Hamza, Smith Receive Distinguished Achievement Awards
Once again, ME students have been recognized for their outstanding performance, as Karim Hamza and James (Jay) Smith have each received a 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award. This honor is given annually to students chosen by department and program faculty to recognize academic and personal excellence.
Hamza, a PhD candidate, comes by his interest in mechanical engineering naturally, as both of his parents are mechanical engineers. Because his father runs his own business, Hamza said, "It was there that I got to love engineering since I was a kid, and it was there that I got into the practice as I grew up." He went on to earn his Bachelors and Masters degrees at Cairo University and then came to the University of Michigan for doctorate studies in 2001.
"The University of Michigan is one of the top schools in the world in Mechanical Engineering, particularly in Design and Manufacturing," said Hamza. "That is the specialization I was interested in pursuing for my doctorate. When my application
was accepted, it was an easy decision to come to the ME department here."
Among Hamza's activities at ME, which led to his nomination by his advisor, Associate Professor Kazuhiro Saitou, he served as a graduate student instructor for ME250 (Design and Manufacturing) for the sophomore class. "The course includes a project, in which students design and manufacture a product," Hamza said. "I really enjoy working with students, and it's even nicer when the students start enjoying the work they do."
Hamza's research focuses in design optimization because of its range of applications. "I am specializing in design optimization, and I love it because it is not really a specialization, as such," he said. "Design optimization is about doing things in other specializations, only doing them better. To be good at design optimization, one is required to be good at other specializations as well, plus have a good understanding of optimization techniques. That's why I find it so interesting."
As for his years at ME, he has mixed emotions. "Overall, it has been great, but it makes me sad that five years have passed so quickly."
Research Fellow Jay Smith has received honors previously from the CoE, tying for the best presentation at the 2005 Graduate Student Symposium in the thermo-fluids section and receiving 3rd place for his poster at the same event. Still, he didn't expect the recognition of the Distinguished Achievement Award.
"Honestly, I was very surprised," said Smith, who received his doctorate in August. "I have never been a professional student who normally receives honors such as this, so the whole idea was kind of shocking. I have always tried to work smart and keep an applied focus to my work in both industry and the university. It is very rewarding to see that be recognized with this honor."
The award was likely due, in part, to some key developments that were part of his dissertation research. Smith and his advisor, Professor Volker Sick, were able to develop a diagnostic tool that is capable of adding an unprecedented level of temporal resolution to in-cylinder imaging, which is a first in this field.
"Previous techniques basically provided still pictures," said Smith, "but our technique provides movies. I like to think of it this way: if a picture is worth a thousand words, what's a movie worth?"
Smith has two primary areas of concentration: internal combustion engine research, specifically ignition instabilities and alternative fuels, and optical diagnostics development. As he said, "To effectively conduct engine research, you need very good diagnostic tools. This is where optical diagnostic tools come in. There are few better ways to analyze something than to literally see what is going on, which is precisely what we do."
Smith was initially attracted to mechanical engineering through his affinity for working with machines, in addition to having an interest in physics, chemistry and math. As he noted, "mechanical engineering seemed like a logical way to bring these interests together and be able to work on issues that are highly relevant to society. So far, that notion has proven accurate."
He became interested in the engine research sub-field of mechanical engineering. He found the combination of the appeal of the ME's facilities ("it has one of the best
automotive research facilities in the world") and faculty ("Professor Sick was very welcoming and provided research opportunities that I could not pass up") to be compelling reasons to come to North Campus.
Smith received his doctorate in August. Prior to coming to ME for his doctoral studies, he earned his MS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a BS in Mechanical Engineering, from Western Michigan University.
