Points of Distinction

School of Engineering

  • Chemical engineering students win national title for nonalcoholic beer project

    A team of three KU students took top honors in the national 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Student Design Competition for their efficient, economical process for brewing nonalcoholic beer.

    Hal Laurence, Lansing, and Le Tran, Newton, both 2012 chemical engineering graduates, and fifth-year senior MacKenzie Christie, Lawrence, prepared their winning entry as part of a yearlong, two-part senior design course.

    Students were challenged to evaluate the economics and political climate of producing nonalcoholic beer in five states, while selecting a site that had the capability to increase its production without undergoing a physical expansion.

    “The team did the economics very carefully. They gave it a lot of attention,” said Marylee Southard, associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, who oversaw the student team.  “They found that some Southern states are the best places to produce nonalcoholic beverages because of their higher alcohol taxes: They got significant tax savings by making nonalcoholic beer instead of the usual brew.”

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  • Engineering students place second in Concrete Institute national contest

    A team of KU architectural engineering students finished in second place in the 2012 national
    Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) 2012 Big Beam Contest.

    The contest testing takes place within the concrete labs on college campuses. Students had to design a prestressed concrete beam that spanned 18 feet, apply stress, monitor it for cracking and failure, and estimate when cracking would occur.

     

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  • KU rises in U.S. News rankings

    The University of Kansas rose slightly in rankings in the 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges.” KU rose to 46th among public universities, up one place from last year. Overall, KU ranks 101st this year, up three places.

    The schools of Engineering and Business also saw gains in the undergraduate rankings, with Engineering rising two places to 44th among public universities and Business rising two places to 33rd.

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  • Aerospace engineering students win multiple awards in international contests

    Aerospace engineering students won top awards in two international design competitions in August 2012.

    The student teams won:

    — First, second, and third place in the Individual Aircraft Design Competition of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
    — First and third place in the AIAA/ASME/International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) Undergraduate Engine Design Competition

    Students and teams from the KU aerospace engineering department have taken first, second, or third place more than 50 times since the beginning of the AIAA contest in 1968, more than any other academic institution in the world.

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