2023
October
Fuchs talks about autoworkers’ roles in the electric car industry
CNN Business
EPP’s Erica Fuchs talks to CNN Business about the autoworkers’ roles in the electric car industry. Because there are fewer parts in making an electric car than in its gasoline counterparts, people assume that there will be fewer jobs in the electric car industry. “But making the powertrain of electric vehicles—the batteries, electric motors and power management systems—requires more total labor, not less, than that involved in making engines and transmissions,” she says.
Jayan comments on battery technology in the crashed Venice bus
AP News
MechE’s Reeja Jayan comments on battery technology in the crashed Venice bus in AP News. While the Italian’s transport minister is questioning the spread of electric vehicles in the midst of this catastrophe, experts say that the battery chemistry used actually makes it less prone to fires. “In batteries that use nickel or cobalt, oxygen can be released if the temperature gets too hot, fueling a fire. But in a lithium-iron-phosphate battery, there is a strong bond between oxygen and phosphorus, keeping the oxygen in place,” she says.
Whitefoot comments on green cars in MSN
MSN
MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot comments on the future of green vehicles in MSN. “Moving heavy vehicles like school buses, construction equipment, and big trucks to electrification will definitely be slower. That’s where improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines will be important,” she says.
Fuchs elected to the Board of the National Semiconductor Technology Center
National Institute of Standards and Technology
EPP’s Erica Fuchs was elected to the board of trustees that will oversee a nonprofit entity that is expected to run the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The NSTC aims to make groundbreaking innovations in semiconductor design and manufacturing and bring these technologies to market at a lower cost in a shorter amount of time.
September
Morgan discusses Earth’s climate health with ABC News
ABC News
ECE/EPP’s Granger Morgan discusses Earth’s climate health with ABC News. A new study came out saying that Earth is exceeding its “safe operating space for humanity,” showing how imperative it is that we find solutions to reverse the damage being done to our planet. “Experts don’t agree on exactly where the limits are, or how much the planet’s different systems may interact, but we are getting dangerously close,” he says.
Whitefoot comments on gas-powered green vehicles
Newsweek
MechE/EPP’s Kate Whitefoot comments on gas-powered green vehicles in Newsweek. Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories collaborated to create a spark plug replacement prototype that will allow fuel to burn more cleanly and efficiently. “Moving heavy vehicles like school buses, construction equipment, and big trucks to electrification will definitely be slower. That’s where improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines will be important,” Whitefoot says.
June
Wolf featured in Pittsburgh Business Times
Pittsburgh Business Times
MFI/Next Manufacturing’s Sandra DeVincent Wolf encourages local manufacturers to reach out to organizations and universities like Carnegie Mellon to learn how to adopt new technologies. She was featured as one of 20 People to Know in Manufacturing in the recent issue of the Pittsburgh Business Times.
April
Rollett showcases research at US DOE summit
CMU News
MSE’s Anthony Rollett presented research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit. His research is one of 18 high-termperature material projects that are part of the High Intensity Themeral Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP) program. He also schowcased work with Prabuhu Energy on a project titled.
Jayan talks about representation and her unconventional career path
Utah Public Radio
MechE’s Reeja Jayan talks to Utah Public Radio about her nonlinear path toward becoming a professor in engineering. She is the author of a chapter in the recently published book Women in Mechanical Engineering.
Rollett talks to NASA about 3D printed metal parts for spaceflight
NASA
MSE’s Tony Rollett, principal investigator of NASA’s new additive manufacturing institute, talks about 3D printed metal parts that will be used for NASA’s spaceflight endeavors in climate research. “The internal structure of this type of part is much different than what’s produced by any other method. The institute will focus on creating the models NASA and others in industry would need to use these parts on a daily basis,” Rollett says.
March
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.
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.
2022
December
Panat quoted in Lifewire
Lifewire
MechE’s Rahul Panat tells Lifewire, “Brain research aims to understand the communication between individual neurons or groups of neurons and can help us understand natural intelligence.” He explains that although natural intelligence can be used to develop AI, this proves to be a “herculean task” as neural recording limitations hinder the investigation of communication between different parts of the brain. “So advances in the recording density and interpretation of the signaling patterns of the neurons has been of immense interest,” Panat says.
November
Revolutionizing the American Supply Chain through Advanced Manufacturing
MITRE Grand Challenges Power Hour
NextM/MFI’s Sandra DeVincent Wolf participated in a recent panel discussion during Mitre’s Grand Challenges Power Hour: Revolutionizing the American Supply Chain through Advanced Manufacturing. Panelists discussed how the newly released National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing can help grow the U.S. economy, create jobs, enhance environmental sustainability, address climate change, strength supply chains, ensure national security, and improve healthcare.