FACULTY NEWS
With an extensive international network, Lorenz is Wisconsin Idea 'ambassador'
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Lorenz (center) with faculty at Stefan cel Mare.
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 earing a UW-Madison faculty member talk to a crowd about the Wisconsin Idea may not be unusual. However, Bob Lorenz had the opportunity to be among the first to do so in northern Romania.
In late May, the Universitatea Stefan cel Mare Suceava (Steven the Great University-Suceava) presented Lorenz, the Mead Witter Foundation/Consolidated Papers Professor of Controls Engineering in mechanical engineering, with an honorary doctorate and faculty appointment. The degree symbolizes a long-term relationship between Lorenz and his Romanian academic colleagues, including Professor Adrian Graur, the university rector (the title equivalent to chancellor). “By honoring such a man, Stefan cel Mare University honors itself,” Graur said in Romanian at the ceremony.
Founded in the early 1960s, Stefan cel Mare has grown into a quality research institution with innovative science and engineering programs and more than 14,000 students. The university’s success is related in no small part to Graur’s tireless efforts, according to Lorenz, who has enjoyed brainstorming with the rector about courses, programs, facilities and research areas for the faculty to explore. “We have a wonderful rapport,” he says.
While the honorary degree is a notable honor, it’s only the latest example of Lorenz’s extensive network of international relationships. As co-director of the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC) and officer of IEEE and other professional societies, Lorenz frequently travels, and his experiences benefit both his local and global colleagues.
“The idea of building global connections is something WEMPEC has done a good job of, and it’s the way we should work. These connections are a powerful way to open the eyes of our students,” he says. “There are some very good ideas out there that they need to know about, and we have some very good ideas here that we need to share.”
Read more about Lorenz’s international connections at www.engr.wisc.edu/news/archive/2010/Jun15.html.
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Grainger Professor of Sustainable Energy Jaal Ghandhi has been named an SAE fellow for his achievements and contributions in applying optical diagnostics to study combustion and mixing phenomena in engines. Ghandhi will be honored at the SAE 2011 World Congress and Exhibition, which will be held April 2011 in Detroit, Michigan.
Ouweneel-Bascom Professor Sanford Klein has been awarded the 2010 Achievement Award from the International Building Programs Simulation Association. The award is presented annually to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to building energy simulation.
A series of UW-Madison summer camps, “Exploration by Design” is aimed at helping high school students with disabilities and their parents understand the transition to college. The camps are organized by the Midwest Alliance, headed by Professor Jay Martin, and emphasize possibilities for these students in science, technology, engineering and math. Read more at www.news.wisc.edu/18292.
Bernard A. and Frances M. Weideman Professor Vadim Shapiro has received a year-long, approximately $70,000 Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to significantly extend the field of computational design to new application areas. Shapiro will investigate dramatic technological advances for, initially, conserving and safely installing sculptures, with broader applications to analyze a variety of natural and man-made structures. Shapiro has also received a three-year, $40,000 NSF grant to extend geometric and solid modeling to configuration space modeling, which could lead to advances in computational design and a new generation of computational tools.
Assistant Professor Kevin Turner will receive a 2011 outstanding young manufacturing engineer award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The award recognizes manufacturing engineers under age 35 who have made exceptional contributions to manufacturing engineering and industry. He is one of 12 recipients of the 2011 awards..
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