Mechanical AT MINES
SUMMER 2022
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
7. New SE@Mines Distinction Program 10. CFCC wins SBIR awards 14. Senior Design Team to Compete in Baja 1000
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A Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of the Colorado School of Mines Department of Mechanical Engineering Colorado School of Mines President: Dr. Paul Johnson Department Head: Dr. Carl Frick cfrick@mines.edu Mailing/Delivery Address: 1500 Illinois Street Golden, CO 80401 Main Office: Brown Hall W350 1610 Illinois St. Golden, CO 80401 303.273.3650 Technical and Operations Manager: Traci Case tcase@mines.edu Visit us online at mechanical.mines.edu
Greetings from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Mines (Mines ME)
CONTENTS
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Dr. Carl Frick Department Head
3 | Letter from the Department Head 4 | Faculty Spotlight 7 | Department News 9 | Alumni Spotlight 10 | Research News 14 | Undergrad Student News 16 | Student Awards 19 | Grad Student News 20 | Department Events 22 | Graduation Lists
From the Department Head
Cover photo: An MEGN301 student team demonstrates their final class project.
With 8 months as Department Head under my belt, I continue to be impressed by our amazing students, faculty, and staff. Much of the department’s stellar reputation is rooted in our undergraduate program. Our graduates are well-recognized for their rare combination of academic excellence, project-based experience, and strong work ethic, as well as a ‘can-do attitude’. Not surprisingly, Mines ME has grown into the biggest department on campus, with over 1,500 undergraduate and 250 graduate students; this makes us the largest Mechanical Engineering Program in the state, and top 15 in the nation. To develop and support our impressive students, we have a phenomenal faculty and staff team. This past spring, we have recruited three new outstanding faculty hires (see page 4) and promoted five of our accomplished faculty (see page 5) – a testament to the exceptional quality of our research active and teaching faculty within the Department. Unfortunately, we have to say a fond farewell to Sue Paulson (Department Business and Fiscal Manger) as she joins her husband’s new business venture; she will be missed, but we wish them both the best of luck. To fill those big shoes, we’re delighted that we have recruited Chris Bird as her replacement. Chris will transfer from the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department with several years of Mines fiscal management experience supporting interdisciplinary research centers. I am extremely happy to announce that both Mechanical Engineering and Additive Manufacturing will expand to online. Starting in the spring 2023 semester, both programs will offer a fully online (asynchronous) non-thesis Masters’ degree. Joining other online programs FEA Professional and Space Resources, Mines ME will now offer an unmatched collection of online coursework available in any geographical location regardless of time zone. Visit page 8 to learn more. An exciting development for Mines ME undergraduate students is the ability to focus on a topical track in either aerospace, automotive engineering, automation and controls, biomechanics, energy, manufacturing materials or nuclear engineering. Students gain a depth of knowledge in these areas by focusing their electives on four courses prescribed in the tracks. See page 7 or visit the Mines ME website (mechanical.mines.edu) for more information. We are always looking to engage with our ME alumni! We have a newly-formed ME Alumni Advisory Board that helps guide our alumni engagement activities. One way to get involved is to be a featured speaker at our bi-monthly Mechanical Mondays series. If you’d like to be a featured speaker, please contact me (cfrick@mines.edu). We also invite all ME alumni to join us on campus for the Trucks and Tunes event in October and April, where we bring in a variety of food trucks and feature student, faculty and staff musicians on our open-air stage outside of the Brown Building. If you are in Golden or on campus please stop by and say hello. I’d like to connect with you!
SUMMER 2022 VOL. 5 · ISSUE 2
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GARY NAVE Gary Nave joins Mines after postdoctoral appointments at CU Boulder and Northwestern University (remotely). He received his BS and PhD from Virginia Tech in the Engineering Mechanics program, focusing on nonlinear dynamical systems and fluid mechanics. These research experiences have included a variety of interesting interdisciplinary problems and experiences, studying topics with a variety of computational, theoretical, and experimental approaches. At Mines, Gary will be teaching robotics, dynamics, instrumentation, and more. He brings an enthusiastic approach to teaching that combines lectures and active learning strategies with a focus on building supportive and welcoming environments in the classroom.
Sowers appointed to NASA Advisory Council
MOHSEN ASLE ZAEEM Dr. Asle Zaeem's research focuses on phase field modeling of nano/microstructural evolution - during solidification, recrystallization, phase transformation, and oxidation; multiscale/multi-physics modeling; and severe plastic deformation.
Senior Class Faculty Award
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JEFF WHEELER Dr. Wheeler is interested in bringing hands-on learning experiences into the classroom to give students real engineering challenges. His research interests include instrumentation development, diagnostic techniques, and material characterization.
JEFF ACKERMAN Dr. Ackerman is passionate about design, robotics, assistive technology, biomechanics, prototyping, 3D printing, making, and entrepreneurship.
New faculty in Mechanical Engineering
Dr. George Sowers, a professor of practice in the Space Resources Program, has been appointed to serve on the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. "This appointment is a great honor. I hope my advise will be useful to NASA as the nation returns to the Moon to stay and goes on to Mars. The utilization of Space Resources will play a key role in that endeavor," Sowers said. Sowers will serve a two-year term on the standing committee as a subject-matter expert. The scope of the HEO Committee includes all human exploration and operations-related programs, projects, activities and facilities at NASA – including the Artemis program to return humans to the Moon.
At the April 2022 Mines Board of Trustees meeting, Dr. Andrew Petruska and Dr. Paulo Tabares- Velasco were awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Mohsen Asle Zaeem was promoted to Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Jeff Ackerman and Dr. Jeff Wheeler were promoted to Teaching Associate Professors.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Neal Sullivan hosting guests in the Colorado Fuel Cell Center.
ADAM DURAN Adam Duran graduated Mines with a BS in Mechanical Engineering (ME) in 2009, an MS in ME in 2011, and an MS in Engineering and Technology Management in 2016. Starting in 2016, he served as an Adjunct Professor where he taught a number of courses across several departments. Prior to Mines, he spent over a decade as an automotive research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) working on new and emerging technologies and worked as a technical consultant in the area of autonomous vehicles for a number of clients across industry, government, and academia.
Five ME faculty members awarded promotion, tenure for 2022-23
BRIAN DONOVAN Brian Donovan is a polymer scientist specializing in advanced and additive manufacturing. He has a PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed an NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Air Force Research Laboratory prior to joining the University of Colorado Boulder as a Senior Research Associate. Brian's interest in developing applied polymer solutions led him to Carbon 3D as a Senior Research Scientist where he developed high-performance AM resins for use in automotive, padding, and dental applications.
ANDREW PETRUSKA Dr. Petruska's research focuses on the control of complex dynamic systems with an emphasis on magnetic manipulation for medical applications and autonomous systems for mining and underground exploration.
Faculty spotlight
Sullivan named Fulbright Scholar
PAULO TABARES-VELASCO Dr. Tabares-Velasco has a background in heat and mass transfer in buildings and computational fluid dynamics. His current research project is in air conditioning load reduction and demand response.
ME associate professor Neal Sullivan was named a 2022 Fulbright Scholar. He will spend the next year teaching, conducting research, and carrying out professional projects abroad. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries. Sullivan will spend seven months at the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. While there, he will be working on developing next-generation materials for "green" hydrogen production.
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Read the full interview here!
A new signature student experience at Mines will allow undergraduates from all majors to build their own hands-on learning experience in the field of sustainable energy. Launched this semester, Sustainable Energy@Mines (SE@M) is a fully customizable pathway of distinction, combining classroom instruction, co-curricular and extracurricular experiences alongside opportunities for community building that students can integrate with their other academic studies. Students who complete the SE@M pathway will be recognized at graduation with a regalia honor cord and a distinction in the Commencement Program. Moreover, they will graduate from Mines with a body of learning experiences – both in and out of the classroom – that will better prepare them to hit the ground running as energy professionals. “The goal is to create a community of people at Mines focused on learning about and shifting the landscape of renewable and sustainable energy,” said Paulo Tabares-Velasco, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the SE@M Scholars Program. SE@M Scholars can get involved in projects related to sustainable energy in and around Mines and around the world – whether that’s joining the Solar Decathlon team on campus, completing an internship at local energy companies, conducting undergraduate research with a Mines professor or at NREL, providing free energy assessments to local businesses through the Rocky Mountain Industrial Assessment Center, or traveling the world with Mines Without Borders. SE@M Scholars must complete a minimum number of activities in each of three categories – Learn, Apply and Build Community – but from there, they can focus more or less in the areas that speak most to them. A number of specialized one- to two-credit courses are being developed for the program, and scholars will also have access to mentoring, help with travel and publishing expenses, and support to apply to sustainable energy scholarships and internships.
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Dr. Mohsen Asle Zaeem was awarded the Ben L. Fryrear Endowed Chair for Innovation and Excellence to drive institutional change at Mines. Dr. Asle Zaeem, along with Dr. Moises Carreon, professor of chemical and biological engineering, are the seventh and eighth Mines faculty members to hold the position since it was endowed in 2017 by Mines alumnus Ben Fryrear ’62. Each Fryrear Chair receives $25,000 in discretionary funds a year for three years in exchange for driving a strategic initiative or program that will further Mines’ vision and mission. The other sitting Fryrear Chairs are Geology and Geological Engineering’s Dr. Alexis Vavarre-Sitchler and Mechanical Engineering’s Dr. Craig Brice. Dr. Asle Zaeem, who joined the Mines faculty in 2018, holds a PhD from Washington State University and M.S. and B.S. degrees from Shiraz University, all in mechanical engineering. He conducted his postdoctoral research at Mississippi State University in the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems and is an active member of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). At Mines, he is the principal investigator of the Computational Materials and Mechanics Laboratory, where he currently advises three postdoctoral research associates, five PhD students and three undergraduate researchers. The inspiration for his Fryrear project came from TMS and his work as an ambassador and mentor to postdocs and PhD students since 2015. Dr. Asle Zaeem plans to focus his three-year Fryrear term on the creation of a postdoctoral affairs and professional training program.
“Mines has a far-reaching, rock-solid reputation in the professional world.”
Baja senior design team prepares for Capstone Showcase in April 2022.
Dr. Craig Brice is a professor of practice in ME and Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Program. Q: What would you tell someone interested in joining your academic program or Mines in general? CB: Having worked for almost 20 years as a practicing engineer, I can say that Mines has a far-reaching, rock-solid reputation in the professional world. Students can expect to be challenged and work hard. They can also expect outstanding job prospects when they make it through. Q: Tell us about something you're working on right now that you find exciting, fulfilling or challenging? CB: I'm working on the "qualification" problem for 3D printing. Additive manufacturing involves a complex set of inputs and we are working to understand how those interactions affect the outputs. Once we understand these relationships, we can have some assured confidence of performance in operation.
Story adapted from the Mines Newsroom www.minesnewsroom.com.
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New program offers customizable learning experiences in sustainable energy
An interview with Dr. Brice
Starting in AY22-23, ME undergraduate students will be able to explore various topics in mechanical engineering in more depth without taking additional courses. The ME faculty voted to expand the ME Electives to four courses in the curriculum, allowing students to gain advanced knowledge in a sub-discipline area and have it included on their transcript. ME tracks include Aerospace, Automation & Controls, Automotive, Biomechanics, Energy, Manufacturing, Materials, and Nuclear Energy. Most courses already exist within mechanical engineering or other programs, but defined tracks offer an informed alignment of courses within these areas. There are new courses launching in Aerospace Engineering this year, since ME has over 75 graduates heading into the Aerospace industry every year. Visit the ME website to learn more about the courses in each Track: mechanical.mines.edu/me-tracks/
Asle Zaeem awarded Fryrear Endowed Chair for Innovation and Excellence
Mines ME announces Tracks for students to gain depth in area of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Spotlight
Learn more about this program at www.mines.edu/sustainable-energy
A Colorado School of Mines scholarship has been setup in Doug's memory and is open for donations. Visit weare.mines.edu/rememberdouglascollins.
Dr. Paulo Tabares-Velasco was named Assistant Director of the Rocky Mountain IAC. The IAC is a nationwide program sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. Its mission is to provide technology, system and productivity-based recommendations that increase energy efficiency, reduce waste and provide financial benefits for small- and medium-sized manufacturers. The overarching goal is to educate and train the next generation of energy and productive capacity experts. On the ground level, the IAC conducts energy, waste, and productivity assessments with one-day site visits -- at no cost to the facility. The IAC team serves the state of Colorado and surrounding areas. Dr. Tabares-Velasco joins Director Tim Ohno and Assistant Directors Corina Sedillo and Joseph McInerney as well as Affiliated Faculty Dr. Greg Jackson (Mechanical Engineering) in this venture.
alumni spotlight
DOUG COLLINS '96 died while mountain biking on his favorite trail in Loveland, Colorado in April 2022. Doug was an alumni of Mines Mechanical Engineering and a member of the ME Alumni Advisory Board. After graduating from Mines, Doug founded the successful product design and 3D printing company Avid Product Development in Loveland. Doug had a passion for all things biking including building them and helping others enhance their bikes.
MITCH KRUSE '85 earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1985 with minors in Metallurgy and Computer Science. He is currently the Global Software Product Marketing Manager for Fluke in the Seattle area. Fluke is the world leader in test and measurement equipment and their products can be found in nearly every industry helping technicians keep the world up and running. Q: What is your team doing at Fluke? MK: Our group focuses on IOT (Internet of Things) technologies for the industrial maintenance and reliability market. I manage the go-to-market strategy for our portfolio of cloud-based software products. Q: How did Mines prepare you for this role? MK: I have enjoyed a diverse career that started as a field engineer on some of the most amazing offshore drilling rigs around the world, then to precision mechanical product design, then to leading-edge CAD software sales, and finally to product management and marketing for world-class companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Siemens and more. Mines gave me the confidence and tools to be able learn new technologies quickly and perform well in new roles. And of course it is always nice when a Mines background is recognized in non-traditional companies and industries. I have grown to appreciate how special the Mines engineering experience is.
Rocky Mountain Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) launched
department news
An online non-thesis master’s degree in mechanical engineering launching next year at Mines will offer the same depth and rigor of the on-campus experience with the convenience of online learning. The Mines Board of Trustees approved the new online degree offering this spring. Enrollment for the first term, starting in January 2023, will begin in the fall. “Colorado School of Mines is home to one of the top mechanical engineering programs not only in the U.S. but also globally,” said Carl Frick, professor and head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Mines. “This fully online master’s degree gives us the opportunity to extend the quality education that Mines is known for to students regardless of geography and time zone.” The non-thesis master’s program was designed with flexibility in mind, both for working engineers looking to advance their careers and for graduate students looking to continue their education without having to relocate for a residential program. The fully online classes will be eight weeks long with regularly scheduled options for Q&A with faculty, but students will have the flexibility to complete assignments when it best fits their schedule. Online instructors will include the same Mechanical Engineering faculty who teach the on-campus versions of those courses, employing best practices in dedicated online instruction. Students in the program can also customize their path based on interests and existing expertise. A total of 10 courses are required for the non-thesis MSME degree – in addition to one required course in applied mathematics, all online students will take nine more courses of their choosing: three from a core area that aligns with one of the ME Department’s research strengths -- solid mechanics, materials and manufacturing; biomechanics; or thermal fluid and energy systems, among them – three mechanical engineering electives and three technical electives. Students should expect to spend 12 to 15 hours a week on coursework during the term and can complete the program part-time in five semesters, or less if they take more than one class per eight-week term. “This is the same non-thesis MS we offer on campus – we’re not pulling any punches here,” said Tony Petrella, program director and associate professor of mechanical engineering at Mines. “We’re simply leveraging online instruction to provide broader access to the richness of our residential graduate program -- without the geographic and scheduling constraints. The requirements for the degree, the learning goals, and the value will all be the same.”
BRANDON HENTGES '14 earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering along with a minor in Business and Economics. In 2019, he graduated from CSU with his MS in Biomedical Engineering with a focus in tissue engineering. He now works for 3D Systems in Littleton, Colorado where he is a supervisor in development engineering. Q: What are you doing with 3D Systems? BH: I work on process development for implantable medical devices that will be additively manufactured (3D-printed) in titanium alloys and stainless steel. Q: How did your time at Mines prepare you for your job? BH: In industry, the problems you tackle are not similar to something like a dynamics homework set. There are no pre-determined correct answers. Through the project-based classes and cross-functional lab work I did at Mines, I learned how to use data to drive decisions and make logical engineering choices for how to progress through large projects. This helps me to tackle real-life problems with no defined answers.
ME alumni speak at Mechanical Mondays
Mines ME to launch online master’s degree
In Memoriam
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Figure 1: Military drone during soldier-assisted lift off. Mines and industrial partner Adaptive Energy are developing long-duration fuel cells that extend drone time in the air.
ASTM International supports new additive manufacturing project
Colorado School of Mines was selected for funding by ASTM International to collaborate with ASTM’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence on a research project to address standardization gaps. The Mines project will collect data to support the development of a standard method measuring the load-bearing cross sectional area for mechanical testing of coupons with as-built additive manufacturing surfaces. The project will also leverage collaboration and insights from the industry members of the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technology (ADAPT) Center to ensure that the standard method proposed is implementable by industry. The project team includes Joy Gockel (PI), Garrison Hommer (co-PI), Steve Midson, Craig Brice, Xiaoli Zhang and will support undergraduate researchers to assist with data collection through measurements and testing. Two project calls were completed in 2021, the Request for Ideas (RFI) and the Call for Projects (CFP). These investments mark ASTM International’s fourth year of funded AM research projects. The CFP was introduced to allow non-AM CoE partners to propose and receive support for projects. The Colorado School of Mines team will collect data to support the development of a standard method measuring the load-bearing cross sectional area for mechanical testing of coupons with as-built AM surfaces. The projects under this CFP will address one or more standardization gaps listed in the Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC) roadmap published by ANSI and America Makes.
Research leads to start-up company: Impressio Tech
Sullivan and CFCC win two new SBIR programs with industrial partner Adaptive Energy
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RESEARCH NEWS
Figure 2: Portable fuel cell generator supports field communications and logistics.
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Stemming from Carl Frick’s research on developing processing-structure-property relationships for novel materials and additive manufacturing techniques, Dr. Frick is a co-founder for an emerging start-up business, Impressio Tech. Impressio Tech focuses on 3D printed helmet liners to prevent concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The core patented technology resulted from basic laboratory research initiated over seven years ago focused on liquid crystalline elastomers. Initial research was funded by the NSF and NIH, but since founding Impressio Tech, the company has raised over $1.8M in non-equity funding -- mostly grants including NFL pitch competition and NFL HeadHealthTECH, DOD, NSF- & NIH-SBIRs -- and over $300k in co-development agreements with industry including Solvay and Showa Denko. Impressio Tech continues to show steady growth and the company currently employs 12 people, 7 of which are full-time. From 2017-2020 Dr. Frick was heavily involved with virtually every aspect of establishing Impressio Tech. He significantly contributed to customer discovery and business plan development, participating with the NSF I-Corps program twice as Technical Lead for a football helmet liner and an orthopedic metatarsophalangeal joint replacement device. As Impressio Tech transitions from a fledgling start-up to a functional business, Dr. Frick has recently moved into a less-active role as a Senior Advisor, which allows him to focus on his Department Head responsibilities for Mines ME as well as his research team’s activities.
NFL's 1st & Future Competition: $50K and a trip to the Super Bowl.
ME Associate Professor Neal Sullivan and MME Professor Ryan O'Hayre received notice of two new research and development awards in partnership with fuel-cell developer Adaptive Energy of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both are Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) programs supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and focus on developing next-generation, high-efficiency fuel cells for military applications (Figure 1). The two awards mark the third DoD program secured by the Mines – Adaptive team in the past six months. Over the past decade, Mines researchers have been making advancements on new proton-conducting ceramic materials for electricity generation, hydrogen production, and energy storage. These protonic-ceramic materials outperform the state-of-the-art, but have not advanced beyond the lab. The Mines – Adaptive partnership seeks to expand protonic ceramics from the lab into the field. Adaptive’s fuel cells convert the chemical energy of readily available propane into electricity. The electricity powers military devices such as airborne and underwater drones. With high efficiency, fuel cells produce more electricity per pound of propane than competing military generators. This extends mission duration between refuels for powering U.S. forces. In the Phase I SBIR program, the Mines – Adaptive team is developing high-power-density, micro-tubular fuel cells to meet the low-weight requirements of aerial drones. The program also targets “reversible” charge-and-discharge operation, where fuel is produced in one mode and electricity is produced in the other. The Phase II award targets a ~ 300-W portable fuel cell to support ground forces (Figure 2). The programs are led by Professor Ryan O’Hayre of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, and Associate Professor Neal Sullivan of Mechanical Engineering. The professors harness capabilities across two highly productive Mines research centers, the Center for Advanced Ceramics (CCAC) and the Colorado Fuel Cell Center (CFCC). These protonic-ceramics programs build on previous Mines research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, including the ARPA-E REBELS and REFUEL programs, a NASA program for fuels synthesis on Mars, and more.
Hildreth research group wins Mines President's Award for Excellence in Safety
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Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate Lydia Meyer (pictured below) will be working in NREL’s newly set-up battery characterization facility to support ongoing battery research at NREL under the Silicon Consortium Project. This project will leverage unique knowledge at the Mines to support projects focused on mechanistic understanding via spectroscopic, electrochemical, and spectroelectrochemical analysis. The work will allow NREL to investigate the effect of physiochemical and electrochemical properties of battery materials and composite electrodes on battery performance.
An interdisciplinary team led by Colorado School of Mines is using process sensors, design optimization, materials science, physics-based modeling, and mechanical testing combined with machine learning to help the U.S. Army qualify additive manufacturing parts for their ground vehicle fleet. The Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT), an interdisciplinary additive manufacturing research center and industry consortium located at Colorado School of Mines, has received an additional $4.2M from the U.S. Army to fund the second phase of a project focusing on data driven qualification for additive manufacturing (AM) – a process also known as 3D printing. Working through a contract with America Makes, an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students within ADAPT is using process sensors, design optimization, materials science, physics-based modeling, and mechanical testing combined with machine learning to develop strategies to implement AM faster and more efficiently within the U.S. Army’s ground vehicle fleet. The U.S. Army will benefit greatly from the advantages of AM by reducing the sustainment burden, increasing readiness, creating an alternate source of supply, and developing new parts that outperform traditionally manufactured parts. The first phase of this project initially kicked off in December 2020. A major limiting factor for the adoption of AM parts for structural applications is the challenge of qualification. The wide range of AM process types, equipment suppliers, manufacturing parameters and feedstock formulations makes each system unique and subject to its own qualification protocol. This project will discover fundamental knowledge of the relationships between processing, microstructure, and properties for metal parts built with different machines and types of processes. This knowledge enables a data driven qualification approach that will allow relationships across platforms to be inferred using intelligent machine learning algorithms backed by physics-based modeling. A predictive capability for properties and performance across AM systems will reduce the overall data burden and qualification timeline for new processes and materials. Founded in 2016, ADAPT provides expertise in materials development and characterization, fundamental processing understanding, processing-structure-property relationships, AM process monitoring and control, machine learning, and qualification and certification.
Mines interdisciplinary team to develop a robot for lunar landings
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The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (pictured) is one of the types of vehicles that will be part of the project. Photo source: U.S. Army
ADAPT receives $4.2M to continue additive manufacturing research in partnership with the U.S. Army
Autonomous Site Preparation: Excavation, Compaction, and Testing (ASPECT) is a push-button system for lunar landing site excavation, compaction, and assessment.
Mines joins consortium to eliminate barriers to implementing Si-based anodes in Li-ion Batteries
NASA has selected Colorado School of Mines for a $1.9M project to develop an autonomous robot to prepare the lunar surface for vehicle landings. The project team lead by Dr. Chris Dreyer (Space Resources) includes Dr. Andrew Petruska (Mechanical Engineering), Dr. George Sowers (Space Resources), Dr. Kevin Cannon (Space Resources), Dr. Neil Dantam (Computer Science), Dr Jamal Rostami (Mining Engineering) and collaboration from Golden startup Lunar Outpost, Michigan Tech, and Bechtel Inc. The project aims to develop an autonomous robot that will provide low-energy and contract-pressure compaction at the landing site, enable autonomy through real-time task-to-motion planning for site preparation, and the ability to move surface materials through handling, grading, and rock removal.
The Hildreth Research Group was recognized by the Mines President's Office for its dedication and unmistakable commitment to providing a safe place in which to work and learn as its lab was selected as a winner of the Spring 2022 President’s Award for Excellence in Safety during Mines' Fab Lab Safety Week. The award selection committee summed up their lab tour with one word: immaculate. The lab is organized, uncluttered and a Roomba cleans the floors at night. The success of the safety culture has its origins in clear expectations modeled daily by principal researcher Owen Hildreth, associate professor in mechanical engineering. The award was presented by President Paul C. Johnson and Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer Walt Copan.
Read more about this story here!
"dustbusters" take on the over the dusty moon challenge
Eliseo Esparza, an ME senior, was featured in Mines Newsroom's Humans of Mines in May 2022. He is active in the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) as well as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). As part of his senior design project, Eliseo spent the year working alongside fellow engineering students to convert an old Formula SAE vehicle to be fully electric. After graduation, he will work full-time at Proctor and Gamble as a product engineer for Tide Detergent.
Read his interview here!
Student news
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Undergrad student NEWS
Watch the team video here!
ME student Fischer Argosino appeared in the Colorado School of Mines Foundation YouTube series "From the Desk of an Oredigger." In the video, he gives an update on his classes, organizations, extracurricular activities and how supporters help make his Mines education possible. Argosino is from Parker, CO and is a Grewcock Scholar as well as a student in the McBride Honors Program. He is also a student athlete on the Mines varsity track & field team and is heavily interested in entrepreneurship.
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Senior Design Team “Peak Load” — otherwise known as the Gas to Electric Desert Race Truck — is converting a 100% electric vehicle from a fully gas-powered 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. To top it off, the team will be competing in one of the largest races in the world: “The Baja 1000 competition”. As a group the team will implement AutoCAD, advanced machining, and a wealth of knowledge to re-design the suspension and install an electric drive train. For many team members, building a vehicle to race in the Baja 1000 has always been a dream. By coming together and building a project, this group of students will be given the chance to experience something that would have been impossible alone. The main goal of the project was to teach students the rigor of designing a project throughout its process and provide them with positive life experiences along the way. “Peak Load” is hand-building an off-road racing vehicle that is 100% electric. This project is at the cutting-edge of Electric Vehicle technology, sponsored by industry partners such as Fox Factory, Ride Hard America, AEM Electric Vehicles, and more. The team has raised almost $50K and are set to break the all-time record for senior design fundraising at Mines. The team consists of 14 engineers, including Mechanical Engineering students Blake Partis, Anthony Boyd, Titus Reed, Graham Gates, Benjamin Wartofsky, Joseph Nagle, Christopher Combs, Marley Debrito, and Adam Schwartz.
Argosino featured in "from the desk of an oredigger"
ME senior Nazim Kargar (pictured left) was part of the Mines team "Dustbusters", who was a Phase 1 winner in the 2022 Over the Dusty Moon Challenge sponsored by Lockheed Martin. "Dustbusters" built a modular lunar ropeway system to transport lunar regolith on the Moon. The nine member team of seniors, along with five other university teams from around the world, was invited to the in-person competition held at Mines in June 2022 where they showcased and tested their prototype in front of a panel of industry judges.
Senior design team "Peak Load" to compete in Baja 1000
Humans of mines: eliseo esparza
Watch the full video here!
Senior design team "Peak Load" pictured outside of Guggenheim Hall.
Highlighting ME Undergrads
Mines ME announced the Spring 2022 student award winners at the Student Awards Luncheon on May 12th. These student awardees were honored not only for their academic and technical achievements, but because of their service to their fellow students and campus community and because of their character and commitment to excellence. The award winners are: ME Outstanding Graduating Senior Award: Brian Simpson ME Emeritus Faculty Exemplary Undergraduate Student Award: Arianna Castro ME Emeritus Faculty Exemplary Graduate Student Award: Rath Preap The John Steele Commemorative Service Award: Elior Bilow Makler ME Outstanding Student Athlete Award: Lindsey Jin ME E-Days Engineer Award: Amanda Camarata
Student awards
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Read about our student award winners at mechanical.mines.edu/me-student-awards or scan the QR code!
The Spring 2022 Mechanical Engineering Student Award Winners at the Student Awards Luncheon. From left to right: Amanda Camarata, Rath Preap, Brian Simpson, Elior Bilow Makler, Lindsey Jin, and Arianna Castro.
ME students win awards in Capstone Design Showcase ME students Max Kowalczyk, Henry Mizer, Danielle Mullen, Sydney Purdom, and Emily Rago were on the team that won the Spring 2022 Capstone Design Showcase. They were also awarded Best Innovation. The team designed and constructed a mechanical structure, electrical motion system, the closed loop feedback control system and the gravity offloading system that all function with rovers to move them over a lunar test bed. Mobility and Safety Solutions (Keaton Anderson, Aidan Bradley, Morgan Trexler, Lucas Utke) tied with all-ME team Tool Time: Design for Additive Manufacturing and Materials Optimization (Devin Aragon, Forrest Getz, Trevor Gill, and Nick Wilkins) for second place. Tool Time also won Best Proof-of-Concept. Best of Award for Societal Impact: Sustainable Power Systems including ME student Matthew Larivee Best of Award for Human Systems: Adaptive Downhill Racer including ME students Trent Dykema, Zachary Hoffman, Cora McCanlies, Melissa Pinson, Jessica Sigler, and Kevin Zapanta Broader Impact Essay first place: Seth Deibert Broader Impact Essay third place: Trevor Gill
Spring 2022 ME student award winners announced
Outstanding ME graduates
Spring 2022 Gene Haas Foundation Scholars Colorado School of Mines’ Mechanical Engineering Department has been awarded a $14,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation (GHF) for student scholarships in 2022 for student workers in the ME Instructional Machine Shop. According to Kathy Looman, Foundation administrator, “The purpose of the Gene Haas Foundation is to build skills in the machining industry by providing scholarships for CNC Machine Technology students.” Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, Inc. started the Gene Haas Foundation in 1999 to support efforts to introduce students to careers in machining and related technologies. That goal is primarily accomplished by funding student scholarships for graduating high school students, displaced workers and military veterans. Based in Oxford, California, Haas Automation is America’s leading machine tool builder. The Spring 2022 Gene Haas Foundation Scholars are Tristan Barney, Bill Hobbs, Zoe Major, Russell McKenna, Justin Rozendaal, Erik Skansberg and Cruz Strom.
Blue Key Honor Society Shaley German Trevor Gill Emily Rago Daphne Salisbury Allison Sander Brian Simpson Grand Challenges Scholars Elior Bilow Makler Guy T. McBride Honors Program Logan Cummings Danielle Mullen Military Commissions Jake Hastings (US Air Force) Gabriel Losey (US Air Force) Order of Omega Charisma Bartlett Grace Crater Shane Feller Jack Guidroz Jessica Sigler SE@Mines Undergraduate Distinction Derick Carroll Tyler Overly Amelia Snyder Undergraduate Research Scholars Amanda Camarata Morgan Trexler Dan Fox Outstanding Student Service Award Jason Taylor
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Being a student athlete in college requires dedication and determination. And at Colorado School of Mines, where all our athletes are engineers or scientists, an extra measure of grit is needed to succeed. Mines Athletics recognizes the best of the best with the annual Blaster Awards. This year's Blaster Awards, announced in May, featured two ME students among the award winners (below) and many more ME students as nominees. Visit minesathletics.com to view the full list of award winners and nominees.
Recognition for biomechanics grad students
ME student athletes recognized in annual Blaster Awards
GRAD STUDENT NEWS
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Women's volleyball outside hitter and ME Outstanding Athlete Award winner, Lindsey Jin, was also nominated for Female Academic Athlete of the Year and the Female Oredigger Excellence Award.
Male Rookie of the year AWARD Grayston DiBlasi - Wrestling
The Male Rookie of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding male athlete who is in their first year of eligibility (either true freshman or redshirt freshman).
ME PhD candidate Jordan Sturdy (pictured top) was awarded the Best Doctoral Poster Presentation and ME MS student Allison Tanner (pictured bottom) was awarded the Best MS Poster Presentation at the 2022 Rocky Mountain American Society of Biomechanics Conference in April. Both students are advised by Dr. Anne Silverman. The Rocky Mountain ASB conference provides students with an opportunity to present their research at a scientific meeting while expanding interactions among research groups in the Rocky Mountains and surrounding regions.
section name
Male Iron Digger Award Ryan Fidel - Wrestling
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ME PhD candidate Gabriel Flechas placed third in the Environment & Energy oral session at the 2022 Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS). GRADS is an event designed by graduate students for graduate and undergraduate students doing cutting-edge research. Participants are able to practice their presentation skills in front of Mines faculty and alum as well as industry professionals and receive real-time feedback on their presentation skills and style. Flechas is advised by Dr. Paulo Tabares-Velasco. Other award winners included: 2nd place Health & Life Sciences poster session: Michael Miller (ME PhD candidate) 2nd place Materials Sciences & Mechanics poster session: Colleen Moauro (Advanced Energy Systems PhD candidate) 3rd place Materials Sciences & Mechanics poster session: Eugenie Pariente (Materials Science MS-NT student) 2nd place Resources & Earth Sciences poster session: John Ayaburi (ORwE PhD candidate) People's Choice oral session: Daniel Morrison (ME MS student)
ME PhD candidate Michael Miller (pictured left) was awarded the 2022 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. He is one of five Mines graduate students to receive the award. The prestigious program, which began in 1952, is the oldest continuous graduate fellowship of its kind. It provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated potential for signficant achievements in the STEM disciplines. Michael Miller is working with Dr. Anne Silverman, Rowlinson Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Functional Biomechanics Laboratory. “My research is investigating balance control during movement transitions, such as when rising from a chair and seamlessly transitioning to walking,” Miller said. “We know that injuries, aging, and other neuromuscular deficits can change how we stand and walk, but how these changes relate to muscle action is not well understood. Our findings hope to reduce balance related injuries by informing physical therapy and rehabilitation practices about the most effective strategies for movement transitions.”
The Iron Digger Award recognizes someone who has demonstrated unparalleled dedication to physical preparation. Candidates will have been at the forefront of their team’s training in both personal improvement and leadership, exemplifying what it means to work behind the scenes.
Miller named NSF Graduate Research Fellow
PhD candidates, MS students place in Mines GRADS
Michael Riechers ULA Scott Hodgson Maxson Engineering Dustin Crouse & Brandon Hentges 3D Systems
DR. Sheila edalatpour Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Associate Member, Frontier Institute for Research in Sensor Technologies University of Maine “Radiative Heat Transfer at the Micro/Nanometer Scale”
DR. babak hejrati Associate Member, Center on Aging and the Institute of Medicine University of Maine “Robot-assisted Gait Training”
Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Seminar Series: Spring 2022
department events
After a pandemic-induced hiatus for the fall semester, the Mechanical Mondays series is coming back in virtual mode for the spring of 2021. The spring schedule includes:
Dr. todd otanicar Associate Professor and Department Chair, Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Boise State University “Challenges of Solid Particles as a High Temperature Heat Transfer Medium”
DR. Jennifer franck Assistant Professor, Engineering Physics Director, Computational Flow Physics and Modeling Lab University of Wisconsin-Madison “Oscillating Foil Wake Dynamics and Predictive Modeling”
We are always looking for engaging alumni and industry speakers for Mechanical Mondays! Contact Traci Case at tcase@mines.edu.
We appreciate our fantastic lineup of alumni and industry speakers who shared their time, experience and wisdom with Mechanical Engineering undergraduates this semester! The Spring 2022 series featured the following guest speakers:
Geordie Campbell Jabil Engineering Amy Hegarty CU Boulder Mitch Kruse Fluke
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Study Abroad Program at Mines
Dr. federico municchi Researcher, Computational Fluid Dynamics Colorado School of Mines “Numerical Methods for Particulate Flows with Conjugate Heat and Mass Transfer”
DR. sepideh kavousi Postdoctoral Research Associate, Computational Materials & Mechanics Laboratory Colorado School of Mines “Quantitative multi-scale models for predicting process-structure-property relationships in metals and alloys”
DR. RONALD j. o'malley F. Kenneth Iverson Chair and Professor, Materials Science and Engineering Missouri University of Science and Technology “Advancements in the Use of Fiber Optic Sensors in Metals Casting and Steel Manufacture”
Mechanical Mondays guest speaker Michael Riechers from ULA presenting to ME undergraduate students in April 2022.
Spring 2022 Mechanical Mondays
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Gabriel Plummer Advisor: Garritt J. Tucker “Atomic-Scale Deformation Mechanisms in MAX Phases and MXenes”
Master of Science, Space Resources
Kevin Adam Marcus Cline Patrick Gibbs Maia Menefee Andrew Parker Tony Penoyer Emily Volk Liam Witteman
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MASTER OF SCIENCE, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Guilllaume L'her Advisor: Mark R. Deinert “A Multifaceted Approach To Nuclear Energy In A Complex World”
Congratulations to our newest alumni!
Austin Cyrus MS Mechanical Engineering MS Space Resources
*Dual degree: BS Electrical Engineering
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Master of Science, Advanced Energy Systems
INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS
Robert Clayton, IV Alan Clemens Mackenzie Dennis Jacob Dunahue Nicholas Eriksson Ryan Fidel Jacob Golson Karl Henize Leonard Igberaese Joshua Jeong Lindsey Jin Jered Kennedy Elizabeth Luce Maxwell Mahurin Isabella Mendoza Troy Pacheco Emily Pittman Rathana Preap Chancellor Reeves Anderson Salisbury Dylan Shapiro Megan Shepherd Nathan Smith Azariah Thompson Garron Tubbs Taryn Tucker Aaron Whitehouse Jonny Wong
Alexander Jehle Advisors: George F. Sowers, Michele Gaudreault “Connecting Space Resources to the Near-Earth Economy: Propellant Distribution, Strategic Modularity, and a Concept of Space Support”
Doctor of Philosophy, Advanced Energy Systems
Doctor of Philosophy, Materials Science
Gandhali Kogekar Advisor: Robert J. Kee “Developing Computational Capabilities In Cantera To Model Reacting Flows In A Class Of Chemical Reactors”
Doctor of Philosophy, Nuclear Engineering
Julius Brusco Forrest Long Ian Olson Preston Smith
Doctor of Philosophy, Space Resources
Royce Abel Tariq Al Salmani Eric Alexander Jordan Al-hamdani Keaton Anderson Adam Anderson Daniel Azbell Davin Bala Tristan Barney Charisma Bartlett Norris Bell Aidan Bellman James Biggers Elior Bilow Makler Andrew Bishop Benjamin Boone Aidan Bradley Lauryn Brewer Kobe Brewster Wyatt Brinkley Dylan Broderick Forrest Brooks Aidan Bryan Caroline Burger Grant Burmeister Analise Butler Amanda Camarata James Canter Andrew Carlisle Hunter Carlson Derick Carroll Arianna Castro Bijan Chamanbahar Ryan Channell Jacob Chwialkowski Benjamin Cole Isaiah Coleman Morgan Cordell Grace Crater Michael Crespin Logan Cummings Natoni Cundiff Alexia Dassatti Nicholas Davis William Davis Andrew Davis Justice Davis Chance Deckard Seth Deibert John Desrosiers Sr. Amanda Donais Nicholas Dooley Thaddious Douthit IV Isaac Dukes Maxwell Dumler Theodore Dutt Trent Dykema Dylan Eck John Edelen Alex Edwards Maxwell Engel Zachary Engstrom Eliseo Esparza Lucas Espinoza Shane Feller Kaylee Ferrell Holden Fine Madison Flodquist Marshall Freeman Nolan Funk Anna Gabriel Brock Gagna Alexander Gall Paul Gallup Cameron Garrett Joseph George Dan German Forrest Getz Trevor Gill Laura Gonzalez Evan Greager Alec Greve Jack Guidroz Bradley Gunther Annika Gustafson Hakeem Haj-Musa Adam Hammad Camille Harris Jake Hastings William Hemphill Claudia Herbst Chris Herrera Mattingly Ho Bryan Hoang William Hobbs IV Marion Hohn Garrett Howard Dillon Hufnagel Matthew Hulick Aidan Iffland Hayden Ito Gavin Jones Nazim Kargar Mason Karp Colton Ketterling Adam Killingsworth Zane Knapp Delaney Knorr Max Kowalczyk Riley Kunkel Brayden Kunkel Noah Kuzma Boden Lanham Matthew Larivee Jordan Lee Matthew Leehan Samuel Lewis Benjamin Linehan Daniel Lira Juan Lluna Alvarez Sergio Lopez Gabriel Losey Charles Ludlow Alison Mangold Cruzito Marrujo Ryan Marshall Brendan Martin Cora McCanlies Rachel McCormick Natalie McElmeel Andrew McElravy Alejandro Mendez Andrew Menn Nathan Miller Rylan Miller Robert Miller Zachary Miner Grant Minnihan Henry Mizer Ambryn Moffitt Sean Moncur Gabriel Moore Stella Morehouse Joseph Morton Ryan Moses Brady Mueller Danielle Mullen Mikael Murphy Payton Nance Amena Nelson Jewel Newman Arthur Neyland Morgan Nishida Henry Oberley Michael Oliver John O’Malley Tyler Overly Joseph Pabian IV Thomas Papenthien Ethan Park Emma Peterson William Peyton III* Ciara Phebus Jakob Pigati Juvinni Pineda Bu Assaf Melissa Pinson Andrew Piotrowski Naomi Plouse Paris Porter Bradley Daniel Preston Zane Prose Emily Rago Madison Reed Nolan Reeve Cade Reichenberger Joshua Reinhardt Julian Reynolds Walter Rodenberger Anthony Romero Benjamin Rosenthal Riley Royall Ethan Saarenas Matthew Saint Daphne Salisbury Regan Sampson Allison Sander Nathan Sandoval Conall Saxena Kristopher Scheiblich Jeanalee Schlabaugh Joseph Schmidt Dane Schmok William Scott Paige Seifert Julian Sherr Erik Siekkinen Jessica Sigler Brian Simpson Sean Skweres Garrett Smart Harry Smith Paul Smith Amelia Snyder Linus Stroik Addison Sweeney Jason Taylor Jesus Torres Ortiz Jr. Morgan Trexler Tylor Trinh Joshua Trujillo Lillian Tucker Gabriella Tuell Evan Tunney Caroline Turner Lucas Utke Thomas Wade Sean Walker Tyler Walls Liam Wedell Ryan Wells Trey Werley Brayden Weyer Francis Wheeler Anya Wiens Nicholas Wilkins Nicholas Willis Finnegan Wilson Jason Wolfe Andrew Worthley Matthew Yap Christine Yee Lukas Yoffie Tieler Yohn Kevin Zapanta
Master of Science, Advanced Manufacturing
Jacob Tavenner Advisor: Garritt J. Tucker “Development of a Grain Boundary Genome: Atomically- Informed Defect Analysis”
Jason Ballard Ross Centers Miguel Coto Villanueva Nathan Davis Sarah Deitrick Alexander Genzel Benjamin Jackson Gerard Lebar Sterling Lozalee Chelsea Meilner Austin Murnane Konstantinos Papangelis Cole Pazar Joshua Waters Nick Yugo
Katherine Anderson Advisor: Alexandra M. Newman “Adapting Design and Dispatch Optimization Models to Better Inform Energy Planning Decisions in The Deployment of Distributed Renewable Energy Technologies”
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Dual Degree Recipient
SUPPORT MECHANICAL
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 1500 ILLINOIS ST. GOLDEN, CO 80401-1887
A gift to the Department of Mechanical Engineering is an investment in the future. Gifts can support scholarships, fellowships, professorships, academic programs, faculty research and other initiatives that are not typically supported through state appropriations. Private philanthropy empowers the department to achieve greater excellence in research and education. To learn more about supporting the department, contact the Mines Foundation at weare.mines.edu/supportme or call 303.273.3275.