Message

What if as a manufacturer of widgets you decided to build a newly redesigned widget 2.0? Traditionally you would put the design to paper and build a prototype for any number of tests to be performed on your new widget. But what if your widget design was not sufficient and needed further modifications? Well it's back to the old drawing board, using up precious time, money, and resources only to have to build another widget in which to test. Now, what if you could simulate all of these tests by a computer and skip the costly prototype and further refinements? You will come out ahead of your competitors in price, time-to-market, and overheads. The practice of engineering is being transformed by advanced computer simulation capabilities that are increasingly effective as supplements to experiments and testing. Computational tools are becoming critically important for the analysis and design of future engineering products and systems in a competitive global marketplace. The UT SimCenter at Chattanooga was recently established to pursue its mission of integrated research and education in computational engineering. A new M.S. degree in computational engineering is now offered at UTC, and a Ph.D. program is planned for early 2004. This presentation will discuss these UTC initiatives in computational engineering research and education. Dr. Briley received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1968. He is part of the UT SimCenter at Chattanooga, which was started in 2002 by a total of fifteen faculty and research professionals. Dr. Briley is now responsible for the UTC Computational Engineering Program.

Jim Roberto, the Associate Laboratory Director Physical Sciences at ORNL, shared "Thinking Small: Nanoscience and the Future of Technology." We have spent forty years trying to answer the questions in Feynman's vision that there's plenty of room at the bottom. A transcript of Nobel laureate Richard Feynman's classic talk given in 1959 can be found at http://www.scs-intl.com/online/ Things act differently at an atomic level. He mentioned two novels that include some examples of how nanoscience could be used: Prey, Michael Crichton's recent book and The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur Clarke where he mentions an elevator into space. We have found a material strong enough to reach into orbit, but we don't know how to build a cable using the carbon nanotubes. Worldwide, governments are spending about $2 Billion per year on nanoscience research. This does not include what industry may be spending on it. ORNL will be adding facilities in Oak Ridge for this research. In 2003, they will be adding the Advanced Materials Characteristics Laboratory and Cold Guide Hall at the HFIR (High Flux Isotope Reactor). In 2005, they will add the Center for Nanophase Materials Science. In 2006, they will add the Spallation Neutron Source that will be the nation's premier tool for neutron scattering research. Nanoscience is the next frontier. The National Science and Technology Council was quoted as saying, "Nanoscience will change the nature of almost every human-made object in the next century."

Here is a news release from ORNL on the subject: http://www.ornl.gov/Press_Releases/archive/mr19950712-00.html

An illustration of a graphite nanotube that Dr. Roberto described can be found at: http://www.csm.ornl.gov/viz/nano.html

The article in the Chattanoogan as written by Christina Siebold can be found at: http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_32378.asp

Check our website at http://www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org for meeting summaries prior to last Monday.

A very special thanks to Judy Driggans for providing this meeting summary.

FUTURE MONDAY MEETINGS ___________________________________

February 24: Control Logic Model for Data Intense Environments - Tony Wheeler, Wheeler & Associates

March 3: The Sun - A very close look at our nearest star - Mitzi Adam, NASA

March 10: Properly Removing Hazardous Waste from Chattanooga - Carrie Hunt and Marty Bourquin, WR Grace & Co.

March 24: Update on Diamond Chemical Vapor Deposition Technology - Dale Bradshaw, TVA - Power Delivery Technologies

March: MetroNet - Chattanooga raises the speed limit on data communications.

WHERE WE MEET _______________________________________________
(WE WILL BE MEETING AT THE CLARION HOTEL, DOWNTOWN THIS WEEK, FEBRUARY 17) Unless we note otherwise, all of our presentation meetings are held at the Cellar Restaurant in the Tallan Building, Union Square Downtown Chattanooga from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Our meeting room and luncheon service are open by 11:30 a.m. Lunch buffet is $10.00 per person (inclusive). No reservation is required. Free parking is available in the Days Inn Motel (on Carter St. and MLK Blvd,) courtesy of the Days Inn management. When you park there, be sure to place a note on your dashboard indicating you are attending the Engineers Club meeting.

QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS ? _____________________________________
If you have any questions or suggestions about program items please call Brad Baucom at 423-648-3582 or e-mail him at bradbaucom@comcast.net. You can find references to other Chattanooga Engineers Club members at our web site: www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org .