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Swanson School of Engineering Research Fall 2014 e-Newsletter

Volume 2, Issue 2

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SWANSON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING - fall 2014

“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – from "The Lorax," by Dr. Seuss, pseudonym for Theodor Seuss Geisel, American writer, poet, and cartoonist, 1904--1991

On behalf of the Swanson School of Engineering and US Steel Dean Gerald Holder, it's my pleasure to send you this Fall 2014 issue of our Research e-Newsletter. The story told in "The Lorax" is one of concern for the sustainability of the well-being of humanity and our planet. University of Pittsburgh Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Dr. Patricia Beeson designated the 2014-2015 academic year to be the “Year of Sustainability” after the University announced the new $37.5 million sustainability initiative detailed in the first story below. Engineers are key in the development of sustainability-related technologies, and we are already seeing wonderful contributions of students, faculty, and staff of the Swanson School, much of it coordinated through the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.

For example, Dr. Jorg Wiezorek and his associates are working with ALCOA to develop more energy-efficient methods to produce permanent magnets for power generation in electric cars, windmills and other “green machines.” Dr. Albert To and his team are conducting research funded by America Makes to develop structures using less material. A new Electric Power Systems Laboratory directed by Dr. Greg Reed in collaboration with Eaton Corp. will enable Swanson School students and faculty to explore the next generation of sustainable power engineering technologies that will have a tremendous impact on power generation, transmission and distribution.

Swanson School faculty are also continuing to make important contributions in several other areas, including bioengineering/health care, nuclear power and innovation. Dr. Aaron Batista and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition published important new findings in Nature on a fundamental constraint in the brain that may explain why learning a new skill is easier when it is related to ability that we already possess. Drs. Prashant Kumta and Howard Kuhn are using a grant from America Makes to develop 3D printed scaffolds made of bioresorbable metallic alloys for bone regeneration. Dr. Kevin Chen was awarded the School’s third grant from Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) in three years. His team is developing radiation-hard, multi-functional, distributed fiber optical sensor networks to improve safety and operational efficiency in nuclear power reactors and fuel cycle systems.

Finally, through a new partnership between the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and The Lubrizol Corporation, Swanson School students will have a chance to develop ideas and products in the new Lubrizol Innovation Laboratory.

I hope you enjoy looking through this e-Newsletter. Most of all, we wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season.

Sincerely,
David A. Vorp, PhD
Associate Dean for Research, Swanson School of Engineering
William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Bioengineering

University of Pittsburgh announces $37.5 million investment in support of sustainability academics and research

Pitt and the Swanson School are indeed fortunate to have the support of many individuals, especially our own alumni. This year Jack Mascaro (CivilE ’66, ’80G) continued his incredible commitment to Pitt by helping to support a new sustainability initiative throughout academics and research and developed by University of Pittsburgh Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Dr. Patricia Beeson. Joining him in supporting this endeavor was fellow alumnus and our School's namesake, John A. Swanson, PhD '66, founder of ANSYS Inc.

Pitt teams receive additive contracts from America Makes

Faculty at the University of Pittsburgh continue to attract significant funding for additive manufacuring research from America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, as part of its second call for additive manufacturing (AM) applied research and development projects. What's exciting is that the contracts explore two novel approaches - enhanced computational modeling, and bone/tissue regeneration.

Pitt researchers receive America Makes contract to develop computational “latticework” for additive manufacturing

America Makes funding contract enables Pitt researchers to explore 3-D-printed bone and tissue scaffolds

Pitt engineers receive two grants totaling $450,000 to enhance computer simulation and qualification standards for additive manufacturing

Polymer Gel, Heal Thyself: New composites that can regenerate when damaged

When a chair leg breaks or a cell phone shatters, either must be repaired or replaced. But what if these materials could be programmed to regenerate-themselves, replenishing the damaged or missing components, and thereby extend their lifetime and reduce the need for costly repairs? A Pitt team has developed computational models to design a new polymer gel that would enable complex materials to regenerate themselves.

Pitt engineering and corporate research group receives nearly $1 million DOE grant for nuclear power safety research

The Swanson School's Nuclear Engineering program, part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, has grown significantly in enrollments over the past few years. This project by Dr. Kevin Chen represensents our third DOE NEUP grant in three years.

Pitt, Carnegie Mellon engineers develop new method to explore mechanical communication between cells

When the body forms new tissues during the healing process, cells must be able to communicate with each other. For years, scientists believed this communication happened primarily through chemical signaling. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have found that another dimension – mechanical communication – is equally if not more crucial. The findings, published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to advancements in treatments for birth defects and therapies for cancer patients.

Swanson School dedicates new labs

As renovations continue apace in Benedum Hall of Engineering, the Swanson School this year unveiled two new laboratories that represent the importance of research collaboration with corporate partners.

Pitt and Eaton celebrate opening of new Electric Power Engineering Lab

Pitt Engineering develops strategic alliance with Lubrizol Corporation

New “zero-dimensional” carbon nanotube may lead to superthin electronics and synthetic cells

Synthetic, man-made cells and ultrathin electronics built from a new form of “zero-dimensional” carbon nanotube may be possible through research at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. The research, ““Zero-Dimensional” Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes,” was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Packing hundreds of sensors into a single optical fiber for use in harsh environments

y fusing together the concepts of active fiber sensors and high-temperature fiber sensors, a team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh has created an all-optical high-temperature sensor for gas flow measurements that operates at record-setting temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius. This technology is expected to find industrial sensing applications in harsh environments ranging from deep geothermal drill cores to the interiors of nuclear reactors to the cold vacuum of space missions.

Three Swanson School faculty named 2014 Carnegie Science Award recipients

Three of our faculty members are among the winners of the Carnegie Science Center’s 2014 Carnegie Science Awards, sponsored by Eaton. The program honors awardees from more than 20 categories, including Corporate Innovation, Emerging Female Scientist, Entrepreneur, Leadership in STEM Education, and others. These individuals and companies have distinguished themselves by making unparalleled contributions to science and technology in various disciplines.

Center for Medical Innovation announces 2013 Round-2 Pilot Funding Awards for new biomedical technology

The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded a total of $100,000 to eight research groups through its 2014 Round-1 Pilot Funding Program for Early Stage Medical Technology Research and Development. The latest funding proposals include developing wireless EEG sensor and signal processing system for enhanced monitoring; a bronchial prosthesis to assist lung cancer survivors after surgical removal; and tinted sutures for external surgery that fade to clear to improve aesthetic features.

Pitt engineers and Alcoa researcher receive NSF grant to develop sustainably-produced magnets for electric generation

A more energy-efficient and less time-consuming method to produce permanent magnets for power generation in machines from electric cars to windmills is the potential of a National Science Foundation grant to engineering researchers at the Swanson School and Alcoa Technical Center in New Kensington, Pa.

Center for Industry Studies relocates to Swanson School of Engineering

With the goal of creating a multidisciplinary community of scholars to further industry research, the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Industry Studies (CIS) has relocated to the Swanson School of Engineering. The Center, led by noted researcher Frank Giarratani, PhD, will move from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Economics to the Swanson School’s Department of Industrial Engineering.