MME 10-Year Merge Anniversary (2011-2021)
Read MME 10-Year Magazine (PDF)
Four engineering students chosen as Chancellor's Scholars
The engineering students recognized (with major, hometown and parents' names):
Hunter William Dorhout, computer engineering, Sanborn, Iowa (Mark and Nicole Dorhout).
Taylor James Drahota, civil engineering, Lincoln, Nebraska (Troy Drahota and Kathi Drahota).
Maggie Harder, software engineering, Grand Island, Nebraska (Brian and Michelle Harder).
David L. Wacker Jr., mechanical engineering, Hastings, Nebraska (David Wacker Sr. and Polly Wacker).
Nine student researchers earn awards at UNL Research Days
Undergraduate
- Andrea Goertzen, junior, Chemical Engineering – " Metabolic modeling elucidates the distinctive landscape of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells"
- Becca Francis, senior, Biological Systems Engineering – "Development of Nitric Oxide Testing Methodology to Investigate the Impact of Reactive Species on Breast Cancer Cells"
- Aaron Haake, senior, Mechanical Engineering – "Tunable 3D Printing of Liquid-Metal-Embedded Elastomer Composite"
- Stephanie Perez, senior, Civil Engineering – "Microplastic Soil/Sediment Extraction Efficiency for Different MP Polymers and Different Soil Types"
Graduate
- Courtney Keiser, Ph.D. in Engineering, specializing in Materials Engineering – "Mechanically Optimized Vascular Bypass Grafts for Treating Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease" (Top Honors)
- Amir Monemianesfahani, Ph.D. in Engineering, specializing in Biomedical Engineering – "Characterization of the Strain Rate-Dependent Mechanical Response of Single Cell-Cell Junctions" (Top Honors)
- Samuel Flint, Ph.D. in Computer Science – "Escaping the Time Pit: Pitfalls and Guidelines for Using Time-Based Git Data"
- Brandi Brown, Ph.D. in Biological Engineering – "Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 Lignin Catabolism and Bioplastic Production"
- Thivani Senathiraja, Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering – "The role of monovalent and multivalent cations within SiO2-TiO2-PBC nanocomposite membranes: Preparation and Characterization"
Nelson elected Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers

The ASME Committee of Past Presidents confers the Fellow grade of membership on worthy candidates to recognize their outstanding achievements. ASME Fellows are nominated by other ASME Fellows or members and must have 10 or more years of active practice and at least 10 years of active corporate membership in ASME.
MME doctoral student Avegnon chosen Fellow in Black Trailblazers in Engineering

The goal of the BTE program is to prepare future engineering faculty who are also committed to increasing the success of Black engineers. BTE Fellows were invited to attend a virtual four-day workshop - Feb. 24-27 – and will receive a $500 scholarship.
Avegnon, who is being advised by Michael Sealy and is a graduate research assistant specializing in additive manufacturing (3D printing) in the NEAT Lab, said his roots as a student and entrepreneur in Africa inspired him to create educational opportunities for rural and underserved communities. Avegnon said he hopes to pay forward his good fortune by becoming an engineering professor and inspiring more Black students to pursue engineering careers.
"My passion is helping raise professional mobility for students with less access to quality education," Avegnon said. "In Ghana, there are many students who are highly motivated but lack access to mentors and resources to truly excel in science and engineering.
"I was lucky to come across the right people who served as my mentors and contributed to my personal and professional growth. I want to do the same for the generations that come behind me."
MME alum Kube receives ASNT Young NDT Professional Award

Kube is an assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics at Pennsylvania State University and is a cofounder of the Penn State Ultrasonics Laboratory (PennSUL), which is dedicated to ultrasound-related research with a core focus on research in nondestructive evaluation.
Prior to joining Penn State in 2018, Kube was a contract researcher at the US Army Research Laboratory, where he specialized in the nondestructive characterization of additively manufactured (AM) parts and structural health monitoring for fatigue awareness in rotorcraft vehicles.
In 2014, Kube received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from Nebraska, where he studied the influence of residual stress and deformation on the scattering of ultrasound from inhomogeneities.
Kube's research interests include experimental and theoretical modeling of resonant ultrasound, acoustic microscopy, nonlinear ultrasonics, and ultrasonic scattering. Currently, he is leading several active research efforts spanning the use of ultrasound to monitor melt pool dynamics in 3D printing of metals, constitutive modeling of soft and deformed piezoelectric materials, and the combined influences of texture and residual stress on the resonant behavior of AM parts.
77 College of Engineering employees honored at UNL Service Awards
55 YEARS
Bing Chen, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Jerald Varner, Electrical & Computer Engineering
45 YEARS
Dennis Alexander, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Shelly Everett, Computer Science & Engineering
40 YEARS
Larita Lang, Computer Science & Engineering
35 YEARS
Thomas Grady, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Hamid Vakilzadian, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Joyce Young, Engineering Computer Science
30 YEARS
Karen Coen-Brown, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Ronald Faller, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Jim Holloway, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Michael Kocher, Biological Systems Engineering
Gary Krause, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Omaha
Tim Terrell, College of Engineering
25 YEARS
Leonard Akert, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Scott Chaffin, Computer Science & Engineering
Richard Koelsch, Biological Systems Engineering
Ann Koopmann, Computer Science & Engineering
Charles Riedesel, Computer Science & Engineering
20 YEARS
Aemal Khattak, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Lincoln
Karen Moore, Engineering Dean's Office-Omaha
Mark Stroup, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Alex Russell, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Lily Wang, College of Engineering
Clarence Waters, Durham School Architectural Engineering & Construction
15 YEARS
Junke Guo, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Omaha
Jay Harner, Biological Process Development Facility
Haorong Li, Durham School of Architectural Engineering & Construction
Ying Lu, Computer Science & Engineering
Yong Rak Kim, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Lincoln
George Morcous, Durham School of Architectural Engineering & Construction
Barbara Robertson, College of Engineering
Mathias Schubert, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Carl Nelson, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Li Tan, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Ken Townsend Jr., Electrical & Computer Engineering
10 YEARS
Milunka Brajic, College of Engineering
Julia Brunkow, College of Engineering
Carrick Detweiler, Computer Science & Engineering
Lucia Fernandez Ballester, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Jenna Huttenmaier, Computer Science & Engineering
Srivatsan Kidambi, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Ron Kruml, Computer Science & Engineering
Wei Niu, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Lameck Odhiambo, Biological Systems Engineering
Shea Svoboda, Computer Science & Engineering
Erin Swanson, College of Engineering
Steve Sypal, Biological Process Development Facility
Douglas Triplett, Biological Systems Engineering
Tracy Zimmerman, Biological Systems Engineering
5 YEARS
Cameron Adams, College of Engineering
Vitaly Alexandrov, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Justin Bradley, Engineering Computer Science
Phillip Carter, College of Engineering
Micah Chaffee, Engineering Dean's Office-Omaha
Brittany Duncan, Computer Science & Engineering
Garrett Gassman, College of Engineering
Jenna Hefley, Biological Systems Engineering
Jiong Hu, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Omaha
Qing Hui, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Nicole Iverson, Biological Systems Engineering
Emili Jones, Engineering Dean's Office-Omaha
Kasey Juel, College of Engineering
Amanda Lager Gleason, Biological Systems Engineering
Patricia Lena, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Lincoln
Laurie Prettyman, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Jay Puckett, Durham School of Architectural Engineering & Construction
Jennifer Rasmussen, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Daran Rudnick, Biological Systems Engineering
Jared Schreiner, College of Engineering
Michael Sealy, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Chungwook Sim, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Omaha
Chung Song, Civil & Environmental Engineering-Lincoln
Cody Stolle, Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Eli Sutter, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Peter Sutter, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Jian Wang, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Keiser chosen to SWE Leadership Development Program

The LDP is an intensive program designed to help SWE collegiate members expand their leadership potential and overall SWE knowledge. Over the course of a year, selected participants engage in monthly meetings, develop relationships with collegiate and professional SWE members, and further expand their leadership abilities through implementation of their learnings. In addition, LDP participants join other collegians at the Collegiate Leadership Institute (CLI) at Society conference for professional development workshops and networking opportunities.
Keiser has served as the SWE Graduate Member Coordinator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's collegiate section since 2019 and is the Learning Content Coordinator for the GradSWE Leadership Team.
Doctoral student Sotelo receives SHPE 2020 STAR Award
The prestigious awards honor outstanding professionals for their dedication, commitment, and selfless efforts to advance Hispanics in STEM careers.
Sotelo chosen as LATinE 2020 fellow
LATinE is a new initiative intended to increase the number and success of Latinx/Hispanic engineering faculty in the U.S., who in turn, will blaze new trails with new discoveries, innovations and social impact and serve as role models for the next generation of engineers.