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Category: Xinyu Zhao
Professor Xinyu Zhao Awarded $450,000 Grant to Conduct Aeronautical Combustion Research
Dr. Xinyu Zhao, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was recently awarded a $450,000 Young Investigator Research Program grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Zhao, who joined the university in 2015, is one of just 43 scientists and engineers selected to receive awards from a nationwide pool of 285 […]
Explosive Research: Eliminating ‘What Ifs?’ in Space Travel
UConn researchers are adapting methods for studying forces in earthly structures for use in spacecraft. Civil and environmental engineering professor Richard Christenson and his research group, in partnership with Pioneer Aerospace, are using a cyber-physical test method to study the reaction forces involved in launching the parachutes that help spacecrafts land on distant planets. They hope […]
QCIC Forms Partnership Between Loos & Co. and UConn School of Engineering
QCIC, funded by the US Economic Development Administration (EDA), UConn, and Connecticut Innovations, enables business growth of small and medium-sized technology and manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in rural Tolland, Windham, and New London Counties.
Academy of Distinguished Engineers Inductees for 2017
Each year, the School of Engineering honors exceptional engineering alumni and friends who have helped us in countless ways.
Successful Eurotech Program Prepares Global Engineers
The German language and engineering program is now serving as a model for new language-based, dual-major programs.
UConn Receives NSF Grant to Advance Soft Material Additive Manufacturing, Explores Partnerships
UConn was recently awarded an NSF grant to create a national research center that will expand the knowledge and use of soft material additive manufacturing.
UConn Receives NSF Award to Improve Power Grid Technology
UConn was recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant to create a new research center to develop advanced electrical power grid technologies.
For Caitlin Oswald ’09, it is Rocket Science
Can a girl help design jet engines? Caitlin Oswald, named one of the world’s most creative businesspeople by Fast Company’s magazine, answers that.
UConn Named to Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Institute
The initiative aims to increase small manufacturers’ use of robots by 500 percent. UConn researchers will focus on aerospace & shipbuilding robots.
UTC Aerospace Systems Internship Experience – Kyle Palmer & William Hale
Two UConn Engineering graduate students reflect on their internship at UTC Aerospace Systems.
Alumni News
Keep up with the latest UConn Engineering Alumni news from around the globe.
New Partnership Brings High End Research Equipment to UConn
Anton Paar is providing UConn with a new high-end rheometer.
Framing UConn’s Future: Tech Park
The executive director of the UConn Tech Park, Radenka Maric, recently discussed the new building and what it means for the University and the state of Connecticut.
UConn Joins National Smart Manufacturing Initiative
UConn has been named part of a new national coalition to coordinate research and development in smart manufacturing and energy efficiency, and will play a leading role in those efforts in Connecticut.
Alumni News
An update on our Engineering Alums from around the country.
Senior Design Demonstration Day
Every year, engineering seniors spend the spring and fall semester at UConn designing senior projects, often working with industry partners. The 2016 version featured 160 teams filling Gampel Pavilion.
2016 Academy of Distinguished Engineers Inductees
Each year, the School of Engineering honors exceptional engineering alumni and friends who have helped us in countless ways.
Recent Faculty Honors
UConn Engineering faculty receive a variety of honors; here are some of the recent highlights.
UTAS Announces UConn Center For Advanced Materials
UTC Aerospace Systems has announced a materials engineering Center of Excellence opening for collaboration with UConn.
The Many Opportunities For An MSE Undergrad
Undergraduate Amy Hernandez is in her final year at UConn, but she knows her Material Science and Engineering (MSE) education has provided her with a bright future head. “Material science and engineering is diverse and empowering; it is how we will adapt for the future and create novel technologies and improvements,” Amy said.
UConn Joins Flexible Hybrid Electronics Research Consortium
The University of Connecticut is one of several leading public research universities that will support a new national manufacturing institute for flexible hybrid electronics, an emerging manufacturing field that is expected to revolutionize the electronics industry.
Angie Cheung Fuels Minds of the MSE Industrial Advisory Board
The Materials Science and Engineering Department gladly welcomes Angie Cheung as the newest member to the Industrial Advisory Board. She joins eight other industry partners in working to strengthen the visibility of the UConn Materials Science and Engineering Department at the university, state, and national level. Cheung obtained her bachelor’s degree in materials science and […]
Pratt & Whitney and Supplier Partners Celebrate Expansion of Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust Residential Facility for Girls
HYDERABAD, India, July 15, 2015 – Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), and its supplier partners today announced the expansion of the girls dormitory in cooperation with the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (KGNMT) in Hyderabad, India. UTC, Pratt & Whitney and its supplier partners contributed more than $55,000 USD (34,90,000 […]
Alumni News
Stephanie Bealing (M.S. Materials Science & Engineering, ’06) and Jacquelynn Garofano (M.S., Ph.D. Materials Science & Engineering, ’09, ’12) are Hartford Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” 2015 award winners. The award recognizes outstanding young professionals in the Greater Hartford area who are excelling in their industries through their leadership roles. A senior research scientist at […]
Alumni News
Alumni News Sandor Becz (Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, ’07) was appointed vice president of engineering at Hydroid, Inc., a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime and a leading manufacturer of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). In this role, he will lead all engineering activities at Hydroid, including research and development, new product development and engineering support. Becz joined Hydroid […]
Sikorsky Funds UConn Engineering Scholars
Through a new initiative by longtime partners Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and the University of Connecticut School of Engineering, Sikorsky will provide $67,000 in scholarships to selected UConn engineering students this fall.
UConn Research Team Among Finalists in 150th Anniversary North American Science Competition
A team put together by UConn’s Kan Fu (MSE) and Xiangcheng Sun (CBE) was named one of four finalists of the 150th Anniversary North American Science Competition
Our Annual Senior Design Round-Up, 2015
Future technologies – not basketball – were on display at Gampel Pavilion last week
SoE, Congressman Working to Expand International Profile
Congressman Joe Courtney is working with SoE to elevate the School’s International profile
Four SoE Faculty Win NSF CAREER Awards
Four NSF CAREER awards in one year for SoE! Dongare, Wille, Vadas and Park receive the prestigious honor
Alumni News
The Anthony W. DeSio and Delores J. DeSio Foundation has given the Computer Science Engineering funding for a new scholarship.
Alumni News
Catch up with Craig W. Burdick ’01, Anthony M. Cavallaro ’11, Karl F. Frey ’83, Joel A. Henry ’06 and ’14 and Joel W. Long ’98 in this issue’s Alumni News!
Back on Earth, and Back on Campus: Astronaut Rick Mastracchio Talks About Life in Space
Astronaut and UConn alum Rick Mastracchio was on campus Tuesday to talk about his career and the particulars of everyday life on the Space Station.
UTC Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering Celebrates Its First Year
UTC Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering (UTC IASE) marked its one-year anniversary with an all-day conference featuring speakers and panel discussions
Alumni News
Keep up with the latest news on SoE Alumni!
University-Industry Partnerships Discussed at Aerospace & Defense International Trade Summit
UConn’s many collaborations with industry were discussed at the recent Aerospace & Defense International Trade Summit
Appointments and Re-Appointments
The School of Engineering appoints two new department and re-appoints three other department heads.
UConn Students to Help Build Time Capsule to Mars
UConn students majoring in materials science and engineering work on Mars time capsule.
UConn Engineering Honors Fifteen
During a gala event on May 1st at the Storrs campus, the School of Engineering honored 15 exceptional alumni as 2014 inductees into the UConn Academy of Distinguished Engineers.
A Commencement Speech from Space
It’s not unusual for commencement speakers to share their unique perspective on life with members of a graduating class.
Space Station astronauts talk with ABC News
International Space Station astronauts Mike Hopkins and Rick Mastracchio of NASA talked with the ABC News Digital On-Line Network about life and research in space during an in-flight interview Feb. 19
MSE Establishes Strong Presence at EMA 2014 Conference
From January 22nd to the 24th, the fifth annual Electronic Materials and Applications (EMA) conference was held in Orlando, Florida. Jointly programmed by the Electronics Division and Basic Science Division of the American Ceramic Society, EMA focuses on electroceramic materials for electronic, magnetic, dielectric and optical components, devices, and systems.
Alumni Notes
Read about upcoming alumni receptions in LA and San Francisco plus career highlights of astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Michelle Scherer, Christopher Shores and Mark Vergnano.
MTAP Enables Industry-Academic Alliances
Four small Connecticut companies are partnering with UConn engineering faculty members and staff to advance their manufacturing processes, thanks to a special program established by UConn’s Office of Economic Development called the Manufacturing Technical Assistance Program (MTAP).
Dr. Shengli Zhou Honored
Dr. Shengli Zhou was elected a Fellow of the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) in recognition of his “contributions to wireless and underwater acoustic communications.” Dr. Zhou is co-director, with Dr. Jun-Hong Cui, of the Underwater Sensor Networks Lab at UConn and an expert in underwater acoustic communications and networking, multi-user and multi-carrier communications, space-time coding, adaptive modulation, and cross-layer designs for wireless systems.
Faculty Notes
Read about recent honors and activities of our engineering faculty, who are respected leaders in research, instruction, mentoring and professional societies.
New GAANN for UConn Engineering Team
Three Computer Science & Engineering faculty have received a highly competitive Department of Education Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) three-year award of more than $805,000, which will support fellowships for graduate students pursuing research in “exascale computing.” Dr. Chun-Hsi (Vincent) Huang is the lead investigator on the grant.
Around Engineering
Great things are always underway in the School of Engineering. Read about Engineering Advisory Board member Paul Adams, a Dominion Resources’ grant in support of a Grass Tech green energy project, and a visit by three distinguished researchers from Turkish universities.
Systems Engineering Workshop: Advancing Development of Complex Products
UTC and UConn Engineering held a day-long workshop in late June to discuss how experts from industry and academia can come together to develop new engineering techniques that will make it easier to successfully build products and services that combine complex software, hardware and mechanical components.
Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center Director Named
Interim Dean of Engineering Kazem Kazerounian has named Dr. Rainer Hebert as Director of the recently established Pratt & Whitney Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center (AMIC) at UConn. Dr. Hebert brings not only strong leadership skills to his new role but also expertise in additive manufacturing alloy development and process capabilities.
Faster, Better, Safer Jet Engines
From Igor Sikorsky’s first American helicopter to Pratt & Whitney’s latest engine for the nation’s new Joint Strike Fighter jet, Connecticut has a proud history of aviation science innovation. At UConn, researchers are doing their part by supplying Connecticut’s robust aerospace industry with innovative technologies to support a new generation of faster, more efficient, and more reliable aircraft demanded by commercial airlines and the U.S. military.
Capstone Projects Excite High School Students
With the aim of answering the question “What do engineers do?” a group of 50 high school sophomores from the Academy of Aerospace and Engineering and Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science visited UConn on May 3 to explore UConn’s Senior Design Demonstration Day.
Engineering Welcomes 22 New Faculty
Following an especially ambitious recruiting year, the School of Engineering is excited to announce that 22 impressive new faculty members will join us for the fall 2013 and spring 2014 academic terms. It is the largest number of new hires in the history of UConn Engineering and reflects the dramatic growth in enrollments underpinned by UConn’s commitment to ensuring critical mass for strategic growth areas.
Alumni Notes
Read about the exciting array of events planned in conjunction with Alumni Weekend (June 7-8), as well as recent career highlights of alumni like Keith Berger, Frederick Carlson, Michael Keefe and Edward J. Sarisley, Jr.
UConn SWE Hosts Major Regional Meeting
Proving once again that UConn’s women engineers are not merely gifted academically but also dedicated to advancing and supporting their peers, the UConn chapter of the Society of Women Engineers hosted the annual Region F conference at the Storrs campus the weekend of April 6-7.
Student News
UConn Engineering students are outstanding: academically excellent, engaged and accomplished. Read about some of their latest news, awards and honors.
Whitcraft: Leveraging a Unique Talent Pipeline
Tucked away in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner is a company that has been serving the world’s leading aerospace companies for decades, Whitcraft, LLC. Among its valued employees are four UConn Engineering alumni, including Chad Chmura, a Junior Engineer who received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2012.
Student Snap: Monica Smith
Initially uncertain of her college aspirations and commitment, today Monica Smith – a double major in German and Mechanical Engineering – is the picture of a successful engineer-to-be. After graduating from high school in 2007, Monica took part in the ACES program at UConn for her freshman year.
Faculty Notes
Read about recent honors and activities of our engineering faculty, who are respected leaders in research, instruction, mentoring and professional societies.
Alumni News
What are your UConn Engineering friends up to these days? Read what’s new in the careers of Jackie Garofano, Marshall Greenspan, Metin Ozen and Benjamin Salsburg. Then share your career news with us, too!
Energy Center Names Program Director
The School of Engineering welcomes Teresa Barber-Tournaud, who joined the Center for Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2) at UConn as Program Director in December 2012. Ms. Barber-Tournaud comes to UConn with 20 years’ experience at UTC, where she held positions of increasing responsibility with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Hamilton Sundstrand (now UTC Aerospace Systems), UTC Research Center, UTC Industrial Lasers and the International Aero Engines consortium under Pratt & Whitney.
Alumni News
What are your UConn Engineering friends up to these days? Read what’s new in the careers of John Bean, Charles Croce, Rohan Freeman and James Towey. Then share your career news with us, too!
Exploring Solar Energy at UConn
After a nearly 40-year hiatus from UConn, solar panels have returned to the School of Engineering with the installation over the summer of two new 3.3 kW panels at the Center for Clean Energy Engineering on UConn’s Depot Campus. The novel hybrid photovoltaic power system serves as a valuable testing apparatus enabling engineering faculty and students to explore a variety of research projects in PV energy production and transmission.
Alumni News
Stay in touch with fellow UConn engineering alumni by visiting our website. Following are briefs covering recent activities of some graduates. We look forward to hearing your news!
Pratt & Whitney Engineering Extends Relationship with UConn
Pratt & Whitney made another generous annual gift to the University of Connecticut School of Engineering and the Mechanical Engineering Department aimed at further strengthening the collaboration with its Center of Excellence at UConn for engineering students and faculty.
Alumni News
Stay in touch with fellow UConn engineering alumni by visiting our website. Following are briefs covering recent activities of some graduates. We look forward to hearing your news!
School Honors Top Scholars (VIDEO)
On the evening of March 22nd, the School of Engineering celebrated the academic achievements of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students during the annual Awards Reception and Ceremony held at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts.
Entrepreneur Eric Knight Joins Springboard
On December 16th, UConn alumnus, inventor and entrepreneur Eric Knight joined the Springboard Program at UConn as Manager and Entrepreneur in Residence.
About Drs. Mun Choi and Kazem Kazerounian: Brief Bios
Dr. Mun Choi joined UConn as Dean of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 2008, and Dr. Kazerounian joined the Mechanical Engineering Department in 1984 after completing his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois, Chicago in 1984.
Businesses Asked to Complete Tech Park Survey
The University of Connecticut Tech Park, to be located at the Storrs campus and online in 2015, will focus on developing additive manufacturing techniques that will help the state’s aerospace, defense, bioscience/biotechnology, chemicals, consumer products, electronics and “green” sectors.
The Pocket Protector
Welcome to the inaugural edition of a new emagination column, The Pocket Protector. Named for the formerly ubiquitous plastic sleeves designed to spare pocket shirts the ruin of runny pens and smudgy mechanical pencils, pocket protectors enjoyed their heyday in the 50s and 60s.
New Faculty Join UConn Engineering
The School of Engineering is pleased to welcome 10 new faculty members for the fall 2011 and spring 2012 terms. Each brings significant experience in areas of strategic importance.
Eli Dabora: UConn’s Combustion Pioneer
In response to the USSR’s successful 1957 launch of the Sputnik space capsule into orbit around the Earth, a year later the U.S. established its own space program under the newly-formed National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA).
Tech Park Plans Unveiled at Design Demo Day
On Friday, April 29th, the School of Engineering held its first all-school senior design demonstration day, uniting all of the graduating seniors and their projects under one roof, in Gampel Pavilion at the Storrs campus.
School Honors Eleven
The School of Engineering celebrated the accomplishments of 11 alumni and friends during a gala awards banquet held on March 15, 2011.
Initiative Supports Unique Collaboration
A new program leverages the resources — and resourcefulness — of private enterprise, State agencies, and the University of Connecticut to jump-start new technologies while offering students an unmatched opportunity for hands-on learning.
Alumni Notes
Alumni updates from various former students from across time and disciplines.
Alumni Briefs
Stay in touch with fellow UConn engineering alumni! Visit http://www.engr.uconn.edu/alumni/ and fill us in on your latest activities or learn what your college friends are doing nowadays!
Gratitude Drives an Innovative, Inventive Mind to Give a Helping Hand
Long before the iPad, the laptop and the personal computer, Dominick Pagano ’68 was computerizing instrumentation for the military. It was during the Vietnam War, and Pagano had just graduated from UConn with a degree in engineering.
Pratt & Whitney Establishes Engineering Center of Excellence at the University of Connecticut
Pratt & Whitney has established a Center of Excellence at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Engineering for research in the field of aviation propulsion systems. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.
Dr. Fan Lands CAREER Award
Antibodies — the specialized proteins responsible for identifying and routing out disease — are the subject of a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development grant awarded to Dr. Tai-Hsi Fan, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering.
Astronaut Rick Mastracchio and Apollo Scientists to Highlight Alumni Weekend
Waterbury native, UConn engineering alumnus and astronaut Rick Mastracchio will headline a special presentation, entitled NASA Space Explorations: Past and Present, which will take place at the Storrs campus from 3 – 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 4.
Bar-Shalom Reappointed as Klewin Professor
Yaakov Bar-Shalom, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has been reappointed to a second five-year term as the Marianne E. Klewin Professor in Engineering.
UConn Women Garner Women of Innovation Awards
The School of Engineering was well represented among the Connecticut Technology Council’s 2010 Women of Innovation finalists and award recipients. The women were feted during a January 20 networking and awards event at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.
Senior Design Project Inspires Start-Up For Graduates
Armed with a novel product developed for their senior design project, a penchant for hard work and a creative vision, two young alumni, Mike Gionfriddo and Chris Ladden (Electrical & Computer Engineering ’06) founded a company on the eve of graduation. The open source company, Liquidware (www.liquidware.com) emerged from the success of their Digital Dashboard […]
UTC School Of Engineering Building Rededicated, Technology Partnership With UConn Revitalized
by Jeff Jurgensmier In 1987, the UTC School of Engineering building at the University of Connecticut was dedicated. The building was rededicated on Sept. 3rd with significant updates to the lobby highlighting UTC’s products and services. It was the culmination of a year-long effort led by Pratt & Whitney’s Engineering organization and joined by other […]
Kotha Receives CAREER Award
Dr. Shiva Kotha, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, has won a coveted five-year, $430,000 NSF Early Career Development (CAREER) Award that will support his research focusing on strategies for improving the body’s ability to repair damaged bone. Dr. Kotha, who is also affiliated with the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program, is the 22nd UConn engineering faculty […]
School Welcomes New Faculty
The School of Engineering is pleased to welcome six new tenure-track faculty members for the fall ’09 and spring ’10 terms. They bring valuable expertise in the energy arena and are associated with the Eminent Faculty Initiative in Sustainable Energy. They are: Drs. Leslie McCabe Shor, Chih-Jen “Jackie” Sung, Hanchen Huang, Sung-Yeul Park, Timothy Vadas […]
System Improves Aircraft Stability, Performance
Dr. Chengyu Cao, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was awarded a NASA grant in excess of $288,000 for research aimed at enhancing the performance and robustness of adaptive control systems used aboard aircraft. His collaborator is Dr. Naira Hovakimyan, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who, with Dr. Cao, invented […]
Dr. Hanchen Huang Accepts Professorship in Sustainable Energy
The School of Engineering is pleased to announce that Dr. Hanchen Huang has accepted the UConn School of Engineering Professorship in Sustainable Energy. Dr. Huang is currently a professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace & Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. He will join UConn as a faculty member in the Department […]
Mechanical Engineering – News
The Mechanical Engineering Department welcomes four new faculty members who will join the department in fall ’08. Dr. Robert Gao will join the department as the Pratt and Whitney Endowed Chair. He is currently a professor of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Gao has extensive experience in sensors and […]
School Holds Nanotechnology Forum
Nanotechnology Forum* The School of Engineering held its first Nanotechnology Research Forum on Wednesday, March 5th. Nearly 30 faculty members from the School’s five departments presented five-minute overviews of their ongoing research activities in nanotechnology and related areas. The objective of the forum was to highlight current research underway at UConn and to foster collaborations […]
School Welcomes New Faculty
Seven new faculty members joined the School of Engineering and commenced their academic duties at the start of the fall ’07 term. The new faculty members, whose brief profiles appear below, bring expertise in areas of strategic importance to the School as it plots its research future, including environmental and transportation engineering, biomaterials and biomedical […]
Provost Names Choi as Dean of Engineering
The School of Engineering is delighted to welcome Dr. Mun Choi as Dean, effective January 2008. UConn Provost Dr. Peter Nicholls announced Dr. Choi’s appointment, the culmination of an extensive national search, in early July. Dr. Erling Smith will continue as Interim Dean through the end of 2007. During interviews and campus visits, Dr. Choi […]
Seniors Flex Their Design Muscles
One of the significant challenges engineering students face during their undergraduate years is also one of the most exciting and valuable facets of their education: the capstone senior design experience. In this course, conducted over one or two sequential semesters, students work closely with an industrial mentor or other sponsor and a faculty advisor to […]
Distinguished Alumni, Friends and Scholars Recognized
The School of Engineering honored six outstanding individuals with special recognitions during the annual banquet and awards ceremony April 17th. Five of the honorees were named to the School’s Academy of Distinguished Engineers and one was presented the 2007 Distinguished Engineering Service Award. The event, which also included the award of merit scholarships to outstanding […]
