On March 23 and 24, twenty faculty and staff members from the College of Engineering visited the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia. The visit was the first of two planned for 2009, as part of the COE Office of Research efforts to support new faculty in gaining research funding. While at NSF, the faculty members were able to meet with program managers in their specific areas of interest. In addition, group meetings were held with Michael Reischman, Deputy Assistant Director for Engineering, and Maija M. Kukla, Program Director, EPSCoR. During the two days, the COE faculty and staff had many opportunities to interact not only with NSF program directors but with each other, giving them a chance to discuss their experiences, research, and opportunities for collaboration. The group was joined at dinner by the visiting delegation from Anna University, Chennai, India, whose itinerary happened to place them in Arlington prior to their visit to the Lincoln campus on March 26.

Link to Mike Reischman's presentation:
Reischman_UNL_3-09.pdf

Link to proposal writing suggestions from George Hazelrigg:
NSF_Proposal_Tips_Hazelrigg.pdf
CAREER_Proposals-Hazelrigg.pdf

Recently, Bob Cogdill, along with Marv Jaques and Randy Nitz (UNL Office of Technology Development), met with a group of executives from GTE Industries to discuss shared interests and opportunities. Representatives from GTE Industries included Ed Osborn, President & CEO, Kathy Plunkett, VP R&D, Doug Twyford, VP Global Sales & Marketing, and Bruce Holtmeier, Mechanical Engineer and UNL grad. Formerly GT Exhaust Systems, GTE Industries is a rapidly-growing manufacturer of sound and emissions control devices for stationary and industrial engine power systems. The Lincoln based manufacturer is poised to advance the traditionally fragmented industry through innovative engineering and design, customer service, and manufacturing efficiency. Many different topics for potential research collaboration and educational engagement were discussed along with plans for a follow-up meeting to include faculty from the department of Mechanical Engineering.

www.gteind.com

Drs. Namas Chandra and Bob Cogdill met with Mike Boyle, the VP and Plant Manager of the Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corporation (KMMFG) Lincoln production facility, and a 1984 graduate from UNL in Mechanical Engineering. Also included in the meeting was Randy Nitz from the UNL Office of Technology Development and Jason Ball and Kate Ellingson from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. More than 1,600 workers, including many UNL engineering graduates, are employed at the Lincoln Plant, where consumer products and components (currently including Jet Ski watercraft, ATVs, Utility Vehicles, and ATV rims) have been manufactured since the facility opened in 1974. Since 2001, KMMFG has been producing light rail cars for major metropolitan train operators and is positioned to ramp up operations as demand for new infrastructure investment continues to grow. Areas for collaborative research partnerships discussed during the meeting included sensors and process automation, industrial engineering, and opportunities to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Kawasaki products and operations.

www.kawasaki.com/OurCompany/kmm.aspx

This summer Drs. Chandra and Cogdill, along with Jason Ball, Director of Business Development in the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, visited the Nebraska Center for Excellence in Electronics (NCEE), hosted by Doug Kramer, Senior Engineer and Lab Manager. Located in the University of Nebraska Technology Park, NCEE is operated as a 501c6 not-for-profit company, providing electronic testing and compliance services to large corporations, start-up companies, and academic researchers at regional universities. NCEE is operated by a small, highly trained staff of engineers and technicians, including Nebraska's only NARTE-certified EMC engineer. The company's main test capabilities include acoustic and electromagnetic compatibility/interference testing in one of the few 10-meter anechoic chambers in the country, electrical surge, environmental testing (including temperature, humidity, salt fog, ingress protection, dust, vibration, and shock), safety testing, and X-ray imaging. According to Kramer, the facilities main value proposition is the skills, training, and certifications of the NCEE staff and significant knowledge base in dealing with diverse regulatory requirements. NCEE is well positioned to participate in collaborative engineering research and applied testing projects and is happy to consider all proposals.

www.nceelabs.com
www.nutechpark.com/NCEE