Faculty/Departmental News

FACULTY/DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
FACULTY HONORS The AE Department congratulates Dr. John Messner, who has been notified by the National Science Foundation that he will receive a five year NSF Career Award for his proposal titled: “CAREER: Fostering Innovation and Learning in the AEC Industry Through Immersive Virtual Facility Prototypes.” Since 1996, four AE faculty members, Drs. Messner, Ali Memari, Jelena Srebric and Thomas Boothby, have garnered NSF Career awards totaling $1.3 million. This is an extremely impressive accomplishment for a faculty of only 17! Drs. John Messner, Michael Horman and David Riley have been notified by the National Science Foundation that they will receive a three-year NSF Award for their proposal titled: “Virtual Construction Simulator: Improving Design and Construction Engineering Education with Virtual Reality.” This multi-disciplinary project, performed in collaboration with the Architecture Department, Information Technology Services (ITS), and the Communications Department, will investigate the use of immersive virtual reality in a large stereoscopic display system for improving architectural engineering education at Penn State and other universities. The display system will allow students to visualize construction projects and building designs at full scale in a 3-D immersive environment. A new immersive visualization facility will be developed as a part of the project. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact Messner at jmessner@engr.psu.edu. In October 2003, associate professor Kevin Parfitt was named as Editor of the ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering.	The September 2003 issue of Structural Engineer magazine featured an article on “Structural Engineering Legends,” by Richard G. Weinhardt. He reported on a national survey that was conducted in June 2003, asking engineering leaders to name the most influential and/or powerful, living American structural engineers in the categories of education, design, innovation, public awareness and politics. Dr. Louis Geschwindner was one of the top six named in the education category. STUDENTS VISIT AE DEPT. A group of students from State College high school and their instructor, Phil Klaus visited the AE Department on Nov. 19, 2003 to learn more about the Penn State AE program. Dr. Ali Memari hosted this event, providing a tour of the AE laboratory and research facilities and answered questions for the visitors. During the tour, Memari demonstrated how small models of building frames behave in simulated earthquakes using a small desktop shaking table (shown above). He also carried out an experiment in the Building Envelope Research Laboratory (BERL) to show how an architectural glass curtain wall performs under dynamic racking displacement (shown below). He explained to the students that such experiments allow researchers to develop building components with better performance in earthquakes.	COMMENCEMENT Commencement for the College of Engineering was held on Dec. 20, 2003. Architectural Engineering conferred 37 B.A.E., 28 M.A.E., 4 M.S., and 1 M.Eng. degrees. An afternoon reception was held in the Kunkle Lounge for the AE graduates, their guests, and AE faculty and staff. Congratulations to our most recent graduates! LUCHINSKY LECTURE SPEAKER Dr. David Riley served as the guest speaker for the 9th Luchinsky Memorial Lecture that was held on February 4, 2004 at the Nittany Lion Inn. Riley spoke on “The Citizen’s Role in the 21st Century.” The Luchinsky lecture series is sponsored by the Schreyer Honors College, and is endowed by family and friends to honor the memory of Mark Luchinsky, a University scholar and biochemistry major who died on Jan. 8, 1995 at the age of 20. ASHRAE PRESIDENT VISIT ASHRAE president Richard Rooley visited the AE Department on Sep. 18, 2003. Mr. Rooley’s activities included opportunities to interact with AE students and a tour the AE facilities. He also provided a presentation to the ASHRAE student chapter on “Building Services and Refrigeration: Vital to Buildings in International Communities.” AE MAJOR NIGHT Assistant Professor Moses Ling was the faculty coordinator for AE Major Night which was held on Oct. 14, 2003. This event was held for students considering Architectural Engineering as their perspective major. AE student representatives were on hand to discuss the specialty options in the AE curriculum and to provide tours of the department facilities.

FACULTY/DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

FACULTY HONORS
The AE Department congratulates Dr. John Messner, who has been notified by the National Science Foundation that he will receive a five year NSF Career Award for his proposal titled: “CAREER: Fostering Innovation and Learning in the AEC Industry Through Immersive Virtual Facility Prototypes.”

Since 1996, four AE faculty members, Drs. Messner, Ali Memari, Jelena Srebric and Thomas Boothby, have garnered NSF Career awards totaling $1.3 million. This is an extremely impressive accomplishment for a faculty of only 17!

Drs. John Messner, Michael Horman and David Riley have been notified by the National Science Foundation that they will receive a three-year NSF Award for their proposal titled: “Virtual Construction Simulator: Improving Design and Construction Engineering Education with Virtual Reality.” This multi-disciplinary project, performed in collaboration with the Architecture Department, Information Technology Services (ITS), and the Communications Department, will investigate the use of immersive virtual reality in a large stereoscopic display system for improving architectural engineering education at Penn State and other universities. The display system will allow students to visualize construction projects and building designs at full scale in a 3-D immersive environment. A new immersive visualization facility will be developed as a part of the project. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact Messner at jmessner@engr.psu.edu.

In October 2003, associate professor Kevin Parfitt was named as Editor of the ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering.

The September 2003 issue of Structural Engineer magazine featured an article on “Structural Engineering Legends,” by Richard G. Weinhardt. He reported on a national survey that was conducted in June 2003, asking engineering leaders to name the most influential and/or powerful, living American structural engineers in the categories of education, design, innovation, public awareness and politics. Dr. Louis Geschwindner was one of the top six named in the education category.

STUDENTS VISIT AE DEPT.

A group of students from State College high school and their instructor, Phil Klaus visited the AE Department on Nov. 19, 2003 to learn more about the Penn State AE program. Dr. Ali Memari hosted this event, providing a tour of the AE laboratory and research facilities and answered questions for the visitors.

During the tour, Memari demonstrated how small models of building frames behave in simulated earthquakes using a small desktop shaking table (shown above). He also carried out an experiment in the Building Envelope Research Laboratory (BERL) to show how an architectural glass curtain wall performs under dynamic racking displacement (shown below). He explained to the students that such experiments allow researchers to develop building components with better performance in earthquakes.

COMMENCEMENT
Commencement for the College of Engineering was held on Dec. 20, 2003. Architectural Engineering conferred 37 B.A.E., 28 M.A.E., 4 M.S., and 1 M.Eng. degrees. An afternoon reception was held in the Kunkle Lounge for the AE graduates, their guests, and AE faculty and staff. Congratulations to our most recent graduates!

LUCHINSKY LECTURE SPEAKER
Dr. David Riley served as the guest speaker for the 9th Luchinsky Memorial Lecture that was held on February 4, 2004 at the Nittany Lion Inn. Riley spoke on “The Citizen’s Role in the 21st Century.”

The Luchinsky lecture series is sponsored by the Schreyer Honors College, and is endowed by family and friends to honor the memory of Mark Luchinsky, a University scholar and biochemistry major who died on Jan. 8, 1995 at the age of 20.

ASHRAE PRESIDENT VISIT
ASHRAE president Richard Rooley visited the AE Department on Sep. 18, 2003. Mr. Rooley’s activities included opportunities to interact with AE students and a tour the AE facilities. He also provided a presentation to the ASHRAE student chapter on “Building Services and Refrigeration: Vital to Buildings in International Communities.”

AE MAJOR NIGHT
Assistant Professor Moses Ling was the faculty coordinator for AE Major Night which was held on Oct. 14, 2003. This event was held for students considering Architectural Engineering as their perspective major. AE student representatives were on hand to discuss the specialty options in the AE curriculum and to provide tours of the department facilities.