Weber State College Comment, October 1988, Page 2 In this issue|} School of Natural Science gets new dean He received bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. from Oregon State University. Anauthor of 200 publications, his prime Dr. Cyrus M. McKell, vice president of research for NPI, a scientific research organization, was named new dean of the Weber State School of Natural Sciences. He replaces Dr. Helen James, who has been serving as interim dean for the past area of research has been in the field of year. Dr. 1981. of the Utah McKell has been with NPI since Prior to that he served as director Institute for Land Rehabilitation at State University; director of the Rockefeller Foundation-financed Envihead of the Range and Science Depart- such as Africa, Mexico, Australia, India, Argentina, Bolivia, China, Italy, Spain, ment at USU. He has also served as chairman and vice 1989, chairman of the agronomy department at Egypt, Israel, and Malaysia. the University of California, Riverside; a member of the Society for Range Manage- range plant physiologist and the party has already science teacher at Tabiona High School; begun with a centennial bandwagon, the publishing of a WSC history, an appearance of the Moscow Classical Ballet and much oe oe ire scecots sien page 6 and teaching assistant at the University of Utah. Dr. McKell was also an adminis- trative officer in the United States Air Force medical service corps. American Society of Agronomy, academic affairs said, “Dr. McKell has a world-wide reputation and a great deal of administrative experience. The match Society of Crop Science, Students at Weber State designed and needs that officials say will speed production time and help a local company stay Deaf Heptathlete A hearing disability keeps Connie Johnston from hearing the cheers of the crowds, but that has not dampened her desire to compete, a desire that has made her one of the top deaf athletes BI oo in the United ra, page 4 competitive in the world market. Fourteen manufacturing engineering technology seniors constructed an automatic welder for Chromalox, which has a regional plant in Ogden. The welder is designed to weld the end of boiler tanks, a process that requires a consistent, even weld, something difficult to achieve with a human operator. “We were looking for some way of manufacturing this in-house, but we are understaffed here,” said Ned Blackett, manufacturing engineering manager at Chromalox. “If we tried to do something Jampacked ae i eee a = af ssa Ya bia Education A tremendous knowledge explosion has created a serious dilemma in the schools, says a Weber State expert on learning. Students now have so much more to learn that the best they can get is exposure to the topics. But survive in tomorrow's what they need to world is occ oc6i oaks Ssintesceners page 5 Come Home To WSC Homecoming 1988 promises to be the most memorable of the college's first century. A myriad of activites is set for Oct. 24-29........ page 9 like this it would take a long time.” The student-built machine combines modern welding technology with a rotating table and control panel that allows an operator to start the machine and then turn his attention to something else. “This welder puts a weld on a pressure boiler and it has to be a good weld. The machine gives us that,” Blackett said. The student-designed equipment reduces the construction cost for each boiler and helps the company compete with foreign manufacturers, Blackett said. And with a higher competitive edge the company will sell more product and need more workers. “It definitely has an impact. The cost could take as much as a 10 percent drop and we’re dealing in an area where pennies make a difference,” he said. Arid Lands Association, Phi Sigma Honor Society, Sigma Xi, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In recommending the appointment, Dr. Robert Smith, WSC vice president for Technology students team built an automatic welder for industry One of the welder’s design elements that Chromalox finds particularly pleasing is the system’s adaptability, Blackett said. “The boiler line is changing already and the welder has a programmable computer that we can add to and change the machine. They put in enough capacity that a lot of things can be done,” he said. Blackett, who is a 1970 graduate of Weber State, said he knew manufacturing students at the college had to complete a project before they could graduate. A few WSC seniors worked at Chromalox and it seemed a natural step to let the students ‘take on the project. “It’s a win-win situation,” Blackett said. “The students get the experience and we get the welder for a fraction of the cost. If we would have bought one commercially we could have spent $20,000. It’s very cost effective to do it this way.” Students began design work in May 1987 and met every week through the summer, said project leader Stewart Richards. Each student had specific tasks Weber State are also collaborating with a group in Brazil to build a satellite that will make direct access to satellite communication available to the “average man.” The orb will produce signals which can be heard on inexpensive VHF radios—the kind commonly used to monitor police bands. The partnership between the amateur satellite organization, Argentina, Brazil, (USPS 791-360) science faculty will be a very good one.” Dr. Smith noted that in addition to his duties as dean, Dr. McKell will also serve as professor of botany. and took on managerial roles as well. “There was a lot of revising, and a lot of work, but it was worth it,” Richards said. The students talked with the welding foreman at Chromalox to make sure they were creating what the company needed. In the end the foreman got exactly what he wanted, students said. “We’re still taking the bugs out. There were some things we didn’t realize,” said Dave Griffin, a WSC student. The students did not get paid for their work, other than a grade for the project, but they did receive a number of benefits as they applied for jobs. “The interviewers were impressed that we completed a project with an end result, and that we had a company backing us,” said Gordon Burns, one of the students who worked on the project. “We're pleased with how this tumed out,” Blackett said. ““We’re already talking about the potential of doing something with Weber State next year.” AMSAT continued from page 1 The amateur satellite corporation and October, January and April, for alumni and friends of the college at no charge by the Weber State College Department of News and Public Information, 313 Miller Administration Building, Weber State College, Ogden, Utah 84408-1010. Second class postage paid at Preston, ID. POSTMASTER: Form 3579 to: News and Public Information Weber State College Ogden, UT 84408-1010 between the new dean and the natural up with local industry The Comment is published three times a year, Executive Editor Howard G. Noel Editor Craig V. Nelson Dr. Cyrus M. McKell He is a Ecological Society of America, Western ment, in California, Davis; instructor and teaching assistant at Oregon State University; principal and The college turns 100 January 7, Rockefeller Foundation Education Travel award, and the Phi Sigma honorary biological society among others. The new dean has consulted throughout the United States and _in foreign countries ronment and Man Program at USU; and 100th Birthday Party land resources ecology and rangeland plant physiology. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including a Fulbright research fellowship, and Weber State allows each partner the benefit of sharing satellite structures. This amortizes much of the research and development costs while permitting each partner to tailor the payload to a mission. they have defined, Clapp said. Several design reviews have already taken place on the four satellites, Clapp said, and with construction nearly com- pleted initial testing has begun. The four satellites will be launched into a polar, low-earth orbit by Arianespace early next year, he said. “We do not claim to be the experts. The space experts are in the industry. We just go out and find them and allow them to use the facilities and the students to accomplish their jobs,” Clapp said. The process then becomes positive for everyone involved. Industry gets a satel- lite for a fraction of the cost, and students gain a priceless experience, he said. “The students reap a tremendous educational reward. The job market gets more difficult all the time so we have to make our students better to give them the edge,” he said. And the college also receives a benefit. It is now recognized world-wide for small satellite construction. Clapp said, “I met in Paris with space engineers and they said, ‘Say, are you connected with NUSAT?’ In the space industry we’re getting to be very wellknown.”