IT has a lot to celebrate

by Kathy Newton, IT department head

The 2007-2008 year has been a busy one for the Industrial Technology department, and we have plenty to celebrate. This year marks 100 years since it began with the appointment of a Professor of Industrial Education. It seems appropriate that this continues to be a year of big changes as we continue working on the Strategic Plan objectives. Some of the highlights of our department’s activities include:

• Strategic planning efforts are underway in the department that involve collecting and analyzing data from our stakeholders. We have been steadily working with our Advisory Boards to set new directions and revitalize the curriculum and student activities for each of our degree programs: Industrial Technology, Industrial Distribution, Technology Education, as well as our minor in Biotechnology. We have already added new courses at the undergraduate and graduate level - soon all IT and ID majors will be Six Sigma Greenbelt ready. We have also begun working on a self-study program that will move our accreditation to ABET.

• Two of our signature labs (Engineering/Technology Teacher Education and Biometrics) have been relocated to larger locations, and our newest lab (Supply Chain Management Technology) just received a major upgrade that includes pick-to-light and pick-to-display capabilities for the gravity flow racking, as well as bluetooth barcode scanning equipment, all with integrated software.

• A pre-proposal for a stand alone MS has been approved that will allow us to further specialize our graduate offerings at the MS level.

• Multiple international partnerships are underway, and students and faculty have been involved in a growing number of international exchanges, research initiatives, and/or conference presentations. We have several students engaged in study abroad activities in Australia, Ireland and Honduras, and two study abroad programs are slated for this summer: Applications in Latin American Supply Chains in Costa Rica; and Technology and Entrepreneurship in Ireland and Europe.

• We continue to be involved heavily in serving constituents outside the university in a variety of engagement activities. Perhaps most notable is our highly successful Weekend Master’s degree for working professionals. We have three cohorts working at the moment, including a customized program to teach advanced analytical and problem-solving skills in technology application for Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis. This program was just honored by receiving the 2008 Excellence in Engineering Education Collaboration Award at the CIEC National Conference in New Orleans. We are also the proud sponsor of the Industrial Distribution industry’s premier executive education conference, the University of Industrial Distribution. This program is sold out with 600 participants from around the world attending in early March. Another program is slated for December due to the high demand for the program.

• Our web site at http://www.tech.purdue.edu/it has been redesigned and upgraded.

• New software has been purchased to provide survey capabilities with our stakeholders, including students, advisory board members and alumni. Students get daily e-newsletters with the latest information needed about schedules, job opportunities and regular happenings on campus.

• Construction was just completed in the front office to upgrade professionalism, and minor improvements are continuing.

We are excited about all of these developments and the bright future that our faculty and students have to look forward to. It’s more exciting than ever to be in the College of Technology!

I wish for you a productive and rewarding spring semester.

Kathy Newton

In the News

Technology students compete in Rube Goldberg

Several College of Technology students competed Saturday (Feb. 23) in the 26th annual regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest at Purdue:

• Drew Wischer, a senior in AT and captain of the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team;
• Cale Castle, a sophomore in CGT and a member of the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team
• Michael Stumpf, a senior in AT and a member of the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team
• Abe McCalment, a senior in MET and a member of the Society of Women Engineers team
• Also, CoT at New Albany had a Society of Manufacturing Engineers team compete, which consisted of MET sophomores Jefferson Jackson, Dan Briscoe, Gary Adkins, Scott Schmitt and MET freshman Zach Barlar.

This year's task was to assemble a hamburger consisting of no less than one precooked meat patty, two vegetables and two condiments, sandwiched between two bun halves. For the fourth consecutive year, the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team won the competition. For results, visit the UNS Web site, For information on the winning team, visit the organization's Web site.

PHOTO CAPTION:
Drew Wischer, left, a senior in aviation technology from Cedarburg, Wis., and Zach Umperovitch, a sophomore in engineering from Lafayette, Ind., celebrate a successful run of their team's machine in Saturday's (Feb. 23) Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. Their team, the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers, won the contest for the fourth year in a row. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)

BCM founder and first department head to be remembered

Dr. D. Dorsey Moss, the founder and first head of the Department of Building Construction Management at Purdue, died Thursday, Feb. 7.

The Department of Building Construction Management will honor Moss at a ceremony 2-3 p.m. Sunday, March 2 in the D. Dorsey Moss Construction Laboratory (Knoy B038), an experimental learning laboratory he created. The ceremony will be followed by a short reception.

"Dr. Moss was always known for his unwavering spirit for the construction industry and his dedication to educating the future leaders of companies nationwide," BCM department head Robert F. Cox wrote in a note to faculty, friends and alumni. "Dorsey touched thousands of lives, both during and after his years of service at Purdue University … Dr. Moss will always serve as a continuing inspiration to students, staff, faculty, administrators and industry partners alike for years to come."

Moss received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Purdue in 1949 and graduate degrees from the University of Illinois. He was a professor emeritus of building construction management. He taught at Purdue for nearly 40 years. He created the department in 1967 and remained its head until 1981. He was a professor in the department until 1990 and continued teaching until 1998.

Last year, the department celebrated 40 years with the creation of an endowment in honor of Moss. The Dorsey Moss Future of Building Construction Management Technology Fund was established to support student scholarships and other needs in the department.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations in his honor be made to the Dorsey Moss Future of Building Construction Management Technology Fund.

During the March 2 celebration, faculty, friends and alumni will have an opportunity to speak in honor of Moss. Those interested in sharing memories about Moss can contact Professor Wes Crawford.

Lockheed Martin engineers donate $2.2 million to Purdue

Purdue officials announced Feb. 20 that Rick and Cheryl Kosdrosky have pledged $2.2 million to the university's College of Engineering and College of Technology.

The gifts from the Kosdroskys' estate will give $1.1 million to each of the colleges. The Kosdroskys have designated their gift as unrestricted, which allows the colleges to allocate the money where the need is greatest.

Dennis R. Depew, dean of the College of Technology, said, "The Kosdroskys are truly visionary people who recognize how vital flexible funding is for projects on the horizon. An unrestricted gift allows us to respond to new opportunities that arise for our faculty and students without the challenge of seeking funds first. We are immensely grateful for this gift from a Purdue alumnus." UNS Release

Workshop in Columbus to teach students about balloon technology

The College of Technology at Columbus is collaborating with TMGLabs Inc. and the Indiana Space Grant Consortium to offer a balloon launch and payload workshop called "Exploring Near Space" Feb. 28-29.

The workshop, which is free, is open to the first 20 high school, undergraduate or graduate students who sign up. It will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, Room 107. UNS Release

Credit Union makes $5,000 investment in Technology students at Anderson

Independent Federal Credit Union is investing $5,000 in scholarship funds for students at the College of Technology at Anderson.

Jody Pierce, assistant location director, said the credit union is providing $1,000 a year for the next five years in scholarship funds, beginning in the fall of 2008. The scholarships will be awarded to students in technology fields taking classes at the Anderson/Muncie location. UNS Release

Two guitar-making workshops created for high school students

High school students interested in discovering how to build their own guitar will have the opportunity to learn the science and art behind the craft at two summer workshops offered at Purdue.

Mark French, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology and organizer of the workshops, said that both workshops will be modeled after the Purdue Guitar Workshop, which will be held for the second year in July.

The STEPS High School Guitar Making Workshop will be offered July 29-Aug. 1. It is open to all high school students in 10th-12th grades. The WIRED High School Workshop will be held Aug. 12-15. It is open to 10th- and 11th-graders from Region 4 in Indiana. UNS Release

Expert discusses solutions for air-traffic control woes

Imagine you could wave a magic wand and instantly add a few thousand new controllers, a fully operational national ADS-B system, and plenty of extra user fees. The air-traffic control system will still be seriously broken. At least, that's the opinion of Michael Nolan, a professor of aviation technology and director of Purdue's air traffic control program. Nolan tells AVweb's Mike Blakeney that ATC is never going to catch up with the ever-increasing demand for capacity until one more thing happens. AV Web Podcast

Researchers may have prescription against bad drug reactions

Drugs don't necessarily affect everyone in the same way. Certain medications can be dangerous to people with certain genetic makeups. That's why Michael Kane in the Department of Computer and Information Technology is trying to come up with a quick way to determine what a proper dosage is for a particular person or whether that person can even tolerate the drug.

"If there is an increased risk of an adverse drug response, the system would flag the physician or pharmacist and tell them to adjust the drug by lowering the dose or choosing an alternative," said Kane, lead genomics scientist at Bindley Bioscience Center. WTHR

College of Technology at Richmond, Extension offering 'College 101'

The College of Technology at Richmond faculty and staff are collaborating with the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service in Wayne County to give 4-H students in grades 8-12 a jump-start on college planning.

"College 101 - What You Need to Know Now!" will be held 7-8:30 p.m. March 6 at Middlefork Hall, 2325 Chester Blvd., on the Indiana University East campus, the site of the College of Technology at Richmond.

Michael Swain, student services coordinator for College of Technology at Richmond, said this is the first year the program has been offered in Richmond.

"There are a variety of questions that students in grades 8-12 have about college, and we hope to be able to provide answers and be a resource for them," he said. "The Wayne County Cooperative Extension office approached us about a program we could put on for their young 4-H leaders, and we were happy to tailor something to benefit them." UNS Release