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School of Engineering
Kitty Harmon
Engineering Hall 213, MSC 145
5000 N Willamette Blvd.
Portland OR 97203
503-943-7180
harmonk@up.edu

School of Engineering: News and Events

Pilots survive ACM International Collegiate Programming Competition - Pacific NW Region

The School of Engineering sent three teams of 3 people each to the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) International Collegiate Programming Competition on Saturday, November 2, 2009 in Eugene. (The event was hosted by the University of Oregon Department of Computer and Information Sciences, and was one of five locations for the Pacific-Northwest Regional Contest.)

Team Purple consisted of Jason Wang, Kyle Kearney, and CJ Cullen. Team Pilots consisted of Spengo Rogers, Andrew Olivier, and Sam Burich. Team White consisted of Matthew Clark, Brian Burns, and Tom Aaro.

The teams were given 5 hours to solve 11 problems. Team Purple finished 41st out of 77 by finishing 4 of the problems. Team Pilots finished 52nd with 3. Team White finished 73rd with 1.

CJ Cullen reports, “It took place only on Saturday. The actual competition was 12-5, but our Saturday was very full. From 8-9 am, we had check-in and breakfast. From 9-10 we had orientation and rules. From 10-11 we had a practice round. From 11-12 we had debriefing and Q&A. Then, after the real competition we went to a restaurant for the announcement of the results and dinner. The event was sponsored by IBM and I think a couple of other sponsors.”

Check out these links for more information about the contest:

Host website: http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/Activities/ACM_Contest_Site.php

Regional website: http://www.acmicpc-pacnw.org/

Main website for entire ACM International Collegiate Programming Competition: http://cm.baylor.edu/welcome.icpc.

Shiley Hall Dedication took place on Saturday, October 10, 2009

The formal dedication of Shiley Hall took place on Saturday, October 10 at 3:00 p.m. on the University of Portland campus. Thanks to a $12 million bequest from Darlene and Donald Shiley, a 1951 graduate of the University who invented the heart valve, the building, home to the School of Engineering, features state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, and an additional 80 percent more space.

UP Engineering Students Score High on FE Exam

University of Portland engineering students scored a 90 percent passing rate among recent graduates who took the 2009 Fundamentals of Engineering Examination, well above the 78 percent national average.

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying administers the exam each year. Successful completion of the exam is a prerequisite to the performance of certain engineering functions in Oregon and most other states. In addition, an engineering graduate from a program accredited by the national Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) must successfully complete the exam before becoming a licensed professional engineer.

The passing rate for University of Portland mechanical engineering graduates was 95 percent, compared to 91 percent for civil engineering graduates and 71 percent for electrical engineering graduates.

Nationally, the averages by major were 81 percent for mechanical engineering, 79 percent for civil engineering, and 73 percent for electrical engineering.

The exam is taken annually by about 50,000 people, most of whom are recent college graduates or seniors.

Pilot Racing Finishes 32nd Overall in SAE Baja Competition May 8-10, 2009

University of Portland Pilots Racing finished 32nd out of 99 teams in the overall category at the 2009 SAE Baja Competition at Washougal, Washington May 8-10, 2009. Complete results can be found here. Pictures of the event taken by Baja team advisor Professor Steve O'Halloran can be found here. Photos of the competition can also be found on Jason's page from the 2009 SAE website. Check out the Pilot Racing website and meet the team!

Mechanical Engineering's Theresa Hailey runs strong for UP at the Oregon Relays

Sophomore mechanical engineering student Theresa Hailey was fighting a cold and a cold wind at the Oregon Relays at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon last weekend (April 24-25). Still, in the second section of the 1,500 metre run, Theresa moved strongly through the pack to finish fifth in a PR 4:37.63. She said that she felt great, despite the cold that hindered her breathing, and was thrilled with a PR. Theresa is a member of the Baja Team scheduled to compete in Washougal, Washington May 8-10, 2009. Follow this link for more information about the competition. The UP Baja website can be found here. Way to go, Theresa!!

UP Engineering Team wins Center for Entrepreneurship $16k Business Plan Challenge April 18th

The team "Neptune Biomechanics" bested 28 teams of University of Portland students, many with business backgrounds, to win the Center for Entrepreneurship $16K Business Plan Challenge sponsored by the UP Center for Entrepreneurship and the E-Scholars Program. Team members Joe Broderick, Patrick Jurney and Matthew Leineweber took home a portion of $5,000 in total prizes. The team's project focused on Parkinson's tremor suppression.

UP Engineers take a first and a second in annual ASM Student Presentation Competition

Two groups of engineering seniors took first and second place in the undergraduate division of the ASM Annual Student Presentation Competition on April 14 at the University of Portland.

First place in the undergraduate competition went to Dan Jensen and Marissa Nago (UP Aero Design Micro-Class ME Senior Project). Second place in the undergraduate competition place went to Molly Weisbeck and Travis Lewis (Thermally Insulated Blinds).

The presentation competition featured materials-related presentations from students representing the Materials Science and the Mechanical Engineering programs at UP, Washington State University-Vancouver, Portland State University, and Oregon State University. Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical, and Materials Science students from regional universities made brief presentations of their design or research projects.

Senior Design Teams Present During Founders Day April 7

Eleven engineering and computer science senior design teams presented their final projects in three sessions on Tuesday, April 7th in Shiley Hall 249 as part of the annual Founders Day celebration. Click here for the schedule. Click here for University announcement. Founders Day events included senior presentations, panel discussions, recitals, and an Awards Breakfast to honor recipients of the deans' awards, student service awards and graduating seniors who achieved high scholastic honors. As part of the celebration, the School of Engineering introduces the presentations of engineering seniors who have engaged in a yearlong capstone design experience. The 2009 School of Engineering Award winners are:
The Dean’s Award - Doug Pederson
American Society of Civil Engineers Outstanding Student Award – Michelle E. Linscott
American Society of Mechanical Engineers Outstanding Student Award – Daniel M. Jensen
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Outstanding Student Award – Molly K. Weisbeck
Association for Computing Machinery Outstanding Student Award – John B. Guptill
Civil Engineering Outstanding Student Award – Kristen Carole (KC) Fox
Engineers Without Borders – Teddy Nicolas Acuna
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Outstanding Student Award – Aaron L.M. Challenner
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Outstanding Student Award – Matthew B. Tongue
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Outstanding Student Award – Stephan R. Westdal
Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Student Award – Patrick L. Jurney
Society of Automotive Engineers Outstanding Student Award – Chris A. Miller
Society of Women Engineers Outstanding Student Award – Marissa M. Nago
Tau Beta Pi (Oregon Gamma Chapter) Engineering Honor Society Award – Jessica G. Herman
University Scholar in the School of Engineering – Matthew J. Leineweber
The following is a list of graduating seniors who are members of the Oregon Gamma Chapter of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society:
Michael V. Bakke
Kristen Carole (KC) Fox
Jessica G. Herman
Troy W. Heynderickx
Scott W. Hinnen
Matt J. Leineweber
Elija J.B. McMahan
Gavin K. Okabe
Jeremy S. Okuda
Douglas J. Pederson
Marc C. Smith
Richard A. Somerville
Matthew B. Tongue
Stephan R. Westdal

Portland Aeronautics Places Fourth in Atlanta Competition

UP Aero Team - Portland Aeronautics placed fourth in a field of 43 competitors at the 2009 Lockheed Martin/SAE Aero-Design International Competition in Marietta, Georgia April 3-5, 2009. The team placed just ahead of the Kansas State team who won the West version of the same competition earlier this

year, and just behind the University of Cincinnati. The first two spots went to teams from Brazil. Each team designed and built a model aircraft from scratch following strict constraints and criteria in hopes of carrying a maximum payload. UP's plane carried a payload of 19.98 pounds. The plane itself weighs only 7.5 pounds empty, so the plane lifted nearly three times its own weight. While most teams had ten to 15 members, UP's three member team of Jeremy Fisher (team captain), Kyle Kirsch and Nathan Hagood also scored bonus points for accurately predicting their maximum payload. Portland Aeronautics also received an honorable mention for sportsmanship.
Click here to see the video of all five of UP's successful flights.

Steel Bridge Builders Garner 6th Place at 2009 Regional ASCE Conference

UP's steel bridge design team placed sixth out of 14 teams in the 2009 Regional ASCE Conference competition at Montana State University on April 3, the best showing by a UP bridge building team in over 10 years. The conference revolves around several design competitions, and provides participants with tremendous networking opportunities. Ryan Circello, ASCE president reports: "The competition consisted of 14 teams working to design and

build steel bridges to carry a vertical load of 2500 pounds. In the vertical load portion of the competition, each team loads their bridge while judges monitor deflection. A maximum deflection of two inches is allowed and UP's bridge was able to carry approximately 1250 pounds before it deflected past the allowable two inches."
In addition, sophomore civil engineering student Carla Norris (right) received third place in the technical paper competition, the best showing by a UP student in the technical paper competition in several years. Members of the team are pictured above (left-right): Carla Norris, Lars Wyatt, Sarah Ziaja, Circello, team advisor Allen Hansen, Eric Marble and Mary Ryan.

The 23rd Annual Society of Women Engineers Engineering Career Fair Attracts Students and Employers

The 23rd Annual Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Engineering Career Fair took place on Monday, February 23rd from 1:00-4:00 pm in the Chiles Center on the campus of the University of Portland. Students had an opportunity to meet employers and learn more about summer internship and full-time engineering opportunities. Over thirty companies from around the region participated in the 2009 Career Fair which was hosted by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the Office of Career Services. For more information about the event, contact Career Services at 503-943-7201. Click here to see photos from the 2009 Career Fair.

Engineers Week Celebrated at University of Portland

University of Portland celebrated National Engineers Week

(February 16-22) with a display on the steps of Franz Hall on the UP campus. The campus display featured a steel bridge constructed by the student chapter of ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), and Mechanical Engineering senior design teams' Baja and Formula One cars. The annual chili cook-off pitted three very different recipes in a contest for votes that ended in a tie for Chris

Vanausdoll and Matt Leineweber. The 45th Annual National Engineers Week (E-Week) High School Banquet took place Thursday evening at the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel in Portland, where Pilot engineering staff and students sponsored a display, and met with prospective high school engineers and practicing engineers.

Shiley Hall Access During Construction; Building Tours Start Again

As construction continues in the Engineering Building, access to the building, and passage by the area, are a little awkward. Please remember that the area between the building and the Tennis Center is a construction zone and should not be entered, even if

the gates are open. The area is beginning to look finished; however there are numerous vehicles still operating in the area. For people using the building, entrance will be via one of five doors: the north or south end door, or the three quad-side doors. Some of these five will be closed periodically for demolition and construction. Please pay attention to the signs for access; do not cross taped-off areas.
Tours by Turner Construction have resumed; they are scheduled for the last Thursday of each month at 3:30 pm -- meet at the gate at the south end of the construction area. The next tour will be Thursday, April 30. Call Kim at 503.943.7314 or email spir@up.edu if you want to sign up or have questions.

Shiley Hall Construction Update

Construction on Shiley Hall has moved into the second phase, and parts of the building are now being utilized, according to Dr. James Male, the Sweo Endowed Chair in Engineering. Most of the second floor of the building (both renovated and new portions) is complete. Two computer classrooms are being used for classes, and the open computer lab is available for use. The interior third floor of the original building is currently being demolished, while the tiered classrooms in the new section of the third floor are nearing completion. Demolition of the quad side of the first

floor will start soon. Labs on the bluff side of the first floor are now being used. A few people have occupied their new office spaces on the second floor, including: Dean Zia Yamayee (room 229), Kim Spir (room 226), Kitty Harmon, Program Counselor (room 213), Craig Henry, Electronics

Technician (room 224), Dr. Mark Kennedy (room 210), Allen Hansen, Mechanical Technician (room 122), and Dr. Male (room 228). Dr. Wayne Lu is using room 214 on a temporary basis. For more information on Shiley Hall, contact Dr. Male at 503.923.7176 or male@up.edu.
Pictured top: lower level of the Vollum Study Center. Pictured center right: the third floor demolition. Pictured below top: the first floor hallway, west side.

The Oregon FIRST Robotics competition is set for Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, 2009

The Oregon FIRST Robotics competition for high school students is Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, 2009 at the Rose Quarter Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. This two day event is open to the public. It is a great event to bring kids to watch, and a lot of fun. You can see the whole event in a couple of hours, or stay longer and watch the action on the floor and in the pits. Robots weighing 120 pounds are built in six weeks by high school teams. This year’s theme is “Lunacy” and the robots must gather up 6” diameter balls and shoot them into goals. Since the floor is very low friction, special wheels must be used. Traction control will be a big design feature (for those that figure it out!). Dr. Deborah Schenberger from the School of Engineering will be serving as a judge on Friday and will be watching the event on Saturday. The winners go to the International Championship in Atlanta in April.

The Collins Foundation Awards $400,000 Three-year Grant for Expansion and Renovation of the School of Engineering Building

The Collins Foundation awarded the University of Portland a $400,000 three-year grant for the expansion and renovation of the University’s 60-year-old School of Engineering building. [Read more]

Freshman Design Competition packs the Chiles Center November 22

Close to 800 prospective students, families and friends attended the 2008 Engineering Design Competition on Saturday, November 22 at the Chiles Center. Teams of freshmen engineering students were asked to design and build a mechanized block mover as part of the Introduction to Engineering course. Not only were students asked to create a design that could actually be built, they also had to monitor costs, use specific materials and construct the devices within certain guidelines. Each team had two minutes to maneuver the device, collect one inch blocks, and deposit the blocks into different scoring zones.

The 2008 winners:
Most points final round: Team C9. Doug Chun, Colton Collins and Drew Salmeri.
Least cost / point: Team E7. Rowell Gacad, Cole Mercer, Alistair Rokstad and Stephen Street.
Most points / time: Team A4. Siraj Magadmi, Brian Feeney,and Marshawna Williams (pictured right).
Most creative: Team A2. Katherine Braun, Erin Ersland and Josh Letendree.
Over 200 prospective students and their families attended the Open House and Breakfast which preceded the design competition. The 2009 Freshman Engineering Design Competition will be held in the Chiles Center on Saturday, December 5, 2009. For more information contact Kitty Harmon at 503.943.7180 or email Kitty at harmonk@up.edu.
Pictures of the 2008 competition!

UP Engineering Students Working to Improve Living Conditions in Central America Water for a Q’uechi’ Mayan Village Agua Negra, Guatemala

Nearly 800 Mayan Q’uechi’ people live in the village of Agua Negra in Northern Guatemala. The only supply of water for this subsistence farming community is shallow hand dug wells ”positos”, many of which become unusable in the dry season. The water quality is poor, resulting in a high incidence of diarrhea. Women and children are required to travel up to 0.5 kilometers to reach some of these positos.
In May, 2007 a team of three students and one faculty member from the University of Portland chapter of EWB-USA visited Agua Negra. A health survey revealed that non-potable water was causing a high incidence of diarrhea. Testing of the posito water revealed very high coliform concentrations. The team also visited with the Rotary Club in Flores (nearest large city located about 120 miles from Agua Negra).
In September, 2007 the Flores Rotary Club in cooperation with the University of Portland chapter of EWB managed the construction of an above-ground cistern to collect rain water from the Agua Negra school roof. The 28,000 liter cistern is designed to provide rainwater for half of the families throughout most of the rainy season. Funding for the project was provided by an individual donor from the University of Portland Community.

Seven students and a faculty member from the University of Portland returned to Agua Negra in January, 2008. The purpose of this trip was to assess how well the cistern and rainwater harvesting system at the school are performing. Since the school collection and storage system can only provide water for half of the community, prototype tanks ranging from 1100 to 1700 liters along with gutters were installed to several dwellings that have corrugated metal roofs. The residents of Agua Negra participated the construction of these systems. During this visit, the logistics of acquiring and transporting building materials to Agua Negra were assessed for future trips. Moving Forward In January, 2009, six students, four professional advisers and one faculty member will return to Agua Negra. Eleven additional rain harvesting systems will be installed in the community. Upon completion of this trip every dwelling with a corrugated metal roof will have rainwater collection. A portable solar panel is being donated to the community to charge six batteries that are used for cell phones and emergency lighting. Site assessment data will collected for a future project which will involve the replacement of existing pit toilets at the school with composting toilets.
Students are currently planning another series of trips to Agua Negra, Guatemelato install rainwater harvesting tanks and other sanitation systems for local villagers, as well as storm water runoff solutions for the village of Guadalupe Carney, Honduras. In addition, the group actively coordinates with the local professional chapter to help facilitate projects in other developing countries.

University Of Portland Civil Engineering Students Win the Annual Student Traffic Bowl Competition for the Second Consecutive Year!

November 20, 2008 ~ University of Portland civil engineering students Katherine Carlos, Anthony Jenkins, Michele Linscott, and Eli McMahan won the Annual Student Traffic Bowl Competition, at McMenamin’s Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon. The competition is organized by Oregon section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. UP students also took first place honors in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2007. Over 100 students and professionals from public agencies and regional companies participated in the event. Six universities participated: Portland State University, Oregon State University, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Idaho, University of Washington and University of Portland. The Competition questions are based on knowledge of transportation and traffic engineering. UP students competed with the PhD-awarding universities in taking top honors. For additional information please contact Dr. Mojie Takallou at (503) 943-7437 or email him at takallou@up.edu.

University of Portland engineering students rank high in FE examination

University of Portland engineering students scored a 92 percent passing rate among recent graduates who took the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination. One hundred (100) percent those University of Portland electrical engineering graduates passed the test, as well as 92 percent of the University’s civil engineering graduates and 91 percent of the mechanical engineering graduates who took the test. [Read more]

School of Engineering awarded $250,000 grant by E.L. Wiegand Foundation to build a student design project lab

The E.L. Wiegand Foundation of Reno, Nevada, has awarded a $250,000 grant to the University of Portland to construct a student design project lab in the School of Engineering... [More]

Shiley Hall "White Paper" available online

Click here to review plans for the new Donald P. Shiley Hall. See why it's such an exciting time in the School of Engineering!