Third ME Business and Careers
Conference a Success

 

Some 225 alumni, students, faculty, and guests attended the third annual ME Business, Technology, and Careers Conference at Clayton Hall on Friday, April 27.  “We’re pleased that attendance had risen every year,” said coordinator Nate Cloud.  “It’s increased by about 50 percent since our first event, in 2005.”

Cloud and the other conference planners are also pleased that student involvement has increased since the first year.  That trend has been facilitated by having two students, a junior and a senior, on the planning committee.

“This year’s conference was very successful,” said committee member Khenya Still (BME2007).  “I've been hearing great feedback from the students on the alumni they networked with and also the workshops presented.  We changed the structure of the discussion panel this year to dive deeper into the lives of our Distinguished Career alumni, which I found to be intriguing.  I enjoyed being able to see where I can possibly take my mechanical engineering degree in the future.  I look forward to attending this conference as an alumnus in the years to come.”

Feedback on the Conference was generally positive.  One attendee summed it up:  “It was a well planned event, the facility was quite suitable, the format with split sessions was good and the presentation topics were interesting, and the opportunity for networking was great.”

The Talks

Associate Professor Lian-Ping Wang delivered a multifaceted presentation on environmental fluid mechanics, an area of study that addresses naturally occurring fluid flows of air and water on the earth.  Examples include sea breezes and tidal currents.

The topic has significant overlap with other disciplines including meteorology, climatology, hydrology, hydraulics, limnology, and oceanography, Wang said.  Scientific methods used in environmental fluid mechanics include field observation, laboratory experimentation, theory, and computer simulation.

Wang studies clouds and precipitation because they contribute to the water cycle on earth, which in turn has an impact on global warming.  Clouds represent a source of significant uncertainty in numerical weather prediction and climate models, so developing accurate simulations is important.

Wang reviewed work that he is doing in collaboration with scientists throughout the world, including Wojciech Grabowski at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), G. He at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Alberto Aliseda at the University of Washington.  He also works with other researchers at UD in ME and plant and soil sciences.

In addition, Wang provided highlights of work being carried out by faculty in UD’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, including its Center for Applied Coastal Research; the Department of Geography; and the College of Earth and Marine Studies.  The work ranges from modeling of tsunamis and coastal disaster prediction and mitigation to investigations of wetlands and water quality.

Activities at UD are expanding in the area of environmental fluid mechanics, with the University already designated a sea, space, and land grant college and joining the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) this year.

Wang’s take-home message?  “Environmental fluid mechanics has many exciting applications and interdisciplinary complexities,” he said.  “We have to learn to talk others’ language and to cross the boundary of mechanical engineering.”

Although the windmill concept is more than 1,000 years old, wind energy is a topic that is receiving lots of media attention as fuel costs rise and fuel supplies dwindle.  Two of the speakers at the ME event spoke about wind energy.

Prof. Len Schwartz, who has been teaching and conducting research in the area of fluid mechanics for more than three decades, has recently embraced a new interest:  wind energy.  This spring, he began teaching an elective course on that topic, and he spoke to ACC attendees about it as well.

Schwartz began with a historical perspective, showing pictures and explaining the principles behind windmills used between 1500 and 1900.  Early uses were primarily agricultural, with the mills being used to keep lowlands dry in the Netherlands and to lift water from wells in North America and Australia.  The first modern turbine was the Danish Gedser, which was created in 1957 and ran for 11 years without maintenance.

Schwartz reviewed various wind turbine concepts and explained the Betz Theory of Maximum Achievable Power.  According to this theory, not all power can be extracted, and flow slows down when power is extracted, and the “stream tube” expands.  The more expansion, the less wind is used.

According to Schwartz, “The way forward is to improve the bottom line.”  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) advocates airfoil improvements and “micro-siting.”  Changes in airfoil shape can improve efficiency at negligible added cost, while micro-siting also includes relative positioning on a wind farm.  “Both of these are fluid mechanics problems,” said Schwartz.  “Lucky me.”

Schwartz acknowledged that wind can never be an exclusive source of energy for electricity, but interconnected wind farms can reduce fluctuations.  Another solution, which is being used in Tasmania, is integrated wind and hydropower.  “When the wind blows, hydro energy is stored; when the wind is calm, hydro energy is used,” Schwartz explained.

Willett Kempton, Associate Professor in the College of Marine and Earth Studies (CMES) at the University of Delaware, delivered the keynote lecture on “Wind Energy Offshore: Resource, Policy and the Path Forward.”

Kempton is part of UD’s Offshore Wind Group, which is centered in CMES and also includes faculty from ME, geography, and policy.  The group collaborates with scientists across the U.S. and Europe and is currently funded by the Delaware Energy Office and Sea Grant.  A major increase in support from federal sources is anticipated to assess the entire Eastern Seaboard.

Alternative energy sources are important, Kempton said, to reduce dependence on foreign supplies, promote economic development, and reduce emissions.  The biggest problem, climate change, requires some 60 to 80% CO2 reduction in 40 years.

A proposed offshore Delaware wind farm, Bluewater Wind, has the potential to contribute significantly to meeting the State’s needs for electricity.  While there is little windpower on land, Kempton pointed out, the dense urban corridor from Boston to North Carolina is home to many cities close to the coast that could benefit from offshore wind.

While windpower has tremendous potential, Kempton acknowledged that there are problems associated with it, including public opposition to the change in familiar landscapes, the mismatch between power fluctuations and load fluctuations, and avian deaths.  One poll conducted, however, shows that Delawareans overwhelmingly prefer offshore wind to coal or natural gas, even if wind costs slightly more initially.

Kempton cited statistics showing that concerns related to avian deaths are largely unfounded.  The vast majority of birds, he said, just fly around the turbines, and fossil sources typically cause far more deaths—in humans as well as birds.

In concluding with “the path forward,” Kempton said that CO2 policies will create many opportunities for new technologies and businesses.  In Delaware and the coastal Atlantic, offshore wind could be a dominant power source.  Finally Kempton emphasized that planning the path forward will take engineering, geophysical fluid dynamics, law and policy, economics, and social science.

“My favorite talk was the keynote address,” said one attendee.  “He made wind energy seem like a no-brainer.”

John Thackrah (BME1979), Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Management and Budget, called on his prior experience with United Technologies Corporation in the Pratt & Whitney and Otis Elevator divisions in delivering his talk on what it takes to be successful in the twenty-first century workplace.

“Twenty-first century engineering graduates find themselves in a very different world than just 20 to 30 years ago when considering a career path or further education,” he said.  “The post-9/11 world we live in is filled with higher risks and, at the same time, the opportunity for higher reward.  One fact remains constant—the United States is losing its edge in science and engineering.  Today’s graduating engineer has a great opportunity to contribute to our nation’s competitiveness.”

Thackrah has developed an acronym, “CRISP,” to represent five traits that are fundamental to success:  Commitment, Results, Investment, Sweat the details, and Personal performance and perception.  “These things mean more today than ever,” he said.

Thackrah’s talk was well received.  “He delivered a message that every engineering undergrad needs to hear,” said one alum.  Another commented, “John Thackrah’s talk on C.R.I.S.P. would benefit all students, so it would be a good introductory or closing talk.”

Gary Hecht (BME1980), a partner in the law firm of Synnestvedt & Lechner LLP in Philadelphia, PA, spoke on “Patent Law: Innovation, the Process, and a Student’s Perspective.”  Hecht has been practicing law for 16 years.

Hecht began by pointing out that promotion of innovation in our country goes back to the Constitution.  Patents, which are a way of protecting innovators’ rights to the products that they have invented, fall into three categories:  utility patents, design patents, and plant patents.  Key requirements are that the invention must be novel and not obvious.

Hecht reviewed the parts of a utility patent, with one of the most famous examples being the telegraph.  He also presented some case studies to get the audience to think about whether an invention was patentable.

Finally, Hecht described patent law as a career.  Patent attorneys, he said, must have a science or engineering degree (or enough credits in one of these fields to sit for the bar exam), as well as a law degree.  He gave examples of what patent attorneys do and outlined other desirable traits.

“It’s good to have good writing skills, good grades as an undergraduate, and good nerves,” he said.  “It’s also good to be creative and detail oriented.”

Jody Kuchler Morgan (BME1985), President of SPI Polyols, Inc., brought a sense of reality to the subject of starting a business.  While there are lots of good ideas, she pointed out that 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years.  “Most are started by equally enthusiastic entrepreneurs,” she said.  “What will make you different?”

Failures result from insufficient capital, poor inventory management, low sales, poor credit arrangements, lack of experience, and a host of other problems.  These can be overcome, however, through thorough preparation and planning, business insight, a willingness to work hard, and a bit of luck.

Morgan compared the pros and cons of starting a new business versus buying an existing business or a franchise.  She then provided an overview of the various steps involved in evaluating a prospect, determining a price, and developing a strategic plan.

With the business launched, Morgan said, “Remember—obtaining your goal will take teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking.  Don’t go it alone.  There are people, organizations, and information available to help.”

“Most importantly,” she concluded, “Have fun!  You are going to spend a significant amount of your time working on your business.  Learn, grow, enjoy.  It’s all part of the journey.”

“I wish a seminar on this topic was offered during my UD years,” said Tom Frey (BME1984, MME1990).

The fourth ME conference has been scheduled for April 28, 2008.

“We really hope to continue the trend of increased attendance next year,” said Cloud, “with strong representation from all groups, including students, faculty, and alumni.”

 

by Diane Kukich