News Releases

ASME Student Conference 2008 (May 16, 2008)

Six ME students recently traveled to Denver to participate in the ASME Student Conference at Denver Metro College. BYU Mechanical Engineering students have a long history of participation in the four contests, sponsored by the Old Guard organization of ASME.

Dr. Larry Howell receives Utah Engineering Council Educator of the Year Nomination (April 23, 2008)

Dr. Larry Howell, professor and former Chair of the ME department, recently was selected as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers nominee for the Utah Engineers Council (UEC) Educator of the Year award. We congratulate Dr. Howell and appreciate the outstanding leadership, teaching, and mentoring that he contributes to the department.

Two Graduating Seniors Taking $100K-plus Fellowships to MIT (April 23, 2008)

The National Science Foundation recently named as 2008 Fellows Christopher Palmer, of Belmont, Mass., graduating in economics, and Colin Landon, of Grass Valley, Calif., graduating in mechanical engineering. The three-year award includes an annual $30,000 stipend, plus tuition, for master’s and doctoral work.

BYU Student Engineers’ Invention to Give Customers ‘Happy Feet’ in 30 Minutes or Less (April 2, 2008)

Brigham Young University undergraduate engineers demonstrated a portable workstation that creates custom insoles for shoes in less than 30 minutes on Tuesday. The team, sponsored by a Utah entrepreneur, was assigned to take a process that currently requires days and reduce it to minutes, with the potential for their invention to be an option for podiatrists' offices, athletic footwear stores or even ski outfitters.

ME Graduate Takes 1st Place in National Old Guard Competition (January 22, 2008)

Russell Aldridge, a BYU Mechanical Engineering graduate from Grantsville Utah, recently won the National Old Guard Prize for his research on tire testing technology, which also won a National Instruments competition earlier this year.

National Instruments Donates State-Of-The-Art Equipment for Student Use (January 2, 2008)

National Instruments, a world-wide distributor of scientific systems, recently gave support to student training at BYU with a large gift of high speed and portable data acquisition equipment. The generous donation will be a great benefit to the many students who will have access to the hardware, and the company has also helped by providing local install licenses for students to do work off-campus.

BYU Project Helps Cardiovascular Technology Company (December 14, 2007)

Thanks to a student Capstone project, Edwards Lifesciences, a global leader in cardiovascular technology, will be able to implement a revolutionary manufacturing process this year. Edwards Lifesciences produces several types of plastic balloons used in heart surgery which are made by dipping balloon shaped mandrels into a plastic solution, letting the solvent outgas, and removing the finished part.

Quentin Aten Receives State & National Awards (November 19, 2007)

Congratulations to first year ME graduate student, Quentin Aten, for recognition of his work in the bio-medical application of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Quentin was one of four undergraduate finalists from across the country, taking second place.

2007 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (November 19, 2007)

The International Design Engineering Technical Conferences, sponsored by ASME, were held the first week of September in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attended annually by approximately 1,000 engineers from the industry and academia, this year five ME professors, along with 15 students or recent graduates from the program, participated.

Congratulations to graduate students, Tyler Waterfall, Kendall Teichert, and Professor Brian Jensen, for winning the Best Paper Award for the 1st International Conference on Micro- and Nanosystems.

Welcome to Four New Faculty Members (October 30, 2007)

The ME Department at BYU is pleased to welcome four new faculty members in 2007. Dr. Anton Bowden, a biomechanics specialist, Dr. David T. Fullwood, a former BYU ME graduate who now works in composites and computational materials, Dr. Steven E. Gorrell, experienced in the field of turbomachinery, and Dr. Julie Vanderhoff, who studies ocean and atmosphere fluid mechanics.

Tire Testing Technology Wins in Professional Competiton (September 6, 2007)

Russell Aldrige and Taylor Newill, BYU Mechanical Engineering students, entered a National Instruments applied technology competition for students and professionals and won.

Formula Racer Wins 4th (September 6, 2007)

BYUs Formula Racing team raced back from the FSAE West competiton with fourth place and an honorable mention — a significant improvement from the competiton one year ago.

Students Lead International Car Project (August 13, 2007)

A four-minute video details how BYU students assembled a race car using components designed by engineering students from around the world. Engineering professor Greg Jensen and his students recently returned from a presentation in Germany.

Dr. Eastman Retires from ME Dept (August 10, 2007)

Paul Eastman, a professor of mechanical engineering, retired this summer after 22 years of distinguished service at BYU.

First Female Retires from ME Dept (August 10, 2007)

This summer, Susan M. Phillips retired as the executive secretary in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. After working in the department for nearly 25 years, she is the first woman to retire from the department.

ME Students Study Abroad in France (June 11, 2007)

This summer one of the engineering and technology study abroad programs was run in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology. Students took courses at the GT Lorraine campus in Metz, France, from May 15 to Aug. 3, 2007.

BYU Formula Racer Heads To California (June 5, 2007)

Brigham Young University student engineers will return next week to the California Speedway for an international Formula Racing competition with a trimmed-down vehicle that can handle more G-force than performance kings Audi and Porsche.

BYU Students Competed in Mars Rover Event in Southern Utah Desert (June 1, 2007)

In June, a group of BYU students competed against other universities with their prototype of the next generation of Mars rovers - the kind designed to support human expeditions to our neighboring planet.

New ME Department Chair (June 1, 2007)

Timothy W. McLain is the new department chair of mechanical engineering. McLain has taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Brigham Young University since 1995.

Design Exhibit for Elementary School Students (June 1, 2007)

In Brian Jensen's 437 Kinematics class, Jensen asked students to design and build for their final project a hands-on science museum exhibit for elementary school students.

ME Student Takes First Place in ASME District Student Conference (May 15, 2007)

Russell Aldridge took first place in the regional American Society Of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Old Guard Technical Presentation Contest.

Dr. Eastman Awarded Honors Professor of the Year (May 1, 2007)

Paul Eastman, professor of mechanical engineering, has been selected as the BYU Honors Professor of the Year for 2007.

BYU Capstone Engineering Students Harness Kids’ Energy (April 11, 2007)

A team of BYU capstone student engineers this week unveiled a merry-go-round capable of turning children’s play into electricity. See coverage of the story on the web sites for the Deseret Morning News, KSL-TV, ABC4, and Provo Daily Herald.

Two Papers Receive ASME Best Paper Award (April 2, 2007)

Two papers presented by BYU students and faculty at the 2006 ASME Turbo Expo in Barcelona, Spain, each received a Best Paper Award by the Heat Transfer Committee.

ME Student Wins Best Student Paper in Acoustical Society Competition (March 1, 2007)

Jared Thomas, a mechanical engineering graduate student, took first place in a student paper competition from the 152nd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.

ME Professor Awarded Grant for Voice Mechanics Research (March 1, 2007)

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a research contract to BYU in support of Dr. Scott Thomson's research in voice mechanics.

Greg Jensen Awarded Professorship in Global Engineering (January 5, 2007)

Professor Greg Jensen from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been selected to occupy the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology Global Engineering Professorship beginning in 2007.

Continuing Education for ME Grads (December 22, 2006)

Working towards a graduate school degree is becoming a frequent practice for many BYU mechanical engineering graduates, according to a recent alumni survey

ME Students Win First in International Micro Air Vehicle Competition (December 13, 2006)

Brigham Young University student engineers won first place at the second annual U.S.-European Competition and Workshop on Micro Air Vehicles at Eglin Air Force Base in Sandestin, Fla.

Admiral Visits Engineering Students (September 14, 2006)

Admiral Matt Moffit of the United States Navy visited campus Thursday, Sept. 14, 2006, to recruit students and to review how Navy funds are being used by BYU's Mechanical Engineering Department.

BYU Professor Replicates Pioneer Odometer (July 15, 2006)

Combining early pioneer accounts with his technical knowledge of gear design, Brigham Young University mechanical engineering professor Larry Howell has built a working replica of the odometer used on the Mormon Trail.

BYU Places Second at Student UAV Competion (June 14, 2006)

AUVSI's 4th Annual Student UAV Competition in Maryland Awards BYU Second Place.

ME Students Defeat Professionals at National Competition (November 1, 2005)

A team of ME students beat out defense contractors and other universities to win the "Best Overall Video" award at a national competition featuring unmanned surveillance airplanes.

Mechanical Engineering Professor Shrinks Switches (June 17, 2005)

Professor Brian Jensen, has found a way to make tiny switches inside electronics even smaller and to make batteries last longer for electronic devices like cell phones and laptop computers.

Y Engineers Flex Their Brainpower (February 15, 2005)

Brigham Young University coaches have long been known for building athletes, but few people know that engineering professors and students have also been dabbling in the fitness world, building state-of-the-art gym equipment.