2023
December
Changliu Liu Receives Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Champion Award
Robotics Institute News
Changliu Liu, a Manufacturing Futures Institute researcher who is developing robotic assembly and disassembly processes for Lego blocks, recently received the 2023 ARM Champion Award. The assistant professor in the Robotics Institute was recognized by the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute for the substantial impact through her work in robot safety.
November
Fuchs discusses new national body that will help government assess new technologies
Science|Business
EPP’s Erica Fuchs discusses new national body that will help government assess new technologies in Science|Business. “Does government today have in its hands the data and analytic capacity to form its national technology strategy? The answer is no, it does not,” Fuchs says. “In the end, it’s going to be a question for Congress, and what they appropriate. I would argue that we have no time to waste.”
Taylor featured in PittsburghInno
PittsburghInno
MechE’s Rebecca Taylor was featured in PittsburghInno for being named the first Ansys Career Development Chair in the College of Engineering. The Ansys endowment she received will go toward educating mechanical engineering students using Ansys software. “Using Ansys software in my lab and classroom will help prepare my students to use self-assembly as a powerful tool for advanced manufacturing,” Taylor says.
October
Majidi talks about shape-shifting robots
BuiltIn
MechE’s Carmel Majidi talks to BuiltIn about shape-shifting robots. “This technology introduces new capabilities to achieve robotic functions at the small scale in hard-to-reach places,” he says. “Because of its shape-shifting properties and response to external stimuli, it can be operated remotely and controlled to move within otherwise hard to reach parts, such as those within the body.”
Fuchs talks about autoworkers’ roles in the electric car industry
CNN Business
EPP’s Erica Fuchs talks to CNN Business about the autoworkers’ roles in the electric car industry. Because there are fewer parts in making an electric car than in its gasoline counterparts, people assume that there will be fewer jobs in the electric car industry. “But making the powertrain of electric vehicles—the batteries, electric motors and power management systems—requires more total labor, not less, than that involved in making engines and transmissions,” she says.
Jayan comments on battery technology in the crashed Venice bus
AP News
MechE’s Reeja Jayan comments on battery technology in the crashed Venice bus in AP News. While the Italian’s transport minister is questioning the spread of electric vehicles in the midst of this catastrophe, experts say that the battery chemistry used actually makes it less prone to fires. “In batteries that use nickel or cobalt, oxygen can be released if the temperature gets too hot, fueling a fire. But in a lithium-iron-phosphate battery, there is a strong bond between oxygen and phosphorus, keeping the oxygen in place,” she says.
Whitefoot comments on green cars in MSN
MSN
MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot comments on the future of green vehicles in MSN. “Moving heavy vehicles like school buses, construction equipment, and big trucks to electrification will definitely be slower. That’s where improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines will be important,” she says.
Fuchs elected to the Board of the National Semiconductor Technology Center
National Institute of Standards and Technology
EPP’s Erica Fuchs was elected to the board of trustees that will oversee a nonprofit entity that is expected to run the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The NSTC aims to make groundbreaking innovations in semiconductor design and manufacturing and bring these technologies to market at a lower cost in a shorter amount of time.
September
Whitefoot comments on gas-powered green vehicles
Newsweek
MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot comments on gas-powered green vehicles in Newsweek. Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories collaborated to create a spark plug replacement prototype that will allow fuel to burn more cleanly and efficiently. “Moving heavy vehicles like school buses, construction equipment, and big trucks to electrification will definitely be slower. That’s where improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines will be important,” Whitefoot says.
July
YKK AP’s new research lab works to advance job site safety, productivity, and quality
USGlass News Network
The opening celebration of YKK AP’s research lab at Mill 19 included demonstrations by MechE’s Kenji Shimada’s research team, which is developing technology to solve key issues in the architectural products industry.
June
Wolf featured in Pittsburgh Business Times
Pittsburgh Business Times
MFI/Next Manufacturing’s Sandra DeVincent Wolf encourages local manufacturers to reach out to organizations and universities like Carnegie Mellon to learn how to adopt new technologies. She was featured as one of 20 People to Know in Manufacturing in the recent issue of the Pittsburgh Business Times.
CMU research team featured in Pittsburgh Business Times
Pittsburgh Business Times
A team led by CMU and including United States Steel Corp. and Nucor, will receive $3.1 million for a process designed to decarbonize the steel industry.
May
Majidi comments on new material for “soft robotics” in Scientific American
Scientific American
MechE’s Carmel Majidi talks about a new low-density gel material that is able to conduct electricity to power a motor in Scientific American. In his recent study published in Nature Electronics, he used this material to power two basic machines, a toy car and a snail-like soft robot. “There are so many possibilities that arise when you take machines and robots out of the hard case and engineer them out of materials that are soft and squishy,” Majidi says.
MFI Faculty Director talks digital twins, supply chain issues
Supply Chain Dive
ECE’s Gary Fedder spoke to Supply Chain Dive about the promise of digital twins and their potential to address supply chain issues. “One can do basically virtual experiments to understand: How do you make the factory more efficient?” Fedder said. “The reason that’s super important is that usually translates into a lot of money.”
Bockstaller discusses his self-healing plastic research with CBS News Pittsburgh
CBS News Pittsburgh
MSE’s Michael Bockstaller discusses his self-healing plastic research with CBS News Pittsburgh. Typically, plastic’s short lifespan results in substantial waste production, and creating new plastic is much cheaper than recycling it. “The idea is that by creating polymers that would feature self-healing properties, we might be able to prolong the lifetime of these systems and reduce waste formation,” Bockstaller says.
April
Rollett showcases research at US DOE summit
CMU News
MSE’s Anthony Rollett presented research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit. His research is one of 18 high-termperature material projects that are part of the High Intensity Themeral Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP) program. He also schowcased work with Prabuhu Energy on a project titled.
Jayan talks about representation and her unconventional career path
Utah Public Radio
MechE’s Reeja Jayan talks to Utah Public Radio about her nonlinear path toward becoming a professor in engineering. She is the author of a chapter in the recently published book Women in Mechanical Engineering.
Rollett talks to NASA about 3D printed metal parts for spaceflight
NASA
MSE’s Tony Rollett, principal investigator of NASA’s new additive manufacturing institute, talks about 3D printed metal parts that will be used for NASA’s spaceflight endeavors in climate research. “The internal structure of this type of part is much different than what’s produced by any other method. The institute will focus on creating the models NASA and others in industry would need to use these parts on a daily basis,” Rollett says.
February
Pistorius helps create industrial decarbonzation partnership with a $1.5 million NSF grant
Scott Institute
MSE’s Chris Pistorius and colleagues have been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education. With this money, they created the Industrial Decarbonization Analysis, Benchmarking, and Action (INDABA) partnership which aims to accelerate industrial decarbonization on both a regional and global scale.
YKK AP to research feasibility of virtual factory at Mill 19
USGlass News Network
YKK AP Technologies Lab, who has partnered with MechE’s Kenji Shimada since 2020, has signed a five-year lease for space at Mill 19. They hope to develop a “virtual factory” that simulates engineering and supply chains in a virtual space for construction, glass, and fenestrations industries.
CMU partner and tech-oriented door and window manufacturer to co-locate at Mill 19
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
YKK AP Technologies Lab has decided to locate at Mill 19 because they wanted to be close to CMU, with whom they have been conducting joint research into advanced technologies involving the installation of windows, doors, curtain walls, and other building products since 2020.
January
Ozdoglanar and LeDuc speak to Additive Manufacturing Media
Additive Manufacturing Media
The video of a new 3D ice printing method developed by Carnegie Mellon engineers is magical according to Additive Manufacturing Media. MechE’s Burak Ozdoganlar, Philip LeDuc, and Akash Garg are printing sacrificial structures that are as small as blood vessels.
2022
December
Panat quoted in Lifewire
Lifewire
MechE’s Rahul Panat tells Lifewire, “Brain research aims to understand the communication between individual neurons or groups of neurons and can help us understand natural intelligence.” He explains that although natural intelligence can be used to develop AI, this proves to be a “herculean task” as neural recording limitations hinder the investigation of communication between different parts of the brain. “So advances in the recording density and interpretation of the signaling patterns of the neurons has been of immense interest,” Panat says.
November
Revolutionizing the American Supply Chain through Advanced Manufacturing
MITRE Grand Challenges Power Hour
NextM/MFI’s Sandra DeVincent Wolf participated in a recent panel discussion during Mitre’s Grand Challenges Power Hour: Revolutionizing the American Supply Chain through Advanced Manufacturing. Panelists discussed how the newly released National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing can help grow the U.S. economy, create jobs, enhance environmental sustainability, address climate change, strength supply chains, ensure national security, and improve healthcare.
Fedder answers the big questions about advanced manufacturing in the US
Authority Magazine