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WAZZU Racing: Keeping up with KoryI N S I D E
School of Mechanical and
Materials Engineering
Director’s Message
Dear Alumni and Friends,
I hope you enjoy this edition of our School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering newsletter.
As you can see in these pages, our school continues to grow and excel. Our educational programs
are shaping a new generation of mechanical and materials engineers who are being prepared to
make a significant difference for the future of the state and the nation.
In the tradition of a land-grant institution, we continue to provide real-world, hands-on
experiences that prepare our graduates for the 21st century workplace. Our students are learning
valuable skills through their participation in student clubs and competitions, research experiences,
internships, and industry interactions, and our graduates are meeting critical industry demand. I
am proud that our program is producing the most mechanical engineering graduates in the Pacific
Northwest and among the top ten nationally.
On the research side, our researchers won a record number of new grants in 2016 — in spite of
an increasingly competitive research environment. In particular, Kelvin Lynn received Department
of Energy funding for work in developing manufacturing technology for cadmium telluride
materials. Amit Bandyopadhyay and Susmita Bose received National Institutes of Health grants
for their work in improving implants that are used in hip and knee replacements. Our researchers
published more than 150 journal papers last year, and their work has real-world impacts that is
changing lives in areas like health, the environment, and energy.
Of course, the support of our alumni and friends is more important than ever in our success.
I hope from reading these pages, you sense the exciting growth and opportunity in the School
of MME as we strive to continue to improve in educating and inspiring the next generation of
mechanical and materials engineers filled with curiosity and discovery.
Finally, I look forward to following the school’s continued future success from afar. I have
accepted an offer to be dean of the College of Engineering at North Dakota State University
starting in the fall. Leading the school through this time of tremendous growth has been one of
the highlights of my career, and I am proud of the many accomplishments that we have achieved.
Thank you for your strong and continuing support of the school.
Michael Kessler
Berry Family Director and Professor
CONTENTS
Research Silver cloud ............................................................................ 2
Environmentally friendly, soy air filter ..................................... 3
Smartphone laboratory detects cancer ................................... 4
Better water splitting .............................................................. 5
New clues for nuclear waste cleanup ...................................... 6
Students Coug students make a ‘reel’ difference ................................... 7
WAZZU racing: Keeping up with Kory .................................... 8
Students aim for hydrogen future .......................................... 9
Brown receives Goldwater Award ......................................... 10
Alumni and Friends Alumnus wins prestigious award .......................................... 10
Bremerton alumni help launch coal cleanup ......................... 11
From Mt. Vernon to NASA ................................................... 12
Grant from Siemens PLM Software ....................................... 13
Around the School Dr. Bi: Rising to the challenge .............................................. 14
Awards and honors .............................................................. 15
MME continues strong growth ............................................. 16
On the Web: mme.wsu.edu
1282
@WSUVoiland
@wsu.eng.arch
linkedin.com/groups/1900440
Want to Go Green and Help Us Save Our Green?The MME newsletter and other MME publications are also available in electronic format. If you would like to receive e-publications from MME, please send a note to Tina Hilding at [email protected].
The School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering newsletter is published for the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, PO Box 642920, Pullman, Washington, 99164-2920 by WashingtonState University, PO Box 645910, Pullman, Washington, 99164-5910. Distribution is free to mechanical and materials engineering alumni, friends, personnel, and students. Volume 6, Issue 1, 2017. 4/17 156288
Communications Director:Tina Hilding, [email protected]
M M E . W S U . E D U 1
Washington State University researchers have developed a unique,
3-D manufacturing method that for the first time rapidly creates
and precisely controls a material’s architecture from the nanoscale
to centimeters — with results that closely mimic the intricate
architecture of natural materials like wood and bone. The work has
many high-tech engineering applications.
“This is a groundbreaking advance in the 3-D architecturing of
materials at nano- to macroscales with applications in batteries,
lightweight ultra-strong materials, catalytic converters, super-
capacitors and biological scaffolds,” said Rahul Panat, associate
professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
who led the research. “This technique can fill a lot of critical gaps
for the realization of these technologies.”
The WSU research team used a 3-D printing method to create
fog-like microdroplets that contain nanoparticles of silver and
to deposit them at specific locations. As the liquid in the fog
evaporated, the nanoparticles remained, creating delicate structures.
The tiny structures, which look similar to Tinkertoy constructions,
are porous, have an extremely large surface area and are very strong.
Silver was used because it is easy to work with. However, Panat
said, the method can be extended to any other material that can be
crushed into nanoparticles — and almost all materials can be.
The researchers created several intricate and beautiful structures,
including micro-scaffolds that contain solid truss members like
a bridge, spirals, electronic connections that resemble accordion
bellows or doughnut-shaped pillars.
The manufacturing method itself is similar to a rare, natural
process in which tiny fog droplets that contain sulfur evaporate over
the hot western Africa deserts and give rise to crystalline flower-like
structures called “desert roses.”
Because it uses 3-D printing technology, the new method is
highly efficient, creates minimal waste and allows for fast and large-
scale manufacturing.
The researchers would like to use such nanoscale and porous
metal structures for a number of industrial applications; for
instance, the team is developing finely detailed, porous anodes and
cathodes for batteries rather than the solid structures that are now
used. This advance could transform the industry by significantly
increasing battery speed and capacity and allowing the use of new
and higher energy materials.
Graduate students Mohammad Sadeq Saleh and Chunshan Hu
worked with Panat on the project. ❚
Structures created with a novel 3-D manufacturing method.
Research
Silver cloudNovel 3-D manufacturing builds bio-like material
2 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
Washington State University researchers
have developed a soy-based air filter that
can capture toxic chemicals, such as carbon
monoxide and formaldehyde, that current
air filters can’t.
The research could lead to better air
purifiers, particularly in regions of the
world that suffer from very poor air quality.
The engineers have designed and tested the
materials for the bio-based filter and report
on their work in the journal Composites
Science and Technology.
Working with researchers from the
University of Science and Technology
Beijing, the WSU team, including Weihong
(Katie) Zhong, professor in the School of
Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
and graduate student Hamid Souzandeh,
used a pure soy protein along with bacterial
cellulose for an all-natural, biodegradable,
inexpensive air filter.
Hazardous gases escape most filtersPoor air quality causes health problems
worldwide and is a factor in diseases such
as asthma, heart disease and lung cancer.
Commercial air purifiers aim for removing
the small particles that are present in
soot, smoke or car exhaust because these
damaging particles are inhaled directly into
the lungs.
With many sources of pollution in some
parts of the world, however, air pollution
also can contain a mix of hazardous
gaseous molecules, such as carbon
monoxide, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide
and other volatile organic
compounds.
Typical air filters,
which are usually made
of micron-sized fibers
of synthetic plastics,
physically filter the small
particles but aren’t able to chemically
capture gaseous molecules. Furthermore,
they’re most often made of glass and
petroleum products, which leads to
secondary pollution, Zhong said.
Soy captures nearly all pollutantsThe WSU and Chinese team developed a
new kind of air filtering material that uses
natural, purified soy protein and bacterial
cellulose — an organic compound produced
by bacteria. The soy protein and cellulose
are cost effective and already used in
numerous applications, such as adhesives,
plastic products, tissue regeneration
materials and wound dressings.
Soy contains a large number of
functional chemical groups — it includes
18 types of amino groups. Each of the
chemical groups has the potential to
capture passing pollution at the molecular
level. The researchers used an acrylic acid
treatment to disentangle the very rigid soy
protein, so that the chemical groups can be
more exposed to the pollutants.
The resulting filter was able to remove
nearly all of the small particles as well as
chemical pollutants, said Zhong.
Filters are economical, biodegradable
Especially in very polluted
environments, people might be breathing
an unknown mix of pollutants that could
prove challenging to purify. But, with its
large number of functional groups, the soy
protein is able to attract a wide variety of
polluting molecules.
“We can take advantage from those
chemical groups to grab the toxins in the
air,” Zhong said.
The materials are also cost-effective and
biodegradable. Soybeans are among the
most abundant plants in the world, she
added.
Zhong occasionally visits her native
China and has personally experienced the
heavy pollution in Beijing as sunny skies
turn to gray smog within a few days.
“Air pollution is a very serious health
issue,” she said. “If we can improve indoor
air quality, it would help a lot of people.”
Patents filed on filters, paper towelsIn addition to the soy-based filters, the
researchers have also developed gelatin-
and cellulose-based air filters. They are
also applying the filter material on top of
low-cost and disposable paper towel to
reinforce it and to improve its performance.
They have filed patents on the technology
and are interested in commercialization
opportunities. ❚
Katie Zhong
Environmentally friendly, soy air filter
Research
Soy-based air filter captures pollutants.
M M E . W S U . E D U 3
By Erik Gomez, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture intern
Washington
State University
researchers have
developed a low-
cost, portable
laboratory on a
smartphone that
can analyze several
samples at once to
catch a cancer biomarker, producing lab
quality results.
The research team, led by Lei Li, assistant
professor in the School of Mechanical and
Materials Engineering, recently published
the work in the journal Biosensors and
Bioelectronics.
At a time when patients and medical
professionals expect always faster
results, researchers are trying to translate
biodetection technologies used in
laboratories to the field and clinic, so
patients can get nearly instant diagnoses
in a physician’s office, an ambulance or the
emergency room.
The WSU research team created an
eight-channel, smartphone spectrometer
that can detect human interleukin-6
(IL-6), a known biomarker for lung,
prostate, liver, breast and epithelial cancers.
A spectrometer analyzes the amount and
type of chemicals in a sample by measuring
the light spectrum.
Although smartphone spectrometers
exist, they only monitor or measure a
single sample at a time, making them
inefficient for real world applications. Li’s
multichannel spectrometer can measure up
to eight different samples at once using a
common test called ELISA, or colorimetric
test enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,
that identifies antibodies and color change
as disease markers.
Although Li’s group has only used the
smartphone spectrometer with standard
lab-controlled samples, their device
has been up to 99 percent accurate. The
researchers are now applying their portable
spectrometer in real world situations.
“With our eight channel spectrometer,
we can put eight different samples to
do the same test, or one sample in eight
different wells to do eight different tests.
This increases our device’s efficiency,” said
Li, who has filed a provisional patent for
the work.
“The spectrometer would be especially
useful in clinics and hospitals that have a
large number of samples without on-site
labs, or for doctors who practice abroad
or in remote areas,” he said. “They can’t
carry a whole lab with them. They need a
portable and efficient device.”
Li’s design works with an iPhone 5. He
is creating an adjustable design that will be
compatible with any smartphone.
The work was funded by the National
Science Foundation and a WSU startup
fund. ❚
Research
Drawing of smartphone spectrometer device.
Lei Li
Smartphone laboratory detects cancer
4 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
Washington State University researchers
have found a way to more efficiently create
hydrogen from water — an important key
in making renewable energy production
and storage viable.
The researchers, led by professors Yuehe
Lin and Scott Beckman in the School of
Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
have developed a catalyst from low
cost materials. It performs as well as or
better than catalysts made from precious
metals that are used for the process.
They published their work in the journal
Advanced Energy Materials.
Storing clean energyEnergy conversion is a key to the clean
energy economy. Because solar and wind
sources produce power only intermittently,
there is a critical need for ways to store and
save the electricity they create.
One of the most promising ideas
for storing renewable energy is to use
the excess electricity generated from
renewables to split water into oxygen and
hydrogen; the hydrogen can then be fed
into fuel-cell vehicles.
“Hydrogen production by electrolysis
of water is the greenest way to convert
electricity to chemical fuel,” said
Junhua Song, a WSU Ph.D. student who
synthesized the catalyst and performed
most of the experimental work.
Energy, materials prohibitively expensive
Industries have not widely used the
water splitting process, however, because
of the prohibitive cost of the precious
metal catalysts that are required — usually
platinum or ruthenium.
Many of the methods to split water also
require too much energy, or the required
materials break down too quickly. Instead,
industries generally use a fossil-fuel based
process to produce hydrogen for fuel cells,
which generates harmful greenhouse gas
emissions.
For their catalyst, the WSU research
team added nanoparticles of relatively
inexpensive copper to a cobalt-based
framework. The new catalyst was able
to conduct electricity better than the
commonly used precious metal catalysts.
It produced oxygen better than existing
commercial catalysts and produced
hydrogen at a comparable rate.
Catalyst modeling, experimentation employed
The researchers used both theoretical
modeling and experimental assessments to
demonstrate and fine tune their catalyst’s
effectiveness.
“The modeling helped the researchers
gain understanding at the atomic level of
how the copper atoms improve the catalyst,
which helped in precisely choosing
and tuning the elements to enhance
performance,” said Beckman.
“The research team has provided
a new perspective in designing and
improving non-precious metal-based
catalysts for hydrogen production,” said
Lin. “This catalyst will pave the way for
the development of high-performance,
electrolysis-based hydrogen production
applications.”
The researchers are looking for external
funding to scale up their work. They hope
to improve the catalyst’s stability and
efficiency. ❚
Research
Gas bubbles form as researchers use a unique catalyst to convert water to hydrogen and oxygen. The inset image shows the catalytic materials at the nanoscale.
Yuehe Lin Scott Beckman
Better water splitting
M M E . W S U . E D U 5
Research
A Washington State University study of the chemistry of
technetium-99 has improved understanding of the challenging
nuclear waste and could lead to better cleanup methods.
The work, reported in the journal Inorganic Chemistry, was led
by John McCloy, associate professor in the School of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering, and chemistry graduate student Jamie
Weaver. Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
(PNNL), the Office of River Protection and Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory collaborated.
Technetium-99 is a byproduct of plutonium weapons production
and is considered a major U.S. challenge for environmental cleanup.
At the Hanford Site nuclear complex in Washington state, there are
about 2,000 pounds of the element dispersed within approximately
56 million gallons of nuclear waste in 177 storage tanks.
The U.S. Department of Energy is in the process of building a
waste treatment plant at Hanford to immobilize hazardous nuclear
waste in glass. But researchers have been stymied because not all
the technetium-99 is incorporated into the glass and volatilized gas
must be recycled back into the melter system.
The element can be very soluble in water and moves easily
through the environment when in certain forms, so it is considered
a significant environmental hazard.
Because technetium compounds are challenging to work with,
earlier research has used less volatile substitutes to try to understand
the material’s behavior. Some of the compounds themselves have
not been studied for 50 years, said McCloy.
“The logistics are very challenging,” he said.
The WSU work was done in PNNL’s highly specialized
Radiochemical Processing Laboratory and the radiological annex of
its Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.
The researchers conducted fundamental chemistry tests to better
understand technetium-99 and its unique challenges for storage.
They determined that the sodium forms of the element behave
much differently than other alkalis, which possibly is related to its
volatility and to why it may be so reactive with water.
“The structure and spectral signatures of these compounds will
aid in refining the understanding of technetium incorporation into
nuclear waste glasses,” said McCloy.
The researchers also hope the work will contribute to the study of
other poorly understood chemical compounds. ❚
WSU graduate student Jamie Weaver.
$1.1 million award funds solar advancesWashington State University researchers have received a
$1.1 million U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative
cooperative award to improve the performance and lower
the cost of solar materials for the multibillion dollar industry.
Working in collaboration with researchers at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and industry partner
Nious Technologies, Inc., WSU researchers will improve the
performance of cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar material. They
will improve its feedstock, or the raw crystal needed to make
solar cells, with the goal of reducing costs and making it more
competitive with popular silicon-based technology.
A move to commercializationThree School of MME faculty members recently received
support from WSU’s Commercialization Gap Fund. Supported
in part by the Washington Research Foundation, the fund
gives researchers the boost they need to make it through the
development and testing phase of commercialization.
The researchers include Michael Kessler for his research in
shape-changing smart materials; Lei Li for his low-cost, mobile-
point-of-care platform for high-throughput infectious disease
diagnostics (story p. 4); and Rahul Panat for highly stretchable
metallic interconnects for flexible electronics.
WSU joins REMADEWSU is one of 26 universities who are part of the Department
of Energy’s new Reducing Embodied-energy and Decreasing
Emissions (REMADE) Institute. The institute will be focused
on driving down the cost of technologies needed to reuse,
recycle and remanufacture materials such as metals, fibers,
polymers and electronic waste and aims to achieve a 50 percent
improvement in overall energy efficiency by 2027. The institute
will leverage up to $70 million in federal funding, subject to
appropriations, and will be matched by $70 million in private
cost-share commitments from over 100 partners.
New clues for nuclear waste cleanup
6 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
Students sometimes wonder whether they’ll
ever use what they are learning in school.
Those at Washington State University
recently witnessed the practical difference
their work is making as they shared a
barbecue, demonstrated their reel projects
and learned the basics of fly fishing and
tying with area veterans.
The School of Mechanical and Materials
Engineering students designed and built
more than 30 reels to be donated to Project
Healing Waters Fly Fishing and Big Hearts
Under the Big Sky, nonprofits that teach fly
fishing and provide guided trips to military
veterans and people with life threatening
illnesses.
After hearing about a similar project at a
summer conference, WSU senior instructor
Kurt Hutchinson rounded up donations of
aluminum, bearings, cutters, end mills and
more from several regional companies for
his advanced manufacturing class.
“The project is positive for people and
the community, but the fly reels are a truly
challenging engineering project for the
students,” he said. “They look basic but
there are 30 internal components, which
include a clutch mechanism.”
At the barbecue, the vets were shown the
intricacies of reel manufacturing so they’ll
have a little background while fishing.
“It makes me want to go back to school,”
said Harold Watters, a veteran of Vietnam
and the first Iraq war. He earned a purple
heart medal and makes “purple heart”
pattern fishing flies, which he donates to
other veterans.
Focus, fine motor skills provide therapy
Fred Timms, director of the Spokane,
Wash., chapter of Project Healing Waters
and a Vietnam veteran, said fly fishing
requires concentration and fine motor
skills, which can help vets overcome
some of their physical and emotional
war injuries. Many vets are referred to
the program through their rehabilitation
therapists.
The program also helps veterans
reintegrate into society while providing a
positive, healthy activity.
“Fly fishing reconnects people with
nature and provides serenity and calmness,”
Timms said. “It’s very, very healthy.”
Watters said he finds fly tying therapeutic
when he struggles with wartime memories:
“Then I sit down and start tying.”
Students mindful of helping othersThe students appreciated the time to visit
with the veterans and try their hand at fly
rod casting.
“Kurt found a way to teach
manufacturing but also for us to give back
to the community,” said Carl Mayer, a
senior mechanical engineering student and
a teaching assistant for the class.
As she listened to Timms’ instructions
and practiced casting on the lawn outside
the WSU engineering buildings, senior
Matese Stevens enjoyed learning a new skill
while helping others.
“It is awesome to see how what we build
will affect people,” she said. ❚
“Fly fishing reconnects
people with nature and
provides serenity and
calmness.”
—Fred Timms
MME students learn fly fishing techniques from veterans.
Students
Coug students make a ‘reel’ difference
M M E . W S U . E D U 7
What activities are you involved with at WSU?I am the president of Wazzu Racing. Wazzu Racing, or the
Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) is WSU’s largest
engineering club, where we design, build, and compete with a
small-scale Formula SAE race car in an international competition.
We build the car, test it and compete against other teams.
It is a very vigorous competition and we learn a lot. It is really
nice to be able to utilize what we learn in the classroom and apply
it to a real project. It is a really great experience and we are having a
lot of fun.
How did you choose mechanical engineering as your major?
Since I was a kid, I loved taking things apart and figuring out
how they worked. If there is something that is broken, I like to try
and figure out how to fix it. I like to work with my hands and I like
things that move and are powered with something — cars, robots,
or anything that has motion — and mechanical engineering is the
perfect match for that.
Why Washington State University?I chose WSU because I was looking for a school with a good
engineering program and I wanted to stay somewhat close to my
home in Tacoma.
I really like the fact that Pullman is a small college town where
everyone is connected and you hear a lot about what’s going on
here on campus. The faculty here are friendly and encouraging, and
are always there to help students if they are having a problem. The
football games are always fun to go to. We have one of the best fan
bases in the nation!
What advice would you give to incoming students?
I really encourage students to get involved with clubs and
extracurricular activities because that’s really what will put you
ahead of all the other students and make you stand out when you
graduate. Employers like to see the different activities and clubs you
were engaged with while in college.
Getting good grades is always good advice. If you study hard and
work well in the first two years, it will all pay off in the upcoming
years and in the long run. Once you have established that good base,
and you are settled in, try to find a club or two that you are really
interested in and pursue that so that you learn more outside of the
classroom and you get a lot of interactions with different people.
What are your plans after graduation?I am planning to pursue a master’s degree in automotive
mechatronics and management in Austria. ❚
Kory O’Connor working with Wazzu Racing. Photo by Kevin Basler.
Students
WAZZU racing: Keeping up with KoryMechanical engineering major Kory O’Connor is a man in motion.
8 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
Right now, it’s a 20-foot shipping container, a small start-up
company, a tornado in a small tube and a really good idea.
A team of Washington State University researchers and students
are raising funds to build the first hydrogen gas station in
Washington. They hope to use it to demonstrate an inexpensive,
portable way to liquefy hydrogen — which is considered the key to
unlocking the clean hydrogen economy.
“What we’re doing is unique,” said Jake Leachman, associate
professor in the WSU School of Mechanical and Materials
Engineering. “There isn’t a precedent for it.”
Increasing the number of hydrogen fuel-powered cars on the
road could help reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions that are
changing the earth’s climate. Unlike gasoline powered cars, which
produce carbon dioxide, the only waste product of hydrogen fuel
cell-powered cars is water.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles also have a comparable range
of about 300 miles to gasoline-powered cars. Some car makers,
including Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, have recently begun selling
the cars in California.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to harnessing hydrogen
energy, however, has been a lack of nationwide infrastructure. There
are only eight hydrogen liquefaction plants in North America, so
liquid hydrogen has to be transported over long distances, which is
expensive.
At the same time, hydrogen gas is ubiquitous.
“There are systems that can convert wind energy to hydrogen,
but it’s still difficult to increase the hydrogen density for transport
and storage,” said Leachman.
Two years ago, a group of WSU students designed a plan for
an innovative and economical fueling station; the plan took first
place in an international hydrogen design competition. Their
liquefaction technology could allow hydrogen generated from
energy conversion, including from agriculture waste in wheat
production, to be inexpensively gathered and stored, Leachman
said.
Last year, the researchers were part of a team to receive funding
from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the system, and
they also formed a start-up company that specializes in hydrogen
dispensing, liquefaction and storage.
The researchers have developed a unique and efficient way to
cool and liquefy hydrogen, using an old technology called a vortex
tube. A mechanical device that separates a compressed gas into hot
and cold streams, it was designed in the 1930s and is inexpensive
and easy to make, but the WSU team was the first to connect it to
hydrogen liquefaction.
The group has received support from the Washington Research
Foundation, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and from
companies and individuals. The team is working to raise money to
purchase equipment for the project, such as a Stirling pre-cooler, a
hydrogen compressor, an electrolyzer and a dispensing interface for
the fueling station.
In addition to addressing one of the biggest challenges for the
clean energy economy, the project is providing training for students
in hydrogen systems that is unique in the U.S., Leachman said. It
has involved more than 100 students so far.
Learn more about the project at https://hub.wsu.edu/ise/. ❚
Students aim for hydrogen future
Students
M M E . W S U . E D U 9
During his time at Washington State
University, John Yeager learned about
materials at the nanoscale, but he also
learned important skills, such as how
to write reports, present his work, and
network with leaders in the field.
Yeager, who graduated in 2011 with
his doctorate in engineering science, was
recently honored with the Presidential
Early Career Awards for Scientists and
Engineers (PECASE). It is the highest award
given to scientists and engineers by the
U.S. government. The award will provide
Yeager with continued funding for the next
five years.
“It is an incredible honor,” he said. “I
believe it means that my work is valued
by my institution, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, which long-term is definitely
my goal!”
Yeager is a researcher at Los Alamos
National Lab where he is studying the
manufacture, microstructure and physical
and detonation properties of materials.
“I try to establish relationships between
how the material is made and how it
performs in normal use and also under
abnormal conditions like a burning
building,” said Yeager. “We can never
understand why the material behaves the
way it does if we don’t understand how it
is made. We can get close enough to still
make use of the material, but designing
newer and better materials is basically
impossible if we don’t have control and the
understanding of the production process.”
Through his undergraduate work at
WSU (’06), Yeager learned mechanical
properties of materials and x-ray diffraction
techniques and analysis. During his
graduate work at WSU, Yeager conducted
research in the microstructure and
adhesion of polymer composites that led to
his career at Los Alamos. ❚
Amelia Brown, a junior in materials
science and engineering, has won a
nationally competitive $7,500 Barry M.
Goldwater Scholarship.
She is among 240 Goldwater Scholars
selected nationwide and three at WSU.
Brown plans to earn a Ph.D.
studying materials for biosensors
and nanotechnology, then teach and
research nanotechnology for biomedical
applications — such as ultrasensitive
diagnostic devices — at a university.
Her research group focuses on the
mathematics and physics of materials. One
of her projects explored diffusion kinetics of
porous catalysts, which has industrial and
research applications.
Other work involved developing a
mathematical model of encapsulated
cellular systems to assist in biomedical
applications; through the design of
microcapsules, cells could be protected
against immune system responses for
diabetes and neurological treatments. One
application would be to insert “islets” into
the pancreas of a Type I diabetic that would
stimulate the organ to produce its own
insulin for periods of time.
A study-abroad experience aboard a small
ship inspired her to engage in research.
The students explored microbiological
life in Antarctic glacial waters and visited
microbiologists at remote research centers.
“It was magical,” she said. “What made
a lasting impression was the researchers’
vibrant community and sense of excitement
about the topics they were studying.” ❚
John Yeager
Amelia Brown
Students
Alumni and Friends
Brown receives Goldwater Award
Alumnus wins prestigious award
10 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
When Trinitie Vance (ME, ’12) was a
student at Washington State University,
she learned engineering skills, but she also
learned how to find important problems to
solve.
Now, she is using her skills to develop
technologies that could both support the
coal industry and help the environment,
too.
Vance is part of an engineering team at
ClaroVia Technologies that has developed
a modeling tool that coal companies can
use to evaluate the feasibility of producing
useful new products from the otherwise
environmentally harmful byproducts of
coal mining.
In changing a waste product to a profit-
generating material, the new technology
could help struggling coal companies
operate more cleanly, stay in business
and support the economy, said Brian
Hewitt, director of operations at ClaroVia
Technologies.
“This is almost a new form of mining
that didn’t exist before — turning the waste
into something valuable,” he said.
Although Vance is a mechanical
engineer, she had to learn a tremendous
amount about the chemical make-up and
processing of fly ash.
“She became a chemical engineer in a
short amount of time,” said Hewitt. The
work that she is doing will go a long ways
toward helping coal companies, some of
which are small family-owned operations,
he added.
Vance’s involvement with ClaroVia
began back when she was a student in
WSU’s mechanical engineering program
at Olympic College in Bremerton. The
program, which started in 2010, offers a
way for place-bound students to get a WSU
engineering degree, said Marvin Pitts, the
program’s coordinator. Another WSU alum,
Albert Madakson (ME, ’15), was also heavily
involved in development of ClaroVia’s
technology.
“For students who simply can’t move to
Pullman, this program makes a tremendous
difference in helping them achieve their
degrees and in getting started on promising
careers,” he said.
One of the teaching foundations of
WSU’s world-class engineering program
is the design project that each student
completes with an industry partner
prior to graduation. The senior design
project provides students with real-world
experience prior to graduation that give
them a leg-up on their career.
While the mechanical engineering
degree program doesn’t cover many of the
technologies that Vance and Madakson
worked on, it laid an important foundation.
“This program provides enough
fundamental knowledge and problem
solving skills that our graduates can
continue to learn and contribute,” said
Pitts.
ClaroVia Technologies and its CEO, Dan
Preston, have supported dozens of students’
senior design projects at WSU’s program at
Olympic College for the past several years.
Preston is an inventor who holds more
than 75 patents and pending applications
and who developed the technologies that
are used in GM’s digital OnStar system.
ClaroVia has given students the chance
to develop new technologies and apply for
patents on a variety of technologies they
developed prior to graduation. They have
guided more than 30 students in writing
and successfully submitting eight patents
in five years.
“ClaroVia is the driver in a unique
partnership between the company and our
senior design projects,” said Pitts. “They
have contributed significantly to helping
our students learn about IP and patents and
have really contributed to student interest
in entrepreneurial projects.”
What Madakson valued the most during
his experience was what he learned from
Preston about divergent thinking.
“He gave me the opportunity to expand
my knowledge way beyond our books and
to be innovative,” he said.
Preston notes that Vance and Madakson
have been a key part of his company’s
engineering production team.
“Their modeling showed that we have
potential to be a player in a $329 billion
industry that is responsible for 618,000
American jobs,” he said.
The company is now designing a pilot
project that will incorporate the novel
technology. ❚
Trinitie Vance
Alumna’s work supports coal cleanup
Alumni and Friends
M M E . W S U . E D U 11
By Randy Bolerjack As she gazes out her office window, Skagit
County native and NASA aerospace engi-
neer Amy Felt looks out on the legendary
launch pad at NASA Kennedy Space Center
where Neil Armstrong headed towards his
first historic steps for mankind.
“I made a point of riding in both eleva-
tors just so I could say I’ve ridden in the
same elevator as Neil Armstrong,” she said.
Felt graduated last year from the
mechanical engineering program at WSU
North Puget Sound at Everett. At NASA, she
works as a fluid systems test engineer, sup-
porting both NASA and private companies
in the operation and design of propulsion,
auxiliary power, hydraulic control, and
associated ground servicing equipment
hardware and software systems.
The group of engineers also collaborate
with industry and government partners
to design and oversee fueling operations,
test fuel systems, and launch vehicles and
spacecraft.
“The idea of sending something into
space that I worked on is pretty awesome,”
she said. “The interest in space explora-
tion is growing, making things out here at
Kennedy Space Center really exciting.”
A path to NASA Felt, a Mt. Vernon High School gradu-
ate, was introduced to engineering her
junior year of high school through the
Washington Aerospace Scholars program.
There, she met with people working in
science, engineering, technology, and math
fields and worked with a team to design a
human mission to Mars.
“After that program, I knew that engi-
neering was what I wanted to do,’’ she
said. After earning her associate’s degree
from Skagit Valley College and Everett
Community College, she decided to attend
WSU’s mechanical engineering program
in Everett. With average engineering
class sizes of about 30 students in the fully
accredited program, Felt enjoyed more
interaction with her professors than most
public universities can offer.
“I know what type of learner I am and
what sort of learning environment I excel in
and I knew that WSU Everett would offer me
what I needed in order to be successful,” she
said. “I value knowing the faculty and that
the faculty know my name, who I am, how
I learn, and what I struggle with. All of this
combined with the fact that I could live at
home and commute to school offered a huge
cost savings that was too hard to pass up.”
The innovative 2+2 model at WSU
Everett allows for a seamless pathway for
transfer students, which offers a significant
savings on the total cost of a four-year
degree. Students take their first two years at
any community college before completing
their junior and senior years with WSU.
Felt enjoyed participating in the Boeing
AerosPACE program her senior year, in
which her team designed an unmanned
aerial vehicle to survey wildfires. She also
participated in the newly formed WSU
Everett chapter of Society of Women
Engineers.
Felt gives credit to her professors for
providing much of the support that she
needed to succeed in getting her degree and
launching a successful career.
“The mechanical engineering faculty at
WSU Everett are very dedicated to student
success,” she said. “Dr. Bi and Dr. Shu’s pas-
sion for teaching is clear and apparent in
each and every lecture they give.”
Felt loves her job at NASA and envisions
continuing the exciting and interesting
work for many years into the future. Rather
than sitting at a computer all day, she does
hands-on work and gets to solve prob-
lems as they arise during testing and data
analysis.
“I could easily see myself at NASA for the
next 30 years,” she said. ❚
Amy Felt
“I could easily see myself
at NASA for the next 30
years.”
—Amy Felt
Alumni and Friends
From Mt. Vernon to NASA
12 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
Washington State University has received
an in-kind software grant from Siemens
PLM Software.
The grant gives WSU students access
to the same technology that companies
around the world depend on every day
to develop innovative products in a wide
variety of industries including automotive,
aerospace, machinery, shipbuilding, high-
tech electronics and many more. Graduates
with this type of software training are
highly-recruited candidates for advanced
technology jobs.
The in-kind grant was provided by the
Siemens PLM Software’s academic program
that delivers PLM software for schools at
every academic level. Siemens PLM Software
is a leading global provider of product
lifecycle management (PLM) software and
services.
The in-kind grant for WSU includes
Siemens PLM Software’s NX™ soft-
ware, a leading integrated solution for
computer-aided design, manufacturing and
engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE).
WSU students in Pullman and Everett
will use the software in their senior
mechanical engineering capstone design
courses and, in particular, as part of the
AerosPACE, or Aerospace Partners for the
Advancement of Collaborative Engineering,
program. The Boeing Company started
AerosPACE in 2013 to give students real-
world collaboration practice before entering
the job market. Students in the program
work two semesters as part of a multi-dis-
ciplinary team with students from several
other universities as well as with industry
partners on designing, building, and flying
an unmanned aerial vehicle. WSU’s Everett
program is led by Professor Xiaopeng Bi.
Last year, the students developed an
unmanned surveillance aircraft for wildland
firefighting. Effectively controlling tens of
thousands of fires a year around the country
requires tight coordination of personnel,
vehicles, equipment, and time, according
to Bi. Firefighters need to augment their
information about wildfire growth afford-
ably in real time. An unmanned surveil-
lance aircraft can lower costs and provide a
safer alternative to a manned aircraft. The
students successfully tested and flew their
plane in April.
“This partnership enables us to meet the
needs of employers and prepare students
for these significant high-paying STEM
careers,” said Bi.
“Siemens PLM Software is dedicated to
helping develop the next generation of
highly trained and highly qualified engi-
neers and technologists,’’ said Dora Smith,
global director, Academic Partner Program,
Siemens PLM Software. “Our academic part-
nership with WSU encourages students to
pursue careers that will revitalize manufac-
turing in the U.S. and around the world.”
Note: NX is a trademark or registered trade-
mark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management
Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United
States and in other countries. ❚
Students designed and built an unmanned surveillance aircraft for wildland firefighting.
In-kind software grant from Siemens PLM Software
Alumni and Friends
M M E . W S U . E D U 13
For Xiaopeng Bi, teaching is both a passion
and a privilege. As one of two founding
faculty members of WSU North Puget
Sound at Everett’s mechanical engineering
program, Bi is well-known for bringing real-
world projects into his classrooms. He led
a student team to a top finish in last year’s
University Rover Challenge competition.
He recently received the WSU President’s
Distinguished Teaching Award for Clinical
Faculty.
How did you become part of the WSU North Puget Sound at Everett Engineering Club and the University Rover Challenge?
As a teacher, providing a stimulating
learning environment to bring the best out
of young minds is the most rewarding for
me. I was the founding advisor for the WSU
Everett Engineering Club and the Mars
Rover team in 2014. While introducing the
rover project to the club, I also extended
elements of the Mars rover project into the
mechatronics class I was setting up at that
time.
It was a challenging but fun journey to
dissect the project into smaller portions,
sometimes into small course projects, and
to provide the team the needed technical
and emotional support throughout.
Tell us about the University Rover Challenge.
Held annually in the desert of southern
Utah, the competition challenges student
teams to design and build the next
generation of rovers that will one day work
alongside astronauts exploring the planet
Mars.
The University Rover Challenge (URC)
was a seemingly impossible mission when
I first introduced it to the club. Being
challenging made it beautiful at the same
time. I enjoyed the process of overcoming
obstacles with students.
Being a new program, we had to start
from scratch. I was very glad seeing the
wonderful teamwork and problem-solving
skills demonstrated by the students during
the design, building, and testing processes.
As a brand new team, we were greeted
with a lot of unexpected surprises. But my
students overcame them creatively and
beautifully; for example, they used cell
phone signals for the rover’s GPS location,
modified sample bins to hold tools, and
wove a net to hold the gas tank.
Our students proved themselves as a group
of confident and competent engineers.
Despite being a small program, we were able
to bring home two awards (2nd place overall
and the only individual science prize) out of
the total four awards handed out.
Phil Engel, a mechanical engineering
student, was the only student in the
competition to earn an individual science
award. It is quite an honor for Phil and
the team. Phil was recognized for his
outstanding performance being the Science
sub-team lead for WSU. He stood out from
all competitors at the University Rover
Challenge based on the presentation and
Q&A on implementation of soil sample
scientific analyses.
I am really proud of the students’
achievements.
How does being part of a club help students academically and professionally?
By applying the engineering fundamentals
to the real hands-on system, students
develop strong problem-solving skills. The
innovation, leadership, teamwork, and
project and budget management experiences
gained as part of a project of this scale are
highly desired by many potential employers.
What do you like most about teaching/advising?
Teaching and advising at WSU has been a
rewarding career. I feel accomplished when
I see students’ proud and confident smiles
whenever they work hard to overcome
difficulties. I really like to see my students
applying the engineering fundamentals
they learned in classes into various real-
world and hands-on projects.
What advice would you give to students to excel in college?
The biggest obstacles aren’t exams or at
competitions, but rather the ones in your
own mind. ❚
Dr. Bi and students working on the Mars rover chassis suspension system.
Mars Rover team heads to international competition
WSU’s Mars Rover Team has earned
a spot in the 2017 University Rover
Challenge. This is the second year the
team has entered the competition, which
had entries from 82 teams in 13 countries
this year. Last year, WSU Everett’s team
earned second place and was the top-
placing American team.
Around the School
Dr. Bi: Rising to the challenge
14 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
Around the School
Lynn named WSU eminent facultyKelvin Lynn is the recipient of the 2017
Washington State University Eminent
Faculty Award. The award was created in
2000 to honor the career-long excellence
of those who have changed the thinking
in their fields through research, creative
scholarship, teaching and service. Lynn,
a Regents professor and director for the
Center for Materials Research, is the 17th
recipient of the highest honor the university bestows on a faculty
member.
Lynn is a pioneer in using positron beams to measure material
properties. His seminal work contributed to the world-wide use
of positron beams for experiments in engineering, physics and
chemistry.
He is also an international leader in low energy antimatter
research and in crystal growth. Methods he developed produce the
crystal quality and quantity highly valued by industry, academia
and federal energy and security agencies.
Lynn’s research awards at WSU exceed $30 million. He has
published more than 450 articles and has more than 10,000
citations, including one paper cited more than 1,300 times. He
holds 13 patents and is a fellow of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, and a
member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences.
He has mentored 25 Ph.D. and 15 master’s degree students
in materials science, physics and mechanical engineering. His
impact on these fields continues as his students have moved on
to influence academia and industry at the Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, Northrop Grumman Corp., Citicorp, Boeing
Co. and more.
Qizhen Li was invited to participate
in the National Academy of Engineering’s
(NAE) U.S. Frontiers of Engineering
symposium.
Wei Hong (Katie) Zhong,
Westinghouse Distinguished Professor,
was elected as a fellow of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS). She was elected for contributions
in composites, nanotechnology and
energy materials, particularly for affordable
composite manufacturing, multifunctional
nanocomposites and new materials for
safe batteries.
Xiaopeng Bi was awarded the 2017
WSU President’s Distinguished Teaching
Award for Instructors and Clinical Faculty.
Susmita Bose, Herman and Brita
Lindholm Endowed Chair, was elected
a fellow of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She
was elected for contributions in advanced
ceramic materials, biomaterials, bone
tissue engineering, education of the next
generation of material scientists and service
to science.
Amit Bandyopadhyay,
Herman and Brita Lindholm Endowed
Chair, received the WSU Voiland College of
Engineering and Architecture’s Anjan Bose
Outstanding Research Award.
Michael Kessler, Berry Family
Director and Professor, was elected a fellow
of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME). He was recognized
for contributions to the understanding
and development of multifunctional
materials and biorenewable polymers and
composites.
Awards and honors
2016 Faculty Fellows
M M E . W S U . E D U 15
Around the School
$2.19M
$6.45M
$.0M
$1.0M
$2.0M
$3.0M
$4.0M
$5.0M
$6.0M
$7.0M
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
ResearchExpenditures
22.5 21.0 21.5 22.4 22.6 23.5 24.1 27.0 30.6 31.60.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Tenure&Tenure-TrackFaculty
$152,250
$228,750
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
MMEScholarshipAwards(byFiscalYear)
Did You Know?
WSU’s mechanical engineering program at
Olympic College in Bremerton began in 2010
with 14 students. Since then, the program has
grown to 60 students. The program’s graduates are
nearly 100 percent employed, and 35 graduates
are named inventors on patents. Students in
the program receive more than $120,000 per
year in scholarships from the Robert B. Stewart
Endowment.
188 188 203 222 200 223 231 251 254 270
14 3339 47
59 56 592447
53 6472
17 1528
28 3733
2022
4469
050
100150200250300350400450500
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Cer$fiedUndergraduates
Pullman-ME Bremerton-ME Evere;-ME Pullman-MSE
29 39 49 53 49 49 49 67 67 72
1512
916 30 35 37
41 4149
47
76
4 3 1
1 11
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
PhDEnrollment
PhDME PhDMSE(MMEadvised) PhDEngS(MMEadvised)
MME continues strong growth
16 S C H O O L O F M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A T E R I A L S E N G I N E E R I N G | 2 0 1 7
Do you know someone who is?Are you 70½?
A gift to the Washington State University Foundation directly from your IRA is a tax-smart way to support your favorite WSU program
and is excludable from your gross income (a TAX-FREE gift!).
Of course, everyone is unique. We are happy to chat about any additional tax benefits or criteria that might apply to your situation.
Call the WSU Foundation Gift Planning Office at 800-448-2978 or visit foundation.wsu.edu/giftplanning to create your legacy today.
half-birthday!Happy
M M E . W S U . E D U 17
Unique 3-D manufacturing methodWashington State University researchers have developed a unique, 3-D manufacturing
method that for the first time rapidly creates and precisely controls a material’s
architecture from the nanoscale to centimeters — with results that closely mimic the
intricate architecture of natural materials like wood and bone. {See story, p. 2}
