National Engineers Week 2008 begins with an E-Week Kickoff Luncheon titled “ Next Generation Engineering–The National Center” on Monday, February 18, at noon in the Benwood Auditorium in the UTC Engineer, Mathematics and Computer Science Building at the corner of Vine and Palmetto Streets.
To inquire about fees and registration, call Kelley Evatt at 423-209-6813.
At the luncheon, a conversation between Dr. David Whitfield, director of the SimCenter, National Center for Computational Engineering and Mike Pearson of Radiance Technologies will be moderated by James Frierson, Executive Director of Advanced Transportation Technology Institute (ATTI).
In November 2007, the SimCenter: National Center gained its national status, providing a major focal point for technological advancement and economic development in the region and strengthening Chattanooga’s position in the Tennessee Valley Corridor. These recent developments offer a new era of opportunity for businesses and industries regionally and nationally. Recently, Huntsville-based Radiance Technologies announced the opening of a project office here with an initial staff of eight engineers.
A key element that drew Radiance Technologies to Chattanooga is the availability of the SimCenter: National Center. Radiance provides capabilities to design, develop, fabricate, integrate and test both components and systems, for instance, the “Weapon Watch” system being used in Iraq, which shows the location of a weapon being fired and provides information about the type weapon used.
Whitfield and Pearson will discuss the full implications of economic development, technological growth, and availability of technology resources in Chattanooga and the surrounding region.
The 2008 E-Week Highlight Banquet will be held Thursday, February 21, at 6 p.m. at the Bessie Smith Hall, 200 East M.L. King Blvd. in Chattanooga. Dr. Karen Liu, assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, will discuss her research and developments in computer graphics and animation with the presentation “Animating the Future.” Specifically, Liu will discuss her research in physics-based animation, character animation, numerical methods, robotics and computational biomechanics.
The human body contains hundreds of interacting parts, and it is impractical to measure or even stipulate the values of parameters such as tension and elasticity for every muscle, tendon, and ligament in the body. Working with advisor Zoran Popovic, Liu eventually showed that feeding just a handful of these values into animation software is enough to reproduce a distinctive motion such as a “happy walk” in a range of CG models, from people to penguins.
Offered by the Chattanooga Engineers Club, Local Engineering Societies and the Chattanooga Technology Council, reservations for EWeek events may also be made using the form on www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org.
