The University of Toledo Engineering Career Development Center will host the Fall 2016 Engineering Career Expo Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Representatives from more than 160 companies will be available to talk to students and alumni of the UT College of Engineering during the career expo 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the first floor of Nitschke Hall and North Engineering.

The event will connect students with companies seeking talent needed for success.

“Many companies from across the United States participate in this event,” said

Dr. Vickie Kuntz, director of the Engineering Career Development Center. “A few of the nationally recognized companies scheduled to participate include BP America, Eaton Corporation, Fiat Chrysler, FirstEnergy, GE Appliances (a Haier Company), Honda, Johnson & Johnson, KIEWIT, Marathon and SSOE Group. The quality of the attending companies speaks highly to the quality of our engineering students.”

The career expo is a great opportunity for job-seeking students to network with employers, she said, noting that student attendance in past events has topped 600. Kuntz expects more than 600 students and alumni to participate in this event.

The career expo is open to UT College of Engineering students who are enrolled in the mandatory co-op program. Additionally, UT engineering alumni who have been in the work force for a few years and are interested in exploring other positions are welcome.

The National Science Foundation awarded $123,859 to a team of researchers at The University of Toledo to study the factors affecting the success and career choices of underrepresented minority engineering students.

The two-year project will compare factors at UT and Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.

The study will focus on the attitudes and beliefs of faculty and staff, existing institutional support mechanisms and the role of student organizations. The research will examine the effects these have on the social and academic integration of African American students.

“The broader impact of this project is that it addresses the national need to diversify the engineering workforce,” said Lesley Berhan, the project’s principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. “The results will be used to identify areas where existing practices might be improved and to inform the design of programs and intervention strategies to improve the success of underrepresented engineering students not only at our home institutions, but at institutions across the country.”

Berhan will work with Revathy Kumar, professor of educational psychology, and Willie McKether, vice president for diversity and inclusion, on the project titled, “Factors Affecting Underrepresented Minority Student Success and Pathways to Engineering Careers at Majority and Minority Institutions.”

According to the National Science Foundation project summary, “While inadequate college preparation is a contributing factor in the low enrollment and poor retention and graduation rates among underrepresented students in engineering programs, there is evidence that professional persistence is directly linked to identity development and social and academic interactions.”

“Once again, The University of Toledo is on the forefront of cross-cutting, long-term research that will determine our economic destiny,” Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur said. “It’s important for future generations and our economic standing to understand and develop the means to maximize opportunity for all of our citizens to contribute to their best God-given abilities.  This research aims to do that.”

Two local bioengineers are officially in the business of back pain relief.

A new medical device developed by researchers at The University of Toledo to help reduce infections from spinal surgery is making its market debut.

Spinal Balance is celebrating the launch of its first locally grown product called the Libra Pedicle Screw System at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 25 at the Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex on UT Main Campus.

Libra Pedicle Screw System

Libra is a pre-sterilized, individually packaged screw system designed to combat contamination in the operating room as a result of contact with people, containers or surfaces. The product will help surgeons at hospitals worldwide improve patient care and reduce costs.

“Deep bone infections are a serious problem,” said Dr. Anand Agarwal, CEO of Spinal Balance and UT professor of bioengineering. “Keeping anything from touching or contacting the threads of a screw is very important. Our aim is to provide the surgeon with technically-advanced implants that are easy to handle and can be implanted using improved aseptic technique.”

“We reduce the variables in the operating room that contribute to infections,” said Don Kennedy, director of sales and marketing for Spinal Balance. “No one ever has to touch the implant prior to it being placed into a patient.”

The Food and Drug Administration cleared the Libra system last year to be used for spine fusion and to treat back pain in cases of degeneration, trauma and deformity.

Agarwal and Dr. Vijay Goel, UT Distinguished University Professor and the McMaster-Gardner Endowed Chair of Orthopedic Bioengineering, launched Spinal Balance in 2013 and developed the Libra technology through support from the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier program, Rocket Innovations and UT’s LaunchPad Incubation program.

“We value, foster and invest in the entrepreneurial spirit here at The University of Toledo,” said Jessica Sattler, director of economic engagement and business development programs at UT.  “Our LaunchPad Incubation program provides faculty members and community entrepreneurs intensive entrepreneurial assistance and state-of-the-art facilities for research, development, manufacturing and storage as they navigate the long road from concept to commercialization. The success of Drs. Agarwal and Goel also is a proud accomplishment for our program.”

The celebration of the Libra product launch begins with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by presentations at 6:15 p.m. and a dinner at 7:15 p.m.

Spinal Balance is one of three private companies Agarwal has located in the LaunchPad Incubation program with other UT research faculty members.

Agarwal’s company called IntelliSenze recently received $150,000 in state funds to help commercialize microprocessor chips under development that can detect the presence of bacteria and viruses.

More than 170 sophomore high school girls will visit The University of Toledo Thursday, May 12 when prominent female scientists and engineers across the region will introduce them to the exciting world of science and technology careers through hands-on experiments and demonstrations.

The seventh annual Women in STEMM Day of Meetings, which goes by the acronym WISDOM, will take place from 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on UT’s Main Campus and Health Science Campus.

UT faculty and professionals at Dana Corporation and Marathon Petroleum Corporation will help inspire a passion for science careers by exploring the tools of the trade.

The girls will perform experiments in a number of areas, including physics and astronomy, chemistry, biology, engineering, pharmacy and medicine.

Activities for students include building solar cells, making liquid nitrogen ice cream, swabbing their cheeks for a DNA sample, constructing model airplanes, interacting with robots through computer programming and whipping up a sugar scrub for their feet and hands (see schedule below).

“Helping young women stay interested in STEMM and pursue a job in a field with low unemployment is one of the best things we can do for our region,” said Edith Kippenhan, senior lecturer in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and president of the Northwestern Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women in Science. “For every STEMM graduate there are four jobs waiting.  For every non-STEMM job opening, there are two applicants. It is our hope this fun visit to UT will help students discover there is a supportive network ready to receive them and help turn their dreams into reality.”

Students from Toledo Public, Washington Local and Oregon Schools, as well as from the Toledo Islamic Academy and Wildwood Environmental Academy, will participate in WISDOM at the University.

The event is hosted by the Northwestern Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women in Science.  Sponsors include Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Columbia Gas, Spartan Chemical Company, Dana Corporation, Toledo Chapter of the American Chemical Society, the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women and the UT Colleges of Engineering, Medicine and Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Photo/video opportunities include:

• Building solar cells: 9 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. in Student Union Room 3016 on UT’s Main Campus;
• Making liquid nitrogen ice cream: 9 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. in Student Union Auditorium on UT’s Main Campus;
• Making model airplanes: 10:25 a.m. in Brady Engineering Innovation Center on UT’s Main Campus;
• DNA sampling: 9 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. in Student Union Room 3018 on UT’s Main Campus; and
• Making sugar scrub for hands and feet: 9:10 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. in Health Education Building Room 019 on UT’s Health Science Campus.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (May 10, 2016)

Students in Rocket Engineering Prep Program to receive full college scholarships

More homegrown engineers will solve problems right here in the Toledo community thanks to an innovative partnership between BP and The University of Toledo.

The new Rocket Engineering Prep Program will ensure full tuition and fee scholarships for four years for select Toledo Public School students to attend the UT College of Engineering in exchange for successfully completing three summers of enrichment and mentoring programs at UT during high school. The program supports an increase in both the number and success of students who represent the diversity of the Toledo community. 

The launch of the Rocket Engineering Prep Program will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 19 in the SSOE Seminar Room of Nitschke Hall on the UT Main Campus. The first class of TPS students in the program will be recognized at the event.

“Thanks to the generosity of BP we will be able to increase the success of local high school students in engineering careers,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “These students will not only receive a top-notch UT College of Engineering education, but also will be better prepared for success with an introduction to college life and engineering careers through the summer programs. This is an exciting program to encourage talented local students to stay in our community and to support their education and career achievements.”

“BP is excited to be a partner of the new Rocket Engineering Prep Program,” BP Refinery Manager Mark Dangler said. “In order to remain competitive, BP, like many other companies, will increasingly require a workforce that is proficient in advanced STEM subjects and prepared with critical thinking and problem solving skills. We believe this new bridge program will enhance our local talent pool of diverse engineering candidates and helps build upon our ongoing relationship with UT and supporting our community where we live and work.”

The Rocket Engineering Prep Program begins the summer after the student’s sophomore year of high school when they will visit the UT campus for assistance in preparing for 11th grade, the ACT and success in college. They also will be introduced to engineering disciplines and careers through activities and field trips. The students will participate in a similar program the following summer.

During the summer after high school graduation the participants will live on campus and enroll in UT courses for a head start on a successful college experience.

“BP is investing in our community by encouraging local high school students to explore the engineering sciences and providing the resources and support that will help them succeed here at UT and in their future careers,” UT College of Engineering Dean Nagi Naganathan said. “Our graduates are creative problem solvers and leaders in their fields. We look forward to having more TPS graduates succeed as UT engineering students and alumni.”

Media Coverage
The Blade (April 19, 2016)
13 ABC (April 19, 2016)
WTOL 11 (April 20, 2016)
NBC 24 (April 20, 2016)

The University of Toledo is among eight Ohio universities to receive a total of $1.9 million from The Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative.

The Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative, jointly managed by UT and Ohio State University, is funding 13 collaborative research projects to provide solutions for the harmful algal blooms that affect Lake Erie, Grand Lake St. Mary’s, Buckeye Lake and other fresh water bodies in and around Ohio.

The research projects announced yesterday focus on tracking the sources and movement of harmful algal blooms, ensuring safe drinking water, protecting public health and providing critical education and outreach for stakeholders dealing with both upstream and downstream harmful algal bloom issues.

This is the second round of HABRI awards. The first $2 million in awards, released in February 2015, supported 18 interdisciplinary, multi-university research projects — eight of which are lead by UT — that are currently in progress.

“HABRI was created in the aftermath of the 2014 Toledo water crisis to provide near-term solutions for the full suite of issues surrounding harmful algal blooms,” Chancellor John Carey said. “Guided by the technical needs of state agencies at the front lines of the HABs crisis, Ohio research universities are the engines for creating new knowledge, new technologies and new approaches to give us both short-term assistance and long-term solutions.”

Each project funded by HABRI consists of multiple university partners and state funds have been matched at least one-to-one by participating universities.

“These awards to our universities also serve to train the next generation of Ohio scientists who will be called upon to address future environmental challenges,” Chancellor Carey said.

The projects led by UT researchers are:

• “Characterization of recreational exposures to cyanotoxins in western Lake Erie basin” led by Dr. April Ames, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine;
• “HAB Avoidance: Vertical Movement of Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie” led by Dr. Thomas Bridgeman, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences;
• “Discovery of Enzymes and Pathways Responsible for Microcystin Degradation” led by Dr. Jason Huntley, assistant professor of medical microbiology and immunology; and
• “Evaluating Home Point‐of‐Use Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems for Cyanotoxin Removal” led by Dr. Glenn Lipscomb, professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering.

Ongoing activities funded by the first round of HABRI include the development of an early warning system for bloom hazards in the western Lake Erie basin, a phosphorus fingerprinting technique to determine the origin of nutrient runoff, alternative water treatment tools to detect microcystin and other toxic algal byproducts, and a better understanding of the exposure of humans to toxins from fish and fresh produce.

The University of Toledo College of Engineering will celebrate Engineers Week, Feb. 21-27.

The annual “E-week” was started by the national organization, DiscoverE, to celebrate how engineers make a difference in the world, increase public dialogue about the need for engineers, and bring engineering to life for students, educators and parents.

Spearheaded by the UT Engineering Council, student organizations at the College of Engineering have planned events in the spirit of E-week.

Listed by date, highlights for the week will include:

Monday, Feb. 22

• Egg-Drop Contest, 1 p.m., first floor of Nitschke Hall. Students will test their small, lightweight containers designed to protect a raw egg dropped from successive heights. This event is presented by the UT Society of Professional Engineers.

• Popsicle Stick Catapult Competition, 3 p.m., Nitschke Hall. This contest is hosted by the UT Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.

Wednesday, Feb. 24

• The College of Engineering Career Development Center will hold the Spring 2016 Career Expo. Open to current UT engineering students and alumni, the event will have representatives from more than 120 employers.

Thursday, Feb. 25

• Life-size Jenga, 11:30 a.m., Nitschke Hall. This game is organized by the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society.

• Putt-Putt Golf, 2 p.m., Nitschke Hall. The UT Engineering Council designed the miniature course.

Friday, Feb. 26

• Rube Goldberg competition, 9 a.m., Tom and Betsy Brady Innovation Center. Sponsored by Theta Tau, this contest will feature student teams that will construct the most creative and complex contraptions with more than 20 steps to open an umbrella.

• Freshman Design Expo, from 2:30 to 5 p.m., Tom and Betsy Brady Engineering Innovation Center. For the first time, freshman engineering students will showcase their projects.

For more information on the events, contact Jon Pawlecki, director of student services in the UT College of Engineering, at jon.pawlecki@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Feb. 23, 2016)
The Blade (Feb. 23, 2016)
The Blade (Feb. 24, 2016)
13 ABC (Feb. 29, 2016)

A group of innovative University of Toledo students has taken the Redbox video kiosk idea and turned it green.

The project is attracting national attention and federal research money.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the team of UT undergraduate students a $15,000 grant to participate in a national competition to design solutions for a sustainable future.

The UT team’s proposal is to create a community-based garbage collection system called Greenbox which turns food waste into energy.

To understand the senior design project, it helps to be familiar with the Redbox video rental system.

“Instead of getting movies or video games on disc at an automated machine, you can drop off a three-gallon bag of food waste at a Greenbox kiosk and rack up reward points for gift cards or other perks,” mechanical engineering senior John Martillotta said. “It’s a new way to recycle that has not been done before.”

“If you’re not looking to compost, our system would be a good way to collect and store food scraps from households and restaurants and use it to generate energy in the form of methane gas or create fertilizers,” Matthew Franchetti, associate professor in the College of Engineering, said. “The garbage bags would be transported from the kiosks throughout the community to a large-scale anaerobic digestion facility.”

The EPA chose the UT team to compete with more than 30 other university student teams across the country in the 12^th Annual People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition.

In the spring, all teams will submit their reports and proposals for a chance to receive an additional $75,000 in grant funding for their project.

“This year’s P3 teams have created innovative research projects that tackle some of our most pressing environmental and public health challenges,” said Dr. Thomas A. Burke, EPA’s Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “These students have the opportunity to bring their exciting new ideas for innovation in sustainability to life, by expanding their learning experience beyond the classroom.”

The U.S. generates more than 34 million tons of food waste each year and more than 97 percent is disposed of at landfills, according to Franchetti.

Greenbox would be a recycling option with reward incentives to divert food waste from the landfill.

“Greenbox also would reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with food waste rotting in landfills and lead to a cleaner environment,” Franchetti said.

The UT team says the Greenbox kiosks – standing six feet tall, four feet deep and five feet wide – would be located at convenience stores, fast food restaurants, grocery stores and pharmacies.

Somewhat similar to the US Postal Service automated postal centers, the Greenbox kiosks would include a touch screen and label printer. Once a kiosk is two-thirds full of food waste bags, a sensor would automatically notify a local hauler that the machine needs to be emptied. The bags would then be transported to a local waste-to-energy facility and weighed so customers could cash in on recycling incentives.

“Last semester, we developed the design and built the business plan.  It would be a franchise like Redbox,” Martillotta said.  “This semester we are building the Greenbox prototype. Our project is relevant on a large scale.  If it keeps moving forward, we could have a positive impact on preventing pollution across our country.  The byproducts of food waste are awesome. We’re just trying to find a good way to do it.”

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Feb. 16, 2016)

A University of Toledo alumnus is ensuring future engineers will have the right combination of technical and business skills needed to meet the growing energy needs of the world.

Gary Leidich, retired executive vice president and president of FirstEnergy Generation and FirstEnergy Corp., is donating $500,000 to the UT College of Engineering in support of a new academic initiative in energy engineering.

An event to celebrate the generosity of Gary and Eileen Leidich will be held 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18 in the Nitschke Hall SSOE Seminar Room.

“It is very clear that energy dependence is not going away. The energy needs in the United States and around the world are going to be significant,” Leidich, chair of the UT Foundation Board of Trustees, said. “We have become accustomed to a lot of energy use. You plug in your cell phone and it’s all magic, but there is a lot behind it.”

Leidich, who received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering science from UT, remembers well the power systems courses where he learned about energy conversion that prepared him for the technical aspects of his career.

He saw a need for increased specialization for today’s engineers not only in power systems, but also with oil, gas and other alternative energy sectors. So he was intrigued when Dr. Nagi Naganathan, dean of the UT College of Engineering, approached him with an idea to create a unique energy engineering concentration as a graduate degree option. Naganathan also invited Leidich to chair a task force of faculty, alumni and representatives from corporate partners DTE Energy Co., Owens Corning and First Solar Inc. to shape the curriculum.

“I saw my role in stepping up and demonstrating some leadership for this program that I think will get a lot of traction,” Leidich said.

“We cannot thank Gary and Eileen Leidich enough for their generosity and commitment to the success of future engineers,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “Graduates of this new energy engineering concentration will be prepared to advance the world’s energy needs with the strong foundation Gary laid during his successful career in the energy sector.”

According to Naganathan, both in the United States and across the world, there will be an increased need for uniquely qualified engineering professionals who understand the energy portfolio not only technically, but also with a good knowledge of complementary topics in management, law and social sciences. Every organization that has a significant energy footprint would want to hire such professionals as the energy demand increases, he said.

“The success of the UT College of Engineering and our graduates is directly tied to the strong relationships we have with leaders like Gary Leidich and the corporations they represent to be sure our curriculum is current, relevant and engaging,” Naganathan said. “Thanks to Gary and Eileen’s generosity and the support of alumni and corporate partners, we can now launch a program to produce a new cadre of graduates who will be innovative leaders of energy portfolios in the future.”

Leidich, who retired from FirstEnergy Corp. in 2011, began his career with Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. (CEI) during the construction of the Perry Nuclear Power Plant. During his career, he held a number of positions with Centerior Energy, the parent company of CEI and Toledo Edison that merged with Ohio Edison in 1997 to form FirstEnergy Corp., including director of system planning, director of human resources, vice president of finance and administration, and president of the power generation group. As an administrator with FirstEnergy, Leidich also held the roles of president and chief nuclear officer and senior vice president of operations prior to retiring as executive vice president.

Leidich continues to do consulting work for the electric utility industry and serves as chair of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.

“Our society has grown completely dependent on energy, and this is something we are going to need forever,” Leidich said.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Dec. 16, 2015)

Christi Paul, anchor of CNN New Day Weekends and HLN’s Daily Share, will address graduates at The University of Toledo’s fall commencement 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 in Savage Arena.

The UT graduate and Bellevue-native, who also will receive an honorary degree during the ceremony, will address more than 2,000 candidates for degrees, including 138 doctoral candidates, 556 master’s candidates and 1,372 bachelor’s candidates.

This marks the first University of Toledo commencement for President Sharon L. Gaber.

Christi Paul

“From her time at UT to her successful career at CNN, Christi Paul has devoted her life to thoughtful curiosity, learning, and helping others with the power of information,” Gaber said. “She has been at the forefront of many major news stories of our time. The award-winning journalist and advocate for women and children is an inspiring voice who will offer a passionate message to our graduates and guests.”

The national journalist graduated from UT in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree with a focus on broadcast journalism.

“I’m humbled and honored to give the commencement speech and so grateful to UT, the professors who helped me grow, the staff who guided me to solid internships, and the friends I made along the way,” Paul said. “I will always credit UT for giving me my springboard into the journalism arena.”

Paul has covered many high-profile events throughout her distinguished career, including President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, Hurricane Sandy, and the Casey Anthony murder trial. She was in the anchor chair walking heartbroken viewers through the early hours of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Virginia Tech.

Prior to joining CNN and HLN in 2003, Paul worked as an anchor and reporter in Phoenix, Ariz., and Boise, Idaho. The Idaho Press Club honored Paul for her series about a brave four-year-old girl who underwent a five-organ transplant. Paul began her career at WDTV in Clarksburg, W.Va.

The wife and mother of three also is passionate about helping children. Along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Paul is co-founder of the “Find Our Children” series that airs on HLN. Viewers have helped bring home 35 missing kids as a result of the news profile segments. The center honored Paul in 2012 with its prestigious Hope Award for her efforts to make the world a safer place for children.

Paul serves on the National Advisory Council for the One Love Foundation, which works with teens to help end dating violence. Paul also serves on the Advisory Board for When Georgia Smiled that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault find healing, safety and joy.

UT recognized Paul in 2006 as an Outstanding Alumna of the former College of Arts and Sciences.

The fall commencement ceremony will recognize graduates from the Colleges of Adult and Lifelong Learning, Business and Innovation, Communication and the Arts, Judith Herb College of Education, Health Sciences, Languages, Literature and Social Sciences, Medicine and Life Sciences; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Social Justice and Human Service.

Other college specific commencement ceremonies taking place are:

• College of Engineering: graduate commencement 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17; undergraduate commencement 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Both ceremonies will be held in Nitschke Auditorium.

• College of Nursing: 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 in Nitschke Auditorium.

For more information, visit utoledo.edu/commencement.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Dec. 19, 2015)
The Blade (Dec. 20, 2015)