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2025

April

Cranor quoted on Signal group chat
The Wall Street Journal

CyLab Director Lorrie Cranor was quoted in The Wall Street Journal about how employees often prioritize convenience over security at work. “We see this pattern all the time, where users just want to get their job done and their view is that somebody else should be worrying about the security part,” said Cranor.

Four College of Engineering students awarded George Washington Prize
Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering (YouTube)

In honor of their academic excellence and leadership roles across campus, four students of Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering have been awarded this year’s George Washington Prize.

Linda Liu (ChemE/BME) studies surfactant interactions, and plans to attend medical school to become a doctor after pursuing research. Sam Chen (CEE) is an experienced teacher and teaching assistant, and in his research, he simulates pedestrian behaviors using fluid mechanics. He hopes to pursue a PhD in computational mechanics to improve infrastructure sustainability. Sophie Clarke (MechE/BME) focuses on cellular and molecular mechanics to improve organ transplants and lab-grown organs, and she hopes to continue her research with a PhD. Katie Eisenman (MSE/EPP) won the first place prize; she investigates hydrogen as a clean fuel source and has done research at several other affiliated laboratories across the U.S. and in the U.K. She also hopes to pursue a PhD to continue her work in characterizing and applying ceramics in energy technology.

Many congratulations to all of our winners!

March

Allstot elected AAAS Fellow
Electrical and Computer Engineering

ECE’s David Allstot has been elected a 2024 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is among the 471 scientists, engineers, and innovators who are being recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. Allstot’s research focuses on analog, mixed-signal, and radio frequency integrated circuits. His impact on the mix-node integrated circuits and systems field has transformed the semiconductor industry.

De Graef recognized as distinguished scientist

MSE’s Marc De Graef was selected by the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) as the 2025 recipient of the Society’s Distinguished Scientist Award in the physical sciences. “MSA is an organization that is integral to advancing innovation in microscopy,” said De Graef. “I am grateful to receive this honor and to join a group of esteemed colleagues who have previously been conferred with this award.”

Kainerstorfer and Krause featured in profile about women in STEM

BME’s Jana Kainerstorfer and MSE’s Amanda Krause were featured in a CMU profile that highlights accomplished women in STEM fields. “Engineering is a way for me to leverage my strength in math to make meaningful contributions. It’s a way to solve puzzles, and I enjoy that,” said Krause.

Gomes’ predictive platform for biocatalysts spotlighted
Chemical & Engineering News

ChemE’s Gabe Gomes and Alison Narayan at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor have created Catnip, a machine learning web app that was featured in Chemical & Engineering News. The platform predicts which enzymes might work to catalyze reactions on particular molecules to aid chemists in organic synthesis.

Tkacik and Samaras quoted on CMU Energy Week
Blue Sky News

The Scott Institute’s Daniel Tkacik and Costa Samaras were quoted in Blue Sky News about CMU Energy Week, which takes place from March 25-27. “Energy Week was started to provide a time and a place for universities, for all the industry in the area, and all the government and nonprofit and NGOs to get together and coalesce around a single energy challenge that we face today,” said Tkacik.

Zhang receives awards from the SIAM International Meshing Roundtable conference
SIAM International Meshing Roundtable conference

MechE’s Jessica Zhang and her group received two awards from the SIAM International Meshing Roundtable conference held on March 3-6, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. Zhang was awarded the International Meshing Roundtable Fellow, and the paper coauthored with her Ph.D. student Hua Tong, entitled “Fast and Robust Hexahedral Mesh Optimization via Augmented Lagrangian, L-BFGS and Line Search,” received the Best Student Paper award.

CMU’s Manufacturing Futures Institute to participate in local workforce development
Next Pittsburgh

Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute has joined forceswith local nonprofit Prototype PGH and New Century Careers to launch Step On Up: Maker to Manufacturer, a six-month workforce development program that will provide training in 3D modeling, computer-aided design and manufacturing, screen printing, lathe and mill operation, and more.

Sioshansi discusses the cost of nuclear power
WESA

ECE/EPP’s Ramteen Sioshansi spoke with WESA about the benefits and drawbacks of using nuclear power. “When you compare the cost of supplying customers using nuclear and you compare it to other electricity generation technology, it’s very difficult to justify that cost economically,” Sioshansi explains.

Zhang selected as 2025 AWM-SIAM Kovalevsky Lecturer
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

MechE’s Jessica Zhang has been selected as the 2025 AWM-SIAM Kovalevsky Lecturer from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in recognition of her work in computational geometry and finite element methods. Zhang has advanced meshing techniques that enable precise simulations in complex domains that appear in medical imaging and biological modeling.

Tucker calls for African researchers to invest in artificial intelligence
The Toyin Falola Interviews

CMU-Africa’s Conrad Tucker was joined by a panel of other artificial intelligence (AI) specialists on a recent edition of the Toyin Falola Interviews, where they called for African political and scientific leadership to invest in AI technology and infrastructure so that they do not rely on foreign AI advances. Tucker stressed the importance of educating the next generation of AI researchers. “AI is accelerating how students acquire complex skills. It is also transforming fields like engineering design and product development. From aircraft to automobiles and computers, AI is revolutionizing how ideas are conceptualized and tested through predictive modeling,” he said. “If we do not train our students to compete globally, Africa will once again find itself as a passive consumer of technology developed elsewhere. The future of AI in Africa begins with education.”

Nock highlights energy assistance program
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

CEE/EPP’s Destenie Nock published a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about Peoples Energy Analytics, an organization that helps connect people with assistance programs to cover home energy costs. “By analyzing energy usage patterns, billing trends, and temperature fluctuations, we partner with utility companies to identify struggling households and connect them with help,” said Nock.

Samaras quoted on carbon dioxide emissions
Politico

CEE’s Costa Samaras spoke to Politico about why carbon dioxide emissions are increasing, despite renewable power sources surpassing coal in 2024. Gas generation is growing due to increased electricity demands for data centers and offsets the reduced emissions from coal. “If all we do is build more natural gas, our emissions are not going to go down. They might stay flat as they did last year,” explained Samaras. “Sooner or later, we’re going to run out of coal to displace.”

Karplus quoted on EU energy plan
Canary Media

EPP’s Valerie Karplus was quoted in Canary Media about how Europe’s efforts to strengthen and decarbonize its energy supply could motivate other countries to follow their example. “The Europeans have been and will continue to be pioneers,” said Karplus. “They’re focused on the process. To the extent that any system or any new measures provide a stronger incentive for countries with high-pollution-intensive value chains to clean up, that’s a win.”

Scheffler quoted on data protection and access
CNN

CyLab/EPP’s Sarah Scheffler was quoted by CNN about data protection, in response to Apple users losing access to Advanced Data Protection. “One of the very few ways to make sure that your data can’t be leaked if a company is breached is to make sure that the company (itself) doesn’t have it,” Scheffler explains.

February

Niepa appointed to USNC/IUPAC

ChemE/BME’s Tagbo Niepa was appointed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as a Member of the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (USNC/IUPAC). USNC/IUPAC encourages cooperative international activities that promote the advancement of the chemical sciences, arrange scientific meetings in the U.S., and involve U.S. researchers with international issues.

Zhao demonstrates autonomous vehicle research
CMU

MechE’s Ding Zhao demonstrated a new project used to evaluate the safety of autonomous vehicles for vulnerable road users when U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited Mill 19. In 2021, a self-driving car failed to recognize a visually impaired athlete at the Paralympic Games. “Now we are working with University of Southern California, Stanford and University of California San Diego to try to prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics,” explained Zhao. “So this will be used to assess all self-driving cars used in the Olympics in the U.S.”

Fedder explains that automation must deliver a return on investment for manufacturers
SME Media: Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing Futures Institute director Gary Fedder says companies know their pain points, “But they need to have some de-risking, some assurance of, ‘Okay, if I’m going to invest in this vendor to do this, I have some assurance I’m going to get what I want out of it.’”

Michalek discusses federal EV charger freeze
WIRED

MechE/EPP’s Jeremy Michalek was quoted in WIRED on the recent federal government freeze on infrastructure for electric vehicles. “The freeze does really have an impact on how much infrastructure gets to roll out,” says Michalek. “It puts some players in a bad spot where they’ve already invested.”

Harper quoted on EV charger spending freeze
Politico

CEE’s Corey Harper was quoted in Politico, Axios, and government technology about the Trump administration’s spending freeze on EV chargers. “We already have big gaps in coverage in a lot of states, especially the rural states,” explained Harper. “If this funding doesn’t go through or gets slowed down then the driving experience for a lot of Americans that have EVs or want to purchase EVs is going to be vastly different.”

CMU faculty to present at SXSW

MechE’s Jon Cagan and Chris McComb, BME’s Keith Cook and Rosalyn Abbott, and BME/MSE’s Adam Feinberg are leading sessions at SXSW 2025. Cagan and McComb’s sessopm, called “Empowering learners to collaborate with AI,” will prepare students to use forthcoming AI technology in the classroom. Cook, Abbott, and Feinberg’s session, called “Bioengineering Approaches to Solve the US Organ Shortage,” will highlight an ongoing partnership between CMU and Mayo Clinic that researches ways to repair dysfunctional organs or create new ones from scratch. The offerings are on March 6th and 7th.

Chen named Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society
IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society

ECE’s Vanessa Chen has been named the 2025-26 Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society. The Solid-State Circuits Society Distinguished Lecturer (SSCS DL) Program provides experts in the Society’s areas of interest to speak at chapter meetings and regional seminars. Chosen lecturers, who serve for overlapping two-year terms, are deeply knowledgeable and excellent communicators. Chen’s talks will focus on AI-enhanced RF/mixed-signal circuits, high-speed ADCs, and secure IoT.

Michalek discusses Trump’s counter to Biden’s electric vehicle policy
Politifact

MechE/EPP’s Jeremy Michalek was quoted in Politifact about an executive order set to overturn the Biden administration’s federal electric vehicle sales goals. “Weakening the rules may have some effect on the speed of the electric vehicle transition, but it takes about five years to design and build a new vehicle—longer than a presidential term,” said Michalek.

Combemale quoted on decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs
Marketplace

EPP’s Christophe Combemale was quoted in Marketplace about how manufacturing labor in the U.S. has been declining since the mid-2000s in favor of service professions. “That’s been the story of the U.S. labor market and occupational employment since the mid-2000s,” explained Combemale. “The overall share of U.S. manufacturing has been declining pretty consistently for decades.”

Grossmann named Foreign Academic

ChemE’s Ignacio Grossmann was selected as a Foreign Academic of the Chemical and Physical Sciences Section of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical, and Natural Sciences of Spain.

Gueye receives Cybersecurity Excellence Award

CMU-Africa’s Assane Gueye received the Cybersecurity Excellence Award in the category of Academia at the 2025 African Cybersecurity Summit, which is co-hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco, through the General Directorate of Information Systems Security (DGSSI), in collaboration with Smart Africa.

Joshi named 2025 Goldsmith Lecturer
IEEE Information Theory Society

ECE’s Gauri Joshi has been named the 2025 Goldsmith Lecturer by the IEEE Information Theory Society. As the recipient, Joshi will deliver the Goldsmith Lecture at one of the Society’s Schools of Information Theory, held for the benefit of students and postdoctoral researchers. Joshi has shown continued early career excellence via her research and technical contributions to information theory and its applications.

January

Rollett quoted on 3D printing for heat exchangers
Additive Manufacturing Media

MSE’s Tony Rollett was featured on Additive Manufacturing Media, where he explained how 3D printing is being used to produce heat exchangers for solar energy. “The lifetimes expected of these kinds of units is at least 10,000 hours, preferably even longer than that if you can do it,” said Rollet. “For these conditions of service, there’s no other way to do it. As far as I know, 3D printing is the only way to make these kinds of heat exchangers that will function for long times.”

Second INI alumna inducted into SFS
CMU

Information Networking Institute (INI) alumna Elizabeth Schweinsberg was inducted into the Scholarship for Service Hall of Fame (SFS). SFS awards one honoree each year to celebrate their contributions to national security through federal service and industry leadership. This is the second year in a row that an INI graduate has been selected for this award.

Whitehead speaks about the future of chemical engineering research
Nature Chemical Engineering

ChemE’s Kathryn Whitehead was quoted in Nature Magazine in a piece celebrating the first anniversary of Nature Chemical Engineering. The magazine spoke with 40 chemical engineering researchers, including Whitehead, about their predictions for the future of the field and what excites them the most. Whitehead talked about using nanoparticle chemistry to help deliver RNA treatments, which are currently used to treat liver disease, to other organs that are currently more difficult to target. “We and others are now uncovering the chemical mechanisms that control delivery and are expanding the nanoparticle formulation space, which we hope will enable treatment of any human disease, no matter its location,” she said.

Upanzi Network’s digital ID hackathons open in new parts of Africa
BiometricUpdate.com

CMU-Africa’s Upanzi Network, along with MOSIP, is launching the second round of its digital ID hackathon in northern, southern, and western Africa. This competition helps high school and university students across the continent create more robust digital public infrastructure by developing new ways to utilize digital IDs. As MOSIP’s blog post explains, “The key value proposition for adopting open-source digital public goods is the promise of technology independence, making vendor lock-in a phenomenon of the past. However, if the adopting nations have no capacity to deploy, maintain, and govern these digital systems effectively, there will still remain an effective vendor lock-in.” Eastern Africa’s first round of the competition has already concluded, with four projects chosen to be developed.

2024 staff award winners

Congratulations to our 2024 staff award winners:

Rookie Award: Kaitlyn Stossel, Admissions Officer, Integrated Innovation Institute
Burritt Education Award: Wendy Kua, Finance and Research Administrator, Mechanical Engineering; Angela Pusateri, Senior Business Assistant, Materials Science and Engineering
Innovation Award: Kaitlyn Landram, Communications Manager, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
DEIB Award: Brittany Jade Reyes Bristoll, Senior Academic Advisor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Spirit Award: Mika Inamahoro, Student Services Officer, CMU-Africa
Continuous Excellence: Stacy Marshall, Facilities and Events Manager, CMU Silicon Valley
Inspirational Leadership Award: Emma Zink, Director of Operations, Integrated Innovation Institute

Whitefoot quoted on electric vehicle adoption in the U.S.
Electric Apparatus

EPP/MechE’s Kate Whitefoot was quoted in Electrical Apparatus about the increased use of electric vehicles in the U.S. by 2030. “We conducted a study that showed that about 50% of new car and SUV buyers in the U.S. would purchase a fully electric vehicle by 2030 if they had a 300-mile range, were as widely available as conventional gasoline vehicles, and prices fall as expected by 2030,” said Whitefoot.

Rajkumar speaks about the persistence of robotaxis in cities
Popular Science

ECE’s Raj Rajkumar spoke with Popular Science about the growth of driverless taxis in cities. In 2024, they became feasible options for people looking to navigate cities, and they have become seemingly an accepted method of transportation in areas where they operate. Even though their proliferation may seem sudden, according to Rajkumar, automated vehicles have come a long way over the years, and companies like Waymo have found success by making slow but steady progress, developing the technology one step at a time. “The [2007] competition showed [driverless technology] was actually feasible,” he said. “It made this singular point that autonomous vehicles are only a question of when and not a question of if anymore.”

Nock quoted on utility assistance pilot program
WESA

CEE/EPP’s Destenie Nock was quoted by WESA about how Peoples Energy Analytics and Peoples Natural Gas use data algorithms to identify households eligible for utility assistance programs. “A lot of times, when people don’t sign up for these programs, it’s because they’re not aware that they even qualify. And also they’re not aware of the full benefit that they may receive from these programs,” said Nock.

Beuth 3D prints critical component of nuclear power plant for Westinghouse
AM Media

MechE’s Jack Beuth was featured on AM Media’s Cool Parts Show demonstrating how spacer grids comprising 38 separate pieces that are stamped, joined, and welded can now be additively manufactured using the laser powder bed fusion process.

Kainerstorfer promoted to SPIE Fellow
SPIE

BME’s Jana Kainerstorfer is part of the 2025 class of Fellows in SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. Fellows are Members of the Society who have made significant scientific and technical contributions in the multidisciplinary fields of optics, photonics, and imaging. At CMU, Kainerstorfer is the primary investigator of the Biophotonics Lab in the department of biomedical engineering, which focuses on optical imaging for clinical applications. She also leads the Body, Brain, Behavior: Advancing Neurotechnology for Peak Performance, Health, and Wellbeing moonshot project, with a large team of collaborators working to develop engineering solutions that aim to measure and optimize human cognitive performance, relevant for the healthy brain, as well as neural health conditions. More than 1,800 SPIE members have become Fellows since SPIE’s inception in 1955, including ECE’s Vijayakumar Bhagavatula.

Whitefoot discusses digital twin technology
IBM

EPP/MechE’s Kate Whitefoot was featured in IBM’s Think newsletter, where she discussed how digital twin technology can help reduce climate change. “I am watching developments in digital twins to support sustainable and resilient manufacturing, materials innovations for electric vehicle batteries that improve range and battery life, electrified automated vehicles and an expanding EV charging infrastructure,” said Whitefoot. “There have been large investments in these areas, and we are likely to see exciting new roll-outs of these innovations.”

Whitacre quoted on Cybertruck explosion
Newsweek

MSE’s Jay Whitacre spoke to Newsweek about the mechanics of the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas. He noted, “My understanding of ‘containing the explosion’ is that the sides of the truck did not blow out, and so all the explosive force went vertically as opposed to in all directions, thus partially containing the blast.”

Upanzi Network featured for Digital ID Hackathon initiative
mosip16.9

CMU-Africa’s Upanzi Network was featured in mosip16.9 for their Digital ID Hackathon. The hackathons are part of a larger initiative to increase the technical capacity of participants, promote innovation, and foster the next generation of thinkers in the field of digital identity. The Upanzi Network is co-directed by CMU-Africa’s Assane Gueye and ECE’s Giulia Fanti.

2024

December

Koopman receives Industry Legend Award

ECE’s Phil Koopman received the Industry Legend Award at Cars of the Future’s 2024 Self-Driving Industry Awards. The ceremony celebrated excellence in automated mobility in the UK and internationally.

Zhao quoted on robot dogs
bullitin

MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted in bullitin about how robot dogs are more likely to be used than humanoid robots because of their versatility and affordability. “For many applications, they represent the most practical and scalable robotic form,” said Zhao.

Fakhreddine named rising star in engineering and science
American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists

CEE’s Sarah Fakhreddine was named one of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists 40 under 40 Rising Stars in Engineering and Science. Fakhreddine’s research focuses on solving water quality and quantity issues.

Nock named a 2024 Science Defender
Union of Concerned Scientists

CEE/EPP’s Destenie Nock was named a 2024 Science Defender by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The title is bestowed annually on “individuals and groups who use science to improve the world and help people, including those who have taken a stand to protect science and scientists from political or other interference.” Nock was selected for her ongoing work in affordable energy and energy justice as both a researcher and a startup founder.

Grover and Weber awarded research funding to study female pain
Pitt CTSI

ECE’s Pulkit Grover and MechE’s Doug Weber won $50,000 for research from a contest by Pitt CTSI, Magee Women’s Research Institute, and the Magee-Womens Summit. The Women’s Pain research challenge offers three $50,000 awards to be used for researching pain primarily experienced by women.

Samaras quoted on Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act
NPR

Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras spoke to NPR about Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act. “A law like Washington State’s law gives a model, gives results, and gives quantifiable benefits to say to other states and other institutions that are thinking about this that it both works and that voters approve of it,” said Samaras.

Zhang receives 2025 ASME Van C. Mow Medal
ASME

MechE’s Jessica Zhang was recently selected to receive the 2025 ASME Van C. Mow Medal, which is bestowed upon an individual who has demonstrated meritorious contributions to the field of bioengineering through research, education, professional development, leadership in the development of the profession, mentorship to young bioengineers, and with service to the bioengineering community. Zhang was selected “for pioneering contributions to developing novel algorithms of image-based geometric modeling, isogeometric analysis, multiphysics and data-driven modeling to simulate neuron material transport, traffic regulation and growth, cardiovascular systems, as well as leadership in the computational bioengineering profession.”

Gomes quoted on ChatGPT
Nature

ChemE’s Gabe Gomes was quoted in Nature about how large language models like ChatGPT can help overcome language barriers in scientific writing. “It democratizes writing and it helps folks that have English as a second language,” said Gomes.

Zhang awarded AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky Lecture Prize
AWM and SIAM

MechE’s Jessica Zhang was recently awarded the prestigious 2025 AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky Lecture Prize, which is awarded annually by the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) and SIAM to highlight significant contributions of women to applied or computational mathematics. The lecture is normally given at the SIAM Annual Meeting. The citation from the award selection committee notes, “Dr. Yongjie Jessica Zhang is a distinguished scholar renowned for her pioneering work in computational geometry and finite element methods, with profound impacts across biomedical and engineering applications. As a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, she has advanced meshing techniques that enable precise simulations in complex domains that appear in medical imaging and biological modeling. Dr. Zhang’s innovative research on isogeometric analysis has set new standards in numerical accuracy and computational efficiency. Her numerous publications, leadership roles, and accolades, including her status as a fellow of several scientific societies, underscore her dedication to advancing the field and inspiring the next generation of computational scientists.”

Marom uses machine learning for semiconductor research
Mellon College of Science

MSE’s Noa Marom used machine learning to identify potential crystallizable organic semiconductor materials. Using machine learning allowed her to narrow the pool of candidates from several hundred thousand to 44.

CMU researchers land grant funds for exosome research
Charles E. Kaufman Foundation

BME’s Phil Campbell and Charlie Ren will be co-investigators on a recently announced grant from the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation. The Foundation recently announced $2 million in grants for faculty at Pennsylvania institutions conducting innovative, fundamental scientific research in the fields of biology, chemistry, and physics. Campell and Ren will collaborate with Mellon College of Science’s Luisa Hiller, who will lead of the funded projects. The group’s research seeks to understand the immune consequences of the uptake of extracellular vesicles from the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae by mammalian cells.

Gomes part of red teaming for Amazon AI models

ChemE’s Gabe Gomes contributed to the red teaming efforts for Amazon’s new family of foundation models, called Nova. The Gomes Group tested the models’ capabilities in chemistry and chemical compounds. Their non-automated evaluations explored aggregation attack vulnerabilities through purchasing and remote chemical mixing scenarios. The Gomes Group also conducted automated evaluations using two distinct datasets of hazardous and common chemicals.

Niepa honored as Rising Star of Mechanical Engineering

ChemE/BME’s Tagbo Niepa received a Rising Star of Mechanical Engineering award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The award honors early-career researchers recognized through prestigious awards such as NSF CAREER, ONR YIP, AFOSR YIP, DARPA YFA, and NIH New Innovator Awards. Niepa has received the NSF CAREER award and the NIH New Innovator Award to support unconventional approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research.

November

Gomes quoted on large language models
Chemistry World

ChemE’s Gabe Gomes spoke to Chemistry World about the potential of using large language models instead of humans to answer chemistry questions. “This is incredibly well thought out and well-done work,” said Gomes. “I believe strongly that the way forward for making the models more powerful and capable is by having proper reasoning in them. But if we cannot measure that, we will keep seeing mirages that they seem to be improving when they are not.”

Qian quoted on New York congestion pricing
Smart Cities Dive

CEE’s Sean Qian was quoted in Smart Cities Dive about how New York City congestion pricing could disproportionately affect different groups based on their access to public transportation. “Certain groups will feel the impact of [congestion pricing] more than others, raising considerable equity concerns,” said Qian. “It may be worthwhile to explore ways to equitably allocate [congestion pricing] revenue to support various communities,” he said.

Chase featured in PNAS Journal Club
PNAS

Research from BME’s Steve Chase was recently highlighted in PNAS Journal Club. Chase and his Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition colleagues are exploring why people “choke” under pressure and what exactly happens in the brain when they do.

Whitefoot quoted on EV metrics
Fast Company

EPP/MechE’s Kate Whitefoot was quoted in Fast Company about why EV manufacturers emphasize certain metrics like range in their advertising. “If you can advertise that EVs do have longer range, like up to 300 miles, then consumers are much more willing to purchase EVs and value them equally to gasoline vehicles,” said Whitefoot.

Michalek quoted on rideshare economics
Marketplace

EPP/MechE’s Jeremy Michalek spoke on Marketplace about how commuters are increasingly using rideshare instead of owning a car. “Because people work hybrid, work from home some of the days of the week, that changes the economics,” said Michalek.

Tang quoted on how AI can improve flight schedules
Fast Company

CEE’s Pingbo Tang was quoted in Fast Company about Odysee, a new AI tool used to optimize efficiency and revenue when creating flight schedules. “This is a very reasonable solution for Alaska Airlines,” said Tang.

Koopman discusses Tesla Cybercab
Business Insider

ECE’s Phil Koopman spoke to Business Insider about how Tesla will need to gain permission from the federal government to sell its Cybercab. Shortly after, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it will probe the ability of Tesla’s software engineering controls to detect and respond appropriately to reduced visibility conditions.

Allen named to Women of Excellence Awards Class of 2024
New Business Courier

Alaine Allen, associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College of Engineering, was named to the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Women of Excellence Awards Class of 2024. This award recognizes women who inspire others through their vision and leadership, exceptional achievements, and participation in community service. An awards celebration is planned for December 12, at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown Hotel.

Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. student receives $49k grant award
National Institutes of Health

BME’s Dhruv Bhattaram, a second-year Ph.D. student, received $49k from the National Institutes of Health to advance his research, which centers around the development and application of lung epithelial organoids called apical-out airway organoids (AoAOs). Bhattaram has been part of BME’s Charlie Ren’s Engineered Morphogenesis Group since spring 2023. As principal investigator on the NIH project, he will partner with ChemE’s Coty Jen, MechE’s Amir Barati Farimani, and University of Pittsburgh’s Kong Chen to present AoAOs as a next-generation theragnostic platform targeted towards airway health and cilia pathophysiology.

Test bed builds up robotics research at Carnegie Mellon
Modern Machine Shop

Manufacturing Futures Institute researchers use a robotic test bed where AMRs deliver Lego bricks to robot arms for assembly to study AI, multirobot collaboration, assembly, safety, and more.

October

Samaras quoted on nuclear energy
floodlight

Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras was quoted by floodlight about increased interest in nuclear energy as domestic electricity needs increase. “There’s never been more activity and excitement for advanced nuclear in the United States,” Samaras says.

Samaras quoted on how electric vehicles can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
The Public's Radio

Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras spoke on The Public’s Radio about the importance of transitioning to electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “The transportation sector, how we move around, how we get our things delivered, is the largest portion of US greenhouse gas emissions right now,” Samaras explained.

Samaras quoted on greenhouse gas emissions
Scientific American

Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras spoke to Scientific American about how Kamala Harris’ proposed policy to incentivize building affordable housing could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “There’s a lot of the greenhouse gas emissions in the economy that are wrapped up in where people live,” Samaras says.

Samaras presents on the future of clean energy
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras visited the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to engage on questions about new energy technologies and the decarbonization of industry in the United States in a session called Leaping Ahead: U.S. Innovation and the Future of Clean Energy.

Karplus quoted on nuclear energy for AI
The Hill

EPP’s Valerie Karplus was quoted by The Hill on major technology companies using nuclear energy in order to power their AI systems while being conscious of the environment. “Nuclear energy is really emerging back on the scene in a big way and in part because we’re now talking about a world where we’re going to see load growth, and we haven’t seen that in over a decade, about two decades actually,” explains Karplus.

Bockstaller quoted on flame retardants
Live Science

MSE’s Michael Bockstaller spoke with Live Science regarding a recent study that detected high levels of flame retardants in some toys, kitchen utensils, and other household items made from recycled black plastic. Bockstaller noted, “The impact of these materials depends on the type of chemical, concentration, type of exposure, and individual circumstance.”

Krause awarded Robert L. Coble Award
American Ceramics Society

MSE’s Amanda Krause was awarded the Robert L. Coble Award for Young Scholars by the American Ceramics Society. The award recognizes an outstanding scientist who is conducting research in academia, in industry or at a government-funded laboratory.

CMU-Africa students develop spaceborne AI algorithm
Space in Africa

CMU-Africa students participated in a collaborative project, STAR.VISION, as reported by Space in Africa. Under the mentorship of Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) engineers, students developed algorithms for the project’s inaugural AI Algorithm Rideshare Programme 1.0.

Samaras discusses drone deliveries
NBC News

Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras spoke with NBC News about the advancement in drone delivery technology. “I think after what has been about a decade of a slow start, drone delivery seems to be accelerating both in its technological capabilities as well as the policy and regulatory environment in the United States,” Samaras says.

Michalek discusses ride-hailing discrimination
Associated Press

EPP/MechE’s Jeremy Michalek spoke with the Associated Press about racial discrimination in ride-hailing technology. “The technology is mitigating a social issue, which is pretty rare,” Michalek explains. “Discrimination is having little effect on average wait times, at least in part because these apps are able to quickly rematch when somebody cancels. Whereas with taxis, it was a very hard problem to solve.”

Samaras quoted on nuclear power
Yahoo! News

Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras was quoted by Yahoo! News about nuclear power being a source of electricity for the U.S. “There’s never been more activity and excitement for advanced nuclear in the United States,” Samaras explains.

Karplus quoted on the uncertainties and potentials of green hydrogen
Axios

EPP’s Valerie Karplus was quoted in Axios on “green hydrogen,” which refers to hydrogen that is created by splitting water molecules with renewable electricity rather than the more usual way of heating carbon dioxide. A new Harvard study has cast some doubt on green hydrogen’s viability due to its cost to distribute and manufacture. However, the study doesn’t discredit green hydrogen as an idea. Karplus noted, “If we look longer term, the potential for both technological innovation and clever business models to bring down some of those costs is enormous.”

Kurchin receives Simons Foundation award
Materials Science and Engineering

MSE’s Rachel Kurchin received the Scientific Software Research Faculty Award from the Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences division. “This award is exciting for me, both personally and professionally, as it shows that funders are beginning to recognize the importance of sustained work on building and maintaining scientific software,” Kurchin explains.

Chase team discovers why people choke under pressure in high-stakes situations
Scientific American

BME’s Steve Chase and a team of collaborators from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, studied what happens in people’s brains as they “choke” in high-stakes situations. By investigating the brain activity of rhesus macaques while the monkeys completed certain tasks, the researchers isolated a certain population of neurons in the monkeys’ motor cortices. These neurons’ activity decreased when the researchers presented the monkeys with rare opportunities to win a large reward, which resulted in the monkeys failing to succeed. This work was also covered in New Atlas, where Chase said, “Now that we understand a little bit about how the brain is failing under these high reward situations, we want to try and correct it. One way to do this would be to design techniques that leverage our combined brain-computer interface (BCI) experience to encourage the brain not to do those things and ultimately, rescue the behavior.”

Koopman weighs in on the viability of robotaxis as a sustainable business model
Yahoo!Finance

ECE’s Phil Koopman recommends caution for investors excited about robotaxis expanding their scope into new cities. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, recently partnered with Uber to offer driverless taxi rides in Atlanta and Austin, which will begin early next year. Koopman notes, “The question is what kind of growing pains they'll have as they start operating in new cities.” He also expects that, while these companies are confident that the technology is safe, there will be “more surprises,” saying, “the reality is nobody knows how this will turn out.”

Jayan discusses solid-state batteries
MSN

MechE’s Reeja Jayan spoke with MSN about the potential of solid-state batteries being used in electric vehicles. “Cons currently include higher manufacturing costs associated with the way the solid electrolyte is made and pressurized into the cells,” Jayan explains.

Carley discusses how misinformation can spread
Associated Press

CyLab’s Kathleen Carley was quoted by the Associated Press about the dangers of misinformation, particularly pertaining to false claims of election fraud and how that may impact overseas voters. “Laying the groundwork for a conspiracy theory means that you need to weave many claims together,” Carley explained. “In that sense, this story about UOCAVA lays the groundwork for, and would help substantiate, a conspiracy theory around Democrats stealing the election.”

Spotte-Smith quoted on AI ethics
Nature

ChemE’s Evan Spotte-Smith spoke with Nature regarding the ethics of AI, specifically pertaining to intellectual property. “Removing peoples’ names from their work can be really damaging, especially for early-career scientists or people working in places in the global south,” Spotte-Smith explained.

Donahue discusses chemical detectors in regards to 2023 train derailment
Associated Press

ChemE and EPP’s Neil Donahue spoke with the Associated Press about last year’s East Palestine train derailment in Ohio. He discussed how it is customary to report chemical levels that exceed chemical detectors and their reliability.

Samaras and Chester quoted climate change challenging public infrastructure limits
ASCE Civil Engineering Source

CEE’s Costa Samaras, along with CEE undergraduate alumnus Mikhail Chester, were quoted in an article by the American Society of Civil Engineers on the effects of rising temperatures on civil infrastructure. Engineers will have to determine how to strengthen current infrastructure, such as road networks, electricity systems, coastal levees, and more, to deal with environmental systems they were not originally designed to withstand, or else determine if compensating those affected would be more worth it than undertaking massive projects. Regardless, engineers must act as conditions worsen even in cooler locations. “You start adding all of this up, and you’re losing 5%-10% or more of the amount of electricity you thought you were going to have – all on a day when people need it to be safe from extreme heat,” Samaras said.

CMU hosts high schoolers for National Manufacturing Day
Several Outlets

The Manufacturing Futures Institute hosted more than 100 high school students in honor of National Manufacturing Day, as reported by CBS News, PittsburghInno, and WESA. Throughout the day, students participated in a number of hands-on robotic activities.

September

CMU startup tapped to help plan the electric grid of the future
Electrical and Computer Engineering

ECE Head Larry Pileggi’s startup, Pearl Street Technologies, was recently named Startup of the Year by MerCom Capital Group at RE+. Pearl Street Technologies, co-founded by Pileggi, will help Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) speed up interconnection studies.

Koopman weighs in on the safety of autonomous vehicles
TheNationalDesk.com

ECE’s Phil Koopman spoke of his skepticism in robotaxi company Waymo’s assertion that 85% fewer car crashes have been reported in areas where autonomous vehicles are present than in areas where they are not. “Most of those 70 million miles had a safety driver. So, if something goes wrong, there was a person to stop the bad thing from happening. The number of miles without a safety driver to intervene is much less…[The vehicle] has no intelligence. It doesn’t think like a person. It just is trained. And when it hits something it hasn’t been trained on, it just guesses. And sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong.”

Koopman discusses the road-readiness and safety of Tesla’s autonomous vehicle capabilities
AP

ECE’s Phil Koopman spoke with AP about questions and doubts surrounding how prepared Tesla’s autonomous vehicles are to deal with real-world situations. The vehicles are equipped with AI-assisted “Full Self-Driving” software to control the car, while passengers are meant to supervise the vehicle’s performance. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that “Full Self-Driving” vehicles will operate more safely that human drivers by the end of this year or next year, but some experts are still not convinced; Koopman believes it will take years for the technology to become that advanced. “Machine learning has no common sense and learns narrowly from a huge number of examples,” he said. “If the computer driver gets into a situation it has not been taught about, it is prone to crashing.”

Koopman speaks about the future for autonomous vehicles
The New York Times

ECE’s Phil Koopman spoke with The New York Times about how Alphabet’s robot taxi service Waymo has been expanding, and what the future may hold in store for it. He said that even though Waymo currently has the trust of the public in places where it operates, such as in San Francisco and Phoenix, that trust is not guaranteed, especially when it comes to safety: “Waymo has not had the big crash yet,” he said. “I don’t know if they will have a big, embarrassing, problematic crash, and based upon the data, they don’t know, either.”

Lightman meets with regional leaders about safety in healthcare
PGH Biz Times

Metro21’s Karen Lightman attended a gathering of researchers, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and government leaders from southwestern Pennsylvania to discuss ways to improve safety in healthcare. One of the themes the meeting was making sure that data are available that are accurate and comprehensive in order to improve transparency around safety. “Data can play a really important role, where using AI to move the data that without bias can shine a light where it’s been dark,” she said. “That transparency is really critical because that will hold people accountable.”

Niepa comments on synthetic polymer that mimics barnacles
Chemical & Engineering News

ChemE’s Tagbo Niepa was quoted by Chemical & Engineering News about a recent study that developed a synthetic polymer that can mimic the ways in which barnacles clean surfaces. Niepa explained the potential benefits this development could provide, explaining, “you can think about a way of cleaning a catheter, for instance, that is fully infected with bacteria.”

Zhang delivers two keynotes in Eurpoe

MechE’s Jessica Zhang recently delivered keynote lectures in two workshops in Europe. She presented her latest research, “Generative Manufacturing: AI + IGA, Digital Twins and Reduced Order Modeling for Applications in Additive Manufacturing" in “MAThematical CHallenges to and from new technologiES (MATCHES),” in Rome, Italy on September 5-6, 2024. She also talked about “Investigating Neurodevelopmental Disorders Using Innovative IGA, Dynamic Domain Expansion, Local Refinement and Deep Learning” in “Finite Elements for Cell and Tissue Morphogenesis” in Fréjus (French Riviera), France on September 9-13, 2024.

Apt discusses smart meters in Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

EPP’s Jay Apt was quoted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the new smart meters replacing old parking meters in Pennsylvania. “People used to have to go out and look for streetlights that are out or other indications, but now it has greatly decreased the time it takes to restore power,” he said.

Brumley discusses social security number breach and cybersecurity
Time

ECE’s David Brumley spoke with Time about the hack in April that resulted in SSN data from the NPD being leaked. “We are not talking about a startup here,” Brumley said. “Looking forward, we have to have higher standards for the custodians of our data.”

Webster-Wood quoted on a new mushroom based biohybrid robot
CNN

MechE’s Vickie Webster-Wood was quoted by CNN about a new robot developed by researchers at Cornell University that uses a mushroom’s mycelium in its hardware, allowing the robot to respond to the environment. In regards to fungi, Webster-Wood says, “If they are more robust to environmental conditions this could make them an excellent candidate for biohybrid robots for applications in agriculture and marine monitoring or exploration.”

Combemale discusses study on EV powertrains
The Guardian

EPP’s Christophe Combemale spoke with the Guardian about his study investigating the labor time of EV powertrain production processes and the impact that might have on the upcoming election. “We can say very strongly at the moment the evidence suggests it takes as many or perhaps more labor hours to produce [an EV powertrain],” Combemale explains.

Gomes work featured in The New Yorker
The New Yorker

ChemE’s Gabe Gomes’ work with large language model Coscientist was mentioned in a The New Yorker story about how scientists discover and develop new medicines to combat antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, along with how these scientists integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into this process.

Tucker discusses deepfakes
Medium

CMU-Africa Director Conrad Tucker spoke with Medium about his work and strategies for the public to protect themselves against deepfakes and disinformation. “Policies need to be established to protect users so that they can be confident that the content they are consuming can be trusted,” Tucker says.

Congratulations to our Andy Award Nominees
Carnegie Mellon University

Congratulations to the following College of Engineering Andy Award Nominees. Cheer them on at the event on Tuesday, October 15 in McConomy Auditorium.

Commitment to Excellence: Rookie

Amber Dworek (INI)
Eric Mrock (MechE)
Patricia Musiime (CMU-Africa)
Geena Provenzano (CEE)
Lauren Smith (College Offices)

Commitment to Excellent: Veteran

Melissa Brown (MechE)
Andrea Cohen (College Offices)
Allison McLachlan (CEE)
Kristyn Williams (MechE)
Emma Zink (III)

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Jessica Tomko (ECE)

Commitment to Students

Jeannette Daly (ECE)
Mika Inamahoro (CMU-Africa)
Jennifer Spirer (College Offices)
Ed Wojciechowski (MechE)

Innovative and Creative Contributions

Brian Belowich (CEE)
Monica Submit (CMU-Africa)
Anthony Talotta (MSE)

Spirit

Abraham Darriel (CMU-Africa)
Christa Jones (INI)
Melissa Ritchie (CEE)

Teamwork and Collaboration (Standing Teams)

CMU-Africa Student Induction Program: Jacqueline Bangirana, Nancy Biwott, Gikundiro Buki, Nick Carney, Abraham Darriel, Reginald Donkor, Gisele Gihozo, Mika Inamahoro, Rosine Kamahoro, Lucy-Anna Kelly, Sandra Malaika, Ines Manzi, Mugire Flavia Mugwaneza, Irene Munene, Johnson Nziza, Marie-Ange Rukundo, and Monica Sumbi.
Chemical Engineering Academic Team: Maria Barnes, Heather Costello, Chelsea Lee, Nora Sieworiek

Sioshansi quoted on battery energy
Marketplace

EPP’s Ramteen Sioshansi spoke with Marketplace about using battery energy as an alternative, sustainable source of energy. Sioshansi specifically discussed how batteries currently cannot completely replace fossil fuels. “The handful of hours when the wind and solar is not producing enough, well, we still have gas generators that can basically fill that gap,” he said.