Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Team Takes First Place at the New York State Green Building Conference Student Poster Competition

Kendra Miller, Elan Fullmer and Sydney Florence Jud

Mechanical and aerospace engineering students Kendra Miller, Elan Fullmer and Sydney Florence Jud were awarded first place at the New York State Green Building Conference student poster competition on February 29th and March 1st 2024. The students were advised by Professor Jackie Anderson.  

Their project titled, “Generating Renewable Electrical Energy” is sponsored by Aerovec, a startup company focused on developing small-scale, modular wind turbines for remote applications and microgrids. Aerovec is one of 19 industry-sponsored capstone projects that mechanical and aerospace seniors are working on this year. Aerovec is looking into multiple installation locations, such as commercial building rooftops, construction sites, and sites which need natural disaster relief assistance. This senior design project is primarily focused on the feasibility of an array of wind turbines on commercial rooftops for local energy generation.

AIAA at Syracuse University is Reaching New Heights

“How do we bring people from different majors together to create a collective community?” This question led the Syracuse chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) to explore new ways to forge relationships with the broader campus community. As the student organization welcomes new E-board members, they seek to strengthen bonds within the group’s membership and create a welcoming environment for all to join.  

“People in engineering typically meet other engineers – architects stay in Slocum Hall, engineers stay in Link Hall,” says vice president Theodore Todorov ’26. “We’re looking for ways to form new connections and bring people together.”  

Founded in 1963, the AIAA aims to shape the future of aerospace through ingenuity and innovation while supporting aerospace professionals to succeed in their careers. The Syracuse University chapter of AIAA contributes to this mission by hosting review sessions. These sessions cover primary engineering and higher-level aerospace courses, and club members can request specific topics to study. 

As a first-year student, Todorov loved being part of the club since he got to interact with other like-minded individuals. However, he noticed some aerospace engineering students he knew didn’t attend these meetings. Though the club was also open to non-engineering students, they also weren’t coming to meetings. When appointed as the club’s vice president, Todorov started thinking about ways to encourage more aerospace engineering and non-engineering students to join the club. 

“We wanted to branch out more,” he says. “We thought ‘How can we change that? How can we make our club more social?’”   

Breaking away from their usual meeting agenda, the club hosted an ice cream social to allow students to connect and relax. To their surprise, several students showed up, eager to mingle and fill their stomachs. This positive response prompted the e-Board to continue hosting more social events that allowed students to have fun. 

After the successful ice cream social, the AIAA has decided to host bigger social events in the future. They plan to organize the STEM Olympics, which will involve a campus-wide scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt would feature clues related to different programs such as biology, chemistry, and engineering. This event will also have prizes, and yard games and will take place before midterms so that students can unwind before their exams.  

“The idea is when people go to make their teams, they would select people from other majors or programs to have a better chance at solving clues,” says Todorov. “This is one of the best ways we can have students from different majors meet.”  

Todorov has been playing a leading role in organizing this event, in addition to assisting with review sessions and other duties related to the vice-president position. The e-Board has much more planned and is eagerly looking forward to students seeing what’s in store. They envision a bright future for the Syracuse chapter of the AIAA, not only as support for the future of aerospace engineering but also as a social club where people can connect. 

“I saw potential for the club when I joined my freshman year and I believed AIAA could be so much more,” Todorov says. “We want to make a big impact and are excited to see where it will go next.”

Looking to join or partner with AIAA? Click here to get connected!  

Reach out to aiaa@syr.edu or tdtodoro@syr.edu for more information about AIAA review sessions and events

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Yiyang Sun Receives Young Investigator Program Award  

Yiyang Sun

Assistant professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering Yiyang Sun has received the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award. She has been awarded for her research efforts and contributions to unraveling multi-modal interactions in fluid flows using modal analysis, a cutting-edge technique in analyzing and understanding intrinsic physics in unsteady aerodynamic problems. 

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the lead scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. It aims to improve the career development of young investigators while providing opportunities for discovery and research.  Recipients of this award have received a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in their respective fields and demonstrate outstanding ability and potential to conduct research for the AFRL. The AFOSR will award $21.5 million in grants to scientists and engineers across different U.S. research institutions.  

Sun’s research outcomes could have a significant impact on advancing the designs of aircraft with improved aerodynamic performance for challenging operation conditions. She will receive about a $450,000 grant in this award for three years to continue her research activities in unsteady aerodynamics. 

“I am so grateful for receiving this award from AFOSR as the recognition motivates me to continue contributing to aerospace engineering at Syracuse University and the field in general,” says Sun. “The College of Engineering and Computer Science and Mechanical and Aerospace Department have been amazingly supportive in helping me pursue my career and forming an engaging environment for my students to do great work.” 

Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Design Teams Present Designs to Industry Partners

19 teams of engineering students presented their designs to industry partners at the end of the fall semester as part of their senior capstone design course. Each team is working directly with their company sponsor to solve complex engineering problem. The senior design capstone course is an engineering exercise that spans the fall and spring semesters.

The companies the students are working with in the 2023-2024 academic year are:

  • Aerovec
  • American Society of Naval Engineers
  • ASHRAE
  • Boeing
  • Corning
  • Department of Transportation
  • Electrolux
  • Govsphere
  • Hydronic Shell
  • L3Harris
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Lotte Biologics
  • Microsoft
  • NIST
  • Northrop Grumman
  • Pursuit Areospace
  • SAAB
  • SEPAC Thermal Space

“We are also grateful to our 19 faculty mentors who have been working with the teams all semester, and to our esteemed panel of judges who gave their time and expertise to provide invaluable feedback to the teams,” said Kenneth and Mary Ann Shaw Professor of Entrepreneurial Leadership Alex Deyhim. “We look forward to seeing the work the teams will do in the spring semester to deliver a final solution to their sponsors.”

Nature-Inspired Research

Anupam Pandey

Apple snails are one of the most invasive species on our planet. Consuming several plants that provide food and habitats for various wildlife, and disrupting entire ecosystems, these snails have earned a permanent ban from the United States, only allowed in the country for research. Along with the damage they leave in their slow path of destruction, these shelled creatures also possess an ability that’s unique to their species. 

By wiggling its flexible foot underwater, an apple snail can create a flow that brings floating food particles to itself, a process biologists refer to as “pedal foot collection.” Fascinated by the snail’s unique ability, this would inspire the latest research of a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, Anupam Pandey, whose findings were published in the high-impact science journal Nature Communications

“One of my research interests is understanding how soft, highly deformable, solid materials interact with adjacent liquid flow,” Pandey says. “Organisms that live underwater exploit this interaction for locomotion and feeding. Apple snails have evolved to leverage their proximity to the water-air interface to transport or pump liquids.”  

To understand the process behind pedal foot collection, Pandey designed a robot the size of a centimeter that oscillates rhythmically and mimicked the apple snail’s motion. He then placed the robot underwater in a tank and sprinkled Styrofoam particles on the surface to see if it could collect it, discovering that the robot functioned similarly to a pump.

“We found that our bio-inspired robot was able to drag particles from distances that are five times its size. But more interestingly, we found an optimal speed at which pumping maximizes,” explains Pandey. “This optimal speed seemed to depend on robot geometry as well as the properties of the liquid it’s submerged in. Combining experiments and modeling, we predicted the optimal conditions under which the robot pumps the most liquid.”  

In addition to understanding the role speed and liquid play in how the robot collects small objects and pumps liquid, Pandey also tracked the pattern of Styrofoam particle movement through long exposure photography, which he color-coded to make it easier to see how the particles moved.

While the small, oscillating robots have the potential for numerous applications, one notable benefit is as a collection device. Pandey believes that they could help address issues involving the collection of microplastics in oceans, which tend to remain at the water’s surface due to their small size.  

Most plastic collection devices create strong disturbances at the water surface and cause microparticles to mix in the water. These microplastics travel to other water bodies, causing more plastic pollution which harms plants and animals and inevitably ends up in our food chain. However, devices like the undulating robot operate near the water’s surface with minimal interference and could potentially provide a solution to this problem. 

“What’s great about this research is how interdisciplinary it is. Biologists may be interested in this, and it has several potential applications in engineering liquid flows at small scales, sensing and actuation of floating objects or even microplastics in water bodies,” Pandey says. “It will not only advance understanding of liquid transport near surfaces but lay the groundwork for future research as well.” 

Aiming for the Stars: Aerospace Engineering Student Greg Slodysko Meets NASA Administrator Bill Nelson

Aerospace Engineering student Greg Slodysko talks with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson over Zoom
Aerospace Engineering student Greg Slodysko talks with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson over FaceTime

Growing up, Greg Slodysko had a deep fascination with space exploration. Games like Kerbal Space Program, which challenged players to design spacecraft for different missions, and movies like October Sky inspired him to create his own model rockets and sparked a keen interest in the world beyond our own.  

“I was always excited to see photos from the Hubble Space Telescope, which has some of the best pictures we’ve ever taken of distant stars and galaxies,” Slodysko says. “I also enjoyed watching documentaries or films about space travel and even went to space camp in high school.”

Now a senior studying aerospace engineering at Syracuse University, Slodysko recently had an experience that further fueled his love for rocketry: a conversation with Bill Nelson, the current NASA Administrator. How exactly did he manage to meet with NASA’s chief officer? The answer lies in an unexpected craving for ice cream. 

Nelson and Congressman Matt Cartwright visited a high school in Slodysko’s hometown of Pittson, Pennsylvania. After the event, the NASA administrator was craving a sweet treat, so they both decided to head over to a nearby ice cream shop. The shop owners were friends with Slodysko’s parents and knew he was studying aerospace engineering at the University, so they invited Slodysko’s dad to the shop while the NASA administrator and the congressman were there. This provided the perfect opportunity for Slodysko to speak with Nelson. 

“When I first got the mention that I had a chance to talk to Bill Nelson, I went for it. I immediately said ‘Yes, get me in!’ These situations are rare and don’t happen often” he says.  

Slodysko couldn’t physically attend the meeting since he was on campus but was thrilled to participate in an impromptu FaceTime call with Nelson. Though he was initially nervous, the conversation was filled with encouragement and support, reigniting Slodysko’s passion for aerospace engineering and potentially paving the way for a future at NASA. 

“They told me I was on the right path, and they were impressed with my work. It was such an inspiring conversation that I’ll never forget” he says. 

Aerospace Engineering student Greg Slodysko talks with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson over Zoom

Slodysko intends to continue exploring his interest in structural design, propulsion, and aerodynamic analysis as he completes his undergraduate degree. He’s also currently completing a computer-based code that produces modular model rocket parts that are 3D printable. He aims to make this code available for free download online so that others can either create their own model rockets by adjusting code variables or work to improve the code created by him.  

Additionally, he plans to enroll in graduate school and hopes to secure an internship with NASA, potentially getting to meet the administrator once again but this time, face-to-face. To Slodysko, this would be an experience that’s truly out of this world. 

“I’m deeply grateful to Congressman Cartwright and Bill Nelson for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he says. “I’ll never forget this and I’m so excited for what the future holds. This is going to stick with me for a long time.” 

Aerospace Engineering Student Michael Saksa Talks Internships, Academics and Future Plans

Michael Saksa had quite the summer. For six weeks, he competed in Invent@SU, where he and his team created a handy tool for clothing repair called HomeTailor. Following the competition, he began an internship with the New York State Department of Transportation where he explored what a possible future in aerospace engineering looked like for him. In this Q&A, Saksa talks about his internship, plans for the future and advice for students to make the most out of their experience at the University.

What sparked your interest in pursuing an education at Syracuse University?

I really loved the location. My family is from Hammond, Indiana and we love to vacation in Upstate, New York so we’re familiar with the area. I also love the great programs at Syracuse University and the support it offers students – It was an easy decision, really!

Can you discuss the company you interned with and your duties?  

I interned with the New York State Department of Transportation as a student assistant. I assisted with projects in the Highway Design Department and we worked on a highway renovation project in Ithaca.

Since the project has expanded, we had to expand the land the state department owns. We focused on restoring the sidewalks and I drafted up new borders for the land.

What did you like the most about your internship?  

It was a great working environment and management was accommodating. They gave us options to work at different times so you could come in or leave earlier. The people I worked with are also great. Even if I made a mistake, it was never a big deal. They treated everyone with respect.

Did you face any challenges during your internship?  

Because I was in Invent@SU, I had to start the internship late. All of the other interns started six weeks before I did so they already knew each other and had good rapport. Initially, it did feel awkward being the new guy when everyone else was settled in. I eventually settled in and got to know some other great people too.  

Were there any specific projects you enjoyed working on?

Most of my projects were highway restoration but I also did a little field work and surveying on I-81, which I enjoyed. Surveying is how they make GPS routes. We went along the side of the highway with equipment where there were points marked with stone markers which are known coordinates. We take the points and get more accurate pinpoints of them and with that data, we can improve GPS accuracy. New surveying technology has definitely improved GPS accuracy.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

I plan on continuing my education and hope to work at NASA or SpaceX. I feel like I’m getting valuable engineering experience and making great connections. I’ve learned a lot not only from the classroom but from this internship as well.

What advice do you have for students about making the most out of their academic experience?  

I would say reach out to professors, go to office hours, connect with others on LinkedIn, and attend events like the career fair. That’s actually where I got my internship with the New York State Department of Transportation.  Also, always try to show up for class – it’s very easy not to.

Try to put yourself out there and make friends. Get engaged in a community you’re passionate about and balance your social and academic life well.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Bing Dong Awarded as IBPSA World Fellow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Professor Bing Dong has been awarded as an International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) World Fellow for his research contributions, mentoring, and outreach within the field. 

The IBPSA Fellow is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of building performance simulation or have demonstrated their expertise through teaching, research, simulation code development, or applying building simulation on large-scale projects. To be eligible, recipients must have also been actively involved in the field for at least ten years. 

Dong has distinguished himself through impactful contributions such as his pioneering research in occupant behavior modeling, development of novel simulation and control models to solve buildings-to-grid integration control problems, and education of junior researchers and students among other notable breakthroughs within building performance simulation.

“This award is very prestigious. IBPSA only gives fellow awards every two years and it’s nominated by six world experts in this area,” Dong said. “I’m looking forward to further contributing my knowledge and advancing the community of energy efficiency buildings to achieve net-zero energy and carbon buildings and cities. This achievement means a lot to me.”  

“This is indeed a great recognition for many years of continuing excellence Professor Dong has demonstrated in the area of building performance simulation,” said MAE Department Chair and professor in manufacturing enterprises, Young Moon. “The association awards IBPSA fellows biennially and this year, 12 fellows were awarded worldwide with only two being in the USA. I am very glad that Dr. Dong’s leadership and contributions in this critical field now have been recognized worldwide.”  

Charting a Pathway to Renewable Energy

Ian Storrs, Brendan Murty and Ryan Mussaw
Ian Storrs, Brendan Murty and Ryan Mussaw

Imagine a city where streetlights and crosswalks no longer rely on electric grids for power. Instead, they draw their energy from the construction material that makes up several buildings and sidewalks: concrete. While it sounds far-fetched, three College of Engineering and Computer Science students, Ian Storrs, Brendan Murty, and Ryan Mussaw, are working to make this a reality. Through research and testing, their discoveries have the potential to be a new commercial technology that harnesses an overlooked source of energy and makes an impact on sustainability.   

Their invention, ConCurrent, relies on the principles of thermodynamics, a field of physics that involves energy, temperature, and heat. Concrete on its own can’t generate electricity. But heat can – and construction materials like concrete and asphalt can soak up a large percentage of the sun’s heat. With a huge amount of heat being absorbed into the concrete, the engineering trio discovered an ingenious way to transform this wasted energy into a power source by turning heat absorbed by concrete into electricity. This began their journey into the world of renewable energy research.   

Originally a pitch for Invent@SU, their prototypes were concrete blocks fused with a thermoelectric generator, which transforms heat absorbed by the block into electricity when one side of the block is hot, and the other side is cool. The temperature difference between each side is crucial to generating electricity—the greater the temperature difference, the more electricity can be generated. 

Brendan Murty, Matthew Brewster and Ian Storrs working on a prototype during Invent@SU
Brendan Murty, Matthew Brewster, and Ian Storrs working on a prototype during Invent@SU

“We were thinking our invention could power things in close proximity to roadways and illumination for sidewalks like embedded lights, kind of like what you’d see at movie theatres when you’re walking down the aisle,” Murty said.  

However, a single concrete block isn’t enough to generate power for crosswalks or streetlights, so they’ll need a considerable number of these devices to achieve this. These blocks have been helpful in exploring the concept of heat, concrete, and electricity and they’ve included other materials in their prototypes to amplify the temperature difference on each side of the block. 

“We included a copper plate on top to absorb heat and pull it down from the surface of the concrete,” Storrs said. “The aluminum plate pulls heat from the bottom to try to cool it. The sides are also wrapped in foam insulation to reduce heat escaping. And on the bottom, we have a heat pipe, a copper tube with fluid that’s good for moving heat.”  

While some may think ConCurrent is solar power with extra steps, there are some differences. Solar power relies on sunlight. ConCurrent relies on solar radiation or the heat absorbed from the sun’s radiation. This means even when the sun goes down, their invention can continue functioning since concrete absorbs and retains heat.  

“It’s a resource that hasn’t really been tapped in a real effective way. We have solar, which harnesses the sun’s energy but this specific realm hasn’t been focused on,” Murty said.  

The research aspect of the project was by far the most interesting part to the engineers. They would be able to continue research on ConCurrent when offered a position at the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) at the start of fall 2022. At the assessment center, Storrs, Murty, and Mussaw assisted manufacturing companies in conserving energy by suggesting changes in lighting and other power sources. Funded by the assessment center, their work also helped them when it came to research and they spent the summer reading other academic papers and building different iterations of the design. 

“It’s a relatively small research area,” Storrs said.  “We did find other projects that were doing similar things like a solar collector, but those projects focus on asphalt road surfaces. They’re also different since they have pipes underneath roads that circulate water and air to collect heat.” 

ConCurrent’s function heavily relies on temperature difference, so the engineers have explored ways to reduce energy loss. They’ve considered filling the empty space of their thermoelectric generator with insulation materials and conducted experiments to test the effectiveness of covering pavement with absorbent black paint, as this could help increase solar radiation absorption. Their research has also allowed them to delve deeper into understanding heat absorption in asphalt pavements. Even with their many triumphs, however, the engineers did encounter some issues along the way.  
 

Ian Storrs and Brendan Murty working on an invention
Ian Storrs and Brendan Murty

“Since we’re a self-guided research team, we’ve had to narrow the scope and direction of our project as we did our literature review,” Storrs said. “This was initially overwhelming, but we were able to meet with the engineering librarian Jaun Denzer who was enormously helpful in pointing us in the right direction.” 

Despite being a self-guided group belonging to different programs within ECS, the engineering trio is far from a ragtag bunch – they’re a dream team. Whether it be Storrs’s mechanical engineering knowledge or Murty’s previous experience using modeling software in his aerospace engineering course, each member has contributed something noteworthy to the project to make it what it is today.  

Mussaw, who joined the group after Invent@SU, and his electrical engineering expertise also came in handy for ConCurrent’s electrical components, something the group initially struggled with during the competition. He discussed some things he desired to achieve with this invention.  

“We’re hoping to have multiple temperature sensors throughout the prototypes we’re using,” he explained. “We’re also hoping to pull weather data from Syracuse Airport so we can compare weather data from stations – there will be a lot of data analysis to paint a better picture of what’s going on.” 

Matthew Brewster, a civil engineering student who exited the group after Invent@SU, was credited with designing how their invention would look and even suggested using thermoelectric generators while ConCurrent was in its early stages of development.    

“One of the ideas I had initially suggested when brainstorming was developing some type of solar sidewalk where the solar cells could be laid out and pressed into wet concrete,” Storrs said. “Matthew suggested using thermo-electric generators, which I had never heard of before. We essentially just ran with it from then on.” 

What began as an Invent@SU pitch has now evolved into a research project where every member, current and former, has contributed to the project’s success. And though they didn’t place in the competition, their collective drive to make a positive impact on the environment has led to the creation of innovative solutions for renewable energy. With support from the ECS faculty and their experience at the assessment center, these engineers are paving the way for clean energy solutions and revolutionizing the way we consume power. 

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Theodore Todorov Joins Young Research Fellowship

First-year aerospace engineering student, Theodore Todorov, has been selected as a CFSA-SOURCE Young Research Fellow at Syracuse University. For the next two years, he’ll work with assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, Pankaj K. Jha, and his team in the Quantum Technology Laboratory on classical and quantum optics projects.  

Quantum optics involves studying the nature of light and how it interacts with matter. For decades, researchers have used quantum optics to better understand quantum mechanics, the study of how atomic particles interact with each other. This research has led to numerous technological developments that have now become known as the quantum revolution, or Quantum 2.0, and with his team, Professor Jha has continued conducting research on quantum technology in his lab.  

Offered by Syracuse University’s Center for Fellowship and Scholarship and the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement, the Young Research Fellows Program supports students passionate about research. With guidance from their faculty mentors, this fellowship gives students practical experience in early research and creative inquiry development. 

Some of Jha’s research focuses on novel materials that can be thinned down to a single layer of atoms and used to build extremely sensitive photodetectors that can detect light at the level of single photons. In the fellowship, Todorov’s projects will involve studying and characterizing these photodetectors and photon counting for space applications, including quantum communications, imaging distant objects, and extending the range of clear air turbulences.   

Todorov first discovered his passion for writing abstracts, collecting data, and drawing conclusions through a research course he took in high school. His fascination with telescopes, quantum optics and space exploration also piqued his interest in aerospace engineering, and following his arrival at Syracuse University, he desired to connect with other students and faculty who had similar interests – this made the fellowship program at Syracuse University more than ideal for him. 

“I’m happy to be a part of the Young Research Fellows Program and the community that this program wants to foster,” Todorov said.  

“Quantum optics and photonics for space applications is exciting research, and we are delighted to have Theodore join our team,” Jha added.  

The fellowship hasn’t stopped Todorov from pursuing other projects this summer. He’s currently working with Syracuse University’s Center of Excellence in Environmental Energy Systems on research, creating sensor boxes so the team can position them around campus and measure air quality.  

In the upcoming fall, he also plans to study the principles of classical and quantum optics and get trained in the Quantum Technology Laboratory in various experimental techniques and equipment, including lasers, single-photon detectors, and counters. He’ll focus on understanding and conducting classical and quantum interference experiments at the single photon level, analyzing the data, and writing a research paper by the end of the semester to present his work at a conference the following spring.  

Professor Wanliang Shan Receives NSF CAREER Award for Research on Tunable Adhesion

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Wanliang Shan and graduate student researchers

Wanliang Shan, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to research the mechanics behind highly tunable dry adhesion for manipulating delicate and small objects.  

The NSF CAREER Award supports early-career faculty with promising research and the potential to serve as academic role models. This project will significantly advance tunable adhesion for compliant manipulation, which Shan’s team has studied for the past seven years. Focused on the ability to pick up and release objects by adjusting the level of adhesion, his work has been published in high-impact journals such as Advanced Functional Materials and Advanced Materials Interfaces.  

Shan’s team previously explored adhesion tuning using smart materials in soft pillars. Heating the smart material component with an electrical current, or power source, activates the device within seconds, resulting in a significant change in the adhesion of the soft pillars. This discovery earned Shan a patent which was issued in the Spring of 2022 and his team is currently working on an NSF Partnership for Innovation grant to explore the potential commercialization of this approach. 

Shan’s NSF CAREER project introduces a new method for achieving tunable adhesion. Rather than using heat to activate the device, this method uses low pressure to activate adhesion which allows objects to be gripped and released efficiently at a faster rate. Shan found that a greater amount of adhesion change can be achieved within a fraction of a second compared to his previous method. This innovative approach focuses on a specific type of adhesive structure called soft hollow pillars and a provisional patent has been filed for this new approach.  

The CAREER project delves deeper into understanding the mechanics behind highly tunable adhesion observed in soft hollow pillars and investigates the role of mechanical instability, specifically the buckling of thin structures under low pressure, which will give Shan insights into optimizing the design of adhesive devices. By understanding the influence of these factors, the project seeks to further improve the functionality and effectiveness of adhesive devices. 

“In certain applications like manufacturing, devices need fast, repetitive movements to perform tasks,” Shan says. “In other applications, however, these devices don’t require the same movements. This is why I believe both approaches to tunable adhesion are important.”  

Shan will continue incorporating findings from research into the courses he teaches at Syracuse University. Since 2019, he’s been a faculty member of ECS, where he teaches courses on solid mechanics and soft robotics. He also intends to seek internship opportunities at relevant companies for graduate students who participate in the CAREER project, a strategy he’s used to interact with industrial partners leveraging existing NSF grants. Collaborating with the Museum of Science and Technology in downtown Syracuse, he’s also proposed education and outreach initiatives such as mechanics-enabled soft robotics summer camps. These are intended to educate the general public, especially K-12 students, about his team’s research. 

“There’s a significant educational aspect to this CAREER award,” Shan says. “This will be great for students and my lab at Syracuse University. I look forward to incorporating findings from this research into lecture material, both for undergrad and graduate students. The summer camps will help disseminate research outcomes to the general public and foster interest in the next generation of engineers.”  

“This project not only has all the fundamentals of mechanics but also carries practical ramifications for compliant manipulation,” Shan added. “Bringing this research to my classroom and the potential impact these findings will have on technology is all very exciting. I appreciate the National Science Foundation for this award for allowing me the opportunity to carry out this exciting project.” 

Mechanical Engineering Student Ruohan Xu Receives Norma Slepecky Research Prize

Women in Science and Engineering Norma Slepecky Undergraduate Awards.

Recent mechanical engineering and applied mathematics graduate, Ruohan Xu ’23, G ’24, has received the Norma Slepecky Undergraduate Prize for his research activities. Xu received the award from the Women in Science and Engineering Review Committee and was nominated by his advisor, Civil and Environmental Professor, Zhao Qin.

In memory of the late auditory neuroanatomist and Syracuse University professor, Norma Slepecky, this award is given to a student who demonstrates a passion for research. Xu’s continued contributions to ECS embody Slepecky’s ambitious spirit and uphold her legacy as a pioneer in bioengineering.   

In his first research project, Xu focused on enhancing mask design through image-based surface morphing, and his findings were published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials in 2022. His second project saw him focus on the growing environment of mycelium composites for the application to infrastructure.  

With two research projects and a journal publication under his belt, Xu is also an active member of his college community, currently serving as the President of the Chinese Union Syracuse and former Vice President of the Syracuse University Robotics Club. Xu is continuing his studies at Syracuse University, working towards a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering.

Aoyi Luo

Areas of Expertise:

  • Solid Mechanics
  • Materials
  • Design and Manufacturing
  • Soft Robotics
  • Thermophysics

Dr. Luo’s research group specializes in leveraging the expertise in mechanics, materials, and computational methods including data-driven methods to address cutting-edge challenges in robotics, design, and manufacturing. The group’s research encompasses a diverse range of topics, including the design and analysis of microtransfer printing processes, the development of variable stiffness structures and mechanisms, the exploration of adhesion-based soft robotic grippers, and the creation of architected materials with tailored adhesion or fracture properties. By focusing on these research thrusts, the group aims to advance the understanding and application of mechanics and materials in robotics, enabling the development of innovative designs and manufacturing techniques.

Selected Publications:

  • Luo, A., Zhang, H. and Turner, K.T., 2022. Machine learning-based optimization of the design of composite pillars for dry adhesives, Extreme Mechanics Letters54, p.101695.
  • Luo, A., Pande, S.S., Turner, K.T., 2022. Versatile adhesion-based gripping via an unstructured variable stiffness membrane, Soft Robotics.
  • Luo, A., and Turner, K.T., 2022. Adhesion of beams with subsurface elastic heterogeneity. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids159, p.104713.
  • Luo, A., and Turner, K.T., 2021. Achieving enhanced adhesion through optimal stress distributions. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids156, p.104610.
  • Luo, A., and Turner, K.T., 2020. Mechanics of crack path selection in microtransfer printing: Challenges and opportunities for process control. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids143, p.104066.
  • Luo, A. §, Nasab, A.M. §, Tatari, M., Chen, S., Shan, W. and Turner, K.T., 2020. Adhesion of flat-ended pillars with non-circular contacts. Soft Matter16(41), pp.9534-9542. (§ represents co-first author)
  • Nasab, A.M. §, Luo, A. §, Sharifi, S., Turner, K.T. and Shan, W., 2020. Switchable adhesion via subsurface pressure modulation. ACS applied materials & interfaces12(24), pp.27717-27725. (§ represents co-first author)
  • Tan, D. §, Luo, A. §, Wang, X., Shi, Z., Lei, Y., Steinhart, M., Kovalev, A., Gorb, S.N., Turner, K.T. and Xue, L., 2020. Humidity-modulated core–shell nanopillars for enhancement of gecko-inspired adhesion. ACS Applied Nano Materials3(4), pp.3596-3603. (§ represents co-first author)
  • Luo, A. and Lior, N., 2017. Study of advancement to higher temperature membrane distillation. Desalination419, pp.88-100.
  • Luo, A. and Lior, N., 2016. Critical review of membrane distillation performance criteria. Desalination and Water Treatment57(43), pp.20093-20140.

Mechanical Engineering Seniors Present Final Capstone Designs

The mechanical engineering senior capstone design course is a rigorous two-semester engineering experience intended to simulate developing a product in an industry setting. These industry-sponsored projects are designed to support the development of teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving abilities, communication skills and other key areas of expertise that prepare students for their careers. The industry partnerships provide students with valuable real world experience and networking opportunities, and the sponsoring companies receive innovative solutions to problems and the opportunity to recruit elite, young talent.

The course is co-instructed by Kenneth and Mary Ann Shaw Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurial Leadership Alexander Deyhim, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professors Mehmet Sarimurat and Ed Bogucz. Professor Deyhim describes the course as an immersive experience that pushes students to achieve excellence.

“The progress of each project is meticulously monitored through a gated review process. This process entails regular feedback and evaluation from multiple stakeholders, including the client, faculty members, fellow students, and a review panel,” says Professor Deyhim. “By engaging in this iterative review system, students receive valuable insights and recommendations at various stages of their project, facilitating continuous improvement and aligning their efforts with the client’s expectations. This year, seven teams completed capstone projects; the final presentations were excellent, and every single team impressed our esteemed panel of industry judges.”

Here are the 2022-2023 mechanical engineering senior design capstone projects:

Additively Manufactured Cold Plate

Sponsor: Lockheed Martin

Working with Lockheed Martin, the team designed, tested and determined the best way to produce an additively manufactured (3D printed) cold plate to be used in various applications for the company’s numerous radar electronics. This is a critical design because Lockheed Martin’s products can reach temperatures up to KW/cm2. The team evaluated multiple designs with complex geometric flow paths and determined appropriate material for manufacturing the cold plate while considering cost and functionality.


Automated Inspection of Jet Engine Components

Sponsor: GE Aviation

The team advanced the development of a solution allowing the inspection of turbine discs using cameras and artificial intelligence to determine if there are any small cracks or defects that could damage the engine. The goal of this project was to design a system to remove human error and increase efficiency of the inspection process. The team assisted GE in developing an automated white light digital system for the part inspection with a focus on pass-through features.


Dairy Cover and Conveyor Belt Cleaners Redesign

Sponsor: Berry Global

The team was tasked with helping Berry Global, an international plastic packaging company, to increase the efficiency of their injection molding process. The team provided a design and prototype for a portable way to clean the cover from the ground without needing to stop production. The proposed design is an automated device that sits on the framework of the dairy covers and will sweep debris and particles into dustbins located on the two sides on the dairy cover.


Compact High Efficiency Air Handling Unit

Sponsor: Upstate Parts & Supply Inc.

Centrifugal fans have been at the forefront of cleanroom technology and have been the industry standard for a long time. Mechanical and Aerospace Professor Mehmet Sarimurat and Former Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Thong Dang designed a new axial fan to be utilized in a microchip manufacturing plant (Class 1000) which uses less energy. The team’s role was to first design an FFU (fan filter unit) that can house the fan while being compatible with a high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) filter. Once the designed FFU and fixture system were in place, the team conducted performance testing of the fan with attention being paid to how the designed system works with the fan and if the performance is superior to a traditional centrifugal one.


Occupancy Based Smart Vent

Sponsor: WellBuilding Control

WellBuilding Control is a company started by Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Dr. Bing Dong, whose research focuses on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The team was brought in to focus on developing an occupancy control HVAC system that will reduce energy consumption in heating and cooling buildings. This system will reduce carbon emissions and save money for consumers. The team concluded that an automated air register vent would be the most effective method of achieving the goal. The team then created a design and prototype of a control vent that will open and close automatically when a room becomes occupied or unoccupied to control the air flow to that room. The vent will also control indoor air quality using a CO2 sensor that will turn on a fan that will blow air and reduce the CO2 levels.


Desiccant Hopper Redesign

Sponsor: Cryomech

The team was brought in to help Cryomech, a manufacturer of cryogenic cooling applications that use helium gas as the working fluid in a helium compressor, to design an improved hopper system. Helium compressor packages made by Cryomech use desiccant adsorbers to “clean” helium as it is cooled to temperatures as low as 4K. Currently, the molecular sieve and granular activated charcoal used in the adsorbers is being contaminated from atmospheric exposure. The team designed and created a prototype of a hopper system that will keep the desiccants clean and reduce production time.


Integrated Sustainable Building Design Competition

Sponsor: ASHRAE

The team entered the 2023 Integrated Sustainable Building Design Competition, specifically the HVAC Design Calculations competition. The project’s objective was to fully design an HVAC system for a laboratory facility located in Cairo, Egypt. The team submitted a 35-page technical report including all the work and calculations, along with analysis explaining the logic. For this competition, the team was required to adhere to the most up to date American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards. Representatives from Carrier Corporation also mentored the team, assisting them with the ins and outs of learning their Hourly Analysis Program (HAP) software to get the load calculations.

Spring 2023 Engineering and Computer Science Academic Department Awards

Unique View of Carnegie Library

The College of Engineering and Computer Science is proud to announce the students who received awards at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year from their academic department.

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering

The Bioengineering Founders Award

Grace Haas

Karen M. Hiiemae Outstanding Achievement Award in Bioengineering

Gabriel Khan

Oren Nagasako Award 

Megan Perlman

Outstanding Achievement Award in Chemical Engineering

Adam Klinger

The Allen J. Barduhn Award

Jacob Shellhamer

Outstanding Graduate Student in Biomedical Engineering

Tackla Winston

Outstanding Graduate Student in Chemical Engineering

Robson Schuraca

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Outstanding Achievement Award in Environmental Engineering

Benjamin Cavarra

K.L. Lui Memorial Award

Aymeric Destrée

The John Burch McMorran ’22 Award

Adam Landry

Outstanding Graduate Student in Civil & Environmental Engineering

Joseph Wasswa

Dr. James A. Mandel Prize for Achievement in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Haben Legesse

Samuel P. Clemence Prize for Outstanding Senior Design

Nagdalina Baez

Masson Bruening

Benjamin Cavarra

Kate Kemnitz

Adam Landry

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Awards

Kate Kemnitz

Paige Yamane

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The Warren Semon Prize

Ryan M. May

Outstanding Achievement Award in Computer & Information Science

Matthew J. Cufari

Outstanding Achievement Award in Computer Engineering

Kyle D. Maiorana

The Outstanding Achievement Award in Electrical Engineering

Jared W. Welch

Outstanding Graduate Student in Computer Engineering

Sihao Ren

Outstanding Graduate Student in Computer Science

Sai Saran Macha

Outstanding Graduate Student in Electrical Engineering

Nicholas S. Connolly

The IEEE Computer Engineering Award

Mehak Jetly

The IEEE Electrical Engineering Award

Jemma Mallia

IEEE PES Scholarship

Jemma Mallia

Outstanding Graduate Student in Cybersecurity

Kyungrok Won

William Peil Awards

Kyle Maiorana

Julia Pepin

Wyatt G. Bush

Samsondeen Batula

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Outstanding Aerospace Engineering Academic Achievement Awards    

Anthony Tricarico

Christian Fitzgerald

Award for Excellence by Aerospace Engineering Senior

Evan Moore

Award for Achievement by Aerospace Engineering Senior

Madeline Phelan

The Richard Heimburg Achievement Award in Aerospace

Zachary Stahl

Charles Libove Memorial Award for Outstanding Aerospace Senior

Melissa Yeung

Award for Excellence by Aerospace Engineering Junior

Sydney Jud

Zachary Haas

Awards for Achievement by Aerospace Engineering Juniors

Isaac Lehigh

Cody VanNostrand

Benjamin Gerard

Ross Evan-Iwanowski Memorial Award

John Michinko

Ellen H. Honnold Memorial Scholarship

William Saueressig

Awards for Excellence by Aerospace Engineering Sophomores

Jonathan Martin

Parker McMillan

Awards for Achievement by Aerospace Engineering Sophomores

Alexander Donato

Kathryn Smith

Kin-Nee Tong Award

Maximillian Lipinski

Awards for Achievement by Aerospace Engineering First Year Students

Quinn Young

Zachary Munkacsy

Jason Reid

Joshua Varkey

William Peil Inventor’s Award

Christian Fitzgerald

Madeline Phelan

Katherine Braun

Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Academic Achievement Award

Joshua Arndt

Award for Achievement by Mechanical Engineering Senior

Nathaniel Slabaugh

Jay Wyner Award for Excellence in Mechanical Engineering

Luyen Duong

Bernard Wood Creative Achievement Award in Mechanical Engineering 

Arnaud Buard

Jesse E. Rood Memorial Scholarship

Eric Silfies

Karl Carnevale Memorial Scholarships

Zachary Shuler

Awards for Achievement by Mechanical Engineering Juniors

Honorata Lubecka

Alexander Callo

Hugh C. Dugan Memorial Scholarships

Joseph Capra

Bei Luo

Award for Excellence by Mechanical Engineering Sophomore

Chloe Marie Britton Naime

Awards for Achievement by Mechanical Engineering Sophomores

Nathaniel Paradis

Jeffrey Bernstein

Aidan Bergman

James Melitski

Kin-Nee Tong Memorial Scholarship

Brinley Bruening

Kin-Nee Tong Award

Madeline Scott

Awards for Achievement by Mechanical Engineering First Year Students

Jennifer Mason

Gavin Johnson

William Peil Inventor Awards

Justin Kohan

Connor Norton

Melissa Jane Hiller

Kaelyn Rooney

Renee Allison

Louis N. DeMartini Award for Outstanding Research

Eric Silfies

Outstanding Graduate Student in Engineering Management

Ethan Tracey

Outstanding Achievement Award in Graduate Study

Camila Alexandra Humala Noriega

Outstanding Faculty Award

Professor Shalabh Maroo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Award for Teaching Excellence

Professor Alexander Deyhim

Career Focused: Engineering and Computer Science Class of 2022 Reporting High Placement Rate

The starting salaries for graduates receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) has grown steadily for the last six years.

The average starting salary for the class of 2022 was $76,679. A total increase of $17,000 since 2016.

The placement rate for the class of 2022 was 93%. More than half of all graduates have started their careers and 33% are pursuing an advanced degree.

The ECS Career Services team provides students with support to reach their professional goals. They help students build their network with connections to industry leaders and alumni through information sessions, company tabling, career fairs, on-campus interviewing and more. Additional support through workshops, seminars, and drop-in advising ensures students have access to development opportunities that give them an edge in today’s job market.


Class of 2022 Top 25 Employers

  • Applied Materials
  • Boston Scientific
  • Brainlab
  • Bristol Myers Squibb
  • Burns & McDonnell
  • Carrier
  • Deloitte
  • General Dynamics, Electric Boat
  • IBM
  • Kimley-Horn
  • L3Harris Technologies
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Meta
  • Morningstar, Inc.
  • National Grid Pfizer, Inc.
  • Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies Company (RTX)
  • Qualcomm
  • SRC, Inc
  • The Boeing Company
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • Turner Construction Company
  • Weston & Sampson
  • Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
  • WSP

Class of 2022 Graduate Schools

  • Boston University
  • Brown University
  • Clarkson University
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Duke University
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Northwestern University
  • Princeton University
  • SUNY Binghamton
  • SUNY Stony Brook
  • Syracuse University
  • University North Carolina, Wilmington
  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Southern California

Data reflects information on 281 of 312 undergraduate degree recipients in 2022, representing a 90% knowledge rate.

Aerospace and Civil Engineering Students Selected as Goldwater Scholars

Cody VanNostrand and Jose Arturo Venegas

Two students from the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) have been selected for the 2023 Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent undergraduate scholarship awarded in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States. Cody VanNostrand, a junior aerospace engineering major, and Jose Arturo Venegas, a sophomore civil engineering major, were the students selected from ECS. Matthew Snyder, a psychology major from the College of Arts and Sciences, was also selected for a Goldwater Scholarship. This is the second consecutive year that Syracuse University has had three scholars selected in one year.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the five-term senator from Arizona. The purpose of the program is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.

The Goldwater Foundation received 1,267 nominations this year from around the country and 413 students were selected for the scholarship.

Each of the Syracuse University Goldwater Scholarship nominees worked with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) to prepare their application. A faculty committee, headed by James Spencer, professor of chemistry, selected Syracuse’s nominees for the national competition.

Cody VanNostrand

VanNostrand’s drive to study aerospace engineering comes from his desire to benefit society, specifically through improving transportation and aerospace vehicle capabilities. “Whether it be the upcoming urban air mobility industry, fluid-traversing robots or new types of space propulsion, a more mobile society will be able to better collect information and respond to the challenges it will face,” he says. “The aerospace field is one that is forward-looking, always with new ideas, technologies and challenges just around the corner, and I am excited to help create new ideas and solve such challenges.”

His study abroad experience in Florence, Italy, confirmed his intended path of study. “I was able to visit museums in my free time featuring the original instruments of scientists and engineers such as Galilei, DaVinci and even Bernoulli. Seeing the original instruments and how they directly related to the fundamental concepts of my coursework was both humbling and inspiring,” he says.

VanNostrand has seized opportunities for research since his first year in college. In Spring 2021, he joined the Aerospace Computational Methods Lab (ACML) of John Dannenhoffer, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. That summer, he participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in which he and a partner remotely coded and developed two models of balsa planes. In Summer 2022, as part of an REU program, he joined the Combustion and Energy Research Lab (COMER) of Jeongmin Ahn, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, where he learned how to design and make a testing procedure for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). He is second author on a paper published in the Proceedings of the Nineteenth International Conference on Flow Dynamics. Last year, he was selected to participate in the L’SPACE NASA workforce development program. The experience he has gained in writing proposals, using quad charts, science traceability matrices, solicitation reviews and team-based research has helped to prepare him for a career in the space industry.

VanNostrand is currently working on his Honors thesis project investigating the fin oscillations of the manta ray via a model of his design, under the mentorship of Kasey Laurent, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. He plans to obtain a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and pursue research and development in aerospace robotics at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory or in the private space industry.

“The Goldwater Scholarship is an amazing opportunity that will not only financially support the beginning of my career, but will also open me up to a network of scholar alumni that offer mentoring and advice; this will be immensely useful as I begin looking at graduate school,” he says. “I am incredibly honored to have been selected for this scholarship, and I am thankful for all the guidance I’ve received from the mechanical and aerospace engineering department and CFSA, and especially for continuous support from my friends and family.”

Jose Arturo Venegas

Venegas’ long-term goal is to aid as many people as possible while improving the conditions of the natural environment. “Civil engineering provides me with an avenue to improve the natural integration of infrastructure and utilities we use on a daily basis, while incorporating my passion for sciences, math and sustainability. I appreciate the career flexibility and hands-on field work that civil engineering allows,” he says.

Even before getting to the Syracuse University campus, Venegas began conducting research in the multiscale material modeling lab of Zhao Qin, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering. He developed an independent research project focused on verifying whether a structurally complex fiber-reinforced composite expressed a real-world negative Poisson’s ratio during compression. Through this research, Venegas has used classical lamination theory to identify a baseline of mechanics for composite structure variations. He has also utilized computer-aided modeling and finite element analysis to support the elastic data predicted in in-situ imaging experiments.

Venegas gained additional research experience participating in a National Science Foundation REU program in materials science research at the University of California-Irvine in Summer 2022. He worked on two projects–one in an all-solid-state battery lab and another in a grain boundary (GB) characterization lab. “Each project provided me with insights into electrochemistry and materials science,” he says. Venegas was a part of the Strasbourg Center: Engineering program in fall 2022.

Venegas plans to earn a Ph.D. in civil engineering and pursue research on ecologically sound building material composites, with the goal of revolutionizing sustainable infrastructure in the U.S.

“The Goldwater Scholarship supports my commitment to materials research to expand energy infrastructure globally. I’m also excited to get involved in the Goldwater Ambassadors program to provide STEM mentorship to other students. I am honored to be recognized and could not have done it without the support of my research mentor, Dr. Zhao Qin, the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising, my family and friends and many more,” says Venegas.

CFSA seeks applicants for the Goldwater Scholarship each fall; the campus deadline is mid-November each year. Interested students should contact CFSA at cfsa@syr.edu.

Environmental Excellence: Eric Gerstenberg ’89

When Eric Gerstenberg started at Clean Harbors, he was about as far from the C-suite as he could be.  After graduating from Syracuse University, Gerstenberg landed a job at the company as a field lab technician. He went out in a truck and took care of chemicals or materials that companies in eastern Massachusetts needed to either recycle or dispose of. At the time, Clean Harbors was a relatively small company helping businesses and government agencies but the need for the company’s environmental and industrial services was growing each year.

“I was given the opportunity to excel through advancing with the company,” says Gerstenberg.

Gerstenberg moved into a role running a business unit for Clean Harbors in Natick, Massachusetts and then managing larger facilities in Baltimore and Chicago.

“When I moved into a supervisory role, I learned a lot about the environmental industry,” says Gerstenberg.

Gerstenberg had been an aerospace engineering major at the College of Engineering and Computer Science but found that the fundamental engineering and problem-solving skills he gained at Syracuse University were helping him thrive at Clean Harbors.

“I was applying science and business skills,” says Gerstenberg. “The engineering curriculum got me exposed to the important principles of material science.”

As Clean Harbors continued to grow, so did the opportunities for Gerstenberg. The one-time field lab technician took positions as the president of the environmental, industrial & field services business, vice president of disposal services and executive vice president for environmental services. In 2015, Gerstenberg was named as the chief operating officer for Clean Harbors which had grown into a five billion dollar company with 20,000 employees. On March 31st, Gerstenberg and Clean Harbors chief financial officer Michael Battles will become co-CEOs of the company, succeeding founder Alan McKim.

Gerstenberg is grateful for his time as a student at Syracuse University and what it had to offer. He is especially eager to help engineering and computer science students looking to start their careers or take a step forward.

“Now I get to offer opportunities to talented young engineers who want to grow their career,” says Gerstenberg. “Syracuse is where I made many of my lifelong friends. It created an experience where I was exposed to a diversity of education, diversity of people and many different channels.”

Gerstenberg spends more of his time focused on the overall business operations at Clean Harbors than hands-on engineering but his Syracuse University degree is still proving its worth.

“An engineering education helps people be better problem solvers using methodical approaches. They can think through problems, understand the details and dig deep. It helps you analyze a problem and have that process,” says Gerstenberg. “I can use these skills in recycling and disposal as well as revenue growth and business operations.”

Gerstenberg sees a bright future for current engineering and computer science students and hopes they can learn from the adaptability he has shown over his career.

“Be open-minded in your approach to what opportunities you look at,” says Gerstenberg. “Be willing to travel and willing to relocate – you can do so many things with an engineering degree.”

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Yiyang Sun Launches “Women in Aerospace” Program at Syracuse University

Aerospace engineering student

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Yiyang Sun is committed to promoting greater participation of women in the aerospace field so that it benefits from their diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Since societal relevance is essential to selecting majors and careers for women, Professor Sun has designed educational and outreach activities to help more young women see the relevance of aerospace engineering to society and pursue an aerospace-relevant career.

The “Women in Aerospace Series” will be conducted annually and consists of events to be held in the spring, summer, and fall semesters. Each event provides education and research content appropriate for different needs, from an introduction to various career pathways to mastering research skills.

Spring Semester – Coffee Hour Network event

The program will feature a student panel followed by invited speakers and provide time for Q&A. This Coffee Hour Network aims to help students form a big picture of potential career pathways and provide students with access to resources that will foster their attainment of career goals.

Summer Semester – Providing research experiences for undergraduate and high school students

A 6-week summer research experience is designed for undergraduate students. The project provides enough time for students to understand the fundamentals while being able to complete an innovative research plan. Professor Sun will make the research skills and methods they learn during the summer semester more relevant to general concepts in the aerospace field, such as data measurement and flow simulation, so the research experience they receive can yield a broader influence on their future career.

Professor Sun has also collaborated with the Syracuse University Office of Pre-College Programs to provide a 2-week summer research immersion program entitled “Seizing the Sky: Introduction and Application of Aerodynamic Flow Control.” During the two weeks, high-school students will rotate between computational and experimental laboratories, interacting with college students to learn emerging research topics and cutting-edge methods of tackling aerodynamic problems. The high-school students will be assigned small tasks, such as simple Matlab programming, numerical simulation of fluid flows, and experimental data measurements in a supersonic wind tunnel and a high-speed jet facility. It is expected that high school students can complete the tasks with necessary help from Dr. Sun’s research group and obtain the basic skills that can be taken away for more general usage in their future studies and career.

Fall Semester – Conference attendance and student mentoring

The program offered in the fall semester aims to provide undergraduate students who have engaged in research over the past spring and summer semesters with more advanced mentorship in conducting research and support their participation at world-class conferences. It serves as an opportunity for undergraduate students to complete the “Women in Aerospace Series” program and present their research results to professionals in public.

Fernando Zigunov

Lab/ Center/ Institute affiliation: Skytop Turbulence Laboratory

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. Florida State University, Tallahassee, 2020
  • B.S. Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2017

Areas of Expertise:

  • Aerodynamics
  • Machine Learning Flow Control
  • Experimental Fluid Dynamics
  • Flow Visualization and Tomography

Dr. Fernando Zigunov’s research is focused on leveraging automated experiments in fluid dynamics to deploy machine learning systems that can achieve tangible engineering goals to control various complex flow problems to develop and improve future aircraft and energy production systems. Dr. Zigunov also has extensive expertise in volumetric flow diagnostic techniques such as tomographic and scanning PIV, as well as time-resolved PSP, shadowgraph and schlieren. He is also interested in using data assimilation and modal analysis techniques to distill complex experimental data and understand its dynamical behavior.

Honors and Awards:

  • 2018-2020: Recipient of the Don Fuqua Fellowship Award
  • 2015-2016: Exchange Scholarship under the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP)

Selected Publications:

  • Zigunov, Fernando; Serdar Seckin, Rhylan Huss, Cameron Eggart and Farrukh Alvi. A continuously scanning spatiotemporal averaging method for obtaining volumetric mean flow measurements with stereoscopic PIV. Experiments in Fluids, 64(3):56, Mar 2023
  • Zigunov, Fernando, Prabu Sellappan, and Farrukh Alvi. Reduction of noise in cold and hot supersonic jets using active flow control guided by a genetic algorithm. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2022
  • Zigunov, Fernando, Prabu Sellappan, Farrukh Alvi, Yuta Ozawa, Yuji Saito, Taku Nonomura, and Keisuke Asai. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry and pressure sensitive paint measurements of afterbody flow dynamics. Phys. Rev. Fluids, 7:024701, Feb 2022
  • Zigunov, Fernando, Prabu Sellappan, and Farrukh Alvi. Reynolds number and slant angle effects on the flow over a slanted cylinder afterbody. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 893:A11, 2020

Ian M. Shapiro

Lab/ Center/ Institute Affiliation:

Associate Director of Building Science and Community Programs, Syracuse University Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems

Areas of Expertise:

  • Heat pumps
  • Building science
  • Green building design and retrofits
  • Affordability in approaches to reduced carbon emissions

Primary area of expertise is heat pumps. Has designed heat pumps for production at Carrier Corporation, consulted to multiple heat pump manufacturers, authored original heat pump theory, been awarded multiple patents relating to heat pumps and air conditioning, and done research on multiple types of heat pumps (air source, water source, vertical stack, air-to-water, etc.). Other areas of work have included lighting controls, heat pump water heaters, indoor air quality, and enclosure (insulation and window) design.  Has developed a new metric to quantify building shape efficiency to minimize carbon emissions.  Has authored a novel energy code that emphasizes affordability in new building design. Founded a successful consulting engineering firm, Taitem Engineering, based in Ithaca, NY, and continues to serve as partner and board member.

Honors and Awards:

  • New York State Green Building Advocate of the Year, 2016
  • Leader of a team that won the R&D100 award in 2005 for one of the 100 most significant innovations nationally. Team participants included the National Renewable Energy Lab and NYSERDA.  For:  Residential energy analysis software. The software is still in wide use, over 20 years after its introduction.

Books:

Co-author, Ithaca Energy Code Supplement (2021). This local energy code is one of the most advanced in the nation, currently requiring 80% lower carbon emissions for the design of new buildings, progressing to 100% reduced carbon emissions (fossil-fuel-free, net-zero energy) on January 1, 2026. 

Co-author (with Francis D.K. Ching) of the textbook Green Building Illustrated (2nd edition 2020, Wiley). Translated into Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean.

Author of the textbook Energy Audits and Improvements for Commercial Buildings (2016, Wiley).

Selected Publications:

“Preventing Refrigerant Leaks in Heat Pumps.”  ASHRAE Journal.  January 2020.  Co-author with Jon Harrod. 

“Ithaca’s Example: Toward Zero Carbon Buildings”, High Performing Buildings Magazine, a publication of ASHRAE. July 2019. 

“Heating Loads: Upstairs Versus Downstairs.”  Home Energy Magazine. Fall 2017. 

“Boosting Multifamily Energy Savings Through Lighting Control Settings,” Home Energy, August/September 2013. 

“Air Infiltration Measurements in Buildings Using Sound Transmission Loss Through Small Apertures,” International Journal of Green Energy, May, 2012. 

“The Receptivity of Roofs to Solar Panels,” Sciforum’s 2nd World Sustainability Forum, November, 2012.  

“HVAC Selection for Envelope Dominated Buildings,” ASHRAE Journal, October 2011. 

“Air Bypass in Vertical Stack Water Source Heat Pumps,” HVAC&R Research, October 20x`11. 

“Design from the Outside In,” Journal of Green Building, Volume 5.1, Winter 2010. 

“Water and Energy Use in Steam-Heated Buildings“, ASHRAE Journal, May 2010. 

“Energy Audits in Large Commercial Office Buildings,” ASHRAE Journal, January 2009. 

“The Impact of Accessibility on Air Filter Cleanliness,” INvironment Professional, January 1999, Vol. 5, No. 1. 

Matthew Erdman

Areas of Expertise:

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Heat and Mass Transfer
  • Multiphase Flow
  • Measurements and Instrumentation
  • Hydropower

Matthew Erdman earned his PhD from the Pennsylvania State University by utilizing commercial computational fluid dynamics software to improve the multiphase mass transfer models for Eulerian-Eulerian flow. His M.S. (also at Penn State) focused on improving the off-design efficiencies in hydraulic turbines. While at Penn State, he taught and coordinated the lab portion of the Measurement, Instrumentation and Statistics course for seven years. He then led the laboratory redesign of the above course as it transitioned into the Circuit Analysis, Instrumentation, and Statistics course.

Honors and Awards:

  • Hydro-Research Foundation Research Award (2014)
  • Vice Admiral E.L. Cochrane Award (2014) for best peer-reviewed paper published by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
  • Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Award, Penn State Behrend (2013)

Selected Publications:

 Johnson, B., Lasher, W.C., Erdman, M., Miles, J., & Curry, B. “Uncertainties in the Wind-Heel Analysis of Traditional Sailing Vessels: The Challenges it presents for Forensic Analysis of Sailing Vessel Incidents,” 2013 Chesapeake Sailing Yacht Symposium. Annapolis, MD, March 2013.

Engineering and Computer Science Students Attend the 2023 Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Competition

Engineering and Computer Science students Eric Silfies ’23, Brady Arruda ’25, Oliver Raycroft ’25, Max Lipinski ’24 and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Alex Deyhim attended the Lockheed Martin Center for Leadership Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland for the LM Ethics in Engineering Competition. More than 70 universities are part of the engineering case competition that focuses on real-life dilemmas that can arise in the workplace, especially in the multifaceted and fast-paced world of technology. The competition is an annual event that compels students to think about the importance of ethics in the workplace.

“I’m very proud of the four students who represented the Syracuse University and the College of Engineering & Computer Science in the best way possible. The students showed themselves to be professional, respectful and technically competent. Further, the students commented that they learned the critical importance of not just having technical knowledge, but being able to communicate that knowledge in an effective and productive manner to arrive at ethical outcomes,” said Deyhim.

“Engineers don’t often have every piece of data when making a decision, so it important to be able to work with what you have to make the best, most ethical, decision at the end of the day,” said Arruda.

Beyond the experience of the competition itself, the students had the chance to listen to a panel featuring the Skunk Works team responsible for working on Top Gun: Maverick and tour the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Cente. They used F-18 flight simulators and were able to see both Lockheed Martin’s SR71 Blackbird and the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Engineered Magic: Wooden Seed Carriers Mimic the Behavior of Self-Burying Seeds

A vegetable plant growing next to its E-seed carrier. This seed was planted in a lab at Carnegie Mellon University in order to observe the effect on the seed of helpful fungus also carried in the E-seed.

Before a seed can grow into a tree, flower or plant, it needs to successfully implant itself in soil – a delicate and complex process. Seeds need to be able to take root and then remain protected from hungry birds and harsh environmental conditions. For the Erodium flower to implant a seed, its stalk forms a tightly wound, seed-carrying body with a long, curved tail at the top. When it begins to unwind, the twisting tail engages with the ground, causing the seed carrier to push itself upright. Further unwinding creates torque to drill down into the ground, burying the seed.

Inspired by Erodium’s magic, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Teng Zhang worked with Lining Yao from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and a team of collaborators to engineer a biodegradable seed carrier referred to as E-seed. Their seed carrier, fashioned from wood veneer, could enable aerial seeding of difficult-to-access areas, and could be used for a variety of seeds or fertilizers and adapted to many different environments. The carriers also could be used to implant sensors for environmental monitoring. They might also assist in energy harvesting by implanting devices that create current based on temperature fluctuations.

Professor Teng Zhang
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Teng Zhang

“This is a perfect example demonstrating the beauty and power of bioinspired design. We learn from nature and eventually achieve superior performance by leveraging the freedom of engineering design,” said Zhang, who also serves as an executive committee member of the Bioinspired Institute.

The team’s research appeared in the February issue of Nature.

The project is led by Lining Yao, director of the Morphing Matter Lab in the School of Computer Science’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute at CMU. Zhang developed models and performed simulations to explain the working mechanism of the wood actuators and the benefits of E-seed design. The key authors of the paper also include Danli Luo, a former research assistant at the Morphing Matter Lab, Shu Yang, a materials scientist from the University of Pennsylvania, Guanyun Wang, a former postdoctoral researcher in the Morphing Matter Lab and now a faculty member at Zhejiang University, and Aditi Maheshwari and Andreea Danielescu from ​Accenture Labs.

“Seed burial has been heavily studied for decades in terms of mechanics, physics and materials science, but until now, no one has created an engineering equivalent,” said Yao. “The seed carrier research has been particularly rewarding because of its potential social impact. We get excited about things that could have a beneficial effect on nature.”

“Gaining insight into the mechanics of wood and seed drilling dynamics leads to improved design and optimization,” said Zhang. “I am excited to see, by embracing cross-disciplinary collaborations, mechanics can play a critical role in making our society more sustainable.”

Read more about this collaborative project.

A drone dropping E-Seed Carriers

(Written by Byron Spice and Alex Dunbar)

Fall 2022 Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s List

SU Campus
The Einhorn Family Walk stretches out in front of the Hall of Languages on a autumn day.

In recognition of superior scholarship, the following students have been entered on the Engineering & Computer Science Dean’s List for Fall 2022.

To be eligible for Dean’s List recognition, the minimum semester grade point average must be 3.40 or higher, must have earned a minimum of 12 graded credits and must have no missing or incomplete grades.

Aerospace Engineering

Dean Nasri Abdel-Aziz

Allyson Almeida

Brady Joseph Arruda

Jonah Oliver Blanchard

Richard L Bruschi

Mathew Carpio

Curtis James Cline

Bryan Collins

Thomas James Condon

Paolo Pio Coppola

Michael Alexander Donato

Justin Ryan Esposito

Mark Gannon Ezaki

Benjamin David Faasse

Christian Scott Fitzgerald

Darren Finn Forschino

Victoria Elizabeth Forsyth

Zachary Ryan Freyman

John M Gauthier

Benjamin Daniel Gerard

Alexandre J Gill

Zachary William Haas

David Leo Hadley

Benjamin Matthew Hassett

Ryan Benjamin Hirsch

Aidan Hoff

Jiaji Hu

Paula Cristina Ibelings

Nicholas John Jacobs

Joseph Manuel Javier

Sydney F Jud

Harrison Kayton

Myat Min Khant

Trevor Anthony Knight

Thalia Patience Lee

Isaac Alan Lehigh

Emma Lee Levenson

Dante Alexander Liotta

Maximillian Lipinski

Nathaniel Fox Lipset

Jacob Eric Long

Ava Katherine Lough

Powers Craig Lynch

Brendan Michael Marquis

Elsa Adrianna Martin

Jonathan Henry Martin

William Armstrong Martin

Jason W McElhinney

Parker Byrne McMillan

John P Michinko

Kendra Teresa Miller

Evan Gregory Moore

Zachary Thomas Munkacsy

Brendan Pierce Murty

Tatiyyanah Queen-Asia Hope Nelums

Madeline G Phelan

Logan D Prye

Kazi Golam Rafee

Jason Patrick Reid

Nicholas Christopher Richard

Andrew Douglas Rockafellow

William J Saueressig

Winston James Schaumloffel

Zachari Whitaker Sekyi-Williams

Garrett Clifton Sickmon

Gregory C Slodysko Jr

Kathryn Amber Smith

Zachary Michael Stahl

Jaime S Sued Jr

Yiyuan Sun

Marco Svolinsky

Rory Lloyd Taylor

Richard A Tedeschi

Carter Alexander Thompson

Theodore Todorov

Anthony Robert Tricarico

Sasha Valitutti

Sarah Grace Vallejo

Cody Joseph VanNostrand

Joshua John Varkey

Toby Thomas Webber

Mason Alexander Weber

Owen James Weisenberger

Ethan H Weiss

Kana Li Wong

Cameron M Woodbury

Melissa Yeung

Bioengineering

Anthony Drew Acierto

Jason Bae

Mathieu Kenji Barthelemy

Paige Bencivenga

Zeynep Sue Cakmak

Evan A Campbell

Jade Ashlee Carter

Ryan Sean Clarke

Dominic Thomas Clinch

Lukas Cook

Shane A Corridore

Samirah Lamoni Crawford

Beatriz De Melo Palma Fernandes

Michael James Dreyer

Catherine Jean Durkin

Sophie Faith Grady

Grace Haas

Lauren Elizabeth Hamilton

Brenna Henderson

Maxima Camryn Zahra Herbert

James T Hrdy

Madeline Jones

Gabriel Khan

Olivia Lynne Kmito

Jakub Aleksander Kochanowski

Emily Labour

Quinn Patrick Langdon

Sara Anne Leonardo

Isabelle S Lewis

Joshua Edwin Nana Limjuico

Alejandra Eugenia Lopez

Ethan L Masters

Aelish McGivney

Caitlin R Mehl

Sadie Shaula Meyer

Katherine Grace Monroe

Aizhan Moore

Hannah V Murphy

Jonathan Ngo

Kerrin Anne O’Grady

Luiza Awuor Owuor

Alyssa Pape

Mia Dian Paynton

Megan Perlman

Ayanna Riley Peterson

Michael Steven Presunka

Lillian Kilmer Rhuda

Ruben Rojas Betanzos

Isabella M Rosales

Amira Salihovic

Alyssa Shelburne

Bridget Yong Sides

Katherine Anne Southard

Justin N Stock

Elizabeth Tarami Su

Danny Vu

Carly J Ward

Nathaniel Wellington

Haven M Wittmann

Lauren Margaret Woodford

Rui Xie

Yougang Xue

Ahlam Zokari

Julian Marcus Smucker Zorn

Samantha Yvonne Zysk

Chemical Engineering

James William Bailey

Elizabeth R Carchia

Alex Michael Castagliuolo

Olivia R Conlin

Dennis Dao

Emily C Fittante

Edward Coleman Fluker

Mia Angela Goldberg

Hannah Grossman

Avery Gunderson

Christopher Max Hansen

Lucas Joseph Heffler

Aiden A Jacobs

Natalia Jarmain

Hope Irene Johnson

Sonia Julius

Emma Grace Klein

Adam J Klinger

Eden Tess Leavitt

Gabe Lipsitz

Annika Daphne Meyers

Cole Parker Nordby

Erin Marie Odonnell

Eli Irvin Paster

Isabella Noelani Perkins

Riley Madison Schmerber

Jacob Matthew Shellhamer

Jason Tan

Maria Jose Velez

Seojun Yu

Jackson Richard Yuen

Civil Engineering

Juan Pablo Arosemena Graziadei

Henry C Bievenue

Leila Christine Boughton

Masson Bruening

Zoya Bukhari

Alexander Burrows

Daniel Thomas Caraceni

Isabel Cardoso

Olivia Carmella Cross

Aymeric Pierre Alexis Robert Destree

Brendan Dwyer

Marlee Ann Ecton

Xuanjie Fan

Jacob C Hotchkin

Kristen Caroline Huddleston

Julia Ann Johnson-Milstein

Rhitwik Karmakar

Rachel Katz

Jakob Lamond Keller

Kate Astrid Kemnitz

Alexander Gregory Klee

Adam Paul Landry

Evangelia Birget Larson

Haben Legesse

Emma Marie Liptrap

Emilija Alise Lizins

Lucas James Meiers

Sumit Harshad Mistry

Trevor Robert Napoli

Abigail Micah Neitch

Justin Wayne Pettit

Maxwell Robert Pozar

Benjamin Joseph Putrino

Kaylin Janet Richards

Lesley S Rojas

Keisha Zefanya Rorimpandey

Anthony K Schnaufer

Aaron Presley Shinn

Samuel Paul Smith

Caitlin Jane Spillane

Alex Gabriel Torres

Jose Artuto Venegas

Zhou Wang

Christian E Ward

Sarah Wong

Paige H Yamane

Garrett J Zito

Computer Engineering

Adekunle J Akinshola

Chikeluba K Anierobi

Jackson Thomas Bradley

Ryan Joseph Brennan

Samanta S Correa

Wenhan Cui

Nathan James Czarnecki

Lyn El Sayed Kassem

Melvin Ruben Escobar Gonzalez

Elizabeth A Fatade

Gabriel Akinloluwa Babatunde Fatade

Ralph Lawrence Graham

Alexander Joseph Hai

Aidan Robert Harrington

Ashton Jeter Hernandez

Kasey Jackson

Cedrik Jethro Jean-Baptiste

Benjamin N Johnson

Jessica K Lat

Tyler Alexander Lavaway

Matthew B Leight

Jiaxiong Li

Joseph Anderson Lodato

Kyle Maiorana

Aksel James Malatak

Jacob Stephen Masrouri

Isabel M Melo

Pierce Austin Neubert

Jayden Ahamefula Okorougo

Jose L Olivera

Adedeji Nathaniel Oyefeso

Ellie Grace Parkes

Alexander C Perez

Jessica A Reslan

Anel Rizvic

Kevin Robertson

Brian Rodriguez

Samuel M Rosenthal

Mia Elizabeth Russo

Jared Anthony Santiago

Alexander Segarra

Thomas John Vitarelli

Declan Wavle

Manling Yu

Computer Science

Bamidele Benjamin Adeyemo

Aaron Alakkadan

Sajjad Abdullah Albadri

Joseph Algerio

Anas Abdallah Hussein Alkhashroom

Brianna Danielle Anthony

Ian Edward Asbury

Fiona Asungedib Azumah

Garret W Babick

Giovanna Elizabeth Barsalona

Niloy Basak

Sophia Anne Basile

Samantha E Bastien

Maxwell Robert Beam

Anas Ahmed Benhamida

Duncan Anthony Benitz

Luke S Bonenberger

Joshua Jordan Boucher

Brian Michael Bourne

Amanda Leigh Bowdren

Spencer H Bradkin

Nathan Thor Brekke

Bryan Bladimir Bueno Reyes

Kelly Jane Burke

Andy Daniel Cai

Jonathan David Callahan

Benjamin Elliott Canfield

Andrew Miles Champagne Jr

Lawrence Chen

Daniel Chmielewski

Nicholas Chopliani

Season Chowdhury

Noah John Cirks

Rahnaya T Clarke

Ta’Nasia Zhara Coleman

Miguel Angel Cruz Flores

Matthew John Cufari

Lucas John Czarnecki

Ryan Matthew Czirr

Akosua Danso

Philippe Alexandre Daubert

Nicholas Davis

Aidan Christopher DeGooyer

Julian Joseph Delucia

Christian Despecci

Lucille Jennifer Disalvo

Russell Carl Doucet

Annica Claudia Dubert

Theodor Dan Dumitru

Christopher Edmonds

Curtis Ryan Edwards Jr

Braimah Bolade Eleshin Jr.

Ryan Siebe Elsinga

Neha Eregodu Laxminarayana

Evan J Espina

Spencer Evans-Cole

Matthew J Faiola

Bennett Ferrari

Francisco Emiliano Franco Leon

Ruihong Gao

Kelly Jane Geiwitz

Aren Sevag Gharibian

Brianna S Gillfillian

Justin Gluska

Meagan Anessa Gonzalez

John Martin Gorman

Aicha Gory

Nolan Pasquale Groothuis

Avery T Gump

Jessica Gabriela Gutierrez

Alexander Peter-Anthony Haas

Talal Hakki

Ashley Marie Hamilton

Jillian Elizabeth Handrahan

Liam Gordon Hannah

Alisha Hassan

Karen Herrera

Richard Ho

Isaiah J Hollensworth-Wooten

Laurel Howell

Noah Thomas Howell

Jacob Howlett

Helou Huang

Xuanye Huang

Eda Imer

Chengyi Jiang

Tianyiming Jing

Frederick Jackson Jones

Alan Jos

Lauren Keona Kaaiakamanu

Brunon Donovan Kaminski

Xiaoya Kang

Matthew Keenan

Nicolas Walter Ketterer

Ekaterina Kladova

Joshua Jayvant Zachary Koshy

Matthew Peter Kovalcik

Polina Kozyreva

Vivien E Latt

Maya J’Nai Lee

Jack M Lefebvre

Andy Li

Modi Li

Yuxuan Li

Daniel Lim

Joshua Lim

Alicia Lin

Sandy Lin

Jing Liu

Joshua Zhou Liu

Yuyuan Liu

Cayden Thomas Lombard

Yiheng Lu

Sophia Luo

Runzhi Ma

Shizhan Ma

Gavin Thomas Macisaac

Mihir Ulhas Mahale

Juliette Eloise Mangon

Ryan M May

Anthony Louis Mazzacane

Philip Anthony Moceri

Thomas J Montfort

Jovanni Nicholas Mosca

Ryan Murphy

Krutartha Nagesh

Christopher Scott Nemeth Jr

Jillienne Judith Ness

Arianna Kassandra Nguyen

John Viet P Nguyen

Joshua Nielson

Olivia O’Hanlon

Cheryl Hadasa Olanga

Adya Aditi Parida

Brian Joseph Pellegrino

John Arthur Peters

Amlan Pradhan

Alexander Lawrence Reid

Boyu Ren

Eric Rodriguez

Andrew Frank Scerbo

Jonathan Lee Schwenk

Sean J Shin

Chad Thom Smith

Megan C Snow

Anthony Logan Solt

Townsend Garner Southard Pantano

Samuel Thomas Stowers

Kevin Sullivan

Nicholas P Sweet

Melissa Li Tang

Andrew Jeffrey Tedesco

Eduardo Torres-Garcia

Winston Tsui

Matthew Alistair Twigg

Zimuzo Somadi Udedibia

Robert Anthony Valliciergo

Kevin Anthony Verdeschi

Christopher Mark Vinciguerra

Guozheng Wang

Zijian Wang

Jacob Wansor

Robert Ward

Samantha Maureen Weir

Ryan Thomas Welch

Daniel Z Whelan

Lauren Rae Wilson

Sarah Grace Wlodkoski

Brian Matthew Wong

Hassan Wouliyou

Zongxiu Wu

Tianyi Xiang

Yujie Xu

Jishuo Yang

Naomi Lum Yokoo

Mingyan Zhang

Rixiang Zhang

Ruihao Zhang

Weiwei Zhang

Junjie Zheng

Mochen Zhou

Yiming Zhou

Yitao Zhou

Yi Zhu

Engineering Undeclared

Hunter Bertucci-Bissonnette

Gulliver Finn Brower

Fernando De Oliveira Poli

Brady Utah Denaburg

Nicholas James Harten

Kevin Paul Leger

Juwei Lin

Jacob E Manhardt

Kathleen Rose Meleski

William Matthias Morgan

Nicholas Edward Napalit

Alexander Romanofsky

Santiago Jose Sanabria

Rylee Marie Smith

Sebastian Enrique Velez

Iving Yang

Electrical Engineering

Alston Herve Abobi

Yohaan Matthew Abraham

Minghao Ai

Saul Batista Filpo

Tianle Bu

Kevin E Buciak

Wyatt Glenn Bush

Yushang Cai

Leshui Chen

Mingfu Chen

Ellison How-Sheen Chiang

Brian Sylwester Chudzik

Timothy Nehemias De Leon De La Rosa

Kevin James Donnelly

Henry C Duisberg

Anthony John Giovannini

Davis   Hood

Xingtai Huang

Myles Hudson

Hayden Huy Le

Davis James Lipetzky

Jemma Mallia

Liam Fuller Marcato

Ryan   Mussaw

Zixun Nian Nian

Gabriel Brian Noble

Jayson V Okhman

Julia Pepin

Savion Vernon Pollard

Gilberto E Ruiz

Gabriel E Ruoff

Harrison James Skilling

Jenna Mei Stapleton

Jared William Welch

Sierra Lauren Yang

Environmental Engineering

Jack Arnstein

Mark Bauerschmidt

Maren Behnke

Jasper Matthew Blake

David Michael Brodsky

Benjamin R Cavarra

Hollygrace Chamberlain

Ananya P Chandra

Emma Lauren Cloud

Emma Crandall

William Robert Croteau

Eleanor Elizabeth Gettens

Elisabeth Haggerty

Brady E Hartnett

Naomi Rebecca Imhoff

Muhammad Atekul Islam

Emma Charlotte Kaputa

Morgan Jean Kingdeski

Hunter Cordes Kline

Samuel Robert Livingston

Henry David Long

Molly M Matheson

Trygve Owen Moler

Connor Joseph Moulton

Matthew Edward Nosalek

Michael Joseph O’Connor

Liesel Marie Odden

Brinda Hetal Parikh

Ella Hope Phipps

Oliver D Raycroft

Audrey Elizabeth Recko

Marisol Allegra Russo

Mary H Schieman

Noah Michael Sherman

Evelyn Junting Tang

Gabriella Terry

Husna Myaza Tunje

Jacob M Tyler

Andrew Michael Vanderwege

Madeline Rose My Vo

Emily Jean Vogel

Sydney Elizabeth Youngs

Qiuyu Zhou

Reilly Zink

Mechanical Engineering

Arfeen Armaghan

Joshua Carl Arndt

Rachael O Beresford

Aidan Paul Bergman

Jeffrey Trent Bernstein

Chloe Marie Britton Naime

Renee Allison Brogley

Brinley   Bruening

Alexander Joseph Callo

Joseph Timothy Capra

Massimo Casciaro

Robin Amelia Cesario

Jun   Chen

Kaifeng Chen

Giancarlo D’Amore

Joanna Eilleen Delacruz

Colby John Doane

Troy Bradley Drummond

Luyen Duong

Gabriel Emilio Rangel Purnhagen

Andrew J Esposito

Griffin Thomas Estes

Thomas John Fabiano

Luke Samuel Fink

Elan Fullmer

Cameron Joseph Galloway

Xumeng   Ge

Charles James Germosen

Samuel Ryan Getman

Derrick Edward Goll

James Brady Goodreau

Laura Pandora Graziosi

Daniel Robert Greene

Alec Michael Grogan

Jack T Hassett

Meagan Emily Hernandez

Melissa Jane Hiller

Elliott J Holdosh

Yue Hu

Jeffrey Huang

Jiayuan Huang

Gavin Johnson

Dong Myeong Kang

Macauley J Kastner

Teagan L Kilian

Cherry Kim

Justin Kohan

Savannah Mae Kreppein

Jasmine Anne Lin

Honorata Lubecka

Bei Luo

Matthew Macfarlane

Ryan Patrek Martineau

Jennifer Alana Mason

Ian Walter McCollom

Michael J McElroy

Kalhaku D McLester

Ryan A Melick

James Patrick Melitski

Andrew Charles Moreno

Wiley Robert Moslow

Beau M Norris

Michael John Palmer

Nathaniel Ryan Paradis

Patrick Limsuksrikul Phanichyakarn

Emma Tiffany Platten

Regina Ann Reisig

Kaelyn R Rooney

Jeremy Vinton Rosh

Teagan Isabella Marie Rowland

Michael Patrick Rzasa

Sidarth Umrith Sarathy

Madeline Celia Scott

Zachary Ryan Shuler

Eric Silfies

Dionysios Skaltsas

Nathaniel Paul Slabaugh

Daniel Michael Stich

Ian Storrs

Kittapas Tulananda

Evan R Tulsky

Alexandra Rose Vaida

Griffin Riley Vollers

Nicholas Eric Waller

Xu Wang

Michael David Wehrle

Taj Asim Whitney

Thomas Chandler Williams

Michael Wong

Zhihan Zhou

Rolling Right Off

New research from Syracuse University shows how nanochannels, oil and candle soot could provide a water repelling surface with numerous applications.

Surfaces that allow water or other liquids to roll right off are uniquely present in nature, such as on lotus leaves as well as on few aquatic insects, enabling them to walk on water or breathe under water by trapping a layer of air on their bodies. Such superhydrophobic surfaces can be helpful in a variety of engineering applications, ranging from coating of windshields and surgical tools, to steam turbines and condensers in power plants, and to improved hydrodynamics of submarines and ships.

Despite advancements in the development of artificially engineered superhydrophobic surfaces, durability and regenerative aspects of such surfaces remain elusive. Harsh working conditions including extreme exposure to water or humidity can deteriorate such surfaces especially after extended under-water usage.

Mechanical and aerospace engineering doctoral student Durgesh Ranjan and Professor Shalabh C. Maroo have developed a new approach for creating a durable superhydrophobic surface by first plasma-treating a fabricated porous nanochannel geometry on a silicon substrate followed by infusion-depletion of silicon oil and coating a layer of carbon derived from candle soot.

Surface Honey Test

“We are able to engineer a superhydrophobic surface which is durable against high-speed water jets, non-sticky to many liquids ranging from water to honey, and stable under water for months,” says Maroo.

Research from Ranjan, Maroo and An Zou was published in the January 2023 issue of the high impact Chemical Engineering Journal and the technology is also patent pending. Their surface  is capable of maintaining water contact angles of over 160° and roll off angle less than 5° even after undergoing 20 different tests, including chemical resistance to seawater and various solvents, high temperature exposure up to 570oF, condensation heat transfer, self-cleaning using fine all-purpose flour, frosting-defrosting cycles with ice, concentrated solar radiation exposure, and compatibility with organic products like honey, milk and syrup,  thus exhibiting potential real-world applications.

First Year Aerospace Engineering Students Test Rover Designs

Mars Rover Testing

First year aerospace engineering students in Professor John Dannenhoffer’s ECS 101 class tested their Mars rover designs at the end of the fall semester. Teams of students designed small rovers designed to remotely retrieve “Mars rocks” (golf balls) and deploy a scientific instrument on a surface replicating the red planet.

With classmates cheering them on, teams deployed their rovers to see if their design and programming would allow them to retrieve samples and bring them back to the landing area. Points are assigned for how many “Mars rocks” a team’s rover interacts with, how many rocks they bring back to the deployment zone and if the rover is able to deploy a scientific instrument.

Smart Gripping

Professor Wanliang Shan (center) and research team members Dr. Guangchao Wan (left) and Ph.D. student Chenxu Zhao (right)
Professor Wanliang Shan (center) and research team members Dr. Guangchao Wan (left) and Ph.D. student Chenxu Zhao (right)

Assembling electronic devices requires precision and the ability to place key components in tight spaces. Manufacturing systems need the ability to grip a component and then release it in the right spot. To make it even more challenging – the grippers need to be tiny and able to grip and release items that are measured in microns.

Mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Wanliang Shan started considering the problem in 2016 while he was at the University of Nevada – Reno and was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Materials, Engineering and Processing grant to explore the concept.

“I wanted to see if we could use smart materials to design and fabricate a soft gripper of composite structure with tunable adhesion. By running current through the smart material component, we could change it from rigid to soft and release objects due to reduced adhesion of the gripper,” said Shan.

The proof of concept Shan’s research team designed was successful in realizing a ~10 times dry adhesion change within a matter of seconds. Their work was published in the Advanced Materials Interfaces journal in 2018 and Shan was granted a patent in the spring of 2022.

“One of the advantages of this technology is that it could save energy compared to traditional suction cups,” said Shan. “When you pick things up the gripper is in the high adhesion state, only when you release do you use current to activate it.”

Shan has completed an NSF Innovation Corps project to conduct interviews with over 100 potential customers for the compliant manipulation technology and concluded that there is tangible industry demand for it. He has most recently received an NSF Partnership for Innovation (PFI) grant to see whether it is reasonable to set up a company and commercialize it.

“This is a new approach for how to manipulate objects,” said Shan. “Through the PFI project we will see if potential customers like our prototype. If it is successful, what will it focus on?”

As part of the NSF PFI grant, Shan and his research team are partnering with Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions for market testing and customization options.

“I’m very thankful for the support from the NSF,” said Shan. “They fund essential research, customer discovery, prototype development and partnership building.”

Shan and his team are also developing a second approach to a soft gripper that uses pneumatics to tune adhesion. That research has received funding from the NSF National Robotics Initiative. Their most recent progress along this direction was published in the high-impact journal, Advanced Functional Materials. The research shows soft grippers with over 100 times dry adhesion change within one second when triggered by low pressure (~10 kPa) and thus low power consumption has been reported. Shan and his post-doctoral researcher Dr. Guangchao Wan filed for another patent on this approach in September 2022.

“We don’t use suction which is typically ~50 kPa, we use low pressure to affect adhesion to the object being gripped.”

Shan’s lab is pursuing both gripper approaches and he sees potential and challenges for both to succeed in different applications.

“They are different methods with different activation modes but parallel approaches,” said Shan. “Depending on the environment, we could see which one is better. Both approaches have a lot of potential to solve tangible challenges in industry. Smart materials that satisfy the needs of this technology are yet to be engineered; pneumatics is readily available in industry but it might present a more challenging task for minimization than the smart materials approach. Currently we are focusing on improving the performance of both approaches through the PFI project and other parallel efforts.”

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Research Team Publishes Research on Efficient Conversion of Solar Energy

Quinn Qiao Lab

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Quinn Qiao and a research team from the College of Engineering and Computer Science recently published two papers in Advanced Materials in collaboration with Peking University and other universities in Europe. Both papers focus on the organic solar cell (OSC), which is a photovoltaic device that converts solar energy to electrical energy. 

The first paper is titled Quasi-Homojunction Organic Nonfullerene Photovoltaics Featuring Fundamentals Distinct from Bulk Heterojunction and discusses the unconventional organic solar cells structure with more intrinsic charge generation and less charge recombination. The second paper is tilted Simultaneously Enhancing Exciton/Charge Transport in Organic Solar Cells by an Organoboron Additive and provides a facile strategy of morphology optimization to improve the performance of OSCs. In both cases, the solar cell’s power conversion efficiencies (PCE) increase which means they can convert solar energy to electrical energy more efficiently. And Qiao’s group confirmed the mechanism of better performance for the solar cell from experiments.

The research was conducted at Qiao’s solar cell lab in the Link Hall. An atomic force microscopy (AFM) was mainly used in the research to measure the current sensing AFM (C-AFM) data and an oscilloscope was used to obtain charge carrier dynamics data. The group has applied a patent for the measurement and has published many papers based on the technique recent years. In the future, the group will publish more influential papers in the field.

Interdisciplinary team of Engineering and Computer Science Students Wins 2022 Invent@SU Competition

When searching a burning building for people who may be trapped inside, smoke and debris can cause firefighters to work in zero visibility conditions. They are attached to ropes but it is easy for them to become disoriented. This makes it difficult to navigate their way back to safety.

Environmental engineering student Oliver Raycroft ’25 heard about the problem from a firefighter during his first year at the College of Engineering and Computer Science and started thinking about ideas.

“I thought the problem was interesting and there was a clear need,” said Raycroft. “I wanted to help and find a solution.”

At the beginning of the six week Invent@SU program, Raycroft presented the problem to his teammates biomedical engineering student Alejandra Lopez ’22 and computer science student Adya Parida ’25. Both were interested in seeing if they could use their science and engineering skills to design a practical solution that would help firefighters orient themselves during rescue operations.

“If we could solve this problem, we could save the lives of firefighters and billions in damages,” said Parida.

During Invent@SU, student teams design, prototype and pitch new inventions with help from engineering and communications faculty. Each student receives a $2200 stipend and teams have a $1000 budget for prototyping materials. Teams spend six weeks developing their ideas during summer session one and each week a panel of Syracuse University alumni and friends evaluate the progress of their five-minute pitches.

“It was a combination of experimentation and feedback. This program taught me skills I can apply anywhere,” said Parida.

“I got better and better at presenting and communicating what we were working on,” said Lopez.

Raycroft, Lopez and Parida developed an initial prototype that would attach to rescue ropes and indicate directionality to firefighters who were working in zero-visibility. As they considered adjustments and materials for their next version, the team brought the initial prototype to the Oswego Fire Department to get their feedback and input.

“The fact firefighters liked it so much made it worth it,” said Parida.

On the final Thursday of the program, all seven teams in Invent@SU pitched their inventions to a panel of alumni judges. Raycroft, Lopez and Parida’s team named “Scale Sense” took first place and a $1500 prize.

Second place went to team “Wonder Walker” who designed a mobility assistance device for children with special needs.

Third place went to team “Silogix” – who designed a device to provide farmers with a way to prevent dangerous grain blockages in silos.

“It was a ride, it was fun, challenging and rewarding,” said Parida.

Several Invent@SU teams plan to work with the Blackstone Launchpad in Bird Library to explore business plans and patents.

Invent@SU was made possible by program sponsors Syracuse University Trustee Bill Allyn G’59 and Janet “Penny” Jones Allyn ’60 and Michael Lazar G’65. The 2022 team sponsors were Matthew Lyons ’86, Haden Land G’91 and Cathy Jo Land and Ralph Folz ’90. For more information on the program, visit invent.syr.edu.

Spring 2022 Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s List

Syracuse University Campus

In recognition of superior scholarship, the following students have been entered on the Engineering & Computer Science Dean’s List for Spring 2022.

To be eligible for Dean’s List recognition, the minimum semester grade point average must be 3.40 or higher, must have earned a minimum of 12 graded credits and must have no missing or incomplete grades.

Aerospace Engineering

Allyson Almeida

Brady Arruda

Curtis Cline

Bryan Collins

Nicholas Crane

Brian Cronin

Christopher Doherty

Michael Donato

Sean Edelman

Nadia Elsaeidy

Benjamin Faasse

Christian Fitzgerald

Victoria Forsyth

Benjamin Gerard

Alexandre Gill

Jacob Gomez

Zachary Haas

David Hadley

Alyssa Henley

Aidan Hoff

Paula Ibelings

Nicholas Jacobs

Joseph Javier

Sydney Jud

Benjamin Kane

Harrison Kayton

Trevor Knight

Isaac Lehigh

Stephen Leung

Emma Levenson

Maximillian Lipinski

Jacob Long

Powers Lynch

Brendan Marquis

Noah Martel

Elsa Martin

Jonathan Martin

Maxwell Martin

William Martin

Jason McElhinney

Mariana McManus

Parker McMillan

Alexander Metcalf

Romeo Michelson

John Michinko

Kendra Miller

Evan Moore

Matthew Murino

Mark Namatsaliuk

Tatiyyanah Nelums

Randall Osborn

David Pham

Madeline Phelan

Logan Prye

Matthew Qualters

Mykhaylo Rafalskyy

Samantha Riedel

Brandon Riley

Tracey Rochette

Alyssa Rote

Daniela Ruano-Pinos

Gregory Ruef

Michael Saksa

William Saueressig

Fred Schaffer

Winston Schaumloffel

Justine John Serdoncillo

Kanya Shah

Vraj Shah

Prabha Singh

Gregory Slodysko Jr

Zachary Stahl

Christopher Stawarski

Ethan Stocum

Yiyuan Sun

Marco Svolinsky

Tiffany Tang

Anthony Tricarico

Cody VanNostrand

Diego Villegas

Mason Weber

Timothy Wiley

Kana Wong

Cameron Woodbury

Melissa Yeung

Bioengineering

Anthony Acierto

Ashraf Alnatour

Bianca Andrada

Jason Bae

Eric Benaroch

Colby Black

Anna Brunson

Zeynep Cakmak

Britnie Carpentier

Lukas Cook

Tessa Decicco

Mia-Marie Fields

Tessa Galipeau

Jennifer Gonzalez

Skyla Gordon

Jenna Grutzmacher

Grace Haas

Lauren Hamilton

Victoria Hathaway

Brenna Henderson

Madeline Jones

Gabriel Khan

Jakub Kochanowski

Emily Labour

Quinn Langdon

Sara Leonardo

Isabelle Lewis

Alejandra Lopez

Ethan Masters

Aidan McCarthy

Aelish McGivney

Ian McHugh

Caitlin Mehl

Lindy Melegari

Katherine Monroe

Hannah Murphy

Alexander Musselman

Jonathan Ngo

Mark Nicola

Nicole Nielsen

Kerrin O’Grady

Mia Paynton

Megan Perlman

Connor Preston

Michael Presunka

Mark Ransbottom

Lillian Rhuda

Isabella Rosales

Brandon Salazar

Amira Salihovic

Juliana Sepulveda

Bridget Sides

Katherine Southard

Justin Stock

Elizabeth Su

Kimberly Tlayaca

Zhuoqi Tong

Danny Vu

Nathaniel Wellington

Maximillian Wilderman

Haven Wittmann

Lauren Woodford

Rui Xie

Julian Zorn

Samantha Zysk

Chemical Engineering

Daud Abdullayev

Paige Adebo

Lilly Basgall

Sandy Cao

Karley Chambers

Dennis Dao

Gabriela Duarte Saadia

Samantha Esparza

Emily Fittante

Edward Fluker

Mia Goldberg

Brent Gosselin

Avery Gunderson

Christopher Hansen

Oduduabasi Isaiah

Aiden Jacobs

Natalia Jarmain

Hope Johnson

Sonia Julius

Sayf Karim

Laxmi Khatiwada

Adam Klinger

Simran Dharmendra Lakhani

Caroline Leduc

Steven M Axelsen

Haonan Ma

Rawia F A M Marafi

Annika Meyers

Erin Odonnell

Sean O’Toole

Eli Paster

Fabiana Perez

Isabella Perkins

Nora Prosak

Riley Schmerber

Jacob Shellhamer

Jason Tan

Elizabeth Wall

Murphy Waters

Jackson Yuen

Civil Engineering

Shalom Acheampong

Juan Pablo Arosemena Graziadei

Maxwell Bell

Lucas Bellandi

Henry Bievenue

Ryan Bourdeau

Shalamar Brown

Alycia Bruce

Masson Bruening

Brett Carney

Vanessa Chica

Alejandro Correa

Aymeric Destree

Brendan Dwyer

Jack Dwyer

Marlee Ecton

Maraea Garcia

Matthew Hauser

Julia Johnson-Milstein

Joshua Kaufman

Kate Kemnitz

Alexander Klee

Adam Landry

Evangelia Larson

Abigail Laschalt

Haben Legesse

Emma Liptrap

Emilija Lizins

John Mazza

Jessica McGowan

Lucas Meiers

Sumit Mistry

Salma Mohamed

Amira Mouline

Trevor Napoli

Marissa Nicole

Jenifer Pena

Joseph Penta

Brian Perez

Justin Pettit

John Pham

Maxwell Pozar

Gabriel Prepetit

Anthony Privitera

Benjamin Putrino

Kaylin Richards

Cassie Saracino

Ethan Schulz

Aaron Shinn

Caitlin Spillane

Erin Splaine

Jose Venegas

Christian Viola

Christian Ward

Angelina Wong

Isabelle Wong

Paige Yamane

Charles Zeitoune

Garrett Zito

Computer Engineering

Adekunle Akinshola

Chikeluba Anierobi

Graciela Avila

Jackson Bradley

Collin Chamberlain

Dynasty Chance

Ibrahima Diallo

Lyn El Sayed Kassem

Melvin Escobar Gonzalez

Xavier Evans

Elizabeth Fatade

Delaney Glassford

Aidan Harrington

Ethan Hensley

Kasey Jackson

Mehak Jetly

Virkin Jimenez

Fundi Juriasi

Bikash Khatiwoda

Jessica Lat

Tyler Lavaway

Matthew Leight

Jiaxiong Li

Kyle Maiorana

Aksel Malatak

Jacob Masrouri

Jas Moreno

Benjamin Murray

Pierce Neubert

Jose Olivera

Jessica Reslan

Anel Rizvic

Samuel Rosenthal

Hongyi Ruan

Mia Russo

Hanna Salem

Alexander Segarra

Ryan Wolff

Renjie Xu

Andy Zheng

Computer Science

Aaron Alakkadan

Sajjad Albadri

Huda Ali

Christian Alves-Patterson

Garret Babick

Julia Barucky

Samantha Bastien

Anas Benhamida

Luke Bonenberger

Joshua Boucher

Brian Bourne

Ella Brink

Brandon Brushwyler

Bryan Bueno Reyes

Bryce Cable

Liam Calnan

Omar Camara

Megan Campbell

Benjamin Canfield

Jackie Chen

Lawrence Chen

Siyu Chen

Yixing Chen

Daniel Chmielewski

Season Chowdhury

Konstantinos Chrysoulas

Bram Corregan

Miguel Cruz Flores

Matthew Cufari

Ryan Czirr

Salvatore DeDona

Aidan DeGooyer

Alpha Diallo

Lucille Disalvo

Christopher Edmonds

Georges Elizee

Yassin Elsharafi

Ryan Elsinga

Matthew Faiola

Xueyan Feng

Bennett Ferrari

Lucas Fox

Mason Freer

Ruihong Gao

Brianna Gillfillian

Justin Gluska

John Gorman

Alexander Haas

Athanasios Hadjidimoulas

Talal Hakki

Ashley Hamilton

Jillian Handrahan

Liam Hannah

Nicholas Hoffis

Laurel Howell

Jacob Howlett

Xuanye Huang

Chengyi Jiang

Tianyiming Jing

Frederick Jones

Michael Jones

Alan Jos

Xiaoya Kang

Aarya Kaphley

Henry Katchuba

Matthew Keenan

Ekaterina Kladova

Polina Kozyreva

Gaeun Lee

Janet Lee

Justin Lee

Andy Li

Jiashu Li

Rick Li

Yuxuan Li

Daniel Lim

Haochen Lin

Sandy Lin

Zekai Lin

Huangjin Liu

Jiaming Liu

Joshua Liu

Yiheng Lu

Runzhi Ma

Gavin Macisaac

Andrew Markarian

Konnor Mascara

Kanoa Matton

Ryan May

Anthony Mazzacane

Matthew McDaniels

Noah Mechnig-Giordano

Jose Mendoza

Philip Moceri

Thomas Montfort

Jacob Morrison

Jovanni Mosca

Ryan Murphy

Zoe Neale

Christopher Nemeth Jr

Jillienne Ness

Arianna Nguyen

Cheryl Olanga

Carlyn O’Leary

Marissa Orsley

Daniel Pae

William Palin

Xiaofeng Pan

Michael Panighetti

Adya Aditi Parida

Brian Pellegrino

Carlo Pisacane

Daniel Pomerantz

Fiona Powers Beggs

Cheng Qiu

Shane Race

Christopher Rhodes

Eric Rodriguez

Sadikshya Sanjel

Jack Schmidt

William Seeley

Huahao Shang

Nolan Shepherd

Chad Smith

Jeremy Stabile

Kevin Sullivan

Cheng Yu Sung

Nicholas Sweet

Rae Tasker

Dylan Teare

Emmanuel Teferra

Jonathan Thomas

Eduardo Torres-Garcia

Brendan Treloar

Winston Tsui

Randy Vargas

Kevin Verdeschi

Kritika Verma

Bermalyn Maricel Vicente

Christopher Vinciguerra

Ruobing Wang

Xinyi Wang

Zijian Wang

Robert Ward

Jack Willis

Nolan Willis

Brian Wong

Ethan Wong

Tianyi Xiang

Zhuoyi Xiong

Yujie Xu

Jishuo Yang

Yongcan Yang

Stella Yaunches

Elin Yaworski

Yulun Zeng

Liaotianbao Zhang

Mingyan Zhang

Ruihao Zhang

Weiwei Zhang

Junjie Zheng

Liuyu Zhou

Xinqian Zhou

Yitao Zhou

Joseph Zoll

Engineering Undeclared

Luke Lybarger

Kathleen Meleski

James Peden

Emily Schiessl

Electrical Engineering

Minghao Ai

Mohammed Aljohani

Tianle Bu

Kevin Buciak

Wyatt Bush

Yushang Cai

Arianna Cameron

Leshui Chen

Nicholas Connolly

Kevin Donnelly

Henry Duisberg

Randy Galicia

Jose Ginorio

Jemma Mallia

Tyler Marston

Ryan Mussaw

Zixun Nian Nian

Jayson Okhman

Dylan Palmer

Julia Pepin

Matthew Piciocchi

Savion Pollard

Gilberto Ruiz

Gabriel Ruoff

Luis Santin

Jenna Stapleton

Jared Welch

Environmental Engineering

Elexis Jean Bishop

David Brodsky

Benjamin Cavarra

Ananya Chandra

Bessie Chen

Emma Crandall

Eric Fitzgerald

Eleanor Gettens

Allyson Greenberg

Brady Hartnett

Christopher Harvey

Joshua Higgins

Nicholas Kohl

Audrey Liebhaber

Samuel Livingston

Henry Long

Molly Matheson

Matthew Nosalek

Andrew O’Gorman

Ella Phipps

Scott Potter

Joshua Prygon

Oliver Raycroft

Mary Schieman

Noah Sherman

Husna Tunje

Jacob Tyler

Andrew Vanderwege

Maria Antonia Villegas Botero

Emily Vogel

Anna Wojcik

Qiuyu Zhou

Reilly Zink

Mechanical Engineering

Owyn Adams

Richard Andrews

Joshua Arndt

Timothy Arnold

Charles Ball

Erin Beaudoin

Aidan Bergman

Jeffrey Bernstein

Chloe Britton Naime

Brinley Bruening

Arnaud Buard

Alexander Callo

Joseph Capra

Graham Chapman

Talina Chipantiza

Artur Chuvik

Caroline D’Addio

Peter Daniels

Ryan Dileo

Madeline Doyle

Luyen Duong

Griffin Estes

Thomas Fabiano

Charles Germosen

Samuel Getman

Kara Gorman

Laura Graziosi

Jiayuan Huang

Vian Vishal Jain

Jagger Kachmaryk

Finnian Kery

Teagan Kilian

Justin Kohan

Deanna Koppenjan

Trevor Kroells

Harrison Liberto

Cameron Lotfi

Honorata Lubecka

Bei Luo

Lauren Mack

Kalhaku McLester

James Melitski

Leilah Miller

Pablo Morales

Nicholas Papaleo

Nathaniel Paradis

Corey Phung

Nicholas Piano

Scott Reyes

Aidan Riederich

Jasmine Rodriguez

Jeremy Rosh

Nitish Satpute

Justin Sauve

Eric Silfies

Dionysios Skaltsas

Nathaniel Slabaugh

Samuel Slaiby

Ian Storrs

Matthew Swanson

Ethan Tracey

Evan Tulsky

Alexandra Vaida

Nicholas Valentin

Griffin Vollers

Michael Wehrle

Taj Whitney

Michael Wong

Systems & Information Science

Connor Gurnham

Stacy Kim

Kirthiga Reddy G’95 Announced as 2022 College of Engineering and Computer Science Convocation Keynote Speaker

Kirthiga Reddy G’95 has many firsts to her credit. She was the first female investing partner at SoftBank Vision Fund, the first employee for Facebook in India & their Managing Director for Facebook India & South Asia. She is currently the president of Athena Technology II SPAC and a founding investment partner for f7 Ventures. She is on the Board of WeWork and Pear Therapeutics. Reddy received a master’s degree in Computer Engineering in 1995 and the College of Engineering and Computer Science is proud to announce she will be the keynote speaker at the College’s 2022 Convocation on May 14th.

Reddy brings over twenty years of experience leading technology-driven transformations. She is driven by the mantra “When businesses succeed, livelihoods flourish.”

Athena Technology II is an all-women-led SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) which brings talent and transaction experience to enable access to equity capital markets. The f7 Seed Fund’s mission is “Bold Women Investing in Bold Ventures.” Previously, Reddy was the Investment Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, manager of the $100B+ SoftBank Vision Fund where she led a portfolio of $5 Billion-plus. Her focus was fast evolving sectors like quantum computing, additive manufacturing, enterprise, health tech, gaming and crypto. She served on the investment committee of Softbank’s Emerge Program, a global accelerator to provide funding, tools and networks for top companies led by underrepresented founders.

Prior to SBIA, she was the Managing Director of Facebook India and South Asia for over six years, starting as their first employee in India. She started one of the global operations offices that now serves over 3.5B people. She grew the India business to several $100Ms of annual revenue and got investment buy-in for the vision of $1B. Her subsequent experiences at Facebook focused on emerging and high-growth markets including Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and the Middle East.

Reddy is a passionate supporter of Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. She has been an active member of the Dean’s Leadership Council since 2018 and is a member of SU’s Hill Society, a dedicated network of leadership annual donors who share a common goal of supporting Syracuse University’s highest priorities.

The newly established Kirthiga Reddy Graduate Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to ECS graduate students.

She holds an MBA from Stanford University, where she graduated with highest honors as an Arjay Miller Scholar and has served as Chair of the Stanford Business School Management Board. She acquired her B.E. in Computer Science and Engineering from Marathwada University, India. She has been recognized as Fortune India’s “Most Powerful Women” and as Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business” among other recognitions. Her upcoming book, The Opportunity Engine, is about building high-growth, sustainable businesses.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Mark Glauser Receives Chancellor’s Citation Lifetime Achievement Award

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Mark Glauser was selected to receive a Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Glauser has published more than 180 peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings and has presented more than 100 invited presentations and keynote talks worldwide. Over the past 30 years he has mentored several post-doctoral researchers and more than 45 Ph.D. and MS students along with many Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) students in his lab.  Glauser served as Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Programs within the College of Engineering and Computer Science from 2008 to 2016 and was responsible for overseeing the college’s research activities and coordinating the development of its future research portfolio.

“It has been my privilege to be a professor for 35 years and to engage with so many talented students and post docs from diverse backgrounds,” said Glauser. “They have contributed so much to my success and I thank all of them. Performing scholarship jointly with them has enriched me and been most rewarding.’’ 

“Dr. Glauser has been a leader for the College of Engineering and Computer Science at every level. I have especially seen in my time here the great lengths that Dr. Glauser has gone to in mentoring students, staff and faculty, and making them feel a part of the Syracuse University family,” said J. Cole Smith, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.  “This award is a worthy recognition of his dedication to his students, STEM education and groundbreaking research.”

Glauser was a Posse Foundation Mentor to the City of Miami First Posse at Syracuse University from 2012 to 2016. He served for many years on the Syracuse University Remembrance Scholar Selection Committee and chaired the committee from 2012 – 2015.  In 2008 he was a recipient of Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in Research and Scholarship. 

His external service includes serving as an Army Science Board Member, Special Government Employee from March 2013 to February 2021. He has been twice awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal (2020, 2021), for this service. Glauser currently serves as a National Academies Review team study member tasked with reviewing Army Propulsion Research and Development at the Army Research Labs.

Glauser is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Physical Society and the UK Institute of Physics.  In 1995 he was a Fulbright Scholar in Poitiers, France.

2022 Engineering and Computer Science Research Day Awards

2022 Research Day

We are happy to announce the winners from the 2022 Engineering and Computer Science Research Day held on March 25th, 2022.

Poster Competition

1st Place: Elizabeth Oguntade, PhD student in Bioengineering.

On-Demand Activation of Functional Protein Surface Patterns with Tunable Topography
Suitable for Biomedical Applications. Advisor: Dr. James Henderson

2nd Place: Natalie Petryk, MS student in Bioengineering.

Synthesis of Shape Memory Polymer Foams with Off-the-Shelf Components for Improved
Commercialization. Advisor: Dr. Mary Beth Monroe

3rd Place: Alexander Hartwell, PhD student in Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering.

Introduction of a Multilayered Cathode for Improved Internal
Cathode Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Performance. Advisor: Dr. Jeongmin Ahn
Honorable Mention: Saif Khalil Elsayed, MS student in Civil Engineering.
Modeling Self-Folding Hybrid SU-8 Skin for 3D Biosensing Microstructures.
Advisor: Dr. Zhao Qin


Oral Presentation Competition


Communication and Security Session

1st Place: Kai Li, PhD student in Electrical/Computer Engineering. Detect and
Mitigate Vulnerabilities in Ethereum Transaction Pool. Advisor: Dr. Yuzhe Tang

2nd Place: Xinyi Zhou, PhD student in Computer/Information Science. “This is
Fake! Shared it by Mistake”: Assessing the Intent of Fake News Spreaders. Advisor:
Dr. Reza Zafarani


Health and Well-being Session


1st Place: Yousr Dhaouadi, PhD student in Chemical Engineering. Forming
Bacterial Persisters with Light. Advisor: Dr. Dacheng Ren


2nd Place: Henry Beaman, PhD student in Bioengineering. Gas-Blown Super
Porous Hydrogels with Rapid Gelling and High Cell Viability for Cell Encapsulation.
Advisor: Dr. Mary Beth Monroe


Energy, Environment & Smart Materials Session

1st Place: Durgesh Ranjan, PhD student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Porous nanochannel wicks based solar vapor generation device. Advisor: Dr.
Shalabh Maroo


2nd Place: Alexander Johnson, PhD student in Civil Engineering. Estimating Dry
Deposition of Atmospheric Particles by Rain Washoff from Urban Surfaces.
Advisor: Dr. Cliff Davidson


Sensors, Robotics & Smart Systems Session

1st Place: Lin Zhang, PhD student in Computer/Information Science. Adaptive
Sensor Attack Detection for Cyber-Physical Systems. Advisor: Dr. Fanxin Kong

2nd Place: Zixin Jiang, PhD student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
Short-term occupancy prediction driven intelligent HVAC control. Advisor: Dr. Bing
Dong

Collaborative Partnership Between Syracuse University and Leading Research Universities Receives Presidential Award

Students walking to and from Carnegie Library in early spring

The GEM Consortium, a collaborative partnership between leading research universities and industry to help underrepresented students earn masters and doctoral degrees in STEM fields, received the 2021 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

Syracuse University has been a member of the GEM Consortium for almost 30 years. In the past 5 years, GEM Fellowships have been awarded to graduate students in the School of Architecture, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Computer Science as well as the School of Information Studies. The number of GEM Fellowship applications from SU students is now in the top 10 among GEM member universities. Civil and environmental engineering Professor Dawit Negussey is the current Syracuse University representative on the GEM Consortium.

“The award recognizes the contributions of the GEM Consortium in providing a scalable path to STEM careers in academia and industry for underrepresented students,” said Negussey.

“I’m grateful for all of Professor Negussey’s efforts to grow our graduate education pipeline for underrepresented graduate students at Syracuse University,” said Peter Vanable, dean of the Graduate School. “To go from relatively little activity with the GEM Consortium to being a top 10 contributor of GEM applicants is a clear marker of our commitment to increasing the diversity of our graduate student population.”

Over the past 45 years, more than 4000 GEM Fellows have earned MS and PhD degrees in STEM fields. At present, the GEM consortium membership consists of 129 private and public national universities and 61 major corporations and research laboratories.

Anupam Pandey

Lab/ Center/ Institute affiliation – BioInspired Institute

Areas of Expertise:

  • Soft Matter
  • Elasticity
  • Capillarity
  • Viscous flow

Pandey’s primary research interest is understanding the mechanics of soft and squishy materials such as elastomers, hydrogels, and polymer melts. At a low energetic cost these materials can bend, fold, crease, pop or snap, exhibiting a variety of large (sometimes singular) and fast deformations. Their response emerge from an intricate coupling between geometry and material (surface and bulk) properties. Combining experimental, theoretical and numerical tools Pandey studies how soft materials behave when they are adhered to other substrates, wetted by liquid drops, or exposed to a flow. Leveraging this fundamental knowledge, Pandey’s research lab aims to advance the development of flexible and wearable electronics, sensors and actuators for soft robotics and smart, functional surfaces. 

Honors and Awards:

  • Active learning initiative fellowship at Cornell (2021).
  • International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ICTAM) Travel Award (2016).
  • Pratt Presidential Graduate Fellowship at Virginia Tech (2011).

Selected Publications:

  • A. Pandey, J. Yuk, B. Chang, F. Fish, and S. Jung, Slamming dynamics of diving and its implications for diving-related injuries, Science Advances 8, eabo5888, 2022. 
  • A. Pandey, C. L. Nawijn, and J. H. Snoeijer, Hydrogel menisci: Shape, interaction, and instability, EPL (Europhysics Letters), 122, 3, 2018.
  • S. Karpitschka, A. Pandey, L. A. Lubbers, J. H. Weijs, L. Botto, S. Das, B. Andreotti, and J. H. Snoeijer, Liquid drops attract or repel by the inverted cheerios effect, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113, 7403, 2016.

Kasey Laurent

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University, 2023
  • B.S. Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2017

Research Interests:

  • Experimental Fluid Dynamics
  • Bio-Inspired Flight and Swimming
  • Bio-Inspired Noise Mitigation
  • UAV Flight Performance in Wind

Dr. Laurent’s research focuses on the role of turbulence and fluid dynamics on aerodynamic performance. She explores both biological and man-made vehicle flight. In her work studying golden eagles, she found a strong relationship between the motion of the bird and the small-scale turbulence experienced by the bird when soaring. These results indicate a need to fully incorporate an understanding of turbulence into our understanding of eagle movements, with implications for other natural and artificial fliers. In the Laurent Fluid Dynamics Lab, her research aims to find engineering solutions to challenges in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by exploring both biological flight and swimming.

Selected Publications:

Laurent, K. M., Fogg, B., Ginsburg, T., Halverson, C., Lanzone, M. J., Miller, T. A., … & Bewley, G. P. (2021). Turbulence explains the accelerations of an eagle in natural flight. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences118(23), e2102588118.

Laurent, K., La Ragione, L., Jenkins, J. T., & Bewley, G. P. (2022). How vertical oscillatory motion above a saturated sand bed leads to heap formation. Physical Review E105(5), 054901.


Alexander Deyhim

Degrees:

1998 MBA, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

1993 Master of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

1987 B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Reading, Reading, England

Program Affiliations

Director, Invent@SU

Areas of Expertise:

  • Fundamentals of engineering
  • Engineering design/project management
  • Entrepreneurship

Prof. Deyhim brings three decades of industry and entrepreneurship experience to SU. After working as an engineer for Ford Motor Company, he founded Advanced Design Consulting (ADC) USA Inc. in Lansing, NY. For over 25 years, he managed contracts with government laboratories, international organizations and academic institutions designing complex scientific instruments. Clients included NASA, Argonne National Laboratory, ITER, Army Special Forces and similar organizations in more than 26 countries around the world.

He has a passion for bringing his industry experience and expertise into the classroom and especially enjoys guiding students in the design and delivery of innovative technical projects. He has a vast network of industry partners who are eager to work with engineering students. In his previous role as Associate Director of the MSE M.Eng. Program at Cornell University, Prof. Deyhim recruited a number of leading technical companies, including Satomer, ams, Applied Materials, Boeing, Borg Warner, Corning, Moog, Intel, Exxon Mobile and Universal Instruments, to provide hands-on projects for his students. Prof. Deyhim looks forward to continuing to build industry partnerships to create amazing opportunities for the MAE students at Syracuse University.

Courses Taught:

Honors and Awards:

  • MAE Teaching Excellence Award, 2023

Selected Presentations/Publications:

  • “Development of a Precision Model Positioning System for a Multi-Use Electromagnetic Test Facility at NASA Langley Research Center”  AMTA 36th Annual Meeting & Symposium Tucson, Arizona | Oct 12 – 17, 2014
  • “Development of A Super-Mini Undulator” 2011 Particle Accelerator Conference (PAC’11) March 28 – April 1, 2011 NY USA 
  • “Embedded Sensors for Life-Time Monitoring of Concrete” 4th International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring on Intelligent Infrastructure (SHMII-4) 2009 22-24 July 2009, Zurich, Switzerland
  • “Development of a 100 mm Period Hybrid Wiggler for the Australian Synchrotron Project” 22nd Particle Accelerator Conference, June 25 – 29, 2007 USA

Racing into the Future

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Elliott Holdosh ‘23 Accepts Co-Op Position with Tesla

Long before he could drive them, Elliott Holdosh ’23 was always interested in cars. He got his first hands-on experience working with his grandfather on a 1989 Ford Mustang and it set his future in motion.

“When I was considering what I wanted to study in college, I thought – what could I do with cars?” said Holdosh.

When he arrived at Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, Holdosh started making connections and joined the Citrus Racing Formula SAE team. It gave him more experience with automobile design and engineering.

“It helped me learn a lot about technology but also automobile engineering terminology,” said Holdosh.

While working with Citrus Racing, Holdosh saw a posting in the group’s Slack channel for a job opportunity in solid works and computer aided design (CAD). It led to a part-time position with Auto Gear Equipment in Syracuse who specialize in high performance manual shift gearboxes for racecars.

“I was able to work as a drafting engineer,” said Holdosh. “I took two dimensional sketches and brought them to 3D designs. It has been an incredible opportunity and meaningful professional experience with a great company.”

The experience at Auto Gear Equipment also confirmed for Holdosh that he wanted a career in automobile engineering. He worked with the career services office and his academic advisor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science as he explored co-op opportunities at automobile engineering companies.

“Career advisor Christopher Maldonado helped me with a resume review and to improve my LinkedIn profile,” said Holdosh. “I knew a co-op could be a great opportunity for me.”

Holdosh applied for and was offered an internship with Tesla at their Fremont, California facility as a vehicle engineering intern for the interiors engineering team.

“When I got the news, it was a very impactful moment,” said Holdosh.

He will be at Tesla for the Spring 2022 semester but was able to adapt his academic schedule so he will still be on track to graduate on time after four years at Syracuse University. He is grateful for the relationships he has built on and off-campus and believes those connections are what helped him land the position at Tesla.

“Get involved on campus and get to know people,” said Holdosh. “It was the catalyst.”

While his engineering journey began with his grandfather’s Mustang, Holdosh is excited to be part of the next generation of automobile design.

“I want to work for a company that is always pushing to improve,” said Holdosh. “We are going into an age where we need to prioritize our planet. Tesla is the best at that right now.”

Fall 2021 Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s List

SU Campus
The Einhorn Family Walk stretches out in front of the Hall of Languages on a autumn day.

In recognition of superior scholarship, the following students have been entered on the Engineering & Computer Science Dean’s List for Fall 2021.

To be eligible for Dean’s List recognition, the minimum semester grade point average must be 3.40 or higher, must have earned a minimum of 12 graded credits and must have no missing or incomplete grades.

Aerospace Engineering 

Lucy Genevieve Adams

Allyson Almeida

Brady Joseph Arruda

Richard L Bruschi

Curtis James Cline

Bryan Collins

Nicholas Daniel Crane

Brian James Cronin

Christopher John Doherty

Michael Alexander Donato

Benjamin David Faasse

Kassidy Fields

Christian Scott Fitzgerald

Victoria Elizabeth Forsyth

Benjamin Daniel Gerard

Alexandre J Gill

Zachary William Haas

Alyssa Henley

Aidan Hoff

Matthew James Holmes

Paula Cristina Ibelings

Nicholas John Jacobs

Sydney F Jud

Hunter John Adam Knarr

Trevor Anthony Knight

Eleanor Jane Lawler

Isaac Alan Lehigh

Emma Lee Levenson

Maximillian Lipinski

Jacob Eric Long

Powers Craig Lynch

Brendan Michael Marquis

Noah Martel

Elsa Adrianna Martin

Jonathan Henry Martin

Maxwell Joseph Martin

William Armstrong Martin

Jason W McElhinney

Mariana C McManus

Parker Byrne McMillan

Alexander Timothy Metcalf

Romeo Michelson

John P Michinko

Kendra Teresa Miller

Evan Gregory Moore

Brendan Pierce Murty

Mark Namatsaliuk

Tatiyyanah Queen-Asia Hope Nelums

Jarod I Okamura

David Dang Pham

Logan D Prye

Nicholas Christopher Richard

Brandon Walker Riley

Tracey Josephine Rochette

Daniela Maria Ruano-Pinos

Michael Chandler Saksa

William J Saueressig

Fred Evan Schaffer

William Arthur Sennett

Justine John A Serdoncillo

Kanya Kiresh Shah

Vraj Shah

Prabha Singh

Gregory C Slodysko Jr

Zachary Michael Stahl

Ethan J Stocum

Jaime S Sued Jr

Yiyuan Sun

Marco Svolinsky

Richard A Tedeschi

Anthony R Tricarico

Cody Joseph VanNostrand

Diego Roman Villegas

Mason Alexander Weber

Kana Li Wong

Cameron M Woodbury

Melissa Yeung

Bioengineering 

Anthony Drew Acierto

Ashraf Tariq Alnatour

Bianca Louise Andrada

Jason Bae

Anna Mae Brunson

Britnie Jean Carpentier

Lukas Cook

Tessa Riley Decicco

Mia-Marie Fields

Katherine Ann Gardner

Jennifer Gonzalez

Skyla Gordon

Benjamin Michael Grainger

Jenna Grutzmacher

Grace Haas

Lauren Elizabeth Hamilton

Victoria Li Rui Hathaway

Brenna Henderson

Avinash Jagroo

Madeline Jones

Gabriel Khan

Olivia Lynne Kmito

Emily Elizabeth Labour

Quinn Patrick Langdon

Sara Anne Leonardo

Alejandra Eugenia Lopez

Ethan L Masters

Aidan Theresa McCarthy

Aelish McGivney

Ian G McHugh

Lindy M Melegari

Katherine Grace Monroe

Hannah V Murphy

Alexander Patrick Musselman

Mark Nicola

Nicole E Nielsen

Kerrin Anne O’Grady

Mia Dian Paynton

Megan Perlman

Connor Preston

Michael Steven Presunka

Gavin David Richards

Mia Elizabeth Russo

Amira Salihovic

Juliana Sepulveda

Bridget Yong Sides

Katherine Anne Southard

Justin N Stock

Elizabeth Tarami Su

Zhuoqi Tong

Rochan Jitendra Urankar

Hasan Usmanov

Edgardo Velazquez

Danny Vu

Carly J Ward

Nathaniel D Wellington

Maximillian Meier Wilderman

Lauren Margaret Woodford

Rui Xie

Julian Marcus Smucker Zorn

Samantha Yvonne Zysk

Chemical Engineering 

Adriana M Archilla

Athena Andrea Basdekis

Brigitte A Belanger

Sandy Ynhu Cao

Trinity Joy Coates

Dennis Dao

Gabriela Duarte Saadia

Sophia Elizabeth Figueroa

Emily C Fittante

Edward Coleman Fluker

Mia Angela Goldberg

Brent Tadao Gosselin

Avery Gunderson

Christopher Max Hansen

Aiden A Jacobs

Natalia Jarmain

Hope Irene Johnson

Sonia Julius

Sayf Karim

Laxmi Khatiwada

Adam J Klinger

Simran Dharmendra Lakhani

Caroline J Leduc

Rawia F A M Marafi

Angela L Martinez

Sydney Rae Nowicki

Erin Marie Odonnell

Sean O’toole

Eli Irvin Paster

Daniel J Pelkey

Fabiana Nohelia Perez

Nora Swan Prosak

Ryan Gordon Ryersen

Riley Madison Schmerber

Jacob Matthew Shellhamer

Jason Tan

Elizabeth M Wall

Tyrese J Whyte

Jackson Richard Yuen

Civil Engineering 

Shalom Acheampong

Cassie Agren

Nicole Ayora

Maxwell Bell

Christian Balingit Bianco

Henry C Bievenue

Ryan Bourdeau

Matthew Emmet Brewster

Alycia Joline Bruce

Masson Bruening

David Coghiel

Alejandro E Correa

Aymeric P Destree

Kelly Diaz Rojas

Jack Dwyer

Marlee Ann Ecton

Stephen Goffredo

Elliane Reut Greenberg

Julia Ann Johnson-Milstein

Joshua Michael Kaufman

Jakob Lamond Keller

Kate Astrid Kemnitz

Alexander Gregory Klee

Adam Paul Landry

Evangelia Birget Larson

Abigail G Laschalt

Daniel Leyva

Emma Marie Liptrap

Emilija Alise Lizins

Erick Lojano-Quispe

William Ma

John M Mazza

Jessica M McGowan

Lucas James Meiers

Sumit Harshad Mistry

Amira Mouline

Mazin F Moya

Trevor Robert Napoli

Marissa R Nicole

Maxwell Robert Pozar

Kaylin Janet Richards

Alexander David Ruppe

Cassie Elizabeth Saracino

Yazbeck Thomas Sarkees

Juha Wesley Schraden

Aaron Presley Shinn

Caitlin Jane Spillane

Jose Arturo Venegas

Christian Viola

Angelina Maggie Wong

Isabelle Wong

Sarah Wong

Paige H Yamane

Sifei Zhu

Computer Engineering 

Adekunle J Akinshola

Chikeluba K Anierobi

Graciela Gicel Avila

Mergim Azemi

Kyle J Betten

Jackson Thomas Bradley

Carlon Brown

Dynasty Da’Nasia Chance

Kongxin Chen

Ibrahima Diallo

Lyn El Sayed Kassem

Melvin Ruben Escobar Gonzalez

Xavier Evans

Elizabeth A Fatade

Aidan Robert Harrington

Ethan Hensley

Kasey Jackson

Mehak Jetly

Virkin Jimenez

Benjamin N Johnson

Fundi Juriasi

Robert Nicholas Kashian

Bikash Khatiwoda

Jessica K Lat

Tyler Alexander Lavaway

Matthew B Leight

Jiaxiong Li

Nicholas Kent Magari

Kyle Maiorana

Aksel James Malatak

Jacob Stephen Masrouri

Isabel M Melo

Benjamin Hudson Murray

Pierce Austin Neubert

Jose L Olivera

Derrick Nana Yaw Osei Owusu

Alexander C Perez

Anthony Patrick Riello

Alfonso E Rivas

Daniel Rose

Samuel M Rosenthal

Hongyi Ruan

Zachary Joseph Starr

Declan Wavle

Ryan Wolff

Renjie Xu

Andy Zheng

Computer Science 

Aashutosh Acharya

Aaron Alakkadan

Labeeb Alam

Sajjad Abdullah Albadri

Huda A Ali

Anas Abdallah Hussein Alkhashroom

Joseph M Balascio

Simon C Barley

Giovanna Elizabeth Barsalona

Samantha E Bastien

Maxwell Robert Beam

Emma Bellai

Anas Ahmed Benhamida

Joshua Jordan Boucher

Brian Michael Bourne

Amanda Leigh Bowdren

Ella Maria Brink

Bryan Bladimir Bueno Reyes

Christopher Manuel Calderon Suarez

Liam M Calnan

Megan J Campbell

Chih-Chia Chen

Hong Yang Chen

Jackie Chen

Lawrence Chen

Runzhou Chen

Wenyu Chen

Yixing Chen

Yuhao Chen

Oscar Chi

Daniel Chmielewski

Season Chowdhury

Konstantinos Chrysoulas

Melissa Chu

Miguel Angel Cruz Flores

Matthew Cufari

Ryan Matthew Czirr

Salvatore DeDona

Aidan Christopher DeGooyer

Alpha Oumar Diallo

Lucille Jennifer Disalvo

Ting Dong

Christopher Edmonds

Yassin Mahmoud Elsharafi

Ryan Siebe Elsinga

Jair Espinoza

Xueyan Feng

Nathan B Fenske

Bennett Ferrari

Lucas Kuebler Fox

Mason Roy Freer

Evan Garvey

Grant Thomas Gifford

Brianna S Gillfillian

Justin Gluska

John Martin Gorman

Dayong Gu

Alexander Peter-Anthony Haas

Athanasios Hadjidimoulas

Ashley Marie Hamilton

Jillian Elizabeth Handrahan

Liam Gordon Hannah

Cameron Hoechst

Laurel Howell

Jacob Howlett

Jason Huang

Xuanye Huang

Yanju Huang

Chengyi Jiang

Tianyiming Jing

Frederick Jackson Jones

Michael Wesley Jones

Alan Jos

Lauren Keona Kaaiakamanu

Aarya Tara Kaphley

Maxwell Albert Kaufman

Matthew Keenan

Ekaterina Kladova

Joshua Jayvant Zachary Koshy

Krutartha Nagesh

Rami Lionel Kuttab

Janet Jihoo Lee

Maya J’Nai Lee

Jiashu Li

Ruowen Li

Yuxuan Li

Daniel Lim

Chengda Lin

Haochen Lin

Sandy Lin

Erxi Liu

Jiaming Liu

Joshua Zhou Liu

Junzhang Liu

Yuyuan Liu

Cayden Thomas Lombard

Kevin A Lopez

Yiheng Lu

Michael Fitzgerald Lupton Jr

Runzhi Ma

Hunter O’Neal Malley

Andrew Thomas Markarian

Kanoa Matton

Ryan M May

Anthony Louis Mazzacane

Matthew McDaniels

Noah Mechnig-Giordano

Philip Anthony Moceri

Thomas J Montfort

Aaron Masoud Moradi

Jovanni Nicholas Mosca

Chenxi Mu

Andi Muhaxheri

Zoe Anne Neale

Christopher Scott Nemeth Jr

Jillienne Judith Ness

Arianna Kassandra Nguyen

Carlyn M O’Leary

Marissa Lynn Orsley

Daniel Pae

Xiaofeng Pan

Michael J Panighetti

Adya Aditi Parida

Zizheng Pei

Brian Joseph Pellegrino

Carlo Francesco Pisacane

Daniel Pomerantz

Fiona Colleen Powers Beggs

Cheng Qiu

Shane Michael Race

Raasin Amin Rahman

Alexis Hope Ratigan

Christopher Rhodes

Robert R Robinson

Eric Rodriguez

Sadikshya Sanjel

Jonathan Lee Schwenk

Huahao Shang

Andrew Shao

Nolan Lee Shepherd

Chad Thom Smith

Anthony Logan Solt

Dongzhao Song

Yijie Song

Hayden Christopher Spelbring

Jeremy P Stabile

Kevin Sullivan

Nicholas P Sweet

Louanges Essohana Marlene Takou-Ayaoh

Jonathan Richard Constantine Templeton

Jonathan Ezra Thomas

Eduardo Torres-Garcia

Winston Tsui

Randy C Vargas

Kevin Anthony Verdeschi

Kritika Verma

Christopher Mark Vinciguerra

Lihan Wang

Ruobing Wang

Xinyi Wang

Zijian  Wang

Robert Ward

Jack Andrew Willis

Sarah Grace Wlodkoski

Ethan Wong

Zongxiu Wu

Zhuoyi Xiong

Yujie Xu

Jishuo Yang

Yisheng Yang

Yongcan Yang

Stella R Yaunches

Yulun Zeng

Liaotianbao Zhang

Mingyan Zhang

Rixiang Zhang

Ruihao Zhang

Weiwei Zhang

Zhiyuan Zhang

Haoyu Zhao

Jinchao Zhao

Junjie Zheng

Xiao Lin Zheng

Liuyu Zhou

Xinqian Zhou

Yitao Zhou

Yixuan Zhou

Joseph Patrick Zoll

Engineering Undeclared 

Sydney M Baylor

Thomas John Fabiano

Charles James Germosen

Alexander Joseph Hai

Juwei Lin

Luke Benjamin Lybarger

Kathleen Rose Meleski

Annika Daphne Meyers

James Peden

Justin Wayne Pettit

Emily Mae Schiessl

Abdullah Swati

Haoran Wang

Electrical Engineering 

Minghao Ai

Mohammed A Aljohani

Tianle Bu

Kevin E Buciak

Wyatt Glenn Bush

Vincent Alec Camarena

Arianna Maxine Cameron

Leshui Chen

Nicholas Shawn Connolly

Kevin James Donnelly

Henry C Duisberg

Randy Galicia

John Charles Garcia

Justin P Geary

Christopher Gill

Jose Ignacio Ginorio

Joseph Charles Jannello

Michael Matthew Kelly

Dong Kyu Kim

Yiwei Ling

Jemma Mallia

Liam Fuller Marcato

Tyler Sean Marston

Angel Antonio Medina

Lukas Allen Morris

Zixun Nian Nian

Jayson V Okhman

Dylan Palmer

Julia Pepin

Matthew Piciocchi

Francisco Rodriguez

Gilberto E Ruiz

Gabriel E Ruoff

Kayla Ann Saladyga

Jenna Mei Stapleton

Connor Christopher Sumner

Jared William Welch

Environmental Engineering

Tyler James Allison

David Michael Brodsky

Benjamin R Cavarra

Ananya P Chandra

Emma Crandall

Elizabeth Bryant Cultra

Eric James Fitzgerald

Eleanor Elizabeth Gettens

Brady E Hartnett

Christopher Harvey

Nicholas Colin Axel Kohl

Henry David Long

Molly M Matheson

Salma Valles Mohamed

Matthew Edward Nosalek

Liesel Marie Odden

Hennecys Darlene Perez Castro

Ella Hope Phipps

Scott M Potter

Yongfang Qi

Jasmine Victoria Rodriguez

Mary H Schieman

Hayley Shay Scott

Jacob M Tyler

Andrew Michael Vanderwege

Maria Antonia Villegas Botero

Emily Jean Vogel

Anna Wojcik

Savannah Marie Wujastyk

Qiuyu Zhou

Reilly Zink

Mechanical Engineering 

Owyn Phillip Adams

Joshua Carl Arndt

Timothy G Arnold

Charles D Ball

Arthur Barros

Michael James Battin Jr

Erin Beaudoin

Rachael O Beresford

Aidan Paul Bergman

Jeffrey Trent Bernstein

Chloe Marie Britton Naime

Brinley Bruening

Arnaud Buard

Alexander Joseph Callo

Joseph Timothy Capra

Jun Chen

Artur Chuvik

Cooper P Crone

Anthony Cruz

Peter M Daniels

Ryan Russell Dileo

Madeline Doyle

Luyen Duong

Andrew J Esposito

Luke Samuel Fink

Nicholas Andrew Frank

Elan Fullmer

Samuel Ryan Getman

Kara Ai Chun Gorman

Jiayuan Huang

Vian Vishal Jain

Jagger Kachmaryk

Dong Myeong Kang

Jeremy C Kang

Macauley J Kastner

Finnian James Kery

Teagan L Kilian

Cherry Kim

Carl Winston Rice Kjellberg

Justin Kohan

Deanna Summer Koppenjan

Savannah Mae Kreppein

Trevor D Kroells

Nathan Lemoine

Honorata Lubecka

Bei Luo

Lauren Mack

Ryan Patrek Martineau

Michael J McElroy

Ryan A Melick

James Patrick Melitski

Leilah Miller

Wiley Robert Moslow

Beau M Norris

Daniel Panchenko

Nicholas Joseph Papaleo

Nathaniel Ryan Paradis

Tanner Josiah Peck

Corey A Phung

Nicholas Patrick Piano

Alexander Richard

Aidan Riederich

Collin Roche

Jeremy Vinton Rosh

Jeffrey Ryu

Nitish Sachin Satpute

Justin Sauve

Shane Michael Sefransky

William Kaspar Sherfey

Zachary Ryan Shuler

Eric Silfies

Nathaniel Slabaugh

Samuel Theodore Slaiby

Ian Storrs

Matthew K Swanson

Ethan William Tracey

Evan R Tulsky

Alexandra Rose Vaida

Nicholas Valentin

Griffin Riley Vollers

Xu Wang

Michael David Wehrle

Justin H Westhuis

Taj Asim Whitney

Michael Wong

Systems & Information Science

Connor W Gurnham

Stacy Kim

Akshay Ram

Zachary Tyler Williams

Aerospace engineering student Juanitta “AJ” Bekoe ’24 selected to receive a Patti Grace Smith Fellowship.

The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship program connects the nation’s leading aerospace companies with talented Black students. Students receive a summer internship in the aerospace field, a scholarship and personalized mentors. 39 recipients from across the United States were chosen after displaying exceptional aptitude in their chosen discipline in addition to scoring high marks for creativity, ingenuity and a commitment to serving others.

Bekoe is an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers chapter, as well as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter. She is also a member of Citrus Racing – the college’s Formula 1 Team as part of the Society of Automotive Engineers, where she is a member of the aerodynamics sub-team. Outside of engineering, she is a dancer and choreographer for Creations Dance Company – the first student dance organization founded on campus by 10 African-American women – specializing in multiple dance styles. This spring semester commemorates their 44th year as a dance team. Bekoe plans to continue onto the 4+1 Masters Program in mechanical and aerospace engineering following her senior year. She will be hosted this summer at Ball Aerospace in Colorado as a systems engineering intern.

Engineering and Computer Science, Upstate Medical University Faculty Awarded National Institutes of Health Grant for Catheter Research Project

For the 75 million people who require a urinary catheter, urinary tract infections are a serious concern. Catheters are prone to colonization by bacterial and fungal pathogens, which causes antibiotic-resistant infections. An infection can also lead to pH changes in the urine and block a catheter due to stone formation with potentially fatal consequences. Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) that are antibiotic resistant cause 13,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

College of Engineering and Computer Science professors Dacheng Ren, Stevenson endowed professor of biomedical and chemical engineering and associate dean for research and graduate programs; Teng Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Huan Gu, research assistant professor and Upstate Medical University’s Dmitriy Nikolavsky, MD, associate professor of Urology, were awarded an National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant for a project aiming to engineer a new urinary catheter using smart biomaterials to reduced catheter associated complications.

“Conventional antibiotics commonly fail to eradicate infections associated with medical devices because of the remarkable capabilities of microbes to colonize these surfaces and form drug-resistant biofilms. To solve this challenging problem, we need new strategies that can provide long-term protections. This R01 project gave us an exciting opportunity to do exactly that,” said Ren, the principal investigator of this project.

Ren’s lab has developed a new strategy designed to make catheters smarter and more resistant to infection. They successfully created micron-sized pillars with supermagnetic nanoparticles on the tip so the pillars can beat in response to an electromagnetic field generated using an insulated copper coil embedded in the catheter wall. By controlling the on and off of an electric current, they could turn the magnetic field on and off, and thus control the beating frequency and beating force of the pillars. This strategy (active topography) worked well, as these moving pillars prevented biofilm formation of multiple bacterial species by up to 99.9% compared to flat control surfaces. A prototype catheter with active topography remained clean for 30 days while the control catheters were blocked by biofilms of uropathogenic Escherichia coli within five days in an in vitro test with flow of a medium mimicking urine. Their study was published in a recent issue of Nature Communications.

Now Ren, Gu, Zhang and Nikolavsky will move forward and study the mechanism of infection control by such active topographies, and further engineer their catheter porotype for in vivo tests in this R01 project. By optimizing micron sized pillars on the catheter wall, they hope to develop a self-cleaning catheter that would be much safer for long term use.

“This strategy is inspired by the motile cilia in human airways that protects our lungs from foreign particles during respiration,” said Gu. “Thanks to the development in materials and surface engineering, we can replicate this defense strategy, make it more robust and adaptable, and apply it to address challenges such as biofilm-associated urinary tract infections in this project.”

Numerical simulations from Zhang’s lab and the collaboration with Nikolavsky in Upstate Medical University’s urology department are key components to the potentially groundbreaking work.

“Biofilms are highly complicated biological materials with active bacteria embedded in polymer networks. This poses challenges and provides opportunities to integrate mechanics modeling and simulations with well-controlled experiments to uncover the working mechanism and design principles of medical devices.”

Zhang has been collaborating with the Ren lab prior to this award and he is also a co-author of the Nature Communications paper.

If successful, the findings from this study may also help solve other infections that involve microbial biofilms, especially those associated with medical devices.

“I am very excited about this design of smart catheters, Bacterial colonization and biofilm formation on catheters, stents and other implantable devices is an enormous problem in medicine,” said Nikolavsky.  “Creating such smart surfaces on catheters that would actively expel pathogens, could potentially prevent bacterial colonization, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and may save patients with chronic catheters from bladder stone formation and recurrent catheter encrustation and clogging. I expect this will improve medical care and have positive effect on quality of life for many patients and prevent some of the common urological emergencies.”

BioInspired Institute

BioInspired Syracuse supports research into complex biological systems, developing and designing programmable smart materials to address global challenges in health, medicine and materials innovation. It is an Institute for Material and Living Systems, focusing on four key areas: drug discovery, smart materials, form and function, and development and disease. BioInspired involves faculty from life sciences, engineering, physics and chemistry.

Faculty:

Introducing the Inaugural Patrick P. Lee Scholars in the College of Engineering and Computer Science

Lee Scholars

Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science is honored to announce our inaugural Patrick P. Lee Scholars. The Lee Foundation’s largest scholarship program supports students at institutions of higher learning who are pursuing careers in engineering and other technical fields.

Joli Cacciatore is a fourth year Civil Engineering student from Niagara Falls, NY. Since arriving at SU she has been part of the ECS Ambassador Scholars program which conducts outreach to local middle schools to foster interest in STEM and provide positive educational role models. She is a member of the SU student chapters of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Stacy Kim is a fourth year Systems Information Science major from Staten Island, NY. She has several leadership positions in campus organizations including Vice President of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and Community Service Chair for Kappa Theta Pi through which she conducted outreach to local high schools to help with the transition to online learning. Since 2019 she has worked for the Barnes Center in health promotion for her fellow students and during the pandemic has been helping administer and process COVID tests on campus.

Aymeric Destrée is a third year Civil Engineering major from San Marcos, CA. He is a member of the Ambassador Scholars program and enjoys working with children in the Syracuse public school system to introduce engineering concepts and problem solving skills through fun after school activities. He plans a career in public infrastructure and is particularly interested in transportation and urban design.

Olivia Kmito is a third year Bioengineering student from Bridgewater MA. She is a student athlete on the SU Gymnastics team and a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority and the Society of Women Engineers. She has a long term commitment to the March of Dimes organization inspired by a personal connection to their work. Following in the footsteps of her father, an SU engineering alum, she believes an engineer must value “integrity, leadership, and service” and most of all take seriously the trust that their colleagues, their clients, and the public place in them and their work.

Tracking Wildfires

Professor Amit Sanyal

Over the past forty years, wildfires have become more common, more destructive and more difficult to contain. In dry conditions, a spark can turn into a forest fire covering thousands of acres over the course of a few hours. Trying to contain a fast-moving fire is a challenge for firefighters, emergency responders and communities who may have just minutes to evacuate. Fires can travel up to six miles per hours in forests and up to 14 miles an hour in dry grass. If terrain slopes upwards, those speeds can double.

Real time monitoring of fire conditions and movement could help firefighters improve containment strategies but getting data from manned or unmanned aircraft above a raging forest fire has been a challenge.

“This is not just flying in isolation,” says mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Amit Sanyal. “There is hot air from fires and different air currents being induced. Sensors also have to deal with smoke, ash, burning leaves or leaves about to catch fire.”

Even when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be put in the air near a fire, getting data from multiple sensors and input systems back to fire crews on the ground in real time becomes a processing challenge. Especially for a small UAV where load restrictions limit the size and weight of any on-board processing systems.

An interdisciplinary collaboration between Sanyal and two faculty members from The Ohio State University has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) National Robotics Initiative grant to explore the integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into prescribed wildland burn projects. Mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Mrinal Kumar and forest ecosystem analysis and management Professor Roger Williams from The Ohio State University will be Co-Principal Investigators with Sanyal on the project. Syracuse University will receive $536,983 from the NSF grant to support Sanyal’s research.

Research has shown that climate change has led to warmer, drier conditions in many parts of the world. With reduced snowpack and precipitation, many forests and areas that are already susceptible to wildfires will become even drier. The U.S. Forest Service predicts the percentage of land area determined to be experiencing extreme drought conditions will increase by 30 percent by 2090.

The research team will explore how topographic, atmospheric and forest fuel factors in temperate hardwood forests influence fire intensity and rate of spread through real-time data activation in fire behavior models. Sanyal has extensive research experience with UAV control systems and sees this project as a natural evolution of where his interests have been going.

“A UAV in close proximity to a fire needs dependable and robust control schemes,” says Sanyal.  “A non-linear model-free control system has a lot of potential.”

The system Sanyal envisions could allow an UAV to be able to deal with the known physics (elevation, topography) and also rapidly adapt to the unknown physics it might face (sudden and extreme changes in heat, winds or air currents.)

“In order to do that in real time, we need to learn from the data really fast and compensate for it,” said Sanyal. “I think it would be interesting to consider what is known and what is unknown in an ultra-local model of the multi-input, multi-output system that is suitable for implementation on a small onboard processing system.”

The Ohio State University will provide the team with the ability to do controlled burns and test their systems in actual wildland fire conditions. Their work will help provide real time data to firefighters and fire coordinators working to manage hazardous situations and keep people around the world safe.

“Autonomous systems are an area of strength for Syracuse University researchers. This NSF grant demonstrates the potential of cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional research for finding solutions to pressing problems,” says Ramesh Raina, interim vice president for research.

“It is a human problem and a wildlife problem. It would be great if we can make a difference in how we deal with this problem,” says Sanyal.

Teng Zhang

Degree(s):

  • Ph.D. Brown University, 2015
  • M.S. Dalian University of Technology, 2010
  • B.S. Dalian University of Technology, 2007

Lab/ Center Affiliation:

BioInspired Institute

Areas of Expertise:

  • Solid mechanics
  • Solid Mechanics
  • Mechanics of instabilities
  • Mechanics of interfaces
  • Mechanics of morphing

Dr. Zhang group’s research goal is to solve grand challenges where mechanics can play an important role and harness mechanics as an enabling tool to design smart materials and structures for future sustainability. Built on the core strength of mechanics, my group actively engage in highly interdisciplinary works, such as food design, smart materials, and biofilms. Examples of on-going projects include:

  • Harnessing instabilities and active materials to design reconfigurable structures
  • Bio-inspired hybrid liquid and solid systems enabled by elasto-capillary and hygro-mechanical couplings
  • Mechanics guided shape-changing food

The fundamental mechanics understanding could also provide design principles of robotics and biomedical devices and establish virtual platforms for simulating and controlling them, especially for those with highly nonlinear deformation in complicated working environments (e.g., endovascular neurosurgery and smart catheters).

Honors and Awards:

  • 2021    Soft Matter Emerging Investigator
  • 2019    Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, National Science Foundation
  • 2015    Outstanding thesis, Brown University’s School of Engineering

Selected Publications:

  • Chao Chen, and Teng Zhang. Coupling lattice model and many-body dissipative particle dynamics to make elastocapillary simulation simple. Extreme Mechanics Letters 54 (2022): 101741.
  • Ye Tao, Yi-Chin Lee, Haolin Liu, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Jianxun Cui, Catherine Mondoa, Mahnoush Babaei, Jasio Santillan, Guanyun Wang, Danli Luo, Di Liu, Humphrey Yang, Youngwook Do, Lingyun Sun, Wen Wang, Teng Zhang, and Lining Yao. Morphing Pasta and Beyond.  Science Advances 7, no. 19 (2021): eabf4098.
  • Yi Li, Samuel J. Avis, Junbo Chen, Guangfu Wu, Teng Zhang, Halim Kusumaatmaja, and Xueju Wang. Reconfiguration of multistable 3D ferromagnetic mesostructures guided by energy landscape surveys. Extreme Mechanics Letters (2021): 101428.
  • Oleh Tovkach, Junbo Chen, Monica M. Ripp, Teng Zhang, Joseph D. Paulsen, and Benny Davidovitch. Mesoscale structure of wrinkle patterns and defect-proliferated liquid crystalline phases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 8 (2020): 3938-3943.
  • Xiaoxiao Zhang, Patrick T. Mather, Mark J. Bowick, and Teng Zhang. Non-uniform Curvature and Anisotropic Deformation Control Wrinkling Patterns on Tori. Soft matter (2019).
  • T. A. Engstrom, Teng Zhang, A. K. Lawton, A. L. Joyner, and J. M. Schwarz. Buckling without bending: a new paradigm in morphogenesis. Physical Review X8, no. 4 (2018): 041053.

Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang

Degrees

  • Ph.D., University of Illinois and Urbana-Champaign; 1991
  • M.S. and B.S. Beijing Agr. Eng. University; 1982 and 1985

Lab/Center Affiliations

Areas of Expertise:

  • Material Emissions, Air Purification, Ventilation, and Indoor Air Quality
  • Hygrothermal Performance of Building Materials and Enclosure Systems
  • Building Energy and Environmental Systems
  • Built Environmental Systems Measurements, Modeling, and Controls
  • Intelligent Buildings
  • Combined Heat, Air, Moisture and Pollutant Simulations (CHAMPS)
  • Multi-disciplinary and Multi-scale Building Systems Design and Optimization
  • Effects of indoor environmental quality on occupant exposure, productivity, and creativity

Professor Zhang’s research ranges multi-scale BES from nano/micro-scale in porous media to buildings and urban environment and involves engineering, architectural design, human health, and performance. Major ongoing research projects are:

  1. Virtual Design Studio (VDS): development of a digital platform for an integrated and coordinated design of green buildings. The project involves close collaboration between engineers and architects to develop a designer-oriented software tool for performance-based building system design.
  2. BM-IDC: Building monitoring and intelligent diagnosis and control. Using a full-scale testbed, a “Virtual Building” based near real-time monitoring system is developed and deployed to collect essential data for fault detection and diagnosis, and improvement of building operation.
  3. CHAMPS: Development of combined heat, air moisture, and pollutant simulation software for building system design and control optimization. The CHAMPS simulation environment includes a whole building model, an enclosure model, an HVAC mode and a room model. It is supported by a collection of shared databases of weather, materials and assemblies, pollutants, sources, and sinks. Reduced-order models will be developed for near-real-time simulation in design and predictive control in the operation of buildings.
  4. ME-IAQ: Material emissions and indoor air quality. A model-based approach is taken to develop fundamental mass transfer models with essential model parameters determined from experiments. The research leads to better models for performance prediction and better test methods for evaluating both short and long-term emissions.
  5. ACT-IAQ: Air cleaning technologies and indoor air quality. A model-based approach is taken to develop better test methods, evaluate the performance of existing air cleaning technologies, and develop new ones for improving indoor air quality.
  6. BEST: Building enclosure system technologies. This research includes experimental measurements and modeling of the hygrothermal (thermal and moisture) storage and transport properties of various building materials, model prediction of their impact on enclosure assembly performance, and full-scale evaluation and validation at reduced and full-scale setting under both laboratory and field conditions.
  7. Effects of IEQ on human performance. Human subject study is performed using a total environmental quality research facility. The focus is on how the improved thermal and air quality via personal ventilation would impact the performance of creativity and productivity of building occupants.

Honors and Awards:

  • 2019 ASHRAE Research Administration Committee Service in ASHRAE Research Award
  • 2018 ASHRAE Central New York Chapter Award for Contributions to Research and Education in HVAC and IAQ.
  • Elected Fellow of ASHRAE, 2012
  • Frontier Foreign Expert Award, State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, the P.R. China, 2012
  • Shiyuan Chair Professorship from Nanjing University, China, 2011
  • Best Paper of the Year award, Building Simulation—an International Journal, 2010
  • Elected and active member of The ISIAQ Academy of Fellows, International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate, 2009
  • ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award, ASHRAE, 2008
  • JSPS Fellowship, Japanese Society for Promotion of Scientific Exchange, 2007
  • Otto Monsted Professorship from Technical University of Denmark, 2006
  • Citation by New York State Governor George E. Pataki in his 2003 State of the State address for scientific contributions to the development of the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental Systems, 2003
  • American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) National Finalist Award and New York State Diamond Award for the development of the Coupled Indoor/Outdoor Environmental Simulator (C-I/O-ES) of the Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory (BEESL), 2003
  • ASHRAE Certification of Appreciation Award, 1999
  • IRC/NRC Outstanding Research Achievement Award, 1999
  • Second place paper award at the Healthy Buildings/IAQ 97 international conference, Washington, DC, 1997
  • IRC/NRC Outstanding Research Achievement Award, 1995
  • Best paper award at the 5th International Jacques Cartier Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation, 1992
  • Outstanding research paper award (top 2.5%) by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 1989
  • Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Epsilon honor societies, 1989
  • Excellent student awards, BAEU, 1980

Select Publications

Dung, A., J. Zhang and Z. Liu. 2021. Impact of humidity on formaldehyde and moisture buffering capacity of porous building material. Journal of Building EngineeringVolume 36, April 2021, 102114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.102114.

Zhao, J., J. Zhang, J. Grunewald and S. Feng. 2021. A probabilistic-based method to evaluate hygrothermal performance of an internally insulated brick wall. Building Simulation. Volume 14, 283-299.

Liu, Z., A. Nicolai, M. Abadie, M. Qin, J. Grunewald and J. Zhang. 2021. Development of a procedure for estimating the parameters of mechanistic VOC emission source models from chamber testing data. Building Simulation.Volume 14, pages269–282.

Shen, J., B. Krietemeyer, A. Bartosh, Z. Gao, J. Zhang. 2020. Green Design Studio: A modular-based approach for high-performance building design. BUILD SIMULATION – an International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-020-0728-9.

Zhou, S., Z. Liu, Wang, C.J. Young, T.C. VandenBoer, B. Guo,J. Zhang, N. Carslawand T. Kahan. 2020. Hydrogen Peroxide Emission and Fate Indoors during Non-bleach Cleaning: A Chamber and Modeling Study. Environ. Sci. Technol.2020, 54, 24, 15643–15651. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c04702

Lv, Yang, Xi Chen, Shanshan Wei, Rui Zhu, Beibei Wang, Bin Chen, Meng Kong, Jianshun (Jensen) Zhang. 2020. Sources, concentrations, and transport models of ultrafine particles near highways: A Literature Review. Building and Environment 186 (2020) 107325

Afshari, A., L. Ekberg, L. FOREJT, J. MO , S. RAHIMI, J. SIEGEL, W. CHEN, P. WARGOCKI, S. ZURAMI, J. ZHANG. 2020. Electrostatic Precipitators as an Indoor Air Cleaner—A Literature Review.  Journal of Sustainability12Issue 2110.3390/su12218774

Zhang, J. 2020 Integrating IAQ control strategies to reduce the risk of asymptomatic SARS CoV-2 infections in classrooms and open plan offices, Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 26:8, 1013-1018, DOI: 1080/23744731.2020.1794499

Han, K. and J. Zhang. 2020. Energy-efficient building system integration with a smart and low cost sensing/control network for sustainable and healthy office environments: Demonstration case study. Energy and Buildings. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109861

Rui Zhang, Jensen Zhang, Roger Schmidt, Jeremy Gilbert, Beverly Guo (December 2019). Effects of Moisture Content, Temperature and Pollutant Mixture on Atmospheric Corrosion of Copper and Silver and Implications for the Environmental Design of Data Centers (RP-1755). Science and Technology for the Built Environment.  December 2019,  DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2019.1701331

Kong, M., Zhang, J., Dang, T. Q., Hedge, A., Teng, T., Carter, B., Ezzat Khalifa, H. (2019). Micro-environmental control for efficient local cooling: Results from manikin and human participant tests. Building and Environment160, [106198]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106198

Meng Kong, T. Dang, J. Zhang, and H. E. Khalifa. Micro-environmental control for efficient local heating: CFD simulation and manikin test verification. Building and Environment. 147 (2019) 382-396, (DOI) 10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.10.018

Zhang⁠, S., Shapiro, S⁠., Gehrke⁠, G., Castner, J.⁠, Liu, Z.⁠, Guo⁠, B., Prasad⁠d, R., Zhang, J., Haines⁠e⁠, S., Kormos⁠f, D., Frey⁠h, P., Qin⁠, R., and Dannemiller, K. C. 2018. Smartphone app for residential testing of formaldehyde (SmART-Form). Building and Environment.

Han, K.H., Zhang, J.S. and Guo, B. (2018). Caveats and Technical Challenges in Performance Evaluation of Activated Carbon (AC) and Non-AC Filtration for NO2 Abatement toward Energy-efficient and Healthy Ventilation. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 360:560-570. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.08.006.

Synergistic Activities

  • Jianshun Zhang has 28 years of research experience in Built Environmental Systems (BES) and has authored/co-authored 100+ peer-reviewed journal papers and 100+ refereed conference papers, one book, 2 ASTM and 1 ANSI/BIFMA Standards. His research ranges multi-scale BES from nano/micro-scale in porous media to buildings and urban environment and involves engineering, architectural design, human health and performance. He leads an international group in developing methods and tools for combined heat, air, moisture and pollutant simulations (CHAMPS) for building systems.
  • He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the areas of building energy and environmental systems and fundamental heat and mass transfer and has advised/co-advised over 20 Ph.D. students, over 20 M.S. students, and 8 Postdoctoral Fellows.
  • He serves on the Editorial Boards of several international journals: “Energy and Buildings,” HVAC&R Research,” “Ventilation,” “Building Simulations,” “High-Rise Buildings,” and “Frontiers of Architectural Research.”
  • Zhang served on ASHRAE Environmental Health Committee (2006-present, 2011/12 Chair) and Research Administration Committee (2003-2005), and is a member of Technical and Standard Committees in the society. He is also a Voting Member of ASTM D22.05 on Indoor Air, AWMA and ISIAQ, and a U.S. Expert Representative to the ISO standard committee on air purification. He is elected Fellow of ASHRAE (2011) and ISIAQ (2009), and Member of Board of Directors of International Assoc. of Building Physics.

Yeqing Wang

Degree(s):

  • Ph.D., University of Iowa

Areas of Expertise:

  • Mechanics of composite materials and structures
  • Durability and damage tolerance of composite structures
  • Multifunctional composite materials
  • Advanced manufacturing of composite materials
  • Multiphysics modeling

Dr. Wang’s research goal is to understand the fundamental material behaviors and failure mechanisms of composite materials and structures under various loading conditions through mathematical modeling and experimental investigations, and then use the insights acquired to guide the design and development of novel multifunctional composite materials and structures (e.g., nanostructured, bioinspired) for improved durability and damage tolerance, as well as to guide the development and optimization of advanced manufacturing methods of composite structures.

Honors and Awards:

  • Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, 2020
  • Graduate & Professional Student Government Travel Award, University of Iowa, 2016
  • Second Place Award, IWEA (Iowa Wind Energy Association) Conference Research Poster Competition, 2014
  • First Place Award, Paper Competition at the 15th Annual James F. Jakobsen Graduate Conference, University of Iowa, 2013
  • First Place Award, Iowa EPSCoR Annual All-Hands Meeting Poster Competition, 2013
  • Best Paper Award, 27th American Society for Composites (ASC) Technical Conference, 2012

Select Publications:

Yeqing Wang, Timothy K. Risch, Joseph H. Koo. Assessment of A One-dimensional Finite Element Charring Ablation Material Response Model for Phenolic-impregnated Carbon Ablator, Aerospace Science and Technology, 91:301-309, 2019.

Yeqing Wang, Getachew K. Befekadu, Hongtao Ding, David W. Hahn. Uncertainty Quantification for Modeling Pulsed Laser Ablation of Aluminum Considering Uncertainty in the Temperature-dependent Absorption Coefficients, Int. J. of Heat and Mass Transfer, 120:515-522, 2018.

Yeqing Wang, Crystal L. Pasiliao. Modeling Ablation of Laminated Composites: A Novel Manual Mesh Moving Finite Element Analysis Procedure with ABAQUS, Int. J. of Heat and Mass Transfer, 116:306-313, 2018.

Yeqing Wang, Olesya I. Zhupanska. Modeling of Thermal Response and Ablation in Laminated Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites Due to Lightning Strike, Applied Mathematical Modelling, 53:118-131, 2018.

Yeqing Wang. Multiphysics Analysis of Lightning Strike Damage in Laminated Carbon/Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composite Materials: A Review of Problem Formulation and Computational Modeling, Composites Part A, 101:543-553, 2017.

Yeqing Wang, Ninggang Shen, Getachew K. Befekadu, Crystal L. Pasiliao. Modeling Pulsed Laser Ablation of Aluminum with Finite Element Analysis Considering Material Moving Front, Int. J. of Heat and Mass Transfer, 113:1246-1253, 2017.

Yeqing Wang, Olesya I. Zhupanska. Lightning Strike Thermal Damage Model for Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites and its Application to Wind Turbine Blades, Composite Structures, 132:1182-1191, 2015.

Yiyang Sun

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. Florida State University, Tallahassee, 2017
  • B.S. Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, 2012

Areas of Expertise:

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Flow Control
  • Unsteady Aerodynamics
  • Data Science

Dr. Sun’s research interests focus on understanding the underlying physics of fluid flows and designing physics-driven control strategies using computational fluid dynamics, modal/non-modal analysis, and data science. The ability to control fluid flow behaviors can lead to quiet, economical, and efficient systems in fluid mechanics and aerodynamics. Because of high dimensionality, strong nonlinearity, and complexity in fluid physics, design of effective control strategies can be challenging. Dr. Sun’s research focuses on uncovering underlying physics of complex fluid flows using the cutting-edge technique of modal analysis, such as dynamic mode decomposition, global stability analysis, and resolvent analysis. The insights obtained from these analyses provide guidance for physics-driven control designs.

Honors:

  • Young Investigator Award, AFOSR, 2024
  • Amelia Earhart Fellow, Zonta International, 2016

Selected Publications:

  • Yao, H., Sun, Y., Mushtaq, T., and Hemati, M. S., “Reducing transient energy growth in a channel flow using static output feedback control,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 60, No. 7, 2022.
  • Yao, H., Sun, Y., and Hemati, M. S., “Feedback control of transitional shear flows: sensor selection for performance recovery,” Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 36, pp. 597-626, 2022.
  • Liu, Q., Sun, Y., Ukeiley, L. S., Cattafesta, L. N., and Taira, K., “Unsteady control of supersonic turbulent cavity flow based on resolvent analysis,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 925, A5, 2021.
  • Sun, Y., Liu, Q., Cattafesta, L. N., Ukeiley, L. S., and Taira, K., “Resolvent analysis of compressible laminar and turbulent cavity flows,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 58, No. 3, 2020.
  • Taira, K., Hemati, M. S., Brunton, S. L., Sun, Y., Duraisamy, K., Bagheri, S., Dawson, S. T. M., and Yeh, C-A., “Modal analysis of fluid flows: application and outlook,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 58, No. 3, 2020.
  • Sun, Y. and Hemati, M. S., “Feedback control for transition suppression in direct numerical simulations of channel flow,” Energies, Vol. 12, No. 4217, 2019.
  • Sun, Y., Liu, Q., Cattafesta, L. N., Ukeiley, L. S., and Taira, K., “Effects of sidewalls and leading-edge blowing on flows over long rectangular cavities,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 106-119, 2019.
  • Zhang, Y., Sun, Y., Arora, N., Cattafesta, L. N., Taira, K., and Ukeiley, L. S., “Suppression of cavity oscillations via three-dimensional steady blowing,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 90-105, 2019.
  • Edstrand, A. M., Sun, Y., Schmid, P. J., Taira, K., and Cattafesta, L. N., “Active attenuation of a trailing vortex inspired by a parabolized stability analysis,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 855, R2, 2018.
  • Sun, Y., Taira, K., Cattafesta, L. N., and Ukeiley, L. S., “Biglobal instabilities of compressible open-cavity flow,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 826, pp. 270-301, 2017.
  • Sun, Y., Taira, K., Cattafesta, L. N., and Ukeiley, L. S., “Spanwise effects on instabilities of compressible flow over a long rectangular cavity,” Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 31, Issue 5-6, pp. 555-565, 2017.

Wanliang Shan

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. Princeton University
  • B.E. University of Science and Technology of China

Research interests:

  • Solid Mechanics
  • Materials Engineering
  • Thermophysics
  • Machine Learning
  • Soft Robotics

Lab/Center Affiliation:

  • Syracuse Biomaterials Institute

Current Research:

Shan Research Group (SRG) currently focuses on interdisciplinary research in Smart, Hybrid, Active and Nature-inspired Materials, Mechanics, and Machines (SHAN 3M). Fundamental insights from solid mechanics, materials engineering, thermal science, and machine learning are emphasized for the design and fabrication of soft multifunctional materials and high-performance robotic mechanisms, which impact critical application domains such as soft robotics, biomedical devices, and wearable devices. The ultimate goal of SRG’s research is to improve human-machine-environment interactions.

Teaching Interests:

  • Introduction to Robotics
  • Soft Robotics
  • Continuum Mechanics
  • Fracture Mechanics

Select Publications:

Sharifi, C. Rux, N. Sparling, G. Wan, A. Mohammadi Nasab, A. Siddaiah, P. Menezes, T. Zhang, W.L. Shan*, Dynamically Tunable Friction via Subsurface Stiffness Modulation, Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 2021.

Mohammadi Nasab, S. Sharifi, S. Chen, W.L. Shan*, Robust three-component elastomer-particle-fiber composites with tunable properties for soft robotics, Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2000166, 2020.

Mohammadi Nasab, A. Luo, S. Sharifi, K.T. Turner*, W.L. Shan*, Soft Gripping Device Based on Pneumatics-Modulated Tunable Dry Adhesion, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2020.

Luo◦ , A. Mohammadi Nasab◦ , M. Tatari, S. Chen, W.L. Shan*, K.T. Turner*. Adhesion of flat-ended pillars with non-circular contacts, Soft Matter, 2020. Link

Huang, K. Kumar, M.K. Jawed, A. Mohammadi Nasab, Z. Ye, W.L. Shan, C. Majidi*, Highly Dynamic Shape Memory Alloy Actuator for Fast Moving Soft Robots, Advanced Materials Technologies, 1800540, 2019.

Wang, N. Hu, S. Huang, A. Mohammadi Nasab, K. Yang, M.C. Abate, X. Yu, L. Tan, W.L. Shan, Z. Chen*, Buckling and Post-buckling of an Elastic Rod Embedded in a Bilayer Matrix, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 25:1-6, 2018.

Huang, K. Kumar, M.K. Jawed, A. Mohammadi Nasab, Z. Ye, W.L. Shan, C. Majidi*, Chasing biomimetic locomotion speeds: Creating untethered soft robots with shape memory alloy actuators, Science Robotics, 3, eaau7557, 2018.

Tatari, A. Mohammadi Nasab, K.T. Turner*, W.L. Shan*, Dynamically Tunable Dry Adhesion via Sub-Surface Stiffness Modulation, Advanced Materials Interfaces, 5:1800321, 2018.

Mohammadi Nasab, D. Wang, Z. Chen, W.L. Shan*, Buckling Shape Transition of an Embedded Thin Elastic Rod after Failure of Surrounding Elastic Medium, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 15:51-56, 2017.

Mohammadi Nasab◦ , A. Sabzehzar◦ , M. Tatari, C. Majidi, W.L. Shan*, A Soft Gripper with Rigidity Tunable Elastomer Strips as Ligaments, Soft Robotics, 2017.

Tutcuoglu, C. Majidi*, W.L. Shan*, Nonlinear Thermal Parameter Estimation for Embedded Internal Joule Heaters, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 97:12-421, 2016.

Sabzehzar*, W.L. Shan, M. Shariat Panahi, O. Saremi, An Improved Extended Classifier System for the Real-Input Real-Output (XCSRR) Stability Control of a Biped Robot, Procedia Computer Science, 61:492- 499, 2015.

W.L. Shan◦ , S. Diller◦ , A. Tutcuoglu, C. Majidi*, Rigidity-tuning Conductive Elastomer, Smart Materials and Structures, 24(6):065001, 2015.

Amit K. Sanyal

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. (Aerospace Engineering, U of Michigan)
  • MS (Mathematics, U of Michigan)
  • MS (Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M)
  • B. Tech. (Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur)

Lab/Center Affiliation:

  • Syracuse Center of Excellence
  • Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering (CASE)

Research Interests:

  • Nonlinear dynamics
  • Geometric control
  • Nonlinear estimation
  • Geometric mechanics
  • Aerospace control
  • Mobile robots

Current Research:

My primary research interests are in dynamics modeling, control and estimation of mobile robots, spacecraft and unmanned vehicles modeled as rigid body and multi-body systems. The framework of this research is based on geometric mechanics and geometric control. These methods provide the substantial practical advantage of Lyapunov stability in the control and estimation schemes obtained. A secondary practical advantage is that such schemes lead to energy-efficient and robust control that is implementable with current technology. Geometric mechanics is the study of the mechanics of systems that evolve on state spaces that may not be vector spaces. The overall (translational and attitude) motion of aerospace vehicles cannot be described globally on a vector space, as their states evolve on a differentiable manifold that cannot be continuously deformed to a vector space. For spacecraft, maneuverable aerial vehicles and several robotic systems, the large ranges of rotational motion necessitate a global analysis of the state space to tackle dynamics, state estimation and control problems of interest. The vast majority of current schemes for control and state estimation of such systems are either applicable to local motion due to singularities, or they are unstable in the sense of Lyapunov, or they require discontinuous or hybrid control schemes that cannot be implemented by attitude actuators that can only provide continuous inputs. Technical challenges that can be overcome with the nonlinear estimation and control techniques that I have developed include robustness to uncertainties in the dynamics; coupled control, power and communication constraints; actuator constraints; and control and estimation of system states and uncertain inputs over large ranges of possible motions.

Courses Taught:

Courses taught at NMSU from fall 2013 till spring 2015 are:

  • AE 362 (Orbital Mechanics)
  • ME 452 (Control System Design)
  • AE 561/ME 405 (Spacecraft Dynamics and Control)
  • AE/ME 527 (Control of Mechanical Systems)
  • AE/ME 529 (Nonlinear and Optimal Control)
  • ME 580 (Numerical Analysis II)

Courses taught at Syracuse University from fall 2015 are:

  • AEE 577 (Introduction to Space Flight)
  • MEE 725 (Advanced Engineering Dynamics)
  • MAE 312 (Engineering Analysis)
  • MAE 675 (Methods of Analysis)
  • MAE 700 (Advanced Nonlinear Control)
  • MAE 600/700 (Spacecraft Dynamics and Control)

Honors:

  • 2001 Distinguished Graduate Student Masters Research Award, Texas A & M University.
  • 2002 College of Engineering Fellowship, University of Michigan.
  • 2003 Engineering Academic Scholar Certificate, College of Engineering, University of Michigan.
  • 2012 Summer Faculty Fellow, Air Force Research Laboratory.
  • 2013 AIAA Senior Member.
  • 2015 IEEE Senior Member.

Selected Publications:

R. Hamrah, R. Warier, and A. K. Sanyal, “Finite-time stable estimator for attitude motion in the presence of bias in angular velocity measurements,” to appear in Automatica, in press, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.automatica.2021.109815.

A. K. Sanyal, “Data-Driven  Discrete-time  Control  with  H¨older-Continuous  Real-time  Learning,” to appear in International Journal of Control, 2021, doi: 10.1080/00207179.2021.1901993; arXiv version available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.05288.

R. Hamrah and  A. K. Sanyal,  “Finite-time  Stable  Tracking  Control  for  an  Underactuated  System  in SE(3) in Discrete Time,” International Journal of Control, published online: 11/09/2020, doi: 10.1080/00207179.2020.1841299.

X. Li, A. K. Sanyal, R. R. Warier, and D. Qiao, “Landing of hopping rovers on Irregularly-shaped small bodies using attitude control,” Advances in Space Research, vol. 65(11), pp. 2674-2691, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2020.02.029.

R. R. Warier, A. K. Sanyal, and S. P. Viswanathan, “Finite Time Stable Attitude Estimation of Rigid Bodies With Unknown Dynamics,” Asian Journal of Control, vol. 21(4), pp. 1522-1530, 2019, doi: 10.1002/asjc.2089.

X. Li, R. R. Warier, A. K. Sanyal, and D. Qiao, “Trajectory Tracking Near Small Bodies Using Only Attitude Control and Orbit-Attitude Coupling,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, published online, doi: 10.2514/1.G003653. JGCD-G003653_online

S. P. Viswanathan and A. K. Sanyal, “Adaptive Singularity-free Control Moment Gyroscopes,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 2018, doi: 10.2514/1.G003545. ASCMG-JGCD-final

S. P. Viswanathan, A. K. Sanyal and E. Samiei, “Integrated Guidance and Feedback Control of Underactuated Robotics System in SE(3),” Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems, vol. 89, pp. 251-263, 2018, doi: 10.1007/s10846-017-0547-0.JIRS-FinalPub-Print

A. Siravuru, S. P. Viswanathan, K. Sreenath and A. K. Sanyal, “The Reaction Mass Biped: Geometric Mechanics and Control,” Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems, vol. 89, pp. 155-173, 2018.JIRS-RMB

Mehmet Sarimurat

Research interests

  • Multiphysics modeling and simulation
  • Turbomachinery/Aircraft propulsion
  • Air management system design and optimization
  • Computational and experimental aero-acoustics

Teaching Interests

  • MAE571 Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics

Patents

  1. Rau, Mark Patrick, Mehmet N. Sarimurat, and Ryan K. Dygert. “Double inlet backward curved blower.” U.S. Patent No. 11,041,502. 22 Jun. 2021.
  2. Sarimurat, Mehmet N., and Thong Q. Dang. “Compact, high-efficiency air handling unit for residential HVAC systems” World Intellectual Property Organizations, Patent Application No WO2021003211, 2021
  3. Bushnell, Peter R., Yu H. Chen, and Mehmet N. Sarimurat. “Temperature-controlled cargo container with air distribution.” U.S. Patent No. 9,233,791. 12 Jan. 2016.
  4. Sarimurat, Mehmet N., Peter R. Bushnell, and Lee G. Tetu. “Inducer fan assembly for a furnace.” U.S. Patent No. 8,584,664. 19 Nov. 2013.

Journal Papers

  1. M.N. Sarimurat and T. Q. Dang “An Analytical Model for Boundary Layer Control via Steady Blowing and its Application to NACA-65-410 Cascade”, ASME Journal of Turbomachinery, Vol. 136, No. 6 (2014): 061011, doi: 10.1115/1.4025585
  2. M.N. Sarimurat and T. Q. Dang “Shock Management in Diverging Flow Passages by Blowing/Suction Part 1: Quasi-1D Theory”, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 28, Issue 6, 2012, pp. 1222-1229, doi: 10.2514/1.B34136
  3. M.N. Sarimurat and T. Q. Dang “Shock Management in Diverging Flow Passages by Blowing/Suction Part 2: Applications”, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 28, Issue 6, 2012, pp.1230-1242, doi: 10.2514/1.B34137

Publications

  1. M.N. Sarimurat “An Analytical Investigation of Flow Blowing into Compressible Main Flow”, ASME-GT2017-64907, ASME Turbo Expo, 2017, Charlotte, NC
  2. M.N. Sarimurat and T. Q. Dang “An Analytical Model for Boundary Layer Control via Steady Blowing and its Application to NACA-65-410 Cascade”, ASME-GT2013-95342, ASME Turbo Expo, 2013, San Antonio, TX

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. Student Awarded National Science Foundation INTERN Grant for Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Sajag Poudel

Mechanical and aerospace engineering Ph.D. student Sajag Poudel and Professor Shalabh Maroo in the College of Engineering and Computer Science were awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) INTERN grant to support Poudel’s research internship at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Fall 2021 semester.

Oak Ridge will provide Poudel with the opportunity to explore potential ways to reduce energy waste from power generators and improve thermal management in buildings.

“We are hoping to break the limit of where we can go,” said Poudel. “It will help us be able to solve different issues related to energy.”

Poudel will be researching new types of devices that can be used in heat transfer and energy management to enhance efficiency. Oak Ridge has some of the best facilities in the world for testing energy conversion devices up to 1500 degrees Celsius.

“We can go to the micron or nanometer scale to understand the physics of heat transfer as we develop new ideas,” said Poudel. “If we can reduce the associated losses, a lot of energy can be saved.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Sajag to further advance his skillset, knowledge base and experience before he graduates with his doctoral degree next year,” said Maroo. “He took the initiative in reaching out to national labs, NASA and industry for internship opportunities and I applaud his efforts. Sajag also had interest in collaborating from NASA AMES but did not pursue further as it was remote-only. I am thankful to NSF for supporting his internship at Oak Ridge.”

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Teng Zhang Develops Model to Shape the Future of Pasta and Sustainability

Pasta dough being stamped

Like pasta, the pursuit of global environmental sustainability takes many shapes. In a paper titled “Morphing Pasta and Beyond” published as the cover story in the May 2021 issues of Science Advances, researchers found a way to redesign noodles as flat structures that transform into three-dimensional shapes when cooked. Considering humanity’s appetite, it is a breakthrough that could move us toward a green future.

After it is cooked, the noodles look and taste like traditional pasta, but the flat redesigned noodles can be fit into more compact packaging. Smaller packages requiring less material would reduce waste and save space during transportation. Moreover, these shape-shifting carbs could lead to lower carbon emissions.

“Cooking pasta takes energy. This method can shorten the cooking time and that could also contribute to sustainability,” said mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Teng Zhang who was a co-author of the study.

The project has been a long-term collaboration between Zhang and Lining Yao, Director of the Morphing Matter Lab at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), other researchers at CMU and Zhejiang University. To achieve morphing, grooves are strategically pressed into the surface of smooth, flat dough. In boiling water, the modified grooved side of the dough expands less than the smooth side thereby morphing the dough into more familiar contorted and tubular noodle shapes.

Yao’s team learned grooves in the pasta would be an effective way to control the shape morphing, but initially they could not explain why. Zhang developed a computer model that explained why altering the surface texture would work.

“The final product can have an impact on sustainability, and to achieve this morphing it is an excellent mechanics problem,” said Zhang. “The modeling and simulation of pasta morphing was very challenging. Sometimes you would run a simulation and the simulation would just stop. It took us a long time to find the right platform and the right code to set up the model to get a result.”

Zhang’s model uncovered the working mechanism of the research team’s grooved-based approach, which could be a practical solution for the food industry. The next challenge from a modeling standpoint will be to develop a more complex and accurate model that will look at how production of the pasta and cooking technique influence the material structure.

“Now we want to improve the accuracy of the model. How the manufacturing process and the cooking process will modify the material property,” said Zhang. “We want to include the whole process in the modeling platform.”

Zhang’s research was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Five Questions with IBM Senior Vice President Bob Lord ‘85

IBM Senior Vice President Bob Lord

2021 Engineering and Computer Science convocation speaker Bob Lord ’85 is IBM’s Senior Vice President, Worldwide Ecosystems.

He is focused on ensuring the success of IBM customers, partners and developers using the company’s hybrid cloud and AI software as well as The Weather Company, which is an IBM business.

At the center of Bob’s work is a commitment to the open source community. He is responsible for IBM’s participation and leadership in dozens of open source communities; contribution and donation of open source code; and overall industry advocacy. A prime example is Call for Code, which Bob launched in 2018 to give developers and problem solvers access to IBM tools and technologies as a means to solve global, societal challenges. Since launch, over 400,000 developers and problem solvers from over 179 nations have built solutions for an immediate and lasting impact in society.

We asked Bob five questions about his experience at Syracuse and advice for current undergrads:

How did you know Syracuse University was the best place for your undergraduate degree?

From the moment I stepped on campus nearly four decades ago, I knew Syracuse was the place for me.

Without question it was the perfect undergraduate environment because it provided so many opportunities for me to discover what I was most passionate about. I wasn’t pigeonholed into one area of study at the tender age of 18, but rather was encouraged to take advantage of the many options available at SU. And without that breadth of exposure, who knows… maybe instead of speaking to new graduates of the College of Engineering and Computer Science this past weekend I might have become a dentist or criminal defense lawyer, which I explored as a freshman. SU helped me realize what I wanted to become, but more importantly allowed me to decide what I didn’t want to do.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time on campus as a student?

There are so many great memories. I’ll start at the beginning: move-in day my freshman year. My dad dropped me at Kimmel Hall alone for the first time in my life. But just as that reality began to set in, my new roommate arrived, followed by a slew of other new students. I quickly realized I was surrounded by people who were going through the same thing as me. That was the day I began to build some of the most enduring friendships of my life… friendships that remain strong to this day and I will be eternally grateful for.

It was also the day that I was first introduced to a population that was much more diverse than my Catholic neighborhood in Northern New Jersey. It was the beginning of my understanding of the power of diversity and inclusion. The more I learned from others, the more critical my thinking became and the more I grew as a human being.

How did your Syracuse experience help you in the early stages of your career?

I credit Syracuse for getting my career started. I was fortunate to be accepted into the engineering co-op program, so in the summers I would work at General Motors as a shift supervisor and engineer. Being immersed in that setting had a powerful effect on me. It validated that I was absolutely on the right career path, exposed me to a high-performance workplace, and gave me the relevant experience and confidence I needed to ultimately land a full-time position as an industrial engineer at Corning Glass Works.

I had countless experiences as an undergrad that equipped me to succeed in my first job and that I draw upon to this day. For instance, thanks to the rigorous and challenging course load that had me in Bird Library so much, I developed the skill of managing massive volumes of work, prioritizing what required immediate attention and developing a systematic approach to completing assignments.

What are some of the lasting influences Syracuse University has had on you?

That’s easy. I met my wife of 29 years, Robin, at Syracuse. Talk about a lasting influence! Both of my daughters also went to SU, and in fact my youngest graduated this weekend with a dual degree from the Falk and Whitman schools. I suppose you could say orange runs through the Lord family and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I also attribute much of my development as a person and as a leader to what I learned during my formative years at Syracuse. It’s where the seeds of what I now refer to as a “growth mindset” were planted – something I strive to embrace in both my personal and professional life. It can be summarized by three core tenets:

First, be a problem solver, not a problem explainer. The world doesn’t need more people to talk about the problems we’re faced with; we need people who will take action. This was ingrained in me at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, where we were presented with problems and held accountable to finding solutions. And it’s why I’m so passionate now about initiatives like Call for Code.

Second, learn it all, don’t know it all. At Syracuse, I got a healthy dose of humility early on, and it became quickly apparent that I had SO much to learn. Once I accepted that, I experienced exponential growth, and I’ve committed myself to being a perpetual student to learn all that I can.

Third, be open and transparent. Some of the best development of my life has come from constructive criticism. It’s something I was no stranger to at Syracuse and I’ve found that accepting feedback as helpful guidance has gotten me a lot further than being defensive and viewing it as an attack. On the flipside, as a manager I take care to provide candid feedback to those around me so they may also grow.

What advice would you give to current engineering and computer science students?

I cannot emphasize enough to current students that they have a golden opportunity. They have the ability to take advantage of all this world-class institution has to offer, from renowned educators and facilities, to innovative programs and activities, and an array of courses and experiences. Seize that opportunity!

Go beyond your comfort zone, keep an open mind, and challenge yourself. Take electives that force you to learn something completely different and trigger another part of your brain. Explore ways you can get exposure to the industry’s best and brightest, like through the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars. Join clubs and pursue activities that pique your interest or that you’re even just mildly curious about because it may ignite a passion you didn’t know existed.

All of these things will contribute to the quest I encourage you all to pursue: to find your purpose, and to begin charting a path to develop skills you can apply in service of that purpose.

This is perhaps the only time in your life you’ll be able to partake in such a wide range of experiences in a condensed period of time. Don’t let it pass you by. Trust me, you’ll find yourself frequently drawing upon those experiences for years to come.

A Lifetime of Service: Remembering Dean Emeritus Bradley Strait ’58, G’60, G’65

Dean Emeritus Brad Strait

For many years Dean Emeritus Bradley Strait ’58, G’60, G’65 led the Syracuse University academic procession at Syracuse University’s commencement as the Mace Bearer. The Mace Bearer is a role that recognizes the importance of the University’s mission as an education institution. It was also a role that symbolized Strait’s relationship of more than 60 years with the College of Engineering and Computer Science, helping lead students, faculty, research and academic programs forward.

“Brad exemplified what it means to be Orange.  I do not know anyone else who commanded such complete respect across campus than he did,” says electrical engineering and computer science Professor Shiu-Kai Chin ’75, G’78, G’86.

Strait passed away in his hometown of Canandaigua, NY on May 6th, 2021. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a student, professor and as dean of the College from 1981-1984 and again from 1989-1992.

He came to Syracuse University after serving in the U.S. Navy from 1951-1955 as an electronics technician. After being discharged, he studied electrical engineering. Syracuse University Life Trustee Charles Beach ’58, G’67 was his roommate and fraternity brother in Phi Gamma Delta. They remained close friends for the next 67 years.

“He really bled orange. He loved Syracuse University, he loved teaching and loved his students,” says Beach.

While he was an undergraduate student, Strait met Nancy Brown, who was a student in the University’s College of Fine Arts. Brad and Nancy married in 1957 and graduated in 1958. They moved to the Syracuse suburb of Jamesville where they raised their children, Andy and Martha. Brad and Nancy later established the Jamesville Museum which collected important pieces of the town’s history and memories of its neighbors.

After graduation, Strait worked briefly at Eastman Kodak before returning to Syracuse for a master’s degree and his doctorate. He then became a faculty member known for taking extra time to work with students and young researchers and making sure they were successful in all aspects of their life, not just the classroom.

He was a member of the university’s world-renowned electromagnetics research group and became chair of the then department of electrical and computer engineering in 1974. One of his early hires was current electrical engineering and computer science Distinguished Professor Pramod K. Varshney.

“Brad did a marvelous job in his role as the leader of a premier department,” says Varshney. “As department chair, he established a close relationship with the Rome Air Development Center (now Air Force Research Laboratory) resulting in significant research funded by US Air Force at Syracuse University.”

“Brad was my first academic advisor when I came to SU in the Fall of 1971.  He remained a near and dear mentor throughout my academic career,” says Chin. “His advice to me was always straightforward and direct. Always do what is best for the academic program, always teach a course even if you are in a leadership role and remember that the people you see on the way up are the same people you see on the way down.”

Strait went on to serve as the Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science from 1981-1984 and 1989-1992. He was a relentless advocate and recruiter for Syracuse University, always looking to bring the best students and faculty to Central New York.

“Brad was one of the main reasons why I came to Syracuse University as a faculty member,” says mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Ed Bogucz. “Brad’s personality was a big factor.”

In addition to recruiting for academic roles, Strait was always recruiting for the College’s softball team and a weekly basketball league.

“Many of the players, including myself, were young people who looked at Brad as a role model of how to live an active and fulfilling life balancing family, employment, faith and active recreation,” says mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Alan Levy. “On the court Brad was a fierce competitor and, like all of us, he liked to win. But he was gracious in victory and defeat. Brad played in the game until he was about 80 years-old and he never lost his spark racing up and down that full court.”

Strait took pride in building connections across the university through softball games played against other colleges and departments.

“A lot of relationships were cemented by getting to know people during those games,” says Beach.

Always looking forward, Strait expanded collaborations with industry partners and worked to connect them with current research activity at Syracuse University. During his tenure as Dean, New York State designed the Centers of Advanced Technology (CAT) program and under Strait’s leadership the University received one of the 6 CATS. To make sure the center got off the ground, he left his Dean position and became the Founding Director of the Computer Applications and Software Engineering Center (CASE).

“He was instrumental in getting state funds to build the Center for Science and Technology (CST). Without his vision of CASE and his leadership, CST would not be built,” says Varshney. “CASE continues to flourish even today as a preeminent center that champions economic growth in the state of New York via its outstanding research activities with New York State.”

“When I became Dean of Engineering and Computer Science, I developed the concept for the Syracuse Center of Excellence following the approach that Brad had pioneered for the CASE Center,” says Bogucz.

Strait retired but always remained an active member of the Engineering and Computer Science family, serving as Dean Emeritus. He and Nancy also established the Bradley J. and Nancy B. Strait Scholarship to assist future generations of Syracuse University students.

He leaves behind a legacy of supporting and mentoring generations of young engineers and computer scientists. During a devoted life of service to Syracuse University, he provided guidance and encouragement at a crucial point in countless lives.

“I am forever blessed because he was part of my life. Those of us who are left must do our best to help the others who come after us like Brad did,” says Chin “Every time I am in the Dome during Commencement. I can still see Brad faithfully leading the procession as Mace Bearer guiding us to where we need to be.”

A memorial service at for Bradley Strait at Hendricks Chapel is planned for June 17th, 2021 at 5:00pm. A livestream of the event will be available.  

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Research Team Receives $1.5 Million NSF Grant to Establish Research Center for Solid-State Electric Power Storage at Syracuse University

Aerial View of Syracuse University

Mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Quinn Qiao and a research team from the College of Engineering and Computer Science received a $1.5 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and industry members to develop an Industry/University Collaborative Research Center (IUCRC) for solid-state electric power storage with a site at Syracuse University. Syracuse University will partner with South Dakota School of Mines & Technologies and Northeastern University to build this NSF-sponsored center. The center will focus on developing eco-friendly, safe, and economically feasible all-solid-state energy storage technology for portable and medical applications, automotive industry, centralized and decentralized electric grids, military applications, and energy security.

Potential research projects will include materials design and testing with particular focus on interface engineering, solid electrolytes development, electrode materials synthesis, advanced mathematical modeling, and in-situ imaging to characterize performance, manufacturing process testing, battery system development, and fabrication of intrinsically combined solar/battery devices. In addition to the study of traditional materials, the center will also explore those relevant to earlier stage design and development of promising newer glass ceramic materials.

“Energy storage is critically needed to deploy renewable energies such as solar and wind, as well as development of electric vehicles. Energy storage allows clean energy to be available when sunlight is unavailable at night or cloud days, or when wind is not sufficient,” said Qiao. “Current lithium batteries typically use liquid electrolytes that may lead to safety issues from explosions or fires.  This NSF IUCRC will provide Syracuse University a great platform to work with industry partners, which offers numerous opportunities for our faculty and students. Industry members will also help to guide the research directions and projects that will lead to commercialization of solid-state batteries. This center will also help us to build the Cluster for Materials for Energy Applications.”

The center will work closely with industry partners in New York, across the United States and globally to develop high capacity, fast charging, safe and cost-effective solid-state batteries. The batteries developed by the center will be aligned with the energy storage set by the State of New York: 1,500 Megawatts (MW) of energy storage by 2025 and 3,000 Megawatts (MW) by 2030.

Qiao will be the principal investigator and site director for the NSF award. Mechanical and aerospace engineering professors Jeongmin Ahn, Bing Dong, Shalabh Maroo, Weiwei Zheng, Teng Zhang and Jianshun Zhang will be co-co-principal investigators or senior investigators.

“Mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty have a tradition of conducting a quality research in energy systems,” said mechanical and engineering department chair Young B. Moon. “With the establishment of this center, the faculty plans to elevate the research to the next level of international prominence working with other faculty members at Syracuse University.”

“We are very excited about this new IUCRC center,” said Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs Dacheng Ren. It extends our established strength in energy research and elevates it to a higher level. Besides research innovation, the center also brings industry insights and new training opportunities for our students.”

“This center positions Syracuse University on the leading edge of solid-state power storage. It is not only a fast growing field but an increasingly important one as we look to meet the need for safer, higher capacity batteries,” said College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean J. Cole Smith.

Wearable Dehydration Monitoring Device Takes First Place at Invent@SU 2021

Students in the Invent@SU Program

For the first few weeks of Invent@SU, physics major Paul Franco ’22, aerospace engineering student Zach Stahl ’23 and computer science student Anthony Mazzacane ’24 were not always sure their concept would work out. They had identified a clear problem – 80% of NCAA athletes had suffered from dehydration but finding a solution was not simple. They wanted to design a wearable device that could monitor an athlete’s hydration level so coaches and trainers would have better information and keep athletes safe – but would also need to prove their invention worked.

“We knew the scientific principle worked, but in the first few weeks we had logistical problems with the prototype,” said Franco.

As they pushed forward, they leveraged their different skill sets to solve problems with sensors, data collection and a prototype model.

“Being interdisciplinary forces you out of your comfort zone in a really good way,” said Mazzacane.

“Sweatration” was one of seven interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate inventors competing in the six week Invent@SU program. Before the first week of the program, faculty help form three-person interdisciplinary teams that balance different skill sets. Each team comes up with a concept for an original invention, research existing patents to make sure their idea is unique, develop a prototype and pitch it to weekly guest evaluators before “Shark Tank” style final judging at the end of week six.

The Sweatration team was concerned that initial evaluators were skeptical and knew they needed to back up their idea with hard data. They also met with a Syracuse University athletic trainer to gain their input.

“After every time we pitched, I wanted as much feedback as we could get,” said Franco.

The trainer was very supportive of the idea and didn’t believe there was anything like it that existed currently. As their pitch improved, the technical challenges were also being overcome. During a week five test of their prototype at the Barnes Center, the team saw it was collecting meaningful data – and their prototype could reliably show when the wearer was getting dehydrated.

“We had improved the prototype for a better fit and better connections for the technology inside,” said Stahl. “When I saw it was delivering data and consistently indicating dehydration I was thrilled.”

The notable alumni, entrepreneurs and innovators who served as final judges awarded the Sweatration first place and a $7500 prize. They plan on continuing with their invention and will work with both the Blackstone Launchpad in Bird Library and the Innovation Law Center as they move forward.

Second place at Invent@SU went to Ambiflux – a device that can both monitor asthma conditions and deliver medication.

“It felt good that we were rewarded for all the time and energy we put into this,” said bioengineering and neuroscience major Victoria Hathaway ’22. “It is an important device that is needed for a real cause.”

“To see that the judges saw what we saw – it was very gratifying,” said computer engineering student Aidan Mickleburgh ’23. Mickleburgh is also in the H. John Reilly Dual Engineering/ MBA program.

“It felt nice they appreciated the way all the concepts and elements came together,” said chemical engineering student Trinity Coates ’24.

The third place went to Sense-A, a monitoring and alert device that can help people caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s Disease.

“It was a great experience, different from anything else I have done in college,” said computer science student Hong Yang Chen ’22. “Building a physical prototype was a great challenge.”

“Good feedback from judges and evaluators was very helpful and they saw the difficulties caregivers currently face,” said chemical engineering student Simran Lakhani ’22.

“We are definitely going to move forward with this and work with Blackstone Launchpad,” said biomedical engineering student Gabriela Angel ’21 G’22.

Honorable mention at Invent@SU went to Glisten. They designed a device aimed at helping people monitor their dental health at home and provide pre-diagnostic information to a dentist.

“To be able to research, design and build a functioning prototype in six weeks is intense, but the expertise of the faculty and the evaluators made it possible,” said bioengineering student Bianca Andrada ’22.

“Our team was a good balance of different skills and perspectives,” said industrial and interaction design major Ahn Dao ’23.

“We have a passion to keep the world smiling,” said biology student Justin Monaco ’21 G’22.

Invent@SU was sponsored by Syracuse University Trustee Bill Allyn G’59 and Janet “Penny” Jones Allyn ’60, Dr. Deborah L. Pearce and William J. Sheeran ’60, G’63, G’66, Matthew Lyons ’86, Haden Land G’91 and Cathy Land, Ralph Folz ,90, Michael Lazar G’65 and Avi Nash G’77. For more information on the program, you can visit invent.syr.edu.

Spring 2021 Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s List

In recognition of superior scholarship, the following students have been entered on the Engineering & Computer Science Dean’s List for Spring 2021.

To be eligible for Dean’s List recognition, the minimum semester grade point average must be 3.40 or higher, must have earned a minimum of 12 graded credits and must have no missing or incomplete grades.

College of Engineering and Computer Science Spring 2021 Dean’s List

Aerospace Engineering 

Zar Nigar Ahmad

Juanitta Acheampomah Bekoe

Justin Douglas Blowers

Madeline Constance Brooks

Richard L Bruschi

Jakob Samuel Bryant

Nishkreenchan Chowdhury

Owen P Clyne

Nicholas Daniel Crane

Brian James Cronin

Ryan Demis

Aleksandar Dzodic

Kaleb Jonah Eddy

Hans-Christian Esser

Jacob Fastov

Kassidy Fields

Christian Scott Fitzgerald

Benjamin Daniel Gerard

Alexandre J Gill

Sareta Rose Gladson

Jacob D Gomez

Hali Morgan Goodwin

Zachary William Haas

Aidan Hoff

Sydney F Jud

Hunter John Adam Knarr

Trevor Anthony Knight

Zachary Andrew Kubala

Thomas Matthew Lane

Isaac Alan Lehigh

Xinyu Liu

Powers Craig Lynch

Noah Martel

Maxwell Joseph Martin

William Armstrong Martin

Phillip Anthony Mazany

Mariana C McManus

Gian Ettore Mecca

Alexander T Metcalf

Romeo Michelson

John P Michinko

Vincent Anthony Miczek

Kendra Teresa Miller

Paul Robert Mokotoff

Evan Gregory Moore

Brendan Pierce Murty

Mark Namatsaliuk

Jarod I Okamura

Daniel Oluwalana

Randall McGinnis Osborn

David Dang Pham

Madeline G Phelan

Logan D Prye

Nicholas Christopher Richard

Brandon Walker Riley

Kip Risch-Andrews

Emily Muriel Rivard

Tracey Josephine Rochette

Andrew Douglas Rockafellow

Gregory Joseph Ruef

William J Saueressig

Fred Evan Schaffer

Justine John A Serdoncillo

Vraj Shah

Prabha Singh

Gregory C Slodysko Jr

Amanda Marie Stafford

Zachary Michael Stahl

Christopher Stawarski

Ethan J Stocum

Marco Svolinsky

Maria Tarulli

Richard A Tedeschi

Anthony R Tricarico

Cody Joseph VanNostrand

Nicklas M Vinci

Mason Alexander Weber

John T Whitney

Aliza Marie Willsey

Cameron M Woodbury

Melissa Yeung

Bioengineering 

Samantha Abate

Jordyn Danielle Abrams

Bianca Louise Andrada

Gabriela Angel

Colin J Babick

Eric A Benaroch

Paige Bencivenga

Ailla Frances Bishop

Anna Mae Brunson

Zeynep Sue Cakmak

Britnie Jean Carpentier

Jade Ashlee Carter

Elizabeth Ann Clarke

Mya R Cohen

Lukas Cook

Shane A Corridore

Linzy M Dineen

Anthony Mark Dragone

Alejandro J Durand

Jillian P Durand

Bailey M Felix

Mia-Marie Fields

Akweshie A Fon-Ndikum

Gabriela Renee Gonzalez-Beauchamp

Skyla Gordon

Grace Haas

Lauren Elizabeth Hamilton

Victoria Li Rui Hathaway

Brenna Henderson

Avinash Jagroo

Madeline Jones

Simran Karamchandani

Gabriel Khan

Mohamed F Khan

Sara Anne Leonardo

Isabelle S Lewis

Trevor Daniel Amnott Liimatainen

Xinyan Lin

Alejandra Eugenia Lopez

Ethan L Masters

Aelish McGivney

Ian G McHugh

Caitlin R Mehl

Lindy M Melegari

Connor G Mulligan

Hannah V Murphy

Alexander Patrick Musselman

Jeffrey Ng

Jonathan Ngo

Mark Nicola

Nicole E Nielsen

Matthew Evan Orlando

Megan Isabel Perlman

Natalie Marie Petryk

Connor Preston

Beatrice Elizabeth Reilly

Lillian Kilmer Rhuda

Gavin David Richards

Rebecca A Schaefer

Brielle L Seidel

Alyssa Shelburne

Adam M Spadafora

Justin N Stock

Elizabeth Tarami Su

Bearett Ann Tarris

Kimberly Tlayaca

Zhuoqi Tong

Edgardo Velazquez

Carly J Ward

Royce Robert Weber-Pierson

Nathaniel D Wellington

Maximillian Meier Wilderman

Haven M Wittmann

Lauren Margaret Woodford

Rui Xie

Alina Zdebska

Julian Marcus Smucker Zorn

Samantha Zysk

Chemical Engineering

Daud Ansarovich Abdullayev

Paige O Adebo

Keerthivanan Annadorai

Adriana M Archilla

Athena Andrea Basdekis

Lilly Basgall

Sandy Ynhu Cao

Karley M Chambers

Trinity Joy Coates

Olushola Coker

Hao Dai

Dennis Dao

Samantha Esparza

David Anthony Fikhman

Edward Coleman Fluker

Priya S Ganesh

Brent Tadao Gosselin

Hannah Grossman

Avery Gunderson

Oduduabasi James Isaiah

Aiden A Jacobs

Stanley Jimenez

Jake Tyler Jock

Sayf Karim

Laxmi Khatiwada

Adam J Klinger

Simran Dharmendra Lakhani

Gabriel Lipsitz

Nicole Helene Llewellyn

Rawia F A M Marafi

Angela L Martinez

Oliver Mutu

Thomas A O’Brien Jr

Sean O’toole

Fabiana Nohelia Perez

Seth Reed

Ryan Gordon Ryersen

Ivan Yankov Sarbinov

Jacob Matthew Shellhamer

Dakota Alexander Story

Jason Tan

Spencer T Tardy

Megan Varcoe

Briana Nicole Vlacich

Elizabeth M Wall

Connor Andrew Wescott

Melita Zejnilovic

Civil Engineering 

Orges Agolli

Cassie Agren

Anna Rose Arcaro

Nicole Ayora-Gonzalez

Lucas Bellandi

John Blum

Luke S Bonenberger

Arielle Bramble

Matthew Emmet Brewster

Emma Jane Brown

Alycia Joline Bruce

Joli L Cacciatore

Brett M Carney

Trevor Caviness

David Coghiel

Alejandro E Correa

Aymeric P Destree

Thomas Driscoll

Brendan Dwyer

Bradley Charles Frederick

Maraea K Garcia

Stephen Goffredo

Elliane Reut Greenberg

Alyssa Jeannine Griffin

Bensen Gu

Shawn G Gulamerian

Zelin Guo

Matthew Paul Hauser

Qifan He

Catherine E Henn

Maxwell J Karl

Joshua Michael Kaufman

Alexander Gregory Klee

Christopher J Klein

Adam Paul Landry

Abigail G Laschalt

Haben Legesse

Daniel Leyva

Emma Marie Liptrap

Emilija Alise Lizins

Erick Lojano-Quispe

Lluvia Margarita Lopez Garces

John M Mazza

Jessica M McGowan

Amira A Mouline

Mazin F Moya

Marissa R Nicole

Erin E O’Brien

Kevin B Ordonez

Gabriel Jacques Prepetit

Svetislav Radovic

Alexander David Ruppe

Isabella Salgado

Cassie Elizabeth Saracino

Stephanie D Schein

Emma Hayes Schoonover

Juha Wesley Schraden

Ravyn Smith

Caitlin Jane Spillane

Adrian Stiefelmann

Alec Spencer Thompson

Anand Veeraswamy

Christian Viola

Nathan Viramontes

Abigail Meghan Wischerath

Isabelle Wong

Paige H Yamane

Computer Engineering

Chikeluba K Anierobi

Malkiel Asher

Mergim Azemi

Gavin M Beaudry

Kyle J Betten

Jackson Thomas Bradley

Jinzhi Cai

Dynasty Da’Nasia Chance

Yifei Che

Dana Marie Castillo Chea

Guoliang Chen

Hossain Delwar

Xavier Evans

Elizabeth A Fatade

Aidan Robert Harrington

Mehak Jetly

Virkin Jimenez

Benjamin N Johnson

Bikash Khatiwoda

Nicholas Gerard Lee Landry

Jessica K Lat

Matthew B Leight

Jiaxiong Li

Nicholas Kent Magari

Kyle David Maiorana

Isabel M Melo

Nicholas J Mohan

Benjamin Hudson Murray

Jose L Olivera

Jiannuo Pei

Jessica A Reslan

Alfonso E Rivas

Brian Rodriguez

Daniel Rose

Samuel M Rosenthal

Hongyi Ruan

Alexander Segarra

Ritwik Takkar

Shu Wang

Ryan Wolff

Hanyi Xu

Renjie Xu

Ziyun Zhang

Andy Zheng

Computer Science 

Aaron Alakkadan

Sajjad Abdullah Albadri

Kwaku Amofah-Boafo

Giovanna Elizabeth Barsalona

Brian H Belluscio

Dazhi Bi

Maxwell William Hans Bockmann

Joshua Jordan Boucher

Spencer H Bradkin

Bryan Bladimir Bueno Reyes

Bryce Cable

Christopher Manuel Calderon Suarez

Liam M Calnan

Megan J Campbell

Yuecheng Cao

Abby Chapman

Jackie Chen

Runzhou Chen

Siyu Chen

Yixing Chen

Yuhao Chen

Doung Lan Cheung

Season Chowdhury

Konstantinos Chrysoulas

Matthew Cufari

William Stuart Devitt

Ting Dong

Russell Carl Doucet

Nathan B Fenske

Evan Garvey

Grant Thomas Gifford

Brianna S Gillfillian

Brian J Giusti

Justin S Glou

Justin Gluska

Dayong Gu

Tighe Gugerty

Alexander Peter-Anthony Haas

Athanasios Hadjidimoulas

Erika R Hall

Andrew Hamann

Jillian Elizabeth Handrahan

Miranda Rose Heard

Wendy Hesser

Cameron Hoechst

Laurel Howell

Jacob Howlett

Natalie Huang

Xuanye Huang

Nathakorn Jitngamplang

Michael Wesley Jones

Jamed K Kamara

Jaehun Kim

Ekaterina Kladova

Gavin William Kline

Polina Kozyreva

Miksam Kurumbang

Rami L Kuttab

Eric C Lee

Andy Li

Jiaqi Li

Ruowen Li

Arvin Lin

Haochen Lin

Erxi Liu

Jiaming Liu

Jing Liu

Junzhang Liu

Steven Liu

Tiara I Logan

Vikas Gautam Lohana

Cayden Thomas Lombard

Yiheng Lu

Runzhi Ma

Hunter O’Neal Malley

Kanoa Matton

Ryan M May

Anthony Louis Mazzacane

Noah Mechnig-Giordano

Preston Mohr

Thomas J Montfort

Jacob Morrison

Jovanni Nicholas Mosca

Andi Muhaxheri

Paige C Mundie

Krutartha Nagesh

Zoe Anne Neale

Maduakolam Nicholas Onyewu

Maya Ostoin

Daniel Pae

William Anderson Palin

Xiaofeng Pan

Michael J Panighetti

Brian Joseph Pellegrino

Siwei Peng

Anthony Perna

Fiona Colleen Powers Beggs

Akshay Hari Prasad

Shane Michael Race

Lauryn Ashley Rivers

Eric Rodriguez

Sadikshya Sanjel

Jonathan Lee Schwenk

Benjamin William Smrtic

Louanges Essohana Marlene Takou-Ayaoh

Melissa Li Tang

Jonathan Richard Constantine Templeton

Jonathan Ezra Thomas

Kyra Danielle Thomas

Griffin E Timm

Courtney Patricia Tuozzo

Randy C Vargas

Bermalyn Maricel Vicente

Christopher Mark Vinciguerra

Puxuan Wang

Ruobing Wang

Xinyi Wang

Robert Ward

Daniel Weaver

Jonathan Williams

Ethan Wong

Yurui Xiang

Yujie Xu

Chen Yang

Jintao Yang

Jishuo Yang

Stella R Yaunches

Elin J Yaworski

Yian Yu

Yulun Zeng

Chengyuan Zhang

Liaotianbao Zhang

Rixiang Zhang

Weikun Zhang

Zhiyuan Zhang

Hang Zhao

Junjie Zheng

Liuyu Zhou

Xinqian Zhou

Raymond Zhu

Sida Zhu

Joseph Patrick Zoll

Engineering Undeclared

Olivia R Conlin

Michael J McElroy

Electrical Engineering

Minghao Ai

Rebecca Corrine Andino

Tianle Bu

Kevin E Buciak

Yushang Cai

Vincent Alec Camarena

Arianna Maxine Cameron

Yuang Cao

Brendan Robert Ciarlone

Eli Aiden Clark

Nicholas Shawn Connolly

Alex Lev Cramer

Trevonne Davis

Henry C Duisberg

Nicholas Fazzone

Justin P Geary

Matthew R Gelinas

Christopher Gill

Jose I Ginorio

Jack Orlando Guida

Emerson Iannone

Jemma Mallia

Liam Fuller Marcato

Tyler Sean Marston

Zixun Nian  Nian

Kylie Elizabeth Nikolaus

Dylan D Palmer

Julia Pepin

Matthew Piciocchi

Stephen Joseph Rogers

Gilberto E Ruiz

Gabriel E Ruoff

Kayla Ann Saladyga

Jenna Mei Stapleton

Jaime S Sued Jr

Jared William Welch

Ernest C Whitbeck

Abigail Wile

Chongfang-James Xu

Zheyuan Zhang

Environmental Engineering

Ana Cristina Baez Gotay

Luke M Borden

Benjamin R Cavarra

Bessie Chen

Evan James Cibelli

Cambre Rae Codington

Elizabeth Bryant Cultra

Cameron Nicole Edwards

Anna Feldman

Allyson Greenberg

Jessenia Paola Guzman

Brady E Hartnett

Christopher Graham Harvey

Anna M Holdosh

Erica G Jenson

Eva Rose Kamman

Abigail Rose King

Nicholas Colin Axel Kohl

Birch Lazo-Murphy

Audrey B Liebhaber

Samuel Robert Livingston

Carleigh Ann Lutz

Kevin A Lynch

Jiayu Ma

Nicole A Mark

Molly M Matheson

Steph Ricky Millan

Sydney Mitchell

Matthew Edward Nosalek

Scott M Potter

Yongfang Qi

Kaura Yanse Reyes

Jacob Thomas Sardino

Mary H Schieman

Noah Michael Sherman

Husna M Tunje

Jacob M Tyler

Maria Antonia Villegas Botero

Anna Wojcik

Savannah Marie Wujastyk

Yifan Zhong

Qiuyu Zhou

Reilly Zink

Mechanical Engineering

Owyn Phillip Adams

Arfeen Armaghan

Joshua Carl Arndt

Arda Arslan

Rachael O Beresford

Charles Shaw Bowman

Arnaud Buard

Ryan G Burns

Adrian L Caballero

Alexander Joseph Callo

Joseph Timothy Capra

Caleigh J Casey

Rishov Chatterjee

Samuel Joseph Corrigan

Cooper P Crone

David Matthew Denneen

Madeline Doyle

Andrew J Esposito

Cameron Barry Frechette

Elan Fullmer

Clinton Edward Farina Garrahan

Samuel Ryan Getman

Emily Ann Greaney

David M Griffin

Connor Hayes

Zhao Jin

Dong Myeong Kang

Jeremy C Kang

Macauley J Kastner

Daniel Jacob Kenney

Finnian James Kery

Teagan L Kilian

Cherry Kim

Jason T King

Savannah Mae Kreppein

Elizabeth Marcy Kretzing

Trevor D Kroells

Lily Larkin

Peter Le Porin

Honorata Lubecka

Bei Luo

Katherine Elizabeth Macbain

Lauren Mack

Ryan Patrek Martineau

Sarah Ann Michael

Georgios Michopoulos

Leilah Miller

Nicholas Mink

Wiley Robert Moslow

Allison Mullen

Beau M Norris

Aidan T O’Brien

Nicholas Joseph Papaleo

Corey A Phung

Pei Ren

Aidan Riederich

Jeremy Vinton Rosh

Jeffrey Ryu

Colin Santangelo

Nitish Sachin Satpute

Nathan Schnider

Shane M Sefransky

William Kaspar Sherfey

Zachary Ryan Shuler

Eric Silfies

Nathaniel Slabaugh

Owen Nicholas Smith

Ian Storrs

Austin James Sumner

Yiyuan Sun

Matthew K Swanson

Ethan William Tracey

Evan R Tulsky

Taj Asim Whitney

Michael Wong

Tszho Wong

Sean T Wuestman

Maxwell James Yonkers

Xiaoqing Yu

Antony Zheng

Systems & Information Science

Yiyang Dai

Jonathan Richard Deiss

Rodcliff Hall

Skyler Marie Hall

Luke Gregory Hedges

Stacy Kim

Niara A Phoenix

Nadia Olivia Shelburne

Zachary Tyler Williams

Utpal Roy

Degree(s):

  • Ph.D., Purdue University

Research Interests:

  • Geometric tolerances
  • Solid modeling
  • Computer aided design and manufacturing
  • Intelligent CAD
  • Product design/Design & manufacturing
  • Sustainable manufacturing
  • Application of artificial intelligence

Teaching Interests:

  • CAD/CAM systems
  • Design for manufacturing

Honors:

  • Received the FIRST L. C. SMITH Award for Faculty Excellence, 2008
  • Selected as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Product Development from 2004
  • Selected as an Associate Editor for the SME’s Journal of Manufacturing Systems (JMS) from 2001-2004
  • 1993 Pi Tau Sigma Outstanding Professor in Mechanical Engineering Award

Select Publications:

“Enriching STEP Product Model with GD & T Information for 1-D Tolerance Analysis”, M. I. Sarigecili, U. Roy and S. Rachuri, the ASME Trans., The ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering (In press)

“Ontology-based Disassembly Information System for Enhancing Disassembly Planning and Design,” Bicheng Zhu and Utpal Roy, the International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, DOI 10.1007/s00170-014-6704-8, Jan 15, 2015

“Development and Utilization of a Product Information Model for Sustainable Manufacturing,” Heng Zhang, Bicheng Zhu, Omer Yaman and Utpal Roy, the SME Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 37, pp. 459-466, October 2015

“Information Models for Processing Product Life Cycle Functionalities and Interfaces for Sustainable Manufacturing”, Utpal Roy and Mehmet I. Sarigecili, the ASME Transactions, the ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, March, 2016, Vol. 16, pp. 011005-1 to 011005-11

“A Novel Use of Geo-solar Energy and Storage Technology (GEST) in Existing Housing Applications: A Conceptual Study,” Lowell E. Lingo, Jr. and Utpal Roy, submitted for publication in the ASCE Journal of Energy Engineering, May 10, 2016 (the direct link to the paper’s page: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29EY.1943-7897.0000271

“Design for Implementation Strategy for Designing a Sustainable Building Using the Geosolar Exergy Storage Technology (GEST): A Case Study,” Lowell E. Lingo, Jr. and Utpal Roy, ASCE Journal of Energy Engineering.

“Development of the Integrated Product Information Model for Product Sustainability Assessment,” U. Roy, M.M. Baysal, M.I. Sarigecili, M. Shuaib, Fazleena Badurdeen and I.S. Jawahir, International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2014.

“A Multi-Objective Optimization Methodology Towards Product Design for Sustainability,” Yunpeng Li and Utpal Roy, IJSEAM Special Issue in Sustainable Manufacturing (in press)

“Interpreting the Semantics of GD & T Specifications of a Product for Tolerance Analysis,” Mehmet I. Sarigecili, Utpal Roy and Sudarsan Rachuri, Computer-Aided Design, Vol. 47, pp. 72-84, 2014

“A Ground-Coupled Wall System for New and Existing Structures,” the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Trans., DA-13-004

“Disassembly Information Model Incorporating Dynamic Capabilities for Disassembly Sequence Generation,” Bicheng Zhu, Mehmet I. Sarigecili and Utpal Roy, Int. Journal of Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. 396-409, 2013

“A Disassembly Process Model for End-of-Life Activities of Manufactured Products, ” Mehmet Sarigecili, M. M. Baysal, B. Zhu and Utpal Roy, International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, Vol. 3, No.1, pp. 37-56, 2013

“Energy Management Between a Building Envelope and its Environment for Residential HVAC,” Lowell E. Lingo and Utpal Roy, ASCE Journal of Energy Engineering (in press; already available in electronic format, 10.1061/(ASCE)EY.1943-7897.0000149 , 04013023. , 2013.)

“A Multi-Objective Optimization Methodology Towards Product Design for Sustainability,” Yunpeng Li and Utpal Roy, IJSEAM Special Issue in Sustainable Manufacturing

“Role of Behavioral Analysis in the Product Repair and Replacement Process: the Preliminaries,” Utpal Roy and Lowell E. Lingo, Jr., International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 74 – 93, 2013

“A Ground-Coupled Wall System for New and Existing Structures,” Lowell E. Lingo and Utpal Roy, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASRAE) Transc., 2012

“Disassembly Process Model for End-of-Life (EOL) Activities for Manufactured Products,” Mehmet I. Sarigecili, Mehmet M. Baysal, Bicheng Zhu. and Utpal Roy, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2012

“Disassembly Information Model Incorporating Dynamic Capabilities for Disassembly Sequence Generation,” Bicheng Zhu, Mehmet I. Sarigecili, and Utpal Roy, Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 2012

Quinn Qiao

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006
  • M.S. Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Science, 2003
  • B.S. Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 1999

Research Interests:

  • Solar cells
  • Batteries
  • Biomedical sensors
  • Precision agriculture
  • Micro/nano fabrication

Current Research:

Dr. Qiao’s research focuses on photovoltaics, lithium metal/ion batteries, sensors, micro/nano manufacturing/fabrication, Food-Energy-Water (FEW) sustainability and precision agriculture technologies. He has published more than 200 peer reviewed papers in leading journals including Science, Nature Communications, Energy and Environmental Science, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Nanoscale, Joule, ACS Energy Letters, Nano Energy, etc. He has received more than $11M on research grants as PI or Co-PI from NSF, NASA, USAID, EDA, 3M, Agilent, Raven Industries, etc.

Honors:

  • 2018 Commercialization Award, SDSU
  • 2016 Faculty Excellence for Global Engagement in International Research, SDSU
  • 2015 Distinguished Researcher of the Year, SDSU
  • 2014 F O Butler Award for Excellence in Research, SDSU
  • 2014 Visiting Professorship from Hefei University of Technology, China.
  • 2013 Best Poster Award at 3rd International Conference on Nanotek and Expo, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
  • 2012 Best Paper Award, Inter-Continental Advanced Materials for Photonics (I-CAMP) Summer School on renewable and sustainable energy
  • 2012 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award
  • 2012 Young Investigator Award
  • 2010 NSF CAREER Award
  • 2009 Bergmann Memorial Research Award from US-Israel Binational Science Foundation
  • 2009 Doctor New Investigator Award from American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund
  • 2006 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Student Abroad, China Scholarship Council (CSC)
  • 2006 ASME Solar Energy Division Graduate Student Award

Select Publications:

Yi Hou, Erkan Aydin, Michele De Bastiani, Chuanxiao Xiao, Furkan H Isikgor, Ding-Jiang Xue, Bin Chen, Hao Chen, Behzad Bahrami, Ashraful H Chowdhury, Andrew Johnston, Se-Woong Baek, Ziru Huang, Mingyang Wei, Yitong Dong, Joel Troughton, Rawan Jalmood, Alessandro J Mirabelli, Thomas G Allen, Emmanuel Van Kerschaver, Makhsud I Saidaminov, Derya Baran, Qiquan Qiao, Kai Zhu, Stefaan De Wolf, Edward H Sargent, Efficient tandem solar cells with solution-processed perovskite on textured crystalline silicon, Science, 367 (2020) 1135-1140.

Rajesh Pathak, Ke Chen, Ashim Gurung, Khan Mamun Reza, Behzad Bahrami, Jyotshna Pokharel, Abiral Baniya, Wei He, Fan Wu, Yue Zhou, Kang Xu, Qiquan Quinn Qiao, Fluorinated hybrid solid-electrolyte-interphase for dendrite-free lithium deposition, Nature Communications, 11 (2020) 1-10.

Yinhua Lv, Ruihan Yuan, Bing Cai, Behzad Bahrami, Ashraful Haider Chowdhury, Chi Yang, Yihui Wu, Qiquan Qiao, Shengzhong Liu, Wen-Hua Zhang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., (2020). doi:10.1002/anie.201915928

Yilei Wu, Sebastian Schneider, Christopher Walter, Ashraful Haider Chowdhury, Behzad Bahrami, Hung-Chin Wu, Qiquan Qiao, Michael F Toney, Zhenan Bao, Fine-Tuning Semiconducting Polymer Self-Aggregation and Crystallinity Enables Optimal Morphology and High-Performance Printed All-Polymer Solar Cells, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142, 1, 392-406.

Md Ashiqur Rahman Laskar, Wenqin Luo, Nabin Ghimire, Ashraful Haider Chowdhury, Behzad Bahrami, Ashim Gurung, Khan Mamun Reza, Rajesh Pathak, Raja Sekhar Bobba, Buddhi Sagar Lamsal, Ke Chen, Md Tawabur Rahman, Sheikh Ifatur Rahman, Khalid Emshadi, Tingting Xu, Mao Liang, Wen‐Hua Zhang, Qiquan Qiao, Phenylhydrazinium Iodide for Surface Passivation and Defects Suppression in Perovskite Solar Cell, Advanced Functional Materials, 2020, 2000778. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202000778

Rajesh Pathak, Ke Chen, Ashim Gurung, Khan Mamun Reza, Behzad Bahrami, Fan Wu, Ashraf Chaudhary, Nabin Ghimire, Bin Zhou, Wen‐Hua Zhang, Yue Zhou, Qiquan Qiao, Ultrathin Bilayer of Graphite/SiO2 as Solid Interface for Reviving Li Metal Anode, Advanced Energy Materials, 9 (2019) 1901486.

Fan Wu, Rajesh Pathak, Ke Chen, Guiqiang Wang, Behzad Bahrami, Wen-Hua Zhang, Qiquan Qiao, Inverted Current-Voltage Hysteresis in Perovskite Solar Cells, ACS Energy Letters, 3(10):2457-2460, 2018.

Hytham Elbohy, Behzad Bahrami, Sally Mabrouk, Khan Mamun Reza, Ashim Gurung, Rajesh Pathak, Mao Liang, Qiquan Qiao, and Kai Zhu. Tuning Hole Transport Layer Using Urea for High‐Performance Perovskite Solar Cells. Advanced Functional Materials, 2019, 29, 1806740. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201806740.

Evan T Vickers, Thomas A Graham, Ashraful H Chowdhury, Behzad Bahrami, Benjamin W Dreskin, Sarah Lindley, Sara Bonabi Naghadeh, Qiquan Qiao, Jin Z Zhang, Improving charge carrier delocalization in perovskite quantum dots by surface passivation with conductive aromatic ligands, ACS Energy Letters, 3 (2018) 2931-2939.

Ashim Gurung, Qiquan Qiao, Solar Charging Batteries: Advances, Challenges, and Opportunities, Joule, 2 (7), 1217-1230, 2018.

Md Faisal Kabir, Md Tawabur Rahman, Ashim Gurung, and Qiquan Qiao, Electrochemical Phosphate Sensors using Silver Nanowires Treated Screen Printed Electrodes, IEEE Sensors Journal, 18 (9), 3480-3485, 2018.

Upendra Neupane, Behzad Bahrami, Matt Biesecker, Mahdi Farrokh Baroughi, and Qiquan Qiao, Kinetic Monte Carlo Modeling on Organic Solar Cells: Domain Size, Donor-Acceptor Ratio and Thickness, Nano Energy, 35, 128-137, 2017.

Roya Naderi, Ashim Gurung, Zhengping Zhou, Geetha Varnekar, Ke Chen, Jiantao Zai, Xuefeng Qian, Qiquan Qiao, Activation of passive nano-fillers in composite polymer electrolyte for higher performance lithium ion batteries, Advanced Sustainable Systems, 1, 8, 1700043, 2017.

Ashim Gurung, Ke Chen, Geetha Varnekar, Reza Khan, Salem Saad Abdulkarim, Rajesh Pathak, Roya Naderi, Qiquan Qiao, Highly Efficient Perovskite Solar Cell Photo-Charging of Lithium Ion Battery using DC-DC Booster, Advanced Energy Materials, 1602105, 2017.

Mukesh Kumar, Ashish Dubey, Nirmal Adhikari, Swaminathan Venkatesan and Qiquan Qiao, Strategic review of secondary phases, defects and defect-complexes in kesterite CZTS-Se solar cells, Energy & Environmental Science, 8, 3134-3159, 2015.

Qi Wang, Iain W. H. Oswald, Xiaolong Yang, Guijiang Zhou, Huiping Jia, , Qiquan Qiao, Yonghua Chen, Jason Hoshikawa-Halbert, Bruce E. Gnade, A Non-Doped Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Device with Above 31% External Quantum Efficiency, Advanced Materials, 26: 8107–8113, 2014, doi: 10.1002/adma.201402947 .

Jing Li, Min Yan, Yu Xie, and Qiquan Qiao, Linker Effects on Optoelectronic Properties of Alternate Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymers. Energy & Environmental Science, 4 (10), 4276-4283, 2011.

Mahbube Siddiki, Jing Li, David Galipeau, and Qiquan Qiao*, A review of polymer multijunction solar cells (invited review, among top ten most-read paper in July 2010). Energy & Environmental Science, 3(7): p. 867-883, 2010.

Prakash Joshi, Yu Xie, Mike Ropp, David Galipeau, Shelia Bailey, and Qiquan Qiao. Dye-sensitized Solar Cells based on Low Cost Nanoscale Carbon/TiO2 Composite Counter Electrode. Energy & Environmental Science (invited and cover article, among top ten most-read paper in August 2010), 2, 426 – 429, 2009.

Prasad Taranekar, Qiquan Qiao, Hui Jiang, Ion Ghiviriga, Kirk S. Schanze, and John R. Reynolds, Hyperbranched Conjugated Polyelectrolyte Bilayers for Solar-Cell Applications, Journal of the American Chemical Society (communication), 129(29), pp 8958 – 8959, 2007.

Young B. Moon

Degree(s):

  • Ph.D., Purdue University
  • M.S., Stanford University
  • B.S., Seoul National University

Areas of Expertise:

  • Cyber-Manufacturing Systems
  • Cyber-Manufacturing Security
  • Systems Modeling and Simulation
  • Application of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
  • Sustainable Product Realization Processes and Systems

Professor Moon teaches courses and conducts research in the areas of Cyber-Manufacturing Systems, Cyber-Manufacturing Security, Sustainable Manufacturing, Product Realization Processes and Systems, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems, Systems Modeling and Simulation, Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and Application of Machine Learning. He has had extensive interactions with industry and has published over 120 journal and conference publications. He is on Editorial Board for several international journals. He is active in a variety of capacities with numerous professional organizations including ASME, INCOSE, ABET, ASEE, IFIP and SME. Moon is a licensed P.E. (Professional Engineer) registered in the state of New York, a CFPIM (Certified Fellow in Production and Inventory Management), and a CMfgE (Certified Manufacturing Engineer). A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Moon has held visiting positions in various organizations across the globe.

Honors and Awards:

  • Outstanding Service Award from INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering)

Selected Publications:

Espinoza-Zelaya, C. and Y.B. Moon, “Resilience Enhancing Mechanisms for Cyber-Manufacturing Systems against Cyber-Attacks,” The 10th IFAC Triennial Conference on Manufacturing Modeling, Management and Control (MIM 2022), Nantes, France, June 22–24, 2022.

Prasad, R. and Y.B. Moon, “Architecture for Preventing and Detecting Cyber-Attacks in Cyber-Manufacturing Systems,” The 10th IFAC Triennial Conference on Manufacturing Modeling, Management and Control (MIM 2022), Nantes, France, June 22–24, 2022.

Song, J., Wang, J. and Y.B. Moon, “Blockchain Applications in Manufacturing Systems: A Survey,” Proceedings of the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Virtual, November 1–4, 2021.

Wu, M., Song, J., Sharma, S., Di, J., He, B., Wang, Z., Zhang, J., Lin, L., Greaney, E., and Y.B. Moon, “Development of Testbed for Cyber-Manufacturing Security Issues,” International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 302–320, 2020.

Wu, M. and Y.B. Moon, “Alert Correlation for Detecting Cyber-Manufacturing Attacks and Intrusions,” Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering, Transactions of the ASME, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 011004-1–011004-12, 2020.

Wu, M., Song, Z., and Y.B. Moon, “Detecting Cyber-Physical Attacks in CyberManufacturing Systems with Machine Learning Methods,” Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, vol. 30, no 3, pp. 1111–1123, 2019.

Wu, M. and Y.B. Moon, “Intrusion Detection for Cyber-Manufacturing System,” Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, Transactions of the ASME, vol. 141, no. 3, pp. 031007-1–031007-9, 2019.

Song, Z. and Y.B. Moon, “Sustainability Metrics for Assessing Manufacturing Systems: A Distance-to-Target Methodology,” Environment, Development and Sustainability, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 2811–2834, 2019.

Wu, M. and Y.B. Moon, “DACDI (Define, Audit, Correlate, Disclose, and Improve) Framework to Address Cyber-Manufacturing Attacks and Intrusions,” Special Issue on Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing, Manufacturing Letters, vol. 15, Part B, pp. 155–159, 2018.

Moon, Y.B., “Simulation Modeling for Sustainability: A Review of the Literature,” International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 2–19, 2017.

Moon, Y.B., “Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): A Review of the Literature,” International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 235–264, 2007.

Shalabh C. Maroo

Degrees/Post-doc:

  • Post-doctoral Associate, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2010-2011
  • Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 2009
  • M.S. (thesis) in Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 2006
  • B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, 2003

Lab/Center Affiliations:

  • Syracuse Center of Excellence

Areas of Expertise:

  • Thermal management
  • Heat transfer
  • Nano and micro-technology
  • Energy conversion
  • Desalination

Energy and water are two of the most important necessities to maintain global security, prosperity and equity in human civilization. The global energy use is estimated to increase by ~60% while nearly 4 billion people are expected to live under severe water stress by 2050. Drinking water production from seawater is a highly energy intensive process and is inherently coupled with increased energy consumption. Thus, energy efficiency plays an ever more important and critical role in limiting energy demand growth. My research primarily focuses on two fundamental aspects of science and engineering which manifests into a wide variety of applications: 1) thermal management and energy conversion, and 2) water desalination. My research group at Syracuse University is highly multidisciplinary which conducts experiments, nano/micro scale fabrication, and performs molecular and continuum numerical simulations, in the areas of thermal management, heat transfer, energy conversion, transport phenomena, desalination, and optics.

Honors:

  • 2015 NSF CAREER Award

Selected Publications:

  • Sajag Poudel, An Zou & Shalabh C. Maroo, Thermal Management of Photovoltaics using Porous Nanochannels, ACS Energy & Fuels, 36, 8, 4549–4556, 2022
  • An Zou, Manish Gupta, and Shalabh C. Maroo, Passive nano-heat pipes for cooling and thermal management of electronics and power conversion devices, US Patent 10,881,034
  • Sajag Poudel, An Zou & Shalabh C. Maroo, Disjoining Pressure Driven Transpiration in a Simulated Tree, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 616, 895-902, 2022
  • Durgesh Ranjan, An Zou & Shalabh C. Maroo, Vapor Generation via Porous Nanochannel Wicks, accepted for publication in Cell Reports Physical Science, 3, 2, 100738, 2022
  • An Zou, Sajag Poudel, Manish Gupta & Shalabh C. Maroo, Disjoining Pressure of Water in Nanochannels, Nano Letters, 21, 18, 7769–7774, 2021
  • Sajag Poudel, An Zou & Shalabh C. Maroo, Droplet Evaporation on Porous Nanochannels for High Heat Flux Dissipation, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13, 1, 1853–1860, 2021
  • An Zou, Manisha Gupta & Shalabh C. Maroo, Transpiration Mechanism in Confined Nanopores, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 11, 9, 3637-3641, 2020
  • An Zou, Manish Gupta & Shalabh C. Maroo, Origin, Evolution, and Movement of Microlayer in Pool Boiling, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 9 (14), 3863-3869, 2018
  • An Zou, Ashish Chanana, Amit Agrawal, Peter C.Wayner, Jr. & Shalabh C. Maroo, Steady State Vapor Bubble in Pool Boiling, Scientific Reports, 6, 20240 2016
  • Sumith YD & Shalabh C. Maroo, Surface-Heating Algorithm for Water at Nanoscale, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 6, p. 3765-3769, 2015
  • Joel L. Plawsky, Andrei G. Fedorov, Suresh V. Garimella, Hongbin B. Ma, Shalabh C. Maroo, Chen Li & Youngsuk Nam, Nano- and Microstructures for Thin-Film Evaporation – A Review, Nanoscale and Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, 18 (3), p. 251-269, 2014
  • Matthew McCarthy, Konstantinos Gerasopoulos, Shalabh C. Maroo & A. John Hart, Materials, Fabrication, and Manufacturing of Micro/Nanostructured Surfaces for Phase-Change Heat Transfer Enhancement, Nanoscale and Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, 18 (3), p. 288-310, 2014
  • An Zou & Shalabh C. Maroo, Critical Height of Micro/Nano Structures for Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Enhancement, Applied Physics Letters, 103, 221602, 2013
  • Rishi Raj, Shalabh C. Maroo & Evelyn N. Wang, Wettability of Graphene, Nano Letters, 13 (4), pp 1509–1515, 2013
  • Shalabh C. Maroo & D. Yogi Goswami, Theoretical Analysis of a Single-stage and Two-stage Solar Driven Flash Desalination System based on Passive Vacuum Generation, Desalination, 249 (2), 635-646, 2009
  • Shalabh C. Maroo & Jacob N. Chung, Molecular Dynamic Simulation of Platinum Heater and Associated Nano-scale Liquid Argon Film Evaporation and Colloidal Adsorption Characteristics, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 328 (1), 134, 2008

Xiyuan Liu

Degrees

  • Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University
  • M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, USA
  • B.S. Electrical Engineering and Automation, Hefei University of Technology, China

Areas of Expertise:

  • Microfluidics
  • Point of care diagnosis
  • Wearable biosensor

Xiyuan specializes in microfluidics, point-of-care diagnosis and flexible wearable biosensor development. Specifically, her work focuses on developing biosensing, lab-on-a-chip systems for the emerging applications in clinical diagnosis, wearable sensing and mobile heath (mHeath) technology.

Honors

  • Council of Graduate Student (COGS) Conference Reward, 2017
  • MSUFCU Award of Research Translation in Engineering Graduate Research Symposium, 2016
  • Recognition for Outstanding Research in Engineering Graduate Research Symposium, 2016
  • Annals of Biomedical Engineering Award – Most Downloaded Article, 2015

Selected Publications:

  • A. Kowalczewski, C.M. Sakolish, P. Hoang, X. Liu, S. Jacquir, I. Rusyn, Z, Ma. Integration of nonlinear analysis and machine learning for human iPSC-based drug cardiotoxicity testing. (2022) Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 16(8): 732-743.
  • X. Liu. Introducing Data Analytics into Mechanical Engineering Curriculum. Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education 2022 Annual Conference and Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022.
  • X. Liu. Implementation of interactive technology tools to improve students’ active learning and engagement in MATLAB programming. Extended Abstract of ASEE conference St. Lawrence section Annual Conference, Syracuse, NY, 2022
  • X. Liu and P.B. Lillehoj. Embroidered electrochemical sensors on gauze for rapid quantification of wound biomarkers. (2017) Biosensor and Bioelectronics, 98: 189-194.
  • X. Liu and P.B. Lillehoj. Embroidered electrochemical sensor for biomolecular detection. (2016) Lab on a Chip, 16:2093-98

Zhenyu Gan

Areas of Expertise:

  • Robotics
  • Legged Locomotion
  • Gait analysis
  • Multibody Dynamics
  • Control

My research interests lie at the intersection of robotics and nonlinear dynamics. I study mechanical systems with interesting dynamical behavior and apply the resulting findings to the control of robots. Examples of this include the study of different gaits in legged robots, as well as wearable robotic devices.

Honors and Awards:

  • The First Prize in Design, Engineering Graduate Symposium Award (2013)
  • The First Prize in National Advanced Graphical Skills and Innovations Contest (2010)
  • National Scholarship, China (2009)

Selected Publications:

  • Ding J, Moore TY, Gan Z. A Template Model Explains Jerboa Gait Transitions Across a Broad Range of Speeds. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022 Apr 27;10:804826. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.804826. PMID: 35600899; PMCID: PMC9121427.
  • Gan Z, Yesilevskiy Y, Zaytsev P, Remy C. All common bipedal gaits emerge from a single passive model. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. 2018 September 26; 15(146):20180455-. Available from: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2018.0455 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0455
  • Gan Z, Jiao Z, Remy C. On the Dynamic Similarity Between Bipeds and Quadrupeds: A Case Study on Bounding. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2018 October; 3(4):3614-3621. Available from: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8410025/ DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2018.2854923
  • Gan Z, Remy C. A passive dynamic quadruped that moves in a large variety of gaits. 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014); ; Chicago, IL, USA. IEEE; c2014. Available from: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6943255/ DOI: 10.1109/IROS.2014.6943255
  • Gan Z, Wiestner T, Weishaupt M, Waldern N, David Remy C. Passive Dynamics Explain Quadrupedal Walking, Trotting, and Tölting. Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics. 2016 March 01; 11(2):-. Available from: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/computationalnonlinear/article/doi/10.1115/1.4030622/472865/Passive-Dynamics-Explain-Quadrupedal-Walking DOI: 10.1115/1.4030622

Victor Duenas

Degrees:

  • Ph.D., 2018, University of Florida

Areas of Expertise:

  • Nonlinear and Adaptive Control
  • Rehabilitation Robotics
  • Powered Exoskeletons
  • Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)

Areas of expertise include design, analysis, and implementation of intelligent closed-loop control methods for physical human-robot interaction. Research interests involve an integration of powered lower-limb exoskeletons, motorized cycling, functional electrical stimulation (FES), wearable devices, and neuromuscular control.

Honors and Awards:

  • 2019 IEEE Control Systems Technology Award
  • MAE Department Best Dissertation Award 2018, University of Florida
  • 2016 Vodovnik Best Student Paper Award, Third Place International Conference of Electrical Stimulation Society

Selected Publications:

  • C. Chang, J. Casas, A. Sanyal, and V. H. Duenas, “Motorized FES-Cycling and Closed-Loop Nonlinear Control for Power Tracking using a Finite-Time Stable Torque Algorithm,” Front. Control Eng., Vol. 3, Article 910126,August 2022, doi: 10.3389/fcteg.2022.910126.
  • C. Chang, J. Casas, S. Brose, and V. H. Duenas, “Closed-loop Torque and Kinematic Control of a Hybrid Lower-limb Exoskeleton for Treadmill Walking,” Front. Robot. AI, Vol. 8, Article 702860, January 2022, doi: 10.3389/frobt.2021.702860.
  • C. Cousin, V. H. Duenas, and W. E. Dixon, “FES Cycling and Closed-Loop Feedback Control for Rehabilitative Human-Robot Interaction,” Robotics, Vol. 10, No. 61, 2021, doi.org/10.3390/robotics10020061.
  • V. H. Duenas, C. Cousin, V. Ghanbari, E. J. Fox, and W. E. Dixon, “Torque and Cadence Tracking in Functional Electrical Stimulation Induced Cycling using Passivity-Based Spatial Repetitive Learning Control,” Automatica, Vol. 115, May 2020, DOI:10.1016/j.automatica.2020.108852.

Bing Dong

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. in Building Performance and Diagnostics, Carnegie Mellon University
  • M.S. in Building Science, National University of Singapore
  • B.E. in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology

Lab/Center Affiliations:

  • Built Environment Science and Technology (BEST) Lab
  • Syracuse Center of Excellence in Energy and Environmental Systems

Research interests:

  • Modeling occupant behavior in buildings
  • Intelligent building operation
  • Fault detection and diagnostics
  • Buildings-to-grid integration
  • Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings
  • Urban mobility
  • Urban building energy modeling
  • Modeling and optimization of urban energy system
  • Human performance

Current Research:

Prof. Dong’s current research goal is to explore how smart buildings play an active role in urban scale cyber-physical energy system considering human behavior, renewable energy, energy storage, smart grid, health and resilience through physics-based modeling, optimization and controls, heterogeneous sensing and data-driven models. Current major research topics are: (1) Human-Building-Interactions including Detecting, Modeling and Simulating Occupant Behavior in Buildings and Behavior-driven Control and Optimization for Energy Systems and (2) System-level Modeling, Optimization and Control for Urban Built Environment including Buildings-to-Grid Integration Control and Optimization Framework, Modeling of Occupancy Behavior at a Community Level and Connect with other Urban Infrastructures and Community energy planning and management.

Major ongoing research projects are (1) NSF CAREER: Holistic Assessment of the Impacts of Connected Buildings and People on Community Energy Planning and Management, (2) Department of Energy – Argonne National Lab: Spatial-temporal data-driven weather and energy forecasting for improved implementation of advanced building controls, and (3) ARPA-E: Quantification of HVAC Energy Savings for Occupancy Sensing in Buildings through An Innovative Testing Methodology.

Teaching Interests:

  • HVAC design
  • Building performance modeling and diagnostics

Honors and Awards:

  • 2019 NSF CAREER Award
  • 2018 IBPSA-USA Emerging Contributor Award
  • 2017 Innovator of the Year, The University of Texas at San Antonio
  • 2017 Faculty Research Award, The University of Texas at San Antonio
  • 2017 Distinguished Service Award for IEA EBC Annex 66 Project
  • 2010 Isabel Sophia Liceaga Discretionary Fund Faculty Award, Carnegie Mellon University
  • 2009 Akram Midani Award, Carnegie Mellon University

Select Publications:

Dong, B., Liu, Y., Fontenot, H., Ouf, M., Osman, M., Chong, A., Qin, S., Salim, F., Xue, H., Yan, D. and Jin, Y., 2021. Occupant behavior modeling methods for resilient building design, operation and policy at urban scale: A review. Applied Energy, 293, p.116856.

Pang, Z., Chen, Y., Zhang, J., O’Neill, Z., Cheng, H. and Dong, B., 2021. How much HVAC energy could be saved from the occupant-centric smart home thermostat: A nationwide simulation study. Applied Energy283, p.116251.

Pang, Z., Chen, Y., Zhang, J., O’Neill, Z., Cheng, H. and Dong, B., 2020. Nationwide HVAC energy-saving potential quantification for office buildings with occupant-centric controls in various climates. Applied Energy279, p.115727.

Wu, W., Dong, B., Wang, Q.R., Kong, M., Yan, D., An, J. and Liu, Y., 2020. A novel mobility-based approach to derive urban-scale building occupant profiles and analyze impacts on building energy consumption. Applied Energy278, p.115656.

O’Brien, W., Wagner, A., Schweiker, M., Mahdavi, A., Day, J., Kjærgaard, M.B., Carlucci, S., Dong, B., Tahmasebi, F., Yan, D. and Hong, T., 2020. Introducing IEA EBC Annex 79: Key challenges and opportunities in the field of occupant-centric building design and operation. Building and Environment178, p.106738.

Wagner, A., O’Brien, W. and Dong, B. eds., 2018. Exploring Occupant Behavior in Buildings: Methods and Challenges. Springer.

Dong, B., Yan, D. Li, Z.*,Jin, Y., Feng, X.H., Fontenot, H. 2018. Modeling occupancy and behavior for better building design and operation—A critical review. In Building Simulation (in Press). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. (IF: 1.170)-Invited Paper: 10 Years Anniversary.

Dong, B., Li, Z.*, Taha, A. and Gatsis, N., 2018. Occupancy-based buildings-to-grid integration framework for smart and connected communities. Applied Energy, 219, pp.123-137.(IF: 7.182)

John F. Dannenhoffer III

Degree(s):

  • Sc.D., Computational Fluid Dynamics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987;
  • M.E., Aerospace Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1978;
  • B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1976

Lab/Center Affiliation(s):

  • Aerospace Computational Methods Lab (ACML)

Areas of Expertise:

  • Multi-disciplinary Analysis and Optimization (MDAO)
  • Computational Geometry (CG)
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Aerospace vehicle analysis and design

Dr. John Dannenhoffer is the principal author of the Engineering Sketch Pad (ESP), which is a computer-based system for the optimal design and analysis of complex configurations, such as aerospace vehicles.  ESP is a feature-based solid modeler that generates the fully-associative models needed for multi-fidelity and multi-disciplinary design and analysis.  A key feature of the ESP are that it is the first CAD-like system that directly provides the sensitivities needed for gradient-based optimization.  The ESP, which is available as an open-source projects, is in routine use by over a thousand users, in dozens of organizations.

Honors and Awards:

  • Syracuse University ECS Dean’s Award for Excellence in Engineering Education “in recognition of his creative use of active and engaging techniques in the classroom, development of teaching tools, and his unwavering commitment to the undergraduate program in Aerospace Engineering.” April 2016.
  • AIAA Shahyar Pirzadeh Memorial Award for Outstanding Paper in Meshing Visualization and Computational Environments for “Design Sensitivity Calculations Directly on CADBased Geometry”, 2015.
  • AIAA Shahyar Pirzadeh Memorial Award for Outstanding Paper in Meshing Visualization and Computational Environments for “Conservative Fitting for Multi-Disciplinary Analysis”, 2014.

Selected Publications:

  • Mokotoff, P.R., and Dannenhoffer, J.F., “GLOVES: A Graphical Layout of Vehicle Systems for the Engineering Sketch Pad”, AIAA-2022-3493, presented at the AIAA Aviation Meeting, June, 2022.
  • Dannenhoffer, J.F., “Parallelization Strategies for Efficiently Computing CFD-based Sensitivities for Design Optimization”, AIAA-2022-0971, presented at the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum, January 2022.
  • Dannenhoffer, J.F., and Bhagat, N., “Towards Modeling for Design: Using Real-time Collaborative Environment in CAPS”, AIAA-2022-2248, presented at the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum, January 2022.
  • Bryson, D.E., Haimes, R., and Dannenhoffer, J.F., “Toward the Realization of a Highly Integrated, Multidisciplinary, Multifidelity Design Environment”, AIAA-2019-2225, presented at AIAA SciTech 2019, January 2019.
  • Blum, M.M., and Dannenhoffer, J.F., “Integrated use of programming in Machine Design Course”, presented at the 124th ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, June 2017.
  • Dannenhoffer, J.F., “The Creation of a Static BRep Model Given a Cloud of Points”, AIAA-2017-0138, presented at the AIAA SciTech 2017, January 2017.
  • Dannenhoffer, J.F., and Haimes, R., “Using Design-Parameter Sensitivities in Adjoint-Based Design Environments”, AIAA-2017-0139, presented at the AIAA SciTech 2017, January 2017.
  • Dannenhoffer, J.F, and Green, M.A., “Use of a Full-motion Flight Simulator for Teaching Aircraft Performance and Dynamics”, AIAA-2017-0299, presented at the AIAA SciTech 2017, January 2017.
  • Alyanak, E., Durscher, R., Haimes, R., Dannenhoffer, J.F., Bhagat, N, and Allison, D., “Multi-fidelity Geometry-centric Multi-disciplinary Analysis for Design”, AIAA-2016-4007, presented at AIAA Aviation 2016, June 2016.
  • Dannenhoffer, J.F., and Haimes, R., “Design Sensitivity Calculations Directly on CAD-based Geometry”, AIAA-2015-1370, presented at AIAA SciTech 2015, January 2015.
  • Dannenhoffer, J.F., and Haimes, R., “Conservative Fitting for Multi-Disciplinary Analysis”, AIAA-2014-0294, presented at AIAA SciTech 2014, January 2014.
  • Haimes, R., and Dannenhoffer, J.F., “The Engineering Sketch Pad: A Solid-Modeling, Feature-Based, Web-Enabled System for Building Parametric Geometry”, AIAA-2013-3073, presented at the 21st AIAA Computational Fluid Dynamic Conference, June 2013.

Ed Bogucz

Degrees:

  • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 1985.
  • MSc, Heat Transfer Engineering, Imperial College, University of London, 1980.
  • BS, Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 1978.

Lab/Center Affiliation(s):

  • Executive Director, Syracuse Center of Excellence

Research Interests:

  • Energy efficiency of building technologies
  • Green building design, construction, and operation
  • Indoor environmental quality
  • Revitalization and resilience of urban neighborhood
  • Collaborative research and development
  • Regional economic development

Current Research:

Bogucz is Principal Investigator or co-PI, or has served in these roles, for projects totaling more $60 million to date from sponsors including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Economic Development Administration, NASA, National Science Foundation, NYSTAR, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Empire State Development, New York Power Authority, Carrier/United Technologies Corp., and National Grid.

Honors:

  • Leadership Award in the Non-Governmental Sector, awarded to SyracuseCoE by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2010.

Selected Publications:

Bogucz, E.A. “Driving innovations for data-driven built environments,” New York Academy of Sciences, May 30, 2012.

Hercules, J., Bogucz, E.A., Loomis, E., Queeley, D., “Show me the money: Advancing economic development goals with LEED-ND,” EcoDistricts Summit, Boston, Nov. 12, 2013.

Bogucz, E.A, Hollander, H., “The historical heritage of technology in Central New York,” John Edson Sweet Lecture, Technology Alliance of Central New York, Onondaga Community College, Dec. 10, 2013.

Bogucz, E.A., “Clean air for China, exported from New York: A case study in accelerating innovations for advanced buildings,” Advanced Energy 2014, Albany, NY, April 2014.

Bogucz, E.A., “Sustainable buildings—from local to global,” Syracuse University-Nanjing University 3rd Forum on Green Buildings and Urban Environments,” Syracuse, NY, Oct. 20, 2015.

Michelle M. Blum

Degrees:

  • May 2012 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
  • Jan. 2011 M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
  • May 2007 B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
  • May 2007 B.S., Physics, University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY

Areas of Expertise:

  • Engineering Education
  • Inquiry Based Learning Methods
  • Mechanical Characterization of Materials
  • Tribology & Lubrication

Dr. Blum is interested in research in improving undergraduate engineering education, including development of inquiry-based activities for first year engineering courses, improvement of student design projects, hands-on activities, professional skills development and inclusion and outreach activities. Her expertise includes developing inquiry-based educational materials that enables students to learn by actively engaging with course content, as well as creating streamlined materials for instructors. Dr. Blum also specializes in high performance materials development and characterization for tribological (friction and wear), structural, and biomedical applications.

Honors and Awards:

  • 2016 Syracuse University Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship Teaching Award
  • 2017 TACNY College Educator of the Year
  • 2017 SU Dean’s Award for Excellence in Engineering Education
  • 2018 The Filtertech, Pi Tau Sigma, and Sigma Gamma Tau Award for Excellence in Education in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
  • 2022 Award for Outstanding Assessment, Mechanical Engineering B.S. program, One University Assessment Awards.

Selected Publications:

  • Michelle M. Blum, An Inquiry-Based Introduction to Engineering, Published by Springer, 2022.
  • Dawn R. Johnson, Michelle M. Blum, Katharine E. Lewis, and Sharon W. Alestalo, Chapter Nineteen: Intersectionality as Praxis for Equity in STEM: A WiSE Women of Color Program, in Intersectionality & Higher Education: Theory, Research and Praxis, Second Edition, Published by Peter Lang, 2019.
  • K. Cadwell, M.M. Blum, C. Stokes-Cawley, J.M. Hasenwinkel, A Gateway Course Redesign Working Group Model, Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2018 Annual Conference and Exposition, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Blum M.M., Dannenhoffer, J.F., 2017, Integrated Use of Programing in Machine Design Course, Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2017 Annual Conference and Exposition, Columbus, OH.
  • Blum, M.M, Cadwell, K.D., Hasenwinkel, J.M., 2015. A mechanics of materials outreach activity: Reconstructing the human body – biomaterials and biomimicry. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2015 Annual Conference and Exposition, Seattle, WA.
  • Synthesis and Characterization of Zwitterionic Polymer Brush Functionalized Hydrogels with Ionic Responsive Coefficient of Friction. Allen O. Osaheni, Ariel Ash-Shakoor, Ivan Gitsov, Patrick T. Mather, and Michelle M. Blum, Langmuir 2020 36 (14), 3932-3940
  • Mechanics and Tribology of a Zwitterionic Polymer Blend: Impact of Molecular Weight, A.O. Osaheni, P.T. Mather, M.M. Blum, Materials Science & Engineering C (2020) (In press https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2020.110736
  • The Use of a Hydrogel Implant in the Repair of Osteochondral Defects of the Knee: A Biomechanical Evaluation of Restoration of Native Contact Pressures in Cadaver Knee, R. Sismondo, F. Werner, N. Ordway, A.O. Osaheni, M.M Blum, . Scuderi, Clinical Biomechanics (2018) (in Press: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2019.04.016
  • Osaheni A.O., Finkelstein, E.B., Mather P.T., Blum M.M., Synthesis and Characterization of a Zwitterionic Hydrogel Blend with Low Coefficient of Friction. Acta Biomaterialia Volume 46, December 2016, Pages 245–255.

Jackie Anderson

Degrees:

  • Ph.D., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology

Teaching interests:

  • Engineering Management
  • Thermo/Fluids

Ben Akih-Kumgeh

Degree(s):

  • Ph.D., McGill University

Lab/Center Affiliation:

  • Center of Excellence

Research Interests:

  • Combustion physics and chemistry (chemical kinetics, ignition, flame propagation, extinction, and pollutant formation, turbulent combustion)
  • Applied combustion in gas turbines, internal combustion engines and process burners
  • Fuel technology (formulation, additives and characterization)
  • Thermodynamic analysis of energy systems

Current Research:

Our research interests are in the area of energy conversion, with a special focus on Combustion Physics and Chemistry. Our work is a combination of experiments, combustion theory, and simulations. We determine combustion properties and pollutant formation trends, contribute to detailed and reduced chemical kinetic model development, and use computational fluid dynamics to study turbulence-chemistry interactions in combustion processes.

The ultimate goal is to develop tools for the analysis and design of advanced combustion devices such as gas turbines, internal combustion engines and industrial furnaces. We are also actively involved unravelling the physics of laser-induced initiation of burning processes; an approach that is promising as an alternative reliable ignition source for fuel-flexible engines. Other areas of research include thermodynamic analysis of energy systems and characterization of fuel blends.

Courses Taught:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Advanced thermodynamics
  • Propulsion
  • Combustion phenomena in engineering
  • Selected topics in combustion turbines and internal combustion engines

Honors/Awards:

  • 2014 FilterTech, Pi Tau Sigma, and Sigma Gamma Tau faculty award for Excellence in Engineering Education
  • NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, Canada, 2012-2014, declined in favor of faculty position at Syracuse University
  • MITACS/CRIAQ/NSERC internships for doctoral & postdoctoral scholars, held at Rolls-Royce Canada, 2010-2011
  • FQRNT doctoral fellowship in energy research (Provincial fellowship, Quebec, Canada), 2009-2010
  • Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid-of research, 2010

Selected Publications:

Propanol isomers: Investigation of ignition and pyrolysis time Scales (authors: S. Jouzdani, A. Zhou, Akih-Kumgeh), Combustion & Flame, 176:229-244 2016, 2017.

An experimental and chemical kinetic modeling study of dimethylcyclohexane oxidation and pyrolysis (authors: M.A. Eldeeb, S. Jouzdani, Z.Wang, M. Sarathy, Akih-Kumgeh), Energy & Fuels, 30:86488657, 2016.

Toward improved understanding of the physical meaning of entropy in classical thermodynamic (author: Akih-Kumgeh), Entropy, 18:270(16 pages), 2016.

Unsteady RANS and Scale Adaptive Simulations of Turbulent Spray Flames in a Swirled-Stabilized Gas Turbine Model Combustor using Tabulated Chemistry (authors: A. Fossi, A. deChamplain, and Akih-Kumgeh), Int. J. Numerical Methods for Heat and Fluid Flow, 25:1064–1088, 2015.

Comparative Analysis of Chemical Kinetic Models Using the Alternate Species Elimination Approach (authors: N.D. Peters, Akih-Kumgeh, J.M. Bergthorson), J. Eng. Gas Turbines & Power, 137:021505-1–021505-9, 2014.

Jeongmin Ahn

Degree(s):

  • Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, University of Southern California
  • M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Lab/Center Affiliation:

  • Combustion and Energy Research Laboratory (COMER)

Areas of Expertise:

  • Energy conversion
  • Electrochemistry
  • Combustion
  • Thermal management

Professor Ahn’s research primarily concerns electrochemistry, combustion, power generation, propulsion and thermal management, with a recent emphasis on advanced energy conversion systems using solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Prof. Ahn has performed an experimental investigation of catalytic and non-catalytic combustion in heat recirculating combustors, fuel cells: fabrication, test and characterization of all types of SOFCs (dual-chamber, single-chamber and no-chamber, which is also called as a flame-assisted fuel cell), micro heat engines, thermoacoustic engines, thermal transpiration based pumping/propulsion and power generation, all solid state batteries, bio/electro corrosion of implants, and bio based materials for energy applications. 

Honors and Awards:

  • 3rd place of the Poster Competition at Research Day, 2022
  • 1st place of the Health and Well-being and 2nd place of the Energy, Environment, and Smart Materials in the Presentation Awards, 2021
  • 2nd, and 3rd place of the Student Pitch Competition at Research Day, 2020
  • People’s Choice Award for Best Paper at the ASME 2020 Power Conference & Nuclear Engineering Conference, 2020
  • Best Paper Winner of the Student Paper Competition at the ASME 2018 Power and Energy Conference & Exhibition, 2018
  • 2nd place of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Poster Contest, 2018
  • Recipient of Advisory Board Award, 1st place of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Poster Contest, 2018
  • 1st place of the SyracuseCoE Symposium Poster Competition, 2017
  • Recipient of Advisory Board Award, 1st place of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Poster Contest, 2017
  • 2nd place of the Student Pitch Competition at Research Day, 2017
  • 1st, and 2nd place of the SyracuseCoE Symposium Poster Competition, 2016
  • Best Prototype Winner of the Research Summit at the General Electric (GE) Global Research, 2016
  • 2nd place of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Poster Contest, 2016
  • Practical Application Winner of the Nunan Lecture and Research Day Poster Competition, 2016
  • Recipient of ASME Fellowship, 2016
  • Recipient of the Sustainable Aviation Research Society Science Award, 2016
  • 1st, and 2nd place in the graduate student category at the CNY ASHRAE Poster Competition, 2016
  • Recipient of SyracuseCoE Faculty Fellowship, 2015
  • 1st place of the SyracuseCoE Symposium Poster Competition, 2015
  • Best Poster Winner of the Research Summit at the General Electric (GE) Global Research, 2015
  • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place of the SyracuseCoE INSPIRE Competition, 2015
  • 2nd place of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Poster Contest, 2015
  • High Impact Idea Award of the Earth Week Sustainability Research Poster Competition, 2015
  • 2nd place of the SyracuseCoE Symposium Poster Competition, 2014
  • Best Poster Winner of the Nunan Lecture and Research Day Poster Competition, 2014
  • ASEE Best Paper Award of the ASEE St. Lawrence Section, 2013
  • Recipient of the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, 2013
  • Named AIAA’s Spotlight Member of the Month, 2012
  • Recipient of AIAA Associate Fellowship, 2012
  • Recipient of Faculty Excellence Award, 2012
  • Grand Prize Winner of the Nunan Lecture and Research Day Poster Competition, 2011
  • Recipient of WSU MME Excellence in Teaching Award, 2008 – 2009
  • Awarded in WSU Faculty Excellence Recognition Program, 2008

Selected Publications:

  • Alexander R. Hartwell, Cole A. Wilhelm, Thomas S. Welles, Ryan J. Milcarek, and Jeongmin Ahn, “Effects of Synthesis Gas Concentration, Composition, and Operational Time on Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Performance”, Sustainability, Vol. 14, pp. 7983 (2022).
  • Thomas S. Welles, and Jeongmin Ahn, “Comparison of In Vitro Corrosion Products on CoCrMo generated via Oscillatory Electric Fields Before and After Removal of Proteinaceous Layer”, Materialia,Vol. 22, pp. 101400 (2022).
  • Brent B. Skabelund, Hisashi Nakamura, Takuya Tezuka, Kaoru Maruta, Jeongmin Ahn, and Ryan J. Milcarek, “Thermal Partial Oxidation of n-Butane in a Micro-Flow Reactor and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stability Assessment”, Energy Conversion & Management, Vol. 254, pp. 115222 (2022).
  • Thomas S. Welles, and Jeongmin Ahn, “Driving Electrochemical Corrosion of Implanted CoCrMo Metal via Oscillatory Electric Fields without Mechanical Wear”, Nature-Scientific Reports, Vol. 11, pp. 22366 (2021).
  • Alexander R. Hartwell, Thomas S. Welles, and Jeongmin Ahn, “The Anode Supported Internal Cathode Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell: A Novel Cell Geometry for Combined Heat and Power Applications”, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 46, Issue 75, pp. 37429-37439 (2021).
  • Thomas S. Welles, and Jeongmin Ahn, “Investigation of the Effects of Electrochemical Reactions on Complex Metal Tribocorrosion within the Human Body”, Heliyon, Vol. 7, Issue 5, pp. e07023 (2021).
  • Thomas S. Welles, and Jeongmin Ahn, “Novel Investigation of Perovskite Membrane Based Electrochemical Nitric Oxide Control Phenomenon”, Nature-Scientific Reports, Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp. 18750 (2020).
  • Brent B. Skabelund, Hisashi Nakamura, Takuya Tezuka, Kaoru Maruta, Jeongmin Ahn, and Ryan J. Milcarek, “Impact of Low Concentration Hydrocarbons in Natural Gas on Thermal Partial Oxidation in a Micro-Flow Reactor for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Applications”, Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 477, pp. 229007 (2020).
  • Ryan J. Milcarek, Vincent P. DeBiase, and Jeongmin Ahn, “Investigation of Startup, Performance and Cycling of a Residential Furnace Integrated with micro-Tubular Flame-assisted Fuel Cells for Micro-Combined Heat and Power”, Energy, Vol. 196, pp. 117148 (2020).
  • Ryan J. Milcarek, Hisashi Nakamura, Takuya Tezuka, Kaoru Maruta, and Jeongmin Ahn, “Investigation of Microcombustion Reforming of Ethane/Air and Micro-Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells”, Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 450, Issue 29, pp. 227606 (2020).

Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory (BEESL)

The Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory (BEESL), in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is a key research lab associated with the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, the New York Strategically Targeted Academic Research Center for Environmental Quality Systems (NY-STAR EQS) and the New York Indoor Environmental Quality Center (NYIEQ). It was established in November 1999 with funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Assembly, National Grid, and Syracuse University.

The mission of BEESL is three-fold:

  • Advance the science and develop innovative technologies in the areas of indoor environmental quality (IEQ), building energy efficiency (BEE), and building protections by conducting leading-edge academic and industrial research.
  • Enhance scholarly learning and professional training for graduate and undergraduate students via integration of research and teaching.
  • Help relevant industries in product development and innovation by providing objective and unbiased product testing and evaluation services.

Faculty

Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering (CASE)

CASE is New York State’s premier applied research center for interdisciplinary expertise in complex information-intensive systems, including monitoring and control, predictive analysis, intelligence, security, and assurance.
CASE has been a designated New York State Center of Advanced Technology (CAT) since 1984, bringing together traditional academic strengths in research and education to promote strong university-industry interaction and generate positive economic impact across New York State and beyond.

Faculty

Dr. Young Moon Reappointed as Chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department

Dr. Young Moon has been reappointed as the chair of the mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) department in the College of Engineering and Computer Science through June 2025. Dr. Moon has served as MAE department chair since 2016.

“I’m grateful to have his leadership, guidance and experience as we move forward during these challenging times,” said Dean J. Cole Smith. “Dr. Moon is an internationally respected scholar and mentor who values all our students and their success. In the short time I’ve been here, I have seen first-hand how he selflessly dedicates his time and energy to Syracuse students.”

Moon is the William J. Smith Professor in Manufacturing Enterprises and teaches courses and conducts research in the areas of cyber-manufacturing systems, sustainable manufacturing, product realization processes and systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, systems modeling and simulation, computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), product lifecycle management (PLM) and engineering education. He has been instrumental in launching the new Engineering Management online master’s program and helped launch the incredibly successful Invent@SU program.

“I am very grateful for all the support and help that I have received from MAE faculty, staff, advisory board, and students over the years,” said Moon. “I would like to thank Dean Smith for his support and giving me the opportunity to continue advancing the mission of the department. I look forward to continuing working with all college and department colleagues and students during this uniquely challenging period and beyond.”

He has had extensive interactions with industry and has published over 100 refereed journal and conference publications. He is serving as an Engineering Accreditation Commissioner of ABET. He is active in a variety of capacities with numerous professional organizations, including INCOSE, SME, ASEE, IFIP, and IEEE.

Moon holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Seoul National University, a master of science degree in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, Certified Fellow in Production and Inventory Management, and Certified Manufacturing Engineer. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Moon has held visiting positions in many different universities, including MIT, KAIST, University of Pennsylvania, Boğaziçi University, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Univerzitet u Sarajevu, and Universidade de São Paulo.

Aerospace Engineering Senior Selected for National Ammon S. Andes Award

Aerospace engineering senior Daniel Oluwalana ‘21 has been selected as the 2021 Ammon S. Andes National Award Winner from the national aerospace engineering honor society, Sigma Gamma Tau. The award is highly competitive and designed to recognize the top undergraduate aerospace engineering student in the United States.

There are 54 current chapters of Sigma Gamma Tau across the country and each chapter nominates one student for the Ammon S. Andes Award each year.  The national award winner is chosen from the above 54 nominees based on GPA, rank in their graduating senior AE class, academic honors and distinctions, engineering and non-engineering extracurricular activities and length of service in each, technical achievements such as published works, projects and technical hobbies, with emphasis on engineering creativity used, and on an essay written by the candidate about “near-term and long-range career goals and how you hope to use your aerospace education.” The Syracuse chapter of Sigma Gamma Tau is advised by mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Barry Davidson.

“I am very honored to be recognized in such a manner as an aerospace engineering major,” said Oluwalana. “I am extremely grateful for Dr. Davidson’s support as the Sigma Gamma Tau advisor and appreciate everyone else who supported me throughout the process.”

“Daniel displays the strength of character, the academic excellence, the research skills, and the compassion for others that are the hallmark of a great individual and a great scholar,” said Davidson. “It has been a pleasure for me to teach, mentor and interact with him over the past three years. I was so proud to have Daniel represent SU in this competition, and I’m so incredibly pleased that Sigma Gamma Tau recognized and honored him with this award.  It is certainly well-deserved.”

Oluwalana is the president of the Syracuse chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, an Academic Excellence Workshop facilitator and has worked in two research labs in the College of Engineering and Computer Science as an undergraduate.

“Syracuse University exposed me to amazing research opportunities and instilled in me a balanced mindset. I have developed a deeper knowledge about my field and have become a better communicator by being a student here,” said Oluwalana.

While multiple Syracuse University students have won Sigma Gamma Tau’s Northeastern Regional Award in recent years, Oluwalana is the first Syracuse University student to receive the Ammon S. Andes National Award since the national honor society began recording winners on its website in 2001.

“Daniel is an incredible young engineer, leader and person. He is being honored for the ‘visible’ work that people notice, including his NSBE leadership, grades, and research. For each of those achievements, there is also the ‘invisible’ work where he supports his classmates, greets prospective students, and counsels other leaders about issues that are vital to our College,” said Engineering and Computer Science Dean J. Cole Smith. “I’m so excited for Daniel and for impact he will make in his next phase of life.”

Engineering and Computer Science 2021 Research Day Award Winners

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Engineering and Computer Science 2021 Research Day on March 12th! We would also like to give a special thanks to Dr. Joseph Helble, Provost of Dartmouth College, for the keynote presentation. Here are the winners as chosen by our panel of judges.

Energy, Environment and Smart Materials

First Prize: Light-Induced Self-Writing: A Novel Approach to Develop Organized Polymer Composite Materials. Shreyas Pathreeker; Advisor Dr. Ian Hossein

Second Prize: Development of Inside Out Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for Combined Heat and Power Systems. Alexander Hartwell, Advisor Dr. Jeongmin Ahn

Third Prize: HYDRUS-1D Modeling to Represent Hydrologic Performance of the OnCenter Green Roof. Courtney Gammon; Advisor Dr. Cliff Davidson

Communication and Security

First Prize: Optimized Virtual Antenna Array of Wideband Narrow Beam MIMO System for Overlapped Virtual Elements. Richard Tanski, Advisor: Dr. Jay Lee

Second Prize: Coverage in Networks with Hybrid Terahertz, Millimeter Wave, and Microwave Transmissions. Xueyuan Wang, Advisor: Dr. M. Cenk Gursoy

Third Prize: An Efficient Deep Capsule Network with Interleaved Sparse Connections and Attention-Based Routing. Chenbin Pan, Advisor: Dr. Senem Velipasalar

Sensors, Robotics and Smart Systems

First Prize: Towards Disaster Recovery: Incorporating the Uncertainties Caused by Cyber Attacks in Controlled Islanding. Sagnik Basumallik, Advisor: Dr. Sara Eftekharnejad

Second Prize: Real-Time Adaptive Sensor Attack Detection in Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems. Francis Akowuah, Advisor: Dr. Fanxin Kong

Third Prize (tie): Data Generation for Transient Stability Assessment to Address Lack of Training Data. Rui Ma, Advisor: Dr. Sara Eftekharnejad AND Soft Crawling Inchworm Robot Enabled by Dynamically Tunable Friction. Siavash Sharifi, Advisor: Dr. Wanliang Shan

Health and Well-being

First Prize: Investigation of the Effects of Electrochemical Reactions on Complex Metal Tribocorrosion within the Human Body. Thomas Welles; Advisor Dr. Jeongmin Ahn

Second Prize: Prediction of Tight Junction Strand Architecture. Nandhini Rajagopal, Advisor Dr. Shikha Nangia

Third Prize: Persister Control by Leveraging Dormancy Associated Reduction of Antibiotic Efflux. Sweta Roy; Advisor Dr. Dacheng Ren

U.S. Army Awards Meritorious Civilian Service Medal to Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Mark Glauser

Mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Mark Glauser was awarded a Meritorious Civilian Service Medal award by the U.S. Army for his work with the Army Science Board. Glauser joined the Army Science Board in 2013 as a contractor after a colleague reached out to him to see if he would be interested.   He became a full member of the board in 2014 and just finished his second 3 year term this past year.  The Army Science Board provides independent recommendations to the Secretary of the Army, the chief of Staff of the Army and the Secretary of Defense on important science, technology and management issues.

Glauser had previously worked as a program manager for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research from 1996 to 1999 and the Army Science Board was looking for someone who had experience at a leading research university and an understanding of how the Department of Defense operates.

“When I had the opportunity, I was pleased to be able to do it. I felt I wanted to use a skill set I have to contribute to our soldiers,” said Glauser.

In an announcement of the award, the Army described Glauser’s commitment to the Army Science board. “He has earned a remarkable reputation for selfless service throughout the United States Army and the Department of Defense. His exceptional devotion and dedication to duty reflect great credit upon him, the United States Army and our Nation.”

Glauser’s experience with current technologies, especially his work with UAVs and research on turbulent flows and nonlinear stochastic systems in general was valuable to a number of Army Science Board studies. On multiple instances, Glauser was asked to brief high-level Army leaders on next generation technology or research.

“It has been a great experience for me, I have been able to make some significant contributions and work on some interesting problems,” said Glauser.

Glauser just completed 6 years of service on the Army Science Board in 2020 and is open to returning to full board member status in the summer of 2021 and providing guidance for years to come.

“It is a nice way for me to contribute and stay active,” said Glauser.

Fall 2020 Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s List

In recognition of superior scholarship, the following students have been entered on the Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s List for Fall 2020.

To be eligible for Dean’s List recognition, the minimum semester grade point average must be 3.40 or higher, must have earned a minimum of 12 graded credits and must have no missing or incomplete grades.

Students: Please email engineering@syr.edu if you have questions about your current Dean’s List status.

Aerospace Engineering

Sean  Adams

Zar Nigar  Ahmad

Mukhammed Shamil  Askarov

Justin Douglas Blowers

Katherine Elizabeth Braun

Madeline Constance Brooks

Richard L Bruschi

Owen P Clyne

Nicholas Daniel Crane

Brian James Cronin

Ryan  Demis

Aleksandar  Dzodic

Kaleb Jonah Eddy

Hans-Christian  Esser

Kassidy  Fields

Christian Scott Fitzgerald

Elan  Fullmer

Benjamin Daniel Gerard

Alexandre J Gill

Sareta Rose Gladson

Jacob D Gomez

Zachary William Haas

David Leo Hadley

Alyssa  Henley

Aidan  Hoff

Jiaji  Hu

Sydney F Jud

Harrison  Kayton

Trevor Anthony Knight

Justin  Kohan

Trevor D Kroells

Isaac Alan Lehigh

Jacob Eric Long

Powers Craig Lynch

Noah  Martel

Maxwell Joseph Martin

Jason W McElhinney

Mariana C McManus

Alexander T Metcalf

John P Michinko

Vincent Anthony Miczek

Kendra Teresa Miller

Maximus Jules Mintz

Paul Robert Mokotoff

Evan Gregory Moore

Brendan Pierce Murty

Mark  Namatsaliuk

Daniel  Oluwalana

Randall McGinnis Osborn

David Dang Pham

Madeline G Phelan

Logan D Prye

Kazi Golam Rafee

Kip  Risch-Andrews

Tracey Josephine Rochette

Jared M Rodriguez

Gregory Joseph Ruef

William J Saueressig

Fred Evan Schaffer

Justine John A Serdoncillo

Vraj  Shah

Prabha  Singh

Gregory C Slodysko Jr

Zachary Michael Stahl

Ethan J Stocum

Marco  Svolinsky

Richard A Tedeschi

Darlene A Tinsley

Anthony R Tricarico

Sasha  Valitutti

Cody Joseph Vannostrand

Mason Alexander Weber

Timothy Dwayne Wiley

Aliza Marie Willsey

Xinyu  Wu

Melissa  Yeung

Bioengineering

Samantha Michelle Abate

Jordyn Danielle Abrams

Bianca Louise Andrada

Gabriela  Angel

Oumou  Azika

Colin J Babick

Paige  Bencivenga

Ailla Frances Bishop

Colby James Black

Anna Mae Brunson

Zeynep Sue Cakmak

Britnie Jean Carpentier

Jade Ashlee Carter

Maria G Catalane

Elizabeth Ann Clarke

Dominic Thomas Clinch

Mya R Cohen

Lukas  Cook

Shane A Corridore

Shaila S Cuellar

Linzy M Dineen

Anthony Mark Dragone

Alejandro J Durand

Bailey M Felix

Akweshie A Fon-Ndikum

Gabriela Renee Gonzalez-Beauchamp

Skyla  Gordon

Nathaniel Fee Gur-Arie

Grace  Haas

Lauren Elizabeth Hamilton

Victoria Li Rui Hathaway

Brenna  Henderson

Avinash  Jagroo

Madeline  Jones

Simran  Karamchandani

Gabriel  Khan

Mohamed F Khan

Olivia Lynne Kmito

Kiana Yanira Lally

Sara Anne Leonardo

Isabelle S Lewis

Trevor Daniel Amnott Liimatainen

Xinyan  Lin

Alejandra Eugenia Lopez

Mark Maximilian Macios

Ethan L Masters

Aelish  McGivney

Caitlin R Mehl

Lindy M Melegari

Hallie Teresa Morgan

Connor G Mulligan

Hannah V Murphy

Jonathan  Ngo

Mark  Nicola

Nicole E Nielsen

Matt Evan Orlando

Megan Isabel Perlman

Natalie Marie Petryk

Connor  Preston

Alexander C Rateb

Beatrice Elizabeth Reilly

Gavin David Richards

Rebecca A Schaefer

Brielle L Seidel

Alyssa  Shelburne

Justin N Stock

Elizabeth Tarami Su

Bearett Ann Tarris

Zhuoqi  Tong

Edgardo  Velazquez

Royce Robert Weber-Pierson

Nathaniel D Wellington

Maximillian Meier Wilderman

Lauren Margaret Woodford

Rui  Xie

Alina  Zdebska

Julian Marcus Smucker Zorn

Samantha  Zysk

Chemical Engineering

Paige O Adebo

Adriana M Archilla

Steven Matthew Axelsen

Olivia Anna Babu

Athena Andrea Basdekis

Sandy Ynhu Cao

Karley M Chambers

Trinity Joy Coates

Olushola  Coker

Kelly  Correa

Hao  Dai

Dennis  Dao

Samantha  Esparza

David Anthony Fikhman

Edward Coleman Fluker

Priya S Ganesh

Brent Tadao Gosselin

Avery  Gunderson

Oduduabasi James Isaiah

Aiden A Jacobs

Stanley  Jimenez

Sayf  Karim

Laxmi  Khatiwada

Adam J Klinger

Simran Dharmendra  Lakhani

Rawia F A M  Marafi

Angela L Martinez

Oliver  Mutu

Fabiana Nohelia Perez

Seth  Reed

Ivan  Sarbinov

Arsh Saifahmed Shaikh

Jacob Matthew Shellhamer

Dakota Alexander Story

Jason  Tan

Spencer T Tardy

Megan  Varcoe

Briana Nicole Vlacich

Connor Andrew Wescott

Nia  Williams

Melita  Zejnilovic

Civil Engineering

Orges  Agolli

Osama  Alkasabra

Anna Rose Arcaro

Nicole  Ayora-Gonzalez

Vincent  Barone

Noah J Bonett

Ryan  Bourdeau

Arielle  Bramble

Matthew Emmet Brewster

David Michael Brodsky

Emma Jane Brown

Alycia Joline Bruce

Joli L Cacciatore

Trevor  Caviness

Alejandro E Correa

Aymeric P Destree

Thomas  Driscoll

Bradley Charles Frederick

Maraea K Garcia

Stephen  Goffredo

Bensen  Gu

Zelin  Guo

Kyle Jacob Huff

Zachary Stephen Jodice

Kate Astrid Kemnitz

Alexander Gregory Klee

Adam Paul Landry

Abigail G Laschalt

Haben  Legesse

Daniel  Leyva

Emma Marie Liptrap

Emilija Alise Lizins

Erick  Lojano-Quispe

Lluvia Margarita Lopez Garces

John M Mazza

Michael J McDonough

Jessica M McGowan

Amira A Mouline

Marissa R Nicole

Erin E O’Brien

Kevin B Ordonez

Benjamin Joseph Putrino

Svetislav  Radovic

Victoria Isabella Rea

Isabella  Salgado

Cassie Elizabeth Saracino

Emma Hayes Schoonover

Juha Wesley Schraden

Ravyn  Smith

Caitlin Jane Spillane

Erin Meagan Splaine

Adrian  Stiefelmann

Anand  Veeraswamy

Nathan  Viramontes

Joseph Peter Wollke

Isabelle  Wong

Paige H Yamane

Computer Engineering

Adekunle J Akinshola

Chikeluba K Anierobi

Malkiel  Asher

Mergim  Azemi

Gavin M Beaudry

Kyle J Betten

Jackson Thomas Bradley

Jinzhi  Cai

Edward Patrick Caraccioli

Dynasty Da’Nasia Chance

Yifei  Che

Dana Marie Castillo Chea

Guoliang  Chen

Kongxin  Chen

Hossain  Delwar

Xavier  Evans

Elizabeth A Fatade

Isaiah Armando Fernandez

Aidan Robert Harrington

Ethan  Hensley

Benjamin N Johnson

Fundi  Juriasi

Ryan Anthony Kane

Andrew Edward Kelsey

Bikash  Khatiwoda

Connor  Kinahan

Jason C Kirk

Nicholas Gerard Lee Landry

Jessica K Lat

Matthew B Leight

Jiaxiong  Li

Cayden T Lombard

Nicholas Kent Magari

Kyle David Maiorana

Mrinal  Mathur

Isabel M Melo

Nicholas J Mohan

Benjamin Hudson Murray

Jose L Olivera

Jiannuo  Pei

Jessica A Reslan

Alfonso E Rivas

Kevin  Robertson

Daniel  Rose

Hongyi  Ruan

Alexander  Segarra

Ritwik  Takkar

Shu  Wang

Ryan  Wolff

Renjie  Xu

Andy  Zheng

Xiong Feng  Zhu

Computer Science

Aashutosh  Acharya

Aaron  Alakkadan

Genesis  Alvarez

Kwaku  Amofah-Boafo

Garret W Babick

Simon C Barley

Giovanna Elizabeth Barsalona

Julia R Barucky

Samantha E Bastien

Dazhi  Bi

Maxwell William Hans Bockmann

Joshua Jordan Boucher

Dane B Brazinski

Bryan Bladimir Bueno Reyes

Bryce  Cable

Christopher Manuel Calderon Suarez

Liam M Calnan

Megan J Campbell

Benjamin Elliott Canfield

Ta’Yea A Cano

Yuecheng  Cao

Abby  Chapman

Jackie  Chen

Kelvin  Chen

Siyu  Chen

Xinglin  Chen

Yixing  Chen

Yuhao  Chen

Doung Lan  Cheung

Season  Chowdhury

Konstantinos  Chrysoulas

Melissa  Chu

Bram H Corregan

Matthew  Cufari

Ryan Matthew Czirr

Otitodirichukwu Oto  Darl Uzu

Salvatore  DeDona

Rudolph  DelFavero

William Stuart Devitt

Matthew E Dickson

Ting  Dong

Russell Carl Doucet

Christopher  Edmonds

Xueyan  Feng

Nathan B Fenske

Lucas Kuebler Fox

Jeremy  Gavrilov

Grant Thomas Gifford

Brianna S Gillfillian

Brian J Giusti

Justin S Glou

Justin  Gluska

Dayong  Gu

Athanasios  Hadjidimoulas

Erika R Hall

Andrew  Hamann

Jillian Elizabeth Handrahan

Taisei  Hashimoto

Zitao  He

Miranda Rose Heard

Karen  Herrera

Wendy  Hesser

Cameron  Hoechst

Nicholas A Hoffis

Laurel  Howell

Jacob  Howlett

Natalie  Huang

Xuanye  Huang

Nathakorn  Jitngamplang

Austin Dean Johnson

Michael Wesley Jones

Alan  Jos

Aarya Tara Kaphley

Cynthia Sze Nga  Kar

Jaehun  Kim

Ekaterina  Kladova

Jared Michael Kozak

Polina  Kozyreva

Miksam  Kurumbang

Rami L Kuttab

Eric C Lee

Gaeun  Lee

Janet Jihoo Lee

Andy  Li

Hao  Li

Jiaqi  Li

Modi  Li

Rick M Li

Ruowen  Li

Ziqi  Li

Arvin  Lin

Haochen  Lin

Chang  Liu

Erxi  Liu

Jiaming  Liu

Jing  Liu

Junzhang  Liu

Steven  Liu

Yuyuan  Liu

Yiheng  Lu

Runzhi  Ma

Hunter O’Neal Malley

Kanoa  Matton

Anthony Louis Mazzacane

Noah  Mechnig-Giordano

Jose R Mendoza

Yiheng  Meng

Preston  Mohr

Thomas J Montfort

Gregory Philip Morneault

Jacob  Morrison

Jovanni Nicholas Mosca

Chenxi  Mu

Andi  Muhaxheri

Paige C Mundie

Phuc Nguyen  Nguyen

Kayla  Nieto

Carlyn M O’Leary

Maduakolam  Onyewu

Maya  Ostoin

Daniel  Pae

William Anderson Palin

Xiaofeng  Pan

Yulin  Pan

Michael J Panighetti

Joshua S Park

Jun Hyoung  Park

Brian Joseph Pellegrino

Siwei  Peng

Anthony  Perna

Duy  Phan

Fiona Colleen Powers Beggs

Shane Michael Race

Alexis Hope Ratigan

Maxwell Johnson Reed

Christopher  Rhodes

Lauryn Ashley Rivers

Julia R Ruiz

Sadikshya  Sanjel

Yousaf  Shahid

Huahao  Shang

Benjamin William Smrtic

Yijie  Song

Jeremy P Stabile

Kevin  Sullivan

Tasfia  Sultana

Mohammad Murtaza Ali Syed

Louanges Essohana Marlene Takou-Ayaoh

Melissa Li Tang

Rae  Tasker

Jonathan Ezra Thomas

Kyra Danielle Thomas

Griffin E Timm

Maxwell D Townsend

Brendan J Treloar

Fiona Mirabella Tubiana

Courtney Patricia Tuozzo

Randy C Vargas

Anthony Michael Verdone

Bermalyn Maricel  Vicente

Christopher Mark Vinciguerra

Tristan C Waddell

Puxuan  Wang

Ruobing  Wang

Zicheng  Wang

Robert  Ward

Daniel  Weaver

Jack Andrew Willis

Nolan Gabriel Willis

Ethan  Wong

Sio Iok  Wong

Tianyi  Wu

Zhiang  Wu

Zongxiu  Wu

Yurui  Xiang

Yujie  Xu

Jinyang  Xue

Chen  Yang

Chen  Yang

Jintao  Yang

Jishuo  Yang

Rory  Yang

Yisheng  Yang

Stella R Yaunches

Elin J Yaworski

Linsong  You

Yulun  Zeng

Chengyuan  Zhang

Liaotianbao  Zhang

Rixiang  Zhang

Weikun  Zhang

Liuyu  Zhou

Mochen  Zhou

Yixuan  Zhou

Ziying  Zhou

Raymond  Zhu

Sida  Zhu

Joseph Patrick Zoll

Engineering Undeclared

Olivia R Conlin

Andrew J Esposito

Elliane Reut Greenberg

Nicholas John Jacobs

Gavin Thomas Macisaac

Sean R Maddock

Sean  O’toole

Eric  Rodriguez

Haoran  Wang

Xinyi  Wang

Carly J Ward

Abigail Meghan Wischerath

Haven M Wittmann

Electrical Engineering

Mohammed A Aljohani

Tianle  Bu

Kevin E Buciak

Vincent Alec Camarena

Arianna Maxine Cameron

Yuang  Cao

Mingfu  Chen

Shengran  Cheng

Brendan Robert Ciarlone

Eli Aiden Clark

Nicholas Shawn Connolly

Alex Lev Cramer

Trevonne  Davis

Nicholas  Fazzone

John Charles Garcia

Justin P Geary

Matthew R Gelinas

Christopher  Gill

Jose I Ginorio

Jack Orlando Guida

Emerson  Iannone

Qingwen  Jia

Michael Matthew Kelly

Han Gyul  Kwon

Jemma  Mallia

Liam Fuller Marcato

Tyler Sean Marston

Zixun Nian  Nian

Kylie Elizabeth Nikolaus

Julia  Pepin

Stephen Joseph Rogers

Gilberto E Ruiz

Roberto Alexander Salazar-Ramirez

Jenna Mei Stapleton

Luke J Terris

Jared William Welch

Abigail  Wile

Zheyuan  Zhang

Environmental Engineering

Ana Cristina  Baez Gotay

Luke M Borden

Benjamin R Cavarra

Evan James Cibelli

Cambre Rae Codington

Elizabeth Bryant Cultra

Cameron Nicole Edwards

Anna  Feldman

Allyson  Greenberg

Jessenia Paola Guzman

Brady E Hartnett

Christopher Graham Harvey

Anna M Holdosh

Eva Rose Kamman

Abigail Rose King

Nicholas Colin Axel Kohl

Birch  Lazo-Murphy

Audrey B Liebhaber

Carleigh A Lutz

Kevin A Lynch

Molly M Matheson

Matthew Edward Nosalek

Yongfang  Qi

Kaura Yanse Reyes

Mary H Schieman

Noah Michael Sherman

Ian  Storrs

Husna M Tunje

Jacob M Tyler

Maria Antonia  Villegas Botero

Savannah Marie Wujastyk

Qiuyu  Zhou

Reilly  Zink

Mechanical Engineering

Owyn Phillip Adams

Joshua Carl Arndt

Timothy G Arnold

Arda  Arslan

Michael James Battin Jr

Rachael O Beresford

Renee Allison Brogley

Arnaud  Buard

Meaghan Patricia Loan Burns

Ryan G Burns

Tyler  Burns

Adrian L Caballero

Alexander Joseph Callo

Joseph Timothy Capra

Caleigh J Casey

Rishov  Chatterjee

Artur  Chuvik

Santiago  Correa

Samuel Joseph Corrigan

Cooper P Crone

Peter M Daniels

David Matthew Denneen

Madeline  Doyle

Katherine Grace Driscoll

Henry C Duisberg

Griffin Thomas Estes

Luke Samuel Fink

Andrew John Gagan

Clinton Edward Farina Garrahan

Samuel Ryan Getman

Derrick Edward Goll

Emily Ann Greaney

Daniel Robert Greene

David M Griffin

Connor  Hayes

Melissa Jane Hiller

Elliott J Holdosh

Yongsong  Huang

John Christopher Inzinga

Nicholas W Jebaily

Zhao  Jin

Dong Myeong  Kang

Daniel Jacob Kenney

Finnian James Kery

Teagan L Kilian

Cherry  Kim

Savannah Mae Kreppein

Elizabeth Marcy Kretzing

John  Larkin

Lily  Larkin

Peter  Le Porin

Samuel Robert Livingston

Honorata  Lubecka

Bei  Luo

Katherine Elizabeth Macbain

Ryan Patrek Martineau

Ryan A Melick

Sarah Ann Michael

Georgios  Michopoulos

Leilah  Miller

Wiley Robert Moslow

Allison  Mullen

Yuanhao  Nong

Beau M Norris

Aidan T O’Brien

Nicholas Joseph Papaleo

Scott  Reyes

Aidan  Riederich

Colin  Santangelo

Nathan  Schnider

Shane M Sefransky

William Kaspar Sherfey

Jake Matthew Sheridan

Zachary Ryan Shuler

Eric  Silfies

Nathaniel  Slabaugh

Griffin  Smith

Owen Nicholas Smith

Austin James Sumner

Yiyuan  Sun

Matthew K Swanson

Ethan William Tracey

Evan R Tulsky

Nicholas Erik Vestergaard

Taj Asim Whitney

Michael  Wong

Tszho  Wong

Sean T Wuestman

Ruohan  Xu

Maxwell James Yonkers

Xiaoqing  Yu

Systems & Information Science

Sean  Chen

Ryan Thomas Congdon

Yiyang  Dai

Anuj P Gupta

Connor W Gurnham

Rodcliff  Hall

Skyler Marie Hall

Stacy  Kim

Mitchell F Liang

Anthony  Moon

Niara A Phoenix

Aerospace Engineering Alumni Profile: George Kirby ’92

Great technology requires an equally impressive business plan supporting it. The goal is to have a company led by someone who understands what makes the company innovative and also the business and analytical skill to grow it into an industry leader. It takes passion and drive to lead a large scale, publically held company and keep driving creative solutions. For George Kirby ’92, the business of innovation has defined his career. He currently serves as CEO of Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) and it’s an accomplishment built on a series of transformative steps that began with a single goal.

“I was brought up in a very hands-on environment. I always worked around farms and heavy equipment, and I’ve always had an affinity for engineering. My very first achievement was getting my degree at Syracuse University,” said Kirby. “It was a very emotional time for me and for my family because it was something I wanted to do from a young age. It’s very personal to me.”

As a student, Kirby had an industrious schedule, even by engineering standards. He was taking an average of twenty credit hours while working forty hours a week at multiple jobs. He was on the varsity ski team, and nights and weekends were spent in the sub-basement of Link Hall working with classmates.

“I had originally thought the aerospace program would be very focused, but it ended up being a pretty broad education,” said Kirby. “I ended up spending much of my career in the utility scale electric generation and transmission industries in engineering and product development. A lot of what I learned in my undergrad was directly applicable for design and engineering in that industry.”

Engineering programs are particularly specialized, but enrolling at Syracuse University granted Kirby access to a diverse group of students and a broader collection of programs, which enabled him to study useful skills in other fields.

You’re taking classes with people from all walks of life and it really expands your mind. I took some creative writing courses and I can remember those classes really helped me to develop my written communication skills. Those skills are essential today.” said Kirby. “Overall, my Syracuse University education really provided a solid foundation in engineering fundamentals and problem solving, but I think just as important and something I value today, is how I learned critical thinking.”

The first of a number of pivots in Kirby’s career came right after graduation.

“When I graduated in ’92 the bottom was falling out of the aerospace industry. I took a different route and made my career in civil engineering and learned steel structure design. Then I circled back around and started working for General Electric (GE) in nuclear steam turbine product development,” said Kirby.

Being employed by a company the size of GE came with a key benefit. Kirby had the opportunity to venture into new areas. Outside of engineering and product development, he gained his first experience leading sales teams, he transitioned to project finance, and ended up developing global power projects. The timing was perfect.

“This was in the early 2000’s when onshore wind energy really started to boom and wind farms were being developed all over the world. Wind energy is another field where an aerospace background is so applicable. It’s all the same concepts, but a totally different application.”

While Kirby’s experience at GE built on the foundation he established in college, it also revealed a gap in his skillset. It prompted him to get his MBA, and in combination with his engineering background, sales leadership and product development and finance experience, Kirby had the adaptability necessary to lead OPT and guide the company through a complete strategic pivot.

Initially the role was focused on creating new markets, developing new products, and commercializing. Then, in early 2020 during the global pandemic it immediately became apparent OPT needed to add a new focus.

“Our management team was watching what was happening globally. We had a team coming back from Milan and Rome as Italy was shutting down and we knew we needed to prepare for this,” said Kirby. “We thought we have engineers, designers, and operations people. We understand production, and supply chain. Let’s put that to work here in New Jersey.”

For months OPT teams worked twenty-four hours a day to produce and donate face shields to first responders and the medical community, all while simultaneously keeping the business running and continuing to work with their customers on designing the future.

Autonomous systems, decentralized electrification, connectivity, and data are all areas Kirby sees an opportunity for OPT to provide solutions for global issues like climate change and maritime security. OPT has developed a smart buoy capable of monitoring the ocean to provide environmental intelligence on a myriad of problems.

“We can attach surveillance systems to our buoys and place them in remote locations to track illegal fishing and territory encroachment,” said Kirby. “What we have realized is subsea electrification and digitalization really drive the need to rethink equipment design and connectivity. The industry is quickly moving toward electrifying the sea floor.”

Diversifying his career with skills outside his specialization has been critical to Kirby’s success. Particularly immersing himself in the world of business and understanding data. In 2019 he participated as a judge in Invent@SU and the program’s focus on teaching students to think like entrepreneurs resonated with him.

“It was as much about innovation as it was about how they thought broadly about the applicability and marketability of that innovation. It was really a phenomenal experience to see the talent at Syracuse University,” said Kirby

Kirby credits similar study opportunities for helping him advance. He appreciates as an undergraduate at Syracuse University he was able to engage in industry and work alongside professors working on real world projects.

“The one bit of advice I would give to a class of seniors right now is to be cognizant of everybody that helps you along the way. When you’re done with your career, it’s really a series of helping hands that gets you to where you are,” said Kirby. “I have a list a mile long of people that have helped me to get to where I am today.”

College of Engineering and Computer Science Honored by the American Society for Engineering Education’s Diversity Recognition Program

Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science received bronze level status by the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Diversity Recognition Program. The program’s goal is to help engineering, engineering technology, and computing programs promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in member colleges and ultimately in the workplace.

“I am thrilled that our collective efforts to support the college’s strategic goals, and the DEI advancements in our policies, procedures, practices and programs, positioned Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science to be among select best in class institutions who received this national recognition,” said Assistant Dean for Inclusive Excellence Karen Davis.

Syracuse University’s bronze status from the ASEE is valid for three years and begins in 2021. The ASEE says timetables for silver and gold recognition will be posted in the future.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University Webinar

A discussion between the Executive Director of the Blackstone LaunchPad, Linda Dickerson Hartsock, and aerospace engineering and Invent@SU alumna Kayla Simon ’19 about the many ways Syracuse University supports students in designing, prototyping and pitching their new businesses.