Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Faculty and Graduate Students Reflect on Working in the Gas Turbine Field ME Today

Faculty and Graduate Students Reflect on Working in the Gas Turbine Field ME Today Faculty and Graduate Students Reflect on Working in the Gas Turbine Field ME Today Faculty and Graduate Students Reflect on Working in the Gas Turbine FieldOpportunities are Exciting and Ever-ExpandingASME International Gas Turbine Institute volunteers Dr. Karen Thole and Dr. Knox Millsaps, Jr., have been instrumental in beratung and establishing programs for young engineers studying in the field of gas turbines. In this article, Thole and Millsaps have each provided a profile of one of their gas turbine students and what they have accomplished in the dynamic field of gas turbine engineering.Perspective from the Pennsylvania State University Gas Turbine ProgramAttracting top students who have an interest in learning about gas turbines is key to ultimately filling the pipeline of talented engineers needed by the turbine industry. To attract those top students, universities need excellent educational and research programs as well as state of the art experimental and computational facilities. Many top students seek research opportunities to work on real-world problems, which can only be provided by industry through either directly funded projects or federally funded projects that have strong industry input. Learning about the gas turbine industry and the challenges not only come from within the classroom, but also from the collaborations between industry, government, and academia. Molly Eberly, MSME graduate student at Penn State, works in the lab.Molly Eberly is an MSME graduate student at Penn State. She describes her experiences in the gas turbine fieldBefore coming to graduate school, I knew very little about gas turbine engines. I began to learn about them, however, after joining Penn States Experimental and Computational Convection Lab at Penn State. Being part of this lab has taught me quickly that the engine air temperatures exiting the combustion chamber are well above the melting temperature of the turbine blades just downstream. I also learned that most engine manufacturers keep the blade from failing by sending cooler air through the center shaft, through the inside of the blade, and then out through tiny holes onto the blade surface. This creates a thin film of protective, cooler air around the blade, earning the technique the name film cooling. Film cooling became the focus of my graduate research.Penn State has provided me with many resources at my fingertips. I collect heat transfer and flow field measurements to characterize the effectiveness of different film cooling configurations, and I have used Infrared, Laser Doppler Velocimetry, and Particle Image Velocimetry techniques to capture that data. The wind tunell with which I work is less than 2 years old, and I use liquid nitrogen to simulate the coolant gases. All things considered, its a pretty fun collection of toys that I get to play with every day This work has taught and prepared me we ll for the future, and there are several aspects of a career in the gas turbine industry that I find attractive. Large gas turbine manufacturers offer a huge variety of jobs that includes cooling technologies for the hot gas path in the turbine, aerodynamics, structural dynamics, combustion, and cold air flow through the compressor. However, turbines arent just used to power aircraft smaller research contractors close to Penn State use steam turbines in underwater powered vehicles. This introduces a completely different and exciting set of engineering problems to solve For a career in the turbine industry, I wont be lacking in opportunities.Perspective from the Naval Postgraduate School Gas Turbine ProgramGas Turbines have been used in many applications including aviation, power production, process plants, ship propulsion, and a number of other applications, for more than half a century. While the increases in performance and reliability over the last 60 years have been nothing shor t of astounding, research into still better systems is continuing, and this means there are great opportunities for young engineers working for industry, in universities, and for the government, to have exciting careers in further improving these vital systems that widely benefit society.One of the many exciting opportunities for students to contribute to energy security and help protect the environment is through developing the knowledge of how to use alternative fuels, such as bio-derived jet (gas Turbine) fuels, in gas turbines.Research underway at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), in Monterey, California supports the U. S. Navys goals of using biofuels (50/50 blends) in both aircraft and surface ship gas turbines. In order for users, such as the Navy or commercial airliners, to have confidence that these fuels will be acceptable drop in replacements, a number of physical and chemical experiments are necessary along with full engine certification tests. Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student, LT Omari Buckley, USN, at the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, California briefs his research on the fundamental combustion properties of biofuels to the Secretary of The Navy, the Honorable Ray Mabus.One such set of experiments is being done by LT Omari Buckley, USN. His research is on determining the laminar flame speed of pure biofuels (and blended fuels of different proportions), known as Hydro-Reformed-Jet (HRJ), and comparing these with the fuels used in the Navy for aircraft (JP-5) and ships (F-76/DFM). Results from LT Buckleys thesis research and other work at NPS on ignition delays and heat release rates will be vital in identifying potential problems in candidate fuels, and will help calibrate computations tools.This work and many, many other gas turbine projects in universities, industry, and government labs around the world provide exciting and useful ways for young engineers to contribute to an environmentally friendly way for gas turbines to pr ovide power and propulsion for the 21st Century.Contributing AuthorsDr. Karen Thole, Professor and Department Head, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, The Pennsylvania State UniversityDr. Knox Millsaps, Professor and Chairman, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Naval Postgraduate SchoolMolly Eberly, MSME graduate student at The Pennsylvania State University

Friday, November 22, 2019

Feeling guilty about not going to the gym could be bad for your health

Feeling guilty about not going to the gym could be bad for your healthFeeling guilty about not going to the gym could be bad for your healthDo you feel like compared to other people youre not going to the gym enough? If so, you might want to improve your mindset even more than your exercise regime. Simply having guilt and insecurity about your level of fitness can be bad your healthSays who?Researchers at Stanford University (Octavia Zahrtand Alia Crum) who discovered that study participants who perceived themselves as less active than their friends tended to live shorter lives even if they were still getting a nice amount of exercise relatively equal to their friends.In 2007 Alia Crumexplored a fascinating study on hotel attendants. These women were getting lots of exercise, but when we asked them they didnt have the mindset that their work welches good exercise, Crum says.Crum then gave a presentation to some of the hotel staff explaining that all their heavy lifting and walki ng was healthy exercise. After a month, these folks showed improvements in blood pressure and body fat.Crum then teamed up with Zahrt for more research on exercise mindset.The Cliff Notes versionThe study examined more than 61,000 American adults using data from 3 national health surveys looking at their physical activity, health, and personal background.Crum and Zahrt focused in on one big question Would you say that, compared with others your age, you are physically more active, less active or equally active?They viewed death records from 21 years after the surveys were conducted. (Note They controlled for factors like physical activity, age, body mass index and chronic illness.)Their conclusionIndividuals who believed they were less active than others were up to 71% more likely to die in the follow-up period than people who thoughtthey were more active than their peers.Shockingly, this mortality risk applied to people who were roughly the saatkorn in every way as their peers including how much they actually exercised.The researchers explanationThe Placebo effect kicked in Those who believed they were getting enough exercise wound up experiencing greater physiological benefits.Crum explains,The belief youre getting a pain medication can activate endogenous opiates in the brain. Similarly, the underlying dread of not exercising enough is a powerful frame of mind that can harm health. Perceptions can affect motivation.Zahrt explains, People who think they are less active can be discouraged by that perception, and they might stop exercising and become less active over time.Zahrt believes that perhaps a subsequent drop in real exercise might have influenced some of the negative health outcomes although she tried to control for similarities in each exercise for her study.Your assignment Dont use comparison or scare tactics to motivate yourself to go to the gym. Inspire yourself with a positive mindset.The above is an excerpt from the bestselling longevity, L ife is Long 50+ways to live a little closer to forever, by Karen Salmansohn, founder of NotSalmon.com.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Free Entry Level Insurance Claims Adjuster Resume Template

Free Entry Level Insurance Claims Adjuster Resume TemplateFree Entry Level Insurance Claims Adjuster Resume TemplateIf youve recently gotten a college degree in your hands, you may be looking for your first professional job. Your best tool to unlock great jobs for new graduates is a well-written entry level resume. If you plan on looking for work as an insurance claims adjuster, you can mold your resume into an effective job search tool. Focus on the skills you learned throughout your education and part-time employment. These details, along with other parts of your resume, can help you get quickly hired.Create ResumeCustomize ResumeWhat to Include in an Entry Level Insurance Claims Adjuster ResumeGetting your first real job after college is a process that can be frustrating. its important to make sure your resume isnt hindering your job search. Ensure that youve spent the right amount of time writing the most effective entry level resume for your insurance claims adjuster career goal s. A human resources department is looking for specific skills that claims adjusters must have to be successful. You can show that you have unterstellung skills by listing things such as highlights, education and your limited career experience. Try to find experiences youve had that are related to the duties an insurance claims adjuster completes each day. This can help you find the right job at a much faster rate than is typical.Common Resume Fails Mistakes to AvoidUnrelated Jobs or Experiences The challenge with an entry level resume is that you must include experience that is related to the work. Dont just settle for random part-time job experience that has nothing to do with what insurance claims adjusters do.Spelling Mistakes One of the worst things you can do for your resume is leave it full of spelling errors. Dont simply rely on spellcheck to find all mistakes you must also review it.Listing References Dont include a section in your resume listing references of college profe ssors or friends. This is generally unnecessary for todays workplace setting.Ineffective Word Choice For job duties and experiences, stick with strong and concrete language. Dont use weak verbs or boring nouns to describe your accomplishments.Resume Content Antonia Trellis 99 Wynoak Way Baton Rouge, LA 11111 555-956-0345 antoniatrellanymail.com Summary College graduate with interest in insurance claims work. Record of success in all endeavors. Strong work ethic and focus on the small details. Excited to begin career in investigative work. Searching for an entry level position as an insurance claims adjuster. Highlights Studied business and financeTreasurer in sororityReceived full scholarship to collegeUnderstanding of complex terminologyAbility to adapt to new situationsPersistent and determinedCommitted to delivering top customer serviceGreat listening skillsTeamwork abilityStrength in public speaking and written communicationReady to learnProficient in Microsoft Word and ExcelAb le to aufgabe solve Strong critical thinkerExperience Part-Time Customer Service Representative 6/1/2014 1/1/2016 Diverse Real Estate Holdings Baton Rouge, LA Answered calls on a switchboard system for a real estate business.Forwarded customers to the appropriate individual.Communicated with customers in a pleasant manner.Worked with management to develop policies for common phone situations.Composed emails and messages to customers thanking them for their business.Sent additional correspondence to customers as needed. Claims Processor Intern 1/1/2016 Present Keritell Insurance Baton Rouge, LA Assisted a claims processor with historically troublesome claims.Learned basic insurance policy regulatory information.Exposed to different types of paperwork and filing systems for claims.Typed investigation reports using data sheets from adjusters.Answered calls from policy holders and interacted in a positive manner.Identified possible red flags when analyzing various sample cases.Organ ized materials for older claims files.Met with management to discuss weekly goals and strategies. Education Bachelor of Science in FinanceGraduated with a 4.00 GPATaylor University, New Orleans, LA