Gary Settles, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Gas Dynamics Laboratory, has won the Visualization Society of Japan's SGI Award for Excellent Visualized Image in 2005. The photo, "Full-Scale Schlieren Visualization of Supersonic Bullet and Muzzle Blast from Firing a .30-06 Rifle," was featured in volume eight of the group's Journal of Visualization. The image was shot with the assistance of Lori Dreibelbis, manager of the Gas Dynamics Laboratory.

Lyle N. Long, professor of aerospace engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The distinction is bestowed by AIAA and its board of directors to members who have made notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.

Arthur Miller, distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named interim associate dean for undergraduate studies in the College of Engineering. Miller takes over for Robert Pangborn, who was named Penn State's vice president and dean for undergraduate education and will begin serving in the position in January. A search committee to find a permanent replacement is being led by Thomas Litzinger, director of the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education and professor of mechanical engineering.

John S. Lamancusa, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Learning Factory, is one of five engineering educators chosen by the National Academy of Engineering to share the 2006 Bernard M. Gordon Prize, a $500,000 award that recognizes innovation in engineering and technology education. Lamancusa and his colleagues were honored "for creating the Learning Factory, where multidisciplinary student teams develop engineering leadership skills by working with industry to solve real-world problems." The Learning Factory originated from a coalition that included Penn State, the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM), the University of Washington (UW), Sandia National Laboratories, and 36 industrial partners who shared a desire to give undergraduate engineering students first-hand experience in design, manufacturing and business.In the program, students tackle real-world problems provided by industrial partners. Working in teams, they define and characterize the problem, build a solution prototype, write a business proposal and present their ideas in a final report.

Jose Ventura, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, and Jeffrey Tew, clinical professor of supply chain and information systems, have been named co-directors of the master's degree program in manufacturing management. The degree, celebrating its 10th year, is offered through the Quality and Manufacturing Management Program, which is administered jointly between the College of Engineering and The Smeal College of Business. The program integrates business, leadership, communication management, technology and engineering into a two-semester master's degree curriculum.

A transistor model jointly developed by Penn State and Philips was designated an industrywide model for future chip design by the Compact Model Council (CMC). The winning design garnered a $40,000 prize from the CMC, the world's foremost authority for the standardization, implementation and use of transistor models. The group was formed in 1996 and comprises 31 leading semiconductor companies and circuit simulator suppliers. In addition to the $40,000, CMC will contribute an additional $120,000 in 2006 to the ongoing Penn State-Philips effort. The Penn State-Philips (PSP) complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistor model will be the industry standard for simulating the behavior of new CMOS transistors produced at the 65-nanometer technology node and beyond. Engineers will be able to use the PSP model to accurately predict circuit performance before committing their designs to silicon.

George Lesieutre, professor and head of aerospace engineering, has been selected to participate in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation's (CIC) Department Executive Officer (DEO) Program. Created in 1997, the annual DEO program is designed to enhance departmental leadership skills. DEO seminars emphasize in-depth case study analyses as well as discussions on the challenges facing department heads. Program participants include veterans as well as newly appointed department heads and chairs. Lesieutre will attend the 2006 CIC DEO seminar at the Big Ten Conference headquarters in Chicago.

More than 200 engineering students will present their solutions to real-world engineering problems in the fall 2005 Learning Factory Project Showcase from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in the HUB-Robeson Center Alumni Hall, University Park. The event is free to the public. The showcase includes senior capstone design projects from mechanical, industrial and electrical engineering. The projects are sponsored by companies seeking solutions to some of their toughest engineering challenges.