CSU Alum Takes First Place in ASME International Student Conference
Colorado State University went global as one of its own attended the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International Student Conference at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey and won first prize with his technical presentation.
During his final year at Colorado State, Kyle Siler-Evans eagerly worked on his senior design practicum project with three other undergraduate students in mechanical engineering. In the spring of 2006, the team-- made up of Robert Millot, Molly Crawford, Dustin Warner, and Kyle-- finished building a new robotic system designed to improve the method for collecting ion beam current density downstream from an ion source. The project, known as the Multi-Axis Plasma Profiling System (MAPPS), positions an ion current density probe within the near field region of plasma and ion sources, an improvement over previous beam profiling systems. Casey Farnell, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering, and Dr. John Williams, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, advised the team throughout the project.
The project was successful and the research opened up exciting new opportunities in the area of ion propulsion for space exploration, so when Kyle received an email notifying him of the ASME conference in Turkey in late May, he worked with Dr. Williams to develop a 200 word abstract for a research paper. His paper resulted in an invitation to attend the conference and before Kyle knew it, he was on his way to Turkey to present his paper on MAPPS. Dr. Williams along with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the College of engineering pitched in to offset some of Kyle's expenses.
The goal behind the conference was to help current mechanical engineering students improve their presentation skills and to provide a forum for students to share their views and concepts with the engineering community. The conference included a number of technical presentations, industry and sightseeing tours, and technical poster displays. It also involved two competitions: the 2006 Student Design Contest and the Old Guard Oral Presentation Competition.
The conference consisted of participants ranging from undergraduates to Ph.D. students from around the world including India, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Iran, Singapore, Turkey and Bangladesh, to name a few.
Kyle said the Old Guard Oral Presentation Competition was tough because there were so many universities represented. But he took first place and was awarded $500 and a plaque. Kyle's experience in presenting his work during the senior design practicum really paid off. He also received an invitation to present his "Investigation of Ion Beam Thrust Vector Drift" paper at the ASME International Conference and Exposition that was held November 5-10, 2006 in Chicago. Kyle's paper presentation was well received by organizers and spectators at the conference.
One of Kyle's main goals for his senior design project was to gain research experience that would strengthen his application for graduate school. Based on his research on robotic systems, Kyle is working toward publishing his work in a peer reviewed engineering journal.
Kyle graduated in the spring of 2006 and plans to attend graduate school. He credits his senior design experience with providing the incentive to earn his Ph.D. and continue on in research that will benefit the global community. He has been accepted to a Ph.D. program at Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering and Public Policy and also into the University of Maryland's Master's in Engineering and Public Policy program. Before attending graduate school, Kyle will spend at least two years in an Americorp program called Teach For America where he will be teaching 9th grade math in Baltimore City.
Article by CSU Alumnus Josh Kerrigan