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Alumni Spotlight: Alicen Kandt - National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Anonymous — Mon, 16 May 2022 15:08:51 +0000

Alumni Spotlight: Alicen Kandt - National Renewable Energy Laboratory Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/16/2022 - 09:08

Rachel Leuthauser

Alicen Kandt (MSMechEngr'04)

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), alumna Alicen Kandt’s goal is to inspire people to embrace more resilient and sustainable energy options.

Kandt (MSMechEngr’04) has spent nearly two decades at NREL helping state, local, federal and international stakeholders assess energy opportunities. She helps these partners identify ways to make their buildings more energy and water efficient, their communities more resilient and their operations less carbon intensive.

Kandt’s path to becoming a mechanical engineer was unique and interdisciplinary. Rather than starting her education with engineering right away, she first earned a bachelor’s degree in math with a minor in English from the University of Puget Sound.

“After a short stint as a technical writer for a trade magazine, I decided I wanted to work in something more applied and impactful,” Kandt said.

This choice led her to attend the University of Colorado Boulder for graduate school. She earned her master’s degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2004 and continues to be involved in the engineering community as an alumnus.

Read more about Kandt’s experiences as a mechanical engineer and how her work has a valuable impact on our world.

Tell us about your background. What inspired you to become a mechanical engineer?

I attended a non-profit career fair at CU Boulder, and NREL was there. I got an internship that began right when I started graduate school in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. It was perfectly timed because I could directly apply what I was learning in school to my internship, and likewise, I could tailor my coursework to topics I was intrigued by at NREL.

Kandt on site in Puerto Rico.

How does your work with NREL help society?

The work I do helps society by identifying and implementing pathways to support decarbonization and energy system transformation, ultimately supporting the fight against climate change and the building of resilient communities and organizations around the globe.

What are some of the projects you’ve been a part of that you are most proud of?

One of my favorite projects was in support of the recovery efforts at El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, after the forest was heavily impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. I got to visit El Yunque, tour the damaged facilities, and even got to visit the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Iguaca Parrot Aviary – an aviary for the endemic and critically-endangered Puerto Rican Parrot. The aviary has a bird safe room where the birds are housed during hurricanes. I helped identify the critical energy loads of the aviary and analyze the optimal solar and battery energy storage system to help the aviary maintain critical services in the event of an electrical grid outage. The system was just recently installed and commissioned!

What was your favorite part of being Buff?

I live in Boulder and enjoy being engaged in alumni programs, mentoring, and speaking to students about careers in clean energy and the impact of helping to transform our energy system. I also love attending CU Boulder sporting events with my family!

What advice do you have for current mechanical engineering students?

Get an internship, at least one, preferably one during each summer of school to start homing in on a focus area and building a broad network. And be open to a non-linear career pathway; sometimes it takes trying one thing to discover something else may be a better fit.

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer with NREL, alumna Alicen Kandt’s goal is to inspire people to embrace more resilient and sustainable energy options. She earned her master’s degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2004.

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Slides from IRT Blitz available as themes officially sunset this summer

Anonymous — Wed, 11 May 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Slides from IRT Blitz available as themes officially sunset this summer Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/11/2022 - 00:00

The slide deck is part of presentations given by IRT directors in April on accomplishments and activity within their themes to date. They include details on funding results, important research findings and other lessons learned from the initiative.

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Deployable antenna could provide more powerful communications on smaller space satellites

Anonymous — Mon, 02 May 2022 14:48:42 +0000

Deployable antenna could provide more powerful communications on smaller space satellites Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/02/2022 - 08:48

Rachel Leuthauser

Deployable Helical Antenna Team Members

Jackson Bilello – Electromechanical Engineer
GillianGrace Brachocki – Project Manager
Hector Calar – Systems Engineer
Benjamin Capek – Manufacturing Engineer
Ahmed Ferjani – Logistics Manager
Ayden Flynn – Financial Manager
Nicolas Garzione – Electromechanical Engineer
Caleb Morford – Test Engineer
Isaac Nagel-Brice – CAD Engineer
Manuel Preston de Miranda – Electromechanical Engineer

As the space industry evolves its focus from large satellites to smaller ones with the same functionality, there is a growing need for the hardware on board to shrink as well.

A group of mechanical engineering seniors at the University of Colorado Boulder have helped meet that need by designing a compactable antenna that would allow for more powerful radio communications on smaller satellites.

Lockheed Martin Space is sponsoring the project. The team of students from the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering designed and built the prototype for their Senior Design project.

“Our whole team has a passion for the space industry, and we wanted to be a part of the change and innovation that is occurring,” said GillianGrace Brachoki, the team’s project manager. “We found the push for deployable items in smaller units really interesting.”

The team’s prototype is a deployable helical antenna that starts in a compressed state. Current satellite antenna hardware is fully deployed upon launch. Those systems can be large and not aligned with the industry’s goal for smaller hardware.

“Small satellites and micro-satellites lead to a nimbler industry,” said CAD Engineer Isaac Nagel-Brice. “If you’re developing a satellite over two years instead of a decade, you’re able to get smaller buses up into orbit quicker and at a cheaper cost. That can push innovation and progression on a much faster scale.”

The helical antenna in its fully deployed state.

The students assemble the antenna by attaching the spring component to the base.

The students test the spring's strength in the Senior Design Lab.

The students designed their antenna to deploy once it is in space – activated by an on-board computer. This would trigger the device’s antenna component to extend four times its compressed height from 3.5 in. to nearly 20 in. for full functionality.

The team accomplished this by designing the antenna with the properties of a mechanical spring, which is an idea the industry has rarely attempted to build before. The students explained that optimizing the prototype to be both a spring and an antenna was difficult to do.

They had to take geometry, material and frequency band all into consideration. The students used spring calculators and high frequency structure simulator software to build an antenna that could stow and deploy with the properties of a mechanical spring.

“The antenna geometry resulted in a powerful spring,” said Nicolas Garzione, one of the electromechanical engineers on the team. “Part of our requirements is that it has to survive the equivalent of an Atlas V launch, which is pretty violent. We spent a lot of time on that restraint mechanism, which is a key part of our project for viability and safety.”

Lockheed Martin Space also required that the prototype needed to be scalable. Therefore, the students designed every part of the deployable antenna to be scaled plus or minus 50%.

The size of the device would also dictate the radiofrequency bands transmitted through the antenna. A larger spring circumference would require higher frequencies.

“I think this prototype could lead to a shift in the industry,” said Nagel-Brice. “Our antenna has some interesting design geometry, but it’s very intentional so that it can be built larger or smaller.”

The students have completed antenna functionality, deployment, mechanical shock and vibration tests on their prototype. The radiofrequency testing was done at First RF, a company specializing in antennas and radiofrequency systems, while the vibration testing happened at Lockheed Martin.

The team said that working with Lockheed Martin Space on this project has been both inspiring and informative. It has allowed the students to combine their mechanical engineering background with new skills they have learned on the job.

“It’s a lot of cutting-edge technology that hasn’t been implemented in this manner until now, thanks to some creative problem solving,” said Systems Engineer Hector Calar. “Shrinking the hardware down means the industry can add more advanced instrumentation, since you have more free space. Freeing up that space on rockets and satellites allows us to do more with the science of engineering.”

The team can now say that they are a part of that push for cutting-edge, compact technology. With their own innovative design assembled into a potentially revolutionary prototype, the students are well on their way to equipping the space industry for greater scientific impacts.

The Senior Design team presented their deployable helical antenna at the College of Engineering and Applied Science Engineering Projects Expo 2022 on April 22.

A group of mechanical engineering students at the College of Engineering and Applied Science designed and built the prototype with Lockheed Martin for their Senior Design project.

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Integrated Teaching & Learning Program offers first college micro-credential

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 14:23:22 +0000

Integrated Teaching & Learning Program offers first college micro-credential Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/29/2022 - 08:23

Josh Miller, a mechanical engineering student, is the first to enroll in the ITLP Arduino micro-credential - a programs that aims to serve students looking to improve their proficiency with Arduino microcontrollers.

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Q&A with Ahmed Ashmaig: NSBE chapter president and Ripple Award winner

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Q&A with Ahmed Ashmaig: NSBE chapter president and Ripple Award winner Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/29/2022 - 00:00

Ahmed Ashmaig (MechEngr'23), the president of CU Boulder's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), has received the university's Ripple Award. The award is given by the CU Boulder's Center for Inclusion and Social Change in collaboration with the Dennis Small Cultural Center.

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CU Boulder Engineering study finds at least nine pesticide chemicals near Boulder County homes

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 22:41:01 +0000

CU Boulder Engineering study finds at least nine pesticide chemicals near Boulder County homes Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/28/2022 - 16:41

Rachel Leuthauser

EPA guidance and resources about pesticides

Find 'Minimum Risk Pesticides'

Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering researchers have identified at least nine pesticide chemicals in the air around Boulder County homes that humans and their dogs have been exposed to.

The air quality study, led by PhD candidate Aniya Khalili and funded by a University of Colorado Boulder Outreach Award, tracked the chemicals that people and their dogs came into contact with in fall 2021. The 38 human-dog pairs that participated in the study had to wear wristbands and dog collar clips for a week that contained sampling tubes to measure the pesticides around them.

“We used high-resolution mass spectrometry to analyze the samples," said Khalili. "The results showed that of the 15 compounds we were testing for, we detected nine of them. Three of them were detected in all the human and dog samples.”

The three compounds identified in all 76 samples were n-nitrosodiphenylamine, 4-nitroaniline and 4-chloroaniline. Each of those compounds can be found in pesticides and could pose various health risks including eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation. Very high and repeated exposures may damage the liver and kidneys, according to the EPA.

Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate Aniya Khalili documents the results of her study.

Khalili handles one of the dog collar clips that tracks the chemicals in the air.

“These results could mean that the chemicals are in the air since the 38 people are not living together and have different lifestyles,” said Khalili. “If they are exposed to the same compound, it could say something about the community that we are living in.”

The study also detected DDD in one human and two dogs, and DDT in two humans and one dog, even though the United States has banned the use of both due to damage to wildlife. The EPA has said that "after the use of DDT was discontinued in the United States, its concentration in the environment and animals has decreased, but because of its persistence, residues of concern from historical use still remain."

“The fact that we even have detected DDD and DDT in any of the participants’ samples is a big deal,” said Khalili. “There is a 99% correlation between the dogs and their owners that were exposed to DDD and DDT, and yes, it is a small percentage out of the 38 pairings in the whole study. But we shouldn’t be exposed to those compounds at all.”

Khalili’s study focused on detecting the compounds rather than identifying where they are coming from. She noted the chemicals could have originated from pesticides, dog tick and flea medications, or industrial sources.

Khalili conducted this research after seeing several yellow flags on people’s yards around Boulder indicating that chemicals had recently been applied. She wanted to educate the community about the compounds that are in some of those pesticides and inspire people to live cleaner lifestyles.

Many of the participants have told Khalili that they are already being more conscious about using pesticides around their homes to protect themselves and their dogs. Khalili said she’s proud and excited to see community members taking this next step. Moving forward, she wants to promote even bigger changes.

“I would love to see the regulations around the compounds in these products that we use for gardening be revised,” said Khalili. “It wouldn’t happen overnight. We would need more studies to ensure that policymakers can rely on the results and make a change. I’d like to not see those yellow flags around anymore.”

Khalili partnered with the City of Boulder and Healthy Baby Bright Futures to recruit participants and design the deployment of the study, since the city and organization are well connected with the community. Both collaborators also had a stake in the research, as they were interested in seeing what compounds are in their air.

“It was important to work with the City of Boulder because they could be empowered to make changes to regulations,” said Khalili. “With Healthy Baby Bright Futures, it was an educational opportunity. Our study can help teach mothers to not let their babies crawl on chemically treated grass, for example.”

The air quality study, led by mechanical engineering PhD candidate Aniya Khalili, aims to inspire the community to lead cleaner lifestyles and promote further research on pesticide exposure.

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ME Course Column: Mechanics of Cancer

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 18:53:37 +0000

ME Course Column: Mechanics of Cancer Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/27/2022 - 12:53

Rachel Leuthauser

The ME Course Column is a recurring publication about the unique classes and labs that mechanical engineers can take while at the University of Colorado Boulder. Follow the series to understand the core curriculum, discover elective course options and learn the broad applications of mechanical engineering skills.

Professor Maureen Lynch

In order to comprehend certain aspects of cancer biology, the mechanics driving the disease need to be understood. The mechanics of cancer can teach engineers a lot about how the cells interact with each other and form solid tumors.

Students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering are learning how those solid and fluid mechanics play a role in the course MCEN 4228/5228: Mechanics of Cancer. Taught by Professor Maureen Lynch, the class examines the experimental systems and technical evaluations of solid tumors to model and test cancer-related processes.

The course starts with Lynch reminding students of what the most common way that breast cancer is diagnosed – by feeling it.

“These changes in stiffness or density are a mechanical piece for diagnosis,” said Lynch. “Not only is it an indication that there is a tumor present, but it also plays a role in examining how quickly the tumor is developing, if the tumor going to spread or which treatments the tumor is sensitive to. Physical cues matter.”

The mechanical engineering students taking this course come in with the basic knowledge of what stiffness is in engineering terms. Their understanding expands as the course dives into how they can measure those density changes and connect them to tumor progression.

“We measure everything from the tissue level, which you can see with your eyes, down to the microscopic or nanoscale where you can’t see what you’re measuring,” said Lynch. “You need to know whether you’re measuring a single cell or a single protein and what scale to use.”

Flowchart showing how mechanics influence cancer progression.

Lynch explained that students also learn to examine the speed of fluids as it relates to cancer spread, since tissues are mostly made up of water. Fluid could potentially carry tumor cells to different parts of the body.

“The students like the connection that this class makes to their other engineering classes,” said Lynch. “I will pull up figures from their sophomore or junior year classes and explain how they are useful in biology. We use our engineering skills in a brand-new way.”

As the semester wraps up, the students are conducting final presentations on technical topics of their choice surrounding the mechanics of cancer.

“I give a lot of latitude with those presentations, so I always learn something because we can’t cover everything about the mechanics of cancer in one semester,” said Lynch. “The students pick what they want to research and what they want to talk about.”

MCEN 4228/5228: Mechanics of Cancer is generally offered in the spring semester. It is open to juniors, seniors and graduate students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and admits some students from the Biomedical Engineering Program.

ME Technical Elective & Graduate Courses

Students learn how solid and fluid mechanics play a role in how cancer cells interact and form solid tumors. Taught by Professor Maureen Lynch, the class examines the experimental systems and technical evaluations of the disease to model and test cancer-related processes.

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Mechanical engineering graduates earn CU Engineering and Departmental Awards

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 21:00:47 +0000

Mechanical engineering graduates earn CU Engineering and Departmental Awards Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/26/2022 - 15:00

Rachel Leuthauser

Four exceptional students from the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering have earned Graduating Student Awards in 2022. These honors are conferred to seniors who are nominated by faculty, staff or fellow students for their outstanding contributions.

Three noteworthy graduating students have also been awarded Departmental Awards from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Each of the seven award winners will be recognized and celebrated at the department's Graduation Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m.

Four graduating undergraduate students won college awards, while three undergraduate students were honored with Department of Mechanical Engineering Awards.

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Graduate School celebrates Carson Bruns with outstanding mentor awards

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 19:07:06 +0000

Graduate School celebrates Carson Bruns with outstanding mentor awards Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/26/2022 - 13:07

The Graduate School is pleased to recognize 18 dedicated faculty members who received this year’s outstanding faculty mentor awards. The nomination materials showcased their many contributions in mentoring graduate students and supporting the mission of graduate education.

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Meet Graduation Recognition Ceremony Keynote Speaker Craig Sampson

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 14:41:33 +0000

Meet Graduation Recognition Ceremony Keynote Speaker Craig Sampson Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/22/2022 - 08:41

Rachel Leuthauser

Alumnus Craig Sampson (MechEngr’82) is the founder and leader of the Chicago consulting firm TBD Innovation. He will be delivering the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s keynote speech during the Graduation Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 7.

Craig Sampson (MechEngr'82)

As mechanical engineering students walk across the graduation stage, alumnus Craig Sampson (MechEngr’82) wants them to embrace the unknown.

Sampson, an innovator with a career spanning more than three decades, has found that much of his success was cultivated by pursuing the paths that did not always have a clear destination, but inspired excitement instead.

“So much of design and so much of life is embracing the unknown,” said Sampson. “That doesn’t mean we don’t know or will never know the answers, but it does mean that it’s up to us to figure it out. I like to lean into the unknown, the possibilities.”

Sampson is the founder of TBD Innovation – a consulting firm based in Chicago that is dedicated to finding solutions based on human-centered design. The independent firm helps companies innovate and create new products, new services and new businesses.

Sampson’s career in design started while studying mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Toward the end of his CU Boulder career, Sampson began taking design classes as an independent study. After graduating with honors, he attended Stanford University for graduate school, earning a master’s degree in product design.

Sampson spent much of his career with the global design and innovation company IDEO. He founded and lead IDEO’s office in Chicago and IDEO’s Global Healthcare Practice.

“The big arc of my career is one of ever-expanding interests,” said Sampson. “Just because you have a lot of technical acumen doesn’t mean you can’t also be a creative professional that cares about things like art, history culture and psychology. There is a Venn diagram in design thinking that includes technical feasibility, business viability and human desirability. You need all three to truly innovate. I love swimming in the center of those three – Technology, Business, and human-centered Design – and that’s why I named my company TBD Innovation.”

Along with leading TBD Innovation, Sampson is also a graduate design instructor at the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.

Sampson said he is excited to get back on the CU Boulder campus. He grew up in southeastern Colorado, so Boulder and the entire state will always have a special place in his heart. He said the view of the flatirons always felt like a touchstone to orient himself in the world.

“One time I was driving in Chicago and there was a storm coming from the West,” said Sampson. “It was a sunny day but there was this big wall of clouds coming in, and for a split second out of the corner of my eye it looked like mountains to the West. I felt a little bit of butterflies at the thought. That’s when I realized I really miss Boulder.”

Alumnus Craig Sampson (MechEngr’82) is the founder and leader of the Chicago consulting firm TBD Innovation. He will be delivering the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s keynote speech during the Graduation Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 7.

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