03.16.11
A U of A WERC design team submitted an original water purification system to a New Mexico Design Competition this week. In preparation for the April 3 competition, the team presented their system to members of the U of A EWB chapter, who will be doing similar work in Belize this spring.
WERC is a consortium for environmental education and technology development, according to the University of Arkansas chemical engineering department website. The New Mexico Design Competition includes design criteria of an inexpensive, portable water purification system that processes 3,000 gallons of water per day.
The system brings the water through a sand filter, and then a man-powered treadle pump brings it up through a micron bag filter with activated carbon.
The device can pump from any water source and purify 3,000 gallons of water per day. “We operated the system, pumping from a creek 10 feet below it. It reached 10 PSI, with a constant PSI of 8,” he said. “It’s not hard or tiresome to operate at all.”
To produce enough filtered water for a community—about two 1500 gallon tanks, the treadle pump requires two people to power it for three hours. Although it’s easy to operate, WERC team members doubt children or smaller-frame adults could operate it.
“It pumps 15-20 gallons per minute and is simple to construct,” said a WERC team member.
The filtration system has a submersible sand filter and one micron bag, which benefit from increased pressure levels. “The pressure we need can be gained by height or by putting it under water.”
The purification system uses few materials: mostly two-by-fours, 4-inch PVC pipe, valves, leather seals and a weekly filter change ($3). To disinfect the water, it uses a quart of bleach for every 1500 gallons.
“After adding the bleach, let it stand for 30 minutes, the chlorine smell shows that it’s completely disinfected, by EPA guidelines,” he said. “Bleach is safe to drink at given concentration by WHO.”
The group plans to use the system in a trip to Haiti later this year.
“We’re working with the honors college to implement it,” he said.
If you’d like to get involved with the exciting work of Engineers Without Borders, but can’t afford the spring trip to Belize, look forward to any of their local service projects coming up:
April 8-9 AiCHE conference on UA Campus, free lunch for volunteering to put registration materials together and serving lunch.
April 16 Building Together group: “Rebuilding Day”
April 21 Leverett Elementary Science Club: leading a lesson on structures on sand and an on-paper activity
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Society of Women Engineers Elects Officers for 2011
The Society of Women Engineers elected officers for the 2011-2012 year during the Alumni Panel Thursday, March 10.
The newly elected are Jana Hindman, biological and agricultural engineering student, as President; Chelsea Long, biological engineering student as Co-Vice President; Toyin Aseeperi, chemical engineering student, as Co-Vice President; Rachel Gatling as Secretary; Amy Powless as Treasurer; Omolula Akintomide, civil engineering student, as Co-Treasurer.
SWE President, Haley Malle recorded talking points from the alumni panel speakers:
Shauna Bowen's Recommendations for Selecting and Earning Your Job
1. Get an internship
a. Gain as much experience as you can to better prepare for a full time position
b. Utilize the internship to gain an understanding of the type of company you will want to work for, and the types of companies you don't want to work for
2. Don’t make your decision based only on salary
a. Look at the complete package
b. Ensure you will like the company, the boss and your co-workers
3.Ask what a normal day at the company includes
4.Question what challenges the job brings
5. Ask yourself if the company’s mission, goals and culture is in line with your own
Key Career Insights
Valuable learning tools for the work force
1. Relationships, relationships, relationships: cultivate them, rely on them
2. Find a role model to emulate
3. Find your advocates
4. Be a professional
a) Perception is reality
b)First impressions go a long way
5. Hire the best people-- invest in your team
6. Strive for "Exceeds Expectations” in all aspects of your life
7. Constantly challenge yourself. Get out of your comfort zone.
8. Focus on obtaining measurable, quantifiable
9. Never lose focus on your current role
10. Always align with what is right for the business
a) Be a student of the business
11. Attitude is the only thing you can control
12. We are often judged by our worst moment
The newly elected are Jana Hindman, biological and agricultural engineering student, as President; Chelsea Long, biological engineering student as Co-Vice President; Toyin Aseeperi, chemical engineering student, as Co-Vice President; Rachel Gatling as Secretary; Amy Powless as Treasurer; Omolula Akintomide, civil engineering student, as Co-Treasurer.
SWE President, Haley Malle recorded talking points from the alumni panel speakers:
Shauna Bowen's Recommendations for Selecting and Earning Your Job
1. Get an internship
a. Gain as much experience as you can to better prepare for a full time position
b. Utilize the internship to gain an understanding of the type of company you will want to work for, and the types of companies you don't want to work for
2. Don’t make your decision based only on salary
a. Look at the complete package
b. Ensure you will like the company, the boss and your co-workers
3.Ask what a normal day at the company includes
4.Question what challenges the job brings
5. Ask yourself if the company’s mission, goals and culture is in line with your own
Key Career Insights
Valuable learning tools for the work force
1. Relationships, relationships, relationships: cultivate them, rely on them
2. Find a role model to emulate
3. Find your advocates
4. Be a professional
a) Perception is reality
b)First impressions go a long way
5. Hire the best people-- invest in your team
6. Strive for "Exceeds Expectations” in all aspects of your life
7. Constantly challenge yourself. Get out of your comfort zone.
8. Focus on obtaining measurable, quantifiable
9. Never lose focus on your current role
10. Always align with what is right for the business
a) Be a student of the business
11. Attitude is the only thing you can control
12. We are often judged by our worst moment
EWB serves Fayetteville community
March 10, 2011
The student group Engineers Without Borders has an array of volunteer opportunities coming in the following weeks, involving teaching young students about engineering and collaborating with other engineering societies.
EWB Service Opportunities
March 16 EWB Fundraising Meeting at 5:15 p.m. next Wednesday. “We need people to do things like stuff envelopes, if you can show up to our (regular) meeting a little early,” said President Nikki Lorenz.
April 9 AiCHE Regional Conference will take place on the U of A campus this year.
“We need people to help hand out t-shirts and food,” Lorenz said.
April 9 Society of Women Engineers Girl Scout Workshop Weekend will take place on the U of A campus, from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. SWE members could use additional volunteers.
April 16 EWB will participate in Rebuilding Day with the “Building Together” group.
“We’ll paint, do electrical work and stuff from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,” Lorenz said. “If you can do only morning or only afternoon- that’s fine. Whatever you have time for works.”
April 18 EWB Distinguished Lecture, given by Professor Lloyd Walker of Colorado State University, will take place on Monday, April 18, instead of the original Saturday date.
April 21 EWB members will conduct engineering projects and teach at the Leverett Elementary School Science Club from 3- 4 p.m. Lesson plans will be constructed by EWB Local Project Chair, Sarah Beth Dalby.
“This event will take us maybe an hour to an hour and a half,” Lorenz said. Members will conduct a total of “three or four activities in rotation for the elementary students.
TBA Members of EWB are bringing in a U of A Design Team that created a water filtration system for an in-meeting instructional presentation. The meeting would be beneficial to those attending the next Belize trip.
In Other News
Group Treasurer, Gavin Smith is resigning from his position and remaining active in the group, while a new member, Chelsea will resume treasurer duties upon group approval.
If members are interested in being a part of the Fundraising Committee for more efficiently organized money distribution, e-mail President Nikki Lorenz.
“This is something we could use, especially when we need to make a before-Wednesday money decision,” she said.
Fundraising efforts for the water tower in Belize brought $1,350 last week, $2,550 this week, with more to come.
The student group Engineers Without Borders has an array of volunteer opportunities coming in the following weeks, involving teaching young students about engineering and collaborating with other engineering societies.
EWB Service Opportunities
March 16 EWB Fundraising Meeting at 5:15 p.m. next Wednesday. “We need people to do things like stuff envelopes, if you can show up to our (regular) meeting a little early,” said President Nikki Lorenz.
April 9 AiCHE Regional Conference will take place on the U of A campus this year.
“We need people to help hand out t-shirts and food,” Lorenz said.
April 9 Society of Women Engineers Girl Scout Workshop Weekend will take place on the U of A campus, from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. SWE members could use additional volunteers.
April 16 EWB will participate in Rebuilding Day with the “Building Together” group.
“We’ll paint, do electrical work and stuff from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,” Lorenz said. “If you can do only morning or only afternoon- that’s fine. Whatever you have time for works.”
April 18 EWB Distinguished Lecture, given by Professor Lloyd Walker of Colorado State University, will take place on Monday, April 18, instead of the original Saturday date.
April 21 EWB members will conduct engineering projects and teach at the Leverett Elementary School Science Club from 3- 4 p.m. Lesson plans will be constructed by EWB Local Project Chair, Sarah Beth Dalby.
“This event will take us maybe an hour to an hour and a half,” Lorenz said. Members will conduct a total of “three or four activities in rotation for the elementary students.
TBA Members of EWB are bringing in a U of A Design Team that created a water filtration system for an in-meeting instructional presentation. The meeting would be beneficial to those attending the next Belize trip.
In Other News
Group Treasurer, Gavin Smith is resigning from his position and remaining active in the group, while a new member, Chelsea will resume treasurer duties upon group approval.
If members are interested in being a part of the Fundraising Committee for more efficiently organized money distribution, e-mail President Nikki Lorenz.
“This is something we could use, especially when we need to make a before-Wednesday money decision,” she said.
Fundraising efforts for the water tower in Belize brought $1,350 last week, $2,550 this week, with more to come.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Dr. Matlock, BAEG professor
Dr. Marty Matlock, professor of ecological engineering, has taught at the University of Arkansas Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department for ten years. Since arriving at U of A, he ecological engineering classes of all levels and researched a number of topics, including life-cycle analysis, stream restoration and risk-based pollutant load allocations.
Matlock’s educational career did not lead him straight to engineering. He earned his first bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exploration for solutions to the estimated ratio of people on earth in future decades and amount of farming land.
“There are technology solutions to it,” he said. “How do humans live without destroying the planet we live on?” he asked.
The search for future reliable food and energy sources turned him to science for solutions.
Matlock completed a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and a master’s degree in plant sciences from the Oklahoma State University, and began his career as a professor at Texas A & M University. During his time there, he developed waste treatment systems and directed the Water Quality Research Laboratory.
“I’m a scientist to the core,” he said. But his work experience at an engineering firm put the right tools in his grasp.
“I liked the problem-solving power and I wanted those skills. I knew I had to have them, so I returned to earn my undergraduate equivalent and masters in engineering.”
When Matlock realized that feeding the world had shifted from an agricultural problem to an economic problem, he knew he had to become an engineer.
“During the 1979 famine in Ethiopia…my global consciousness changed,” he said. “I developed a crucial understanding of causes,” which helped him develop solutions more efficiently.
The challenge, Matlock said, is against scarcity or high demand for resources.
“Sustainability is the ability to do what we do today and not hurt the future generations,” he said. “This is not a philanthropic concern…instead, it’s a self-survival concern—profit persists.”
He believes the fundamentals of sustainability rely on the basic rules of commerce.
“Know your supply chain, make it controllable, understand the full evolution of it, the unique integrated solution,” he said. “They’re all driving to put the product on the shelf. Whether you’re growing soy, cotton for jeans, it’s all commerce…the ability to (keep it going) is the challenge of resources. Scarcity is conflict.”
But commerce can’t function without engineering, which is why Matlock accepted sustainability and engineering as a package.
“It deals with efficiency, solving complex problems with limited resources. Here, engineering is key,” he said. “I couldn’t solve (major, world-scale) problems without engineering skills.
“In 20 years, engineering fundamentals haven’t changed…it deals with every facet of how we take energy from the planet.”
Matlock’s passion for science, sustainability and world solutions comes largely from an adoration for the late Norman Borlaug.
“He’s the only agronomist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He saved 2 billion lives, which is more than anyone else,” Matlock said. “He was a friend and mentor at Texas A & M, why I went to teach there.”
In 2001, Matlock arrived in Arkansas after Borlag’s retirement. “There was no other reason to be in Texas,” he said.
Teaching millennial generation students is different, given the combination of contemporary events, technology and connectivity that affect their viewpoint, Matlock said. It sets them apart from previous generations of students.
“Global vision. Their understanding of the world around them is so different from even students five years ago,” he said. “They have a better perspective of global platform. That’s a dramatic change.”
In nearly twenty years of teaching, Matlock noticed significant differences in the students at U of A.
“In Arkansas, motivation is social. It’s less personal and more community.”
In other universities, Matlock found plenty of students that served their own interest or were only professionally-centered.
“U of A is not a cut-throat environment. These students don’t feel entitled and they have a good work ethic,” he said. “They have a sense of collaboration.”
When he’s not teaching, conducting research or advising students and student organizations, Dr. Matlock is usually spending time outdoors with his three children.
“My life is teaching and raising them,” he said. “We ride bikes, hike in Arkansas…we’ll swim, canoe and sail along Beaver Lake.”
Matlock enjoys machine-within-a-machine movies. His former favorite the Matrix was replaced by Inception. “It makes the Matrix look silly…the perception of (Inception) is much more exotic.”
Matlock acts as advisor for the American Ecological Engineering Society, a student organization of which he was formerly vice president and president. The group will attend a national conference in North Carolina in May, and make a trip to Milan, Italy, the week before.
“Our Senior Design Teams are on the cutting edge of bio-medical research,” he said. “These are highly sought-after students.”
“We focus on life-cycle analysis…and neighborhood development.”
Matlock suggested a key to success for biological and agricultural engineering students is through AEES certification workshops and research opportunities.
“It’s a big opportunity for students to work with professors,” something he said is an achievable position. “There are as many as 20 students to one professor. Students benefit from their skill and expertise.”
Matlock’s favorite aspect of teaching is opening up a new worldview to students.
“College opened up the world to me,” he said. “The vision…power of what we do. That’s why I work here.”
Matlock’s educational career did not lead him straight to engineering. He earned his first bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exploration for solutions to the estimated ratio of people on earth in future decades and amount of farming land.
“There are technology solutions to it,” he said. “How do humans live without destroying the planet we live on?” he asked.
The search for future reliable food and energy sources turned him to science for solutions.
Matlock completed a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and a master’s degree in plant sciences from the Oklahoma State University, and began his career as a professor at Texas A & M University. During his time there, he developed waste treatment systems and directed the Water Quality Research Laboratory.
“I’m a scientist to the core,” he said. But his work experience at an engineering firm put the right tools in his grasp.
“I liked the problem-solving power and I wanted those skills. I knew I had to have them, so I returned to earn my undergraduate equivalent and masters in engineering.”
When Matlock realized that feeding the world had shifted from an agricultural problem to an economic problem, he knew he had to become an engineer.
“During the 1979 famine in Ethiopia…my global consciousness changed,” he said. “I developed a crucial understanding of causes,” which helped him develop solutions more efficiently.
The challenge, Matlock said, is against scarcity or high demand for resources.
“Sustainability is the ability to do what we do today and not hurt the future generations,” he said. “This is not a philanthropic concern…instead, it’s a self-survival concern—profit persists.”
He believes the fundamentals of sustainability rely on the basic rules of commerce.
“Know your supply chain, make it controllable, understand the full evolution of it, the unique integrated solution,” he said. “They’re all driving to put the product on the shelf. Whether you’re growing soy, cotton for jeans, it’s all commerce…the ability to (keep it going) is the challenge of resources. Scarcity is conflict.”
But commerce can’t function without engineering, which is why Matlock accepted sustainability and engineering as a package.
“It deals with efficiency, solving complex problems with limited resources. Here, engineering is key,” he said. “I couldn’t solve (major, world-scale) problems without engineering skills.
“In 20 years, engineering fundamentals haven’t changed…it deals with every facet of how we take energy from the planet.”
Matlock’s passion for science, sustainability and world solutions comes largely from an adoration for the late Norman Borlaug.
“He’s the only agronomist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He saved 2 billion lives, which is more than anyone else,” Matlock said. “He was a friend and mentor at Texas A & M, why I went to teach there.”
In 2001, Matlock arrived in Arkansas after Borlag’s retirement. “There was no other reason to be in Texas,” he said.
Teaching millennial generation students is different, given the combination of contemporary events, technology and connectivity that affect their viewpoint, Matlock said. It sets them apart from previous generations of students.
“Global vision. Their understanding of the world around them is so different from even students five years ago,” he said. “They have a better perspective of global platform. That’s a dramatic change.”
In nearly twenty years of teaching, Matlock noticed significant differences in the students at U of A.
“In Arkansas, motivation is social. It’s less personal and more community.”
In other universities, Matlock found plenty of students that served their own interest or were only professionally-centered.
“U of A is not a cut-throat environment. These students don’t feel entitled and they have a good work ethic,” he said. “They have a sense of collaboration.”
When he’s not teaching, conducting research or advising students and student organizations, Dr. Matlock is usually spending time outdoors with his three children.
“My life is teaching and raising them,” he said. “We ride bikes, hike in Arkansas…we’ll swim, canoe and sail along Beaver Lake.”
Matlock enjoys machine-within-a-machine movies. His former favorite the Matrix was replaced by Inception. “It makes the Matrix look silly…the perception of (Inception) is much more exotic.”
Matlock acts as advisor for the American Ecological Engineering Society, a student organization of which he was formerly vice president and president. The group will attend a national conference in North Carolina in May, and make a trip to Milan, Italy, the week before.
“Our Senior Design Teams are on the cutting edge of bio-medical research,” he said. “These are highly sought-after students.”
“We focus on life-cycle analysis…and neighborhood development.”
Matlock suggested a key to success for biological and agricultural engineering students is through AEES certification workshops and research opportunities.
“It’s a big opportunity for students to work with professors,” something he said is an achievable position. “There are as many as 20 students to one professor. Students benefit from their skill and expertise.”
Matlock’s favorite aspect of teaching is opening up a new worldview to students.
“College opened up the world to me,” he said. “The vision…power of what we do. That’s why I work here.”
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