ASMS Students Participate in Research Program at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – High school juniors and seniors from the Alabama School of Math and Science (ASMS) in Mobile recently participated in a prototype research and development program at The University of Alabama to test new technological systems. The program involves high school students, university faculty, national laboratories and industries.

In the two-week program, students were members of either “Team Bat” or “Team Bicycle,” and competed in a project to create a solution to an assigned engineering problem using newly developed electromechanical systems. Team Bat developed a grip sensor for baseball bats that would improve a player’s swing, while Team Bicycle created a sensor attachment for car bike racks to prevent accidents when approaching low objects.

The two teams worked on their projects in one of UA’s electromechanical engineering laboratories under the guidance of Dr. Joey Parker, associate professor of mechanical engineering, assisted by graduate students from the College of Engineering. The program coordinators were Parker and Dr. Tim Haskew, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “We were truly amazed at how well the students did,” said Haskew. “Not only did they handle themselves very well in an unfamiliar setting, but they also did a superior job at creating unique solutions to the problems presented to them.”

During their final presentation to faculty, staff and visiting parents, the ASMS students related that they had accomplished more than they had ever expected they would in a two-week period. “Basically, the equipment we used we had never seen before. Although we’ve been taught circuitry in class, we have never experienced using the equipment itself,” said ASMS student Rachel Grigsby of Selma, “and through trial and error, we learned that things don’t always work the way you think they should.”

Each participant reported having already selected a major focus for their college career, including such choices as physics, aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering and electromechanical engineering,

The program was sponsored in part by the Alabama State
Office of the National Science Foundation’s Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), through
its Large Scale Electromechanical Systems Center of
Excellence (LEMS), run by the Electromechanical Systems
Laboratory at the University. LEMS is a joint project between UA, Shelton State, Auburn, the Alabama School of Math and Science, two National Labs and six industries as one of four projects sponsored by EPSCoR to spur the growth of the research infrastructure (physical and human) in Alabama.

The goal of the LEMS project is to improve modern precision manufacturing technologies to produce electric machinery with advanced motion control systems and much higher energy and power densities than are presently available. These improvements will have applications in a variety of arenas, such as the military, industrial, and transportation sectors, according to Haskew. Faculty at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa will be working with UA faculty to train a work force to handle these new electromechanical systems that are replacing the old mechanical systems. Through participating in prototype programs, ASMS students are introduced to the new systems and challenged to develop their own solutions to future problems.

For additional information about the program, contact Dr. Robert Griffin, state executive director of EPSCoR, at 205/348-1049.

Note to the Editor: Photographs and cutlines to accompany this release are available by e-mail from Karen Boykin at boykin@coe.eng.ua.edu or can be downloaded at http://alepscor.ua.edu/asmsstudents.html.