CMBE CoMBinE Spring 2010

CHEMICAL, MATERIALS & BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING

3 Message from the Department Head

16 Chemical Engineering Faculty

17 Materials Science & Engineering Faculty

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

CONTENTS

FEATURES4 Materials Science &

Engineering Ph.D. Student Receives 2010 Women of Innovation Award

5 Barry Carter Elected to CASE

5 Water: Sustainable Production of our Most Critical Resource

6 Altruistic Engineer

7 Cato Laurencin Honored by President Obama

7 Taking the Industry Standard One Step Toward the Future

8 Chemical Engineering Celebrates 50th Anniversary

9 Alpha Sigma Mu New Inductees Recognized at ASM Hartford Chapter Meeting

10 George Bollas Joins CMBE

11 Rampi Ramprasad Awarded Prestigious Humboldt Fellowship

12 Congratulations to Our 2010 Scholarship and Award Recipients

13 Engineering Lands $2.7 M To Support InnovativeEducational Program

14 Two CMBE Grad Students Honored

15 Alumni Inducted Into the Academy of Distinguished Engineers

19 Major Graduate Education Awards

19 Leon Shaw Awarded Three NSF Grants in 2009

20 Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Named a 2010 University Scholar

21 Congratulations to Our 2010 Graduates and Winners

22 Yong Wang is Awarded NSF CAREER Award

23 2010 Commencement

24 Third Annual Hartford Area Materials Camp

Materials Science & Engineering Program Features David R. Clarke in Distinguished Lectureshippage 4

Students Gain Valuable Insight in Characterization Lab

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CMBE continues to build on the strength of its programs in Chemical Engineering

(CHEG) and Materials Science & Engineering(MSE). This year, three faculty members werepromoted: Drs. Pamir Alpay and Richard Parnas to full professor, and Bryan Huey to associate professor. In addition, we recruited six new faculty members. Drs. Leslie Shor andGeorge Bollas joined the CHEG faculty, Lesliefrom Vanderbilt University and George fromMIT/Rive. Dr. Radenka Maric (from the National Research Council—Canada) will jointhe MSE faculty; Drs. Chris Cornelius (fromVirginia Polytechnic Institute), Mu-Ping Nieh(from the NRC Canadian Neutron Beam Cen-tre) and Ashish Mhadeshwar (from GE GlobalResearch Center) will join us in August ’10.

Sadly, CMBE will bid adieu to Ben Wilhite,who is moving to Texas A&M with his wifeJodie, who is leaving Yale. We will start the fall’10 semester with about 30 tenured or tenure-track faculty having their principal home inCMBE: 14 core faculty in CHEG and 13 corefaculty in MSE, plus Harris Marcus, Cato Laurencin and me.

Doug Cooper became a Vice Provost in2010 and is seen less frequently in our building.Alison Engwall is the new Lab Tech for MSE.Alison graduated recently from MIT and istransforming the lab experience for all MSEundergrads. In the fall, she will also helpRichard Kozel manage the CHEG senior lab. A new CHEG Lab Director and two assistantprofessors-in-residence will also help lead the59 students thru the CHEG senior lab and senior design courses! As the number of MSEseniors surpasses 20, Don Potter’s Characteriza-tion Lab is also becoming very busy even withthe two new SEMs (a new Tescan and a newPhenom) in place.

If you have a chance to visit the depart-ment, you’ll see many of our emeritus facultycontinuing their activities and service. Tom Anderson and Don Potter still teach; BobCoughlin serves on a key committee; MikeCutlip and Mike Howard continue to volunteerin the classroom; and Art McEvily and MontyShaw are publishing, advising and still in thelab. This year, Mark Aindow celebrated 10years with the MSE program while Theo Kattamis sailed through his 40th year. RobertKlancko (CHEG ’67) returned to UConn to be inducted into UConn’s Academy of Distinguished Engineers. Bob minored in both nuclear engineering and metallurgy—

the Metallurgy Department was split off fromCHEG in ’68.

Our students continue to excel. MSE graduate student Claire Weiss won a 2010Connecticut Women of Innovation Award andCHEG graduate Emily Tao (May 2010) was a finalist; CHEG graduate Joe Zinski (May2010) won an NSF Graduate Fellowship, making him the only UConn undergrad to win one this year; MSE graduate student Ning Shi won the 2010 School of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Thesis Award GoldPrize; and CHEG student Lu Han was selecteda UConn 2010 University Scholar.

Our Biomolecular Engineering programcontinues to generate interest. Mei Wei won anNSF grant to support graduate student fellows(GAANN Fellowship) for the MSE program.Mei, along with colleagues Ranjan Srivastavaand Liisa Kuhn (UCHC) are coordinating ourprogram at the graduate and undergraduate levels to enable CHEG and MSE majors toearn a minor in Biomedical Engineering.

Research funding rose this year, withCMBE faculty receiving grants and awards second only to that of Mechanical Engineering.Yong Wang received a coveted NSF CAREERAward, and Rainer Hebert leads a team supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Our graduate program continues to grow.In the fall, we will welcome more than 25CMBE Ph.D. students, selected from approxi-mately 400 applicants. In the fall, CMBE will be home to roughly 280 undergraduates (a modest increase), 61 M.S. students (up 36%)and 87 Ph.D. students (up 15%).

A new engineering building is still in theplanning stages, with a completion tentativelyexpected in 2013. Both CHEG and MSE arebursting at the seams—CHEG faculty arespread across three engineering buildings (Engineering II, UTEB and Bronwell) andthree centers: the Center for EnvironmentalScience & Engineering), the Center for CleanEnergy Engineering (C2E2) and the Instituteof Materials Science.

We invite everyone—including alumni, industry colleagues, prospective students andtheir families—to visit us soon!

Cordially,Dr. C. Barry CarterDepartment Head

Message from the Department Head

WWW.CMBE.ENGR.UCONN.EDU | 3

CoMBinE is published for the alumni, faculty, students, corporate supportersand friends of the Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering Departmentat the University of Connecticut. Sugges-tions and information are welcome. Sendcorrespondence and address correctionsto: [email protected]

WRITERS/EDITORSNan R. CooperChris DeFrancescoKate KurtinKatrice Sponzo

GRAPHIC DESIGNChristopher LaRosa

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OOn March 25th and 26th the Materi-als Science & Engineering Program

was proud to feature David R. Clarke asthe speaker in the 2010 Materials Science& Engineering Distinguished Lectureship.During his visit, Dr. Clarke presented twoseminars. The first was a Technology andSociety Lecture entitled “Why High Tem-perature Materials Still Matter.” The sec-ond was a Technical Lecture, “LowThermal Conductivity Oxides.”

Dr. Clarke is the Gordon McKay Pro-fessor of Materials and Applied Physics inthe School of Engineering and AppliedSciences at Harvard University, Cam-bridge. He is also an Honorary VisitingProfessor at Imperial College in London.Dr. Clarke has been involved in many dif-ferent materials research and developmentprograms, contributing to ceramics, metals, composites and semiconductors, as well as introducing new approaches for studying the interrelations between microstructure and properties. He is theauthor or co-author of more than 450 papers and a holder of six patents.

Dr. Clarke holds a Ph.D. in Physicsfrom the University of Cambridge, a B.Sc.degree in Applied Sciences from SussexUniversity, UK and was awarded a Sc.D.from the University of Cambridge. Prior tomoving to Harvard, he was Professor ofMaterials at the University of California,Santa Barbara (1990-2008). Previous posi-tions include being Senior Manager, IBMResearch Division, Yorktown Heights(1983-1990), Associate Professor, Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology (1983),Group Leader, Rockwell International Science Center (1977-1983) and SeniorScientific Officer, The National PhysicalLaboratory, Teddington, UK. Dr. Clarke is a member of the National Academy ofEngineering and a Fellow of the AmericanPhysical Society.

A member of the Basic Science Divi-sion since joining the American CeramicSociety in 1976, Dr. Clarke has been Chairof the Basic Science Division as well as aTrustee of the Society, and an AssociateEditor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society. He received an Alexandervon Humboldt Foundation Senior Scientist Award, the Sosman Award, theRichard M. Fulrath Memorial Award, Edward Henry Award and Ross CoffinPurdy Award and was elected a Fellow ofthe Society in 1985. He was recently listedas author of one of the 11 best papers inthe 110 years of publication of the Journal.

The Distinguished Lectureship Serieswas established with two distinct purposes:to recognize outstanding accomplishmentsand developments in materials science andengineering, and to share the excitement of engineering science and technology with a broad audience. The Lectureshiprecognizes outstanding members of the academic community, the industrial community, government, and the mediawho are leaders in research, technology development, and in communication ofscientific and technological ideas, with thepurpose of stimulating discussion andgrowth at the University and in thebroader community.

(L-R): Associate Professor George Rossetti, DavidR. Clarke, and Department Head, Barry Carter.

Materials Science & Engineering Ph.D.Student Receives 2010 Women of Innovation Award

The CMBE Department and theUConn School of Engineering were

well represented among the ConnecticutTechnology Council's 2010 Women of Innovation finalists and award recipients.Claire Weiss, who is conducting her doctoral research under the guidance ofDr. Pamir Alpay, an associate professor inthe Chemical, Materials & BiomolecularEngineering department, received the Collegian Innovation and Leadershipaward. Ms. Emily Tao, a 2010 ChE BSgraduate was also among the finalists honored.

The women were feted during a January 20 networking and awards eventat the Aqua Turf Club in Southington,CT, before an audience of over 600 influential leaders from industry, government and academia.

The Women of Innovation programrecognizes women—in the workforce andstudents—across Connecticut who are innovators, role models and leaders intheir technology professions or fields ofstudy. Women were nominated in eightcategories of achievement honoring leadership and innovation in academia, industry and community.

Materials Science & Engineering Program Features David R. Clarke in Distinguished Lectureship

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Claire Weiss

The ongoing challenge to meet the world’sneeds for plentiful, inexpensive and clean

water has spawned countless studies and innovative approaches at UConn and acrossthe globe. Assistant professors Jeffrey McCutcheon (Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering) and Baikun Li(Civil & Environmental Engineering) haveteamed up on a three-year NSF grant to develop a wastewater filtration system that isless energy intensive and more cost effectivethan the current options.

The first challenge is to reduce theamount of energy used in wastewater treat-ment. According to the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA), wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) currently account for three percent of the electric loadin the United States. Dr. McCutcheon wasintrigued with the idea of developing a simpler wastewater treatment process. “The use of microbial fuel cells (MFC) mayeliminate the power requirement for treat-ment,” he explained. Dr. Li remarked thatacross the U.S., there currently are no morethan five research groups looking at the useof MFC’s in wastewater treatment. It’s anarea Dr. Li has been working on for 20years—since she was an undergraduate student. “Ours is the first group in the nation, maybe the world, doing large-scalemicrobial fuel cell studies at wastewatertreatment plants using a continuous flowprocess. This has been our group’s break-through,” Li explained. The project she isreferring to is called Multiple Anode Cath-ode—Granular Activated Covent MicrobialFuel Cells or MAC—GAC MFC. “Ourfinal goal is to use this microbial fuel cell asthe wastewater treatment process. We don’twant to limit this research to the lab,” shecontinued. This method cleans fouled waterwhile collecting the energy from bacteria topower the process, thus drastically reducing,and potentially eliminating, the power requirement for the plant itself.

What is needed now is a process to improve the quality of the exported water to make it safe to drink. This is where Dr. McCutcheon’s contributions come in,with his focus on water reclamation andmembrane development. This pairing ofcomplementary expertise is revolutionary.

Dr. Li explained,“There has been alot of activity inthe area of waterreclamation andmembrane develop-ment, and in my field ofmicrobial fuel cells. However,there is currently no bridgebetween these two areas,making our collaborationunique. Jeff will develop a novel electrode material and then implement it into my system to improve the operational performance.”

One potential obstacle is that Americansmay refuse to drink the reclaimed waterafter it has been purified. “The problemswith wastewater treatment and reuse are not technical, they are political,” Dr. McCutcheon explained, speaking of the public perception dilemma. “Even if it passes all FDA inspections and is pure,customers in the United States may stillhave some psychological concerns,” Dr. Li said. She added that the membraneeffectively produces water that meets all reg-ulatory barriers and is safe to drink. “Thinkabout the space station,” Dr. McCutcheonsaid, “they reuse their water. If they can doit, why can’t we down here?”

The question is a good one, and both researchers feel that Americans will comearound. “We must educate the public aboutthe importance of water and that technologydevelopment is required for its sustainableuse,” Dr. McCutcheon explained. That education starts now. Through their NSFgrant, the researchers have ambitious plansto involve undergraduate and graduate stu-dents. Both professors will also be involvedwith UConn School of Engineering out-reach programs which educate primary and secondary school students and teachers(the da Vinci Project, Joule Fellows) throughon-campus workshops.

Both professors are extremely enthusias-tic about the research they are embarking on and think that it could have dramatic effects on the ways in which wastewater istreated and reused in the U.S. and aroundthe world.

Water: Sustainable Production of our Most Critical Resource

Barry CarterElected to CASE

CMBE Department Head, Dr. C. BarryCarter is one of four UConn engineer-

ing faculty elected to membership in theprestigious Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE). The2010 inductees were formally inductedduring the Academy’s 35th annual meeting on May 20, 2010.

Dr. Carter's research involves interfaces and defects in ceramics andsemiconductors. He is co-Editor-in-Chiefof the Journal of Materials Science and co-author of Transmission Electron Microscopy: a Textbook for Materials

Science and Ceramic Materials:Science & Engi-neering (2007). He received theBerndt MatthiasScholar Award(Los Alamos

National Laboratory), Alexander vonHumboldt Senior Award, and a JohnSimon Guggenheim Fellowship. He is aFellow of the American Ceramic Society,MRS and the Microscopy Society ofAmerica (MSA).

CASE membership is limited to 400 scientists and engineers from Connecticut's academic, industrial andindustrial communities. As a group, members identify and study issues andtechnological advances of concern toConnecticut residents and provide unbiased, expert advice on science- andtechnology-related issues to state govern-ment and other Connecticut institutions.


Polyethylene microspheres made by Dr. Gerald Ling. These small particles arecrosslinked, but highly crystalline. When suspended in oil, the resulting suspensionshows highly anomalous rheological behavior.(M. Shaw)

Students pursue engineering for a host of reasons; for new graduate

(ChE) Lindsey it was as a means to helppeople. Originally attracted to UConn because of the Honors Program andschool spirit, Lindsey has participated innumerous UConn outreach activities.

In March 2009, Lindsey participatedin a trip to New Orleans sponsored byUConn Community Outreach. During the

weeklong “alternative break,” studentswere tasked with salvaging productsthat had been abandoned in the wake ofthe floods. “The site that I was workingon was an abandoned house that wasbeing used for salvaged materials thatcould be used to rebuild the city,” Lindsey explained. Whilenot directly related to engineering, the tripreaffirmed Lindsey’s beliefs that she couldand would use her education to better the world.

Inspired byher time inNew Orleans,Lindsey signedup for a sec-ond alternativebreak duringwinter 2009.This trip withCommunityOutreach included a bus ride to Atlanta,GA to engage in social rehabilitation. “I worked at furniture banks for peoplewho were moving out of homeless shelters or living with HIV or AIDS, I alsohelped build houses with Habitat for Humanity, and tutored refugee childrenafter school. We were doing differentthings every day,” Lindsey said.

Returning from these experiences, Lindsey was struck with the realizationthat in the field of engineering, there islimited opportunity to help and work withindividual people. “I was looking for thepersonal experience of working withpeople one-on-one and getting the experience of helping them,” Lindsey explained. After this realization, she applied to the Peace Corps to put her

engineering education to use in a developing country.“I wanted to work with waterfiltration, but every positionneeded a language require-ment that I don’t have,”

Lindsey said. While she was disap-pointed, Lindsey hopes her aspirationscan still be fulfilled one day.

In the meantime, Lindsey has accepted a post-graduation job as achemical engineer at WestinghouseElectric Company, where she has

interned for the lasttwo years. What drewher to Westinghousewas the prospect ofnuclear energy as aclean energy source,but that doesn’t meanshe is giving up on hergoals to work with

people one-on-one. “I have accepted the job atWestinghouse, but have also been looking for waysoutside of work to get the fulfillment I need in helpingpeople,” Lindsey said. To satisfy her dreams, Lindseyplans to sign up to be a

sexual assault crisis counselor. The roleshould allow her to build her career atWestinghouse while also helping thecommunity and leaving some time to jetoff to a community in need.

As an honors student, Lindsey hasconducted research at the University’scogeneration power plant for two yearswhile pursuing her B.S. She graduated inMay 2010.

Altruistic Engineer

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The site that I was working on was an abandoned house that was

being used for salvaged materials that could be used to rebuild the city.

Students Gain Valuable Insight in CharacterizationLab

When Materials Science and Engineering(MSE) students transition into the

working world, they arrive fully versed in the techniques and language of electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. They owetheir practiced knowhow to professor emeri-tus Donald Potter, who equipped and hasmanaged the Undergraduate Materials Characterization Lab, and taught a junior/senior course in Materials Characterization,for three decades.

Though he retired in 1997, Dr. Potter has continued to provide materials sciencestudents with a hands-on learning laboratoryin which they gain experience using charac-terization tools that are widely used in industry to evaluate materials on a variety of criteria. The Materials Characterizationcourse is typically reserved for juniors andseniors, and a cap of 20 students allows Dr. Potter to instruct and monitor managea-bly-small groups of students in the lab portion of the class. The lab is equipped with two X-ray diffraction units, a scanningelectron microscope (SEM), and two transmission electron microscopes (TEM).

When Dr. Potter began working atUConn in ‘79, then-Department Head ofMetallurgy Phillip Clapp asked Dr. Potter to establish a characterization lab course forundergraduates. He had developed such acourse at Union College in Schenectady, NYand was regarded as an expert in this area.Back then, MSE was taught primarily at the

continued on page 11

Lindsey Fink

Donald Potter and his student

High-tech industries are always lookingfor ways to improve their products—

trying to make things that are fast, faster;things that are low powered, lower powered;and things that are small, smaller. Many ofthese improvements are enabled by semi-conductor technology. By continuously improving electronic device design and introducing new materials, new technolo-gies are advancing at an incredible rate. Thesecond part of this two-pronged improve-ment plan is at the heart of Dr. Brian Willis’research. Dr. Willis is an associate professorand director of the Chemical EngineeringProgram who joined UConn in 2008.

Cato Laurencin Honored by President Obama


In a White House ceremony Jan. 6, President Barack Obama honored 22

recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, including Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, UConn’s vice president for health affairs and dean of the medical school.

“We are here today to honor teachersand mentors … who are upholding their responsibility not just to the young peoplewho they teach but to our country by inspiring and educating a new generationin math and science,” Obama said. “Butwe’re also here because this responsibilitycan’t be theirs alone. All of us have a role toplay in building an education system that isworthy of our children and ready to help usseize the opportunities and meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

Obama told the award recipients,“Whether it’s showing students how torecord the habits of a resident reptile, orteaching kids to test soil samples on a classtrip to Costa Rica; whether it’s helpingyoung people from tough neighborhoods

in Chicago to become ‘Junior Paleontolo-gists,’ or creating a mentoring program that connects engineering students with girls and minorities, who are traditionallyunderserved in the field—all of you aredemonstrating why teaching and mentoringis so important, and why we have to supportyou, equip you, and send in some reinforce-ments for you.”

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and EngineeringMentoring, awarded each year to individuals or organizations, recognizes the crucial rolethat mentoring plays in the academic andpersonal development of students studyingscience or engineering at any grade level.

“I am humbled and honored by thisaward,” Laurencin said. “Mentoring aspiringphysicians, scientists, and engineers hasbeen, and continues to be, one of the mostgratifying aspects of my career. On behalf of the students I have had the privilege of knowing, I am delighted to receive this award.”

Laurencin, who joined UConn in 2008 from the University of Virginia,

has achieved national andinternational prominenceas an orthopaedic surgeon and chemical engineering expert. He holds the HealthCenter’s Van Dusen Endowed Chair in Academic Medicine and is a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He also holds an appointment in the Schoolof Engineering as a professor of chemical,materials, and biomolecular engineering.

Laurencin is a Fellow of the AmericanSurgical Association and the AmericanAcademy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and has been named to America’s Top Doctors.At the same time, he has been named one of the 100 engineers of the modern era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and most recently received theGalletti Award from the American Institutefor Medical and Biological Engineering which cited his important research in tissue engineering.

Laurencin is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Story from UConn Todayhttp://today.uconn.edu/

Taking the Industry Standard One Step Toward the Future

“For every application there is a materialthat is performing some function and youcan always improve that function and makeit better at what it does,” he explained. Dr.Willis received a National Science Founda-tion Early Career (CAREER) DevelopmentAward in 2003, with continued funding thisyear, for his work involving the integrationof oxide materials with the semiconductorindustry standard, silicon. “Crystalline oxides will add new capabilities to futureelectronic devices,” Dr. Willis explained.The age of using silicon as the primaryfunctional material in electronic devices hasrun its course. As semiconductor devices

near the limits of miniaturization and speednew ideas are necessary to add value. How-ever, because silicon is so widely used and isthe industry standard, Dr. Willis explained,it is likely that silicon will remain as the platform or support material,and therefore, the wayto improve its func-tionality is to integrateit with another mate-rial. Looking at oxideshas allowed Dr. Willis toexpand the functionality of semi-conductor research. “Oxides have uniquefunctional properties that would enable youto make interesting devices from that youcan’t make from silicon,” he explained.

“Technologically, because silicon is suchan established platform in nano-electronics,


President Obama poses with Presidential Awards forExcellence in Science, Mathematics and EngineeringMentoring winners in the Blue Room of the WhiteHouse on Jan. 6. Laurencin is standing, fourth fromleft. Official White House photo by Samantha Appleton.

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Chemical Engineering Celebrates 50th An-niversary

On October 15, 2009, the University ofConnecticut celebrated 50 years of chemicalengineering instruction with a day-long an-niversary event that included tours, guestspeakers, student poster presentations and areception. Attending the event were alumni,emeritus and current faculty, advisory boardmembers, undergraduate and graduate stu-dents, industry friends and University offi-cials.

Early in the day, attendees toured theCenter for Clean Energy Engineering(C2E2) along with instructional and re-search labs maintained by faculty membersin the now-merged department of Chemi-cal, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering(CMBE). The afternoon celebrations in-cluded remarks by Engineering Dean MunChoi; CMBE Department Head, BarryCarter; retired faculty members Bob Cough-lin, Tom Anderson and Mike Howard; andkeynote speaker Joseph Helble, Dean of theThayer School of Engineering at DartmouthCollege.

Dr. Helble has strong ties to UConn:from 1995-2004, he was a faculty memberand then Head of the Department ofChemical Engineering. An expert in areasspanning environmental science andaerosols, as an administrator Dr. Helble hasbecome keenly interested in educationalparadigms and how engineering educationcan better meet the needs of students, em-ployers and the nation. Referencing a rangeof sources and pundits, Dr. Helble quotedfrom the National Academy of Engineering,the Counsel on Competitiveness, the Mil-lennium Project, and others that have ar-gued for broadening engineering educationto include liberal arts and business classes inorder to provide a closer connection to real-world problems. He also presented argu-ments supporting the more streamlinedengineering educational approach.

Recounting the history of engineeringeducation, the declining trend in engineer-ing enrollments since the boom years of the1970s and 1980s—when energy and envi-ronmental issues fermented across the na-tion—and possible future trends toward arenewed uptick in engineering interest, Dr.Helble culminated his presentation with a

“modified majors” educational model thatcorrelates with that posed by the NationalAcademy of Engineering. He also discussedan interdisciplinary program used by Dart-mouth with a “systems core,” and a secondlayer of thermo, material sciences, controland probability systems and then discipli-nary gateway courses. Such

Attendees agreed that Dr. Helble’sthought-provoking presentation offered in-triguing ideas, and discussion continued ascelebrants proceeded to the next events ofthe day’s anniversary event. As an adminis-trator, Dr. Helble has focused on not onlyeducational paradigms but also engineeringresearch and career trends, and on futuregrowth. During his tenure at Dartmouth,the Thayer School has identified medicineand energy as areas ripe for interdisciplinarycollaborations with engineering.

Among the afternoon events were a re-ception and student poster presentations.Three students were honored for the qualityof their research and ability to effectivelypresent the salient aspects of their research.The first winner was Xiaohua Yu for hisposter on Collagen/Apatite Hybrid Scaffoldfor Bone Tissue Engineering. He explains,“Successful bone tissue engineering requiresa good combination of cell sources, scaffoldand growth factors.” Therefore, for his re-search, highly porous collagen/apatite scaf-folds were fabricated using a one-step in situco-precipitation technique where nano ap-atite particles and collagen nanofibers wereprecipitated simultaneously from a collagen-containing modified simulated body fluid(m-SBF) at a mild temperature. Finally, anovel double-hole mouse calvarial modelwas employed to evaluate the osteogenicproperties of the scaffold. Findings revealedthat the defect was fully filled with wovenbone 28 day post implantation when the ap-atite/collagen scaffold is loaded with OPCs.He explains, “It was also noticed that scaf-fold microstructure has significant effect onguiding new bone formation. This adapta-tion of the new bone to the scaffold struc-ture demonstrates the excellentosteoconductivity and osteopermeability ofthe scaffold.”

Michael Carella also took home a prizefor his work with Direct Borohydride FuelCells (DBFC). His research sought todemonstrate the superiority of the DBFCsover more conventional fuel cells, many of

which use gas as a feedstock. Since theDBFC utilizes liquids for both the fuel andoxidant, it has a higher volumetric energydensity and is ideal for military, space or un-derwater applications. However, he ex-plained that undesired hydrogen and oxygengas evolution has thus far prevented theDBFC from reaching its full potential.Michael said, “The goal of my research is tosynthesize new anode and cathode catalystswhich will reduce the evolution of gaseswithin the cell and increase the power out-put.” As to what the influence of this proj-ect will have on future research, Carellaexplains, “I will be continuing my researchas a graduate student here at UConn, so Iam excited to be off to a good start. It’s agreat confidence booster knowing that Ihave the support and interest of the Chemi-cal Engineering faculty.”

Also garnering a prize in the poster com-petition was Angela Moreno, for her workon Thermal Integrated Ceramic Microreac-tors for Hydrogen Production. In her posterAngela presented a new design strategy forcost-effective construction of highly inte-grated ceramic microchannel networks bycombining precision-machined distributorswith extruded ceramic materials. Angela de-tailed a proof-of-concept device for couplingexothermic combustion with endothermicsteam reforming of methanol for autother-mal hydrogen production. Based on herfindings, Angela concluded that her new de-sign was viable, and she identified a numberof refinements that may further improveperformance. Commenting on her award,Angela said, “It is a great honor to be recog-nized by an audience of peers of differingperspectives as a recipient award winner ofthe poster competition sponsored by theChemical Engineering program. This awardvalidates my commitment in the chemicalengineering field. I continue to be enthusedand motivated to pursue my career doing re-search.”

Chemical Engineering Celebrates 50th Anniversary

On October 15, 2009, the University of Connecticut celebrated 50 years of

chemical engineering instruction with aday-long anniversary event that includedtours, guest speakers, student poster presentations and a reception. Attending the event were alumni, emeritus and currentfaculty, advisory board members, under-graduate and graduate students, industryfriends and University officials.

Early in the day, attendees toured theCenter for Clean Energy Engineering(C2E2) along with instructional and research labs maintained by faculty members in the now-merged department of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering (CMBE). The afternoon cele-brations included remarks by EngineeringDean Mun Choi; CMBE DepartmentHead, Barry Carter; retired faculty membersBob Coughlin, Tom Anderson and MikeHoward; and keynote speaker Joseph Helble, Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.

Dr. Helble has strong ties to UConn:from 1995-2004, he was a faculty memberand then Head of the Department ofChemical Engineering. An expert in areasspanning environmental science andaerosols, as an administrator Dr. Helble has

become keenly interested in educational paradigms and how engineering educationcan better meet the needs of students, employers and the nation. Referencing arange of sources and pundits, Dr. Helblequoted from the National Academy of Engineering, the Counsel on Competitive-ness, the Millennium Project, and othersthat have argued for broadening engineeringeducation to include liberal arts and business classes in order to provide a closer connection to real-world problems. He alsopresented arguments supporting the more streamlined engineering educationalapproach.

Recounting the history of engineeringeducation, the declining trend in engineer-ing enrollments since the boom years of the 1970s and 1980s—when energy and environmental issues fermented across thenation—and possible future trends toward a renewed uptick in engineering interest, Dr. Helble culminated his presentation witha “modified majors” educational model thatcorrelates with that posed by the NationalAcademy of Engineering. He also discussedan interdisciplinary program used by

Dartmouth with a “systems core,” and a second layer of thermo, material sciences,control and probability systems and thendisciplinary gateway courses.

Attendees agreed that Dr. Helble’sthought-provoking presentation offered intriguing ideas, and discussion continuedas celebrants proceeded to the next events ofthe day’s anniversary event. As an adminis-trator, Dr. Helble has focused on not onlyeducational paradigms but also engineeringresearch and career trends, and on futuregrowth. During his tenure at Dartmouth,the Thayer School has identified medicineand energy as areas ripe for interdisciplinarycollaborations with engineering.

Among the afternoon events were a reception and student poster presentations.Three students were honored for the qualityof their research and ability to effectivelypresent the salient aspects of their research.The first winner was Xiaohua Yu for hisposter on Collagen/Apatite Hybrid Scaffoldfor Bone Tissue Engineering. He explains,“Successful bone tissue engineering requiresa good combination of cell sources, scaffoldand growth factors.” Therefore, for his research, highly porous collagen/apatite scaffolds were fabricated using a one-step insitu co-precipitation technique where nanoapatite particles and collagen nanofiberswere precipitated simultaneously from a collagen-containing modified simulatedbody fluid (m-SBF) at a mild temperature.

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Mike Cutlip

Barry Carter

Mike Howard

Bob Coughlin

Joe Helble


Finally, a novel double-hole mouse calvarialmodel was employed to evaluate the osteogenicproperties of the scaffold. Findings revealedthat the defect was fully filled with woven bone28 day post implantation when the apatite/collagen scaffold is loaded with OPCs. He explains, “It was also noticed that scaffold microstructure has significant effect on guidingnew bone formation. This adaptation of thenew bone to the scaffold structure demonstratesthe excellent osteoconductivity and osteoperme-ability of the scaffold.”

Michael Carella also took home a prize forhis work with Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells(DBFC). His research sought to demonstratethe superiority of the DBFCs over more conventional fuel cells, many of which use gasas a feedstock. Since the DBFC utilizes liquidsfor both the fuel and oxidant, it has a highervolumetric energy density and is ideal for military, space or underwater applications.However, he explained that undesired hydrogenand oxygen gas evolution has thus far preventedthe DBFC from reaching its full potential.Michael said, “The goal of my research is tosynthesize new anode and cathode catalystswhich will reduce the evolution of gases withinthe cell and increase the power output.” As towhat the influence of this project will have onfuture research, Carella explains, “I will be continuing my research as a graduate studenthere at UConn, so I am excited to be off to agood start. It’s a great confidence booster know-ing that I have the support and interest of the Chemical Engineering faculty.”

Also garnering a prize in the poster competition was Angela Moreno, for her workon Thermal Integrated Ceramic Microreactorsfor Hydrogen Production. In her poster Angelapresented a new design strategy for cost-effec-tive construction of highly integrated ceramicmicrochannel networks by combining preci-sion-machined distributors with extruded ceramic materials. Angela detailed a proof-of-concept device for coupling exothermic combustion with endothermic steam reformingof methanol for autothermal hydrogen produc-tion. Based on her findings, Angela concludedthat her new design was viable, and she identi-fied a number of refinements that may furtherimprove performance. Commenting on heraward, Angela said, “It is a great honor to berecognized by an audience of peers of differingperspectives as a recipient award winner of theposter competition sponsored by the ChemicalEngineering program. This award validates mycommitment in the chemical engineering field.I continue to be enthused and motivated topursue my career doing research.”

Alpha Sigma Mu New Inductees Recognized at ASM Hartford Chapter Meeting

(L-R): Girija Marathe, Clayton Weiss, Fei Peng, Thomas Sadowski, Xufei Wan, Harold Brody,Christian Sartori, Ryan Keech, Michael Zilm, and Kathryn Czaja.

At the April 13, 2010 meeting of theHartford Chapter of ASM Interna-

tional, newly elected members of theConnecticut Alpha Chapter of AlphaSigma Mu, the International ProfessionalHonor Society for Materials Science andEngineering, were recognized. Membersreceive certificates, keys, and tassels signifying membership in Alpha SigmaMu. Student membership selection isbased upon superior scholastic standing,character and leadership. New under-graduate and graduate student memberswho attended the meeting are picturedabove. Also elected to membership,

but unable to attend the ASM meeting,were undergraduate MSE majors Adam Dew, Michael Harris and JeffreyRiesterer; and Ph.D. candidates JonathanWinterstein and Luke Autry. Currentstudent members participating in therecognition event included VincentPalumbo, President of ConnecticutAlpha Chapter, Ellen Lavorato, Secretary-Treasurer, Robin Bright, Erica Marcinek and Joseph Rajan. Highlighting the technical program were research presentations by four MSE graduate students.

George Bollas received his Diploma inChemical Engineering and his Ph.D.

from the Aristotle University of Thessalonikiin Greece. His thesis, entitled “DynamicSimulation, Optimization and Control ofFlexible Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units,” involved the development of a dynamicmodel and model-based controller for the

FCC pilot plantoperating in theChemical ProcessEngineering Research Institutein Greece. He alsodeveloped modelsfor petroleum

characterization and lumped reaction kinetics for the fluid catalytic cracker. He did his postdoc at MIT on a Depart-ment of Energy project titled “Dynamic

Simulation of Nuclear Hydrogen Produc-tion Systems.” In his efforts in modeling the sulfur-iodine thermochemical cycle hedeveloped an electrolyte-thermodynamicmodel and optimization programs for parameter estimation in phase equilibria.

Dr. Bollas recently finished a postdoc at MIT, funded by Rive Technology Inc., involving the simulation of the effect of a-posteriori introduced mesoporosity in zeolites on FCC product selectivity and absorber efficiency in olefins/paraffins separations. His research interests involvethe dynamic simulation of energy-relatedprocesses, lumped reaction kinetics modeling, property models development,electrolyte thermodynamics and global optimization for phase equilibria. He hasworked on six research projects relative toenergy process intensification and develop-

ment. He has collaborated with Aspen Technology Inc. in the development of improved electrolyte thermodynamic models. Dr. Bollas has supervised severalundergraduate research projects, includingthat of Eugene Choi, which received theFirst Place Award in the Fuels, Petrochemi-cals & Energy Section in AIChE 2008. Heis the author of 12 papers in peer-reviewedscientific journals and he has presented hiswork in more than 25 peer-reviewed international conferences. He is an electedmember in the Sigma XI Scientific Societyand a member of AIChE and ACS. He is areviewer in several scientific journals and he has been on the scientific panel of theWorld Congress of Chemical Engineering.Dr. Bollas speaks Greek, English, Germanand French.

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George Bollas Joins CMBE

the most practical applied way forward is to somehow integrate the oxides with thesilicon,” Dr. Willis continued. How? To doso, Dr. Willis explained that researchersmust “go around Mother Nature to growoxides materials atom by atom on top of asilicon wafer.” But Mother Nature impedesthis process because, when silicon is mixedwith oxygen—an element needed to formoxides —we can inadvertently make silicondioxide, experienced more widely as a majorcomponent of sand, and very stable. “Youhave sort of a ‘Catch-22’ or a paradox,” Dr. Willis continues. “You want to grow an oxide on top of silicon, but you have toavoid forming silicon dioxide.” That iswhere the real trick comes.

The process of layering silicon withoxide materials is relatively untapped, andthere is good reason for this: oxides and silicon are very different materials, withwidely different structural properties. To explain this concept Dr. Willis turned to amemorable high school chemistry lesson,“like mixes with like” and these materials areso unlike that integrating them is like tryingto mix oil and water.

This dilemma is solved by the introduc-tion of alkaline earth metals. Calcium, bar-ium, and strontium have special propertiesthat enable the oxides to be grown on the

silicon without forming silicon dioxide. Essentially, they love oxygen more than silicon. “They facilitate the integration ofthe oxides with the silicon substrate,” Dr.Willis further explained. This layering usingthe alkaline earth metals has been done before in a laboratory setting and, therefore,has been proven possible. What is lacking is any real-world analysis. To make this apractical technology that could be integratedinto everyday processes, the technique musthave manufacturability. This is the crux ofDr. Willis’ research—making this processreal-world applicable and cost effective.With his graduate student and post-doctoralresearch assistants, Han Wang and Chang-bin Zhang, Dr. Willis has passed the firstmilestone in discovering the steps necessaryfor this integration of oxides and silicon,and now it may be only a matter of time be-fore they are integrated in a manufacturableway and ready to be adopted by the indus-try. The importance of this research is at thevery core of the technology industry. If thisintegration is successful, it will “make devices better in the future, so that you canhave new functionalities 10 years from nowthat you wouldn’t be able to think of rightnow,” Dr. Willis explained.

As an academic, Dr. Willis is also involved in educational initiatives. Next

summer, he will host high school scienceteachers in his lab and teach them aboutbasic characterization tools that are used innanotechnology. The goal of this workshopis for the teachers to take the lessons theylearn back to their classrooms. One simpleexperiment might involve having the teach-ers look at silicon devices, learn how theywork and then conduct experiments aimedat unveiling the component makeup of thewafers. The teachers would be able to seethe individual atoms in the lattice, and beable to reconstruct the experiment in theirclassrooms to teach students about silicontechnology, atomic structures and how thewafers are used in everything from cellphones or video game consoles.

The future of the semiconductor indus-try is boundless. “The semiconductor industry is a fun industry because they aredriven very strongly by new products andnew ideas,” Dr. Willis said. “Companies likeIntel are investing in new technologies that I originally thought were too far out, too academic, or too high risk. They’re doing itbecause nanotechnologies are the drivingforce for future projects.” It is for this reasonthat technology companies are very open to new ideas, even crazy and difficult newideas. “If the industry doesn’t innovate, it will die,” Dr. Willis finished.

Brian Willis continued from page 7


graduate level, though undergraduates couldearn a double major in MSE along with asecond core engineering discipline. It wasnot until 1999 that a B.S. degree programwas established in MSE. So, Dr. Potter developed the lab course aimed chiefly atundergraduate students in mechanical engineering who were receiving a doublemajor in MSE. It quickly became a main-stay and has remained a vital part of the education of MSE students ever since.

Dr. Potter noted that all three units—the SEM, TEM, and X-ray diffraction—find their special niches in industry, with X-ray diffraction the first to be fully developed and probably the most versatile in terms of the different evaluations it provides. The somewhat more specializedSEM is easiest to understand in terms of itsoperation and the data it provides, primarilydirect images and chemical composition of amaterial's components. Thus, it occupiesonly one lab session in which the studentsinvestigate a two-component bronze, measuring precipitate sizes and the chemicalcompositions of the precipitates and matrix.He said the much more sophisticated TEMprovides diffraction patterns as well as images formed by diffraction, and these aremore difficult to interpret. This, coupledwith the difficulty of preparing specimensthin enough to transmit electrons, meansstudents are less likely to encounter TEMthan SEM characterization in industrial

settings. During the single lab session devoted to TEM, the students investigatethin metal foils containing nanocrystals and the growth of precipitates arising from thein-service overheating of an aircraft enginesuperalloy.

In contrast with SEM and TEM, X-raydiffraction provides diverse informationfrom easily prepared specimens, is morecommonly found in industry, and providespractitioners a fuller appreciation of TEMimages and diffraction patterns. Thus, inlecture classes Dr. Potter’s students study the theory of X-ray diffraction and its applications, and they devote five lab sessions to the X-ray unit. They measure, for example, particle sizes in the nanometersize range, determine the extent of orderingin compounds found in aircraft turbine alloys, identify unknown compounds causing failure in materials, and measureresidual stresses.

Since retiring, Dr. Potter has volunteeredhis time to maintain the laboratory and itsequipment. He is a resourceful and dedi-cated man. He said that until recently, thelab received scant financial support. As a result, to equip and maintain the lab he wasforced to rely upon a network of contacts in industry and academia who helped himlocate “gently used” equipment that couldbe donated to UConn. Dr. Potter has oftentransported the equipment himself, typicallyusing a rented U-Haul and volunteer labor

to assist in packing up, installing and assembling the equipment in the lab. He notes wryly that the wires and socketsare numbered, easing the task of reassembly.

Dr. Potter credits the School of Engi-neering’s John Fikiet, an instrumentationand computer engineer, and Samuel Amtower, founder of AMTEC (a Mansfield,CT based electron microscopy service firm),with helping him assemble and maintain thespecialized and sometimes temperamentalequipment. He also expressed sincere thanksto Dr. Jim Steele of Mott Metallurgical, and to Dr. Jim Lin and Greg Levan of Pratt& Whitney Aircraft, who helped steerequipment donations to the lab. Dr. Potternoted that thanks to Dr. Steele’s assistance,he was able to retrofit the pre-digital circaTEM—which formerly produced only filmimages—with a digital camera that allowsstudents to transmit images to their computers via the Internet.

In addition, he is grateful to Dr. BarryCarter, CMBE Head, for bringing visibilityand financial resources to the lab. Dr. Potterwas pleased when Dr. Carter secured funding to purchase a newer-vintage “pre-owned” X-ray diffraction unit that now resides in the lab. After some softwareproblems are resolved, the newer X-ray machine will go online and give studentsone more learning tool with which they cangain mastery of materials characterization.

Characterization Lab continued from page 6

Rampi Ramprasad Awarded Prestigious Humboldt Fellowship

Dr. Ramamurthy (“Rampi”) Ramprasad,an associate professor, has been

awarded an Alexander von Humboldt(AvH) Foundation Fellowship. The awardwill enable him to conduct research at theFritz-Haber-Institut of the famed MaxPlanck Society, in Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Ramprasad plans to spend a fullsabbatical year at the Fritz-Haber-Institutcommencing in the fall of 2010. The AvHFoundation promotes academic coopera-tion between German researchers and topscientists and scholars from across theglobe. The organization's fellowships

and awards allow recipients to conductresearch in Germany, and also enable German scientists and scholars to carryout research with Humboldt Foundationalumni worldwide.

Dr. Ramprasad noted that he is deeplyhonored to receive this distinguished fellowship, and is thankful to his Germanhost, Dr. Matthias Scheffler, who directsthe Theory Department at the Fritz-Haber-Institut.

He and several colleagues are in theprocess of articulating the technologicalchallenge that will drive their research

efforts in Germany.His collaborators willinclude Dr. Scheffler, Dr.Chunguang Tang, a former graduate student who earned his Ph.D. at UConnand is now conducting study at the Fritz-Haber-Institut on a Max Planck Society post-doctoral fellowship, andother industrial and academic researchersin Germany and the US. Named for a German Nobel laureate, the Fritz-Haber-Institut is among the world’s most respected laboratories in the Physical &Chemical Sciences.


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ART MCEVILY SCHOLARSHIPDavid B. Wikholm (MSE/German Junior)

CARL F. NORDEN SCHOLARSHIPKelsey N. Boch (CHEG Sophomore)Ethan L. Butler (CHEG Junior)

ACCENTURE SCHOLARSHIP FOR BUSINESS & ENGINEERING STUDENTSKimberly M. Dout (MSE Freshman)

ANONYMOUS DONOR BRIDGE SCHOLARSHIPKathryn S. Czaja (MSE/CHEG Senior)

ANONYMOUS DONOR LEARNING MENTORSHIP SCHOLARSHIPDrew V. Hires (MSE Junior)Joseph C. Rotchford (CHEG Junior)John R. Varkonda (CHEG Junior)

ASM HARTFORD CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIPKathryn S. Czaja (MSE/CHEG Senior)Adam W. Dew (MSE Senior)Ryan R. Keech (MSE Senior)Joseph O. Rajan (MSE Senior)

THE RICHARD BALLANTYNE SCHOLARSHIPDavid B. Robitaille (CHEG Sophomore)

MARY & JAMES BARGER SCHOLARSHIPIN ENGINEERINGAnne T. Jensen (CHEG Sophomore)

THE BORGHESI FAMILY SCHOLARSHIPKyle J. Christiansen (CHEG Junior)

THE RACHEL & RONALD BRAND FAMILYSCHOLARSHIPNicole L. Bundy (CHEG Freshman)

JAMES C. BURNS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPMolly C. Chhiv (CHEG Junior)

RICHARD D. CAVANAUGH SCHOLARSHIPMichael C. Icart (CHEG Sophomore)

HUGH L. & JUDITH R. COX SCHOLARSHIPENDOWMENTEvan J. Fredericks (CHEG Senior)

ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE MERIT SCHOLARSHIP-PRESIDENTIALCHALLENGEKaitlyn A. Bellucci (CHEG Sophomore)Congtin L. Phan (CHEG Junior)Jo-Ku M. Teng (CHEG Junior)

ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARDGregory S. Honda (CHEG Senior)Joseph T. Koplar (MSE Senior)

ENSIGN-BICKFORD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPAdam W. Dew (MSE/EE Senior)Kyle G. Horton (CHEG Junior)Leonela A. Villegas (CHEG Junior)

FARRINGTON SCHOLARSHIPMichael J. Ignatowich (CHEG Freshman)

HAROLD P. FARRINGTON ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIPJonathan A. Goldman (CHEG Senior)

GE ADVANCED MATERIALS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMEmily M. Anderson (CHEG Junior)Minnal V. Packiam (CHEG Junior)

MARY ANN W. GILLEECE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPRafael E. Patel (CHEG Freshman)

ARNOLD GRIFFIN SCHOLARSHIP IN ENGINEERINGChad R. Jens (CHEG Senior)

DAVID BEECHER HAHN ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIPEmily A. Cole (CHEG Senior)

PAUL KRENICKI ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPIN SUSTAINABLE ENERGYMichael J. Catanese (CHEG Senior)Ryan A. Catania (CHEG Junior)Aleah J. Edwards (CHEG Senior)

MARIO S. & MARIA G. LATINA SCHOLARSHIPMeghan McGuire (CHEG Senior)

CARL A. & EDNA S. LINDBLAD SCHOLARSHIPErik L. Johnson (CHEG Junior)Britta H. Kunkemoeller (CHEG Junior)

MATERIALS ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIPRyan M. Adams (MSE Freshman)Seth D. Alix (MSE Freshman)Timothy D. Batt (MSE Freshman)Eric A. Bousfield (MSE Sophomore)Drew F. Capolupo (MSE Freshman)Kimberly M. Dout (MSE Freshman)Ryan A. Hancock (MSE Sophomore)Drew Hires (MSE Junior)Blake Knox (MSE/German Sophomore)Adam Marco (MSE Sophomore)Kayla M. Molnar (MSE Freshman)Kayla J. Nicewicz (MSE Freshman)Connor P. O’Neill (MSE Freshman)Erica Pehmoeller (MSE/CHEG Sophomore)Erik W. Rogoff (MSE Freshman)Matthew Vaudreuil (MSE Sophomore)

MIRSKY SCHOLARSHIPNathan R. Willbanks (CHEG Junior)

ROLAND & CAROL PAMPEL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPNaomi R. Adler (CHEG/German Freshman)

PRATT & WHITNEY ENGINEERING DIVERSITY PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPKaitlyn A. Bellucci (CHEG Junior)Kathryn S. Czaja (MSE/CHEG Senior)

THELMA P. & RAYMOND J. RULIS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPJoseph A. Podurgiel (CHEG Junior)

UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONSCHOLARSHIP IN ENGINEERINGMelissa A. Carserino (CHEG Senior)Christine E. Duval (CHEG/Spanish Senior)

VERGNANO/REDDINGTON FAMILY SCHOLARSHIPKyle D. Hope (CHEG Junior)

Congratulations to Our 2010 Scholarship and Award Recipients


Afaculty team that includes DouglasCooper (PI), professor of Chemical,

Materials & Biomolecular Engineering—and co-PIs Kazem Kazerounian, professor of Mechanical Engineering and AssociateDean for Research & Strategic Initiatives,Mun Y. Choi, Dean of Engineering andprofessor of Mechanical Engineering, andRuth Washington, associate professor-in-residence of Molecular & Cell Biology—has garnered a $2.7 million competitivegrant from the National Science Foundation(NSF) for a novel program that will enfoldUConn graduate and undergraduate students, and technical high school studentsand their teachers in cross-cutting sustain-able engineering research.

The award was announced in March2010 and is among the largest NSF grantsawarded to the School of Engineering. The funding, made under NSF’s GK-12program, focuses on providing graduate students unique learning opportunities thatwill broadly prepare them for professionaland scientific careers in the 21st century. The program supports projects in whichgraduate students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)disciplines engage with teachers and students in a K-12 setting to engendergreater interest in, and preparedness for,STEM careers. The team brings a wealth of experience to the GK-12 project. Dr. Cooper is a University Teaching Fellow(‘03) and Carnegie Foundation ConnecticutProfessor of the Year (‘04) as well as a successful entrepreneur. Dean Choi and Dr. Kazerounian both garnered substantialNSF support, as co-PI and PI, respectively,on previous GK-12 projects. Dr. Washing-ton has established programs aimed at recruiting women and underrepresented minority students to UConn and preparingthem for a graduate studies in STEM fields.

The UConn team plans to recruit andtrain 10 graduate students each year duringthe five-year grant and to maintain or

expand the program in ensuing years. In addition to pursuing the typical duties of graduate students, notably engaging inthesis-based original research projects, thesegraduate students will interact with second-ary-school teachers and students to infusethe curriculum with engineering conceptsand ingenuity-stimulating exercises. Graduate students recruited for the projectwill carry out research in sustainable engineering areas that may include, for example, fuel cells and other carbon-neutralenergy technologies, water purification and environmental biotechnology.

The focus on students enrolled in Connecticut’s system of technical highschools, rather than traditional high schools,

reflects theteam’s thesis that this particu-lar populationrepresents a generally untapped

resource for four-year colleges and universi-ties. Dr. Cooper contends that vocation-oriented young people may—through theirexposure to cutting-edge research projectsand enthusiastic graduate students—be inspired to pursue a four-year college degree.“These students have a documented acumenin visual, mental and tactile subjects associ-ated with technology, and an affinity for atechnology centered career. We hope todemonstrate that these students can become

a valued talent-pool for college engineeringprograms.” Among the tech schools signingon to the project are Norwich, Howell Cheney, Albert I. Prince, H.H. Ellis andWindham Tech.

The project will provide doctoral students with new opportunities and perspectives on innovative research in sustainable engineering while expandingtheir collaborative, leadership, teaching and communication skills. The graduatestudents will be embedded in participatingtech school science, math or technical classrooms, where they will work with theteachers to develop and integrate fundamen-tal engineering lessons into the courseworkand to introduce supplementary activitiesthat foster team-based “creative innovation”in problem solving. Undergraduate engi-neering students will also be recruited toparticipate as mentors and role models helping to nurture the tech school students’creativity, knowledge acquisition, leadershipand communication skills.

Yet another layer involves the tech school teachers, who will be encouraged toparticipate in a teacher enrichment programoffered by the School of Engineering,through which teachers are embedded in engineering research labs for periods of oneto five summer weeks.

The GK-12 team’s first priority is tobegin recruiting graduate students andarrange meetings with the tech school partners.

Engineering Lands $2.7 M To SupportInnovative Educational Program

These students have a documented acumen in visual, mental and tactile subjects associated

with technology, and an affinity for a technology centered career.

(L-R): Mun Y. Choi, Douglas Cooper, and Kazem Kazerounian. Seated: Ruth Washington.

Photo by Orlando Echevarria.

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While at the Fritz-Haber-Institut, Dr. Ramprasad’s research will focus uponunderstanding—at a fundamental level—why ceramic coatings used on turbineblades are so effective in protecting theblades from the extremes of temperature,pressure and high-speed debris. Turbineblades are found in diverse applications,from jet engines to power plants. “Jet engines, for example, are subjected to extraordinary extremes of temperaturesduring flight, particularly during takeoffand landing. In fact, they are subjected to

temperatures beyond the melting point ofthe metal blades. Only the insulating ceramic coatings keep them intact.”

He remarked, “This is one of the caseswhere commercialization has outpaced science. Outstanding coatings have beendeveloped, but we’re not certain how theyfunction. We want to gain an atomic-levelunderstanding of how these coatings protect the blades. If we can understandhow they work, we can improve uponthem.” Dr. Ramprasad’s research will spancomputational and modeling studies of the

coatings, which have properties of lowthermal conductivity.

Dr. Ramprasad received his Ph.D. inMaterials Science & Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.Before joining UConn, he was employed with Motorola’s R&D laboratories atTempe, AZ, as a Principal Staff Scientist.Earlier in the year, Dr. Ramprasad wasawarded a Max Planck Society Fellowshipfor Distinguished Scientists.

Rampi Ramprasad continued from page 11

Graduate students Ning Shi and WilliamOsborn were selected for special

honors presented during the April 19, 2010 Engineering Awards Reception in Storrs.Both are pursuing their doctoral studies inMaterials Science & Engineering.

Ning, who garnered a $2,000 Outstand-ing Graduate Thesis Award gold prize, iscarrying out research on the properties ofnanoscale dielectrics from first principlescomputations. She explains that dielectricmaterials of nanoscale dimensions have excited considerable interest in the semiconductor industry. “To keep pacewith Moore’s law scaling, the thickness ofgate oxide dielectric materials is reachingto nanoscale dimensions.” She continues, “The high energy density capacitor industry is currently considering dielectriccomposites with a polymer host matrixfilled with inorganic dielectric nanoparti-cles or polarizable organic molecules.”

With this in mind, Ning says the goal of her work is to determine the extent towhich such surface/interface effects modify the dielectric constants, bandedges, and dielectric breakdown strengthsof systems with at least one of their dimensions in the nano-regime. Along with her advisor, associate professor Ramamurthy Ramprasad, Ning has performed quantum mechanics basedatomic level computations for ultrathin dielectric single and multi-component systems. Based on a first principles

approach involvingdensity functional theory, they success-fully developed compu-tational methodologies andtheories to investigate the electric and dielectric properties of materials at thenano-dimension.

This research constitutes an initial step toward attaining a funda-mental understanding of the relationship between interface structure and chemistryon the one hand, and properties such as interfacial polarization, dielectric response, and electronic structure onthe other.

“This award serves as an exciting challenge for me to maintain and improvemy level of achievement,” Ning says. “I feel pride in being selected to receivethis award. I feel a responsibility to upholdthe expectations that accompany such anhonor, and I hope to give back some day tothe institution that has helped build the foundation for the rest of my life.”

William Osborn received a bronze prizefor his research on the development ofnano-engineered powders of LiNH�+ LiHfor solid state hydrogen storage. His dissertation focuses on one facet of alarger project conducted at UConn involving the development of hydrogenstorage materials intended to enable fuelcell powered vehicles. “Due to pressureand volume constraints, solid state storage

materials provide an attractive alternativeto more conventional tanks;

however, capacity and operatingtemperature barriers need to be

addressed before the technologycan become commercially viable,” he explains.

William and his advisor,professor Leon Shaw, have

addressed technical barriers and made improvements to the operat-

ing characteristics of this storage system.One focus, he says, is the production of“uniform mixtures of sub-micron sizedpowders with internal defects, which dramatically improved the kinetic performance of the rate limiting diffusioncontrolled reaction.” Advancing the research further, William analyzed the stability of the nanostructured powdersand explained how sub-micron powderscould operate for extended periods above70% of the melting temperature of thepowder with only minimal microstructuralgrowth.

Reflecting on his selection to receive the bronze award, William says, “Althoughresearch on this particular materials system is complete, this award reinforcesthe importance of applying fundamentalsof material science to technologically significant engineering problems. The fieldof energy materials is an exciting area for conducting this type of research.”

Two CMBE Grad Students Honored

Ning Shi and William Osborn


Alumni Inducted Into the Academy of Distinguished Engineers

Two alumni, John Dresty, Jr. and Robert Klancko, wereinducted into UConn’s Academy of DistinguishedEngineers in 2009 and 2010. During gala events honoring the inductees, University leaders lauded theaward recipients, noting “UConn has trained and educated countless dedicated engineers during the last century. And the impacts of that education are evident not only here in Connecticut but across theworld, where our engineering alumni are making theirmark in transformative and enduring ways.”

The Academy of Distinguished Engineers at theUniversity of Connecticut, founded in 2003, honorsSchool of Engineering alumni whose careers are characterized by their sustained and exemplary contributions to the engineering profession throughresearch, practice, education, policy or service. Members are individuals who bring enduring honorto their alma mater as practitioners and as citizens.

They are elected and inducted into the Academyof Distinguished Engineers yearly and play an important advisory role to the School of Engineering,providing: advice and counsel to the Dean, Depart-ment Heads, Center Directors, faculty and students;service as role models for undergraduate and graduateengineering students, thereby exemplifying andstrengthening their commitment to standards of academic and professional excellence; and support,advice and counsel for the purpose of improving theSchool of Engineering development programs and insecuring significant financial support for the School.

Upon induction, each new member of the Academy of Distinguished Engineers is presented a handsome engraved plaque and a distinctive medallion. An engraved plaque listing all Academy of Distinguished Engineers and Distinguished Engineering Service Awardees inducted each year will be displayed permanently within the InformationTechnology Engineering Building.

JOHN DRESTY, JR.Year Inducted: 2009Degree: (M.S. Metallurgy, ’71)Bio: John Dresty, Jr. is President and CEO of Clearwater Systems Corp. of Essex, CT, a company he founded in 1998 based upon his patented low-energy consuming, non-chemical water treatment technology. The company enjoys

annual sales of nearly $10 million and employs 27 people. Mr. Dresty previously was Executive Director ofthe Environmental Research Institute at the Universityof Connecticut, where he managed R&D activities inenvironmental studies including site remediation, pollution prevention and recycling. Earlier in his career,Mr. Dresty served as President of UNC Reclamation,Inc. of Mulberry, FL, which extracts useful metal

compounds from hazardous waste at the commercial scale. In 1979, he foundedand served as President of Suisman Titanium Corp. based on his patented invention for titanium scrap recycling, which led to the re-use of 30 millionpounds of strategic metal in engine and airframe manufacture. After earning hisM.S. degree, Mr. Dresty worked in various engineering and managerial roleswithin United Nuclear Corp. He earned his B.S. in Materials Engineering fromRPI and his J.D. at the University of Connecticut.

ROBERT J. KLANCKOYear Inducted: 2010Degree: (B.S.E. Chemical Engineering/Nuclear Engineering,’67)Bio: Robert J. Klancko, P.E., CSP, CHCM, CHS-IIIRobert J. Klancko is a Partner in the consulting firm of Klancko & Klancko,LLC, of Woodbridge, CT, where his scope of responsibilities spans environmen-tal, security and risk, educational, and materials processing aspects. Earlier in his career, Mr. Klancko served in environmental management roles with United

Illuminating, Century Brass Products, and the Anaconda American Brass Company. He is a rankingmember of the State Emergency Response Commissionand a member of the State Nuclear Energy AdvisoryCouncil. Mr. Klancko was a co-founder and first chairof the University of Connecticut Engineering AlumniSociety. Mr. Klancko was awarded the UConn Schoolof Engineering’s Distinguished Service (1994) and Dis-

tinguished Engineering Alumni awards (1993). A member of the ConnecticutAcademy of Arts and Sciences, in 2001, he received the Connecticut MaterialsWeek’s—Materials Professional of the Year Award. He has been an adjunct faculty member at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Hartford since 1972.In addition, Mr. Klancko is a member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Environmental Forum and the New Haven Manufacturers Association, Executive Committee of the Southern Connecticut Chapter of the ASM International, and numerous others.

Chemical Engineering Faculty

C. BARRY CARTERDEPARTMENT HEAD, MSE PROGRAM DIRECTOR ProfessorInterfaces & Defects, Ceramics Materials, TEM, AFM, Energy

GEORGE BOLLASAssistant ProfessorSimulation of Energy Processes,Property Models Development

DOUG COOPERProfessor & Vice Provost forUndergraduate Education and Regional CampusesProcess Modeling & Control

CATO LAURENCINProfessor & Dean, UConn School of MedicineAdvanced Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Biodegradable Polymers, Nanotechnology

YU LEIAssistant ProfessorBionanotechnology, Bio/nanosensors, Bio/nanomaterials, Remediation

JEFFREY MCCUTCHEONAssistant ProfessorMembrane Separations, Polymer Electrospinning, Forward Osmosis/Osmotic Power

WILLIAM MUSTAINAssistant ProfessorProton Exchange Membrane FuelCells, Aerobic Biocathodes for Oxygen Reduction, ElectrochemicalKinetics & Ionic Transport

RICHARD PARNASAssociate ProfessorBiodiesel Power Generation, PEM Fuel Cell, Polymer Gels & Filled Polymers

LESLIE SHORAssistant ProfessorMicro-scale Structures, Contaminant Fate & Transport in the Environment

RANJAN SRIVASTAVAAssociate ProfessorSystems Biology & Metabolic Engineering

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BRIAN WILLISCHEG PROGRAM DIRECTORAssociate ProfessorNanotechnology, Molecular Electronics, Semiconductor Devices & Fuel Cells

Materials Science & Engineering Faculty

MARK AINDOWProfessorDefects and Interfaces, Microstructural Development in Alloys and Thin Films, and Electron Microscopy

S. PAMIR ALPAYAssociate ProfessorFerroic Materials, Thermodynamics& Kinetics of Phase Transforma-tions, Conducting Oxides & ThinFilm Deposition

RAINER HEBERTAssistant ProfessorPhase Transformations, Metals and Alloys, Metallic Glasses& Severe Plastic Deformation Processing

BRYAN HUEYAssociate ProfessorScanning Probe Microscopy,Nanoscience, Electronic Materials,Texture & Ceramics


YONG WANGAssistant ProfessorNanobiotechnology, Nanomedicine& Drug Delivery

HAROLD D. BRODYDistinguished ProfessorMaterials Processing, Alloy Casting and Solidification, & Process Models

THEODOULAS Z. KATTAMISProfessorSolidification and Metals Joining,Materials Processing, Thin Coatings & Tribology

PUXIAN GAOAssistant ProfessorNanomaterials Synthesis and Characterization, Nanotechnologyfor Biomedical Applications

YUSEF KHANJoint Professor with Departmentof Orthopedic Surgery, UConn Health CenterTissue Engineering & Biocompatible& Biodegradable Scaffolds

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SANGAMESH KUMBARJoint Professor with Departmentof Orthopedic Surgery, UConn Health CenterSynthesis and Characterization of Novel Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery Applications

HARRIS MARCUSDIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS SCIENCEProfessorFreeform Fabrication, MechanicalBehavior, Fatigue, Nanotechnology& Photonic Crystals

LAKSHMI NAIRJoint Professor with Department of Orthopedic Surgery, UConn Health CenterInjectable Hydrogels, Nanomaterials,Bioactive Biomaterials, SurfaceModification, Tissue Engineering

SYAM NUKAVARAPUJoint Professor with Departmentof Orthopedic Surgery, UConn Health CenterBiomaterials, Tissue Engineering &Biomedical Nanotechnology

RAMPI RAMPRASADAssociate ProfessorMaterials Modeling & Computation, Nanomaterials, Thin Films & Interfaces, PhotonicCrystals & Meta-materials

GEORGE ROSSETTI, JR.Associate ProfessorElectroceramic Materials, CrystalChemistry and Physics & CeramicProcessing Science

LEON SHAWProfessorNanomaterials, Coatings, Composites, Freeform Fabrications,& Hydrogen Storage Materials

PRABHAKAR SINGHDIRECTOR, CENTER FOR CLEAN ENERGY ENGINEERINGProfessorFuel Cells & Energy

MEI WEIAssociate ProfessorBiomaterials, Ceramics, Coatings & Composites


CMBE faculty and graduate students are among those who are benefitting from five U.S. Department of Education grants awarded to the School of Engineering since 2009. The three-year grants were made under the agency’s Graduate Assistance in Areas of

National Need (GAANN) program and, with matching funds, total more than $1.16 millionper year and support 25 graduate fellowships annually. The GAANN program is aimed atenhancing the nation’s technological competitiveness.

UConn Provost Peter Nicholls hailed the news, saying “I congratulate the UConn teamson their remarkable success. The GAANN program is an important and prestigious one,and we are excited by the prospect of enlarging our engineering graduate programs to address strategic research and education in critical areas of science and technology.”

The GAANN program provides fellowship grants to support U.S. citizens as they pursue their doctoral degrees in fields deemed to be “areas of national need.” Studentsfrom traditionally underrepresented populations, including women and minority populations, are a particular focus of the GAANN program.

THE FIVE WINNING MULTIDISCIPLINARY AWARDS WERE AS FOLLOWS:

• A team of faculty researchers, headed by UTC Chair Professor of Computer Science & Engineering Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, and including Reda Ammar, Department Head of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE); Jun-Hong Cui, Assistant Dean for Graduate Research & Diversity; Ian Greenshields, associate professor of CSE; and Peter Luh, SNET Professor of Communications and Information Technologies, received support in 2010 for students conducting studies in the area of cloud computing.

• A Storrs-UConn Health Center collaboration headed by CMBE associate professor Mei Wei, along with Jon Goldberg and Liisa Kuhn of the UConn Health Center’s Center for Regenerative Medicine & Skeletal Development, to support students conducting research in the area of biomaterials for tissue regeneration.

• A team headed by Dean of Engineering Mun Y. Choi, engages graduate students in research involving advanced energy and environmental technologies, including fuel cells, solar power, waste-to-energy conversion, carbon sequestration and distributed power.

• An effort headed by CSE Department Head and professor Reda Ammar, involves students in advanced computing research targeting biomedical informatics and underwater sensor networks.

• Under the leadership of associate professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering John Chandy, a team is engaging graduate students in investigations of advanced computing security to strengthen financial, communications, transportation and defense systems.

Major Graduate Education Awards

His work in the red-hot area of nanotechnology has sparked three

NSF-funded research awards for Dr. LeonShaw, a professor in the Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering(CMBE) department.

Of the three, one marries nano-mate-rials with biomedical engineering. Working with Dr. Yong Wang, also ofCMBE, Dr. Shaw will be developing atitanium/hydroxyapatite orthopedic implant designed to improve implantlongevity and reduce the need for revisionsurgery, thus reducing long-term healthcare costs along with patient stress.

Over 10 million Americans currentlycarry at least one major implanted medical device in their bodies. Due totheir excellent corrosion resistance, uperior strength and biocompatibility, titanium and stainless steel alloys are theprincipal materi-als used in mostmedical implants.Despite these advantages, these alloysalso carry major disadvantages: in manycases, their life expectancy is shorter than those of their wearers, promptingadditional replacement implant surgeries.

Furthermore, these titanium and steelalloys are unlikely to have the stability or fit of the original tissue, leading to rejection of the implant. While currentlyavailable implants may alleviate pain andallow patients to live active lives, there are often complications getting bone toattach to the metal devices. Small gapsbetween natural bone and the implantcan expand over time, requiring the need for additional surgery to replace the implant (Nanowerk). Researchers areincreasingly turning to nanotechnology

Leon ShawAwardedThree NSFGrants in 2009


for solutions. To overcome many of theproblems associated with metallic implants,numerous efforts have been made by research organizations and commercial companies to develop orthopedic implantsthat have a bioactive surface to promote cellular adhesion and bony in-growth. In other words, efforts have been made tocreate a stable fit that more resembles theoriginal tissue, thus eliminating the need for additional surgery to repair the damagesor gaps.

The two most widely used methods involve the application of either hydroxyap-atite (HA) or porous titanium (Ti) coatingsto implant surfaces. The problem is that Ti is not bioactive, whereas HA coatingscould delaminate during service. With thisin mind, Drs. Shaw and Wang have gearedtheir project toward the development of a

new family of functionally graded, porousimplant materials with a hierarchy of engineered microstructures. This new familyof orthopedic implants will address all theissues encountered by applying either HA or porous Ti coatings and will be fabricatedthrough a novel solid freeform fabricationmethod developed in Dr. Shaw’s laboratory.This new family of orthopedic implants isthe first of its kind to pair a Ti-rich core anda HA-rich surface with a controlled level of micro- and macro-porosity never produced before.

Dr. Shaw’s other NSF grants are also collaborative efforts. For one, Dr. Shaw willbe teaming with Kennametal, Inc., a globalleader in hard metal technology. This project is aimed at the development of innovative manufacturing methods that canproduce novel materials with superior

mechanical properties derived fromnanocrystalline powder. This collaborationwill ensure that the research is relevant tothe hard metal industry and that the resultswill be disseminated to end users.

The third research project is in collaboration with Dr. Mahmoud Zawrah, a researcher from the National ResearchCenter in Cairo, Egypt. Together, they arelooking at the processing and fabrication ofnano-Si3N4 and SiC composites using thewaste material, silica fume, as the startingmaterial. If successful, this project will leadto advancements in the production of largequantities of high purity nano-compositepowders and sintered (or densified)Si3N4/SiC components from silica fume in a reproducible, precise and economicalfashion.

Leon Shaw continued from page 19

Lu Han, a Chemical Engineering under-graduate student, has been selected as a

2010 University Scholar. University Scholarsare second semester juniors and seniors who are motivated to get more from theirundergraduate educations. Administered bythe Honors Program, this highly-selectiveprogram offers motivated and academically-talented students a variety of benefits in-cluding the flexibility to craft individualized

plans of study during their last three semesters. Students select courses as part ofa plan of study that enables them to focuson topics, issues, or concerns of particularrelevance to their intellectual interests. Withguidance from a faculty advisory committee,University Scholars may select curricula that are interdisciplinary or more in-depthinvestigations in a particular field. Either

way, they have more freedom than is possiblewhen following a regularundergraduate plan ofstudy. All UniversityScholars engage in an in-tensive, focused universityscholar project, culminatingin a high-level piece of scholarshipor creative accomplishment. Graduation as a

University Scholar is considered the highestacademic honor the University bestows onundergraduate students. No more than 30University Scholars are selected each year.

Lu’s project is entitled, Application ofFTIR and Raman Spectroscopy for theMonitoring of Waste Oil Transesterification.Her general area of interest is in developingand promoting alternative energy. She is

interested in conducting biodiesel analytical research with spectroscopicmethods. Spectroscopy gives a quickand reliable identification of compounds and does not destroy the chemical species. It has become

a preferred method for measuringbiodiesel quality for process control applications. Lu would like to establish correlations between biodiesel propertieswith their mid-infrared and Raman spectra,which will give the biodiesel industry an al-ternative method for analysis. She proposesto develop an in-line measurement systemfor monitoring the reactor performance ofthe conversion of waste oil into biodiesel, allowing commercial producers to maximizetheir productivity.

Lu attended Cheshire High School,where she was primarily interested in mathand science and active in the EnvironmentalClub and cross-country team. In the future,Lu hopes to contribute toward helping meet the world’s energy and petrochemicaldemands.

Chemical Engineering UndergraduateNamed a 2010 University Scholar

Graduation as a University Scholar is considered the highest academic honor the University bestows on

undergraduate students. No more than thirty University Scholars are selected each year.

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B.S. UNDERGRADUATESBugg, Domingo MauriceCarella, Michael J.Chartier, Casey DanielCrowl, Michael PatrickDeveau, Ryan JamesDobbs, Timothy SpenserDonohue, David JohnDurelli, Justin LouisEsposito, Craig JosephFink, Lindsey HelenFitzpatrick, Katelyn M.Friedman, Abraham EzraHonda, Gregory SamuelLapointe, AndrewLaTour, Andrew MarkLewis, Ricardo K.McCarthy, Regina C.Patel, Abhishek V.Pelligra, Candice I.Reynolds, Jennifer LaurenSmith, Shawna SunshineSnipes, Matthew PeterTao, EmilyVardoulis, StacyZinski, Joseph Michael

PH.D. RECIPIENTSStudent: Angela MorenoTitle: “Thermally Integrated Ceramic Microreactors for Hydrogen Production”Advisor: Benjamin Wilhite

Student: Jing DongTitle: “The Effect of Thiolated Additives on the Properties of Wheat Gluten Based Plastics, Aqueous Solution and Electrospun Fibers“ Advisor: Richard Parnas

Student: Jianjun MiaoTitle: “Supermolecular Self-Assembly of Discotic Liquid Crystalline Supermolecules“Advisor: Lei Zhu

Student: Paul BrookerTitle: “The Effect of the Addition of Silicontungstic Acid to the Electrodes ofPolymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells”Advisor: Richard Parnas

MASTER’S RECIPIENTSStudent: Steven UnkerTitle: “Optimization Study on Novel Continuous Flow Biodiesel Reactor / Separator, Varying Temperature, Residence Time, and Orientation”Advisor: Richard Parnas

Congratulations to Our 2010 Graduates and Winners

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING CLASS OF 2010

B.S. UNDERGRADUATESBalzano, Thomas JohnBrown, Jason J.Dew, Nathaniel FergusonFonseca, Shawn CouceiroHarris, Michael JamesKoplar, Joseph ThomasLavorato, Pasquale F.Nelson, Gregory WilliamRivers, Nicholas PaulSartori, ChristianScalise, Robert SeanTrumbull, Elizabeth AshtonZimmer, Brian Gerald

PH.D. RECIPIENTSStudent: Tippawan MarkmaitreeTitle: Mechanical Activation and Thermodynamic Destabilization of theLithium Amide and Lithium Hydride SystemAdvisor: Prof. Leon Shaw

Student: Chunguang TangTitle: First Principles Study of Point Defects in HfO2 and Si:HfO2 InterfacesAdvisor: Prof. Rampi Ramprasad

MASTER’S RECIPIENTSStudent: Jyothi Suri Title: Necking Instability of Cu-Ni Multilayers During Accumulative Roll BondingAdvisor: Prof. Rainer Hebert

Student: Kyle CrosbyTitle: Studies in Lithium Borohydride-based Solid State Hydrogen Storage MaterialsAdvisor: Leon Shaw

MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING GRADUATES

Congratulations to this year’s MSE Capstone Senior Design Project FinalPresentation Winners!

First Place Tie Between 2 Teams.Each team receives $1000!

Student: Jeffrey RiestererBrief Title: Optimization of the ThermalTreatment Process to Control the AusteniteReversion in Maraging 250 SteelIndustry Sponsor: Pratt & Whitney AircraftIndustry Advisor: Dr. AgnieszkaWusatowka-SarnekFaculty Advisor: Prof. Mark Aindow

Student Team: Shawn Fonseca, and Nicholas CarrollBrief Title: Design and Test a MagneticShape Memory ActuatorIndustry Sponsor: General ElectricIndustry Advisor: Thomas PapalloFaculty Advisor: Prof. Pamir Alpay

MSE CAPSTONE SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT FINAL PRESENTATION


Above: Synthesized antibody-like nanomedicines for cancer therapy and diagnosis.

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Yong Wang Is Awarded NSF CAREER Award

Yong Wang, an assistant professor ofChemical, Materials & Biomolecular

Engineering, has received a prestigious National Science Foundation Early CareerDevelopment (CAREER) Award to conductresearch aimed at creating a new generationof tissue-like biomaterials using chemical

and biomolecular engineering tools. Hisnearly $480,000 award was made throughNSF's Division of Materials Research.

Dr. Wang explained that “Biomaterialsthat can replicate complex functions of natural tissues will not only provide a deeperinsight into biological systems, but also offera variety of applications such as tissue repairor organ regeneration.”

A core challenge in tissue engineeringand regenerative medicine is the creation of novel materials that are capable of mimicking the complex structures and functionality of human tissues. To do so,Dr. Wang intends to first investigate theability of multifunctional hydrogels—water-insoluble polymer chains—to mimicthe functionality of extracellular matrices(ECMs), the defining feature of animal connective tissue. According to Dr. Wang,

natural ECMs provide cells with mechanicalsupport and physical stimuli, emit solublebiochemical signals stimulating such factorsas growth, and interact with cell receptorslocated surfaces of surrounding cells.

For his CAREER work, Dr. Wang willconstruct artificial ECMs with multiple

defined components. For instance, the natural polysaccharides (chain sugars) willbe used to synthesize the fundamental structure of the hydrogel. Polysaccharidesare found in all organic life forms, includinghuman connective tissues and cartilage. One quality that makes them particularlyattractive is the fact that, as organic chains,they break down and are absorbed or excreted by the body. This enhances thelikelihood that the human body will acceptthem as “normal.”

To create hydrogels that are biologicallyfunctional, Dr. Wang will incorporate nucleic acid aptamers, multifunctional linkers, growth factors, and ions into the hydrogel, thereby “engineering” a singlecomplex unit. He will apply diverse molecu-lar recognition principles as a tool to achievethis aim. Dr. Wang noted that his recent

Biomaterials that can replicate complex functions of naturaltissues will not only provide a deeper insight into

biological systems, but also offer a variety of applications such as tissue repair or organ regeneration.

research findings demonstrate that the molecular recognition between aptamersand growth factors can be used to mimic thesustained-release function of the extracellu-lar matrix. By integrating these definedcomponents into the hydrogel network, he said, the engineered hydrogel will be capable of sending and receiving messagesto/from cells located within and outside ofthe hydrogel. Eventually, Dr. Wang hopesthat the multifunctional tissue-like hydrogelcan be used to grow tissue ex vivo or tostimulate the growth or repair of human tissues in vivo.

Dr. Wang, who received his Ph.D. from Duke University in 2004 and joinedUConn in 2006, received funding from theState of Connecticut’s Stem Cell Initiativelast year to investigate gene silencing inhuman embryonic stem cells. He is also collaborating on research aimed at develop-ing artificial antibodies capable of locatingand destroying tumors, and with Dr. LeonShaw (CMBE) on the development of tita-nium/hydroxyapatite orthopedic implants.

Yong Wang in his lab.


Commencement at the University of Connecticut is a time of cere-mony and pageantry, a time for marking academic achievements,

and a time to begin the next step in life. On May 9, 2010, family andfriends gathered to witness the formal completion of college degrees,an annual rite that marks students’ individual accomplishments.

The CMBE Department was well represented at the 2010 Schoolof Engineering Commencement Ceremony. Ranjan Srivastava, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, acted as the PlatformPersonal Marshal and was followed by many other faculty partici-pants, including Leon Shaw (Student Marshal), Benjamin Wilhite (Student Marshal), Rampi Ramprasad, Leslie Shor, Jeffrey McCutcheon and Department Head, Barry Carter.

This year’s Student Commencement Speaker, Andrew LaTour,was a Chemical Engineering graduate. He was chosen out of sixscholars through a selection process that entailed a written submis-sion of his speech as well as an in person presentation. All candidateswere judged on content and presentation skills. Andrew was selectedbecause his “message was down to earth,” says Brian Schwarz, Director of Advising.

Both Chemical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineeringprograms at the University of Connecticut provides its graduates witha secure foundation upon which they can build their professional andacademic careers. This year’s graduates are no exception. Many willbe pursuing challenging positions in the corporate and academic arenas. Some of our 2010 class will explore the world; others willstart new careers in Connecticut. Here is a small example of whereour graduates will engage in their next great accomplishments.

• Westinghouse Electric Company• Unilever• United Technologies Corporation Power• MPR• Sikorski Aircraft Corporation• Logos Technologies• 3M• Purdue University• Yale University• University of Pennsylvania• University of Connecticut

2010 Commencement

Chemical Engineering Graduates Left to Right Casey Chartier, AndrewLaTour, Matthew Snipes, Gregory Honda. Photos by Orlando Echevarria.

Non-Profit Org.US Postage Paid

Permit 3Storrs, CT 06269Department of Chemical, Materials

& Biomolecular Engineering191 Auditorium Road, Unit 3222Storrs, CT 06269-3222

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Address service requested

The Hartford chapter of ASM Interna-tional recently organized the third

Hartford Area Materials Camp, which tookplace within the Institute of Materials Science at UConn on April 12. With 69 students and six teachers from the University High School of Science and Engineering, Hartford Public High School'sAcademy of Engineering and Green Technology, and Wilbur Cross CT ScholarsAcademy, the number of students exceeded the participation of the two previous camps. The aim of the half-daycamp is to introduce materials scienceand engineering to high-school students.According to the teachers, the opportunityto visit a university campus and to interactwith college students and faculty has avery positive impact on the students.

This year’s camp featured eight learningstations that were staffed by industry representatives and UConn faculty as well as graduate students. The learningstations included a wide variety of materi-als science and engineering aspects, including casting and heat treating, welding and shape memory alloys. Over 20 MSE undergraduate and graduate students volunteered for this camp as tourlearning station assistants. In addition, the UConn Material Advantage Chaptershowcased selected demos from their outreach collection. For the first time,more schools were interested in partici-pating in the camp than the facilities andstations would allow, and a fourth camp istherefore planned for the near future.

Third Annual Hartford Area Materials Camp

CMBE CoMBinE Spring 2010

Documents

Transcript of CMBE CoMBinE Spring 2010