Mechanical AT MINES
SUMMER 2021
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Dear friends of Mines Mechanical Engineering,
A Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of the Colorado School of Mines Department of Mechanical Engineering Colorado School of Mines President: Dr. Paul Johnson Interim Department Head: Dr. Jason Porter jporter@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
Exciting changes in store for Mines Mechanical Engineering
CONTENTS
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Dr. Jason Porter Interim Department Head
3 | Letter from the Department Head 4 | Faculty Spotlight 6 | Department News 9 | Alumni Spotlight 10 | Research News 16 | Student Awards 19 | Grad Student News 20 | Department Events 22 | Graduation Lists
From the INTERIM Department Head
As we close a challenging academic year, the Mechanical Engineering department is happy to share some positive news and exciting changes on the horizon. After his four-year tenure as ME Department Head, Dr. John Berger was promoted to Dean of the Energy and Materials Program. During his time as DH, the faculty grew from 30 to 39 tenure/tenure-track faculty, teaching faculty and professors of practice. The ME student body held steady as the largest on campus, and research expenditures grew from $7M to $12M. Berger also had the vision to create a highly functional leadership team to support the large and growing department. The leadership team now consists of six staff, a director of graduate studies, and a director of undergraduate studies. We thank Dr. Berger for his vision and leadership of the largest department on campus, including shepherding the department through a pandemic! With every promotion comes an opportunity to hire a new leader. Mines ME is in the midst of a department head search process. The department is also bringing in three new teaching faculty, and two or more tenure/tenure-track faculty hires are in the works. Look to the Winter 2021-2022 newsletter for announcements on new additions to the department. Mines ME swept the award field this academic year. Dr. Robert Braun and Dr. Mohsen Asle Zaeem were awarded the Mines 2021 Senior Faculty and Junior Faculty Excellence in Research Awards, respectively. For the third year in a row, Teaching Associate Professor Derrick Rodriguez received the ME Senior Class Faculty Award. Lab Coordinator Buddy Haun was awarded Classified Employee of the Year, and Technical and Operations Manager Traci Case was named Administrative Faculty Outstanding Employee of the Year. Read on for more details. As Mines moves back to full in-person learning in Fall 2021, we look forward to delivering the outstanding curriculum and cutting-edge research results that you have come to expect from Mines ME! Go, Orediggers!
SUMMER 2021 VOL. 4 · ISSUE 2
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Senior Class Faculty Award
For the third year in a row, Teaching Associate Professor Derrick Rodriguez received the ME Senior Class Faculty Award. The award is chosen by the undergraduate senior class to honor the outstanding work and support that a professor has given to their students. Rodriguez is a Mines alum (PhD ’06) and has been a teaching professor in ME for 9 years. Students know him best for teaching Thermodynamics I and II during the academic year and Fluids I and Thermo I in the summer.
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Dr. Robert Braun, winner of the Senior Faculty Excellence in Research award
The Excellence in Research Awards recognize Mines faculty members who are active in research for their outstanding accomplishments while at Mines. The Junior Faculty Award, for faculty members with less than 10 years of self-directed research, was awarded to Mohsen Asle Zaeem, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering. Asle Zaeem joined Mines ME in 2018. His research focuses on phase-field materials modeling. The Senior Faculty Award, which honors faculty members with 10 or more years of self-directed research, was given to Robert Braun, Rowlinson Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Braun’s area of focus is energy system design, simulation and optimization, particularly systems involving solid oxide fuel cells and energy storage. Braun was also recently named director of the Advanced Energy Systems Program, Mines’ joint graduate program with NREL. He has been with Mines since 2008.
At the April 2021 Mines Board of Trustees meeting, Dr. Owen Hildreth and Dr. Nils Tilton were awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor. Hildreth (left, top) received his BS in mechanical engineering from the University of California, San Diego, in 2002 and worked for five years designing consumer products. In 2012 he received his PhD in materials science and engineering from Georgia Tech. His PhD research identified the mechanism for catalyst motion in metal assisted chemical etching for applications in 3D nanofabrication. His current research focuses on additive manufacturing (nm to cm scales); mass transport, reaction kinetics, and interface design in reactive inks for stretchable electronics, photovoltaics, and microfluidic devices; and sensitization kinetics, microstructure evolution, dilution, and corrosion of metals fabricated using powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition technologies. Tilton’s (left, bottom) expertise is in theoretical and computational fluid mechanics with an emphasis on hydrodynamic stability and flow through porous media. He received his PhD in 2009 from McGill University, after which he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Aix-Marseille and the University of Maryland. His research focuses on developing accurate analytical and numerical models of membrane filtration, carbon dioxide sequestration, and flow control for drag reduction. These applications play central roles in the water-energy-climate nexus as well as in the food, pharmaceutical and petroleum sectors.
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Dr. Mohsen Asle Zaeem, winner of the Junior Faculty Excellence in Research award
Tabares-Velasco wins ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award
Professor Paulo Cesar Tabares-Velasco has been honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The award recognizes members who have served ASHRAE faithfully and with distinction on committees or who otherwise give freely of their time and talent on behalf of the society. During the pandemic, Tabares-Velasco worked closely with Mines Facilities Management to strengthen the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to help reduce the risk of airborne COVID-19 transmission in campus buildings in line with the latest ASHRAE guidelines. He also helped lead an effort to collect and analyze data on the HVAC changes to calculate the overall risk of airborne transmission in specific rooms.
Asle Zaeem, Braun recognized for excellence in research
Hildreth, Tilton awarded tenure
DEPARTMENT NEWS
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“Traci Case is the engine that keeps the Mechanical Engineering department running.”
ME Technical and Operations Manager Traci Case received the Mines 2021 Administrative Faculty Outstanding Employee of the Year Award. This award recognizes an administrative faculty member who embodies Mines’ mission, produces quality work, and consistently displays characteristics valued and appreciated through their everyday job expectations. Case is an integral member of the ME Leadership Team and wears many hats in the department. She manages the day-to-day operation of the ME main office, machine shop and physical facilities, and oversees ME staff. She leads ME alumni outreach efforts, including Mechanical Mondays, a program she established in 2018. Case is also very active around campus. She teaches a section of Cornerstone Design as an adjunct professor and, as a U.S. Army veteran, is engaged with the Mines Veterans Alliance. Case was instrumental in establishing and implementing the university’s COVID-19 response efforts. She spearheaded changes in departmental/university communication, signage, seating arrangements, lab safety and personnel management. She went out of her way to ensure that COVID protocols were met and that students and faculty remained safe. Case earned her BS in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and then spent five years on active duty in the Army. She completed an MS in Environmental Science and Engineering at Mines and worked for 20 years at the Water Research Foundation before joining Mines ME in 2017. She is an active member of the Golden community, serving on the boards of Leadership Golden and GoFarm and volunteering in other capacities. Known for her professionalism, dedication and exceptional dependability, Case is the go-to person in ME, the largest department on campus, and is widely recognized as being the engine that keeps ME running!
Classified employee of the year
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Signature student experiences
Fostering signature student experiences at Colorado School of Mines, with deliberate professional development, best-in-class student success outcomes and return on investment, is one of the core pillars of the MINES@150 Strategic Plan. With support from Mines leadership and the Colorado School of Mines Foundation, the Faculty Senate recently provided funding to twelve faculty-led initiatives that embody the MINES@150 commitment to bolstering hands-on learning and preparing Mines students to make an impact in their fields. Two of the twelve funded initiatives were proposed by professors in Mechanical Engineering. M-Days, led by Prof. Neal Sullivan. Similar to Engineering Days (E-Days) in the spring, but on a smaller scale, M-Days will be a campus-wide celebration of Mines’ rich mining history. The funding from the Faculty Senate will be used to fund an administrator to coordinate the planning and logistics for M-Days. Prof. Sullivan is developing a second signature experience focused on advancing student engagement with professional societies to enable more enriching experiences while also promoting student careers after graduation. Institute for Energy Efficient Communities with Flexible Loads, led by Prof. Paulo Cesar Tabares-Velasco. The growth in photovoltaics and sustainable buildings that are capable of shifting their electric loads by using smart controls and energy storage enhances both the Mines campus and the student learning experience. The institute aims to continue that work by leveraging the expertise and student/faculty interests from the Energy Minor, Advanced Energy Systems Graduate Program, Smart Environments Design Studio and Solar Decathlon. Specifically, the institute will provide energy assessments on campus and in the wider Golden area through project-based experiential learning and deployment. Students will get to work on real-world energy efficiency problems and be mentored by Mines alumni and faculty.
Outstanding employee of the year
ME Lab Manager Buddy Haun was named the Mines 2020 Classified Employee of the Year. Haun is the unsung hero of the ME department, quietly and unceremoniously making things happen for our students, faculty and facilities. Haun was instrumental in keeping labs open and project-based courses on track during remote learning. When others had to stay home, Haun was on campus, constantly taking the initiative to help faculty and students succeed.
alumni spotlight
New minor in aerospace engineering
Jessica Reeves earned her BS in Engineering with Mechanical Specialty in December 2012. She now works for Trane Technologies in Pueblo, Colorado. Q: What are you doing with Trane Technologies? JR: I am a product design engineer and I focus on sustaining air-cooled chillers. Q: How did your time at Mines prepare you for your job? JR: My experience at Mines prepared me to accept any challenge that has been presented to me throughout my career thus far. The skill set that was ingrained in me in my time at Mines gives me the confidence to tackle any new project, familiar or foreign. Working with cross-functional teams provides the tools to approach a variety of situations and subsequently see them through to an appropriate solution.
Ryan Zamora earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering in December 2019. After graduating, he took a position with Milwaukee Tool in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Q: What are you doing with Milwaukee Tool? RZ: I’m a project engineer in the Test Engineering group on the accessories side of the business. My group is responsible for creating machines and fixtures for testing our products. Q: How does your work impact the business? RZ: With the machines we design, we are able to collect data and report out to other teams with the end goal of improving our product. That’s the formal way of saying it, but I would say that we get to design AND build really cool machines while also working within the automation realm.
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Students operate a drill rig to extract water from simulated Martian subsurface ice as part of the NASA Mars Ice Challenge at NASA Langley Research Center. Right: Members of the Mines chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) at Celebration of Mines.
To learn more about the Aerospace Engineering minor, visit mechanical.mines.edu/me-minors-asis
Claire Teklitz earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering in May 2020 along with a minor in Political Science. She now works for United Launch Alliance at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Q: What are you doing with ULA? CT: I’m a propulsion systems test engineer and I mostly work on pneumatics. We test and do the final integration on our Atlas, Delta and Vulcan rockets. Q: How did your time at Mines prepare you for your job? CT: Mines ME prepared me for coming up with a plan so that when things go haywire, you can quickly troubleshoot and keep everyone safe.
The growing aerospace industry in Colorado represents five of the top ten employers for mechanical engineers in the state. While a full degree in aerospace engineering is not a requirement for these jobs – as shown by the number of Mines graduates currently working in the industry – a dedicated minor will help make Mines students even more competitive in the field. The Aerospace Engineering minor is designed to support students interested in aerospace engineering careers who are majoring in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, metallurgical and materials engineering, physics and other areas. The program will be housed under the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “The minor is in response to our constituents’ needs – both industry and current students,” said Kristine Csavina, assistant department head for undergraduate studies and teaching professor in Mechanical Engineering. “In discussions with managers and alumni in the aerospace industry, they reiterated their desire to hire our Mines engineers, but they feel new employees would have a better start in their companies with a background of fundamental knowledge in aerospace engineering.” The new Aerospace Engineering minor will capitalize on three existing mechanical engineering courses important to aerospace fundamentals and add three additional courses in space-related topics and systems engineering. The Aerospace Engineering minor will be offered starting in Fall 2021 along with other new minors in space mining and teaching.
ME alumni speak at Mechanical Mondays
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solarpaces.org
A color scale model of heat in an underground mine. Darker colors represent higher temperatures. Heat from auto-compression, the rock and diesel equipment can create unsafe work conditions and affect production scheduling. (Source: CHASM Consulting, 2015)
ORwE PhD student graduates with honors
Interdisciplinary spotlight: Operations Research with Engineering
RESEARCH NEWS
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Dr. Oluwaseun “Seun” Ogunmodede graduated cum laude in May 2021 with his PhD in ORwE. His dissertation, titled “Modeling and Solving Large- Scale Optimization Problems: Case Studies in Renewable Energy and Mining,” earned him the distinction of being a finalist for the prestigious Dr. Bhakta Rath and Sushama Rath Research Award. Seun was advised by Dr. Alexandra Newman and co-advised by Dr. Gregory Bogin, Jr. Seun’s other accomplishments include: Selected for the Emeritus Faculty Exemplary Graduate Student award by emeritus faculty in the ME Department Won 2nd place in the MEGN 503 competition, which is a seminar forum for graduate students Invited to present at the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Future Leaders Seminar hosted by Stanford and Georgia Tech Seun earned his BS in ME from Mines in 2015 and his MS in Engineering and Technology Management in 2016. He also represented Mines on the men’s varsity soccer team and the men’s varsity track and field team, where he competed in high jump, long jump and triple jump. What Seun liked most about his time in the ORwE program was the ability to travel to share his work and collaborate with others. He presented at multiple conferences and was able to travel internationally both to France (conference in Bordeaux) and to Chile (Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Santiago).
Operations Research is a field that applies mathematical modeling and statistical analysis to complex systems so that decisions can be made to improve or optimize the system. This quantitative approach to decision-making is useful in systems with non-obvious trade-offs and/or multiple conflicting objectives. For over 20 years, ME Professor Alexandra Newman has been applying the principles of operations research to interdisciplinary problems in transportation logistics, mine production scheduling, energy policy and building design, military applications, and athletics. In 2011, she launched the PhD- granting Operations Research with Engineering interdisciplinary graduate program (ORwE, orwe.mines.edu). The program added non-thesis master’s degrees in 2019. In 2013, Newman was selected as the recipient of the Prize for the Teaching of the OR/MS Practice awarded by the professional society INFORMS. In 2020, the ORwE program earned the top spot for all-time (50-year) Rothkopf Rankings, which is an index to identify universities, research labs, government agencies and organizations in private industry that contribute the most to the practice literature – specifically to INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics (formerly Interfaces). The inherent interdisciplinarity of operations research is evident in the variety of projects undertaken by ORwE students. Recent ORwE PhD graduate Oluwaseun “Seun” Ogunmodede focused his thesis on improving the efficiency of large-scale optimization in heavy industry. By applying a set of modeling techniques to problems in renewable energy and mining, Seun demonstrated financial and logistical benefits. Specifically, Seun’s renewable energy work improved an existing design and dispatch model and incorporated combined heat and power to determine a minimum-cost solution while considering load, operational and logistical constraints. Seun’s model showed a potential savings of millions of dollars. He also developed an underground mine production scheduling model that considers ventilation and refrigeration while managing heat load output (see image below). The model revealed new feasible solutions. A SAMPLING OF ORwE PROJECTS Underground mine design and scheduling: Current mine design and subsequent production scheduling is based on a single ore extraction method; however, the ability to design for multiple extraction methods would increase mine profitability. One ongoing ORwE project aims to develop a methodology that combines formal optimization with heuristics to design an underground mine that uses two extraction methods. Concentrating solar power: Two ORwE projects are focused on different aspects of concentrating solar power (CSP). One developed a program to optimize the number and assignment of wash trucks that clean dust from the mirrors that direct sunlight to a central receiver. The second CSP project investigated models to optimize the design and dispatch of CSP tower systems with and without photovoltaic generation. As renewable energy penetration grows, accurate and computationally inexpensive system modeling is needed to evaluate system designs given various resource and market constraints. Continuous steel casting and rolling: This ORwE project developed a program for an optimal daily casting schedule that minimizes penalties from violating plant best practices while adhering to strict safety and logical constraints to manage risk for manufacturing incidents that can occur in the rolling mill. NBA playoff elimination determination: ORwE researchers, alumni and friends, together with colleagues at Southern Methodist University, maintain a suite of integer-programming models that determine NBA playoff standings sooner, on average, than the sports media. RIOT Sports (RIOT stands for Remote Interactive Optimization Testbed) can be found at riot-smu.mines.edu and has expanded to include the WNBA, MLB, and KBO (Korean Baseball League Organization).
Modeling material failure
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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
Integrating AM into Army vehicle fleet
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In-space recycling
Prof. Garritt J. Tucker and members of his Computational Materials Science and Design (CMSD) research group are working with a team of scientists in the Institute for Materials Science (IMS) at Los Alamos National Laboratory to investigate the fundamental mechanisms and defects that cause engineering materials to fail in extreme environments. The project team will develop a new multiscale computational framework that can model materials at the macroscale, while capturing important features and mechanics at the nanoscale. These new models and physical insights will guide the design of high-performance materials with microstructures that are tailored to specific applications in extreme environments. To accomplish these objectives, Tucker and CMSD researchers Dr. Ankit Gupta and Jacob Tavenner (PhD candidate) will use molecular dynamics – a simulation method used to model the dynamical movement of atoms and molecules – to predict how microstructural changes will affect stability and ultimately the initiation of failure. They will also enhance the data analysis techniques they have already developed to link atomic to continuum scales for improved materials engineering. By combining high-dimensional structural descriptors, or “fingerprints,” for microstructure interfaces with machine learning techniques, they will be able to discover new structure-property relationships and generate a multifaceted library of interfacial structures and properties. This work will overcome limitations in existing modeling and simulation approaches, which lack accurate descriptions of interfaces such as grain boundaries and how they interact with alloying elements. It will also answer questions regarding the activation of nanoscale deformation mechanisms and how they interact with interfaces to govern material behavior. What excites Tucker about this work is that it will make it possible for scientists to engineer and tailor materials from the bottom up with the properties needed for specific applications. “Once we refine the models, we can do virtual experiments that are out of reach of current technologies,” Tucker said. “We’ll be able to uncover material behaviors via simulation that we could not yet realize through experimentation.” This work stems from Tucker’s Distinguished Faculty Scholar award from IMS as well as from work that Jacob Tavenner did as part of a recent summer internship at Los Alamos.
ME researchers in partnership with CisLunar Industries were awarded a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 proposal. The project is titled “In-Space Recycling System Using Electromagnetic Levitation and Induction to Process Metal into Rods.” The proposed in-space recycling system builds upon an application of electromagnetic levitation furnace technology to facilitate in-space metal recycling and reuse. This technology will allow in-space and on-orbit transformation of spent components and larger structures to be repurposed into useful products for on-orbit additive manufacturing, construction and refueling. The Mines contribution to the effort is spearheaded by Dr. Andrew Petruska and Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid. Photo credit: Johan Swanepoel/ Shutterstock
The U.S. Army is exploring new possibilities for implementing additive manufacturing (AM) with help from the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) at Colorado School of Mines. Working through a contract with America Makes, a collaborative association that connects member organizations from industry, academia, government and non-government agencies, ADAPT is creating faster and more efficient ways to implement AM within the Army’s ground vehicle fleet. The project kicked off in December 2020. AM can provide the Army with certain advantages over traditional manufacturing, said Craig Brice, professor of practice in Mechanical Engineering and executive director of ADAPT. For this project, a short list of candidate parts will be selected, and the team led by ADAPT will work to mature the pathways necessary for implementation. “One of the biggest challenges in additive manufacturing is the qualification and certification path for new processes and new parts,” Brice said. “There are stringent requirements that must be met to ensure the parts will perform as expected in service. Our team will develop improved pathways for AM part implementation into the Army ground vehicle fleet.” With additive manufacturing, there are fewer limitations on what can be created, and, in some instances, AM fabricated parts can actually perform better than those manufactured traditionally. Once the project progresses, Brice said ADAPT hopes to develop new materials that both perform well in AM and are useful substitutes for the metals used in conventional manufacturing. “The AM community has largely used alloys developed for other processes like casting,” Brice said. “We hope to develop alloys that are tailored to AM and have improved reliability and performance.” “When America Makes developed the Additive Manufacturing Technology Roadmap, it was with these types of projects in mind – projects seeking to identify and solve measurable and meaningful challenges that can help advance additive technology,” said America Makes Executive Director John Wilczynski. “The effort by the Colorado School of Mines ADAPT team will help drive advancement in new qualification methods that will have a lasting impact on the U.S. Army’s vehicle fleet. We are proud to support them on this journey.” Text adapted from an April 2021 Mines Newsroom article.
Adaptive Eating Utensil. This HCDS team worked with Birkely Logan, a young girl from Golden with cerebral palsy, who wanted adaptive utensils to help her eat on her own. The team gathered requirements from Birkely and her mom, designed several options in Solidworks and 3D-printed prototypes for Birkely to test. They moved forward with a fork design they called “forkupine” and a spoon mold. The work they completed on the project earned them the “Best of Human Systems” award in the Spring 2021 Capstone Design Showcase. Future iterations of the utensils will focus on ergonomics, weight distribution, ease of use and safety. Team members: Ryan Evans, Gabby Ferro, Michael Rickert, Tanya Escobedo
HCDS grows in size and impact
Hand for Brayden. The goal for this project team was to design a prosthetic that would allow Brayden, a 3-year-old boy with congenital hand malformations, to grasp the handlebars of a bike. Brayden loves the outdoors, and his parents want him to have the same childhood experiences as his peers. The team created a bike handlebar attachment with an adjustable socket that attaches to Brayden’s arm. The device can be adjusted as Brayden grows and, among other comfort and safety considerations, includes a passive detachment mechanism that releases from the bike (like a hand would) in the event of a crash. Team members: Ty Ridings, Janae Oden, Garett Brister, Elissa Himes, Nick Thompson, Chris Wilson
To learn more about how to partner with HCDS, contact Dr. Joel Bach at jmbach@mines.edu.
Human Centered Design Studio example projects
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Paraplegic Climbing Rig. The Adaptive Sports Center, a therapeutic recreation program based in Crested Butte, tasked an HCDS team with engineering a climbing rig for paraplegic users that provided a balance between safety and comfort. Keeping manufacturability and assembly in mind, the team iteratively designed and developed an adjustable support that satisfied weight, strength and comfort specifications. The Paraplegic Climbing Rig took third place in the Spring 2021 Capstone Design Showcase. Team members: Garron Tubbs, Lindsey Jin, Michelle Rugh, Rebecca Michalczyk, Ryan Kreigler, Shri Nandoor, Claire Edington, Mack Minnehan
The Human Centered Design Studio (HCDS) connects Capstone Design teams with projects to design, prototype and deliver adaptive equipment for people with disabilities. Founded by ME professor Joel Bach in 2015, HCDS has seen substantial growth, including the addition of a co-director, Dr. Chelsea Salinas from the Engineering Design & Society program. Projects vary in length and complexity and often span multiple semesters or even years as successive Capstone Design teams iterate on solutions with clients. The structure of HCDS projects gives students invaluable real-world experience not only in product design and development but also in project management, leadership skills and client interaction. Unique aspects of the HCDS experience include: Continuity through overlapping cohorts. Each semester some students complete their Capstone Design work with HCDS while others begin. This ensures continuity for individual projects. Flexible and fluid teams. Students work on multiple simultaneous projects over two semesters, moving fluidly among teams. Modular approach to project roles. Students must complete eight modules as they work on their HCDS projects. Each module promotes experience in different team roles like writing letters of intent, designing prototypes, delivering final products to clients, etc. Each student must also serve as a lead on one project. Clients who aren’t engineers. Students learn how to understand design needs from the user’s perspective. They also experience measures of humility and humanity by interacting with people who are facing significant challenges. Most HCDS projects are focused on adaptive equipment for sports and recreation, though some deal with adaptive tools for daily living. Three projects are detailed on the next page.
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Members of the HCDS “Paraplegic Climbing Rig” team, which took third place in the Spring 2021 Capstone Design Showcase. Right: Demonstration of the climbing rig.
Student awards
Tuell places 2nd in ASM International symposium ME student Gabriella Tuell won second place in the undergraduate category of the virtual Fall 2020 Student Speaking Symposium hosted by ASM International. Her presentation was titled “Metamorphic Manufacturing.” A Mines Undergraduate Research Fellow, Tuell is conducting research under Kester Clarke, associate professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. The five-minute videos showcasing student research were evaluated by a panel of judges, and winners received cash prizes. ASM International is the world's largest association of materials-centric engineers and scientists.
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Undergraduates place at Mines GRADS Three undergraduate students in Dr. Tabares-Velasco’s Advanced Multiscale Building Energy Research group won awards in the Mines GRADS poster session. Imani Garcia (junior) won first place in the Energy and Environment session; Ryan Evans (senior) won second place in the Earth Science and Biology session; and Robert Scavo (junior) won third place in the Energy and Environment session. Mines GRADS is an event designed by graduate students for both undergraduate and graduate students performing cutting-edge research at Mines.
ME students win awards in Capstone Design Showcase ME student Darrian Schade was on the team that won the Spring 2021 Capstone Design Showcase. The team designed a device to alert cyclists to road dangers. Third place went to the Human Centered Design Studio's Adaptive Climbing Rig, a device that assists paraplegics with rock climbing. The all-ME team included Garron Tubbs, Lindsey Jin, Michelle Rugh, Rebecca Michalczyk, Ryan Kreigler, Shri Nandoor, Claire Edington and Mack Minnehan. Best of Award for Societal Impact: Entusi Model Farm Team 2, including ME students Serena Daluz, Joseph Golter and Viviana Verde Best of Award for Human Systems: Adaptive Eating Utensil, an all-ME team: Ryan Evans, Michael Rickert, Gabby Ferro and Tanya Escobedo Best of Award for Proof-of-Concept: Magnetically Steered Endoluminal Device, including ME students Chaney Brugman, George Marchant, Bill Liebelt, Lance Fausset and Henry Jenkins Broader Impact Essay first place: Kai Sakimoto
Moore recognized as outstanding student employee ME front-desk student employee Chandler Moore won third place in the annual Student Employee of the Year awards. Moore is known for being an expert trouble-shooter and is always eager to lend a helping hand. Another ME front-desk employee, Tyler Walls, was recognized as a nominee. Tyler also worked as a resident advisor.
Outstanding ME graduates Mechanical Engineering undergraduate and graduate students were recognized at Commencement with prestigious awards: Outstanding graduating senior: Tyler Pritchard (pictured) Outstanding Student Service Award: Ryan Kinder John Steele Commemorative Service Award: Connor Smith Emeritus Faculty Undergraduate Award: Taylor Duffy Distinction for Leadership in Humanitarian Engineering: Madison Berry and Julia Brown Colorado Engineering Council Award: Rachel Carey Emeritus Faculty Exemplary Graduate Student: Oluwaseun Ogunmodede Rath Award Finalist: Oluwaseun Ogunmodede Military commissions United States Army: Ryan Kinder United States Air Force: Joyce Kruger, Chelsea Pearson, Isaiah Warnick
2021 Gene Haas Foundation Scholars Colorado School of Mines’ Mechanical Engineering Department has been awarded a $12,500 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation (GHF) for student scholarships in 2021 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 2021 Gene Haas Foundation Scholars are Nicholas Finn Mahoney, Keely Stevenson, Justin Rozendaal, Erik Skansberg, Squire Ross, Bill Hobbs and Cruz Strom.
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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 mid-June, 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 student
Recognizing ME student athletes
GRAD STUDENT NEWS
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Women's soccer midfielder and ME graduating senior Chaney Brugman was nominated for Female Academic Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, and the Female Oredigger Excellence Award.
Male oredigger excellence award Ryan Wilson – Soccer
The Oredigger Excellence Award is given to a senior who has completed their eligibility and has distinguished themselves in an outstanding manner in achievement, leadership, and school spirit over the course of their career.
MS candidate Allison Tanner was awarded an honorable mention from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship program. Tanner was also selected as a semi-finalist for the Department of Defense SMART Scholarship for Service program. Tanner is part of the Functional Biomechanics Laboratory research group led by Dr. Anne Silverman.
Male Iron Digger Award Trevor Howard – Baseball
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Kasra Taghikhani won the 2021 three-minute thesis (3MT) competition. In a 3MT competition, grad students compete to effectively explain their thesis research in three minutes in a manner appropriate to a non- specialist audience. Competitors are allowed to use one PowerPoint slide but no additional resources or animations. Taghikhani's presentation title was “Keeping Batteries Fit and Healthy!” His actual thesis, under the advisement of Profs. John Berger and Robert Kee, is titled “Modeling and Simulation of Chemo-Mechanical Behavior in Electrochemical Cells.”
Gabriel Plummer, PhD candidate in the Computational Materials Science and Design (CMSD) research group led by Dr. Garritt Tucker, recently published an article in Materials Today with an international team of scientists. Plummer’s article, “On the Origin of Kinking in Layered Crystalline Solids,” was chosen for the issue cover. Plummer joined the CMSD research group in Fall 2018 after completing his BS and MS degrees at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. For his MS thesis, he studied the fundamental mechanical strength of MXenes, including the effects of point defects and chemical composition using atomistic modeling methods. Plummer received the prestigious CoorsTek fellowship for his PhD work at Mines, which focuses on enabling advanced functionality in two-dimensional materials through computation and experiments. The CoorsTek Research Fellows program, launched in 2014 in partnership with Colorado School of Mines, leads the way in academic ceramics research.
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.
PhD student's work chosen for journal cover
Conquering the 3-minute thesis competition
Plummer's article can be found at doi.org/10.1016/ j.mattod.2020.11.014
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE ET1 (SS) Ryan M. McCabe U.S. Navy Karl Grueschow Patroness
DR. suveen mathaudhu Professor, Mechanical Engineering, and Chair, Materials Science and Engineering University of California, Riverside “There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Advanced Processing of Ultralightweight Mg Alloys”
DR. ashley spear Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering University of Utah “Characterizing Microstructure-Sensitive Mechanical Response of Open-Cell Metal Foams Using High-Fidelity Models and In Situ Experiments”
Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Seminar Series: Spring 2021
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. daniel esposito Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Columbia University “Electrolysis Without Membranes: Opportunities and Limitations”
DR. david sailor Professor, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, and Director, Urban Climate Research Center (UCRC), Arizona State University “Urban Cooling Technologies: Breaking Down Barriers to Widespread Implementation”
The Mines Formula SAE team competed in the 2021 student competition on the Las Vegas Speedway June 16–19, 2021.
We are always looking for engaging alumni and industry speakers for Mechanical Mondays! Contact Traci Case at tcase@mines.edu.
Mechanical Mondays returned this semester – on Zoom! We appreciate our fantastic lineup of alumni and industry speakers who shared their time, experience and wisdom with Mechanical Engineering undergraduates! We look forward to a return to in-person Mechanical Mondays in Fall 2021. The Spring 2021 series featured a graduate student panel, a presentation by the Study Abroad Program at Mines, and the following guest speakers:
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Claire Teklitz United Launch Alliance Jessica Reeves Trane Technologies Ryan Zamora Milwaukee Tool
20 MECHANICAL.MINES.EDU
Study Abroad Program at Mines
Formula SAE competes in Las Vegas
department events
Dr. christos bergeles Senior Lecturer, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences King's College London “Design and Control of Patient-Specific Continuum Robots”
DR. eric diller Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Toronto “Microscale Surgery: Using Magnetic Fields to Control Tiny Robots in the Gut and Brain”
DR. Shelly miller Professor, Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado Boulder “Superspreading Events: How to Minimize SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Transmission”
The Formula SAE series competitions challenge teams of university undergraduate and graduate students to conceive, design, fabricate, develop and compete with small, formula-style vehicles. The competitions give teams the chance to demonstrate and prove both their creativity and engineering skills compared to teams from other universities around the world. The 2021 competition in Las Vegas challenged all teams with extreme heat (115°F). The Mines team, advised by Dr. Gregory Bogin, Jr., placed 8th in the autocross event (out of 20 qualifying teams) and finished 16th overall in the dynamic events out of 37 internal combustion engine teams.
Virtual Mechanical Mondays
MINES MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 21
Oluwaseun Ogunmodede Advisors: Alexandra M. Newman, Gregory Bogin, Jr. “Modeling and Solving Large-Scale Optimization Problems: Case Studies in Renewable Energy and Mining”
Nathan Johnson Advisors: Craig A. Brice, Aaron P. Stebner “High Energy X-ray Diffraction Characterization of Phase Transformations and Mechanical Behavior in Rapidly Solidified Titanium and Stainless Steel Alloys” Long Quoc Le Advisor: Neal P. Sullivan “Protonic-Ceramic Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers: Scale-Up, Degradation and High-Pressure Operation”
Master of SCIENCE, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Brittany Adkins Timofey Broslav Bailey Burns Justin Cyrus Stewart Ray John Sangree Jonathan Slavik Nathan Webb David Western
MINES MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 23
Master of Science, Operations Research with Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy, Materials Science
Congratulations to our newest alumni!
Nathan Johnson, PhD, delivers the student address at the graduate commencement ceremony on May 13.
Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering
*Dual degree: BS Petroleum Engineering
Annika Denham
Doctor of Philosophy, Operations Research with Engineering
Master of Science, Space Resources
*Dual degree: MS Advanced Energy Systems
Master of Science, Advanced Manufacturing
Muhammad Abdul Aziz Jonas Agudo Hamood Al-harthi Fahad Alawfi Karsten Anderson Carlen Andrie Colby Antico Matthew Armendariz Alexander Arnold Dylan Aurich Muhammad Azhari Christian Bagnati Beau Baker John Baker Mason Baker Ian Barretthakanson Clayton Beagley William Beasley Madison Berry John Bickerstaff Vanessa Bird Nadia Bixenman Tyler Blomster Benjamin Boldt John Boos Rolando Botello Alexander Boulanger Aubrey Bradford Owen Brasseaux Amanda Breit Garett Brister William Broughton Garrett Broussard Austin Brown Julia Brown Chaney Brugman Henry Burkle Grant Buss Tyler Campbell Dallas Capozza Rachel Carey Tyler Cathcart-Joyce Jeshulun Ching* Christopher Ciccarelli Tyler Clark Robert Clayton, IV Frederick Coleman, II Haven Corsey Mitchell Cox Lukas Craze Mystic Currey Serena Daluz Colby Deel Antonio Delany Jared Dimick Koby Dudley Taylor Duffy Claire Edington Nicolas Emery Colin Endsley Michael English Erchis Erdenebat Nils Ericsson Nicholas Eriksson Tanya Escobedo Ryan Evans Grant Evenson Christian Ezeonu Jacob Farabaugh Lance Fausset Gabrielle Ferro Ryan Fidel Samuel Fiorica Ethan Francis Mathew Fryer Dustin Gaddis April Garlin Tyler Gasaway Patton George Faith Gilb Brock Girling Dylan Goode Claire Gormley Yifan Gu Maxwell Hacker Jason Hall Reece Hall Cade Halvorson Peter Hankins Delaney Hawkins Eric Hay Clinton Hemphill Corrie Hiatt Christian Hildebrandt Elissa Himes Samuel Hoffmann Ryan Hogan Sage Howell Allan Huntington Leonard Igberaese Mallory Jackson Spencer Jackson Henry Jenkins Jared Jensen Joshua Jeong Lindsey Jin Joshua Johnston Jon-Michael Kahrs Evan Kardos Jacob Karty Parker Katzdorn Jered Kennedy Samuel Kesner Jinho Kim Ryan Kinder Hanzelle Kleeman Michael Kondratiuk Olivia Kovar Nicole Kowaliuk Ryan Kreigler Joyce Kruger Clark Kuehl Casey Langenbahn Samuel Larsen Barry Lau, Jr. Kathleen Laughton Joshua Lehn Renato Leyva-Hernandez William Liebelt James Little Mitchell Long Joseph Lovelace Daniel Lutz April Lyndon Miles Mabry Jason Mackay Nicholas Mahoney George Marchant Cade Mayhak Andrew McElravy Claire McGahern Austin Means Shayan Mehrani Maia Menefee Grace Merkel Luke Metzer Rebecca Michalczyk Joseph Miks Mckenzie Minnehan Danica Minnich Drake Minter James Moffatt Aaron Moore Layla Moriarty Malaya Morrow Jared Mullins Emma Myhre Shri Nandoor Lauren Nelson Lindsey Nunamaker Charles O'Brien Colin O'Connell Janae Oden Ian Olson Ashlyn Orr Robert Pagano, II Aneesh Pawar Jonathan Payne Sean Pearce Chelsea Pearson Nicholas Petersen Joseph Pinkston, Jr. Alexander Plate Rathana Preap Tyler Pritchard Kylie Redding Chancellor Reeves Simon Richardsen Cole Robbins Michelle Rugh Daniel Safronov Kai Sakimoto Anderson Salisbury RJ Scavo, II Darrian Schade Nadia Scharunovych Heather Schneider Olivia Schoening Brian Schreffler Noah Schroepfer Jacob Schultze Grant Scott Nicholas Shapen Dylan Shapiro Trevor Sharon Thomas Simonson Nicole Skalla Brayden Skrine Chloe Smith Connor Smith Ernest Smith, V Nadia Smith Nathan Smith Evan Spruce Johnathan Stacy Talon Stanley Marissa Steagall Nathaniel Sunshine Gareth Svanda Erin Sweeney Hunter Szuszczewicz Daniel Terry, III Kyle Thomas Claire Thomas Azariah Thompson Nicholas Thompson Garron Tubbs Taryn Tucker Benjamin Twombly Samuel Vaden Ryan Velasquez Viviana Verde Colter Wagner Ryan Wagner Isaiah Warnick Dylan Waters Aiden Wheatley Jacob White Aaron Whitehouse Isaiah Wier-march Ryan Wilson Meredith Wirth Joseph Wolfe Daniel Wolff Colin Wood Zeyun Yang Kathie Zhang
Jacob Aguilar Alex Flanagan Carter Gray Charles Koch Gabriel Kortz David Marin Douglas Meredith Reginald Phillips, Jr. Leo Shepard-Martinez
Talha Abdulwasee Aflah Al Abri Cameron Beaton Leah Berman Harry Booth, IV Matthew Brandt Nicholas Brunstad Michelle Butler Ian Chang Randy Cook Cameron De Voto Noonan Robert Gambrell Noah Gomes Umur Harman Megan Henke Jessica Horii Ryan Jackson Bradley Jesteadt Bhuvan Kanigiri Ryneika Knight Lydia Meyer Noah Ottum Kristoffer Parker Bradley Peacock Keaton Scheffler Rafael Suarez Trevor Sharon Gunnar Sroka Bennett Steward Rachel Thomas* Nikhil Tiwari Benjamin Topper Brianne Treffner Christina Veney Ashok Viswanath Zachary Woosley
INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Peter Caltagirone Advisor: John Berger “Improvements of Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composite Bonds: Thick Joint Failure Model, Shape Memory Alloy Reinforcements, and In-Situ X-Ray Characteristics”
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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.