Top stories of 2016
As 2016 comes to a close, take a look back at The Ohio State University College of Engineering's 16 most popular Buckeye Engineering stories from the past year, as determined by webpage views.
1. Materials, microscopy and modeling expertise combine to reveal performance upgrade for jet engines
Collaboration among materials scientists, electron microscopy experts and aerospace industry leaders may lead to major improvements in jet turbine engine performance.
After three years of battling difficult weather conditions at the Wendover, Utah Bonneville Salt Flats track, The Ohio State University’s Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 student team and driver Roger Schroer rallied to push their electric streamline vehicle to a world record two-way average top speed of 341.4 miles per hour on September 19, 2016.
3. John M. Horack joins Ohio State as inaugural Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy
Dr. John M. Horack will hold a joint appointment with both the College of Engineering and John Glenn College of Public Affairs as the inaugural Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy.
4. The start of something smart
Researchers and facilities at Ohio State will play a central role as the collaborative Smart City team comes together under an unprecedented $140 million program to transform central Ohio into the nation’s premier transportation innovation region.
5. Succeeding in uncharted waters
At just 28 years old, alumna and current MIT PhD student Sampriti Bhattacharyya launched startup Hydroswarm in the Boston area. Hydroswarm—which won $ 50,000 in last year’s MassChallenge—is commercializing the football-sized autonomous underwater drones she helped develop. These robots are capable of working alone or in tandem to map the ocean floor, inspect underwater nuclear reactors, search for lost planes and complete virtually any other underwater surveillance task.
6. Tackling STEM advocacy head on
William White’s football career was the stuff of dreams—four years as a starting Buckeyes’ cornerback, followed by 11 seasons playing in the NFL. Yet, the accomplishment he values most is becoming an engineer. And as he tells kids and future football hopefuls alike, anyone willing to work hard enough can follow in his footsteps and have a successful career—in STEM.
A master’s student studying electrical engineering is taking what he’s learned as a Buckeye and using it to help build Kiira Motors Corporation, a startup car company in his native country of Uganda.
8. Honda and Ohio State partnership to strengthen focus on mobility innovation
Honda and The Ohio State University today announced a new strategic direction for the partnership they have built during the last 28 years, with a sharpened focus on innovations in the mobility industry that will create new value for society.
9. Spatial skills are building blocks to STEM success
Spatial visualization shortcomings cause many women to struggle in STEM courses and engineering programs. Professor Sheryl Sorby created a course that helps them excel and now she’s studying its effects on middle-schoolers.
10. Ohio State, Battelle jointly hire national security expert
In the 87 years Battelle’s headquarters has been located across King Avenue from The Ohio State University, collaboration has been a common theme between the two non-profit organizations. Now, the two have teamed to hire Zachary Mears, who will be on staff as an Ohio State assistant vice president for national security and research programs as well as holding an advisory office at Battelle.
11. DOE funding to help advance groundbreaking welding technology
A team of Buckeye engineers has developed a new welding technique that could boost the auto industry’s efforts to offer vehicles that weigh less and are more fuel efficient.
12. New prototyping facility benefits learning, research
Imagine an environment where teams of students collaborate on innovative designs—and then turn their ideas into tangible, real-world working products. A new professional 3-D prototyping facility in the College of Engineering is already expanding experiential learning scenarios such as these, as well as research possibilities, across the university.
13. Three engineering faculty receive NSF CAREER awards
Assistant Professors Marcello Canova, Maryam Ghazisaeidi and Wei Zhang recently received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award—the National Science Foundation’s top award given to support the work of the nation’s most promising junior faculty.
The Ohio State University team was crowned the Year Two winner of the EcoCAR 3 – Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition. The four-year collegiate engineering competition challenges 16 North American university teams to redesign a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro to further reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining the performance expected from this iconic American car.
15. Subramaniam becomes chair of Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
On June 20, 2016, Professor Vish Subramaniam became chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Ohio State. In addition to his role as a mechanical engineering professor and as director of the Applied Physics Laboratory, Subramaniam is a decorated educator, researcher and inventor.
16. Two Buckeye engineers named 2016 Goldwater Scholars
Three Buckeye engineering honors students have been recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program, the nation’s most prestigious award for undergraduate researchers in science, math and engineering. Juniors Lagnajit (Lucky) Pattanaik and Ross Vasko were named 2016 Goldwater Scholars. Engineering physics major Kaeli Hughes has been presented with an Honorable Mention.
