April 2015

In the News
'Defective' Graphene Could Filter Water, Improve Fuel Cells MORE>

Architectural engineering alumna Liss to lead DTZ's U.S. East Region MORE>

Students build a better greenhouse to grow a better world MORE>>

Computer engineering junior Nash talks advantages of having a mentor MORE>>

Civil engineering alumnus named executive VP of Conewago Enterprises MORE>>

Kathryn Jablokow weighs in on massive open online courses MORE>>

3-D Printing Club provides opportunities for students to engage with unique technology MORE>>

Penn State researchers are revolutionizing solar panels MORE>>

Computer science alumnus Walnock named Consumable Science CTO MORE>>

Montasser to work at Shazam as part of fellowship MORE>>

Kearney named to DiscoverE New Faces of Engineering College Edition MORE>>

Barrientos and Wigenfield named DiscoverE New Faces of Engineering honorees MORE>>

Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program presents inkjet test strips at Smithsonian MORE>>

LionTech Rocket Labs shares passion and success MORE>>
Recognitions and Awards
Freeman honored for fostering diversity, creating inclusive environment MORE>>

Heinemann elected to agricultural and biological society board of trustees MORE>>

Women in Engineering Program honors outstanding students MORE>>

Szoch and Slavtcheff take second place at Penn State Idea Pitch Competition MORE>>

Center for Nanotechnology Education & Utilization recognized for leadership in higher education MORE>>
 
Two engineers selected to receive Alumni Achievement Award MORE>>

Penn State honors three graduate students for excellence and leadership MORE>>

Students win multiple awards at national AE design competition MORE>> 
Around the College
Penn State selected for national Solar Ready Vets program MORE>>

Latest NSF rankings: Penn State scores high in broad range of research fields MORE>>

Engineering ranked 25th in U.S. News graduate rankings MORE>>

STATEWARE pairs students with researchers, creates beneficial partnerships MORE>>

Cyclist puts pursuit of degree on hold to chase Olympic dreams MORE>>

Second start gives nuclear engineering student opportunity to change his life path MORE>>

Joshi and Chandra look to expand study abroad opportunities for industrial engineering students MORE>>

Monga will use $500K award to help catch pirates MORE>>

Dell gift provides equipment to aspiring computer engineers MORE>>

Chemical, biomedical engineering to share a new home MORE>>

Industrial engineers visit France to study healthcare delivery systems MORE>>

Hasyim and Kamat headed to German research internship program MORE>>

Electrical engineering grad student balances research and service activities MORE>>

Tucker to study large-scale social media data during summer Air Force fellowship MORE>>
Upcoming Events
April 17: Silicon Happy Valley MORE>>

April 20: Bower Laureate Seminar MORE>>

April 21: Distinguished Air Products Scholar Series Seminar MORE>>

April 28: Engineering Systems Program Distinguished Lecture MORE>>

May 4: College of Engineering Design Showcase MORE>>

May 8: Undergraduate Commencement

May 10: Graduate Commencement

July 22-23: Facility Topics for Today's Professional Engineer MORE>>
CoverPhoto
About this month's cover photo:
Students share their research with faculty, peers, and industry at the 12th annual College of Engineering Research Symposium.

For more photos from College of Engineering events, follow us on Flickr.
Story6Miller and Moore Receive $700K to Develop New Surgical Resident Training
Program to be implemented at Penn State Hershey Medical Center
Scarlett Miller, assistant professor in the School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs and the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, and Jason Moore, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, were awarded a Research Project Grant of $698,178 from the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

 

Miller and Moore are co-principal investigators on the three-year project titled, "Dynamic Haptic Robotic Training for Central Venous Catheter Insertion."

 

The goal of the research project is to develop, test and implement an innovative new training method that uses a programmable robot to apply force to a surgical resident's hand in order to mimic how it feels when inserting a needle into a patient. Miller and Moore believe this system will improve the efficiency of residents in performing central venous catheter insertions and will help build their skills and confidence before carrying out these interventions on patients.

 

LINK TO FULL STORY>>  

 
Story6New School Forms Association Between Electrical Engineering, Computer Science
Advantages include curricula integration, strategic recruitment, improved collaboration
The Penn State Board of Trustees has approved the creation of a new School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering, effective immediately. The new school is an association between the electrical engineering and computer science and engineering departments.

 

"Both departments are very successful in education, research and service and have strong leadership," said Amr Elnashai, The Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering. "A formal association between the two departments as part of a school will create additional opportunities, including more effective integration of the curricula, better coordination of graduate student recruitment, more strategic hiring at the interface between electrical engineering and computer science, improved collaboration in interdisciplinary research and greater student access to the expanded curricula offered by the other department."

 
Story5College Joins National Effort to Graduate Grand Challenge Engineers
Students will develop solutions to real-world problems with their global project partners
Penn State's College of Engineering is among more than 120 U.S. engineering schools leading a transformative movement in engineering education announced at the White House on March 23.

 

In a letter presented to President Barack Obama, Penn State and peer institutions committed to establish special educational programs designed to prepare undergraduates to solve "Grand Challenges"-complex yet achievable goals to improve national and international health, security, sustainability and quality of life in the 21st century.

 

Together, the schools plan to graduate more than 20,000 formally recognized "Grand Challenge Engineers" over the next decade.

 

LINK TO FULL STORY>>   
Story3Urbina Forging Relationships Between Peruvian Universities, Penn State
Associate professor of electrical engineering builds strong ties with his native country
Julio Urbina is building strong educational ties between Penn State and his native Peru. The associate professor of electrical engineering was recently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach and conduct research in Peru. While there, he intends to forge a link between the two countries beyond a shared stage of academics.

In March, Urbina left State College to teach for a semester at his undergraduate alma mater, the Universidad Nacional de Ingenier?a in Lima. He will join two of his graduate students who are helping him build and launch a new radar in Huancayo. Their work will aid in the study of targets such as meteors and plasma irregularities in the Equatorial ionosphere.  

 

LINK TO FULL STORY>>    

 
Story1Researchers Use Sound to Separate Cancer Cells from Blood Samples
Acoustic-based separations are non-invasive and do not alter or damage cells
Separating circulating cancer cells from blood cells for diagnostic, prognostic and treatment purposes may become much easier using an acoustic separation method and an inexpensive, disposable chip, according to a team of engineers.

 

"Looking for circulating tumor cells in a blood sample is like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Tony Jun Huang, professor of engineering science and mechanics. "Typically, the CTCs are about one in every one billion blood cells in the sample."

 

Existing methods of separation use tumor-specific antibodies to bind with the cancer cells and isolate them, but require that the appropriate antibodies be known in advance. Other methods rely on size, deformability or electrical properties. Unlike conventional separation methods that centrifuge for 10 minutes at 3000 revolutions per minute, surface acoustic waves can separate cells in a much gentler way with a simple, low-cost device.

    

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