Indiana University News

As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed. But the fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood…

Global engineering and defense technologies provider Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today the promotion of Edmond Hughes to executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Hughes, formerly the vice president of human resources and administration contracts at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division and at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding since 2006, will replace William “Bill” R. Ermatinger, who will retire on April 1 after 35 years of service. HII also appointed Susan Jacobs to replace Hughes as the vice president…

A great deal of research related to student learning styles has emerged in recent years. Through that research strong arguments have been made that more kinesthetic learning methods, such as hands-on or experiential learning, are more effective than more traditional methods like the lecture. In the maritime field, technology such as simulation, has provided us with tools to harness the power of experiential learning; however, those tools alone cannot ensure students are learning…

Friedman is Port of Cleveland's President & CEO. At its 2018 Spring Conference on March 20, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)—the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas—elected William D. Friedman, president and chief executive officer for Northeast Ohio’s Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, to serve as the association’s chairman of the board for the 2018-19 activity year that begins in October. Mr. Friedman is slated to be installed as chairman for a one-year term on the final day of AAPA’s 2018 Annual Convention, set for Oct. 7-10, in Valparaiso, Chile. He will assume the AAPA chairmanship from Steve Cernak, chief executive and port director for Broward County, Fla.’s Port Everglades, who began his one-year term on Oct. 4, 2017.

Shipbuilding group MV WERFTEN said it has appointed Richard Gruenhagen as Managing Director of Finance and Administration to reinforce the group's Management Board as new CFO effective February 1.   Gruenhagen graduated from Indiana University, is a Certified Public Accountant (USA), has many years of experience as Executive Financial Management Professional, broad business experience as CFO, Director of Finance, Chief Accountant and as Head FP&A & Controlling in large global companies and startups, incl. ABB and GE. Most recently, Gruenhagen worked as CFO at DHL Logistics in Switzerland.

Newly-elected Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb will provide special keynote remarks at next week's Indiana Logistics Summit. The two-day event is scheduled for Nov. 16-17 at the Indiana Convention Center and the Governor-elect will speak at 9 a.m. in the Sagamore Ballroom on Thursday, Nov. 17. Hosted by Ports of Indiana, Purdue University and Conexus Indiana, the Summit brings together over 350 executives from the logistics and advanced manufacturing sector to discuss critical issues facing all modes of transportation, and will also include 150 high school students participating in "Logistics U," a parallel program exploring 200 years of logistics in honor of Indiana's bicentennial.

Ken Cohen, vice president, Public and Government Affairs, Exxon Mobil Corporation, has announced his intention to retire effective Jan. 1, 2016, after more than 38 years of service. It is anticipated that the board of directors will elect Suzanne McCarron as vice president, Public and Government Affairs, Exxon Mobil Corporation. McCarron is currently general manager, Public and Government Affairs, and president, ExxonMobil Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The ExxonMobil Foundation is focused on creating economic opportunities for women, support for math and science education and efforts to combat malaria.

Scuba divers have found the largest cache of gold coins ever discovered in Israel working on wreck site in the ancient harbor of Caesarea on the country's Mediterranean coast, reports the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA). The treasure trove of 2,000 coins weighs more than 20 pounds and dates back more than 1,000 years to the era of Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled much of the Middle East and North Africa from 909 to 1171. “It is probably the shipwreck of an official treasury boat which was on its way to the central government in Egypt with collected taxes…

Cummins Inc. announced that Distribution Business President Pamela Carter, the first woman to lead one of the company's four main business units, will retire April 1. Carter, who became Indiana's first African American woman Attorney General in 1993, has been with Cummins since 1997. She initially served as the Company's Vice President - General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Carter then held several key positions within Cummins Fleetguard before leading Cummins Filtration from 2005 to 2007. She has been President of the Distribution Business Unit since 2007.

2015 will mark the 300th anniversary of the sinking of a dozen Spanish ships known as the 1715 Plate Fleet; plata being the Spanish world for silver. On the 30th of July 1715 twelve galleons, overloaded with Mexican gold and silver, left Cuba and sailed north carried by the Gulf Stream. Just off the coast of Florida between present day Sebastian and Fort Pierce they were struck by a ferocious hurricane. Some of the ships sank in deep water, some broke up in shallower water, and others ran aground near shore.

PPG Industries today announced the appointment of Kevin E. McDonald, as vice president, fiber glass, effective March 1. McDonald is currently PPG general manager, reinforcements, and leader for fiber glass in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). He will report to Viktor Sekmakas, PPG executive vice president, and continue to be based at the company’s Glass Business and Discovery Center in Harmar, Pa. McDonald will succeed Thomas P. Kerr, who will retire effective March 1.

The City of Indianapolis and the Indiana SeaPerch regions were the ideal combination to host the Third National SeaPerch Challenge at the Natatorium on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on May 17 – 19, 2013. On Friday evening, May 17, 83 top robotic teams from middle and high schools, after school and out-of-school programs in 23 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico convened at the IUPUI Natatorium for a weekend of competition and fun-filled activities.

Members of the American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA) elected new leadership at their annual summer meeting held this year in Oswego, New York. The new president is William Friedman, President & CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. Dean Haen, director of the Brown County Port & Solid Waste Department in Green Bay, will serve as vice president. The secretary-treasurer position will be held by Paul LaMarre, port director at the Port of Monroe (Michigan). The term of office is two years. Friedman became president and CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in June 2010. He has more than 25 years of experience in port management, real estate development, international supply chain and multimodal distribution.

In a few weeks, SeaPerch, a national educational outreach program using underwater robotics, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), will hold its 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge. Hosted by the Indiana State Regions this annual competition will take place on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the University’s Natatorium housing the Olympic pool. There the top 100 winning teams from regional competitions…

Kiran Paranjape has been appointed General Manager – India for Universal, a provider of acoustic and emission technologies. Paranjape will have overall responsibility of the business including marketing, promotions, sales and production of Universal’s acoustic and emission technologies throughout India. He will open a business office in Pune, India. Paranjape earned his MBA from Indiana University and Bachelor’s degrees in Cost Accounting from Kolkata University and Production Engineering from Mumbai University. He was previously employed by Cummins Filtration as Director of Global Sourcing. Paranjape also held the position of General Manager for Nelson Engine Systems, later renamed Cummins Exhaust, from 2001 to 2006.

Transocean Sedco Forex Inc. announced that Jon C. Cole has been name executive vice president, Shallow and Inland Water Operations, overseeing the company's industry-leading presence in the shallow and inland waters of the U.S. drilling market. Cole joined the company in 1977 in Corporate Planning and has since held a number of management roles in the company's Operations and Marketing departments, including Division Manager in Egypt ad Scotland and Senior vice President of European Operations. Prior to his new assignment, Cole held the position of Executive Vice President, Marketing. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., where he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and MBA.

A battery that solves the load-leveling problem of renewable energy AND generates value-added by-products? Too good to be true? It appears that Dr. Schubert, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Director of the Richard S. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy may have done just that with the saltwater flow battery that he and his team have developed at IUPUI. Ideal applications as an add-on for wave or current power, off-shore wind farms or navy bases, the battery can be scaled up to become a "microgrid", yet because it uses "free" seawater, it is lightweight and easy to install. Added bonuses? It has clean-water and hydrogen output potential. Dr.

A new study released by the Ports of Indiana reports that waterborne shipping along Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline contributes $14b per year in economic activity to the state economy and more than 104,000 jobs. The study was conducted by Martin Associates, one of the foremost maritime economic consulting firms in the country, and was peer reviewed by economics professors from Indiana University, University of Notre Dame and Purdue University. The study focused on 2008 and 2009 data, which reflected a significant economic downturn, suggesting that the results are conservative estimates for average annual impacts. •    $567m of state and local tax revenue.

In only a few weeks, SeaPerch, a national educational outreach program using underwater robotics, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), will hold its 2013 National SeaPerch Challenge. Hosted by the Indiana State Regions this annual competition will take place on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the University’s Natatorium housing the Olympic pool. There the top 100 winning teams from regional competitions…

The Ports of Indiana has named Scott Stewart as port director for the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville. A native of nearby New Albany, Ind., Stewart spent 24 years in positions of increasing responsibility with the Procter & Gamble Company before retiring in 2008 and moving back to Indiana. Upon his return, he served as a senior policy director for Governor Mitch Daniels and most recently as Director of Strategy for the Indiana Department of Transportation on the Ohio River Bridges project. "We're very excited to have someone of Scott's caliber join our team," said Rich Cooper, CEO for the Ports of Indiana. "Scott's management and leadership roles with one of the world's top corporations…

Many universities are adding or expanding their underwater archaeology programs in an effort to give students a broader educational experience and a better understanding of our maritime history. The field of underwater archaeology is expanding rapidly as the equipment required for marine exploration becomes more affordable, and more scientists and researchers learn to scuba dive. Indiana University (IU) Bloomington has one of the oldest academic diving programs in the country.

Underwater metal detector is successfully used for the African Slave Wrecks Project. In October 1619 the naval warship Warwick sailed into the King’s Castle Harbour in Bermuda with an important cargo from England; the colony’s new governor, Captain Nathaniel Butler. After taking on provisions the Warwick was to travel onto the struggling colony at Jamestown, Virginia, but it never made the voyage. Before the ship could sail, Bermuda was hit by a fierce hurricane. Battered by strong winds the Warwick broke free from her anchors…

The U.S. Senate confirmed the nominees to the top posts at U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) during the March 19 session. The full Senate confirmed Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating as PACOM commander and Air Force Lt. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., to receive his fourth star and to become commander of NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command. Renuart, who currently serves as Gates' senior military assistant, will assume Keating's NORTHCOM post. In announcing both officers' nominations in February, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised them for establishing a record of accomplishments in a variety of complex and challenging assignments.