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The senior design work was proof-of-concept for work initiated in 2004 to
demonstrate the benefits of using a plug-and-play network to improve traffic
signal performance, reliability and functionality. The first year’s work
produced a prototype traffic controller system using a simplified model of a
traffic controller. Graduate student Andy Huska and advisor Richard Wall
made a presentation of their work at the annual TRB meeting at Washington,
DC, in January 2006.
Read about the senior design team at their
website,
http://seniordesign.engr.uidaho.edu/2005_2006/litebright/index.html
Read more about the Plug-n-Play projects:
N06-01 (pdf) and
KLK122.
Clean Snowmobile Team
In March 2006, this year's clean snowmobile
team braved 24 inches of snow and winds from 30 to 50 miles/hour to compete
in the Society of Automotive Engineer's Clean Snowmobile Challenge in
Houghton, Michigan.
This year's snowmobile
was a direct-injection, two-stroke sled. Two-stroke engines are powerful
with low maintenance but traditionally loud, dirty and fuel-inefficient. The
team’s goal was to re-engineer a clean and quiet sled using a
direct injection system to decrease exhaust
emissions and improve fuel economy without reducing the power output of the
engine.
The team the first place
in the static display (shown on the left) and oral presentation categories.
For the static display, the team prepared posters describing their
engineering efforts and were available for judges who asked questions about
the sled.
Two senior design teams
worked on different aspects of the snowmobile during the 2005-06 academic
year. You can view their final reports at the following websites:
http://seniordesign.engr.uidaho.edu/2005_2006/directsolution/
http://seniordesign.engr.uidaho.edu/2005_2006/quietriot/
ITE Student Chapter Members Visit Washington DC
With support from NIATT, the Civil Engineering Department and the Associated
Students organization, six members of the Institute of Transportation
Engineers visited Washington, DC, for their field trip in April 2006.
The students toured the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the Washington DC Traffic
Management Center, ITE headquarters, and the National  Society
of Professional Engineers office.
Pictured from left to right (Nick Taylor, Dennis Ownby, Danielle Sebring,
Kristyn Scott, Guillermo Madrigal, and David Watkins), the group was
impressed by the Woodrow Wilson bridge, constructed at a cost of over $2.4
billion, which spans the Potomac from DC to Virginia. They were able to walk
under the bridge on the maintenance section.
Another highlight of the trip was a visit to the Shell station that was the
first hydrogen refueling station in America. The station has a visitor
center featuring hydrogen technology. A representative from GM met them with
a hydrogen car, which the students were able to drive.
Undergraduate Civil
Engineering Students Receive Scholarships
Coral Sales/Douglas P. Daniels Scholarships: Rachel Chipman & Vern Malensky
 
Rachel and Vern received $1000 each from the
Coral Sales representative for their outstanding leadership qualities and
participation in extracurricular activities. Both intend to pursue careers
in transportation.
Congratulations also to David Watkins, recipient of the ITE Scholarship, and
to Guillermo Madrigal, recipient of the Road Builders' Scholarship.
NIATT
Research Assistants Receive Advanced Degrees
Congratulations to the following students who received their
Master's Degrees during the 2005-2006 academic year.
Binu
Abraham--now working for DKS Associates
Manoj Annaji, now working for DKS Associates
Matt Benke--now working for the Department of Defense
Seyla
Berrio-Gonzales--now working for Kimley-Horn & Associates
Jesse Birchman--now working for the Transpo Group
Nathan Bradbury--now working for Western Trailers
Mario Candia-Martinez--now
working for Kittelson & Associates
Andy Huska--now working for Advanced Input Systems
Wassim Kebab--now working for the Transpo Group
Sajeev Kumar Keecheril--now working for CLC Consultants
Min Lu--now working for Washington DOT
Eresh Suwal Singh--now working for Dallas Semi-Conductor
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Expo in spring 2006, the student team demonstrated that their plug-and-play
pedestrian countdown timer performed better and more accurately then the
standard pedestrian countdown timer. 