With a recent National Science Foundation grant and matching contributions from the Ohio Board of Regents and Wright State University, Dr. Sharmila Mukhopadhyay (ME) has purchased an AXIS Ultra–the latest generation of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) instruments. XPS is used to identify what atoms are present on a solid surface and what chemical bonding states they are in. In this age of composites, nano-materials, MEMS, and multilayer thin-film devices, the surface or interface (seam) of a solid is often the region that enables or disables a technology. Therefore, techniques, which can provide insight into interfacial bonds, are becoming very widely sought after.

There are a few older generation XPS units available in the Dayton area, but none of these machines approach the capabilities of the AXIS Ultra. This particular system will provide XPS information with the highest possible spectral and spatial resolution available in the world today. As feature sizes in modern materials become smaller, the resolution of any analytical instrument becomes a key factor. WSU is the fourth university (and seventh organization) in the United States to obtain this equipment.

The AXIS Ultra will add a new and crucial perspective to the research on composites, solid lubricants, electroceramics, and sensors that are pertinent to aerospace and automotive industries prevalent in this region. The initial collaborators who will be involved with this laboratory include the Air Force Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, University of Dayton, Applied Sciences, and Superconducting Components Inc. (through a NASA program). Future collaborations with aerospace and automotive-related laboratories (such as GE, GM, Allied Signal and NASA) are being discussed.

Guozhu Dong, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Dr. Dong received his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. He also holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Shandong University. Prior to joining Wright State University, he held positions with the Computer Science Department of the University of Melbourne (Australia), and with the Computer Science Department of the Flinders University of South Australia.

Dr. Dong is an expert in the field of database systems; he is especially interested in data mining, workflow and active database systems, and data integration and data warehousing; he has also worked on constraint databases, database query languages, and database view maintenance and query optimization. He has over 50 publications to his credit, including papers in JACM and JCSS and has won several research grants from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Equivalent of NSF. Dr. Dong has also been on the program committees of numerous international database conferences, including VLDB 96, ACM PODS 96, DASFAA 97, DOOD 97, PAKDD 98, ICDT 99, and ICDE 99.

Dr. Dong is scheduled to teach CS/CEG 405/605–Introduction to Database Management Systems; CS 701–Database Systems Design; and CS 790–Introduction to Data Mining. If you are interested in these courses or in finding out more about Dr. Dong and his past work or research, you can visit his web page at www.cs.wright.edu/cse/faculty_facts/dong.html. You can find Dr. Dong in his office, 450 Russ, or he can be reached by phone at 775-5113 or by E-mail at gdong@cs.wright.edu.

John Lawless has joined the College of Engineering and Computer Science as the Supervisor of the Instrument Shop. Prior to joining the staff of Wright State University, John worked for Delphi Automotive Systems (GM) for 30 years.

At Delphi, John worked as a model maker in product development and, for the past 2 years, as a metrologist doing inspections of product development. John holds a B.S. in management from Wright State University.

After retiring from (GM), John decided he wasn’t quite ready for a rocking chair yet and begain looking for a second career. He claims his daily routine here at WSU is more varied than his experiences at GM. John is enjoying being able to follow a project from beginning to end, working on all aspects, rather than micro-managing one small sector of a long-term venture as he did at GM.

John lives in Xenia with his wife and they have two grown sons. John and his wife spend their free time improving a vacation property along the Ohio River. They also pursue a rather unusual hobby–raising Christmas trees.

On March 5 and 6, 1999, four Wright State University graduate students traveled to the Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland to participate in the annual American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Midwest Regional Student Conference. Three of the students competed in the paper and presentation portion of the conference.

Hiroshi Kobayashi (Faculty Advisor Mitch Wolff) presented a paper entitled "The Lumped Parameter Analysis in High Speed Turbomachinery Applications."

Andrew Fenlon (Faculty Advisor Ken Cornielius) presented a paper entitled "A Computational Analysis of the Motion of a Rotating Jet with Drag."

Peter Koch (Faculty Advisor Mitch Wolff) presented a paper entitled "3-D Vortical Forcing Function Variations in a High Speed Compressor."

Tim Leger (Faculty Advisor Mitch Wolff) competed in the graduate presentation-only competition. Tim presented a paper entitled "Improved Determination of Airfoil Flutter in the Transonic Regime Using a Direct Method."

The educational experience for the students was tremendous. They matured by making a professional presentation in a competitive environment. In addition, they have a better understanding of the additional areas of research being investigated by attending the other student presentations and from the invited guest lectures. Everyone involved was quite positive about their experience.

The WSU AIAA and ASME student sections would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Dayton/Cincinnati AIAA Section for the financial support provided that enabled WSU to participate in the Midwest Regional Student Conference.

A suggestion box is located in front of 405 Russ and forms are available in the Student Club Room, Department Offices, and Student Lounge. You may also submit your suggestions electronically via the College’s Internet home page–just choose the information button.

The program runs November 1—April 15. So, send us your good ideas. Appropriate awards will be presented for these suggestions.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science Design Clinic Program provides our under-graduate students with real-world industry consulting experience.

Design Clinic participants receive design course and/or technical elective credit in their program of study. Participation also enhances employment opportunities upon graduation by providing relevant industry experience, faculty and industry references, technical team experience, and knowledge of positions which might be available in the companies sponsoring the student projects.

In order to participate in the program, students are required to work as part of a team for three consecutive quarters, starting in fall 1999, on an industry-sponsored project. Students will enroll for four credit hours each quarter (Fall ‘99, Winter ‘00, Spring ‘00) for a total of 12 credit hours.

Each Design Clinic team will have two advisors–one from the College faculty and one from the sponsoring company.

Participants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• 140 credit hours completed in program of study prior to the start of fall quarter or plan to graduate prior to June 2001

• Cannot be graduating before June 2000

• GPA of at least 2.5

Students wishing to participate in Design Clinic may obtain an application form in the Dean’s Office, 405 Russ.

To discover more about the Design Clinic, contact the chair of your department or Dean Brandeberry.

Please wipe your feet upon entering the building. Spring is here (isn’t it?!?) and that means April Showers and lots of resulting mud. So, please, wipe your feet so you don’t track mud throughout the building. Wet trails of mud are a slippery hazard for everyone and dried clumps of mud are an impediment to those using wheelchairs, crutches, or other types of mobility assistance.

Important Dates To Remember . . .