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Mercer Makes Top 25 List of College "Saviors of Our Cities"
Mercer University's work in the community has garnered national recognition among urban colleges and universities on the first "Saviors of Our Cities" rankings. Mercer was ranked 13th in the nation based on its commitment to community involvement. The rankings were calculated by Evan Dobelle, president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education, himself a former urban college president. According to Dobelle, the colleges on the list were selected because they were "best-neighbor" urban colleges and universities that, because of their strong positive contribution of careful strategic planning and thoughtful use of resources, dramatically strengthened the economy and quality of life of their neighboring communities and have become "Saviors of Our Cities." Read more.>>
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Mercer Physics Professor Debuts New Digital Seismograph This Week
Randall Peters, chair of Mercer University's Physics Department, will be unveiling his new digital seismograph at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30 in Willet Science Center on the Macon Campus. This will be one of the first all-digital seismographs to enter production and is based on Peters' revolutionary pendulum-based seismograph. This instrument is not only an excellent detector of local earthquakes, but the method used to measure movement of the earth's crust is a superior technique for studying really long wavelength seismic disturbances related to the phenomenon of "earth hum." Read more.>>
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Walker Addresses Church and State in the 2006 Elections on Sept. 7
J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., will make two presentations relating to "Church and State in the 2006 Elections." He will speak at 9:25 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, in the Religious Life Center, on Mercer's Macon campus. Walker is an expert on the establishment clause of the Constitution. Read more.>>
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McDuffie & Friends Labor Day Festival for Strings to Feature Two Free Concerts
Two free concerts will be held in conjunction with the Robert McDuffie & Friends Labor Day Festival for Strings. The Opening Concert, scheduled for at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, will feature eight of the nation's top string concert artists, including Robert McDuffie, performing Octet for Strings in E Flat Major, Opus 20 by Felix Mendelssohn. The Closing Concert, planned for 3 p.m., Monday, Sept. 4, will feature the 21 exceptionally talented high school string musicians participating in the festival. They will perform a variety of classic chamber music and will be joined by their master teachers for Bach's Branbenburg Concerto No. 3. Both concerts, which are free and open to the public, will be held in Neva Langley Fickling Hall of the McCorkle Music Building on Mercer's Macon campus. Seating is limited; tickets are required, The free tickets are available through Mercer Ticket Sales at 478-301-5470. Read more.>>
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Mercer Students Spend 10 Weeks Working at NASA
| MACON — A NASA robot that could someday explore the surface of other planets will have some components designed by Mercer University engineering students. This summer, Mercer Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Philip D. Olivier, along with senior Lauren Janelle, of Tifton, and junior Bryan Solomon, of Byron, spent 10 weeks working on the control system of a new robot that NASA scientists hope will be sent to explore far off planets. |
L-R: Mercer senior Lauren Janelle, Hope College students Aaron Silver and Luke Wendt, and Mercer junior Bryan Solomon hold a model of the robot they are working on this year.
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The students went as part of a new NASA initiative to bring colleges and universities into the NASA research fold, building on a program formerly reserved solely for professors. Olivier had participated in the past, but this was the first time he was able to bring students. The Mercer contingent was part of a group of nearly 200 students and professors from universities around the country who worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, developing the robot, among other projects.
Olivier said these projects differed from ones he worked on in the past, in which professors worked on projects that were related to what NASA was doing, but weren't an integral part of the research.
"The difference with this program is that, whereas in the past they were interested in what you were doing but not involved in it, with this program we're actually being incorporated into the project," Olivier said. "This year, we're more an important — and even essential part — of the project. Now, they have a vested interest in bringing the project to a successful conclusion."
Working at NASA was great work experience for both students, not to mention an incredible engineering experience.
"I liked getting the chance to apply things learned at school. It was just interesting to see what it was like to work in a professional environment," Solomon said. "When you're at school, you're often working on theory. This summer we actually got to do something concrete; we actually got to do work that is applicable. When they use this robot that's something I can point to and say, 'Hey, I worked on that.'"
The Mercer faculty-student team was assigned to work on the control system for the robot. The goal for the 12-tetrahedral walker bot, as the robot is currently known, is to "walk," allowing it to go in places that wheeled or tracked robots won't.
The Mercer team will continue to do research throughout the year and will receive a visit from NASA scientists during the academic year. Janelle has already decided to tailor her senior design project to contribute to making a part of the control system. Olivier said that he expects Mercer to continue to contribute beyond this year, with a rising junior taking Janelle's place next summer. For her part, Janelle is excited about the opportunity she received.
"It was an amazing opportunity to work with seasoned engineers and scientists and I learned a lot," Janelle said. "I feel I'm definitely more prepared for the world of engineering. Just being at NASA — everybody knows what NASA is — was really cool, it was great to be a part of one of the most innovative engineering environments anywhere in the world."
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