Engineering Careers Online

Although dust buildup is among the most serious and common fire and explosion hazards in a range of industries, little is known about how dust ignites or how dust explosions propagate, according to Ali Rangwala, assistant professor of fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Rangwala recently received a five-year, $429,000 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to close this knowledge gap by conducting a groundbreaking scientific study of dust layer ignition and flame propagation in dust clouds. The CAREER Award is the most prestigious NSF award for young faculty members. WPI counts 18 CAREER Award winners among its current faculty. [read full article at EurekAlert!]

CACI International Inc (NYSE: CACI – News) announced today it has been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity task order contract to continue its support for the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate (I2WD) through the Technical Engineering Support Services (TESS) award. CACI is one of three companies awarded the five-year TESS contract, which has a ceiling value of $900 million. [read full article at Yahoo! Finance]

The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), the premier national resource for chemical and biological defense, celebrated the success of its inaugural Minority Undergraduate Summer Internship Program (MUSIP) and the hard work of program participants with a graduation ceremony held Thursday, July 30.

While the college sophomores and juniors shared their accomplishments over the course of the 10-week program with ECBC leaders, distinguished guests and their family and friends, the event also highlighted each of the students’ backgrounds and the research they conducted. [read full article at Yahoo! Finance]

UNLV Professor receives grant from the National Science Foundation

UNLV researcher Sajjad Ahmad received a career award from the National Science Foundation for the creation of a computer model designed to aid in Southern Nevada’s water management decisions.

Ahmad, an assistant professor in the civil engineering department, won a five-year, $430,000 award given to scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers, combining research with teaching.

This award from the NSF is considered the highest honor the U.S. government can give to scientists. [read full article at The Rebel Yell]

Research findings suggest that, contrary to popular belief, engineering does not have a higher dropout rate than other majors and women do just as well as men, information that could lead to a strategy for boosting the number of U.S. engineering graduates. [read full article at redOrbit]