Balachandran presented a research paper on the renewable energy system at the Industrial Engineering Research Conference held in Portland, Oregon, in May 2003. The new system has been fabricated and is being tested, with the goal of marketing it within a few years. Balachandran and his associates hope that data collection from experiments and analysis will lead to the identification of optimal operational parameters for different types of animal waste.

In addition to his research, Balachandran  is developing a new course --Quality Engineering and Management  -- which may be online as early as the end of summer 2004. He is also working with Platteville attorneys on four product liability and safety cases.

Dr Balachandran serves as a reviewer for the International Journal of Production Planning & Control, the International Journal of Production Research, and the Journal of Material Processing Technology. He reviewed three papers for these journals in 2003. He was elected Vice President, Region VI, IIE in March 2003 and is also serving as Vice President, Region IV, Alpha Pi Mu, the Industrial Engineering Honor Society.

ONLINE ENGINEERING INSTRUCTOR RECOGNIZED FOR TEACHING
Assistant Professor Pat Jinkins, instructor for the Master's of Engineering online program, was recently honored as an outstanding distance educator. The award reflects her love of teaching and her interest in her students' success.

Jinkins says she enjoyed teaching her graduate courses (Production and Operations Analysis and Cost and Value Analysis) this year and looks forward to the next course she teaches. She plans to spend part of this summer revising the Cost and Value Analysis course to reflect many of the excellent suggestions provided by her students. This will include strengthening both the Value Engineering and the Lean Manufacturing aspects of the course.

The preliminary design of a graduate course in Engineering Management is also keeping Jinkins busy as she begins to collect ideas and material in preparation for its development.  She is also interested in learning styles and experience or activity-centered course designs and will be revising some of the on-campus courses to reflect this emphasis.

When not concentrating on engineering, Jinkins and her two children enjoy studying native Wisconsin wildlife -- including garter snakes, frogs, toads, birds, and mammals. Her husband, Richard, continues to "drag her into further adventures like canoeing or learning new computer software." The family lives near Livingston, Wisconsin.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COORDINATOR ELECTED TO PMI OFFICES
Tony Munos, coordinator of the Master of Science in Project Management program, was recently elected vice-president of the South Central Wisconsin-Madison Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapter. His duties include chairing committees, managing special projects, maintaining the Chapter by-laws, and auditing the Chapter¹s financial records.

Munos has also been ratified as the new Vice-Chair of Membership for PMI¹s Education and Training Specific Interest Group (EDSIG). The group is a virtual and global organization with more than a thousand professionals worldwide who are interested in the field of training and education of project management. EDSIG presents seminars, conducts research, and facilitates professional networking.

FACULTY AND STAFF BRIEFS
Dawn Drake, executive director of Alternative Delivery Systems, was honored with a plaque at the recent Distance Education dinner. Presented by the program coordinators and online faculty, the award recognized her outstanding executive leadership in distance learning.

Machelle Schroeder, Business Administration, was recognized by the officers of the UWP student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management for her exemplary service as an advisor to that organization for over a decade.

Louis Nzegwu, Business Administration, has been awarded a grant to develop instructional videos to assist Wisconsin firms that wish to conduct business in China.

Louis Nzegwu and Bernie Harris, Business Administration, have been awarded a UWP Assessment Activity Fund Grant. Their grant is titled "Proposal to Assess the Business Administration Degree Program."