Faculty Notes

Associate Professor Ellen M. Arruda gave the keynote lecture at the Third International Symposium on Finite Element Analysis of Rubber and Rubber-Like Materials in Akron, OH, in May. Her talk was entitled, "Characterizing and Modeling Hyperelastic and Viscoelastic-Viscoplastic Elastomers at Low and High Strain Rates." Professor Emeritus Joseph Datsko (BSE ME '43, MSE '52) was the keynote speaker at the Class of '43 Dinner during the U-M Emeritus Weekend in Ann Arbor, in June. Assistant Professor Liwei Lin has recently given several seminars on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) research at MEAM, including a departmental seminar at the University of Minnesota, invited seminars at the University of California Berkeley and at Riverside, and seminars at HP Lab, Xerox PARC, Seagate Technology, Inc., Honeywell, Inc., Analog Devices, Inc., Motorola, Inc., and SiTek, Inc. Robert H. Lurie Professor of Engineering Jyotirmoy (Jyoti) Mazumder and Associate Professor Michael Thouless were speakers at the First Michigan Materials Research Symposium in May. The event was sponsored by the U-M Materials Science and Engineering Department. Professor Emeritus Herman Merte, Jr. (BS NAM '50, BSE ME '51, MSE '56, PhD '60), gave the keynote address, entitled "Pool Boiling in Microgravity: How is it Different?" at the 17th Canadian Congress of Applied Mechanics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, in June. Assistant Research Scientist Nestor F. Michelena and Professor Panos Y. Papalambros, have received a $150,000, three-year grant from the Ford University Research Program for "Systems Target Cascading." Professor Christophe Pierre and Assistant Research Scientist Matthew P. Castanier (BS ME '89, MSE '92, PhD '95) presented "Preventing High Cycle Fatigue in Turbine Engine Components," at the Capitol Hill Exhibit on University Research for the National Defense in Washington, DC, in May. Their presentation was one of only 20 booths from different universities around the country and the only one from the U-M. Assistant Professor Kazuhiro (Kazu) Saitou received a four-year grant for "Decomposition-Based Assembly Synthesis of Bistructural Products," from Toyota Motor Co. He also has a collaborative agreement with Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratory on design optimization of MEMS resonators for sensor applications. Assistant Professor Ann Marie Sastry gave several invited seminars during the last year, encompassing theoretical and experimental research in transport behavior and mechanical response of porous materials. Applications of the work range from batteries (Ni/MH and Li-ion) to biological materials (including peripheral nerves and marine eggs). She spoke at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in the U.K. In the U.S., she spoke at Stanford University, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of IllinoisChicago, Harvard University, and Brown University. Associate Professor William W. Schultz was elected to the CoE's Rules Committee. Continuing members include Associate Professor Gregory M. Hulbert on the Curriculum Committee and Paul G. Goebel Professor of Engineering Yoram Koren on the Executive Committee. Professor Richard A. Scott had two articles published and one article accepted for publication in the Journal of Sound and Vibration during the past year. These include "Shape Optimization of Unconstrained Viscoelastic Layers Using Continuum Finite Elements," "Dynamic Stability of a Rotating Shaft Driven through a Universal Joint," and "Free Vibration of a Rotating Tapered Composite Timoshenko Shaft." Associate Professor Volker Sick gave an invited lecture at the Gordon Research Conference on Laser Diagnostics for Combustion in Italy in June. He was also elected vice chair of the Society of Automotive Engineer's (SAE) Fuels and Lubricants Activities Committee, and is now responsible for all combustion-related events. MEAM Chair and William Clay Ford Professor of Manufacturing A. Galip Ulsoy participated in the 1999 American Control Conference in San Diego in June where his students, Chengwei Hsu, Tomas Larsson, and Liangkuang Chen, presented papers they have coauthored with him. He also chaired meetings of the ACC2000 Organizing Committee and the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems Measurement and Control Editorial Board and attended meetings of the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the American Automatic Control Council. He was part of the External Review Board for the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Toronto in July. Congratulations to: Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Dennis N. Assanis, who received an Outstanding Level of Instruction Award from the Technical Education Program (TEP) of General Motors Corp. (GM) offered through the CoE's Center for Professional Development (CPD). Assistant Professor Diann E. Brei, who received a $320,000 grant from the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for "Proof of Concept Investigation of Active Velcro for Autonomous Docking of Micro- and Nano-Satellites." She also received a U-M Career Development Award, which recognizes service contributions by women faculty to the University and their broader professional communities. In addition, she received a Sloan Pre-Tenure Leave Fellowship and a Boeing grant for "Design Study of Synthetic Jets."	U-M MEAM CPO / Shekinah Errington OmniMate Robot Navigates Factory Floors OmniMate, an innovative new robot developed by Research Scientist Johann Borenstein, and the U-M Mobile Robotics Lab, has received recent media attention, including an article in the Ann Arbor News. OmniMate is a smart, 3-by-6-foot pallet on wheels, ideal for use in factories. It is capable of hauling 250-pound loads in any direction, including sideways, diagonally, or rotating on the spot. Borenstein has developed numerous robotic vehicles over the past 14 years. U-M MEAM CPO / Rodney Hill Congratulations to Paul G. Goebel Professor of Engineering Yoram Koren, right, who received the ASME 1999 William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award "for out-standing research contributions to the field of manufacturing and production engineering . particularly adaptive control, robotics, and numerically controlled systems, which enabled companies to integrate new technologies onto existing machining systems." Koren is pictured with MEAM Chair A. Galip Ulsoy at the May 20th MEAM Spring Celebration. Professors Koren and Vedat S. Arpaci (inset above) were both honored at the MEAM event for having received the College of Engineering's Departmental awards for Outstanding Accomplishment.
	Associate Professor and Associate Chair Steven L. Ceccio (BSE ME '85), who is one of only 15 people in the country to be selected for the Defense Science Studies Group (DSSG) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The DSSG includes mid-career faculty in science, mathematics, and engineering who have achieved national recognition in their fields and consult with the DoD on national security issues. Adjunct Professor Thomas D. Gillespie, who received the Outstanding Distance Learning Faculty Award by the Technical Education Program (TEP) of GM offered through the CoE's Center for Professional Development. He was selected from one of several institutions which offer the courses .including Stanford University, MIT, Purdue University, and University of Illinois .by students who work full-time for GM and take courses via distance learning toward a master's degree. Associate Professor John W. Holmes, who was named Professor-of-the-Term by Pi Tau Sigma at its Winter Term Banquet in April. Adjunct Professor Nicolae Orlandea (PhD '73) received an honorary doctorate degree from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania for his contributions to computer-aided dynamic analysis of mechanical systems and his role in the development of the Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems (ADAMS) software. Jwo Pan and Noel C. Perkins, who received promotions to the rank of professor with tenure. Ellen M. Arruda, David R. Dowling, and Huei Peng were promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure. Johann Borenstein was promoted to research scientist. Professor Panos Y. Papalambros, who received the 1999 Machine Design Award from ASME International for "research in design optimization, which has paved the way for new paradigms in machine design (monotonicity analysis) with significant practical applications in the automotive industry." Professsor Christophe Pierre, who was appointed as associate dean of academic programs and initiatives in the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Associate Professor Steven L. Ceccio (BSE ME '85) replaces Pierre as MEAM associate chair and Associate Professor S. Jack Hu (MSE '86, PhD '90) replaces Ceccio as the MEAM graduate programs chair, all as of 9/1/99. Professor John E. Taylor (PhD '64), who retired 5/31/99, and was named Professor Emeritus with his primary department, Aerospace Engineering. Taylor was jointly appointed as Professor with MEAM, and has remained very involved with Department activities. He was also recently named a lifetime member of the Danish Center for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics. Professor Alan S. Wineman, who was recently named a fellow of ASME. An ASME member is named a fellow when he or she has at least 10 years active engineering practice and has made significant contributions to the field. Assistant Professor Margaret S. Wooldridge, who received the ASME 1999 Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in mechanical engineering within 10 years of graduation. She also received a U-M Career Development Award and a Research Equipment Grant (REG) for a "Laser System to Study the Chemical and Physical Aspects of Particle Nucleation and Growth" from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for which Professor Arvind Atreya is the co-principal investigator. Wooldridge recently had the papers, "Quantitative Flow Visualization Using the Hydraulic Analogy" accepted to Experiments in Fluids and "Quantitative Evaluation of Vibrational Excitation of A1½-X1(sum)+ Flame Emission from a Silane/Hydrogen/Oxygen/Argon Diffusion Flame" accepted to the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. Professor Wen-Jei Yang (MSE '56, PhD '60), who was named an honorary member of the Combustion Institute of the Republic of China.