Bloebaum to participate in meeting of top young engineers

Christina L. Bloebaum, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has been selected to participate in an annual meeting that brings together some of the nation's top young engineers. She is one of 82 engineers, chosen from a field of 270 applicants, who will take part in the National Academy of Engineering's 1997 Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering Sept. 18-20 in Irvine, Calif. The symposium will host engineers ages 30 to 45 from industry and government, as well as academia.

The Frontiers of Engineering meetings were begun in 1995 in response to the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of engineering and to allow engineers to learn about developments and problems in other fields. This year's symposium will address such topics as biomechanics, sensors and control for manufacturing processes, safety and security issues, intelligent transportation systems and decision-making tools for design and manufacturing.

A UB faculty member since 1991, Bloebaum conducts research in multidisciplinary design synthesis, concurrent engineering and artificial-intelligence applications in optimal design.

In 1995, she was named a Presidential Faculty Fellow, an award bestowed by President Clinton to recognize the scholarly activities of the nation's most outstanding science and engineering faculty members. The award came with a five-year, $100,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation.