Finding the Connective Tissue of Soft Materials
Assistant Professor Qihan Liu Receives an NSF Career Award to Develop Adhesion Solutions to Improve and Expand the Use of
The human body uses adhesion to hold itself together. For example, a tendon attaches muscle to bone, while connective tissue attaches muscle to skin.
Hydrogel-based soft materials are based on these biomimetic mechanical behaviors, which makes them a revolutionary design of biomedical implants, human-machine interfaces, and bio-inspired soft robots. However, there are limitations to overcome before they are able to fully replace commonly used hard materials.
Qihan Liu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science received a $546,127 Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to find a novel solution to adhesion
Soft Materials
in soft materials through thermodynamic interaction.
“Professor Liu is an outstanding researcher, and this CAREER award will bolster activities in at least two core research competencies in our department, specifically advanced manufacturing and design and soft matter biomechanics,” said Brian Gleeson, department chair.
Gellin’ It Together with Thermodynamics
Hard materials are typically assembled together with screws and interlocking structures, so a machine can be easily upgraded or repaired by changing parts. Currently, adhesion in soft materials is irreversible, so it is nearly impossible to upgrade or repair a soft machine like conventional machines.
“Despite the extensive research on gel adhesion, there is a critical unmet need
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Adding “Mussel” to META-GLUE
Pitt Engineers Receive $250k Darpa Award to Develop Mussel-Inspired Underwater Adhesion
Two researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are utilizing their expertise in hydrogels and liquid crystal elastomers – as well as inspiration from Mother Nature – to design a more effective and powerful adhesive for gluing structures underwater.
The proposal for META-GLUE –Molecularly Engineered Toughness to Augment Grip
Likelihood in Underwater Environments – recently received a $251,981 first-year seedling award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Principal investigator is M. Ravi Shankar, professor of industrial engineering at Pitt joined by Qihan Liu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science.
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Chair’s Message
Dear Colleagues, Students, and Friends,
It is an exciting time for the Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science Department, and I am proud to share some recent milestones and achievements with you.
Nuclear power has never been more crucial as the world seeks sustainable energy solutions while at the same time addressing significant power needs tied to the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). Our department is at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field, with ongoing research to advance nuclear energy technologies and their integration into the broader energy landscape. This newsletter highlights recent faculty appointments to bolster our Stephen R. Tritch Nuclear Engineering Program. At the same time, we bid an appreciative farewell to Dr. Tom Congedo, who recently retired after capably serving as the Program’s Academic Director;
his unbridled enthusiasm for nuclear engineering will be missed. Best wishes, Tom!
I am also thrilled to announce that Assistant Professor Qihan Liu was awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award to develop adhesion solutions to improve and expand the use of soft materials. This significant achievement recognizes his groundbreaking work and further contributes to our department’s research excellence. It is noteworthy that this is the fourth consecutive year that a junior faculty member in MEMS has received a CAREER award.
Speaking of research, I am pleased to report that our total annual research expenditures for the previous fiscal year reached an all-time high of just over $16 million. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, and students, and it reflects our commitment to innovation and impactful research.
Beyond our research success, the MEMS Department is committed to leading in engineering education. We regularly update
Finding the Connective Tissue of Soft Materials...
for stimuli-responsive adhesion that not only has a strong grip, but also detaches and reattaches and is reversible under designated stimuli like temperature, stress, and the presence of certain chemicals,” Liu explained. “We’re learning that thermodynamic interaction between hydrogels can make this possible.”
Sticky When You Need It
Thermodynamic adhesion is distinct from existing studies of bonding-based adhesions.
There are two known thermodynamic adhesion mechanisms: osmocapillary and electrostatic adhesion. Osmocapillary adhesion results from the suction generated when neighboring hydrogel
our undergraduate curricula to ensure our students are well-prepared for the future of engineering. For instance, our programs now integrate new AI, machine learning, and computational simulation content owing to the growing importance of these technologies.
Lastly, I am pleased to share that our three undergraduate programs - Mechanical Engineering (ME), Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), and Engineering Science (ESci) - have once again received ABET accreditation renewals, affirming our commitment to maintaining the highest standards in engineering education.
Thank you for your continued support and interest in our department’s success. This newsletter highlights many achievements, and I am confident that significant achievements are ahead as we continue to grow and improve.
Dr. Brian Gleeson
Harry S. Tack Chair Professor Chairman, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
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absorbs the interfacial solvent, which is governed by the thermodynamics of osmosis. Electrostatic adhesion results from the attraction between oppositely charged polymer networks surrounded by free ions.
“Both types of thermodynamic adhesion respond to a wide variety of stimuli and can be reversible, which is our main goal,” Liu said. “We need to build a predictive model that can test thermodynamic adhesion under different conditions to determine if it’s a feasible solution.”
Using thermodynamic interaction for hydrogels can lead to a number of applications. For example, a smart watch can be applied to a wrist without a band and aid in invasive medical devices.
In addition to the scientific contributions of adhesion in soft materials, Liu’s CAREER award will also help him develop a video style that is both easy for researchers to produce and interesting for laypeople to watch, thus promoting the direct dissemination of cuttingedge research to the general public through free video-sharing platforms.
The five-year project, “Robust, Reversible, and Stimuli-responsive Thermodynamic Adhesion in Hydrogels,” began May 2024. ■
Publisher: MEMS Department
Editor: Jessica Pendrick
Lead Writer: Kat Procyk, MPA
Sr. Designer: Leslie K. Sweeney
Sparking Student’s Passion for Innovation
The I&E program’s mission is to develop a culture that promotes the creation, development, and launch of impactful ideas throughout the Swanson School. Its curricular and extra- curricular components include the undergraduate I&E certificate, the Makerspace, and the IDEA lab.
Currently, the Makerspace engages with 1000+ members per year (students, faculty, staff) and is managed daily by 40+ volunteer student mentors and five student leads. It also supports ~15 courses each year (>1,000 students) in which students design, build, and test as part of their class work. The Makerspace supports ~15 student developed and taught workshops each semester, and this year launched a new series called the Entrepreneur’s Roundtable in which Pitt alums with startup experience share their stories with our future entrepreneurs.
The Innovation and Design Engineering Acceleration (IDEA) Lab began in 2021 as a collaboration between the Swanson School and the Pitt Innovation Institute. From the Makerspace participants, 7-8 IDEA Lab interns and 40-50 XProject participants are selected per year. The IDEA Lab hosts XProjects and IDEA Projects, both of which integrate students into the Pitt innovation process. These projects welcome faculty or other clients’ requests for design and prototyping and present them to students to solve, providing crucial hands-on experience – and a paycheck.
“I definitely see myself growing as an engineer... I think my leadership skills, my communication skills, my teamwork skills, have just exponentially
improved since being down here,” said Lauren Beck, Makerspace lead team, engineering undergrad.
XProjects (where X is anything) have students design, prototype, and/or test a device, product, or system. These projects take ~6-8 weeks and are completed in groups of 3-5 students. Since 2017, 80+ XProjects have been completed by more than 200 students.
IDEA Projects are wider in scope and timeframe than XProjects, varying from 1 week/$500 all the way up to 20 weeks/$50K. Since fall 2021, over 25 IDEA projects have been completed. These can lead to commercial prototypes or even University startups (like LeanMED and NextGenET) and our students can become the entrepreneurial leads in these ventures.
Going forward, Dr. Buddy Clark, I&E program director and MEMS professor, aims to create a master’s I&E Certificate and an undergraduate I&E Distinction, along with increasing the quantity of projects, students, faculty, and clients involved in the program.
“The Innovation and Entrepreneurship program here is actually a network of programs that offer immersive curricular and extracurricular opportunities for students. Prototyping, design, and creativity, and real-world problems they wouldn’t ordinarily get in the classroom,” said Clark. ■
DOE Funds $2M Cyber Energy Center at Pitt to Improve National Cybersecurity Measures
Pennsylvania is the lead producer of energy in the United States and exports more electricity than any other state in the country.
However, the infrastructure protecting these various energy sources has gone digital and shielding it from cyber attacks requires far more than improving information technology cybersecurity.
Cyberattacks in the United States have been growing rapidly since 2018 and have led to mass data breaches among other security threats. To meet these growing concerns, the White House released the National Security Strategy in March 2023 that called for an up-leveling of cyber security measures and practices nationwide.
Pitt was awarded $2.2 million from the United States Department of Energy to establish the Cyber Energy Center, a collaborative ecosystem for regional energy industries and stakeholders to help improve the cybersecurity for the region’s energy system. The scope of the Center’s work will venture outside of Pennsylvania and reach 21 utilities in 13 states.
“The pandemic has caused an unemployment surge in Pennsylvania at a time when we
need an increased cybersecurity presence more than ever,” explained Daniel Cole, principal investigator and associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science. “As geopolitical tensions increase, so does the need to be vigilant for cybersecurity threats that could impact our nation’s energy infrastructure.”
The Center will integrate interdisciplinary research experts from Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, School of Computing and Information, Center for Energy, the Energy GRID Institute, School of Public and International Affairs, and Institute for Law Policy and Security to give it a portfolio of expertise that includes artificial intelligence and machine learning, grid engineering, law and policy, and energy-efficient computing.
“Cybersecurity is essential to the functioning of our society,” said Erica Owen, associate dean and professor in Pitt’s School of Public and International Affairs, and member of the Center. “Both the energy sector and federal government are concerned with how a cyberincident could affect health, the environment, the climate, and the safety of the public. For the energy sector, it impacts not only their business, but public well-being.”
Pitt has been on the frontlines of cybersecurity for some time. In January 2024, Mai Abdelhakim, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and member of the Center, testified in front of two legislative committees at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in response to recent cyber attacks on Pennsylvania’s digital infrastructure. Last summer, Cole led a group of students alongside the Idaho National Laboratory in a program called Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Experience in Electric Grid, or SHURE-Grid that worked on solutions
to protect the power grid through a multidisciplinary effort between Pitt schools.
Research will address how to better integrate information technology and operational technology to meet industry needs by using modern tools like digital twins to achieve better intrusion detection and tolerance, improved modeling and implementation for real-world applications, and identifying the barriers for energy providers when determining robust cybersecurity programs.
More than 20 industry partners, working with both the Center and Department of Energy leadership, will serve on an Industry Advisory Board to help define, shape, and steer research projects for the Center to ensure that its activities are providing value and meeting the needs of the energy industry.
The Center will offer a number of education and workforce development programs to provide students deep experiential learning opportunities where they can tackle current problems from industry partners. Replicating this innovative program across the country will provide companies nationwide with up-to-date solutions and a workforce that is able to address rapidly evolving threats.
The Center will also engage with local community colleges to push cybersecurity curricula into their classrooms and create training opportunities, focused on economically distressed neighborhoods, for entry-level skilled workforce to learn needed skills in cybersecurity.
“All of this creates a research and education ecosystem that will create the next tools and technologies for better security, educational opportunities for professionals, and diverse workforce development for these new innovations through the region and the nation,” Cole said. ■
MEMS FIRE – First Year with NSF Funding Proves Beneficial for Students
MEMS FIRE Program Receives $410K NSF Grant, Launches Largest Summer Research Initiative yet with 40+ Participants in 2024
The FIRE Program recently received a $410,216 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site Award from the National Science Foundation to expand outside Pitt MEMS, and in 2024 this funding was put to use.
For the MEMS FIRE summer 2024 program, over 40 participants were involved and helped make it a success. A total of 13 students – 8 from outside universities and 5 from Pitt – were selected to perform research for the program, alongside 12 Primary Investigators, 12 Technical Mentors, 4 Peer Mentors, and 5 other FIRE workers, making 2024 the largest year for FIRE yet. One student even transferred to Pitt, starting with the Fall 2024 semester, after seeing all the opportunities FIRE provides.
“We want to highlight and encourage all mechanical engineering and materials science students – not just at Pitt – who are interested in research,” said John Whitefoot, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and one of the co-principal investigators. “Not only are they getting the opportunity to participate in research early in their careers, but they’re receiving the unique opportunity to engage with faculty members they may not have otherwise.”
The program is designed to encourage research experiences for undergraduates from demographic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in engineering fields. It is a paid 10-week summer program that includes an original research project in a research lab. In addition to the research project, participants will receive mentorship from graduate students and other students who are active in research and network with faculty. Additionally, FIRE holds weekly workshops to improve skills in areas that help students succeed in graduate school, such as writing technical papers, giving technical presentations, dealing with implicit bias and imposter syndrome, and more. ■
Adding “Mussel” to META-GLUE...
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“Although modern science has developed several glues that work underwater, these adhesives struggle to perform as well as those operating under dry conditions. Intimate bonding is prevented by entrapment of water and those that do form are stressed by oxidation, pressure, salinity, and other factors,” Shankar explains. “However, bivalves have fascinated humans since antiquity for their ability to not only effectively adhere to underwater surfaces, but also withstand crashing waves and tremendous forces to hitch rides around the world.
“Only recently has science understood how these bioadhesives work. Our approach is to assimilate these features in highly architected synthetic systems, where we design-in capabilities that potentially outperform living systems.”
Specifically, Shankar and Liu are applying these mussel-inspired chemistries to explore the interplay between elasticity, hydrodynamics, and capillarity to optimize adhesives at the molecular level. The two are focused on exploiting chemical phenomena presented by plaque proteins that the mussel “foot” uses to adhere to surfaces in a matter of minutes. Their project seeks to exploit these biochemical phenomena in liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) designed with precisely controlled microstructures.
“This technology is not only critical for strengthening underwater infrastructure such as platforms and piping but could also be adapted for use in surgeries or other fluidic environments,” Liu said. “Biomimicry has helped to transform materials science by helping us apply the chemistries of natural life.” ■
Peoples Natural Gas, H Quest, and University of Pittsburgh Team to Produce and Test Hydrogen Energy from Natural Gas
Hydrogen Production Process Converts Natural Gas into Pure Hydrogen and a Solid Carbon Byproduct; Could Provide Breakthrough for Hydrogen as Economic, Zero-Emission Energy Source
An innovative demonstration project that will attempt to create zero-emission hydrogen energy at the scale needed for widespread adoption is now underway in Western Pennsylvania. Peoples, an Essential Utilities company, leads the pilot with support from Pittsburgh-based energy technology start-up company H Quest and the Swanson School of Engineering. The testing is one of multiple ways Essential and Peoples are working to be leaders in hydrogen.
First, Peoples installed one of H Quest’s proprietary microwave pyrolysis units at its training center in McKeesport to transform natural gas into pure hydrogen (H2) without CO2 emissions. The process creates what is often referred to as turquoise hydrogen. Roughly the size of a shipping container, technology within the unit heats the natural gas as it flows through the system in an oxygen-free setting. This almost instantaneously “cracks” the gas into two distinct byproducts: clean H2, and a solid carbon material called carbon black: an industrial product used as a crucial component in batteries, paints, pigments, rubber products, tires, and more. H Quest’s system will produce hydrogen directly from natural gas without CO2 emissions.
Peoples then blends the hydrogen with natural gas at various ratios to assess impacts on physical pipeline operations and various home appliances. The ongoing blending and testing at the Peoples Training Center in McKeesport occurs within
a closed-loop system; H2 is not inserted into distribution lines that serve customers at this point.
“Our mission to provide safe, reliable, and affordable natural gas is based on a commitment to make lives better,” said Peoples President Michael Huwar. “That commitment means pursuing innovations that leverage our local abundance of natural gas while placing a focus on decarbonization. At the same time, we have a regulatory commitment to purchase gas at the lowest cost for our customers. Supporting technological advancements that allow hydrogen to be produced at a scale that makes H2 affordable is critically important.”
Peoples co-hosted two conferences bringing together regional and national leaders in hydrogen technology and policy, and began a research project with Pitt in 2022 to study the impacts of hydrogen on existing natural gas delivery systems. That work provides valuable benchmarks for this multi-phase pilot.
Turquoise hydrogen may solve multiple challenges that have kept hydrogen from large-scale adoption. By extracting the carbon from natural gas as a solid material, greenhouse gas emissions that are typically associated with conventional hydrogen production can be entirely prevented. These solid carbon products, such as carbon black and graphene, would be sold to offset the cost of hydrogen fuel. H Quest’s distributed
modular package reduces the need for and costs of transportation and infrastructure upgrades required to deliver the fuel to the customer, and may in some cases even eliminate them altogether. This changes the financial model to make hydrogen energy competitive with standard natural gas and other alternatives.
“This pilot is instrumental in demonstrating that our microwave pyrolysis technology can help the natural gas industry to significantly reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions while creating valuable, in-demand products that change the calculus for hydrogen energy,” said H Quest CEO and Founder George Skoptsov.
In conjunction with the operational testing in McKeesport, Pitt’s material scientists will evaluate the influence of hydrogen blends on the integrity of Peoples’ commonly used pipeline material in a controlled environment. Pitt will test H2–natural gas blends ranging from 5 – 20% hydrogen to see how each interacts with different pipeline materials. The ultimate goal: providing low-cost energy that is just as safe and reliable as natural gas, but with reduced emissions.
“This is a special opportunity to conduct materials testing under the practical conditions provided by this H2 demonstration facility,” said Dr. Brian Gleeson, MEMS professor and chair. “The results will guide materials selection for the safe and long-term delivery of H2–natural gas blends to Peoples’ customers in the future.” ■
A Nuclear Core at Pitt
Tom Congedo, an adjunct professor and the associate director of the Stephen R. Tritch Nuclear Engineering Program, joined Pitt a decade ago with a clear vision of the work he wanted to do.
With 45 years of experience in the nuclear industry, designing the materials for his classes was the easiest part of being a new professor.
“On my first day, I got my computer out and just started typing,” Congedo joked. “This was stuff that I knew.”
Congedo joined Pitt after serving as Director of Technology Development at Westinghouse Research and Technology, where he led the Central R&T laboratories and managed a team of renowned experimenters, analytical developers, and state-of-the-art facilities. He taught classes at Carnegie Mellon University, but he always knew his career was destined to come full circle at Pitt – where it began.
Working with the program’s director, Professor Heng Ban, Congedo “keeps the trains running” in addition to teaching the popular Introduction to Nuclear Engineering and graduate Nuclear Operations and Safety courses. Every year, Congedo ensures classes for both the nuclear engineering program’s undergraduate and graduate certificates and master’s degree align with students’ graduation timelines.
“Tom manages the program’s class offerings and works with industry experts to help teach some of them,” Ban said. “With Tom’s guidance, we’ve revamped our curriculum to align with nationally leading nuclear programs at other universities.”
Congedo takes pride in keeping the curriculum current, which is why as he nears retirement, he helped select his successors, Assistant Professor Tatsuya Sakurahara and Adjunct Assistant Professor Sola Talabi, who have demonstrated histories of pushing the field forward through cutting-edge technology and building industry relationships on an international scale.
Sakurahara received his PhD in nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and uncertainty quantification, which not only expands Pitt’s research portfolio but also brings new courses to the program’s
nuclear curriculum, enhancing the learning experience for our students.
Talabi has 24 years of experience in the field, including work at Westinghouse Electric Company where he managed risks on the first Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear plants in both China and the United States, and later at Pittsburgh Technical. His expertise lies in reactor engineering, safety and risk management.
“One of the best things about Pitt’s nuclear engineering program is our faculty,” Congedo said. “Not only are they brilliant, but their hearts are in the right place. They desire nothing more than doing the same thing that I want to do: Educate the people to the point where the nuclear industry can do the best things for this world. I mean, it’s as simple as that.”
“I’m going to be happy when I see our students help places that were once almost unlivable, now prosper because of the nuclear power they helped generate.”
Cindy Pezze, a longtime colleague and friend, as well as a Pitt alumna, said Congedo led with a passion for the industry.
“Tom worked tirelessly to enhance the program and the students’ experience,” Pezze said. “This program would not be where it is today without Tom’s passion, hard work and collaboration with other key persons from within MEMS, the Swanson School and industry. His legacy will continue with this program which is providing future engineers to the nuclear industry.”
Brian Gleeson, department chair, described Congedo as a “vigorous advocate” for nuclear power and the program.
“But beyond his advocacy is his impressive dedication to education,” Gleeson said. “He honestly cares for the students, ensuring they get the best education in nuclear engineering. His impact can’t be overstated.”
With his retirement on the horizon, Congedo is looking forward to enjoying more home-cooked meals shared with his wife, Carol, as well as traveling to Okinawa Island.
However, he will always be available to Pitt students.
“As a teacher, touching souls is what we do,” Congedo said. “That won’t end when I leave Pitt.” ■
Tom Congedo Sola Talabi
Tatsuya Sakurahara
Faculty Highlight
Zachary Harris
Assistant Professor Dr. Zachary Harris
may be one of the newer hires in the MEMS department, but that certainly isn’t stopping him from hitting the ground running. From personal and collaborative research, directing the Materials Metrology and Characterization Laboratory (MMCL), to teaching both undergraduate and graduate students, Harris does it all.
Research
Hydrogen Effects on Mechanical Behavior
Despite more than 150 years of study, many questions remain regarding how hydrogen degrades structural metals. Harris’ NSF project is partnering with Purdue to tackle the question of how hydrogen content affects the mechanical behavior of pure nickel under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. The results will be used to develop a new model framework to predict hydrogen-induced material degradation at the microstructurescale. He also recently finished a project sponsored by Peoples Gas, in collaboration with Brian Gleeson and Doug Konitzer at Pitt, that evaluated how common materials used in natural gas distribution systems perform when exposed to hydrogen. Furthermore, Harris has an NSF SBIR project (National Science Foundation - Small Business Innovation Research) with a small company looking at the mechanical performance of their newly developed material after being exposed to hydrogen gas.
Stress Corrosion Cracking of Structural Materials
In the field of stress corrosion cracking, Harris has three exciting projects. First, as part of a project sponsored by Novelis Aluminum, Harris is developing a test method to understand the stress corrosion cracking performance of aluminum alloys used in soda cans. Second, funded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Harris, in collaboration with associate professor Paul Ohodnicki, plans to develop a sensor to detect stress corrosion cracking of materials exposed to molten salt reactor environments. Finally, he has a Navy SBIR project with Luna Innovations, which seeks to employ machine learning to improve the timing of maintenance activities related to corrosion and stress corrosion damage on ships.
Metallurgy of Additively Manufactured Alloys
In another of Harris’ research areas –metallurgy of additively manufactured alloys – he has multiple ongoing projects. Harris’ group is funded by BlueForge Alliance
to understand the effect of post-build processing on the microstructure of several additively manufactured alloys of interest to the US Navy. Additionally, he recently finished an Air Force SBIR project performing similar work for a small business that was developing aluminum alloys for additive manufacturing. Lastly, Harris currently has a Navy SBIR project that is looking to use binder jet printing to fabricate components from ferromagnetic materials.
MMCL
engineering.pitt.edu/mmcl
Run by the department, the mission of the Materials Metrology, Characterization, and Learning Laboratory is to support materials research, innovation, and learning at Pitt and beyond by providing access to tools, techniques, and expertise for materials metrology and characterization. The MMCL serves as a crucial testing and characterization center for both departmental researchers and the broader engineering school. It is equipped with advanced research instruments, including microscopes, mechanical load frames, and sample preparation equipment. The lab also offers training to researchers and assists with experimental procedures.
Harris recently hired two new staff to the MMCL team: Dr. Khaing Aye and Dr. Adam Thompson. They handle the day-to-day operations of the facility, including training
students on proper use of the equipment, maintaining the tools, and helping folks with their experiments. They are also responsible for engaging with external organizations that seek to utilize the lab’s capabilities through fee-forservice contracts.
Exciting developments are underway at the MMCL, with the installation of four new mechanical test frames designed to perform experiments focused on the strength and ductility of various materials. These tools are expected to be operational soon, greatly enhancing the MMCL’s research capabilities.
The laboratory boasts an impressive array of equipment, including:
■ Optical Microscopy: Keyence VHX 7000N, Keyence VHX 970, Zeiss Smartzoom 5
■ X-Ray Analysis: Phenom XL G2 SEM, Bruker Skyscan 1272 micro-CT, Rigaku Miniflex XRD
■ Surface Evaluation: Bruker Contour GT-I optical profilometer, Keyence VR-3200 optical profilometer, Hysitron TI900 Triboindenter
■ Thermal Property Analysis: Netzsch Laser Flash Analyzer 427, Netzsch Thermomechanical Analyzer 402 F1
■ Mechanical Testing: Five servohydraulic mechanical test stands and a Gleeble 3500 GTC
The MMCL also expresses gratitude to Ellwood for their generous funding of a new ThermoFisher Phenom G2 XL desktop SEM, and to Arconic for donating mechanical testing equipment to the facility. This support will significantly enhance the lab’s capabilities and contributions to materials research at the university and beyond.
Teaching
Along with his research projects and directing the MMCL, Zachary Harris teaches MEMS 1030 (Materials Selection) and MSE 2030 (Mechanical Behavior) to undergraduate and graduate students, respectively. He was voted as MSE Instructor of the Year by the most recent graduating class. ■
Engineering the First Digital Twin of the Bladder
Pitt Professor Anne Robertson and Naoki Yoshimura with the University of Sheffield receive more than $3.2 million R01 grant to help design patient specific treatments for bladder outlet obstruction (BOO).
Men ages 50 to 60 have an 80 percent chance of having some degree of BOO due to an enlarged prostate – which causes multiple symptoms that can impact their lives physically and psychologically.
The bladder, an incredibly complex organ, has its own electrical system and can change its constituents and geometry through a growth and remodeling process. However, in bladders with BOO, the urethral resistance increases and forces the muscle cells within the bladder to generate larger pressures to void. Over time, the bladder adapts with a growth and remodeling response that causes changes in bladder size, tissue composition, and functionality. While effective at first, over time symptoms like frequent and sudden urges to urinate or recurrent urinary tract infections begin to appear. Prolonged BOO can even lead to irreversible complications including urinary retention, bladder stones and kidney failure.
“Our team, which is composed of engineers, medical doctors, biologists, and computer scientists, is highly multidisciplinary so we can properly simulate the key components of the organ in normal and BOO bladders,” said Anne Robertson, coprincipal investigator and distinguished service professor of mechanical engineering and materials science. “The connection between changes to the BOO bladder wall structure and bladder functionality are not understood. Our digital twin of the bladder, informed by extensive data, will enable us to better understand this connection.”
Alongside Robertson, Naoki Yoshimura, Professor of Urology, Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and UPMC Endowed Chair of Neurourology Research, will be representing Pitt. ■
Simulating Solutions to Significant Situations
Pitt Researchers in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science are Building Key Competencies in Computational Science and Data-Enabled Engineering
As engineering becomes more complex, so do the solutions to problems.
Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) are turning toward computational science, artificial intelligence (AI), and data-enabled engineering to meet the challenge by founding their own computational group and allow engineers to perform experiments in places where they’re not possible.
“Much of design optimization is a computational problem,” said Hessam Babaee, MEMS associate professor and an expert in applied math. “You don’t go and try building an airfoil using different geometries and testing it in a wind tunnel. That’s obviously extremely expensive, but you can now do that in the computer.”
This area of growth has become one of the department’s core pillars of research, expanding into quantum computing. Because of the work of leading faculty and graduate students, the group has established top research competencies for computational science and simulation in the country.
“What’s happening inside our department is very exciting,” said Department Chair Brian Gleeson.
“Computational science and simulation is the future of engineering and we’re at the forefront.“
Bridging Computer Science and Engineering
Computational science flourishes when different strengths take part in the process.
The MEMS professors behind the group, including Babaee, each bring a unique speciality:
■ Distinguished Professor and James T. MacLeod Chair Peyman Givi: expertise in Computational Transport Phenomena
■ Assistant Professor Juan José Mendoza Arenas: expertise in Quantum Physics
■ Associate Professor and William Kepler
Whiteford Faculty Fellow Inanç Senocak: expertise in High Performance Computing
These different elements of scientific computing help the process flow more efficiently while opening opportunities for further research. Because of their expertise, these professors were able to expand their computational group
outside the lab, offering new classes within the department to introduce students to these concepts and applications.
“These courses are an extension of the engineering of computational science and computational methods,” Senocak explained.
Mendoza Arenas added that it’s important for students to see how the calculation is being done as well as the underlying physics of the result.
Success in Simulation
Graduate students involved in the group have seen tremendous success upon completion of their PhD program.
“The power of our group can easily be measured by the fact that all of our students who graduated are bombarded with offers,” Givi said.
Michael Donello, a research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, was part of the computational group while in the PhD program. He credits his work within the group for his current position.
“I was always interested in programming, even as an undergraduate student at Pitt,” Donello said. “It gives you the opportunity to solve complex engineering problems that require a multidisciplinary approach.”
When part of the group, Donello worked mostly in reduced order modeling for computational fluid dynamics. His final project was ultimately funded by NASA, and the center of his program and thesis.
However, for the group, job offers aren’t the only end goal.
“Our research, especially as it continues to grow and evolve, will help others,” Mendoza Arenas said. “And I believe that principal will encourage others to join in our goal.” ■
To learn more visit: http://pi.tt/compsci-mems
NETL Teams With the University of Pittsburgh to Win R&D 100 Award
Researchers at NETL and the University of Pittsburgh received a prestigious R&D 100 Award for their collaborative effort that resulted in the development of revolutionary technology to protect and monitor pipelines, bridges, spent nuclear fuel storage canisters and other crucial components of the nation’s infrastructure, especially in extreme environments.
The team’s innovation, UltraSonic Photonics combines fiber-optic sensing and ultrasonic acoustic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) to provide 24/7 monitoring of infrastructure and equipment and issue alerts and warnings before a failure occurs.
“The UltraSonic Photonics technology represents a new concept in combining traditional ultrasonic acoustic NDE with emerging fiber optic sensing capabilities and combining them with advanced physics modeling and machine learning techniques,” explained Paul Ohodnicki (pictured), RK Mellon Faculty Fellow in Energy and associate professor. “We are excited about the potential impact and future applications, including the critically important topic of monitoring spent fuel storage systems to ensure their structural integrity and to guarantee a robust, safe, secure, and environmentally responsible life cycle of nuclear fuels.” ■
Powering Up the United States Navy
From propulsion to pulsed power-directed energy systems, an enormous amount of power keeps the United States Navy on duty at all times. However, the Navy faces a challenge: with the fleet’s ongoing conversion to electric power, how can the Navy be more efficient and cost-effective when it comes to power usage aboard ships?
Ohodnicki is part of a multi-institutional team of researchers to receive a $3.97 million grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for their proposal, “Innovative Magnetic Material Solutions for Navy High-Frequency Power Systems.” The collaborators will create new magnetic materials that allow the Navy’s advanced power electronic circuits to meet the necessary power conversion, conditioning, and storage and achieve smaller size and weight through Megahertz (MHz) frequency switching and Megawatts (MW) power levels. ■
The AMPED Consortium Receives a Power Boost
The Advanced Magnetics for Power and Energy Development (AMPED) Consortium at Pitt is getting a power boost.
Pitt engineers behind the AMPED Consortium received a $1.2 million grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation to expand its capabilities.
“The grant provided by the Henry L. Hillman Foundation is incredibly impactful to the AMPED consortium at this time,” Ohodnicki said.
“It provides a baseline of funding support and allows us to expand on the number of students that we can engage on this important topic in collaboration with our industry partners. We are sincerely appreciative of the Henry L. Hillman Foundation for providing this very generous gift.” ■
Getting to the Heart of the MATLAB
Engineering Science Undergraduate Natan Herzog Receives Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship to Help Students in ENGR 0135 Learn MATLAB
Herzog has been using MATLAB for years, both as a student and later as an undergraduate teaching assistant for ENGR 0135: Statics and Mechanics of Materials 1, taught by MEMS Assistant Professor Matthew Barry. The second-year engineering course teaches the mathematical principles behind analyzing a structure’s ability to withstand various loading configurations and to begin modeling the stresses it could experience.
Two years after taking the class, Herzog received the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship to develop a curriculum that encourages students in ENGR 0135 to use MATLAB for their work by having them engage with solving real problems, rather than by providing uninspiring lessons on coding fundamentals.
“This course is the first real introduction to thinking like an engineer and applying principles to solve a problem in practice with their final bridge project. They design, optimize, and then build a bridge in an iterative process to explore the concepts we introduce throughout the course,” said Herzog. “From my experiences as a student and as an undergraduate teaching assistant, I’ve identified room for us to improve the use of MATLAB programming during the course and especially in the final project.”
“As an undergraduate teaching assistant, Natan was able to share his passion for coding and assist students with projects, lending knowledge he gained from taking more classes that emphasized using MATLAB to solve complex engineering problems,” said Barry. “Natan saw an opportunity to enhance this course by both introducing
MATLAB earlier within the course and more pervasively, creating direct coding analogs to the student learning objectives. Natan’s enthusiasm for coding and education is highly commendable, and it will be a pleasure to work with him on enhancing this course.”
In the final project of Barry’s Statics course, students use MATLAB to model the stresses throughout a bridge truss structure of their design. They are encouraged to create powerful optimization scripts to aid in the design process by analyzing a range of physical configurations, but historically, Herzog noted, the course hasn’t had the time to fully engage with and build those programming problem-solving skills. Through his fellowship, Herzog developed content and held additional sessions where he engaged students with MATLAB’s potential by tying it back into the course material, with a focus on the skills needed for the final project.
“My inspiration is teaching how to solve problems using code, rather than teaching how to code,” said Herzog. “This is an important guiding principle as I think that engineering students will better appreciate the power of programming through this lens. So all of my content is geared towards solving the problems they’re already doing in class, and showing just how easy and robust it can be with MATLAB.”
Since the conclusion of his fellowship last fall, Herzog has been working for the MEMS department to develop the first of three courses that will elevate programming and data-informed modeling within the mechanical engineering curriculum. With guidance from Dr. Barry, Natan has constructed the MEMS 1140 curriculum in an accessible and engaging way that introduces programming concepts as tools that can enhance students’ understanding of the theoretical concepts which they study in their other courses. ■
HONORS AWARDS
Faculty
Matthew Barry, associate professor, along with his PhD student Lee Dosse, received the 2024 Pitt Innovation in Education Award. This award will fund their project, “Bridging the Gap in ENGR 0135: Experiential Learning in Large Enrollment Classes using Makerspaces”. Barry was also voted Most Innovative by students during this year’s Senior Recognition event in April.
Peyman Givi, distinguished professor, received the AIAA Dryden Lecture in Research Award and was named a Foreign Member of Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain.
Brian Gleeson, department chair and professor, was honored with a special symposium, “Advances in High-Temperature Oxidation and Degradation of Materials for Harsh Environments”, hosted by TMS at the MS&T24 Technical Meeting in October.
Zachary Harris, assistant professor, was selected as the Materials Science Engineering Instructor of the Year by students and honored during the Senior Recognition event in April.
Tony Kerzmann, associate professor, received the 2024 MSCI Lens Peters Award.
Anne Robertson, professor, was named a Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow for 2024-2025.
Guofeng Wang, professor, was named as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2024 in the field of Cross-Field for the third year in a row.
John Whitefoot, associate professor, received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award 24 for their roles in developing the Facilitating Inclusive Research Experiences (FIRE) Program and as a faculty member in the Student Advisory Board. Voted in by students, Whitefoot was recognized as Mechanical Engineering Instructor of the Year at this year’s Senior Recognition.
Wei Xiong, associate professor, co-chaired the 50th International CALPHAD Conference at MIT and was appointed Associate Editor of The Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion.
Students
Yousra Bensounda, PhD student, received an NSF Conference Grant for the 2023 Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium.
Kristian Borysiak, undergraduate MEMS student, was awarded the Naugle Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering for 2024. The fellowship includes a one-time payment that will be used to reduce tuition debt.
Jun Young Hong, PhD student, received a Graduate Excellence in Materials Science (GEMS) Sapphire Award from the American Ceramic Society for his presentation at the annual Materials Science & Technology meeting.
Stephanie Manasterski, who is majoring in MEMS and Physics, has received the 2024 Marion Alice Nye “Buzz” Barry Scholarship, joining previous winners Sarah Wiegosz and Aarti Patel.
Tomas Mayer-Costa, PhD student in Nuclear Engineering, received one of two 2023 Pitt Staff Council Endowed Book Fund scholarships. University staff member donations fund the annual $500 scholarships, awarded to two outstanding Pitt students with a parent or guardian who is a dedicated Pitt staff member.
Jose Morales, undergraduate MEMS student, received the 2023 Robert E. Rumcik ‘68 Scholarship. Named in honor of Rumcik, previous President of ELLWOOD Quality Steels and ELLWOOD National Steel, this scholarship is sponsored by ELLWOOD and provides funding for two consecutive academic years.
Jessica Niznik, undergraduate MEMS student, received the 2024 Robert E. Rumcik ‘68 Scholarship.
The 2023-2024 FSAE Team poses with their car at the 2024 SAE EV Michigan Competition.
Pierangeli Rodriguez De Vecchis, PhD student, received the AIME Henry deWitt Smith Scholarship which aims to advance the mineral industries by assisting students in the pursuit of graduate education in mining, metallurgical, materials, or petroleum-related disciplines. She also was awarded Best MSE Teaching Assistant.
Haolin Zhang, PhD student, received the school Research Assistant of the Year award for 2023-24 and an NSF Conference Grant for the 2023 Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium.
Heyang Zhang, PhD student, received the school Teaching Assistant of the Year award for 2023-24.
FSAE Results from SAE EV Michigan
2024 Competition
■ Passed all but one Technical Inspections with one attempt
■ Completed all dynamic events, including the 22 km Endurance event
■ Placed 6th in Acceleration
■ Ranked in the top 20 for both Endurance and Autocross
■ Made it to the Design Finals
■ Finished 8th Overall! (Tied for best finish in school history and first top 10 finish since 2016!)
Promotions
Katherine Hornbostel
■ Promoted to associate professor
■ Dr. Hornbostel has since left Pitt for her new role as Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Duquesne University. We wish her all the best!
Tevis Jacobs
■ Promoted to full professor
Inanc Senocak
■ Promoted to full professor
New Faculty/Staff
Mariel Doriah – Lab Manager
Ms. Doriah earned her bachelor’s degree and Master of Engineering in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in December 2021 and December 2022, respectively. She joined the department following the retirement of Richard Burgett.
Juan Jose Mendoza Arenas –Assistant Professor
Dr. Mendoza Arenas joined Pitt to strengthen the computational and data-enabled engineering research. He was previously a postdoctoral associate at the University of Bristol and Oxford.
Jessica Pendrick –Administrative Coordinator
Ms. Pendrick earned her bachelor’s degree in digital art and media from Saint Vincent College in December 2022. She began working at Pitt in February of 2023.
Tatsuya Sakurahara –Assistant Professor
Dr. Sakurahara was hired to help bolster the Stephen R. Tritch Nuclear Engineering Program after the retirement of longtime professor Tom Congedo. Before Pitt, Dr. Sakurahara was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (NPRE) at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign (UIUC). He earned his PhD in nuclear engineering from UIUC, his MS in nuclear engineering and management and BS in systems engineering with a concentration in environment and energy systems from the University of Tokyo.
Alumni Highlights
Mychal Amoafo Excels to New Heights
Mychal Amoafo BSEngSci ‘23 Sets His Sight on MIT this Fall as a GEM PhD Engineering and Science Fellow
Amoafo graduated in December 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering science, concentration in engineering mechanics, and an honors degree from the David C. Frederick Honors College. He leaves an incredible legacy of academic excellence, community service, and an intellectual curiosity that shows he’s always challenging himself – in and out of the classroom.
His motivation to make a positive impact through engineering paid dividends in less time than the traditional engineering student. Amoafo now attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a GEM PhD Engineering and Science Fellow focusing on novel problems in control theory. GEM is designed for underrepresented students who have completed, are currently enrolled in, or have received admittance into a PhD program directly from a bachelor’s program.
“From the day Mychal first stepped into my office, he had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish,” said Associate Professor Paul Ohodnicki, director of the engineering science program. “He exhibited key success factors that allowed him to excel in his studies, even beyond the classroom. He was organized and focused on what he needed to do in order to accomplish his goals. He graduated in three and a half years, which is rare for an undergraduate at our school.”
For Amoafo, curiosity about human interaction with each other and technology is critical in ensuring his work benefits people. He seeks to understand why these interactions make the systems he works with amorphous and complicated.
“I’m not the kind of mechanical engineer people typically think of,” Amoafo said. “I’m interested in the theory side of control, and my BPhil dissertation was on applied control and well-understood approaches, like a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control or a Bang-Bang control, which are straightforward and easy to deploy in industry applications.”
At MIT, he plans to explore innovative and exciting pathways like statistics and machine learning to more accurately model systems in real time and develop more robust controllers.
As Amoafo steps into the first year of his PhD program, he won’t have to stress about funding. The GEM Fellowship includes full tuition and fees through the fifth year; a $16,000 stipend during the first year with additional stipend support from the GEM Member University to match the stipend amount of other funded PhD students in that department; and a minimum of one paid summer internship with a GEM Employer Member. He’s grateful for the freedom and control he has to complete his PhD program the way he sees best.
“I have no doubt that Mychal will thrive as a GEM Fellow,” said Yvette Moore, Director of Pitt’s EXCEL and Equity and Inclusion for Undergraduate Strategic Initiatives. “He’s so intelligent, giving, caring, and humble. He doesn’t flaunt these things. He didn’t just do a lot in the classroom, but in the community, too.” ■
Kate Gundlach
By April Johnston
Kate Gundlach stands on the sunbaked track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, bracing a tablet against her hip. She’s debating with driver Pato O’Ward about the merits of maintaining momentum through turn seven.
She knows laying off the brakes is a gamble – drivers have crashed out for less. But it may be just what O’Ward needs to shave those precious tenths of a second off his time and challenge the rest of the NTT IndyCar Series for the coveted pole position – the most advantageous starting position on the track – on qualifying day at the Gallagher Grand Prix.
“That’s playing with fire, bro,” O’Ward says, grinning and peering down at Gundlach’s tablet. “How much are we losing?
“It’s just a tenth,” Gundlach assures him.
O’Ward sighs and grabs the brim of his baseball cap with both hands, still unsure: “Gotta pick your fights, you know?
Gundlach does know. She’s been an IndyCar engineer since 2012 and O’Ward’s performance engineer at team Arrow McLaren for nearly four years. Her job is to use data and driving simulations to devise strategies that will improve his lap time and, ultimately, notch wins. Together, she and the fiery, unpredictable 24-year-old racing phenom have been through some really high highs – like contending for the series championship in 2021 – and some pretty low lows – like crashing out at the Indianapolis 500 on this very track in May. Every decision, every tweak, every tap of the brakes could be the difference between landing on the podium or heading back to the pit. ■
Kenneth Balkey Named Varsity Letter Club’s 2024 Awardee of Distinction
Kenneth Balkey, a highly accomplished MEMS alumnus, was named one of Pitt’s Varsity Letter Club’s 2024 Awardees of Distinction. Balkey earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering in 1972 and 1980, respectively.
“I am so deeply honored and humbled to have been selected to be a member of the 2024 class,” Balkey said.
Since 1961, the Pitt Varsity Letter Club has honored letterwinners who have distinguished themselves in their profession or community, and who – by their accomplishments – have enhanced the value of the intercollegiate athletics programs at Pitt.
Balkey is a member of the ASME Philanthropy Committee and serves as an Adjunct Faculty Lecturer for the Stephen R. Tritch Nuclear Engineering Program. He was previously a consulting engineer for Westinghouse Electric Company and Senior Vice President for ASME Standards and Certification. ■
Staff Spotlight
Michael McConegly, MEMS Department Administrator, has proven to be an indispensable member of the MEMS Department since he joined in 2018. His dedication and exceptional work ethic have highly contributed to the Department’s success and efficiency. His work ethic and competence are unmatched, submitting proposals (157 in the last year alone!), financial planning, personnel management, and just about anything else you can think of.
Mike’s journey with Pitt began as a student, when he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2008, and later his Master’s in 2013. His academic experience laid a solid foundation for his professional career, and in 2008, he accepted a role within Pitt and has been with the university ever since. In 2021, Mike was recognized as a “Staff Hero” in the University Times for all of his hard work, especially during the pandemic. ■
Originally published in PittWire. Photography by Tom Altany/Pitt Photography.
Turning Crisis into Compassion During Brazilian Floods
Planning for different circumstances is important when traveling – but how can one expect a natural disaster, especially when abroad? Students and faculty from the Swanson School of Engineering faced that challenge headon this spring when members of Pitt’s Exploration of Energy and Electrification Global Experiences program were caught in the catastrophic flooding of southern Brazil.
Within days of the group’s arrival in Rio Grande do Sul on Sunday, April 28, 150,000 Brazilians were displaced throughout Brazil’s southernmost state. At the height of flooding in mid-May, the International Labor Organization said that number had skyrocketed to nearly 700,000.
Witness to Disaster
While waiting to secure transportation out of the city, program directors Robert Kerestes, associate professor and undergraduate program director of electrical and computer engineering, and Tony Kerzmann, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, were surprised to see how eager students were to help refugees arriving in São Leopoldo.
When Unisinos – the program’s partner institution – opened its doors to approximately 1,300 refugees on Saturday, May 4, Kerestes and Kerzmann suggested the group aid their relief efforts. The students were quick to lend a helping hand.
Students folded and organized donated clothes, distributed bedding supplies, helped to move furniture, and made themselves as helpful as possible.
Unisinos faculty noted the Pitt students’ decision to help was an organic response to the catastrophic events they watched unfold.
“This kind of decision-making is something we expect to see from undergraduate students,” said Tatiana Louise Avila de Campos Rocha, assistant director of undergraduate affairs at Unisinos. “I know the kind of character Pitt teaches their students, so we weren’t surprised to see them volunteer. Soft skills like teamwork, kindness and empathy are critical in understanding the human condition as an engineer.”
In Dark Times, There is Always Light
The close-knit, supportive atmosphere among the refugees resonated with the students. Justin Winslow, a rising junior studying civil engineering, said that the selflessness and generosity he witnessed at Unisinos – by volunteers and refugees – initially surprised him.
“As we were setting supplies on the floor, I flashed back to the COVID-19 situation in the United States where people would ransack store shelves for supplies,” Winslow said. “But there was no rush or panic to hoard supplies. I could see in the way people acted how much they still cared about their neighbors.”
Reflecting on an Unexpected Experience
After securing transportation out of the affected area on Monday, May 6, Kerestes and Kerzmann led the group to Florianopolis where they spent a day at Armação Beach to decompress and reflect on what they had experienced. They finished their trip at the Itaipu Dam – the second leading producer of hydroelectric power in the world – in Foz do Iguaçu to round out the program’s purpose of exploring energy alternatives.
“We felt bonded after leaning on each other for support during the humanitarian efforts,” said Cassidy Laffey, a rising junior studying environmental engineering. “After seeing the devastation of the flooding, one of our collective takeaways is that the small inconveniences we encounter daily don’t matter. We all feel extremely appreciative of our lives and the opportunities we have here at home, and we were so grateful to make the most of the last few days of our trip.”
Throughout their time in Rio Grande do Sul, Kerestes and Kerzmann were in contact with the Pitt Global Experiences Office (GEO) to ensure the safety and security of all program members. The volunteering efforts were cleared by the GEO and are similar to efforts that occur through the GEO-operated service-learning programs. ■
Undergraduate Students
Research Proposals Submitted*
*Submitted during July 2023-June 2024 Fiscal Year
Swanson School of Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
636 Benedum Hall
3700 O’Hara Street Pittsburgh PA 15261
engineering.pitt.edu/mems
youtube.com/@PittMEMS
MEMS Partners with ELLWOOD for Lab Improvements
The Metallurgical Lab housed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science will be capable of supporting more students through a gift from longtime partner ELLWOOD Group, Inc. (ELLWOOD), a leading supplier of quality metals and custom engineered components for critical applications worldwide.
The gift grants the opportunity to name the space, purchase equipment, and create longform support with an endowment.
“ELLWOOD has been a great ally of this department, thanks in great part to our alumnus Robert Rumcik,” said Brian Gleeson, department chair. “Their generous gift will continue to inspire and support future generations of students.” Rumcik, ‘68, a member of the ELLWOOD Board of Directors, formerly served as President of ELLWOOD Quality Steels (EQS) and ELLWOOD National Steel (ENS), specialty steels and nickel-based alloys producers. ■
