‘MOST INNOVATIVE’ UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA ENGINEERING DESIGNS WIN AWARDS
US Fed News
May 18, 2009 Monday 8:31 PM EST
GRAND FORKS, N.D., May 15 — University of North Dakota issued the
following news release:
A device that enables a helicopter to hover in place using a
vision-based autopilot was judged to be the most innovative engineering
design by a team of judges in the annual Freeman Innovative Design
Competition held at University of North Dakota School of Engineering
and Mines (SEM). The competition, held in honor of Andrew Freeman, UND
School of Engineering and Mines alumnus and former general manager
of Minnkota Power, requires individuals or teams of engineering
students to present their senior design projects to a panel of local
engineers. The first place cash award of $1,250 was presented to Armen
Lazarian, senior in electrical engineering. Lazarian designed the
ViSAR, a vision-stabilized autonomous system for rotorcraft.
The device consists of a single camera onboard the helicopter that
is used to estimate the attitude and the position of the vehicle. The
system could potentially be used to autonomously control the helicopter
either indoors or when GPS data is unavailable. Lazarian is from
Yerevan, Armenia. Taking home the second place award of $750 was a
team of chemical engineering students. The team designed a process
for liquefied petroleum gas recovery from Bakken associated natural
gas in the southern half of western North Dakota. Team members are:
John Degenstein, The Woodlands, Texas; Raymond Dobratz, Fargo, N.D.;
James Foster, Grand Forks, N.D.; and Christopher Longie, Tioga,
N.D. Tied for third place were civil and mechanical engineering
projects. The civil engineering project developed a public water system
for Hidden Valley, Ariz., a community currently without a public water
system. The project also developed a water conservation plan using
gray (recycled) water systems to reduce the amount of clean drinking
water being used for irrigation and landscaping purposes. Andrew
Tischleder, senior in civil engineering from Apple Valley, Minn.,
developed the plan. A system to collect solar energy from thin film
attached to manufactured windows and turn it into electrical energy
was researched for feasibility by a team of mechanical engineers. The
team included Ian Dickmeyer, Pequot Lakes, Minn.; Eleanor Gillespie,
Northeast Minneapolis, Minn.; Michael Grimestad, Moorhead, Minn.;
Gregory Krayer, Arden Hills, Minn.; Shawn Tisher, Wahpeton, N.D.; and
Nicholas Graziano, Grand Forks, N.D. Andrew "Andy" Freeman was noted
for his creativity and visionary leadership of the electric utility
industry. An endowment was established in 1996 by Minnkota Power and
others to honor Freeman. The interest earned by the endowment funds
the annual design project awards, which are given in Freeman’s name
to individuals or teams of UND students participating in outstanding
senior design projects that exhibit open-ended, innovative design
work.For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:-
[email protected]