Author: Joe McCune
Missouri S&T organizes earth and space conference
The final frontier is closer than it appears; it’s in Florida in less than two weeks.
Missouri University of Science and Technology is the organizer of the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Aerospace Division bi-annual Earth and Space Conference April 11-15 in Orlando, Florida.
The event for the planetary surface construction community attracts a multi-disciplinary audience from around the world. Over 130 papers were peer reviewed for acceptance, presentation and inclusion into the online proceedings. Conference attendees will hear high-quality presentations and will have opportunities to network with experts and leaders in construction, civil engineering, architecture, aerospace engineering, in-situ resource utilization, planetary science and other fields.
Read More »Missouri S&T women’s team defends mucking title
A group of Missouri University of Science and Technology students has traveled nearly 1,500 miles to defend a world championship title in events based on old-fashioned mining techniques generally known as “mucking.” The students are competing in the 38th Intercollegiate Mining Competition held Wednesday, March 30, through Sunday, April 3, at Montana Tech of the University of Montana in Butte, Montana.
Missouri S&T sent three teams to compete against over 15 teams from the United States, Australia, England and Brazil in events based on mining techniques used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Students are competing in seven timed events: gold panning, surveying, hand-mucking, hand-steeling, track-standing, Swede sawing and jackleg drilling. Missouri S&T’s women’s team won the international competition last year in Kalgoorlie, Australia.
Read More »Fahrenholtz takes over Materials Research Center
Dr. William Fahrenholtz, Curators’ Professor of ceramic engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been named the director of the Materials Research Center at Missouri S&T. His appointment took effect Monday, March 21.
Fahrenholtz takes over for Dr. Matt O’Keefe, who became chair of materials science and engineering department at Missouri S&T on March 1.
“Dr. Fahrenholtz’s work as a professor of ceramic engineering has been exemplary, and he is one of the leading researchers in his field, making him an excellent choice to lead the MRC,” says Dr. Mariesa Crow, vice provost for research at Missouri S&T. “His move from senior investigator to director will ensure that the MRC remains on the cutting edge, helping prepare our students to tackle the challenges of today — and beyond.”
Read More »Missouri S&T Miners in Space develop NASA anchor
If astronauts are ever going to travel to and land on Mars, the first step is capturing a piece of an asteroid, putting it into orbit around the moon and having space walkers explore it. And Missouri University of Science and Technology students are designing a device that allows astronauts to safely move around on just such a rock.
Missouri S&T’s Miners in Space team is participating in NASA’s Micro-g NExT design challenge, and team members have developed an anchoring device that attaches to the surface that astronauts can clip onto. As part of NASA’s asteroid redirect project (ARM), the agency wants new technologies to use on a human mission to the Martian system in the 2030s.
But first, walking around on a piece of an asteroid has its own set of problems.
Read More »Missouri S&T to host concrete conference
Missouri University of Science and Technology will host the annual Missouri Concrete Conference May 3-4 in the Havener Center on campus. Conference registration is $140 per person.
Conference topics include benefits of macrofibers; steel fibers in concrete; impact of air pollution control on fly ash; proper curing techniques and materials; soil stabilization and full-depth reclamation; a Kansas City International Airport runway case history; new ACI pavement construction guide; lithium silicate curing compound; floor slabs and toppings: design and quality control; concrete tests: choices and interpretation; practical applications of resistivity testing; super air meter; factors affecting strength; structural cracks: identification, prevention and repair; street deterioration repairs; city and county: concrete pavement management programs; pavement joint sealing and resealing; pavement joint detailing; and history of Missouri Department of Transportation concrete girders.
Read More »Missouri S&T big data certificates ranked second in nation
Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Business Analytics and Data Science graduate certification program is ranked second in the nation in Value College’s Top 50 Best Value Online Big Data Graduate Programs of 2016.
The rankings list Carnegie Mellon University first, followed by Missouri S&T, which also offers graduate certificate programs in Big Data and Security and Big Data Management and Analytics. The programs are offered as part of distance and continuing education through Missouri S&T’s business information and technology department.
Read More »Missouri S&T signs commitment to climate
Climate change is one of the world’s great challenges, and Missouri University of Science and Technology has committed to be a demonstrated leader in climate action and sustainable solutions by signing the Second Nature Climate Commitment charter.
According to Second Nature, the commitment “integrates a goal of carbon neutrality with climate resilience and provides a systems approach to mitigating and adapting to a changing climate.” Signatories commit to exercising “leadership in their communities and throughout society by providing the knowledge, research, practice, and informed graduates to create a positive and sustainable future.”
Read More »Climate change thought leader gives Stueck Lecture
A leading voice in the climate change discussion, Dr. G. Wayne Clough, will present the 2016 Stueck Lecture at Missouri University of Science and Technology on Friday, April 22.
Clough, president emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the immediate past secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, will give a talk titled “Climate Change — An Engineering Grand Challenge for Our Age” at 2:15 p.m., April 22 in Room 125 Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Hall, 1401 N. Pine St. The event is free and open to the public.
Read More »Missouri S&T professor aims to improve self-consolidating concrete
A Missouri University of Science and Technology researcher is studying how to make concrete that can be placed without a lot of human intervention, and that can be poured in hard-to-reach places where people can’t easily manipulate it.
Dr. Dimitri Feys, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T, is working with self-consolidating concrete to produce beams that can be used to construct bridges, parking garages or other construction. Self-consolidating concrete is a type that flows easily in concrete forms or molds.
“The main use of this concrete is in Japan and Europe — 100 percent of the pre-cast industry in Denmark uses this type — and it slowly is making its way in the U.S. market,” he says.
But there are challenges, Feys says.
Read More »O’Keefe named chair of materials science and engineering department
Dr. Matt O’Keefe, professor of materials science and engineering and director of the Materials Research Center at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been named chair of the materials science and engineering department at Missouri S&T. His appointment took effect March 1.
O’Keefe takes over from Dr. Dick Brow, Curators’ Professor of ceramic engineering, who will remain on the faculty in a teaching and research capacity.
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