ASME NEWS
UCI Engineering Students Build a Biplane
A roundup of recent Society events.
Student Engineers at UCI Build a WWI Biplane
Building a full-scale replica of a World War I Marine Corps biplane, the Curtis JN-4, “Jenny,” is difficult work. But students at the University of California, Irvine (UCI)’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) are taking on the task.
The Jenny was a trainer for some of the very first aircraft in combat, and the very first one for the Marines. Pilots would work with the JN-4 Curtiss Jenny first before migrating to the DH-4 De Havilland—the first Marine Corps aircraft used in combat.
The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum (FLAM) plans to greet visitors with a hanging Jenny, explained Glenn Roquemore, secretary and education committee chair of the group building the museum, the Flying Leathernecks Heritage Foundation. It was a board member who came across a Jenny that had crashed years ago. The museum made the purchase thinking it would be fairly straightforward. “We knew we didn’t have the tail section, but [we pretty much had everything else]” Roquemore explained. “We even had the engine.”
Leading the demanding project from UCI’s side are project managers and mechanical engineering students Silvia Tinelli and Stuti Patel. The project is underway and about 25 percent done, but began “with a bunch of parts, drawings, and blueprints,” Tinelli said. And it was, and continued to be, up to the students to tackle how to build the iconic plane. Learn more about this project here and more about the students’ efforts here.
Project manager, wings lead, and mechanical engineering student Silvia Tinelli working with (left to right) Jonathan Oropeza, Asher Ding, Joseph Huynh, and Experimental Aircraft Association member Rhon Williams to build a full-scale 1917 biplane. Photo: Flying Leathernecks Heritage Foundation
Evaluation Shows Viability of Next Generation Concrete Containment Vessels
A recent evaluation of the viability of a novel concrete containment concept published by ASME Standards Technology may have major implications for advancing safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear power—including applications for small modular reactors and microreactors. In addition to the benefit provided to nuclear plant containments, this research may also benefit non-nuclear concrete pressure vessels.
The researchers had oversight and input from the ASME Section III Division 2 / ACI 359 Joint committee on concrete containments. Thomas Kang and Seung Heon Lee of the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering at Seoul National University and Christopher Jones of the Department of Civil Engineering at Kansas State University led the investigation into the viability of ultra high-performance concrete and state-of-the-art single strand high-density polyethylene greased-sheathed tendons for use in concrete containment vessels for nuclear power reactors.
To keep concrete containment relevant and economically viable the industry needs the next generation concrete containment that offers a competitive advantage over steel when it comes to cost, schedule, and ease of construction, the researchers said. The need for concrete containment viability is two-fold. First concrete containments are well suited for long-term operations because of non-degradability and second, for an efficient economic market, it’s critical to have competition in technology to avoid monopoly and supply chain bottlenecks.
Professional Section Recognition Award Winners
ASME’s professional sections work to make a difference in the lives of mechanical engineers throughout the world. They provide opportunities for networking, professional development, and community engagement.
Each year, the Professional Section Recognition Program recognizes those sections that demonstrated outstanding member engagement, innovative programming, and outreach to their local members. Recently, the Section Operations Team announced the Professional Section Recognition Award winners.
The highest honor for professional section—the Section of the Year award—was presented to the Spain section. This recognition honors a year of excellence in programming, community impact, leadership, and advancing ASME's mission and went to this section that was established in 2023.
“This double recognition is the result of the work, commitment, and enthusiasm that goes into every activity organized by the Section, always seeking to offer interesting and high-quality proposals,” said Carmen Garcia, ASME Spain Section Chair, after the section earned the Best Activity Ever award as well as the Section of the Year award.
For a complete list of all section award winners, click here. To learn more about the Professional Sections in your area, click here.
© 2025 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. All rights reserved.