Brian Wolka (Ag Mech '74) retired from the Jackson County REMC effective July 31, 2014. He had served faithfully for 30 years as Member Services Director. He and his wife, Chris, are excited about the new adventure and that includes more time on their farm near Vallonia. As you can tell from the photo, the melons will be ready soon!

The ED-206 committee reviewed the report submitted by the Purdue ASM Program and has recognized our degree once again. This peer-recognition process recurs every 6 years and brings value to our degree. Congratulations to the document committee!

Bernie Engel, Dennis Buckmaster, Daniel Ess, Nathan Engelberth, Dan Taylor, Stan Harlow, Yvonne Hardebeck, Austin Guckien

Rebecca Logsdon, a Ph.D. Candidate under Dr. Indrajeet Chaubey, spent eleven days in the Qinghai Province of China working with researchers primarily associated with Qinghai University. The main purpose of her trip was to gather information on the current state of the grassland ecosystems in the province, as well as the current grazing management practices. This information gathering was a necessary step for the completion of one objective of her Ph.D. research, which involves evaluating ecosystem services. Her trip also included talking with many experts, visiting research field sites, and discussing potential collaborations between Qinghai University and Purdue University. Her trip was funded by a D. Woods Thomas International Support Fund grant as well as a Graduate School Andrew’s-Blosser Environmental Travel Grant.

 

Maha Graduates

On July 10, Rene Chacon defended his master’s thesis in mechanical engineering. The defense presentation focused on the effect of micro-surface shaping on the performance of the valve plate-cylinder interface of axial piston pumps.  A deep understanding of this lubrication interface allows for micro-scale surface shapes to be designed that significantly reduce power losses of axial piston pumps, which form the centerpiece of highly efficient displacement-controlled hydraulic systems. Rene has, in the course of his research, taken major steps toward both the understanding and optimization of this interface.

Furthermore, on July 11 Ram Sudarsan Devendran successfully completed his preliminary Ph.D. defense entitled "Variable Displacement External Gear Machine." Ram has developed the design of an external gear machine that can change the amount of hydraulic fluid passing through it, thus allowing external gear machines to considerably expand their repertoire of applications.

Congratulations to both Ram and Rene!

New Faces at Maha

Maha’s graduate student collection expanded in July as the laboratory was joined by two newcomers: master’s student Jeremy Beale and Ph.D. student Ryan Jenkins. Jeremy will be conducting research on the slipper-swashplate interface of axial piston pumps, while Ryan will work on a project that attempts to capture the energy of water waves, that is, to use the motion of water waves as a source of clean energy.

SURF at Maha

SURF student Andrew Adelsberger has completed his summer research at Maha. The research done pertains to the piston-cylinder interface of axial piston pumps¾ specifically, Andrew analyzed a large quantity of piston friction force measurement data taken on Maha’s unique “Tribo” test rig several years back. He then made use of this data to develop a mixed friction model for the piston-cylinder interface. Many thanks go out to Andrew for his excellent work, which will be of great benefit as researchers at Maha continue in their quest to model, understand, and optimize this interface. 

Saturday 6/28, Firefighters from the MHC took part in a Grain Bin Rescue Class at Ard's Market. The all-day class was put on by the Mifflinburg Young Farmers. The instruction was presented by Purdue University's Steve Wettschurack. Funding was made possible with grants through Monsanto and the Union County EMA Offices. With the huge farming community in Union County, this class was vital to help protect the communities that the MHC serves.

The Nanotechnology Student Advisory Committee (NSAC) hosted a research symposium Wednesday, August 6, from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm in the Atrium at the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Discovery Park. Two of our summer interns, Ashkay Kochar (working with Larry Theller) and Danielle McNelly (working with John Lumkes) won prizes for their posters . Congratulations!