Champions for Sustainability (C4S), southwestern Pennsylvania’s sustainable business network; the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE); the Environmental Water & Resources Institute (EWRI); and the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) are hosting Engineering Sustainable Solutions for Your Community on Thursday, June 18, 2009 to help communities become more sustainable through infrastructure design. 

This all-day conference, to be held at the Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods (850 Cranberry Woods Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066), features experts sharing practical, cost-saving solutions for infrastructure design, including energy policy, water resources systems, buildings, and community sustainability initiatives. 

The event runs from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm; a complete agenda is available at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html.  Registration fee is $90 for members of C4S/Sustainable Pittsburgh, ASCE, EWRI, and AEI and $120 for non-members.  Breakfast and lunch is provided.  Registration is available online at www.C4SPgh.org/know.html.  Deadline for registration is Tuesday, June 16.

For more information (including student registration) contact: Matthew Mehalik, Program Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh, at mmehalik@sustainablepittsburgh.org, 412-258-6644 or Bob Dengler at rdengler@GFNET.com, 412-922-5575 ext. 378.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering has entered a Master Research Agreement with the Westinghouse Electric Company that will allow for easier collaboration between researchers at Pittsburgh’s largest university and one of the city’s most successful engineering companies.
 
Pitt is the first university to sign a Master Research Agreement with Westinghouse that covers all legal issues between the two institutions. Instead of addressing these issues for each individual project—which can delay the start of research—University researchers and Westinghouse now must simply provide a budget and an explanation of the scope of work to commence a research study.
 
“Our relationship has been growing over the last several years, and this was the next step in building a stronger collaboration in research and development between Westinghouse and the University of Pittsburgh,” said John Goossen, director of the Westinghouse Science and Technology Department.
 
The agreement also builds on the established partnership between the Swanson School and Westinghouse, said Mark Redfern, the school’s associate dean for research. When Pitt developed its nuclear engineering certificate program, engineers and managers from Westinghouse joined their colleagues from Bechtel Bettis, Inc., and FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company on an advisory committee that helped design the curriculum to ensure that students learn the most relevant and up-to-date information. Pitt’s program launched in 2007 and is the only nuclear engineering program in Western Pennsylvania. Experts from Westinghouse and the other partner companies serve as adjunct professors.

Inspired by the aquatic wriggling of beetle larvae, a University of Pittsburgh research team has designed a propulsion system that strips away paddles, sails, and motors and harnesses the energy within the water’s surface. The technique destabilizes the surface tension surrounding the object with an electric pulse and causes the craft to move via the surface’s natural pull. The researchers will present their findings Jan. 26 at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ 2009 Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) conference in Sorrento, Italy.
 
This method of propulsion would be an efficient and low-maintenance mechanism for small robots and boats that monitor water quality in oceans, reservoirs, and other bodies of water, said Sung Kwon Cho, senior researcher and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. These devices are typically propeller-driven. The Pitt system has no moving parts and the low-energy electrode that emits the pulse could be powered by batteries, radio waves, or solar power, Cho added.
 
Cho envisioned the system after reading about the way beetle larvae move on water, he said. Like any floating object, larva resting in the water causes the surface tension to pull equally on both sides. To move forward, the larva bends its back downward to change the tension direction behind it. The forward tension then pulls the larva through the water.
 
Cho and his team—Pitt engineering doctoral students Sang Kug Chung and Kyungjoo Ryu—substituted the larva’s back bending with an electric pulse. In their experiments, an electrode attached to a 2-centimeter-long “mini-boat” emitted a surge that changed the rear surface tension direction and propelled the boat at roughly 4 millimeters per second. A second electrode attached to the boat’s front side served as the rudder.
 
Read an abstract of Cho’s mechanism. Footage of the boat is also available with a film of the rudder capability, too.

Taggart Global USA, LLC (Taggart), a  coal preparation plants and materials handling systems outfit, acquired a 51% controlling interest in Jim Harrison Design Associates (Pty) Ltd (JHDA). Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, JHDA is a leading engineering company that specializes in coal beneficiation technologies. Together, Taggart and JHDA will pursue large-scale coal preparation projects throughout Southern Africa.  

The partnership of Taggart and JHDA brings together two expert companies in the field of minerals processing. TAGGART provides a full range of design, engineering, project management, construction and contract operation services to the world-wide mining and power generation sectors.  JHDA delivers processing solutions for a wide range of mineral producers, including those producers operating in the coal, diamonds, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, and bauxite markets.

Larry Watters, Director at Taggart, discussed his excitement about the opportunity to expand Taggart’s industry operations. “We look forward to integrating these companies’ resources and expertise in order to deliver an unmatched level of engineering and project management service to the world’s leading minerals companies. JHDA is one of the most respected engineering groups in South Africa, and we are proud to have them join the Taggart team, particularly as we continue to grow and expand our international presence in the years ahead.”

The conference — set for August 26-28 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh — will gather the world’s largest simulation community, and will feature numerous opportunities for exchanging ideas and improving your engineering simulation skills. Highlights include:

• Keynote presentations from ANSYS management and industry-leading, innovative companies
• User presentations showcasing the unique ways in which customers are using solutions from ANSYS to solve challenging problems
• Product updates
• Technology demonstrations
• Opportunities to meet with ANSYS partners and discuss how their solutions can improve your product development processes
• Training courses (conducted on August 28 and 29)
• Networking opportunities

The 2008 International ANYSYS Conference is too massive to hatch out all of the details in this blog. You’ve got to click on over to ANSYS to learn more!

Company: ANSYS, Inc. Web Site: www.ansys.com Location: Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Description: ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970, develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies widely used by engineers and designers across a broad spectrum of industries. The Company focuses on the development of open and flexible solutions that enable users to analyze designs directly on the desktop, providing a common platform for fast, efficient and cost- conscious product development, from design concept to final-stage testing and validation. Read more.

Carnegie Learning Sells $5 Million in Cutom Math Curricula in Georgia

Sales of Carnegie Learning, Inc.’s new Georgia Mathematics 1 and 2 curricula have reached $5 million since publication of the program earlier this year, according to the company. Carnegie Learning, a leading provider of research based math curricula for middle schools, high schools, and the higher education market, reports that over 130 Georgia middle and high schools have adopted the education publisher’s customized Georgia Mathematics 1 and 2 designed, specifically, to meet new, more rigorous high school math requirements being implemented by the Georgia Department of Education this fall.

RMU Students Receive Prestigious Engineering Scholarships

For the second consecutive year, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) has awarded scholarships to three Robert Morris University (RMU) students. SME awarded only nine scholarships to students in Pennsylvania, and no other institution in the state captured as many scholarships as RMU.

Arif Sirinterlikci, associate professor of engineering and advisor to RMU’s student chapter of SME said, students received this recognition due to their excellent academic performance and their contributions to the field of manufacturing engineering.

The RMU scholarship winners are:

• Chris Bird, a senior from Bridgeville, Pa, who received the $5,000 SME Directors’ Scholarship
• Kayla Miller, a senior from Manns Choice, Pa., who received the E. Wayne Kay Scholarship for $2,500.
• Justin Laughner, a junior from Indianapolis, who also received the E. Wayne Kay Scholarship.

Undergraduate engineering programs at RMU include a bachelor of science in engineering with concentrations in software engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering; and a bachelor of science in manufacturing engineering. Both programs are accredited by ABET Inc. RMU also offers a master’s of science degree in engineering management.

Compunetix VP Selected for IMCCA Post

Compunetix is proud to announce that Mr. Gerard Pompa, Vice President and General Manager of the company’s Communications Systems Division has been selected to participate in the Interactive Multimedia Collaborative Communications Alliance (IMCCA) as a member of the Board of Directors. Read more for full details.

Company: Robert Morris University Web Site: www.rmu.edu Location: Pittsburgh, PA 15108 Description: Robert Morris University, founded in 1921, is one of the leading universities in the Pittsburgh region and among the largest private institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania. Nearly 5,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from 30 states and 20 countries are enrolled at Robert Morris University. Read more.   Company: Compunetix Web Site: www.compunetix.com Location: Monroeville, PA 15146 Description: Compunetix is a sophisticated electronics manufacturer specializing in state-of-the-art multimedia collaboration and telecommunications systems for audio conferencing, videoconferencing and mission-oriented applications. Compunetix also provides design, engineering and professional services in support of those solutions. Read more.

This is the 14th conference that ANSYS has staged since its inaugural event in 1983. During the last two decades, as simulation has become a critical element of the product development process, the content, breadth of technology and attendance of the International ANSYS Conference has grown as well. Companies from around the world, in a wide range of industries, are planning to attend the 2008 event. More than 800 people attended the last conference, held in 2006. ANSYS also will be hosting an analyst day in conjunction with the conference on August 26 for financial and industry analysts.

The International ANSYS Conference brings together engineers, analysts and management from all disciplines of simulation to learn about the future of engineering design simulation and analysis. Themed “Inspiring Engineering,” this year’s conference will showcase how global, innovative companies use engineering simulation to inspire their engineering designs, resulting in improved products and processes. The conference will demonstrate how the ANSYS vision and its powerful technologies meet the ever-changing needs of users who demand integrated, automated, scalable and multidisciplinary tools. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to see and hear how future capabilities from ANSYS will impact the industry, to try out the hands-on preview, and to exchange ideas with ANSYS team members, industry experts and colleagues from companies throughout the world.

“We believe simulation leads to inspired engineering. It powers the product innovation engine,” said Jim Cashman, president and CEO of ANSYS, Inc. “We see evidence of this every day as we engage with our customers around the world. Companies successful at leveraging simulation throughout the product development process have a distinct advantage in an increasingly competitive global environment. The conference is a great opportunity for all of us to learn about the unique ways customers are innovating through Simulation Driven Product Development™.”

The 2008 International ANSYS Conference will feature dynamic keynote presentations, technical sessions, management sessions, ANSYS Solves topics (which provide an inside look at the latest technologies from ANSYS and how this technology can be applied to help ensure success), and vendor exhibitions.

Keynote conference speakers will discuss the use of simulation as a vehicle for inspired engineering design:

• James E. Cashman III, President and Chief Executive Officer, ANSYS, Inc.: perspectives on the ANSYS vision for Simulation Driven Product Development
• Dipankar Choudhury, Vice President, Corporate Product Strategy and Planning, ANSYS, Inc.: product plans and roadmap
• Willem Toet, Head of Aerodynamics, BMW Sauber F1: strategic utilization of CFD for competitive advantage in automotive racing
• Jerry Young, Director, Materials and Structures Technology, Boeing – Phantom Works: challenges for advanced simulation in aerospace product development

Technical sessions will detail how product development professionals in specific industries and application areas have deployed simulation technology in their design process: academic, aerospace and defense, biomedical, chemicals, civil engineering, consumer products, electronics, knowledge management, large-scale analysis, materials processing, multiphysics simulation, nuclear power, oil and gas, optimization and Design for Six Sigma, power generation, semiconductors, sustainable and green technologies, and turbomachinery.

To highlight managerial concerns, a management roundtable will host a panel discussion at which innovative, successful and visionary ANSYS customers share how they have applied simulation technology to achieve significant success within their global organizations. This panel discussion, themed “Inspiring Engineering with Simulation,” is a chance for attendees to hear from — and pose questions to — a diverse group of managers from leading global organizations, including Becton, Dickinson and Company; The Dow Chemical Company; Goodrich Corporation; Texas Instruments Incorporated; and Whirlpool Corporation.

A second roundtable discussion featuring thought leaders in high-performance computing (HPC) will examine how significant advances in HPC create an opportunity for ANSYS customers to improve their overall ROI concerning the use of simulation. Panelists will include representatives from ANSYS, Hewlett-Packard Company, Microsoft Corporation and Silicon Graphics, Inc.

The World of Inspiration Expo will provide a great opportunity to learn, get inspired and network with peers as ANSYS and its most valued partners provide hands-on demos, literature and displays of their innovative products. The hands-on area will give attendees the opportunity to work with the full range of software offerings from ANSYS, as well as preview the upcoming ANSYS capabilities. In addition, experts in disciplines from nonlinear, explicit, and fluid structure interaction to full multiphysics, meshing and electronics will be available to consult informally on problem solving and best practices. Formal presentations will be staged in the area as well, providing another opportunity to learn about the latest technology from ANSYS.

Post-conference training, to be held August 28 and 29 at the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh, will offer insight into products from ANSYS for a variety of advanced analyses. Participants will receive hands-on instruction on topics ranging from combustion modeling to multiphysics.

Sponsors of the 2008 International ANSYS Conference include Intel and SGI (platinum level) as well as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Moldflow, AMD, CEI, Dell and nCode.

Company: ANSYS, Inc. Web Site: www.ansys.com Location: Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Description: ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970, develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies widely used by engineers and designers across a broad spectrum of industries. The Company focuses on the development of open and flexible solutions that enable users to analyze designs directly on the desktop, providing a common platform for fast, efficient and cost- conscious product development, from design concept to final-stage testing and validation. Read more.   Company: Microsoft Web Site: www.microsoft.com Location: Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Description: Microsoft Corporation’s long-held vision of a computer on every desk and in every home continues to be at the core of everything the Company does. Microsoft is committed to the belief that software is the tool that empowers people both at work and at home. Read more.