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FEATURE / FOCUSING ON VIRTUAL REALITY When we perceive the world around us, parts of it come into focus and defocus. While this visual cue is a natural one for humans, it can be hard for technology to imitate, especially in 3D displays. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new method for generating natural focal blur in a virtual reality headset, called the Split-Lohmann multifocal display. The eye has a lens and, by changing its focal length, it can focus on objects at a specific depth, resolving them at sharp details, while points at other depths go into defocus. This feature of the eye—referred to as its accommodation—is a crucial cue that 3D displays need to satisfy. “Most head mounted displays lack the ability to render focus cues,” says Aswin Sankaranarayanan, professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Conventional headsets consist of a 2D screen and a lens that make the screen appear to be at a fixed distance from the eye. However, the displayed images remain flat. We have created a lens that can simultaneously position pixels of a display at different distances from the eye.” The technique revisits ideas first developed in the 1970s, where a technique for focus tunability called Lohmann lenses was first invented. These consist of two optical elements called cubic phase plates, that allow for the focus to be adjusted by shifting the two elements with respect to
Near focus
one another. However, this approach required mechanical motion as well as slower operating speeds, both of which are undesirable in AR/VR displays. The new display splits the Lohmann lens, placing the two cubic plates in different parts of the optical system. A phase modulator positioned in between them allows the translation to be optical, instead of mechanical. This system has an added benefit. The underlying arrangement allows for different parts of the scene to be subject to different amounts of translations, and so be placed at different distances to the eye. “The advantage of this system is that we can create a virtual 3D scene that satisfies the eye’s accommodation without resorting to high-speed focus stacks. And everything operates at real-time which is very favorable for near-eye displays,” explains Yingsi Qin, Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering and the lead author on this work. This improvement to focusing technology will benefit many disciplines, from photography to gaming, but medical technology may have the most to gain. “There are domains beyond entertainment that will benefit from such 3D displays,” says Matthew O’Toole, an assistant professor in the Robotics Institute and a co-author on this work. “The display could be used for robotic surgery, where the multi-focal capabilities of the display provides a surgeon with realistic depth cues.”
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
FROM THE DEAN The College of Engineering influences industries by focusing on
exciting additional major for undergraduates, Engineering
evolving topics, like AI, advanced manufacturing, and Softbotics,
Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. In this program,
just to name a few. Our work gets noticed, and when CMU
students will gain the know-how to innovate products around
graduates seek jobs, employers pay attention to their resumes.
technology and deliver product solutions to people in need.
Generating recognition of our students and faculty for their
The College has also celebrated a milestone—the 25th
skills, creativity, and leadership is all part of our intention to
anniversary of the Materials Characterization Facility. This world-
make the College the best engineering school it can be.
class facility houses a variety of tools for the characterization
Last year we set out to develop our current Strategic
of materials and enables data analysis for researchers in 30
Plan, “Engineering Impact: Transformative Education and
countries, all while providing crucial training opportunities
Pioneering Research for Real and Enduring Good.” The plan
for students across the college. You can read more about this
motives us to envision what we want the future to look like.
facility and other important endeavors in this issue.
To create it, we identified objectives and deeply reflected
The innovations in our courses and the impact our research is
on our definitions of success. The result was a plan that
making on the state-of-the-art in engineering are intentional, and
directs us toward an overall goal of delivering transformative
I am convinced that the College is heading in the right direction.
education and conducting pioneering research that makes a positive impact in society.
Sincerely,
In our pursuit to innovate education, this fall we are launching two online graduate certificate programs that will enable students from all over the world to study in the developing field of bioprinting and the exploding field of artificial intelligence. This entry into online education will provide working professionals with the flexibility to access
William H. Sanders
world-class, graduate-level training. We also have a new
Dr. William D. and Nancy W. Strecker Dean, College of Engineering
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8 NEW DEGREES At Carnegie Mellon we are known for our technical virtuosity in building breakthrough systems in engineering. By deepening your AI skills within the engineering construct you will be able to propel your career. L E A R N
M O R E
A N D
A P P L Y
A T
E N G I N E E R I N G . C M U . E D U / A I - D E G R E E
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CARNEGIE MELLON ENGINEERING FALL 20 23 M AGAZI NE
The College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University is top-ranked among its peers and is known for its intentional commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration in research. Our acclaimed engineering faculty yield transformative results that drive the intellectual and economic vitality of our community, nation, and world. Our unique culture of Advanced Collaboration® brings together faculty and students from many disciplines to create, physically realize, and evaluate solutions to complex problems in industry, government and academia. By using an authentic interdisciplinary approach to problem solving that is the signature of Carnegie Mellon, every day our engineers are making an impact.
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IN T HIS IS S U E Students in the Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering course (24-101) testing their mobile robot (mobot) on a track in Tech Spark's High Bay.
F EA TU RE FOCUS ING ON VIR T UAL REA LITY page 3
RESEA RCH T E CH ADVANCE S WILL DR IVE E V MAR K E T page 8
CO L L EGE U P DA TES NE W ONL INE G R ADUA TE CE R T IFICAT E S L AUNCH T HIS FAL L page 34
STU DENTS CUL INAR Y ME CHANICS page 48
A L U MNI AL UMNI DOUBL E T EA M S POR T S INNOVAT ION page 58
EDI TO R Sherry Stokes (DC’07)
DESI GNER Tim Kelly (A’05, HNZ’14)
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
RESEARCH / TECH ADVANCES WILL DRIVE EV MARKET Electric vehicles (EVs) make up 7% of
They found that consumers’ preferences
U.S. new vehicle sales today, and new
for vehicle attributes, like longer range
vehicle standards proposed in 2023
and cheaper operation, haven’t changed
will require this EV share to grow to an
much, but they are more willing to
estimated two thirds by 2032.
adopt EVs as technology improves. With
Are consumers ready for the transition? To understand mainstream
decreases, the team predicted that demand for electric cars and SUVs could
consumer demand for future EVs,
be comparable to gasoline cars and
a team of researchers conducted
SUVs by 2030.
consumer experiments eight years
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expected range increases and price
The team includes Jeremy
apart to determine what has driven the
Michalek, a professor of mechanical
growth of the EV market and what it
engineering and engineering and
would take to increase future adoption.
public policy; Kate Whitefoot, an
associate professor mechanical
from 2012-2013. This helped them track
engineering and engineering and public
changes in the market over time and
policy; their Ph.D. student Connor
allowed them to project how demand
Forsythe, and Ken Gillingham, an
will grow through 2030. They found
economics professor at Yale.
no statistically significant changes in
Technology has progressed rapidly
consumer preferences for electric
in the field of EVs. In the past decade,
vehicles and electric vehicle attributes
average EV efficiency has increased
over this time but estimated that the
by 15 percent, while average range
same consumer preferences would
has increased by about 200 percent.
produce higher EV adoption as EVs
The availability of EV models on the
catch up to gasoline vehicles on key
market has improved significantly, and
attributes like range and price.
the price-premium has dropped over
They estimated that if technology
time. Amidst these trends, states like
trends continue as expected and if
California have adopted policies limiting
EVs become as ubiquitous as gasoline
the sale of new gasoline-only vehicles,
vehicles by 2030, car and SUV buyers
and manufacturers like General Motors
will become near indifferent between
have called for stronger policies
the two, on average.
promoting new EV sales.
For the policy makers and industry
With these factors in mind, the
leaders attempting to plot the future of
team first conducted a survey of more
the automotive market, this information
than 1,500 prospective vehicle buyers
is crucial. Understanding market
to determine what factors influence
forces and our current course can help
their purchasing decisions. They then
ensure that the U.S. is on a path toward
compared these results to those of a
reducing the nation’s largest source of
similar consumer survey conducted
greenhouse gas emissions.
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
REIMAGINING DATACENTERS Today’s technology would not exist without datacenters. Six
functionality, it’s becoming challenging to deal with user
in 10 people use modern web services such as social media,
requirements in a way that the user is still seeing responses
web search, video streaming, online banking, and online
that they need,” says Akshitha Sriraman, assistant professor
healthcare that require datacenters that scale to hundreds
of electrical and computer engineering “Users expect
of thousands of high-end computers or servers. Researchers
to see their search results in an instant, or what appears
at Carnegie Mellon are rethinking datacenter architecture,
instantaneously. Their expectations from the applications are
improving their cost- and energy-efficiency, sustainability,
also growing but at no cost to them.”
and equity. Cavernous and cold, datacenters house thousands of
An expert in computer architecture and systems software, Sriraman is rethinking datacenter computing across hardware
servers that hold information and route signals for billions of
and software systems to enable efficient, sustainable, and
users. Everything from a typical Google search to messaging
equitable large-scale web systems.
applications are directed through a datacenter. Traditionally,
The fundamental architecture of modern-day datacenter
large-scale datacenters have adopted a performance-first
servers is pretty much the same as the architecture of the
approach. This approach ensures that web service responses
desktop PCs of the 1980s. Of course, the computations are
are quickly sent to the user to promote a positive user
faster, but the basic architecture of a computer’s central unit,
experience, preventing users from abandoning the service.
supported by data elements, is the same. Datacenters have
For every user request, service operators typically aim to
evolved rapidly, so we must take a step back to consider how
respond within 300 milliseconds so that the response is
best to design hardware and software systems for them.
perceived as instantaneous. With the surge of devices and
“We are redesigning datacenters from first principles,
users coming online daily and the growing amount of data
thinking about what these servers should look like at the
being exchanged, the demand for faster, more efficient cloud
hardware level in a way that they can be cost- and energy-
services is drastically increasing.
efficient,” says Sriraman. “And second, we are looking at how
“When you think about all of this in the systems context
to program this new hardware, and what kinds of software
of a datacenter setting, which is servicing all of these users,
paradigms are needed to take advantage of that hardware in
the data they are interested in, as well as the increased
a more efficient way.”
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Currently, hardware architects build specialized hardware for each service operation, which is economically impractical at datacenter scale. To improve cost-efficiency without
acceptably on older servers, ultimately extending the server lifetime. “Extending server lifetime minimizes hardware
compromising performance, Sriraman proposes identifying
manufacturing’s carbon footprint, which reduces
and accelerating important and common operations across
anthropogenic climate change’s effect,” she explains.
diverse services. To accelerate common data orchestration
While efficiency is important, Sriraman is also using equity
operations that handle ever-growing data, instead of using
as a systems design consideration to identify and mitigate
traditional compute-centric hardware architectures, Sriraman
web systems’ inequities. By defining demographic-driven
will introduce novel data-centric architectures that eliminate
bias metrics based on age, race, and other factors, Sriraman
data movement overheads.
is building datacenter systems that mitigate inequitable
“Introducing cost-efficient, high-performance hardware will
decisions. Making equity a first-order concern will also allow
enable new companies and industries to accessibly enter the
us to prioritize building web systems for rural communities.
technology field,” says Sriraman.
In collaboration with CMU-Africa, the team is working on
With this increase in demand, the logical answer is to
developing and deploying web systems that work under
keep building larger and more datacenters. However, this is
stringent systems constraints in rural African communities.
not sustainable in the long-term. Not only are these colossal
“Introducing equity as a systems consideration elevates
datacenters extremely expensive to build and maintain, but
historically underserved communities, which could lift more
their carbon footprint is massive.
than a billion people out of poverty,” says Sriraman.
“To enable sustainable datacenters, we must carbon-
The driving force behind the internet and devices, a
efficiently architect and manufacture hardware and make
datacenter is the beating heart for the technology we
the most out of existing hardware,” explains Sriraman.
use every day. By reimagining datacenters to make them
“Datacenters must adopt the mindset of reducing, reusing,
more efficient, sustainable, and equitable, Sriraman’s
and recycling hardware.”
enhanced standard practices will benefit industry, users,
Building on this theme, Sriraman has formulated carbon-
and the environment.
efficiency metrics to help identify services that perform
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
REVIEWING THE POLITICS OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY When it comes to addressing environmental issues like
in policy enforcement, where policy is not enforced to the
climate change, political obstacles can be as formidable as the
degree necessary, or durability, where policy fails to remain
technical ones. In a review of climate politics scholarship in
in place or stagnates in growth. For example, even with
Nature Sustainability, Valerie Karplus writes that politics should
subsidies to support capital investment, incentivizing the
“not only be seen as a constraint but be recognized as a target
continuous use of some low carbon technologies, such as
of intervention to advance environmental solutions.”
carbon capture and storage, may be challenging if the costs
Specifically, Karplus, a professor of engineering and public policy, and her co-author, Jonas Meckling, an associate
prove too high. Drawing on the climate politics literature, the researchers
professor at the University of California, Berkeley, suggest that
note several ways of bridging this gap. First, when interest
researchers and practitioners focus on developing effective
groups have already invested in a policy, they’re more likely
political strategies. These are political and policy choices that
to protect it. Second, policies can provide targeted benefits
are feasible today and help reduce political barriers to future
to key political groups to create positive feedback. And third,
policy. In their review, Karplus and Meckling outline three
policies that provide strong initial benefits can be used
shortcomings in current efforts to politically address climate
as a stepping stone to costlier policies in the future. They
change and explore how to surmount these barriers. They
also point to the importance of empowering independent
describe these as gaps in current climate action.
government agencies to enforce climate policy.
The first gap is the ambition gap, which is the gap between
Finally comes what the authors term the international
national policy targets and scientific consensus goals. Organized
action gap. This is the difficulty in developing cooperation
political opposition from groups with assets that produce
among nations, industries, and subnational actors due
emissions often contribute to this, as they face the highest costs
primarily to the dominance of domestic issues over
from the policy.
international ones.
One way to bridge this gap is to craft policy that
The authors note opportunities for both deepening and
concentrates benefits while diffusing costs across a broad
widening international coordination efforts on environmental
swath of stakeholders, such as through subsidies, tax rebates,
issues. They note progress toward deeper action through
and deployment performance standards. The Inflation
efforts by small groups of countries known as “clubs,” as
Reduction Act adopts such an approach by rewarding the
well as by certain sectors through industry agreements. In
developers of low carbon technologies, while promising to
broadening efforts, they discuss how policy actions in large
reduce the cost of clean energy through scale up over time.
markets or from climate leaders can affect other countries
Another way of bridging the gap is policy with concentrated
that look to these actors for guidance. Technology support
costs and benefits, combined with either compensation
policies can help bring down the cost of clean technologies
for those paying the costs or rewards for those who
and facilitate the global diffusion of technology.
can champion the benefits. In addition, linking global
Based on this important body of research, the authors
environmental issues such as climate change with salient local
call for more climate politics scholarship that focuses on
issues like human health can also help build political support.
politically effective strategies to broaden the solution space
The second gap is termed the implementation gap, which
in tackling climate change. Politics becomes a lever of change,
occurs when a government fails to meet the adopted policy goals or ends up repealing the policy. This is due to failings
12 / FALL 2023
alongside technology.
CURATING SUSTAINABLE MEAT ALTERNATIVES
versus the years required for traditional livestock and offer a more stable option that is not affected by weather or disease. 3D printing a steak comes with some unique challenges, including the need for custom-built
Confocal images of Wagyu beef, to show the fat distribution in the muscle. Source: Abbott lab
technology and modeling. Lindsey Huff, a Presidential Fellow Ph.D. student in the
Creatively utilizing biomaterials to help solve real-world
Abbott lab, retrofitted a standard plastic printer into a dual
problems has been an ongoing research focus for the Abbott
nozzle bioprinter that will be used to simultaneously print
lab, and their latest project is no exception. The STEM savvy,
fat and muscle. She also led efforts to conduct an MRI
female-driven team at Carnegie Mellon University’s College
scan on a piece of A5 Japanese Wagyu steak, to generate a
of Engineering is working on 3D printing a Wagyu steak using
3D rendering of the fat that is found between the muscle
lab-grown fat and muscle cells from a cow. The big idea is
fibers, i.e., the marbling effect. Bioprinter and CAD model of
to produce an animal-based product that is safe and tastes
Wagyu in hand, the group is now focusing on perfecting the
good, without needing to sacrifice any animals.
necessary 3D bioprinting techniques.
“As the world’s population grows and demand for animal
“We have been successful in 3D printing fat, which was a
proteins increases, the current agricultural supply chain
challenge due to the buoyancy of fat cells and how fragile they
is compromised, not to mention environmental, public
are under stress, and will be moving to 3D printing muscle
health and food security concerns that stem from today’s
soon,” said Huff. “We are also working on optimizing the dual
concentrated animal feeding operations,” explained Rosalyn
printing parameters, so that we can recreate the microstructure
Abbott, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering.
of Wagyu marbling. Once we accomplish that, we will use our
“Historically, my lab has focused on tissue engineering and
blueprint from the MRI to precisely 3D print fat and muscle
examining the role of fat accumulation in a variety of diseases
with lab-grown cow cells to emulate a Wagyu steak.”
and applications. Our cultivated meat research is an extension
The Abbott group’s work has been featured by Robert
of the techniques we traditionally use in the lab to develop
Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition and recently received
disease models or approaches for regenerative medicine.”
generous NSF CAREER Award funding to advance its
The process to create cultivated meat is referred to as
progress. Their research focuses on improving flavor and
cellular agriculture; an exciting new field that is gaining
texture of cultivated meat, which they hope will enhance
momentum. Besides the ethical advantage of sacrificing fewer
consumer acceptance of these new food products.
animals, cultivated meat products will reduce agricultural
“This is really an exciting area for us to get involved in, that
land use, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
leverages our biomedical engineering expertise to support
These products can also be cultured in a matter of weeks
the evolving cellular agriculture landscape,” added Abbott.
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
2023 MOONSHOT: COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTE FOR ALL A team of CMU researchers led by Swarun Kumar and Akshitha Sriraman received the College of Engineering Moonshot Award for their interdisciplinary initiative between CMU-Pittsburgh and CMU-Africa. The goal of this collaboration is to provide Internet connection to underprivileged communities around the world, allowing affordable communication and computer infrastructure to be accessible to all. As a globally recognized institution in technology and innovation, CMU is perfectly positioned to host the Communication and Compute for All initiative. Its proximity to both low-income communities and rural areas is essential to introducing those who have never used the Internet to the digital world. Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Vyas Sekar, Giulia Fanti, Theo Benson, Brandon Lucia, Yuvraj Agrawal, along with Assane Gueye from CMU-Africa, Zac Manchester of the Robotics Institute, and other researchers across Engineering and Public Policy, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and the Information Networking Institute combine ideas from multiple disciplines to form a comprehensive solution. The project is divided into two components that address the current communication and compute issues. To achieve an affordable, modular global communication network, the team will utilize low-cost nanosatellites paired with small, software-defined base stations. Additionally, they plan to implement a modular computing paradigm that will allow a range of computing sources such as computers in a school or non-smart phones to connect with each other. Another component of this project is advocating for policy frameworks for universal connection. By recognizing social limitations to technology like literacy or economic status, the initiative can create programs to address the needs of underserved communities. Moonshot projects encourage CMU Engineering faculty to engage in ambitious long-term endeavors for the betterment of all, including those new to the technology realm. Proposed projects address a range of issues and show the commitment of the CMU community to improvement and innovation.
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Professor Katie Whitehead
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DELIVERING MRNA THERAPEUTICS TO THE PANCREAS As witnessed with the COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA therapy has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine. For this therapy to work, mRNA requires a nanoparticle delivery vehicle to protect it and escort it to the place in the body where it is needed. However, this approach has a major limitation. Currently, most lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) can deliver mRNA only to the liver, spleen, and lungs. There are many diseases that arise in other tissues, however, and the forefront of the mRNA delivery field is to identify nanoparticles that take mRNA to alternative organs, such as the pancreas. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are one step closer to unlocking the potential of gene therapeutics to treat incurable pancreatic diseases. “We’ve created technology that delivers to a very important organ,” said Kathryn Whitehead, a professor
better pancreas targeting compared to intravenous (IV) administration and is appropriate for treatment of incurable diseases.
of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering.
When Whitehead’s group determined the cell types
Whitehead is improving delivery systems by changing the
to which the nanoparticles delivered mRNA, they were
chemistry of the nanoparticles to reroute them in the body.
surprised. They found the most protein expression within
The liver, spleen, and lungs are part of a system
the beta cells of the pancreatic islets, which account for
that clears nanoparticles from the bloodstream:
a very small percentage of pancreatic tissue. Beta cells
the reticuloendothelial system (RES). It is easiest to
produce insulin.
design nanoparticles to deliver mRNA to these organs
“This unexpected delivery to the islets would enable
because they naturally accumulate there. To go beyond
treatments for several very serious conditions, including
that, researchers must change the chemistry of the
type 1 diabetes and a type of pancreatic cancer that
nanoparticles to facilitate their delivery to hard-to-reach
originates within these islets,” said Whitehead. Both are
organs without first being cleared by the RES.
notoriously hard to manage with current treatments.
When nanoparticles need to go to the pancreas, Whitehead can get them there. “In the last couple of years, it’s become increasingly clear
Whitehead’s lab is now focused on better understanding the delivery mechanism so that they can improve it. Once they have optimized the technology
in the field, by my own group and others, that when you
further, they will continue their work with clinicians
change the chemistry of the particle, you are then changing
who can advise on the best gene targets to achieve
the types of proteins in the blood that adhere to the
therapeutic effect. Whitehead hopes the technology can
surface of the particle. Those unique sets of proteins can
one day be used in alpha-to-beta transdifferentiation as
guide the particles to different places,” said Whitehead.
a treatment for type 1 diabetes. Beta cells are destroyed
Whitehead’s group published a paper in the journal Science Advances that details the new nanoparticle they developed, led by postdoc Jilian Melamed, to deliver
in the disease. The vision is to use mRNA to reprogram pancreatic alpha cells to produce insulin. Delivering mRNA to the pancreas could subsequently
mRNA to the pancreas. This was accomplished using
provide more effective and less onerous treatments
intraperitoneal (IP) injection, which in this case provides
to patients.
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CMU LEADS NASA SPACE TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
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In space travel, custom parts for vehicles such as
First set up in 2016, the overall STRI
rockets and satellites are often needed quickly to
program aims to strengthen NASA’s ties to
accommodate changes in design, as well as for repair
the academic community through long-term,
and functionality purposes. Additive manufacturing
sustained investment in research and technology
is an ideal technology to meet these needs, as
development, while also fostering talent among
components can be made through a relatively short
highly-skilled engineers, scientists, and technologists.
cycle of design, build, and test. However, this cycle
The $15 million project, Institute for Model-
must be continually refined to ensure the quality and
based Qualification & Certification of Additive
reliability of the 3D printed parts.
Manufacturing (IMQCAM), will be co-directed
A new NASA Space Technology Research
by Tony Rollett, a professor of materials science
Institute (STRI) led by Carnegie Mellon University
and engineering at Carnegie Mellon University,
seeks to shorten the cycle required to design,
and Somnath Ghosh, a professor of civil and
manufacture, and test parts that can withstand
systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
the conditions of space travel through the
“In order to make a printed product have
development of models for qualification and
predictable properties, we need to understand more
certification (Q&C).
about what its internal structure is, how it depends on the printing process, and what properties it has,” said Rollett. “The STRI affords us an opportunity for a major collaboration through which we can construct the models that our partners at NASA very much need in order to do their work.” Over the course of five years, the institute will develop detailed computer models, or digital twins, for additively manufactured parts that have been validated against experimental data, verified against physical mechanisms, and subjected to rigorous uncertainty quantification protocols. The models will evaluate response to fatigue in spaceflight materials that are currently used for 3D printing, as well as introducing and qualifying new materials. The project outcomes will serve as a vital resource for partners at NASA, as the models will enable them to better predict the parts’ performance abilities. The institute will also serve as a catalyst for recruiting and training students and post-docs to have a comprehensive understanding of the additive manufacturing Q&C process and be the future leaders in the field. Students from across institutional partners will be mentored by both STRI team members and NASA researchers throughout the project. Carnegie Mellon faculty members Sneha Prabha Narra, Mohadeseh Taheri-Mousavi, and Bryan Webler will also contribute their expertise to the institute. Additional institutional partners on the project include Vanderbilt University, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Virginia, Case Western Reserve University, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute, and Pratt & Whitney.
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
LESSONS FROM COVID
20 / FALL 2023
Baruch Fischhoff has participated in a report evaluating the effectiveness of our government’s COVID response efforts. An expert in risk communication, much of Fischhoff’s recent work has shined a light on continued failings by officials to provide the public with crucial information on the disease. While infections may have subsided from pandemic peaks, COVID-19 is still a serious threat and likely, not the last pandemic to face us. Despite three years of trying, federal officials have made little progress in fulfilling their duty to inform. “The very lack of coordination and clarity says as much as the mumbled content of these communications,” said Fischhoff, a professor of engineering and public policy. “It suggests, appropriately, that no one is in charge.” His work has supported this point of view. In one study, Fischhoff and his co-authors found that the directions issued with home test kits were confusing to users, to the point that they could mislead someone who likely had COVID into believing they do not. The study found that the approved instructions could be worse than no instructions at all. Fischhoff has participated in several COVIDrelated committees of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). One committee provided guidance on the equitable allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine, in a way that would avoid perpetuating historic health inequities. The committee’s report emphasized communicating the facts candidly and engaging community partners. Another committee laid the groundwork for a stakeholder engagement process that would create a common definition for “long COVID.” Fischhoff continues to research and work toward giving the public better, more actionable communications about COVID-19 and other threats to public health. As echoed in The COVID War, he hopes decision makers will use past mistakes to provide better risk communication going forward. “We utterly failed to provide the public the information that it needed, and we continue to fail,” he said. “It’s an institutional failure to communicate, not a failure of the public to understand. There would be health, political, and economic benefits to getting the communication right, and it’s shameful that we’re not.”
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
$20M FOR TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH U.S. Rep. Summer Lee announced
fatalities per year in the U.S., mostly
on May 30, 2023, that Carnegie
due to human error.
Mellon University will lead a national
Technology promises much, but the
consortium that will receive $20 million
state-of-the-art in highly automated
over the next five years from the U.S.
vehicles is not mature enough for
Department of Transportation (USDOT)
widespread deployment. Failures of
to establish Safety21, a new University
autonomy features raise legitimate
Transportation Center (UTC). Raj
questions of trust, and connectivity
Rajkumar, a professor of electrical and
presents new threats to privacy
computer engineering, will head
and cybersecurity. At this critical
Safety21.
juncture, to remain competitive,
The consortium includes partners
domestic industry needs innovative
from across the U.S. who will
technologies, policy frameworks, and
collaborate to ensure that autonomous,
well-trained workers. To address these
networked, shared, and integrated
challenges, Safety21 will seek inclusive
transportation technologies and
input from stakeholders, including
systems are developed and deployed
communities, workers, users, vehicle
with safety, equity, and sustainability
manufacturers, and researchers as
in mind. Their work will bolster the
it takes a holistic, system-of-systems
nation’s competitive edge in domestic
approach to advancing connected and
production and global leadership of
automated vehicle technologies and
these technologies and provide training
intelligent infrastructure.
for the transportation workforce.
Carnegie Mellon is leading the
The transportation sector of our
consortia that spans Morgan State
economy is undergoing a revolution. In
University, The Ohio State University,
the past decade, advances in sensing
University of Pennsylvania, and
technologies, computing power and
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
wireless communications coupled with
The Community College of Allegheny
AI and machine learning are directly
County and the Community College
addressing the quality and quantity
of Philadelphia will receive support
of the transport of people and goods.
for innovative workforce programs
Electric vehicles are poised to overtake
tailored for the existing and emerging
gasoline-powered cars, with more
transportation workforce.
driver-assist safety features than ever.
“Through Safety21, faculty and
Yet, there are over 40,000 automotive
student researchers will capitalize on
22 / FALL 2023
Right photo: (L to R) Robert Hampshire, U.S. Department of Transportation deputy assistant secretary for research and technology and chief science officer; Ngani Ndimbie, CMU’s Woman in Transportation Fellow; U.S. Rep. Summer Lee; Raj Rajkumar, director of Safety21, and William Sanders, dean of CMU College of Engineering. Source: College of Engineering
the opportunities and risks that automated and connected vehicles present. The knowledge they create will be shared with transportation managers, companies, and community organizations, resulting in technology transfer and deployment,” says William H. Sanders, dean of the College of Engineering. “Safety21 is yet another example of the important work we are doing at the critical nexus of technology and society,” said Ramayya Krishnan, dean of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. “As technological advancements in AI and electric vehicles continue to emerge, we must operate with a concentrated focus on the importance of safety, equity and the environment.” Rajkumar, who leads Safety21, has earned global recognition for autonomous vehicle research and was the director of Carnegie Mellon’s last UTC, Mobility21. Safety21 will be the fourth UTC that Carnegie Mellon has managed since 2012. “Safety21’s project portfolio will enhance transportation safety through research, development, and deployment of breakthrough technologies and policy innovations. Additionally, we seek to broaden our impact by ensuring communities have equal access to safety technologies; evaluating energy use and emissions; and supporting domestic commercialization, entrepreneurship, and public policy to rally economic strength and global competitiveness,” says Rajkumar. Out of five National UTC grants awarded in 2023, Safety21 is the one National Center with the theme of improving safety. UTC funding is authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 23
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DIGITAL TWINS FOR TESTING INFRASTRUCTURE SCENARIOS Years after studying together at Civil and Environmental Engineering, Professor Pingbo Tang and Ethos Collaborative Principal Damon Weiss are working side by side again—looking for ways to recognize potential issues in operating and maintaining our country’s aging water treatment facilities. Their research aims to balance human nature (water engineers’ intuition and experiences) with expertise in civil engineering, IT, GIS, and 3D modeling (technology) to create a fully integrated system that addresses today’s aging infrastructure while looking to the future. Tang and Weiss’s studies use digital twins to test treatment facility scenarios in a 3D virtual environment. Tang explains that a twin reacts and responds just as its twin physical treatment plant does. “We envision a proactive water
Digital twins also allow for safe
digital twin with an Extended Reality
scenario testing—where equipment is
(virtual and augmented realities) that
updated or changed in the virtual world,
the water industry’s aging workforce.
will automatically capture and transfer
and results are assessed before real-
He hopes that adding digital twins
implicit strategies between operators
world implementation. Twins may also
into the mix will spur interest from
based on human operators’ inspection,
be used to train new staff on how to
young engineers. “We are working to
operation, and maintenance histories.”
react to emergencies. Weiss likens this
demonstrate how new technology can
to providing a “second brain” for the
be used to address ongoing problems.
in situations where external forces
human operator—a tried-and-true back-
Today, there are not a lot of young
result in changes that are very
up plan based on physics models and
engineers in this particular industry.
specific to a particular facility. For
solid analytics. The twin can also work
This is a problem, and we hope work like
example, water treatment facilities
in reverse, looking at why something
ours will attract young people and help
nationwide experience different wear
unexpected happened and explaining
them to understand the importance of
and tear based on location, weather,
where things went wrong.
working in water treatment.”
Digital twins are especially beneficial
and usage. Right now, humans are
Tang states that for their concepts to
information gaps? Another challenge Tang mentions is
The long-term goals of the research
responsible for assessing these changes
be successful, they must consider the
include integrating modern technological
and recommending updates.
role of human nature and how people
systems into the water treatment
will react/interact with technology. He
industry, standardizing processes, and
much easier and more efficient to utilize
asks: What do the water treatment
moving toward a fully integrated system
both human knowledge and information
plant employees look at? How do they
supported by future-thinking technology.
supplied by a digital twin—leading to an
interact with the equipment? What
“One day, we will look back and see that
overall improvement in the operation
does an experienced operator see that
we have a fully integrated system,” Weiss
strategies of the water treatment plants
a less experienced individual might
says. “What we’re doing now is a step to
and reduced maintenance time.
miss? And how can a digital twin fill the
get us there.”
Tang and Weiss believe it would be
24 / FALL 2023
HOW SUSTAINABLE IS ONLINE GROCERY DELIVERY? The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a marked surge
Few results when altering these factors showed any
of e-commerce and online grocery delivery services that has
improvement in energy usage because deliveries replaced
persisted past lockdown conditions. With this rise, researchers
grocery trips when customers were on their way home from
wondered about the impacts on energy use, emissions, and
somewhere else. Even with high batch sizes of 10 groceries
traffic congestion, and whether there might be a way to
delivered per route, the results were net increases in
manage and optimize deliveries better than current methods
emissions and energy use.
or a personal trip. These questions drove the latest work by College of
However, their results suggested that reduced congestion is possible when consumers buy from grocery distribution
Engineering researchers that found that, most of the time,
locations close to home for off-peak delivery times instead of,
grocery delivery isn’t actually much better than what most
rather than in addition to, in-person grocery shopping. Local
people are already doing themselves.
government and industry could also potentially encourage
“Right now, most people go to the grocery store on their way home from work, or during off-peak hours,” said Destenie Nock, an assistant professor of civil and environmental
off-peak delivery times, bulk delivery orders, and nearby delivery locations. The team’s work provides a new tool that PSRC and other
engineering and engineering and public policy. “This is good
metropolitan planning organizations will be able to use to
because it doesn’t add to congestion on the roadways. Turns
integrate e-commerce and grocery delivery trends into the
out most people already try to optimize their grocery trips.”
long range planning of the transportation system. Local
This optimization is largely because most people plan
agencies can use the insights from this study to design
personal grocery trips around their daily schedule, shopping
policies that will lead to a more sustainable and equitable
at locations that fall within their normal route or going to the
transportation system.
grocery store when there is little traffic on the roads. They used Seattle, Washington, as a test bed, using publicly
In addition to Nock and Samudio, Corey Harper, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering
available data from the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)
and the Heinz College; Greg Lowry, professor of civil and
for data and modeling tools to experiment with optimal
environmental engineering; and Jeremey Michalek, professor
delivery routing.
of engineering and public policy and mechanical engineering
“Basically, the model treats the flow of vehicles traveling
contributed to the research.
from one area to another like a fluid,” said Mateo Samudio, a Ph.D. student in civil and environmental engineering. They experimented with factors including: • Batch size: how many grocery deliveries are made in one delivery route? • Substitution rate: are online deliveries being substituted for personal grocery trips? • Penetration rate: how many people in a given area are using online delivery? • Delivery time: are orders being delivered during peak hour travel times? • Grocery store location: is the customer ordering from the closest grocery store to their home? • Trip type: was the grocery trip made on the way to other destinations or directly from home and back?
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 25
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
INGESTIBLE SENSING CAPSULES FOR BETTER PATIENT CARE
For people living with gastrointestinal
inflammatory conditions, this barrier
(GI) conditions such as Crohn’s disease,
can be compromised, causing increased
the primary route of diagnosis and
intercellular dilation. Following an
ongoing monitoring is endoscopy, an
endoscopy, the tissue is imaged to
invasive procedure that allows a doctor
determine whether it is healthy or
to view a person’s digestive system and
diseased. Through this group’s work, it
retrieve tissue samples for analysis.
is proposed that an ingestible sensor
These procedures can be painful
could perform this task by measuring
and require anesthetics, limiting how
a tissue’s electrochemical properties,
frequently they can be performed.
or how ions flow within the tissue in
Ingestible sensing capsules that perform diagnostic tasks as they travel
response to an electric field. “The GI tract is a critical organ system
through the digestive system are a
that is susceptible to inflammatory
promising alternative to endoscopic
disorders that are often difficult to
procedures. While there are currently
diagnose because of the complex milieu
rigid ingestible diagnostic capsules on
of chemicals in the gut,” said Chris
the market, a team of researchers in
Bettinger, a professor of biomedical
the College of Engineering is seeking
engineering and materials science and
an option with fewer risks and more
engineering whose research group
convenience through digestible gelatin-
led the project. “Ingestible devices that
based sensors. Their work, recently
can measure the physical and electrical
published in Advanced Materials,
properties of tissue barriers can provide
highlights a model for a potential path
valuable insight into the progression of
forward for this technology.
certain diseases.”
A person’s GI tract is semi-permeable,
While this project was initially
and ideally only necessary nutrients are
conceived in 2019 through work in
absorbed. But with Crohn’s and other
Bettinger’s laboratory, it had to pivot
26 / FALL 2023
Left to right: Julie Shin Kim, Sona Marukan, Gaurav Balakrishnan.
models to successfully interpret this experimental data.” Persisting beyond these limitations, using polymer and material science, the team worked to adapt electrode devices into a capsule material with both essential mechanical properties and the ability to degrade at the desired rate. As one of the few laboratories in the country working on ingestible medical devices, projects such as this can serve as a template for designing devices with the specific application of replacing invasive endoscopies. “The future goal is that patients could use this device at home without a clinician administering the procedure and have more real-time, comprehensive data,” said Gaurav Balakrishnan, a materials science and engineering Ph.D. student who worked on the project. Not only did the research team bring together students across disciplines in engineering—biomedical, chemical, and materials science—but it also provided undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to collaborate on the project. Julie Kim, a chemical engineering undergraduate, took advantage of the opportunity to be mentored by Ph.D. students while contributing to the project. “My time in the lab allowed me not only to gain research skills, but also to in response to COVID restrictions, as students could not conduct their research in-person. The group sought the expertise of Aditya Khair, a professor of chemical engineering, to determine ways in which computational methods could be implemented to continue the research. “It was clear that some of the mathematical models my group is well-versed in, particularly in regard to impedance sensing, could be applied
explore various aspects of graduate school life and helped me decide that I want to continue my studies after graduation,” said Kim. The path forward for this research is multifaceted, as there are possibilities for replacing other invasive medical procedures associated with chronic conditions, as well as prototyping a device that is fully wireless and could eventually communicate with a smartphone.
to analyze the experiments that this group was performing,” said Khair. “We utilized and extended these
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 27
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Riad Wahby presents "No Silver Bullet: A brief survey of key management technology," during CMU's inaugural Secure Blockchain Summit.
SECURE BLOCKCHAIN Despite advances, many research questions still need answering to ensure blockchain protocols and applications are ready to interact at scale. As the industry continues to see a growing number of consumer applications, such as decentralized finance, ensuring the fundamental research elements of the technology, especially from a security, privacy, ethics, and societal impact perspective, is of utmost importance. Led by co-directors Nicolas Christin (Engineering and Public Policy, and School of Computer Science); Elaine Shi (Electrical and
28 / FALL 2023
(L to R) CMU Alum and Head of Research at Ramiel Capital Kyle Soska, Tepper School of Business Associate Professor Tae Wan Kim, CMU-Africa's Director of Academics and Distinguished Service Professor Martin Saint, and Engineering and Public Policy and Software and Societal Systems Professor Nicolas Christin, discuss ethics and equity during one of the event's two panel sessions.
Computer Engineering, and School of Computer
Over the course of the multi-year initiative, CyLab
Science); and Ariel Zetlin-Jones (Tepper School
intends to develop a suite of novel foundations
of Business), and hosted by the CyLab Security
and technologies, providing solutions for questions
and Privacy Institute, CMU’s Secure Blockchain
surrounding consensus mechanisms and scalability;
Initiative is rethinking blockchain across enterprise
cryptocurrencies and markets; cryptography; formal
ecosystems. Made up of more than 35 faculty
verification; and regulation, policy, and governance.
members from four CMU colleges, this unique
Interested in getting involved or sponsoring
collaboration is addressing various challenges
the Secure Blockchain Initiative? Learn more at
around three main research thrusts:
blockchain.cmu.edu or contact CyLab’s director of
• Cryptoeconomics: Cryptography, Consensus, and Verification
Partnerships, Michael Lisanti at mlisanti@andrew. cmu.edu or at 412-268-1870.
• Applications and Implementations • Cryptocurrencies, Tokenized Assets, and Policy
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 29
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO NANOFABRICATION Today’s computer chip fabrication
and Computer Engineering at Carnegie
manufactured in facilities upwards
process requires specific and expensive
Mellon University has developed a
of $10 billion and require highly
technologies. From cleanrooms to
hands-on introductory course that
specialized training to iterate upon
highly specialized equipment, the
allows students to design and fabricate
designs. It is rare that companies
making process of nanoscale technology
nanoscale technologies outside of a
would allow scientists and engineers
prevents many higher education
nanofabrication laboratory.
to experiment with these technologies.
institutions from exposing students to
The current generation of
Known as the Hacker Fab, the primary
the field. The Department of Electrical
commercial computer chips are
goal of this new course is to enable students to fabricate computer chips by hand, and design DIY fabrication equipment in a nontraditional way. The course aims to develop plans, instructions, diagrams, and videos for a low-cost semiconductor fab suitable for teaching students how to make computer chips. In its inaugural semester, the class enrolled ten students spanning four engineering departments ranging from first-year to Ph.D. students. “We are developing a blueprint on how to expose more students to computer chip fabrication,” says Larry Pileggi, the Coraluppi Head and Tanoto Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “This is extremely valuable as we are seeing a push to bring computer chip fabrication back to the United States. This course will lower the barrier for many students, especially those who don’t have access to a cleanroom.” The Hacker Fab covers all essential nanofabrication topics, including deposition, patterning, oxidation, doping, inspection, metrology, dynamics/motion control, vacuum systems, optics, material selection, and plasmas. From the first day of class, students begin work to contribute to the central Hacker Fab open-source project. Lectures serve to aid students in their project work by covering the
30 / FALL 2023
physical phenomena behind each
in his garage during high school.
process and the design and operation
It provided the impetus for a larger
of the necessary tools. Students also
project that could inspire a generation
apply lecture materials in weekly lab
of electrical engineering makers in the
assignments to fabricate basic devices
same way that 3D-printing inspired an
Everything was documented to
that include MOS capacitors, diodes,
engineering maker movement.
facilitate other schools to develop
transistors, simple logic circuits, and
“Elio and I are two mechanical
The Hacker Fab, located in Roberts Engineering Hall
similar labs and courses.
more. There are no exams; instead,
engineers who began work on
While the course sits in the electrical
the vast majority of class time is spent
semiconductor fabrication just
and computer engineering department,
making tangible progress on the larger
through being good friends with
it is open to all engineering students
open-source Hacker Fab project.
Sam and playing in his Garage Fab,”
who are interested in hardware
“The course outline should allow
says Alexander Hakin, Hacker Fab
fabrication. By offering a wide range
other universities, and eventually high
co-instructor. “I hope we are a sign
of open-ended projects, it is expected
schools or other organizations, to
to not only encourage students
that the Hacker Fab will attract students
replicate this class,” says Elio Bourcart,
that semiconductor education is
from across the university in the
lab manager and engineering alum.
interdisciplinary, but to show other
coming semesters.
“The course is completely open sourced
institutions the breadth of potential
“When I heard that the electrical
with no IP licensing requirements. We
student interest. By working with
and computer engineering department
emphasize high-quality documentation
Hacker Fabs at other institutions in
was launching a new research initiative
and development of a collaborative
parallel, designs will rapidly accelerate
to build a lab capable of fabricating
community among Hacker Fabs at other
towards the capabilities of more
transistors, I knew this was something
institutions that is self-supporting.
modern devices. We want students
that I wanted to get involved with,”
We hope to leverage collaboration
to know that their work reaches well
says Joel Gonzalez, a Ph.D. student in
techniques from the open-source
beyond one lab at CMU.”
electrical and computer engineering. “As
software world.”
The team hit every milestone
a student with interests in everything
that they set out to achieve. In just
from integrated circuits to radio systems
by ECE alum Sam Zeloof, whose
one semester, ten students built the
design, this lab seemed like a fantastic
groundbreaking work laid the
first version of the DIY lithography
way to apply what I had learned to
foundation for this innovative course.
stepper and developed processes to
a project that would impact future
Sam Zeloof began making chips alone
fabricate functional 10µm transistors.
students in our department.”
The Hacker Fab was inspired
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 31
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION FACILITY MARKS 25 YEARS In 1998, the Materials Characterization
One of the primary goals of the
Facility (MCF) at Carnegie Mellon
materials science and engineering
opened its doors in Roberts Hall,
field is the creation of new materials
bringing together resources in both
that will perform in a predictable way
x-ray diffraction and microscopy that
when they are exposed to external
were not housed in a centralized
influences. The materials scientist tries
location at the time. Twenty-five years
to engineer the internal structure of
later, the world-class facility houses a
the material, its “microstucture,” so
variety of tools for the structural and
that the desired performance can be
chemical characterization of materials
achieved. The materials characterization
recently evidenced by its expansion
and is a worldwide leader, supporting
facility provides a series of state-of-
to the second floor of Hamerschlag
cutting-edge research of nearly 60
the-art tools that allow researchers
Hall with the addition of a new X-Ray
groups from a wide range of disciplines
to visualize the internal structure of
laboratory. Officially open for faculty
across the university and enabling
materials at very high spatial resolution,
and student use in December 2022,
enhanced data analysis for researchers
which enables them to understand and
the space formerly housed the Claire
in 30 countries.
eventually improve material behavior.
and John Bertucci Nanotechnology
“The past 25 years have seen a
Laboratory, now located in Scott Hall.
tremendous increase of computerized
The MCF X-Ray lab includes two new
characterization tools which benefit
pieces of equipment, the Xenocs Xeuss
all MCF users,” said Marc De Graef,
3.0 SAXS and ZEISS Xradia Crystal CT®,
faculty director of the Materials
as well as three X-ray diffractometers
Characterization Facility.
that had previously been situated
Throughout its history at the
TIMELINE
on the first floor of Roberts Hall.
university, MCF has stayed at the
The addition of this equipment and
forefront of materials research,
updated space allow for further
constantly improving upon its offerings
opportunities for partnerships across
and technologies available, most
disciplines and with industry partners.
1998
2008
2013
MCF official opening
Installation of FEI NOVA Ga
Establishment of Atomic
ceremony with a workshop
focused ion beam scanning
Force Microscopy Lab
on remote microscopy
electron
Installation of FEI Tecnai F20
Installation of FEI Titan 80-300 TEM
with Lorentz pole piece and
with Gatan Tridiem EELS detector:
Gatan EELS Imaging Filter
Image corrected for high resolution
2001
TEM; Installation of PANalytical X’Pert Pro diffractometer
2009 32 / FALL 2023 32 / FALL 2023
“This collaborative model, which has been very successful at attracting users from local industry and research labs, will continue to impact local industry by making advanced X-ray characterization capabilities available,” said De Graef. The Xeuss SAXS 3.0 boasts automation capabilities that include robotic sample handling for highthroughput data acquisition in solution studies and the ability to utilize remote operation. Additionally, multiple sample holder options are available for powders, solids and gels as well as a multi-refillable capillary holder with temperature control (10°C to 80°C). While offering conventional micro Computed Tomography (CT), the ZEISS Xradia CrystalCT® is a crystallographic imaging system that can transform the way polycrystalline materials, such as metals, alloys, and ceramics can be studied, as it can map larger volumes and a wider variety of sample geometries at higher throughput. “Researchers can see the internal structure of materials non-destructively
range of training opportunities for
with the CrystalCT system,” said MCF
students across engineering disciplines.
Managing Director Betsy Clark. “They
“A student can learn a great deal in
can perform an experiment, for instance
this space because X-ray diffraction
a heat treatment, and then come
involves crystallography, microscopy
back to the instrument to see how the
covers imaging, and between the
microstructure changed by a simple
two, you really apply a lot of material
direct comparison.”
science concepts on a wide range of
While the MCF provides extensive
The Xenocs Xeuss 3.0 SAXS/WAXS supports the development of cuttingedge nanostructured materials that have key features ranging in size from tens of Angstroms to hundreds of nanometers.
equipment,” said Jason Wolf, who held
research support, the equipment
the role of x-ray lab supervisor in the
available in the facility also offers a
facility from its opening until 2015.
2015
2022
Installation of FEI Xenon
Hamerschlag X-ray Lab completed, with
Plasma FIB with Oxford
addition of Zeiss CrystalCT: Computed
Nordlys Max2 EBSD Camera
Tomography with Laboratory Diffraction
and EDS
Contrast Tomography (Lab-DCT)
Upgrade of the remote instrument
Installation of Thermofisher
Optical Microscope Lab established in
control system in the Digital
Themis 200 with Super-X
Roberts Engineering Hall; Installation
Microscopy Room
EDS: Probe corrected TEM for
of Xenocs Xeuss SAXS 3.0.
2014
high resolution STEM imaging and rapid EDS mapping
2023
2019 CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 33 CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 33
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
COLLEGE UPDATES / NEW ONLINE GRADUATE CERTIFICATES LAUNCH THIS FALL STUDENTS CAN ENROLL NOW FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENGINEERING AND 3D BIOPRINTING AND B I O FA B R I C AT I O N P R O G R A M S Students come to Carnegie Mellon
Physicians, biomedical engineers, and
to help satisfy the rapidly growing
from all over the world to study
other medical professionals will be able
demand for engineers who can employ
the most advanced engineering
to acquire the skills needed to create
artificial intelligence (AI) and machine
technologies, including those that are
bio-fabricated tissues and bring this
learning (ML) technologies to generate
just emerging as well as those that are
actionable knowledge back to their
more efficient, accurate, and productive
rapidly evolving.
organizations. Students will also learn
engineering solutions.
Access to this empowering
how to use easily accessible materials
CMU’s faculty are deeply immersed in
technology is now available to
and retrofit affordable 3D printers in
the most advanced artificial intelligence
engineering students anywhere. Two
order to lower the barrier to begin
and machine learning techniques that
new online certificates—one in the
experimenting with the technology.
engineers use to develop intelligent
developing field of bioprinting and the
“We are in the unique position of
robotic and autonomous systems;
other in the exploding field of artificial
being able to teach bioengineering
optimize design, energy use, and quality
intelligence are available at the College
techniques that are totally new. Our
control processes; and create reliable
of Engineering this fall.
faculty are very excited to be the
simulations and models that can improve
3D Bioprinting and Biofabrication
first to teach these exciting cutting-
the efficiency and productivity of other
are so new that students are not likely
edge bioprinting and biofabrication
complex systems.
to find classes in these topics, let alone
techniques,” said Keith Cook, the
the type of credit-bearing certificates
head of the biomedical engineering
moving field,” said Jon Cagan, who heads
that are now being taught by the same
department.
the mechanical engineering department.
CMU faculty who are pioneering the
The Artificial Intelligence
“We are at the leading edge of this fast-
“Carnegie Mellon students can learn the
Engineering - Mechanical
most current AI and ML techniques from
The program’s unique curriculum
Engineering certificate will leverage
our faculty researchers who are regularly
teaches the fundamentals of fabricating
CMU’s recognized expertise in both
using and advancing the technology.”
structurally complex 3D tissues.
engineering and computer science
Carnegie Mellon’s entry into online
technology.
34 / FALL 2023
education will provide working
organizations by acquiring skills that are
productive online experience with their
professionals with a very flexible
in such high demand.
instructors.
alternative to accessing world class
“Access to graduate level credit-
The 3D Bioprinting and
graduate-level training in these evolving
bearing training from a university of this
Biofabrication certificate can be
technologies.
caliber in such a flexible manner is a
completed in 12 months and students
Marsha Lovett, who is vice provost
fantastic opportunity,” said Lovett.
can begin the program in either the
for teaching and learning innovation,
Instruction for both certificates
spring, fall, or summer semester. An
heads the new Online Education Office
will be 100% online and include
optional on-campus lab experience will
that will administer the two new online
weekly 90-minute classes, which
also be offered.
engineering certificates as well as a
are held in the evening. The online
third certificate in computational data
format allows students the flexibility
- Mechanical Engineering certificate
science being offered by the School of
to view the weekly online lecture at
can be completed in nine months and
Computer Science.
their convenience and has the added
students can begin the program in
She believes there are some
benefit of being available to review or
either the spring or fall semester.
significant advantages to the online
repeat as needed. By coming to each
format that will be very appealing
online class prepared with a thorough
graduate certificates at www.engineering.
to individuals who wish to advance
understanding of the subject, students
cmu.edu/education/graduate-programs/
their careers and contribute to their
also enjoy a more interactive and
online-certificates.html.
The Artificial Intelligence Engineering
Learn more about the new online
NEW UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE: ENGINEERING DESIGN, INNOVATION, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP The Integrated Innovation Institute (III) at Carnegie Mellon
The EDIE program’s introductory course will be offered this
University, which has been teaching graduate students the
fall, and the program’s course requirements are designed to
tried-and-true methodologies to innovating products and
be completed along with their primary major in four years.
services throughout the past three decades, will now offer a new additional major for undergraduates. The new Engineering Design, Innovation, and
Peter Boatwright, the co-founder and director of III and Allan D. Shocker Professor of Marketing and New Product Development, says the new major plays to Carnegie Mellon’s
Entrepreneurship (EDIE) major, which launches this fall, is
strength as a university that gives its students tremendous
designed for engineers who have a passion for technological
freedom to explore and create and is well aligned with the
innovation. By uniting the disciplines of engineering,
College of Engineering’s culture of advanced collaboration.
business, and design, the additional major will equip
“Our university and its students have a strong desire
engineering students with the formal engineering innovation
to impact the world. That ambition together with the
and design skills needed to innovate products around
outstanding engineering training they get here make this new
technology and deliver viable product solutions for the
additional major an especially good fit,” said Boatwright.
marketplace and society. The Engineering Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
The skills that students will develop can be applied to new business ventures that drive innovation to market,
major joins Biomedical Engineering and Engineering and
established companies that innovate their existing products,
Public Policy as one of three additional majors that students
or non-profit sector projects working for social good.
can take in addition to one of the primary majors. The 6 primary majors include: Chemical, Electrical and Computer, Civil, Environmental, Materials Science and
Learn more about the Engineering Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship major at www.cmu.edu/iii/undergradedie/index.html.
Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 35
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
PICOCTF EMPOWERS TEACHERS TO BRING CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION TO THEIR CLASSROOMS
For over ten years, Carnegie Mellon
Teachers walked away from the
University’s picoCTF has been working
experience with actionable lesson
to close the cybersecurity talent gap,
plans, ready to be implemented in the
introducing the field to students of
upcoming school year.
to teach it confidently. “Even as a computer science major, cybersecurity was never a focus of mine.” Understanding the importance of
all ages through its annual Capture-
“Training teachers is the only way
this growing field, Miller decided to
the-Flag competition and year-round
to scale cybersecurity education,” said
attend the picoCTF for NSA GenCyber
educational platform.
David Brumley, professor in Carnegie
Teachers’ Program, hoping to open new
Mellon’s Electrical and Computer
doors for his students.
This past summer, picoCTF furthered its outreach efforts, bringing together
Engineering Department and founder
“It’s our job as educators to open
high school teachers from around the
of picoCTF. “And it only works when
[students’] eyes to the future and what’s
U.S. for its first-ever NSA GenCyber
you find teachers willing to add to
possible for them,” said Miller. “By
Teachers’ Program.
their already busy schedules to learn
shining a light on the opportunities in
something new.”
cybersecurity, I hope to motivate my
The five-day in-person camp offered a comprehensive program featuring
Steve Miller, a computer science
students to consider their futures and
engaging lectures, hands-on labs, and
teacher at Upper St Clair School District
give them the chance to see if this is a
valuable networking opportunities
(PA), recognizes the challenges around
field they are interested in pursuing.”
as attendees were introduced to
introducing cybersecurity into high
the latest tools, resources, and best
school curricula, explaining that teachers
Hilton Head Preparatory School, who
practices in cybersecurity education.
often don’t have the background or skills
spent almost 20 years as a software
36 / FALL 2023
Laura Campbell, a teacher at
developer, traveled from South Carolina to attend the program. Taking what she’s learned throughout her career, Campbell has made it her mission to create new technology offerings at her school and plans to introduce a course on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity this fall. “I would recommend a program like this to any teacher interested in bringing cybersecurity education to their students,” said Campbell. “Coming in person and having the opportunity to talk with the instructors and the other teachers has been invaluable.” “I’m really excited to bring these ideas and the lesson plans we’ve created to my new course right from the get-go.” picoCTF’s hacking competition has been on Marlboro High School (NJ) teacher Christine Rehwinkel’s radar for years. Her family has made the annual event a tradition, coming together to learn new concepts and solve challenges. With Rehwinkel’s school district preparing to introduce cybersecurity courses, she jumped at the opportunity to attend the camp. “Because it’s such a new field, finding resources for teaching cybersecurity has been challenging,” said Rehwinkel. “When I saw picoCTF was offering a teachers’ camp, I already knew what a great resource its platform and
really focus on finding ‘shortcuts’ to help
“With a decade of success as
competition are, so I immediately
them achieve stable and lucrative lives,”
an annual CTF competition and
signed up.”
said Hooper.
subsequently evolving into a year-round
Patrick Hooper, the co-founder
“When we heard cybersecurity was
learning platform, the natural evolution
of Community Forge, a community
an area where there was a lot of need,
of picoCTF is to provide training to those
center located in Wilkinsburg, PA,
with technical skills that can be learned
on the frontline of education,” said
looks at cybersecurity education from
outside of a four-year program, that
picoCTF Director Megan Kearns.
a slightly different lens. He believes
really excited us.”
the field could provide life-changing
“By empowering teachers with the
Hooper believes picoCTF’s gamified
skills to harness programs like picoCTF,
opportunities for the underserved
learning experience, coupled with its
we magnify our impact on students and
populations his organization works with.
accessible platform, has the potential
accelerate our pursuit of narrowing the
to engage and inspire his students,
cybersecurity talent gap. The future
empowerment, helping the youth get
opening the door to a brighter future
of cybersecurity education and our
what they need out of life,” said Hooper.
and rewarding, well-paying careers.
nation’s health relies on a confident and
“A big part of education is
“The reality for many of the youths we
Thanks to the program’s success
work with is that they might not be able
and funding from the National Security
Teachers interested in attending the
to pursue a four-year degree. They need
Agency (NSA), picoCTF organizers have
program are encouraged to reach out
to make money to pull themselves and
announced they will host the camp
to picoCTF Director Megan Kearns at
their families out of poverty. So, we
again in 2024 and 2025.
mkearns1@andrew.cmu.edu.
competent workforce.”
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 37
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
REMEMBERING DENNIS PRIEVE Dennis Prieve, emeritus Gulf professor
of diffusiophoresis, colloidal forces, and
of chemical engineering, passed away on
electrokinetic phenomena, including the
Thursday, May 11, 2023, after a long illness.
development of Total Internal Reflection
Prieve joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon
forward by developing powerful ways to
after his retirement in 2017.
measure the motion of colloidal particles
He left a legacy of rigorous research and
using advanced optical techniques,” says Jim
generous mentorship that extends from the
Schneider, professor of chemical engineering.
Department of Chemical Engineering through
Prieve considered his greatest achievement
the colloidal and fluid mechanics communities.
to be the success of his students, who went
“What struck me about Dennis was his
on to become CEOs, university presidents
thoroughness, his organization, his rigor, and
and deans, and eminent faculty, among other
how he approached things fundamentally,”
distinguished careers.
says Paul Sides, emeritus professor of chemical
“Dennis was committed to educating
engineering. “Professionally, you could test
the next generation. He cared about his
things against him and rely on the fact that
students and wanted to make sure they were
he would think about them from the most
prepared for research and their careers. I
fundamental points of view: where things
saw this in the rigor of his research and in
come from, not just how they’re described.”
his teaching,” remembers Annette Jacobson
Respected in both theoretical and experimental arenas, Prieve made groundbreaking contributions to the theory
38 / FALL 2023
Microscopy (TIRM). “Dennis moved the field
in 1975 and remained a professor emeritus
(BS’79, Ph.D.’88), emeritus teaching professor of chemical engineering.
NSF RECOGNIZES EARLY-CAREER FACULTY College of Engineering’s Amanda
products. Krause’s research also focuses
Krause and Rosalyn Abbott were
on implementation via educational
awarded National Science Foundation
programs, both for engineering and
(NSF) CAREER grants for their
pre-collegiate students. The aim of this
research. The NSF Faculty Early Career
outreach is to spark interest in this field
Development Program awards grants
and offer interdisciplinary training that
to “early-career faculty who have the
will create skilled ceramic engineers.
potential to serve as academic role
Rosalyn Abbott, assistant professor
models in research and education and
of biomedical engineering, also
to lead advances in the mission of their
received the NSF CAREER grant for her
department or organization.”
work in developing cultured meat as
Amanda Krause, assistant professor
a way to combat the environmental,
of materials science and engineering,
public health, and food security issues
has been awarded a five-year NSF
that accompany regular protein
CAREER grant for her research in
consumption. This research looks at
ceramic materials. Her work investigates
the 3D structures of the animal meat
the process in which grains, the
tissues, specifically how fat is stored,
microstructures found in many
and aims to recreate an artificial meat
ceramics, grow in high temperature
product that mimics these properties
conditions. Grain size is important for
and structures. This will allow this meat
determining material properties such as
substitute to be more realistic and
crack resistance, which is related to the
palatable, and subsequently, be more
construction of high-tech devices like
accepted by consumers. Abbott also
airplane engines and microprocessors.
seeks to increase consumer awareness
A better understanding of their growth
of the current state of the animal meat
process when heated will help develop
supply chain through educational
newer and more effective processing
outreach, which she hopes will help
methods for ceramics and hopefully
steer consumers towards this solution.
yield stronger and more stable
Rosalyn Abbott
Amanda Krause
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 39
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Source: Jaci Bliley (course co-lead) An example of what students are bio printing in the C3-PO course: a branch of one of the coronary arteries printed out of an alginate biomaterial.
40 / FALL 2023
AFTER-SCHOOL BIOPRINTING COURSE Biomedical engineers from Carnegie Mellon
According to the United States Bureau of Labor
University have teamed up with the Citizen
and Statistics, the biomedical engineering field is
Science Lab to launch a new program, C3-PO
projected to grow 10% by 2031, faster than the
(the Collaborative for the 3D Printing of Organs),
average of most other occupations. C3-PO is the
to teach middle- and high-school students from
first-of-its kind program in Pittsburgh geared
underserved communities the processes involved
toward exposing Black, African American, and
in soft-tissue biofabrication. Supported by a
female students to biomedical engineering career
generous grant from the Pittsburgh Foundation, the
possibilities, including the continually evolving area
effort gives participants exposure to biofabrication
of biofabrication.
basics through innovative learning modules, hands-
“The power of collaboration is key in helping
on experimentation, and opportunities to interact
to advance biofabrication technology,” said Jaci
with professionals in the industry.
Bliley, a postdoctoral associate of biomedical
“C3-PO aims to bring the forefront of innovation
engineering and lead facilitator of the C3-PO
in biomedical engineering and 3D bioprinting to
course. “I think back to my middle- and high-school
young students to inspire them and give them
experience, when I was unsure about my abilities
some real hands-on experience that will put them
and future career plans. It means a lot to now be
ahead of their peers if they decide to pursue
able to extend confidence and support to the next
an education or career in a related field,” said
generation of students, who are smart, driven, and
Rachelle Palchesko, assistant teaching professor
capable of doing great things!”
of biomedical engineering and C3-PO project
“We are so incredibly proud and impressed with
lead. “As part of the course, our cohort of 10
what our C3-PO students have accomplished,”
students learns how to use 3D printers, including
adds Palchesko. “We really hope to continue
maintenance, modification, design, and printing.
working with The Citizen Science Lab to keep the
Then we shift our focus to growing, maintaining,
program going over the next few years.
and working with cell cultures.”
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 41
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEF CON CHAMPIONS AGAIN The winningest team in DEF CON’s Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competition history, Carnegie Mellon University’s Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP), was back at it again, as the team defended its title, earning its seventh victory in the past 11 years. PPP joined forces with CMU alum and University of British Columbia Professor Robert Xiao’s team, Maple Bacon, as well as hackers from CMU alumni and PPP founders Brian Pak and Andrew Wesie’s startup Theori. io (The Duck). Together, the group competed under the name Maple Mallard Magistrates (MMM). DEF CON’s three-day flagship competition, widely considered the “Olympics” of hacking, brought together some of the world’s most talented cybersecurity professionals, researchers, and students, as twelve of the world’s top teams (who qualified from a field of 1,828 teams) attempted to break
founded multiple successful companies
Carnegie Mellon University’s annual
each other’s systems, stealing virtual
like Theori, ForAllSecure, and Comma,
student-focused hacking competition,
flags and accumulating points while
and have become professors at top
picoCTF, developing challenges of
simultaneously protecting their own.
universities. Graduates of CMU’s
varying levels of complexity. picoCTF
As the number of cybersecurity
cybersecurity programs are simply
has long been the go-to CTF for middle
attacks continues to increase worldwide,
among the best in the field, and DEF
and high school students looking to
competitions like DEF CON’s Capture-the-
CON is just one very specific way that
build and hone their cybersecurity skills,
Flag provide the opportunity for leading
proves it.”
and in recent years has expanded to
cybersecurity engineers to measure
PPP was first formed in 2009 and
up against one another, learning and
began competing at DEF CON in 2010.
as well as several country and
developing new techniques as they work
The team’s previous wins came in 2013,
continent-specific leaderboards.
through various challenges.
2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022, with
Home to the CyLab Security and
second place finishes in 2015, 2018, 2020,
Privacy Institute, U.S. News and World
“It’s hard to understate the impact
include an undergraduate leaderboard,
our students have in cybersecurity,”
and 2021. The team runs and competes in Report’s top-ranked undergraduate
said David Brumley, a professor
several cybersecurity competitions each
cybersecurity program, and several
in CMU’s Electrical and Computer
year, and recently defended its title at
world-class graduate programs and
Engineering Department. “Aside from
the MITRE embedded Capture-the-
courses, Carnegie Mellon University
DEF CON, CMU students were the first
Flag event (eCTF).
continues to lead the way in
to hack a Tesla and the iPhone, have
42 / FALL 2023
Members of PPP contribute to
cybersecurity education and research.
ASCEND MENTOR NETWORK ENRICHES DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR NSF POSTDOCS Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has
physical sciences fields. Fellows are
fellow at the University of California
received a $1 million dollar award from
funded for two to three years.
– Riverside, said the workshop was
the National Science Foundation (NSF)
Alaine Allen, associate dean for
to collaborate on the ASCEND Mentor
diversity, equity, and inclusion and
Network, a multi-institutional effort to
a distinguished service professor of
to know the Mentor Leadership team
support postdoctoral fellows in NSF’s
Engineering and Public Policy in the
more,” said Rodriguez Wimberly, who
Mathematical and Physical Sciences
College of Engineering; and Michael
studies near field cosmology and galaxy
Ascending Postdoctoral Research
Young, associate dean for diversity,
evolution. “How they center equity and
Fellowship (MPS-ASCEND) program.
equity, and inclusion and an associate
excellence in their careers and in their
professor in the Mellon College of
mentorship work is really empowering
fellows with resources, interdisciplinary
Science, will represent Carnegie Mellon
and shows me there’s hope to do
interactions, mentorship, and diverse
on the ASCEND leadership team.
similarly in my career. It was also so
perspectives, the ASCEND Mentor
“I joined this leadership team
incredible to build community with my
Network spans four universities
because engaging with the NSF MPS-
fellow ASCEND postdocs. I love feeling
with CMU leading the charge. The
ASCEND Postdoctoral Fellows connects
like I’m now truly in a network of really
partnership includes Iowa State
the Carnegie Mellon University
kind, fun, hard-working folk who all are
University, Tuskegee University, and the
community to a pool of equity-focused
striving to be equally excellent scientists
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
scholars who will utilize an inclusive
and equity advocates.”
Aiming to connect MPS-ASCEND
The MPS-ASCEND program began
approach to their future roles as
incredibly valuable. “It was inspiring and motivating to get
More events will take place later
in 2021 and supports postdoctoral
faculty or industry leaders,” Allen said.
this year virtually and at other ASCEND
fellows who will broaden the
“Additionally, my involvement on this
leadership institutions. The next
participation of members of groups
project allows me to collaborate with
Fellowship Conference will be held Oct.
historically excluded and currently
a team of educational experts across
4-6, 2023, at Iowa State University.
underrepresented in mathematical and
institutions to learn new strategies
“It was an honor to have the
that will strengthen the programming
Inaugural 2021 and the 2022 National
and support we offer to our CMU
Science Foundation MPS-ASCEND
postdoctoral fellows.”
Postdoctoral Research Fellows on the
Allen and Young hosted the first
Carnegie Mellon University campus,”
in-person Fellowship Conference in
Allen said. “These fellows are a
partnership with the ASCEND leadership
brilliant, engaging, and inclusive group
team at CMU Feb. 8-10, 2023. During
of scholars who will make positive
the workshop, attendees networked,
contributions to the institutions where
outlined individual development plans
they choose to work. Our NSF ASCEND
for professional goals, and attended
Mentor Network team is honored to
NSF leadership talks.
get to know them and support their
Katy Rodriguez Wimberly, an ASCEND
professional journeys.”
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 43
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
W E N 44 / FALL 2023
A C S
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 45
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
NEW LABS NEW RESEARCH NEW SCAIFE HALL TRAN SFORMATI O N AL R ES EAR C H N EED S A TRAN SFORMAT I O N AL B UI L DI N G. Scaife Hall will foster the College’s culture of Advanced Collaboration® by physically bringing faculty and student researchers together to find new ways of approaching and solving complex problems to improve our lives.
DO N ATE NOW TO N E W S C A I F E H A LL
giving.cmu.edu/Scaife2023
46 / FALL 2023
NEW LEADERSHIP FOR THE SCOTT INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY INNOVATION BOOK REPORT INTERDISCIPLINARY R E S E A R C H O N C L I M AT E A N D ENERGY DECISION MAKING Edited by M. Granger Morgan, the Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie
Costa Samaras
Valerie Karplus
This book explores the role of
Costa Samaras has been named the next Director of the Wilton E. Scott
interdisciplinary research in addressing
Institute for Energy Innovation. Samaras began his faculty career at CMU
key issues in climate and energy
in 2014 as an Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and
decision making.
rose to the rank of Professor in 2022. His research interests span a wide
For over 30 years, an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students anchored
range of topics in energy systems, from the technical and policy issues of decarbonization to energy and infrastructure innovation strategies.
at Carnegie Mellon University, joined
Samaras brings the right blend of technical and policy expertise and a
by researchers across North America,
very strong ability to communicate about energy systems in ways that result
Europe, and Australia, have worked
in real impact. His ability to bring people together to work on and solve big
together to understand the global
problems is unmatched, ensuring his ability to lead the Scott Institute to
changes that are caused by human
play a crucial role in our world’s necessary energy transition.
activities and natural causes.
In addition, Valerie Karplus will serve as the Associate Director of the
Exploring topics such as energy
Scott Institute. Karplus, a professor in the Department of Engineering and
efficiency, public health, and climate
Public Policy, will continue her great work in decarbonization and will also
adaptation, the authors describe how
act as a partner and strategic advisor to drive the institute forward.
they addressed key problems posed by
Samaras and Karplus will work closely with Executive Director Daniel
the human aspects of climate change;
Tkacik and Co-Director Professor Andy Gellman to fulfill the Institute’s
illustrate how investigators have worked
mission of encouraging the development of technologies and policies that
across disciplines and locations on
accelerate the transition to a sustainable, net-zero emissions future.
common problems; and they encourage funders and scholars to undertake similar research to meet the world’s largest challenges.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 47
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
STUDENT NEWS / CULINARY MECHANICS Carnegie Mellon University engineering
to restaurant kitchens, students saw
Beard Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Award,
students were back in the kitchen
how mechanical tools such as a knife
and their Bloomfield (Pittsburgh)
last semester to learn how the same
or mortar and pestle are used in food
restaurant, Apteka, was also included
mechanics that apply to airplanes and
preparation. Philip LeDuc, a professor
in the New York Times list of 50 best
automobiles relate to the mechanics of
of mechanical engineering, says that
restaurants in America for 2022.
cells in the foods we eat.
while there are numerous kitchen
The popular Culinary Mechanics
Lasky and Skowronski’s
chemistry courses, he doesn’t know
commitment to nearly continuous
course focuses on how controlled
of any other food-related courses that
menu experimentation and creative
mechanics such as cutting, chopping,
focus mainly on the study of mechanics.
use of local and seasonal ingredients
and mixing can alter the texture, taste,
The class spent time with Chefs
contributes to their success, but it also
consistency, and nutritional value of
Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski,
served to capture the attention and
foods. During hands-on labs and visits
who were finalists for the James
imagination of the students whose
48 / FALL 2023
Students in Phil LeDuc’s Culinary Mechanics class visited Apteka Chefs Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski.
This Dish Contains Eggs may fool you when you realize that vanilla custard, sugared milk, and pound cake were made to look like an egg on toast.
engineering studies also call upon their
class project to create a new food.
the best materials to the ones who are
ability to experiment, employ innovative
Past capstone projects have included
the most creative,” said LeDuc.
methods, and develop creative use of
an on-the-go pancake that used the
varied materials.
mechanical properties of spherification
a Heinz company scientist, reached out
But the connection didn’t end
Ten years ago, when Kurt Willwock,
to encapsulate syrup inside the
to LeDuc to talk about ketchup, LeDuc’s
there. Skowronski is a Carnegie
pancake bites; stained-glass potato
initial reaction was, “I don’t do food.”
Mellon alumnus with a degree in
chips that were made colorful and
philosophy, and his father, Marek
translucent by boiling, molding, and
cell mechanics in human disease, did
Skowronski, is a materials science and
dyeing; and taffy balloons that were
have the information and expertise
engineering professor, who joins his
created by modifying taffy with gelatin
that Willwock wanted. Much of LeDuc’s
son on expeditions to glean seasonal
and adding helium.
work envisions cells and molecules
fruits, vegetables, and sunflowers. In what Pittsburgh Magazine called,
But it turns out LeDuc, who studies
This year’s projects were equally
as systems that can be investigated
creative and included chocolate that
with some of the same fundamental
“the most striking, of-the-moment
was colored, garnished, and tempered
approaches used on machines.
(and, well, very Instagramable) plant-
to look like tortilla chips; bubble tea
based dish around,” Skowronski added
with tiny bubbles made of tea instead
applied to the cellular composition of
a whole-roasted sunflower head to
of tapioca; s’moremallows, made by
food like ketchup, which according to
Apteka’s menu that diners ate like corn
encapsulating chocolate and graham
Willwock is one of the most scientifically
on the cob.
crackers in marshmallow fluff; and junk
investigated foods in the world. It’s a
“For two years we tried to capture
jam, which was a creative use of food
revelation that LeDuc has been sharing
the sunflowers when the seeds were
waste made by blending, boiling, and
in the Culinary Mechanics course
just right and in the third year, we did it
sweetening the otherwise inedible rind
he has been teaching ever since. He
and were able to serve them when the
of a watermelon.
estimates that close to 150 students
seeds were not too fibrous and could
LeDuc says it’s one of the most
Those same mechanics can also be
have taken the course, including Jiaxuan
be eaten without having to spit out the
creative courses because instead
(Josh) Li who graduated in 2019 with
shells,” explained Skowronski, who ate
of having only a limited number of
degrees in mechanical engineering and
sunflower seeds from the flower heads
materials to work with, students can use
robotics and is now a product manager
as a boy visiting Poland.
anything edible.
with the molecular beverage startup
The mechanical principles that
“It’s a real shift from the best project
company, Cana. Li said of the class, “It
students learn throughout the
being done by the students who are the
really inspired me and helped affirm my
semester prepare them for the final
most knowledgeable or have access to
passion in the food space.”
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 49
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
LESSONS FROM COVID DRIVING AUTONOMY INTO THE METAVERSE
metaverse to generate diverse safety-critical scenarios that can quickly adapt to various environments to provide numerous realistic testing cases, without the need to track hundreds of miles. “Autonomous driving has demonstrated promising potential to reduce crashes, save people’s time, and combat climate change,” explain Zhao, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “But it’s evident that the guarantee
Nearly 400 crashes were linked to self-driving cars in the
of safety is still missing. We want to develop that missing
10 months between July 2021 and May 2022. There is a
piece for the large-scale deployment of self-driving.”
critical need for manufacturers and control boards to
One way to generate safety-critical autonomous system
understand these safety issues in order to earnestly embrace
scenarios is by finding failure cases by trial and error. Digital
autonomous vehicles. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon are
twins provide perfect test beds to create safety-critical
driving autonomy into the metaverse to understand safety-
scenarios without causing damage in the real world. Wenhao
critical scenarios by way of digital twins.
Ding and Jiacheng Zhu, Ph.D. students in Zhao’s lab, proposed
Because car crashes affect the average driver only
a new method, Learning to Collide, to identify risky scenarios
once every 18 years, and heavily dependent on diverse
leveraging the reinforcement learning technique. This method
environments like individual driving habits and road
builds a framework where the autonomous system is a victim
conditions, gathering data in the real world on safety-critical
attacked by the scenario-generation algorithm.
scenarios is nearly impossible. Students in Ding Zhao’s
Another efficient way to generate desired scenarios in
lab proposed the possibility of gathering that data in the
digital twins is using causality, which describes the cause-
50 / FALL 2023
and-effect relationships between objects. For example, an
topics from students at other leading institutions. I am glad
accident between a pedestrian and a vehicle is caused by
our work was recognized.”
another vehicle blocking the view of the pedestrian. The
“I am happy to see that my students are controlling their
team developed a method called Causal Autoregressive
own success, and this award reflects that,” Zhao stressed.
Flow (CausalAF) to generate safety-critical scenarios in
“They proposed this concept, and now they get to drive the
autonomous digital twins. It uses causality summarized
digital twin development.”
by human experts and enables efficient generation to find diverse risky scenarios for self-driving vehicles.
Understanding these scenarios extends beyond the road, as the use of autonomous machines is actively explored
“What we are doing is unique because typically the cause
in manufacturing. Zhao’s group has created a digital twin
of inference is studied by statisticians for theory, but we are
of Mill 19, the home of Carnegie Mellon’s Manufacturing
applying it to the real world,” said Ding. “We are building the
Futures Institute, to more efficiently and cost-effectively
bridge between the digital world and the real world, and we
explore safety in manufacturing. This project began as an MFI
believe that it is the most efficient way to ensure the safety of
seed project in April 2022. Each seed project is funded with
people using digital systems.”
the goal that the research will be able to secure follow-on
Ding and Zhu’s proposal, “Safety-Critical Scenarios
funding from external sources.
Generation and Generalization for Autonomous Driving’’ was
“Manufacturing scenarios have human-robot interactions,
awarded the 2022 Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship, which
and through a digital twin we can assess working conditions.”
promotes innovation, execution, and teamwork.
Zhao went on to point out, “Scenarios with safety and security
“I am very excited to get this prestigious award,” said Zhu. “When we gave the presentation in the final round of
problems may be rare, but they do happen. It is critical for us to understand the why in order to prevent recurrences.”
competition, I noticed that we were up against very novel
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 51
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MORE TITLES FOR CMU’S HACKING TEAM For the second year in a row, Carnegie Mellon’s
Over the course of three months, PPP, and 79 other
competitive hacking team, the Plaid Parliament
collegiate-level teams, worked to design and implement a
of Pwning (PPP), has taken home the top prize at
key fob system for a car door lock to prevent unauthorized
the MITRE Embedded Capture-the-Flag (eCTF)
entry or attacks such as replays and key fob cloning.
cybersecurity competition. The PPP team is made up
PPP’s win was definitive, scoring over 10,000 points
of 14 students from across the university, more than
more than the second-place finisher. CyLab Security and
half of which were Information Networking Institute
Privacy Institute Project Scientist Maverick Woo, who co-
(INI) students and alumni. INI Associate Teaching
advised the team with Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor Patrick Tague serves as a co-advisor to the
(ECE) Professor Anthony Rowe and Tague, credits the
team while Assistant Teaching Professor Hanan Hibshi
victory to the group’s composition and work ethic.
serves as a faculty advisor.
“Our team has strong expertise in both embedded
“CTF competitions are more than just games. The
development and attacks,” said Woo. “Our students worked
challenges help players enhance the essential skills
hard and were committed, and they were able to organize
that make them more valuable in the workplace,” said
themselves to take advantage of the large team size.”
Dena Haritos Tsamitis, director of the INI and Barbara
The annual competition saw teams from the United
Lazarus Professor of Information Networking. “I am
States and around the world, with a record-breaking
thrilled to see such a high level of participation from
546 student participants. Notably, PPP finished ahead of
our INI community and wanted to congratulate the
hackers from the University of California, Santa Cruz (2nd
PPP team members, as well as the faculty advisors
place), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
who continue to dedicate themselves to training the
(3rd place).
problem solvers of the future.”
The competition had two phases—design and attack. Each phase offered opportunities to score points by obtaining flags and submitting them to the live eCTF scoreboard. During the design phase, hackers acted as a team of engineers at a car manufacturer, designing and building the embedded software that would be installed on the next line of cars and key fobs sold to customers. In the attack phase, teams had the opportunity to analyze other groups’ designs and identify security flaws as they aimed to unlock and start the vehicles without authorization from the vehicle owners. eCTF competitions are unique from other CTF competitions because they focus on embedded systems security. Students not only defend against traditional cybersecurity attack vectors but they also need to consider hardware-based attacks such as sidechannel attacks, fault injection attacks, and hardware modification attacks.
Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP) team
52 / FALL 2023
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 53
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
SUMMER INTERNS Summertime is when students across the College of Engineering take advantage of internships that give them the freedom to explore burgeoning career ideas, learn new skills, and visit new companies and locations.
JESSICA SHI (MSE’24)
WORKING SUMMER 2023 AS A PRODUCT DESIGNER AT APPLE IN SHANGHAI, CHINA. “I’ve always wanted to be a PD materials specialist, and this internship seemed like a great opportunity for me to explore this career path and find my niche in the broad materials science and engineering field. I’ve picked up many useful skills like computer-aided design, 3D printing, and design for manufacturing.”
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SHAGUN MAHESHWARI (MSE’25)
ENGINEER AT SPACEX STARLINK HEADQUARTERS IN REDMOND, WA “At SpaceX, your discipline does not define or limit you, as our number one rule is to have extreme ownership. Even if you don’t currently possess another discipline’s engineering skillset, there is a huge emphasis on learning on the job and learning how to learn fast on the job. This culture and mindset of extreme ownership and being an all-rounded engineer is one I love and deeply resonate with.”
SERGIO RODRIGUEZ (MECHE’23)
SMALL-SCALE TOY DESIGN AT MATTEL IN EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA Pursuing independent study in the spring semester, Sergio Rodriguez designed a fidget toy. He has carried his toy design from proof-of-concept to creating several prototypes before landing on a final mode, preparing him for a summer at Mattel. “I love creating something like a 3D model, ideating the whole design cycle and process. I love how mechanical components interact with each other. I think there’s a lot of value in engineering for fun. It’s something that you can’t do in many other industries. I want to have fun as an engineer.”
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 55
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
177
ENGINEERS & ATHLETES Leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills aren’t learned only in a classroom, but in athletics, too. In 2022-2023, of the 177 engineering students participating in Tartan athletics, nearly 60% of them had a 3.5 GPA or higher and 16 had a 4.0! Our students along with their teammates from across the university have helped make Carnegie Mellon’s athletics program one of the finest in the nation.
56 / FALL 2023
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 57
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
One of the most common complaints among consumers who use inflatable balls is that they inevitably go flat. An airless solution to remedy this in basketballs is in progress with two Carnegie Mellon materials science (MSE) and biomedical engineering (BME) alumni at the forefront of its development. As students, Nadine Lippa and Dave Krzeminski relied on their interest in sports to keep them balanced as they pursued their degrees. Lippa spent one year on the women’s soccer team as a walk-on, was a buggy pusher for PIKA for four years, and took up trail running and yoga, while Krzeminski was a member of the men’s swimming team, capturing the NCAA title for the 200yard butterfly in 2007. Even though their time as students in MSE overlapped, it wasn’t until after they had graduated that they were able to connect thanks to Mike McHenry, a professor of materials science and engineering. Lippa saw McHenry during a Carnival weekend and inquired if he knew of anyone working in the area of sports materials engineering. “The combination of MSE and BME really set the stage to go into sports engineering,” said Lippa. “The electives that fell between those two majors,
ALUMNI / ALUMNI DOUBLE TEAM SPORTS INNOVATION WITH AIRLESS BASKETBALL
such as studying physiology with Dr. Campbell, along with my MSE base, made me well-rounded going into my career.” McHenry provided an introduction to Krzeminski, who was completing his Ph.D. at the University of Southern Mississippi. Lippa and Krzeminski quickly became acquainted and continued to connect sports to their work as they followed similar trajectories in their Ph.D. programs, international internships and fellowships, and published research. Eventually they married in 2017.
58 / FALL 2023
They most recently collaborated on a prototype of Wilson’s 3-D printed basketball that debuted at this year’s NBA All-Star Dunk Contest. Lippa, who is currently an innovation manager at Wilson Sporting Goods, says the project initially launched in 2018 in response to three issues faced by Wilson and its consumers: consistency in play that is impacted by ball inflation, sustainability, and production limitations. From a sustainability perspective, an airless basketball has many benefits. There is less waste with its production via additive manufacturing, as only one material is used to create this ball, as opposed to many materials procured globally in a conventional basketball. Its ability to be produced anywhere with 3-D printing capability reduces shipping costs, further contributing to environmental impact. From a business perspective, making basketballs through
direction at all times,” said Krzeminski.
While the prototype had a
additive manufacturing reduces lead
“It took a lot of engineering of not just
successful launch earlier this year,
times, and order fulfillment can take
the powder material, but also of the
the overall project is still in progress
place in a more real-time fashion,
process, in order for the latticed design
as the design is further refined, and
eliminating supply chain issues currently
to serve its purpose.”
Wilson hopes to have a small batch
encountered by limited production sites.
While some digital testing was
release in 2024 through which they
While the final product may appear
possible, testing various outcomes
can gather more user insights. The
as though it was easy to make, it took
by printing samples was necessary in
airless basketball is just one of several
years of testing to find the right material
order to understand if the basketball
projects that Lippa is working on
for the airless basketball.
was acting as it was intended. From
at Wilson to reinvent inflatable ball
there, the team had to weigh several
sports. Additionally, Krzeminski is
interplay between the mechanical
factors from performance to economics
involved with other sporting goods,
design and the material of the ball, as it
to translating athlete feedback into
medical device, and sustainable energy
needed to be soft enough to catch, but
technical engineering action.
companies using both polymer and
“We faced the challenge of the
also capable of bouncing,” said Lippa.
The mentality required by their
She and her team at Wilson
athletic endeavors has transferred
reconnected with EOS during COVID
to their academic and professional
shutdowns when other aspects of
pursuits, particularly as the project
business slowed down and identified a
involved multiple iterations before
material that matched the specifications
landing on a prototype that could meet
ultimately used in the prototype—a
all the required specifications.
material that was not yet available when the project was initially conceived. “There’s a lot of intricacy that went
metal additive manufacturing.
“Unless you’re unbelievably lucky, you have to learn to respond quickly amidst failure and adversity,” said
into printing an object that’s completely
Krzeminski, as he likened experiences
spherical and performs equally in every
as an athlete and a researcher.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 59
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Barbara Buck (fourth from left) at the 1975 Society of Women Engineers National Convention in Pittsburgh, PA. Source: Wayne State University
ALUMNA DELIVERS KEYNOTE SWE ADDRESS
Her father, who would later beam with pride over his daughter’s accomplishments, was initially skeptical
women who earned their engineering degrees in 1973. But thanks to Herbert Toor, who was
too, believing that an engineering
the dean of the engineering college
education would be too costly. But
and a great proponent of women in
thanks to her mother who secretly set
engineering and science, Buck was able
aside money out of the family’s food
to participate in the SWE Professional
budget to help her daughter apply to
Development Conference. Toor
college, Buck was able to go on to earn
generously sponsored Buck’s trip to the
her chemical engineering degree at
Henniker, New Hampshire conference
Carnegie Mellon in 1973.
with the single caveat that when she
Fifty years later, she can recount
came back to campus, Buck would share
other obstacles, as well as other
what she had learned with her fellow
In 1968, when Barbara Buck informed
unexpected forms of support, including
students.
her high school counselor that she
the encouragement and help she got
“Attending the SWE conference as a
wanted to apply to Carnegie Mellon to
from the Society of Women Engineers
student was an amazing experience—a
study chemical engineering, she was told
(SWE), an organization that she has
real turning point for me,” said Buck
that women were not engineers and that
proudly listed among her credentials for
who was awed by the professional
she should be a chemistry teacher.
half a century.
women engineers she met there.
“I had no idea that being a woman
SWE, which was founded in 1950,
Interacting with women engineers
would be a barrier,” said Buck who
enjoyed a loose foothold at Carnegie
who were working at the Oakridge
excelled in math and science and had
Mellon in the early 1970s. It was
National Laboratory, employed as
been inspired to become an engineer by
then briefly deactivated before being
engineers and executives at major
a Penn State professor who visited her
reinstated permanently in 1977, a few
corporations, members of the Army
physics class.
years too late for Buck and the 11 other
Corps of Engineers, and owners of their
60 / FALL 2023
own engineering firms, showed her the exciting career paths that were possible. The following year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette featured Buck in an article titled, “Women Engineers in Demand,” which reported that not only were employers seeking women engineers, but that the number of applicants was growing. Women enrolled in engineering programs at CMU had jumped from 10 in 1963 to 48 in 1973, according to the newspaper. Carnegie Mellon enrolled 208 women and 234 men in the 2022 incoming class of engineering students. Almost as soon as Buck landed her first job with Union Carbide as a product and process development engineer, she joined SWE as a professional member. She served in multiple leadership roles including chairwoman of the national convention in 1980. She returned to campus on April 15 to deliver the keynote address at the
used in steel and stainless-steel alloys
CMU SWE 50th Anniversary Celebration.
and various refining and petrochemical
jobs is critical. Professional and leadership
In addition to her long-held
applications with sales of $1 to 2
development programs offered by
dedication to SWE, Buck has had an
billion. She is a consultant and the
the organization are still excellent
impressive career in the chemicals,
executive committee president of the
opportunities to encourage young
plastics, and mining industries. After
International Molybdenum Association
engineers to excel in their studies and
more than a decade with Union Carbide,
who is leading the development of
prepare for their professional lives
she joined Amoco Chemical Company.
responsible production standards for
adds Buck.
Although there were few women in the
molybdenum to establish a Moly Mark
field then, the president at that time
brand that will provide assurance of
minority status in engineering,
was committed to supporting women
responsible mineral production and
Buck believes there is still a need
engineers, which made her experience
sourcing to various stakeholders.
for advocacy. She warns that not all
there fairly positive. Conditions became
Even as women surrender their
But Buck is more than just an
progress has been upward. Ground
less favorable for women who were
inspiration to women who aspire to
was lost during the economic turmoil
subjected to policies that limited their
engineering careers. She has a vision for
of the 1990s and probably again during
opportunities when the company was
the future success of women engineers
COVID. And she says there is still less
later acquired.
and for SWE.
representation in some fields and
Undeterred, Buck went on to serve
“Although women have made great
industries, such as mining. Given that
in leadership roles for industrial
strides over the years, SWE still has many
SWE also supports those in other STEM
coatings companies that took her to
important roles to play,” says Buck.
fields, there remains a need to expand
locations around the world, where
Outreach programs that encourage
opportunities in areas such as computer
she would be the first woman to ever
students to consider and pursue
science, which still tends to be heavily
enter a chlor-alkali plant in Mexico
engineering and STEM careers have long
dominated by men.
and the first woman invited to serve
been a standard for the organization at
Buck is genuinely grateful to Carnegie
on the board of a Tokyo-based joint
both the national and local level. There
Mellon and to SWE, and she is confident
venture formed to service the Japanese
is a tremendous need for engineers in
that belonging to the Society of Women
automotive industry.
manufacturing, which Buck says is the
Engineers can be equally beneficial
foundation of the U.S. economy, so
to those who are seeking their own
attracting both men and women to such
engineering and STEM career success.
Today, she is a highly sought-after expert in molybdenum, a metal additive
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 61
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
ACCELERATING ADOPTION OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING Engineering alumnus Brian Fisher is a strong link between top industry and academic researchers working in 3D printing technologies. At Carnegie Mellon where both the
technologies like AM have the potential
Manufacturing Futures Institute
to dramatically lower costs and increase
and the Next Manufacturing Center
production for a company like Raytheon
conduct groundbreaking research
Technologies that works in both
in advanced manufacturing, it is no
aerospace and defense, so effective
surprise that dozens of students
partnerships between industry and
and faculty turned out to hear how
academic researchers are more than
a major aerospace manufacturer is
just mutually beneficial, their work has
utilizing additive manufacturing (AM)
serious implications for both economic
technology.
prosperity and national security.
Brian Fisher is a senior principal
The AM group at RTRC, which is the
additive manufacturing engineer at the
central innovation hub for Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Research Center
Technologies’ business units, is focused
(RTRC) and a former Ph.D. student of
on optimizing design to improve
Jack Beuth, mechanical engineering
performance and minimize cost, drive
professor and faculty co-director of the
variability out of the process, and
Next Manufacturing Center.
accelerate certification activities across
Fisher came to the Carnegie Mellon
Raytheon Technologies. To accomplish
campus in April to meet with faculty and
this, they study many of the same AM
students to nurture the relationship
process parameters as Carnegie Mellon
that the university has with Raytheon
researchers.
Technologies, the world’s largest
“The AM work at CMU is well aligned
aerospace and defense company.
with what industry needs,” said Fisher
During his presentation, Accelerating
who says he knows that CMU is doing
Adoption of Additive Manufacturing in
good work and has comparable
Aerospace & Defense, Fisher appeared to
capabilities to the RTRC.
enjoy teaching a room full of his former professors. “While a lot of the concepts that
Beuth believes Carnegie Mellon is the leading producer of academic additive manufacturing research
I discussed were not new to the
because of both the breadth of activity
audience, Raytheon Technologies has
and depth of expertise in AM and
some unique approaches, and I gave
artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the
them a perspective on the relevance
university.
and application of technical advances
“No other university has as many
in aerospace parts manufacturing,”
faculty working on funded AM projects.
said Fisher.
We currently have at least 30 faculty
Advanced manufacturing
62 / FALL 2023
members working on AM research,”
said Beuth. Carnegie Mellon engineers were early AM adopters who now have a tremendous amount of experience and study a diverse range of AM issues— covering nearly all, if not all, primary AM research topics according to Beuth. Fisher applied to Carnegie Mellon in 2014 after having earned his bachelor’s degree at Brown in 2010 and working several years on mechatronic systems
for more efficient algae production. When he arrived at CMU, he didn’t
actual production,” said Fisher. He says that his studies and research
production rates, there will be a greater need to understand complex defect
know much about metals AM, which
work at CMU is directly relevant to his
mechanisms. And the ability to rapidly
at the time was still mostly being used
work today and that from day one on
utilize information from one machine
for rapid prototyping. It was Beuth
the job he was able to contribute.
and apply it to another will be critical.
who sparked his interest and recruited
Beuth is not surprised by Fisher’s
Beuth also believes that artificial
him into the AM program. He was
success. He says additive manufacturing
intelligence will be key to advancing
attracted to the technology because
is an excellent field to be working in
widespread adoption of additive
it is a more efficient way to produce
because there is a ferocious demand
manufacturing.
parts for end use.
for it.
AI offers tremendous cost and time
“Jack really sold me on the vision for
“Every company that makes metal
the future of AM that is now coming to
parts is either actively adopting and
parts, particularly those with complex
fruition,” said Fisher.
expanding AM or tracking it for near
geometries that are produced in low
future adoption,” said Beuth.
volumes with high safety standards.
Since earning his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 2018, Fisher has seen firsthand how AM has advanced. “There’s a definite focus on
The former student and his professor
savings in the production of metal
Beuth says there is an exceptional
agree on the evolving vision for the
degree of machine learning expertise
future of AM.
in both the College of Engineering and
industrialization now. We’ve moved past
Fisher says that there will be a
prototyping because we have a better
continued focus on driving down costs
throughout Carnegie Mellon that can be
understanding of the processes and
and reducing variability in the near
He says, “Carnegie Mellon engineers
can produce better quality parts. The
to mid-term, with a growing focus on
are uniquely qualified to work together
industry has matured but there is still
larger print volumes, faster build rates,
to apply AI to improve the design and
exciting work to be done,” said Fisher.
and more automated fault detection
material characterization of 3D printed
“What I really like is being able to
used to support industry.
and mitigation. He says that artificial
parts and develop process monitoring
dive deep into problems and apply an
intelligence will continue to drive
and control methods that are needed
academic understanding of the physics
innovation in this space because as
to qualify and certify parts for safety
of the process to developing parts for
you move to larger parts and higher
critical applications.”
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
FORBES RECOGNIZES ENERGY INNOVATORS Forbes named three Carnegie Mellon Engineering alumni to its 30 Under 30 in Energy list for 2023.
Bobuchi Ken-Opurum completed her
Rupamathi Jaddivada attended CMU for her
Ph.D. in Architecture Engineering and
master’s degree in electrical and computer
Construction Management (‘22), a joint
engineering (’15), where she researched dynamic
program of Civil and Environmental
modeling, simulations, and control of microgrids.
Engineering and the College of Fine
Her mentor, Professor Emeritus Marija Ilić, provided
Arts. Growing up in Nigeria, Ken-
invaluable guidance and helped Jaddivada develop
Opurum saw how the quality of life in
deep knowledge of power systems. Currently,
her community significantly improved
Jaddivada develops electric power systems at
with simple fixes to everyday problems
SmartGridz, a startup company that Ilić co-founded
such as pothole repairs and rainwater
in 2022. Their goal is to provide low-cost and low-
collection through cisterns. She realized
carbon electricity using a combination of smart
that most people who are affected
grid analytics, automation, and interactive IT/OT
by climate change often lack access
integrations. Jaddivada is pursuing her passion for
to viable solutions to their problems.
power system simulation and automation, and she
Fascinated with the ways different
has a pending patent for a control framework that
cultures combat climate change, she
will help establish secure and stable connections
set off to address this disparity.
for integrated military microgrids.
Ken-Opurum developed the ReHOUSED Climate Decision Support Toolkit, which allows self-builders living in coastal urban regions to make informed decisions regarding safe and climate-proof construction in an accessible way. This online resource presents solutions as visual presentations to make them easier to understand. With this toolkit, people can construct their homes in ways that better prevents damage from floods and heat stress. Currently, Ken-Opurum serves as the director of research at the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute where her work focuses on the interplay between energy burden, energy efficiency, and distributed energy, with a focus on the profound implications for lower-income households.
64 / FALL 2023
Bobuchi Ken-Opurum
Raafe Khan was a part of CMU’s interdisciplinary master’s program in Energy Science, Technology, and Policy (‘16), where his classes fostered his curiosity of clean energy and energy markets. “My coursework helped me develop a holistic perspective around how we can build better policy, processes, and tools to help create a more equitable and efficient clean energy future,” Khan says. While working at Mortenson Construction, he applied his knowledge of programming algorithms and engineering principles to invent the WindBuilder™. This product creates detailed blueprints for projects that involve inverter-based resources, such as wind or solar energy and optimizes for total cost of ownership and energy Raafe Khan
production over the life of the project. With these instructive blueprints, construction companies and developers can manage the skilled labor shortage in the field and still get projects online quickly and safely. Since receiving a patent for his invention in September 2022, WindBuilder™ has been used to generate designs for efficient projects in several U.S. states. Currently, Khan serves as the director of energy storage at Pine Gate Renewables where he has helped build a 25-gigawatt-hour energy storage project pipeline, one of the largest pipelines in the country. Additionally, he is a pioneer in bringing non-lithium battery technologies out of stealth mode and into the power generation industry. “We’re expanding the number of tools in our toolbox to help us transition over
Rupamathi Jaddivada
to a decarbonized economy,” Khan says. “The genesis of the work I’ve done is expanding that tool set, expanding the understanding of these technologies, and bringing manufacturing opportunities back to the United States—all cornerstone priorities to energy independence.”
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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MSE ALUM WINS $3M SCIENCE PRIZE A journey that started at Carnegie Mellon led alumnus Cliff Brangwynne (MSE ’01) to discover and elucidate a cellular process with the potential to revolutionize treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, among other clinical applications. Brangwynne’s discovery—that living cells organize not just through structures defined by membranes but also through liquid-liquid phase separation—was published in Science in 2009. That paper gained traction over the years with more and more scientists recognizing its significance, and this year Brangwynne and co-author Anthony Hyman were awarded a $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the world’s largest science award. Often likened to the way oil and water refuse to mix, phase separation
66 / FALL 2023
had not previously been associated with cell biology, though it is a core
themselves. LeDuc and Brangwynne go back a
concept in material science and
long way. They first met at Harvard,
engineering. Brangwynne compares
where LeDuc was a postdoc. During
it to water condensing on a cold glass
this time, Brangwynne, who took a year
of iced tea on a humid summer day,
off from his Carnegie Mellon studies,
or rain forming in the atmosphere.
was working in a Harvard lab where his
In both cases, the water molecules
interest in cells proliferated.
existed in the air as a gas or vapor
Reflecting on Brangwynne’s body
before undergoing phase transition
of research, LeDuc explains that a
into a liquid.
layperson might think of cells as being
But instead of water molecules,
like a soup filled with a few noodles, “but
Brangwynne discovered biomolecules
it’s more like a jungle.” However, despite
condensing into liquid-like droplets
having such a packed environment,
distinct from the watery buffer that
cells can function efficiently with
surrounded them inside the cell.
organizational mechanisms including
“I am very fortunate to have been able to work with fantastic collaborators
phase separation. Before Brangwynne’s work, LeDuc
to found this new field,” Brangwynne
said very few people were connecting
said, referring to his former colleagues
the two concepts. “He’s defined an area
at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular
inside of (the field) that’s super powerful
Cell Biology and Genetics and his more
and has also taken it to some fantastic
recent collaborators and trainees
levels of thinking,” LeDuc said, adding,
at Princeton University. The field
“Cliff is an extremely creative person …
has continued to expand as more
and that really separates him from so
researchers explore the discovery’s
many people.”
implications in different contexts. “I’ve had a very front row seat in something that has grown much bigger than what any set of individuals can do. And that’s really amazing to see, to watch that grow and evolve.” According to the Breakthrough Prize announcement, “Their discovery is a fundamental advance in our understanding of cellular organization and is likely to lead to clinical applications in the future, including for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS.” Phil LeDuc, a Carnegie Mellon professor of mechanical engineering and founding director of the Center for the Mechanics and Engineering of Cellular Systems, said Brangwynne “absolutely, totally deserved” the Breakthrough Prize for advancing thought on how cells organize
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING / 67
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING OFFICE OF THE DEAN 250 ANSYS Hall 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
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CMU-AFRICA CELEBRATES 10TH GRADUATION The event honored the achievements of the Class of 2023, which included 158 graduates, representing 19 nationalities. The degrees awarded include the Master of Science in Information Technology, the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the inaugural cohort of the Master of Science in Engineering Artificial Intelligence program. Congratulations!