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Students pump the brakes on car collisions

Nathan Kahl — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 10:40:05 +0000

Students pump the brakes on car collisions Nathan Kahl Thu, 06/06/2024 - 06:40

Traversing any crowded, busy roadway brings myriad safety risks and demands on a driver’s attention. And even the most careful of drivers can’t control those driving around them, particularly the ones creeping up from behind.

The UR 2 Close team won first place and the Mason's Choice Award in the Public Engagement Track of the 2024 Patriot Pitch Competition. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

“Don’t you dread the sound of screeching brakes from the car behind you, as you brace for the impact?” asked Emma Devine, a ��ӽ紫ý systems engineering and operations research student who was part of a team—appropriately named “UR 2 Close”—that won two contests and finished second in another for their work on investigating rear-end collisions.

Devine and teammates Amanda Dalagan and Aidan Menon took first place in the public engagement track at the Costello College of Business Patriot Pitch Competition and in the general engineering track at the General Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Conference at West Point. Solutions are sorely needed, as rear-end collisions account for nearly one-third of all automobile accidents each year, resulting in thousands of deaths.

“We conducted a detailed analysis of crash data and found that most rear-end collisions occur on straight segments on highways, in good weather conditions, and in the late afternoons and evenings. This was a surprise,” said Dalagan.

The team’s solution is a license plate visual indicator. “There is presently no product designed to help drivers maintain safe following distances," Menon said. "There are heads-up displays and automated braking systems; those work to make sure you don't rear-end someone but do not protect you from being rear-ended. We thought a defensive approach would separate us from the pack.”

The team developed a simulation of vehicle dynamics during braking and accounted for driver reaction time, braking efficiency, and road conditions, concluding that following distance was a key criterion resulting in a rear-end accident. Observing a local road revealed only 20% of vehicles maintained a safe following distance.

Rear-end accidents account for 1/3 of all auto collisions. Photo from iStock

“The Virginia Commonwealth Driver Regulations requires drivers to maintain a two-to-three second separation. But humans can't see time,” said Devine. “The solution to preventing rear-end collisions is to provide the following driver a clear indication of a safe following distance.”

Earlier this year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalized a new standard mandating automatic emergency braking technology for all passenger cars and light trucks by September 2029, which will no doubt further help with such collisions.

“It was a privilege to sponsor this student team,” said Skip West, founder and CEO of Maxsa Innovations, a company that markets automotive products. “This project really emphasized the importance of systems engineering in doing analysis to understand the real problem before spending time and money developing a solution that may not work. These accidents are an important societal problem that we need to address, and this team has made a great start.”

Topics

Patriot Pitch Competition

More ��ӽ紫ý students set to earn wings

Nathan Kahl — Fri, 31 May 2024 13:05:00 +0000

More ��ӽ紫ý students set to earn wings Nathan Kahl Fri, 05/31/2024 - 09:05

In This Story

Lance Sherry

Earn your pilot's license

“There was and remains an airline pilot shortage. This program was designed to enhance the pipeline of licensed pilots to address this.” Lance Sherry, associate professor Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research

Matt Conroe is close to attaining a lofty lifelong goal: becoming a licensed pilot. For this recent ��ӽ紫ý graduate in mechanical engineering, however, something else was pressing this spring, and that wasn’t just getting his ducks in a row to graduate or preparing the final steps for his license. His son Kian was born in April, just nine days before he took part in Commencement.

Conroe graduated with a minor in Aviation Flight Training and Management. “When I was a kid, I was thinking of firefighter, policeman, doctor. But my dad is in the Air Force and has served for 36 years and I thought, ‘I’d like to be a pilot.’”

And will this new dad be grounded by family responsibilities before having the chance to explore the friendly skies? “My wife might have been scared in the beginning,” he said, “but they train you so much that by the time you do your solo flight, you know what to do.”

Conroe with a Cessna 172M Skyhawk. (Courtesy photo)

The minor combines a pilot’s license with aviation management experience, giving students a significant advantage in seeking work with airlines, airports, and in air traffic control.

Business major Hamza Al Tell, who is also just a few steps from obtaining his license, plans to use his experience directly with his family business. Growing up in Jordan, Al Tell’s family ran a skydiving company, and he earned a love of flying at an early age. “I was young, but the captain would let me go up and control the plane a little bit,” he said.

Al Tell loved that he could combine his core degree with his passion. “I was scrolling through minors and saw this one and it was perfect for me. I could do my university studies alongside getting my pilot’s license.”

Lance Sherry, a professor in the Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department, oversees the program. He has more than 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, serving as a flight test engineer, flight control engineer, and system engineer.

Al Tell grew up riding in planes. (Courtesy photo)

"The minor is unique,” he said. “Whether a student is seeking to become an airline or business jet pilot, or to work for an airport, or as an air traffic controller, the program provides a strong foundation of knowledge and skills to be employable anywhere in the industry. The program’s relevance is evident in the career success of our graduates who are shaping a safer, more climate-friendly, socially just air transport system."

Sherry has over 30 years of industry experience. (Creative Services)

The program is ranked 20th in the world, 11th in the United States, and first in the Washington, D.C. region. It began 10 years ago when the university recognized the significant demand for aviation programs in general and flight training specifically.

Sherry said, “There was and remains an airline pilot shortage. This program was designed to enhance the pipeline of licensed pilots to address this.”

“Professor Lance was a great help in all of this," Al Tell said. "When I would see him on the schedule, I would get very excited. Based on his personal experience, he shared with us how the industry works behind the scenes. This was incredible fascinating.”

Conroe added, “I had good professors and I felt like they really cared. They were very professional and knew what they were talking about. You can tell when someone comes in and is really excited.”

“We’ve been nothing but impressed with the caliber and dedication of students who train with us,” said flight instructor Kyle McDaniel, BS Public Administration '10. “As a Mason alum myself, I’m thrilled to share my love of aviation with my alma mater.”

Topics

Aviation

mechanical engineering

Pilots

aeronautics

Students win contests for Chesapeake crossing challenge

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 20 May 2024 17:21:31 +0000

Students win contests for Chesapeake crossing challenge Nathan Kahl Mon, 05/20/2024 - 13:21

It’s such a part of the experience of spending time on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that those in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metropolitan areas know it simply as “the bridge.” And woe to those who don’t plan summer travel just right, because they may spend hours queueing up, waiting to cross it.

The William Prestion Lane Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge, with two spans, one built in 1952 and one in 1973, carries around 30 million vehicles annually. The age of the structures, combined with ever-increasing demands on the route over the Chesapeake Bay, has several entities looking for new solutions for crossing the bay.

One of those solutions may come from a team of engineering students from ��ӽ紫ý’s Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR). The team won best paper in the climate and sustainability track at the Andrew P. Sage Memorial Capstone Design Competition and best presentation in the decision analysis track at the General Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Conference at West Point.

The six-page conference paper, authored by team members Carolyn Vaseghi, Jose Zorrilla, Richard Collie, Fatima Alarcon, and Naif Al-Harbi, was also published in the West Point conference’s proceedings along with the other competitors' papers.

“We were tasked with designing a crossing that is part of a regional transportation system between metro D.C. and the beach communities on the Eastern Shore, not just a bridge,” said team lead Vaseghi.

“We started the design by conducting ‘customer interviews’ with over 30 different stakeholders for the stakeholder analysis and analyzing historic traffic flow data,” said Collie.

Team members Carolyn Vaseghi, Fatima Alacorn, Naif Alharbi, Richard Collie, and Jose Zorilla. Photo provided.

The team identified seven solutions that included bridges with different lane configurations and a tunnel, noting that new boring technologies have reduced tunneling costs. The tunnel option is safer, with no bridge collision opportunities as with the recent disaster at Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The team’s proposed tunnel can accommodate rail mass transit, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and providing access to the 30% of D.C. residents without access to cars.

“In addition to obvious measures like congestion and costs, we also identified a category of measures for social justice and climate change,” said Alarcon.

The students outlined the pros and cons of design options in a report for the Anne Arundel County Transportation Commission (AACTC) and the Maryland Transportation Authority. The report will next be sent to Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s office.

Vaseghi said it was a tremendous learning opportunity and a good exploration of the systems engineering process. She said they focused on the “left-hand side of the systems engineering ‘V,” noting that in that process they started with context analysis, moved on to stakeholder analysis and concept-of-operations requirements, finishing with a simulation, where “we camped out for a long time,” spending four weeks on that part of the process.

Professor Emeritus George Donohue, a member of the AACTC, said, “This team’s out-of-the-box thinking about the tunnel option and their detailed analysis provides decision-makers a strong basis to make a sound investment that will affect the region for the next 75 years.”

In This Story

George Donohue

Topics

systems engineering

Chesapeake Bay

Students win contests designing delivery drones that respond to real-time wind change

Nathan Kahl — Wed, 08 May 2024 13:09:04 +0000

Students win contests designing delivery drones that respond to real-time wind change Nathan Kahl Wed, 05/08/2024 - 09:09

Part of the charm of tiny Tangier Island, located smack dab in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, is that in some ways it seems stuck in time, with residents speaking an outdated dialect and relying on crabbing for a living. What isn’t so endearing to residents about their simple life is the need to take a ferry to the Eastern Shore to obtain necessities, such prescription medications. Such a trip is an all-day affair, often causing people to miss work and lose wages.

But now Riverside Health System and DroneUp, a delivery service based in Virginia Beach, are working with a team of ��ӽ紫ý students to deliver medications via a small drone. But even that poses challenges.

“As a part of my systems engineering senior design project, my team and I performed a context analysis and a stakeholder analysis to find the performance gaps for a case study about drone delivery to an island located in the Chesapeake Bay–Tangier Island,” said senior Diana Machuca, who is majoring in systems and industrial engineering. “To bridge the gaps, we designed the Drone Range Dynamic System and came up with a business plan for the project.”

“The route is 15 nautical miles (NM) from Onley, Virginia, to Tangier Island,” said team member Darius Jack. “The route traverses both land and terrain resulting in significant wind shifts, including onshore and offshore winds, depending on the time of day.”

Depending on a drone’s design, it can be very sensitive to wind, requiring extensive analysis. Team member Grean Ramos said, “We developed an aerodynamic simulation of the drone and its batteries. The simulation showed that the 15 NM route is close to the drone's range limit. Any unexpected headwind could result in the drone running out of battery and needing to land before reaching Tangier Island.”

“There are weather stations at Onley and at Tangier Island airports, but no weather stations in-between," said team member Diana Machuca. "We analyzed one year of hourly wind data from the airports and found that headwinds would prevent the drone from reaching the clinic 32 percent of the time.”

Team members Gurkirt Tahim, Darius Jack, Grean Ramon, and Diana Machuca

So the team developed a Drone Range Decision-support System (DRDS). The DRDS uses the aerodynamic simulation described above to continuously monitor the range-remaining as the drone flies. If the simulation estimates that the drone has experienced an unexpected wind and will no longer have enough battery power to reach the destination, it recommends the drone operator to return home (if it can) or to land safely in designated landing zones. Simulations showed winds would require the drone to return home 17 percent of the time.

The team’s plan won First Place in the STEM Track in the Patriot Pitch Competition, a annual contest sponsored by the Costello College of Business at ��ӽ紫ý, and First Place in the Systems and Analytics Track at the Sage Memorial Design Competition, a student-focused international forum for the design of complex systems.

“Working on this project was an amazing experience,” said Jack. “We had to use all the system engineering knowledge and skills we learned over the past three years. Building systems in the real-world is hard, but perseverance and creativity pay off.”

Topics

Drones

Patriot Pitch Competition

aeronautics

entrepreneurship

Janis Terpenny appointed to NSF CMMI division

Martha Bushong — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 18:45:21 +0000

Janis Terpenny appointed to NSF CMMI division Martha Bushong Thu, 07/28/2022 - 14:45

In This Story

Janis Terpenny

Janis Terpenny, professor in the College of Engineering and Computing

College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) Professor Janis Terpenny has joined the National Science Foundation Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) where she will serve in the expert role and lead in the creation of CMMI’s Manufacturing System Integration program.

Terpenny came to the CEC in April as a professor with joint appointments in the Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

She says the CEC’s growth and abundant opportunities are a big part of what drew her to the college. “Mason is very open to new ideas, innovation not only in research but in new programs and how we prepare the next generation … work with industry and community partners. All fit my passions well,” says Terpenny.

She is well known for her research on smart integrated systems and processes for design and manufacturing and her innovations and research in engineering design education. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion stems from personal experiences, and professional accomplishments. Terpenny is dedicated to inspiring, mentoring, and enabling diverse and inclusive education, research, and work environments.

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Volgenau School of Engineering

mechanical engineering

CEC faculty research

Remembering Andrew Loerch

Rena Malai — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 14:23:51 +0000

Remembering Andrew Loerch Rena Malai Tue, 06/21/2022 - 10:23

Andrew (Andy) Loerch, long-time faculty member and associate chair of the Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research, passed away June 16 after an unexpected and brief battle with cancer. Loerch had just retired on May 24, 2022 after 22 years of service to ��ӽ紫ý.

“Andy was an outstanding teacher, a trusted mentor to numerous students, a researcher who brought in millions of dollars in funding, and an esteemed leader in the Military Operations Society,” says Ariela Sofer, interim divisional dean for engineering at the Volgenau School of Engineering. “Above all, I am indebted to him for his fourteen years of dedication and support service as my associate chair. He always took on departmental obligations, whether they involved big-picture matters or minute details, whether they were carefully planned activities or urgent crises. I am eternally grateful for his dedication, hard work, sage advice, and sense of humor.” 

Loerch was a 26-year veteran of the United States Army and rose to the rank of Colonel. He earned his PhD from Cornell University and was a graduate of Naval Postgraduate School and Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. Looking back at career highlights at Mason he once said, “Part of my job was the care and feeding of our military students. I advised every single one of them and many of them have gone on to be leaders in the defense analysis field.” In addition, he was proud of some of the department’s funded work, citing an important study on how the presence of women in military units impacts the units’ effectiveness.  

Among other duties, Loerch served as a faculty marshal at the college degree celebrations and university commencement. For the past eleven years, the College of Engineering and Computing depended on his leadership to organize and coordinate faculty volunteers, a job he once described as neither trivial nor simple. His detailed charts, notes, and guidance will be a permanent reminder of this service to the community.

Loerch played with the Northern Virginia Senior Softball league; was principal bassoonist of the Manassas Symphony Orchestra since 2000 as well as a board member; he enjoyed riding his bike with the Old Cranks Cycling Club out of Vint Hill, Va. as well as taking cycling trips throughout the country. He was the ultimate New York Yankees fan.

“I am personally thankful for Andy’s invaluable support as associate chair,” says John Shortle, department chair of Systems Engineering and Operations Research. “He brought so much to the department. We will all miss his stories, sense of humor, and friendship.”

Burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Manassas Symphony Orchestra.

A celebration of life viewing was held on Saturday, June 18, 2022. Link to the service information: https://www.piercefh.com/obituaries/Andrew-Loerch/#!/Obituary

Topics

Systems Engineering and Operations Research Faculty

Winners of the 5th Annual Andrew P. Sage Memorial Capstone Design Competition announced

Martha Bushong — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 14:18:45 +0000

Winners of the 5th Annual Andrew P. Sage Memorial Capstone Design Competition announced Martha Bushong Wed, 04/27/2022 - 10:18

In This Story

George Donohue

John Shortle

The 5th Annual Andrew P. Sage Memorial Capstone Design Competition held on Mason’s Fairfax Campus April 25, 2022.

Fifty-one System Engineering teams from eight universities competed in 10 tracks. The projects were evaluated by 58 judges representing local companies and the government.

"The quality of the presentations was outstanding," says Conference Chair and System Engineering & Operations Research (SEOR) professor Songjun Luo. "Preparing for the conference was a lot of work. The reward was seeing these amazing students addressing hard real-world challenges."

The awards were presented by SEOR Professor Emeritus George Donohue. "Our planet and our communities are facing some of the most difficult challenges I have experienced in a long career as a System Engineer and analyst. The next generation of System Engineers demonstrated they are up for the challenge."

"Topics ranged from climate change to social justice," added SEOR Department Chair John Shortle. "Solutions include AI/Machine Learning, optimization, simulation and Digital-Twin. It is extremely pleasing to see the energy and creativity of the next generation of System Engineers."

For more information on the Annual Andrew P. Sage Memorial Capstone Design Competition and the GMU System Engineering & Operations Research Department contact Dept Chair John Shortle jshortle@gmu.edu

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Working on spacecraft and 3D-printed solar cars, junior accelerates his career at Mason

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 19:15:24 +0000

Working on spacecraft and 3D-printed solar cars, junior accelerates his career at Mason Mariam Aburdeineh Tue, 01/25/2022 - 14:15

In This Story

John Shortle

Syed Abbas Zaidi

Michael Riggi, president of Mason's solar car team, Hypernova Solar, poses with Orion, a solar car his team revamped. Photo provided by Hypernova Solar.

Since Michael Riggi was about six years old, his father and brother would take him to a “Cars and Coffee” show in Great Falls, Virginia, on weekends. Being around classic automobiles and luxury vehicles, Riggi said he developed an appreciation for cars, and other machines that go fast, including planes, boats, and rockets.

Riggi developed an appreciation for cars at a young age. Portrait by Michael Riggi.

Now, as a junior at ��ӽ紫ý, his career path has also been racing forward.

The systems engineering major working on an accelerated master’s degree is the president of Hypernova Solar, a student organization creating what they believe will be the world’s first 3D-printed solar car.

Ultimately, Riggi said he aspires to work in the aerospace industry. His work with Hypernova Solar combined with his degree helped him land an internship with the global aerospace, defense, and security company, Northrop Grumman, he said.

“[Systems engineering] is in high demand in almost all tech industries,” Riggi said.

“Mason is one of the only schools I found in this area that offered a system engineering major, and Mason’s program was ranked higher than [the University of Virginia]’s,” he said. “I chose Mason off their great program.”

When Riggi interned with Northrop Grumman in summer 2021, he said he worked on spacecraft that go up to the international space station—in particular, the Cygnus Mission. Riggi said his tasks involved taking measurements, estimating error, and creating a CAD model of the thruster.

Riggi interning at Northrop Grumman. Photo provided.

“We made a tool that allowed Mission Control to quickly throw in measurements of the motors to see how it affects the angle of the spacecraft on-the-fly, so they can steer the spacecraft,” Riggi said.

“The qualities about Michael that impressed me and my colleagues [at Northrop Grumman] were his imagination and ability to tackle a task that was initially beyond the scope of his previous experience,” said Roseann Alvarez, systems engineering manager at Northrop Grumman. “He shows plenty of growth potential and will be an asset to any future employer.”

“Based on Michael’s performance and his contributions to the [Commercial Resupply Services] program, I would highly recommend Northrop Grumman recruitment of Mason interns and graduates in the future,” she said.

Riggi said he’s excited to intern again with Northrop Grumman in summer 2022.

“There’s something about being on the cutting edge of technology and science that I really love,” he said. “[My internship] helped me realize what traits I value in a workplace and helped me realize specific parts of my education to focus on because I’ve seen what’s actually needed in the workforce.”

In addition to opportunities in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, Riggi said he has enjoyed learning from supportive Mason professors including John Shortle, Abbas Zaidi, and Colin Reagle.

“Michael embodies the ideal of a systems engineer, being able to assemble and lead a large team of students with diverse skills to design, build, and test a complex system,” Shortle said. “He’s a great ambassador for the discipline and will be a great asset in the workforce.”

When he’s not leading Hypernova Solar, Riggi said he enjoys going off-roading and taking photos.

When he's not leading Hypernova Solar, Mason student Michael Riggi enjoys going off-roading with his truck and taking photos. Photo by Michael Riggi.

Photography by Michael Riggi.

“It’s really a great way to blow off steam and relax,” Riggi said, suggesting diverse activities help keep his life balanced yet exciting. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being bored.”

That’s another reason he appreciates the opportunities at Mason.

“My favorite part of Mason is the community,” Riggi said. “The diverse student population has taught me so much and helped me make so many friends, the amazing faculty have been so helpful, and the community of Fairfax is very diverse and a great space to explore.”

Riggi (front left in green) with members of Mason's solar car team, Hypernova Solar. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/��ӽ紫ý

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