Exemplar 2006 - College of Engineering - Wayne State University
Exemplar 2006 - College of Engineering - Wayne State University
Exemplar 2006 - College of Engineering - Wayne State University
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WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE <strong>of</strong> ENGINEERING<br />
Danto Donates $3 Million<br />
For <strong>Engineering</strong> Development Center<br />
ALSO INSIDE:<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
WSU Police To Operate World’s First F-Cell Powered Police Car<br />
Agreement With Chinese <strong>University</strong> To Bring 200 Grad Students A Year<br />
Concussions In The NFL: Assessing The Stress And Strains On The Brain<br />
by Distinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Albert King<br />
<strong>College</strong>/Karmanos Researchers Demonstrate Promising Breakthrough In<br />
Targeted Cancer Drug Delivery<br />
photo by Alonso del Arte<br />
Fall <strong>2006</strong> www.eng.wayne.edu
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE <strong>of</strong> ENGINEERING<br />
EXEMPLAR:<br />
David Reich<br />
Editor<br />
Matthew Garin<br />
Graphic Designer<br />
Rick Bielaczyc<br />
Mary Jane Murawka<br />
Wojciech Dudek<br />
Photography<br />
WSU Marketing & Publications<br />
Pro<strong>of</strong>readers<br />
Ralph Kummler<br />
Dean<br />
Yang Zhao<br />
Chair, Electrical and Computer<br />
Trilochan Singh<br />
Chair, Mechanical<br />
Chuck Manke<br />
Chair, Chemical and Materials Science<br />
Mumtaz Usmen<br />
Chair, Civil and Environmental<br />
Ken Chelst<br />
Chair, Industrial and Manufacturing<br />
Chih-Ping Yeh<br />
Interim Chair, <strong>Engineering</strong> Technology<br />
Albert King<br />
Chair, Biomedical<br />
EXEMPLAR is published annually<br />
for alumni, friends and corporate<br />
sponsors <strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>.<br />
Address comments to:<br />
exemplar editor<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
5050 Anthony <strong>Wayne</strong> Drive<br />
Detroit, MI 48202<br />
(313) 577-6531<br />
(313) 577-5300 fax<br />
dreich@eng.wayne.edu<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> is an equal<br />
opportunity/affi rmative action employer.<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> - World Class<br />
Education in the Real World.<br />
Please visit www.eng.wayne.edu<br />
FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
A MESSAGE<br />
from the DEAN<br />
Welcome back to the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>’s window into the life<br />
<strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong> – <strong>Exemplar</strong> Magazine.<br />
The great news <strong>of</strong> the summer was the<br />
approval by <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Governors and the Michigan<br />
Legislature’s Joint Capital Outlays<br />
Committee to go ahead with the fi nal<br />
design and construction <strong>of</strong> our new<br />
81,700 sq. ft. Marvin Danto <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Development Center. (See Up Front,<br />
page 2.) The <strong>State</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan got<br />
the ball rolling last year by pledging<br />
$15 million. Ford, Yousif Ghafari and<br />
Jim Anderson have pledged, and Mr.<br />
Danto graciously wrote a check to<br />
clinch the deal. We are still looking<br />
for donations to fi nish the job, but<br />
President Reid is allowing us to use the<br />
bonding power <strong>of</strong> the university to<br />
borrow funds to get the job done now.<br />
We expect to be in the building by<br />
fall <strong>of</strong> 2008. It’s not too late to get<br />
involved by buying a lab, equipment,<br />
a chair in the auditorium, or a brick to<br />
help out. Our development <strong>of</strong>fi cer, Jack<br />
Van Hecke, (313 577-4707), would be<br />
delighted to tell you how to do this.<br />
The new EDC will give us space for<br />
Alternative Energy and Advanced<br />
Propulsion, but in the meantime we<br />
will rent space from our neighbor,<br />
NextEnergy, to get started on our new<br />
$1.5M Biodiesel Project featured in<br />
this issue. (See page 7.) The chemical<br />
engineers under Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Simon Ng will<br />
characterize the fuels, and the Center<br />
for Automotive Research under Director<br />
Naeim Henein will characterize the<br />
fi nal performance in their test engines.<br />
The <strong>College</strong> was pleased to be chosen<br />
by General Motors to be in the PACE<br />
(Partners for the Advancement <strong>of</strong><br />
Collaborative <strong>Engineering</strong>) Program,<br />
but this is a secret just between us until<br />
the formal announcement early next<br />
year. It was a great victory for the faculty<br />
team, led by Associate Dean Michele<br />
Grimm, and should keep our students<br />
on the cutting edge for the next decade.<br />
A major laboratory in the EDC will be<br />
devoted to PACE s<strong>of</strong>tware and hardware.<br />
We are also<br />
delighted<br />
that Associate<br />
Dean Jerry<br />
Thompkins<br />
worked with<br />
the <strong>University</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> Michigan,<br />
Michigan<br />
<strong>State</strong>, and<br />
Western<br />
Michigan<br />
to secure a<br />
prestigious<br />
National Science Foundation<br />
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority<br />
Participation grant to develop a<br />
summer program for incoming<br />
freshmen to improve minority<br />
student representation in our<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essions. (See Page 21.)<br />
Finally, thanks goes to all <strong>of</strong> the<br />
faculty and President Reid for their<br />
hard work in negotiating Memoranda<br />
<strong>of</strong> Understandings with six schools at<br />
Tongji <strong>University</strong> in Shanghai, with<br />
whom we will be <strong>of</strong>fering collaborative<br />
MS degrees to Tongji students who<br />
will take 12 credits in Shanghai and<br />
20 credits in Detroit. (See Page 4.)<br />
Table Of Contents<br />
UP FRONT<br />
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS<br />
FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Danto Donates $3 Million for <strong>Engineering</strong> Development Center . . 2<br />
AROUND HELIOS<br />
Agreement with Tongji <strong>University</strong> in China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4<br />
WSU Police to Operate World’s First F-Cell Powered Police Car. . . . 6<br />
<strong>College</strong> Partners with NextEnergy to Open National BioFuels Lab. 7<br />
Snowden graduates at 55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10<br />
Erlandson Receives National Design Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10<br />
Prasad Elected to National Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />
TRANSITIONS<br />
Larry Patrick, Pioneer Auto Safety Engineer, dead at 85 . . . . . . . . . . 12<br />
SCIENCE FEATURES<br />
Concussions in the National Football League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14<br />
Using Dendrimers To Fight Cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16<br />
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS<br />
Student Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18<br />
New CEO Student Chapter Formed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19<br />
Students Flock to Job Fair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20<br />
Two Students Create Catchy <strong>College</strong> Slogans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21<br />
Summer Program to Support Minority <strong>Engineering</strong> . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21<br />
REFLECTIONS<br />
Helios Trail: A Symbol <strong>of</strong> Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22<br />
FRIENDS & ALUMNI<br />
Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27<br />
The Man Behind the Wingerter Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Up Front<br />
Danto Donates $3 Million<br />
For <strong>Engineering</strong> Development Center<br />
The Danto <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Development Center. Artists<br />
rendering <strong>of</strong> the new building as<br />
viewed from Warren Avenue<br />
roy businessman and<br />
philanthropist Marvin<br />
Danto has donated $3<br />
million to build the new<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Development Center<br />
that will accommodate educational<br />
programs as well as research and<br />
development in the growth fi elds<br />
<strong>of</strong> biotech, nano-science and<br />
alternative energy technology.<br />
Groundbreaking for the $27.3<br />
million Marvin Danto <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Development Center is expected to<br />
take place in the spring <strong>of</strong> 2007. The<br />
new four-story (including basement),<br />
81,700 square-foot building will be<br />
integrated into the college’s main<br />
building along Warren Avenue.<br />
“I see the people <strong>of</strong> Michigan as<br />
the direct benefi ciaries <strong>of</strong> this new<br />
engineering center,” said Danto, 89,<br />
a former WSU engineering student.<br />
“I see this endeavor helping create<br />
alternative fuels and more effi cient<br />
automotive engines in America with<br />
subsequent growth in industries,<br />
new jobs and a sustainable society.”<br />
“Mr. Danto’s generosity is<br />
inspired by his insight and belief in<br />
the university’s role as a leader in<br />
the future <strong>of</strong> Michigan,” said WSU<br />
President Irvin D. Reid. “World events<br />
are highlighting the importance<br />
<strong>of</strong> our research in alternative and<br />
sustainable energy at our <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>, at NextEnergy and at<br />
our research and technology park,<br />
TechTown. Mr. Danto’s gift greatly<br />
enhances those efforts and other<br />
research areas within the university.”<br />
Danto’s contribution boosts the<br />
total fi nancial support so far for the<br />
new center to $21.3 million. The<br />
state legislature has appropriated<br />
$15 million for the project, <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> alumnus Yousif Ghafari<br />
has pledged $1.5, and the Ford Motor<br />
Company has committed $1.8 million.<br />
Danto is chairman and CEO <strong>of</strong><br />
Danto Investment Company in<br />
Troy. He is founder and owner <strong>of</strong><br />
the Michigan Design Center in Troy,<br />
and developer, founder and former<br />
owner <strong>of</strong> the Design Center <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Americas in Dania Beach, Fla., the<br />
largest and most successful design<br />
center in America. He was former CEO<br />
and chairman <strong>of</strong> Englanders, a fi ne<br />
furniture and interior design chain<br />
in Michigan and Florida. And he was<br />
the president <strong>of</strong> the National Home<br />
Furnishings Association, a 16,000 store<br />
organization representing the retail<br />
furnishings industry in Washington D.C.<br />
Danto and his wife Betty reside<br />
in Bloomfi eld Hills. They have three<br />
children and fi ve grandchildren.<br />
Marvin Danto seen with Damon J. Keith,<br />
U.S. Circuit Court Judge and WSU donator<br />
photo by Alonso del Arte<br />
With the <strong>Engineering</strong> Development<br />
Center, the college looks to<br />
create a unique environment to<br />
strengthen research concepts from<br />
its laboratories to development<br />
and commercialization as well as<br />
to the classroom, said Dean Ralph<br />
Kummler. “Our vision keeps our<br />
graduates on the leading edge <strong>of</strong> the<br />
workforce in Michigan and the world,<br />
and engenders an entrepreneurial<br />
attitude that results in spin-<strong>of</strong>f<br />
innovations and companies from<br />
faculty and student research.”<br />
Six pivotal engineering programs<br />
expected to gain the most from the<br />
new center include: the Advanced<br />
Propulsion Alternative Energy Lab,<br />
which is advancing fuels, emissions<br />
and vehicle wear automotive<br />
systems; the Smart Sensors and<br />
Integrated Microsystems Lab, which is<br />
developing micro-systems for artifi cial<br />
vision, real-time cancer detection,<br />
and other types <strong>of</strong> biological and<br />
neurological implants and smart<br />
sensors for automotive fi elds; the<br />
Nanotechnology Lab, which focuses<br />
on advanced research in surface<br />
science, tissue engineering, drug<br />
delivery and biomaterials; the Urban<br />
Infrastructure Research Lab, which<br />
concentrates on infrastructure<br />
and transportation systems; the<br />
Interdisciplinary MEMS/NEMS Lab,<br />
dedicated to interdisciplinary research<br />
on micro/nano-electromechanical<br />
systems; and the Team-based<br />
Student Project Lab dedicated to<br />
national collegiate projects such as<br />
Formula SAE and alternative energy<br />
powered vehicle competitions. ❑<br />
Danto Family Generosity<br />
Spreads Far And Wide<br />
A $3 million contribution to the<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> Development<br />
Center by Marvin Danto, <strong>of</strong> Bloomfi eld<br />
Hills, stems from he and his wife<br />
Betty’s desire to give back, as well as<br />
what Danto likes to say is “just getting<br />
involved in what we like to do.”<br />
Danto, 89, has had a successful<br />
career as a furniture retailer, real estate<br />
developer, and community leader.<br />
He and Betty Danto’s generosity as<br />
philanthropists spreads far and wide.<br />
Danto’s undergraduate engineering<br />
education at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> was cut<br />
short by World War II. Entering<br />
military service as a private, he served<br />
four years in the army -- two-anda-half<br />
<strong>of</strong> them overseas, including<br />
head <strong>of</strong> operations for four ordnance<br />
facilities in England, France, Belgium<br />
and Italy. This experience with<br />
inventory would serve him well later,<br />
when, after exiting the army as a<br />
captain, he went into Betty Danto’s<br />
family furniture business, Englander<br />
furniture stores. He ultimately became<br />
chairman and CEO <strong>of</strong> Englander-<br />
Triangle before leaving in 1973.<br />
Danto later founded Danto<br />
Investment Company and built the<br />
Michigan Design Center and the Design<br />
Center <strong>of</strong> the Americas in Dania, Fla.<br />
He is known internationally not only as<br />
a leader in bringing the best in design<br />
together under one large ro<strong>of</strong>, but<br />
also with Betty Danto for generously<br />
supporting many worthy causes in<br />
health care, education and the fi ne arts.<br />
Together they founded the<br />
supporting grant for the Danto<br />
Family Home for the Elderly in West<br />
Bloomfi eld.<br />
They are the major contributors to<br />
the Sarasota Ballet <strong>of</strong> Florida. Their<br />
eldest daughter, Joanne, is a former<br />
principal dancer with the J<strong>of</strong>frey Ballet.<br />
Marvin and Betty Danto<br />
The Dantos also founded the Memorial<br />
Endowed Scholarship in Dance at the<br />
WSU Department <strong>of</strong> Dance.<br />
The Dantos’ interest in supporting<br />
education also led them to establish<br />
the Jack Lenor Larsen graduate<br />
scholarship for textile design at<br />
Cranbrook Academy <strong>of</strong> Art. They<br />
continue to help fund a program that<br />
sends talented minority children to<br />
the Interlochen Center for the Arts<br />
each summer. And they supported<br />
the construction <strong>of</strong> the Gulf Coast<br />
Wonder and Image Zone, a museum<br />
<strong>of</strong> science for children <strong>of</strong> all ages.<br />
Most recently, they contributed<br />
$2 million to the building <strong>of</strong><br />
the new <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan<br />
Cardiovascular Center.<br />
The $3 million to the Marvin Danto<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Development Center is an<br />
investment to the future <strong>of</strong> Michigan,<br />
said Danto. “I see this endeavor helping<br />
create alternative fuels and more<br />
effi cient automotive engines in America<br />
with subsequent growth in industries,<br />
new jobs and a sustainable society.” ❑<br />
2 3
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Around Helios<br />
200 Tongji <strong>University</strong> Grad Students<br />
Will Study At WSU <strong>Engineering</strong> <strong>College</strong> Each Year<br />
A Real Round Table. The WSU<br />
delegation dining with <strong>of</strong>fi cials<br />
from Tongji <strong>University</strong><br />
Students from Tongji<br />
(tong-gee) <strong>University</strong><br />
in Shanghai, China,<br />
will study and earn master’s<br />
degrees in engineering<br />
at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> in a<br />
new pilot program.<br />
The memorandum <strong>of</strong><br />
understanding, signed<br />
by WSU President Irvin D.<br />
Reid and Tongji <strong>University</strong><br />
President Gang Wan on<br />
a recent trip to China<br />
by a WSU delegation,<br />
may result in 200 new<br />
Chinese students a year<br />
enrolled at the college by 2011.<br />
“The <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> sees<br />
a new mission and an opportunity<br />
unlike any challenge we have faced<br />
before,” said Dean Ralph Kummler.<br />
“Our challenge is to participate<br />
in the new global engineering<br />
environment. While previously,<br />
our graduates typically entered<br />
Michigan industry, now they will<br />
be entering the global market.”<br />
After completing 12 credits <strong>of</strong><br />
graduate coursework at Tongji,<br />
Chinese students may transfer<br />
those credits to <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
and take 20 additional credits<br />
to complete master’s degrees in<br />
industrial and manufacturing, civil<br />
and environmental, mechanical, or<br />
electrical and computer engineering.<br />
“The Chinese students are very<br />
excited about this opportunity,”<br />
Kummler said. “The United<br />
<strong>State</strong>s is still the number one<br />
choice for graduate engineering<br />
education abroad. And their<br />
faculties are just as enthusiastic.”<br />
In addition to the agreement<br />
with Tongji, members <strong>of</strong> <strong>Wayne</strong><br />
<strong>State</strong>’s delegation met with<br />
representatives <strong>of</strong> Fudan <strong>University</strong><br />
in Shanghai, Tsinghua (Chingwah)<br />
<strong>University</strong> and the Beijing<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Technology to explore<br />
other collaborative programs.<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>’s global forays have<br />
fostered a healthy international<br />
student population at the campus.<br />
The college faculty has had<br />
outstanding relationships with their<br />
colleagues at Chinese universities.<br />
The relationships have provided<br />
opportunities for outstanding<br />
Chinese PhD students to work with<br />
faculty and earn their degrees.<br />
These students have gone on<br />
Our challenge is to<br />
participate in the new<br />
global engineering<br />
environment. While<br />
previously our graduates<br />
typically entered<br />
Michigan industry, now<br />
they will be entering the<br />
global market.<br />
to conduct successful careers in<br />
academia and industry in both<br />
the United <strong>State</strong>s and China.<br />
“As our US partner industries take<br />
their manufacturing, engineering<br />
and research global, with emphasis<br />
on China in the automotive sector,<br />
they are generating a tremendous<br />
workforce need,” Kummler said.<br />
“And the need for engineers outstrips<br />
the ability <strong>of</strong> China’s universities<br />
to produce engineers.” ❑<br />
Drive Safely To WSU Campaign<br />
Encourages Drivers To Buckle Up<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>’s faculty, staff and students drive daily<br />
from all corners <strong>of</strong> metro Detroit to reach the<br />
main midtown campus. With it comes the<br />
unwelcome hazard <strong>of</strong> traffi c crashes.<br />
In Michigan, there are 73,000 injury-causing crashes each<br />
year, resulting in 1,200 fatalities. That’s why the college’s<br />
Transportation Research Group (TRG) and the Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Biomedical <strong>Engineering</strong>, in conjunction with the<br />
Michigan Offi ce <strong>of</strong> Highway Safety Planning, hosted a Drive<br />
Safely to <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> campaign from Sept. 26-28. It was<br />
the second year <strong>of</strong> this annual campaign.<br />
The campaign is designed to help make the daily<br />
commutes <strong>of</strong> students, staff and faculty safer and raise<br />
awareness on such driving issues as aggressive driving<br />
(road rage), distracted driving, drinking and driving and<br />
safety restraint systems.<br />
The three-day program is centered on Gullen Mall where<br />
state and local leaders gathered for the opening program,<br />
emceed by WJBK TV-2 Traffi c Reporter Jackie Paige. There<br />
were also numerous displays and activities. Among them<br />
were computer displays, safety belt convincers, rollover<br />
convincers, a driving simulator, a car seat safety check,<br />
“mocktails” and tons <strong>of</strong> information on crashes and other<br />
While the rest <strong>of</strong> the country was saturated in March<br />
Madness, another kind <strong>of</strong> sport unfolded at <strong>Wayne</strong><br />
<strong>State</strong> that required teamwork, and intensity, along with one<br />
other skill.<br />
If you haven’t experienced it yet, a FIRST Robotics<br />
competition is tough to describe. Images from the FIRST<br />
Robotics regional held at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> for the<br />
third year on March 17 and 18 tell it better.<br />
There is the referee in the center <strong>of</strong> the playing fi eld<br />
between rounds dancing the Macarena with the mascot<br />
from the Utica High School Thunder Chickens. There is<br />
the emcee, a Canada Bell employee by trade, and a FIRST<br />
volunteer in his <strong>of</strong>f time. He is sporting a spiked-colored hair<br />
arrangement resembling a parrot, announcing each team<br />
with the gusto <strong>of</strong> the Detroit Pistons announcer introducing<br />
the starting lineups in the NBA Finals.<br />
There is the giant screen with video images projected in<br />
real-time <strong>of</strong> the robots maneuvering to shoot their loads <strong>of</strong><br />
balls into the center goal, or one on defense knocking their<br />
opponents <strong>of</strong>f their wheels. There are the rows <strong>of</strong> hot studio<br />
lights focused on the playing fi eld. And the green lights<br />
above the center goals, indicating the current period <strong>of</strong> play,<br />
safety information.<br />
After the<br />
campaign, TRG,<br />
which among other<br />
highway safety<br />
projects tracks<br />
safety belt use for<br />
the state, recorded<br />
safety belt usage at<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>. They<br />
reported that an<br />
impressive 90<br />
percent <strong>of</strong> WSU<br />
students, faculty<br />
and staff buckle up.<br />
For their efforts in<br />
encouraging safety<br />
belt use at <strong>Wayne</strong><br />
“Don’t try this yourself!”<br />
<strong>State</strong>, the<br />
Transportation Group, led by Tapan Datta, pr<strong>of</strong>essor,<br />
was the recipient <strong>of</strong> the Buckle Up America Safety Belt<br />
Award from the National Highway Traffi c Safety<br />
Administration. ❑<br />
photo by M.J. Murawka<br />
First Robotics Brings ‘March Madness’ To <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
four periods in all.<br />
There are the fans packed<br />
in the stands presenting a<br />
mosaic <strong>of</strong> colored t-shirts,<br />
banners and mascots <strong>of</strong><br />
all species, waving and<br />
swaying. And the deafening<br />
sound <strong>of</strong> chanting<br />
and cheerleading,<br />
drowning out the playby-play<br />
commentary by<br />
the announcer over the<br />
loudspeakers.<br />
And, the robots, <strong>of</strong><br />
course, guided by remote control, each individually<br />
designed by 133 teams, as distinct in their appearance<br />
as they are in function. Finally, there are the students,<br />
the future engineers, scientists and mathematicians,<br />
who, along with their mentors, are transformed by the<br />
experience. Surprised a bit by all the attention, surprised<br />
even more by what can be accomplished by an idea, a<br />
goal, belief, focus and some perseverance.<br />
4 5
photo by David Reich<br />
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Features<br />
WSU POLICE<br />
WSU Police Offi cer Gary Voight says<br />
he likes every chance he can get to<br />
operate the WSU Police F-cell car.<br />
he Daimler Chrysler<br />
Corporation has introduced<br />
the fi rst fuel cell powered<br />
vehicle in the world. The<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> Police<br />
Department will operate the<br />
Mercedes F-Cell as a supervisor’s<br />
vehicle on and in the immediate<br />
vicinity <strong>of</strong> the campus, located in<br />
Detroit’s Cultural Center.<br />
Outfi tted with a third-generation<br />
police radio, decals, lights and sirens,<br />
the WSU Police F-Cell vehicle is a look<br />
into the future <strong>of</strong> fuel cell<br />
automobiles. The demanding<br />
operation <strong>of</strong> a police car will produce<br />
valuable data to help develop fuel cell<br />
technology.<br />
The car will also serve as a learning<br />
laboratory for students in the <strong>College</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>’s Alternative Energy<br />
Technology program, the nation’s<br />
fi rst master’s-degree program in<br />
To Operate World’s<br />
First F-Cell Powered<br />
Police Car<br />
alternative energy.<br />
“This event exhibits how<br />
DaimlerChrysler is taking on the<br />
challenge for industries and<br />
governments to create viable<br />
alternative-fuel solutions,” said Mark<br />
Chernoby, vice president, Advance<br />
Vehicle <strong>Engineering</strong> - Chrysler Group.<br />
“We’re pleased to be a driving force<br />
in this team effort to develop zeroemissions<br />
transportation.”<br />
The WSU F-Cell police vehicle will<br />
be in full operation upon completion<br />
<strong>of</strong> NextEnergy’s new hydrogen<br />
refueling station expected sometime<br />
this summer. NextEnergy is a nonpr<strong>of</strong>i<br />
t alternative energy development<br />
incubator located in TechTown,<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>’s technology park.<br />
The college plans to display the car<br />
at various campus and public events<br />
as a way to educate the public about<br />
alternative energy and technology.<br />
“The WSU Police F-Cell car<br />
demonstrates tomorrow’s<br />
technology, but also reminds us how<br />
hard engineers, including our AET<br />
program faculty and students, are<br />
working toward getting us there,”<br />
said Ralph Kummler, dean <strong>of</strong><br />
engineering.<br />
The WSU Police F-Cell car was displayed at<br />
the college’s Open House last spring.<br />
The entire fuel cell system <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Mercedes F-Cell is housed in the<br />
fl oor <strong>of</strong> the vehicle, leaving full use<br />
<strong>of</strong> the passenger and cargo spaces.<br />
It has a range <strong>of</strong> approximately 100<br />
miles and a top speed <strong>of</strong> 85 mph.<br />
The electric motor develops, 88 hp<br />
(65 kW), enabling acceleration from<br />
0 to 60 mph in 16 seconds. The<br />
stack was developed by<br />
DaimlerChrysler’s partner, Ballard<br />
Power Systems.<br />
The WSU Police F-Cell car<br />
demonstrates tomorrow’s<br />
technology, but also reminds us<br />
how hard engineers, including<br />
our AET program faculty and<br />
students, are working toward<br />
getting us there<br />
Dean Ralph Kummler<br />
Fuel cells release energy from the<br />
reaction <strong>of</strong> hydrogen with a catalyst<br />
and oxygen. This clean technology<br />
operates at a high level <strong>of</strong> effi ciency<br />
and is true zero-emissions.<br />
Hydrogen-powered fuel cell<br />
vehicles emit only pure water vapor<br />
as exhaust.<br />
As part <strong>of</strong> the world’s largest fl eet<br />
<strong>of</strong> fuel cell vehicles, DaimlerChrysler<br />
has more than 25 fuel cell vehicles<br />
in customer hands in California and<br />
more than 100 around the world. ❑<br />
<strong>College</strong> Partners With NextEnergy<br />
To Open National BioFuels Lab<br />
NextEnergy, Inc., Michigan’s nonpr<strong>of</strong>i<br />
t alternative energy accelerator,<br />
is partnering with <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> in opening the National<br />
Bi<strong>of</strong>uel Energy Lab. Located in<br />
NextEnergy’s new facility in Midtown<br />
Detroit, the fi rst-<strong>of</strong>-its kind bi<strong>of</strong>uel<br />
technology development lab is made<br />
possible through a $2.5 million<br />
U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> Energy grant.<br />
The lab is part <strong>of</strong> NextEnergy’s<br />
Biodiesel Value Chain Initiative,<br />
an approach to researching<br />
and developing biodiesel use,<br />
including innovative agricultural<br />
methods to grow energy crops,<br />
fuel optimization and state-<strong>of</strong>the-art<br />
biodiesel production. The<br />
National Bi<strong>of</strong>uel Energy Lab is<br />
scheduled to open later this year.<br />
Biodiesel is fuel made from<br />
renewable resources, such as<br />
vegetable oil, which can either be<br />
recycled from restaurants or culled<br />
from organically grown crops such as<br />
soy and sunfl ower. It is biodegradable<br />
and non-toxic and has signifi cantly<br />
fewer emissions than petroleumbased<br />
diesel when burned. B20<br />
– which refers to the percentage <strong>of</strong><br />
fuel made from biodiesel, i.e., 20<br />
percent renewable natural oils/80<br />
percent fossil fuel – is considered<br />
the best blend for everyday use<br />
in conventional diesel engines.<br />
“This lab will provide a muchneeded<br />
biodiesel knowledge base,<br />
forming a solid technical foundation<br />
for the development <strong>of</strong> future fuels<br />
<strong>of</strong> this type,” said James Croce, CEO,<br />
NextEnergy. The ultimate goal <strong>of</strong><br />
the National Bi<strong>of</strong>uel Energy Lab<br />
is to develop and strengthen B20<br />
specifi cations and standards in order<br />
to facilitate widespread warrant<br />
<strong>of</strong> B20 use by vehicle and engine<br />
OEMs and component suppliers.<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> faculty, graduate<br />
students and PhD candidates will<br />
conduct the day-to-day research<br />
and experiments carried out in the<br />
lab onsite at the NextEnergy Center.<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essors Simon Ng and Naeim<br />
Henein will manage lab activity.<br />
“There are many reasons why<br />
bi<strong>of</strong>uels are an important bridge<br />
toward our nation’s energy<br />
independence, sustainability<br />
and clean environment,” said<br />
Dean Ralph Kummler. “On behalf<br />
<strong>of</strong> Dr. Henein and the <strong>Wayne</strong><br />
<strong>State</strong> Center for Automotive<br />
Research, a leader in diesel engine<br />
performance technology since<br />
1980, we are extremely pleased<br />
to take on this project.”<br />
In addition to NextEnergy and<br />
WSU, several partners will be involved<br />
in contributing to the National Bi<strong>of</strong>uel<br />
Energy Lab.<br />
DaimlerChrysler<br />
will supply<br />
engines used<br />
for research;<br />
Biodiesel<br />
Industries, Inc.,<br />
the nation’s<br />
largest biodiesel<br />
refi ner, will<br />
aid in the<br />
WSU AET Program<br />
Co-director Simon Ng<br />
production and<br />
development<br />
<strong>of</strong> biodiesel<br />
fuel; Delphi Corporation will provide<br />
emission management technology<br />
and fuel injectors; Bosch and the U.S.<br />
Army Tank and Automotive Research,<br />
Development and <strong>Engineering</strong> Center<br />
(TARDEC) the nation’s laboratory<br />
for advanced military automotive<br />
technology, located in Warren.<br />
Finally, Bosch and TARDEC will<br />
provide test facilities and personnel<br />
for fuel evaluation work. ❑<br />
6 7
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Faculty Achievements<br />
SSIM Program Selected For<br />
<strong>2006</strong> <strong>University</strong> Safety Award<br />
Greg Auner (L), Ralph Kummler and<br />
John Davis, VP WSU Finance<br />
The Smart<br />
Sensors and<br />
Integrated<br />
Microsystems<br />
lab at the<br />
college has been<br />
awarded the<br />
<strong>2006</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
Safety Award.<br />
The Award<br />
recognizes<br />
efforts to eliminate<br />
hazardous<br />
conditions and loss or damage to property.<br />
SSIM was honored for going to great lengths to<br />
maintain one <strong>of</strong> the safest laboratory environments<br />
on campus. Due to the volatile and fl ammable<br />
hazards associated with the lab, the unit has<br />
instituted a strict safety program that consists <strong>of</strong><br />
restricted access, continuous safety training for users<br />
and monitoring and testing <strong>of</strong> safety devices.<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Greg Auner, director <strong>of</strong> SSIM, and Dean Ralph<br />
Kummler accepted the award presented by the <strong>University</strong><br />
Loss Prevention Committee at a ceremony April 3.<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Faculty And Staff<br />
Honored For Years Of Service<br />
A total <strong>of</strong> 17 engineering faculty and staff<br />
members were honored by the university for their<br />
continuing years <strong>of</strong> service, while two former faculty<br />
members were bestowed with retirement awards.<br />
Donald Falkenburg, former chairman <strong>of</strong> Industrial and<br />
Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong>, and Donald Silversmith,<br />
former associate dean for research at the college, were<br />
among recently retired university employees bestowed<br />
with retirement awards at a special ceremony held March<br />
24. Falkenburg joined the Industrial and Manufacturing<br />
Department in 1989, later served as chair, and director<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Greenfi eld Coalition from 1999 until 2004 when<br />
the NSF funded program ended. Silversmith, an expert<br />
in MEMs devices, was associate dean for research and<br />
graduate studies from 1988 to 1995, and an active<br />
member <strong>of</strong> the faculty through 2002 before taking on<br />
several assignments with the US <strong>State</strong> Department.<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> employees receiving awards for<br />
25 years <strong>of</strong> service were: Thomas<br />
Heidtke, pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Civil and<br />
Environmental <strong>Engineering</strong>;<br />
Harpreet Singh and Pepe Siy,<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essors, Electrical and<br />
Computer <strong>Engineering</strong>; Eugene<br />
Rivin, pr<strong>of</strong>essor Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>; and Alice Lietz,<br />
academic advisor. Awards<br />
for 20 years <strong>of</strong> service were<br />
given to Simon Ng, pr<strong>of</strong>essor,<br />
Chemical <strong>Engineering</strong>; Vladmir<br />
Sheyman, pr<strong>of</strong>essor, <strong>Engineering</strong> Donald Falkenburg<br />
Technology; and Frank Plonka,<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Industrial and Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong>.<br />
<strong>College</strong> employees receiving 15-year service awards<br />
were: Carol Heckman, dean’s secretary; Kai Yang,<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Industrial and Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong>;<br />
Lidia Nedelcheva, electronics technician; and David<br />
Griffi n, instrument designer. Employees receiving<br />
10-year service awards were Gongkang Fu and Nazli<br />
Yesiller, pr<strong>of</strong>essors <strong>of</strong> Civil and Environmental<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>; Brian Thompson, technical advisor;<br />
Julia Gluesing, Industrial and Manufacturing<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>; and Leslie Monplaisir, pr<strong>of</strong>essor,<br />
Industrial and Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong>.<br />
ESD Affi liate Council Selects<br />
Sahney For Gold Award<br />
Vinod K. Sahney, former<br />
engineering pr<strong>of</strong>essor and current<br />
senior vice president <strong>of</strong> chief<br />
strategy <strong>of</strong>fi cer at Blue Cross and<br />
Blue Shield <strong>of</strong> Massachusetts,<br />
received the Gold Award by the<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Society <strong>of</strong> Detroit<br />
(ESD) Affi liate Council at the<br />
Gold Award Banquet Feb. 22. The<br />
award, the most prestigious honor<br />
ESD engineers bestows on one <strong>of</strong><br />
their peers, honors excellence in<br />
multi-disciplinary technical fi elds.<br />
Sahney was pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> industrial engineering and<br />
operations research at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> from 1970 to 1988,<br />
and presently serves on the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Advisors. He was vice president <strong>of</strong> special<br />
projects at Henry Ford Health Systems in Detroit where<br />
he worked for more than 22 years before recently<br />
assuming his job with Blue Cross and Blue Shield.<br />
Sean Wu Named<br />
“Inventor Of The Year”<br />
Sean Wu, distinguished pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>, was honored with the <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> Inventor <strong>of</strong> the Year Award. Wu was also<br />
honored last September when he became a “distinguished<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor” for his work in acoustic engineering.<br />
The <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> Technology Commercialization<br />
<strong>of</strong>fi ce honored more than 100 faculty members and staff<br />
inventors March 23 at the Detroit Institute <strong>of</strong> Arts for<br />
their ingenuity that has led<br />
to breakthrough inventions.<br />
Wu <strong>of</strong> Troy, holds eight<br />
U.S. patents, leading to<br />
the creation <strong>of</strong> a company,<br />
SenSound, LLC, with Wu as<br />
its chief technical <strong>of</strong>fi cer.<br />
He and his team <strong>of</strong> scientists<br />
and students have developed<br />
an effective tool to help<br />
quiet the noise in products<br />
used in our daily lives.<br />
Besides Wu, engineering<br />
faculty honored were: King<br />
Hay Yang and Albert King, pr<strong>of</strong>essors <strong>of</strong> Biomedical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>, for the development <strong>of</strong> chest and full torso<br />
computer models used to predict injury; Esin Gulari,<br />
Charles Mancke and R. Kannan, pr<strong>of</strong>essors <strong>of</strong> Chemical<br />
and Materials Science <strong>Engineering</strong>, and Gulay Sethakulu,<br />
assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> research, for the development <strong>of</strong> the<br />
supercritical carbon dioxide method to improve properties<br />
in polymers and rubber; Ankur Naik, Jong Lee and Aditya<br />
Belwadi (Biomedical <strong>Engineering</strong>), Cirag Dilek (Chemical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>) Jihay Feng and Gongkang Fu (Civil and<br />
Environmental <strong>Engineering</strong>), Greg Auner, Ivan Avrutsky,<br />
Ronald Baird, Daniel Georgiev, Xiaoyan Han and<br />
Chanelle Hughes (Electrical and Computer <strong>Engineering</strong>);<br />
and Mohammed Mayeed (Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong>).<br />
Yaprak Joins<br />
IEEE Accreditation Committee<br />
Ece Yaprak, associate pr<strong>of</strong>essor, <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Technology, has been selected a member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
IEEE Committee on Technology Accreditation<br />
Activities for a one year term beginning April 1.<br />
Ibrahim Honored With<br />
WSU Faculty Recognition Award<br />
Raouf Ibrahim, pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong>, is<br />
among fi ve university faculty members selected to receive<br />
this year’s WSU Faculty Recognition Award. Ibrahim was<br />
honored for his book, Liquid Sloshing Dynamics, which<br />
summarizes his many years <strong>of</strong> experience and surveys<br />
more than 2,600 publications on this important subject.<br />
The awards are given annually to full-time faculty<br />
members who make outstanding contributions to<br />
scholarship and learning. Each recipient receives a<br />
citation from the board, an engraved wall plaque and a<br />
monetary award.<br />
Yong Xu Selected For<br />
Research Enhancement Grant<br />
Yong Xu, assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Electrical and Computer<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>, was one <strong>of</strong> fi ve faculty members selected by<br />
the university for a <strong>2006</strong> Research Enhancement Grant.<br />
Xu was awarded $360,000 to support his research in<br />
nanotechnology.<br />
Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Xu and his research team are<br />
developing sensors to study the detection <strong>of</strong> serum<br />
antibodies for diagnosing ovarian cancer. Biochemical<br />
sensors play crucial roles in disease diagnosis, drug<br />
discovery, national security, environment monitoring,<br />
food safety and more.<br />
King Hay Yang<br />
Honored By Chinese Ministry<br />
King Hay Yang, director <strong>of</strong><br />
the Bioengineering Center,<br />
was selected for the Chang<br />
Jian Scholar program by the<br />
Chinese Ministry <strong>of</strong> Education<br />
for his outstanding research<br />
in fi nite element modeling <strong>of</strong><br />
crashworthiness and occupant<br />
safety, impact biomechanics<br />
and orthopedic biomechanics.<br />
The award acknowledges<br />
special contributions made<br />
by Chinese scientists and<br />
overseas scholars in various research fi elds. Since<br />
1999, 24 ‘Chang Jian’ scholars have been chosen.<br />
8 9
www.eng.wayne.edu<br />
Faculty Achievements<br />
Machine Shop Manager, 55,<br />
Earns Bachelor’s<br />
by Wojciech Dudek<br />
or most employees his<br />
age, school is but a speck<br />
in the rear-view mirror.<br />
But for Eugene Snowden, lead<br />
instrumentation designer at the<br />
college machine shop, taking<br />
classes, learning from great<br />
teachers, and studying at the<br />
university is enjoyable. So much<br />
so that he received a bachelor’s<br />
degree in Interdisciplinary Studies<br />
from <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> in May.<br />
Snowden has worked at<br />
photo by Wojciech Dudek<br />
WSU for more than 29 years.<br />
Ten years ago he decided to<br />
go back to school. “I was able to take a few courses<br />
each semester since the work was not extremely<br />
demanding, at least to me,” he says. “It took a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
dedication and stubbornness, but it was worth it.”<br />
Snowden had already earned an associates<br />
degree in special machine design from Macomb<br />
Community <strong>College</strong>. At <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>, he studied<br />
non-pr<strong>of</strong>i t organization in the Department <strong>of</strong><br />
Interdisciplinary Studies learning how to write grants<br />
and set up and run a non-pr<strong>of</strong>i t organization.<br />
Snowden thinks that WSU is different than other<br />
universities because students here are encouraged<br />
to form study groups and organizations to promote<br />
learning. “Classes are taught by great teachers, who<br />
make the studying process very interesting,” he says.<br />
“I feel that I received a top-notch education.” Even<br />
with his new degree, Snowden will probably keep<br />
taking classes because he enjoys it so much, he adds.<br />
Snowden decided to take non-pr<strong>of</strong>i t studies to start<br />
his own business after retirement, running weekend<br />
astronomy camps for families. He loves to interact<br />
with kids, he says, and hopes to work in conjunction<br />
with the Detroit Science Center. His business plan is<br />
to supply telescope kits and teach the campers how<br />
to build and align a 6-inch Newtonian telescope.<br />
“What better way to learn science than to have fun<br />
with it,” he says. Already, he has taken necessary<br />
steps to secure funding for his astronomy camp. ❑<br />
10<br />
ASEE Bestows Erlandson<br />
With National Design Award<br />
r<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Computer and Electrical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robert Erlandson has been awarded the<br />
<strong>2006</strong> Fred Merryfi eld Design Award from the<br />
American Society for <strong>Engineering</strong> Education (ASEE).<br />
The national award recognizes engineering educators<br />
for excellence in teaching <strong>of</strong> engineering design and<br />
acknowledges other signifi cant related contributions.<br />
Since 1992, as director <strong>of</strong> the Enabling Technologies<br />
Lab (ETL) at the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>, Erlandson<br />
and his graduate students have enhanced the lives<br />
<strong>of</strong> special needs workers and students as well as<br />
helped local businesses with engineering solutions to<br />
workplace challenges to special needs employees.<br />
The partnerships Erlandson has created help<br />
small businesses employ people with disabilities<br />
and as well as bring students from special education<br />
vocational classes to facilities for community work<br />
experience. Erlandson’s grad students work closely<br />
with businesses to design a workable prototype<br />
product that addresses a special workplace need<br />
presented by employees with physical and/or cognitive<br />
disabilities. The devices enable the special needs<br />
employees to perform otherwise diffi cult tasks, and<br />
helps the company reach their production goals.<br />
The ASEE design award<br />
comes with a $2,500<br />
honorarium and a $500 award<br />
to the Department <strong>of</strong> Electrical<br />
and Computer <strong>Engineering</strong>.<br />
The award was presented<br />
at ASEE’s annual conference<br />
June 21 in Chicago, Ill.<br />
Erlandson is also the<br />
recipient <strong>of</strong> the 2004 WSU<br />
President’s Award for<br />
Excellence in Teaching. Several<br />
schools have received awards<br />
for innovative education<br />
projects the Enabling Technology Lab developed.<br />
The Bovenschien School in Warren received the 1997<br />
Education Excellence Award for its work with ETL. And<br />
the Macomb Intermediate School District received the<br />
MAGNA Award in 2000 from the American School Board<br />
Association for its Kids and Kaizen program with ETL. ❑<br />
Prasad Elected To National Academy Of <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> Alumnus Pryaranjan (Priya)<br />
Prasad, BSME68, PhDBioM73, has been inducted as<br />
a member <strong>of</strong> the National Academy <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
(NAE) for his advances in automotive safety and<br />
impact biomechanics that have led to safer vehicles.<br />
Prasad, a technical research engineer for Ford<br />
Motor Company, was among 76 new US members<br />
<strong>of</strong> the academy announced in February. Election<br />
to the NAE is among the highest pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
distinctions accorded to an engineer. Membership<br />
honors those who have made outstanding<br />
contributions to “engineering research, practice, or<br />
education, including, where appropriate, signifi cant<br />
contributions to the engineering literature,” and<br />
to the “pioneering <strong>of</strong> new and developing fi elds<br />
<strong>of</strong> technology, making major advancements in<br />
traditional fi elds <strong>of</strong> engineering, or developing/<br />
implementing innovative approaches to engineering<br />
education,” according to the academy.<br />
Prasad has been a Ford biomechanical and<br />
automotive safety researcher for the past 32<br />
years. He is widely recognized in the industry as<br />
advertisement<br />
<br />
Night <strong>of</strong><br />
theStars<br />
the foremost leader in this area, having conducted<br />
pioneering research in analytical and physical testing<br />
methods, including vehicle <strong>of</strong>fset crash testing;<br />
development and validation <strong>of</strong> human anatomical<br />
computer models; and injury criteria for children.<br />
He was instrumental in<br />
defi ning the need for and<br />
requirements <strong>of</strong> occupant<br />
crash simulation, leading<br />
to the widespread use <strong>of</strong><br />
modeling in the automotive<br />
industry worldwide.<br />
The latest members<br />
bring total membership<br />
to the Academy <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> to 2,216.<br />
Prasad was inducted into<br />
the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>’s<br />
Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame on Nov. 17, 2005.<br />
He is also the recipient <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Henry Ford Technical Award for Side Impact Model and<br />
the NHTSA <strong>Engineering</strong> Excellence Award for Safety.
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Transitions<br />
Larry Patrick, Pioneer Auto Safety Researcher, 85<br />
Lawrence M. Patrick, one <strong>of</strong> the early pioneers in impact biomechanics<br />
whose research led to many automotive safety design improvements,<br />
including the air bag, died Sunday, April 30, at a hospice in Hendersonville,<br />
N.C., <strong>of</strong> complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 85 years old.<br />
Patrick performed much <strong>of</strong> the<br />
early work in impact biomechanics<br />
with mechanical engineering<br />
colleague Herbert Lissner that was<br />
instrumental in the development <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> Tolerance Curve.<br />
The model is the basis for the<br />
current injury criterion for Federal<br />
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208<br />
and other auto safety standards.<br />
Patrick, who was born in<br />
Detroit, had been living in<br />
retirement with his wife, Bess, in<br />
Laurel Park, N.C., since 1982.<br />
Patrick was researcher in the<br />
Bioengineering Research Center from<br />
1946 and pr<strong>of</strong>essor from 1958 until<br />
1976. He became director in 1965.<br />
Early and succeeding <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
researchers, including Patrick, used<br />
cadavers to test seat belts, safety<br />
glass for windshields, collapsible<br />
steering columns, dashboards, air<br />
bags and many other automotive<br />
safety features today’s motorists take<br />
for granted. The data collected in<br />
these tests were critical in developing<br />
the crash sled dummies used by<br />
automotive safety researchers<br />
worldwide for testing safety devices.<br />
Infl uenced by its close proximity<br />
to the auto industry, engineers,<br />
together with physicians at the<br />
WSU School <strong>of</strong> Medicine, began<br />
the fi rst controlled laboratory<br />
research in trauma biomechanics<br />
in 1939. The achievements by these<br />
and succeeding WSU researchers,<br />
particularly Patrick and Albert<br />
King, chair <strong>of</strong> the Biomedical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Department, put<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> on the map in the<br />
impact biomechanics community.<br />
Patrick was a courageous<br />
researcher who volunteered<br />
himself for many different types <strong>of</strong><br />
impact tests, including pendulum<br />
impacts to his chest as well as<br />
crash sled tests, to obtain living<br />
human data. Just last December,<br />
he was interviewed by British<br />
television Sky One fi lm producers<br />
for a documentary entitled, “Tested<br />
on Humans”, about six leading<br />
American scientists who volunteered<br />
themselves for their own research.<br />
As a researcher and educator,<br />
Patrick instilled in his researchers<br />
and students the ethic <strong>of</strong> hard work,<br />
intellectual integrity, and above all, a<br />
spirit to help those in need, said King.<br />
James Patrick, a civil engineer<br />
in Hendersonville, said his father’s<br />
kindness, compassion and caring<br />
touched anyone who met him.<br />
“He was a renaissance man and a<br />
wonderful father. His work made a<br />
difference to society. A lot <strong>of</strong> lives<br />
were saved from what he’s done.”<br />
In 1976, Patrick resigned from the<br />
university to become vice president <strong>of</strong><br />
research and development at Libby-<br />
Owens-Ford Company, in Toledo,<br />
Ohio, where he led research on<br />
windshield and automotive glazing<br />
safety materials. In retirement,<br />
he and Bess were active in golf<br />
and hiking and as members <strong>of</strong><br />
the First Presbyterian Church.<br />
Patrick received a bachelor’s<br />
in mechanical engineering in<br />
1942, a bachelor’s in aeronautical<br />
engineering in 1943, and master’s<br />
in mechanical engineering in<br />
1955, all from <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>.<br />
He received many academic and<br />
industry honors. He is a fellow <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Society <strong>of</strong> Automotive Engineers,<br />
recipient <strong>of</strong> the A.W. Siegel Award<br />
for outstanding international<br />
research and contributions to<br />
crash injury protection, pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
emeritus, and member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
WSU <strong>Engineering</strong> Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame.<br />
Besides his wife, with whom he<br />
was married for 65 years, James<br />
Patrick and wife, Gayle, also <strong>of</strong><br />
Hendersonville, Patrick is survived<br />
by daughter, Jody Ard and husband,<br />
Eddie, <strong>of</strong> Smyrna, Ga; daughter,<br />
Kathryne Patrick and husband,<br />
Marty Cipollini, <strong>of</strong> Rome, Ga.; sister,<br />
Catherine and husband, Nelson<br />
Johnson, <strong>of</strong> Sevierville, Tenn; and<br />
brother, Col. John Patrick and<br />
wife, Barbara, also <strong>of</strong> Sevierville;<br />
and seven grandchildren.<br />
Takaaki Kagawa, CE Pr<strong>of</strong>,<br />
1947 To 2005<br />
The college expresses its deepest sympathy to family<br />
and friends <strong>of</strong> Takaaki Kagawa, associate pr<strong>of</strong>essor,<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Civil and Environmental <strong>Engineering</strong>,<br />
who died Oct. 24 in Tokyo, Japan. He was 58.<br />
Kagawa, an expert in the analysis <strong>of</strong> the effects<br />
<strong>of</strong> earthquakes on foundations and infrastructure<br />
lifelines, was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2004,<br />
but continued to teach through the end <strong>of</strong> winter<br />
semester 2005. Last summer he worked with his<br />
graduate students while traveling to a Tokyo hospital<br />
for treatment.<br />
He was a member <strong>of</strong> civil engineering for more than<br />
19 years where he established a solid reputation for his<br />
work in geo-technical earthquake engineering. “He was<br />
exceptionally knowledgeable and a very noble person<br />
in character,” said Mumtaz Usmen, the department<br />
chair.<br />
Kagawa was born in Nara, Japan on May 12, 1947.<br />
He graduated from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Tokyo in 1970,<br />
and earned his master’s <strong>of</strong> science and PhD from<br />
the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> California at Berkley where he<br />
studied under the late Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Harry Seed. Seed’s<br />
pioneering research in earthquake science led to the<br />
understanding <strong>of</strong> soil behavior and ground response<br />
during earthquakes that is the basis for present-day<br />
seismic design around the world.<br />
For his PhD at Berkley, he developed a computer<br />
simulation model that analyzes how building<br />
foundations<br />
would behave in<br />
an earthquake.<br />
The model,<br />
called TLUSH, is<br />
used extensively<br />
around the<br />
world.<br />
Kagawa<br />
updated,<br />
improved and<br />
maintained<br />
the s<strong>of</strong>tware model throughout the years, said Haluk<br />
Aktan, a close colleague who traveled with Kagawa on<br />
occasion to Japan and California to study earthquake<br />
effects on building foundations.<br />
Funeral and cremation took place in Fujimishi, Japan.<br />
His remains are buried in Nara. Kagawa is survived by<br />
his wife, Katsumi, sons Wataru and Shinji, father Keiji,<br />
and mother Toyoko.<br />
Jatinder Singh Bedi,<br />
ECE Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor, 62<br />
The <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> extends its heartfelt<br />
sympathy to family, friends and colleagues <strong>of</strong> Jatinder<br />
Singh Bedi, associate<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Computer<br />
and Electrical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>, who died<br />
Dec. 26 after a long<br />
illness. He was 62.<br />
Bedi was an<br />
innovative researcher<br />
<strong>of</strong> fuzzy neural<br />
control methods and<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
since 1983 when he<br />
was invited to teach<br />
computer engineering<br />
at the college. He<br />
was appointed<br />
associate pr<strong>of</strong>essor in<br />
1986, and awarded<br />
tenure in 1991.<br />
He left on sabbatical in 1998, and never returned<br />
due to his illness, a neurological disorder.<br />
Bedi studied fuzzy neural control, voice recognition<br />
and speaker verifi cation. He introduced the fuzzy<br />
logic course into department curriculum, teaching a<br />
large number <strong>of</strong> computer engineering classes at the<br />
graduate and undergraduate levels. He also conducted<br />
funded research for the Ford Motor Company.<br />
Bedi continued to guide the work <strong>of</strong> his graduate<br />
and PhD students even after he moved to a nursing<br />
home. “He showed courage and determination,<br />
continuing guidance for his students during<br />
illness,” said Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Harpreet Singh, a colleague<br />
in Electrical and Computer <strong>Engineering</strong>. “He was<br />
extremely popular and likeable among students.”<br />
Bedi was born in Hazro, West Pakistan, in 1943<br />
and graduated from Punjab <strong>University</strong> in 1965. In<br />
1967 he received his postgraduate certifi cate from<br />
Indian Institute <strong>of</strong> Technology, New Delhi, and<br />
his PhD from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Roorkee, Roorkee,<br />
India in 1978. He taught at Thapar Institute <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> and Technology in Patiala, India<br />
until 1983 when he came to <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>.<br />
Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Bedi is survived by his wife,<br />
Deep; mother, Sampuran Kaur; son, Harjaneet;<br />
daughter, Tammanna; fi ve brothers and one sister.<br />
12 13
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Science Features<br />
<br />
by Albert I. King, Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Biomedical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
On any Sunday afternoon in<br />
the fall, it is not uncommon<br />
to see an NFL player go down<br />
after a play and fail to get up. One<br />
<strong>of</strong> the reasons is a mild concussion<br />
or what is technically termed a mild<br />
traumatic brain injury (MTBI).<br />
Opposing players can run into<br />
each other at speeds in excess <strong>of</strong> 15<br />
mph, and most concussions occur<br />
when there is helmet-to-helmet<br />
impact. The player who is struck on<br />
the side <strong>of</strong> the helmet is more likely<br />
to receive a concussion, possibly<br />
because the head is longer in the<br />
fore-aft direction and the skull is<br />
thinner along the side <strong>of</strong> the head.<br />
In some cases, MTBI can result from<br />
heavy ground contact, such as in<br />
the decking <strong>of</strong> a quarterback.<br />
The injury is exemplifi ed<br />
by confusion, possible loss <strong>of</strong><br />
consciousness, headache, dizziness,<br />
and temporary loss <strong>of</strong> memory and<br />
cognitive function. Shortly after the<br />
event, the injured player may not be<br />
oriented to time, place and person.<br />
He may also have vision problems.<br />
The injured player may be required<br />
by the team physician to sit out the<br />
next play, the next game or for longer<br />
periods depending on the duration<br />
<strong>of</strong> the symptoms <strong>of</strong> concussion. He<br />
is not allowed back on the fi eld until<br />
he is clear <strong>of</strong> all symptoms. With<br />
regard to the risk <strong>of</strong> severe injury due<br />
to repeated concussions, there is a<br />
school <strong>of</strong> thought that recommends<br />
caution after sustaining a concussion.<br />
However, this is not accepted<br />
universally even though we can see<br />
the effects <strong>of</strong> multiple concussions<br />
on boxers, such as Mohammed Ali.<br />
Despite efforts on the part <strong>of</strong><br />
helmet manufacturers to improve<br />
the protective ability <strong>of</strong> the helmet,<br />
concussions continue to occur. In a<br />
project with the NFL, <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
has been studying these concussion<br />
cases with the help <strong>of</strong> a computer<br />
model <strong>of</strong> the brain. Game videos <strong>of</strong><br />
a collision producing a concussion<br />
were analyzed by Biokinetics, a<br />
consulting fi rm in Canada, to estimate<br />
the speed <strong>of</strong> the opposing players<br />
at the instant <strong>of</strong> collision. They then<br />
reconstructed the impact, using<br />
crash dummies that wore the same<br />
helmets that were worn by the<br />
players. Head accelerations <strong>of</strong> both<br />
dummy heads were measured and<br />
the data were fed into our model<br />
to assess the stresses and strains<br />
sustained by various parts <strong>of</strong> the<br />
brain during a concussive impact.<br />
The comprehensive model <strong>of</strong> the<br />
head includes not only all <strong>of</strong> the<br />
The <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
Brain Injury Model<br />
Development <strong>of</strong> strain and strain rate<br />
in the brain due to a lateral impact<br />
major components <strong>of</strong> the brain,<br />
but also the skull, scalp, face, facial<br />
and nasal bones and teeth. It was<br />
validated against several sets <strong>of</strong> data<br />
obtained by various researchers<br />
who conducted head impacts on<br />
cadavers and measured pressure in<br />
the brain as well as displacement<br />
<strong>of</strong> the brain relative to the skull.<br />
Despite efforts on<br />
the part <strong>of</strong> helmet<br />
manufacturers to<br />
improve the protective<br />
ability <strong>of</strong> the helmet,<br />
concussions continue<br />
to occur.<br />
The model revealed some<br />
interesting results. Most <strong>of</strong> the brain<br />
motion, and hence the strain in the<br />
brain, occurs near the center <strong>of</strong> the<br />
brain and not on the periphery.<br />
Also, the rate <strong>of</strong> strain is a good<br />
predictor <strong>of</strong> MTBI because the brain<br />
is not only sensitive to amount <strong>of</strong><br />
strain, but also to the rate at which<br />
the strain is applied. Figure 2 shows model predictions <strong>of</strong> strain and strain<br />
rate in the brain following a side impact to the head. “Hot spots” for strain<br />
initiate near the site <strong>of</strong> impact, and gravitate towards the center <strong>of</strong> the brain<br />
at the end <strong>of</strong> the impact. These central regions are the seat <strong>of</strong> consciousness.<br />
Brain motion is more pronounced when there is a large amount <strong>of</strong><br />
head angular acceleration or rotation as opposed to linear acceleration or<br />
translation. However, every impact has both components <strong>of</strong> acceleration,<br />
and it is diffi cult to determine the contribution <strong>of</strong> each to the resulting<br />
concussion. This is because concussion may not be entirely due to the high<br />
strains. Any impact produces transient pressure waves that traverse the<br />
brain, and the concussive effect <strong>of</strong> these waves is not clearly understood<br />
at this time. In fact, this may be the reason why we are unable to design<br />
a helmet that can be more effective against helmet-to-helmet impact.<br />
This article fi rst appeared in the <strong>2006</strong> December-January Issue <strong>of</strong><br />
Technology Century, published by the <strong>Engineering</strong> Society <strong>of</strong> Detroit. ❑<br />
Albert I. King Distinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>essor And<br />
Chair, Department Of Biomedical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Albert I. King is recognized<br />
worldwide for his work in evaluating<br />
the effi cacy <strong>of</strong> safety devices in<br />
automobiles. As leader <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> Bioengineering Center<br />
since 1979 and as a prominent<br />
researcher since 1966, he and his<br />
colleagues pioneered research in<br />
automobile safety design. He is also<br />
widely recognized for his work in<br />
the mechanisms <strong>of</strong> the spine and<br />
experimental models <strong>of</strong> head injury.<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor King earned his<br />
doctorate in biomechanics from<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> (1966) and was<br />
a student <strong>of</strong> the original WSU<br />
biomedical engineers. He received<br />
the Smithsonian Medal in 1998 for<br />
his work on computer brain models.<br />
Other awards include the Kappa<br />
Delta Award from the American<br />
Academy <strong>of</strong> Orthopedic Surgeons<br />
(1995), the H.R. Lissner Award from<br />
the American Society <strong>of</strong> Mechanical<br />
Engineers (1996), and the Volvo<br />
Award for his research on low back<br />
pain (1984). In 2000, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor King<br />
was inducted into the National<br />
Academy <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>.<br />
14 15
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Science Features<br />
A PROMISING NEW FRONT IN THE WAR AGAINST CANCER<br />
Researchers achieve promising breakthrough<br />
delivering cancer drug to targeted tumor cells<br />
Schematic <strong>of</strong> the dendrimerbased<br />
targeted, nanovehicle<br />
that are imageable in vivo<br />
by David Reich<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Public Affairs Offi cer<br />
Chemotherapy has been<br />
the primary tool in<br />
cancer treatment for<br />
some years. Usually, it involves<br />
massive amounts <strong>of</strong> cancer drugs<br />
delivered intravenously. Typically,<br />
although effective, a signifi cant<br />
percentage <strong>of</strong> the drug fails to<br />
reach the intended tumor and is<br />
absorbed by other parts <strong>of</strong> the body<br />
with undesirable side effects.<br />
With the advent <strong>of</strong> nanotechnology,<br />
a promising new front has opened<br />
in the fi ght against cancer, and<br />
researchers are focusing on<br />
new “targeted” drug delivery<br />
systems capable <strong>of</strong> honing in and<br />
attacking tumor cells without<br />
affecting healthy tissue.<br />
Chemical engineers, together<br />
with medical scientists, are working<br />
with tiny polymer constructs called<br />
dendrimers (~5-10 nanometers)<br />
that act as cancer-drug carrying<br />
‘vehicles’ to target cancer cells, which<br />
can be highly resistant to drugs.<br />
At <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>’s <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>, a team led by<br />
Chemical <strong>Engineering</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Rangaramanujam Kannan has<br />
shown how to effectively deliver<br />
a cancer drug to the doorstep <strong>of</strong><br />
a tumor. More signifi cantly, their<br />
unique dendrimer formulation can<br />
manipulate the resistance cancer<br />
cells to open themselves for drug<br />
delivery. Through collaborations with<br />
researchers at the Karmanos Cancer<br />
Institute, the investigation is set to<br />
move to the animal model stage.<br />
Kannan’s team has demonstrated<br />
their method to be as much as<br />
20 times more effective against<br />
resistant cancer cells than current<br />
treatment methods. Their nanovehicles<br />
were the fi rst reported<br />
polymer-based delivery vehicles that<br />
performed better than the drugs<br />
in cells. Considering the built-in<br />
advantages <strong>of</strong> these vehicles in<br />
vivo over free drugs the potential<br />
<strong>of</strong> their technology is signifi cant.<br />
A successful targeting method<br />
using nanotechnology not only<br />
introduces a powerful new tool<br />
in fi ghting cancer, but has other<br />
applications. One application is in<br />
cancer detection. Kannan’s team<br />
is working with other Karmanos<br />
researchers in developing imaging<br />
agents using dendrimers to<br />
create improved cancer detection<br />
and screening procedures.<br />
“It costs hundreds <strong>of</strong> millions <strong>of</strong><br />
dollars to develop a new drug that<br />
may be more effective; rather than<br />
discover a new drug, it’s much<br />
cheaper to deliver the same drug<br />
more effectively,” says Kannan in<br />
explaining part <strong>of</strong> the motivation<br />
behind his compelling research.<br />
Kannan (pronounced ‘con-nun’)<br />
has not only shown his talent as<br />
a premier researcher in the nine<br />
years he arrived at the college from<br />
California Institute <strong>of</strong> Technology<br />
in Pasadena where he earned his<br />
PhD, but also a talent for teaching<br />
and engaging his students.<br />
Using the power <strong>of</strong> similes (he<br />
loves to compare, for instance, the<br />
role <strong>of</strong> a dendrimer to a school bus),<br />
Kannan outlines and explains to<br />
an interviewer the intricacies <strong>of</strong> his<br />
work and the background <strong>of</strong> the<br />
area <strong>of</strong> his expertise – polymeric<br />
nanomaterials and drug delivery<br />
– which involves more than a<br />
bit <strong>of</strong> knowledge in biology.<br />
In April, Kannan’s group caught<br />
the attention <strong>of</strong> nanotech and cancer<br />
scientists when he reported in the<br />
journal Bioconjugate Chemistry<br />
success in attaching the common<br />
Cellular localization <strong>of</strong> dendrimerdrug-imaging<br />
agent nanodevices.<br />
FITC fl uorescence seen inside<br />
the cell suggest rapid transport <strong>of</strong><br />
drugs into cells by dendrimers.<br />
cancer drug methotrexate to<br />
a dendrimer nanoparticle that<br />
overcame resistance to the drug<br />
in cancer cells (see nano.cancer.<br />
gov/news_center/nanotech_<br />
news_<strong>2006</strong>-04-03b.asp).<br />
For the past few years, researchers<br />
have been able to use dendrimers<br />
–- nanoscopic, non-toxic, tree-like<br />
polymers -– to attach themselves<br />
to cancer cells in the body. The<br />
problem, however, has been in<br />
manipulating these nanovehicles<br />
to transport themselves through<br />
the tumors, into cells, and releasing<br />
the drug at the right time.<br />
Kannan credits Karmanos<br />
collaborator Larry Matherly,<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Cancer Biology/<br />
Pharmacology, and his insights into<br />
how the drug works, as key to the<br />
team’s promising results. “He is<br />
a world expert in understanding<br />
methotrexate transport and folate<br />
receptors in leukemic cells.<br />
“We believe a lot <strong>of</strong> the clues on<br />
how to make this whole technology<br />
go relies on understanding the<br />
mechanism by which these things<br />
act,” Kannan says. “To make these<br />
things go, fi rst it has to be harmless,<br />
it has to get where you want it to<br />
go, it has to be taken by the cells,<br />
and fi nally, the dendrimer has to let<br />
go <strong>of</strong> the drug in the right place.”<br />
Scientists have shown that if you<br />
attach folic acid to a dendrimer,<br />
then attach the cancer drug to it,<br />
the dendrimer will reach a tumor<br />
cell 100 times better than without<br />
the folic acid. Kannan calls the<br />
targeting agent folic acid “the<br />
roadmap” in his school bus analogy.<br />
“On the cell surface there are<br />
receptors who can welcome the<br />
drug into the cell,” Kannan explains.<br />
“Some tumor cells over-express<br />
folate receptors. And you can attach<br />
some molecules like folic acid<br />
on your dendrimer that will fi nd<br />
these receptors very effectively.”<br />
Resistant cells are very<br />
sophisticated, but they can be<br />
tricked. “They are clever enough<br />
to fi gure that the drug is coming,”<br />
says Kannan. “But they are not<br />
clever enough to fi gure out that<br />
the dendrimer is hiding it.”<br />
Getting in the cell is certainly a big<br />
step, but not “a big deal” since it’s<br />
already been<br />
done, Kannan<br />
says. “Besides<br />
that, you<br />
need the right<br />
environment<br />
around the<br />
dendrimer and<br />
the drug. And<br />
that is the big,<br />
big deal. That<br />
is where we<br />
are able to get<br />
signifi cantly<br />
better<br />
performance<br />
than<br />
Ranganamanujam<br />
Kannan<br />
what people have gotten in<br />
the literature before.”<br />
The dendrimer formulation with<br />
the “correct charge”-- so the drug<br />
will be released inside the cell in<br />
the right place -- is the key. “Inside<br />
the cell all kinds <strong>of</strong> things happen,”<br />
Kannan explains. “It fi rst gets into<br />
something like early endosome,<br />
then late endosome, then goes into<br />
lysosome. Lysosomes are places<br />
where the drug can be released<br />
from the polymer. If the dendrimer<br />
does not spend enough time in<br />
the lysosome, then the drug will<br />
not be released. If you use anionic<br />
dendrimer, you have a better chance.<br />
“If a dendrimer has a COOH<br />
end-group it means under the<br />
right environment, it will carry a<br />
negative charge. It can be anionic,”<br />
says Kannan. “Whether you have<br />
a highly negative, neutral, positive<br />
charge, plays a big role in how the<br />
dendrimer is taken into the cells<br />
and how the drug is released. This<br />
is a very big fi nding, a crucial step<br />
Dendrimers story continued on page 31<br />
16 17
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Student Achievements<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Alumni<br />
Association Student Awards<br />
Chelsea Zenk is the <strong>2006</strong> recipient <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Alumni Association (EAA) Outstanding Senior Award.<br />
She was also one <strong>of</strong> the four recipients <strong>of</strong> the Robert J.<br />
Wingerter Award<br />
(see below).<br />
EAA bestows its<br />
most prestigious<br />
award to the<br />
top Wingerter<br />
award winner.<br />
Chelsea Zenk (R) pictured with<br />
Tony Will, BSEE’88<br />
Howard M. Hess Awards<br />
Jasna Bektas<br />
is the <strong>2006</strong><br />
winner <strong>of</strong> the<br />
EAA Frosh/Soph<br />
Award.<br />
The Howard M. Hess Award for academic excellence<br />
is given to the outstanding <strong>Engineering</strong> Technology<br />
graduating seniors from each semester.<br />
Vanco Stojanoski, BSET’05, graduated from<br />
Macomb Community <strong>College</strong> with an AA in Automation<br />
Systems Design. He worked for Comau Pico, Inc.<br />
for fi ve years before enrolling at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>. He<br />
graduated in December magna cum laude.<br />
Bryan Wakely, BSET’06, graduated from<br />
Macomb Community <strong>College</strong> with a degree in vehicle<br />
design, enrolling at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> in 2003. Bryan<br />
maintained a 3.9 GPA at both institutions. He has<br />
worked as co-op student at GM and was considering<br />
it’s <strong>of</strong>fer to continue with them after graduation.<br />
Robert G. Wingerter Awards<br />
The Wingerter Awards are presented to<br />
outstanding seniors with exceptional qualities<br />
<strong>of</strong> scholarship, character and leadership.<br />
The award is the college’s top honor.<br />
Shelly Davis, CEE’06, excelled in academics as<br />
well as providing leadership to the student body as<br />
president <strong>of</strong> the student chapter <strong>of</strong> American Society<br />
<strong>of</strong> Civil Engineers, vice president <strong>of</strong> Chi Epsilon and<br />
member <strong>of</strong> the Society <strong>of</strong> American Women Engineers.<br />
Jessin John, ECE’06, demonstrated strong leadership<br />
qualities as an <strong>of</strong>fi cer in the IEEE Student Chapter and<br />
president <strong>of</strong> the REACH Christian Club. As a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> Tau Beta Pi, he achieved a high scholastic level.<br />
Joseph Scott, ChE’06, performed undergraduate<br />
research and remained active in the student chapter<br />
<strong>of</strong> the American Institute <strong>of</strong> Chemical Engineers, all<br />
the while maintaining an exceptionally high grade<br />
point average. Joe will pursue a doctoral program at<br />
MIT, Cal Tech, Berkeley, or at one <strong>of</strong> several other topranked<br />
PhD programs where he has been accepted.<br />
Chelsea Zenk, IME’06, was a student role model,<br />
balancing schoolwork, practical fi eld work and volunteer<br />
service. She served as project manager for her senior<br />
design team assignment at GM’s Hamtramck assembly<br />
plant. She volunteered at freshman orientation<br />
events and tutored at Shelters Elementary School in<br />
Southgate. Finally, she was president <strong>of</strong> Delta Phi Epsilon<br />
Sorority and was an active member <strong>of</strong> Tau Beta Pi.<br />
Two CEE Graduate Students<br />
Earn National Scholarships<br />
Suvra Chakrabarti and Chirag Safi , graduate<br />
students in the college’s Transportation Research<br />
Group led by Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Tapan Datta, were selected to<br />
receive Michigan Institute <strong>of</strong> Transportation Engineers<br />
Scholarships for the 2005-<strong>2006</strong> academic year. The<br />
scholarship is awarded each year to four students<br />
from Michigan universities based on academic<br />
performance, leadership, pr<strong>of</strong>essional activities and<br />
a brief essay on the transportation pr<strong>of</strong>ession.<br />
Lu Wins “Best Paper Award”<br />
At Stapp Conference<br />
Biomedical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> doctoral<br />
student Ying Lu has<br />
won best student paper<br />
<strong>of</strong> the 2005 Stapp Car<br />
Crash Conference for her<br />
paper on whiplash pain<br />
mechanism. Co-authoring<br />
the paper, which was<br />
part <strong>of</strong> Lu’s dissertation,<br />
were Chaoyang Chen,<br />
Srinivasu Kallakuri,<br />
Ajit Patwardhan and<br />
John Cavanaugh,<br />
Ying Lu<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor, Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Biomedical <strong>Engineering</strong>, and her advisor. Their<br />
work comes out <strong>of</strong> the Biomedical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Spine Lab where researchers are honing in on<br />
the specifi c source <strong>of</strong> whiplash pain. Lu’s paper<br />
describes the dynamics occurring when the cervical<br />
facet joint capsules are stretched in a whiplash.<br />
Piluso Earns AWMA<br />
National Scholarship<br />
Chemical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
graduate student<br />
Cristina Piluso has<br />
been selected to receive<br />
a $2,000 scholarship<br />
from the Air and Waste<br />
Management Association.<br />
She is among 11 students<br />
throughout the country<br />
selected for the award<br />
presented at AWMA’s annual<br />
conference June 22 in New<br />
Orleans. The organization<br />
bestows the scholarships annually to promising<br />
environmental students pursuing studies and research<br />
leading to careers in air quality, waste management,<br />
and/or environmental management/policy/law.<br />
As an undergraduate, Piluso was among the four<br />
Wingerter Award winners in 2004 distinguished<br />
for their outstanding academic performance and<br />
leadership. Piluso’s graduate research project will<br />
introduce a general mathematical framework <strong>of</strong> a<br />
sustainability decision-analysis methodology.<br />
New CEO Student Chapter<br />
Formed At <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
A new student organization on campus for<br />
students who want to become captains <strong>of</strong> their own<br />
businesses held its fi rst <strong>of</strong>fi cial meeting Jan. 26.<br />
Students at the college formed Collegiate<br />
Entrepreneur Organization, or CEO for short, a chapter<br />
<strong>of</strong> the national organization, for the fi rst time at<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong>. The students began meeting<br />
informally last fall when they invited engineering<br />
alumnus Jim Anderson to share his experience starting<br />
his one-man consulting service, Urban Science, in<br />
1977. His company has grown to a global engineering<br />
services company with $70 million in revenue.<br />
Anderson is mentoring the students in developing<br />
their own individual entrepreneurial career plans.<br />
The new CEO group is open to all <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
students, said President Daniel Thomas, a mechanical<br />
engineering senior who wants to design and<br />
develop new inventions, and became involved in<br />
CEO to learn how to “be in control <strong>of</strong> them.”<br />
Future and current CEO’s Daniel Thomas (R), CEO Student<br />
Chapter president, with (right to left) Jim Anderson, CEO, <strong>of</strong> Urban<br />
Science, Marcos Nosr, and Dean Ralph Kummler.<br />
18 19<br />
photo by David Reich
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Student Achievements<br />
AROUND CAMPUS<br />
Left: Mechanical engineering<br />
student Aman Ullah<br />
demonstrates his senior design<br />
project on presentation day<br />
last December for pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Evgeny Rivin’s senior capstone<br />
class, ME4500. Ullah and fellow<br />
students Michael Sowards,<br />
Matthew Kerr, and<br />
Todd Demaray designed this<br />
planetary drive as a low cost,<br />
<strong>of</strong>f-the-shelf solution to power<br />
transmission needs, providing<br />
varying transmission values in<br />
one unit. Over the decade, Rivin<br />
has been teaching the class,<br />
from 300 to 350 students have<br />
designed about 75 projects.<br />
by Wojciech Dudek<br />
Right, above right: Recruitsers<br />
and future captains <strong>of</strong> industry.<br />
Students Flock To <strong>Engineering</strong> Job Fair<br />
ore than 450 students crammed the halls <strong>of</strong> the<br />
college Oct. 13 with their resumes in hand, eager<br />
to talk to engineering company recruiters and get a foot<br />
in the door <strong>of</strong> the industry.<br />
Co-hosted by the college and WSU Career Services,<br />
the 2005 Job Fair attracted representatives from 29<br />
companies seeking qualifi ed individuals to fi ll fulltime<br />
positions, COOP placements and internships.<br />
The companies included private companies along with<br />
federal and state government agencies. Most students<br />
lined up at tables represented by Detroit Diesel, Bose,<br />
Yazaki and EDS, where lines were 10 students deep.<br />
“I came for GM, the CIA and Ford,” said electrical<br />
and computer engineering senior Bradley Bezzina.<br />
“These are companies I would like to work for.”<br />
There are fewer job opportunities in the region<br />
because <strong>of</strong> the sluggish economy, but companies<br />
still come here to <strong>of</strong>fer jobs, said Gerald Thompkins,<br />
associate dean <strong>of</strong> students for the college.<br />
The recruiters are looking for fresh graduates with<br />
leadership abilities, communication skills, languages<br />
and high grade point averages. They also said that<br />
candidates must be fl exible and ready for travel relocation.<br />
About 300 students spoke with EDS recruiters during<br />
the daylong Job Fair, said John Coschino, senior recruiter<br />
at EDS, which needed computer engineering graduates<br />
for positions in s<strong>of</strong>tware applications, development and<br />
programming.<br />
Coschino said he was impressed with the quality <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> engineering students. “<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
engineering students are well prepared, bright and they<br />
know what they want. You can see they have done their<br />
homework.”<br />
Recruiters spent from fi ve to 10 minutes with each<br />
candidate who left resumes for further review by human<br />
resource <strong>of</strong>fi ces. During informal talks, they asked<br />
simple questions such as, “Why are you interested in our<br />
company?” and “What would you like to work at?”<br />
The <strong>Engineering</strong> Job Fair in its present form with<br />
numerous companies setting up shop at one time fi rst<br />
took place in 1996 when more than 60 companies were<br />
represented, said Thompkins. It was created to increase the<br />
opportunities for engineering students who tended to just<br />
interview with the Big Three automakers - GM, Chrysler<br />
and Ford, he added. ❑<br />
Summer Program To Support Minority <strong>Engineering</strong> Students<br />
he college is <strong>of</strong>fering a new summer program for<br />
incoming pre-engineering freshmen as part <strong>of</strong> a<br />
new four Michigan university alliance to address<br />
under-representation <strong>of</strong> minorities earning bachelor’s<br />
degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.<br />
The “<strong>Engineering</strong> Pre-First Year” (EPFY) program at<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> and those <strong>of</strong> the other alliance partners<br />
– Michigan <strong>State</strong>, <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan and Western<br />
Michigan – are part <strong>of</strong> an effort to boost graduation<br />
levels <strong>of</strong> African Americans, Native Americans<br />
and Hispanics by 50 percent in fi ve years.<br />
The universities announced their new partnership in the<br />
Michigan-Louis Stokes alliance for Minority Participation<br />
(MI-LSAMP) program last January. The MI-LSAMP is a<br />
fi ve-year, $2.5 million program funded by the National<br />
Science Foundation (NSF). The college will receive $100,000<br />
annually for the next fi ve years to run its summer program.<br />
The new program will help strengthen <strong>Wayne</strong><br />
<strong>State</strong>’s role <strong>of</strong> increasing the diversity and numbers <strong>of</strong><br />
Michiganians from all communities going into high<br />
tech fi elds, said WSU President Irvin D. Reid. “I know<br />
Two Students Create Catchy <strong>College</strong> Slogans<br />
Civil and Environmental <strong>Engineering</strong> sophomore<br />
Alexander Prysiazniuk could have a future<br />
in marketing if he wasn’t so passionate about<br />
a career in engineering. Prysiazniuk, 19, and another<br />
student, Nicholas Bashour, were the winners <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>’s Best <strong>College</strong> Slogan Contest.<br />
A panel made up <strong>of</strong> college deans and<br />
administrators, along with the college’s Board <strong>of</strong><br />
Visitors, chose Prysiazniuk’s and Bashour’s slogans from<br />
64 submissions by students, faculty and staff.<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> the world’s<br />
future and your own. . . WSU<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Prysiazniuk said it only took him a moment to come<br />
up with his slogan, “<strong>Engineering</strong> the world’s future<br />
and your own. . . WSU <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>.”<br />
these students can benefi t immensely from our support<br />
in their successful pursuit <strong>of</strong> studies in math, science and<br />
engineering, which can lead to a wide range <strong>of</strong> careers.”<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> has long attracted a large percentage <strong>of</strong><br />
minority students. But it shares the problem <strong>of</strong> other<br />
universities nationwide <strong>of</strong> retaining minority students<br />
in engineering and the sciences. “The gap in minority<br />
graduation rates in science and technology across the<br />
country is widening,” said Gerald Thompkins, associate<br />
dean <strong>of</strong> engineering, and director <strong>of</strong> WSU’s MI-LSAMP<br />
program. “We haven’t done a good job to help our students<br />
see the opportunities and options. Our program will work<br />
directly with incoming minority freshmen and ensure they<br />
make a smooth and informal transition to college, thereby<br />
increasing their chances to succeed in engineering.”<br />
According to the 2000 US Census, African Americans,<br />
Hispanics and American Indians comprise 26.4 percent<br />
<strong>of</strong> the total US population with steady growth expected.<br />
However, they represented only about 14 percent <strong>of</strong> all<br />
the engineering baccalaureates in 2002, according to<br />
the American Association <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> Societies. ❑<br />
Bashour, a 20-yearold<br />
junior majoring<br />
in journalism,<br />
came up with the<br />
slogan, “<strong>College</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>:<br />
Developing today’s<br />
engineers, pioneering<br />
tomorrow’s<br />
technology.” It came<br />
<strong>of</strong>f the top <strong>of</strong> his head<br />
as well, he said.<br />
The two were<br />
each awarded an<br />
iPod Shuffl e for their<br />
winning entries, which Alexander Prysiazniuk<br />
were introduced on<br />
the WSU Athletic Department’s electronic marquee<br />
overlooking the Lodge Freeway, and possibly<br />
developed in other college materials and programs.<br />
20 21
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Refl ections<br />
Helios Trail:<br />
A Symbol <strong>of</strong> Light<br />
Helios Trail being lowered by crane into<br />
the <strong>Engineering</strong> court yard in 1989.<br />
Editor’s Note: This story originally<br />
appeared in the 1989 Open House<br />
issue <strong>of</strong> <strong>Wayne</strong> Engineer.<br />
By Santiago Aguilar and Mark C. Kehoe<br />
co-editors, <strong>Wayne</strong> Engineer<br />
rom now on whenever you<br />
enter the courtyard <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> building, the fi rst<br />
thing you’ll see is the <strong>College</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>’s sleak new symbol<br />
that seems to touch the sky. The new<br />
structure is called “Helios Trail.” It<br />
represents our constant striving to<br />
reach our engineering goals no matter<br />
how distant they may appear to be. It’s<br />
to inspire us to continue our efforts to<br />
realize our dreams, one step at a time.<br />
The engineering college began the<br />
quest for representative sculpture<br />
in early 1988 specifying that the<br />
sculpture be composed <strong>of</strong> material that<br />
could withstand the changing weather<br />
condition <strong>of</strong> Southeastern Michigan.<br />
Thirty two national submissions for<br />
proposed structures to represent the<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> were sent in.<br />
Of the submissions, four fi nalists were<br />
chosen by panel chaired by Katherine<br />
Martin, the Dean <strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
Fine, Performing and Communication<br />
Arts. The panel consisted <strong>of</strong> Mel Shaw,<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Electrical <strong>Engineering</strong>,<br />
Richard Bilaitis, Assistant Dean <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> Fine, Performing and<br />
Communication Arts, Ann Tobey,<br />
an artist and musician, artist Mary<br />
Jane Hock and<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
has very<br />
strong ties<br />
to art that<br />
are too <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
forgotten.<br />
Dean Beaufait.<br />
Each <strong>of</strong> the<br />
four fi nalists were<br />
awarded $500 and<br />
asked to submit<br />
a scale model <strong>of</strong><br />
their proposed<br />
sculpture. These<br />
models were then<br />
displayed in the engineering<br />
building’s Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame lounge,<br />
where students and faculty were<br />
invited to view the models. People<br />
viewing the models were polled to<br />
determine which sculpture appealed<br />
to them most. With the results <strong>of</strong><br />
this poll in mind, the selection<br />
committee chose Bruce White’s<br />
sculpture Helios Trail to represent<br />
the <strong>Engineering</strong> <strong>College</strong> at <strong>Wayne</strong>.<br />
Bruce White is a pr<strong>of</strong>essor at the<br />
Northern Illinois School <strong>of</strong> Art. In<br />
his proposal, Mr. White stated that<br />
the sculpture speaks “<strong>of</strong> the coming<br />
together <strong>of</strong> mans’ limitless intuitive<br />
and rational powers. The angular<br />
upward thrust <strong>of</strong> the diminishing<br />
form…(points) to the future and…<br />
(creates) a sense <strong>of</strong> dynamic energy.”<br />
The 40 foot high sculpture, fabricated<br />
form both polished and brushed<br />
stainless steel, was named Helios<br />
Trail, according to Mr. White, “…with<br />
the idea <strong>of</strong> the sun god lighting<br />
the sky, creating a trail <strong>of</strong> light.”<br />
The contoured edge <strong>of</strong> the<br />
structure, facing the building,<br />
was designed to take advantage<br />
<strong>of</strong> the attractive properties <strong>of</strong><br />
light. Lighting would create what<br />
Mr. White called a “changing<br />
silhouette <strong>of</strong> the… contoured edge.”<br />
The sculpture was also designed<br />
to look different when seen from<br />
various places in the courtyard,<br />
creating a “dynamic” effect.<br />
The angular form was chosen<br />
so the sculpture’s shape would<br />
contrast the straight lines and<br />
horizontal bridging wall <strong>of</strong><br />
the engineering building. The<br />
triangular base also “relate(s)<br />
to the angular divisions<br />
<strong>of</strong> the interior landscape.”<br />
Mr. White said that these were<br />
“a vital part <strong>of</strong> the concept.”<br />
The sculpture was transported<br />
on the back <strong>of</strong> a fl atbed truck from<br />
Illinois, where it was constructed<br />
by its designer and a welder, to the<br />
delivery area <strong>of</strong> the engineering<br />
college. It arrived about a month<br />
before dedication. It was then lifted<br />
from the back <strong>of</strong> the truck, over the<br />
engineering auditorium and into<br />
the engineering building courtyard<br />
by a large crane. As luck would have<br />
it, the base’s mounting bolts were<br />
not quite correct and adjustments had<br />
to be made. Once this problem was<br />
resolved, the sculpture was secured<br />
and prepared for its unveiling.<br />
The Helios Trail was <strong>of</strong>fi cially unveiled<br />
on September 22 to an audience <strong>of</strong><br />
engineering faculty, alumni, students,<br />
and those curious on-lookers that just<br />
happened to walk by despite inclimate<br />
weather. Following Dean Beaufait’s<br />
opening remarks, David Adamany lauded<br />
the symbol, saying it spoke “…very well <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>.” Bruce White,<br />
Katherine Martin and Lou Ross, executive<br />
vice-president <strong>of</strong> Ford Motor Company,<br />
also spoke highly <strong>of</strong> the engineering<br />
college and its new symbol. Dean Beaufait<br />
said the sculpture was “…the realization <strong>of</strong><br />
a dream which I had for this college from<br />
the fi rst day at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>. To me this<br />
marks the beginning <strong>of</strong> a new era for the<br />
Challengers to the “Trail”<br />
On a recent trip to Florida, alumnus Brian Geraghty, MSME’72, took these<br />
photographs <strong>of</strong> a sculpture in front <strong>of</strong> the Jacksonville City Hall and plaque.<br />
Look familiar? This sculpture by Bruce White, the same artist who created<br />
the college’s Helios Trail, was erected in 2001 and commemorated to the<br />
“Great Fire <strong>of</strong> 1901” by the citizens <strong>of</strong> Jacksonville. Thank you Brian for<br />
discovering our new connection with Jacksonville.<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>.”<br />
Dean Beaufait also added,<br />
“<strong>Engineering</strong> has very strong ties<br />
with art; one which is too <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
forgotten.” To help reinforce the<br />
engineering college’s ties with art,<br />
the sculpture has become the symbol<br />
<strong>of</strong> our college. A line art illustration<br />
<strong>of</strong> the structure is going to be used<br />
on all <strong>of</strong>fi cial engineering college<br />
stationary and publications. In support<br />
<strong>of</strong> this decision, beginning with this<br />
issue, the new logo will appear on<br />
all <strong>Wayne</strong> Engineer covers. As Dean<br />
Beaufait said this logo will give the<br />
engineering college, “a special identity<br />
within the university community.”<br />
Indeed the sculpture will be a symbol<br />
<strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> for<br />
years to come and will be “…a gift to<br />
students past, present and future.” ❑<br />
22 23
ENGINEERING<br />
ALUMNI<br />
ASSOCIATION<br />
2005-<strong>2006</strong><br />
WSU <strong>Engineering</strong> Alumni<br />
Association Board Offi cers<br />
and Members<br />
Offi cers<br />
President: Brian Geraghty<br />
(MSME ’72)<br />
Ford Motor Company<br />
Vice President: Paul Nahra<br />
(BSME ’98, MSME ’99)<br />
DaimlerChrysler<br />
Financial Offi cer: David M.<br />
Chegash (BSIE ’75)<br />
DaimlerChrysler<br />
Secretary: Anthony Corsetti<br />
(BSME ’99, MSME ’01)<br />
Motorola<br />
Past President: Joseph Boelter<br />
(BSChE ‘ 65, MSChE ‘ 66)<br />
Management Recruiters<br />
<strong>of</strong> Plymouth<br />
Board Members<br />
Robert L. Byrum (BSME ’58)<br />
Sensor Manufacturing<br />
Anthony Duminski (BSEE ’65, MSEE ’69,<br />
MBA ’82)<br />
The Norris Group, Inc.<br />
Claude Fiori (BSEE ’89)<br />
Tamer Girgis (MS ChE)<br />
Student Rep, President,<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Graduate Student<br />
Association<br />
Gerald Goldberg (BS AeE ’52)<br />
Curtis Gomulinski (BSEE ’01)<br />
Coleen Hill (BSCE ’00, MSCE ’02)<br />
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.<br />
Boban Jancevski (BSECE ’03)<br />
Motorola<br />
David Kolodziej (BSME ’59, MSME ’62)<br />
Ralph Kummler<br />
Dean <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Frederick Levantrosser (BSCE ’60, MSCE<br />
’67, MBA ’73)<br />
Don Neumann (BSEE ’72, MSCE ’82,<br />
Ph.D. CE ’99)<br />
General Dynamics<br />
Edward Paley (BSME ’58)<br />
HPS, Inc.<br />
Offer (Frank) Preuthun (BSME ’48)<br />
Fritz Quitmeyer (MSME ’83)<br />
American Axle and Manufacturing<br />
Paul Skalny (MS Operations<br />
Research ’93)<br />
US Army TARDEC-NAC<br />
Tony Wojtowicz<br />
Lakeside <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
From The President Letters to the Editor<br />
Dear Alum,<br />
As you read through this issue <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Exemplar</strong>, you will see how your<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Alumni Association has a<br />
lot to <strong>of</strong>fer for you. Whether you are<br />
looking for information about current<br />
projects at the <strong>Engineering</strong> <strong>College</strong> or<br />
what your fellow alums are doing,<br />
belonging to<br />
the<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Alumni<br />
Association is<br />
a great way to<br />
keep in touch.<br />
But if you<br />
want to do<br />
more than<br />
keep in touch,<br />
we have lots<br />
<strong>of</strong> programs<br />
in which you<br />
can<br />
participate.<br />
The WSU<br />
Capital Campaign “<strong>Wayne</strong> First” is in<br />
high gear and with contributions from<br />
many alums, the $27.3 million<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Development Center has<br />
been given the go ahead. Funding for<br />
equipment is still needed if you have<br />
not yet sent in your contribution.<br />
The <strong>Engineering</strong> Alumni Grants for<br />
Education and Research (EAGER)<br />
funds today’s students in collaborative<br />
projects that promote teamwork,<br />
engineering ingenuity and creativity.<br />
If you give to EAGER, either with your<br />
time or money, you will experience the<br />
enthusiasm <strong>of</strong> our Formula SAE team<br />
and other teams as they compete,<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten on a national scale, against other<br />
universities. This year’s FSAE<br />
competition was attended by 125<br />
colleges and universities from all over<br />
the world. <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> has produced at<br />
least two overall winners in<br />
engineering competitions over the<br />
past few years. So the talent and drive<br />
is outstanding on our teams. The<br />
Alumni Association also funds student<br />
events like the Senior Breakfast in April<br />
and supports the Student Honors<br />
Convocation.<br />
We have a new annual event, The<br />
Golf Outing, and as our treasurer,<br />
David Chegash, reported, “The record<br />
crowd enjoyed good golf, great food<br />
and prizes”. The EAA’s EAGER account<br />
enjoyed the outing, too, as we set a new<br />
record for contributions. The records<br />
we set this year were wonderful but we<br />
want to do even better next year.<br />
Golfers, sponsors and contributors,<br />
keep your calendar open for next year’s<br />
outing in May <strong>of</strong> 2007. Hope to see you<br />
there.<br />
The “Night <strong>of</strong> the Stars” fundraiser<br />
gives recognition for the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>, including Alumni<br />
Achievement Awards. This past year we<br />
celebrated with 250 attendees at the<br />
Detroit Science Center. This unique<br />
venue had theaters and exhibits as a<br />
side experience to the dinner by Opus<br />
One and the Awards. A silent auction<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered unique items that were quickly<br />
bid on by the attendees. The<br />
“interesting venue” theme will be kept<br />
this year with the Night <strong>of</strong> the Stars<br />
ceremony again going to the Detroit<br />
Science Center. Join us for this year’s<br />
event on Friday, October 27.<br />
This year we had a wine tasting<br />
event, a football homecoming event<br />
and a hockey night. All these<br />
supported our mission to build loyalty<br />
and active support among <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> alumni. The<br />
Alumni Association helps to promote a<br />
positive image <strong>of</strong> <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> and The<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>. We promote<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional development and<br />
networking opportunities with our<br />
activities and our membership roster <strong>of</strong><br />
1200 is growing every year. In 2005,<br />
the <strong>Engineering</strong> Alumni Association<br />
was named the Outstanding Alumni<br />
Group at WSU.<br />
More work needs to be done as our<br />
vision is to be the principal affi liation<br />
<strong>of</strong> engineering graduates, providing<br />
leadership and direction in “giving<br />
back” to our alma mater. We<br />
accomplish this by contributing to the<br />
growth and image <strong>of</strong> the college and to<br />
strengthen alumni bonds via<br />
communication and programming for<br />
alumni.<br />
Learn more about the <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Alumni Association by visiting our<br />
website at www.wsueaa.org and<br />
contacting any member <strong>of</strong> the board.<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> has been an important<br />
part <strong>of</strong> your education, and now the<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Alumni Association <strong>of</strong>fers<br />
numerous ways to engage your<br />
interest, curiosity and experience.<br />
Having an engineering degree from<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> makes you a member <strong>of</strong> a<br />
unique group. Use the alumni<br />
association services and encourage<br />
others to join the association. When<br />
possible, volunteer your time to give<br />
back. The rewards far outweigh the<br />
time you give.<br />
I have just completed my two-year<br />
tenure as EAA President and want to<br />
thank the many dedicated volunteer<br />
alums, along with the school staff and<br />
faculty that made this assignment<br />
enjoyable and rewarding.<br />
Brian Geraghty<br />
MSME ‘72<br />
FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
We received the following letter from a friend <strong>of</strong> former college pr<strong>of</strong>essor and inventor<br />
Robert Kearns after publishing his obituary in the 2005 issue <strong>of</strong> Helios News.<br />
- Editor<br />
Dear Helios News:<br />
Somebody should write a book about this one-<strong>of</strong>-akind<br />
Boy, Husband, Father, Friend, and “Man <strong>of</strong> all<br />
Seasons.” In one word, Bob Kearns was a “Mensch”<br />
which = “A Good Man.”<br />
Got to know Bob as a poor boy coming out <strong>of</strong> River<br />
Rouge, and St. Catholic Church till he got his doctorate,<br />
till Mayor Cavanaugh made him Commissioner to<br />
Building and Safety, till Roman Gribbs canned him, till<br />
he wrote the fi rst version <strong>of</strong> the BOCA Building Codes,<br />
till he gave his own Oral Arguments in front <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Supreme Court, till I took his RR church apart, and<br />
‘UPSed’ it back to him in Maryland, till we buried him Robert Kearns<br />
at the same church in River Rouge where the hearse<br />
thought he should be buried in Downtown Detroit near 11th Street instead <strong>of</strong><br />
Dearborn. Bob was a Detroiter and part <strong>of</strong> the Irish Mafi a, and his assistant was<br />
“Black Jack Kelly.” They met in the Lager House on Michigan Avenue at 6th.<br />
Bob lost the central vision <strong>of</strong> his left/right eye on the eve <strong>of</strong> his honeymoon<br />
in Windsor. He claimed to have started working on the wipers the same night.<br />
BS. He spent the night in the Harper Hospital. Bob never lied, but his make-eeups<br />
were something else.<br />
I was the best friend that Bob ever had! He was the best friend I ever had! We<br />
went well together for a lot <strong>of</strong> years! Bob always said that at the end <strong>of</strong> the day, I<br />
could see what I had done. But he couldn’t as his was mental. Bob was one <strong>of</strong><br />
the few men that wore more hats than I did. We were “Simpatico.”<br />
William J. Foley<br />
634 Sweetbriar<br />
Milford, MI 48381<br />
Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame Gallery Launched Online<br />
The <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> has a new feature on its homepage, the COE<br />
HALL OF FAME ONLINE GALLERY.<br />
More than 17,000 students have attended <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>’s <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> since it fi rst opened its doors more than 70 years ago, graduated<br />
and gone out in the world to pursue their individual careers.<br />
In 1983, the college began to recognize some <strong>of</strong> its most outstanding<br />
graduates by creating a Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame. More than 100 alumni with distinguished<br />
careers and life experiences are now members.<br />
Now, you can visit the Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame without leaving your computer by simply<br />
logging onto the Alumni link on the college’s homepage.<br />
25
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Friends & Alumni<br />
WSU Alumnus Writes About His Career In Nuclear Industry<br />
Starting With Army Job On The Manhattan Bomb Project<br />
By Wojciech Dudek<br />
“I wanted my book to<br />
be a fascinating summary<br />
<strong>of</strong> an engineer’s life,” says<br />
Robert Kupp, ChE’47 in<br />
his recent autobiography,<br />
A Nuclear Engineer in<br />
the Twentieth Century<br />
(TRAFFORD Publishers,<br />
2005), where he<br />
summarizes his 58-yearlong<br />
contribution to the<br />
nuclear engineering fi eld.<br />
Kupp’s career began<br />
in 1945 when he<br />
Robert Kupp<br />
unwittingly became<br />
involved in the<br />
Manhattan Atom Bomb Project. Drafted into the army one<br />
semester shy <strong>of</strong> graduation at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> with a chemical<br />
engineering degree, Kupp found himself six months<br />
later in the Special Engineers Detachment at Oak Ridge<br />
Tennessee. It was January 1945, and top secret activities<br />
at the Oakridge National Laboratory were in full swing.<br />
Kupp was made operations supervisor, working in<br />
the Gaseous Diffusion Plant responsible for the analysis<br />
<strong>of</strong> the control instrumentation in the gaseous diffusion<br />
cascade. “Work on the project was exciting for a young<br />
engineer,” says Kupp. “My assignments, starting up<br />
a new section <strong>of</strong> the plant, and my subsequent move<br />
to the central control room, made for me a fascinating<br />
beginning <strong>of</strong> a nuclear engineering career.”<br />
The Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, along with an<br />
additional operation that separated isotopes from uranium<br />
235, enriched the uranium used in the “Little Boy” bomb<br />
U.S. forces dropped on the Japanese city <strong>of</strong> Hiroshima on<br />
I wanted my book to be a<br />
fascinating summary <strong>of</strong> an<br />
engineer’s life.<br />
Robert Kupp, ChE’47<br />
Aug. 6, 1945. His superiors, even if they knew, never told<br />
his engineering group their work was part <strong>of</strong> a massive<br />
countrywide effort to develop a bomb that would be<br />
used against the Japanese. But Kupp and a good friend on<br />
the project “put 2 and 2 together” after reading a book<br />
by two physicists who described in 1942 the concept <strong>of</strong><br />
using enriched uranium to create a nuclear explosion.<br />
While Kupp knew he was part <strong>of</strong> a project making<br />
material for a powerful new bomb, he and his group<br />
were not privy to its timeline, nor how far along the<br />
Manhattan Project scientists “somewhere in the southwest”<br />
were. Kupp recalls hearing the news <strong>of</strong> the Hiroshima<br />
bombing on the radio. “We were very, very excited<br />
and exuberant,” he says. “We knew we had created<br />
something that was substantive in the world, and we felt<br />
it would end the war much quicker than otherwise.”<br />
After his army discharge in July 1946, Kupp returned to<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> in January 1947 to earn his degree. He was<br />
able to complete the 23 credit hours he needed in one<br />
semester with the assistance <strong>of</strong> the chemical engineering<br />
chair at the time, Harold Donnelly. Kupp remembers the<br />
popular pr<strong>of</strong>essor fondly as willing to help him graduate.<br />
Kupp landed his fi rst civilian job in August 1947 as a<br />
process engineer with the Kellex Corporation (later changed<br />
to Vitro <strong>Engineering</strong> Corporation) located in the Oak Ridge<br />
area and the company that designed and built the Oak Ridge<br />
Gaseous Diffusion Plant. After Vitro Manufacturing bought<br />
Kellex in 1952, Kupp worked as the chief nuclear engineer.<br />
He was involved in designing one <strong>of</strong> the fi rst nuclear<br />
plants in the United <strong>State</strong>s -- Indian Point I, New York.<br />
In 1960, Kupp partnered with Sidney Stoller (previously<br />
the vice president <strong>of</strong> engineering at Vitro) to form Stoller<br />
Associates. Their corporation served the growing commercial<br />
nuclear power industry in the development <strong>of</strong> this new<br />
technology. They specialized in the nuclear fuel cycle, safety<br />
and power generation economics. Their company provided<br />
consulting work for the electric utility industry, the US<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Energy, the United Nations and many other<br />
clients. While at Stoller, Kupp taught nuclear engineering<br />
as an adjunct pr<strong>of</strong>essor at New York Polytechnic Institute.<br />
Kupp says he enjoyed reliving his experiences and<br />
refl ecting on the nuclear industry in the process <strong>of</strong><br />
writing his self-published book. A Nuclear Engineer in the<br />
Twentieth Century <strong>of</strong>fers readers an opportunity to learn<br />
much about the development <strong>of</strong> nuclear technology in<br />
the United <strong>State</strong>s, depicting important problems facing<br />
the industry from its early beginnings to the present.<br />
Kupp writes about radiation safety, power economics,<br />
risk/benefi t analyses and the societal issues <strong>of</strong> nuclear<br />
waste disposal. Moreover, his fi rst-hand experience in<br />
the industry adds an important personal dimension.<br />
A Nuclear Engineer in the Twentieth Century by Robert<br />
Kupp, BSChE’47, can be purchased by googling Robert<br />
William Kupp, or visiting www.trafford.com/04-2811<br />
Friends & Alumni<br />
Class Notes<br />
1950s <br />
John Banicki, MSCE’ 51, founder<br />
and chief executive consultant <strong>of</strong><br />
Testing Engineers & Consultants<br />
Inc. <strong>of</strong> Troy, was selected for the<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Society <strong>of</strong> Detroit’s<br />
(ESD) 2005 Lifetime Achievement<br />
Award. Banicki has been an ESD<br />
member for 52 years. He received<br />
ESD’s Distinguished Service Award in<br />
1995 and was<br />
elected fellow<br />
in 1977. Among<br />
many other<br />
honors, he is the<br />
Michigan Society<br />
<strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
Engineers<br />
(MSPE) 2005<br />
Outstanding<br />
Engineer in<br />
Private Practice, the recipient <strong>of</strong><br />
the 1979 MSPE Engineer <strong>of</strong> the Year<br />
Award and an elected fellow.<br />
Norman W. Schubring, BSEE ’52,<br />
MSEE ’59, is a WSU liaison to Delphi<br />
Research Labs. In 1978, Schubring<br />
received the Charles L. McCuen<br />
Special Achievements Award for Tri-<br />
Band Slot Antenna. Schubring also<br />
received the Award <strong>of</strong> Recognition<br />
for Pioneering Contributions on<br />
Third International Symposium on<br />
Integrated Ferroelectrics in 1991.<br />
In addition, Schubring received<br />
the John M. Campbell Award for<br />
Discoveries <strong>of</strong> New Fundamental<br />
Properties <strong>of</strong> Ferroelectric Materials<br />
in 1995. In 1999, he was inducted<br />
to the Delphi Inventors Hall <strong>of</strong><br />
Fame. He resides in Troy.<br />
Eugene Tomlinson, BSCHE ’56,<br />
MSCHE ’61, MBA ’74, is retired from<br />
Tomlinson Research. He recently<br />
completed an assignment with<br />
the Governors Offi ce <strong>of</strong> Workforce<br />
Training and Development.<br />
Tomlinson enjoys oil and watercolor<br />
painting. He resides in Santa<br />
Fe, N.M. with wife Sandy.<br />
1960s and 70s <br />
David E. Casteel, BSCHE’ 60, is<br />
retired from Texas Instruments<br />
Incorporated after 24 years<br />
as a senior business systems<br />
computer programmer. He<br />
resides in Dallas, Texas.<br />
William Jackson, BSET ’70, MSET<br />
’72, is a senior engineer at Aerospace<br />
Corp. Jackson designs and develops<br />
deep space communication systems.<br />
He received the President’s Award<br />
for technical and programmatic<br />
excellence in leading recovery<br />
effort <strong>of</strong> a government program.<br />
He resides in Chantilly, Va.<br />
Zoltan Lukacs, CE ’79, is a project<br />
executive for Turner Construction<br />
Co.’s Detroit <strong>of</strong>fi ce. Lukacs is<br />
also a member <strong>of</strong> the Habitat<br />
for Humanity Detroit board <strong>of</strong><br />
directors. He resides in Novi.<br />
1980s, 90s and 00s <br />
Michael Popovic, CHME ’81,<br />
is a mechanical engineer at<br />
DiClemente Siegel Design Inc.<br />
He resides in Southfi eld.<br />
James A. Croce, ECE’86, CEO <strong>of</strong><br />
NextEnergy, a non-pr<strong>of</strong>i t alternative<br />
energy accelerator,<br />
was named<br />
Developer <strong>of</strong><br />
the Year by<br />
TechTown, <strong>Wayne</strong><br />
<strong>State</strong>’s research<br />
and technology<br />
park. Croce is<br />
a 2004 WSU<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Hall<br />
<strong>of</strong> Fame inductee.<br />
He resides in Troy.<br />
Joe Hernandez, BSET’91, is a group<br />
leader in the Retail Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Department at SSOE,<br />
Inc. Hernandez has been active with<br />
the American Society <strong>of</strong> Plumbing<br />
Engineers (ASPE) for 30 years,<br />
serving on the board <strong>of</strong> directors<br />
for 13, fi ve <strong>of</strong> those as a president.<br />
Hernandez received the ASPE<br />
Chairman’s Award <strong>of</strong> Merit in 1996<br />
for developing an education program<br />
for young engineers in plumbing<br />
engineering. In 2004, Hernandez<br />
was named Engineer <strong>of</strong> the Year by<br />
the American Society <strong>of</strong> Sanitary<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>. He resides in Troy.<br />
Laurel Johnson, BSChE’93,<br />
MSCIE’98 is a senior project engineer<br />
at Soil and Materials Engineers,<br />
Inc. She resides in Eastpointe.<br />
Paul Pentecost, Jr. Certifi cate HWM’<br />
93, MS HWC’96, is president <strong>of</strong><br />
the Michigan Chapter <strong>of</strong> Certifi ed<br />
Hazardous Materials Managers.<br />
He resides in Bloomfi eld Hills.<br />
Joel Rinkel, MSCEE’98, is a<br />
senior product engineer at Soil<br />
and Materials Engineers, Inc.<br />
He resides in Plymouth.<br />
Yaser Mahmoud,<br />
BSChE ’99, MBA<br />
’05, is a general<br />
manager for EDS<br />
Environmental<br />
Disposal System. He<br />
resides in Dearborn.<br />
Michael Meixner,<br />
EMMP’04, is a<br />
director <strong>of</strong> international logistics at<br />
Russell A. Farrow, Ltd. Meixner is<br />
responsible for overseeing Canadian<br />
logistics operations. He resides<br />
in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.<br />
Andy Balogh, BSME’05, is a product<br />
engineer at Freudenberg-NOK. He<br />
is designing crankshaft dampers<br />
and linear mass dampers. He<br />
resides in Brownstown Township.<br />
26 27
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
Friends & Alumni<br />
Transitions<br />
Leonard Myron Salle, BSCE’59, Dies In Palo Alto, Calif.<br />
Leonard Myron Salle, a college alumnus and founder <strong>of</strong> the<br />
California progressive think tank, the Commonweal Institute,<br />
died May 5 at Stanford <strong>University</strong> Hospital as the result <strong>of</strong><br />
complications <strong>of</strong> coronary bypass surgery. He was 69.<br />
Salle was born in Detroit, graduated from Mumford<br />
High School in 1954 and <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> in 1959 as a civil<br />
engineer. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in<br />
1960 and worked in executive positions in civil and<br />
environmental engineering design and construction fi rms.<br />
“He was a good man who did good in his lifetime,” said<br />
longtime friend and fellow <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> alumnus Harvey<br />
Gotliffe, a pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> journalism at San Jose <strong>State</strong> in<br />
California. “From his days at <strong>Wayne</strong> in the 1950s, Leonard<br />
has been passionately devoted to try and do what is right<br />
and benefi cial for his community and for society as a whole.”<br />
In 2001, Salle co-founded the Commonweal Institute<br />
that seeks to maximize the visibility and the power <strong>of</strong><br />
progressive ideas and values. “The issues closest to his<br />
heart included those with a liberal bent -- protecting<br />
the environment, reducing classroom size, buttressing<br />
election security and supporting the tort system,”<br />
according to his obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle.<br />
Salle was president <strong>of</strong> the Santa Clara County Engineers<br />
and Architects Association, a fellow in the American Society<br />
<strong>of</strong> Civil Engineers, and a charter member <strong>of</strong> the Association<br />
<strong>of</strong> Environmental Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals in California. For the past<br />
16 years, Salle<br />
and his wife,<br />
Katherine Forrest,<br />
have resided in<br />
Palo Alto, Calif.<br />
Salle is survived<br />
by his wife,<br />
Katherine Alden<br />
Forrest; sons<br />
William F. <strong>of</strong><br />
Agoura Hills, Calif.,<br />
and Stephen K.<br />
<strong>of</strong> Sacramento,<br />
Calif.; stepsons,<br />
Eric John Finseth<br />
Leonard Salle with wife, Katherine Forrest <strong>of</strong> McLean, Va.,<br />
and Ian Frederick<br />
Finseth <strong>of</strong> Denton, Texas; a brother, Donald <strong>of</strong> San Mateo,<br />
Calif.; sister-in-law, Adele, wife <strong>of</strong> his diseased brother,<br />
Richard Salle, <strong>of</strong> Saratoga, Calif.; and six grandchildren.<br />
A special fund in Salle’s name has been set up at<br />
the Commonweal Institute to carry out his long-term<br />
work on strengthening the public education system.<br />
Donations can be mailed to the Leonard M. Salle<br />
Memorial Education Fund, the Commonweal Institute,<br />
325 Sharon Park Drive, Suite 332, Menlo Park, CA 94025.<br />
Emmett Leith, BAAS’50, MSPhy’52, PhDEE’78,<br />
Holographic Innovator, Dies At 78<br />
Holographic innovator and <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> electrical<br />
engineering alumnus Emmett Leith was planning to retire<br />
Dec. 31 after 52 years at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan. But<br />
Leith, a pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> electrical engineering and computer<br />
science, died <strong>of</strong> an internal hemorrhage Dec. 23 after falling<br />
ill the day before at his home in Canton. He was 78.<br />
“He’s known as the person who made practical holography<br />
possible,” Gary Adams, who worked for Leith at the U-M Institute<br />
<strong>of</strong> Science and Technology lab, told the Ann Arbor News. Leith<br />
uncovered the principles <strong>of</strong> the hologram while working at the<br />
lab in the mid-50s. Between 1961 and 1964, Leith and fellow<br />
researcher Juris Upatnieks made a series <strong>of</strong> presentations to the<br />
Optical Society <strong>of</strong> America describing three major advances in<br />
holography, which uses lasers to create three-dimensional images.<br />
Leith was born in Detroit. He earned all his college<br />
degrees from <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>: a bachelor’s in liberal arts<br />
and sciences in 1950, a master’s in physics in 1952,<br />
and a PhD in electrical engineering in 1978.<br />
Just before he fell ill, Leith was honored at his retirement<br />
party. He had worked at U-M for 52 years.<br />
Louis Silverman, BSChHE ’41, ’41 died Nov.<br />
15, 2005. He received a master <strong>of</strong> science<br />
in metallurgy from Stevens Institute <strong>of</strong><br />
Technology, NJ, in 1950. He was a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the <strong>Wayne</strong> Alumni in New York City for<br />
several decades. Over the 50-year span <strong>of</strong><br />
his career, he worked at the Bowen Products<br />
Division <strong>of</strong> the L.A. Young Corporation, RCA,<br />
Chromatic Television Laboratories (Paramount),<br />
Raytheon, General Precision Corporation and<br />
the Electronics Semiconductor Corporation.<br />
Donations<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Development Center<br />
Support Hits $21.3 Million<br />
A total <strong>of</strong> $21.3 million has been pledged to the<br />
building fund for the new <strong>Engineering</strong> Development<br />
Center, which is expected to cost a total <strong>of</strong> $27<br />
million. In addition to the state <strong>of</strong> Michigan’s $15<br />
million commitment, a $1.5 million donation from<br />
chemical engineering alumnus Yousif Ghafari has been<br />
pledged. An additional $1.8 million will come from<br />
Ford Motor Co. as the university gears up for the<br />
second phase <strong>of</strong> its capital fund-raising campaign.<br />
Ernest Kirkendall Family<br />
Bequeaths $25,000<br />
Promising engineering students will benefi t<br />
from a $25,000 donation left by former alumnus<br />
Ernest Kirkendall and his family. Kirkendall, who<br />
died last August, earned his bachelor’s degree<br />
from <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> in 1934 and master’s and PhD<br />
from <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan in 1935 and 1938. He<br />
was an assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> chemical engineering<br />
at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>University</strong> from 1941 to 1946.<br />
Kirkendall’s doctoral thesis experiments on the interdiffusion<br />
between copper and zinc proved that the<br />
individual component atoms in a solid alloy diffuse at<br />
different rates. His discovery, which took the scientifi c<br />
world 10 years to accept, became a well-known<br />
theory in metallurgical science, providing guidance for<br />
materials research and practical engineering problems.<br />
George F. Warnke, BS <strong>Engineering</strong>’45,<br />
died in May 2005 in Chandler, Ariz.<br />
Thomas R. Reagan, BS IME ’49, died<br />
Oct. 17, 2005. He lived in St. Louis, MO.<br />
Richard Kazmier, ME ’51, died June<br />
14, 2005, after a long battle with cancer.<br />
Kazmier was a retired mechanical engineer<br />
who enjoyed a long and successful<br />
career with Rockwell International<br />
and was a veteran <strong>of</strong> the US Army.<br />
Singh Development Donates<br />
$50,000 For Scholarships<br />
Students in India will have the opportunity to pursue<br />
graduate studies in engineering at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>, thanks<br />
to a $50,000 donation from Singh Development<br />
LLC <strong>of</strong> Troy. Lushman Grewal, a 1967 electrical and<br />
computer engineering graduate and treasurer <strong>of</strong><br />
Singh Development, helped establish the scholarship<br />
fund. Grewal, a native <strong>of</strong> India who emigrated to<br />
the United <strong>State</strong>s in 1961, said Singh’s interest is in<br />
strengthening cultural understanding between the<br />
two countries. In addition to Singh’s donation, two<br />
area Sikh institutions have donated $10,000 each to<br />
the endowment to encourage collaboration between<br />
the college and educational institutions in India.<br />
Clare and John Morrison Bequeath<br />
$120,000 For Scholarships<br />
Thanks to Clare and John Morrison, engineering<br />
students will receive fi nancial support in the form <strong>of</strong><br />
scholarships. A total <strong>of</strong> $120,000 was bequeathed by<br />
Clare and her brother John, who was an electrician at<br />
Ford Motor Co. John Morrison died in 1997, and Clare,<br />
an attorney who lived in Detroit, just this last February.<br />
Clare’s sister was a <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> alumnae.<br />
28 29
www.eng.wayne.edu FALL <strong>2006</strong><br />
An Alumnus Remembers<br />
The Wingerter Awards for excellence in engineering<br />
scholarship are the highest honor an engineering student<br />
can receive, and only the top students are selected. Most<br />
people affi liated with the college recognize the name<br />
and the image <strong>of</strong> Wingerter, which <strong>of</strong>ten appears in<br />
college publications in articles announcing the award<br />
winners. But few people know the man himself.<br />
The man behind the Wingerter Award, Robert G. Wingerter,<br />
talked to Marion Ringe, Offi ce <strong>of</strong> Development and Alumni<br />
Affairs, on his student years at <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> and explained<br />
how he came to establish the fi rst award in 1968.<br />
After graduation in 1938, Wingerter joined Timken Roller<br />
Bearing Company in Canton, Ohio, as a trainee engineer<br />
for sales and moved up through the ranks over the next<br />
20 years, culminating as director <strong>of</strong> sales for four years.<br />
He then went to Rockwell-Standard Corporation, serving<br />
as executive vice president, director and president <strong>of</strong> the<br />
automotive division. His last career move took him to<br />
Libbey-Owens-Ford Company, where he served fi rst in the<br />
position <strong>of</strong> executive vice president, then president and<br />
chief executive <strong>of</strong>fi cer, and fi nally, chairman <strong>of</strong> the board.<br />
This October, Wingerter will celebrate his 90 th birthday.<br />
He and his wife, Dorothy, a <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> education<br />
graduate (1939), live in Perrysburg, Ohio. In August,<br />
they celebrated their 67 th wedding anniversary.<br />
by Marion Ringe<br />
“In the 1930s when I was in high school,<br />
my father’s business had failed and fi nding work was<br />
almost impossible. My mother prepared food for several<br />
grade school lunchrooms to bring in a little money. Life<br />
was tough. At that time, the Detroit Board <strong>of</strong> Education<br />
awarded one tuition scholarship to what was then Detroit<br />
City <strong>College</strong>, the precursor to <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong>, to<br />
each high school graduating class. When I graduated from<br />
Denby High School in January 1934, I was the fortunate<br />
recipient. That was the way I was able to enter college.”<br />
“I was good in math and mechanical challenges and<br />
had an early interest in studying engineering in college. I<br />
did well academically, and I also enjoyed sports. I pitched<br />
baseball for my high school team and also played on the<br />
high school golf team. I was introduced to golf as a caddy.<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> didn’t have a baseball team at that time, but I did<br />
make the varsity golf team, which put me on crowded<br />
The Man Behind The Wingerter Award<br />
Robert G. Wingerter, BSEngg’38<br />
streetcars from the east side, toting an armful <strong>of</strong> books and a<br />
loaded golf bag. I was captain <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Wayne</strong> golf team for two<br />
<strong>of</strong> the three years I played varsity golf and was able to arrange<br />
my classes to leave afternoons available for golf matches.”<br />
“At the end <strong>of</strong> my sophomore year and early in 1936, the<br />
city <strong>of</strong> Detroit converted from manufactured gas to piped-in<br />
natural gas. That meant all gas appliances throughout the<br />
city had to be converted to accommodate the new service. A<br />
number <strong>of</strong> college students took advantage <strong>of</strong> the opportunity<br />
Robert Wingerter with wife, Dorothy<br />
for the good-paying work. I became a trouble-shooter,<br />
handling diffi cult conversions, and was earning as much as<br />
$60 a week, depending on overtime opportunities, which<br />
seemed a small fortune during the mid-30s. I worked at that<br />
job for eight months until the conversion was complete, and<br />
I returned to my academic studies. Then I bought a 1933 Ford<br />
V8. No more golf bags on the streetcars. Being able to drive to<br />
school was a dream-come-true, but parking was a problem.<br />
The only place to park was on the street. With the bumpers<br />
on the Ford, I developed a handy skill -- nudging parked cars<br />
front and rear just a bit until there was room for mine.”<br />
Establishing the awards<br />
“A long-time friend from my grade and high schools, Ray<br />
Hayes, was active in the leadership <strong>of</strong> the university’s alumni<br />
association in the mid-1960s, and he urged me to sponsor<br />
Robert Wingerter with Dean Ralph<br />
Kummler (L) and Jack Vanhecke, the<br />
college’s development director<br />
Dendrimers story continued from page 17<br />
to making these things work.”<br />
Kannan and Matherly were<br />
able to achieve success only after<br />
lengthy trial and error applying their<br />
dendrimer formulations to tumor<br />
cultures consisting <strong>of</strong> both sensitive<br />
and resistant cell lines. “As time goes<br />
by, cancer cells become resistant to<br />
the drug,” Kannan says. “Larry can<br />
take a sensitive cell and knock out<br />
the receptor that takes in the drug<br />
and make the cell resistant. You treat<br />
them with the drug and you fi nd the<br />
sensitive line gets killed. The resistive<br />
line puts up a big struggle even after<br />
being given a factor <strong>of</strong> 100 times<br />
more drug. If we take that same cell<br />
line, and treat it with the dendrimer<br />
conjugate we created, we need to<br />
give a factor <strong>of</strong> 8-25 times less drug.”<br />
The researchers have been<br />
using mice in preliminary tests to<br />
learn more about the behavior <strong>of</strong><br />
dendrimers. “Now that we know<br />
what kind <strong>of</strong> construct is working,<br />
we can go back and put targeting<br />
moieties (agents) on dendrimers<br />
and go and test them in animals.”<br />
Kannan hopes to work with other<br />
some new support for<br />
the university. I was<br />
motivated to recognize<br />
superior scholastic<br />
performance in the<br />
engineering college.”<br />
“I established the<br />
awards in December<br />
1967 to reward<br />
senior students for<br />
their outstanding<br />
scholarship, character<br />
and leadership. Back<br />
then, the awards<br />
were $250, and I<br />
gave $1,000 each<br />
year to fund the<br />
four annual awards.<br />
researchers at Karmanos, Children’s<br />
Hospital <strong>of</strong> Michigan and Kresge<br />
Eye Institute, that will lead to<br />
several clinical applications through<br />
translations <strong>of</strong> this nanomaterials<br />
research platform. “Our collaborators<br />
have animal models to test our<br />
dendrimer-based delivery systems,”<br />
says Kannan. The collaborations are<br />
with Anthony Shields, Fazlul Sarkar,<br />
Bonnie Sloane and Kami Moin and<br />
Neb Duric (all at Karmanos), Ray Iezzi<br />
(Kresge), Mary Lieh-Lai (Children’s),<br />
David Bassett (<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy).<br />
Another close collaborator is Sujatha<br />
Kannan (Kannan’s wife) who was<br />
his mentor and is on the faculty at<br />
Children’s. She is working on using<br />
dendrimers for delivery to the brain.<br />
“It’s a relative new technology<br />
with very broad applications,<br />
and <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> is a great<br />
collaborative environment to<br />
make it happen”, he says. ❑<br />
Today, each awardee receives $1,000, and my hope<br />
is that the endowment I created will support some<br />
future increases to parry the erosion <strong>of</strong> infl ation.”<br />
”Since 1968, 130 awards have been presented, and it<br />
is gratifying to receive photos and occasional notes <strong>of</strong><br />
thanks from the students. Reading about past Wingerter<br />
award winners who are succeeding in business also is a<br />
great pleasure for me. Although it is diffi cult now to attend<br />
the award ceremonies as I occasionally used to, I still feel<br />
connected to the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong> and am proud<br />
to stimulate students through this award recognition.”<br />
Marion Ringe is a development <strong>of</strong>fi cer in the WSU<br />
Offi ce <strong>of</strong> Development and Alumni Affairs.<br />
R.M. Kannan is an associate<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor in the Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Chemical <strong>Engineering</strong> and<br />
Materials Science, and Biomedical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong>. He is also a coinventor,<br />
co-founder and chief<br />
technical <strong>of</strong>fi cer <strong>of</strong> nanoScience<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Corporation, a<br />
nanotech start-up partly owned<br />
by <strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong>, that researches,<br />
develops and markets novel<br />
ne<strong>of</strong>i ller dispersion technologies.<br />
30 31
www.eng.wayne.edu<br />
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YOU CAN HELP<br />
ENSURE THE FUTURE OF THE<br />
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING<br />
IT’S EASY AND SO REWARDING!<br />
Have you thought <strong>of</strong> planning a future gift for the <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong>? A bequest or<br />
other carefully planned gift is an excellent way to strengthen the college’s future.<br />
Your planned gift can:<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
Make a signifi cant impact on the<br />
college’s programs and students<br />
Help you save on taxes - income tax, capital<br />
gains tax, gift tax and/or estate tax<br />
Enable excellent management <strong>of</strong> your assets<br />
Give you a tremendous sense <strong>of</strong> satisfaction, knowing<br />
your gift will help keep the legacy <strong>of</strong> quality higher<br />
engineering education strong and growing<br />
Examples <strong>of</strong> convenient planned gifts:<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
Gift by will or trust<br />
Gift <strong>of</strong> the remainder <strong>of</strong> retirement plans<br />
Life income gift<br />
Gift <strong>of</strong> life insurance<br />
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<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> can assist<br />
you with your gift plans<br />
For more information, contact Bill<br />
Winkler, Planned Gifts Offi cer at:<br />
(313) 577-6508 or E-mail bwinkler@wayne.edu<br />
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<strong>College</strong> Leadership<br />
Ralph Kummler, Ph.D., P.E.<br />
Dean <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Michele Grimm, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs<br />
Snehamay Khasnabis, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Dean, Research<br />
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<br />
Gerald Thompkins, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Dean, Student Affairs<br />
Gary Zaddach, M.B.A.<br />
Director, Business Operations<br />
Lawrence Achram<br />
DaimlerChrysler<br />
James Anderson<br />
Urban Science<br />
David Aronow,<br />
Arco Alloy Corporation<br />
Robert Banasik, Ph.D.<br />
Omnilife Health Care<br />
John Banicki<br />
Testing Engineers & Consultants<br />
Andrew Brown, Jr., Ph.D.<br />
Delphi<br />
Walter Bryzik, Ph.D.<br />
TACOM<br />
Bob Byrum<br />
Sensor Manufacturing<br />
Russell Carter<br />
ArvinMeritor<br />
James A. Croce<br />
NextEnergy<br />
Robert Denton<br />
Denton, Inc.<br />
Bharat Desai<br />
Syntel, Inc.<br />
<br />
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<br />
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<br />
Brian Geraghty<br />
Ford Motor Company<br />
James Gessner<br />
Michigan Energy<br />
Yousif Ghafari<br />
Ghafari Companies<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Visitors<br />
Jack VanHecke<br />
Development Director<br />
Kate Kendro<br />
Development Offi cer<br />
Megan Cyrulewski<br />
Development Offi cer<br />
David Reich<br />
Public Affairs Offi cer<br />
Charles Hess<br />
Fischer/Unitech, Inc.<br />
David Hill<br />
E.C. Korneffel Co.<br />
Cheryl E. Kreindler<br />
CH2M Hill Michigan, Inc.<br />
Steve Kurmas<br />
DTE Energy<br />
Mike Marino<br />
Aviation Partners Boeing, retired<br />
Victor M. Mercado<br />
Detroit Water/Sewage Department<br />
Nancy Philippart<br />
General Motors<br />
Madhava Reddy<br />
HTC Global Services, Inc.<br />
Julius L. Reeves<br />
General Motors<br />
Erik Roeren<br />
Eberspacher North America, Inc.<br />
Vinod K. Shaney, Ph.D.<br />
Henry Ford Health Systems<br />
Donald J. Smolenski, Ph.D.<br />
GM WFG Environmental<br />
Clay L. Snyder<br />
EDS GMNA<br />
Percy Vreeken<br />
Transnav Technologies
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
Detroit, MI 48202<br />
fax: (313) 577-5300<br />
phone: (313) 577-3780<br />
www.eng.wayne.edu<br />
Join Us For<br />
Night <strong>of</strong> the Stars<br />
on October 27, <strong>2006</strong><br />
call 1-866-7-ALUMNI<br />
for details