SAMUEL GINN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING 2 0 1 8 - 1 9
D E A N ’ S
R E P O R T
ENG.AUBURN.EDU
CONTENTS Annual Report Data
6
Fellows
11
Academic Departments and Degrees
14
Student Engagement
15
Student Support
16
Faculty Highlights
18
Student Highlights
20
Cyber Leaders Computer Science and Software
22
Where No Man Has Gone Before Aerospace
25
Next-Generation Biofuel Additives Biosystems
26
Modern Monitoring Chemical
27
Structural Integrity in the Face of Natural Disaster Civil
28
A Quantum Leap Forward Electrical and Computer
29
Battling Workplace Injuries Industrial and Systems
30
Safeguarding Our Food Supply Materials
31
To the Moon and Beyond Mechanical
32
Let There Be Visible Light Communication Wireless
33
Research Centers
36
New Faculty Members
38
2
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
DEAN’S MESSAGE As I write this message, Auburn University’s newly constructed BrownKopel Engineering Student Achievement Center has been open for only a matter of weeks, but I have already had the pleasure of walking its halls on several occasions with students, faculty and alumni. Each time, I enjoy watching their reactions, which can usually be described as a mixture of glee and awe. I still feel that, too, and it’s easy to understand why. The $44 million Brown-Kopel Center is providing us with an incredible space to address engineering students’ professional and academic needs located in the heart of campus. I daresay it is one the most comprehensive, active-learning environments for engineering students in the entire country. Designed to serve students from all engineering disciplines, it has 142,000 square feet of space to incorporate high-contact initiatives through student recruitment, curriculum advising, career mentoring and placement, tutoring, international experiences, career development and corporate relations. As a college, we pride ourselves on providing a premier student-centered engineering experience, and our new Brown-Kopel Center ties into that mission in a fundamental way. I would be remiss not to mention the $30 million gift from John and Rosemary Brown – part of a larger $57 million gift to Auburn University – that made this building possible along with a cadre of loyal alumni and friends who named spaces within the Brown-Kopel Center. I would also be remiss not to mention our other remarkable accomplishments during the 2018-19 academic year. Auburn Engineering’s industrious faculty have driven our research program to new heights, where we have enjoyed all-time highs in research expenditures as well as proposals submitted. Our strong research partnerships with organizations such as NASA and ASTM International continue to reap dividends. The newly renovated Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory is proving to be an excellent home for our research initiatives in additive manufacturing and polymer and advanced composites, among other key research areas. Our incoming freshmen continue to boast outstanding credentials, and Auburn’s engineering student enrollment is also reaching record levels. At Auburn, our students are finding the tools to prepare them for success both inside and outside the classroom. This is evident in the accolades they have received over the past year, which include nationally prestigious awards such as a Fulbright Scholarship, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and a Congress-Bundestag Exchange for Young Professionals Fellowship. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. I am fortunate to serve as dean of a college whose students, faculty and alumni are doing so much to drive us into the upper echelon of engineering institutions. I hope this report provides you with a glimpse into what sets Auburn Engineering apart from other institutions. Sincerely,
Christopher B. Roberts
The new $44 million Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center opened its doors in August 2019. Located in the heart of campus, the center is a hub for students’ professional and academic needs, providing one of the most comprehensive, active-learning environments in the country. The center was made possible thanks to a $30 million gift from John and Rosemary Brown. To see photos, visit aub.ie/bkesac-pics. 4
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Index DEAN Christopher B. Roberts DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING Austin Phillips EDITOR Chris Anthony CONTRIBUTORS Drew Daws Jeremy Henderson Sylvia Masango Brian Wesley GRAPHIC DESIGN Danny Doyle WEB MANAGER Tyler Patterson PHOTOGRAPHY Alex Camerlengo Marcus Kluttz
2018-19 Dean’s Report The Dean’s Report is published annually each fall by Auburn University’s Office of Engineering Communications and Marketing. Engineering Communications and Marketing c/o Editor 1320C Shelby Center Auburn, AL 36849 eng.editor@auburn.edu 334.844.3447 © 2019 Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Auburn University Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
33 45th 12th 20th 23rd 23rd rd
1
Undergraduate program ranking among public universities1 Graduate program ranking among public universities1
47 40th th
S I N C E 2010
39
Graduate computer information technology program1 ranking1
5
Ranking in engineering degrees awarded to African-Americans2
1
Ranking in undergraduate enrollment among all engineering colleges2 2
Tenured/tenure track faculty members among all engineering colleges2
National Prestigious Scholarships3
Graduate online program ranking among all engineering colleges1
U.S. News & World Report |
Ranking in research expenditures among all engineering colleges2
American Society for Engineering Education |
3
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows Goldwater Scholars Rhodes Scholar and many more recipients and finalists for other national prestigious scholarships
Auburn University National Prestigious Scholarship Program
Enrollment
Engineering
University
Undergraduate
5,559
24,628
Graduate
936
5,812
Total
6,495 30,440
20 percent female 15 percent underrepresented
UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT
6
3,595
3,890
4,018
2009
2010
2011
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
4,157
4,294
2012
2013
4,618
2014
4,968
4,963
2015
2016
5,282
2017
5,559
2018
FRESHMAN CLASS SNAPSHOT
1,304
GRADUATE SNAPSHOT
29.4
MASTER’S
431
AVERAGE ACT
FRESHMEN
3.98
23
AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL GPA
DOCTORAL
505
23
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS
PERCENT FEMALE
Largest college at Auburn University with
21 PERCENT OF THE FRESHMAN ENROLLMENT
Undergraduate Students by Department
Graduate Students by Program Aerospace:
53
(22 master’s and 31 doctoral)
Aerospace: 488 Biosystems: 177 Chemical: 664 Civil: 543 Computer Science and Software: 1,130 Electrical and Computer: 571 Industrial and Systems: 473 Materials: 84 Mechanical: 1,291 Polymer and Fiber: 2 Wireless: 53 Pre-engineering: 83
Biosystems:
28
(14 master’s and 14 doctoral)
Chemical:
83
(11 master’s and 72 doctoral)
121
(72 master’s and 49 doctoral)
Computer science and software: 171
(78 master’s and 93 doctoral)
Electrical and computer:
(47 master’s and 68 doctoral)
Civil:
115
Master of Engineering: Engineering management: Industrial and systems: Materials: Mechanical: Polymer and fiber:
1
(1 master’s)
10
(10 master’s)
132
(59 master’s and 73 doctoral)
58
(30 master’s and 28 doctoral)
147
(80 master’s and 67 doctoral)
17
(7 master’s and 10 doctoral)
GRADUATE ENROLLMENT 754
810
834
853
885
917
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
971 851
897
2015
2016
936
2017
2018
2018-19 Dean’s Report
7
RESEARCH SNAPSHOT
47th
in nation
(in millions)
2008
47.1
2009
49.5
2010
55.5
2011
57.4
2012
60.1
American Society for Engineering Education, 2018
2013
61.3
$64.3
2014
60.0
2015
58.3
in research expenditures, ranked in the top 50 for more than 10 years1 1
Research Expenditures
million
in research expenditures
2016
61.7
2017
62.6
2018 64.3
FACULTY SNAPSHOT
181
Tenured/tenure track faculty 8
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
61
Non-tenure track teaching/research faculty
27
Postdoctoral researchers/fellows
HIGH PROFILE
STRATEGIC
FUNDING AWARDED IN 2018
Advanced manufacturing and materials
Transportation Engineering: $5,799,028
Cybersecurity and intelligent systems
Autonomy and Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing: $3,472,089
Energy and environment
RESEARCH AREAS
Additive Manufacturing: $3,227,000 Micro and Nano Electronics: $1,869,671
RESEARCH AREAS
Infrastructure and transportation Biomedical and health systems engineering
Notable Research Awards in 2018
$3,087,000
National Institute of Standards and Technology “Center For In-Situ Metrology and Process Science For Advanced Manufacturing” Bart Prorok (materials engineering), Nima Shamsaei (mechanical engineering), Xiaoyuan Lou (materials engineering), Scott Thompson (mechanical engineering) and Peter He (chemical engineering)
$647,503
National Institutes of Health “7T Functional MRS Of Metabolite Variations During Working Memory In Subjects With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” Meredith Reid (electrical and computer engineering)
2018-19 Dean’s Report
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BUILDING THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING This fall, the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center opens its doors to students at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The center comes to fruition through the outpouring of support from loyal donors. Throughout the 2018-19 fiscal year, Auburn’s philanthropic partners have also raised substantial funds for student scholarships and programmatic support. These new facilities, available scholarships and funds for programming elevate Auburn’s mission to offer the best studentcentered engineering experience in America.
Who are Auburn Engineering’s donors? 3000
Largest areas of support: SCHOLARSHIP: 72% undergraduate, 28% graduate
3,046
Within the past year, the number of graduate fellowships have increased by 57%, growing Auburn Engineering’s graduate programming at an unprecedented pace.
2500 2000
PROGRAMMATIC: $13.7 MILLION
1500 1000 383
500 0
ni
m Alu
176
s
s
ion
nd
e Fri
t ora
rp
Co
430 nts
re Pa
111
The majority of programmatic funding are unrestricted Funds for Excellence, which allow the dean and department chairs to meet priority needs and goals for the college.
y
ult
c Fa
4,250 DONORS have given
7,422 GIFTS
Strategic Leadership Team The Strategic Leadership Team was formed in 2016 to help move the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s highest-level strategic priorities forward. Since it was established, the team has contributed more than $41 million to propel these priorities.
in fiscal year 2019
$28 MILLION
Funds raised in fiscal year 2019 to date
10
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
1,056
Available scholarships established by donors
38% of funds raised were endowed
FELLOWS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Aerospace Engineering
John Cochran – Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Biosystems Engineering
Adit Singh – Fellow, IEEE
Jitendra Tugnait – Fellow, IEEE
Dan Wilamowski – Fellow, IEEE
Hulya Kirkici – Fellow, IEEE
William Batchelor – Fellow, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
Vishwani Agrawal – Fellow, IEEE
Oladiran Fasina – Fellow, ASABE
Prathima Agrawal – Fellow, IEEE
Steven Taylor – Fellow, ASABE
Charlie Gross – Fellow, IEEE
Dave Irwin – Fellow, IEEE
Chemical Engineering
Dick Jaeger – Fellow, IEEE
Thomas Hanley – Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
John Wu – Fellow, IEEE
Harry Cullinan – Fellow, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI)
Bruce Tatarchuk – Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (NAI)
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Sean Gallagher – Fellow, American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA); Fellow, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Rob Thomas – Fellow, AIHA
Joseph Shaeiwitz – Fellow, AIChE; Fellow, American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE)
Civil Engineering
Alice Smith – Fellow, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE); Fellow, IEEE Jeff Smith – Fellow, IISE
Chan Park – Fellow, IISE Prabhakar Clement – Fellow, American Society John Evans – Luminary of Surface Mount Technology of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Association (SMTA) Xing Fang – Fellow, ASCE; Fellow, Environmental and Water Resources Institute Mechanical Engineering
Andrzej Nowak – Fellow, ASCE; Fellow, American Concrete Institute (ACI), Fellow, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering
Bryan A. Chin – Fellow, ASM International; Fellow, American Nuclear Society; Fellow, American Welding Society; Fellow, Electrochemical Society
Robert Barnes – Fellow, ACI
Anton Schindler – Fellow, ACI
Malcolm Crocker – Fellow, Acoustical Society of India; Fellow, Acoustical Society of America
Huaguo Zhou – Fellow, Institute of Transportation Engineers
Computer Science and Software Engineering
Daniela Marghitu – Fellow, Society for Design and Process Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Foster Dai – Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Mark Halpin – Fellow, IEEE
John Hung – Fellow, IEEE
Shiwen Mao – Fellow, IEEE
Mark Nelms – Fellow, IEEE
Jeffrey Fergus – Fellow, Electrochemical Society George Flowers – Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Jay Khodadadi – Associate Fellow, AIAA
Pradeep Lall – Fellow, Alabama Academy of Sciences; Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Fellow, ASME; Fellow, NextFlex
P. K. Raju – Fellow, ASME; Fellow, American Society of Engineering Education; Fellow, Acoustical Society of India; Fellow, The Institution of Engineers, India
Subhash Sinha – Fellow, ASME; Associate Fellow, AIAA
Jeffrey Suhling – Fellow, ASME
Hareesh Tippur – Fellow, Society of Experimental Mechanics; Fellow, ASME
2018-19 Dean’s Report
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Auburn Engineering is focused on providing the best student-centered engineering experience in America. We pride ourselves on providing hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for students both inside and outside the classroom. By providing a student-centered learning experience and high levels of engagement with faculty, we graduate engineers capable of addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges in the engineering field.
12
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Assistant professor Asha-Dee Celestine (left) works with students in her laboratory in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
2018-19 Dean’s Report
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ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS AND DEGREES Aerospace Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering
• Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
• Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering
• Bachelor of Computer Engineering
• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering
• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
Biosystems Engineering
• Bachelor of Biosystems Engineering
Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Bachelor of Biosystems Engineering – Ecological Engineering Option
• Bachelor of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Bachelor of Biosystems Engineering – Forestry Engineering Option
• Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Master of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Master of Engineering Management
• Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Bachelor of Biosystems Engineering – Bioprocess Option
• Master of Science in Biosystems Engineering
• Ph.D. in Biosystems Engineering
Chemical Engineering
• Bachelor of Chemical Engineering
• Master of Science in Chemical Engineering
• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
• Bachelor of Civil Engineering
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering
• Master of Civil Engineering
• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
Materials Engineering
• Bachelor of Materials Engineering
• Master of Science in Materials Engineering
• Ph.D. in Materials Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
• Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
• Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Wireless Engineering
• Bachelor of Wireless Engineering – Hardware Option
Computer Science and Software Engineering
• Bachelor of Wireless Engineering – Software Option
• Bachelor of Computer Science
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Interdepartmental Programs
• Bachelor of Software Engineering • Master of Science in Computer Science and Software Engineering
• Master of Science in Cybersecurity Engineering
• Ph.D. in Computer Science and Software Engineering
14
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
• Master of Engineering
• Master of Science in Polymer and Fiber Engineering
• Master of Science in Data Science and Engineering – Interdisciplinary
• Ph.D. in Polymer and Fiber Engineering
• Ph.D. in Earth System Science – Interdisciplinary
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Student learning goes far beyond the classroom. Auburn Engineering offers a wide array of co-curricular programming that builds on academic instruction and allows students to unlock their full potential as engineers. Engineering Global Programs
Undergraduate Research
Auburn Engineering offers more than a dozen global programs and study abroad scholarships for students to engage in experiential learning across the world. These include exchange programs with institutions in Australia, Germany, Italy and Taiwan; faculty-led programs in China, Germany, Italy and Spain; and service-learning programs through Engineers Without Borders in Rwanda and Bolivia. Students also have the opportunity to experience the world through Auburn’s newly developed global internship program.
As a nationally prominent research institution, Auburn provides undergraduates with hands-on opportunities to engage in fundamental and applied research projects with faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. Star researchers can even receive a stipend and funds for travel and research through the university’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship program.
Student Organizations With dozens of engineering student organizations, every student can find their niche at Auburn. From discipline-specific honor societies to the interdisciplinary Formula SAE race team and the Student Launch rocketbuilding team, Auburn Engineering students have ample opportunities to get involved outside the classroom, including leadership programs such as the Cupola Engineering Ambassadors and the Engineering Student Council.
BY THE NUMBERS
40+ 14 engineering student organizations
engineering global programs
Includes exchange programs, faculty-led programs and Engineers Without Borders
Students and faculty are pictured in Florence, Italy, during the 2019 Biomechanics and Engineering in the Arts global program.
STUDENT SUPPORT At Auburn Engineering, we put students first. Our comprehensive academic support services demonstrate the college’s commitment to educating well-rounded engineers capable of addressing next-generation engineering challenges. Advising and Mentoring From highly engaged academic advisors to attentive faculty members, Auburn engineers have an expansive network of professionals to support and assist them in their academic pursuits. Auburn also utilizes successful peer advising and peer mentoring programs to achieve an unparalleled student-centered experience in engineering education.
Engineering Tutoring Center Auburn Engineering has expanded its individual and group tutoring services significantly to cover nearly 75 subjects in math, science and high-demand engineering courses. The innovative Coordinated Academic Support for Engineers program also provides supplemental classroom resources so students can master difficult engineering concepts.
Engineering Academic Excellence Program The Academic Excellence Program supports engineering students from pre-college through graduation by focusing on expanding academic preparation, professional readiness and exploration of career paths.
It achieves this through a wide range of programs, including learning communities, professional development workshops, peer learning sessions and similar programs.
100+ Women Strong The force to recruit, retain and reward Auburn women in engineering, 100+ Women Strong offers comprehensive programming to encourage young women to pursue engineering and support them along the way. Successful alumni and friends of the college devote their time to counseling young women in engineering through individual mentoring, professional development presentations, networking events and similar programs.
Engineering Career Services Our college provides students with the resources and support they need to stand out in their pursuit of internships, cooperative education opportunities and their long-term employment goals. The college’s efforts in career services are being bolstered with the addition of a new Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations.
100+ Women Strong allows women engineering students to network with successful alumni and friends of the college.
16
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
2,454
BY THE NUMBERS
Students supported by scholarships in 2018-19
10
$23.2 MILLION
Scholarship support awarded to engineering students in 2018-19
Consecutive Alabama Co-Op Student of the Year winners from Auburn Engineering
The Engineering Tutoring Center offers individual and group tutoring for nearly 75 subjects.
2018-19 Dean’s Report
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FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS David Bevly, the Bill and Lana McNair Professor of mechanical engineering, and Scott Martin, assistant research professor of mechanical engineering, were awarded $4.63 million in funding from 16 sponsors during the first 11 months of the 2019 fiscal year. Imon Chakraborty, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, and Roy Hartfield, the Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of aerospace engineering, were awarded a $540,000 grant from NASA for their research on stability and
control characteristics of advanced and novel aircraft. Selen Cremaschi, the B. Redd Associate Professor of chemical engineering, was named in the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research journal’s 2018 Class of Influential Researchers. Virginia Davis, the Alumni Professor of chemical engineering, was invited to join the editorial board of the journal PLOS One. Sean Gallagher, the Hal N. and Peggy S. Pennington Associate
Professor of industrial and systems engineering, was named a fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Greg Harris, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering and director of the Southern Alliance for Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing, was awarded a $322,849 grant from the National Institute for Standards and Technology for research on developing a distributed manufacturing network. Elizabeth Lipke, the Mary and John H. Sanders Associate Professor of chemical engineering, is directing a
CILLUFFO TESTIFIES Frank Cilluffo, director of Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, testified before a subcommittee of Congress’ Committee on Homeland Security in June 2019, speaking about the cybersecurity challenges that state and local governments face and how the federal government can help.
“We must work to safeguard the continuity of commerce and the delivery of mission-critical services for the American people,” Cilluffo testified. “Unless and until we foster and have in place a robust baseline capability across the board, from a state and local standpoint, we will remain more vulnerable than we ought to be to nation-state and non-state cyber actors with malicious intent.” Cilluffo has publicly testified before Congress on numerous occasions and is routinely called upon to advise senior officials in the executive branch, U.S. Armed Services, and state and local governments on an array of matters related to national and homeland security strategy and policy. Prior to joining Auburn in September 2018, Cilluffo led the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Cilluffo was appointed by President George W. Bush to the newly created Office of Homeland Security. There, he was involved in a wide range of homeland security and counterterrorism strategies, policy initiatives and served as a principal advisor to Director Tom Ridge, directing the president’s Homeland Security Advisory Council. Cilluffo is also a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council. He has presented at a number of bi-lateral and multi-lateral summits on cybersecurity and countering terrorism, including the U.N. Security Council.
18
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
$960,600 program that will train six doctoral fellows in the area of biomaterials engineering and biomanufacturing. The interdisciplinary program is sponsored by a U.S. Department of Education grant. Joseph Majdalani, the Francis Chair of aerospace engineering, was awarded a $386,553 grant from the National Science Foundation for his research on predicting and mitigating undesirable acoustic phenomena in combustors and power generation systems. Shiwen Mao, the Samuel Ginn Professor of electrical and computer engineering
and director of the Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center, was elected a fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to wireless multimedia networking. Mark Schall, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering, received a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The project, worth $324,000, is titled “Advancing Workplace Safety Surveillance with Ambulatory Inertial Sensors.” Alice Smith, the Joe W. Forehand/ Accenture Distinguished Professor
in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, was named editor-inchief of the INFORMS Journal on Computing. Puneet Srivastava, the ButlerCunningham Eminent Scholar of biosystems engineering, was named a fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. He was also named a fellow of the Alabama Academy of Sciences. David Timm, the Brasfield & Gorrie Professor of pavements and materials engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering, was awarded the 2019 National James M. Robbins Excellence in
Teaching Award by the Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society. David Umphress, the COLSA Corporation Cyber Security and Information Assurance professor of computer science and software engineering and director of the Auburn Cyber Research Center, and Dean Hendrix, associate professor of computer science and software engineering, were awarded $750,000 from the Army’s Program Executive Office Missiles and Space to assess the cybersecurity vulnerability of air defense systems. Jin Wang, the Walt and Virginia
Woltosz Professor of chemical engineering, and Peter He, associate professor of chemical engineering, were awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Department of Energy for their research on methanotroph-photoautotroph interactions for biogas conversions to fuel. Huaguo Zhou, professor of civil engineering, and Rod Turochy, the James Madison Hunnicutt Professor in traffic engineering, were awarded a $600,000 project from the Transportation Research Board’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program for their research on wrong-way driving crashes.
FLEXING RESEARCH MUSCLE Pradeep Lall, the John and Anne MacFarlane Professor of mechanical engineering and director of the NextFlex Harsh Environment Node housed at Auburn University, had his research featured at the 2018 NextFlex Innovation Day in San Jose, California. NextFlex is America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute. Lall is the lead inventor of the Auburn University Biometric Band, a flexible wristband that uses a suite of sensors to monitor body functions, which was featured at the NextFlex Innovation Day. “The band monitors remote workers,” Lall said. “So, for example, someone working in a hazardous environment — they might be wearing this band, which is monitoring physiological functions continuously and transmitting that information to a paired smartphone.” The job Lall specifically had in mind when designing the Flexible Biometric Band was the inspection of cramped aircraft fuel tanks. Airline safety literature on the topic warns of claustrophobia, which can lead to a heightened pulse rate and lack of consciousness. Other risk factors in the fuel tank environment, such as low levels of oxygen, can lead to myocardial infarction, stroke or even aneurysm. The AU Biometric Band was also highlighted in a Voice of America feature filmed during NextFlex’s 2018 Flexible Electronics Conference and Exhibition. Lall was also recognized as a NextFlex fellow at the 2019 FLEX conference in Monterey, California, for his work in advancing the adoption of flexible hybrid electronics in the manufacturing, defense and aerospace industries, as well as in emerging technologies and medical applications. 2018-19 Dean’s Report
19
ARTISTIC ENGINEER Won again, he has. Yes, Armin VahidMohammadi, a doctoral student in materials engineering, took home yet another blue ribbon, his second in a row, from the prestigious Materials Research Society’s semi-annual Science as Art competition for a depiction of the “Star Wars” character Yoda rendered from a family of 2-D nanomaterials called MXenes. Using a $500,000 JSM-7000F scanning electron microscope, the images VahidMohammadi mines from MXenes have in recent years dominated the growing competition circuit created by materials engineers who celebrate the artistic aspects of their research. VahidMohammadi wowed attendees at the fall 2018 MRS Meeting and Exhibit in Boston with the first place “MXene Turtle Under the Sea” he spotted in clouds of vanadium carbide. Two years earlier, his “Nano Lord Voldemort” was deemed best in show. At the spring 2019 MRS Meeting and Exhibit in Phoenix, he was again a Force to be reckoned with. His “Mxene Yoda,” created from a SEM scan of oxidized 2-D V2CTx particles that show promise as electrode material for supercapacitors and batteries, not only placed second, it put him in the record book. He’s now the most highly decorated doctoral student in the 14-year history of the competition, which is open to the nearly 15,000 MRS members across the globe. “The MXene Yoda image is particular in its own way, maybe similar to the Voldemort image, as it means a lot to the people in the United States,” VahidMohammadi said. “He is also one of my favorite characters in the ‘Star Wars’ series. I’m glad I was able to find him in the nanoscale world.”
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS The student chapter of the American Concrete Institute was awarded an Excellent University Award in the 2018 ACI Awards for University Student Activities. Auburn was one of only 25 universities worldwide to receive the award. Brad Bayuga, a software engineering major with a German minor, was awarded the CongressBundestag Exchange for Young Professionals Fellowship to study and complete an internship in Germany. Industrial and systems engineering major Ambria Berksteiner was honored by Mayor Eddie DeLoach of Savannah, Georgia, as a leading ambassador for promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics to underrepresented students. Aerospace engineering graduate student Orie Cecil received the Solid Rockets Best Student Paper award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Propulsion and Energy Forum. Aerospace engineering major Samantha Cerio was named the Southeastern Conference Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year for gymnastics. Daylon Hester, a 2018 electrical and computer engineering graduate, was selected as the state of Alabama’s Outstanding Co-op Student of the Year for 2018.
Will Macoy, an industrial and systems engineering major and guard on the Auburn Tigers basketball team, was named to the 2018-19 National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for academic achievement. Biosystems engineering graduate student Kritika Malhotra placed first in the Association of Agricultural, Biological and Food Engineers of Indian Origin Graduate Student Research Award. Software engineering major Mina Narayanan was named a finalist for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Computer science majors Jeriel Ng, Taric Jain and Sai Dasika organized AuburnHacks, the first ever Major League Hacking event held at Auburn University.
BUG BUSTER Civil engineering major Natalie Palmquist was named as one of the 2019 New Faces of Civil Engineering in the college category by the American Society of Civil Engineers and was a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Computer science and software engineering graduate student Alexicia Richardson was awarded the Doctoral Scholar Fellowship Award from the Southern Regional Education Board. Rakish Shrestha, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, was selected as the fall 2018 recipient of the SAE International Henry O. Fuchs Student Award. Lokesh Silwal, a graduate student in aerospace engineering, was awarded a Vertical Flight Foundation scholarship from the Vertical Flight Society.
Karthekeyan Sridhar and Basil Paudel, graduate students in mechanical engineering, won first place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Additive Manufacturing Heat Sink Challenge. Biosystems engineering major Hannah Thomascall won first place in the Ethics Essay Competition sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Computer science and software engineering graduate student Ye Wang was chosen to participate in the Google Summer of Code, a global program that allows students to immerse themselves in open-source software development. Matt Weist, a 2019 mechanical engineering graduate, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Stuttgart, Germany, for the 2019-20 academic year. Aerospace engineering senior Mike Wietstruk became the first Auburn University student to receive a merit-based scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and he also became a member of the Astronaut Scholar Honor Society.
Nirmit Patel won’t call himself a bounty hunter. That’s too cheesy, he said. But he will accept his role in helping make Facebook safer – through bounty hunting, of course. Patel, a master’s student in computer science and software engineering, received a reward from Facebook after catching a bug in Messenger’s software. The online giant began its Bug Bounty Program in 2011. Since then, Facebook has paid out more than $6 million to those that spotted vulnerabilities in its platform, just as Patel did. Patel discovered the bug when he called a friend from India through Messenger. They were catching up with the usual small talk before his friend said he was getting another incoming call. The friend apologized and asked Patel if he could put him on hold. “Sure,” Patel replied. “He put me on hold, but then I perked up because I could hear everything they were saying while I was on hold,” Patel said, laughing at the recollection. “I’m just glad they didn’t talk about me.” Patel ran some tests and discovered the bug was occurring when an Android device placed an iOS device on hold to get a call from another iOS device. After conducting more analysis, Patel told Facebook how to fix it. “I suggested that when a user was getting another call, the code for putting an ongoing call on hold wasn’t getting executed,” Patel said. The tech giant evaluated Patel’s solution, then updated the software. The bug was finally fixed, and Patel was rewarded his bounty.
2018-19 Dean’s Report
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CYBER LEADERS C O M P U T E R
S C I E N C E
A N D
S O F T W A R E
E N G I N E E R I N G
Auburn University and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering are taking the lead as an institution on the forefront of cybersecurity research and professional preparedness in the industry. Interdisciplinary research and collaboration through the Charles D. McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, the Auburn Cyber Research Center and the Lt. Gen. Ronald Lee Burgess Cyber Laboratory has positioned the university as a leader in improving the nation’s vulnerabilities in these areas. The McCrary Institute was founded in 2015 with a focus on research and advanced technologies to improve the security and operations of the country’s infrastructure while valuing natural resources and conservation. This institute enables Auburn to attract nationally recognized faculty who are at the forefront of emerging technological issues, while leveraging existing university resources and personnel to broaden the institute’s impact 22
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
and to spur policy formation, economic development, business expansion and job creation. Frank J. Cilluffo elevated Auburn’s cyber efforts when he joined the university in 2018 as director of the McCrary Institute. Cilluffo is a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council, and he’s routinely called upon to advise senior officials in the executive branch, U.S. Armed Services, and state and local governments on an array of matters related to national and homeland security strategy and policy. In addition to briefing congressional committees and their staffs, he has publicly testified before Congress on numerous occasions, serving as a subject matter expert on
policies related to cyber threats, counterterrorism, security and deterrence, weapons proliferation, organized crime, intelligence and threat assessments, emergency management, and border and transportation security. Similarly, he works with U.S. allies and organizations such as NATO and Europol. He has presented at a number of bi-lateral and multilateral summits on cybersecurity and counterterrorism, including the U.N. Security Council. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Cilluffo was appointed by former President George W. Bush to the newly created Office of Homeland Security. There, he was involved in a wide range of homeland security and counterterrorism strategies, policy initiatives and served as a principal advisor to Director Tom Ridge, directing the president’s
Homeland Security Advisory Council. “Frank is one of the world’s preeminent experts on cybersecurity and homeland security, and we are excited to have someone of his caliber leading such an important endeavor,” said Christopher B. Roberts, dean of engineering. “The McCrary Institute has allowed Auburn University to build on the track record of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Cyber Research Center and emerge as a national leader in cybersecurity research. “Having Frank spearhead this effort only bolsters our commitment in this vital area,” he added. “His leadership record is second to none, and his innovation and professionalism in the cybersecurity community is broadly recognized.” Cilluffo then joined George Washington University in 2003, establishing the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security (CCHS) as a prominent nonpartisan think and do tank dedicated to building bridges between theory and practice to advance U.S. security. He served as an associate vice president, leading a number of national security and cybersecurity policy and research initiatives. He directed the CCHS and, with the School of Business, launched the university’s World Executive MBA in Cybersecurity program. The CCHS, based out of Washington, D.C., now operates under the umbrella of Auburn University and the McCrary Institute, and it drives the policy component of the institute’s work. This year, the CCHS hosted the annual State of Homeland Security Address with then Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
In addition to Cilluffo’s leadership, the McCrary Institute announced the 12 members of its advisory board, including former commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency Adm. Michael S. Rogers and former director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr. “I am honored and humbled to serve on the McCrary Institute’s Advisory Board alongside some of the preeminent minds in cyber, infrastructure and homeland security,” Rogers said. “Auburn University has positioned itself as national leader in these key areas and, as an alumnus, I look forward to working closely with the Auburn Family and with these distinguished leaders in their fields as we aim to tackle some of our nation’s most pressing issues.” With the addition of these experts, Cilluffo believes Auburn is poised to make major advancements in cyber policy and security for years to come. “Auburn is at the forefront of cyber and critical infrastructure security policy, research and education,” Cilluffo said. “With the formation of this advisory board, we now draw upon some of the best and brightest leading experts from across government, industry and academia. “This highly distinguished group includes practitioners from government and the energy and financial services sectors, as well as top technologists and scholars. It is a real privilege for the institute to be the beneficiary of their insights and expertise moving forward,” he said.
FRANK CILLUFFO Director, McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security 334-844-2254 cilluffo@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/FCilluffo
DAVID UMPHRESS COLSA Corporation Cyber Security and Information Assurance Professor Director, Auburn Cyber Research Center 334-844-6335 david.umphress@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/DUmphress
GERRY DOZIER Charles D. McCrary Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering 334-844-8834 doziegv@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/GDozier
DEAN HENDRIX Associate Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering Director, Computer Science and Software Engineering Undergraduate Programs 334-844-6305 hendrtd@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/DHendrix
The institute also has a valuable resource in the state-of-the-art 2018-19 Dean’s Report
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Dean Hendrix, associate chair, associate professor and director of undergraduate programs for the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, has been helping to grow the program for the past 20 years, and he’s seen some of the best and brightest move on as the next generation of cyber leaders.
Researchers from the Auburn Cyber Research Center are pictured in the Ronald Lee Burgess Cyber Laboratory.
Burgess Laboratory and through its namesake, who currently serves as the university’s chief operating officer. Burgess, a 38-year Army veteran who spent much of his career in military intelligence, including 15 years in the Department of Defense and three years as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, first joined the university in 2012 as senior counsel for national security programs, cyber programs and military affairs. “I speak all over the nation, all the time, about the threat to this country in terms of where we find ourselves, especially in the cyber domain. Auburn is at the forefront, not only in research, but in producing the undergraduates and graduate students that have the capability and capacity in this area. It’s a good thing, from a national security standpoint, that we try to bring all of that together,” Burgess said. “I’ve seen firsthand the value of what an Auburn engineer brings to the table — their ability, their understanding, their desire to dive deeper on a topic, it makes a difference for this country 24
every day,” he added. Complementary to the McCrary Institute, the Auburn Cyber Research Center is integrating cutting-edge engineering technology with research to develop innovative methods of protecting the nation’s cybersecurity. David Umphress, the COLSA Corporation Cyber Security and Information Assurance Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering and the director of the center, was awarded a $4.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation in 2017 to help address a shortage of public sector cyber security professionals. The award is part of NSF’s CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program that provides students with scholarships and stipends in a cybersecurity field in return for service to a government agency after graduation. Gerry Dozier, the Charles D. McCrary Eminent Chair Professor of computer science and software engineering, is also one of the
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
top researchers in the fight to safeguard the nation’s cyber systems and critical infrastructure. With more than $27 million in sponsored research, his work in critical infrastructure protection is on the front lines of cyber defense, addressing public and private sector cyber threats that jeopardize national security. Dozier brings decades of research and teaching experience in artificial intelligence, evolutionary computation and identity science to this vastly important area. After more than 10 years away from Auburn, he returned to the Auburn Engineering faculty in 2017. “We have the support of the college, the upper administration, the Auburn Cyber Research and last, but not least, we have great faculty, staff and students,” Dozier said. These faculty members are not only producing innovative solutions to some of the country’s most pressing issues, but they’re also preparing the future of the cyber front.
One of those graduates, Matthew Rogers, ’18 software engineering, was named as a Rhodes Scholar in 2017, becoming only the fifth Auburn student in university history to be awarded the prestigious scholarship. As an undergraduate research fellow, Rogers worked with IBM on a Trusted Platform Module, or TPM, crypto-processor to create secure exchanges of information. He worked three summers as an undergraduate research intern at the Huntsville-based Dynetics Inc., where he helped develop malware analysis tools. He has given numerous presentations on malware analysis at professional conferences and is a co-author for several internal reports. He has appeared on the CBS “Sunday Morning News” as well as National Public Radio’s “All Tech Considered.” As a result of Auburn’s cyber efforts and as one of only 20 National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations designated by the National Security Agency, the university hosted the 2018 SEC Academic Conference “Cyber Security: A Shared Responsibility.” The conference explored computer and communication technology; the economic and physical systems that are controlled by technology; and the policies and laws that govern and protect information stored, transmitted and processed with technology.
WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE A E R O S P A C E
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MASATOSHI HIRABAYASHI Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering 334-844-5220 thirabayashi@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/THirabayashi
Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, continues to push the boundaries of planetary exploration through his work on two asteroid exploration missions: OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2. OSIRIS-REx, a NASA asteroid sample-return mission, seeks to understand more about both the past and future of human life by analyzing the carbonaceous asteroid, Bennu. Objectives for this mission include investigating the geophysical, mineralogical and geological processes of Bennu as well as analyzing its organic materials. Similarly, Hayabusa2, a Japanese asteroid sample-return mission, aims to learn more about the evolution of the solar system and Earth’s history by collecting organic materials. Hirabayashi serves as a co-investigator of the Optical Navigation Camera team of Hayabusa2, and he is a collaborator on the Radio Science team of OSIRIS-REx. Hirabayashi’s Space Technology Applications Research, or STAR, lab focuses on conducting multidisciplinary research related to space engineering and science in the effort to find new possibilities for planetary missions, including OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2. Hirabayashi’s contributions to these asteroid exploration missions have been documented in a nature astronomy journal for OSIRIS-REx, and two science journal papers and one Astrophysical Journal Letters paper for Hayabusa2. “OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 overcame many hardships and finally approached their targets,” Hirabayashi said. “They are significantly contributing to both scientific and engineering advances.”
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NEXT-GENERATION BIOFUEL ADDITIVES B I O S Y S T E M S
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YI WANG Assistant Professor of Biosystems Engineering 334-844-3503 yzw0066@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/yzw0066
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Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Auburn University researchers are leading a $2 million U.S. Department of Energy project that promises to improve fuel efficiency and economy. The project will create a bio-based fuel additive that can be blended with diesel fuel to reduce soot and greenhouse gas emissions and yield cleaner engine operation in cold-weather conditions. Joining as collaborators in the research are Cornell University, the University of Alabama, Virginia Tech and corporate partners Microvi Biotech Inc. and EcoEngineers. “We are developing an integrated bioprocess for efficient butyl acetate (BA) production,” said assistant professor Yi Wang, principal investigator for the project. “We anticipate that adding BA to diesel fuel will reduce pollutants and costs associated with meeting environmental regulations.” Butyl acetate is an organic compound that occurs naturally in various fruits and can be used as a flavoring in the food industry and a feedstock in various other industries. BA can be produced chemically. However, traditional petrochemicalbased BA production is energy consuming and not environmentally friendly, Wang said. “In this project, we will further enhance BA production through systematic genome engineering,” he said. “CRISPR technology has been used by many different labs, but we are one of the pioneering labs who have developed the customized CRISPR system that can be applied to the solventogenic clostridial strains, which are notoriously difficult to manipulate genetically. This project represents a complementary and synergistic collaboration between academia and industry. Such efforts will decrease the cost and time required for developing new biotechnologies.” The knowledge generated from this research will be highly applicable to other bioprocesses and of broad interest to the scientific community and industry, he added.
MODERN MONITORING C H E M I C A L
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In the era of smart manufacturing, the importance of detecting and identifying the root cause of any deviation in the manufacturing environment can’t be overemphasized. Controlled systems are growing more complex, feature more sensors and are closer than ever to autonomous operation. That’s why faculty members Peter He and Jin Wang are researching ways to create manufacturing intelligence from real-time data for process monitoring. Their strategy combines systems engineering principles such as dynamic modeling and optimization with data analytics techniques such as statistical approaches, artificial neural networks and deep learning algorithms. The result, says Wang, “is an integrated human intelligence and artificial intelligence approach that
takes advantages of the latest advancements in these fields.” The National Science Foundation funded project is a synergistic collaboration between Auburn and Praxair, an industrial gases company that annually spends more than $1 billion on energy just to power its facilities. For Praxair, decreasing operating costs related to energy usage is a high priority. If successful, He and Wang’s project will enhance Praxair’s ability to monitor different plants worldwide from a centralized operating center in the U.S. “The outcome of this project has the potential to help shape the future of smart manufacturing,” He said. “It will expose Auburn graduate and undergraduate students to current and future industrial needs, and provide opportunities for interacting with industrial researchers.”
PETER HE Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering 334-844-7602 qzh0004@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/PHe
JIN WANG Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of Chemical Engineering 334-844-2020 jzw0001@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/jzw0001
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STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
IN THE FACE OF NATURAL DISASTER On March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado touched down in Lee County, causing widespread devastation. Twenty-three people tragically lost their lives in Beauregard, a community just a few miles from Auburn. In the wake of this disaster, one Auburn wind engineer conducted on-site investigations and used drones and other equipment to study the wreckage. “Time and time again I have been told there is no value in studying building performance in such extreme wind events, but with each detailed assessment my research team collects more evidence to the contrary,” said David Roueche, assistant professor of civil engineering. His team has studied both manufactured homes and site-built homes that have the potential to advance their understanding of tornadoes and reduce both economic impacts and loss of life. In particular, his team is focused on studying the successes – homes that performed better than surrounding homes even while experiencing nominally the same high winds. For example, several manufactured and site-built homes that the team studied sustained extensive damage, but occupants would have been able to survive, likely without any injury, while surrounding homes were tossed or completely demolished. “While the home may have been torn down after the tornado and a new home installed, I would argue that its performance was a resounding success, having provided a safe place of refuge, at an affordable cost, during an extreme weather event that far exceeded design conditions,” Roueche said. While it is not currently feasible to build homes that can remain
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C I V I L
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undamaged during an EF4 tornado and be affordable to a majority of people, Roueche said his team’s research will hopefully underscore how important even small changes in home construction can be at improving life safety in the most violent events. The team is continuing to analyze the data collected from field deployments, developing numerical models from the data and will soon be able to conduct full-scale testing in the new Advanced Testing Laboratory. “As we continue the research, we are actively involved in the community as it rebuilds, participating in outreach sessions to do our part to educate and engage our communities to be safer from future events,” Roueche said.
DAVID ROUECHE Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering) 334-844-6256 dbr0011@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/DRoueche
A QUANTUM LEAP FORWARD E L E C T R I C A L
A N D
C O M P U T E R
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Professor Michael C. Hamilton and doctoral student Uday Goteti were awarded a patent for inventing superconducting quantum logic employing a quantum phase-slip junction to guide a signal through an integrated circuit and perform logic operations. Their superconducting logic technology uses nearly lossless circuits that feature lower power dissipation and higher speeds of operation than traditional electronics, as well as other superconducting electronic technologies. “One of the problems we have with conventional integrated circuits in classical computers is that we’re camped out at about 3 gigahertz in terms of how fast these processors operate. They’re not getting any faster and large ones found in data centers use an incredible amount of energy,” Hamilton said. “With these superconducting electronics, they can run at hundreds of gigahertz with extremely low power dissipation.” The technology is intended to be used in future generations of highperformance classical supercomputers and may find use in future quantum computers. Hamilton and his team are currently working on another patent incorporating both quantum phase-slip junctions with another, more traditional, superconducting device known as a Josephson junction. “By pairing quantum phase-slip junctions and Josephson junctions together, we aim to make superconducting electronics even more flexible to accommodate advanced functionality, and our recent work shows that this is very much a possibility,” he said.
MICHAEL C. HAMILTON Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Director, Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center 334-844-1879 mch0021@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/MHamilton
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BATTLING WORKPLACE INJURIES
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Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are among the most common reasons for lost or restricted work time and affect up to one-third of workers, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Too often, occupational health and safety personnel are left to combat these injuries using data self-reported by employees or from observational assessments, which can both be biased and imprecise. Assistant professor Mark Schall is trying to change that. With wearable technology becoming more common, Schall aims to assess the viability of using wearable sensors to track workplace exposures to physical risk factors and promote healthy workplace behaviors. The research is supported by a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. “The goal is to better assess exposures and proactively understand what is happening in the workplace,” Schall said. “The overarching goal is to
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gather more information about how we can apply wearable technologies to make manufacturing workplaces safer.” Schall’s project involves deploying wearable sensors among a sample of 36 manufacturing workers, developing a dashboard to highlight data gathered and evaluating the effectiveness of the technologies to improve the decision-making of occupational health and safety personnel. “What’s unique about this project is it’s one of the first times that we’ve applied wearable technologies on a really broad scale to try to understand and address different concerns,” Schall said.
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
MARK SCHALL Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering 708-539-8957 mark-schall@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/MSchall
SAFEGUARDING OUR FOOD SUPPLY M A T E R I A L S
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The Auburn University Detection and Food Safety Center, or AUDFS, is spearheading efforts to increase food safety and detection, primarily with biomolecular recognition and detection devices. Commissioned in 1999, the center aims to improve the safety of the U.S. food system by rapidly identifying, pinpointing and characterizing problems that arise in the food supply chain through the integration of sensor and information systems technology. Led by Bryan Chin and ZhongYang Cheng, the center targets these critical issues from different angles to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 48 million Americans got sick from foodborne diseases in 2018. Of that number, approximately 128,000 were hospitalized, and 3,000 died. “No longer are the foods that we eat locally grown or locally processed, but they come to us from across the world,” Chin said. “This has complicated the ability to ensure the safety of the foods today.” Chin and Cheng are perfecting various technologies, including air sampling for E. coli detection on spinach leaves, liquid phage solutions for cleaning of food preparation surfaces, and invasive insect species detection using automated smart traps. The use of RNA-based biosensors as pathogen detectors will enable inspectors to more readily identify bacteria in food. “This biosensor will provide the inspector with an infield evaluation of the bacterial contamination,” Chin said. “The inspector will be able to say right then and there whether the food is contaminated or not.” One facet of the center’s research is to develop, demonstrate and field test an accurate and easy-to-use biosensor for pathogen detection of salmonella contamination in fresh fruits
like tomatoes, cantaloupes and watermelons. “The inspector looks for what we would call unsanitary conditions which may harbor bacteria, but he cannot with the human eye identify the presence of the biological pathogens,” Chin said.
BRYAN CHIN Daniel F. and Josephine Breeden Professor of Materials Engineering Director, Auburn University Detection and Food Safety Center 334-844-3322 chinbry@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/BChin
ZHONGYANG CHENG Alumni Professor of Materials Engineering Associate Director, Auburn University Detection and Food Safety Center 334-844-3419 chengzh@eng.auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/ZYCheng
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TO THE MOON AND BEYOND M E C H A N I C A L
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In March 2019, Auburn University landed a $5.2 million contract from NASA to help facilitate the space administration’s Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology project, or RAMPT. The three-year investment is the latest in Auburn’s public-private partnership with NASA that established the National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence in 2017. RAMPT is focused on evolving light-weight, large-scale 3-D printing techniques for the development and manufacturing of regeneratively-cooled thrust chamber assemblies for the liquid rocket engines necessary not only to return Americans to the moon, but to put the U.S. in the pole position for the race to Mars. “We believe that when we land on the moon in 2024, our lander will be powered by an additively manufactured engine nozzle designed and developed right here in Alabama,” said Mike Ogles, director of NASA programs. Thanks to decisive investments, including the hiring of prominent experts such as NCAME director Nima Shamsaei and the $18 million renovation of the Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory which now houses NCAME, the college has quickly helped turn Auburn into an international hub for additive manufacturing. NCAME has also brought in research funding from strategic partnerships with additional additive manufacturing heavy hitters such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Navy. “NCAME currently has over 70 partners,” said Shamsaei, principal investigator for the RAMPT project. “We’re going after funding opportunities to help the industry and the government in faster adoption of this emerging technology.”
$
5.2
MILLION
NASA CONTRACT
NIMA SHAMSAEI
Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Director, National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence 334-844-4839 nzs0058@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/NShamsaei
MIKE OGLES
Director, NASA programs 334-844-2304 mro0010@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/MOgles
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LET THERE BE VISIBLE LIGHT COMMUNICATION
W I R E L E S S E N G I N E E R I N G
WiFi has revolutionized how and where we access the internet and has become increasingly ubiquitous in the last two decades. But within the next 10 years, assistant professor Tao Shu expects it to become obsolete, replaced by visible light communication, or VLC. Using light waves to transmit information, VLC capitalizes on a license-free spectrum and abundant bandwidth with transmission rates that dwarf WiFi’s capabilities. However, there are major security concerns to overcome, and that’s where Shu comes in. Since the light is visible, it is open to eavesdropping. A bad actor could also block the light source, similar to a denial of service attack, and then spoof a false signal. With the support of an Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research from the National Science Foundation, Shu is investigating the use of a Multiple Input-Multiple Output architecture to overcome these vulnerabilities. “When multiple LED lights are illuminated, you cannot tell which signal comes from a particular LED. The signals are mixed together,” Shu said. “However, we are using orthogonal coding to encode the light emitted by the LEDs. An algorithm on the receiver side can then decode or detect the special code from the transmitter.” Shu’s lab has also developed a framework to demonstrate other potential security issues, such as information being exposed when the light reflects off objects. “Security is a huge issue for VLC and our efforts are making great contributions to improve the security of this technology,” he said.
TAO SHU Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering 334-844-5170 tshu@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/TShu 2018-19 Dean’s Report
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Auburn University is committing unprecedented levels of support for research across the Auburn campus, bolstering engineering research programs that have long been on the ascendancy. Our faculty and students are conducting novel research in many emerging and established research areas, including advanced manufacturing and materials, cybersecurity and intelligent systems, energy and environment, infrastructure and transportation, and biomedical and health systems engineering.
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A researcher is pictured in the Center for Polymer and Advanced Composites.
RESEARCH CENTERS Auburn Engineering is one of the nation’s top 50 institutions in research expenditures. Pioneering research is underway in our 21 research centers and dozens of labs across campus, focused on producing technology and innovation that will help drive economic growth while improving human life on a global scale. Read more about Auburn Engineering’s quality indicators in research on page 8.
MRI Research Center
Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering
Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts
Advanced Manufacturing Research Center
Center for Cyber and Homeland Security
Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center
Center for Microfibrous Materials
Alabama Transportation Assistance Program
Center for Polymers and Advanced Composites
Auburn University Detection and Food Safety Center
Cyber Research Center
Occupational Safety, Ergonomics and Injury Prevention Center
Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility
Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management
Highway Research Center
Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center
Center for Advanced Vehicle and Extreme Environment Electronics
McCrary Institute
National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence National Center for Asphalt Technology NextFlex Alliance - Harsh Environment Node
AUBURN ENGINEERING OPENS $18 MILLION GAVIN RESEARCH LABORATORY Auburn’s newly renovated Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory once housed a thriving textile engineering program for almost a century. Today, the building has been reinvigorated through an $18 million renovation to support a new generation of researchers and students, thanks to gifts of $10.5 million made possible by Charles E. Gavin III and his late wife, Carol Ann. With more than 60,000 square feet of research space, the state-of-theart facility is now home to Auburn’s additive manufacturing research initiatives, the Center for Polymer and Advanced Composites, the Nuclear Power Generation Systems Program and other research enterprises. Charles Gavin
“Charles gave us a great charge, to have this building reformed to serve our region for the next 100 years,” said Christopher B. Roberts, dean of engineering. “Today, we’re doing just that. The promise of this building housing our lead faculty where they can conduct cutting-edge research and prepare our students for careers in the next generation are already taking place.” The south entrance of the Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory was also renovated to allow students more convenient entry to the building when coming from the heart of campus, while also providing accessibility to the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center, a comprehensive student-support facility that opened in August 2019.
National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence researchers
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Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
AUBURN UNIVERSITY ACHIEVES CARNEGIE R1 STATUS
Elizabeth Lipke (left), the Mary and John H. Sanders Associate Professor of chemical engineering, and her Lipke Lab’s research focus includes cardiac regeneration and bioengineered 3-D cancer models, among other topics.
In another affirmation of its drive forward to excellence, Auburn University achieved a research milestone in 2018 – being elevated to an “R1” institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The announcement followed a concerted effort by Auburn to elevate its commitment to life-saving research, most prominently with a new $5 million Presidential Awards for Interdisciplinary Research program that supports promising collaborative research across disciplines. An R1 designation by Carnegie is reserved for doctoral universities with the highest levels of research activity. Auburn was listed in the top 100 of such universities, raising its classification from an already lofty “high research” R2 classification to the “very high research activity” R1 label. “Auburn is known for solving real-world problems through its ground-breaking research, and the R1 classification is a reflection of that,” said Vice President for Research and Economic Development James Weyhenmeyer. “Auburn will continue to build upon its rich history of discovery and innovation, for the benefit of citizens in Alabama and beyond.” Universities considered for the R1 designation must have awarded at least 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees and had at least $5 million in total research expenditures, according to Carnegie’s classification website. Auburn has grown its research efforts in both STEM and non-STEM areas, furthering its institutional commitment to offer solutions to real-world problems and grow its reputation as a go-to university in providing results that transform and inspire. 2018-19 Dean’s Report
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NEW FACULTY MEMBERS Since 2015, Auburn Engineering has hired more than 100 new faculty members to bolster our growing research programs and educate the next generation of engineers. Here, you can read more about the newest faculty members that we hired in the 2019 calendar year. You can find profiles of all our new faculty members dating back to 2015 at aub.ie/newENGFaculty.
NATALIE CÁPIRO
CHRIS KIESLICH
Assistant Professor Cápiro’s researches environmental biotechnology, molecular techniques to monitor microbial communities, fate and transport of legacy and emerging contaminants in natural systems, and nanotechnology-biological interactions in the environment.
Assistant Professor Kieslich’s work focuses on using computer simulations and data to model biology and disease at a molecular-level, and then leveraging these models for therapeutic design.
Ph.D. Rice University Civil Engineering
SIYUAN DAI
PENG LI
Assistant Professor Dai’s research focuses on nanophotonics, light-matter integration and optical properties of low-dimensional and quantum materials at the nanoscale.
Assistant Professor Li works to develop spintronics-based technology for building future computers. Spintronics is a way of collective state switching, which is promising to realize devices that surpass CMOS.
Ph.D. University of California, San Diego
Ph.D. University of Notre Dame
Materials Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
DAWID DUVENHAGE
PETER LIU
Assistant Research Professor Duvenhage has an industrial background in syngas production and conversion. His research interests covers feed conversion, syngas cleanup and conversion, as well as product workup technologies.
Assistant Professor Liu uses statistical modeling and machine learning algorithms for efficient process modeling and quality control in advanced manufacturing.
Ph.D. University of the Witwatersran, South Africa
Ph.D. Virginia Tech
Biosystems Engineering
Industrial and Systems Engineering
FAN GU
KONSTANTINOS MYKONIATIS
Assistant Research Professor Gu focuses on the innovative design and preservation to improve the resiliency of transportation infrastructure using a multiphysics and mechanics-based analysis system.
Assistant Professor Mykoniatis uses advanced multi-paradigm modeling and simulation techniques to study complex systems in domains such as manufacturing, healthcare, entertainment and defense, among others.
Ph.D. Texas A&M University
Ph.D. University of Central Florida
National Center for Asphalt Technology
Industrial and Systems Engineering
DAVIDE GUZZETTI
KYLE SCHULZE
Assistant Professor Guzzetti explores immersive visualization, machine learning and dynamical systems theory to create humanmachine interfaces for the study of spacecraft dynamics and the development of autonomous spacecraft guidance solutions.
Assistant Professor Schulze’s research is in interfacial engineering, with a particular focus on soft, biological and biologicallyinspired material systems.
Ph.D. Purdue University
Ph.D. University of Florida
Aerospace Engineering
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Ph.D. University of California, Riverside Chemical Engineering
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
KADIR SENER
SHUAI SHAO
Assistant Professor Sener’s primary research interests include the behavior, analysis and design of innovative steel-concrete composite structures at ambient and elevated temperature conditions.
Associate Professor Shao utilizes both multiscale materials simulation and experimental characterization to investigate the mechanical behavior of additively manufactured materials under both quasi static and cyclic loading conditions.
Ph.D. Purdue University
Ph.D. Washington State University
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
EHSAN TAHERI
DAVID SHAFFER
Assistant Professor Taheri uses optimal control theory and numerical optimization methods for enhanced operation of aerospace systems. He is developing dependable trajectory optimization methodologies for spacecraft using solar-powered low-thrust electric engines.
Lecturer Shaffer has taught introductory computing courses as well advanced courses on data structures, database theory and design, software engineering and advanced mobile application development (Android and iOS platforms), among others.
Ph.D. Michigan Technological University
Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh
Aerospace Engineering
Computer Science and Software Engineering
DANIEL TAURITZ
MEHDI SADI
Associate Professor Tauritz focuses his research on creating novel artificial intelligence approaches to solve complex real-world problems, with an emphasis on national security problems.
Assistant Professor Sadi’s research is on developing Computer-Aided-Design and test techniques for Neuromorphic hardware. His research also includes developing machine learning/AI enabled System-on-Chip design flows.
Ph.D. Leiden University, the Netherlands
Ph.D. University of Florida
Computer Science and Software Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
MARK YAMPOLSKIY
YIN BAO
Associate Professor Yampolskiy was among the pioneers and is currently one of the leading experts in the field of additive manufacturing security.
Assistant Professor Bao’s research interests include cyber-physical systems for smart agriculture and forestry, including remote and proximal sensing, computer vision, robotics and machine learning.
Ph.D. Ludwig-Maximilians University, Germany
Ph.D. Iowa State University
Computer Science and Software Engineering
Biosystems Engineering
MICHAEL PEREZ Assistant Professor Perez specializes in the use of large-scale testing techniques to advance the performance of stormwater management practices used for construction, postconstruction and agricultural applications. Ph.D. Auburn University Civil Engineering
2018-19 Dean’s Report
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Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Office of the Dean 1301 Shelby Center 1161 W. Samford Ave, Building 8 Auburn, AL 36849