Murphy Society Grant Selection Process for FY09 Information for McCormick's Web Site

Each year unrestricted gifts to the McCormick Annual Fund are generously made by alumni and friends of Northwestern engineering. Donors who give $1,000 or more to McCormick are recognized as members of the Walter P. Murphy Society. Each year, a portion of this unrestricted support is allocated to fund special faculty- and student-initiated projects that benefit undergraduate engineering through Murphy Society project grants.

Each year in the fall, current Murphy Society members and the Dean consider projects to be funded and initiated in the new academic year and implemented over 1 to 3 years. Multi-year Murphy projects are also reviewed for renewal at this time. To be supported by the Murphy Society, projects must be innovative, bring a benefit to a significant number of McCormick undergraduate students, support the McCormick School strategic plan, and be self -sustaining. Murphy Society funds are not used for ongoing program support.

As part of the selection process, current Murphy Society members review proposals online or in-person, and then recommend those projects they would like the Dean to support. The Dean of McCormick then makes the funding decision and announces grant awards to McCormick faculty and student organizations during the fall quarter.

Department chairperson(s) must approve proposals prior to their submission and student organizations must have a faculty sponsor oversee and sign-off on their project.

Proposal Submission and Deadline Dates

Requests for proposals (RFPs) for McCormick Faculty projects will be distributed by Associate Dean Joseph Schofer in spring 2009; RFPs for McCormick Student organization projects will be distributed at the same time by Assistant Dean Ellen Worsdall. The RFPs will also be available on this website. Proposals must be submitted by June 30, 2009 to be eligible for consideration. Faculty proposals should go to to Associate Dean Joseph Schofer at j-schofer@northwestern.edu. McCormick student organization proposals must be submitted to Assistant Dean Ellen Worsdall at e-worsdall@northwestern.edu

Below are titles of projects that were awarded Murphy grants last year:

Expanding Ethics Instruction in Engineering Design and Communication (EDC)
Engineering Transdisciplinary Outreach Project in the Arts
"IE in the Community" by the Institute of Engineering
National Society of Black Engineers 2009 National Conference

2008 Murphy Society funded projects

The Walter P. Murphy Society is a group of annual leadership donors to the McCormick School who have the unique opportunity to assist the dean in allocating funding for faculty- and student-initiated projects each academic year.

2008 Murphy Society Funded Faculty Projects
2008 Murphy Society Funded Student Projects

2008 Murphy Society Funded Faculty Projects

Expanding Ethics Instruction in Engineering Design and Communication (EDC)
Bruce Ankenman, Associate Professor, Industrial Engineering and Management Science,
Director of Undergraduate Programs, Segal Design Institute

The proposed project, leveraging over three years of experience in integrating ethics instruction in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) department, the VaNTH ERC , and the graduate Ethics in Regulation course in the School of Continuing Studies, intends to expand and restructure ethics instruction in EDC by introducing a design-centered lecture on ethics, a standardized rubric for evaluating the assignments on ethics, a revision of the EDC textbook to make ethics a dedicated chapter, and the foundations for a suite of case studies on ethics in engineering design.

Probing the Carbon Cycle: Forensic Biogeochemistry in the Environmental Laboratory
Neal Blair, J.F. Gaillard, Civil and Environmental Engineering

The objective of this proposal is to revitalize the undergraduate Environmental Laboratory (CEE 365), which is required for Environmental Engineering majors. This will be accomplished by 1) developing a central theme for the lab that focuses on the interdisciplinary aspects of the carbon biogeochemical cycle, 2) introducing students to the state-of-the-art instrumentation that is newly available for C-studies, and 3) replacing the now obsolete standard laboratory equipment used in the course.

New Course Development: Energy for a Sustainable World
Harold H. Kung, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Funding is requested to support development of a campus-wide, 200-level, dynamic, legendary signature course that appeals to Northwestern students of all background, on the topic: Energy for a Sustainable World. The goal is to educate students to appreciate and better understand the complex interplay of various forces that shape the global and regional energy landscape, including technology, economics, policy and regulations, and social, behavioral and cultural preferences, and implications of past practices on geo-politics and global climate.

Engineering Transdisciplinary Outreach Project in the Arts
Matthew Grayson, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

The Engineering Transdisciplinary Outreach Project in the Arts (ETOPiA) will use a scientifically themed performance arts piece staged in the McCormick Tech building as a centerpiece for cross-disciplinary dialogue for McCormick undergraduates. Admission would be free to all NU students, faculty, and staff, and the project would stage the play Copenhagen about Heisenberg and Bohr: two Nobel Prize winning scientists and friends caught on opposite sides of the technological race to build an atomic bomb during WWII.

Discovery Labs in Biomaterials, Nanomaterials and Energy
Derk Joester, Assistant Professor & Kathleen Stair, Senior Lecturer, Materials Science and Engineering

New materials drive innovation. McCormick is a global leader in materials research and strives to be at the forefront of integrating recent developments into undergraduate teaching. Three types of emerging materials have particular potential to be highly transformative to society: biomaterials, nanomaterials and materials related to energy. We propose a three-year plan to develop challenging and stimulating "Discovery Labs" centered on these topics for the MSE 301 course "Chemical Aspects of Engineering Materials," an engineering elective open to all McCormick students and a required class for all Chemical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering majors.

A Core Laboratory Sequence for Biomedical Engineering

This award has been funding the development of a three-course, integrated laboratory and lecture sequence in Biomedical Engineering (BME). The purpose of this sequence is to introduce the quantitative tools necessary to study, model and perform experiments on biological systems. This sequence already has been added to the BME curriculum and is mandatory for all students entering during the 2006-7 academic year. The requested funds are being used to support the purchase of new laboratory equipment and a computer programmer who is developing web-based resources to reinforce fundamental concepts taught in this sequence.

Improvements in the Biomechanics Curriculum
Robert A. Linsenmeier, Professor, Biomedical Engineering

The work to be done revolves around biomechanics education, and will impact all undergraduates in BME at Northwestern. There are two major thrusts of the proposal. First, we will revise the courses and course sequencing in this important area. Second, we will use a flexible and powerful learning technology system to create problems for biomechanics courses.

Mechanics of Sports
John W. Rudnicki, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering (also Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering)

This proposal is for the purchase of motion analysis video and software for use in ME 260 Mechanics of Sports and partial support for a TA to help implement use of the equipment during the next and following two years. This equipment will make it possible to include an innovative observational component to the course and provide a powerful tool for students to use in their projects.

The purchase of this equipment will add a new and interesting educational component to the course. Logistically, the course is demanding and support for a TA is needed to take full advantage of the equipment.

Northwestern Student Holdings Infrastructure Development
Professor William J. White, Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences (also Kellogg School of Management)

This project will provide the needed administrative and website infrastructure to transition Northwestern Student Holdings (NSH) from a single-business model to a student run holding company capable of supporting multiple businesses. Led by the McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University is experiencing significant growth in the demand by undergraduate students for practical learning in a business context.

Development of an Interfacial Transport Experiment for the Chemical Engineering Laboratory
Daniel R. Boggs, Lecturer, Chemical and Biological Engineering

The objective of this project is to develop and implement a new experiment for the Chemical Engineering Laboratory course (CHEM ENG 342) which will provide the students with an increased understanding of the concept of boundary layers in momentum, heat, and mass transport. The experiment has relevance to numerous industrial and biomedical applications including reaction engineering, process design, and membrane technology.

Female Researchers in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (FREECS)- Murphy Award Progress Report for 2007-2008
Professor Justine Cassell

The Female Researchers in EECS (FREECS) organization would like to thank the Murphy Grant committee for their generous funding dedicated to increasing the participation of women in electrical engineering and computer science at Northwestern. Because of this funding, FREECS has had a highly active and successful year that included a variety of programs and events aimed at increasing women's interest in EECS at all levels. We are pleased to report that we came in well under budget in the 2007-2008 year because we were able to secure co-sponsorship and additional external funding for many of our events.

2008 Murphy Society Funded Student Projects

Data Acquisition System
David Evitt, ME Co-op 2009, Team Manager
Northwestern Formula Racing

Northwestern Formula Racing will apply their Murphy Society grant towards developing an engine dynamometer test stand through the purchase of sensors, data acquisition equipment, and materials for the supporting systems. This equipment will allow the team to quantify the impact of design changes to the intake and exhaust to improve airflow, and fine tune the engine calibration for performance and efficiency. As the team works to build on the success of last season a well-developed engine platform with the new tools will help shift the vehicle performance up a gear for this year's competition.

"IE in the Community" by the Institute of Industrial Engineering
Daniel Arnold and Taylor Pomeranz

The Institute of Industrial Engineering Executive Board is in the process of launching a pro-bono consulting group for local non-profits. We believe the most effective way for our club to have a positive impact on the community is to provide our time and skills on projects for student groups, Northwestern organizations and local businesses. The expected outcomes of these projects for its clients will be more efficient project planning when it comes to staff scheduling, demand forecasting, allocation of resources and more. This will result in reduced costs for our clients and higher positive impact for their charitable organizations. In addition, it will enhance the Industrial Engineering education by providing students with major real-world experience during the school year.

NSBE Junior Chapter
William Yates, Class of 2009
Pre-College Initiative Chair, National Society of Black Engineers

In the fall of 2008, the Northwestern chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) would like to establish a National Society of Black Engineers Junior chapter at Evanston Township High School. Our goal is to stimulate an interest in the engineering, science, math, and technical fields and show the limitless possibilities of entering these areas of specialization. Through various activities and projects, members of the NSBE Jr. chapter will gain hands on experience with engineering applications while competing against other Jr. chapters across the nation. In addition, we will enhance their education by serving as tutors and guiding them along the college application process in every facet including: SAT/ ACT preparation, financial aid, and general coaching on how to build an impressive resume.

National Society of Black Engineers 2009 National Convention
Jennifer Ahoni, Class of 2009
Region IV Senator, Planning Commitee Chair
National Society of Black Engineers

The Northwestern University chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE-NU) is planning a trip to its national convention to participate in its Academic Tech Bowl and Boeing design competition and the Undergraduate Research Poster Competition for national recognition and to participate in technical, professional, and leadership workshops and round tables.

Energy Startup Videoconference
Marc Lim, Biomedical Engineering - ' 08
Bo Zhao, Materials Science and Engineering - ' 09
Feinberg School of Medicine - ' 12

A growing concern of our society and world involves discovering sustainable, non-fossil fuel sources of energy. We will host a videoconference featuring a number of founders and affiliates of energy startup companies, particularly from the northern California area. Our goal is to provide a forum in which attendees can gain an understanding of the various technologies under investigation and particularly the challenges to their implementation and adoption.

Materials Science Education
Alicia Loon, Materials Science and Engineering, Class of 2010, President of MatSci Club

This project will enable Materials Science Club (MatSci Club) members to explore materials-related topics in an informal setting and enhance the existing outreach efforts of the group. MatSci Club members will widen their scope of knowledge beyond the classroom through educational field trips to Argonne National Laboratory and The Museum of Science and Industry among other educational places. Group members also perform demonstrations on the science of properties of materials at local elementary schools every quarter. The group plans to expand this outreach effort to middle schools and hence needs funds to purchase more demonstration kits.