2013-14 RENSSELAER ENGINEERING

Education with a World View

2013-14 RENSSELAER

ENGINEERING

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School of Engineering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th Street Troy, NY 12180-3590 USA eng.rpi.edu Opinions expressed in these pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the policies of the Institute. ©2013 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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Dear alumni and friends: Dr. David Rosowsky, who served as the Dean of Engineering at Rensselaer for the last four years, was recently appointed Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Vermont. Dr. Rosowsky’s many accomplishments in the School of Engineering include: establishing three new School of Engineering Centers with more than $1 million in funding, advocacy, mentoring, and development of new faculty, establishing a central student services center (known as the Hub), and developing closer relationships with alumni. We wish him the best in his new assignment and applaud his continued passion for higher education. In this issue we highlight two broad initiatives in the School of Engineering to develop tomorrow’s engineers to meet challenges of national and global interest. The first feature article entitled, “Education with a World View,” describes the pedagogical innovations in courses from multiple departments and a broad array of learning opportunities available to engineering students. You will read about the use of education technology to eliminate boundaries between theory and practice, and access to state-of-the-art laboratories. The second article entitled, “Educational and Community Outreach,” details the School of Engineering outreach to K-12 students in the STEM areas. For example, National Manufacturing Day is a new activity that has drawn much attention and is relevant to high-skill job creation. We are currently seeking an endowment to fund an expansion of the Manufacturing Innovation Learning Laboratory (MILL).[1] Personally I am excited to lead the School of Engineering through this period of enrollment and research growth. We continue to have a large group of high-quality incoming freshmen and graduate students. Our faculty, including many newly-recruited members in constellation, chaired, and junior positions, are highly productive. The Institute has launched the Rensselaer 2024 Plan which coincides with Rensselaer’s outreach to our alumni to encourage their increased involvement with Rensselaer’s future. As always the School of Engineering stands ready to lead this effort. We thank you for your support and encourage you to more closely connect with your alma mater.

Joe H. Chow, Ph.D., P.E. Administrative Dean of Engineering

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For opportunities to support MILL and many other Engineering activities, please contact Mr. Richard Graw, Senior Advancement Officer for the School of Engineering at 518-276-4868 or [email protected].

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“The depth and breadth of experiences I have had here at Rensselaer have been tremendous.” Grace Tilton ‘14

BS, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Three season varsity athlete: Cross-country, Track and Field, and Swimming Member, Tau Beta Pi 2011 RPI Founders Award 2013 Barry Goldwater Scholarship

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National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award winners (2010-2013)

$50M+ in annual research expenditures

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Undergraduate students

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faculty members (tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and research)

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Early Career Awards among current faculty (e.g., NSF CAREER and other Young Investigator Awards)

17 Engineering focused research centers 2 NSF Engineering Research Centers

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graduate students

“I am interested in the optimization of pharmaceuticals and the arts—at Rensselaer I get to do both. This summer I WORKED with Professors Breneman and Cramer on insulin research, and I AM CURRENTLY THE president of the the music, arts, and culture club, Ground Zero.” Emily Ackerman ‘16

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BS, Chemical Engineering, In-House President, Ground Zero Treasurer, Resident Student Association

RENSSELAER

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Rensselaer Engineering ranked #26 (Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, 2013 USN&WR. six engineering graduate programs were ranked among the top 25)

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endowed chairs or professorships

Faculty Average annual research expenditures vectoring towards $400K per faculty

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550 freshman students participated in the “Honor the Code” induction

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degree programs (12 Undergraduate and 19 graduate)

“Working with Professor Koffas, I am rewiring E. coli’s metabolism to produce energy dense molecules that could be an alternative to fossil fuels.” Andrew Jones ‘17 PhD, Chemical Engineering

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Education with a World View Rensselaer not only prepares top university students to become premier engineers, but continually innovates curricula to prepare them to meet global challenges, sharing new pedagogical methods to build a better pipeline for students across the spectrum from K-12 education to entrepreneurship to workforce development.

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Increasingly, engineers will lead teams that not only work on solutions to the global challenges, but in all fields, so they will need skills beyond engineering expertise. They will need to be skilled communicators, facilitators, and lobbyists, working across disciplines to get the job done. Many will need to understand project finance, and be versed in public and private policy issues. They must be sensitive to both political and cultural differences, as they work increasingly with colleagues and projects across national boundaries. Tomorrow’s engineers must be comfortable working in such settings, so it is imperative their education today reflects these realities – beginning in early education and continuing through college, university, and workforce preparation. Learning without Limits It is no secret that today’s “wired” students learn differently, with multiple demands for

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Engineers for Tomorrow The call to educate professionals in technological fields has become more urgent in recent years with the graying of the workforce and the growing urgency and complexity of the challenges the world faces: stabilizing the American economy, creating jobs, and solving global challenges surrounding food, water, energy security, and the environment. President Obama issued a challenge to graduate 10,000 more American engineers per year, because the path to renewed prosperity must include major commitments to our nation’s infrastructure, to climate adaptation, and to energy security. All of these require engineers and engineeringrelated jobs.

their attention and time. They have grown up with handheld gaming platforms, smart phones and laptops, running multiple programs and communications channels simultaneously. Increased competition for their attention and a lessened ability to focus create serious challenges for educators to teach in more dynamic, compelling, and interactive ways, and to engage students and keep them focused in math and science classrooms – and in engineering laboratories.

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This is the way it works at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and it is just one example of the hands–on education and continuous curriculum innovation in the School of Engineering, the nation’s oldest engineering program. In addition to pedagogy for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff engage in exciting projects with broad reach beyond the university, bringing innovative tools, concepts and methods of instruction to K-12 students and teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), helping to prepare better teachers to build the pipeline of prospective university students in those fields. The School also involves undergraduate and graduate students in entrepreneurial activities in class and through extracurricular activities, and it reaches out to the wider community – locally and nationally

– to bring innovative ideas to workforce development, preparing workers for the new jobs that advancing technologies will bring.

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Rensselaer lecturer Josh Hurst, Class of ’02, snaps together a small, ungainly device: an axle and a pair of wheels, a direct current motor, and a microcontroller board. It looks like a mini-Segway. He flips a switch and stands it precariously on its wheels. Instead of falling over, the device begins tiny motions – back, forth, a bigger motion backward – and it is balancing itself, over and over. It is entrancing, and intriguing. Like the LegoTM toys many students grew up with, it is the perfect device to capture their attention and pique their curiosity – how does it do that? The hand-sized device is a sophisticated system of mechanical, electronic, and control components – with control algorithms developed by undergraduate research program students – and for the students who enroll this Fall in MANE 4490, Mechatronics, it will replace their textbooks. Instead, students will use the device outside of class to perform assigned lab experiments, and to tinker with on their own.

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Studio-based curricula began at Rensselaer in the 1990s. Today the Mobile Studio uses inexpensive hardware/software which, when connected to a computer, provides the functions of traditional classroom laboratory equipment.

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A sophisticated system of mechanical, electronic and control components in a hand-sized device replaces a textbook and encourages experimentation.

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School of Engineering faculty began to address this phenomenon in the 1990s by pioneering the studio classroom, and several years ago they began to create an instrumentationbased, collaborative studio environment that was flexible, re-configurable, and location independent. Thus was born the “Mobile Studio,” which aimed to develop and use educational technology to eliminate boundaries between theories provided in a lecture, and their practice; apply concepts in directed problem sessions; and enable and encourage students’ hands-on exploration of engineering principles, devices, and systems previously dedicated laboratory facilities. Today, the Mobile Studio project has developed technology-based pedagogy that uses inexpensive hardware/software which, when connected to a computer, provides the functions of laboratory equipment traditionally located in an instrumented classroom, such as oscilloscopes, function generators, multimeters, or power supplies. The Rensselaerdeveloped Mobile Studio IOBoard™ is a small hardware platform at about the cost of a textbook in a package the size of a cell phone. When used with its companion Mobile Studio Desktop™ software, the system can replace much of the hardware often used to teach

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ES URS CO Students work with the Rensselaer Mobile Studio as part of a 2012 STEM conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, led by Dr. Yacob Statke of Morgan State University.

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Rensselaer is one of 15 “collaboratory” sites that offer earthquake engineering researchers the opportunity to use a robust cyberinfrastructure to conduct advanced research.

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electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, and K-12 technology-related courses. The Mobile Studio frees schools from the expense of providing special purpose classrooms, because it can be used in any setting, even at home.

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The pedagogy developed with this technology allows instructors to link theory and practice through demonstration and hands-on laboratory experiences, while providing the ability to expand experimental activities beyond the classroom. Under a National Science Foundation grant for curriculum transformation in partnership with Howard University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the concept was first used at Rensselaer for two basic circuits/electronics courses: one for electrical, computer, and systems engineering majors, and one for other engineering disciplines. It was followed by similar courses at Howard and Rose-Hulman. After an evaluation process that involved observations of students and interviews with faculty and students, a valuable set of vetted Mobile Studio resources and pedagogy resulted that can be widely adopted by other schools and universities. 2 -1

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According to project leader Kenneth Connor, professor in the department of electrical, computer, and systems engineering and director of education and outreach for the Smart Lighting ERC, the vision was to develop and deploy affordable technology and learning materials to enhance STEM education while expanding studio pedagogy to environments no longer limited by equipment access or cost issues. The goal was to enable “tinkering” and hands-on exploration – fostering learning anyplace, anytime. The Mobile Studio gives students the ability to perform and further explore experiments at their own pace where and when they want, while providing educators with low-cost, innovative educational technology for use both in and outside the classroom, providing entirely new modes of educational delivery and new opportunities for learning not possible in traditional classroom settings. The concept is working. Besides its use at the NSF partner institutions, the Mobile Studio has spread to universities and community colleges across the United States, where it has been used for on-campus and distance education, and in high schools and summer research experiences for students and teachers. It is also well suited to pedagogy in developing nations, and has been used in universities in southwest India and sub-Saharan Africa. Broader Access to State-of-the-Art Laboratories State-of-the-art university facilities provide unparalleled opportunities for research, and researchers in the multidisciplinary Rensselaer Center for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (CEES), a member of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES), are making major contributions to the field. NEES was created by the National Science Foundation to aggressively move forward the development of improvements and innovations in infrastructure design and construction practices to prevent or minimize damages during earthquake or tsunami events.

Rensselaer is one of 15 “collaboratory” sites in the nation that offer earthquake engineering researchers and students the opportunity to use experimental equipment and a robust cyberinfrastructure to conduct advanced research of designs, materials, construction techniques, and monitoring tools toward the development of better and more cost-effective ways to mitigate earthquake damage. NEES also facilitates the education and development of the next generation of earthquake and tsunami engineers. Tarek Abdoun, the Thomas Iovino Chaired Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is a co-principal investigator of a collaborative National Science Foundation grant to develop a multi-institutional classroom learning environment for geotechnical engineering education. The project integrates state-ofthe-art experimental and educational tools into the undergraduate curriculum by using web-based technologies that enable real-time video monitoring, tele-control, and execution of experiments. It will provide students at three campuses – Southern Methodist University, Rensselaer, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte – with new tools for understanding theoretical geotechnical engineering concepts.

The goal was to enable “tinkering” – fostering learning anyplace, anytime. eng.rpi.edu | 9

The team developed a pilot educational model using the Rensselaer CEES 150 G-ton centrifuge facility, visual observations of the response of soil and soil-foundation systems, use of instrumentation, interpretation of data, and use of the facility’s 3D data viewer for analyzing the measured response. Cross-university student teams have been able to access, interpret, evaluate, and exchange relevant technical information via the Internet, thereby bringing major experimentation into undergraduate geotechnical engineering classes.

of nanoparticles, nanotubes or nanowires. The nanoscale suspensions have been shown to exhibit novel properties as compared to pure liquids, which arise from phenomena associated with the interaction between the nanometersized particles and the surrounding liquid.

The Experimental Soils course used the CEES centrifuge to examine the stability of a slope of dry sand and a shallow footing near the slope. The Rensselaer tools included the centrifuge, a rigid container with a front acrylic panel to view what happens to the model, and devices to measure the displacement of the footing in horizontal and vertical directions, pressure under the footing, laser sensors to track deformation of the slope surface, and the Center’s “in-flight robot” to load the footing to failure. A high-speed digital camera monitored the deformation of the slope through image processing.

The new course modules are offered in a laboratory setting, with mechanical engineering students and chemical engineering students performing experiments in at least one of the modules. The two departments’ lab instructors communicate and coordinate the lab offerings. Students have found these research-oriented modules a preferred venue to run their own experiments, so that they can demonstrate the ability to design and perform such experiments in the area of thermals and fluids – a key requirement for Rensselaer’s program accreditation.

Boiling Heat Transfer and Nanofluids Boiling heat transfer has a number of industrial applications, such as refrigeration, power generation, heat exchangers, cooling of high-power electronics components, and cooling nuclear reactors. Developing more energy-efficient heat-transfer fluids and improving process efficiency to reduce costs has been a goal of researchers for many years, and it is thought that nanofluids could play a key role in this process. One advantage of using nanofluids for heat transfer applications is the ability to alter their properties. A team of Rensselaer faculty is using a National Science Foundation grant to introduce this aspect of nanotechnology into the Thermal and Fluids curriculum using a multi-department, modular laboratory that encourages experimentation. The team consists of professor Amir Hirsa, associate professor Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc, and professor Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc of the department of Mechanical, Aeronautical, and Nuclear Engineering, and professor Joel Plawsky of the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Their goal is to introduce undergraduate students to aspects of nanoscale science and technology relevant to thermal and fluids engineering in a formal class environment using a discovery-driven approach.

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A new course using nanofluids introduces nanotechnology into the Thermal and Fluids curriculum using a multi-department, modular laboratory that encourages experimentation.

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Over the past three years the team has developed and implemented four experimental modules for Thermals and Fluids courses in two departments. The modules focus on visual demonstrations and hands-on activities around the study of thermal conductivity and boiling heat suspensions

Student involvement was built in to the process. The laboratory experiments for the course modules were created in part by undergraduate research program students and several Ph.D. candidates, who also developed the lab handouts as well as training videos. At the annual ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, undergraduate students presented work related to thermal conductivity and critical heat flux in nanofluids. High school students enrolled in an area outreach program called New Visions performed experiments with the modules T and presented their work at a conference. NANO S The Rensselaer team has also had a paper M RA about the new pedagogical approachOGaccepted R P in the International Journal of Mechanical TE Engineering Education. GR AD UA

These interactive course modules were a success, and the team plans to release them, along with their recorded data and video captures, to the geotechnical community. The project team plans to build on their success by applying for further NSF funding. The plan is to repeat similar loading tests every semester, with the participation of 6 to 8 schools.

Students playing “Energy Bingo”, created by mechanical engineering student Melanie Derby and technology teacher Carl DeCesare of Niskayuna High School.

Two requirements of the NSF GK12 program are publishing and the development of educational games, and the fellows and teachers have been quite successful with both. The game “Energy Bingo” was created by mechanical engineering student Melanie Derby and technology teacher Carl DeCesare of Niskayuna High School. It was published in Technology and Engineering Teacher in April 2011. Other games include “Gold Rush,” which explores the environmental and economic impacts of mining, and “Back to the Future,” which teaches students about past geologic events while preparing them for the New York State Science Regents exam. These games have been well received by high school students, teachers, and other members of the science and academic communities. All together, Katz and Borca-Tasciuc found that the grant’s activities improved the fellows’ speaking and communications skills and their ability to convey scientific discoveries to technical and non-technical audiences. A Growing Graduate Program in Nuclear Engineering NERSHIPS LEA PART The nuclear engineering program at Rensselaer is among the oldest RN ELLin the nation, dating back IN C EL Atomic Energy Commission to G W to the late 1950s when the university received a grant fromFUthe ITH construct a linear electron accelerator. It awarded its first nuclear engineering doctoral degree in O U 1962, and for several years graduated more nuclear engineering undergraduates than any other university in the United States. Currently about 150 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in Nuclear Engineering, and Rensselaer consistently rates among the top-ranked programs.

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Since the program began at Rensselaer in 2008, ten graduate fellows FUeach year were paired with EL schools. Over the fiveteachers from area high year life of the grant, approximately 5,500 high

The number of participating teachers swelled as the grant progressed, due to summer enrichment programs offered by Rensselaer to high school science and technology teachers. Over the course of three summers, approximately 35 local teachers attended energy-related workshops developed by the graduate fellows.

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school students in biology, physics, technology, earth science, and engineering classes were exposed to activities and cutting edge, emerging technologies in the areas of energy and the environment – things they might not have seen without this program.

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NSF developed the Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education Program (NSF GK12) to provide graduate students the opportunity to acquire the skills to prepare them for their professional and scientific careers, recognizing that, in addition to being competent researchers, they must be able to communicate science and research to a variety of audiences. As the graduate students bring their cuttingedge research into the K-12 classroom, they gain skills that enable them to explain science to people of all ages – students as well as their teachers. It is hoped that this exposure benefits all sides of the partnership.

In addition to being competent researchers, graduate students must be able to explain science to people of all ages— K-12 students as well as their teachers.

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Nuclear engineering students at the newly renovated 40 meter station of the Gaerttner Linear Accelerator (LINAC) Center. Given the global need for inexpensive and safe sources of energy, Rensselaer nuclear engineering graduates are in great demand for positions in the nuclear power industry, national laboratories, medicine, or national defense.

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Building Bridges from Grade School to Grad School As any parent knows, communicating with high school students can be a challenge. It can be even more challenging for university graduate students who are preparing for professional careers. Assistant professor Mimi Katz, of earth and environmental sciences, and associate professor Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc of the department of Mechanical, Aeronautical, and Nuclear Engineering, are implementing a six-year, $2.7 million National Science Foundation grant to link Rensselaer graduate students and their research to local high school students, not only to introduce them to advanced scientific concepts and emerging technologies, but to expose the graduate students to this challenging audience to share their research results.

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Professor Ozisik uses Rensselaer’s computational the new nantechnology courses he is developing

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Supported by NSF, the Regional Center for Semiconductor and Nanotechnology Education was established to fulfill the needs of nanotechnology and semiconductor manufacturing industries in New York State and Western New England.

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The need to educate more nuclear engineers to replace an aging workforce, and renewed attention toward energy security in the U.S has created a more attractive climate for nuclear education. In fact, Rensselaer nuclear engineering faculty have a rapidly expanding research portfolio, creating a need to attract more graduate research and teaching fellows, with 15 positions anticipated for Fall 2013. Associate professor of nuclear engineering Li (Emily) Liu and assistant professor Wei Ji are administering a nuclear fellowship grant program of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The grant is intended to develop and maintain the nuclear workforce by encouraging advanced training and experience for those entering the nuclear field. It is expected that fellowship opportunities will increase interest in graduate study and attract greater numbers, with more diversity in the student body. The program has succeeded in attracting more domestic students and women, and bringing them successfully through the program through consistent advisement and evaluation. 12 | Rensselaer Engineering

“Our vision is for Rensselaer to take full advantage of the current nuclear renaissance spurred by a national focus on energy security and environmental sustainability as well as ever-stronger demand for electricity in overseas markets,” said X. George Xu, program head of nuclear engineering. “We are in an important time of history when global economic prosperity and sustainability rely increasingly on advanced and safe nuclear technologies. There are unprecedented opportunities for our faculty and students to make substantial contributions in areas including advanced reactor design, nuclear safety, and medical use of nuclear technologies.”

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In the past decade, the need to educate more nuclear engineers to replace an aging workforce, and renewed attention toward energy security and environmental sustainability in the United States, has created a more attractive climate for nuclear education. The renewed interest in nuclear energy is also fueled by a strong demand for electricity in emerging overseas markets, especially in China and India, where new nuclear power plants are being constructed. Over the past five years, the nuclear power industry and the U.S. Department of Defense increased investment in nuclear engineering research, development and education at a level not seen in many years. Even the recent Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan is expected to bring an increased awareness of safety issues that will likely result in new research opportunities.

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The program covers nuclear fission and fusion engineering, electron accelerator physics and neutron physics, multiphase flow and reactor safety analysis, nuclear materials and fuel cycle, homeland security, and health/medical physics. It offers unique and state-of-the-art research facilities, and access to a critical reactor, the Gaerttner electron accelerator, and sophisticated computer interfacing technology. With the global need for inexpensive sources of energy, Rensselaer nuclear engineering graduates are in great demand in industry or academia, with career possibilities in space power propulsion, fusion reactor engineering, medicine, and national defense.

Given the global need for inexpensive and safe sources of energy, Rensselaer nuclear engineering graduates are in great demand for positions in the nuclear power industry, national laboratories, medicine, or national defense, Xu said. Toward Creating a Nanotechnology Workforce Over the past two years, Rahmi Ozisik, associate professor of materials science and engineering, has been working to develop the skill sets of the technical workforce by developing curricula and conducting outreach activities as part of the NSF Advanced Technology Education Regional Center for Semiconductor and Nanotechnology Education. The Center was established to fulfill the needs of nanotechnology and semiconductor manufacturing industries in New York State and western New England through development, demonstration, and utilization of

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Rensselaer is part of the Great Lakes Fuel Center Education Partnership, a National Science Foundation initiative to advance workforce development in the fuel cell industry in the Great Lakes region (including New York).

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modeling software XenoView (above) as part of with high school teachers.

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As part of this broader effort, Ozisik is developing nanotechnology courses suitable for community colleges and performing outreach to the general public and K-12 teachers and students. For secondary school teachers and community college faculty, he has organized and presented numerous workshops and multiple day- and weeklong education opportunities, and supported teachers’ attendance at major conferences around the country. For high school students and younger children, he has offered hands-on materialsrelated activities at area technology events and weeklong summer camps at Rensselaer.

In addition, Ozisik has given invited public lectures on Center activities, and he is creating computational models, with help from the high school teachers, to be used with the Rensselaer computational modeling software XenoView. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand his presentation of public lectures, hands-on activities, and displays at more local museums to enable further outreach to the general public and younger children. 2 M K-1 FRO

In response to the needs of the nanotechnology and semiconductor industries, the Center is developing related AAS and AS degree programs among its community college partners, on-the-job co-op and internshipbased training, distance learning options, and K-12 pipeline development. It also performs research in emerging workforce trends and training needs.

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Rensselaer is part of the Center’s collaborative partnership, which includes major corporations and universities such as GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, General Electric, SEMATECH, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, Hudson Valley Community College, regional BOCES, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), The State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT), and community colleges throughout the northeastern United States.

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new materials, curricula, and delivery methods by using the resources of academia, industry, and government.

Great Lakes Fuel Cell Education Partnership Daniel Lewis, associate professor of materials science and engineering, directs Rensselaer’s Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research Lab and is a member of the Center for Future Energy Systems. He also represents Rensselaer in the Great Lakes Fuel Center Education Partnership, a National Science Foundation initiative to advance workforce development in the fuel cell industry in the Great Lakes region (including New York) through curriculum enhancement, research, professional development, information sharing, and public understanding of emerging fuel cell power technologies. It is a collaborative effort among major colleges and universities, government, and fuel cell industry partners. The industry-driven partnership’s home is at Stark State College in Ohio, with more than $15.4 million raised to support it. Ohio was selected as the lead state because it is located within 600 miles of two-thirds of the U.S. population. Minorities represent 20% of the Great Lakes population, but the percentage is much higher in industrial urban areas. The region has been hit especially hard economically with the major loss of traditional manufacturing jobs, so providing training and retraining opportunities will promote diversity in the technical workforce. The Great Lakes Fuel Cell Education Partnership (www.fuelcelleducation.org) has three major goals: •

to research and develop innovative solutions for advancing fuel cell education and training in collaboration with high schools, colleges and universities, business and industry, government, and professional societies;

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to research and define essential technical skills to advance workforce development in fuel-cell related technologies and promote the creation of additional jobs;

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to serve as a national clearinghouse to share proven curriculum materials and foster public understanding of fuel cell related technologies, the hydrogen economy, and the importance of developing sustainable energy sources.

The partnership includes 11 colleges and universities and an industry advisory board, and has already assisted in the revision and establishment of laboratory experiments and class content at the high school, community college, and university levels; aggregated and reviewed curricular materials related to fuel cells and alternative energy; and conducted professional development workshops and seminars for high school and college teachers. To reach younger school children, partners have developed middle-school-level content on an interactive web site, City of Materials (cityofmaterials.net). eng.rpi.edu | 13

“Thank you RPI Engineering Ambassadors for making the day @ Berlin Jr./Sr. High school so worthwhile and meaningful. It was a wonderful day - thanks to you.”

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Facebook post: March 28, 2012 at 6:43pm Berlin InvenTeam

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“When my students got back from [Design Your Future Day], you should have heard their enthusiasm and eagerness to share…events like Design Your Future Day can motivate students for future success rather than mediocrity.” Joanne Coons, Environmental Science Shenendehowa High School East

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A Common Purpose Educational and Community Outreach

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Rensselaer was founded to teach individuals the “application of science to the common purposes of life” so that they could use–and teach to others– scientific methods to improve their communities. Today, this model of educational innovation and community outreach makes the School of Engineering and its faculty, staff and students valued resources to students, teachers and educational communities locally, nationally and in places around the world. We are working to build a better pipeline for the global technology workforce of tomorrow.

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n array of outreach programs of the Engineering Educational Outreach and Diversity Center and NSF-funded Rensselaer research centers, with assistance from civic, corporate and individual sponsors, aims to inspire a new generation of top engineering scholars and provide exceptional educational, community building, leadership and mentoring experiences. These efforts reach students from K-12 to undergraduate and graduate level as well as teachers and the greater community. The intent is to promote the development of the 21st century skills technology workers need: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, leadership, creativity, innovation and the application of technology. Here are some of the programs doing just that at Rensselaer. Welcoming the Community Reaching out to diverse communities to promote technology education is one mandate. Black Family Technology Awareness Day is a full-day program of hands-on workshops and speakers to interest area young people and families. Typically held during the February school break, this year’s event, STEM Fest 2013! Connecting Minds to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through Music & the Arts, featured workshops led by Rensselaer professors, students, alumni and community organizations.

Appealing to elementary-age children, Exploring Engineering Day offers hands-on explorations designed to spark the interest of young children in engineering and computer science. “The program also creates an opportunity for us to engage parents with interesting activities while providing them with step-by-step instructions, so that they may continue to work on these activities at home with their children,” said Barbara Ruel, director of diversity and women in engineering programs and program director. Over the past 10 years, the program has increased in both size and diversity. This year’s program was sponsored by Rensselaer, the Society of Women Engineers, and ExxonMobil. Design Your Future Day brings eleventh grade high school girls with an interest and aptitude in math and science to campus for a day of hands-on explorations, including dynamic and interactive hands-on sessions with faculty, graduate students, alumnae, and local practicing professionals—all designed to encourage young women to pursue technical careers. Plus, the girls get an inside peek into college life and how to prepare for a career through the eyes of current undergraduate women pursuing STEM majors. The program is led by the Women at Rensselaer Mentor Program, where first-year undergraduate women from all majors are matched with peer mentors. Thanks to the generous corporate sponsorship by BAE Systems and the Gene Haas Foundation, the program was offered at no cost to attendees. 16 | Rensselaer Engineering

National Manufacturing Day highlights the importance of manufacturing to the economy and draws attention to high-skill jobs in the field. More than 100 students from area high schools attended the activities and workshops at Rensselaer in October 2012, in a partnership with Hudson Valley Community College, the Chief Executives Network for Manufacturing of the Capital Region, and the Center for Economic Growth, as well as Haas-HFO Allendale Machinery, area chapters of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Ecovative Design, and New York State. Activities ranged from learning how a fuel cell works and interacting with the university’s fullscale Motoman industrial robot, to a LEGO®based demonstration of additive manufacturing and wearing a “bunny suit” for a tour of clean room facilities. Participating labs and centers were the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems, the Manufacturing Innovation Learning Lab, and the Center for Integrated Electronics’ Micro- and Nanofabrication Clean Room. Rockstar Robotics Interest in robotics is exploding, and for the seventh year, the FIRST LEGO® League Regional Qualifying Tournament was held at Rensselaer in December 2012 with 14 area elementary and middle school teams and more than 120 students competing to use their imaginations and creativity with science and technology to provide a solution to a real-world scientific issue. “This year’s challenge required robotics teams to partner with a person over the age of 60 and research innovative solutions to obstacles that keep seniors from having quality and engaging lifestyles in their communities,” said Paul Schoch, associate professor in the Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering department and director of the Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE). “Students love learning about something that is part of their life, and this competition encourages them to see the connections that such issues have to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.”

National Manufacturing Day: Area High School Students Attend Workshops at Rensselaer

Exploring Engineering Day: Hands-on Activities in Engineering and Computer Science

In Senior Solutions SM, robots were tasked with completing missions related to being independent, engaged and connected. These included using the robot to fix a chair, select the correct medication, work with service animals, turn off stove burners, exercise, and set up a video call. This year’s event was produced by Rensselaer, Hudson Valley FLL, and Time Warner Cable, which co-sponsored the event for the last three years through its Connect a Million Minds Initiative. More than 75 volunteers supported

Design Your Future Day: Eleventh Grade High School Girls with an Aptitude in Math and Science

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FIRST LEGO® League Regional Qualifying Tournament at Rensselaer

The Molecularium® Project unveiled NanoSpace®, an online “molecular theme park”

the tournament, including Rensselaer students, faculty and staff, along with area students from high school robotics teams. Successful teams had the chance to move on to the FIRST Lego League (FLL) World Festival and Championship with 30,000 fellow team members, volunteers and spectators held in April 2013 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. FLL is a partnership between the LEGO® Group and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to motivate young people to pursue careers in science, technology and engineering. Coming in December of 2013, Rensselaer will host the Hudson Valley FIRST® LEGO® League (HVFLL®) Regional Qualifying Tournament with the support of Dutchess Community College.

Young Scholars The NSF Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center educational outreach programs teach core engineering and scientific concepts of digital lighting technology and how it benefits humanity. Programs generally take place within informal educational settings and use expertise and resources from across its university partners.

A Worldwide Audience The Molecularium® Project (www.molecularium.com) is the flagship outreach and education effort of the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center, home of the NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures (from 2001-2012). The goal of the Molecularium project is to excite audiences of all ages, and especially young children, to explore and understand the molecular nature of the world around them by telling compelling stories, using experiential learning and unprecedented visualizations in immersive and interactive media.

One supported program is the Questar III New Visions High School STEM program; a one-year, honors-level program, for highly motivated, academically successful high school seniors. In this program, students attend a 3.5 hour block of classes on campus each day during their entire senior year. The innovative project-based curriculum gives students the opportunity to study science and engineering, contextualized with social studies and English. Plus, students interact with over 80 professionals each year, including researchers from Rensselaer and technology companies such as GE, SuperPower, and Benet Labs. This unique blend of classroom learning with realworld perspectives from guest speakers and site visits, encourages students to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM.

In October 2012 NanoSpace® was unveiled, receiving a “2013 Best of the Web” award from the Center for Digital Education, in the category of Higher Education Website. The online “molecular theme park” is populated with more than 25 games, activities and animations for young students. From solving the Polypeptide Puzzler in DNA Land to button-jamming on Electronz and other retro-style games in the arcade, NanoSpace visitors are having too much fun to notice they are also learning complex scientific topics. It is the latest platform for the project, joining the very successful animated movies Riding Snowflakes and Molecules to the MAX!, whose dynamic nanoscale molecular environments are derived from accurate, state-of-the-art molecular simulations of massive scale and complexity. “We realize that not every kid wants to be a scientist, but learning the basics of science – involving molecules and atoms – is critical to the careers that will be available in the next decade,” said Richard W. Siegel, the Robert W. Hunt Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Nanotechnology Center. “When learning is fun, it increases a child’s capacity to absorb and retain knowledge. Kids are interacting, exploring, and having a great time, and they are not even realizing they’re learning.” The concept of “stealth education” runs throughout the Molecularium Project. Executive producers, in addition to Siegel, are Linda Schadler, the Russell Sage Professor of Engineering and associate dean for academic affairs for the School of Engineering, and Shekhar Garde, the Elaine S. and Jack S. Parker Professor of Engineering and head of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. To bring NanoSpace and the Molecularium animated movies to life, the team partnered with highly recognized artists, animators, programmers and web designers. 18 | Rensselaer Engineering

Plus, the Smart lighting STEM program goes even further, inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists. Here, students select a particular concept they learned in the program and develop it into a hands-on learning activity for K-6 students; and teach it! Through this process they learn valuable communication skills, transforming complex ideas into easyto-understand activities. “What they decide to develop into a hands-on activity is completely their choice,” notes Professor Ken Connor,

Director of Education and Outreach for the NSF Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center, “we have even had students return to their own elementary school to teach their activity. It’s an extremely rewarding experience for everyone involved.” Another program is a collaboration with regional high schools for students interested in the opportunity to perform independent science research whether for personal experience or as a part of a Science Research in the High School (SRHS) course. There are more than 110 schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that participate in the SRHS course in which students earn college credit and seek out research mentors from institutions like Rensselaer. Elizabeth Herkenham, Director of K-13 Outreach for the School of Engineering, also works one-on-one with young scholars who approach Rensselaer and for whom there is a research “fit” and helps to manage their laboratory experience. Summer at Rensselaer programs for young scholars have expanded in recent years and include a well-subscribed weeklong residential engineering enrichment program for high school students, introducing them to engineering concepts through a designtest-build experience. A weeklong aerospace engineering program uses a similar approach with model airplanes, using wind tunnel and flight tests. Also offered are a wide range of day programs for K-12 students in engineering concepts such as Smart Lighting, Smart Power and Smart Systems, Smart Grid, and the popular Rensselaer Robotics Engineering Academy using LEGO® systems. Rensselaer Students Reach Out With their motto, “Find your passion and engineer it,” Rensselaer’s Engineering Ambassadors (EA) are a group of highly motivated students who are focused on inspiring a younger audience to explore the role of engineers in society. After completing extensive communications and professional development training to learn how to develop engaging presentations, they travel to K-12 schools and offer hands-on demonstrations and short talks on engineering topics to encourage the interest of students in the STEM disciplines. Wearing their Rensselaer cherry-red shirts, Engineering Ambassadors participate in 12-15 full day visits each year to middle and high school classrooms in the region and encourage over 3000 students to consider careers in science, technology and engineering. They talk about what they are doing in their chosen major, the newest technological breakthroughs

“I feel very blessed to have had opportunities to share my passion for engineering with students in my communities, first as an Engineering Engingering Amabassador -- alumni Ambassador (EA) and now through Lockheed Martin. EA not only prepared me for volunteering with Lockheed Martin, but also has had a great positive effect on my career.” Jason Griffith ’12, Systems Engineer Associate, Lockhead Martin

in their field, and the obstacles yet to be overcome. They bring stylish, award-winning presentations, hands-on activities, and a passion to connect what they teach to the lives of students. They even hold panel discussions to answer student questions about engineering, college, jobs and internships, or just about anything. Based on a model originating at Penn State, the Engineering Ambassador message and concept is taking root at universities around the country and attracting corporate support. Rensselaer’s key corporate sponsor is UTC, and the team recently was selected for a GE Global Leadership Award, which will support a day program at an area high school in Fall 2013. Other student organizations are taking up the call to enthusiastically promote STEM to their peers. The student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) uses two outreach programs aimed toward high school students. SHPE Junior was launched this year at Amsterdam High School, with a student population that is 25% Hispanic. Outreach so far focuses on developing interest in the STEM fields through fellowship and leadership activities and the chapter hopes to support student success through mentoring, tutoring, scholarships and other resources to overcome persistent barriers to education. A second program, Outreach Weekend, invites underrepresented students to a recruiting weekend on campus to encourage them to pursue higher education in science and engineering.

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The Rensselaer chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) follows its mission “to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.” Besides its co-sponsorship each year of the NSBE/SHPE Career Fair, the chapter and its members are key participants in fellowship and outreach efforts across campus and in the greater community, from tutoring and mentoring in area schools, raising funds for United Way and other causes, and serving as role models in myriad campus events including Accepted Students Day, Black Family Technology Awareness Day and after school, weekend and summer programs for underrepresented students. Outreach is a key goal of the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). They host a number of events throughout the year, including Exploring Engineering Day (EED), as well as participating in campus events for young women. The chapter has a strong relationship with the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York, Microsoft’s Digigirlz program and was recently awarded a $13,000 grant from National SWE and ExxonMobil to deliver 12 EED hands-on engineering activities at the Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci) located in Schenectady, NY. The chapter earned the regional Outreach Award from the national organization in April 2013 and national outstanding collegiate section award in 2012. Innovations in Pedagogy: Teaching the Teachers With a national consensus and government policy focus on the need to expand technological literacy and to educate the nation’s future workforce to be competitive in the global economy, more resources are focused toward educating our youngest citizens in science, technology and mathematics. Over the past decade, federal programs supporting research in colleges and universities increasingly include a component to inform and educate the K-12 population, and the general public, about the rewards of working in technological fields and the benefits of science and technology to society. In addition, federal and New York State both grant funds to improve K-12 education methods. Rensselaer, with its founding mission already closely aligned with these aims, continues to lead in developing innovative pedagogical methods that can be applied broadly in other educational arenas, and in assisting to apply those methods to classrooms in the area, nationally and even in international settings. Rensselaer pioneered the studio classroom as an interactive and team-based learning model in the mid-1990s, earning several national honors for these enhancements to the student educational experience. Our “next-generation studio” was an evolved version of the “flipped classroom” long before the concept was popularized by the Khan Academy. This model brings on-demand video and other class content to students outside the classroom and uses class time for hands-on, interactive learning and discussion. Mobile computing platforms, including the Mobile Studio, encourage faculty to continue to innovate in pedagogy to engage today’s digitally sophisticated students. The Office of the Provost sponsors an annual free Colloquium on Teaching and Learning with invited speakers and Rensselaer faculty presenting real-world successes. It is open to the entire teaching and education community. This year, it focused on recent developments in online learning, how it enhances residential learning experiences and increases access to education. Elizabeth Herkenham, Director of K-13 Outreach for the School of Engineering, makes it a priority to stay abreast of leading-edge developments in engineering education, so that the outreach efforts she leads are informed by the latest thinking. In June 2013 she attended the American Society for Engineering Education annual conference, where there was a tremendous focus on the new K-12 Next Generation of Science Standards, which, in many states, are incorporating engineering standards for education. The new standards will involve more cognitive work and more problem solving. Herkenham believes that going forward, states will see the need to embed engineering standards into the entire K-12 curriculum instead of limiting them to introductory engineering classes. A number of components of engineering thinking and practice are found to some extent in over 30 states’ standards. With this background in the changes to STEM standards, Rensselaer remains ideally qualified to assist K-12 teachers in preparing tomorrow’s technology workforce. Rensselaer primarily promotes leading edge pedagogy to K-12 STEM teachers through the Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE), directed by Dr. Paul Schoch. Its emphasis on multi- and interdisciplinary approaches in curriculum, teaching and outreach, emphasizes 20 | Rensselaer Engineering

interactive learning, the use of technology and teamwork to involve students as active participants in their own educations. CIPCE partners with faculty and staff of Rensselaer’s NSF research centers to support outreach programming for teachers through summer teaching programs, many of which are free, which support the National Research Council New Framework for Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. These join the array of outreach efforts of other campus partnerships that bring Rensselaer students, faculty and staff into the community to promote science and engineering. In 2013, the Smart Lighting – Smart Power Curriculum Development Institute provided high school and middle school teachers a weeklong program to introduce them to leadingedge lighting, power and sensor technologies and how they can be integrated into real-world, sustainable and well-engineered Smart Systems. Rensselaer graduate students led participants in hands-on activities using the fundamentals of electronics and photonics to engineer solutions that address current challenges, and provided time for collaborative curriculum development to help teachers develop skills, confidence, and strategies to create unique curricula to meet common core education standards. In 2012, the NSF-sponsored GK12 (Graduate Fellows in STEM K-12 Education) program provided a small cohort of about a dozen teachers with a 5 to 6 week campus research experience using Rensselaer Smart Lighting and other state-of-the-art engineering labs and equipment associated with the latest developments. The goal was for teachers to develop age-appropriate curricular materials to take back to their own schools and classrooms. CIPCE has pioneered an integrated approach to teaching mathematics in grades 4-8 using NXT LEGO® Robotics, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. It works with a group of highly accomplished teachers, many National Board Certified, from ten diverse school districts in New York state. They design and implement mathematically rich lessons for robotics that are aligned with Common Core Learning Standards, provide a physical, real-world context, and aim to authentically assess student learning. Modules are fieldtested, revised, and shared on the CIPCE web site. These mentor teachers then work with colleagues in their own schools who are interested in enriching their classroom experience with robotics activities. “I thought that only the more tech-savvy students would be interested,” said one 7th grade math teacher. “But, much to my delight, I saw that just about every single student was excited and engaged.”

High School Teachers at Smart Lighting – Smart Power Curriculum Development Institute

Troy High School Students Creating WInd Energy during an EA visit

Wearing their Rensselaer cherry-red shirts, Engineering Ambassadors encourage over 3000 students each year to consider careers in science, technology and engineering.

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/ / S t ude n t s

Nearly three years ago, The School of Engineering launched a new web portal, Better World Engineering, to showcase our commitment to educating engineers to design a better world. Today, Better World Engineering pervades nearly every level of student experience. Here are just a few examples.

Rensselaer Electric Vehicle Team Competes at Shell Eco-Marathon Americas In April 2013, a dozen members of the Rensselaer Electric Vehicle (REV) team travelled to Houston, Texas to compete in the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas 2013 alongside students from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. The team fielded two battery-powered cars, placing 12th with their 2013 model and 18th with the 2012 car, of 30 cars in their category. Plans called for the new car to be solar-powered but, according to team president Kristen Sechrest ’13, the solar cells of their prototype did not produce sufficient current, something they hope to remedy next year. The new car performed significantly better than last year’s car – achieving 94m/kwH versus 56.11m/kwH – which Sechrest attributed to lower weight and better aerodynamics. Competing for the third time in the annual event, the team had to make some last-minute repairs after shipping crates failed, and had to finish the 2013 car’s electrical circuit on site because of parts delays. But the work paid off when both cars passed inspection, and best of all, the car’s last run featured its best performance to date. Sechrest says the team learned a lot, and is grateful they were able to bring both cars to Houston. She said, “We really could not do this without the support we get from RPI and from our other sponsors.” They include Lockheed-Martin and Wells Fargo.

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Design Lab Innovation Helps Disabled People With Dental Hygiene Brushing your teeth is critical to preventing periodontal disease, yet many people with disabilities find it difficult to use conventional toothbrushes effectively, and in many cases must rely on others for assistance. The goal of an ongoing project of the O.T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory (Design Lab) has been to develop a teeth-cleaning system to address these special needs. For the past several years, Eric Ledet, associate professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Musculoskeletal Mechanics Laboratory, has worked with the staff and consumers of the Center for Disability Services in Albany in a partnership that benefits people with disabilities as well as Rensselaer engineering students. Past prototypes include a non-clogging tracheotomy device for children, a less cumbersome home oxygen delivery system, a portable feeding pump to allow toddlers mobility, and an apparatus mitigating poor oral hygiene. During the Spring of 2010, a team of biomedical engineering students developed a system concept for addressing the issues. Their solution consisted of a mouthpiece surrounding the teeth with an array of bristles. This mouthpiece arrangement was made to attach to an off-the-shelf vibrating electric toothbrush. Minimal dexterity was required to operate the device and its test performances looked promising. Later teams of Design Lab students took on the challenge to further optimize the design and developed a novel brush activation mechanism. During Spring 2012, with a clear concept vision in sight, a team of Design Lab students created a working prototype for demonstration at the Center. Since then, working with a Dean’s Grant, the team has worked through several prototypes and has earned a provisional patent, according to Design Lab director Mark Steiner. The goal now is to build approximately 100 units for a more substantial field test with Center consumers. “The relationship between the Center for Disability Services and RPI has allowed our students to gain a real-world meaningful experience through this special learning opportunity,” says Dr. Ledet. “Our students get a real sense of satisfaction by developing new technology which enables the Center’s clients to lead more functional and productive lives. It is a fruitful relationship on both sides.” RPI students Alissa Russin (‘13) and Bryan Carmody (‘13) assist Dr. Dennis Valerio with initial trial of the prototype toothbrush on Lauren Williams from the Center for Disability Services in Albany (seated).

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lessons learned in peru come to troy: Campus Biodigester After developing a prototype campus biodigester last year, Engineers for a Sustainable World members will continue the next phase of the project using compost produced at the campus greenhouses on Sunset Terrace. The student team, led by Sam Brown, spent some time to successfully acquire funding from the Office of the President and the School of Engineering, and plans to finish construction early in the Fall 2013 semester. The new funds allowed the team to purchase materials to complete the system to collect the gas produced by the biodigester.

A biodigester uses anaerobic digestion, in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste and/or to produce fuels, typically methane gas. Much of the industrial fermentation to produce food and drink products, as well as home fermentation, uses anaerobic digestion. Silage, an animal feed, is also produced this way. Biodigesters decrease organic waste, eliminate pathogens and malignant bacteria, and produce useable byproducts such as fertilizer and fuel for energy.

Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) members Jenny Li, Andrew W. Chung, Sam Brown, and Terrance McGovern showing off the makings of the ESW Biodigester. A few years ago, ESW members investigated anaerobic digestion to pasteurize milk for farmers in rural Peru. Now they are building a prototype and testing its performance by converting food waste from the Terra Cafe (a student-led cafe serving local and organic foods) to biogas and fertilizer.

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Developing Sustainable Societies The Rensselaer chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World has a substantial presence in Ek’Balam, a Mayan community in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The traditional way of life there is threatened and the natural resources are becoming stressed as people leave agriculture to join the tourism industry. Rensselaer works in Ek’Balam with the Albany-based Foundation for Developing Sustainable Societies to introduce technologies that can help boost the standard of living without harm to the ground, air, and water. To do so, they are retrofitting a traditional Mayan house with solar panels, composting toilets, and stoves that vent smoke outside. Local residents can view these fixtures and consider what might work in their own homes.

Top: (l to r) Terrance McGovern, Javier Camino Allendesalazar, and Sam Brown. Middle: Alex Allen (photo by Sam Brown) Bottom: (l to r) Alex Allen and Rosie Rickard (photo by Sam Brown)

Families have become interested. People in neighboring villages are taking note. “We only installed one solar panel system. I wouldn’t call it changing the world on the scale of the World Bank or anything because it was so small,” says Sam Brown, a sophomore electrical engineering and applied mathematics major who traveled to Ek’Balam last summer and is already planning his next trip. “But it gave you a feeling for what you can do. I started wondering what it would take to help six billion people.” Brown is interested in finding alternatives to practices that pollute. Once, he assumed a liberal arts college would be the best route. But at Rensselaer he has seen that he does not have to choose between a rigorous science education and an education that shapes solutions to environmental problems. “Through ESW I have seen how my programmatic subjects could

be put to use immediately,” says Brown, who is now the group’s co-president. It wasn’t smooth sailing in Mexico for Brown and fellow student Liam Moynihan. “The airline lost our luggage and so we were missing all the wires we needed for the solar panel and lights,” says Moynihan, a physics major. “After four days we got it back,” says Brown. “But when we started installing the solar panel system there was a problem and it didn’t work. There were Mayan construction workers there working on a house and Liam and I looked at each other and we were both very embarrassed.” They called several professors, who said it sounded like they were doing everything properly. “Then we called Liam’s dad – he’s an engineer and handyman,” says Brown. “We described how we wired it and he asked a few questions and he finally figured it out. We saw that if we have a small problem, there is a way to solve it.” “Also, you can get it right 100 times at home but it still might not work,” adds Moynihan. “Engineering is unfairly characterized as dull and about big corporations, and ‘big corporations don’t care about people, therefore engineers don’t care about people,’” says Michael Jensen, a professor in the mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering department who initiated the Rensselaer ESW chapter and remains the faculty supervisor. “But the opposite is true: Engineers are in the business of trying to do more with less. With this group, we see sustainability as one goal, along with cost and all the other factors we already consider. For our engineering students, this is just adding to their education.” eng.rpi.edu | 25

Innovation Goes “Vroom” Auto racing is about innovation, and each year Rensselaer students collaborate in real-world experiential learning that goes “vroom.” One of several Rensselaer automotive clubs, the 2013 Formula Hybrid team had one of its best years, according to president Sam Putney, a senior in mechanical engineering (right top). Innovations to the previous year’s racer ranged from a new electronics control platform, new diagnostics and communications systems to new composite fabrication, mechanical design and drivetrain innovations. An engineering capstone project team designed a custom differential, and the alumni-owned company Ecovative Design grew mushroom-based support pads for the driver’s seat (right-bottom, team member David Golden sits in the car, so pads can be grown to shape). A parent’s body shop even gave the frame a professional paint job. The team finished 7th in its annual competition at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH, despite problems with a buggy 26 | Rensselaer Engineering

Control Area Network bus, short on memory to handle all its data. They triumphed by passing electrical inspection on the first try, a notoriously difficult task, but were ultimately sidelined when time ran out to fix a problem related to the new differential. “Though we ran into fatal issues at the competition, this year has actually been one of the best years for the team,” said Putney. “We have a higher number of more committed team members than we’ve ever had. We’re also working hard to help our younger members catch up and begin to take over responsibility of the team.” Sam Putney’s skills earned him an internship this fall at Tesla Motors in California. He will be working on the drivetrain manufacturing team. “I’m excited. I’ve worked extremely hard for a long time to get there,” he said. “I’m going to get to work with a ton of cool stuff. There’s no doubt that Formula Hybrid is the main reason I got the job.”

Innovation Goes “Vroom”

New Engineering Students Pledge To “Honor the Code” Nearly 550 freshman engineering students participated in the inaugural “Honor the Code” induction event held in August 2013, as part of Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond (NRB) week. The induction was the culmination of months of work by the Academic Integrity Committee chaired by Linda Schadler, associate dean in the School of Engineering. The committee set out to develop clear and concise messaging for engineering students, reflecting the School of Engineering’s academic expectation to have the highest standards of honesty and integrity. During the induction, groups of freshman engineering students cycled through several different activities. They attended the Code of Academic Integrity and Professional Ethics Induction Ceremony designed and presented by the Engineering Ambassadors and Student Advisory Council in the School of Engineering.

They toured the new Student Service Hub, established as a place for students to get answers to their academic questions. Then, students signed the Honor the Code banner (above) and received an Honor the Code pin. The signed banner is on display in the Ansell Lounge. The event culminated with an ice cream social. According to Elizabeth Herkenham, outreach director in the School of Engineering, “Incoming freshmen appreciated the intent of the program and enjoyed connecting with their classmates during the ice cream social. Core Engineering plans to make this an annual event within the NRB program for all incoming freshmen.”

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Promoting Advanced Manufacturing to K-12 Students Using the LegoTM-based Desktop Micro-factory Concept A vast majority of American kids in the K-12 demographic are fascinated with LegoTM toys. A team of Rensselaer students led by Professor Johnson Samuel are leveraging this fascination, by promoting advanced manufacturing education/careers through designing a unique LegoTM-based outreach module, centered on the concept of desktop micro-factories. David Silverman and Chris Almodovar (above) have been part of an undergraduate student team who designed the novel hands-on manufacturing outreach module for 6-12th grade students. It includes an interactive 50 minute in-class activity demonstrating micro/ nano-scale manufacturing techniques, using a LegoTM-based three-axis motion platform. This unique three-axis motion platform demonstrates both additive and subtractive

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manufacturing concepts at the micro/nano-scale. Plus, the platform incorporates a LegoTM NXT controller, providing motion control over a volume of 10cm x 6cm x 15cm using stage encoders, with a positional accuracy of 0.35 mm. Then the manufacturing process gets even sweeter. A battery-operated icing dispenser with different nozzle geometries is used as the tooling head to demonstrate additive manufacturing concepts. With the success of this module, students are now developing a LegoTM-based micro-milling machine and a metrology unit. The student teams work closely with the Rensselaer Engineering Ambassadors program, targeting local student populations.

Ming Ma receives $30,000 for breakthrough research on LED technology 2013 RENSSELAER STUDENT PRIZE

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Left: Ma’s patent-pending technology, called GRIN (graded-refractive-index) LEDs, has demonstrated a light-extraction efficiency of 70 percent, meaning 70 percent of light escaped and only 30 percent was left trapped inside the device. Right: Ming Ma with his advisor, Professor E. Fred Schubert.

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Ming Ma has developed a new method to manufacture light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are brighter, more energy efficient, and have superior technical properties than those on the market today. His patent-pending invention holds the promise of hastening the global adoption of LEDs and reducing the overall cost and environmental impact of illuminating our homes and businesses. For this innovation, Ma, a doctoral student advised by Dr. E. Fred Schubert, Wellfleet Senior Constellation Professor; Future Chips Constellation, Department for Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, has been named the winner of the prestigious 2013 $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize. Ma is the seventh recipient of the Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize. First given in 2007, the prize is awarded annually to a Rensselaer senior or graduate student who has created or improved a product or process, applied a technology in a new way, redesigned a system, or demonstrated remarkable inventiveness in other ways. “Invention is critical to the U.S. economy. It is imperative we instill a passion for invention in today’s youth, while rewarding those who are inspiring role models,” said Joshua Schuler, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. “This year’s Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prize winners and finalists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign prove that inventions and inventive ideas have the power to impact countless individuals and entire industries for the better.” 30 | Rensselaer Engineering

Seeking Brighter, Smarter LEDs Ma’s LED research focuses on improving efficiency and uniformity of LED lighting. Current generation LEDs only output about 25 percent of the light they produce. The rest of the light is trapped and eventually converted to heat because the refractive properties of the LEDs surface. Ma’s innovation, which almost triples the amount of light output, was inspired from a naturally occurring phenomena in the earth’s atmosphere: graded refractivity. Rather than have a fixed refractive index, the atmosphere—and Ma’s LEDs—have a graded refractive index. This discrete gradient, five nanolayers of material each with decreasing refractive indexes, results in much less light being trapped in the LED. Additionally, Ma’s production process allows for much finer control over LED emission patterns. By molding the nanolayers like tiny starshaped pillars, the LEDs can achieve a much wider radiation pattern, resulting in more even lighting in real world use. Ma’s GRIN LEDs “hold the promise of hastening the widespread adoption of LEDs, reducing the overall cost, energy consumption, and environmental impact of illuminating our homes and businesses.” Ma isn’t stopping now, however; he says he wants to continue “developing products that have a great impact on the whole of society.”

Finalist Rebecca Wachs Aims To Personalize Medicine With Implantable Sensors Rebecca Wachs has invented a new implantable sensor with the ability to wirelessly transmit data from the site of a knee replacement, spinal fusion, or other orthopedic surgery. Simple, robust, and inexpensive to make, her sensor holds the promise of advancing personalized medicine by giving doctors an unprecedented wealth of information about how an individual patient is healing. Wachs’ project is titled “Enabling Personalized Medicine Through an Elementary and Robust Implantable Sensor.” Her adviser is Eric Ledet, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Wachs’ patent-pending solution to this challenge was to create a simple, practical sensor to provide rich, objective data on which to make diagnoses about surgery sites. She invented a wireless sensor that needs no battery, no external power, and requires no electronics within the body. Instead, the sensor is powered by an external device, which is also used to capture the sensor data. Measuring only 4 millimeters in diameter and 500 microns thick, the wireless sensors look like small coils of wire and are attached to commonly used orthopedic musculoskeletal implants such as rods, plates, or prostheses. Once in the body as part of the implant, the sensor can monitor and transmit data about the load, strain, pressure, or temperature of the healing surgery site. The sensor is scalable, tunable, and easy to configure so that it may be incorporated into many different types of implantable orthopedic devices.

Finalist Navid Attary Works To Make Bridges and Buildings More Resilient to Earthquakes Navid Attary has created a seismic protection device to boost the resiliency of bridges and buildings to earthquakes. His innovation, which uses a new and novel method to dissipate the destructive forces of earthquakes, could help save countless lives and prevent billions of dollars of damage around the world every year. Attary’s project is titled “A Revolution in Earthquake Protection Devices: Rotation-Based Mechanical Adaptive Passive Device.” His faculty adviser is Michael Symans, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. Attary’s seismic protection device adapts to different types of movement, but requires no electricity and no expensive maintenance. He invented a rotation-based mechanical adaptive passive device, or RB-MAP, which is comprised of a meticulously engineered collection of gears, pre-torqued springs, and damping devices that can be installed underneath a bridge or inside the wall of a building. Initial testing has shown that Attary’s RB-MAP can reduce the force in structures during earthquakes by up to 60 percent. Overall, Attary’s patent-pending technology could open the door to a new generation of seismic protection devices that help save lives and minimize destruction during earthquakes. eng.rpi.edu | 31

Engineering faculty are deeply committed to their scholarship, to mentoring and guiding our students, and to collective exploration and discovery. HEre are recent SELECTED faculty awards and news highlights.

/ / F A C U LT Y

National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) recipients

Liping Huang, Materials Science and Engineering With her project “An Elastic Approach to Strong Glasses,” Huang and her team are using experimental and computational approaches to examine the role of elasticity in strengthening glasses. Her work will provide a better understanding of the behavior of glass under extreme conditions and develop guidelines for the design of tailored glasses.

Sandipan Mishra, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering With his CAREER project “Multiobjective learning control strategies for additive manufacturing,” Mishra aims to develop advanced sensing and controls algorithms for improving precision and reliability of additive manufacturing technologies, including 3-D printing.

Thomas Sharkey, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Leo Wan, Biomedical Engineering

His project “New Scheduling Models for Supply Chain Restoration, Construction, and Redesign,” will provide innovative optimization models and algorithms for problems in restoring supply chains after significant disruptive events.

His project “Biomechanics of Patterned Epithelial Chiral Morphogenesis.” will employ a combination of micro-fabrication, live cell imaging, molecular assay, traction force measurement, and mathematical modeling toward his goal of understanding and detailing the impact of cell mechanics of “handedness” on development and disease.

SELECTED Faculty Highlights

The prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is given to faculty members at the beginning of their academic careers and is one of NSF’s most competitive awards, placing emphasis on high-quality research and novel education initiatives.

2012-2013 Rensselaer Awards

»» Michael Amitay was appointed head of the aerospace program in Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering

»» Chris Letchford was named Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Structural Engineering Institute (SEI)

»» Jerome Fishbach ‘38 Faculty Travel Award: B. Wayne Bequette, Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering

»» Jonathan Dordick was appointed Vice President of Research at Rensselaer

»» John Wen was appointed Department Head of Industrial and Systems Engineering

»» Board of Trustees’ Outstanding Teacher Award: Eric Ledet, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering

»» Farhan Gandhi was named Fellow of American Helicopter Society

»» Ganpati Ramanath was named Fellow of the American Vacuum Society

»» Juergen Hahn was appointed Department Head of Biomedical Engineering and named Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)

»» Deepak Vashishth was appointed Director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS)

»» Class of 1951 Outstanding Teaching Award: Li Emily Liu, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering

»» Jose Holguin-Veras was named a Transportation Champion of Change by the White House »» Qiang Ji, was named Fellow of International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR)

32 | Rensselaer Engineering

»» John Wen received the 2013 IEEE Control Systems Society Transition to Practice Award for “Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscopes and a high precision laser scanning system for the electronic manufacturing industry and for translation of systems theory to practice”.

»» James M. Tien ‘66 Early Career Award for Faculty: Matthew Oehlschlaeger, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering »» Rensselaer Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award: Catalin Picu, Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering »» William H. Wiley 1866 Distinguished Faculty Award: William A. Wallace, Yamada Corporation Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Michael S. Shur, Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts ’48 Professor of Solid State Electronics in Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering was Named Jefferson Science Fellow by U.S. Department of State. The Jefferson Science Fellows Program is designed to further build capacity for science, technology and engineering expertise within the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Riccardo Bevilacqua, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering received the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award. Bevilacqua will use the three-year, $510,000 award to further his research into creating highly maneuverable and inexpensive low-orbit satellites for space weather forecasting.

Leo Wan, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering has been named a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Wan will use the award to fund his research on the biomolecular processes of epithelial cell chirality, and investigate how organisms adopt consistent left-right positioning—or “handedness.”

new faculty

Biomedical Engineering Ge Wang, John A. Clark and Edward T. Crossan Professor of Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering

Materials Science and Engineering

Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering

Victoria Bennett, Assistant Professor

Meng Wang, Assistant Professor

Chaitanya Ullal, Assistant Professor

Aram Chung, Assistant Professor

Chaired Professorships

Faculty PROMOTIONS Promoted to Full Professor Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering »» Richard Radke »» Tong Zhang Industrial and Systems Engineering »» Mark Embrechts

Biomedical Engineering Ge Wang, John A. Clark and Edward T. Crossan Professor of Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering Yuri Gorby, Howard N. Blitman ’50, P.E. Career Development Professorship

Mechanical, Materials Science Aerospace, and and Engineering Nuclear Engineering Ganpati Ramanath, Farhan Gandhi, John Tod Horton Rosalind and ’52 Professor John J. Redfern of Materials Jr. ’33 Professor Engineering of Engineering

Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering »» Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc

Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure Biomedical Engineering »» Ryan Gilbert Chemical and Biological Engineering »» Peter Tessier Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering »» Shayla Sawyer Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering »» Jie Lian »» Li Emily Liu

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//ALUMNI

Two engineering alumni were selected for induction into the Alumni Hall of Fame, bringing the total membership to 72. B. Jayant Baliga, Class of 1974 Ph.D., Power Electronics Innovator, and Lewis B. Combs, Class of 1916, Co-founder of the Seabees, were inducted to The Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame Induction on Friday, October 4, 2013.

2013 School of Engineering Excellence Awards School of Engineering Outstanding Professor of Engineering Award »» Richard W. Siegel, Robert W. Hunt Professor of Materials Science and Engineering (above) School of Engineering Education Innovation Award »» Cynthia H. Collins, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering »» Li Emily Liu, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering School of Engineering Classroom Excellence Award »» Catalin R. Picu, Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering »» Peter M. Tessier, Associate Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering School of Engineering Excellence in Assessment and Continual Improvement »» Kurt S. Anderson, Associate Dean and Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering School of Engineering Junior Faculty Research Excellence Award »» Jie Lian, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering School of Engineering Senior Faculty Research Award »» Jose E. Holguin-Veras, William Howard Hart Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering »» Birsen Yazici, Professor of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering School of Engineering Outstanding Team Award »» “Seminal Breakthroughs in Thermal Management and Thermoelectric Energy Conversion Applications” Ganpati Ramanath, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc, Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, and Pawel G. Keblinski, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

34 | Rensselaer Engineering

B. Jayant Baliga is an internationally recognized expert on power semiconductor devices, best known for his invention of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a powersaving switch device that has revolutionized the field of power electronics. With high efficiency and fast switching, the energy-saving device controls the flow of power from an electrical energy source to any application that needs energy, and is widely used in transportation, lighting, medicine, defense, and renewable energy generation systems. The IGBT, which Baliga developed while working at General Electric in the 1970s, is used in an array of products, from cars and refrigerators to light bulbs, and is a critical component enabling compact cardiac defibrillators. The device has saved consumers trillions of dollars, reduced environmental pollution, and helps form the basis for the smart grid.

Lewis B. Combs was co-creator and director of World War II’s legendary fighting Seabees, who rapidly built docks, landing strips, and other critical facilities in every theater of operation during the war. A distinguished naval officer for 31 years as a leader in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps, Rear Admiral Combs oversaw an unprecedented construction program to provide the public works and utilities for Navy operations in the United States and for a far-flung network of bases overseas. In 1942, this work included organization of the Naval Construction Battalions (CBs), known as the Seabees, an entirely new branch of the naval service that expanded to 250,000 by war’s end.

Combs played a major role in the development of floating dry docks, which enabled the quick return to battle of impaired ships and saved many American lives. Upon his retirement Among his many honors, Baliga was named one from active duty in 1947, he joined the faculty of “eight heroes of the semiconductor revolution” at Rensselaer, where he served as head of the civil engineering department for 15 years. by Scientific American magazine in 1997. He received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2010. IN MEMORIAM Dr. George S. Ansell ‘54 passed away on Friday, August 30, 2013. Dr. Ansell first arrived at Rensselaer as a freshman in 1951, earned his bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1954 and a master’s degree in 1955. After serving on active duty in the U.S. Navy until 1958, he returned to Rensselaer, earning his Ph.D. in 1960, and joining the faculty of the Institute that same year. Active in both teaching and research, he was promoted to Professor of Metallurgical Engineering in 1965, appointed as the Robert W. Hunt Professor in 1967, and became chair of the Materials Division in 1969. In 1974, he was appointed Dean of Engineering. During his 10-year tenure as dean, the school greatly expanded its focus on graduate education and research. Engineering enrollment and research funding flourished under his leadership, and Rensselaer participated successfully in important technological initiatives in partnership with industry, including interactive computer graphics, advanced manufacturing, and integrated electronics. “Dr. Ansell made important, timeless contributions to our beloved Institute. Rensselaer would not be what it is today without the effort, passion, and intellect of Dr. Ansell,” said Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

2012 Davies Medal for Engineering Achievement In honor of one of Rensselaer’s most accomplished, active, and loyal alumni, Clarence E. Davies ’14, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute established the Davies Medal for Engineering Achievement. On April 22, 2013, Dr. Hugo Ferguson ’56 received the Davies Medal for his development of the Gleeble, and other products, that helped pioneer the emerging field of process simulations. About Hugo S. Ferguson ’56

Ferguson grew up on a small dairy farm with no money available for college. After high school he joined the U.S. Navy, and as a result of the G.I. Bill, a small scholarship, and a job, he was able to put himself through college. He graduated from Rensselaer in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in physics, and without any debt. He returned to the Institute and earned his doctoral degree in metallurgy in 1962. Shortly after graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Ferguson collaborated with Rensselaer faculty members Warren Savage and Ernest Nippes to develop the Gleeble, a powerful metallurgical simulation system. The Gleeble enabled researchers, for the first time, to simulate realistic welding processes in the laboratory under realistic thermo-mechanical conditions. The breakthrough served as a foundation for many key advances in materials science and engineering and, more broadly, helped to pioneer the emerging field of process simulations. Ferguson founded DSI in Poestenkill, N.Y., in 1957, and shortly thereafter developed the first commercial Gleeble system. The Gleeble evolved over the years and, in the 1980s, was re-engineered to incorporate computer control of testing and data acquisition. The many products Ferguson brought to market

have revolutionized the welding industry and enabled new research requiring previously unattainable time-temperature conditions. Today, DSI continues to enhance and update its Gleeble system to incorporate new features and capabilities. ASTM International, a global leader in the development global standards for a range of materials and systems, has created a broad set of standards for Gleeble specimens and measurements. Additionally, entire scientific conferences have been dedicated to the Gleeble and more than 1,000 published scientific papers are based upon Gleeble measurements. Ferguson has received much acclaim for his development of the Gleeble and for the economic and technological impact of his work nationally and internationally. He holds 20 patents and, in 1999, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Welding Society. At Rensselaer, Ferguson is a strong supporter of the student experience and the School of Engineering. He serves on the Institute’s Materials Science and Engineering Advisory Board, and has donated a Gleeble system (right) to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering to help students gain a better understanding of physical simulation and metallurgical processes.

Listen to the Davies Medal Presentation with Dr. Ferguson online at: eng.rpi.edu/davies

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Available Now The Design of Nanoscale Polyvalent Therapeutics with Ravi S. Kane, P. K. Lashmet Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

November 2013 Tissue Engineering and the Immune System with Mariah Hahn, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering

March 2014 Electromicrobiology: A New Frontier in Interdisciplinary Research with Yuri Gorby, Howard A. Blitman Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Available Now Graphene-based Lubricants for High-Performance Micro-machining Applications with Johnson Samuel, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering

Available Now Graphene: Properties, Synthesis, and Applications with Nikhil A. Koratkar, John A. Clark and Edward T. Crossan Chair and Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering

January 2014 The Electron Microscope: Three Important Techniques with Daniel J. Lewis, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

May 2014 Network Improvisation in Emergency Response: An Application to Debris Removal Operations with David Mendonça, Associate Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering