Faculty Highlights

JAKITA THOMAS

Jakita Thomas, the Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Associate Professor of computer science and software engineering, was included in Cell Mentor’s 2020 list of 1,000 inspiring Black scientists in America. The list was compiled by the Community of Scholars, a group of Persons Excluded because of their Ethnicity or Race (PEER) composed of postdoctoral fellows, earlystage investigators, instructors and consultants.

“I am incredibly humbled to be included among this incredible list of brilliant Black scientists who are doing work on the cutting edge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Thomas said. “Black scientists have been involved in most of the scientific breakthroughs and innovations that have occurred throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, from GPS to the development of the first gaming console with interchangeable cartridges to computer-generated imagery. However, their contributions and leadership have often not been a part of the narrative of innovation and scientific advancement. It’s exciting and encouraging to know that, going forward, Black scientists can be recognized and acknowledged for the role they have played and will continue to play in leading innovation here in America and having impact around the world.”

Jakita Thomas (right) working with students in the classroom.

Thomas is director of the CUltuRally & SOcially Relevant (CURSOR) Computing Lab. Her research interests include exploring the development of computational algorithmic thinking, promoting access to health care information and services for under-served populations, improving reasoning using expert cases, scientific reasoning, complex cognitive skills learning and computer-supported collaborative learning.

A noted researcher and leader in promoting equity and inclusion in computer science, Thomas helped launch the inaugural Black Women in Computing Conference, which has since morphed into a computer science education and workforce development organization called blackcomputeHER.

MICHAEL ZABALA

When Michael Zabala, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, started 3D printing highly customized braces for Auburn football players in 2019, the players and athletics trainers loved them and word got out. Now, that favor has turned into a startup business —

XO Armor — with a home in Auburn University’s New Venture Accelerator.

“It’s very difficult to 3D print strong materials. It’s traditionally been one of the most difficult parts of pursuing 3D printing technology, but that’s something we’ve figured out how to do,” Zabala told the OpelikaAuburn News. “We’re able to give these guys stuff that’s not only perfectly customized to their body shape, but it’s also extremely strong and can withstand all the abuse that it would see during the season.”

Athletes can choose their gear, scan their bodies with the XO Armor app and receive customized protective equipment. The company also provides the option of putting 3D printers onsite in athletic training facilities for a faster turnaround time. XO Armor recently signed its first customer outside of Auburn University, another high-profile Division 1 athletics program, with this onsite model. The XO Armor team has created customized braces for athletes in sports ranging from football to soccer to lacrosse. And interest in the company continues to grow from other collegiate and even professional athletic programs.

XO Armor is uniquely fitted to the contours of “The athletes like the feel an athlete’s body. and fit of the pads. The custom fit technology allowed the pads to be very inconspicuous under padding or clothing,” said Robbie Stewart, Auburn’s head football athletic trainer. “I believe this technology is something that can be used at every level of athletics for prevention and protection from injury.”

Listen to our podcasts with

Lauren Beckingham, Robert Jackson, Pradeep Lall, Frances O’Donnell, Nima

Shamsaei and Michael Zabala at eng.auburn.edu/ginning

Lauren Beckingham, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, was named the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Investigator Award from Applied Geochemistry, the Journal of the International Association of Geochemistry.

Saad Biaz, professor of computer science and software engineering, was awarded the 2021 Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentoring Award by the Computing Research Association.

Natalie Cápiro, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, was awarded a $1.3 million grant by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program for her project “Development of Predictive Tools for Assessment of Natural Attenuation Capacity and Treatment Transition at Chlorinated Solvent Sites.”

Pengyu Chen, assistant professor of materials engineering, was awarded a $2.6 million Research Project (RO1) Grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a biosensor designed to guide a novel immunotherapy for better treating cancer, specificially leukemia.

Fa Foster Dai, the Godbold Chair of electrical and computer engineering, and his former Ph.D. student Hechen Wang were issued a U.S. patent for “Radio Frequency (RF) to Digital Polar Data Converter and Time-toDigital Converter Based Time Domain Signal Processing Receiver.”

Virginia Davis, the Dr. Daniel F. and Josephine Breeden Professor of chemical engineering, and Robert Ashurst, the Uthault Family Associate Professor of chemical engineering, received a $477,650 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a project titled “Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Versatile Platform for the Detection of Allergens and Emerging Contaminants.”

Mario Eden, the Joe T. and Billie Carole McMillan Professor and chemical engineering department chair, was recognized as the author of one of the top 1% most cited articles by Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a prominent chemical engineering journal. Jeffrey Fergus, professor of materials engineering and associate dean for undergraduate studies and program assessment, was named a fellow of ABET, the organization that accredits collegiate engineering programs.

Sa’d Hamasha, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, is principal investigator on an $830,000 award from the Defense Electronics Consortium to develop a comprehensive evaluation system for solder selection to meet specific defenserelated requirements. In total, $7 million is expected to come to Auburn over five to seven years.

Roy Hartfield, the Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of aerospace engineering, was named a fellow by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Robert Jackson, the Albert J. Smith, Jr. Professor of mechanical engineering, won a Best Presentation Award at the 2020 International Tribology Research Symposium for his presentation titled “An Investigation of the Elastic Cylindrical Line Contact Equations for Plane Strain and Stress Considering Friction.”

Pradeep Lall, the John and Anne MacFarlane Endowed Distinguished Professor of mechanical engineering, won the IEEE Region 3 Biedenbach Outstanding Engineering Educator Award for 2020.

Fabricio Leiva, assistant professor at the National Center for Asphalt Technology, received a $228,028 grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation for a project titled “Continuous Asphalt Mixture Compaction Assessment Using Density Profiling System.”

Shiwen Mao, the Earle C. Williams Scholar Chair of electrical and computer engineering, won the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society’s 2020 Jack Neubauer Memorial Award for the paper titled “CSI-Based Fingerprinting for Indoor Localization: A Deep Learning Approach.” He was also named a distinguished lecturer of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Communications Society for 2021-2022. Jack Montgomery, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Frances O’Donnell, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, received a $233,602 grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation for their project titled “Geotechnical Health Monitoring and Assessment of Landslides.”

Frances O’Donnell, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for a project titled “A landscapescale approach to wetland mitigation of nonpoint source agricultural runoff.”

Anton Schindler, the Mountain Spirit Professor of structural engineering and Highway Research Center director, was awarded the 2021 Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award from the American Concrete Institute for outstanding leadership of ACI’s Technical Committee on Self-Consolidating Concrete.

Nima Shamsaei, Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Distinguished Professor of mechanical engineering, is principal investigator on a $3 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for a project focused on improving commercial air travel through the use of additively manufactured metal components.

Shuai Shao, associate professor of materials engineering, received the ASTM Young Professional Award in Additive Manufacturing, which recognizes outstanding research contributions to the field of additive manufacturing.

Alice Smith, the Joe W. Forehand/ Accenture Professor of industrial and systems engineering, was named a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ambassador for the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science for her project “Stimulating Participation of Underrepresented Groups in INFORMS Editorial Boards.” Yellowhammer Media also named Smith a 2020 Woman of Impact, which recognizes Alabama women who have made lasting impressions across business, government, medicine and many other industries.