Dean's December 2011 E-Letter
Committed to Community
The U-Idaho student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has officially adopted their own international project aimed at delivering safe drinking water to the residents of Chiwirapi, Bolivia.
Read more about EWB activities »
The Gift of Clean Water
Our student chapter of EWB is the beneficiary of a generous gift from John R. Marks. Marks' gift will help fund the group's assessment trip to Bolivia in August 2012. Thanks to Marks' gift, the chapter is closer to achieving its goal of reducing the number of preventable deaths due to the lack of safe water in Bolivia.
Photo: John Marks with family at the 2011 Academy of Engineers Induction Ceremony.
Dean's Message
Welcome to the December issue of Vandal Engineering News.
University of Idaho students are distinctive for their high commitment to service. Last year more than 2,800 students enrolled in 76 service-learning courses and provided over 100,000 hours of service to communities in Idaho, the nation and the world. Beyond these courses, our students engaged in hundreds of service activities through their living communities, clubs and other organizations. I am proud of our students' commitment to "give to others."
College of Engineering students exemplify this commitment to service. For example, between 2005 and 2009 our students helped develop water filtration technologies and water catch basins for the Maasai people of Kenya. Lives were changed, both in Africa and on campus. Last year we established our newest student organization in the College, a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and are embarking on a new period of service.
Engineers Without Borders is an international organization of engineers that support community-driven development programs across the globe by collaborating with local organizations to design and implement sustainable engineering projects. We now have a thriving student chapter of EWB at U-Idaho. Our students, under the guidance of faculty adviser and Civil Engineering Professor Fritz Fiedler, have recently been approved to help design and implement safe drinking water projects for a community in Bolivia. They are also engaged in other service activities closer to home. I hope you will take a few minutes and read about these activities as highlighted in this newsletter.
In total, we have 18 student sections of professional organizations and numerous engineering clubs all participating in some level of service activities. I am truly proud of how our students learn by giving to others.
As this year comes to a close I want to thank all of you for your continued interest in and commitment to the College of Engineering.
Sincerely,
Larry Stauffer
Student News
University Awards 119 Degrees to Engineering Students
During the winter commencement ceremony last week, the College of Engineering granted 49 baccalaureate degrees and 70 graduate degrees.
Help us congratulate these students »
For more information about student activities in the college, contact Maria Pregitzer
mpregitzer@uidaho.edu | (208) 885-9700
Research News
The Murdock Trust Supports Research in the College of Engineering
This fall M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust Executive Director Steven Moore, board members, staff and past grantees toured the StreamLab at the Idaho Water Center in Boise. Murdock funded a $341,000 instrumentation grant for the StreamLab in 2007 (Principal Investigator Ralph Budwig).
Most recently, researchers in the Center for Clean Vehicle Technology in the National Institute of Advanced Transportation Technology (NIATT) received a $292,000 award from the Murdock Trust.
Judi Steciak, a professor of mechanical engineering located on the Boise campus, serves as the principal investigator for this project. The resources awarded by the trust will be used to purchase equipment that will improve the quality and expand the capability of the group's research.
For several years NIATT has been developing innovations using alternative fuels in internal combustion engines. The equipment - a high-resolution infrared camera and engine exhaust analyzers - will help them obtain better data to verify catalytic ignition models and characterize laboratory engine emissions.
Visit the NIATT website to read more about transportation research »
For more information about research in the college, contact Fred Barlow
fbarlow@uidaho.edu | (208) 885-7263
Donor Spotlight
Late this fall I had the enjoyable occasion to visit with Bill (BSCE 1963) and Ann White (BSE 1963) who reside in Concord, California. They will support the Endowed Chair for Civil Engineering Fund with an opportunity to recognize an extraordinary professor who made a difference in Bill’s engineering education.
A distinctive recognition plaque honoring Professor Forrest “Frosty” Hall (1946-1978) will be a lasting public expression of appreciation with the following words engraved: “Frosty instilled an intense interest in structures which led to a Ph.D. and a rewarding career.”
The endowment of faculty chairs is one of the best ways for Idaho to attract and retain the best faculty possible.
For more information about giving to the college, contact Mary Lee Ryba
mryba@uidaho.edu | (208) 755-4916