Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 1, 1998 - Safety by Design Inc., may be a small company, but its potential is big. Last month its founders were recognized in Washington D.C., with a 1998 U.S. Small Business Administration Tibbetts Award honoring that potential and their success thus far.
Three University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering faculty members - Dean Sicking, John Rohde and John Reid - founded Safety by Design in 1996 as a spin-off of the NU roadside hardware design program. The company is based in the university's Technology Park.
The three engineers have garnered an international reputation for design and full-scale testing of roadside safety hardware. At NU, they and their colleagues have developed a research program generating about $1 million per year in funding. The bulk of the funding for development of hardware products is undertaken by companies outside Nebraska and Safety by Design was established to bring the benefits of these Nebraska-based developments back to the state in manufacturing and sales. Sales of licensed products developed by the three men have reached $30 million annually.
This is the third year that NU engineering faculty have
received Tibbetts awards. Samy Elias, associate dean for research
and director of the Engineering Research Centers, was the first,
in 1996. John Woollam, founder and CEO of Lincoln's J.A. Woollam
Co., received one in 1997.
Contact: Janet Carlson
Engineering Research Centers
(402) 472-3804
Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 1, 1998 - The University of Nebraska- Lincoln Purchasing Department has been honored by the National Association of Educational Buyers Inc. with one of 10 national "Best in Class" citations.
The association honored the Nebraska department especially for its high level of personal service and high customer satisfaction. Nebraska was one of four public universities honored, along with Indiana University, the University of Arizona and the University of Utah.
"We are extremely proud of the innovations the procurement
professionals have initiated over the last several years," said
Chancellor James Moeser. "Focusing upon efficient and simplified
processes for our faculty and staff has allowed us to expand the
use of our everyday operating dollars. Underlying this objective
is a never-ending commitment to customer service and client
satisfaction, which is the prime reason we are ranked as one of
the best in the nation."
Contact: Bill Bode
Material Services Administrator
(402) 472-3609
Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 1, 1998 - The American Society for Microbiology has selected Amy Lawson, a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as a 1998 award recipient of the ASM/Sustaining Member Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
This fellowship encourages students to pursue careers or advanced degrees in the microbiological sciences by providing an opportunity to participate in a research project and gain experience in presenting their results. Each fellow receives a $2,500 stipend, a one-year membership in the society, and reimbursement for travel expenses to the society's general meeting.
This year, 59 applicants were received and 17 were awarded.
Mark Morrison, associate professor of animal science, is
Lawson's mentor. The subject of her research is "A Molecular-
based Examination of Some of the Factors Affecting Cellulose
Degradation by Ruminococcus albus Strain 8: The Effects of
Cellulose on RNA Transcripts and Proteins in Ruminoccus albus 8."
Lawson is from Lincoln.
Contact: Mark Morrison
Animal Science
(402) 472-9382
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Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 1, 1998 - Ruma Banerjee, associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been appointed to a three-year term on the National Institutes of Health Biochemistry Study Section Center for Scientific Review.
Members of the study section are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.
"Service on a study section . . . requires mature judgement and objectivity as well as the ability to work effectively in a group, qualities we believe Dr. Banerjee will bring to this important task," said Ellie Ehrenfeld, director of the Center for Scientific Review.
NIH study sections review grant applications, make
recommendations to the appropriate NIH national advisory council
or board and survey the status of research in their fields of
science. Ehrenfeld said these functions are of "great value" to
medical and allied research in this country.
Contact: Ruma Banerjee
Biochemistry
(402) 472-2941
Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 1, 1998 -Sarah Ryan, assistant professor of industrial and management systems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was one of 83 young engineers selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering's fourth annual Frontiers of Engineering symposium last month in Irvine, Calif.
The event unites some of the nation's top engineers ranging in age from 30 to 45 to highlight leading-edge research and engineering developments. The participants - from industry, academia and government labs - were chosen from a field of more than 240 candidates nominated by other engineers or institutions.
"Frontiers of Engineering allows outstanding young engineers to collaborate with their peers and build an understanding of cross-disciplinary techniques and developments," said academy president William A. Wulf. "The contacts that these engineers build now will be a valuable resource throughout their careers."
The symposium featured topics such as advanced materials,
robotics, simulation in manufacturing and optical imaging for
biomedicine and biomaterials.
Contact: Sarah Ryan
Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
(402) 472-1384
Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 1, 1998 - The Association for Canadian Studies in the United States has awarded a publication subvention grant to the University of Nebraska Press for Paul D. Kroeber's manuscript, "Reconstructing a Native Language Family: The Comparative Syntax of Salish."
The Canadian studies publication grant program promotes the publication in the United States of scholarly books and monographs in the social sciences, business, environment, humanities, law and fine arts with a unique relevance to Canada or the Canada-U.S. bilateral relationship. The grant assists U.S. publishers by defraying the costs of publication with a direct subvention for worth manuscripts.
Up to four grants of $5,000 each may be awarded annually.
The program is made possible with the assistance of the
government of Canada.
Contact: Danny Calhoun
Assoc. for Canadian Studies in the United States
(202) 393-2580
EDWARDS NAMED REGIONAL VP FOR ENGINEERING SOCIETY
Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 1, 1998 - Donald M. Edwards, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been installed as vice president of the North Central region of the National Society of Professional Engineers.
An active member of the society, Edwards has served the
organization at the national, state and local levels. At the
national level, he has been vice president for the Professional
Engineers in Education Division and has chaired or served on the
society's education council, assessment task force, board of
directors and the executive committee. He has also held office at
the state and local level in both the Nebraska and Michigan
Professional Engineers Societies.
Contact: Don Edwards
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
(402) 472-2201
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