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Category: UConn’s Clean Energy Society
New Fuel Cell Gets New Look, Thanks to Student Design
The student design competition has helped spread awareness about the newly installed fuel cell at the Depot Campus
UConn Engineering Professor’s Research Influences Progressive Change in Hartford
After work from the Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission, parking mandates have been relaxed, and UConn Civil Engineering Professor Norman C. Garrick and his research have played a supporting role in those sweeping regulations.
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 […]
Navy Using New UConn Software to Improve Navigation
Major research discoveries generate news headlines. But a research undertaking by one University of Connecticut engineering lab seeks to forestall some headlines of a different kind. The loss of life because of weather events, as happened on Oct. 1, 2015 when cargo ship El Faro sank with its 33-member crew in Hurricane Joaquin, is one […]
Researchers Discover Super-Elastic Shape-Memory Material
UConn materials science and engineering researcher Seok-Woo Lee and his colleagues have discovered super-elastic shape-memory properties in a material that could be applied for use as an actuator in the harshest of conditions, such as outer space, and might be the first in a whole new class of shape-memory materials. If you have ever had […]
New 3-D Fabrication Technique Could Deliver Multiple Doses of Vaccine in One Shot
A new 3-D fabrication technique invented by a UConn engineering professor could provide a safe and convenient way to deliver multiple doses of a drug over an extended period of time with a single injection. Other 3-D printing techniques have been limited for such applications because they rely on printable inks that are potentially toxic […]
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 […]
Video Profile: Stephanie Knowlton, BME Graduate Student Researcher
Stephanie Knowlton’s PH.D. research uses 3D printing to solve real world problems. One of her devices uses magnets to separate cells for diagnostic purposes.
The Difference Between Laughing and Crying
When we hear the cry of a six-month-old baby, our ears promptly perk up. We look around, agitated, instinctively knowing there’s an infant in distress nearby. But how did we know the baby was upset? How did our brain decide that the cry wasn’t actually a shriek of happiness?
Honors For Two CTI Staff Members
It was a big month for the Connecticut Transportation Institute
Faculty News
Ki Chon, Liisa Kuhn and Jinbo Bi all feature in this issue’s Faculty News
Three Engineering Faculty Members Named 2014 CASE Members
Drs. Shvartsman, Tehranipoor and Chon are SoE’s news CASE inductees
Grad Student Spotlight: Erik Carboni
Erick Carboni, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering, works on improving drug delivery
Faculty News
Dr. S. Pamir Alpay and Dr. Laurent Michel in the news
Energy and Environment Commissioner Visits C2E2
Robert Klee, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), visited UConn’s Center for Clean Energy Engineering
New Collaboration to Create World-Class Microscopy Center
UConn and FEI Co. have signed an agreement to develop a cutting-edge center for microscopy and materials science research
Joule Fellows Take Lab Lessons Back To The Classroom
UConn’s Joule Fellows – teachers from CT high schools – will take sophisticated engineering lessons back to their students.
Center for Energy Innovation Marks Its First Year
CEI progresses steadily toward its goal of advancing technologies related to energy storage and fuel cells.
Faculty News
Funding for new breast cancer technology and underwater monitoring and a study on the discovery of a new material.
Omer Khan Part Of Team Designing Faster Computer Chip
Omer Khan (ECE) is part of a team of researchers designing a faster and more efficient chip.
CHASE Collaboration With Comcast Announced At National Conference
The announcement of a collaborative effort with Comcast and a workshop that brought together experts on cybersecurity made April a busy month for the Center for Hardware Assurance, Security and Engineering. The workshop, which took place April 9 and April 10, included talks on various security matters, including innovative technologies for hardware security, Trojan detection and prevention […]
UConn Researchers Go Beneath The Arctic Polar Cap
UConn’s UnderWater Sensor Network (UWSN) Lab is developing a wireless system to collect data under the rapidly melting Arctic polar cap. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation with a grant for $833,520.
Faculty News
Awards for Syam Nukavarapu and Barry Carter, a state appointment for Nicholas Lownes and the newest CASE Academy inductees
Alumni News
Career changes, honors and more news from UConn alumni
Faculty Spotlight: Prof. Kristina Wagstrom
Prof. Kristina Wagstrom, through work in her Computational Atmospheric Chemistry and Exposure Lab, strives to improve the science and functionality of computational approaches in air pollution.
‘Digital Alchemist’ Uses Computer to Design New Materials
Serge Nakhmanson describes himself as a ‘digital alchemist.’ A former scientist with the Argonne National Laboratory, he specializes in the computer-based design and discovery of advanced multifunctional materials.
UConn Engineering Projects Receive CTNext Funding
Two demonstration initiatives proposed by the School of Engineering, aimed at nurturing entrepreneurial businesses and invigorating the manufacturing sector throughout the state, will receive grant funding from Connecticut Innovations (CI). Overseeing the initiatives are Professor of Practice Dr. Hadi Bozorgmanesh and Senior Associate Dean Dr. Michael Accorsi, who is partnering with Vice President for Economic Development Dr. Mary Holz-Clause.
Dr. Robert Gao Receives I&M Society’s 2013 Technical Award
Pratt & Whitney Endowed Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering Dr. Robert X. Gao has been selected to receive the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society (I&M) 2013 Technical Award, one of just four awards presented yearly by the society.
Dr. Peters Receives IBM Faculty Award
Dr. Thomas J. Peters, professor of Computer Science & Engineering, was presented an IBM Faculty Award for 2013-14, which entails a monetary component as well as continued preferred access to IBM researchers and research facilities, including the company’s supercomputers.
Dr. Lownes Receives Public Engagement Award
Dr. Nicholas Lownes was selected to receive one of just nine awards presented in conjunction with the 2013 Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement. Dr. Lownes is the F.L. Castleman Associate Professor in Engineering Innovation in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department and serves as Director of the Center for Transportation and Livable Systems.
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.
Jon Kaplan Receives SMART Scholarship
Biomedical Engineering senior Jonathan T. Kaplan was awarded a prestigious national Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship in August. He was one of just 150 recipients chosen from nearly 10,000 applicants, and Jon is UConn’s second student to receive a SMART scholarship. Materials Science & Engineering doctoral student Claire Weiss was a 2009 SMART recipient.
Nudging Users to Protect Their Computing Systems
We’ve all seen those little messages pop up on our computer screens: “A software update is available from XYZ. Click ‘Update’ to install.” Probably more often than not, we ignore them just as we ignored mother’s good advice to “Be sure to wear a coat to school;’it’s cold outside.” And, just as we shivered in sub-freezing temperatures wearing a t-shirt and jeans at the bus stop, when we ignore the software update messages, we’re likely to experience negative consequences.
“Accelerating Materials Property Predictions Using Machine Learning” Published in Scientific Reports
Professor Ramamurthy Ramprasad, postdoctoral fellow Dr. Ghanshyam Pilania, and doctoral candidate Chenchen Wang of Materials Science and Engineering, in conjunction with Professor Sanguthevar Rajasekaran (Computer Science and Engineering) and Dr. Xun Jiang (Ph.D. Statistics 2013), jointly collaborated on a research paper published online on September 30, 2013 in Scientific Reports, the open access journal of Nature.
HPC Center Keeps Researchers on Track
At UConn, many researchers employ parallel computational techniques to solve problems, and they are reliant upon UConn’s high performance computing (HPC) capabilities to carry out their work.
Multidisciplinary Team to Develop Smart Building HVAC Model
A team of researchers from the School of Engineering and the UConn Health Center has received $1.09 million in NSF funding in support of their research aimed at developing a scalable and universal model for fault detection, diagnosis and prognosis of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, systems in buildings of differing sizes and functionalities.
UConn Team Develops New Program for Visualizing DNA, Protein Sequences
A group of researchers and students from UConn – including computer science students – and Harvard Medical School have developed a new Web program that will help scientists visually analyze DNA and protein sequence patterns faster and more efficiently than ever before.
Faculty Awarded Grants for Health Center Collaborations
Three research teams involving engineering faculty members have received $100,000 in two-year start-up grants under a competitive UConn grant program aimed at nurturing interdisciplinary research collaborations among faculty at the Storrs, UConn Health Center and regional campuses.
Student News
Our engineering students are outstanding: accomplished, actively engaged in worthwhile activities, and full of promise. Read about our Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship recipient and Outstanding Senior Women.
Tech Forum to Showcase Student Research
What are engineering students researching and inventing in faculty labs? How can their research be used to improve your products, quality of life, economic impact?
You’re Invited!
On Thursday, April 26th, Sikorsky Research & Engineering will sponsor a singular Innovation Connection event that will include a presentation for high school students focusing on the X2 Technology demonstrator and how innovation helps helicopters reach record-breaking speeds.
Dr. Gokirmak Receives CAREER Award
Dr. Ali Gokirmak, assistant professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, is a 2012 recipient of a coveted National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.
Peter McFadden: Teacher, Administrator, Friend
Dr. Peter W. McFadden has worn virtually every hat possible during his long and affectionate relationship with UConn: student, junior faculty member, professor, dean, Provost and Academic Vice President, chief fundraiser, “go to” problem solver and two-time alumnus.
Student News
At the School of Engineering, we are proud to showcase several of our engineering students from our various departments and programs.
New Grants Fund Student Research Opportunities
The School of Engineering received three new grants from the National Science Foundation that will enable undergraduate students from across the globe to engage in exciting summer research at the Storrs campus. The grants were provided by NSF’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which funds undergraduate summer research at designated university programs nationwide, affording students valuable exposure to the academic research environment and motivating them to consider graduate study in technical fields. Interested students are encouraged to apply now.
Engineering Team to Help State Ensure Vote Integrity
On November 7, more than 100 million Americans will go to the polls to register their votes in the nation’s general elections. Adding to anxieties concerning election outcomes, they worry about voting machine fraud or errors associated with newly installed electronic voting machines. A team of Computer Science & Engineering faculty, headed up by professor […]
