CLARKSON CLEAN SNOWMOBILE TEAM RECEIVES $2,000 NSF GRANT
Students at Clarkson University developing clean snowmobiles — quiet, low-emissions machines that still smoke in the performance department — got a boost recently, thanks to a $2,000 grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Polar Programs. The funds are earmarked for Clarkson's Clean Snowmobile Challenge Team, one of four teams entered in the zero-emissions category at the annual SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, set for March 19-24 at Michigan Tech. The Society of Automotive Engineers event attracts teams of engineering undergraduates from across North America. The goal: design a snowmobile with lower environmental impact — less noise and fewer emissions — without sacrificing the performance that snowmobile enthusiasts crave. Clarkson's Snowmobile Team is part of the University's SPEED (Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design) program. "We're certainly grateful to the National Science Foundation for this show of support for our team," said SPEED Program Director Robert J. Davis. "Clarkson as a university has taken a leadership position in environmental and renewable energy research, and this team of students has taken a lead role in addressing one of the many issues impacting our environment. They have put in many long hours designing and fabricating a snowmobile that defies the conventional higher emission means of propulsion and we look forward to seeing the results of their labor in Michigan."
SEVEN CLARKSON UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS RECEIVE SEED GRANTS TO FUND RESEARCH PROJECTS
Three projects led by seven Clarkson University professors have received funding through this year's Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering seed grant competition. Through the Coulter endowment to the School of Engineering, a high emphasis is placed on education and research that enables technological advances to serve humanity. The three funded projects are examples of the importance of basic engineering research necessary to make advances in the health care and medical fields. These seed grants will enable the researchers to get started on their projects so they can then write competitive proposals to funding agencies to further their research. Associate Professor Susan E. Conry and Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology Director Charles J. Robinson are developing a more advanced diagnostic tool for detecting and measuring the severity of neurological tremor. This is commonly associated with the elderly and patients with multiple sclerosis. The current analysis is done with a paper and pencil; a doctor will have the patient outline a square with a pencil. The doctor will then study the deviations from the lines and try to draw conclusions about the patient's progress. Conry and Robinson have an idea to create a computer tool that will interpret the deviations mathematically. Both professors are in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Assistant Professor Douglas G. Bohl, Associate Professor Brian Helenbrook, and Associate Professor Kathleen A. Issen will perform a study on human vertebrae. They plan to analyze the structural property of bone and aging. Osteoporosis is a disease, which causes bones to become thinner and weaker in the elderly. These faculty members are in the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Department, and will apply their fundamental engineering knowledge to this project by studying fluid flow through and solid and fluid mechanics of the porous bone material. Assistant Professor Weiqiang Ding and Associate Professor Cetin Cetinkaya are working to develop an apparatus to measure forces between micro- or nano-particles. The apparatus will be used to gain fundamental knowledge about how these particles roll and stick to surfaces. Such information is valuable, for example, in understanding how red blood cells clot. Both professors are in the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Department. Higher priority for funding was given to projects that targeted engineering faculty who are tenure-track assistant professors or more senior faculty looking to explore a significantly new research area, were working within one of the University's research focus areas, and demonstrated the probability that the preliminary research would result in significant future research grants. The three focus areas are environment and energy, advanced materials processing, and rehabilitation and biomedical engineering.
DID YOU KNOW?
The State of Connecticut has launched a new program that helps engineers working full-time in the state pay off student loans. The Connecticut Engineering Loan Reimbursement Program will pay up to $5,000 of student loans to individuals who are:
-Legal residents of Connecticut
-Have outstanding student loans in their names
-Have earned an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering from any college or university in the U.S.
-Have been hired as a full-time engineer in Connecticut after Dec. 31, 2005
This program requires that a Loan Reimbursement Program Application be completed and submitted to the state's program office by March 30, 2007. The monies will be awarded by June 1, 2007. Please contact the state Education & Employment Information Center's toll-free hotline at 1-800-842-0229 or via e-mail, at eeic@ctdhe.org if you have any questions on eligibility or processing. If you're eligible for this reimbursement, you may forward your completed application form to your Human Resource representative for completion of the Employer information portion of the form.
CU MEN'S HOCKEY TEAM HEADS BACK TO ALBANY!
Back to Albany after a three-year absence, the Clarkson University Hockey team has its sights set upon claiming the storied program’s fifth ECAC Hockey League Tournament Championship crown. Guided by fourth-year Head Coach George Roll, Associate Coach Greg Drechsel and Assistant Coach Jean-Francois Houle, the Golden Knights advanced to the semifinal round for the first time since 2004 and for the 31st time overall after a hard-fought effort in the quarterfinal round. Clarkson will face off against Dartmouth in the second semifinal contest at the Times Union Center on Friday at 8 p.m. St. Lawrence and Quinnipiac will meet in the first semifinal game beginning at 4:30 p.m. The winners on Friday will face off in Saturday’s championship game at 8:07 p.m. The consolation contest will take place in the afternoon, beginning at 4:30 p.m. College Sports Television (CSTV) will broadcast the championship game live. All four games of the ECACHL championship weekend will be broadcast live worldwide via streaming on B2 Networks. All games can be accessed through http://www.b2now.com/submarketpage/ecachl/ or through the league’s Web site at www.ecachockeyleague.com. The team WILL BE GOING to the NATIONALS! More details will be available on Monday, March 19.
KNIGHTS PLACE 6TH AT USCSA ALPINE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, NASER NAMED ALL-AMERICAN
An outstanding performance on Saturday pushed the Clarkson University Men's Alpine Ski team to its best-ever showing at the USCSA National Championships, the team's first appearance at the championships in three years. After finishing ninth in the giant slalom on Thursday, the men's team finished sixth in the slalom on Saturday. With a combined total of 15 points, the Golden Knights edged their way into sixth in the overall standings, matching a sixth-place tie that was produced back at the 1987 USCSA Nationals. On Thursday, junior Kurt Naser (Arlington, MA) shined in Colorado with a 19th place showing in the giant slalom with a time of 1:58.76. Senior Brad White (Watertown, NY) came in 34th with a time of 2:04.13 and sophomore Andrew Badger (Canandaigua, NY) rounded out the Knights' scoring in the event with a time of 2:08.05, finishing 49th overall. Saturday saw all five Clarkson skiers finish the race after juniors Robert Reed (West Suffield, CT) and Jason Thayer (Macedon, NY) faltered in the giant slalom runs on Thursday and that depth proved vital for Clarkson's strong showing. Naser was 12th in the slalom with a 1:34.19 finish and White followed at 29th in 1:39.82. Reed (1:47.71) and Thayer (1:48.10) placed back-to-back in 48th and 49th, respectively, while Badger came in 73rd at 2:00.63. Naser finished 11th in the overall combined standings, the top individual performance ever for a Clarkson skier at the Nationals, and gained All-American status. He became only the third Golden Knight to earn the honor, preceded by Mikel Forsthuber (2001) and Brian Welch (2002). Also, with their sixth-place showing and a fourth-place finish by the men's nordic ski team, the Golden Knights claimed the top four-way spot among the six teams with both an alpine and nordic team at the event. The four-way champions are determined by the combined placing of the team's in the slalom and giant slalom in alpine skiing and two speed races from the nordic ski team.
50 YEARS OF DR. EGON MATIJEVIC CELEBRATION CONTINUES: NEXT STOP IS IN NEW YORK CITY!
President Tony Collins and Karen Collins invite you and your spouse or guest to join the University in honoring Professor Matijević at an event in New York City celebrating his 50th anniversary year at Clarkson. For 50 years at Clarkson University, Dr. Egon Matijević, Victor K. LaMer Professor of Colloid and Surface Science, has been inspiring excellence in the laboratory, the classroom and in life. As a world-renowned researcher with numerous patents and innovations to his name, he has defied convention among his higher education peers and led the Clarkson faculty to always place students first. Egon's next visit will take place in New York City on Wednesday, April 25. Please join us at 6 p.m. at The Century Club, which is located at 7 W. 43rd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues). This will be the third city on the Dr. Matijevic Tour and it has been well received throughout the nation! Please join us! To register please visit: http://www.clarkson.edu/matijevic/events/ .
THE CLARKSON UNIVERSITY FIRST ROBOTICS TEAM 229 WILL BE COMPETING IN THE FIRST ROBOTICS LONG ISLAND REGIONAL COMPETITION HOSTED BY HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY ON MARCH 30 -31
The team, made up of Clarkson University students and high school students from Massena and Salmon River Central Schools, will be hosting a meet and greet reception for interested alumni and perspective students on Friday, March 30, from 7-9 p.m. at the Long Island Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Uniondale, NY. RSVP to: Christina Lesyk, University Event Coordinator, at chlesyk@clarkson.edu or at 315-268-6425. At this competition the students will put their robot “Division by Zero” up against 41 other teams from New York, New Jersey, and Indiana. The Clarkson students, acting as mentors for the team, will put their design up against robots designed by professional engineers from companies such as Allison Transmission, Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce, and Motorola. This Student team is one of 17 teams operating under the Clarkson University SPEED Program. The SPEED program (Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design) is one of the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering hallmark initiatives exemplifying Clarkson's boundary spanning approach to education. SPEED promotes multidisciplinary, project-based learning opportunities for more than 250 undergraduates annually. Projects involve engineering design and analysis, and fabrication. In addition, students learn real-world business skills such as budget management, effective teamwork, and communications skills. SPEED receives its primary financial support from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation with contributions from ExxonMobil and Turner Construction Company. The program was recognized with the 2001 Boeing Outstanding Educator Award and the 2002 Corporate and Foundation Alliance Award for its exceptional contributions to improving undergraduate engineering education.
JAMES WOOD ’64: STICKS PART II
The second installment of Jim Wood’s story on Lacrosse can be found here. Comments on the story sent to us will be passed on to Jim! Thanks again to Jim Wood for providing great stories about Lacrosse, Egon Matijevic and Fraternity Life.
KNIGHTS OF NOTE: DEFYING CONVENTION
Our sincerest thanks go out to Karen St. Hiliare '75, Ann Carlson '81, Georgia Keresty '83, Silca Munro '00 and Karla Fennell '05 who all returned to Clarkson to participate in a Women’s Leadership Seminar on campus for the entire community. Well done!
A senior associate appointment at Corning recognizes those individuals who have demonstrated distinguished project leadership and have made exceptional contributions to the field of Project Management at Corning Inc. Congratulations to Joe Dubendorfer ’69 and Matthew Maslyn ’77 who have recently earned this honor!

Georgia Keresty ’83 and Bill Helmer ’54 were recently welcomed as new members of Clarkson’s Board of Trustees. Congratulations!
And to our Golden Knights Hockey Team! All the best on the road to the National Championship!
For a printer-friendly version of the e-newsletter click here.




