The Order of the Engineer, (OOE) was established to promote professional-ism among engineers and graduates of accredited engineering programs.

An induction ceremony will be held on Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Multipurpose Room. Seniors, graduate students, alumni, and faculty are encouraged to keep this date open and to register and participate.

The $10 registration fee covers membership and the ring. Registration and fee must be received by the Office of Conferences and Events no later than May 19.

For a registration form or more information about OOE or the ring ceremony, visit the "What’s New" link on the College homepage at www.cs.wright.edu or contact the Dean’s Office at 775-5001.

IT Wings, a brand new venture by Raj Soin–a successful Dayton entrepreneur who is Chairman and CEO of Modern Technologies Corporation (MTC). IT Wings will offer money, advice, and office space to individuals with innovative IT ideas, specifically those with internet and an e-commerce focus.

IT Wings, consisting of an Angel Fund managed by Vishal Soin, plans to invest in up to 20 IT start-ups over the next few years. Funding will vary according to need, but could go as high as $250,000 per business. "We envision creating an environment and a facility that will lead to more IT jobs in the Miami Valley. Potential business owners in this area have the ideas, they just need a little help to bring them to fruition," says Raj Soin.

"In Dayton, we see a severe shortage of seed funding for nurturing IT-related ideas to the point where venture capital becomes a viable option," adds Vishal Soin. Initial monies to fund IT Wings will be provided by the MTC International family of businesses.

In an effort to ensure that new start-up companies have all the elements they will need to grow into successful businesses, IT Wings will provide office space, including an on-site data center, in the MTC International building in downtown Dayton. This infrastructure, complete with business advisors, will enable entrepreneurs to focus on developing ideas into lucrative ventures without the distractions of running a complete office.

"We will focus our efforts on providing expertise in the areas of business plan development, sales and marketing, human resources, accounting, and legal support. As the businesses grow, we plan to play an integral role in securing future financing," says Larry Harms, director of the incubator.

IT Wings will provide funds for both new start-ups and growth-mode firms. CertifiChecks.com, a Dayton based IT company that provides online gift certificates, is the first company to move into the IT Wings downtown Dayton facility.

IT Wings is currently looking for and identifying local entrepreneurs with solid IT ideas. The firm believes that many ideas submitted will be generated by students and faculty of local colleges and universities. "We plan to work directly with local university talent to disseminate information about the availability of support through IT Wings and it’s business incubator," says Vishal Soin.

Raj Soin, who launched Modern Technologies Corporation in 1985, has been investing in information technology businesses over the past several years, mostly in the Silicon Valley. "We have gained experience and knowledge and now we want to bring that to Dayton, whose history is littered with innovative thinkers and inventors. We want to continue that tradition with a new generation of entrepreneurs."

IT and internet innovators who would like more information or are seeking support for their business venture may call Cinday Goertzen at Turner Marketing, 937-222-8238, or Raj Soin at MTC, 937-222-6821. They are also strongly encouraged to attend the presentation on May 26, at 2:00 p.m., in Room 145 of the Russ Engineering Center on the campus of Wright State University (see ad below).

Ty D. Upp says. . . . . .

Even though Saint Patrick’s Day was just a few weeks ago, there are no sprightly leprechauns, nor even any kindhearted elves, who magically appear and return the furniture to its original location.

The furniture in the classrooms, study lounges, lobby, and hallways is arranged to accommodate the majority of situations, to comply with fire and safety codes, and to provide adequate access for individuals with mobility impairment. So, please, don’t rearrange the furniture to suit yourself unless you take care to return it to its original location when you are finished.

WSU engineering students Nathan Bowers, computer engineering; Rachel Gligorich, mechanical engineering; and Marshall Hinds, biomedical engineering, used their experiences from a freshman bridge building lab to coach Explorer Post 527, Beavercreek, OH, in a similar project. Participants in the project built bridges with K’NEX kits, then tested their designs against one another.

Explorer Post 527, chartered by Universal Technology Corporation (UTC) in Beavercreek under the Tecumseh Council of Boy Scouts of America, is dedicated to providing Greene County high school youth with opportunities to explore engineering and technology before committing to a college path. Other engineering projects sponsored by Post 527 have included egg drop contests, balsa airplane fly-off, engineering and physics of music, analysis of reaction time as it impacts car stopping distances, and rocket building/launching.

Post members also learn project management skills in such activities as planning and organizing a cave restoration in Kentucky, and planning and taking a canoe trip. The Post tested and demonstrated a project management exercise for the Career Exploration Weekend at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in partnership with the Dayton/Miami Valley Chapter of the Project Manage-ment Institute.

Rachael and Nathan responded to Dr. Mitch Wolff’s re-quest for coaches to help the Explorer Post conduct a bridge building contest. The Post used same criteria outlined for the students in EGR 199 –an introductory engineering course for college freshmen. Dr. Mitch Wolff, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, is a member of the Explorer Post 527 Leadership Team. Rachael and Nathan distributed the K’NEX kits, demonstrated some of the fundamentals, shared tips learned from their building experience, and provided coaching assistance to design teams. Marshall assisted in testing the bridges.

Rachel, Nathan, and Marshall provided the high school youth with an opportunity to interact with college students and gain some insight before enrolling themselves, according to Dr. John Henderson, a member of the Post Leadership Team from UTC. Rachael, Nathan, and Marshall commented that they lacked exploratory opportunities like this during high school and they were pleased to contribute to this experience. Rachael commented that this was a "special bunch of kids."

Hillary Sletten, Post Program Vice President commented, "We know that you [Rachael, Nathan, and Marshall] gave up valuable study or relaxation time to spend with us. We appreciate it. Your personal comments and insight helped with our project. This was a good experience for us and we are sure that it will help us in future activities. We were pleased to have you as a part of our post activities, and we welcome you to return any time."

These young college students have forged a great bridge into the local community. We applaud their efforts and encourage more students to take the time to mentor talented local high school students through the Explorer Posts. For more information on the Explorer Posts, you may contact:

Seven mechanical and materials science engineering graduate students traveled to the Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland on April 14th and 15th to participate in the Annual AIAA Midwest Regional Student Conference. The states in Region 3 are Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Two students competed in the paper and presentation portion of the conference.

Tim Leger presented a paper entitled "An Analysis of Upstream IGV-Rotor Interaction in a Transonic Axial Compressor."(Advisor Mitch Wolff)

Dave Clark presented a paper entitled "Casing Boundary Layer Effects on the Propagation of Forcing Functions Generated by Inlet Guide Vanes." (Advisor Mitch Wolff)

Five students competed in the graduate presentation only portion.

Steve Ray gave a presentation entitled "IGV/Rotor Unsteady Interaction in a Transonic Compression System." (Advisor Mitch Wolff)

Shahebaz Malik gave a presentation entitled "Computer Determination of the Radiative Characteristics of Argon Plasmas Contaminated with Iron Vapor." (Advisor Jim Menart)

Cory Williams gave a presentation entitled "Hypersonic Panel Flutter Aerodynamics Employing Transpiration Boundary Conditions." (Advisor Mitch Wolff)

Anuya Joglekar gave a presentation entitled "Computational Determination of the Magnetic Field Produced in an Ion Engine." (Advisor Jim Menart)

Christopher Zhou gave a presentation entitled "Frequency Response of Various Pressure Sensor Configurations for High Speed Turbomachinery Applications." (Advisor Mitch Wolff)

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

Wright State did very well in the graduate student competition. In the presentation only contest, Cory Williams won 1st place, Steve Ray won 2nd place, and Shahebaz Malik won 3rd place. In the paper and presentation competition, Dave Clark won 2nd place and Tim Leger tied for 3rd place. Prize money accompanied each award. In total, WSU students won over $1,500 at the contest.

Dr. J. Mitch Wolff, ASME Faculty Advisor, and Dr. Ken Cornelius, AIAA Faculty Advisor, would like to express their sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Dayton/Cincinnati AIAA Section for providing financial support, which made it possible for WSU to participate in the Midwest Regional Student Conference.

Writing a paper for class?

Now, do more research on-line than you could before,

just check out ITKnowledge

The full text of hundreds of information technology guidebooks and reference texts is now available on-line through ITKnowledge!

We’ve noticed you need more access to online handbooks and reference tools. ITKnowledge is an initial effort by the Wright State University Libraries and OhioLINK to get readily available, up-to-date electronic handbooks.

Publishers such as Arctech House, CRC, Coriolis, Digital, Macmillan, Que, Sams, Sybex, Wiley, and Wordware participate in an online clearinghouse of handbooks called ITKnowledge. Books can be found by author, title, and keywords. They are also grouped by reference topic. Examples include: components, content management, databases, fun and games, groupware and collaboration, middleware, network services, operating systems, productivity applications, programming, security, and user interfaces.

ITKnowledge is available through any campus machine in the wright.edu domain. Off-campus access is provided through OhioLINK’s authentication of your library account.

For more information or to discuss other Engineering Library needs, contact:

Ariana Kalter, graduating June 2000 with a B.S. in electrical engineering, has been awarded the Charles H. Spencer Fellowship from the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society for the 2000-01 academic year. Tau Beta Pi, founded at Lehigh University in 1885, has collegiate chapters at 220 engineering colleges in the U.S. and active alumnae chapters in 14 cities.

The Tau Beta Pi fellowships are extremely competitive. This year, 35 graduate fellowships were awarded from a field of 215 applicants. All fellowships are awarded based on the criteria of high scholarship, campus leadership and service, and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession. The Spencer Fellowship, named for Tau Beta Pi’s national president (1936-47), is awarded to a member whose contributions to his/her collegiate chapter are judged worthy of commendation, in addition to meeting the general criteria.

Ariana had no trouble meeting any of these criteria. She will be graduating summa cum laude on June 10 with a 4.0 gpa. This already impressive academic achievement becomes even more awe-inspiring when one considers the amount of time Ariana devotes to extra-curricular duties. Ariana has served as President (1990-2000) and Vice President (1998-99) of the WSU Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, Treasurer (1996-97) and Secretary (1995-96) of the WSU Student Honors Association, and Vice President of Internal Affairs (1998-99) of the WSU chapter of the Golden Key National Honor Society.

Ariana has received numerous academic scholarships during her undergraduate career, including a Valedictorian Scholarship, which was awarded for academic excellence in high school. A John and Mirka Ray Scholarship (awarded for study abroad) allowed her to travel to Okayama University in Japan in 1996 for a one-month international study experience. Ariana’s dedication and diverse experiences prompted Associate Professor Joe Slater to state that "as [Ariana’s] academic capabilities continue to be enhanced, [...] I am sure that she will be a leader amongst her peers in engineering."

After graduation, Ariana plans to attend Perdue University to pursue a doctoral degree in electrical engineering. Ultimately, Ariana hopes "to be a teacher and a role model, particularly for women, in the engineering academic area." She hopes that "achieving a doctorate degree in engineering will provide opportunities to use [her] commit-ment to knowledge, leadership, and service to make important contributions to space technology through engineering academics."

Best wishes, Ariana, in your future academic career.

The School of Graduate Studies will be hosting their annual awards ceremony on Monday, May 15, at 5:00 p.m. in the Student Union Formal Lounge. Awards go to graduate students who have been nominated by their departments.

Marcel Jackowski will receive an award for Outstanding Ph.D. student, Denise Worst will receive an award for Outstanding MSCEG student, and Hongmei Zhang will receive an award for Outstanding MSCS student.

The Ohio Space Grant Consortium has awarded several scholarships to WSU College of Engineering and Computer Science students. These scholarships are funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program with additional support provided by Wright State University and the Ohio Aerospace Institute. Joyce Bevington (senior, BME), Jason Jones (senior ME), Brian Arbogast (senior ME), and Stephanie Puterbaugh (junior ME) are receiving awards for the 2000-01 academic year.

Congratulations!

The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) is an international non-profit association of the professional communications, electronics, intelligence, and information systems community. AFCEA is widely recognized for excellence, high ethical standards, and quality.

AFCEA provides a forum in which government and industry leaders can meet to exchange ideas and discuss the disciplines of communications, electronics, intelligence and information systems. The AFCEA forum encourages and enhances open dialogue essential to national and international cooperation and security.

AFCEA is proud of its strong commitment to education and offers a significant membership discount to students. AFCEA provides a broad spectrum of educational opportunities and career development services for government, military, and industry professionals. The Educational Foundation provides educational and training opportunities and promotes academic excellence in science and engineering at the graduate and undergraduate levels through scholarships, fellowships, and other awards.

AFCEA offers a vital professional edge to its 27,000 individual members and 12,000 corporate associates from government, military and industry through:

To find out more about AFCEA and how you can receive your student membership, contact the Office of the Dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science, 405 Russ Center, or visit the AFCEA Web site at www.afcea.org.

Important Dates To Remember . . .

May 9 – Spring Quarter General Faculty meeting, 3:30 p.m.

May 13 – Sophomore registration for Fall Quarter 2000 begins

May 14 – Freshman registration for Fall Quarter 2000 begins

May 19 – Engineering Leadership Seminar, Tait Conference Room, 4:00 p.m.

– Graduate/unclassified registration for Summer Quarter 2000 begins

May 25 – Last day to apply for August graduation

May 29 – Memorial Day Holiday–University Closed

June 3 – Last day of Spring Quarter classes

June 5 – Faculty Senate, 2:30 p.m.

June 5-10 – Spring Quarter Final Exams Week

June 9 – CECS Awards Ceremony

June 10 – Spring Commencement Ceremony

June 12 – Summer Quarter terms A and C begin, late registration begins for terms A & C

– Late registration fee begins for Summer Quarter terms A & C

June 13 – Last day to register, add classes, or receive 100% refund of fees for Summer Quarter A term

June 14 – 70% refund of fees for Summer Quarter A term begins