Several students in our department recently returned from a trip to Africa. David Wilson (Graduate Student), Josh Scott (Senior), Jordan Garrity (Senior), and Chris Limiac (Graduate Student) joined Dr. John Lumkes and his son, Matthew Lumkes, for three weeks of May in the country of Cameroon. The team worked on construction of a new Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) with the African Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (ACREST), a local NGO. The BUV is meant to be a form of affordable transportation in rural settings. This marks the fifth year of Purdue ABE’s involvement in the BUV construction for the community and partnership with ACREST.

David, Chris, Matthew, and Dr. Lumkes spent an additional two weeks in Kenya and Tanzania, where they were joined by Mike Sheehan (Graduate Student), Grant Knies (Graduate Student), Lauren Trepanier (Graduate Student), and Alex Jordan (Graduate). Grant, Lauren, and Alex were part of an ABE Senior Design Team which worked with Purdue Global Engineering Programs (GEP), The Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to design a water harvesting and treatment system for the rural village of Endallah, Tanzania. The team travelled to the village where they presented their design to community members and toured the site. The students and professor also toured multiple facilities and locations engaged in projects promoting sustainability, agricultural mechanization, renewable energies, water treatment, and education; including the UN-HABITAT Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, NM-AIST in Arusha, Tanzania, and Kibera slum outside of Nairobi.

The group also got the opportunity to enjoy a safari in the Ngorongoro Crater of Northern Tanzania.

Professor Indrajeet Chaubey has been named Head of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) for the next five years. Beginning the end of July, his majority appointment will be in EAPS, although we still still lay claim to him here in ABE. Congratulations, Dr. Chaubey!

Professor Abby Engelberth (white cap, back row, in the picture below) participated in the Ragnar Relay, an endurance event that benefits Back on My Feet (BoMF). "BoMF is a national nonprofit organization that uses running to help those experiencing homelessness change the way they see themselves so they can make real change in their lives that results in employment and independent living."

The race - from Madison, Wisconsin, to Chicago, Illinois (about 200 miles) - is designed for teams of 12 who alternate running "legs" of the route. The "Just Purdue It" team placed second in their division (Mixed Corporate) as well as winning best team name. Abby ran 16.9 miles.

New Faces

Maha is pleased to welcome three new researchers to the lab. First, Dr. Hong Gao from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Design and Control Engineering for Heavy Equipment. Dr. Gao will be a visiting scholar for 1 year.

Second, Meike Ernst, a new Master’s student and recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Meike is working in the pump modeling group under Marco Zecchi’s (PhD Candidate) guidance.

Finally, Maha welcomes another new Master’s student, Phil St. Hilaire, a recent graduate of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Phil will be in the systems group working with Rohit Hippalgaonkar (PhD Candidate) on the hydraulic hybrid excavator and future projects.

Awards & Degree Milestones

Dr. Ivantysynova was honored among five other ABE faculty members at the Purdue Research Foundation’s eighth annual Inventors Recognition Reception for a patent received in the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

Enrique Busquets (Master’s Student) gave a successful Master’s thesis defense on June 21^st entitled “An Investigation of the Cooling Power Requirements of Displacement-Controlled Multi-Actuator Machines”. Congratulations to Enrique on completing his degree.

Special Visitors

Maha had the privilege of welcoming Prof. Marcus Geimer from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Karlsruhe Germany for several days. The exchange of research and experiences was very productive for both parties.  

AGCO, a “global leader focused on the design, manufacture, and distribution of agricultural machinery” based in Duluth, Georgia, received a tour of the lab and student research on June 27^th.

Maha Abroad

Dr. Ivantysynova gave a featured presentation in Chicago for the Joint ASABE / SAE Meeting on June 19^th entitled “Fuel Savings Through Hydraulic Hybrid Systems Technology”.

ASABE Annual Meeting in Kansas City July 22-24! Don't forget the Purdue ABE Breakfast (Signboard I in the Westin Hotel at 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23). Becky needs to know that you are coming before Friday, July 19.

Here is a preview of what you can expect from our ABE folks in Kansas City:

Yi Li, Drum Agglomeration of Corn Stover and Corn Products from Bioprocessing - July 2, 2013 - 2:00 pm NLSN 2187 (MS)

Jeffrey Lai, Data resource and calculation methodology for Indiana poultry manure production - July 5, 2013 - 1:30 pm ABE 212 (MS - Ni)