent Wgraduates Regular members 1 year 2 years 3 years Liberal Arts and Sciences
ith the current economic slump, even The site also gives tips on résumés, references,
cover letters and interviews, and
1 and 2 years out $10 Single $30 $50 $70 Library and Information Science
the most qualified College of Engineering
alumni may be struggling to find employ-
displays a calendar of relevant events. Pharmacy and Health Sciences
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Additional ment in their tax-deductible chosen field. contribution For alumni $ in this Check In addition to payable Career Services, to “WSUAA” the Social Work
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tion and $30 CareerBoost!, $50 visit www.alumni. $70
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WAYNE STATE
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Mail with payment to WSU Alumni Association, P.O. Box 02308, Detroit, MI 48202
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membership in up to three affiliate alumni associations:
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Liberal Arts and Sciences
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REFLECTIONS
The RACE
for CLEAN AIR
How Wayne State University Students designed, built, developed
and drove their way to win the 1970 Clean Air Car Race.
By Brian Geraghty, P.E., MSME’72
The 1970 Clean Air Car Race was conceived and
run by students from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) and the California Institute
of Technology (Caltech), who were inspired by the
1968 Great Electric Car Race. That race had two
competitors, and the Caltech and MIT students
thought they would get a few more for the 1970
race. They never imagined that 43 teams would
enter the competition.
Here, Brian Geraghty, (third from left in above
photo) then graduate student and full-time Ford
Motor carburetor engineer, tells the story of
Wayne State’s overall victory in the 1970 Clean Air
Car Race.
photos courtesy Brian Geraghty
Dan Harmon met me with a smile, “They
found a car for us to use!”
The Ford Capri had fallen off the car hauler
ramp and was now ours to use as the base for
our entry in the 1970 Clean Air Car Race.
Ever since we decided to enter the race a few
weeks before, our already full schedules were
busy with meetings and plans. We had weekly
phone calls to the Race Organizers at MIT to
clarify the not-so-detailed rules and team meetings
to discuss the car.
From those discussions, we determined that
we needed a small, light, aerodynamic vehicle
with very low rolling friction and a low-polluting,
but powerful, powertrain. Because four of
us worked in carburetor design and development
at Ford, we were going to build an entry
with powertrain technology in which we were
skilled: a gasoline-powered, internal combustion,
piston engine.
Our preference was to use technology from
the MUTT (Military Unit Tactical Truck) engine
being developed by the U.S. Army. This was a
direct injection, stratified charge, four-cylinder
engine that had excellent emission test results
in an Army Jeep-type vehicle. When put in the
lighter, more aerodynamic Capri, we figured it
would be a sure winner.
We approached the Army representatives
and presented ourselves as the “Strati-five”
group that would bring positive attention to
their work. The Army representatives were
interested, and gave us engine drawings and
arranged for a mockup engine to be sent to
our garage. But after working for a few weeks
to get the engine and all the systems modified
to work in the Capri, we were notified the
Army would not allow us to use the engine for
the race. We had just over six weeks until the
race, and we had a car with no engine.
We spoke with our major sponsor, Ford, and
agreed that we would use a highly modified
Mustang V8 engine with catalysts from Engelhard.
In a way, this was easier for the team as
that engine and fuel system were very familiar
to us. However, we did question the durability
of the catalysts. At that time, catalysts
were only used on vehicles and equipment
operating in mines to keep the air clean when
working underground. They had not yet been
put on production cars.
Three weeks before the race, we had our
car emission–tested at the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) facility in Willow Run
to make sure it met the low emission requirement
needed to enter the race. The EPA technicians
thought their equipment was broken
because the exhaust at idle was cleaner than
the air going into the engine from the lab. We
knew then we had a good shot at the race
because other teams had not run into the
same issue.
Getting to the starting line
and the cross country trip
Two weeks later, we loaded the car—painted
white with Wayne State lettering on the side—
onto the trailer, and began our trip to Boston.
A crew van with a car trailer and a pickup
52

truck with 150
gallons of leadfree
gasoline
joined us. In
1970, gasoline
in the United
States was
leaded and if we
had used it, it
would coat the
catalysts and
render them
ineffective.
Brian Geraghty today
During the
with team trophy
trip, we took
the Capri off the
trailer for a few miles to make sure the systems
were working well. We wondered if the Massachusetts
Turnpike Authority was still looking for
the little white Capri that entered the turnpike
and took a toll ticket, but never exited.
We arrived at MIT where the race would start
and scheduled ourselves for the first elements
of the competition. An exhaust emission test,
a presentation on the car’s technology, and a
performance test at a local airfield were the
highlights of the crowded schedule. A film
crew that would be chronicling the race interviewed
each team. Photographs of all 43 race
cars were taken.
Before we knew it, we were on the road,
heading for our first scheduled overnight stop
in Toronto. Because the entry from the University
of Toronto was well-supported, there was
a great reception for all the cars by the press in
Toronto.
The following day, we headed to the next
checkpoint in Detroit. It was nice to see friends
again, get clean clothes and sleep at home,
even for just four hours.
Everyday, an observer from the race committee
rode with the team to make sure we took
the prescribed route and did not tow or trailer
the car. The observer penalized any team that
missed the route, violated any traffic laws, or
was late to the checkpoints. Some teams were
already losing points by not reaching the
checkpoints in time. Wayne State was one of
only eight teams to get a perfect route score
for the full race.
From Detroit we traveled to Champaign, Ill.,
and then headed south to Oklahoma City, Okla.
The aerodynamic configuration of the Capri
used flush, fixed side windows, and with the
August sun beating down, the further south we
went, the warmer it got in the car. We agreed
to have the film crew track us for some time
during that leg, and it was tough to watch
them and other cars drive by with the air conditioning
on. We only had the fresh air vent to
cool us in the closed—window Capri.
The next day we headed to Odessa, Tex.,
then to Tucson, Ariz. the following day. At
each stop was a collection of press and wellwishers,
along with an enjoyable outdoor barbeque
provided by the local hosts. It was great
to talk to our competition and share our stories
of the day. We stayed at university dorms at
most stops, which were neither air-conditioned
nor quiet. Luckily, we did not stay long enough
for it to bother us too much.
Approaching the finish line
On the final day, fewer cars arrived at the
starting line because many were running
behind with durability issues. This final day
would prove challenging to the teams as we
had to cross the Rocky Mountains on our way
to the finish line in Pasadena. Our car had no
problems getting over the mountains, but our
heavily-loaded van, with the observer in it, at
times could not reach 70 mph on an uphill
grade, so it had to catch up on the downhill
parts.
As we rode close to Pasadena, we began to
feel the excitement. We stopped a few miles
before the finish line to clean the road grime
from the car so it would look nice in the finish
line photos. Team Captain Richard Jeryan
drove across the finish line smiling for the
camera. Only 15 cars crossed the line entirely
on their own power, while another 25 or so
finished with some help from a tow for part of
the route.
But the race was not over. We had to take
more exhaust emission tests and wait for the
scores to be compiled. We had the highest performance
score, tied for the highest route score,
and were three percentage points lower than
the top score for fuel economy. At the awards
ceremony, we celebrated as we were declared
the overall winner of the Clean Air Car Race. ■
The Clean Air Car Race brought much recognition
to Wayne State, as it was the first win for
the university in a national engineering student
competition. Interest from the student teams in
1970 helped foster a spirit that infused future
engineering students with the determination to
enter competitions we see today.
Geraghty notes that the control concept used
in the Wayne State car - using oxidation and
reduction processes in different catalysts to reduce
total pollution – is now standard in almost all
light vehicles.
As for the car that won the race, it was lent
to the EPA for an evaluation, then given to the
College of Engineering where students used it for
subsequent design competitions. Geraghty says
he saw the car parked in a Wayne State lot several
years ago, but neither he nor his teammates
know if still exists today.
The Wayne State Clean Air Car Race team
members were Richard Jeryan (Team Captain);
Dan Harmon; Brian Geraghty, MSME’72; Mike
Riley, MBA’72; Larry Wagle; Al Raquepau,
BSME’71; and John Karol, BSME’71. The team
had strong support from sponsors Ford and
Engelhard. The EPA funded the race and gathered
additional sponsor support.
53

PHOTO GALLERY
Detroit Auto Show charity fundraisers pose with
WSU Formula SAE race car on display at the
show January 16 at Cobo Hall.
photo courtesy Gains Detroit
The For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST)
Robotics Detroit Playoff, held March 14 and 15, 2008 on Wayne State’s
campus; photo by Rick Bielacyzc.
photo by Alurso del Arte
Proud Professor Harpreet Singh (front, center) surrounded by
students recruited from India and their families; these students
have all graduated and started their careers.
Dan Lascu demonstrates the Linear Actuator with Virtual
Screw Rolling Ring he designed along with Andrew Kruger
for their mechanical engineering design class in 2008;
photo by Alonso del Arte.
54

Business Major Prem Janveja poses in the new EDC lobby. Noleet
Rice, a WSU junior and image consultant, wanted to take advantage
of the futuristic look of the new building. Photographer is
Jonathan Jackson. Make up artist Sharla Mohney.
PhD students Ali Taghavi (left) and Adel Alaeddini at the
Industrial Manufacturing Engineering Research Symposium,
November 21; photo by Alonso del Arte.
photo by Alonso del Arte
Brittney Woodward and Jordan Richardson at the Detroit Area
Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) Robotics workshop
held the week of June 23 at the College of Engineering.
The Helio’s sculpture is removed from the
college courtyard in July 2007. It returned to
the front or the new building in late 2008.
55

ALUMNI
Engineering Alumni
Board 2008-2009
Officers:
Message from the President
President:
Paul Nahra (BSME’98, MSME’99)
General Motors
Vice President:
Tony Duminski (BSEE’65, MSEE’69, MBA’82)
The Norris Group, Inc.
Financial Officer:
Fritz Quitmeyer (MSME’83)
Secretary:
Dan Simon (BSME’01, MSME’04)
Past President:
Brian Geraghty (MSME’72)
Ford Motor Company
Board Members
• David M. Chegash (BSIE’75)
• Joe Boelter (BSChE’65, MSChE’66)
Management Recruiters of Plymouth
• Robert L. Byrum (BSME’58)
Sensor Manufacturing
• Tamer Girgis (BSChE’02, MSChE’03)
Engineering Graduate
Student Association
• Coleen Hill (BSCE’00, MSCE’02)
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.
• David Kolodziej (BSME’59, MSME’62)
• Fred Levantrosser (BSCE’60, MSCE’67,
MBA’73)
• Don Neuman (BSEE’72, MSCE’82.
PhDCE’99)
General Dynamics
• Edward Paley (BSME’58)
HPS, Inc.
• Offer Preuthun (BSME’48)
American Axle and Manufacturing
• David Schmitz (BSME’71)
Pro Results, Inc.
• Tony Wojtowicz
Lakeside Engineering
• Ben Langrill (ESFB)
• Jeremy Dady (WSUAA)
Dear Alumni and Friends,
is shaping up to be a great
2009 year for the Engineering
Alumni Association (EAA) at Wayne State
University. At the beginning of the year, we
sought prospective members interested in
joining our Board of Directors. The response
was overwhelming! At our January board
meeting, attendance was double our normal
level with new members getting involved in
our committees immediately. There is still opportunity
to get involved if you are interested.
One of the new members, Nathan Bennett,
introduced to the board the Wayne
State University College of Engineering
Alumni Association LinkedIn group. LinkedIn
is an online professional networking Web
site that allows members to connect with
other people they know or with whom they
share common interests. Nathan created the
engineering group after graduating to keep
in touch with schoolmates. As of February,
the group had grown to 179 people.. I
encourage you to join the WSU engineering
LinkedIn group to get connected with the
people associated with the College of Engineering.
Check it out at www.linkedin.com.
Another area our alumni continue to be
involved in is the support of student design
projects. The Engineering Alumni Association’s
EAGER Fund (Engineering Awards and
Grants for Education and Research) was set
up in the late 90s to support such projects.
This year has sponsored the Formula
SAE Competition and the Concrete Canoe
Competition. Fred Levantrosser, an EAA
board member emeritus, was instrumental
in creating the EAGER fund and continues to
personally support student design competitions.
Thanks Fred for your contributions.
Fundraisers organized by our activities
committee, such as the Engineering Alumni
Golf Outing, contribute to the EAGER fund
for sponsorship of future student projects.
This year, the seventh annual Alumni Golf
Outing will be Monday, May 18, at Fieldstone
Golf Course in Auburn Hills. Get your
foursome together, and join us for a fun
afternoon while contributing to the success
of student projects at the college.
Go to www.alumni.wayne.edu/events
for more information and registration.
Paul Nahra, P.E.
President, EAA

Dear EXEMPLAR magazine,
I graduated from the College of Engineering
at Wayne in May, 1998. When I was there, I
was trying to resurrect the Wayne Engineer
(W.E.) publication, but we couldn’t get the
proper funding to continue it. At this time, do
you know if it is even in existence Our office
was on the second floor of the engineering
building, shared with SAE at the time. It faced
Anthony Wayne Drive.
Anyway, the second question would be Is
David Reich still involved with the alumni
group or another at Wayne I knew him back
then when we were trying to resurrect the W.E.
publication.
I found copies of some of the old Wayne Engineer
publications for which I did an article for
David way back in 1997/1998, and I wanted to
make sure that the college had these originals
back. I apologize that they were still in
old boxes of stuff I had from college, including
material that we were going to use for a
publication that never got funded! Please let
me know if you have any ideas as to where I
could drop these off, or what to do with the
original magazines. Any help would be greatly
appreciated!
Thank you. Take Care.
Edward D. Zmich
Graduate Engineer
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48303
Thanks, Ed. we remember you well. Student interest
in Wayne Engineer was never enough after
its last issue in 1993 despite your valiant efforts
to resurrect this treasure of the college. We keep a
“morgue” of the back issues dating back to 1934
when it was called the Buzz Saw. As you know, it
is our best source of college history. It is where we
go for our “Reflections” section. We have a number
of issues missing and would be grateful if you
or anyone else has copies to complete our archive.
By the way, the old Wayne Engineer office is now
the FormulaSAE Team office.
David Reich, editor
Edward D. Zmich, 1998
Dear EXEMPLAR magazine,
The Welcome Exemplar arrived yesterday, just
as I had a brief flash recall of a very special
Wayne lecture series I attended as a grad
student, I think, very shortly after WWII.
It would have been about 1947 at the earliest,
my class graduation year, to the mid-1950s.
Possibly 1946, 47, 48 As I recall, I was taking
required physical chemistry in the Chemistry
Department in Old Main, of course, when
this series was promoted. I was honored
and privileged to be invited to audit and I
did— although much was over my head. The
most famous American names in theoretical
chemistry and physics of the war period
were invited and came. I can only guess at
the names, now, but they were the greats—
Bohr may have been one, and some atom
bomb greats as well. You would recognize
all or nearly all of the names even today.
The ‘seminars’ were fairly small. I
think aimed at grad students who
took it for credit. A similar series may
have continued for years, but the high
point was during this year or two.
The purpose of this message is to suggest
a possible story in Exemplar. Although these
were chemists and physicists as I remember,
it represents one of the fine achievements
of Wayne even back in that era. Even
the name of the organizing professor who
knew these people is lost to me now.
Perhaps this was an important enough
program to remain well known within the university.
If not, and if not enough interest to engineering,
this almost 60-year-old story might
be of interest to chemistry of physics as a historical
note. I’m sure records exist somewhere.
—Andrew R. Spencer, BS in Metallurgical
Engineering, Jan 1948 (never did complete
my MS - after 25 years of trying)
Thanks for your excellent idea. The college hosts
many seminars throughout the year sponsored by
all the engineering departments. There are also
university symposiums in engineering and science
that bring engineers and scientists at the top of
their field to Wayne State. In this current issue of
EXEMPLAR, we highlight two— Nanoscience and
Blast Injury. As far as any record of the seminar
you mentioned, unfortunately, there is none of
which we are aware. But perhaps someone reading
this will remember and come up with one.
David Reich, editor
57

ALUMNI
Quarter million dollar gift
fuels WSU’s urban mission
Detroit businessman and Bloomfield Hills
resident Avinash Rachmale and one of
his professional colleagues, Farmington Hills
resident Andrew Haliw III, both Wayne State
University engineering alumni, have pledged
a total of $250,000 to the Marvin I. Danto
Engineering Development Center (EDC).
Rachmale is founder, president
and CEO of Detroit-based Lakeshore
Engineering Services, Inc. (LES).
“I am proud to be a WSU graduate and
feel very fortunate to be able to provide
this gift,” says Rachmale. “Because of the
outstanding education I received from
WSU, I was able to build a world-renowned
construction firm right here in Detroit. Now
I am in a position to give back to my school
and support its commitment to the inner
city as well as provide opportunities for a
wonderfully diverse
student body.”
The contribution
supports a lab
specially designed
for the college’s
Department of Civil
and Environmental
Engineering in
the EDC. The
Civil Engineering Andrew Haliw III
Infrastructure
Research
Laboratory will expand exploration in the
department’s five areas of specialization:
structural, environmental, geo-technical
and transportation engineering, as well
as construction management. The lab
will be named in the donors’ honor.
“The generosity
of Mr. Rachmale
and Mr. Haliw to
the university is
inspired by their
understanding
of how integral
a quality
education is in
the increasingly
complex business Avinash Rachmale
world, “ says WSU
President Jay
Noren. “The gifts support the state-ofthe-art
civil engineering lab, helping
advance the College of Engineering’s
commitment to structuring programs
that foster research excellence.”
The background on Rachmale and Haliw
• Avinash Rachmale was born in a
poor farming village in India. After
attending college in his native country,
he immigrated to the United States.
He received his master’s degree in
civil engineering and a certificate
in hazardous waste management
from Wayne State in the early
1990s. Rachmale was honored with
the college’s most distinguished
award for alumni in 2006, when
he was inducted into the College
of Engineering Hall of Fame.
• Andrew Haliw III, whose parents
were forced to work as laborers in
Nazi Germany during World War II,
immigrated to the United States as a
displaced person, was raised in Detroit,
and attended Cass Technical High
School before earning a bachelor’s
degree in electrical engineering from
Wayne State in 1968. Upon graduation
and by working the midnight shift at
Jones and Laughlin Steel, Haliw put
himself through Wayne State’s Law
School, graduating in 1982.
• Haliw currently serves as corporate
general counsel and executive vice
president of Internal Operations at
Lakeshore Engineering Services.
• In June 2006, Lakeshore established the
non-profit Lakeshore Economic Coalition
to support workforce development and
21 st century jobs for under-employed
and unemployed individuals in Detroit,
Highland Park and Hamtramck. Through
the Coalition, Rachmale sponsors
Project Best, a pre-engineering project
for ninth- and tenth-grade students at
Highland Park High School. Students
from this program attend the FIRST
Ralph Kummler (left) and WSU President
Jay Noren with Avinash Rachmale (right)
Robotics event and summer camps
hosted at Wayne State. The colleges of
engineering and education will also work
with other community-based companies
to show adolescents and families that
once they have the proper training, the
path to becoming a leader in the field of
engineering and technology is there.
58

WSU’s Team Ethanol
reunites at 2008
homecoming
The College of Engineering Homecoming
was held Saturday, Oct. 11. The day
began with a brunch for alumni and friends
followed by remarks from Dean Kummler
and Paul Nahra, president of the College of
Engineering Alumni Board of Directors.
Nahra was a member of the WSU Team
Ethanol that won first place in the 1998
Ethanol Vehicle Challenge. Members of the
team, along with their car, reunited at the
Homecoming for the 10th anniversary of
their win.
Homecoming guests went on tours of the
PACE labs and the new auditorium in the
Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development
Center. They then split up to tour either the
Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems
labs or the Center for Automotive Research
biofuel and testing and optical engineering
labs.
The afternoon ended with a ticket giveaway
for the WSU football game held at noon that
day. The Warriors beat Northern Michigan
University 24-10.
“We had a record turnout and were especially
pleased to welcome back the 1998
Ethanol National Champion Team,” says
Dean Kummler. “The weather committee
did a great job and the football team won! A
great day for the college and for WSU.”
EAA Golf Outing 2009
May 18, 2009, 10 a.m.
Fieldstone Golf Club
1984 Taylor Rd., Auburn Hills, MI
For more information and to register: www.alumni.wayne.edu/events
Your gift can have
a big impact.
Wayne State’s long-standing commitment
to affordable education has kept
the tuition rate competitive. To continue
this tradition, the College of Engineering
relies on alumni and friends to help
support the programs and facilities that
benefited them or someone they love,
as well contribute to new initiatives
that keeps the college on the leading
edge of engineering education.
Each year, alumni, faculty, staff and
other friends of the college provide
critical financial support to instructional
and research programs, scholarships
and student resources, faculty services,
facilities and outreach. By giving,
you have a tremendous impact on
the college’s ability to maintain and
enrich the educational experiences
available to students, thereby enhancing
Wayne State’s ability to recruit the
most motivated and talented scholars.
Contributing to the college is easy:
Make your gift online at our secure
Web site: www.giving.wayne.edu;
mail your gift with a note regarding
what area you wish to support to:
Wayne State University,
College of Engineering Annual Fund,
5475 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI
48202; or call 1-888-WSU-GIVE.
Many employers will match your gift to
Wayne State. Your gift could have double
or even triple the impact for the college.
Your human resources office can tell
you if your company provides matching
gifts. No matter how large or small, every
gift is important. Donations are taxdeductible
to the extent allowed by law.
golfers from the 2008 outing
59

ALUMNI
Anderson fulfills pledge of
$1 million to Engineering
Ventures Program
Alum Tom Monahan
establishes scholarship
The Ronald and Alberta Nelson Endowed
Scholarship was established in 2008
with a gift by Tom Monahan, BSEE’67,
MSIE’75, in gratitude to Wayne State for
the engineering education he received and
in honor of his mother Alberta Nelson
Monahan for her dedication, love and
support in reaching his educational goals.
The scholarship fund will recognize
scholastic achievement, encourage
continued progress, and provide assistance
to full-time electrical engineering
junior and senior students who hold
an Amateur Radio License issued by the
Federal Communications Commission.
With the call letters “K810S,” Monahan
first became a licensed amateur radio
operator while in high school.
He has had a successful career in
electromagnetic compatibility at
Delco Electronics and Chrysler.
Ron Monahan with Ralph Kummler and
Yang Zhao (right), chair, electrical and
computer engineering.
Aware of the impact of amateur radio
on today’s technology, Monahan hopes
that this scholarship will influence
students to become knowledgeable
about amateur radio and become
involved in organizations of amateur
radio enthusiasts as he did before
and while attending Wayne State.
Jim Anderson, BSCE’66, MSCE’70, has
always lived with a vision, whether it was
when he started his own company, Urban
Science, in 1977, or in 2004, when he
returned to Wayne State with his first pledge
of $.5 million to the college. His vision
was for a unique engineering education
program to prepare students to become
successful engineering entrepreneurs.
Anderson has taken upon himself
to nurture engineering students
with an interest in business and in
becoming captains of industry. Since his
announcement of plans for the Engineering
Ventures program in 2004, a group of
students, inspired by Anderson, launched
the Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization
(CEO). Like Anderson and his Detroit-based
business, students in the organization
want to span the bridge between science
and industry with their own businesses.
Remembering his first break, his
determination and innovativeness he
used to come up with a creative solution
for his very first client in 1977, Anderson
loves to share this and other experiences
with students. He likes to watch how they
figure out how to succeed in realizing their
visions. “Why do I do this I think we’re
all obligated, as teachers and citizens, to do
the best we can to make the world better for
the next generation,” he says. “Why now I
figure if I have something to give the next
generation, I need to get on with it now
before I forget all those tricks I’ve learned.”
The vision for the Engineering Ventures
program is now closer with the donation of
another $.5 million to the college, for a total
of $1 million. With the opening of the new
Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development
Center, the program will have a space, and
a place for Anderson to work with students.
60

Drs. Anthony and Joyce
Danielski Kales Endowed
Scholars Awards
Gifts-in-kind provide
benefits for the college
and tax benefits to you
Drs. Anthony and Joyce Danielski Kales
Four graduate biomedical students have
received the first scholarships from the
Drs. Anthony and Joyce Danielski Kales
Endowed Scholars Awards. Created in
2008 with a gift of $100,000, the awards
were intended by the donors to recognize
commendable scholastic achievement,
encourage continued progress, and provide
assistance to students in financing their
education in biomedical engineering.
In fall 2008, students Xin Jin, Alessandra
Leonardi and Lai Yee Leung each received
a $2,000 award, and in winter 2009, Erin
Hanlon was awarded the scholarship. The
students, whose research areas range
from blast wave induced brain injury to
computer-aided surgery, are encouraged
to submit publications to archival journals
and acknowledge that their work at WSU
is supported in part by the scholarship.
Anthony; BS’56, MD’59; and Joyce; BS’56,
MD’60; created the scholarship as a way to
give back to WSU. They met as undergraduate
freshmen in 1952 and left Detroit after
graduating with high distinctions from the
School of Medicine. They have achieved
great success in their chosen fields: Joyce
in community mental health and Tony in
sleep disorders research. The Kaleses credit
the school for much of their success and
say they will “continue to make substantial
commitments to support our alma mater.”
Donors of engineering materials are
among the College of Engineering’s most
valued supporters. New and slightly
used engineering items may represent
valuable additions to the college. Giftsin-kind
are defined as non-monetary
gifts of tangible or intangible property
that promote and/or are directly related
to the mission of the university.
Our current wishlist of items includes:
laptop computers for students,
laboratory components, smart boards,
software, turbine machinery, hydraulic
machinery and passenger vans to
transport students to competitions.
Due to the high cost of transportation,
storage and limited space, the
college is not able to accept all in-kind
gift offers. For more information about
making an in-kind contribution to the
college, please call Katora Cole, director
of development, at 313-577-5840.
Jim Anderson
61

Night of the Stars 2008
Celebrating and Honoring Achievement
2008 Awardees – Saturday, September 27, 2008
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan
Photos by Rick Bielaczyc
Ten College of Engineering alumni
were honored for their outstanding
professional achievements at the college’s
Night of the Stars, held at the
Detroit Institute of Arts in September.
Six alumni were inducted into the college’s
Hall of Fame, joining a prestigious
group of 100 other alumni who have made
substantial contributions to the college’s
mission of excellence in engineering.
Four alumni were presented with the Outstanding
Industry Achievement Award, which
celebrates professional accomplishments.
Funds raised at the event broke a record.
Nineteen corporate and individual sponsors
contributed a total of $51,000, while
the silent auction proceeds brought in more
than $8,000. “We made well over $35,000
in profit that goes to student activities,
Order of the Engineer, and the Engineering
Honors Convocation,” says Katora Cole,
the development director for the college.
Sponsors
Industry Achievement Awards
Al Beydoun, PhDECE’99,
Lear Corp.
Carey J. Suhan, MSCE’95,
Testing Engineers & Consultants, Inc.
Gerald Locke, BSME’87,
Lear Corp.
Eric Tucker, BSCE’98, MSCE’02,
Tucker, Young, Jackson, Tull, Inc.
Urban Science
Lakeshore Group
Karmann
ArvinMeritor
CDM
Lear
Ford
E.C. Korneffel Co.
Bob and Barb Byrum
EDS
GM
Ghafari

Hall of Fame Inductees
Distinguished Engineering Alumni Achievement
Thomas A. Amato,
BSChE‘86, is co-chief
executive officer of
Asahi Tec Corporation
and chairman and chief
executive officer of its
subsidiary, Metaldyne
Corporation. In these
roles, Thomas provides
strategic and operational leadership to the
global automotive supply company. He
began his career with Imperial Chemical
Industries, a multinational chemical and
pharmaceutical company. He then worked
on numerous domestic and international
acquisition, divestiture and financial projects
for the former MascoTech and served as
vice president of corporate development
for Metaldyne’s Diversified Industrial Group.
Thomas also served as executive vice president,
commercial operations of Metaldyne
and as vice president of corporate development
before taking his current position.
Andrew Jerome Haliw,
III, BSEE‘68, is the corporate
general counsel and
executive vice president
of Internal Operations
with Lakeshore Engineering
Services, Inc. While
in law school, Andrew
was divisional electrical
engineer in charge of the Jones and Laughlin
Stainless Strip division and worked as a
software designer for General Electric and
Westinghouse. He later founded Advanced
Systems and Designs, Inc. and co-founded
American Supplier Institute. As a registered
professional engineer and a patent attorney,
Andrew focuses his legal practice on businesses
in the technical and engineering fields.
Bilal Kaafarani,
BSChE‘81, was appointed
vice president of Research
and Innovation at the Coca
Cola Company in 2006. As
head of Global Development,
Bilal is responsible for
the leadership and development
of Coca Cola’s global
R&D strategy, the management of the
global innovation pipeline, and bringing
all R&D centers into an effective global
network. Prior to joining the Coca Cola,
Bilal served as vice president of Research &
Development and chief technology officer
for UK, Europe, and Middle East and Africa
for Frito-Lay. He held prior leadership roles
with Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Procter and Gamble
and worked at Kraft for almost 10 years.
Anthony Mong-On Tai,
MSEE‘74, PhDEE‘78,
headed the Environmental
Research Institute of
Michigan’s (ERIM) Electro-
Optics Techniques and Devices
Department in the
Advanced Concepts Division
from 1986 to 1993. In
1994, he co-founded EOTech, Inc. Anthony
became the president and CEO of EOTech in
2000. Together with other members of the
management team and several board members,
he acquired EOTech from ERIM in 2002.
After the company was sold to L-3 Communications
Corp in 2005, Andrew became
the chief technology officer of the company,
which became L-3 Communications EOTech.
William H. Osborne,
MSME’87, recently left
Ford Motor Company as
president and CEO of Ford
Australia and took the position
of president and chief
executive officer of the
Federal Signal Corporation.
In 2005, William was appointed
president and CEO of Ford Canada
Limited. Under his leadership, Ford moved
to manufacturing hybrid technology vehicles
in Canada. After joining Ford in 1990,
William held a variety of roles. He led the
V-Engine design of Powertrain Operations,
the Engine System activity for Duratec V-6
engines, and Ford’s Advanced Powertrain
activities in noise and vibration research.
Rob Rutenbar, BSECE‘78,
is currently the Stephen
Jatras Chair in Electrical and
Computer Engineering at
Carnegie Mellon University
where he has worked
since 1984. In 1998, he
co-founded Neolinear, Inc.
to commercialize the first
practical synthesis tools for analog designs
and served as its chief scientist until its
acquisition by Cadence Design Systems. He
is also the founding director of the Focus
Research Center for circuits and system solutions,
a consortium of 19 U.S. universities
and more than 50 faculty funded by the U.S.
semiconductor industry and the U.S. government
to address future circuit challenges.

CL ASS NOTES
Robert W. Kupp, BE’47, wrote his second
book, “ENERGY – A Solution,” about past, current
and future issues regarding energy. His first
book, “A Nuclear Engineer in the Twentieth
Century,” was published in 2005.
Hebon J. Ducote Jr., BSChE’48, is retired and
recovering from a recent spinal operation. He
resides in Saratoga, Calif.
Robert Harroun, BSChE’48, is retired from
BASF. He enjoys his retirement from his home in
St. Gabriel, La.
Edward Demirjian,
BSEE’51, works part-time
as an electrical engineering
senior designer at VVG, Inc.,
in Huntsville, Ala. He received
the NASA Exceptional
Service Medal. He resides in
Madison, Ala.
Robert B. Thornhill, MSME’55, a long-time
member of the mechanical engineering faculty
(1955—1980), worked on robotics for Lockheed-Martin
from 1981 to the late 1990s when
he retired in Florida. Robert headed the curriculum
committee when the Engineering Technology
Division was first established at Wayne State.
He was chair of the division for several years. In
his retirement, Robert enjoys teaching part-time
at Valencia Community College where he instructs
a CAD course.
Roger Rio, BSChE’56, is retired and won a
ping-pong tournament on a cruise. Roger, who
lives in Black Mountain, N.C., enjoys playing
the piano, golf and tennis and restoring old cars.
Norman Li, BSChE’57, founder of NL Chemical
Technology, Inc., has been named to the list
of “100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era.”
Norman, a longtime friend and advocate for the
WSU Department of Chemical Engineering, has
held positions as a senior scientist at Exxon Research
and Engineering Co., and research director
at UOP and AlliedSignal (now Honeywell).
He is a member of the U.S. National Academy
of Engineering as well as a member of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences and the Academia
Sinica in Taiwan. He and his wife, Dr. Jane Li,
reside in Mt. Prospect, Ill.
Ray A. Hunter, BSChE’62, MSChE’67, is
retired and interested in pursuing a PhD at
WSU. Ray left Wayne State in 1965 after joining
Atomic Power Development Associates, a
Detroit Edison-managed company responsible
for design and operational evaluation of the
sodium-cooled Enrico Fermi Atomic Power
Plant. Ray was included in the fifth edition of
the Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He
resides in Frederick, Md.
Rolf Eppinger, BB’65,
MS’68, PhD’72, retired
from the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
in the summer of 2006 and
now makes his home in
Silver Springs, Md., where
he enjoys sailing as well
as reading about former colleagues. Shortly
after earning his PhD, Rolf began working for
the National Highway Traffic Administration in
Washington D.C. on several initiatives to understand
the causes and consequences of vehicular
crashes. Over the next 34 years, he contributed
to the reduction of injury caused by automotive
crashes. He eventually became chief of the
National Transportation Biomechanics Research
Center.
Among his many achievements are his leadership
in creating a side-impact test standard that
included a new side-impact dummy design,
the design of a device to measure dynamic
2-dimensional deflection of a test subject at any
level of the thorax, and the early recognition of
the value of human computer models to understand
human impact response.
Richard Siorek, BSME’65, retired after 40
years as a senior research engineering manager
with the U.S. Army and now spends his time
building models, consulting and enjoying his
grandchildren. In 1997, he received the Defense
Logistics Agency World Class Partner of the Year
award.
James Anderson,
BSCE’66, MSCE’70, was
awarded the DMC Rehabilitation
Institute of Michigan’s
(RIM) Humanitarian Award.
The award recognizes all the
ways Jim gives back, including
his funding of degrees
for engineering students at WSU affected by
Sept. 11 events, college funds for the children
of soldiers, Red Cross efforts after Hurricane
Katrina, and support of RIM’s efforts to provide
new treatments for the disabled. He also continues
to build Urban Science, of which he is president
and CEO, into an international company
with 13 offices around the globe and by doing
business in 60 countries.
James Ford, BSIE’66, is senior structural engineer
at Hawker Beechcraft Corporation in Little
Rock, Ark.
Joel Reisman, BSME’67, is a senior air quality
specialist and consultant at ARCADIS. He resides
in Folsom, Calif.
Victor Skirmants, BSME’67, is involved in
building and racing Porsche 356s as the owner
of 356 Enterprises. He writes that he lives “on
10 acres in the countryside outside North
Branch (Michigan).”
Jay Shah, MSCE’70, vice
president of corporate
development at Somat Engineering,
Inc., was appointed
to the Michigan State
Hospital Finance Authority
(MSHFA) by Gov. Jennifer
Granholm. The MSHFA issues
bonds and makes loans to hospitals, nursing
homes, homes for the aged, hospices and
certain retirement housing providers to finance
and refinance the acquisition, construction, improvement
or alteration of hospital facilities.
For the past four years, Shah served on the
Michigan Strategic Fund Board to represent
the private sector. His expertise is management
of municipal, transportation, environmental,
64

structural and construction engineering projects.
Shah was inducted into the WSU College of
Engineering Hall of Fame in 2002.
Patrick J. Smithbauer, MSCE’71, was presented
with the U.S. Green Building Council’s
Outstanding Achievement Award.
Ronald Basar, BSChE’72, is the vice president
for GM operations at Bomarko, Inc. Ronald is
a manufacturing executive with more than 20
years of leadership experience and comprehensive
technical experience in high-volume,
leading-edge product, process and materials
design and development. His daughter, Amber,
recently gave birth; Ron is now a grandfather.
He resides in Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Wolodymyr Birko, BSEE’72, is a senior telecommunications
engineer with the Oregon
Public Utility Commission. His primary responsibility
is to make sure adequate telecom service is
provided by telephone companies. Wolodymyr
resides in Dallas, Ore.
Bahman Ghorashi, BS’73, interim dean of
the Fenn College of Engineering at Cleveland
State University, has been appointed as an exofficio
member of the Cleveland Engineering
Society’s board of directors.
Sabina Johnson (formerly
Gurewicz), MSEE’77 sends
her greetings from the Alpha
Project winter shelter tent in
San Diego, Calif. She wishes
the college the best of luck
with the new development
center.
Henry E. Reiff, MSIE’77, retired from the
Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills. He
was awarded an “Outstanding Symposium Paper”
for his presentation on “Applying Quality
Reliability Disciplines” at the Third Chrysler Q &
R Symposium held in 2005 at the Chrysler Technology
Center. Henry resides in Glasgow, Va.
Michael A. Sieperski, BE ’80, ME’85, is director
of engineering at Recaro North America,
an automotive seating and child seat manufacturer
in Auburn Hills. He is the father of 4-yearold
twins, Andrew and Grace.
Partap Lall, MSChE’82, works for the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in the Superfund
Program. He has been selected for many
awards, including the EPA bronze medal. He
resides in Canton.
Thomas Amato,
BSChE’86, is chairman and
CEO of Metaldyne, and
co-CEO of Asahi Tec, Metaldyne’s
Japan-based parent.
He resides in Grosse Pointe
Woods.
Grace Bochenek, BSEE’86,
director of the U.S. Army
Tank Automotive Research
Development and Engineering
Center (TARDEC) in
Warren, was selected for a
2008 Meritorious Presidential
Rank Award. The award
goes to a select group of federal government
career senior executives. Grace directs the
research, development engineering, fielding
and sustainment of all ground combat tactical
vehicles. Her nomination letter by her agency
head stated, “She has embraced the challenge
of transforming business practices to meet 21 st
century customer requirements while supporting
a nation at war.”
John Micheli, BS’87, is the founder and president
of AOM Engineering Solutions and has
served in various executive and management
positions over the past 20 years. Currently, he is
leading several programs in China that include
teams in Japan, Korea, Germany, Spain and the
United States.
Joseph Olivieri, PhDME’88, a member of the
WSU Engineering Hall of Fame, was recognized
posthumously with the Detroit chapter of the
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineering Distinguished
Service Award.
Consider a planned
gift to the college
A bequest or other planned gift is a great
way to support the college’s important
mission while honoring someone you love
or creating your legacy at the college in
perpetuity. The College of Engineering
needs scholarship funds to assist promising
engineering students and unrestricted
funds to improve and expand its instructional
and community service programs.
Examples of Planned Gifts are: bequest
in your will or trust, life-income
gifts such as a charitable gift annuity or
a charitable remainder trust, gift from
your retirement fund at the end of your
lifetime, a life insurance policy that will
benefit the college after your lifetime.
Potential Benefits are: satisfaction of supporting
the college, reducing income tax
liability, avoiding or minimizing probate
costs, reducing estate and inheritance
taxes, receiving annual payments for your
lifetime or the lifetime of a loved one.
Gerrie Paulson, director of Planned Gifts,
can explore with you
these options
and determining
the gift
best for
you. Your
attorney,
accountant
or financial
advisor can
help explore
which plan will be most
beneficial for you. For more information,
call Gerrie at 313-577-6483 or Katora Cole,
director of development for the college at
313-577-5840. We look forward to working
with you to establish a legacy that can
impact the college far into the future.
Wayne State University
College of Engineering

CL ASS NOTES
Taras Rudnitsky, BSME’88, MSME’93, is the
founder and attorney with the Rudnitsky Law
Firm in Lake Mary, Fla., where he resides. After
graduation, he worked as a design/release and
performance engineer at GM, working primarily
with air bags, seat belts, interiors and occupant
crash protection. He left GM in 1995 to attend
the University of Michigan Law School from
which he graduated in 1998. Taras opened a
consulting firm, concentrating on car safety defect
litigation cases that involve forensic investigations.
In 2003, he moved to Florida where he
“pursues justice for victims of vehicle defects in
cases throughout the United States,” he writes.
Mark Wehner, BSME’88, is the president of
Key Safety Systems Inc., an automotive safety
company specialized in seat belts. He resides in
Rochester.
Scott C. Sterbenz, BSME’94, MSME’96, has
been a Ford Motor Co. employee for 13 years
and is a Six Sigma certification Master Black Belt
in Body Engineering, supporting all of Ford’s
vehicle lines. He was appointed to the U.S.
Bowling Congress Equipment and Specification
Committee, which assists the governing body
with data and the creation of specifications that
regulate the sport. He resides in Brownstown
Township.
O’Neil Biscette, MSME’98, is an ophthalmologist
with the Lansing Ophthalmology’s East
Lansing office. He resides in Grand Ledge.
Cleophas Jackson, MSME’99, was recognized
by the National Society of Black Engineers
for “Dedicated Chapter Support.”
Jayant Trewn, PhDIME’99, is a research
faculty member at Beaumont Hospital. He
is designing, managing and implementing
performance improvement programs. Jayant
resides in Grosse Pointe Park.
Cheul Hyung Cho, PhDChE’03, has joined
the Biomedical Engineering Department at
New Jersey’s Science and Technology University
as assistant professor. He is conducting
research in the area of stem cell bioengineering
and regenerative medicine, along with
multi-lineage differentiation of embryonic
stem cells. He resides with his wife, Meekyeng
Jung, and two children, Christine and
Andrew, in Whippany, N.J.
Wayne Haider, BSEE’90, is a product design
engineer at Ford. He resides in Dearborn.
Mark Bush, MSME’92, is program manager
for operations for the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials. He
previously worked in several positions in the
Michigan Department of Transportation. He
resides in Okemos.
Capt. Jason Miller, ECE’04, is currently
an F-16 pilot in the U.S. Air Force,
stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan, in
the 14th fighter squadron. (The picture
shows him about to fly a combat airsupport
mission out of Balad Air Base,
about 40 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq.)
Sonja Haugen (formerly Boike), BSChE’93, is
a senior process specialist at Chrysler, LLC. She
received an MBA from Walsh College in 2007.
Sonja resides in Sterling Heights.
David R. Finley, ME’94,
is the vice president for
Academic Affairs at Tri-State
University (TSU) in Angola,
Ind. David has been teaching
at TSU for the past 12
years and was promoted to
full professor in the McKetta
Department of Chemical Engineering,
a department within the Allen School
of Engineering and Technology. David worked
previously in the environmental engineering
field in the Detroit metropolitan area. He resides
in Angola.
66

Remembering
Charles Clayton Perry, BSME’47,
MSME’50, passed away Oct. 21, 2008.
Charles was a professor of engineering
mechanics at Wayne State University.
Until recently, he worked as a consulting
engineer in private practice. Charles retired in
1984 from Vishay Measurements Group, Inc.,
a subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
where he was a senior vice-president. Prior
to joining Vishay in 1967, he held positions
including engineer in charge of research,
Vickers, Inc. and vice-president, W. M. Chace
Co. He served in the U.S. Navy, and received
an honorable discharge.
Widely known for his work and publications
in experimental stress analysis, Charles was
the principal author of The Strain Gage
Primer. He also authored or co-authored
numerous other publications in stress analysis,
fluid mechanics, technical education, and
the design of thermally responsive bimetallic
elements. Charles earned a PhD in
mechanical engineering at the University of
Michigan, in addition to his bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in mechanical engineering
from Wayne State University.
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Gloria
Bonilla Perry, his special colleague and friend,
Marti Spalding, and several nieces and
nephews.
Eli Welt, BSME’50, passed away Nov. 14,
2008, in San Diego, of cancer. Eli served
as a pilot in World War II and worked as a
businessman in Las Vegas before retiring to
San Diego with his wife, Doris, in 1988. Eli
is survived by Doris; their children Gerald
Welt, Rich Welt and Sue Welt-Israel; five
grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
After graduation, Edward worked with several
employers, including Wayne County, Stran
Steel Corp., Bechtel Associates of Ann Arbor
and Cunningham-Limje. He is survived by his
wife Sandra; daughters Kristine Krosnovsky,
Karen Papathendore and Dr. Kathleyn
Apostos; and two grandchildren, Nicholas
and Katherine. He was a resident of West
Bloomfield for 40 years.
Paul Daniel Brzezinski, BSCHE’80, former
resident of Inkster and Plymouth, passed
away Jan. 25, 2008, in Downers Grove, Ill.
of complications from cancer. He was 49.
Daniel graduated from Plymouth Canton
High School in 1976. He leaves his wife Terri
(Roller); daughters Sarah, age 13, and Emma,
age 11; his parents, Paul and Velma Jean; and
eight brothers and sisters.
Steven G. Shelton, MSET’08, passed away
Sept. 5, 2008. He was 27. He is survived by
his wife Caitlin, his mother Lou Ann Shelton,
brother Dennis Shelton, grandparents Willis
and Louise Shelton and Ruth Wurth, and a
large extended family.
Please bring us up to date on what you are
doing or share your loss with us by writing David
Reich, College of Engineering, Rm. 1153, Wayne
State University, 48202, or e-mailing us at:
dreich@eng.wayne.edu. Be sure to include your
phone number and address.
Your support is
recognized and
honored in
various ways.
The College of Engineering is grateful
for the generosity of its many donors.
They enable us to excel in our
educational mission and enhance
public service. Contributions from
individuals, couples, corporations and
foundations are recognized through
the following recognition societies:
The Anthony Wayne Society
The Anthony Wayne Society honors
an exceptional group of donors who
have responded generously to the university’s
need for private support. Cumulative
giving determines the level of
recognition from $10,000 and above.
The Old Main Society
The Old Main Society recognizes donors
who provide for Wayne State University’s
future through their estate and financial
plans such as wills and trusts, life-income
plans, retirement fund gifts, life insurance
gifts and charitable lead trusts.
If you are interested in how your
contribution(s) may be recognized in
these groups, please contact Katora
Cole, College of Engineering director
of development, at 313-577-5840.
Edward Elia, BSCE’51, MSCE’59, passed
away Oct. 14, 2007, surrounded by his
family. He served in the U.S. Army 42 nd
Airborne Division before attending WSU.

PROFILES
Ghafari returns after 9
months as ambassador
Yousif B. Ghafari, chairman of Ghafari
Associates, had a busy year in 2008.
Two weeks after receiving an honorary
Doctor of Laws degree at Wayne State’s
May commencement ceremony, he
officially assumed his appointment as
United States Ambassador to Slovenia.
Ghafari (foreground) and entourage
ascend Mt. Tiglar.
Ghafari, whose name adorns Wayne
State’s newly constructed Yousif B. Ghafari
Residence Hall, is the first alumnus to achieve
this status in the university’s history. His
previous recognition at Wayne State includes
the Corporate Leadership Award in 1994
and a Distinguished Engineering Alumni
Award in 1990. He also is a member of the
College of Engineering’s Hall of Fame.
Because Ghafari was appointed by former
President George W. Bush, he resigned from
his position in January when President Barack
Obama took office. However, he says his
nine months in Slovenia were very positive.
“Everywhere that I have gone in
Slovenia, the people have been very
warm and gracious,” he says. “In fact, in
one Slovene city, a local poll listed me as
the fourth most popular personality.”
Ghafari adds that the U.S. presidential
election also earned him popularity,
as many Slovenians showed great
interest in American politics.
“The Embassy hosted a very popular
election night program and reception
in which Slovenes participated in
debates, voted in mock elections, and
tracked news reports,” he says.
Of the Slovenian people, Ghafari says
he was impressed. He explains how their
economy developed very rapidly after
their independence from the former
Yugloslavia in 1991 due to the nation’s hard
work. As a leader in precision machinery,
pharmaceuticals and electronics, Slovenia
enjoys a high standard of living, says Ghafari.
Ghafari says that not only is Slovenia
an “undiscovered gem” for business, but
also for tourism. His travels throughout
the country with his wife Mara awakened
him to the beauty of Slovenia.
“I particularly enjoyed climbing Mount
Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia,”
he says. “They say you’re not a Slovenian
until you climb Mount Triglav, so I now
consider myself an honorary Slovenian.”
Ghafari’s role as ambassador, however,
was not all fun. He explains the focus of
his work in Slovenia, which was primarily
strengthening ties with the United States
in the fields of trade and investment
and academic and cultural exchange.
“We also worked closely on a number
of shared regional and global priorities,”
he says. “I am pleased to say that
Slovenia takes its obligations as a NATO
ally very seriously and has sent soldiers
to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo.”
Ghafari says diplomacy skills that he
employed as ambassador to Slovenia have
been honed from years of experience in
business and other experiences. Ghafari was
one of three U.S. public delegates to the 59th
United Nations General Assembly in 2004.
He also was a member of a contingent that
met with the prime minister of Lebanon and
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at Paris
III, an international donor conference seeking
to build a more promising future for Lebanon.
—by Sydney Redigan
All About Ghafari
• Ghafari moved to Detroit when
he was 19 and enrolled at Wayne
State University where he received
a bachelor’s degree in mathematics
in 1974, a master’s degree in
applied mathematics and computer
applications in 1975, and a master’s
in chemical engineering in 1981.
• After earning an MBA from Michigan
State University, he became a licensed
professional engineer, determined
to build his future on the use of
computers in manufacturing design.
• Ghafari established his company,
Ghafari, Inc. in Dearborn in 1982. It is
ranked by Crain’s Detroit Business as
Southeast Michigan’s second-largest
architectural/engineering firm, and has
locations in Chicago and Indianapolis.
• Ghafari projects have won awards from
the American Society of Landscape
Architects, the Construction Association
of Michigan, the Engineering Society
of Detroit and others. Among
many notable architectural and
engineering projects on the firm’s
resume are the refurbishment of
Wayne State’s Old Main building and
design of the new Marvin I. Danto
Engineering Development Center.
Yousif B. Ghafari
68

Eugene Tomlinson,
pursues love of painting
Eugene Tomlinson, BSChE’56,
MSChE’61, MBA’74, left the Detroit
area with his wife Sandy in 2001 to start
a new beginning--sometimes called
retirement--in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
For Gene and Sandy, Michigan was a big
part of their lives. Gene attended Fordson
High School in Dearborn graduating in
1950 and Dearborn Junior College where he
received an associate’s degree in 1952. He
attended Wayne State receiving a bachelor’s
degree in 1956, a master’s degree in chemical
engineering in 1961, and an MBA in 1974.
Gene represented the college on the
University’s Alumni Association Board
and served as its president from 1974 to
1975. He also served on the College of
Engineering Alumni Association and the
School of Business Alumni Association
boards for more than 30 years.
His life in semi-retirement consists of
working part-time for the New Mexico State
Government, Departments of Labor and the
State Treasury in Santa Fe, being an active
member of the Santa Fe Rotary Club, traveling,
and oil and watercolor painting. Together with
Sandy, Gene often flies to Michigan, Illinois
and Oregon to visit their two sons, Gene’s
three other children and five grandchildren.
Gene is very active and passionate about his
work with the Club, of which he has been a
member since 1986, and as past president of
the Birmingham Michigan Rotary Club. He
works with the Santa Fe Rotary Club to collect
new and used music instruments for junior
high and elementary school students. “We
collected over 225 instruments in five years
and the program is still continuing,” says Gene.
His life in New Mexico’s high desert
landscape inspires Gene to pursue his
strong passion--painting. To do this, he’s
added a large room with a covered patio
area to his home that he uses as his studio
and Sandy as her garden room. He mostly
paints still-life, landscapes and portraits.
Just recently, he completed a portrait of
former Wayne University alumnus Bill Canup,
class of 1943. Gene feels especially honored to
capture Bill’s image on canvas. Bill received
his war certificate, which is an equivalent
to a bachelor’s degree, while serving in
the USAAF as a navigator on a B-24.
—by Justyna Konczalska
All About Slovenia
• The Republic of Slovenia declared
its independence from the former
Yugoslavia in 1991 and became a
member of the European Union in 2004.
• Slovenia is among the most successful
of the countries in transition from
socialism to a market economy. Since
its independence, Slovenia has
privatized its economy, stabilized
inflation and wage growth, halted
rising unemployment, strengthened
its currency, relaxed the flow of capital,
and modernized its taxation system.
• Slovenia is bordered by Austria to the
North, Hungary to the East, Croatia
to the South, and Italy to the West.
• Slovenia is slightly smaller in size
than the state of New Jersey.
• Four major European geographic regions
meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinaric area,
the Pannonian plain and the Mediterranean.
• More than 80% of the 2 million people
who live in the country
are Slovene, with
Italians and
Hungarians being
the two largest
minority groups.
• Nearly 60% of the
population is
Roman Catholic,
but almost 40
other religious or
spiritual groups
exist in Slovenia.
69

PROFILES
Hazardous Waste
Management alum
goes batty
Dave Kugler, MSHWM’02, was in the
process of applying to Wayne State’s graduate
school when his work brought him to the
home of the future dean. The animal control
company that employed Kugler received
a call that Ralph Kummler, then director
of the Hazardous Waste Management
Program at the College of Engineering,
needed help removing bats from his attic.
Kugler seized the opportunity: “While
he was asking questions about the habits
of bats, I was inquiring about Wayne’s
environmental engineering program,” Kugler
says. “It was a great way for me to break
the ice prior to starting the program.”
As an undergraduate in biology at Oakland
University, Kugler worked part–time for
A&D Animal Control in Oakland County. “I
really enjoyed the work and I wanted to
eventually start my own business.”
Kugler’s dream was finally realized in 2005
when he founded Critter Catchers, Inc.
after working in the environmental, health
and safety field for more than a decade.
Critter Catchers, Inc. provides animal
removal services in Southeastern Michigan,
specializing in humane bat removal.
Based in Ortonville, Critter Catchers is the
only bat exclusion company affiliated with the
Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC), a
non-profit based at the Cranbrook Institute
of Science in Bloomfield Hills, whose mission
is to preserve bats and their habitats through
education, collaboration and research.
Kugler considers bat education to be a
large part of his company’s responsibility,
and makes great efforts to dispel common
misconceptions about the creatures and to
emphasize their environmental importance.
“Humans instinctively fear the things
in our world we don’t understand,” he
says. “And bats, unfortunately, seem to
land at the top of that list, regardless of
the many benefits they provide, like insect
control around the home and garden.”
Dave Kugler with an African Straw Colored Fruit Bat
The company’s Web site, www.
center and participate in the expansion
crittercatchersinc.com, serves as a
of our understanding of many of the
useful educational tool, providing ample bats that are common in the Midwest.”
information on the environmental benefits If the first three years of Critter Catchers
of bats and the myths surrounding them. are an indication, Kugler will be busy. He
In addition to the educational efforts made is now considering adding another vehicle
through the Web site, Critter Catchers offers to the fleet to better meet the needs of
a $1,000 grant to let the OBC grant provide the company’s growing customer base.
supplemental funding toward its Live Bat
While the transition from hazardous
programs, which give young students and waste management and environmental
educators an invaluable learning experience. engineering to critter control and bat
For college-level students who have
conservation may appear extreme, the two
already cultivated an interest in the animals, areas can be viewed as very much related.
Critter Catchers created a Bat Conservation Both require a thorough understanding
Scholarship. Started in 2007, the scholarship of the ways in which systems work
is available to students from Indiana State and the importance of all the parts.
University (ISU) and six Michigan universities, “Bats are important to the ecosystem,”
including Wayne State, which have research says Kugler. “They have many
programs linked to the research associates environmental benefits, such as
of the Indiana State University Bat Center. reducing pesticide use. Reduce, reuse
“The ISU Bat Center consists of the
and recycle – that’s my environmental
largest group of bat biologists in North
engineering side showing through!”
America,” says Kugler. “The scholarship is
a way for Critter Catchers to support the
—by Sydney Redigan
photo by Dave Kugler
70

October 3, 2009
SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, October 3
In conjuction with Wayne State
University Homecoming at the
Marvin I. Danto Engineering
Development Center.
For more information,
sponsorships or to join
the auction team, call Katora
Cole at (313) 577-4840

I n d i v i d ua l Donor s to Engi n e e r i n g
A u gus t 1, 2007 through Feb r ua ry 1, 2009
University Society
$500,000 to $999,999
Mr. James A. Anderson
1868 Society
$250,000 to $499,999
Estate of Robert T. Marshall
Mr. Yousif B. Ghafari
Heritage Society
$100,000 to $249,999
Professor Alvin M. Saperstein
Cornerstone Society
$50,000 to $99,999
Anthony Kales, M.D.
Mr. Donald C. Foren
Charter Society
$25,000 to $49,999
Mr. Avinash W. Rachmale
Mrs. Doris L. Letts
Anthony Wayne Society
$10,000 to $24,999
Ms. Nancy L. Philippart
Mr. Edward Forton
William C. Rands, III
Paul U. Strauss, M.D.
Mr. Lawrence J. Achram
Mrs. Susan M. Plasencia
Wayne State Club
$5,000 to $9,999
Mr. Ronald L. Monahan
Mr. David G. Kolodziej
Mr. August W. Colandrea
Dr. Ralph H. Kummler
Gerald O. Thompkins
Mr. James Williams
David & Judy Reich
Mr. Steven E. Kurmas
Dean’s Club
$1,000 to $4,999
Ms. Linda P. McMath
Mrs. Michele J. Grimm
Mr. Thomas M. Pakula
Mr. Egidio Basso
Richard C. Viinikainen
Prof. Harpreet Singh
Andrew Brown, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.
Mr. Anthony M. Tai
Mr. Robert L. Byrum
Mr. Randy R. Rogers
Mr. Raymond J. Tessier
Mr. Harpreet Singh
Mr. Theodore J. Dombrowski
Professor Naeim A. Henein
Dr. King-Hay Yang
Mrs. Sandra J. Gardner
Dr. Norman N. Li
Mr. Randal T. Murphy
Mrs. Mollie C. Leonelli
Mr. Erik Roeren
Mr. David A. Skiven
Mr. Robert L. Ryan
Mr. Donald E. Penrod
Mr. Harry Kalajian
Mr. Victor L. Berdichevsky
Mr. Mark D. De Caussin
Mr. Samir I. Musa
Mr. Keith R. Outland
Mr. Kenneth M. Pascany
Mr. Jeng I. Chang
Professor Gregory W. Auner
Mr. Gary A. Stasie
Mr. Robert D. Brown
Mr. Gerard J. Powierski
Mr. David E. Scroggie
Dr. Sean F. Wu
Vinod K. Sahney
Mr. John MacDougall
Mr. James H. Frye
Mr. Louis B. Deziel
Marshall and Ying Ma
Kye H. Ha, Ph.D.
Mr. Bruce L. Jacobs
Green and Gold Club
$500 to $999
Professor Evgeny I. Rivin
Mr. Paul A. Simpson
Mr. Joseph A. Boelter
Mr. James W. Kosakowski
Mr. Feng Lin
Dr. Stanley K. Stynes
Mr. Donald H. Suszko
Mr. Douglas E. Phillips
Mr. Harold E. Deen
Ms. Edith M. Grashik
Mr. Daniel J. Obudzinski
Mr. Erhard W. Rothe
Mr. Frank Mioczynski, Jr.
Ms. Cynthia J. Percell
Daniel Patrick Simon
Mr. Michael J. Brady
Mr. Martin R. Goldsberry
Ms. Joan R. St. Amour-Scheske
Mr. Dwight D. Jennings
Mr. Frederick A. Walas
Mr. William R. Callow
Mr. Richard T. Gutowski
Mr. Edward M. Vuylsteke
Shyam Sharma
Mr. Frank W. Green
Mr. Paul S. Reynolds
T. Krolikowski Buck
Mr. Joseph Caschera
Howard W. Matthew, Ph.D.
Jesse S. Ruan, Ph.D.
Mr. Andre’ Alexander
Mr. Dwight Battle
Ms. Debora R. Marth
Mr. Tito R. Marzotto
Professor Yang Zhao
Joseph F. Louvar, Ph.D.
Mr. Frank Perna, Jr.
Mr. John Nyland
Mr. Leonard Wu
Andrew A. Seleno, P.E.
Mr. Mohindrapal S. Gill
William T. Birge, P.E.
Mr. James B. King
Mr. Lushman S. Grewal
Ms. Lydia B. Lazurenko
Mr. Joseph M. Gasidlo
Mr. James R. Schaaf
Mr. Philip W. Husak
Mr. Raj Vattikuti
Mrs. Johnetta J. Miller
Mr. Adrian Toader
Mr. Thomas G. Herbon
Mrs. Athena M. Carson
72

Mr. Javan M. Banks
Greg Mitchell
Mr. Robert M. Grant
Mr. Gopichand Kalahasthy
Diana Siblini
Ms. Katherine Abramczyk
Mr. Francis G. King
Peter McCafferty
Ms. Virginia H. Black
Ms. Jean R. Barnard
Manubhai G. Patel
Century Club
$100 to $499
Mr. David M. Farone
Ms. Kathryn Russell
Mr. Robert L. Pence
Mr. Naidu G. Golla
Mr. Brian J. Geraghty
Mr. Gary T. Carlson
Donald E. Neumann, Ph.D
Ms. Helen A. Rychlewski
Dr. Utpal Dutta
Mrs. Janice L. Zryd
Mr. Timothy A. Auch
Ms. Colleen L. Hill
Mr. Matthew D. Laba
Dr. Albert I. King
Mr. Nabil G. Chalhoub
Ivan Avrutsky
Catherine Hartner
Mr. David M. Buchesky
Mr. Steven Piehl
Mr. Joseph P. Szafranski
Mr. Andrew J. Haliw III
Mr. Gerald A. Confer
Mr. Hans J. Kuschnerus
Mr. George R. Martell
Mr. Christopher P. Petrous
Enno Koehn, Ph.D.
Mr. Donald J. Connell
Mr. Richard J. Mazur
Mrs. Michaline J. Szady
Mr. Kevin M. McLaughlin
Mr. Jeffrey M. Zryd
Ms. Pamela S. Confer
Ms. Rebecca King-Shelby
Mr. Paul R. Nahra
Ms. Vera A. Blake
Mr. Syed M. Mahmud
Radovan Miucic
Mr. Mark S. Laginess
Mr. Ryan B. Moulliet
Mr. John D. Kostun
Mr. Douglas J. Ziemnick
Mr. Frederick C. Quitmeyer
Mr. Vittorio Veltri
Mr. Montgomery P. Liu
Dr. Gregory T. Roginski
Mr. Richard J. Fekete
Dr. Robert A. Smith
Leslie Rhodes
Mr. John H. McMicking
Mr. John M. Sweier
Daniel A. Harden, Jr.
Ms. Cristin B. Grove
Richard Darin Ellis
Mr. Leonard R. Urban
Mr. Harvey C. Hamel
Mr. James K. Kohut
Mr. Paul D. Vial
Mr. Kevin C. DeLisle
Maria C. Staab, Ph.D.
Mr. Prasad L. Nannapaneni
Ms. Soma R. Haque
Mr. Anthony W. Opipari, Sr.
Dr. Harold J. Mertz, Jr.
Mr. Edmund J. Jonoski
Mr. Juhan Telmet
Walter Mazur, Jr.
Mr. David B. Murphey
Charles E. Rossiter, Jr.
Mr. James G. Newton
Jinagna Shah
Professor Snehamay Khasnabis
Mr. Kerry H. Borchardt
Ms. Karen A. Raggio
Ms. Katora M. Cole
Mr. Leroy E. Drake
James C Klotz
Sam Nasser, M.D.
Mr. Glenn W. Czupinski
Ms. Michelle A. Brusatori
Mr. Michael S. Dymek
Mr. Costantinos A. Kircos
Ms. Susan Samrah
Mr. Michael A. Bott
Shuo Yang, Ph.D
William C. Vogel, Jr.
Dave Mechergui
Glenn Karbowski
Charles B. Leffert, Ph.D.
Gerald Goeschel
Mr. Amit Kapoor
Dr. Rolf H. Eppinger
John C. Montagna, Ph.D.
Mr. Frederick C. Levantrosser
Mr. David L. Klaasen
Mr. Gerald L. Goldberg
Mr. Robert Arnold Schuessler
Mrs. Elizabeth A. Ardahl
Ms. Tobenette Holtz
Mr. Richard W. Hornby
Mr. Benny F. Baker
Mr. Jerry A. Beresh
Mr. James H. Horn
Mr. Clifford C. Chou
Kingman E. Yee, Ph.D.
Mr. John T. Kerrigan
Mr. Michael J. Cynecki
Harmahendar Singh, Ph.D.
Mr. James G. McLeish
Mrs. Barbara J. Levantrosser
Mr. David R. Morrison
Mr. James E. Bailey
Nayan Patel
Clay L. Snyder
Tobenette Holtz
Ms. Shirley A. Abar
Mrs. Rita Brown
Daniel Neumann
Mr. Mark D. Gartner
Dr. Purna G. Pai
Dornis C. Morin, Jr.
Mrs. Joann C. Greene
Mr. Robert N. Morris
Ms. Gail W. Ehle
Mr. William A. Wiktor, Jr.
Mr. Thomas A. Amato
Victoria Ann Stacey
Mr. Dale R. Palmer
Mr. Marvin A. Olane
Mr. Carl G. Benninger
Mr. Michael J. Durisin
73

I n d i v i d ua l Donor s to Engi n e e r i n g
A u gus t 1, 2007 through Feb r ua ry 1, 2009
Mr. Roger P. Kalinowsky
Mr. Jack C. Trabin
Ms. Dorothea T. Pomfret
Mr. John E. Edry
Mr. David R. Finley
Mr. Christopher J. Dakin
Mr. Thomas J. Malbouef, Jr.
Mr. Dominic J. Allam
Mr. James R. Panyard
Mr. John C. Friend
Chun Zhou, Ph.D
Dr. Edward L. Walker
Mr. Sam J. Criscenti
Mr. Jeffrey S. Burlingame
Mr. Michael R. Hanchin
Ms. Cynthia A. Bir
Mr. David J. Schmitz
Mr. James R. Wetterstrom
John M. Cavanaugh, PhD
Professor Carol J. Miller
Mr. Robert W. Brown
Mr. John R. Hepola
Mr. John F. Schmitt
Mr. Jim Groening
Mr. George W. Niepoth
Mr. Marc I. Rich
Mr. Alexander J. Anderson
Mr. Wendell J. George
Mr. Kenneth C. Milner
Mrs. Pamela M. Brady
Mr. Frank C. Wong
Mr. Vern E. Brooks
Mr. Donato Palizzi
Mr. Gerald A. Gorrell
Mr. Sergio L. Calderoni
Mr. Robert A. Fenech
Mr. Simond S. Taylor
Mr. Jack D. Kindree
Mr. Allen Forsaith
Mr. Thomas A. Knurek
Mr. Ihor Melnykowycz
Mr. Bruce D. Towle
Mr. Don B. Kantz
Mr. Ronald M. Gabel
Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Gurchiek
Mr. George B. Newitt
Mr. & Mrs. Claude G. Robinson
Mr. Joseph Podorsek
Mr. Louis J. Pedicini
Dr. Stephen Tennyson
Mr. Norb L. Keller
Mr. George Bakopoulos
Mr. John R. Edwards
Mr. John C. Schmuhl
Mr. Thomas K. McGathen
Mr. Steven C. Setsuda
Mr. Vernon A. Brown
Mr. James W. Paquet
Dr. Paula A. Whitlock
Mrs. Hedwig E. Whitman Kasotis
Mr. David P. Sczomak
Mr. Thomas J. Sluchak
Mr. Adolph K. Lohwasser
Ms. Tynetta M. Alston
Mr. Ralph Bugamelli
Mr. Albert Edward Hong
Mr. Kenneth P. Kaufman
Mrs. Tracey A. Goddeeris
Dr. Roger C. Shulze
Mr. Ronald M. Revyn
Ms. Nancy A. New
Mariana G. Forrest, Ph.D.
Ms. Ruth Ma
Mr. Allen Forsaith
Mrs. Barbara A. Shulze
Ms. Karen E. Ridgway
Dr. Suresh B. Vemuri
Mr. Thomas P. Weiss
Mr. Thomas M. Perkins
Mr. Michael J. Szydlowski
Mr. Dinu P. Taraza
Suvra Chakrabarti
Mary Lou Dudley
Niladri Sannigrahi
Tejveer Soodan
Tintu Abraham
Lia Grillo
Ariadne Moore
Mr. Kirk Bailey
Mr. Karl O. Anderson
Mr. Irwin D. Meyers
Mr. Kamlesh Mathur
Mr. Robert N. Sliwinski
Mr. Trilochan Singh
Mr. Edward Yosick
Mr. Leo Batchelor
Mr. John M. Stencel
Mr. Orest Iwasiuk
Mr. Balbir S. Tuteja
Mr. Michael J. Law
Mr. Thomas D. Barker
Mr. Warne J. Crocker, Jr.
Donald J. Smolenski, Ph.D.
Mr. Jerome V. Krinock
Mr. Joseph A. Becker
Mr. Darryl R. Stanbrough
Mr. Arthur A. Kriewall
Mr. Douglas S. Szopo
Mr. William R. Knapp
Mr. Kenneth R. Rygwelski
Mr. Robert Kakos
Yeau-Jian Liao
Mrs. Denise A. Burns
Mr. David E. Kowalski
Mr. James A. Castelvetere
Ms. Lori M. Bartsch
Mr. Roman T. Nestorowicz
Mr. Daniel C. Morris
Ms. Elizabeth M. McKinney
Mr. Manuel G. Suero
Ms. Mary J. Coppinger
Mr. Ensign D. Emerson
Mr. Larry E. Thow
Mr. Donald D. Tomayko
Mr. Frank G. Brandenberg
Mr. Alexander Kargilis
Mr. Edward R. Coleman
Mr. Weston L. Schultz
Mr. Wayne M. Neeley
Mr. Glenn A. Goodwin
Mr. Terry M. North
Mr. Thomas E. Rutt
Mr. Sukh D. Kaushal
Arvind J. Padgaonkar, Ph.D.
Mr. Stewart B. Mitchell
Mr. Lawrence Baranyai
Mr. Terry M. Manion
Mr. Keith W. Donaldson
Mrs. Nancy Holt
Mr. John L. Clement
Mr. Douglas House, M.Ed & Family
Mr. Gordon D. Hauk
Mr. George W. Miller
Mr. David A. Winer
74

Mr. Michael A. Capraro
Leslie F. Monplaisir
Mr. Michael Muscat
Mr. David M. Chegash
Mr. Ricky G. Hendershot
Mr. Mark G. Rotary
Mr. Robert R. Woodard
Charles W. Manke, Jr.
Mr. Herold J. Lueders
Mr. Daniel B. Kolton
Mr. Douglas K. Waineo
Mr. Roger W. Liska
Mr. Michael A. Reuter
Mr. Sankara Warrier
Mr. Nassif E. Rayess
Mr. Rolf R. Amsler
Mr. Frederick A. Creswick
Mr. Gary E. Abell
Mr. Willard O. Keightley
Mr. Robert M. Mutch
Mr. Bradford D. Hughley
Mr. Paul T. Sgriccia
Mr. Richard L. Allman
Lee H. Runk
Mr. Jack V. Daquano
Mr. Andy Okab
Mr. Richard B. Katnik
Ms. Billie E. Lampinen
Mr. Stephen L. Finley
Mr. Steven P. Wharton
Ms. Alice J. Cornwell
Robert G. Huff, Jr.
Mr. Marcello Veneziano
Mr. Cleveland M. Simmons
Mr. Elhadi M. Saeed
Mr. George K. Baumgartner
Mrs. Jennifer N. Kindseth
Mr. Paul S. Brzezinski
Ms. Mary K. Schied-Maki
Mr. Lawrence Rogers
Mr. Kun-Ling Shen
Mr. Huichang Wang
Mr. Suresh K. Panganamala
Mr. Suresh B. Yarlagadda
Mrs. Barbara J. Herard
Mr. T. K. Hollandsworth
Ms. Kimberley R. Taylor-Will
Mr. Donald H. Chambers
Ms. Norma DiVirgilio
Ms. Martha A. Pale
Mr. Darnell Wiley
Mr. Balasubramania Suresh
Mr. David J. Moan
Mr. James C. Roach
Claude A. Fiori, Jr.
Mr. Martin Kiernicki
Mr. R. Trevor Gersch
Mr. Tejinder Singh
Mr. Mark A. Narduzzi
Mr. Steven J. Drake
Mr. Tsan-Hai Chue, Ph.D.
John P. Barletta, M.D.
Dr. John G. Venious
Mr. Bhavesh B. Merchant
Mr. Lee E. Bowling
Mr. Douglas R. Sinclair
Ms. Ellen M. Bernard-Buie
Mr. Kevin M. Swenskowski
Mr. Gopal P. Mohanty
Sharmistha Basu, Ph.D.
Ms. Patricia J. Novak
Mr. Lyndon P. Williams
Mr. Paul J. Charron
Mr. Young J. Kim
Mr. Kevin C. McCann
Mr. Richard H. Lewthwaite
Ms. Cui H. Lee
Mr. Keith J. Kalinowski
Mr. Paul S. Bryant
Mr. Sean E. Granger
Mr. Anthony J. Gullitti
Mr. William A. Miller
Mr. Mafaz Zafar
Mr. Richard F. Urban
Guangjun Wang, Ph.D
Mr. Krishnan S. Narayan
Mr. Partap C. Lall
Ms. Huan Liu
Feng Luan
Ms. Denise A. Trabbic-Pointer
Mr. Kenneth E. Horn
Mr. Attila Yaprak
Chaoyan Chen
Dr. James H. McMicking
Mr. Tapan K. Datta
Mr. Thomas M. Heidtke
Dr. Mulchand S. Rathod
Mr. Gary K. Cleary
Mr. Eugene M. Tomlinson
Ning Zhang
Ms. Lori J. Dereniewski
Mr. Walter Wang
Xuemei Liang
Professor Melvin P. Shaw
Mr. Murray Burnstine
Mr. Sanford L. Pearl
Mr. Robert N. Pease
Mr. Vahram V. Guiragossian
Mr. Harry M. Ferrari
Mr. George R. Schatz
Mr. Julius Damrow
Mr. Gerald J. Demirjian
Mr. Hans Peter Hugger
Mr. Roger A. Olin
Mr. Arun K. Kapoor
Arthur E. Schneider, Jr.
Mr. James R. Walker
Mr. Edward D. Paley
Mr. Richard S. Mazzella
Mr. Max Frank
Mr. Harry R. Kansman
Mr. Herbert E. Rickert
Louis W. Geisling, Jr.
Mr. John A. Ellis
George I. V. Cascos
Mr. John R. Martini
Mr. John M. Paterson
Mr. Warren S. Peterson
Mr. Jared G. Cuddy
Mr. Raymond R. Yadach
Mr. Victor T. Squires
Mrs. Diana C. Koenig
Mr. Orville E. Homeister
Mr. Donald J. Ray
Mr. Yogindra N. Anand
Mr. Alfred P. Blomquist
Mr. Daniel T. Craig
Mr. Paul R. Tomandl
Dr. Frank W. Bliss
Mr. Nicolaos Tapazoglou
Mr. Ralph J. Hitchcock
Dr. Michael F. Kowalski
Mr. Gediminas Balanda
Mr. Rudolph J. DeSanto
75

I n d i v i d ua l Donor s to Engi n e e r i n g
A u gus t 1, 2007 through Feb r ua ry 1, 2009
Mr. John L. Gorsky
Peter Kalakailo, Jr.
Mr. Edouard Stines
Priya Prasad, Ph.D.
William A. Crozier, Ph.D.
Mr. Robert F. Gurchiek
Mr. Douglas C. Wagner
Mr. William D. Timmins
Mr. Daniel Morguloff
Mr. Sol Love
Mr. William A. Cummings
Mr. Ronald P. Meyers
Mr. Warren M. Lydecker
Mr. Milton Ruderman
Mr. James E. Friant
Mr. Arthur S. Ochotny
Mr. Helmut Lelke
Mr. Ronald R. Boltz
Mrs. Sharon K. Francis
Mr. Onorio J. Coletti
Mr. William Wen
Mr. Allen K. Lim
Mr. Ram H. Shahani
Mr. Stephen R. Turns
Mr. Robert G. Kraynak
Mr. Fred Boynton, III
Mr. Michael A. Anleitner
Mr. Edward M. Singleton
Ms. Diane L. Mudge
Mr. Mark G. Loch
Mr. Kevin M. Hinman
Mr. Stanislao Krasucki
James L. Czekaj, Ph.D.
Mr. Robert L. Vassel
Mr. Douglas B. Stapleton
Ms. Nancy M. Poma
Atulbhai S. Shah, Ph.D.
Mr. Thomas M. Roberts
Mr. Kim R. Parham
Mr. Oscar A. Ruiz
Mr. Henry L. Chapman
Mr. Michael J. Krivitzky
Mr. Robert L. Varilone
Mr. Lawrence R. Chute
Dr. Athanacios N. Nasr
Mr. William Mesler
Ms. Kimberly L. Pittel
Mr. George W. Thompson
Mr. Richard Lynch
Mr. Thomas A. Hurst
Mr. Gerald W. Powers
Mr. Robert J. Bush
Mr. William R. Hansen
Mr. James E. Horton
Mr. Joseph P. Kent
Amjid Hussain
Ms. Lynda K. Jeffries
Haojie Mao
Noshir A. Langrana
Ms. Joann O. Parrinder
Marion M. Bowen
Mr. Jason J. Robinson
Mr. William E. Brammer
Mr. Mark Kane
$99 and Under
Ms. Gladys P. Maxwell
Abhilash Pandya
Mr. Anthony A. Daneshyar
Mr. Gary L. Zaddach
Ms. Anna Veksler
Mr. Ron Ruckdeschel
Mr. Alex Nicholas
Ambrosia Brown
Ioana C. Finegan, Ph.D
Mr. Sudhakar Inguva
Mr. Andrew B. Pelto
Mr. Morgan Everett
Mr. Todd R. Jarson
Mr. Paul A. Mazur
Mr. John B. Cox
Allean H. House
Ms. Alicia Chapman
Eric Brush
Mr. Jerry P. Lindsay
Ms. Robin C. Bishop
Mr. Carl M. Rose
Mr. Charles R. Gietzen
Mr. Ravi Murugesan
Mr. Michael T. Vallie
Mr. Shobhit S. Sharma
Mr. Roger J. Boileau
Mr. Michael D. Bolon
Mr. Peter W. Maurin
Mr. Thomas J. Mieszczak
Mr. Carl I. Lafata
Mr. Jack L. Campau
Mr. D. Edward Dolgorukov
Mr. George H. Klaetke
Mr. Archibald McLelland
Mr. Judson A. Lehman
Mr. Duane D. DeDene
Mrs. Patrice Fisher
Mr. Timothy S. Klepaczyk
Mr. William Mar
Mr. Michael Shaw
Kenneth A. Kline
Dr. Edward R. Fisher
Ms. Carol Irvine
Mr. Carl LaFata
Ms. Susan Byrum
Mr. Bruce H. Fonda
Mr. David R. Mulligan
Mr. Stanley T. Rae
Dr. Barbara K. Krieger
Mr. Giovanni Bolgiani
Mr. Ronald E. Compton
Mr. Robert L. Delong
Mr. Mumtaz A. Usmen
Mr. Frank G. Dumont
Mr. Joseph Anthony Zielonka
Michelle Larsosa
Mr. John E. Wolf
Mr. Richard A. Curtis
Mr. Hymie Cutler
Mr. William Margolin
Mr. Leonard W. Kata
Mr. Joon-Sup Oh
Mr. Terrence D. Grace
Dhruba Sinha, Ph.D.
Mr. Thelbert L. Holland
Mr. Gwo-Jyh Tseng
Mr. Amit K. Bhowmick
Mr. Thomas A. Tobin
Mr. Dale A. Huebner
Mr. Donald W. Rees
Mr. Anthony N. Duminski
Mr. Maurice Rapkin
Mr. Richard W. Duden
Mr. William C. Hausman
Mr. Rajesh L. Saxena
Mr. John Torvinen
Lucious Tyrone Shellman, Jr.
Mr. Tom T. Kallapure
76

Mr. William C. Ford
Ms. Julie A. O’Connor
Ms. Gail P. Evans-Hoze
Feng Bin, Ph.D
Rimvydas V. Mickevicius, Ph.D.
Mr. Pavlos Karabinas
George C. Renninger, Jr.
Mr. Mark T. Hall
Mr. David A. Whitton II
Mr. Dominic D. Galia
Mr. Frederick D. Roseman
Mrs. Nancy M. Brunette
David R. Terrace, P.E.
Mr. Wayne A. Bloem
Ms. Melissa T. Pettijohn
Ms. Marina I. Carducci
Mrs. Teresa A. Whalen LeFevre
Mr. Sang S. Koh
Mr. Jon M. Kinsler
Nabil A. Hachem, Ph.D
Mr. Nicola A. Broggi
Mr. Willard W. Schultz, Jr.
Mr. Carey J. Suhan
Mr. David F. Dunayczan
Mr. Amer M. Haidar-Ahmad
Mr. Nickolaos S. Katrivesis
Mr. Anthony F. Mazzola
Mr. Roger B. Johnson
Bonnie Wood
Ms. Karen L. Johnson
Mr. Yuanzhan He
Mr. David T. Bozek
Mr. Terence A. Smith
Mr. Lawrence W. Grant
Ms. Gloria J. Yarber
Ms. Mary Beth Cobbs
Mr. Daniel J. Opalewski
Mr. Gregory C. Fleck
Mr. Peter J. Maciejewski
Mr. Michael E. Stoeckle
Mr. Matthew L. Behr
Mr. James T. Czech
Mr. Theodore D. Dziurman, P.E, P.C.
Mr. Michael T. Riley
Ms. Malgorzata Macks
Elizabeth C. Buc, Ph.D.
Mr. William S. Seibel
Mr. Syed A. Raza
Mr. Damon John Robinson
Mr. Tianjian Yan
Ms. Kathleen M. Shields
Mr. Sa’Ad M. Merayyan
Ms. Flaminia Serina
Mr. Dale T. Titus
Harlan F. Worden, Sr.
Mr. Ramachandra R. Kurchkulla
Mr. Eric E. Bernreuter
Mr. Jianrong Qin
Mr. John M. Davis
Mr. Christopher L. Harden
Mr. Mark S. Bercik
Dr. Jerome Meisel
Mr. Paul G. Shumejko
Justin G Wiseman
Ms. Ramzi J. Basharahil
Mr. Raymond J. McDonald
Paul Benton
Mr. Manohar B. Motwani
Ms. Yvonne Johnson
Dongmei Rong
Mr. James R. Moden
Mr. Curtis W. Kovach
Mr. Alfred D. Stevens
Rolland S. Fulton, Jr.
Mr. Sung C. Liu
Mr. Neal Hepner
Mr. John C. Prakken
Mr. Stanley C. Kulczycki
Mr. Richard S. Kirk
Mr. James C. Repp
Mr. Carl D. Taulbee
Mr. Csaba Z. Konya
Mr. Robert D. Chute
Mr. Bernard A. MacIver
Mr. Fred Menders
Mr. Stephen L. Bussa
Mr. Dominic Sebastiani
Shirley Schwartz, Ph.D.
Mr. John G. Frank
Mr. Marco B. Rentis
Mr. John A. Svera
Mr. Raul A. Galindo
Mr. Ronald E. Mutzelburg
Mr. Patrick J. Smithbauer
William C. Baxter
James S. Campbell, Jr.
Mr. Harvey C. Yates
Mr. Edmund J. Piasecki
Mr. Proves R. Banks, Jr.
Peter C. K. Lui, Ph.D.
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph and Carol
Urbance
Mr. Ronald W. Kind
Mr. Timothy E. Schmitz
Mr. Peter T. Rock
Mr. Joseph P. Barzotti
Mr. Joseph B. Nowell
Mr. Kamlesh A. Pai-Panandiker
Mr. Joseph J. Wehener
Mr. Bernard G. Guenterberg
Mr. Bruce G. Schelden
Dr. Ronald J. Pogorzelski
Mr. George J. Naff
Mr. John D. Compton
Mr. Fredric H. Kaehler
Mr. Larry I. Ross
Mr. Michael J. Salata
Mr. Richard Kozlowicz
Mr. Naresh C. Kapila
Mr. Frederick C. Navarre
Mr. Chester D. Skrzypek
Mr. Robert J. Parys
Mr. Walter L. Pickwick
Dr. Robert C. McCune
Mr. Daniel Olah
Mr. Jack R. Whitehead
Mr. Oleh D. Berezowskyj
Lucille Sellinger Seitz
Mrs. Mary H. Sieg
Mr. Nimish K. Desai
Mr. Gary M. Gaworecki
Mr. Paul G. Barletta
Mr. Mark G. Geis
Mr. Kenneth A. Brooks
Mrs. Joanne M. Caruana-Hayes
Mr. Timothy G. Hoffman
Mr. Mohammed Aslam
Mr. Joseph J. Mihm
Mr. Michael V. Grobbel
Mr. Sid M Broder
Mr. V. S. Rajagopalan
Mr. John D. Gustaf, Jr.
Mr. Dezi O. Seabrooks
Mr. Kirk D. Arthurs
77

I n d i v i d ua l Donor s to Engi n e e r i n g
A u gus t 1, 2007 through Feb r ua ry 1, 2009
Mr. Peter W. Woryk
Mr. Rogier D. Durand
Ms. Monique K. Mansoura
Mr. Kenneth L. Zerafa
Mr. Michael G. Houghton
Mrs. Loretta B. Nelson
Mrs. Cathrine A. St Clair
Mr. Andrew W. Zichichi
Mr. Kenneth W. Bowen
Mr. Thomas M. O’Brien
Thomas J.P. Wysocki
Mr. David K. Smith
Mr. James D. Joseph
Mr. Thomas J. Turnbull
John K. Brennan, Ph.D
Ms. Mary T. Horgan
Ms. Vijayenndra S. Hadagali
Mr. Nathan Konopka
Bhavan Pandya
Kiattisak Wongsopanakul
Mr. David J. Barrett
Balaji Myrtheunjayan
Hari Priya Myneni
Mr. Ron Lawson
Mr. Timothy J. Gates
Ms. Shelly Nawojski
Rose Baldwin
Ms. Diane M. Bercik
Mr. Gerald R. Provencal
Mr. Michael Martin
Ms. LaVonne W. Swift
Ms. Xiaohuai Yang
Mr. Victor C. Yarne
Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Laurel Jones
Kedrick D. Adkins, Jr.
Mr. Gerald E. Piontek
Mr. Michael F. Van Tull
Mr. Stephen L. Hahn
Ms. Mary K. Michno
Scott R. Frump
Mr. Dennis M. Briggs
Mr. Manas Thongpreda
Mr. La Verne A. Caron
Mr. Anthony J. Martinico
Ms. Darlene L. House
Mr. Herbert J. Strather
Mr. Roderick Casey
Mrs. Gloria A. Harkness
Mr. Fred H. Reinhart
Mrs. Sylvia Iwrey
Mr. David E. Guastella
Mr. Weichung Chang
Mr. Richard A. Hachenski
Mr. Zhaowu Huang
Mr. Salman A. Mohammed
Mr. Gary L. Fauser
Mr. Snehal R. Patel
Archie Kinney
Mr. John E. Sanders
Mr. Ben-Zion Rosenblum
Mrs. Cindie L. Bucks
Mr. Lee M. D’ziekan
Henry Lybeck, P.E.
Mr. Lawrence M. Kutcher
Mr. James T. Bates
Ms. Li Wang
Christopher Hiler
Ms. Adrienne Gregg
Ms. Cheryl A. Hughes
Mr. Frederick J. Krestik
Ms. Merrilyn L. Ruch
Mr. Thomas H. Harvey
Ivy Miller
Ms. Catherine J. Seamon
Mr. Marvin E. Leibson
Mr. Knute R. Wicklund
Mr. Andrea L. Lijoi
Mr. Lawrence V. Krzesowski
Mr. William P. Ramroth
Mr. Gregory E. Bockheim
Mr. Robert E. Alvey
Mr. Hebon J. Ducote, Jr.
Mr. Donald M. Lai
Mr. Michael A. Koziara
Mr. John E. Anderson
Mr. Timothy A. Kelly
Ms. Sharon A. Mabe
Ms. Shannon M. Kowalski
Mr. James R. Palm
Mr. Allan Taylor
Mrs. Ann S. White
Mr. Gregory M. Everly
Mr. Nicholas G. Zorka
Mr. Jim H. Klozik
Mr. Joseph W. Turckes
Mr. Alan F. Judge
Mr. David L. Bussell
Ms. Cathy M. Smalley
Mr. Muqthar Ahmed
Mr. Steven L. Chetcuti
Ms. Jennifer Boss
Ms. Tracy J. Ledingham
Mr. Ted S. Paterson
Mr. Kenneth O. Peebles
Dana M. Johnson, Ph.D
Mr. Michael S. McMullen
Ms. Zina J. Kozak-Zachary
Ms. Allison M. Rosinski
Mr. Lawrence D. Dropiewski
Mr. Steven E. Muldoon
James Young
Ms. Rosemary L. Limes-Ziegler
Stephen Taylor
Rahmatollah Golshan, Ph.D.
Mr. Rodney B. Lewis
Mr. Melrose Cole
Mr. Ray A. Hunter
Mr. Richard L. Monnett
Mr. N. Peter Kenyon
Mr. Noray Sarkisian
Mr. Sol Panush
Mr. Thaddeus S. Stanek
Mr Peter G. Kremlick
Mr. Edmond J. Van Elslander
Mr. August R. Zielinski
Mr. George Mouradian
Mr. Frederick C. Becker
Mr. Carl E. Demek
Mr. Robert A. Husen
Mr. James C. Hobson
Mr. Robert J. Salloum
Mr. Leonard R. Laskowski
Mr. Frank V. Olivero
Mr. Alfred Goldstein
Mr. Alvin M. Kurz
Mr. Marion A. Culpepper
Mr. Krishan L. Bedi
Mr. Nathaniel A. Ustick
Mr. Darwin D. Diederich
Kenneth S. Opiela, Ph.D.
Mr. Kim L. Jackson
Mr. Michael D. Platzke
Mr. Paul W. Hoffman
Mr. James A. Hesla
78

Mr. Edward S. Soltysiak
Dr. Fred D. Davis, Jr.
Mr. Michael White
Mr. Clifton E. Tally, Jr.
Ms. Karla Jaeger
Mr. Lee S. Hoffman
Mr. Cono Emanuele
Mr. John J. Laybourn
Benny Vann, Jr.
Mr. Kenneth J. Duluk
Mr. William M. Taylor
Mr. John P. Makinen
Mr. David A. Johnson
Mr. Arthur P. Roberts
Mr. Muhammad A.R. Siddiqui
Mary Kathryn Kendro
Ms. Kathleen Russeau
Mr. Manojkuma A. Sadselia
Mr. Lawrence R. Smentowski
Mr. Dennis J. Karl
Mr. Huiyao Liu
Kamal M. Shenaq, Ph.D.
Mr. Thomas A. May
Mr. Donald G. White
Ms. Colleen McIlwain
Mr. Richard C. Gray
Huiqin Ding
Mr. Deb K. Bandhopadhyay
Ms. Melinda L. Bacon
Ms. Dane Simovski
C. Robert Finkelstein
Mr. Bert W. Cartwright
Mr. George E. Aho
Mr. Edward C. Marckwardt
Mr. John E. Kotwick
Mr. James T. Wuori
Mr. Peter G. DiSante
Mr. John S. Chin
Ms. Henrietta D. Skauge
Mr. Gang Wang
Arvadia M. Howard
Billy Potts
Mr. Joseph Singer
Mr. Madhukar N. Badheka
Mr. Subhash C. Gupta
Mr. Naresh R. Shah
Mr. Viraf B. Khambatta
Mr. Paul M. Laginess
Mr. David W. Turnquist
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Zielesch
Ms. Lan Guan
Mrs. Andrea I. Eisenberg
Ms. Sherry L. Pauli
Mr. Charles S. Williams
Paul Bologna
Mr. Jurgis Gerulaitis
Mr. Allen J. Rossell
Mr. Bhupendra H. Deliwala
Mr. Kenneth M. Robson
Mr. Donald A. Vesey
Mr. Stephen M. Rivet
Mr. Robert V. Norrito
Mr. Joseph A. Gutierrez
Robert L. Byrum, Jr.
Gurdial Dhami
Ms. Mary Jo Vagts
James T. Low, Ph.D.
Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Sovel
Mr. Louis P. Thornton, III
Mr. Gary White
Corporate Donors
President Circle
$1,000,000 to $4,999,999
Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative
Engineering Education (PACE)
DELPHI Corporation
University Society
$500,000 to $999,999
Ford Motor Company Fund
Urban Science Applications, Inc.
Heritage Society
$100,000 to $249,999
Visca, L.L.C.
General Motors Foundation
TIAA-CREF
Chrysler Foundation
Ghafari Associates L.L.C.
Great Lakes Protection Fund
Engineering Technology Associates, Inc.
Cornerstone Society
$50,000 to $99,999
National Operating Committee on Standards
for Athletic Equipment
Sencom, Inc.
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
DTE Energy Foundation
Citi Smith Barney
Charter Society
$25,000 to $49,999
NSK Corporation
Kalgidhar Trust
Ford Motor Company
Lakeshore Engineering Services, INC.
NFL Charities
Anthony Wayne Society Member
$10,000 to $24,999
Community Foundation for Southeast
Michigan
ServoTech
E-Light, L.L.C.
Margaret L. Ashdown Trust
John Deere Waterloo Works
79

Co r p o r at e Donor s to Engi n e e r i n g
A u gus t 1, 2007 through Feb r ua ry 1, 2009
Joy and Hank Kuchta Foundation
John Deere U.S. Ag, A Division of Deere &
Company
Wayne State Club
$5,000 to $9,999
Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit
Grosse Pointe Public Library
The Association of Sikh Professionals
AAA (Automobile Club of Michigan)
Scholarship Foundation, The
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Marathon Petroleum Company L.L.C.
KARMANN USA, INC.
Detroit Medical Center
SEI Private Trust Company
Garden Food Distributor Inc.
Sun Microsystems Inc.
Dean’s Club
$1,000 to $4,999
Denton, ATD, Inc.
ArvinMeritor, Inc.
Guardian Industries Corp.
General Motors Corporation
Electronic Data Systems Corporation
Institute of Transportation
Tisco Group, Inc
Society of Women Engineers
E-Merging Market Technologies, L.L.C.
Lear Corporation
E.C. Korneffel Co.
Urban Land Consultants
The Medtronic Foundation
ATMF Realty & Equity Corporation
Cooper-Standard Automotive
Graphik Concepts
RH & Associates Inc.
Manufacturing Services and Development,
Inc.
E-Light, L.L.C.
Aerotech, Inc.
K-Log, Inc.
Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc.
Bank America Foundation
Stryker Instruments
Takata Corporation
Honda R & D, Americas, Inc
Palmer National L.L.C.
Green and Gold Club
$500 to $999
MR OF PLYMOUTH, L.L.C.
GreatBatch, Inc.
ExxonMobil Foundation
Autoliv ASP, Inc.
E. G. Compliance-1 L.L.C.
DTE Energy Company
Albert Kahn Associates, Inc.
Hartford Memorial Baptist Church
Aristeo Construction Company
Accenture Foundation, Inc.
HNTB Corporation
SAE Foundation
Safety Forensics, P.L.L.C.
Century Club
$100 to $499
BASF Corporation
The Christman Company
Detroit Section AICHE
International Business Machines Corporation
Walnut Creek Country Club
Oracle Corporation Matching Gifts Program
Maloof Jewelers
Crystal Engineering Solutions, Inc.
Ferry Street Management L.L.C.
Dow Chemical Company Foundation
Tucker, Young, Jackson, Tull, Inc.
RSCH Operations Inc.
Northrop Grumman Foundation
United Consulting
Taminco Higher Amines, Inc.
Motorola Foundation
Pro Results Inc.
Electro-Matic Products, Inc.
EDS
SulfoTechnologies, L.L.C.
Pfizer Foundation, Inc.
Akzo Nobel, Inc.
Cooper Industries Foundation
Dow Corning Corporation
Johnson Controls Foundation
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Incorporated
Abbott Laboratories Fund
BASF Corporation
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Spalding DeDecker Associates, Inc.
Damico Development, Inc
DJR Investment Group, L.L.C.
South Main Lofts, L.L.C.
Riverbend Commons
Chesterfield Development Co., L.L.C.
Parsons Brinckerhoff Group Administration,
INC
John Coletti Enterprises, Inc.
Microsoft Matching Gifts Program
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
$99 and Under
Lubrizol Foundation
Global Impact
Detroit Tigers
Rockman & Sons Publishing Co.
James R. Moden, Inc.
Progress Energy Service Co.
Merck Partnership For Giving
RHG Kingfish L.L.C.
Friar Tucks of WSU
Pfizer Foundation Matching Gifts Programs
Boeing Corporation
80

EAGER CONNECTION
E A G E R C O N N E C T I O N
The students need your help
to support the Formula SAE
and Concrete canoe projects.
It is no secret that engineering
students today need more than a
good education. As members of the
Engineering Alumni Association, we are
always searching for new ways to
support each other, the faculty and the
students, and thus, support our alma
mater. Today, the EAA is 1,200
Engineers strong — one of the most
proactive groups on campus — paving
the way for the advancement of
engineering education and technology
at Wayne State University. One such
program that has proven to help our
graduates obtain hands-on experience is
the EAA’s own grant program – EAGER –
Engineering Alumni Grants for
Education and Research. In its fourteenth
consecutive year, EAGER has proven to
be a successful source of funding for
collaborative student projects that
promote teamwork, engineering
ingenuity and creativity.
The WSU Team Ethanol, the 1995
Hybrid Electric Vehicle, the 1996 and
1997 Human Powered Vehicle Team,
the WayneRover autonomous vehicle,
the Mini-Baja vehicle, the IEEE
Computer Center of Excellence, the
2001 Engineering Ball, and the 2001
ACI Annual Concrete Egg Protection
Device Competition were all supported
by EAGER.
Make the EAGER CONNECTION. It will
make your membership in the EAA
much more meaningful. Not to mention
helping elevate the national profile of
your alma mater. Your donation will
help assure that these collaborative
projects continue to be a challenging
opportunity for engineering students —
giving our graduates not only a first-rate
education, but also the “hands-on”
experience WSU students are known to
graduate with. These students may also
look to you for advice and mentoring.
So let us know if you are interested in
mentoring and/or donating in-kind
gifts.
Mail to:
Engineering Development Office
College of Engineering,
Wayne State University
5050 Anthony Wayne Drive
Detroit, MI 48202
Yes! I want to make the EAGER CONNECTION …
Name __________________________________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________________________
City ____________________________________________ State __________________ ZIP ____________
Phone __________________________________________ E-mail Address __________________________
Year Graduated __________________________________ Major __________________________________
My company will match this gift, company name ____________________________________________
I would also be willing to mentor a student, my area of expertise ______________________________
Enclosed is my check made out to WSU for:
$25 $50 $75
$100 other amount $_______________
Or, charge my gift to VISA Mastercard
Signature________________________________________________________________________________
Account No. ____________________________________Expiration Date __________________________

College of Engineering
Wayne State University
5050 Anthony Wayne Drive,
Room 1153
Detroit, MI 48202
fax: (313) 577-5300
phone: (313) 577-3780
www.eng.wayne.edu
Alumni -
What Are You Doing Now
We are interested in what you are doing now!
Please take a moment to complete the following
information and return it to us via fax,
Email or U.S. mail to:
Your current position (title and employer)
David Reich
Editor, Helios News/Exemplar
College of Engineering
5050 Anthony Wayne Drive, Room 1153
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202
Fax: (313) 577-5300; Email: dreich@eng.wayne.edu
Recent Awards
What are you doing
Name:
Where do you live (city and state)
Year of Graduation:
Degree: