September 3, 2010 | Eli Freund - School of Engineering

Summer Conferences Afford Rare Experiences

Over the summer, Mechanical Engineering associate professor Zbigniew Bzymek kept Storrs-bound colleagues informed of the breathtaking sites he visited while presenting scholarly papers at conferences in the United Arab Emirates and China.

Over the summer, Mechanical Engineering associate professor Zbigniew Bzymek kept Storrs-bound colleagues informed of the breathtaking sites he visited while presenting scholarly papers at conferences in the United Arab Emirates and China.

Dr. Bzymek and fellow Mechanical Engineering (ME) associate professor Horea Ilies traveled to Dubai for CAD’10 (International CAD Conference and Exhibition), where they presented papers on Integration of CAD & CAM in Manufacturing Automation and on Curve Skeletons of Planar Domains.

While there, Dr. Bzymek visited some of the United Arab Emirates’ most astounding technological marvels, most notably the newly completed Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest man-made structure at a height of 2,717 ft., which is equipped with Connecticut’s own Otis elevators. Also on the itinerary were the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo along with an Olympic size ice rink; both provide a welcome respite from the external summer temperatures that average 114 degrees F. Dr. Bzymek notes “Dubai can be considered to be one of the most technologically advanced cities of the world.”

Attending the 2010 International Conference on Frontiers of Design and Manufacturing Sciences (ICFDM, with the theme “sustainable development of mechanical science and manufacturing engineering) in Changsha, China were Drs. Bzymek, Bi Zhang and Robert Gao, all of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Zhang served as a session chair for the Bionic Mechanisms & Robotics session, while Drs. Bzymek and Gao presented papers on the Integration of CAD and CAM in Manufacturing Automation and on Energy Efficient Data Transmission for Manufacturing System Health Monitoring.

Dr. Bzymek notes, “Shanghai impresses with traditional and modern architecture, modern technology and fast development. The China Pavilion shows history, tradition and the development of modern China and its provinces. It is the biggest and the tallest pavilion in EXPO 2010. The interior excites visitors with Chinese classic crafts and modern technology. Being a guest in the Pavilion one can’t help but notice what tremendous progress China has made within the last 20 years.”

View photos from Dubai and China here.