Ambassador Corporate Trip

Lingchong Mai, Senior, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Athens, OH 30 April 2012 – During April 19-20, several of the Engineering Ambassadors had a wonderful corporate trip. The trip was to visit several manufacturing plants including Kenworth Truck, GE Lighting, and GE Aviation.
On Thursday morning we first visited Kenworth in Chillicothe. It is a large semi-truck assembly plant that assembles semi-truck to order. Now its capability is around 150 trucks per day, with more than a thousand employees working in the plant. There are more than 10 assembly groups with more than 50 assembly lines in the plant. It makes highly personalized semi-trucks according to customers’ requirements.

That afternoon, we went to GE Lighting in Circleville. That is one of the biggest GE lighting plant in the US. They make more than 30,000 of every kind of light bulbs per day. The production lines are highly automated, so the employees in the plant are mostly engineers and technicians. They work to monitor the machines and the products’ qualities, as well as some R&D stuff.

At night, we went to Cincinnati and had a wonderful dinner at Buca di Beppo.
On Friday, we had breakfast with Catherine Anbil, a very nice woman who set up her own business on system and software. She introduced her experience on her business and with her partner, and her early life.

After the enjoyable breakfast, we continued our trip to the last destination: GE Aviation. This was a long tour. We visited 4 different locations. Generally, we visited the labs that test the materials in different plane engines and we also got a chance to see how an engine was assembled, and how an engine works on a plane.

This trip was really an enjoyable trip that expands my horizon and lets me get to know more about the manufacturing in the US.

Fore!

Ivan Caballero, Senior,
Civil Engineering

Athens, OH 29 April 2012 – My last quarter here is fairly simple yet very enjoyable. One of the classes that I am enrolled for this quarter is recreational golf. This one-credit-hour class meets twice a week at the Ohio University driving range which is located on West State St. Each student is given a bucket of golf balls and a set of golf clubs provided by the university for the students who do not own a set of clubs.
Considering that I had never swung a golf club prior to taking this class, it has easily become one of my favorite classes. At first, I could hardly hit a ball 100 yards without it hooking wide right or left, but now I consider myself not too shabby. Golf now has become a hobby of mine and now I look forward to this class during the week. On a sunny day, nothing seems more relaxing than just hitting golf balls into the green.

Bicycling in Athens

Evan Teske, Senior, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Athens, OH 24 April 2012 – Since the weather has gotten warmer this quarter you’ll see way more bikers out around Athens. Although town is fairly hilly in parts, it’s actually really bike-friendly, especially with cars already constantly alert and aware of pedestrian traffic. Most streets have a bike lane, and every building has ample bike racks convenient to lock up.
Biking is definitely my preferred means of transportation, especially for getting to class. A walk from home to Stocker in the winter took me upwards of 15 minutes. On a bike I can get to class in less than five, with time to get coffee before class.

The best part about having a bike in Athens though, is the bike trail. The “Hockhocking Adena Biketrail” is a 19 mile biketrail stretching from East State Street to Nelsonville. Through town it runs along the Hocking River, through the golf course, and past Union Street towards The Plains. Nelsonville is about 14 miles from my house taking this route, and it took my roommate and me about an hour and 15 minutes each way. It’s perfect if you have friends to visit at Hocking College or if you’re like us and had an afternoon to spend outside.

ME Senior Design Update: 1000 Jobs/Haiti

Abby Frankart, Senior, Mechanical Engineering

Athens, OH 24 April 2012 – My senior design capstone project has taken almost 6 months to materialization. This past week we have completed manufacturing the most difficult part of our project. We took our project from customer need, to conceptual design, to manufactured prototype. It has been really rewarding to see this project from beginning to end.
Our project is to design a slow sand filter for the nonprofit organization 1000 Jobs/Haiti. Our filter can be manufactured in Haiti and all materials can be use locally. This will help 1000 Jobs reach its goal of not only creating and sustaining jobs, but the filter itself will provide clean water to many people who do not have access to it.

The filter is in a concrete housing. The varying layers of gravel and sand make the filter bed. This bed not only removes particulates, but over time a biological layer grows in the top layers of the filter bed which filters out harmful bacteria. Slow sand filter designs have seen up to 99.9% removal rates in e.coli and other coliforms.

The first picture is me grinding down some of the welds on part of the mold. The second picture is the finished concrete mold that can be reused for multiple filters.

Last Quarter at OU

Jeff Guynes, Senior, Aviation

Athens, OH 23 April 2012 – Winter is gone and Spring has arrived for my last quarter in Athens at OU. It is already week five of our ten week quarter! Time flies when you are busy, which I have been. Between taking a full load of classes, preparing for our national flight team competition, and applying for jobs it doesn’t seem like I have any free time.
Applying for jobs is one of the most exciting things I have done since starting at OU. Finally, all of the hard work and training in the past four years is useful! OU and the aviation department have prepared me very well to enter the real world and the world of commercial aviation. I am currently applying to seven regional airlines, and hopefully having some interviews toward the end of the quarter.

Check back later in the quarter to hear more about my job seach and the national flight team competition!