ESM alumnus, Mike Erdman '69, W. L. Robb Director of Engineering Leadership and Instructor in the department of Engineering Science and Mechanics has been elected Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Congratulations Mike!

Engineering alumnus Shaun E. Clair was one of 11 young University alumni honored for outstanding professional accomplishment and presented with the Penn State Alumni Association's 2013 Alumni Achievement Award at a dinner ceremony April 12 at The Penn State Conference Center Hotel.

The Alumni Achievement Award honors bright, young alumni for reaching an extraordinary level of professional achievement by the age of 35 or younger.

A 2006 engineering science graduate, Clair is CEO of Clair Broadcast, where he oversees business lines to the broadcast market. The firm rents equipment and provides technical consulting to the entertainment industry.

Clair has helped diversify the company into new business beyond audio, including backline and wireless, communications, video and information technology systems.

He is also a project manager for Aermonix, a new sound technology delivered to concert-goers via a smartphone application. He serves on the board of directors of Music for Everyone, a nonprofit organization that strengthens the role that music plays in the Lancaster, Pa., schools and community.

Clair resides in Lititz, Pa., with his wife, Nicole, and their daughters, Bella and Lilly.

The Alumni Achievement Award began in 2005 and has since honored 96 outstanding alumni. Academic colleges or campuses nominate alumni who are then selected by a University-wide committee.

Winners are invited to return to campus for several days to share their expertise with students and the University community.
*Source: Penn State Live

In early October, ESM hosted alumni, Brian Piccione and Fei Wang at the University Park campus to celebrate their accomplishments and present them with the 2012 Early Career Recognition Award. The ESM Alumni Society has implemented such award for alums that are within ten years out of college, who have distinguished themselves at work and in their community.

Brian Piccione is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating from Penn State in 2005, Piccione attended Purdue University for his M.S., followed by a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania under advisor Ritesh Agarwal. His research interests currently include optical, electrical, and thermal transport in nanostructures. His work on light-matter coupling in semiconductor nanowires has been published in PNAS and Nano Letters, and his most recent article on all-optical switching in Nature Nanotechnology has been covered by multiple media organizations, including TIME.

Fei Wang received his Ph.D. from the ESM department in 2005 wining the Alumni Dissertation Award, and then joined Micron Technology, Inc. as an engineer. The same year, he went to work in Research and Development on projects of developing advanced memory chips. Having been working in the industry for over 7 year, Fei really like the job that he is doing and has the real opportunity of seeing how the technology advances while physical size shrinks continuingly.

ESM Congratulates Brian and Fei for their career accomplishments thus far and look forward to hearing more about their bright futures in the years to come.

Alumnus Shaun Clair of Clair Global has acquired two niche firms, helping it meet rising technical demands and tap new markets. The Lititz-based company said Thursday that it has bought the assets of Wireless First and a related firm, GTO Live, for an undisclosed price. Clair Global is the world's largest provider of concert audio systems and technicians, which it rents to touring rock, pop and country groups. In Wireless First, it has added expertise in wireless microphones, ear monitors, intercoms and other critical equipment. Based in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Wireless First was founded by Kevin Sanford in 1996. Clients include production companies, television networks, events, schools and churches. In GTO Live, Clair Global has added a provider of rental "backline" equipment (instruments and amplifiers) for live televised events and elsewhere. Based in Bensalem and founded by Sanford in 2008, clients include the Tony Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and Country Music Awards. Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/287672_Clair-Global-expands-reach-by-buying-2-firms.html#ixzz2AE7ojA3s

Glass vials, each filled with about two tablespoons of brownish-orange liquid and stored in an LSU lab, could drastically cut back on bacterial infections, reduce the need for amputations and save hospital patients millions of dollars per year in surgical costs.

LSU doctors and bio-engineers have collaborated to design what is called a “theranostic” nano-particle — both therapeutic and diagnostic — to fight bacterial infections.

When injected into a patient, the minuscule particle bounces randomly around the body, glancing off different bacterium until it encounters the precise infection it’s “looking for” and then neutralizes it with antibiotics. The particle is undergoing testing and could be several years away from mainstream use.

The benefits of the particle are threefold: it allows doctors to pinpoint the exact location of an infection; it cuts down on the quantity of drugs needed to treat infected patients; and it reduces the amount of drug resistance bacteria often develop.

The World Health Organization considers antibiotic resistance one of the most pressing health care issues in the world with hospitals being some of the likeliest places to be exposed.

The process in creating the particle began about four years ago when doctors from the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans approached faculty at LSU’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering about finding a way to better treat bacterial infections.

Dr. Vinod Dasa, an orthopedic surgeon, said patients undergoing total joint replacements are among the most susceptible to contracting bacterial infections.

The ESM Alumni Society is implementing an Early Career Recognition Award for alumni (10 years or less since last ESM degree) who have distinguished themselves at work and/or in their community. Nominations are sought from anyone who knows a deserving recipient (including self-nominations). The form is available at this web site, please submit your recommendations by July 1, 2012. If you have questions concerning this process, contact Jason Lyons at jml43@psu.edu or 814-867-1569.

The Early Career Recognition Award program has been successfully implemented in other Engineering Alumni Program Groups and the PSESMAS concludes that it would be a very valuable addition to the ESM program. Other alumni recognition awards tend to recognize more experienced alumni, after many years of success in their career. While this recognition is appropriate, it misses opportunities to recognize and encourage those who are exceling much earlier in their career. In addition, it is difficult for current students to view the older alumni as role models for their budding careers. One of the key elements of this program is to provide an opportunity for the recipients to meet with students and present a talk on a pertinent topic during the presentation ceremony.

This early career recognition award will address both objectives and provide a good opportunity for the PSESMAS to work with employers, alumni and students in a very positive celebration of empowerment of our educational experiences.

Susan Tousi, BS E SC ’91, was featured on the popular television reality show, Celebrity Apprentice. The film clip was when she was employed with Eastman Kodak company and featured the television participants advertising Kodak Ink-Jet printers to the public. To learn more and watch the Youtube video, please visit this website.

Hollenbach Construction, Inc., a professional general contractor and construction management organization that develops and delivers client-focused solutions to meet facility needs has named Glenn Ebersole (MS E SC ’73) as its Director of Strategic Business Development. Mr. Ebersole will be in charge of providing leadership in strategic business development and marketing for the company.

“The addition of Glenn Ebersole to our team further strengthens our ability to meet the needs of our clients,” noted Tim Little, President of Hollenbach Construction. “Glenn is a multi-faceted professional, a guide and facilitator and has a comprehensive and strategic understanding of the business development, marketing and sales that will greatly benefit our clients, team members and Hollenbach Construction.”

Before joining Hollenbach Construction, Mr. Ebersole was the Director of Strategic Marketing for LMA Consulting Group where he led the strategic marketing efforts. Prior to that he was the founder and chief executive of J.G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing and project management consulting firm where he provided professional services as an Owner’s Project Manager / Representative for a diverse list of clients and projects including several that received local, regional and national recognition.

ESM Homecoming Tailgate

Tailgate: 8:30 – 11:30 Stadium, behind the Visitor Center, Lot number 4978 (see tailgate map for details) Game Time: 12:00 kickoff Beaver Stadium, for ticket holders

To learn more, visit http://www.esm.psu.edu/alumni/tailgate RSVP by October 12, 2011.

Timely responses are greatly appreciated. For telephone registration, please contact Jason M. Lyons, 814-867-1569 or JML43@psu.edu.
**Special thanks to E SC alum Mike Erdman for his tailgate location.

On Saturday, May 28, nearly 200 members of the Curwensville Alumni Association gathered to celebrate the 124th anniversary of the association. The evening highlighted a keynote speaker, engineering science and mechanics alumnus, James Matlack (BS ’84). His presentation included three points which were ‘Never forget who you are,’ ‘Never forget where you came from,’ and ‘Never forget you can do anything you want too.’ These topics were further defined through a student’s school years shape them into the adult person they are, he encouraged the audience to recall the great and lowly experiences of their school years, nothing those incidents will stay with a person and define who they are and who they will become. And finally, he said no matter the career a graduate chooses, if they have enough desire, audacity and motivation they can achieve any goal. Closing his talk, James quoted Walt Disney, “All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.” The evening included the Class of 2011 in the audience and 12 students were presented with two thousand dollar scholarships provided by the generous financial contributions through the years in honor or in memory of graduates of Curwensville Area High School.