FALL 2015 CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
BREAKTHROUGH COLLABORATIONS IN HEALTH, ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT Multidisciplinary research creates lasting impact for science, business and people’s lives.
A YEAR OF GROWTH AND BREAKTHROUGH COLLABORATIONS Dear friends, On behalf of the students and faculty at UB Chemical
The enrollment and qualifications of our graduate and
and Biological Engineering, it is a great pleasure to share
undergraduate students increased significantly this past year,
our news and accomplishments through the 2015 Catalyst.
as did our students’ accomplishments! Two of our students,
There have been many exciting developments this year,
Stephanie Kong and Sharon Lin, made us particularly proud
placing UB CBE in a position to play a leadership role in
when they received the highly competitive Barry Goldwater
advancing our discipline by addressing big challenges
Scholarship, established by Congress in 1986 in honor
in health, energy, and the environment in the years ahead.
of Senator Barry Goldwater. It is a point of pride for us that
As you will see, we have added three more outstanding new faculty members to our ranks. They are Professors Goyal
five CBE undergraduate students have won this prestigious award in the past three years.
and Dupuis (two very accomplished senior investigators),
Among many of the accolades that our alumni received this
and Professor Parashurama (a very talented junior faculty).
year, we are proud of the accomplishments of our distinguished
Collectively, their research addresses important problems
alumnus Dr. Ashutosh Sharma. On January 9, 2015, Dr. Sharma
in the emerging areas of materials informatics, nanomaterials
became the Secretary, Department of Science and Technology,
for health, energy and the environment, and stem cell
Government of India. You can read more about Ashu and other
bioengineering. In total, we have added six new faculty
distinguished alumni in this newsletter, and participate by going
members since 2013, a 30% increase in our faculty size in
online at www.cbe.buffalo.edu/alumni.
only two years. This remarkable growth will continue as we look to add strength in areas that complement broad university initiatives, all of which are led by CBE faculty.
Thank you for your continued support and financial contributions. I hope to see you on campus soon at one of our future events.
As you read the pages in this newsletter you will first notice the leadership efforts undertaken by CBE in addressing complex scientific, technological and societal challenges through broad
Please stay in touch,
collaborative initiatives. Here at the University at Buffalo, we are uniquely positioned to leverage expertise from a variety of colleagues and resources. Between the RENEW universitywide interdisciplinary effort led by Amit Goyal, the New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics (CMI) directed
Stelios T. Andreadis
by Mark Swihart, and our new NYSTEM funded Stem Cell Training Program led by myself and Sriram Neelamegham, UB CBE will call on over 100 investigators within UB and the local scientific, health and entrepreneurial
STELIOS T. ANDREADIS
communities to work with us
Chair, Department of Chemical
to forge breakthrough,
and Biological Engineering,
collaborative initiatives.
University at Buffalo
THE UNDENIABLE RESULTS OF MULTI DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH RENEW GRAND INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS GLOBAL CHALLENGES PAGES 6–7
SCiRM TRAINING PROGRAM
CMI LEADING IN MATERIALS INFORMATICS BY INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ADVANCING STEM CELL SCIENCE; ACCELERATING DRUG DISCOVERY AND CELL-BASED THERAPIES
PAGES 12–13
PAGES 8–9
OVER
100
FACULTY PUBLICATIONS
47%
FACULTY INCREASED BY A THIRD DR. HAIQING LIN DR. JOHANNES HACHMANN DR. GANG WU
2015
UP 20%
GRADUATE ENROLLMENT
2014
RESEARCH EXPENDITURES
DR. AMIT GOYAL DR. NATESH PARASHURAMA DR. MICHAEL DUPUIS
ADDING MORE GREAT MINDS TO OUR WORLD-RENOWNED FACULTY
DR. AMIT GOYAL
DR. MICHEL DUPUIS
DR. NATESH PARASHURAMA
Dr. Amit Goyal joined UB in January 2015 as Director of RENEW (see pg 6–7).
Dr. Michel Dupuis joined our department in January 2015. His research is in the area of computationenabled chemical and materials science and engineering, in particular for new energy technologies relevant to sun-to-fuels and fuels-toelectricity conversions.
Dr. Natesh Parashurama will be joining UB CBE in January 2016. His research program will focus on using principles of chemical engineering, molecular imaging, and stem cell/ developmental biology to develop functioning liver cells/ tissue, and to develop new molecular diagnostics and therapeutics for liver diseases. Following training in chemical engineering (MIT) and Medicine (University at Buffalo, Boston University), Dr. Parashurama completed his doctoral research in the area of liver stem cell and tissue engineering (Rutgers University and Harvard Medical School). Most recently, Dr. Parashurama completed postdoctoral training in the area of molecular imaging, focusing on noninvasive imaging of stem cells (Stanford University), and a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine fellowship focusing on human stem cells, human tissue biology and human liver development (University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Goyal has developed clean energy technologies for over two decades, authored more than 350 publications and has more than 80 issued patents, with 20+ pending. He was the most cited author worldwide in the field of high-temperature superconductivity from 1999–2009, and has received numerous accolades including the presidential level DOE’s E.O. Lawrence Award in the inaugural category of Energy Science & Innovation. The award is bestowed by the Energy Secretary on behalf of the United States President. He has been elected fellow of nine professional societies, and he concurrently holds the title of Empire Innovation Professor at UB in four departments while remaining as Emeritus Corporate Fellow and Distinguished Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In addition, he is the Founder, President & CEO of TapeSolar Inc., a private-equity funded company and also the Founder, President & CEO of TexMat LLC, an IP holding and consulting company.
FOCUS IN RENEW: RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ON ISSUES REGARDING ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND WATER 4
Dupuis obtained a Diplome d’Ingenieur from the Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, in 1972 and a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry in 1976 in the Department of Chemistry at UB under the supervision of Professor H. F. King. He worked at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, at IBM, and more recently at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a Laboratory Fellow. He is a Fellow of the APS, a Fellow of the AAAS, and a Member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science IAQMS. Over the years he has contributed to the development and application of quantum chemical methods and codes (HONDO, GAMESS, and NWChem) for electronic structure studies of molecules and materials.
FOCUS IN CHEMICAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FOR NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
FOCUS IN DEVELOPING NEW MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS AND THERAPEUTICS FOR LIVER DISEASES
FACULTY AWARDS DAVE KOFKE NAMED AN AAAS FELLOW Congratulations to David Kofke for his recent election as a Fellow of the AAAS. The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of all people. Dr. Kofke is well recognized in the field of Statistical Thermodynamics and Molecular Simulation. His election as an AAAS fellow is another testament to his academic achievements and the respect he has earned among our peers. Learn more: www.cbe.buffalo.edu/kofke
SRIRAM NEELAMEGHAM RECEIVES CHANCELLOR’S AWARD Sriram Neelamegham was recognized by SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher with the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. The award recognizes his many significant contributions to the field of bioengineering, and in particular his work in the area of Systems Glycobiology in the context of the interactions of white blood cells with the vasculature. It also recognizes sustained contributions in integrating engineering and medicine and his dedication to our profession. Learn more: www.cbe.buffalo.edu /neelamegham
AMIT GOYAL ELECTED FELLOW BY NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS The National Academy of Inventors elected Amit Goyal as a fellow, for “having demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.” Learn more: www.cbe.buffalo.edu/goyal
PASCHALIS ALEXANDRIDIS HONORED BY UB STOR Paschalis Alexandridis, UB Distinguished Professor and CBE Director of Graduate Studies, was honored in March at the Annual Inventors and Entrepreneurs Reception given by the University at the Buffalo Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR) for his U.S. Patent 8,859,000 “Synthesis of Nanoparticles by an Emulsion-Gas Contacting Process”. These materials are primarily used in optical sensors, bio-tracers and markers and in semiconductor electronics. The patent is licensed to Quantum Technology Group headquartered at Kennebunk, Maine. Learn more: www.cbe.buffalo.edu /alexandridis
MARK SWIHART RECOGNIZED WITH MEYERSON AWARD FOR TEACHING AND MENTORING Congratulations to Mark Swihart, recipient of The Meyerson Award, in recognition of his exceptional teaching and mentoring at the University at Buffalo. The award also recognizes faculty who provide guidance and support to undergraduate students to help them develop the skills necessary for research, as well as creative thinking and innovative research activities. Mark has done an exceptional job in this regard. In addition to maintaining an active and productive research group with a large number of graduate students, Mark has trained 92 undergraduate students to date, including Phil Tucciarone, who received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. Learn more: www.cbe.buffalo.edu/swihart VIEW MORE OF THIS YEAR’S FACULTY AWARDS ON P. 15 Catalyst Fall 2015
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ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
UB RENEW
CREATING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT UB has recently
RENEW’s research seed
launched the RENEW
projects will address
Institute, which stands
a variety of prominent
for Research and
issues including energy
Education in eNergy,
diversification (“Offshore
Environment and
Wind Energy in the
Water. Directed by UB
Great Lakes”), freshwater
CBE faculty member
photo by: Ken JP Stuczynski
Dr. Amit Goyal, the
protection and restoration (“Tracking
institute develops innovative research, education and outreach
Emerging Contaminants in the Great Lakes”), environmental
programs. Societies across the world are grappling with urgent
management and governance (“Energy Efficient Seawater
challenges such as climate change, pollution, and pressing
Desalination and Food Processing”), societal adaptation
needs for energy, fresh water and other resources. As a leading
to changing environments and the green economy
public research university, UB is committed to addressing
(“the New Agriculture From Food Farms to Solar Farms”),
regional and global energy and environmental challenges
ecosystem science, engineering and policy, and public health.
through enduring scholarship and intellectual innovation.
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| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
The institute’s interdisciplinary focus (involving several faculty
Technology Policy’s (OSTP) Materials Genome Initiative, whose
from UB CBE), will engage over 100 faculty from six UB schools
overall motivation is to enable discovery-to-market of materials
and colleges. Over 20 additional faculty will be added.
in half the time and at half the cost by leveraging advances
Among its several potential focus areas, one of the first is Rational Design of Next-Generation, Renewable Energy Materials. Six of UB CBE’s faculty will participate, including Michel Dupuis, Edward Furlani, Mark Swihart, David
in computation and modeling. It does so by using theory, rational design and modeling to guide experimental and synthesis efforts. RENEW looks forward to very significant participation by the CBE Department in its other focus areas as they develop. n
Kofke, Gang Wu, and Johannes Hachmann.
Additional information about RENEW
The rational design focus area is aligned
can be found at www.cbe.buffalo.edu/goyal
with the White House’s Office of Science &
MULTI-SCALE
ADVANCED MATERIALS FOR ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY
MODELING— GUIDING
Recently, a new type of high-performance, low-cost, and
THE DEVELOPMENT
robust graphene-tube (up to 500 nm) catalyst was developed
OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL
jointly by Professors Gang Wu and Mark Swihart, holding great
TECHNOLOGIES
promise to replace expensive and scarce precious metals (e.g.,
Michel Dupuis’ research program deals with fundamental scientific
or www.buffalo.edu/RENEW.
Pt) for fuel cell oxygen cathodes. This work was highlighted by Michel Dupuis and Nina Tyminska
Materials Views on Wiley websites: http://www.materialsviews. com/graphene-tubes-electrocatalysis/. In addition, supported
problems which limit renewable energy technologies
by the U.S. Department of Energy, Wu’s group is dedicated to
such as solar energy conversion and electrical energy
developing a new type of oxygen-deficient perovskite oxide
storage technologies.
catalyst for an innovative reversible alkaline fuel cell technology
A current project in collaboration with UB CBE postdoctoral research associate Nina Tyminska and CBE Professor Gang Wu involves fundamental aspects of photoelectrochemical cell chemistry to split water and generate hydrogen as a fuel. The group is using large scale first principles simulations to study the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyzed by reducible oxide perovskites, in particular the role of oxygen vacancy defects on these reactions. Controlling synthesis design through theory-driven understanding could lead to breakthroughs in the use of alternate fuel sources. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/dupuis
that can convert renewable energy-generated electricity into hydrogen as storable fuel via water splitting, and then use the hydrogen in the fuel cell to provide electricity when and where needed. Also, a new NSF project is underway to develop a novel three-dimensional nanographene anode with well controlled electronic and geometric structures for next generation lithium-ion batteries with much improved capacity and cycle stability. Wu’s group also has substantial expertise in developing high-surface-area and highly graphitized carbon materials for high-energy and high-power electrodes in supercapacitors, which is supported by The New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics (CMI) and SUNY Materials & Advanced Manufacturing (MAM) Network Funding. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/wu
Charge transfer processes in solar energy conversion
Graphene Tubes Catalyst Fall 2015
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HEALTH
NEW TRAINING PROGRAM WILL EDUCATE FUTURE LEADERS FOR STEM CELL RESEARCH AND THERAPY BREAKTHROUGHS Successful translation of stem cell breakthroughs into cell therapies requires interdisciplinary approaches that draw from biology, medicine and bioengineering, but few scientists or engineers are prepared to meet this challenge. With $1.85M in funding from NYSTEM (New York State Stem Cell Science), the University at Buffalo Schools of Engineering and Medicine and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) Graduate Division will join forces to do just that. >>
Project leaders Drs. Stelios Andreadis (UB CBE), Sriram Neelamegham (UB CBE), and Richard Gronostajski (UB Biochemistry) will bring together 18 faculty from UB and RPCI and support 8 graduate students per year for five years to advance the basic science of stem cells. Their collective goal: to develop innovative technologies to accelerate clinical translation of stem cell research.
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| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Each student will be co-mentored by two faculty to promote interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations. Excellent facilities are available for cutting-edge research including the Western New York Stem Cell Culture and Analysis Center (also funded by NYSTEM). The new training program will be greatly facilitated and enriched by numerous additional health care, life sciences research, and medical education institutions in the newly built Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus. These include the new Medical School scheduled to open in 2016, the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, the new Clinical and Translational Research Center, the Center of Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, and the new RPCI Clinical Research Center, among others. This rich, interdisciplinary environment will foster development of stem cell approaches for treatment of diseases including cardiovascular, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. The combination of a highly-trained science and engineering workforce, and the potential for clinical translation and commercialization of research findings, are expected to have significant economic impact in Western New York, as well as throughout NY State. n
STELIOS ANDREADIS DELIVERS KEYNOTE AT BIOENGINEERING AND STEM CELL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
BREAKTHROUGH IMPROVEMENTS
FROM THE PFEIFER GROUP
The Pfeifer Group has several recent exciting developments. Work led by Mahmoud Kamal Ahmadi and Samar Fawaz resulted in a first place finish Charles Jones and Blaine Pfeifer at the New York State Pollution Prevention 2015 Earth Day Competition (see pg 17), and the work was recently published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Research by Charles Jones, Yi Li, Mingfu Chen, Akhila Golakota, and Tai Chun Chung on non-viral gene delivery has been published in several recent papers. Mr. Kamal Ahmadi and Mr. Jones have also been active in seeking commercial opportunities for their work in wastewater remediation and genetic vaccine design, respectively. Both have participated and advanced in local (Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship) and national (43North and NSF I-Corps) competitions focused on start-up business opportunities. Finally, Lei Fang and Guojian Zhang have been working on discovery projects for new antibiotics with Dr. Zhang using an engineering strategy to generate new erythromycin analogs capable of overcoming antibiotic resistance. His work was recently published in Science Advances (see figure below) and received local and national media attention. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/pfeifer
Stelios Andreadis, Professor and CBE Chair, delivered a keynote presentation at the Bioengineering and Stem Cell Research Symposium that was held at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on June 8–9, 2015. The symposium focused on stem cell science and the prospective use of stem cells in regenerative medicine and clinical therapies, which have been enhanced by the application of a wide range of bioengineering strategies and materials. In his presentation, Dr. Andreadis discussed the latest findings of his laboratory in the development of strategies to reverse stem cell senescence and their implications for cardiovascular tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/andreadis
White filter disks holding antibiotics sit on petri dishes housing erythromycin-resistant Bacillus subtilis. The filter disks circled in red hold new forms of erythromycin created by University at Buffalo researchers, and the dark halo around them indicates that the drug has seeped out of the disk to kill the surrounding bacteria. Credit: Guojian Zhang. Learn more: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/ releases/2015/05/049.html Catalyst Fall 2015
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HELPING TO TREAT INFLAMMATORY AND THROMBOTIC AILMENTS— DISCOVERING ENZYMES REGULATING BLOOD CELL ADHESION The Neelamegham laboratory applies genome editing, a recently developed method that allows both the functional ablation of genes at predefined sites in the chromosome and also the specific insertion of novel DNA segments at this site. In a recent publication in the journal Blood (the official journal of the American Society of Hematology), the Neelamegham laboratory showed that such ablation of a single enzyme called ST3Gal-4 in human white blood cells (leukocytes) abolishes leukocyte adhesion to activated endothelial cells under physiological fluid flow conditions1. These results show that while there are several dozen enzymes that can participate in fine tuning the leukocyte cell adhesion process during disease, one enzyme (ST3Gal-4) is apparently more important than others and likely represents a novel target for anti-inflammatory drug development. Blocking this enzyme activity could potentially ameliorate a wide swath of inflammatory and thrombotic ailments where white blood cells play a major role such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, reperfusion injury, crisis during sickle cell anemia and deep vein thrombosis. The enzyme is thus analogous to the ‘One Ring’ in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings that “rules the rest and in the darkness binds them.” n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/neelamegham 1
Mondal et al. Blood: 125(4):687-96, 2015.
‘VELCROED’ NANOPARTICLES TARGET HIV AND CANCER CBE researchers in the Jon Lovell Lab have discovered a way to easily and effectively fasten proteins to nanoparticles— essentially an arranged marriage — by simply mixing them together. The biotechnology is described in the journal Nature Chemistry (doi:10.1038/nchem.2236). To create the biotechnology, the researchers engineered nanoparticles made of chlorophyll (a natural pigment), phospholipid (a fat similar to vegetable oil) and cobalt (a metal often used to prepare magnetic, water-resistant and high-strength alloys). The proteins, meanwhile, are modified with a chain of amino acids called a polyhistidine-tag. Polyhistidine-tags are used extensively in protein research. Next, the researchers mixed the modified proteins and nanoparticles in water. There, one end of the protein embeds into the nanoparticle’s outer layer. Novel liposomes that bind his-tagged polypeptides
Nanoparticles formed in this way using specific peptides showed promise for targeting cancer cells and for developing an HIV vaccine. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/lovell
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| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
RATIONAL DESIGN OF PLASMONIC PHOTOTHERMAL NANOTRANSDUCERS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS THROUGH MULTIPHYSICS MODELING Research in the Furlani group involves multiphysics modeling for the development of innovative materials and devices with design features and functionality that are engineered at the nanoscale. One thrust area involves the study of plasmon-enhanced photothermal transduction using metallic nanostructures for applications that range from nanofabrication to theranostics. In such applications, a pulsed laser is used to excite the nanostructures at their plasmon resonance frequency in order to optimize photon absorption. Professor Ed Furlani and PhD candidate Ioannis Karampelas have studied fundamental aspects of this phenomenon for select nanostructures (e.g. Au nanocages) using a combination of computational electromagnetic and thermo-fluidic modeling. This research enables the rational design of the photothermal process including laser pulsing strategies and optimized particle geometries for controlled heat 3D simulation of laserinduced heating of a 50 nm gold nanocage (cutaway view) showing nucleated nanobubble.
transfer and nanobubble nucleation. Professor Furlani has collaborated with Professors Mark Swihart (CBE) and Paras Prasad (Chemistry) for the synthesis and characterization of plasmonic transducers for various bioapplications including imaging, hyperthermia and nanobubble-based cancer therapy [Lab Chip 12.19 (2012), J. Phy. Chem. C 117.39 (2013), Nanomed.-Nanotech. Biol. Med. 9, (2013)]. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/furlani
NOVEL NANOCAGES ENGINEERED VIA CRYSTAL-FORMING TEMPLATES FOR SIMULTANEOUS DRUG AND GENE DELIVERY Professor Chong Cheng was awarded a collaborative grant from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) program of the National Science Foundation for the development of a novel miniemulsion-based nanocage technology that can be used for drug and gene delivery applications. Crosslinking of surfactant monolayer at the water-oil interface of miniemulsion nanodroplets typically can only yield ill-defined products because of insufficient dynamic stability of surfactant molecules in such systems. In collaboration with Professor Honggang Cui from John Hopkins University, Dr. Cheng’s research will focus on precise template synthesis of nanocages by converting liquid cores of miniemulsion nanodroplets to crystallized solid cores, leading to greater dynamic stability of the interfacial surfactant monolayer. Proof-of-concept studies using this innovative method have already produced well-controlled nanocages, and systematic studies are currently under way to synthesize a broad variety of welldefined structures and to develop molecular level understanding of the surfactant stabilization mechanism in these crystal-forming miniemulsion systems. With their inner core enabling encapsulation of small molecules and their charged shell promoting adsorption of genetic material, these nanocages provide unique advantages as therapeutic carriers for simultaneous drug and gene delivery (Chen et al., Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 15671572). n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/cheng
Schematic illustration of nanocage synthesis Catalyst Fall 2015
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RESEARCH & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
CBE PLAYS LEADING ROLE IN NYS CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN MATERIALS INFORMATICS In February 2015 Mark
CMI research efforts are directed primarily at three high
Swihart, UB Distinguished
growth industry sectors: Clean Energy, Life Sciences,
Professor of Chemical and
and Advanced Manufacturing. A key component of CMI
Biological Engineering, was
activities is matchmaking between regional companies and
named executive director
UB expertise and resources, helping companies to navigate
of the University at Buffalo’s
the university to find the people and tools that can solve
New York State Center
their problems. In some cases, the CMI is able to directly
of Excellence in Materials
support UB research activities carried out in collaboration
Informatics (CMI). He succeeded Alexander N. Cartwright, who had served as interim executive director since the launch of CMI in 2012.
The central mission of CMI, funded by the state through NYSTAR/Empire State Development,
with these companies. CBE researchers have been among the most active in engaging with local companies through the CMI, in many cases solving energy related problems. Professor Edward Furlani has worked with Xerox,
is to leverage UB’s cutting edge materials science,
S. Howes, and
big data analytics, and advanced manufacturing
Vader Systems to
expertise to drive critical R&D activities that
develop new process modeling
directly impact private sector growth. State
capabilities that
funding for CMI has ramped up from a seed
can generate
grant of $200k in 2012–13 to $1M in state
both cost- and energy savings
funding for 2015-16, matched by $1M in UB
as well as new
resources. University-wide, more than 70 faculty
process capabilities.
are engaged in CMI-related research activities. 12
| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
DEVELOPING A MACHINE LEARNING AND INFORMATICS TOOLBOX FOR CHEMICAL AND MATERIALS RESEARCH To accelerate the discovery process and overcome the limitations of conventional
Assistant Professor Haiqing Lin has worked with Perry’s
modeling efforts,
Ice Cream and Helios Technologies on membrane-based
Professor Johannes
technologies for energy-efficient wastewater recycling
Hachmann and his
and gas separations, respectively. Research Professor Keith Kahen has received CMI support for research related to his startup company, Lumisyn, LLC, which is developing novel quantum dot phosphors for displays and solid-state lighting. Widespread adoption of LED-based solid-state lighting is poised to produce enormous energy savings worldwide. Assistant Professor Gang Wu is advancing graphene-based
team have been pioneering virtual high-throughput screening techniques. Data-driven research of this nature has gained considerable attention in recent years, and so has the need to adequately analyze, mine, and model the resulting large-scale data sets.
materials for supercapacitors, a key component of energy
Hachmann’s group is developing a software suite
systems from electric cars to large-scale transmission
called CheML that stages cutting-edge techniques
networks, in collaboration with Graphenix Development.
from machine learning and informatics,
Assistant Professor Johannes Hachmann is interacting
and adapts them to chemical and materials
with Kitware, Inc. on creation of open source software for
questions. CheML can be employed to gain an
materials informatics. Professor Swihart has worked with
understanding of hidden structure-property
Praxair, on nanomaterials synthesis; Avox Systems on sorbent
relationships from Big Data, which is a prerequisite
testing and gas purification; and New Era on testing
for the rational design and inverse engineering
of solar-absorbing materials for cold-weather headgear.
capability advocated by the White House
CMI also operates a collection of shared facilities that includes electron microscopy (SEM, TEM, FIB, and e-beam lithography)
Materials Genome Initiative. n www.cbe.buffalo. edu/hachmann
and other materials synthesis and characterization equipment. These facilities are accessible to both UB researchers and external clients. n For more information on the CMI, contact Mark Swihart at swihart@buffalo.edu or visit www.cbe.buffalo.edu/swihart.
A rationally designed candidate compound for optoelectronic applications
Catalyst Fall 2015
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ROBERT LANGER DELIVERS 7TH ANNUAL RUCKENSTEIN LECTURE
On April 23, 2015, UB CBE graduate students, faculty, and colleagues were honored to host a lecture from Robert S. Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT. His appearance was in conjunction with CBE’s annual lecture honoring SUNY Distinguished Professor Dr. Eli Ruckenstein, whose work has had profound impact on the chemical engineering profession. Professor Ruckenstein received the National Medal of Science from President Clinton and was designated as one of 50 Eminent Chemical Engineers of the Foundation Age. Professor Ruckenstein is also a member of the National Academy of Engineers. Dr. Langer has written over 1,280 articles. He also has nearly 1,050 patents worldwide. Dr. Langer’s patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 250 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies. He is the most cited engineer in history. His presentation was titled “Biomaterials and biotechnology: From the discovery of the first angiogenesis inhibitors to the development of controlled drug delivery systems and the foundation of tissue engineering.” The standing-room-only lecture drew over 250 attendees. A reception was held immediately following the lecture. n
Professors Langer and Ruckenstein
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www.cbe.buffalo.edu/news
| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
EDUCATION & OUR STUDENTS
INNOVATIVE METHODS FOR BREAKING THROUGH TO STUDENTS Here’s a puzzle: how can one help students remember the concepts and skills they learn in one course for use in future courses, appreciate the concrete usefulness of what they learn, and see connections between different topics? >> Toward this end, since fall 2013 UB CBE has been implementing its new Spiral Learning Initiative, which uses the project in CE 408 (senior plant design, taught by Johannes Nitsche) as a pedagogical focal point for each incoming class of students. “Spiral problems” are devised and distributed over multiple courses they will take during their sophomore, junior and senior years. Through these problems students revisit scientific themes and knowledge areas underlying the design project they will ultimately complete in CE 408. The project is decided (and waiting for them) before they even take their first CE course. Thus, for example, students who entered UB as freshmen in fall 2011 had homework,
JOHANNES NITSCHE NAMED SUNY DISTINGUISHED TEACHING PROFESSOR
exam and recitation problems on mechanics of falling lactic acid films in
Congratulations to Dr. Johannes
Transport Phenomenon I CE 317 (fall 2013), and distillation of lactic acid
Nitsche, who was recently named
+ lactide mixtures in Separation Processes CE 407 (spring 2014), among
SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor.
others. In this way, the students were prepared to design a plant this
He was cited by the University at Buffalo
past spring producing enough lactide to make 300 million lb/year of
as “A leading example to his students
polylactic acid, an environmentally friendly polymer finding increasing use
as a superb scholar and dedicated
in water bottles, biomedical products and many other areas. A humorous
researcher.” Dr. Nitsche is internationally
ceremony and giveaways for students accompany each instance
renowned for his theoretical research
of a spiral problem. These ceremonial elements aim to make students
in biological transport processes and
remember and mentally catalog the spiral moments (and content)
dermal absorption. He is also a recipient
in their undergraduate education. n
of the 1995 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has recently received a book contract from Springer to write a problem-based textbook on transport phenomena with the potential to be used by a growing number of bioengineering programs. Read more about the spiral learning initiative at www.cbe.buffalo.edu/ spirallearning.
Catalyst Fall 2015
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CELEBRATING STUDENT BREAKTHROUGHS AICHE STUDENT CLUB SEEKS TO CREATE REAL WORLD CONTEXT FOR FUTURE ENGINEERS The student chapter of UB CBE’s AIChE has a mission to assist undergraduate students in preparing for the real world by fostering connections with future employers. They do so by presenting a speaker series where students can visit with and learn from UB CBE alums. Each month they can attend tours of local plants. The AIChE student chapter also attends national and regional AIChE conferences, competes in the Cheme-E car competition, and hosts social events to connect students and colleagues. n
Stephanie Kong (L), Sharon Lin (R)
TWO UB CBE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WIN THE PRESTIGIOUS GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP
Cheme Car competition, photo courtesy of AIChE
Congratulations to UB CBE undergraduate students Stephanie Kong and Sharon Lin, who have both won the highly competitive Barry Goldwater Scholarship, established by Congress in 1986 in honor of Senator Barry Goldwater.
CONGRATULATIONS TO PROFESSORS TAMARA KOFKE AND CARL LUND
The scholarship provides up to $7,500 per year to cover the
Each were honored recently with
educational expenses of outstanding students pursuing careers
Professor of the Year awards
in math, the natural sciences, and engineering. This year’s
at this year’s AIChE student
award winners are a point of pride for UB’s engineering school.
banquet. The student AIChE
Since 2012, six undergraduate engineering students—
Club is committed to encouraging academic and professional
including five from the Department of Chemical and
progress for undergraduate students through a speaker series,
Biological Engineering — have won this prestigious award. n
plant tours, national and regional conference attendance,
Read more about the Goldwater Scholarship winners
competitions, and outreach programs. n Learn more about the
at www.cbe.buffalo.edu/goldwater
AIChE Club at www.cbe.buffalo.edu/aichestudents
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| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
GRADUATE SYMPOSIUM Over the years the UB CBE Graduate Student Research Symposium has evolved into an exciting, comprehensive event that showcases the high quality, multidisciplinary research that is conducted in our department, and spans such diverse areas as molecular engineering of novel materials, nanotechnology, bioengineering, and molecular modeling. Every year our faculty and graduate students welcome the opportunity to present their work to their peers from CBE, other UB departments, our alumni, and representatives from local business. The Symposium has grown in ambition and scale, featuring over 60 posters, two lectures from senior graduate students, and a keynote lecture from an accomplished colleague. Last fall, CBE welcomed Dr. Daniel K. Schwartz, University of Colorado Boulder, whose presentation Single Molecule Tracking at Wet Interfaces, was attended by over 200 faculty, students, and alumni. A reception featuring a poster judging contest immediately followed the symposium. n
Mohsen Ghafari (CSEE), Mahmoud Kamal Ahmadi (CBE), Samar Fawaz (CBE), Alanna Olear (CSEE)
UB CBE GRADUATE STUDENTS SAMAR FAWAZ AND MAHMOUD AHMADI WIN RIT EARTH DAY COMPETITION Mahmoud Kamal Ahmadi (related story on p.9) and Samar Fawaz won first place at the Earth Day NYWP2I research conference 2015. The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology presented the annual Research and Development student competition, open to colleges and universities throughout the state, to recognize both graduate and undergraduate level sustainability projects. UB CBE’s team captured first place for retrieving precious metals from waste effluent at Precious Plate Inc. in Niagara Falls. Samar Fawaz, UB CBE graduate student in the Blaine Pfeifer lab, was interviewed by
ANDREADIS LAB PHD STUDENT SINDHU ROW WINS AICHE BEST PAPER AWARD
the local news station. The work was also recently published
Congratulations to UB CBE PhD
UB’s Entrepreneurship Lab (eLab). “The eLab encouraged me
candidate Sindhu Row, whose
to dream big and taught me what it takes to start a company” .
presentation at the Annual AIChE
Ahmadi was one of four students who received funding.
in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Mahmoud Kamal Ahmadi was also awarded seed funding from
Meeting in November 2014 garnered her the Best Paper award.
His startup is PreMeR X, a company developing a precious
Row received two Best Paper awards last year from AIChE
metal retrieval process. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/news
and BMES as well, a new record. Hard work pays off! n
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CELEBRATING STUDENT BREAKTHROUGHS
YUMIAO ZHANG WINS FIRST PLACE IN N.E.
CBE PHD STUDENT IOANNIS KARAMPELAS
BIOENGINEERING CONFERENCE POSTER COMPETITION
WINS SEAS POSTER COMPETITION
Yumiao Zhang, a PhD student in the UB CBE and Biomedical
Congratulations to CBE PhD student Ioannis Karampelas
Engineering programs won the first place prize from a field
from the Ed Furlani research group, who won first place
of 150 entrants for his poster presentation at the 41st Northeast
in the University at Buffalo School of Engineering
Bioengineering Conference (NEBEC 2015). His poster, entitled
and Applied Sciences poster competition held in May
“Frozen Naphthalocyanine Micelles for Intestinal Imaging”
in Davis Hall. Ioannis’ project, “Numerical Analysis
presents a new non-invasive method to image intestine
of Laser Induced Photothermal Effects using Colloidal
function. By engineering nanoparticles with extremely high
Plasmonic Nanostructures”, was the top pick among
color content, their motion could be traced non-invasively
fourteen entrants. n
in the intestine using an imaging technique called photoacoustic tomography. Eventually, this could lead to better diagnosis of conditions like Crohn’s disease, or used for colonoscopy screening procedures. Yumiao led the research in the Jon Lovell laboratory and involved a multidisciplinary team with collaborating researchers including Dr. Paschalis Alexandridis, and groups from University of MadisonWisconsin, POSTECH University in Korea and McMaster University in Canada. n www.cbe.buffalo.edu/news
SUPPORT EXCELLENCE When you make a financial contribution to UB CBE, you allow bright, hard-working students to fulfill their dreams and complete their degrees through scholarships, special lectures, and learning environment improvements. You also enable groundbreaking research at all levels of the department. To make a gift, simply send your donation in the return envelope enclosed, or go online to www.cbe.buffalo.edu/ donate. Thank you!
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| University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
AND INNOVATIVE ALUMNI
STEPHANIE LAM, BS 2009 Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institute of Standards and Technology “My favorite in-class memory was Prof. David Kofke telling the class
VASSILIOS SIKAVITSAS, MS 1995, PHD 2000 Professor, School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering at the University of Oklahoma
ABDULLAH BALKHYOOR, BS 2001 Deputy Project Manager, Hidada Contracting “While at UB, I had the most wonderful time of my life, and learned lots of new
during recitation for Fluid Mechanics
“The exciting collaborative environment
that he figured out how the flushing
between faculty and students formed
The U.S.A. and Buffalo especially, are
mechanism for a toilet worked in
the foundation of my success. I still
my second home. I will never, ever
a dream. My favorite out of class
remember the intense discussions
forget the wonderful people of Buffalo,
memory was how there was so much
between students from different bio
the delicious BUFFALO WINGS and the
snow in Buffalo during the winter,
groups on the ninth floor of Furnas Hall
greatest Buffalo Bills football team!”
one year my friends and I decided
extending way beyond midnight.
to build an igloo. We did and it was
Life at CBE at UB was full of amazing
super warm inside!”
classes from outstanding teachers
things from living in a different culture.
and stimulating research interactions with top notch scientists (faculty and students). It was during this time that I made the transition from student to researcher, and I’ll always keep UB as a special place in my memories.”
RECONNECT WITH UB CBE
PARTICIPATE IN OUR STUDENT INTERN PROGRAM:
COME TO AN EVENT: Join us for the Fall UB CBE
engage in internship experiences in Western New York and across
Graduate Research Symposium or the Spring annual
the United States. There’s a bright and eager student ready
Ruckenstein lecture. We would love to see you!
to work on real-world engineering problems at your firm too.
GIVE A LECTURE TO CBE STUDENT CLUBS: Students
For more information on the UB CBE alumni program and
are always interested in the potential careers that await
to reconnect, like us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and sign up
them after graduation. See more information on our
for the CBE e-bulletin at www.cbe.buffalo.edu/connect. You can
AIChE Student Club on page 16.
also write us at cbe-chair@buffalo.edu, or call 716.645.1174.
Each year, the majority of UB CBE undergraduate students
Catalyst Fall 2015
| 19
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE
PAID
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
BUFFALO, NY PERMIT #311
303 Furnas Hall, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Buffalo, NY 14260-4200
UB CBE ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ASHUTOSH SHARMA, ENERGY MINISTER OF INDIA
1988 PhD graduate Dr. Ashutosh Sharma was named Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Dr. Sharma credits, in large part, his time at UB and his mentor (Dr. Eli Ruckenstein), for his post-UB success. “I certainly owe UB and Eli a great deal in shaping my story. The strong research ethos there encouraged me to think independently and take multidisciplinary approaches. His advocacy and personal example of hard work, creativity and overall excitement about the research were my inspiration. UB CBE also offered me strong graduate courses and splendid learning opportunities in the form of weekly seminars presented by outstanding researchers.� Dr. Sharma was an Institute Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where he also established a Nanoscience Center. He is best known for his pioneering research in the areas of colloids, soft thin films, interfaces, adhesion, patterning, and in the fabrication and application of self-assembled nano-structures. His current interests are in nanofabrication and nanomaterials for energy, environment and health. UB CBE is proud to announce that Dr. Sharma will be joining us in Buffalo on Friday, April 15, as the eighth annual Ruckenstein Lecturer. For more information about Dr. Sharma and UB CBE Seminars and Lectures, visit us online at www.cbe.buffalo.edu.