RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SWANSON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
-- J.R.R. Tolkien, 1892-1973
On behalf of the Swanson School of Engineering and US Steel Dean Gerald Holder, it's my pleasure to send you this second issue of our Research e-Newsletter to bring you up to date on what we have found from our “looking,” as Tolkien puts it; i.e., our latest research accomplishments. This issue highlights some exciting new research grants, publications describing very innovative research, and other research-related accomplishments by Swanson School faculty.
For example, Dr. Anna Balazs, the Robert v. d. Luft Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, and Dr. Olga Kuksenok published a paper that has been well-received by the scientific and lay presses and that is the first to show that hydrogels can be both reconfigured and controlled by light, and undergo self-sustained motion. A new NSF research grant was awarded to Drs. Judith Yang, and Götz Veser, both Nickolas A. DeCecco Professors of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, that will utilize the newest nano-characterization tools to understand how catalysis occurs and how it can enable cleaner energy technologies while reducing the creation of harmful by-products. Dr. Lei Li and colleagues published a paper in Nature Materials
that showed for the first time that graphite materials are actually hydrophilic, not hydrophobic as previously thought. These findings have particular implications for producing stronger, more durable batteries.
We've also added a new section in this Research e-Newsletter issue to highlight major research conferences coming to Pittsburgh. If you plan to attend any of these meetings, please engage with our faculty or contact us for a visit to the Swanson School.
I hope you enjoy looking through this e-Newsletter. I anticipate more exciting announcements over the coming months, and I look forward to updating you again this fall.
Sincerely,
David A. Vorp, PhD
Associate Dean for Research
William Kepler Whiteford Professor
Professor of Bioengineering, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Surgery
|
Pitt research team demonstrates gels that can be moved, controlled by light
Drs. Anna Balazs and Olga Kuksenok
continue their groundbreaking research into hydrogels. "Modeling the Photoinduced Reconfiguration and Directed Motion of Polymer Gels," published in Advanced Functional Materials, is the first to show that these gels can be both reconfigured and controlled by light, undergoing self-sustained motion—a uniquely biomimetic behavior. The research has garnered international attention, including an article in Wired UK.
Read more >
|
Water ‘likeability’ plays a role in battery-charged objects
Objects made from graphite—such as lithium-ion batteries—are hydrophobic, meaning that they “dislike” water. For decades this lack of likeability has presented significant challenges in terms of building more durable technological devices made with graphite—until now. It appears that past samples of graphite were likely contaminated by air, causing the samples to appear hydrophobic. Pitt's research team has demonstrated—for the first time—these materials are actually intrinsically attracted to water or “hydrophilic.” The findings, published in Nature Materials, have particular implications for lithium-ion batteries and super capacitors.
Read more >
|
Dissecting the distinctive walk of disease: a mathematical model that examines multiple walking patterns and movements in adults older than 65
Researchers from Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and School of Medicine propose a mathematical model that can examine multiple walking, or gait-related, features in healthy and clinical populations. To date, no study has brought together such a team to examine such a high number of movement features comparing healthy and clinical older adults. "A Comprehensive Assessment of Gait Accelerometry Signals in Time, Frequency and Time-Frequency Domains" was published in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.
Read more >
|
UC Berkeley Professor Jay Keasling named Bayer Distinguished Lecturer
The Swanson School's Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering this summer welcomed Jay D. Keasling, PhD, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, as the 2013 Bayer Distinguished Lecturer. Sponsored by Bayer MaterialScience, the Bayer Distinguished Lectureship recognizes excellence in chemical education, outreach and research.
Read more >
|
