The broad-scale impact of sustainable manufacturing upon growing groups of stakeholders has called for multidisciplinary research across a broad spectrum, a development Dr. Badurdeen welcomes. “It’s not possible for one person to have all the expertise that is needed,” she asserts. “We need to collaborate with experts in fields such as business, public policy and social sciences to better design such sustainable systems.”

One such collaborative effort, involving faculty from the Colleges of Engineering and Business & Economics at UK, is the “Risk Assessment for Next Generation Supply Chain Readiness” or, “RANGER”—a project led by Dr. Badurdeen.

“RANGER is a U.S. Air Force sponsored project which deals with supply chain risk modeling,” she explains. “With globalization and outsourcing, supply chains have become very complex. Managing a supply chain means understanding the risks within the supply chain—and those risks come from various sources, including natural disasters, labor issues, material shortages, etc. We spent a lot of time compiling all of the possible risks companies could be exposed to. Right now there are about 160 on the list.”

As if navigating 160 different risk factors isn’t daunting enough for a manufacturer, Dr. Badurdeen says it is the interdependence between the risks which needs to be understood, and which RANGER has mapped and modeled. “It is the interdependence which makes managing supply chains so complex. When there was an earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it affected production in Kentucky because Toyota in Georgetown couldn’t get the parts as needed.” Dr. Badurdeen’s team is currently working on software companies could use to study the effect of risk factors and their interrelationships on the supply chains.

Working on projects like RANGER and involving her students in manufacturing and supply chain research has been one of the more gratifying aspects of Dr. Badurdeen’s role as a professor.  “Our students get to work in large, multidisciplinary teams, so they get a broader perspective than what they learn in the classroom.” She believes this team-oriented approach mirrors what students will find in the business world. “Through their interactions with these companies, they get to see things as they would experience in real life.”

Applying an education in mechanical engineering and sustainable manufacturing is what Dr. Badurdeen hopes she has helped students do once they have finished her courses. “When former students send me e-mails once they start working to say they realize the value of what was taught in those courses, I am content my job was done.”

In the iconic Star Trek franchise, medical personnel often utilized a small hand-held device to “scan” crew members for potential illnesses, infections and other maladies. By aiming the device at the individual and working from head to toe, the practitioners often knew exactly what was wrong with the patient within a few seconds. But those are just creative inventions born from science fiction, right?

Not necessarily, according to Dr. Christine Trinkle, professor of mechanical engineering at UK, who believes such a device is within reach.

“Hand-held diagnostics is one of the main applications for micro-fluidics,” says Dr. Trinkle, “With such a device, you could be scanned for everything from diabetes to anemia to cancer, within a couple of seconds, by taking a really small sample of blood.”

Micro-fluidics and micro-scale design and fabrication are just two areas of Dr. Trinkle’s expertise. “The idea is that when you get to the micro and nano scale, the relative impact of the physics changes. As large-scale creatures, gravity influences a lot of what goes on in our world. For instance, on the micro and nano scale, gravity is negligible, whereas surface tension and electromagnetic forces—factors that are negligible to us—dominate on the smaller scales.” The difference in scale creates the possibility to obtain information using miniscule amounts of material. “You can actually take a droplet of blood and split it off into 100 different samples from which you can get information,” explained Dr. Trinkle.  “Things we can do on a small scale are impossible on a larger scale.”

Although Dr. Trinkle conducts research on biomedical applications, she considers herself first and foremost a mechanical engineer, a designation which originated in her parents’ tool and die shop as a teenager. As she learned how to use the different machines and integrate new technology into the shop, she developed a love for mechanical engineering. “My mom is incredibly intelligent and likes to solve puzzles,” states Dr. Trinkle, “and my dad was always very hands-on and liked to build things. If you think about mechanical engineering, it’s really the perfect marriage of those two ideas: solving puzzles and building things.”

Dr. Trinkle obtained B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering right here at UK, but it wasn’t until she was pursuing her Ph.D at Cal-Berkeley that she began to see the shape of her future research. She recalls, “When I went to Berkeley, my interest wasn’t on the biological side, but one day I decided to grab some coffee and head to a talk with some friends. It was on the interface between the mechanical engineering side and the needs in the medical, pharmaceutical and biological areas. I remember sitting in this talk and thinking, ‘This is amazing! This is such an interesting and unique part of mechanical engineering that I had never seen before and had never guessed was there.’”

Combining mechanical engineering principles with biomedical applications is what chiefly occupies Dr. Trinkle’s research and imagination these days. “I would like to be in the hospitals, doing rounds with the doctors, asking, ‘What do you wish you could have? What information do you need about this patient right now that you can’t get?’ And then figure out how to get it for them.”

Although Dr. Trinkle’s passion for her research is evident, she displays equal enthusiasm for her role as a teacher. “One of my favorite things is seeing students transition from engineering students to engineers,” she says. “Engineers have a different mental construct and look at the world in a slightly different way. During their time in the program, students begin to take on this curiosity about how the world works. That’s always fun to watch.

For Mark Miller, life as a mechanical engineering student has been rigorous, demanding, time-consuming and personally stretching—primarily outside of the classroom.

“I was on the Design/Build/Fly team, the Solar Car Team and I was in the Dean’s Engineering Leadership Class. I pretty much said good-bye to my social life,” Mark says with a grin.

While non-engineering friends may not have seen much of him during his senior year, Mark argues that his extra-curricular responsibilities while at UK will factor into his job prospects and research ambitions just as much as the mechanical engineering curriculum. “I’d say you don’t have as full of an experience as an engineering student if you don’t have extra-curricular involvement. All kinds of opportunities are available, but only if you get involved,” says Mark.

One such opportunity has been the travel. This year, Mark participated on the Design/Build/Fly team, which produced a lightweight, unmanned aircraft and entered it in the national competition in Tucson, AZ. The previous month, Mark had traveled to Washington D.C. as part of the Engineering Leadership Class, which consists of a small group of students hand-picked by the Dean of the College of Engineering based on their initiative and potential for leadership in engineering. During finals week, he led the Solar Car Team to Indianapolis for the Formula Sun Grand Prix race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Extra-curricular involvement will really stretch you because in addition to studying so you can get good grades and have a good GPA, you’re also spending many hours outside the classroom working on projects. That’s what I found most challenging.”

Mark’s identifies his role as Team Lead for UK’s Solar Car Team as the most intensive and time-consuming aspect of his development. However, it has also taught him more than just engineering. “Through the Solar Car Team, I learned a lot of things that I wouldn’t have learned in a classroom, like managing people,” states Mark. “I’ve learned that being a manager is about pushing people, yet providing an environment where they can create. It’s also about tying up a lot of loose ends.”

Serving as the Team Lead also required Mark to learn other non-engineering skills, such as securing sponsorships. “They don’t teach you how to get sponsorships in any class,” says Mark. “You have to figure out what works and what doesn’t. You make a lot of phone calls that end with ‘no’ or ‘we’ll get back with you.’ Before becoming the Team Lead, I wasn’t really the kind of person to just walk up to people and start conversations, but this pushed me to it.”

In fact, Mark’s experience in Design/Build/Fly and the Solar Car Team has given him an edge when interviewing with companies. “Some people can say, ‘I studied really hard and got a 4.0.’ Well, that’s great, but I feel like if anybody applied themselves and took enough time, they could do that. I can say I went out and got sponsorships, designed parts, went to races and competed. In every interview I’ve had, I’ve ended up talking about the things I did outside of class.”

For now, landing a job will take a back seat to beginning a master’s program in mechanical engineering here at UK. He will begin conducting research in the fluids research lab with Dr. Sean Bailey this fall. Beyond graduate school?

“I don’t really know what I want to do yet. I love both automotive and aerodynamics, and I’m interested in hybrid electric vehicles and alternative transportation methods.” Whatever he settles on, Mark believes he is prepared. “I honestly feel that a mechanical engineering degree from UK is the best you can get in the state of Kentucky.”

“Because of the independence and leadership experience I’ve gained during my time in the program, I now feel like I can handle whatever challenge is set before me.”

When Rachael Anderson talks about her new job as a test engineer for diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Incorporated, she cites her time pursuing an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at UK as a period of preparation and transformation. Whether it was grueling coursework, demanding professors or employment through the Cooperative Education Program, Rachael credits each component with playing a significant role in her technological training and personal growth.

“Because of the independence and leadership experience I’ve gained during my time in the program, I now feel like I can handle whatever challenge is set before me,” says Rachael.

While Rachael expected the coursework to be difficult, she discovered early in the program that the curriculum would push her time management skills to the limit. “Interviewers would ask whether or not I could handle pressure. I could confidently say yes because the course load prepared me for the pressure I’m going to experience every day.”

In addition to the normal rigors of academic life, Rachael was repeatedly challenged by professors like Dr. Patrick Poole who wouldn’t settle for mediocrity. “Dr. Poole was the hardest professor I had,” laughs Rachael. “He was honest, brutal and wouldn’t baby anyone…but I took three of his classes because I appreciated being pushed to learn the material—to not just be able to memorize or regurgitate it, but really apply it.”

But while most engineering students encounter arduous class requirements and tough-minded professors, not everyone is afforded the opportunity to take what they are learning in the classroom to a live working environment—and get paid for it! Rachael’s participation in the Cooperative Education Program enabled her to do just that through rotations at GE Aviation and L’Oreal. The experience cast new light on her classroom studies. “After a rotation in the co-op program, I could relate a lot more to the material in my manufacturing classes.”

Because rotations in the co-op program typically extend a student’s education to a fifth year, not every engineering student considers participation a no-brainer. Rachael, on the other hand, strongly believes that for her, the benefits outweigh the cons. “Co-op students are paid on a much higher level than most other college jobs, which really helped me support my education beyond what I received in scholarships. Plus, as a co-op student, finding a job was exponentially easier than students who weren’t in the program.”

Not only did Rachael land a job prior to graduating, she is on a career path with Cummins Incorporated made possible by the diversity of the mechanical engineering program. While she will begin as a test engineer, her degree will give her plenty of options if she decides to pursue design or even management. “Mechanical engineering opens up a lot of choices,” says Rachael, “Because of the diversity of the field, I know I’m not going to be unhappy with my degree choice.”

Just as some civil engineers trace their vocation to childhood dreams of building bridges and more than a few chemical engineers fondly recall their first chemistry set, graduating senior Kristen Davis can also point to early childhood experiences which led her to pursue mechanical engineering degree: puttering around the garage with her father.

“As a kid, I was always the one who would help dad work on his car. I helped change the oil and change the timing belt. I got used to using my hands and taking things apart. I was also very good at math but, while I enjoyed it, I decided against majoring in it because I think being able to apply what I learn and help people is essential,” says Kristen.

Applying what she has learned during her time in the mechanical engineering program has made it possible for Kristen to work on three separate projects for NASA. Her senior design project involved developing a device which can sort moon rocks according to a certain size while in space. “It’s like panning for gold,” says Kristen, “but on Earth, shaking the pan works because of gravity. In space, there is no gravity, so you have to create your own.”

In addition to her senior design project, Kristen also worked on two projects as a part of the Weightless Wildcats team—a student-led group which conducts experiments in zero-gravity environments. Charged by NASA to develop an air-bubble free syringe for astronauts to use in space, the team built a prototype of a double-plunger syringe and then tested several vial-and-syringe combinations on a turntable which rotated at speeds of approximately 600 RPM. The hope was that the rapid rotation would push the liquid to the back of the vial with enough force to depress a plunger and withdraw the liquid entirely free of any bubbles. After completing their lab tests, Kristen and the team went to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston where they flew on the “Weightless Wonder”—a machine which flies on a parabolic path in order to achieve zero gravity. Testing their prototypes on the “Weightless Wonder” enabled the team, and NASA, to gain a better understanding of how effective their methods will be in administrating medication via syringe to astronauts while in space. Kristen expects that NASA will build on their design as they continue to take the project forward.

As if demanding classes and time-intensive projects weren’t enough to keep Kristen busy, she also served as president of Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honor society. While president, membership tripled—something Kristen agrees was exciting, yet was also the result of learning to work with others. “I’m the kind of person who does homework alone, because I get distracted in groups. Being president of Pi Tau Sigma really taught me how to interact well with people and get things done.”

Kristen graduated in May 2011 and will soon begin a master’s and Ph.D program in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois-Chicago. “I would love to research wind or hydroelectric turbines,” she says. “I really enjoyed the classes solely devoted to conducting experiments and would like to apply those techniques to work on energy sources.” A lifelong Kentuckian, Kristen can’t wait to take what she’s learned to the “Windy City” of Chicago.

“This is my next big adventure,” she affirms.

“What goes up must come down” is a well-known axiom of physics which describes the law of gravity. However, when it comes to the task of designing probes and other spacecraft which can withstand re-entry into the Earth’s (or any planet’s) atmosphere, “what goes up must come down” becomes more a question of “What shape will it be in when it comes back?”

“We’re essentially talking about something coming in really, really fast and that has to stop without crashing,” says Dr. Alexandre Martin, one of the newest faculty members to UK’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. Modeling re-entering space vehicles is Dr. Martin’s primary area of research. “I’m attempting to calculate from the aerodynamic outside of the vehicle the amount of heat coming into the vehicle. We have to get rid of the heat so the humans or instruments or whatever is in the vehicle doesn’t blow up.”

Somewhat ironically, Dr. Martin’s work in aerospace engineering arose out of discontentment with the field of physics. “I got tired of with dealing with things you can’t touch,” he says. After beginning a master’s program in engineering, Dr. Martin started working with large industrial circuit breakers. Specifically, he modeled the electric arc interactions which transferred heat to the walls and caused them to break down—a process called ablation. From there, his research on heat transfer and ablation led him to study those processes as they apply to spacecraft. In 2005, Dr. Martin received his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from École polytechnique in Montréal and then moved to Lyon, France to begin his post-doctoral work. In 2007, his research led him to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he remained until being invited to join the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UK in late 2010.

The good news, says Dr. Martin, is that the Earth’s atmosphere removes more than 95% of the heat as a vehicle re-enters it; however, the remaining 5% must be dissipated if human beings and instruments are to survive the energy buildup from the speed at the time of re-entry. That doesn’t even consider if the probe is trying to land on Mars or one of the moons orbiting other planets. “If you design your vehicle for the Earth’s atmosphere, it accounts for certain types of gas but if you’re going to Mars, it’s a completely different kind of atmosphere so you have to rethink and redo everything,” explains Dr. Martin.

Change the planet, change the mission, change the size or speed of the vehicle, and the engineer has to change the design of the vehicle to account for ablation. Reducing the margin is one area Dr. Martin claims could use substantial improvement. “With the last Apollo mission, about 15% of the mass of the vehicle was the ablative heat shield. So we sent something of which 15% wasn’t usable payload—basically useless. If you’re trying to build a station on Mars, well…it gets expensive.”

What Dr. Martin enjoys most about teaching is the interaction with the students and the chance to work together on challenging projects. In addition, Dr. Martin sees the geographical proximity to nearby Air Force bases and NASA research centers as an attractive draw for students interested in aerospace engineering. The NASA Glen Research Center in Cleveland, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton and Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee are cutting-edge research locations within relatively short distances, not to mention local aerospace companies like Lexington-based Advanced Dynamics, Inc. “There are great resources for students who want to study aerospace engineering without leaving the area.”

For Dr. Jesse Hoagg, coming to the University of Kentucky after three years in the business world is a homecoming of sorts. That is not to say Dr. Hoagg is a native Kentuckian; rather, joining UK’s Department of Mechanical Engineering as an assistant professor signals a return to two of Dr. Hoagg’s passions: teaching and research, specifically control systems research.

Interest in dynamics and control systems has led Dr. Hoagg to research projects in industries such as aerospace, automotive, robotics, and energy. What are control systems? “In essence, control systems design involves getting engineered products as well as other aspects of our environment to behave in a desired manner. Consider, for example, your car’s cruise control: how do you get a car to automatically increase the throttle, that is, give the engine more gas, when the car’s speed falls below a certain level? That’s a simple example of a feedback control system. I strive to develop control methods that can be applied to a broad range of problems. I’m interested in such problems as how to control an aircraft if it undergoes failure; perhaps an aircraft’s rudder gets stuck, and the aircraft’s current control system may not be designed to handle that failure.”

Dr. Hoagg’s interest in control systems grew out of his undergraduate studies in civil and environmental engineering. “I worked in a lab researching vibration control for earthquakes, and that experience introduced me to control systems. I realized that I wanted to study controls in graduate school.” This study led him to master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and mathematics, as well as a Ph.D in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.

Whereas many new Ph.D graduates dive into post-doctoral work, Dr. Hoagg took a job with McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. As a consultant, he advised companies across several industries, including biomedical and engineering companies. He believes the experience aids him in his current role as professor. “That job provided me with insight into the ways companies think about development and how to use research in a profitable way.”

Over time, however, Dr. Hoagg wanted to return to the academic world. In 2009, he left McKinsey for post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan. Explaining the reason for this switch, he says, “I missed innovation. I missed working on new ideas and research. I missed the academic environment of learning and teaching.”

Following his post-doctoral studies, Dr. Hoagg was hired as a faculty member of UK’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he feels quite at home. “Our faculty has a great breadth of expertise, and our facilities are top-notch,” he says. Of equal importance, being at UK has given Dr. Hoagg an opportunity to teach. “I like when something clicks for a student, when the student gets a concept for the first time and the light comes on.”

Research and teaching: for Dr. Jesse Hoagg, they are part of a passion brought full circle and UK students are reaping the benefits.

If you were introduced to one of NASA’s aerospace engineers, what assumptions might you make? Near-genius who romped through advanced calculus? Someone who daydreams about physics? A rare individual who designs complex structures with the ease of a child building a sand castle?

If so, you haven’t met Austin Lovan.

“I’m different than a lot of the students who study engineering here,” says Austin. “I got B’s in high school, got a low score on my ACT and barely got into UK. I’m not super smart; I just became a hard worker and committed a lot of time.”

Honoring the time commitment required for succeeding in UK’s mechanical engineering program enabled Austin to handle challenging courses. “The first two years are mostly calculus, physics and chemistry and, for me, those classes were actually the hardest part of acquiring my degree,” he says. “You have to be committed; otherwise you’re not going to get the grades you want.” However, once Austin had the foundations in place and began taking mechanical engineering classes, he came across an opportunity that radically influenced his future career path: UK’s Cooperative Education Program.

“The co-op experience is the best thing that has ever happened to me—literally—in my whole life. It set me up for everything,” Austin says with utmost seriousness. Participation in the co-op program, which allows students to gain valuable industry experience by their engineering knowledge to some of the nation’s leading companies in manufacturing, aerospace, computer engineering and aviation (among others), landed Austin at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX where he would have the benefit of three separate rotations. During his final rotation, Austin got involved in robotics, collaborating on a new humanoid robot called Robonaut 2. Austin describes it as “a dexterous humanoid robot that has an upper body with arms, hands, fingers and a head—just like a human. It’s meant to assist an astronaut on the space station and, perhaps down the road, on another planet.”

Austin will likely be a part of Robonaut 2’s future because he will soon be heading back to Houston a fourth time—now as a full-time aerospace engineer. None of it would have been possible, he says, without the co-op program. “I tell every university freshman or senior in high school that they need to get in the co-op program. It is the best way to get a job and gain invaluable engineering experience.”

As he looks back on his amazing journey through the mechanical engineering program, Austin reflects on the change he underwent from decent high student to NASA aerospace engineer. “You don’t have to master advanced calculus in high school to be successful in the College of Engineering,” he insists. “I ended up with a 3.6 GPA here at UK, was involved on campus and got a job at NASA. It’s all about how hard you want to work.”