College of Engineering News

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The Gift of Recreation: College of Engineering, ICON Deliver Innovative Side-by-Side Cycle to Common Ground Outdoor Adventures | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Dec. 22, 2015 – In the spirit of giving this holiday season, the College of Engineering at Utah State University and ICON Health & Fitness delivered a much anticipated gift to the staff and clients at Logan’s Common Ground Outdoor Adventures.

On Tuesday, USU and ICON donated a student-built side-by-side tandem cycle that helps make outdoor cycling adventures possible for persons with disabilities.
Dean of Engineering Receives Utah Governor’s Medal for Excellence | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Dec. 17, 2015 – Utah State University’s College of Engineering Dean Christine Hailey was among ten state leaders recognized this week by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert for outstanding service in academia, education and industry.

Hailey will receive the Governor’s Medal for Excellence at a special gala event on Jan. 13 at Rio Tinto Stadium along with fellow recipients including three other faculty members from USU.
Undergraduate Research Assistant Receives EURP | Engineering Education

USU College of Engineering

Steven Wood, an undergraduate research assistant working with Dr. Wade Goodridge in Engineering Education has been awarded an EURP for this coming year to engage in research in spatial thinking. Steven will work with over a year of collected spatial ability data to discover the significant gains student achieve in it after completing a Statics course. Spatial ability includes the ability to mentally comprehend an object, diagram, model, etc. and be able to manipulate and visualize it in the mind. Numerous studies have found strong evidence that supports the correlation of high spatial ability to success in STEM coursework and in careers, especially in engineering careers. Other work has looked to refine the multiple constructs of spatial ability that are typically assessed on standard occupationally designed instruments. However, this works leads other spatial cognition research by looking into how an individual engineering course enhances existing spatial ability. Steven will be presenting his work at UCUR and NCUR in this upcoming year.
Undergraduate Research Assistant to Present | EED

USU College of Engineering

Steven Wood, an undergraduate research assistant working with Dr. Wade Goodridge in Engineering Education has been accepted to present research at this year’s upcoming Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR) located at the University of Utah on February 19th, 2016. He will present research on Spatial Ability and its improvement in a Statics curriculum, a new and leading edge of spatial research that has potential impacts on how we educate our engineering students.

Dr. Goodridge stated “I am very happy that Steven has engaged in this work with me as we need to disseminate to the public the importance that this form of intelligence has on our students. While spatial thinking is not taught or directly assessed in our educational systems we have discovered that it is a dominant correlated factor to a student’s success in STEM degree programs as well as in the professional engineering community. This work will allow us to begin to discern just where and how it is developed in an undergraduate engineering curriculum.” Steven is doing a wonderful job!
USU Engineering Study Wins Support from American Heart Association | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Dec. 10, 2015 – The American Heart Association is supporting a new study at Utah State University where researchers are developing a technology that may help the human body better protect itself against cardiovascular disease.

Associate Professor of Biological Engineering Jixun Zhan is the chief scientist behind the new study. He and his team are using bacteria to synthesize some of the naturally-occurring compounds found in plants that our bodies already use to combat heart disease.
Master's Thesis Defense by Elizabeth Martinez | Biological Engineering

USU College of Engineering

The Logan Lagoons, Logan City’s Wastewater Treatment Facility ensures 15 million gallons of wastewater are cleaned and filtered each day. With the implementation of new and stricter wastewater effluent standards, the city of Logan now has to guarantee the phosphorous concentration in the effluent is also reduced. Algal biomass produced and harvested from the lagoons has been proven to affect the way nitrogen and phosphorous are removed while having the potential to be converted to biofuels. Therefore, implementing a secondary type clarifier in the Logan Lagoons would produce clean treated water with a reduced phosphorous concentration, and algae feedstock for biofuel production.
2015 Graduate Researcher of the Year Award | Biological Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Lifu Xiao received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Fudan University in China, 2011. He has been pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Biological Engineering since 2011 at Utah State University under the supervision of Dr. Anhong Zhou. He obtained a multidisciplinary background in chemistry, biology and engineering working in Dr. Zhou’s lab. His research focuses on developing new methods for sensing and imaging of human disease-related biomolecules and mammalian cells.

Lifu has published five papers in peer reviewed journals. One of his papers, published in Analytical Methods, was ranked as one of the top ten most accessed articles in Feb 2013. He has made presentations in national and regional professional conferences including PhotonicsWest, IBE, and ACS conferences.
How Plants Can Make Stormwater Cleaner | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Ever wondered what happens to the surge of stormwater you see racing down your street?
Meet Micro Joe | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Hydrazine is an unstable, flammable liquid that has been used as a propellant in small spacecraft for decades. But the cost of this unique fuel, its transport, storage, servicing and cleanup of accidental releases can be very high, making it difficult for the commercial space industry to expand.
Teaching Computers to See Like We Do | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Nov. 18, 2015 – Recognizing patterns might be easy for some people, but it’s a difficult skill to teach to a computer. Ask Dr. Xiaojun Qi, a faculty member in USU’s Computer Science Department, who was recently promoted to professor for her innovative research in image processing and computer vision.
Dr. Allan Guymon Undergraduate Seminar | Biological Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Photopolymerization has taken an increasing prominent role as a tool in providing unique properties for a wide array of advanced materials. The inherent spatial and temporal control allow great ability to tailor processing conditions and change ultimate properties. This talk will focus on two projects, including work from two Utah State alumni, in which photopolymerization enables directed structure both on the micron and nanometer size scale for unique functionality.
Vision: An Engineer's Tool in the Fight Against Eye Disease | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

If you’ve seen the latest news headlines about Dr. Elizabeth Vargis, you’d think she was an ophthalmologist – a medical expert on vision-related disease and treatment. But Vargis is no physician. She’s an engineer – pure and simple.
Dr. Catherine E. Brewer Research Presentation | Biological Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Biomass resources are available all around us and are frequently underutilized. These resources can come in the form of agricultural residues like pecan shells or cotton gin trash, forest residues, invasive species like tumbleweed and salt cedar, yard waste, organic materials and nutrients in wastewater, and even garbage on spacecraft. There are many opportunities to use these resources to meet our feed, water, and energy needs—with the right engineering. Thermochemical processes, namely pyrolysis, torrefaction, and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), provide platforms to convert low-value materials into heat, power, liquid fuels, adsorbents, fertilizers, and soil amendments. In this presentation, Dr. Brewer will describe how a thermochemical biomass systems approach can be used to desalinate brackish groundwater, produce fully synthetic jet fuels, manage invasive species and forest waste, remove contaminants from ground and waste waters, and enable life support on long-term space missions.
iGEM vs. the Cheese Killer | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Cheese manufacturing is under attack by a type of virus called bacteriophages. The viruses infect bacteria used in the dairy fermentation process that yields our beloved cheese and yoghurt. Utah State’s 2015 International Genetically Engineered Machines, or iGEM, team has been researching ways to fight back against the virus. The iGEM event is a competition that promotes student involvement in real world synthetic biology research.
A Smarter Baby Monitor | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Nate Ruben and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Dr. Jake Gunther can see something on the surface that most people can’t. The two are developing a new technology that uses a video camera to detect a person’s heartbeat. It’s not the first time engineers have tried to remotely measure a heartbeat signal. Medical technology experts have been at it for years with different designs that tether a child or his bedding to an electronic device that alerts parents to the possibility of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.
Engineering Thinking | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Nov. 2, 2015 - It’s no surprise: engineering courses are tough. Professors assign complex homework problems that can take hours to solve, and for some the experience feels like drinking from a fire hose.

Most engineering programs begin with a handful of rigorous courses in statics and dynamics that can be stumbling blocks for some. This has engineering education experts looking for retention solutions and rethinking how these difficult courses are taught.
Engineers Without Borders | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Nov. 2, 2015 – Members of the Engineers Without Borders Team Mexico have been working with residents in the community of La Salitrera, Mexico for several years to help eliminate arsenic from water supplies using an improved design on a classic tool – the bio-sand water filter.
Tandemonium | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Nov. 2, 2015 — Jay Lindstrom’s love for biking and Laura Birkhold’s enthusiasm for a hands-on project made designing a side-by-side quadricycle perfect for their senior design project. Along with their team members and representatives from Common Ground Outdoor Adventures and Icon Health & Fitness, the group of mechanical engineering students set out to build a unique tandem cycle they dubbed ‘Tandemonium.’
Farewell Bruce Bishop | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Oct. 31, 2015 – For Bruce Bishop, a cozy retirement is still a ways off. On his last official day of work in June, the former dean and professor of civil engineering was waist deep in activities at the Water Lab and taking on a new project to showcase the College of Engineering across South America.
A Legacy of Gratitude | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Nov. 1, 2015 - It was standing room only at an Aug. 25 special event where the College of Engineering honored two fellow Aggies and longtime supporters who are helping more young people graduate with a degree in engineering.

Faculty, students and university officials gathered to celebrate the ongoing support of Richard and Moonyeen Anderson of Wellsville, Utah. At the special ceremony, Mr. Anderson and USU President Stan Albrecht pulled the cords on a 30-foot-wide veil, uncovering the new name of the 12-year-old engineering classroom building.
All About the Buzz | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Oct. 30, 2015 – On a warm spring day at the USU Organic Farm, computer science professor Dr. Vladimir Kulyukin delivers a few puffs of sweet-smelling pine cone smoke into one of his beehives and gently opens the top. Everything appears normal, but it’s not your average backyard beekeeping setup. Kulyukin’s hives are equipped with electronics that monitor temperature, audio and video —all powered by solar energy and controlled by a credit card-sized Raspberry Pi computer.
Engineering Answers: Elegant Solutions Start with Simple Ideas | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Courtney Richards was inspired to create her solar-powered backpack while working as a report writer for a paleontologist. While on long surveys both her camera and GPS would often run out of power making it impossible to do her job properly. She realized the problem could be solved with a portable power supply system which she created for her senior project.
Going Back to Teton Dam | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Oct. 30, 2015 - Standing at a lookout on the upper banks of the Teton River in Southeastern Idaho, a handful of civil engineering students try to imagine the giant structure that should be standing firmly in front of them.
New Research Lab Making a Splash | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Nov. 1, 2015 – WARNING: You will get wet. The mechanical engineering students who work inside one of Utah State’s newest research centers don’t mind getting the occasional work-related soak. The whole lab is one giant splash zone and the creative workshop of newly-hired assistant professor of mechanical engineering Dr. Tadd Truscott.
Supplying Vegas | College of Engineering

USU College of Engineering

Oct. 30, 2015 – The community of Las Vegas, Nev., is acting to assure a reliable water supply by building new intake facilities at Lake Mead. After a series of drought years dropped Lake Mead levels to historic lows, the Southern Nevada Water Authority is moving forward with an ambitious project to keep the water flowing, and they’re turning to the Utah Water Research Lab to help do it right.