The Composites Manufacturing Technology Laboratory hosted a tour of local Boy Scouts (Troop 31) working on Bicycling and Composite Materials merit badges on Aug 16, 2011. The tour was hosted by Dr. Charles Bakis, Distinguished Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Dr. Tom Juska, Research Associate at the Applied Research Laboratory.

Located in State College, Troop 31 is part of the Nittany Mountain District in the BSA's Juniata Valley Council. The tour included a hands-on session where scouts laid up glass/epoxy composite panels, witnessed filament winding, and learned about composite bicycles from Mr. Eric Scott, owner of the The Bicycle Shop in State College.

A new senior level technical elective has been added to the Engineering Science curriculum this fall. Cross-disciplinary teams of four to five students will develop innovative solutions for real-life design-and-build projects proposed by industry, laboratories, and academia.

ESM is the latest Department in the College of Engineering to join the Learning Factory, an award-winning educational program (http://www.lf.psu.edu/) that solicits projects, assigns student teams, and coordinates competition among the various teams. Team members are drawn from Engineering Science and Mechanics, Computer Science and Engineering, Mechanical and Nuclear, Electrical, Aerospace, Energy, Material Science, Industrial and Manufacturing, Agricultural and Biological, and Chemical Engineering.

The scope of a project must be consistent with a semester-long effort by a 4 to 5 member team. Typically, such effort includes: negotiating specifications; design; review; prototype construction; recommendations for further development; marketing; and a final presentation to the sponsor. A minimal donation of $3000 is made by the sponsor to cover materials for the team and to offset administrative expenses. Proprietary information may be accommodated.

If you have design and prototype projects that your company or laboratory has just not been able to staff, you would like to have a new, innovative, cross-disciplinary approach to the solution of an old problem, or you would like to strengthen your contacts with top students in ESM and other Departments in the College of Engineering, than this may be just the solution. Contact Mike Erdman for more details.

The Engineering Science and Mechanics Department has Teaching Assistant positions open beginning Fall 2011 for highly qualified candidates who wish to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics. Applicants may apply by following the steps and links below:

ESM Graduate Program Application:

Important Note:
*For applicants from P.R. China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea, we request submission of paper-based GRE scores.

How to Apply:
Step 1:
Complete The Graduate School online application. See the Graduate School’s HOW TO APPLY page for application fee information.
- This application is only done electronically at Graduate School Admissions and Program Information Portal (via secure web pages) http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/portal/gateway.html

Step 2:
For a complete application package that is ready to be reviewed, the following documents must be completed in addition to the official school application:
1. 2 (Two) Official Transcripts from all of your previous course work. International
Students must submit 2(two) official records ((Chinese applicants: 2 (two) transcripts, 2 (two) translated transcripts, 2(two) graduation certificates in English and Chinese, 2(two) degree certificates in English and Chinese.))

These records and the items listed below must be mailed to Assistant for Graduate Student Affairs, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Penn State University, 212 EES Building, University Park, PA 16802.

2. Statement of Objectives: Tell us why you want to pursue advanced degrees in Engineering Science and Mechanics and how it will help you to further your career objectives. Send by U S Mail

3. 3 (Three) letters of recommendations. (These must be on official (Business or personal) stationery. Send by U S Mail

4. Resume Send by U.S. Mail

5. GRE (General Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical)
- Codes: PSU 2660, ESM 1605 (official score report must be submitted), this comes via USPS
TOEFL score (for all international applicants whose native language is NOT English, regardless of previous academic training)
- Codes: PSU 2660, ESM 69 (official score report must be submitted), this comes via USPS.

6. Application for Graduate Assistance/Supplemental Information Form – online form http://www.engr.psu.edu/suppgradapp/

All items listed above and not done online must be mailed to: Assistant for Graduate Student Affairs, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Penn State University, 212 EES Building, University Park, PA 16802.

The ESM Department held its annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 13th in the Earth and Engineering Sciences Building.

Photos and media from the event are available here.

The ESM Department will host Engineering Science students and their families at a graduation celebration during the afternoon of May 13, 2011 in the lobby of the EES building. The program begins at 1:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served at the conclusion.

Visitors may park in the Red A lot located at the back of the Earth-Engineering Sciences Building (the lot between the Earth-Engineering Sciences Building and the Leonhard Building).

Directions to the Earth-Engineering Sciences Building

Photos from this event are now available in the Gallery.

ESM is pleased to announce the establishment of The Robert M. and Mary Haythornthwaite Graduate Fund for Innovation in Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State University. The purpose of this fund is to provide financial support for innovative, cutting-edge research in the field of Engineering Science and Mechanics by a graduate student. An innovation fund in the amount of $10,000 for one year will be made available to the candidate selected. The fund will underwrite the research costs and will be administered by the ESM Department. One hundred percent of the funds received must be used for the candidate’s research. Funding will be available for one year, beginning July 1, 2011, with the potential for renewal for one year.

Full time candidates for the Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics, who have passed their candidacy examination, have an approved thesis topic, a thesis advisor, and have appointed their thesis committee, are eligible to apply.

Students will compete for the innovation fund by submitting an essay of no more than 1000 words on the topic “Innovation in Engineering Science and Mechanics”, together with a current transcript and a resume that includes (as appropriate): papers published or in press; presentations; awards received; and leadership activities. The essay should feature the innovations in the student’s research program that would be made possible by an innovation fund of $10,000. Two letters of support, including one from the entrant’s thesis advisor, are required. Applications are sought from a broad spectrum of research areas that are recognized to be engineering science and mechanics by the selection committee. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2011, for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The ESM department collected awards at the 25th Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites in September 2010. Scott White (PhD, ESM, 1990), Charles Bakis, Distinguished Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Christopher Hoppel (PhD, ESM, 1993) were elected to the rank of Fellow. Ye Zhu, PhD candidate in Engineering Science and Mechanics, was awarded the PhD Scholarship Award.

The College of Engineering and Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (PSEAS) would like to express congratulations to this year's PSEAS Award winners including four from the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department.

The 2010 PSU College of Engineering Faculty/Staff, Engineering Science and Mechanics Award Recipients are:

Charles Bakis has been awarded the PSEAS Outstanding Research Award

Christine Masters has been awarded the PSEAS Outstanding Advising Award

Ardell Hosterman has been awarded the PSEAS Outstanding Staff Award

Patrick Lenahan has been awarded the PSEAS Premier Research Award

The PSEAS Award recipients will be honored at the Engineering Awards Ceremony at the Kunkle Activities Center in Hammond Building on Friday, April 9, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

ESM is holding its second Career Fair/Recruiter Mixer on Monday, March 29 from 6:00 pm – 7:30 p.m. in the EES lobby.

Come and talk to the recruiters, to learn of opportunities with the company for jobs, internships, coops, global opportunities, etc. This will give you excellent practice in interview techniques and promoting yourself.

Send your resume to Jason Lyons, JML43@psu.edu and confirm your attendance. We will provide a resume book to the recruiters in advance of the event.

The 37th annual Nelson W. Taylor Lecture included talks by four noted Penn State faculty followed by a lecture from this year’s Taylor honoree, Tobin J. Marks of Northwestern University. Marks, a chemist and materials scientist, is winner of the National Medal of Science. This year’s talks were organized around the interactions of light with matter. A brief summary of each of the speakers’ remarks are noted at this web site.