Experiential Learning and Research

The explosion of information from technological advances and global connectivity is giving rise to both opportunities and challenges.  CECS students and faculty work together to address both the opportunities and the inherent challenges they present.  In classrooms and laboratories, and through experiential learnings via competitions and presentations, the efforts of our students and their faculty mentors have recently garnered several important awards and distinctions which focus on a range of those opportunities and challenges. From cybersecurity research to robotics, from studying the prevention of cholera transmission to designing and constructing  mini-Baja and chemical reaction powered cars, and more…. our students and faculty have accomplished much in the last three months – just take a “read”:

• Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and Head of that Department, Dr. Joseph Kizza, is  the author of the fourth edition of  Guide to Computer Network Security released this month by Springer Press. The College’s faculty continues to focus research and instruction on the critical fields of network and cybersecurity. UTC is one of sixty-nine (69) CyberCorps institutions in the nation.  The  UTC CyberCorps team consists of Dr. Kizza, Dr. Neslihan Alp, Prof. Kathy Winter, Dr. Karen Adsit, and Dr. Dalei Wu.  The CECS also partners with Tuskegee University which helps to increase underrepresented, trained individuals in the program.  UTC InfoSec center Defense housed in the College of Engineering and Computer Science is a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cybersystems designated by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Security Agency (NSA).

 

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  The UTC IEEE Robotics Team developed a competition-ready robot as part of the College’s Interdisciplinary Design Course.  Under the mentorship of Dr. Abdul Ofoli, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Dr. Trevor Elliott, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, the team consisted of majors in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering.  In regional competition held in Charlotte, NC, the team placed 19^th out of 42 university entries, and finished with a higher ranking than the University of Florida , Duke University, and several larger engineering programs.  With a Star Wars theme driving its design, the MOCs Robot successfully traversed a course with included deciphering a code represented by several discrete components.

 

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  An interdisciplinary design team consisting of senior mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering students; Andrea Borges, Jacob Boyd, Autumn McCarroll, Mitchell Schroll, Scott Simmons, and Cory Smith; mentored by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Charles “Chuck” Margraves took second place in the online division of the national Rube Goldberg Competition.  This annual engineering competition requires machine design focused on a particular problem with unique features and steps. The 2017 UTC machine was based on the iconic Looney-Tunes© universe, complete with each team member’s adoption of a Looney Tunes persona! The main focus was to successfully apply a “band-aid” to  a mountain set amidst a peaceful ski resort and forest. The band-aid application was prompted by the reality that the mountain is in fact a volcano prompting resort residents to launch into action prevent the destruction of their village. Link to the team page which has photos and videos of the machine: www.rubegoldberg.com/teams/mocs-chattanooga-2017/

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  The little car that could — designed and built by the UTC Chem-E-Car Team — came in second place in the regional American Institute of Chemical Engineers Chem-E-Car Competition, beating schools such as Georgia Tech, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, the University of South Alabama and Auburn University. With that win under its belt, in November the UTC team will be moving on to the national AlChE Chem-E-Car Competition in Minnesota.

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  Can a canoe made of concrete float?  The answer is a resounding “yes” if designed and fabricated by CECS students. Students from the College were among forty teams entered in the regional American Society of Civil Engineers Concrete Canoe Competition held this March in Boca Raton, Florida.  The MOCs canoe team finished 5^th in the Men’s Speed Race, and 14^th Overall.  The team consisted of both Juniors and Seniors.  The juniors welcomed the opportunity to learn from the seniors’ experience as they prepare for the 2018 competition.

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  For the eleventh consecutive year an interdisciplinary design team of CECS students under the mentorship of Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Trevor Elliott are putting the finishing touches on the design and construction of a SAE Baja vehicle as part of the (Society of Automotive Engineers) Collegiate Design Series.  With the  continued support of corporate partner, DENSO North America Foundation, the team has high hopes for success in competition later this month in Pittsburg, Kansas.  One hundred universities both domestic and foreign will be in competition including Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Alabama, Cornell University, and the University of Nebraska. Best of luck to the Racing MOCS!

 

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  Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Dr. Bradley Harris was named a recipient of a 2017-18 Ruth Holmberg Grant for Faculty Excellence in support of this study of the bacterial, physiological, and behavioral adaptations designed to improve cholera treatment and prevention strategies.