New Research Awards - Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department

02/03/09- Professors Gary Friedman (ECE) and Alex Fridman, Nyheim Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering, have just received a new grant from DARPA for their project, “Wound Healing Evaluations of Plasma Technology”. This is a collaborative project between Drexel University, University of Miami (School of Medicine, specializing in wound care for military) and the General Electric Corporation. The total budget for the 1.5-year award is $ 2M and the Drexel portion is $500,000.

Fall 2008 New Research Awards

12/22/08-Dr. Alisa Morss-Clyne has been awarded the prestigious NSF-CAREER Award. The research objective of this project is to use glucose-induced alterations in endothelial cells and basement membrane to investigate integrated biochemical (growth factor) and biomechanical (shear stress) interactions within the endothelial cell. This research will improve our understanding of integrated,
three-dimensional vascular biology, to develop targeted pharmaceutical therapies that decrease cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The educational objective of this project is to inspire students, especially women and underrepresented minorities, to explore engineering careers by providing biomedical discovery opportunities coupled with intergenerational mentoring. Outreach programs will use one of the most fascinating engineering systems, the human body, to demonstrate to students from diverse backgrounds how engineers can help solve societal challenges. The total budget for this 4-year program will be $400,000.

Summer 2008 New Research Awards

08/13/08- Dr. MinJun Kim (PI, MEM) has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (OISE & CMMI) to initiate a collaborative research in the participation of Semmelweis University in Hungary. The objective of this project is to characterize the motion of Tetrahymena pyriformis for cell-based actuation and sensing in low Reynolds number fluidic environments. This project extends and complements the ongoing research by introducing a new cell-based actuation for biological sensing systems. The budget for this one-year project is $26,000, which will be used for exchanging undergraduate and graduate students between Drexel University and Semmelweis University.

08/07/08- Drs. Young Cho (PI) and Alexander Fridman (Co-PI), both of the MEM Department, have just been awarded a new grant by the Department of Energy for their project entitled "Application of Spark Pulses for Scale Prevention and Continuous Filtration Methods." In this project, the Drexel researchers will develop a new scale-prevention technology by continuously precipitating and removing dissolved mineral ions in cooling water. Removal of the dissolved mineral ions would allow power plants to increase the number of times that the water could be recycled before it would be discharged reducing the plants blow-down by approximately 25 percent. This three-year project will receive a total funding amount of $1,004,174.

08/04/08- Dr. MinJun Kim (PI, MEM) has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (CBET: Fluid Dynamics Program) for his project entitled, “Biologically Inspired Robotic Microswimmers.” Drexel is the leading institution in this collaborative research project with Brown University. The objective of the research program is to understand the fundamental scientific principles that govern the assembly and operation of flagella-propelled devices (both single swimmers and collectively-powered devices), as well as to demonstrate the enabling technologies necessary to harness polymeric protein nanostructures such as bacterial flagellar filaments on microstructures for use in micron-scale engineered propulsion system. The budget for this 3-years project is $500K.

Spring 2008 New Research Awards

06/02/08- Dr. Kimberly Cook-Chennault, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics department, has received a Drexel University Faculty Career Development Award for her project entitled, "Multifunctional and Energetic Materials: Investigations of Micro and Nano Scale Composite Materials, and Their Application to Real World Problems". The objective is to create a new, effective route to the design and development of 0-3 connectivity piezoelectric composites will be investigated using numerical and experimental methods. Her plan hopes to include a possible GE/Drexel collaboration may arise within the Laser Group or within a group studying sensors and actuators.

05/15/08- Drs. Jack Zhou (PI, MEM), and Peter I. Lelkes (Co-PI, BioMed) have received a grant from the National Science Foundation for their project entitled, “GOALI, Collaborative Research: Design and Manufacturing of Bioactive Surgical Fixation Devices Using Injection Molding of Gradient Cellular Structures.”Drexel is the leading institution in this GOALI collaborative research project with industrial partner Arthrex Inc., Georgia Institute of Technology and Cooper Union. The research objective of this award is to investigate novel surgical fixation devices (screw, anchor, plate, pin, staple, etc.) that not only secure a graft in place, but incorporate bioactive materials such as growth factors, healing drugs, and cells, intended to promote bone tissue growth. The budget for this 3-year project is $576,379 with Drexel receiving $360,506.

04/29/08- Dr. MinJun Kim (CoPI, MEM, Dr. Mira Olson, PI, CAEE) has been awarded the USDA equipment grant which will be used to purchase real-time PCR equipment for qualification of environmental pathogens. The award is for $50,000.

04/29/08-Dr. MinJun Kim has been selected as a recipient of a Drexel University Career Development Award, which will serve to organize a working group of collaborators in Imperial College of London and National Institute of Standards and Technology to visit Drexel concurrently to discuss a potential collaborative research project as well as offer a "two-day" workshop to introduce development of nanomanufacturing, single molecule analysis for nucleic acids and biomimetic design and fabrication of organic-inorganic nanoarchitectures for faculty, students, and post docs at Drexel. The award is for $10,000.

Winter 2008 New Research Awards

02/07/08- Dr. Alisa Morss-Clyne (PI, MEM) and Dr. Mahesh Sharma (Co-Pi, Drexel University School of Medicine, Surgery Department) were awarded a PA Department of Public Health GRID Award (Grants for Research Impact at Drexel) for their research project entitled "Vascular Complications in Diabetes: Effect of High Glucose Extracellular Matrix Alterations on Angiogenesis." The purpose of this project is to study how high blood sugar levels contribute to increased cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes. The award was for $73,000 for one year.

02/4/08- Dr. B.C. Chang (PI, MEM) was awarded funding from the Army Research Laboratory for his research project entitled “Control of Flying Munitions Using DSP Microprocessors”. The objective of the research is to develop embedded digital signal processing and control technology relevant to sensing, navigation, and control of flying munitions systems. The award was for $185,898 for two years.

01/31/08-Dr. Alexander Fridman (PI, MEM), in partnership with Ceramatec Corporation (Salt Lake City, UT), recently received funding from the US Department of Defense to develop a plasma system on board of military vehicle that will generate hydrogen from the production of JP-8 fuel. The Drexel portion of this $2.3M, two-year project is $700K.

12/27/07-Dr. Moses Noh (PI - MEM) received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his project entitled, “Engineering a Liver Sinusoid Functional Unit.” The objective of this project is to generate an innovative human liver model (bioreactor) that closely mimics the liver sinusoid functional unit. Microfabrication and microfluidics technologies will be combined with cell culture technology in collaboration with Dr. Michael Bouchard (BioChem, DUCOM) to create an authentic human liver model. The total budget for this project is $458,846.

12/27/07-Drs. Moses Noh (PI, MEM) and Mun Choi (Co-PI, MEM) were recently awarded funding from the National Science Foundation for their project entitled, “Micro-Fluidics Laboratory (MFL) Modules and Kits for Undergraduate Education.” The objective of this project is to develop and test a set of laboratory modules and kits that will allow engineering and science undergraduate students to explore microscale fluid behaviors and microfluidic devices. This will also be one of many ways Mun will continue his interactions with our college after assuming his new role as the Dean of Engineering at UConn. This grant is a 2-year project with a budget of $150K.

12/17/07-Dr. Moses Noh (PI, MEM) in collaboration with Dr. Francis Kralick (Neurosurgery) recently received funding from National Institute of Health for their project entitled “Implantable Microdevice for the Treatment of Hydrocephalus.” The objective of this project is to develop an implantable microdevice analogous to the native biological valve that diverts excessive cerebrospinal fluid from the subarachnoid space to the sagittal sinus. If successful, the project will open a new era in the treatment of hydrocephalus, which is one of the most frequently encountered problems in neurosurgery. The budget for this two-year R21 program is $387,297.

Fall 2007 New Research Awards

12/04/07- Dr. MinJun Kim, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics department, has received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his project entitled, "CAREER: The Integration of Biomolecular Motors for Bacterial Actuation, Sensing, and Transport (BAST) at Micro/Nanoscale." The objective is to demonstrate the use of flagellated bacteria as controllable, reconfigurable elements in a microfluidic network of microengineered systems and to adapt polymeric protein nanostructures such as bacterial flagellar filaments for use in nanoscale devices. His educational plan includes offering a course in the emerging technologies in nanoscale manufacturing and metrology for engineering and technology creating enormous potential for increasing student learning experiences. The CAREER research program will be initiated from March 1, 2008. The budget for the CAREER research program is $400K for 5 years. The budget for the CAREER research program is $400K for 5 years.

10/15/07- Dr. Paul Oh (PI, MEM) in partnership with researchers from Virginia Tech, UPenn, Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr College, and international partner Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) were recently awarded the NSF-PIRE: Partnerships for International Education and Research award for their project entitled “PIRE: Humanoids - Universally Accessible Infrastructures to Advance Capabilities.” This international partnership with KAIST will bring leading roboticists from the US and Korea together to advance state-of-the-art humanoid robotics. The project will result in infrastructures that will produce far-reaching broader impacts and will enable humanoids to work and socially interact with people. The outreach plan includes collaborations with industry partners, exhibitions at the Philadelphia Please Touch Museum (400,000 visitors annually), and K-12 activities that serve to inspire and motivate students to pursue science and engineering careers. The budget for this five-year project is $2.5M.

Summer 2007 New Research Awards

PI: Dr. Nick Cernansky
Co-PI (s): Dr. Dave Miller
Org: U.S. Army Research Office
Title: Preignition Chemistry of Xylenes and Their Effect on JP-8 Surrogates
Amount: $50,000
Duration: 9 months

PI: Dr. Alex Fridman

Co-PI (s): Dr. Alex Gutsol

Org: Chevron Energy Technology Company

Title: Energy Conversion and Suppression of Emission of Greenhouse Gases

Amount: $250,483

PI: Dr. Alex Fridman

Co-PI (s): Dr. Alex Gutsol, Dr. Victor Vasilets

Org: Cerionx, Inc.

Title: Investigating Phenomena and Developing Improvements to the Cerionx Tipcharger

Amount: $91,876

PI: Dr. Alex Fridman

Co-PI (s): Dr. Alex Gutsol

Org: Princeton University

Title: Development of Non-Equilibrium Plasma Flame Kinetic Mechanism and Its Validation

Amount: $185,000

08/08/07-Dr. Selcuk Guceri (PI), Dr. Freddie Reisman (Co-PI, Goodwin), Ms. Joanne Ferroni (Co-PI, MEM), and Mun Choi (Co-PI, MEM) received a MSP grant from the School District of Philadelphia to train 32 Middle and High School teachers in science and math education. In this program, Drexel faculty and staff will provide grade-specific classes, labs and lectures related to renewable energy, environment, astronomy, and landforms. The motivation for this program is to introduce teachers to develop creative methods to incorporate engineering concepts into their science curriculum. This is a renewable one year grant with a budget of $107,000. The MSP represents another example of our effective outreach programs to K-14 institutions in the Delaware valley region.

Spring 2007 New Research Awards

5/22/07- Drs. Wei Sun (PI, MEM), Ken Barbee (Co-PI, Biomed) and Michele Marcolongo (Co-PI, MSE) were recently awarded funding from the National Science Foundation for their project entitled, “Study Bio-Deposition Induced Effect on Living Cells.” This grant provides funding for research and development of a scientific and engineering knowledge base for studying the effect of bio-deposition process on living cells. If successful, this project will lead to developing new techniques and tools that help the advancement of emerging cell-based bio-fabrication for broad applications in therapeutic products, biochips, biosensors, and microfluidic systems. This grant is a 3-year project with a budget of $225K.

Winter 2007 New Research Awards

3/9/07- Drs. Jack Zhou (PI, MEM), and Peter I. Lelkes (Co-PI, BioMed) have received a grant from the National Science Foundation for their project entitled, “Collaborative Research: Electrowetting Micro Array Printing System for Bioactive Tissue Construct Manufacturing.” Drexel is the leading institution in this collaborative research project with Duke University and Cooper Union. The objective of the project is to investigate the process of electrowetting on dielectric as an advanced manufacturing technology for tissue engineering. An electrowetting-based microfluidics array printing system is proposed to rapidly print chitosan hydrogel and other biomaterials to build micro porous scaffolds with predefined structures, cells, and growth factors in high resolution (< 10 micrometer). The budget for this 3-year project is $534,611 with Drexel receiving $284,980.

1/16/07- Dr. Alex Fridman and his colleagues were awarded a DARPA grant entitled “Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Electrical Discharge Plasma for Non-Surgical Treatment of Skin Diseases.” The aim of this project is to develop rapid, non-surgical applications of plasma treatment for wounds and skin diseases. The process is achieved by directly applying plasma to living tissue. This type of treatment is a novel discovery and is paving the way for new applications in the plasma-medical field. Dr. Gary Fridman (ECE) serves as a Co-PI on this 4 year project with a budget of $150K.

1/16/07- Dr. Alex Fridman received a grant from Air Products and Chemicals entitled “Application of NF3 Plasma in Electronics.” Alex Gutsol (MEM) serves as a Co-PI on this project. The project is related to fundamental understanding of novel plasma-technologies applied in electronics. The first year portion for Drexel is $80K with a two year grant from Air Products and Chemicals to support the project upwards of $185K.

1/3/07- Prof. Mun Choi was awarded a NASA grant to continue his work on "Flame Extinction of Flames in Microgravity Platforms”. Through this work Dr. Choi is collaborating with scientists at UCSD, UC-Davis, and Princeton University to enhance the understanding of burning and radiation effects and to develop effective strategies for flame extinguishment in spacecrafts. These experiments are scheduled to be performed aboard the International Space Station in 2009 in the MUDC module for which Dr. Choi helped to define the design elements and science requirements. Drexel’s portion of the three year grant is $260K.

1/3/07-Mun Choi (MEM), Brian Keech (Gov’t Affairs), David Wilson (Gov’t Affairs), Paul Oh (MEM), Franco Capaldi (MEM), Kimberly Cook-Chennault (MEM) and Tiffany Miller (MEM) were awarded a grant (one year grant with a budget of $100K) from the State of Pennsylvania to provide education and outreach activities for energy conservation in homes in West Philadelphia. Drexel University will work with the Office of State Senator Anthony Williams and the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia to assist lower-income families. This project helps to develop and to demonstrate Drexel University’s commitment to working with our neighbors to improve the region.

Fall 2006 New Research Awards

9/20/06-Prof. Mun Choi (MEM), Prof. Mary Jo Grdina (School of Ed), and Joanne Ferroni (MEM) were recently awarded a State of PA education grant entitled, “Math and Science Partnerships with the School District of Philadelphia.” Through this program, middle school teachers are trained in the topics of Solar Energy and Landforms through experiential learning. This activity is also an excellent example of our involvement with the community and local school districts. The budget for this one year project is $95K.

9/19/06- Prof. Mun Choi (MEM), Prof. Moshe Kam (ECE), and Prof. Kapil Dandekar (ECE) were recently awarded a NSA grant entitled, “Information Assurance Scholarship Program and Institutional Capacity Building.” This program will support two graduate students (ECE and IST) and provide funds to develop an anechoic chamber for telecommunications and networking research. The budget for this one year project is $214K.

Summer 2006 New Research Awards

6/22/06- Jaydev P. Desai (PI) and Alan Lau of the MEM Department were recently awarded an NIH grant entitled “Data-Driven Real Time Surgical Simulation from Reality-Based Soft Tissue Models”. This project, which is funded through the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and BioEngineering, holds tremendous promise for advancing medical robotics. The budget for this 4-year project is $1,225,602.

6/22/06- Young Cho (PI), Alex Fridman, and Alex Gutsol, MEM, were recently awarded a Dept. of Energy grant entitled “Application of Electrical Field and Plasma for Advanced Cooling and Water Recovery”. The application of electrical fields and plasmas can enhance the efficiency of heat exchangers through the reduction of scale buildup. This technology can also be used as an effective and inexpensive means to provide clean drinking water in developing countries. The budget for this 3-year project is $450K.

Spring 2006 New Research Awards

5/9/06- Mun Choi (MEM Department Head), Yury Gogotsi (MSE), Bradley Layton (MEM), Athina Petropulu (ECE), and Fredricka Reisman (Goodwin) were recently awarded an NSF grant entitled “Research Experiences for Teachers in Emerging Technologies.” The grant is a 3-year project with a budget of $450K, in which 20 teachers per year from the Philadelphia region will be trained in experiential learning through laboratory discovery. It is representative of the College of Engineering and MEM Department’s initiatives in working with the School District of Philadelphia for teacher professional development and improvements in K-12 STEM education. Joanne Ferroni (Director of Outreach, MEM) provided valuable contributions in the writing of the proposal and in implementing the program during the past three years that made this competitive renewal proposal possible.

4/27/06-The MEM Department received a new site program from the Dept. of Education for the Graduate Assistantships in the Area of National Need (GAANN) entitled: “GAANN Fellowships in Biomedical Applications in Engineering” (Mun Choi, PI). Co-PIs: Yury Gogotsi, Michele Marcolongo, Jaydev Desai, Kimberly Cook, Franco Capaldi, Tiffany Miller, Moses Noh, Bradley Layton, Freddie Reisman (Goodwin) were awarded $400,000 to provide fellowship support for Ph.D. students for stipend and tuition.

4/13/06- Dr. Howard Pearlman, MEM Associate Professor, was awarded a new NSF CCLI Exploratory Grant to integrate sports into the engineering undergraduate curriculum. The grant process was extremely competitive; 844 proposals were submitted of which only 8% were awarded! This is a collaborative effort between Drexel, Rowan and Gloucester County College. The award amount is $175,000 for three years.

3/17/06- Dr. Paul Oh was selected by Boeing as a 2006 Welliver Fellow, a highly selective program designed for young faculty that is Boeing’s equivalent of the Young Investigator Program offered by many government agencies. Each year, Fellows are hosted by Boeing to help develop cutting edge research and to better prepare tomorrow's graduates to practice world-class engineering. The program networks Fellows and Boeing peers that can form the basis of long-term relationships that involve research programs, educational offerings, and opportunities for our students to participate in development programs.

Past Fellows include distinguished faculty at top engineering schools including Dimitri Mavris (Georgia Tech), Rakesh Kapania (Virginia Tech), Alison Flatau (Univ. Maryland), Anastasios S. Lyrintzis (Purdue) and Philip J. Morris (Penn State).

3/9/06- Profs. Eli Fromm and Adam Fontecchio received the National Science Foundation GK-12 grant of $615,523 for FY 2006 with a total of $1,847,998 expected by the end of FY 2008 for the project entitled, "Track 1, GK-12: Engineering as a Contextual Vehicle for Science and Mathematics Education." This project will be under the direction of Eli Fromm (ECE), Adam K. Fontecchio (ECE), Mary Jo Grdina (School of Education), Mun Young Choi (MEM) and William F. Lynch (School of Education). This program will provide fellowships for outstanding graduate students who are interested in broadening their educational experiences while pursuing their engineering degrees at Drexel University. Joanne Ferroni (MEM Director of Outreach) prepared this successful proposal and assists in every aspect of MEM's outreach activities.

3/7/06- A.J. Drexel Plasma Institute has just received two new grants on Hydrogen production- one of the important research directions of the Institute. One of the grants is from the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research and entitled, “Hydrogen Production by H2S Decomposition in Plasma” and the second one is from W2 Company entitled, “Hydrogen Production by Plasma Conversion of Biomass”. The combined budget for these grants is $360K for 1.5 years. Prof. Alex Fridman (MEM) will serve as the PI and Dr. Alex Gutsol as the co-PI.

3/7/06- Tein-Min Tan (PI), Alan Lau (Co-PI), Jonathan Awerbuch (Co-PI) were recently awarded an FAA contract entitled, “An Analytical and Experimental Study of Widespread Fatigue Damage in Aircraft Fuselage”. This project involves experimental and computational investigations of crack propagation and methods to mitigate damage. The budget for this 3-year project is $644,000 and will work to further enhance the collaboration with FAA that had started by this investigation team.

3/7/06- Prof. Sorin Siegler (PI) received an R21 grant from NIH. The grant entitled, “Skeletal Development of Clubfoot Treatment,” focuses on a non-operative serial casting procedure used to correct congenital infant clubfoot deformity (Ponseti Technique). This 2 year grant with a budget of $405,000 is a collaborative effort that will also involve Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania, and Royal Columbian Hospital of Canada as subcontractors to Drexel.

Fall 2005 New Research Awards

9/1/05- Dr. Paul Oh has received a new award from the Department of Defense for his project "Networked Control of Airborne and Ground Robots for Battlefield Medical Assistance". This one-year project is budgeted at $325,130 with the objective to design, test and evaluate a reliable, robust and re-configurable system suitable for robotically delivering medical treatment in battlefields or disaster zones. Towards this, manned and unmanned airborne and terrestrial vehicles, miniature wireless sensor nodes, imaging and ultra-wideband radar will be networked and controlled.

9/1/05- Dr. Mun Choi (MEM), Dr. Moshe Kam (ECE), and Mr. Stephen Cox (Provost's Office) have been awarded the Information Assurance Fellowship grant by the National Security Agency. The purpose of this grant is to provide support for research and training in information assurance. The grant will be used to support both undergraduate and graduate students. The budget for the one year renewable project is $209K.

7/2/05- 2005 MEM Senior Design Project Leads to EPA Grant
A 2005 MEM Senior Design team has been chosen as the recipients of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) P3 Award...

Summer 2005 New Research Awards

6/22/05- Dr. Paul Oh, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department, has been awarded an equipment grant valued over $20,000 from National Instruments. The hardware/software package will be used to run the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) Test Rig in the Bossone Research Center.

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