Committee announces winners of SPE® ACCE Scholarships.
Press Release Summary:
Organizing committee for SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition announced winners of SPE ACCE Scholarship Awards for 2013-2014 academic year. Winning students whose composites-intensive projects were judged to have greatest potential impact on ground transportation were Thomas Keith Honaker-Schroeder of MSU, Nicholas Smith of Purdue University, and Sarah Stair of Baylor University. Each student will receive total scholarship of $2,000 — sponsored by Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Original Press Release:
Winners of SPE® ACCE Scholarships Sponsored by Mich. Econonic Development Corp. Announced
TROY (DETROIT), MICH. – The organizing committee for the SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) today announced winners of the group’s annual SPE ACCE Scholarship Awards for the 2013-2014 academic year. Winning students whose composites-intensive projects were judged to have the greatest potential impact on ground transportation were Thomas Keith (Keith) Honaker-Schroeder of Michigan State University, Nicholas (Nick) Smith of Purdue University, and Sarah Stair of Baylor University. Each student will receive a total scholarship of $2,000 USDÂ — sponsored by Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC, Lansing, Mich.)Â — and will return to present the results of his or her research at next year’s SPE ACCE show, September 8-11, 2014.
Keith Honaker-Schroeder won the scholarship for a student enrolled in a Michigan institute of higher learning with the topic: Exfoliated Graphene Nanoplatelet-High Density Polyethylene Nanocomposites and their Use in the Automotive Industry. Explaining how his work is applicable to ground transportation, Honaker-Schroeder says, "I'll be modifying a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) polymer matrix with a platelet-structured nanoparticle ¯ specifically, exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (GnP). The resulting HDPE-GnP composites provide enhanced mechanical, electrical, and barrier properties, allowing for use in the manufacture of automotive fuel tank and fuel line systems to reduce vehicle weight."
Currently a second-year doctoral candidate studying Chemical Engineering and working as a research assistant at Michigan State University (East Lansing, Mich.), Honaker-Schroeder's focus is on enhancing the properties of a polymer matrix using graphene nanoplatelets. Originally from Battle Creek, Mich., he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering last year from Kettering University (Flint, Mich.), which is known for its innovative co-operative education program. While a Kettering student, Honaker-Schroeder did an internship at Argonne National Laboratory (Lemont, Ill.) where he tested polymer composites for use in bipolar plates for fuel cells and for use as cathodes for lithium-ion batteries. After graduation, he plans to go into industrial research.
Nick Smith of Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.) won a traditional SPE ACCE Graduate Scholarship for his topic, Simulation of Compression Molded Composites using a High Volume Fraction of Long Fibers & Prepreg Precursor Material. About his project, Smith says, "One of the great challenges for short-fiber polymer composites is their large variability in strength. My research is specifically focused on predicting the orientation of fibers within composite components produced by compression molding with pre-impregnated short-fiber prepreg as a precursor. Success in this work will provide tools for design of high-performance parts with fiber aspect ratios over 2000 and fiber weight fractions over 50%. No currently-available simulation tool accurately predicts the final orientation state or the strength variability found in parts made with this process, which is capable of producing parts at a cost and speed appropriate for the automotive industry."
Originally from Moscow, Idaho, Smith is currently an Andrew's Fellow at Purdue and about to obtain his Master's degree in Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering. He also is a Ph.D. candidate in Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at the school. Previously he was a Heritage Scholar at Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2011. Upon graduation, Smith says he hopes to continue researching higher performance, lower cost composites for use in both the automotive and aerospace industries.
Sarah Stair of Baylor University also won a traditional SPE ACCE Graduate Scholarship for her topic, Non-Destructive Characterization of Ply Orientation and Ply Type of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Laminates. About her work, Stair says, "Manufacturing laminate-based advanced composites can be difficult, and final parts don't always meet as-designed specs. For example, during molding, a ply might slip and rotate 5 degrees from its designated orientation, which could affect final molded-part properties. My research will determine the “as manufactured” ply orientation of each lamina in a fiber-reinforced part and the failure envelope associated with the final part. My long-term goal is to fully automate this process so any technician who is making a repair on a car or performing quality-control tests at a manufacturing facility can scan a part with the system I'm developing. All of the ply orientation and failure envelope calculations will be performed by the device and results will be displayed for the user."
Stair graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics from Baylor last year. She continued working on her Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at Baylor and currently is in her second year of the program. Her research focuses on non-destructive testing techniques of fiber reinforced laminated composites Originally from Arlington, Texas, after graduation, she hopes to continue performing materials-related research in the aerospace industry.
Held annually in suburban Detroit, the SPE ACCE draws over 700 speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees and provides an environment dedicated solely to discussion and networking about advances in the transportation composites. Its global appeal is evident in the diversity of exhibitors, speakers, and attendees who come to the conference from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / Pacific as well as North America. Fully one-third of attendees indicate they work for automotive and light truck, agriculture, truck & bus, heavy truck, or aviation OEM, and another 25% representing tier suppliers. Attendees also represent composite materials, processing equipment, additives, or reinforcement suppliers; trade associations, consultants, university and government labs; media; and investment bankers. The show has been jointly sponsored by the SPE Automotive and Composites Divisions since 2001.
Current supporters of the show include: PREMIER & SPECIAL SPONSORS: Ticona Engineering Polymers* (also lunch and conference bag sponsor), BASF Corp.*, Bayer MaterialScience*, CPI Binani, Inc.*, Dow Automotive Systems*, Dieffenbacher GmbH*, INVISTA Engineering Polymers* (also student poster-competition sponsor), Michigan Economic Development Corp.* (student scholarship sponsor), Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc.* (also first-reception sponsor), PPG Industries*, Schuler Group*, Autodesk Inc. (second-reception sponsor), Red Spot Paint & Varnish Company, Inc. (lunch sponsor), American Chemistry Council - Plastics Div. (breakfast sponsor), Plasticomp, Inc. (breakfast sponsor); ASSOCIATE & BREAK SPONSORS: A&P Technology*, Abaris Training Resources, Inc.*, Accutek Testing Laboratory*, Acrolab, Ltd.*, Addcomp North America, Inc.*, Adhesives Research, Inc.*, AOC Resins*, Applied Fluid Technologies Division-Graco Inc.*, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc.*, Ashland Inc.*, Assembly Guidance Systems, Inc.*, BMC Inc.*, Cannon USA*, CHOMARAT*, Core Molding Technologies, Inc.*, CoreTech System Co., Ltd. (Moldex3D)*, Dassault Systèmes*, ESI Group*, e-Xstream engineering*, FibrTec Inc.*, Fraunhofer Project Centre @ Western University*, Gurit Automotive Ltd.*, HBM, Inc. (HBM-nCode)*, Henkel Corp.*, Johns Manville*, LANXESS Corp.*, Lawton Machinery Group*, LayStitch Technologies LLC*, Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd.*, Mitsubishi Rayon Carbon Fiber & Composites*, Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc.*, National Research Council Canada (NRC-CNRC)*, NETZSCH Instruments North America, LLC*, Owens Corning*, Pinette Emidecau Industries*, Plasan Carbon Composites* (also lanyard sponsor), Polyscope Polymers*, Polystrand*, Quantum Composites*, Regloplas Corp.*, RTP Co.*, Siemens*, Single Temperature Controls, Inc.*, Tata Technologies*, TenCate Advanced Composites USA, Inc.*, The Composites Group*, Toho Tenax America, Inc.*, Trexel, Inc.*, Williams, White & Co.*, Zoltek*, Zotefoams, Plc*, Zwick USA*, and Multimatic Engineering (coffee-break sponsor); MEDIA/ASSOCIATION: Automotive Design & Production magazine, Automotive Engineering International magazine, Automotive NewsWire magazine, China Plastics & Rubber Journal, China Plastics & Rubber Journal International, Composites Technology magazine, CompositesWorld Weekly magazine, High-Performance Composites magazine, Industrias Plásticas magazine, JEC Group, Modern Plastics India magazine, Noticiero del Plástico magazine, Plaspec Global Plastics Selector, Plastech.biz, Plastics Engineering magazine, Plastics Technology magazine, Plastics: The Global Application Medium, PrototypeToday.com, Reciclado y Plasticos magazine, Reinforced Plastics magazine, Rubber Fibre Plastics International Magazine, SAE International, TheMoldingBlog.com, and WardsAuto.com.
* Indicates a sponsor that also is exhibiting.
The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics. SPE’s Automotive and Composites Divisions work to advance plastics and plastic-based composites technologies worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. Both divisions are dedicated to educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments, including materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design and testing, and application development.
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