Dr. Daniel Pack, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, looks on while chemical engineering students work in the Engineering Math and Computer Science Building lab.
Engineers Week Events
What: Dr. Mark Yampolskiy, assistant professor in the School of Computing at the Uni-versity of South Alabama: “Security of Additive Manufacturing: Threats and Research Opportunities”
When: 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22
Where: UTC SimCenter Auditorium, 701 M.L. King Blvd.
Admission: Free and open to the public
What: Dr. Amy Elliot, associate research staff at Oak Ridge National Laborato-ry; mechanical engineering expert on Science Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science: “The Science of Additive Manufacturing and What the Future Holds”
When: 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23
Where: UTC SimCenter Auditorium, 701 M.L. King Blvd.
Admission: Free and open to the public
What: Engineers Week Awards Banquet
Details: Keynote Dr. Tom Zacharia, laboratory director at Oak Ridge National Labora-tory
When: 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton, 407 Chestnut St.
Admission: $45 per person, or $450 table for eight; for single tickets, RSVP by Friday, Feb. 16, at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chattanooga-engineers-week-banquet-tickets-42100514773?aff=ehomecard for a table, email Lu-lu.Copeland@ChattanoogaState.edu.
What: College of Engineering and Computer Science Open House, 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9
Where: Engineering, Math and Computer Science Building, 735 Vine St.
Details: Hands-on demonstrations, tours, activities that include Baja car, rockets, drones, robotics, Chem-E car; lunch is provided.
Admission: Free, but registration required at http://utk.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3BPYtpKWMmcdWcZ
Information: (423) 425-2256
Out in the world are students searching for career ideas, turning this way and that but not able to put their finger on exactly what it is they want to do with their lives.
That’s where National Engineers Week comes in.
“It allows us to recognize and promote the engineering field to students who, in the future, may become engineers. It’s a venue for us to be able to reach prospects in high school, middle school and others,” says Dr. Daniel Pack, dean of UTC’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.
The week is packed with events designed not only to educate potential UTC students, but also to give a shout-out to the work of engineers and computer scientists and “what we do in society that has to do with solving problems and creating products that enhance and benefit people’s lives,” Pack says.
UTC plays a large role in those problems and products. “We’re doing a lot more engagement in the community and applied research,” he continues. “We bring in problems of the real world into our research and programs as well.”
Currently, the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the SimCenter are working with the city of Chattanooga, TVA, Volkswagen, EPB, Erlanger and Memorial hospitals and a host of other businesses, helping with research, efficiency programs and manufacturing ideas.
UTC is working with the city and the Enterprise Center on the Smart City project, which includes driverless cars and more efficient traffic flow. The university and TVA are testing ways to check the health of electrical transformers and, if work is needed, fix them on site, a process that will save millions of dollars.
At VW, the College of Engineering and Computer Science is helping to train assembly line workers using virtual reality.
A research project by the college’s Dr. Dalei Wu recently was named one of the 50 best in the country by Smart Cities Connect Media and Research. The project, a collaboration with Dr. Dryer Huston at the University of Vermont, uses equipment such as radar and magnetic sensors to search underground and document the location and condition of water and sewer pipes, electrical conduits, fiber optic lines and other infrastructure.
The data is fed into high-speed computers at the SimCenter and turned it into spreadsheets, graphics and other easy-to-use documents that can help city planners know where maintenance needs to be done and prevents construction companies from damaging the infrastructure when digging.
The number of awards earned by the College of Engineering and Computer Science has increased 56 percent over the past five years, Pack says. And the number of faculty and other researchers in the college who’ve been awarded grant money has grown by 60 percent, “which tells you how much activity is going up, led by faculty members.”
“The more the better,” he says.
