Students Exposure to Sustainable Thermal Energy Storage Technologies at West Texas A&M University

In the mechanical and civil engineering programs at West Texas A&M University, students are exposed to a variety of sustainability-oriented projects through senior design and research courses. The projects are selected to provide an in-depth understanding of the investigated area through analytical and experimental studies. In this particular project, students in thermal design were asked to investigate the feasibility of using paraffin-oil mixture as a phase change material (PCM) in residential walls. A PCM material with a melting point of 23°C (73°F) was designed and mixed. The mass of PCM required for a 1 m2 (10.8 ft2) wall (the size of the test apparatus) was determined to be 5.8 kg (12.8 lb) in a vertical 3.18 cm (1.25 in) thick sheet. A wall containing the PCM and another wall designated as a “control” were placed on 1 meter cubic insulated structures and were monitored through controlled experimentation. The testing was conducted indoors and an interior heating element simulated four complete day cycles. The result of the indoor study proved conclusively that with the correct modifications and optimization, PCM, as a form of insulation, is economically viable over its lifespan of 20 years. The reduced cost to the owner of a 186 m2 (2,000 ft2) home is $129.73/year. The proposed design causes a minuscule 5.76 kg/m2 (1.2 lb/ft2) of additional load to the structure. Because the PCM is in the configuration of a uniform sheet, the majority of the extra load will be supported by the concrete slab of the home.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Seals Research at Texas A/M University

The Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M has been providing experimental data and computational codes for the design seals for many years. The program began with the development of a Halon based seal test rig. This facility provided information about the effective stiffness and damping in whirling seals. The Halon effectively simulated cryogenic fluids. Another test facility was developed (using air as the working fluid) where the stiffness and damping matrices can be determined. This data was used to develop bulk flow models of the seal's effect upon rotating machinery; in conjunction with this research, a bulk flow model for calculation of performance and rotordynamic coefficients of annular pressure seals of arbitrary non-uniform clearance for barotropic fluids such as LH2, LOX, LN2, and CH4 was developed. This program is very efficient (fast) and converges for very large eccentricities. Currently, work is being performed on a bulk flow analysis of the effects of the impeller-shroud interaction upon the stability of pumps. The data was used along with data from other researchers to develop an empirical leakage prediction code for MSFC. Presently, the flow field inside labyrinth and annular seals are being studied in detail. An advanced 3-D Doppler anemometer system is being used to measure the mean velocity and entire Reynolds stress tensor distribution throughout the seals. Concentric and statically eccentric seals were studied; presently, whirling seals are being studied. The data obtained are providing valuable information about the flow phenomena occurring inside the seals, as well as a data base for comparison with numerical predictions and for turbulence model development. A finite difference computer code was developed for solving the Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equation inside labyrinth seals. A multi-scale k-epsilon turbulence model is currently being evaluated. A new seal geometry was designed and patented using a computer code. A large scale, 2-D seal flow visualization facility is also being developed

Texas A&M University at Galveston

Located in Galveston, Texas, the Marine Science Department offers several undergraduate degree programs and a graduate degree program in marine resources management. The department also conducts cutting edge research in oceanography, theory, and marine policy. Site offers curriculum and admissions information, as well as all the latest news and events, and photos of the lab and students doing research. Educational levels: Graduate or professional, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division

Data Processing In The Texas A & M University Library

The Texas A & M University Library embraced automation as a way of life when it became the first library in the Southwest to employ a Data Processing Supervisor as a full-time Library staff member in September, 1964. The creation of such a position as part of the Library staff was only one of several favorable circumstances which combined to provide the necessary foundation for the achievements outlined in this paper. In addition to an enthusiastic University administration which provided requested supplemental funds for a special conversion project, the Library has access to the University's centralized data processing facility, which is one of the largest such University installations in the Southwest. The Data Processing Center houses an IBM 7094-1401 computer system with 14 magnetic tape drives, two separate off-line 1401 tape systems (one with a 1404 printer), and a battery of high speed sorters, collators, and card punches. This tremendous hardware capability has proved to be a great asset to our automation program.published or submitted for publicatio

Airline Pricing, Price Dispersion and Ticket Characteristics On and Offthe Internet

This paper uses a unique individual transactions data set to investigate the effects of internet purchase on the prices paid for airline tickets. The analysis also investigates the effects of changes in the percentage of online transactions on both online and offline prices and on price dispersion. The analysis also uses these unique data to provide a more complete analysis of the factors affecting airline price levels and price dispersion, contributing more generally to our understanding of airline pricing. Our novel data set includes detailed transaction level data that includes ticket characteristics and restrictions, carrier, estimated flight level load factors, date of issue, departure date, other hedonic factors affecting prices, whether the ticket was purchased online or offline, and the share of online purchases for the city-pair. Controlling for numerous observed ticket characteristics, as well as carrier and route effects, the results show that online prices average about 13 percent less than offline prices. The analysis also shows that a ten percent increase in the online share of tickets sold on a route decreases average prices by an additional 5 percent, with more of this effect coming in the form of lower offline prices. The paper also finds evidence that an increase in online shares decrease price dispersion. The paper also uses these unique data to investigate the effects of hub dominance and high route shares on pricing. Due to data limitations previous investigations of these issues could not control for important ticket characteristics, load factors, and time of purchase in measuring the effects of concentration on price levels and dispersion. Our analysis controls for these factors while investigating the impact of market concentration on price levels and dispersion

Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Success

With funding from the Meadows Foundation and the Miles Foundation, researchers at CHILDREN AT RISK engaged in a study to examine how participation in Texas public PreKindergarten Pre-K1 is associated with performance on the 3rd Grade State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading assessment. CHILDREN AT RISK tracked approximately 47,000 students from the 2010-2011 school year to the 2014-2015 school year.2 These students began public Pre-K in 2010 and completed 3rd grade in 2015. The study focused on five major independent school districts (ISD) in Texas (Austin ISD, Dallas ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Houston ISD, and San Antonio ISD) and 12 additional school districts surrounding these major metropolitan areas.3 The purpose of this report is twofold. The first purpose is to educate parents, policy makers, and the public about the association between Texas public Pre-K and 3rd grade STAAR Reading outcomes. Across campuses and students, this study examines the relationship between varying levels of public Pre-K participation and STAAR Reading scores by comparing 3rd grade STAAR Reading means among multiple sub-groups of economically disadvantaged students. The second purpose is to offer policy recommendations that will increase access to and improve the quality of the Texas public Pre-K program on behalf of parents, taxpayers, and—most importantly—children

Book Review: Archeology in the Eastern Planning Region, Texas: A Planning Document

With the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966 and ensuing regulatory guidelines, a mandate for the development of The State Historic Preservation Plan was clearly established. During the late 1960s and the 1970s, because of limited funding and the absence of information on the structure of these plans, few states had formulated plans or if they had state plans, they were of an extremely general nature. In the 1980s, principally through funding initiatives on the part of the National Park Service and through the efforts of NPS preservation planners such as John Knoerl, many states began their first attempts at comprehensive preservation planning. One of the more highly acclaimed of these early planning documents was the Resource Protection Planning Process for Texas. The current eastern planning region document represents the culmination of over 10 years of preservation planning in the state of Texas

A revision of the species of Anogdus LeConte of the United States and Canada (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Leiodinae: Leiodini)

A review of the genus Anogdus LeConte (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Leiodinae: Leiodini) of North America finds 16 species. Ten of these were previously described and there are no new synonyms. Six are named as new species: A. alachua n. sp., of Florida; A. cochise, n. sp., of Arizona; A. huachuca n. sp., of Arizona; A. rileyi n. sp, of Texas; A. texanus n. sp., of Texas and Oklahoma; and A. tridens n. sp, of Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. A key is provided to aid identification of the species