Biao Chen

Degree(s):

  • Ph. D., University of Connecticut

Lab/Center Affiliation:

  • Communication Laboratory

Areas of Expertise:

  • Information Theory
  • Signal Processing
  • Statistical Learning Theory

Chen’s area of research interest mainly focuses on information theory, signal processing, and foundational theory to machine learning, with applications to wireless communications and sensor networks. On the applied side, he has worked extensively on software radio system design, including leading two student teams to compete as finalist in the DARPA Spectrum Challenge and DARPA Spectrum Collaboration Challenge. His most recent endeavors include the development of passive RF sensing theory and systems for a variety of indoor situational awareness missions.

Honors and Awards:

IEEE Fellow (2015)

NSF CAREER Award (2006)

Selected Publications:

  • Y. Liu, T. Wang, Y. Jiang and B. Chen, “Harvesting Ambient RF for Presence Detection Through Deep Learning” , IEEE Trans. Neural Networks and Learning Syst., vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 1571-1583, April 2022, doi: 10.1109/TNNLS.2020.3042908.
  • S. Zhu, B. Chen, Z. Chen and P. Yang, “Asymptotically Optimal One- and Two-Sample Testing With Kernels,” in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 2074-2092, April 2021, doi: 10.1109/TIT.2021.3059267.
  • G. Xu, W. Liu and B. Chen, “A Lossy Source Coding Interpretation of Wyner’s Common Information,” in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 754-768, Feb. 2016, doi: 10.1109/TIT.2015.2506560.
  • H. Chen, B. Chen and P. K. Varshney, “A New Framework for Distributed Detection With Conditionally Dependent Observations,” in IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 1409-1419, March 2012, doi: 10.1109/TSP.2011.2177975.
  • X. Shang, G. Kramer and B. Chen, “A New Outer Bound and the Noisy-Interference Sum–Rate Capacity for Gaussian Interference Channels,” in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 689-699, Feb. 2009, doi: 10.1109/TIT.2008.2009793.

Ruth Chen

Degree(s):

  • MPH, Ph.D.

Lab/Center Affiliation(s):

  • Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory

Research Interests:

  • Risk Assessment
  • Environmental Regulation
  • Injurious Effect of Environmental Chemicals
  • Aerosol Delivery of Chemo-preventive Agents
  • Alternative Energy
  • Environmental Education
  • Metabolism of Hepatotoxic Aliphatic Halogenated Hydrocarbons

Current Research:

I am in consultation and exploration with Biomedical, Chemical, and Environmental Engineering faculty members to form collaboration efforts.

Honors:

  • NIH Grant in Aerosol Delivery of Chemopreventive Agents in the Treatment of Lung Cancer (2011)
  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention Bio-monitoring Grant (2002)
  • USEPA Pesticide Exposure Outreach Grant (2002)
  • NIH Staff Fellowship (1984-87)

Courses Taught:

  • Environmental Risk assessment methodology
  • Environmental toxicology
  • Alternative energy
  • Human health impact of exposures to environmental toxins
  • Education in global response to energy and environmental challenges

Selected Publications:

Jingjie. Zhang, Huijing Fu,, Jing Pan, Yian Wang, Ruth Chen, Da-Ren Chen, and Ming You (2013). Aerosolized Iressa Decreases Lung Tumorigenesis with Minimal Adverse Systemic Effect, to be submitted to Lung Cancer Research.

Jingjie Zhang, Huijing Fu, Jing Pan, Ruth Chen, Yian Wang, Da-Ren Chen, and Ming You (2013). Chemoprevention of Lung Carcinogenesis by the Combination of Aerosolized Budesonide and Oral Polyphenon E in A/J Mice, to be submitted to Molecular Carcinogenesis.

Madelyn Ball, Ruth Chen, and Yinjie J Tang (2012). The “Some Sense” of Biofuels. J. Petroleum.Environmental Biotechnology, 3:4.

Qi Zhang, Jing Pan, Jingjie Zhang, Pengyuan Liu, Yian Wang, Ruth Chen, Da-Ren Chen, Ronald Lubet, and Ming You (2011). Aerosolized Targretin Decreases Lung Tumorigenesis Without Increasing Triglyceride and Cholesterol Level in Serum, Lung Cancer Prevention, 4(2):270-276.

Huijing Fu, Jingjie Zhang, Jing Pan, Qi Zhang, Yan Lu, Weidong Wen, Ronald A. Lubet, Eva Szabo, Ruth Chen, Yian Wang, Da-Ren Chen, and Ming You (2011), Chemoprevention of Lung Carcinogenesis by the Combination of Aerosolized Budesonide and Oral Pioglitazone in A/J Mice, Molecular Carcinogenesis, 50(12):913-921.

H. Fu, J. He, F. Mei, Q. Zhang, Y. Hara, S. Ryota, R. A. Lubet, R. Chen, Da-Ren Chen, and M. You (2009). Anti-lung Cancer Effect of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is Dependent on Its Presence in a Complex Mixture (Polyphenon E), Cancer Prevention Research, 2(6):531-537. (Cover page article)

C.Y. Roger Chen

Degree(s):

  • Ph. D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1987

Research Interests:

  • VLSI timing analysis and simulation
  • Transistor/circuit level power leakage reduction
  • Software debugging and verification
  • Distributed data sharing and collaboration

Current Research:

A current work that a doctoral student and I are working on is to develop techniques to reduce leakage power of circuits during idle times. Two specific techniques are developed: (1) Leakage power behavior is examined for reordering serially connected transistor blocks. Based on that, we can then determine a primary input vector to a circuit to reduce its leakage power during idle mode. (2) Effect of body bias is studied for nano-scale transistor. A hybrid technique (mixing reverse body bias and forward body bias) is developed to reduce power leakage during idle mode. Another current work that a doctoral student and I are working on is to develop a tool for software debugging and verification. Traditional IDE allows setting of break points, but provides minimum supports in reasoning and bug locating. The goal of this research work is to allow programmers to query various properties of programs and help locating the causes of property violations. Another current work that a doctoral student and I are working on is to design a transistor level circuit simulator, which gives an accuracy near that of SPICE, and can handles much larger circuits in much less run time. Other research work involves distributed data sharing and collaboration, design of platform and protocol for emergency response systems, etc.

Teaching Interests:

  • VLSI timing analysis
  • VLSI computer-aided design
  • Transistor level leakage power reduction
  • Multimedia information systems
  • Modeling and performance evaluation of computer/communication systems
  • Object-oriented databases
  • Computer networks
  • Parallel/distributed processing
  • Computer architecture

Select Publications:

Don P. McGarry, C.Y. Roger Chen.; “IC.NET — Incident Command “Net”: A system using EDXL-DE for intelligent message routing,” 2010 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST), pp. 197 – 203, Nov. 2010.

Jae Woong Chun and C. Y. Roger Chen, A Novel Leakage Power Reduction Technique for CMOS Circuit Design, IEEE International SoC Design Conference (ISOCC), Nov. 1010.

Veerapaneni Nagbhushan, C. Y. Roger Chen: Modeling and reduction of complex timing constraints in high performance digital circuits. IEEE International Conference on Computer Design (ICCD) 2009

Ting-Wei Chiang, C Y Roger Chen and Wei-Yu Chen , “A Technique for Selecting CMOS Transistor Orders,” IEEE International Conference on Computer Design (ICCD), Oct. 2007.

Ting-Wei Chiang, C Y Roger Chen and Wei-Yu Chen, “An Efficient Gate Delay Model for VLSI Design,” IEEE International Conference on Computer Design (ICCD), Oct. 2007.

Elizabeth Carter

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
  • MSc. Environmental Information Systems, Cornell University
  • B.S. magna cum laude, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Research Interests:

  • Disaster response and mitigation
  • Hydrometerology and hydroclimatology
  • Detection of water from space
  • Space/time statistics
  • Machine learning/artificial intelligence
  • High-performance computing
  • Algorithmic bias in water resources management and engineering ethics

Honors:

  • NASA-USGS postdoctoral fellow
  • USDA-AFRI predoctoral fellow
  • Cornell University Graduate Dean’s scholar (2013-2019)

Current research:

Dr. Carter’s research in applied computational hydroclimatology attempts to fuse tools from modern data science with risk assessment in water resources engineering to mitigate social, environmental, and economic impacts of hydroclimatic extremes. Our success in utilizing our water resources infrastructure to reduce damages associated with the variable hydroclimate depends on our ability to diagnose and predict this hydroclimate variability at timescales which are relevant for adaptive management. This task is hampered by spatial and temporal sparsity of observations of hydrologic and hydroclimatic flux, complex patterns of space/time covariability in observations, and extremely low signal-to-noise ratio in hydroclimatic systems at the local scale. My research seeks to combat these obstacles by 1) integrating new sources of observational data, mostly from space-based assets, into diagnostic/predictive frameworks of hydrologic/hydroclimatic flux; 2) grounding data-driven analysis in a physical understanding of the hydrologic system through feature engineering and model diagnostics; 3) developing and utilizing data science algorithms which are appropriate for multivariate space/time systems, and 4) quantifying bias, error, and uncertainty in space/time models. Applications include automatic flood detection from multispectral and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for disaster response (NASA/USGS/NGA), developing custom hydrometeorological forecasts for adaptive reservoir management, detecting drivers of hydroclimatic variability of the Great Lakes, and quantification of evapotranspiration and groundwater flux from space (NASA/USDA).

Recent publications:

Carter, E., Herrera, D. A., & Steinschneider, S. (2021). Feature engineering for subseasonal-to-seasonal warm-season precipitation forecasts in the Midwestern US: towards a unifying hypothesis of anomalous warm-season hydroclimatic circulation. Journal of Climate, 1-67.

Sleeter, R., Carter, E., Jones, J.W., Eggleston, J., Kroeker, S., Ganuza , J., Dobbs, K., Coltin, B., McMichael, S., Shastry, A., Longhenry, R., Ellis, B., Jiang, Z., Phillips, J., and Furlong, P. M. (2021). Satellite-Derived Training Data for Automated Flood Detection in the Continental U.S.: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9C7HYRV.

Tonitto, Christina; Woodbury, Peter; Carter, Elizabeth. (2020). Predicting greenhouse gas benefits of improved nitrogen management in North American maize. Journal of Environmental Quality 49 (4), 882-895.

Knighton, James; Pleiss , Geoff; Steinschneider, Scott; Carter, Elizabeth; Lyon,Steven; Walter, M. Todd. (2019). Reproduction of regional precipitation and discharge extremes with meso-scale climate products via machine learning: an evaluation for the Eastern CONUS. Journal of Hydrometeorology.

Carter, Elizabeth; Melkonian, Jeffrey; Steinschneider, Scott; Riha, Susan. (2018). Yield response to climate, management, and genotype: a large-scale observational analysis to identify climate-adaptive crop management practices in high-input maize systems. Environmental Research Letters, 13-11.

Carter, Elizabeth; Steinschneider, Scott. (2018). Hydroclimatological Drivers of Extreme Floods on Lake Ontario. Water Resources Research. 54: 4461-4478.

Carter, Elizabeth; Hain, Christopher; Anderson, Martha; Steinschneider, Scott. (2018). A water balance based, spatiotemporal evaluation of terrestrial evapotranspiration products across the contiguous United States. Journal of Hydrometeorology. 19: 891-905.

Carter, Elizabeth; Melkonian, Jeffrey; Steinschneider, Scott; Riha, Susan. (2018). Spatial gradients in management impact analysis of crop yield response to climate at large spatial scales. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 256: 242-252.

Carter, Elizabeth; Melkonian, Jeff; Riha, Susan; Shaw, Stephen. (2016). Separating heat stress from moisture stress: analyzing yield response to high temperature in irrigated maize. Environmental Research Letters. 11-9.

Mary Beth Browning Monroe

Lab/Center Affiliation:

BioInspired Institute

Areas of expertise:

  • Biomaterials
  • Shape memory polymers
  • Antimicrobial materials
  • Hemostatic materials
  • Polymer engineering

The Monroe Biomaterials Lab utilizes fundamental advances in polymer chemistry to provide biomaterials that could improve healing outcomes. Our research spans polymer synthesis, 3D scaffold fabrication, materials characterization, cell/material interactions, bacteria/material interactions, and in vivo characterization of biomaterials. Our research focuses on shape memory polymers (SMPs). These ‘smart’ materials can be deformed and stored in a temporary shape. Upon application of a stimulus (e.g. heating to body temperature, exposure to water), the materials rapidly return to their original shape. Specific applications of SMPs that we study include hemorrhage and infection control in traumatic wounds, infection surveillance and prevention in chronic wounds, and cell and antimicrobial delivery to Crohn’s fistulas.

Honors and Awards:

  • Society for Biomaterials Young Investigator Award (2024)
  • Rosalind Franklin Society Special Award in Science, Tissue Engineering, Part A (2023)
  • Litwin IBD Pioneers Award, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (2020-2022)
  • New York State Science Congress Keynote Speaker (2022)

Selected Publications:

  • M.B.B. Monroe, D.A. Fikhman, “Mini-Review: Antimicrobial Smart Materials: The Future’s Defense,” Frontiers in Biomaterials Science Special Issue: Women in Biomaterials Science. 2 (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fbiom.2023.1285386
  • C. Du, D. A. Fikhman, D. Persaud, M.B.B. Monroe, “Dual burst and sustained release of p-coumaric acid from shape memory polymer foams for polymicrobial infection prevention in trauma-related hemorrhagic wounds,” ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. 15 (20) 24228-24243 (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c04392
  • M. Ramezani, M.B.B. Monroe, “Bacterial Protease-Responsive Shape Memory Polymers for Chronic Wound Infection Surveillance and Biofilm Removal,” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A. 111 (7) 921- 937. (2023). DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37527
  • H.T. Beaman, M.B.B. Monroe, “Direct Cell Encapsulation Within Highly Porous Gas-Blown Hydrogels With High Cell Viability,” Tissue Engineering, Part A. (2023). 29 (11-12) 308-321 (2023). DOI: 10.1089/ten.TEA.2022.0192.
  • A.U. Vakil, N.M. Petryk, C. Du, B. Howes, D. Stinfort, S. Serinelli, L. Gitto, M. Ramezani, H.T. Beaman, M.B.B. Monroe, “In Vitro and In Vivo Degradation Correlations for Polyurethane Foams with Tunable Degradation Rates,” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A. 111 (5) 580-595 (2023). DOI:10.1002/jbm.a.37504
  • N.M. Petryk, G. Haas, A.U. Vakil, M.B.B. Monroe, “Shape Memory Polymer Foams with Tunable Interconnectivity Using Off-the-Shelf Foaming Components,” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A. 110 (8) 1422-1434 (2022). DOI:10.1002/jbm.a.37383
  • H.T. Beaman, B. Howes, P.S. Ganesh, M.B.B. Monroe, “Shape Memory Polymer Hydrogels with Cell-Responsive Degradation Mechanisms for Crohn’s Fistula Closure,” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A. 110 (7) 1329-1340 (2022). DOI:10.1002/jbm.a.37376.
  • H.T. Beaman, E. Shepherd, J. Satalin, S. Blair, H. Ramcharran, K. Dong, D. Fikhman, G. Nieman, S.G. Schauer, M.B.B. Monroe, “Hemostatic Shape Memory Polymer Foams With Improved Survival in a Lethal Traumatic Hemorrhage Model,” Acta Biomaterialia. 137, 112-123 (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.10.005
  • J. Liu, C. Du, H.T. Beaman, M.B.B. Monroe, “Characterization of Phenolic Acid Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Structure-Property Relationships,” Pharmaceutics, 12 (5), 419 (2020). DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12050419.

Katie Cadwell

Education:

  • B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Missouri University of Science & Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla)
  • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Thesis Advisor: Nicholas L. Abbott, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Post-doctoral Research Associate in STEM Education and Outreach, Interdisciplinary Education Group, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Chemistry Instructor, General Chemistry Coordinator, and Engineering Transfer Program Director, Madison Area Technical College

Lab/ Center/ Institute affiliation:

BioInspired Institute

Areas of Expertise:

  • Chemical Engineering Education
  • Faculty and Student Professional Development
  • Best Practices in Engineering Education

Honors and Awards:

  • AIChE Student Chapter Advisor Honor Roll, 2015-2021
  • 2015 Teaching Recognition Award from the Syracuse University Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship Program
  • 2015 Syracuse University Chancellor’s Awards for Public Engagement and Scholarship: Inspiration Award
  • 2014 Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s Award for Excellence in Engineering Education
  • 2014 Technology Alliance of Central New York (TACNY) College Technology Educator of the Year

Selected Publications:

  • Velegol, S.B., Cadwell, K.D., Bayles, T.M., Bullard, L.G., Hillsley, M.V. “Baseline Data on CHE Teaching Focused Faculty in the US.” Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2024 Annual Conference and Exposition, 2024.
  • Blum, M.M., Cadwell, K.D., Hasenwinkel, J.M. “A Model for a Faculty Development Course Redesign Summer Working Group.” Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 2020 Virtual Annual Conference and Exposition, 2020.
  • Stokes-Cawley, C. and Cadwell, K.D. “Project ENGAGE: A Summer Immersion Experience in Engineering for Middle School Girls.” Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education St. Lawrence Section Regional Conference, Syracuse, NY, 2015. Reprinted in Transactions on Techniques in STEM Education, 2016, 1(2): 20-29.
  • Blum, M.M, Cadwell, K.D., Hasenwinkel, J.M. “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, 2015.
  • Walz, K.A., Britton, S., Crain, J., Cadwell, K., Hoffman, A., Morschauser, P. “Biodiesel synthesis, viscosity, and quality control for an introductory chemistry lab.” The Chemical Educator, 2014, 19: 342-346.

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.

Jesse Q. Bond

Degree(s):

  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, 2002
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2009

Research Interests:

  • Heterogeneous catalysis
  • Bio-based fuels and chemicals
  • Energy sustainability

Current Research:

Our group is focused on the design and application of catalytic materials for improving sustainability in the production of transportation fuels and chemical products. In our research, we leverage heterogeneous catalysis to facilitate the conversion of renewable feedstocks to drop-in replacements for traditional, petroleum-derived fuels. We approach this task mindful of the guiding principles of environmental stewardship and thus promote total biomass utilization, energy efficiency and conservation, and waste minimization as we strive to advance the state of the art in renewable energy.

Teaching Interests:

  • CEN 600: Heterogeneous catalysis
  • CEN 600: Biofuels
  • CEN 587: Chemical Reaction Engineering

Select Publications:

Wettstein, S.G., Bond, J.Q., Martin Alonso, D., Pham, H.N., Datye, A.K., Dumesic, J.A., “RuSn bimetallic catalysts for selective hydrogenation of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone.” Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2012, 117–118. 321 – 329.

Martin Alonso, D., Wettstein, S.G., Bond. J.Q., Root, T.W., and Dumesic, J.A. “Production of Biofuels from Cellulose and Corn Stover using Alkylphenol Solvents,” ChemSusChem, 2011, 4, 8, 1078–1081.

Bond, J.Q., Wang, D., Martin Alonso, D., and Dumesic, J.A. “Interconversion Between g-valerolactone and Pentenoic Acid Combined with Decarboxylation to Form Butene Over Silica/Alumina.” Journal of Catalysis, 281, 2, 25, 2011, 290-299.

Martin Alonso, D., Bond, J.Q., Wang, D., and Dumesic, J.A., “Activation of Amberlyst-70 for Alkene Oligomerization in Hydrophobic Media.” Topics in Catalysis, 2011, 54, 5-7, 447 -457.

Bond, J.Q., Martin Alonso, D., West, R.M., Dumesic, J.A. “g-Valerolactone Ring-Opening and Decarboxylation over SiO2/Al¬2O3 in the Presence of Water.”Langmuir, 2010, 26, 21, 16291 – 16298.

Martin Alonso, D., Bond, J.Q., Dumesic, J.A. “Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels.”Green Chemistry, 2010, 12, 1493-1513.

Bond, J.Q., Martin Alonso, D., Wang, D., West, R.M., Dumesic, J.A. “Integrated Catalytic Conversion of g-Valerolactone to Liquid Alkenes for Transportation Fuels.” Science, 2010, 327, 5969, 1110-1114.

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

Lab/Center Affiliation:

  • Syracuse University Industrial Training and Assessment Center ITAC (syr.edu)

Teaching interests:

  • Engineering Management
  • Thermo/Fluids

Ben Akih-Kumgeh

Degrees:

  • 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).

Wenliang (Kevin) Du

Degree(s):

  • Ph.D. 2001, from Purdue University

Research Interests:

  • Computer and network security
  • Smartphone and mobile system security
  • Security education

Current Research:

Recent work has involved the studies of the Android operating systems with the following goals: (1) identify security problems in the design of the Android operating system, (2) identify security problems in mobile apps and develop tools to detect them, (3) develop improved access control for mobile systems.

Other current work includes the development of effective hands-on lab exercises for security education. We started the work in 2002, and we have developed about 30 labs for both undergraduate and graduate students. As of September 2015, over 350 universities and colleges worldwide are using them.

Courses Taught:

  • Computer security
  • Internet security
  • Android security
  • Android Programming

Honors:

  • IEEE Fellow
  • 2014 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Engineering Education, May 2014.
  • 2013 Faculty Excellence Award from College of Engineering and Computer Science.
  • 2013 ACM CCS Test-of-Time Award.
  • Best Paper Award in the 11th Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (PAKDD), May 22-25, 2007, Nanjing, China.
  • Best Paper Award in The 19th IEEE International Parallel & Distributed Processing Symposium (IPDPS), April 4-8, 2005, Denver, Colorado.
  • Guo Mo-ruo Award (1992), University of Science & Technology of China.

Selected Publications:

Click here to see full list of publications.

Yousra Aafer, Nan Zhang, Zhongwen Zhang, Xiao Zhang, Kai Chen, XiaoFeng Wang, Xiaoyong Zhou, Wenliang Du, and Michael Grace. Hare Hunting in the Wild Android: A Study on the Threat of Hanging Attribute References. To appear in the 22nd ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS), Denver, Colorado, USA. October 12-16, 2015.

Xing Jin, Xunchao Hu, Kailiang Ying, Wenliang Du, Heng Yin and Gautam Nagesh Peri. Code Injection Attacks on HTML5-based Mobile Apps: Characterization, Detection and Mitigation. In Proceedings of the 21st ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS), Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. November 3 – 7, 2014.

Paul Ratazzi, Ashok Bommisetti, Nian Ji, and Wenliang Du. PINPOINT: Efficient and Effective Resource Isolation for Mobile Security and Privacy. In Proceedings of the Mobile Security Technologies (MoST) workshop, May 21, 2015.

Tongbo Luo, Hao Hao, Wenliang Du, Yifei Wang, and Heng Yin. Attacks on WebView in the Android System. In Proceedings of the 27th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC), Orlando, Florida, USA. December 5-9, 2011.

Karthick Jayaraman, Wenliang Du, Balamurugan Rajagopalan, and Steve J. Chapin. Escudo: A Fine-grained Protection Model for Web Browsers. In ICDCS: The 30th International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems, Genoa, Italy, June 21-25, 2010

Wenliang Du. The SEED Project: Providing Hands-on Lab Exercises for Computer Security Education. In IEEE Security and Privacy Magazine, September/October, 2

Riyad S. Aboutaha

Degrees:

  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 1994, University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA.
  • M.S., Civil Engineering, 1990, University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA.
  • B.E., Civil Engineering 1981, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon.

Areas of Expertise:

  • Forensic Engineering and Structural Failures
  • Structural Assessment and Rehabilitation
  • Bridge Rehabilitation with CFRP Composites
  • Economy of Preventive Maintenance
  • Deterioration of Existing Structures

Dr. Riyad Aboutaha, is an associate professor of structural engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University.  He is a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Dr. Aboutaha has over 40 years of construction and research experience.  In the last 32 years, he has been researching the use of new materials for renewal of civil infrastructure.  Dr. Aboutaha has offered numerous seminars and workshops on evaluation and rehabilitation of concrete bridges with CFRP composites, including some for the U.S.A.  Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).  In addition, he completed major research projects on the GFRP bar ComBAR for Schöck Bauteile GmbH of Baden-Baden, Germany, on the durability of wearing surfaces for FRP bridge decks, for NYSDOT, and most recently bridge widening using CFRP composites for Shandong DOT, China.  Prof. Aboutaha’s current research interests are in the area of economy of preventive maintenance of concrete bridges, investigation of structural failures, and alteration of structural systems using CFRP composites.

Honors:

  • Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI)

Selected Publications:

  • Bridge Pier Extension with Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Polymer Flexural Reinforcement: Experimental Tests and Three-Dimensional Finite Element Modeling, by Cheng Tan, Jia Xu, and Riyad Aboutaha, ACI Structural Journal, Vol. 118, No. 1, (2021) pp 251-262.
  • Cyclic Flexural Performance of Fire-Damaged Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with Carbon Fiber- Reinforced Polymer Plates, by Akhrawat Lenwari, Chanachai Thongchom, and Riyad S. Aboutaha, ACI Structural Journal, Vol. 117, No. 6, (2020) pp. 133-146.
  • Xingji Lu, Riyad S. Aboutaha (2020), “Structural strengthening of square spread footings using circular external prestressing,”Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 31, September 2020.
  • Cheng Tana, Jia Xub and Riyad S. Aboutaha (2020), “Numerical analysis of RC hammer head pier cap beams,” Computers and Concrete, Vol. 25, No. 5.
  • Chanachai Thongchom, Akhrawat Lenwari, and Riyad S. Aboutaha (2019) “Effect of Sustained Service Loading on Post-Fire Flexural Response of Reinforced Concrete T-Beams,” ACI Structural Journal, Vol. 116, pp 243-254.
  • Jnaid, F., and Aboutaha, R. (2016) “Residual Flexural Strength of Corroded Reinforced Concrete Beams,” Elsevier, www.sciencedirect.com.
  • EI-Helou, R., and Aboutaha, R., “Analysis of Rectangular Hybrid Steel-GFRP Reinforced Concrete Beam Columns,” Computers and Concrete, Vol. 16, No. 2 (2015) pp. 245-260.

J. Cole Smith

Degrees:

  • PhD, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2000
  • BS, Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, 1996

Areas of Expertise:

  • Integer programming and combinatorial optimization
  • Network flows and facility location
  • Computational optimization methods
  • Large-scale optimization due to uncertainty or robustness considerations

My research interests lie in the field of mathematical optimization, especially in mixed-integer programming and combinatorial optimization. Much of my research has recently focused on network interdiction and fortification, along with bilevel mixed-integer optimization problems. I am particularly interested in interdiction problems that involve uncertain data, and/or in which there is an asymmetry of information among the players. My research has applications in areas including logistics, national security, healthcare, production, ecology, and sports. This research has recently appeared in journals such as Operations Research, Mathematical Programming, IISE Transactions, Networks, and INFORMS Journal on Computing, and has been supported by agencies including the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Honors:

  • 2023 Fellow, Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
  • 2019 Member, Academy of Distinguished Alumni for the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech
  • 2018 Fellow, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers
  • 2014 Glover-Klingman Prize for Best Paper in Networks (Sullivan and Smith, 2014)
  • 2010 Hamed K. Eldin Outstanding Young Industrial Engineer in Education Award

Selected Publications:

* Nguyen, D., Song, Y., and Smith, J.C., “A Two-Stage Interdiction-Monitoring Game,” 81(3), 334-358, Networks, 2023.

*Bochkarev, A.A., and Smith, J.C., “On Aligning Non-order-associated Binary Decision Diagrams,” 35(5), 910-928, INFORMS Journal on Computing, 2023.

*Curry, R.M. and Smith, J.C., “Minimum-cost Flow Problems Having Arc-activation Costs,” Naval Research Logistics, 69(2), 320-335, 2022.

* Lozano, L. and Smith, J.C., “A Binary Decision Diagram Based Algorithm for Solving a Class of Integer Two-Stage Stochastic Programs,” Mathematical Programming, 191(1), 381-404, 2022.

* Nguyen, D. and Smith, J.C., “Network Interdiction with Asymmetric Cost Uncertainty,” European Journal of Operational Research, 297(1), 239-251, 2022.

* Holzmann, T. and Smith, J.C., “The Shortest Path Interdiction Problem with Randomized Interdiction Strategies: Complexity and Algorithms,” Operations Research, 69(1), 82-99, 2021.