RECENT RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SWANSON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
On behalf of the Swanson School of Engineering, welcome to the first edition of our Research eNewsletter which highlights recent research initiatives and other related news at the Swanson School of Engineering. We will send occasional updates to you on the distinct accomplishments of our outstanding faculty and staff, and how they are making an impact regionally, nationally and internationally. I hope you enjoy our inaugural issue.
Sincerely,
David A. Vorp, PhD
Associate Dean for Research
William Kepler Whiteford Professor
Professor of Bioengineering, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Surgery
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Pitt establishes engineering institute with Sichuan University
Recently we announced the creation of a new joint engineering program to educate undergraduate students and foster collaborative research between Pitt and Sichuan University in China.
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Pitt researchers contribute to sustainable water management strategies used in hydrofracturing
Research into predicting wastewater quality and water management alternatives during hydrofracturing, led by Radisav Vidic, PhD Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was the cover story in the March 19, 2013 issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
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Additionally, Dr. Vidic and his colleague from Carnegie Mellon University received 2013 Grand Prize in the University Research category of the AAEES Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science competition for a project titled “Use of Treated Municipal Wastewater as Power Plant Cooling System Makeup Water.”
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Bioengineering team to develop wearable artificial lung
Thanks to a $3.4 million National Institutes of Health grant, our researchers will develop an artificial lung to serve as a bridge to transplant or recovery in patients with acute and chronic lung failure.
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Developing new methods for treating cerebral aneurysms
An R21 grant from the National Institute of Health will allow a multidisciplinary team to explore the links between hemodynamics and wall structure in cerebral aneurysms.
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Further research into vascular grafts funded by NIH
Research team led by Dean Vorp receives NIH R21 funding for application "Autologous Stem Cell-Based Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts."
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Chemical Engineering faculty receive ARPA-E grant for hydrofracturing research
Tapping crude oil more efficiently continues to be the focus of Pitt engineers, who have received a $2.4-million grant from the United States Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop more effective CO2 thickeners.
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Proposed circuits would act like a human brain that runs with high-power efficiency
A five-year CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation will leverage the unique properties of a memristor device to understand the synaptic behavior in electrical neural networks.
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Research recognized as one of top 25 most influential papers in its field
A paper co-authored by Alex Jones, PhD, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, was named one of top 25 most influential papers from the IEEE Field Programmable and Custom Computing Machines Conference (FCCM). "A MATLAB compiler for distributed, heterogeneous, reconfigurable computing systems" (2000) was recognized in part for providing "a first step in the development of the MATLAB compilation tools in Xilinx System Generator that are used by thousands of engineers annually."
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Four engineering faculty receive Carnegie Science Awards
On May 3 the Swanson School will be well-represented at the annual Carnegie Science Awards, which honors awardees from more than 15 categories, including Corporate Innovation, Emerging Female Scientist, Entrepreneur, Environmental, Leadership in STEM Education and others. 2013 Carnegie Science Awards, sponsored by Eaton, at its annual Announcement Reception. Four Swanson School of Engineering faculty were among this year's awardees, the most from any organization.
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TissuGlu approved for human trials; captures gold in Edison Awards
Cohera Medical, a leading innovator and developer of absorbable surgical adhesives and sealants, announced that it has received approval to begin human clinical trials of its Sylys™ Surgical Sealant product, designed for colonic and small bowel anastomoses. Cohera was co-founded by Eric Beckman, PhD, George Bevier Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.
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Additionally, Cohera's TissuGlu received the Gold Medal in the 2013 Edison Awards' Surgical Aids category. The Edison Awards, presented by Edison Universe, celebrate game-changing new products and services from around the world in the spirit of Thomas Edison.
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ALung secures CE Mark to begin European commercialization
ALung Technologies, co-founded by William Federspiel, PhD, W.K. Whiteford Professor of Bioengineering, may now begin commercialization in Europe.
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Utilizing gold nanoparticles to potentially treat cancer
A research group led by Hong Koo Kim, PhD, Bell of Pennsylvania/Bell Atlantic Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Co-Director of the Petersen Institute of NanoScience and Engineering, recently published "Are Gold Clusters in RF Fields Hot or Not?"
in Science magazine. According to the abstract, "Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have received a great deal of interest because of their distinctive optical, electronic, and molecular-recognition properties, as well as biocompatibility. One promising yet ambitious application for Au NPs is noncontact hyperthermia of cancer. By attaching tailor-made ligands, Au NPs can recognize and lock onto receptors on the surface of tumor cells."
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Pitt Distinguished Engineering Professor Anna Balazs named 2013 Mines Medalist
Anna Balazs, PhD Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, has been named the 2013 Mines Medalist by the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Known for being a pioneer in predicting the behavior of complex polymeric materials through theoretical modeling, Balazs is only the fifth researcher to win this award.
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RFID Center for Excellence presents "The Internet of Things"
Earlier this month our RFID Center for Excellence presented "The Internet of Things – A Vision to Change Our World,” a guest lecture with Stephen G. Halliday, President of High Tech Aid in Pittsburgh. The RFID Center is one of the world’s top three leaders in radio frequency identification technology and research.
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The Center's next lecture will feature another Pitt success story founded by Marlin Mickle, PhD, the Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor
of Electrical Engineering: Ortho-Tag - Smart Implant Technologies.
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New research-active faculty at the SwansonSchool
We're excited to welcome our newest faculty to Benedum Hall:
Princeton's John Keith named inaugural RK Mellon Faculty Fellow
Nanotech and energy researcher Giannis Mpourmpakis joins Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
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