The Ohio State University

Brian K. Hajek, senior research engineer and associate chair of the Nuclear Engineering Program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Ohio State University has been named the recipient of the 2008 Arthur Holly Compton Award by the American Nuclear Society (ANS).

Hajek was selected to receive this prestigious national teaching award because of his inspirational leadership that creates enthusiasm among students about nuclear science and engineering. He promotes diversity throughout his teaching and forges industrial links for faculty and students.

Mohammed Samimy, professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been named the Howard D. Winbigler Designated Professor in Engineering at The Ohio State University.

Samimy, who joined Ohio State in 1985, received his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1984. He was promoted to professor at Ohio State in 1994 and served as associate chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1997 to 2000. He currently is director of the College of Engineering's Gas Dynamics and Turbulence Laboratory.

Two mechanical engineering students were recently awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship that provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees; totaling an amount of nearly $121,500 for each award recipient.

Widely considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. conferred upon undergraduates studying the sciences, The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship has been awarded to mechanical engineering undergraduate Ehsan Sadeghipour.

Out of the 321 scholarships awarded nationwide, 52 were awarded to engineering majors. Many of the scholars have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering, and computer disciplines; at Ohio State, Sadeghipour will also earn a minor in economics.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has announced this year's fellows and Rob Parker, professor in mechanical engineering, is a 2008 honoree.

ASME selected Parker for his development of a major research program on the dynamics, vibration, and stability of mechanical systems with particular focus on high-speed machinery. His current work focuses on the dynamics of geared transmissions and axially moving media such as belt drives. This work examines fundamental problems at the boundary of academic research and industrial applications, adopting mathematical, computational and experimental approaches.