The program allows engineering students to gain real-world experience while meeting the needs of the industry. Starting Fall 2024, students can enroll in the graduate certificate in electronic parts engineering, offered through the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in partnership with the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program.

The certificate program will train students to evaluate and test the electrical and electronic components of devices and equipment used in the harsh environment of space. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ is one of three universities — and the only university in Florida — to partner with NASA on the program.

“The new graduate certificate … marks a significant step in our commitment to enhance our role in this sector.” — Reza Abdolvand, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

“In alignment with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s vision as [America’s] Space University and in response to the demands of prominent local industries, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is prioritizing space electronics as a key focus in both student training and research initiatives,” says Reza Abdolvand, chair of the department. “The introduction of the new graduate certificate in electronic parts engineering marks a significant step in our commitment to enhance our role in this sector and to foster stronger collaborations with leading organizations, including NASA.”

Through their coursework, students will learn to establish test plans, conduct failure analysis and evaluate test results for usage. Then they can take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to real-world research through paid internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

“This program will uniquely position students for internships and careers at NASA and, more generally, the aerospace and defense sector in both Florida and across the U.S.,” says Assistant Professor Enxia Zhang, coordinator of the certificate program.

The goal of the program is to meet the industry need for electronic parts and electrical engineers who are already trained and educated. Employment of electrical and electronics engineers is projected to grow over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Florida is among the states boasting top employment for this profession.

A bonus for students is that the credits earned in the certificate program can be applied to a master’s degree, furthering their education and competitiveness in the industry.

“In many ways, the graduate certificate program is a gateway to other degree programs in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS),” says Ali Gordon, the CECS associate dean for graduate affairs. “Many students realize that after they’ve had a few graduate courses, they want more. A key feature of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s graduate certificate program is that 100% of the credits earned towards the certificate can be applied towards a master’s degree.”

Students who are interested in applying for the certificate should have completed a bachelor’s degree program in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or a related discipline. Current undergraduate students are eligible to apply as a junior or senior, and the courses can be completed online.

To learn more or to apply, visit the graduate certificate in electronic parts engineering webpage.

In the United States, fossil fuels continue to be the largest production source of electricity. Over the past 30 years or so, the fossil fuels of natural gas, petroleum and coal have annually accounted for approximately 70 percent of our electricity production, nuclear power plants produce about 20 percent, while renewable sources such as solar and wind contribute less than 10 percent. Although these renewable sources have steadily contributed more hours of electricity every year, we need more to power not just our computers, but also our new smart phones, tablets and Teslas.

I always enjoy seeing engineering topics receive widespread attention in the media, and it seems especially important to make right choices now with the recent focus on some energy sources that may have some negative environmental impacts.

One of the growing controversial aspects of energy production is the process of hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydrofracking or fracking, which is very much responsible for a surge in the production of oil and natural gas production in the United States. Energy companies can tap into oil and natural gas reserves that were previously inaccessible and stimulate production from older wells.

Lower fuel prices, job creation and domestic business growth are all viewed as economic benefits, but to better understand the costs, people need to know the mechanics of fracking that has been gradually developed since the 1940s.

Consider a solid structure that contains numerous tiny cracks that are in close proximity but not touching. Think of Swiss cheese with penny-shaped slits instead of spherical pores. If you could somehow apply enough mechanical loading to just one of those cracks, then the intensity of stress developed at the tip of that crack could very well be enough to create a fissure connecting the tip of one of the adjacent cracks. Apply more loading, and get to the next one. And so on until the network of initially disconnected pores are bridged.

In the case of fracking, however, the rock formations that drillers want to access are either shale or tight sandstones that have cracks filled with oil or natural gas. The network of cracks tends to be vertical or horizontal depending on the geological formation. To be able to open these underground cracks and get to the deposits, there are three principal steps: drilling, injecting and extracting.

The drilling process in fracking is similar to that used in conventional oil drilling. The borehole is about 20 inches in diameter and goes about 7,000 feet deep, well below the water table of many naturally occurring aquifers that sit at a 2,000 foot depth. New technology in the form of a steerable bit allows the bore to turn sideways and run horizontally for a little more than a mile within the relatively thin shale layer.

Approximately, 5 million gallons of fluid are delivered by powerful pumps at the surface. By volume, the fluid is a mixture containing 90 percent water, 9.5 percent fine sand, and the balance is various chemicals. The fluid is pressurized at roughly 15,000 pounds per square inch. The sand particles hold open the tiny cracks with enough spacing to allow the fossil fuels to escape to the borehole and travel up to the well for collection.

But the process is very contentious because of these issues:

1. Water Resource Contamination – Of the roughly 5 million gallons of water that can be pumped into a fracking well, about 15 percent escapes up the well shaft and can lead to a spill if not handled properly. If the bore is not constructed with enough strength, then the fracking fluid can be injected into the aquifer and contaminate water resources. This can especially be the case when the well has poor structural integrity.
2. Methane Emissions – Methane is more potent than carbon dioxide and has a great potential to escape to the atmosphere during fracking. This damaging greenhouse gas has been detected in ground water reserves near extraction wells. These gases can degrade the local air quality.
3. Induced Seismicity – Several studies have linked destructive seismic activity – earthquakes – to the subsurface stresses induced by fracking in the vicinity of ground faults.
4. Water Consumption – A considerable amount of freshwater is used for fracking a single well.

As hydraulic fracturing continues to be a boom to the U.S. economy, it reminds me that concepts we work on daily in the laboratory and in the classroom can have huge impacts. 3-D printing, autonomous robots, solar-power cars, cars that fly, and the like were all concepts that engineers helped bring to fruition. The effects these innovations have had on society have been largely positive in helping solve some sort of problem.

Likewise, as energy sources evolve, the challenge always will be to develop peripheral technologies to further reduce the environmental impacts for us and our future generations.

Dr. Ali P. Gordon is an associate professor in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He researches and teaches Fracture and Fatigue, and can be reached at ali@ucf.edu.

According to NCAA research compiled in 2015, there is roughly a 3 percent chance that a high school basketball player will compete in college, and approximately a 1 percent chance that an NCAA hoops player will go on to suit up for the WNBA or NBA. For the remainder of us, there’s always pickup basketball.

Check the neighborhood park, church gym, recreation center or military sports center near you. There’s a dedicated group of folks that regularly comes together to play some ball, whether it be weekday lunchtime, Saturday mornings or whenever. Playground players come from everywhere, spontaneously pick teams and play. The teams are not always the same from one game to the next, but of course one primary objective is always the same: win.

While other aims of every pickup hoops player is to maximize fun and to get some good exercise, winning the game carries the reward of getting to immediately play again. Losing teams typically vacate the court and are obliged to essentially wait their turn to compete again. If you get the right mix of players, however, your team can run the court all day. Some other key nuances differentiate pickup from organized basketball. Without having coaches and referees, leadership and a rigid set of rules are sometimes lacking.

Many of the attributes inherent to team-oriented sports mimic the situations that our workplace teams or we as individuals encounter. Play enough pickup sports or watch enough NBA or WNBA and some things will pop out to you that have relevance off the court, such as:

Winning groups don’t necessarily have the most talented individuals

It’s a beauty in motion when fundamental team-oriented basketball is played. Individual members working together create low-energy, high-probability scoring opportunities for one another on offense and support each other on defense. They efficiently cooperate with each other to obscure individual weaknesses at both ends of the court. Players on winning teams often forego some individuality (such as taking excessive shots), and perhaps even some level of enjoyment, in order to maximize the chances of winning.

Highly talented individuals on the same team sometimes compete against each to be the most talented member of the team. These players go for high-energy, low-probability plays. They look to shoot first and share last. Their attitudes of individuality create inefficiencies that effective opposing teams take advantage of.

In the workplace, high-achieving groups, departments or offices have individuals who support each other. There is a willingness to collaborate to achieve the overall goal. When one person is out sick or on vacation, for example, a co-worker picks up the slack and things keep moving smoothly. There’s no work stoppage. Team-oriented environments are fun to be in because adversity is dealt with very efficiently.

Intensity picks up when resources are low

At some parks there are numerous courts with just enough players to start a game. Consequently, there are many opportunities to compete. At others, there might be just one court with an overabundance of players. For this latter case, there is a scarcity of playing opportunities, so losing a game is extremely undesirable because it potentially carries the outcome of having to wait a very long time to play again. The outcome of a loss diametrically opposes the purpose of going to court in the first place.

With limited playing opportunities, competition between teams can be intense. Individuals play harder on both offense and defense. No uncontested shots combined with a lack of officiating sometimes means that tactics such as pushing, elbowing, holding, clawing, jersey-grabbing and the like can sometimes be employed to allow a weaker player/team to nullify talent gaps of opposing players/teams. Arguments happen and tempers flare, too.

This may sound like a very important report or presentation that you’ve toiled to put together, right? Every “i” is dotted, every “t” crossed. Midnight oil was burned. If your preparation was for an interview for a job opportunity having only one slot and many applicants, you might have tried to cleverly anticipate (or even gain access to) the interview questions that might come up. You’ve out-hustled the others in order to gain an edge so your case is viewed the most favorably.

Appearances are fleeting

Sizing up an opponent before a game can sometimes be misleading. Just because a player may be shorter and slighter in size, and wears an unkempt outfit with mismatched socks, doesn’t mean that he or she won’t outjump, outhustle and outperform you during the game.

Don’t be fooled by perceived stereotypes. Those pregame observations often begin to disappear on the court.

And just like on the court, you can only judge co-workers’ skills and competence once they’ve played on your work team. Those people who shine and are willing to collaborate to pursue your overall goal are the teammates you want.

Winning cures a lot of complaints.

Winning at basketball – and in the workplace – involves a blend of individual sacrifice, cerebral effort, adaptation to dynamic conditions, and a sometimes a degree of luck.

Who’s got next?

Ali P. Gordon is an associate professor in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He can be reached at ali@ucf.edu.