TENNESSEE TECH HOSTS THE SOUTHEAST REGIONAL SME CONFERENCE
SME Student Member Update
January/February 2005
Contact Dr. Ismail Fidan, at (931) 372-6298 for more details about this particular event.
Tennessee Tech students help high school teachers take hold of rapid prototyping technologies
SME
News
Fall 2004
More than 25 high school science and technology teachers were introduced to the processes and methods behind rapid prototyping (RP) at workshops held at Tennessee Technological University (TTU) in Cookville, Tenn. in June. The workshops focused on cutting-edge manufacturing technology that creates actual models from computer designs, and they included professor and student presentations, hands-on projects, laboratory activities, educational and industrial exercises and multimedia demonstrations. Attendees were trained in the latest features of RP technology and learned how to apply that knowledge in today's curricula and laboratories.
The workshops were held at the Rapid Prototyping Laboratory at TTU and organized by Tennessee Technological University S215 Student Chapter Faculty Advisor Ismail Fidan, PhD, S215 President Coral Nocton and Vice President Zane Moseley. The lab currently houses a 3-D printing machine with color printing capability that prototypes any designed piece within a very short period of time. The laboratory was established in 2003 with a grant from the National Science Foundation and TTU. More than 150 design and manufacturing students have practiced RP technology since the program was implemented.
Moseley was pleased to be a moderator and speaker at the workshops. He firmly believes in the continuous education process and said, "I feel the focus of these workshops was broadening the horizons of the participants in advanced manufacturing processes. In my opinion, our goal was to give local science and technology school teachers a comprehensive view into the broad world of RP. Hopefully these teachers can take their new knowledge into the classroom and incorporate more advanced tools in the teaching process." Faculty Advisor Fidan added, "These workshops are important because rapid prototyping is continuously advancing manufacturing practices in many industries. We want to help high school teachers help their students understand this valuable technology-especially those who are interested in pursuing RP careers."
Each participant at the workshops received a certificate of completion, a sample rapid prototyped part and a $100 stipend. The workshops were sponsored by SME, the National Science Foundation, Z Corporation, Parametric Technologies Inc., Saddleback College, and GibbsCAM.
Miss Coral Nocton, SME S215 president chaired the E-Week activities in 2004.
S215 has been supporting the RP lab consumables and computer lab supplies since Fall 2003.
S215 student members received four SME scholarships in Summer and Fall2003.
Three S215 members received NSF grant to attend RP workshop in San Diego. (june 2003)
2003
Region 8 Annual Meeting
October 3-4, 2003
Marriot
Space & Rocket Center Hotel
Huntsville, AL
Hotel reservations must be made before the cut off date of September 14th to get the SME Room rate of $75.00 per night. Call 1-888-299-5174. You must identify yourself as being with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Mr. Troy Brown is the recipient of SME's 2003 Myrtle & Earl Walker Scholarship Award
SME Certification
Students interested in taking the SME certification test to become a
Certified Manufacturing Technologist (CMfgT) can sign up to take the test now.
The Tennessee Tech SME chapter will award each person who passes the certification test
a $20.00 reimbursement. The fee to take the test is $95.00
Sign up now and Save!
Three students obtained their certificate in Spring 2003.
SME
Education Foundation
Student Scholarship Program
Deadline for Application is February 1, 2003
Nashville Chapter 43 Scholarships Announced
-*-
1. Middle Tennessee State University
Russell White
Kyle Hooper
2. Tennessee Tech
Mehmet Ata Kok
Jamie Cook
Shannon Sullivan
Last updated October 1, 2002
'Support the Needy Families During Holidays' Program
December 2002
Working
with the United Way, SME has been very successful in providing a more joyous
holiday season for eight families. Donations
totaled; approximately 500 food items, personal hygiene items, articles of
clothing, 90 food vouchers, and cash donations totaling in excess of $320.00. The students delivered all the donations on Thursday December
12, 2002 to the Putnam and surrounding county residents.
SME
would like to deeply thank the following contributors for their giving hearts
during this holiday season:
| Food Lion | Enrico Chiropractic Center |
| Burger King | Pepsi Cola |
| Taco Bell | Papa |
| Cambell’s Baxter Bi-Rite | Kroger |
| North Side Big Star | Copyright Pet Resort |
| Jackson Bank & Trust | M&M Market |
| Walgreen’s | Rafferty’s |
| 1st National Bank | Logan’s |
Mr. Brandon Waldrop is our brand new member. He joined our chapter on Friday, November 1, 2002. He is majoring at ME. Welcome to HOME Brandon!.
10 Members attended SME Mid-South Annual Meeting held at Metairie, LA on October 24 - 27, 2002
Luke Ash
David Brady
Carson Correll
Robert Dake
Ismail Fidan
Kristie Luna
Daniel Maurer
Adam McGough
Coral Nocton
Adam Thomas
Adam McGough and Luke Ash were awarded the first Place in the SME Mid-South Design Competition. David Brady was the second place winner. They received a certificate and check.
SME names TTU's chapter "Most Outstanding" in Nation
Shannon Sullivan and Ata Kok are the recipient of 2002 Lee Severy Scholarship from SME Nashville Chapter.
Mr. Mark Albright married in August 2002.
Our student chapter just received the 2002 SME Outstanding Chapter Award for Overall Excellence
Newly Recruited Members
.
Coral Nocton has been selected as the recipient of 2002 Myrtle & Earl Walker Scholarship from SME Education Foundation.
Mr. Vaughn has been interning at Cebal America in Shelbyville, TN, which is a part of the Pechiney group. As a part of his internship this summer Dusty will be participating in Pechiney's e*reporter program. There is ten groups of four e*reporters visiting Pechiney sites around the world. Dusty's group consist of a German guy, a French girl, and a South African girl. His group will be traveling to plants in Nuremberg- Germany, Bergamo-Italy, and Zhongshan-China. We wish him the best this summer!
Mr. Joseph Grimes (Former Vice President II) received his CMfgT Certification on May 3, 2002.
The following members will marry in May 2002.
Scot Childers
Joseph Grimes
The
Moonbuggy Team Races in Huntsville
The TTU Moonbuggy Team joined 67 other teams last weekend in NASA’s 9th
annual Great Moonbuggy Race at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Alabama. The race was held on
Saturday, April 13, and hosted college and high school teams from 19 states,
Puerto Rico, and Columbia, South America.
The race course was set up around the Space Camp area at the Marshall
Space Flight Center. It was
designed with obstacles that simulated the surface of the moon.
The 17 obstacles were composed of craters, rocks, “lava” ridges, and
lunar-like soil. During the race
two team members, one male and one female, power and drive over the half-mile
route. One of the main
specifications for the moonbuggy is that it must be completely human powered.
Tennessee Tech has competed in the race since forming a Moonbuggy Team in
1999, and finished in the top 15 in the 2000 Great Moonbuggy Race.
This year, the team attempted to race in both heats of the race, but was
unable to finish either one due to technical and mechanical difficulties.
Excellent suspension, good steering, and lots of leg power were three of
the key elements a buggy and its drivers had to have to make it through this
year’s course in a competitive time. TTU’s
moonbuggy had all of those elements. Unfortunately
for us, the buggy also had to be composed of parts strong enough to withstand
the tough course laid out by the Moonbuggy Race officials.
While the first set of drivers, Daniel Maurer and
Dana Davis, were practicing for the race, one of the hubs got stuck in fourth
gear. This was looked upon as a
minor setback, but something that could be overcome, since the two drivers had
separate transmission systems, and Daniel still had all of his gears.
Then, during the first heat of the moonbuggy race, a casting broke on
obstacle one, causing the front right wheel to completely come off of the buggy.
This was a major setback, but the moonbuggy team worked hard in the pit
area getting the buggy reassembled for the second heat.
They didn’t give up until it was ready to race again.
The second heat, which is a second chance rather than
a separate race, started out better than the first heat.
Or so we thought. The buggy got stuck on the first obstacle, and one of the
drivers, Jeremy Dougal, put so much into trying to peddle his way out of the
obstacle, that he bent the bar that his peddles were attached to.
This was the same bar that the top gear for a chain was connected to.
The chain would not stay on, and that meant that Jeremy had no more
peddling power. The other driver,
me, little 106 pound Angie Guffey, was stuck in fourth gear.
We didn’t give up there though.
With Jeremy rolling the back wheels like a wheelchair, and me attempting
to peddle in fourth, we managed to make it up a couple of hills to obstacle
eleven, the crater. When we hit the crater we switched places in hopes that
Jeremy could peddle the buggy easier and faster than I could.
This also meant that he was now steering the moonbuggy.
This idea worked wonderfully, for about three minutes, until the steering
bar snapped in two. At this point,
there was just no way for the buggy to go farther.
Both sets of drivers had outlasted the buggy.
It was time to load it back on the trailer and bring it home.
This year’s moonbuggy race was a ton of fun for
those of us who went. It was also a
ton of work. The new team members
that went on the trip gained a lot of knowledge that should be helpful to them
in the future. They were able to
see the technological, mechanical, and engineering aspects of other buggies in
action. They were also able to see
that, though unable to finish, our buggy might possibly have been one of the
better designs there. When our
buggy was able to hit obstacles at a good speed, going downhill of course, we
took the obstacles better than most of the buggies that participated.
If the buggy had not had those few weak spots, I have full confidence
that we could have made it into the top ten or better.
Better luck next year, guys!
SME is one of the moonbuggy teams' sponsors. We hope for a better performance next year as the funding increases.
Written by: Angela Guffey
Our Chapter joined Nashville Chapter's Scholarship program in 2001.
