Mentions

2023

March

Donahue quoted on use of vinyl chloride
USA Today

EPP’s Neil Donahue was quoted in USA Today’s Fact Check segment about permitted uses of vinyl chloride, which was being carried on the train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February. While online chatter has suggested that use of the chemical was banned nearly fifty years ago, Donahue told USA Today that “to my knowledge, the only use of (vinyl chloride) that is specifically banned is this one use as a propellant.”

Bergbreiter talks insect-inspired robotics design
Popular Science

MechE’s Sarah Bergbreiter spoke to Popular Science about how jumping insects inspired the mechanics of her team’s recent design, a bouncing robot that can control energy transfers between surface and device using the launch mechanism. “It’s really fascinating that the latch—something that we already need in our robots—can be used to control outputs that we couldn't have controlled before.” The design takes its cues from grasshoppers and other insects that use delicate energy transfers to land securely on different surfaces.

Presto talks about the chemical effects of the East Palestine train derailment
NBC News

MechE’s Albert Presto talks to Fortune and NBC News about the after effects of the East Palestine train derailment and the chemicals’ effects on the town’s residents.“We didn’t see any hot spots, places with high concentrations,” Presto says about contaminants such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, and vinyl chloride. However, he acknowledges the high levels of acrolein in the environment which could cause some long-term health concerns.

Majidi discusses breakthroughs in softbotics
Associated Press

MechE’s Carmel Majidi and his research team engineered the first self-healing soft material with electrical conductivity, low stiffness, and high stretchability—a breakthrough in the world of softbotics and beyond. “Softbotics is about seamlessly integrating robotics into everyday life, putting humans at the center,” explains Majidi. “Instead of being wired up with biomonitoring electrodes connecting patients to bio measurement hardware mounted on a cart, our gel can be used as a bioelectrode that directly interfaces with body-mounted electronics that can collect information and transmit it wirelessly.” This work was also covered in New Atlas.

Shinn-Cunningham comments on future of hearing health technology
Fierce Healthcare

BME’s Barbara Shinn-Cunningham weighs in on the continued relevance of hearing aids, even as hearing health technology begins to shift in a digital direction. While the devices have improved considerably in the last 15 years, they still fail in helping wearers easily differentiate sounds. But Shinn-Cunningham says the next generation of hearing aids being developed can use machine learning to separate ambient sounds from voices.

Four Engineering alumni celebrated in the most recent Tartans on the Rise class
CMU

In the most recent class of Tartans on the Rise, four Engineering alumni will be recognized for their substantial contributions in their fields and their communities. These included Rohyt Belani (2002), Emmanuel Chebukati (2018), Michelle O’Malley (2004), and Hooman Radfar (2004).

Zhang delivered plenary lecture at SIAM International Meshing Roundtable Workshop
SIAM

MechE’s Jessica Zhang was an invited plenary speaker at the SIAM International Meshing Roundtable Workshop on March 6 - 9, 2023 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She presented her latest research on modeling traffic jam and growth process of neurons using isogeometric analysis and physics-informed neural network.

Sullivan talks to The Washington Post about the danger of air fresheners
The Washington Post

MechE’s Ryan Sullivan talks with The Washington Post about how air fresheners can actually have serious adverse effects on consumers. “To a chemist ‘really clean’ would actually be no scent because the scent is caused by a chemical. Truly clean means very low levels of chemicals,” Sullivan says. He expresses concern toward the chemicals potentially causing hormone disruption and even cancer. Instead, he recommends naturally sourced essential oils as a way to combat household odors.

Shen discusses his new copper-based material that can increase electronics’ lifetime
Mining Dot Com

MechE’s Sheng Shen explains how his new flexible, copper-based material can elongate the lifetime of electronics through a “sandwich” method. A graphene-coated copper nanowire array is placed between two thin copper films which helps prevent overheating and burning out. “We believe that a wide variety of electronic systems can benefit from it by allowing them to operate at a lower temperature with higher performance,” Shen says.

Presto comments on the Ohio train derailment in CNN
CNN

MechE’s Albert Presto talks to CNN about the Ohio train derailment and the environmental effects the accident has caused. “It’s not elevated to the point where it’s necessarily like an immediate ‘evacuate the building’ health concern, but, you know, we don’t know necessarily what the long-term risk is or how long that concentration that causes that risk will persist,” he says. This uncertainty has also resulted in the residents of East Palestine becoming frustrated, which Presto hopes will decrease with better monitoring and communication.

Weber discusses tech that restores movement for stroke patients
The New York Times

MechE’s Douglas Weber was mentioned in The New York Times for the research he and other researchers are working on that looks at restoring mobility in stroke patients. The method they are investigating involves surgically-implanted electrodes that are then stimulated to help produce movement. Weber says that implantation is preferred to letting the electrodes rest on the skin because it’s “much more specific” and can better “target the muscles that control the wrist and the hand.” This work was also featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Cranor discusses Twitter’s two-factor authentication changes
Ars Technica

CyLab Director Lorrie Cranor discusses Twitter changing its two-factor authentication (2FA) policy: starting March 20, only Twitter Blue members (paid subscribers) will be able to use the phone-based 2FA whereas regular users will have the option to use an authenticator app or physical security key. “I don't think we really know whether this will nudge people to go ahead and get an authenticator app or whether a lot of people will just give up on 2FA,” Cranor says. “In general, two-factor authentication is not widely adopted by users unless they are forced to use it. I think a lot of other companies will be watching to see whether disallowing text-message 2FA is a good idea or not.”

Michalek talks reality of owning an electric vehicle with The Atlantic
The Atlantic

EPP/MechE’s Jeremy Michalek talks to The Atlantic about the reality of owning an electric vehicle. For many consumers, buying an EV is not so simple; they have plenty of considerations to think about before purchasing. “Even if they have charging infrastructure this year, renters tend to move, and they don’t know whether they’ll have that access next year. Even a lot of homeowners don’t have off-street parking, and relying entirely on public charging infrastructure is a whole different ball game,” Michalek says.

Lightman quoted on smart cities
PolitiFact

Metro21’s Karen Lightman spoke to Politifact about what makes a smart city amid inaccurate information on the topic being spread on social media. “Some think it’s all about the tech, some think it’s all about the people,” Lightman said. “I like to look at it more holistically—it’s about the community and people and addressing their challenges and problems through collaborative applications of technology, while ensuring that there are policies in place to protect privacy and security—with the overall goal of improving quality of life, equitably and inclusively.”

Morgan discusses power grid security concerns
CNN

EPP’s Granger Morgan discusses the challenges of securing power facilities as physical attacks by domestic extremists increase. Given that high-voltage power lines and facilities are often nestled in remote locations, Morgan warns of the need to better protect the grid and make it more resilient to attacks. “It’s inherently very difficult to harden or protect it all,” he explains. “It may not take all that high tech an approach to cause physical disruption that could have very large consequences.”

Majidi discusses the future of shape-shifting robotics
Daily Mail

MechE’s Carmel Majidi and a team of researchers have created a shape-shifting robot that can hold objects 30 times its own mass. The team tested the robot through a series of obstacles, including jumping over moats and removing foreign objects from a model stomach. “What we’re showing are just one-off demonstrations, proofs of concept,” Majidi says. “Future work should further explore how these robots could be used within a biomedical context.”

Rounce quoted on new glacial melt insights
CNN

CEE’s David Rounce comments on recent research about Thwaites Glacier, nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier.” Roughly the size of Florida, this glacier is largely held in place by an ice shelf, and the new study exemplifies how its collapse could drive catastrophic sea level rise. Rounce offers that the findings provide “novel insights into how rapidly the bottom of the ice shelf is melting and the mechanisms by which it’s melting, which are very important for improving our understanding and ability to model how Thwaites will change in the future.”

Rounce’s research on global glacier loss referenced by CNN
CNN

Research by CEE’s David Rounce on global glacier loss was referenced in a CNN article. Rounce also praised a new study that examined the potential negative impact glacial lake outbursts could have on many communities. “This is a really nice first pass to understand where we have invested a lot of our time and our research efforts and where we can improve,” Rounce says. He adds that the authors’ methods could be applied to future projections “to understand where that exposure might change in the future, or where that hazard might change.”

Rajkumar comments on Tesla’s stainless steel Cybertruck
The New York Times

ECE’s Raj Rajkumar comments on Tesla’s newest invention: a stainless steel Cybertruck. With an angular and heavy body, this truck has experts questioning its feasibility and future success given that the only other car company to mass-produce a stainless steel car went bankrupt after building less than 10,000 models. “Tesla thinks they can solve any problem and don’t have to learn from anyone else,” Rajkumar argues. “And then they get stuck in a corner.”

Koopman quoted on Tesla recalls
Los Angeles Times

ECE’s Phil Koopman spoke to the Los Angeles Times about a recent recall of Tesla’s autonomous vehicles due to issues with obeying traffic signals and speed limits. Addressing the timeline of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation into the matter, Koopman told the outlet, “NHTSA would be motivated to get this thing fixed in a way that involves the least trauma and gets it done faster.” Koopman was also quoted in Newsmax about remedying the software issues.

Rajkumar talks Tesla recalls, autonomous vehicle safety
Time

ECE’s Raj Rajkumar spoke with Time about possible safety concerns with self-driving vehicles amid a recall of over 300,000 such Tesla models. The autonomous cars in question reportedly didn't obey traffic signals and speed limits, prompting the automaker to announce a software update. “These are not straightfoward issues to fix,” Rajkumar said. “If they could have fixed it, they would have fixed it a long time back.”

Koopman talks improving functionality in self-driving cars
The New York Times

ECE’s Phil Koopman spoke to the New York Times about improving the safety and functionality of autonomous vehicles amid concerns about the cars holding up traffic and having trouble navigating situations in city environments. “Sometimes these cars just need a human to help them out of a tough spot,” Koopman said.

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.

Feinberg quoted on lab-grown skin technology
WIRED

BME/MSE’s Adam Feinberg was quoted in a WIRED article about “edgeless” engineered tissue that Columbia University Medical Center researchers are working on and, recently, successfully transplanted. Feinberg commented on the importance of vascular quality in tissues, and a path for making these technologies more available.

Ren and Yerneni honored with BMES-CMBE Awards

The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) recently announced its 2023 Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) award winners, and two Carnegie Mellon engineers were named recipients. BME’s Charlie Ren, was selected for the CMBE Rising Star Award, which recognizes junior faculty members who have made an outstanding impact on the field of cellular and molecular bioengineering. Sai Yerneni, a former biomedical engineering Ph.D. student who is continuing his research as a chemical engineering postdoc, received the CMBE Graduate Student Travel Award. This recognition funds a graduate student researcher to attend the 2023 BMES Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Conference to present their outstanding research in the field of cellular and molecular bioengineering.

James Barr von Oehsen Named Director of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center

James Barr von Oehsen has been selected as the director of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), a joint research center of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Von Oehsen is a leader in the fields of cyberinfrastructure, research computing, advanced networking, data science and information technology. Von Oehsen will hold additional appointments on the research faculty of Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Pitt’s Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Informatics starting May 1.

Zhang paper recognized as top-cited article
Clarivate Analytics

According to Citation data from Clarivate Analytics, Mech’s Jessica Zhang’s paper “Tuned Hybrid Nonuniform Subdivision Surfaces with Optimal Convergence Rates” is recognized as one of the top cited articles published in an issue of International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering between January 1, 2021 through December 15, 2022.

Finalist Wang shares her 3MT Challenge competition strategies
Carnegie Mellon University

MSE’s Yingqiao Wang is set to compete in CMU’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Championship, a competition that challenges doctoral students to translate their complex research to a broad audience—all in three minutes. Wang was featured in a story on CMU’s website. She noted that after studying past performances, she realized that most of the past participants spent nearly half their time explaining the problem their research was grounded in. “This is a key point to help the audience understand the research and connect it to real life,” Wang says. Three additional Collee of Engineering students will also compete in the 3MT: Amaranth Karra (MSE), Sofia Cardoso Martins (ECE), and Durva Naik (MSE). The competition is set to take place on Tuesday, February 28, at 6:00 p.m., in the College of Fine Arts Building’s Kresge Theatre.

Gueye quoted on increase in fraudulent activities
Business Day

CMU-Africa’s Assane Gueye discussed the importance of staying mindful online as recent reports document sharp increases in money lost due to fraudulent activities. As Africa becomes more digitally connected, growing cybersecurity threats could hinder financial inclusion online. “We should be more intentional that these technologies will bring more good and not harm,” said Gueye.

Viswanathan’s research on battery-power aircraft referenced in The Guardian
The Guardian

Research by MechE’s Venkat Viswanathan on the future of battery-powered aircraft was referenced in an article from The Guardian about Australia, a country heavily reliant on aviation. Viswanathan’s research detailed the opportunities and challenges of electric aircraft, concluding that significant gains for battery-powered flight are possible by 2030 given sufficient investment in aeronautical applications.

Whitacre comments on his cathode materials company emerging from stealth
Business Wire

MSE’s Jay Whitacre comments on his cathode materials company, Stratus Materials, coming out of stealth-mode in Business Wire. “Our innovative processes and materials are designed to provide the lithium-ion battery industry with cathode offerings that outperform best-in-class NMC cathode formulations on virtually every dimension, without relying on cobalt and with significantly less nickel and lithium per kilowatt-hour,” Whitacre says. His company proudly markets low-cost, highly effective, and safe materials for the lithium-ion battery industry, which he believes will help them engage with more partners and customers.

Rajkumar shares his thoughts on the future of transportation with The Verge
The Verge

ECE’s Raj Rajkumar was quoted in The Verge on the future of transportation with his primary focus being on autonomous vehicles. “There will be an ongoing retrenchment of the AV industry. Expect more layoffs in the large AV companies and at least one more high-profile flameout like Argo AI,” Rajkumar predicts. He warns readers about the financial realities these AV companies face, which, oftentimes, cause them to fail. However, he does not fully reject the idea that companies will continue to pursue technology that compensates for human driver errors.

Rajkumar talks about the future of Tesla with The Daily Beast
The Daily Best

ECE’s Raj Rajkumar speaks with The Daily Beast about the current status of Tesla and its potential downfall. “I give Elon Musk a lot of credit. He almost single-handedly made electric vehicles glamorous and sexy,” Rajkumar says. “People associated them with the person who was transforming the automotive industry and doing the right thing for the planet.” He goes on to say that economic factors including inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the popping up of new EV competitors, are causing the company to struggle. While Tesla itself may not survive, Rajkumar believes that the innovations they championed will continue to live on.

Vernon appointed member of IEEE RAS Women in Engineering’s new committee

CMU-Africa’s David Vernon has been appointed member of IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Women in Engineering’s new committee: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility. The IDEA committee aims to provide travel support to disadvantaged groups for RAS’ flagship conferences such as ICRA, CASE, or IROS.

Savvides talks potential of facial recognition research to predict market trends
The Washington Post

ECE/CyLab’s Marios Savvides spoke to the Washington Post about leading an upcoming research project that will use facial recognition technology to analyze traders’ expressions and make determinations about the state of the stock market. “The market is driven by human emotions,” Savvides says. “What came to us is, can we abstract things like expression or movements as early indications of volatility? Everyone is getting excited, or everyone is shrugging their shoulders or scratching their head or leaning forward....Did everyone have a reaction within a five-second timeframe?” Data collection will begin in late 2023 and the study will take about a year to complete.

Morgan quoted on US power grid security
CBS News

EPP’s Granger Morgan was quoted on the status of the US power grid in the wake of attacks on two of its substations in North Carolina in December 2022. “We’ve known the power system is very vulnerbale to physical attack, and we’ve known this for decades,” Morgan told CBS News. “We’ve made a bit of progress, but the system is still quite vulnerable.” Morgan was also quoted on power grid security by USA Today.

Donahue quoted on toxic gases from Ohio train derailment
Associated Press

ChemE/EPP’s Neil Donahue spoke with the Associated Press about the toxic chemicals released and burned after a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Donahue explained that dioxins could have formed from the burning of vinyl chloride, a gas used to make hard plastic resin in products like PVC piping. “Vinyl chloride is bad, dioxins are worse as carcinogens and that comes from burning,” Donahue said.

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.

Jaramillo quoted on hydropower research
Yale Climate Connections

EPP’s Paulina Jaramillo spoke to Yale Climate Connections about her research on hydropower as a potential energy source for Sub-Saharan Africa. The advantages of hydropower include its renewable properties and its ability to function when solar power cannot. “Africa has a lot of solar power potential,” Jaramillo says. “Solar is not available at night, but hydro could be.”

January

CMU College of Engineering staff award winners announced

Last week, the College of Engineering held their annual staff awards where six outstanding CMU staff were recognized for their contributions to the school. The winners included:

• Rookie Award - Yanika Reid (MechE)
• Burritt Award - Melissa Brown (MechE)
• Innovation Award - Beth Hockenberry (CEE)
• Leadership Award - Rachel Amos (INI)
• Excellence Award - Brittany Frost (CyLab)
• Spirit Award - Jamie Scanlon (CyLab)

Congratulations to these staff members and a big thank you to them for all of their hard work!

Rounce’s study predicts massive glacier loss due to climate change
AP News

CEE’s David Rounce spoke to AP News about his recent study, which used satellite images to estimate that a majority of the world's glaciers could disappear by 2100 due to the effects of climate change, leading to rising sea levels. “No matter what, we're going to lose a lot of the glaciers,” Rounce says. “But we have the ability to make a difference by limiting how many glaciers we lose.” The study, published in the journal Science, was also covered by outlets like Axios and CNN.

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.

Open call for CBI Fellowships Program

Applications are invited for the first cohort of Carnegie Bosch postdoctoral fellows for the fall semester of 2023 in the areas of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity/privacy. Carnegie Bosch fellowships are two-year awards supporting outstanding postdoctoral researchers conducting high-potential research within the excellence-driven environment of CMU. The deadline for applications is February 28, 2023.

Fuchs talks plans to assess America’s critical technologies
The New York Times

EPP’s Erica Fuchs speaks with The New York Times about the grant she and 22 other researchers from different universities were awarded to complete a one-year pilot project on assessing America’s critical technologies. The proposed National Network for Critical Technology Assessment is meant to help the U.S. understand our current strengths and weaknesses in technology so that we can focus our time and money in the places lacking development. “Until we can define what the actual problem is, it makes it very hard to spend our money wisely,” Fuchs reflects.

Donahue quoted on the potential to control lightning with lasers
Inverse

ChemE/EPP’s Neil Donahue spoke with Inverse about the mysteries in the physics of how lightning emerges. A new study details the first successful attempt to divert lightning with lasers, more than 270 years after Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod. Donahue believes the simple design of the lightning rod will be used for many more years. “Lightning rods are passive. They just sit there, they point, and they work,” he said.

He named to the National Academy of Inventors
National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has elected BME’s Bin He to its 2022 cohort of fellows. He has made significant research and education contributions to the field of neuroengineering and biomedical imaging, including functional biomedical imaging, noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI), and noninvasive neuromodulation. He will be inducted at the 12th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Inventors on June 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Luhanga receives OWSD Early Career Fellowship Award
OWSD

CMU-Africa’s Edith Luhanga recently won an Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) Early Career Fellowship. This prestigious fellowship will provide Luhanga with financial support to develop her research program as well as valuable professional and networking opportunities.

2022

December

Koopman quoted in The Washington Post
The Washington Post

ECE’s Phil Koopman discusses safety issues with independent self-driving vehicle testing in The Washington Post. Dan O’Dowd, a tech entrepreneur and Tesla skeptic, enacts controversial methods of testing in order to get Tesla’s self-driving vehicles off the road. While O’Dowd may prevent this potentially dangerous technology from being available to the public, Koopman comments on this rogue testing: “They’re doing it on public roads. It still raises the same ethical issue that you’re putting other people at nonconsensual risk.”

Michalek talks implications of ridesourcing apps like Uber and Lyft
Financial Times

MechE/EEP’s Jeremy Michalek talks about his research on transportation network companies (TNCs) and the economic, environmental, and social implications they have in a policy brief series. “Overall, Uber and Lyft affect different kinds of cities differently, and that is important to understanding their impact,” Michalek says. The briefs provide a succinct summary of his findings and recommendations.

Fischhoff discusses indecision and intelligence
Toronto Sun

EPP’s Baruch Fischhoff spoke with the Toronto Sun about how indecision might be a sign of intelligence. He comments on a study performed at the University of Dresden that indicated that people who took longer to make a decision were less likely to make a decision based on their prior beliefs and knowledge: “a more balanced evaluation of evidence leads to better decisions.”

Viswanathan and Guttenberg test startup software
InceptEV

MechE’s Venkat Viswanathan and Matthew Guttenberg tested software developed by their startup, InceptEV, to successfully simulate battery performance of Tesla’s Class 8 electric semi-truck 500-mile trip hauling 81,000 pounds. They mapped the truck’s likely route and used historical elevation, wind speed, wind direction, and temperature data to replicate a plot Tesla had shared on social media.

Zhang elected Program Director, SIAM Activity Group
SIAM

MechE’s Jessica Zhang was elected program director of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Activity Group on Geometric Design.

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.

Majidi discusses use of skin-wearable computers
Lifewire

MechE’s Carmel Majidi was quoted by Lifewire on skin wearable systems. He says, “Skin wearable computing is primarily useful for its ability to capture human motion and physiological state, including health vitals, while allowing the wearer to remain mobile and perform daily tasks.” Majidi directs the Soft Machines Lab at Carnegie Mellon University.

McComb named associate editor of JMD
ASME’s Journal of Mechanical Design

MechE’s Chris McComb was named an associate editor of ASME’s Journal of Mechanical Design.

Michalek quoted in Popular Science
Popular Science

EPP/MechE’s Jeremy Michalek tells Popular Science that EV charging needs to be adapted depending on travel. He says that on a day-to-day basis, highway corridors and communities lacking off-street parking should be prioritized. He also voices concerns about holidays when more people will be on the roads. “I think that the issue of peak demand is what worries me most when it comes to making this rollout be successful,” Michalek says.

Jayan’s Minecraft course featured in New York Times
New York Times

MechE’s Reeja Jayan was quoted in The New York Times about her use of Minecraft for a materials science class. “[O]ne of the advantages of using a game like Minecraft is it’s so flexible. It’s so easy for a small child to learn to play the game, but at the same time it’s been adapted for teaching advanced scientific concepts,” Jayan says.

Viswanathan discusses AI enabling autonomous experimentation
Popular Science

MechE’s Venkat Viswanathan was quoted in Popular Science on machine learning systems “Dragonfly” and “Clio” and their role in optimizing the electrolyte solution involved in battery recharging.

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.

Lowry among Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers
Clarivate

CEE’s Greg Lowry was listed as one of Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers in the category of Environment and Ecology in the 2022 rankings.

CMU Engineering staff win Andy Awards
CMU

Congratulations to the following College of Engineering staff members who have won Andy Awards:

• Commitment to Excellence, Rookie: Keren DeCarlo (MechE)
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Eva Mergner (MechE)
• Innovative and Creative Contributions: Athena Wintruba (III)

Zhang presents research at International Conference on Isogeometric Analysis

MechE’s Jessica Zhang was a plenary speaker of the 10th International Conference on Isogeometric Analysis in Banff, Canada on November 6-9, 2022. She presented her latest research on “Modeling Traffic Jam and Growth Process of Neurons using Isogeometric Analysis and Physics-Informed Neural Network.”

Engineering staff nominated for Andy Awards
CMU

Congratulations to the following College of Engineering staff members who have been nominated for Andy Awards:

• Commitment to Excellence, Rookie: Brian Brown (INI), Keren DeCarlo (MechE)
• Commitment to Excellence, Veteran: Kristen Geiger (ECE)
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Eva Mergner (MechE), Jessica Tomko (ECE)
• Commitment to Students: Rachel Amos (INI)
• Innovative and Creative Contributions: Brian Belowich (CEE), Elizabeth Clark (MSE), Athena Wintruba (III)
• Spirit: Trish Hredzak-Showalter (ChemE)
• Teamwork and Collaboration, Standing Teams: The Teck Spark Team (MechE): Ed Wojciechowski, Ryan Bates, Justin Harvilla, Jen Hitchcock, John Fulmer, Tom Rusu

Zhao quoted on reducing emissions using AI
Lifewire

MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted by Lifewire on the potential impact of self-driving cars, delivery robots, and drones on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Taheri-Mousavi quoted in Lifewire
Lifewire

MSE’s Mohadeseh Taheri-Mousavi spoke with Lifewire about using AI to discover new materials.

Joshi receives 2023 Young Investigator Award
Office of Naval Research

ECE’s Gauri Joshi has received the 2023 Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research for her work in data-aware and system-aware algorithms for distributed machine learning. The award was given in the division of Information, Cyber and Spectrum Superiority Code 31.

October

Sriraman featured as Meta’s Academic of the Month
Meta Research

ECE’s Akshitha Sriraman is featured on the Meta Research blog this October as the Academic of the Month. In the monthly interview series, Meta features members of the academic community and the important research they do as thought partners, collaborators, and independent contributors.

McHenry group recognized at IAS EMC
IEEE Explore

Research from MSE’s Mike McHenry’s group was recognized in October at the annual meeting of the Electric Machines Committee of the Industry Applications Society (IAS EMC) in Detroit. They won first place for their paper exploiting their new motor design and a CMU-patented and Core Power Magnetics-licensed FeNi-based alloy.

Michalek interviewed on The Why
The Why

EPP’s/MechE’s Jeremy Michalek spoke with The Why news program about how environmentally friendly electric vehicles are. “Electric vehicles are one of the few ways that we have to move people and goods with very low emissions. The emissions that we get depend on how we charge the vehicle, [and] what energy we use to produce the electricity to charge the vehicle, but it’s at least possible to generate electricity with very clean sources and end up with a big improvement.” 

Halilaj quoted on about humanoid robots
CNBC

MechE’s Eni Halilaj was quoted by CNBC about humanoid robots. “Our body is a complex engineering system that we still do not fully understand,” Halilaj said. “We have a long way to go to reverse engineer it, making motion planning and control challenging for humanoid robotics.” Halilaj directs the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University.

Sanders and CMU-Africa students quoted on Mastercard partnership
Tribune-Review

Dean Bill Sanders and CMU-Africa students Junias Bonou and Opelo Tshekiso were quoted in the Tribune-Review about the impact of CMU-Africa and the recently-announced partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

Haritos Tsamitis invited to join U.S. delegation to Greece

INI Director Dena Haritos Tsamitis was invited by the Greek minister of education and religious affairs, Niki Kerameus, to participate in the International Academic Partnership Program - Greece (IAPP - Greece). Haritos Tsamitis joins a special delegation from 30 U.S. universities to explore areas of collaboration with 24 Greek public universities. The U.S. delegation will be led by Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. IAPP-Greece is a partnership between the Greek Ministry, U.S. Embassy and Institute of International Education.

Adams to serve on EPA Science Advisory Board
EPA Science Advisory Board

EPP Head Peter Adams will work with the EPA on the Science Advisory Board’s BenMAP and Benefits Methods Panel. The panel will provide independent advice and analysis of the evidence used to quantify and monetize air pollution-related effects and how the BenMAP tool comes to these conclusions.

Presto quoted on new ethane cracker
WESA

MechE’s Abert Presto was quoted about air quality in the Allegheny Front’s article about residents’ concern over the new Shell ethane cracker in Beaver County. Presto’s research group has installed monitors near the cracker.

Donahue receives AAAR David Sinclair Award
Chemical Engineering

ChemE/EPP’s Neil Donahue has been named the American Association for Aerosol Research’s (AAAR) 2022 David Sinclair Award recipient. The award recognizes Donahue’s sustained excellence in aerosol research and technology and the lasting impact his work continues to have on aerosol science. “Receiving the David Sinclair Award is a huge honor, and I am so happy to have been welcomed into the aerosol community,” said Donahue.

BME welcomes largest-ever Ph.D. cohort
Biomedical Engineering Department

In August 2022, Carnegie Mellon’s biomedical engineering department welcomed its largest-ever cohort of 23 Ph.D. students to campus. The diverse group is nearly twice as large as previous classes and includes several first-generation college students. Growth in the Ph.D. program stems from several sources, including funding from several large, collaborative grants, as well as the department’s innovative partnership with the Mayo Clinic.

September

Islam’s carbon-nanotube technology set to receive commercial debut
Pittsburgh Business Times

MSE’s Mohammad Islam was interviewed by the Pittsburgh Business Times about Watson Nano, a new company co-founded by Islam and Trey Watson as a result of Islam’s research on carbon nanotubes. Watson will license the technology and hopes to scale it commercially soon.

Bettinger joins DARPA as program manager
DARPA

BME/MSE’s Chris Bettinger joined DARPA in August 2022 as a program manager in the Biological Technologies Office. He is broadly interested in applying bioelectronics and cellular engineering to create new technologies that monitor and improve warfighter performance.

Johnson quoted in Reuters
Reuters

MechE’s Aaron Johnson talked about the challenges of autonomous robotics in an article on Tesla’s new Optimus robot. Johnson explains why handling soft, unpredictable material is harder for a robot than for a human.

Engineering faculty receive NSF funding for decarbonization research

A decarbonization project led by EPP’s Valerie Karplus has received a $1.5 million research grant from the National Science Foundation. Karplus’ collaborators are MSE’s Chris Pistorius, EPP’s Paulina Jaramillo, and EPP’s Edson Severnini.

Whitefoot talks future of electric vehicles after California’s ban on gasoline vehicles
Vox

EPP/MechE’s Kate Whitefoot discussed future uptake of electric vehicles in Vox after California passed a measure banning the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars by 2035. “It is expected that EVs will dominate the new vehicle market nationwide in the future,” she told the outlet. “The uncertainty is exactly when this will occur. This regulation by California would serve to accelerate that timeline.”

Donahue to receive American Chemical Society Award
American Chemical Society

ChemE/EPP’s Neil Donahue will receive the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science at the ACS Spring 2023 meeting in Indianapolis. The award encourages creativity in research and technology or methods of analysis to provide a scientific basis for informed environmental control decision-making processes. Donahue is being recognized for developing the Volatility Basis Set (VBS), which has become one of the main tools to understand and describe the chemistry and physics of organic aerosols in the atmosphere.

Viswanathan offers advice to climate tech startups
GreenBiz

MechE’s Venkat Viswanathan shared expert advice in GreenBiz on how climate tech startup founders can approach investors as the market shifts.

Alumnus company named finalist in Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge
Cisco

Farm to Flame Energy, co-founded by CMU alumnus Kwaku Jyamfi (E&TIM ’20), has been recognized as a Runner-Up for the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2022 Climate Impact & Regeneration Prize. Farm to Flame Energy will receive $50,000 to help accelerate their growth as a startup that works to enable grid decarbonization.

Gomes named to “Talented 12” rising stars in chemistry
Chemical & Engineering News

ChemE’s Gabriel Gomes was named one of Chemical & Engineering News’ “Talented 12” rising stars in chemistry, which recognizes “early-career researchers in the chemical sciences who are fearlessly tackling difficult global problems.” Gomes was recently the recipient of a 2022 Scott Institute Seed Grant. The awarded project aims to make advancements in green chemistry by improving sustainable processes in catalysis science.

Sripad’s aircraft research referenced in Fast Company
Fast Company

Research by MechE’s Shashank Sripad on battery-powered urban aircraft was referenced in a Fast Company story on building flying cars. Specifically, Sripad’s research looked at ways to improve energy efficiency. “Even though the battery safety brings in some issues, the rest of the aspects in terms of the number of critical points of failure and so on are a lot fewer,” he says.

Panagakos receives funding for carbon-capture research
Science and Technology

ChemE’s Grigorios Panagakos has received funding from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program. The three-year project will involve work with other researchers at CMU to model designs to scale-up the carbon absorption process.

CMU and Pittsburgh benefit from Build Back Better grant
US Economic Development Administration

Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh region will share the benefits of a $62.7 million Build Back Better grant to upskill workers and expand the equitable adoption and commercialization of robotics, AI, and automation in SWPA.