About the College

Dear friends and colleagues,

Spring is always an exciting time, and this promises to be a particularly memorable period for the College of Engineering at the University of Idaho. The innovative efforts of more than 100 engineering students at the University of Idaho will dazzle hundreds of visiting high school students this month as part of the College of Engineering's annual Engineering Design EXPO. The Design EXPO is a regular part of the rigorous senior capstone project that each engineering student must complete. Instead of a final exam, University of Idaho students tackle real world issues with the help of industry partners.

Nearly 500 high school students and teachers from 20 schools in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Utah will travel to Moscow for the 2008 EXPO on Thursday and Friday, April 24 and 25. The high school students are able to attend this year's Design EXPO thanks to a generous $25,000 outreach gift from the Micron Foundation. The younger students will take part in competitions, watch presentations and have fun with hands-on exhibits that showcase work by the University of Idaho senior engineering students. We hope to inspire these young science and math students to pursue careers in engineering opportunities, which range from building and bridge design to nanotechnology and biochemistry.

Design EXPO projects are created around four themes: transportation and technology; energy and electronics; land and water resources; and space exploration and beyond. Nearly two-dozen innovative student capstone design projects are showcased including:

• Space Skyhook: The team's goal is to design a working climber robot to enter into NASA's space elevator competition.
• QuEST: The team's goal is to design a navy destroyer prototype that will be able to travel silently through the water.
• BENDER: The team's goal is to improve the performance of machines used after surgery for continuous passive motion of knee joints to help ease stiffness.
• Hot Rod: The team's goal is to refine "Hot Rod," a robotic device used to reduce the safety risk to humans when elements from spent nuclear fuel rods are separated prior to treatment and disposal.
• Deer and Elk Automated Deterrent System: The team's goal is to design a system that detects the presence of wildlife near crops and automatically actives a propane cannon as a non-lethal deterrent.
• Open Architecture Robots: The team has created the Vandal Robotics Challenge to convey basic engineering principles in a tangible way so that students of all ages can have fun learning. The challenge will be open to visiting high school students.

The Dean's Reception presented by Schweitzer Engineering at the University Inn will occur on April 24. We will honor the memory of Dwight S. Hoffman, George B. Irving, Ph.D., and Melbourne L. Jackson in the Department of Chemical Engineering and John W. Dickinson, Ph.D., of the Department of Computer Science for their lasting contributions to the field of engineering, to the College of Engineering, and to the University of Idaho campus. The college is also delighted to acknowledge the honorary chair of the 2008 Design EXPO, Dr. Edmund Schweitzer (Schweitzer President and Chief Executive Officer) for his talent and vision in engineering and the Micron Foundation for their generous support and inspiration to attract students to engineering. Design EXPO events are free and take place at the university's Student Union Building and at the ASUI-Kibbie Dome. We invite you to join us for the 2008 Engineering Design EXPO!

Congratulations to the Clean Snowmobile Competition Team this year who earned second place honors in the Clean Snowmobile Challenge sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers at Michigan Tech University. Our students earned praise and honors for the Best Acceleration and Quietest Snowmobile Awards. The team's design also won the Cold Start Award, as well as the Best Internal Combustion Design Paper and Best Oral Presentation. The team has also taken first at the competition in 2002, 2003 and 2007.

One more bit of wonderful news that I would like to share with you is about associate professor Dr. Aaron Thomas in the Department of Chemical Engineering who recently received the very competitive National Science Foundation Career Award - an award granted to young faculty members who show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of knowledge. This is one of the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards and supports teacher-scholars who effectively integrate research and education within the context of their university's mission. These activities build a firm foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education. Dr. Thomas continues to develop his research at the University of Idaho in the areas of microfluidics, membrane technology and novel gas separation processes. Great news like Dr. Thomas' inspire us in the college - we are literally changing lives here at the University of Idaho. I know you share my passion for Idaho, love of higher education and deep appreciation for the role our university is playing in shaping our world.

Thank you for believing in the University of Idaho's vision and the College of Engineering.

Best regards and Go Vandals!

Aicha Elshabini