UAB UTC student intern excels in engineering workshop

UAB UTC student intern excels in engineering workshop

The UAB UTC's summer student intern, Ms. Nichele Cantrell, recently participated in a weeklong Visualization Workshop hosted by Dr. Alan Shih, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and a researcher with the Southern Consortium of Injury Biomechanics. The workshop, held June 8-12, was funded by the NSF ITEST program and gave high school students the opportunity to learn various computer programs used for visualization in many fields of engineering.

"The workshop was really helpful since I'm going into biomedical engineering,"Nichele said during the final presentations at the conclusion of the week. "I had never been exposed to those programs before and it was good to get an understanding of them before I begin college."

Nichele was taught how to use two sophisticated computer programs, Volview® (a volume visualization program) and Paraview® (used for simulations), to examine CT scans of patients' heads using filters and smoothing techniques. She noted that such programs are very helpful in the medical field for visually detecting pathology and helping physicians make a precise diagnosis.

Dr. Russ Fine, Director of the UAB-UTC, attended the presentation and was impressed with work done by Nichele and the other students. He commented that "engineering is magic" and encouraged all the students to seriously consider a career in engineering.

Nichele will attend other workshops and mini-courses in the School of Engineering, as well as work on several projects for the UAB UTC over the rest of the summer. Nichele came to the UTC on the recommendation of her mentors in the Jefferson County Youth Transportation Program (JCYTP), which recently partnered with the UTC to further common educational goals. The JCYTP is a year-round activity to introduce area high school students, particularly minorities and females, to career and employment opportunities available in the transportation field, as well as provide them with resources and guidance to assist them in making career decisions. It is designed and funded by the US Department of Transportation and administered through the UAB Office of the Vice President for Equity and Diversity under the Minority Business Training and Development Programs. Mr. Ordrell Smith, Director for the JCYTP, recognized Nichele as an outstanding student with a bright future in engineering who would benefit from an internship with the UTC.

Nichele is a recent graduate of Ramsay High School in Birmingham and will attend Purdue University in the fall. At Purdue, she plans to study biomechanical engineering and will participate in the honors program.

To be continued...

For more information on the Jefferson County Youth Transportation Program, please visit them on the web at www.uab.edu/utc/JCTYP/JCYTP.html or http://main.uab.edu/Sites/jcytp/.