Spectrum - Volume 20 Issue 31 May 21, 1998 - Torgersen Awards presented

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Torgersen Awards presented

By Liz Crumbley

Spectrum Volume 20 Issue 31 - May 21, 1998

In April, six graduate-engineering student papers were selected out of a roster of 21 entries vying for Paul E. Torgersen Graduate Student Research Excellence Awards. The awards program was established in 1990 by the College of Engineering in recognition of Torgersen's many years of service as dean of the college.
Top honors in the M.S.-degree-candidate category went to Joel M. Grasmeyer of aerospace and ocean engineering for his paper, "Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of a Truss-Braced Wing Aircraft with Tip-Mounted Engines." Grasmeyer's paper also recently won first place in the graduate student category during the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Mid-Atlantic Regional Student Conference and first place in the physical science and engineering category at Virginia Tech's 14th Annual Research Symposium.
Second place in the M.S. category went to Michael D. Hayes of engineering science and mechanics (ESM) for "Characterization and Modeling of a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Structural Beam and Bridge Structure." Pierre E. Cambou of mechanical engineering received the third-place award for "Vibration and Sound Radiation Control Using a New Active-Passive Device."
In the Ph.D. category, Russell G. May Jr. of materials science and engineering placed first with "Miniature Fiber Optic Viscoelasticity Sensor for Composite Cure Monitoring." The second place award went to Frederick W. Gibson of chemical engineering for "Stabilization of Submicron Metal Oxide Particles in Aqueous Media." Nicole L. Breivek of ESM received the third-place award for "Thermal and Mechanical Response of Curved Composite Panels."