CORRECTION: “BattleBots” was used in an original headline about the College of Engineering’s senior design expo. The term “BattleBots” is a protected trademark and was unintentionally used by UT, which regrets the oversight.

Building a self-checkout shopping cart, producing biofuels from microscopic algae, renovating The Toledo Zoo’s unused, historic pedestrian tunnel, and fashioning water flippers for a double amputee are a few of the projects that will be on display at The University of Toledo College of Engineering senior design expo.

The public is invited to take a look at all 50 student projects at the Undergraduate Research and Senior Design Engineering Project Exposition from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 in Nitschke Hall.

“The senior design expo is a showcase where our students are able to demonstrate how they have been able to successfully synthesize the various topics they learned over their entire academic program to address a certain societal need,” Dr. Nagi Naganathan, dean of the College of Engineering, said.  “In several instances they earn additional real-world experiences in problem solving by working with local area sponsors.  Several also have gone on to pursue commercialization of their senior design projects, and that entrepreneurial mindset is exactly what we hope to instill in our students at the College of Engineering.”

The College of Engineering sponsors the event to showcase design projects created by graduating seniors from the departments of Bioengineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Engineering Technology, and Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.

As part of the required senior design capstone project, students create business-consulting units to develop a solution for a client’s technical or business challenge.  Businesses, industries and federal agencies sponsor these projects.

The University of Toledo College of Engineering will host a ribbon cutting ceremony today for a new conference room that will serve as a resource to connect students with potential employers.

The new Dana Conference Room, located on the first floor of Nitschke Hall, will be dedicated at 10 a.m. today (Thursday, Nov. 19). George Constand, chief technical and quality officer for Dana Holding Corporation, which sponsored the project, will be joined at the ceremony by UT President Sharon L. Gaber, College of Engineering Dean Nagi Naganathan and Vice President for Advancement Sam McCrimmon.

“Thanks to Dana Holding Corporation’s interest in the future success of our students, we were able to add this conference room to the college’s Career Development Center to provide a much needed meeting space and video conferencing technology that will allow our students to interview for co-op and full-time positions in other states and even abroad,” Naganathan said.

Dana is an active member of the UT College of Engineering’s Corporate Partners Program that connects the college to local industries to anticipate changes in the field of engineering to better prepare students for their careers and to meet the needs of the employers who will hire UT graduates.

Dana’s support of the UT College of Engineering spans more than half a century when the corporation donated more than $1 million to support a new Engineering-Science Building that was dedicated in 1960. Since then, Dana has continued to support the expansion of the college’s laboratory and classroom facilities.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Nov. 19, 2015)

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur will host former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Wesley Clark (Ret.) for a discussion on America’s energy independence at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 at The University of Toledo in the SSOE Room of Nitschke Hall.

The event will include a question and answer session with the audience.

As a former Director of Strategic Planning and Policy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Clark has a unique perspective on the connections between global conflict and energy development and infrastructure. During his speech, he will share insights drawn from 34 years of service in the U.S. Army and his role as the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.

General Clark and Congresswoman Kaptur will be available for media interviews immediately after the hour-long public event concludes.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Nov. 21, 2015)

The University of Toledo Engineering Career Development Center will host the Fall 2015 Engineering Career Expo Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Representatives from more than 140 companies will be available to talk to students and alumni of the UT College of Engineering during the carer expo 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the first floor of Nitschke Hall and North Engineering.

“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 Dana Holding, Campbell Soup Supply Company, Cooper Tire, FirstEnergy, General Electric, Honda, Johnson & Johnson, KIEWIT, Marathon, SSOE and Whirlpool.”

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 between 600 and 700 students and alumni to participate at this event.

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

High school girls will be exposed to careers in the sciences through hands-on activities when they visit The University of Toledo for the fourth annual Women in STEMM Day of Meetings.

The event, which goes by the acronym WISDOM, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Thursday, May 14, on UT’s Main Campus and Health Science Campus. ** Click here for schedule of activities.**

The 160 girls will explore and perform experiments in physics and astronomy, chemistry, biology, engineering, pharmacy and medicine as they learn about science and technology.

The event is hosted by the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women in Science, which organizes the exploration day to encourage young women to consider careers in one of the areas offered at the Women in STEMM Day.

“Girls are increasingly interested in science, but unfortunately few women pursue that interest in college or their careers,” said Dr. Isabel Escobar, professor of chemical and environmental engineering, interim assistant dean for research development and outreach for the College of Engineering, and past-president of the Association for Women in Science. “Events like Women in STEMM Day aim to inspire girls to embrace the fun of scientific discovery and encourage careers in the field.”

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 students will spend the day performing activities developed by faculty members in the UT colleges of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Engineering, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Medicine and Life Sciences.

In addition to the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women in Science, the event is sponsored by the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, Marathon Petroleum Corp., and the UT colleges of Engineering, Medicine and Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Media Coverage
The Blade (May 14, 2015)
WTOL 11 (May 15, 2015)

Students from the Toledo School for the Arts and The University of Toledo Colleges of Communication and the Arts and Engineering will unveil a mural they created at UT that depicts the evolution of engineering and includes representations of multiple engineering disciplines.

The mural is part of a project celebrating collaboration between different fields of study.

A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place Tuesday, April 28 at 11:45 a.m. in the Tom and Betsy Brady Engineering Innovation Center. The “Connections” mural is located on the 158-foot wall connecting the Tom and Betsy Brady Engineering Innovation Center and Nitschke Hall Auditorium.

Speakers at the event will include Dr. Steve LeBlanc, interim dean of the College of Engineering; Dr. Nagi Naganathan, interim president; Deb Davis, dean of the College of Communication and the Arts; Marty Porter from the Toledo School for the Arts; and Tom and Betsy Brady, project sponsors.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (April 29, 2015)
The Blade (April 29, 2015)
The Blade (May 4, 2015)

Nearly 300 students from 10 universities throughout Ohio and Michigan will participate in the 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers North Central Student Conference this weekend, at The University of Toledo and Maumee Bay State Park.

Hosted by the UT American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter, the conference will include concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions.

“This conference is a great opportunity for our chapter to highlight UT and the greater Toledo area while showcasing the accomplishments of all of the students,” Katie Burns, UT senior majoring in civil engineering senior and conference chair, said.

The steel bridge competition will be held Friday, April 10, until 6:30 p.m. in Savage Arena.

Concrete canoe races will take place at Maumee Bay State Park’s inland lake Saturday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“The countless hours put into the design, construction and display of the concrete canoes and steel bridges just amazes me,” she added. “It is absolutely amazing to see the final products that the students produce, since they create something that is not only functional, but is also a piece of art.”

For more information on the free, public events, contact Burns at katie.burns@rockets.utoledo.edu or at 330.591.7900.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (April 15, 2015)

The University of Toledo is slated to lead eight out of the 18 research projects to be funded with $2 million in state of Ohio research funds to address water quality and algal bloom toxicity.

UT is to receive more than $830,000 of the $2 million dedicated by the Ohio Board of Regents under the recommendation of a committee tasked with deciding how to best utilize and invest the funds. The Ohio Board of Regents announced the research project proposal earlier today.

The University is investing an additional $200,000 to support the research efforts of its faculty.

“The faculty at The University of Toledo were prompt to help when Toledo’s water supply was impacted by toxic algae in Lake Erie and continue to offer their expertise as we seek solutions to the algal blooms that negatively impact our community and others throughout Ohio,” UT Interim President Nagi Naganathan said. “Given our location on Lake Erie and breadth of expertise in environmental sciences, environmental engineering, medicine and spatial sciences, UT is well positioned to provide the important solutions we need to address this concern.”

The UT researchers to receive funding for their projects are:

•  Dr. Thomas Bridgeman, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, who will work to extend early-warning capacity for harmful algal blooms by placing sensors up to eight miles away from intakes in areas were high toxin levels tend to develop during blooms and investigate environmental variables that provide insight on conditions that promote production and release of algal toxins.
•  Dr. Isabel Escobar, professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and interim associate dean of research, development and outreach in the College of Engineering, who will study alternative water treatment processes to removal algal toxins, address transport of toxins through drinking water distribution systems and compare processes to detect cyanotoxins.
•  Dr. Kenneth Hensley, associate professor pathology, who will develop a method to detect toxins in biological samples, such as urine or blood, to assess exposure to toxins.
•  Dr. Jason Huntley, assistant professor of medical microbiology and immunology, who will test conditions that promote microcystin-degrading bacteria to form biofilms on filters currently used in municipal water treatment facilities.
•  Dr. Patrick Lawrence, professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Planning, who will organize available information and engage Maumee watershed stakeholders to help make informed decisions and suggest best management practices.
•  Dr. Thomas Sodeman, professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at UTMC, who will study the impact of preexisting liver disease for susceptibility of microcystin hepatotoxicity.

A group of more than 60 university researchers, including four from UT who co-chaired focus group areas, were convened by Board of Regents Chancellor John Carey to recommend how the funds would be invested. The group made their recommendations looking at five key areas: Lake Erie harmful algal blooms and lake water quality; drinking water testing and detection; agricultural land use practices, sources of enrichment, water quality, and engineered systems; human health and toxicity; and economics and policy reform.

“This group put a great deal of time and effort into addressing this important issue,” Carey said. “I am very proud of the effort of the researchers from both the public and private higher education institutions. This collaborative effort is evidence of the value of higher education in Ohio to solving the toxic algae issue. We need to build upon this model with other important issues facing our state.”

The newly funded research projects will build upon UT’s already robust work in the area of water quality.

Shortly after the August water crisis in Toledo, a University of Toledo Water Task Force was created. Comprised of faculty and researchers spanning the University’s colleges, UT Medical Center and UT Lake Erie Center, the task force serves as a resource for officials at all levels of government and coordinates existing UT Lake Erie research and ongoing related investigative efforts on water resource management and water quality.

“We are committed to our role as a public research university and are pleased we have the faculty expertise to support our region,” said Dr. Frank Calzonetti, UT vice president for government relations and chief of staff to the president, who is chairing the task force. “UT is in a unique position to provide the resources and expertise sought by our local and regional stakeholders to address this issue.”

Media Coverage
13 ABC, FOX Toledo and WTOL 11 (Jan. 28, 2015)
The Blade (Jan. 28, 2015)
WTOL 11 (Jan. 29, 2015)

More than 50 unique projects will be on display Friday during The University of Toledo’s Senior Design Engineering Project Exposition.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be noon to 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 on the first floor of Nitschke Hall on Main Campus.

The exposition showcases projects created by more than 220 graduating seniors from the bioengineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, engineering technology, computer science and electrical engineering programs. Projects are part of the required senior design/capstone project where students form business-consulting units to develop a solution for a client’s technical/business challenge.

The University of Toledo Engineering Career Development Center will host its Fall 2014 Engineering Career Expo Wednesday, Sept. 24.

More than 140 companies — a record number — are registered to attend the fall expo.

“Many companies from across the United States participate in this event,” Dr. Vickie Kuntz, director of the Engineering Career Development Center, said. “A few of the nationally recognized companies scheduled to participate include Dana Holding, Cooper Tire, CSX, First Energy, General Electric, General Mills, Honda, Johnson & Johnson/Depuy, JP Morgan, Kiewit Corp., Marathon, Owens Corning, Owens-Illinois and Whirlpool.”

More than 600 engineering students have attended past career expos, according to Kuntz, and she expects between 600 and 700 students and alumni to participate in this event.

She added the expo will be a great opportunity for students to meet with employers for networking and future employment.

“The expo is open to University of Toledo students who are enrolled in the College of Engineering. In addition, UT engineering graduates, who have been in the work force for a few years and are interested in exploring other positions, also are welcome.”

The UT Engineering Fall 2014 Career Expo will be held in Nitschke Hall from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Media Coverage
FOX Toledo (Sept. 24, 2014)