OU Engineering

Wednesday, July 08, 2009 By Jay C. Upchurch OKGazette.com In Norman, the University of Oklahoma has forged a football tradition steeped in history, filled with more than a century’s worth of colorful characters, unforgettable moments and unparalleled success. Across campus at the OU College of Engineering, the fan base pales in comparison. Saturday crowds are practically nonexistent and the roster of talent contains nary a single household name. Still, the Sooner racing team has managed to build a fairly respectable name for itself in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) over the last few years. In fact, the 19-member crew — all mechanical engineering majors — recently finished off the most successful racing season in the program’s 15-year history. OU closed the 2009 season with consecutive top-5 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at the Formula-SAE West competition in Fontana, Calif. That field included 80 teams representing 10 countries and 24 states. And yes, Oklahoma bea

DATE: July 6, 2009 Farrokh Mistree, most recently a professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, has been named the L.A. Comp Chair and Director in the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering’s School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He follows Professor and Lesch Centennial Chair Subramanyam Gollahalli who is stepping down as Director after having led the School for eight highly progressive years. Gollahalli is a leading authority in combustion science and technology, and is looking forward to devoting more time and creative activity to teaching, research and service. Mistree comes to OU with more than 30 years of experience in academia, beginning as a lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He also served as associate professor and professor at the University of Houston and as professor of the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. He worked with Professor Ward O. Winer, ch

Jana Smith, Director of Strategic Communications for R&D July 9, 2009 Norman, Okla.--Amy Cerato, assistant professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science within the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, is among 100 beginning researchers nationwide named by President Obama as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers starting their independent careers. “These extraordinarily gifted young scientists and engineers represent the best in our country,” President Obama said. “With their talent, creativity, and dedication, I am confident that they will lead their fields in new breakthroughs and discoveries and help us use science and technology to lift up our nation and our world.” Cerato is studying how to design and build robust foundations for critical infrastructures, particularly in marginal soils. She says the U.S. s