Watson Review - Summer 2022

Binghamton

Watson U N I V E R S I T Y

THOMAS J. WATSON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE

M AG A Z I N E

SUMMER 2022

R E V I E W

MEET THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING New Watson College Scholars Program fosters undergraduate diversity

Autonomous systems research creates machines that think

Senior projects try to solve real-world problems

Professor’s lung research seeks better diagnosis

| FROM THE DEAN |

build the future. The Watson College Scholars Program welcomed its first cohort last fall, providing financial and academic support for members of historically underrepresented communities who will be tech innovators and leaders. Undergraduates in the program share their stories and discuss why being a Watson Scholar puts them on firmer footing. In addition, we round up the best senior capstone projects to show how students are using their classroom skills to address real-world issues.

Two stories highlight technology that will shape our lives for years to come. Several Watson researchers are examining autonomous systems to discover software and hardware solutions. Their findings will guide the next generation of autonomous cars, lead to medical breakthroughs and reduce our repetitive tasks. We also talk to Assistant Professor Yuan Wan about his $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a faster, less painful way to diagnose solitary pulmonary nodules, a condition that affects 1.5 million Americans each year.

For our alumni profile, we check in with Mohammad Yunus, MS ’00, who is the senior vice president for manufacturing operations at Texas Instruments. He worked in the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) while pursuing his degree in industrial engineering, and he says he learned many things in and out of the classroom at Binghamton that have helped to make his career a success.

In 2023, Watson College will mark its 40th anniversary. We celebrate the many people who have been part of our history and the groundbreaking discoveries here at Binghamton, but our gaze is firmly on what comes next. As always, we appreciate your support along the journey. We could not do it without you.

Sincerely,

THOMAS J. WATSON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE DEAN

Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES

Junghyun Cho

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION

Peter J. Partell, MA ’97, PhD ’99 ASSOCIATE DEAN OF RESEARCH

Meera Sampath

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR ACADEMIC DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Miguel Baique

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR FINANCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES

Jessica Best

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES

Lisa Gallagher ’89, MBA ’92 ASSISTANT DEAN OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Deborah Howell

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR STRATEGY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Elizabeth Kradjian

WATSON REVIEW EDITOR

Chris Kocher ART DIRECTOR

Burt Myers

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jonathan Cohen VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Greg Delviscio

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES

Gerald Hovancik Jr. COPY EDITORS

Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari Dean and SUNY distinguished professor Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science

Natalie Blando-George Eric Coker Katie Ellis

ON THE COVER: From left, Katherine Peters, Clara Rodriguez and Jonel Poueriet-Santana are among the first cohort of Watson College Scholars.

CASEY STAFF

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ear alumni and friends: By every conceivable measure, Watson College has seen remarkable growth since its inception nearly 40 years ago. Student enrollment, the number of faculty members, the amount of research funding, even the square footage of space devoted to engineering and computer science on the Binghamton University campus have increased in ways that few could have foreseen in 1983.

The world in which we live today has become more technology-driven than ever, from smartphones and the internet to nanotechnology, additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence. We also face different challenges, such as cybersecurity and climate change.

As Watson College has expanded, we have maintained our commitment to being a leader in engineering education. Our students — undergraduates and graduates — are our primary customers, and we want to ensure what they learn here builds a foundation that will support them in any field of endeavor they choose. We are likewise committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the ranks of engineers and computer scientists.

We can solve the myriad problems ahead only by inviting diverse voices to help.

How will Watson change over the next 40 years? We imagine we will continue to grow and evolve just as we have since we began.

As the world around us changes, so must we to best prepare our students. Our faculty will continue to innovate what they teach and how they teach. From the beginning, our faculty and staff have been innovative, flexible and entrepreneurial — that is the spirit of Watson.

We will continue to strengthen our in-person teaching while we also look to new and innovative pedagogies and course topics as technologies change and evolve. At the same time, we will expand our academic offerings on online platforms. Degrees and credentials taught in virtual classrooms are sought after more than ever, inspired by the rise in remote learning during the pandemic.

In this issue of the Watson Review, we look at ways in which the college is helping to

Volume 9 | SUMMER 2022

Contents 2

Watson College Scholars

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Researching autonomous systems

A new program offers extra support to undergraduates from underrepresented communities.

Can machines think for themselves? Several faculty members at Watson push the boundaries.

13

The best senior projects

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Improving lung tests

20

Alumnus spotlight

22 24 25

News briefs

Students practice their skills in real-world scenarios.

Biomedical engineering professor receives federal funding to better diagnose pulmonary nodules.

Mohammad Yunus, MS ’00, shapes the semiconductor industry at Texas Instruments.

New faculty Help Watson to EXCELERATE

JONATHAN COHEN

Join us in building the engineering and computer science college of tomorrow.

Assistant Professor Shiqi Zhang and his students took their robot dog out for a walk at Halloween, handing out candy to passing students.

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DIVERSIFYING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY

Watson College Scholars Program offers extra support to undergrads from underrepresented communities

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By Chris Kocher

hen trying to solve the knottiest problems of the 21st century, fostering a wide range of viewpoints and approaches is the quickest path to success. That mission drives Watson College’s diversity efforts to encourage more women and people of color to join the ranks of engineers and computer scientists.

In fall 2021, the Watson College Scholars Program welcomed its first cohort of 11 undergraduates from historically underrepresented communities. In addition to a $2,000 annual scholarship, the students receive extra support to help them succeed, such as networking opportunities, internships and job assistance. Donors and sponsors stepped up to pay for the program.

“We want to develop future innovators and leaders who will enter graduate school and the workforce as global citizens with a depth and breadth of professional and technical skill development,” Dean Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari says. “Solving today’s most pressing issues — such as those in healthcare, clean energy, cybersecurity and autonomous systems — will require all of us working together.”

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Watson College Scholars, from left, Katherine Peters, Bryan Perez, Jonel Poueriet-Santana, Danielle Johns and Mason Gilbert meet at the Union Undergrounds last fall to discuss a group project.

JONATHAN COHEN

INVESTING IN STUDENTS’ FUTURES

The foundations for the scholars program rest on four key pillars: academic development, professional development, networking and community service.

When Miguel Baique started last July as Watson College’s assistant dean for academic diversity and inclusive excellence, he needed to figure out how those ideas would be put into practice — but thanks to previous roles at SUNY Geneseo and Nazareth College, he had the background and ability to develop a curriculum before the fall semester began. It also hasn’t been that long since Baique benefitted from similar initiatives as an undergraduate at Geneseo.

“There’s a correlation between the support that students received from these types of programs and their academic outcomes,” he says. “They feel accomplished in other areas, too.”

There is no separate application to join the Watson College Scholars. The Undergraduate Admissions Office chooses candidates from those first-year or transfer students who already have been accepted to Binghamton and qualify as economically disadvantaged, with priority for applicants from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

The program requires weekly group meetings (either in person or on Zoom) where the scholars

discuss topics such as building résumés, writing cover letters, finding internships, starting LinkedIn accounts, and the importance of mentorship, networking and professional communication.

Successful Watson alumni and program sponsors are guest speakers to inspire the newest generation of engineers and computer scientists.

Baique hopes that sharing their experiences leads to peer support and accountability when navigating the higher education landscape.

In addition, he holds one-on-one sessions with each student to make Baique sure they are staying on track and to answer any questions, no matter how big or small. Sometimes there are specific assignments to reinforce something he hopes the scholars will learn.

“Other colleges and universities might provide tuition funding, but we are also going to invest in areas such as social development, professional development, community engagement and civic engagement,” he says. “There’s so much that students can take away from this program.”

Early in the fall semester, a welcome luncheon brought the first scholars together with representatives from many of the program’s sponsors.

Students stood up one by one — some of them shy, others bolder — to introduce themselves at the start of their Watson College journey.

“ THERE’S SO MUCH THAT STUDENTS CAN TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PROGRAM.” —Miguel Baique

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Watson College Scholar Clara Rodriguez attends a biomedical engineering class taught by Distinguished Professor Kaiming Ye.

—Clara Rodriguez

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‘PEOPLE HERE ARE WELL-CONNECTED’ Clara Rodriguez’s grandparents moved from Puerto Rico to New York in search of a better life. She’s the first in her family to pursue higher education, earning an Associate in Engineering Science degree at Dutchess Community College before coming to Binghamton.

As a biomedical engineering major (with a minor in Spanish), she felt drawn to Watson College because of its faculty and their strong commitment to research. She would love to investigate how to improve the efficiency of implantable technology, which is embedded directly into the body to modify, enhance or heal in ways that other devices can’t.

“I am fascinated by how the human body works, and I love to apply engineering principles to make things better,” says Rodriguez, who hails from Hopewell Junction. “Something is working in one person but not another person. What’s the difference? And how can I help the person where this is not working properly?”

The maze of higher-ed acronyms, financial-aid paperwork and classroom expectations can be a confusing place without a guiding hand from a parent or sibling who has traveled that road before, so Rodriguez is grateful for the support the University provides. In addition to the Watson College Scholars, she also has found help through Binghamton’s TRIO and BFirst initiatives, which guide low-income and first-generation college students.

“The people here are very well-connected,” Rodriguez says. “If you ask someone a question and they don’t know, they’ll send you to who they think will know. You will get the answer, which made the transition process so much easier. Everyone is so eager to help us and excited to see us succeed.”

Because of her previous college experience, some first-year students in the scholars program will seek out her advice, too. “They’ll ask me, ‘Hey, I’m taking this class. Is it supposed to be this hard?’ I’m like, ‘yup, it’s supposed to be this hard!’” she says with a laugh. “It gives a sense of reassurance, because if you’ve never had a sibling who has taken that class or had that professor before, then you think, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ You realize it’s not a ‘you’ thing — everyone’s in the same boat.”

Rodriguez is doing research in Associate Professor Guy German’s lab, which focuses on how human skin protects us, and she’s already thinking she wants to stay at Binghamton to

WHAT THE SPONSORS SAY “Our company has a longstanding corporate culture of respecting and appreciating diversity, equity and inclusion. This program will create an inclusive culture and benefit the future of technology and innovation.”

Mary M. O’Malley-Trumble, MBA ’99, IBM Corp. operations leader and senior location executive in Endicott

JONATHAN COHEN

“ EVERYONE IS SO EAGER TO HELP US AND EXCITED TO SEE US SUCCEED.”

| DIVERSIFYING THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING |

earn her master’s and PhD degrees. She loves the hands-on learning experiences at Watson College and how her professors relate those concepts to the real world.

“I look forward to getting my PhD one day and saying, ‘Mom, Dad — I did it!’”

PROVIDED

‘I FEEL CONNECTED WITH EVERYBODY’ Jonel Poueriet-Santana was born in the Bronx as a triplet, although that’s hard to tell when you see a photo of him and his brothers together. For one, they’re each about 5-foot-9 and he towers over them at a lanky 6-foot-3.

His parents moved from the Dominican Republic to New York City to seek a better future. When he was 4 years old, Poueriet-Santana and his family relocated to Patchogue, on Long Island’s southern coast, so his mother could take a job as a private chef.

His video game time was limited — imagine three brothers trying to share one Xbox — but he had a laptop at a young age and loved to mess with the settings to see what would happen.

“When I got older, I got a new laptop, so I literally broke down the old one and got into it. I was trying to figure out how it all worked,” he says.

Programming courses in high school sealed the deal: He wanted to pursue higher education in computer science. Like Rodriguez, PouerietSantana is a first-generation college student, and his views on the experience were influenced by portrayals of campus life in TV shows and films.

His family is “super-excited” that he’s part of the Watson College Scholars. “When I first found out about this program and got the invitation to join, the first person I told was my mom, and she was celebrating. She was so happy for me that I had this support group to lean on.”

Poueriet-Santana appreciates the program’s financial support as well as the professional skills he’s learning, which will give him an advantage when seeking an internship or job. He also likes the bonds that have formed among all the scholars.

Out of the classroom, he’s dived head-first into extracurricular activities. In his first semester, he has joined like-minded students at HackBU, the Association for Computing Machinery, the Society for Hispanic Engineers, the Caribbean Student Association, the Black Student Union and the Latin American Student Union. He’s also an ambassador for his residence hall, and he and his roommates are often in the gym at night playing pickup basketball games.

More Watson College Scholars Mason

Gilbert

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Poughquag, N.Y.

Ray

Inoa

ENGINEERING (UNDECIDED) Weehawken, N.J.

Danielle

Johns

INTEREST IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Syracuse, N.Y.

Sandrique

Knight

INTEREST IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Newburgh, N.Y.

Kaesi

Manakkal

COMPUTER SCIENCE Finger Lakes area, N.Y.

Christian

Martinez

INTEREST IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Centereach, N.Y.

Bryan

Perez

COMPUTER SCIENCE Queens, N.Y.

Joey

Zhang

COMPUTER SCIENCE Staten Island, N.Y.

How to help Do you want to give a gift to the Watson College Scholars Program or become a sponsor? Learn more at binghamton.edu/watson/ diversity/programs/watson-scholars/sponsors. binghamton.edu/watson

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“ I’M HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME PUTTING MYSELF OUT THERE.” —Jonel Poueriet-Santana

“My roommates, my building, my community — I feel connected with everybody,” he says.

“Everybody’s really friendly. I’m having a really good time putting myself out there. Course-wise, I knew that computer science was going to be a tough program. I think I can definitely handle it.”

‘A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO MEET SIMILAR PEOPLE’

Katherine Peters grew up in Baldwinsville, N.Y., as a problem-solver. Whether it was math, biology, chemistry or physics, she excelled at all of them. So when WHAT THE SPONSORS SAY her mom suggested “Supporting the future workforce has always she check out engibeen an important part of who The Raymond neering as a possible Corporation is as a corporate citizen. We career path, she are energized to be a driving force to create realized it played to all future innovators and leaders in industry.” her strengths.

Jennifer de Souza ’94, vice president of energy solutions, “I’m really attracted procurement and leasing at The Raymond Corporation to biomedical engineering,” she says.

“I’ve been thinking about working in a hospital, working on improving the technology there, or even doing research at a hospital. I like the idea of being in the field and behind the scenes.”

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A few factors influenced her choice to come to Binghamton. The faculty for Watson’s biomedical program — which is more than 50% women — has a strong focus on research, and the University’s unique ties to industry offer more opportunities as a student and after graduation.

Like all first-year Watson students, Peters is taking courses through the Engineering Design Division, which introduces the various disciplines represented at the college by blending engineering fundamentals, communications and collaborative projects.

Although her parents and older brothers all went to college, Peters still finds comfort knowing that because she is a Watson College Scholar, she can rely on Baique and others if she encounters a problem and needs some advice.

The program also brings together a group of students who all are facing the same issues: keeping up with coursework, balancing academics with social lives, making new friends, thinking about future careers and maybe missing home sometimes. At their weekly meetings, the scholars are encouraged to share their recent highs and lows, which helps them to understand they are not alone in the challenges they face.

“I didn’t realize how close and tight-knit we

JONATHAN COHEN

Watson College Scholars frequently study together. Here, Jonel Poueriet-Santana, left, and Danielle Johns work on a group project.

| DIVERSIFYING THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING |

would be,” Peters says. “It’s such a good opportunity to meet people who are similar, even though everybody comes from different backgrounds.”

On a personal level, Peters also tweaked a few things for the transition from high school to college: “I used to be very introverted, but there are no expectations at college. You can choose who you want to be. I feel like I’m way more open to talking to people, and that’s definitely going to come in handy with the Watson College Scholars Program, because I definitely want to make those connections.”

‘WE’RE GOING TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL’

Supporting the scholars Thanks to these donors for helping the Watson College Scholars Program!

Lead Sponsors Bloomberg LP Department of Computer Science Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering IBM Corp.

Lockheed Martin Corp.

The Raymond Corporation Subhachandra Chandra, MS ’95, and Nandita Dukkipati Geraldine MacDonald ’68, MS ’73, LittD ’17 John J. and Cheryl L. Mirabito

Plotting out what’s next for the Watson College Scholars, Baique is preparing for the cohort that Friends of the Program will start in the fall, with the current students Vladimir Andral ’95 acting as mentors while still receiving guidance Gisha Babby ’00 themselves. He is drawing inspiration from Collins Aerospace the concept of vertically integrated projects, Syska Hennessey where the expectations rise from year to year as Diana Lee Morabito ’77, MS ’80, and Keith Ball, MS ’80 students acquire more skills.

Tonya O. Parris ’92 Another goal is to strengthen the relationship Peter J. Partell, MA ’97, PhD ’99, and April Partell between the scholars and sponsor companies, Joseph Pedone ’92 and Stacey A. Pedone ’92 hosting more on-campus workshops and Ellen F. Tattenbaum, MA ’85 Visions Federal Credit Union connecting with employee resource groups Susan Wu ’93 that bring together different affinity groups as a support network.

The college has hired a part-time coordinator to aid the scholars, with an “ I DIDN’T eye to making it a full-time REALIZE HOW role as the program expands CLOSE AND over the next few years.

Attracting additional sponTIGHT-KNIT WE sors and donors would allow WOULD BE.” the program to offer help to —Katherine Peters even more students.

“What we’re doing is going to be transformational, not just for the scholars but for how we act on equity and inclusive practices across Watson College in general,” Baique says. “I can’t wait for the future.”

Katherine Peters works with her instructor, PhD student Manju Aithal, on a circuit-board project in a lab in the Glenn G. Bartle Library.

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MACHINES THAT

THINK How Watson researchers are shaping the future of autonomous systems

By Jennifer Micale and Chris Kocher

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cellphone chatbots, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Shiqi Zhang points out. Quite a few Binghamton University alumni work at financial technology companies in New York City building autonomous systems — Zhang prefers the term “robot,” broadly defined — for investment management and other tasks, for example.

Here, you’ll meet Watson College researchers who are tackling complex problems and laying the foundation for a high-tech future where machines can think, make decisions and, yes, drive the car.

JONATHAN COHEN

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hen most people think of autonomous systems, they often imagine selfdriving cars, but that’s just part of this wide area of research. Creating a machine that can make its own decisions in real time involves a dazzling array of challenges, ranging from robotics to software design, coding, mathematics, systems science and more.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kaiyan Yu offers a definition that captures the field’s breadth: “Autonomous systems are capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. It’s a cross-disciplinary field, involving computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and even the cognitive sciences.”

Systems can be semi- or fully autonomous and involve a wide range of applications, from agriculture to healthcare management to control of traffic lights in smart cities and much more, Yu says.

In fact, autonomous systems are already part of our daily life, from thermostat control systems in smart homes to

SHIQI ZHANG

TEACHING ROBOTS TO LEARN

“ I’d like to see robots outside labs more …”

—Shiqi Zhang

Assistant Professor Shiqi Zhang works with PhD student Kishan Chandan at Zhang’s Autonomous Intelligent Robotics Lab.

KAIYAN YU

ROBOTS BIG AND SMALL

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hang works with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and neural networks, a type of data-driven machine learning. Ultimately, his research teaches machines to learn, reason and act — and even out-compete humans in certain tasks.

In his research group, Zhang and his students focus on everyday scenarios, such as homes, hospitals, airports and shopping centers. Their work also focuses on three research themes: robot-decision making, human-robot interaction and robot task-motion planning. In their decision-making research, supported through a National Science Foundation grant, they develop algorithms that combine rulebased AI methods and data-driven machine learning methods.

“The former is good at incorporating human knowledge, and the latter makes it possible to improve decisionmaking from past experience,” Zhang says.

To make rational decisions, an autonomous system must figure out the current world state, a quality that researchers term “perception.”

Reasoning helps a robot figure out what it should do once it perceives that state. With actualization, the robot completes the decided-upon behavior.

AI methods have been used in all three processes, but they are most successful — at least so far — when it comes to perception.

“AIs can do better than people on benchmark tasks, such as image recognition and speech recognition, under some conditions. A robot can know the world state much, much better than 10

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iny robots that travel in your bloodstream, conducting repairs and delivering medications to their target. Massive robots that prowl the roads, finding cracks before your car’s front wheel does.

Yu is working to develop smart systems on both the micro- and macro-scale of robotics. The potentials of both are vast.

On the micro-scale, she researches the manipulation of nanoparticles, a precursor to more fully realized nanobots that could be used in a wide range of applications, from minimally invasive surgery and drug-delivery to industrial use in microelectronics assembly and packaging.

years ago,” Zhang says. “That definitely helps the robot a lot with decision-making and reaching the next level of autonomy.”

That doesn’t mean that robots will surpass humans in decision-making anytime soon.

Humans, for example, realize that someone can’t be in two places at the same time, and that dropped objects fall to the ground. AIs need to be taught to factor these realities into their reasoning processes.

“Machines don’t have common sense. There are many things that are obvious to people, but not to AIs,” Zhang reflects. “Datadriven methods are not very effective in incorporating common sense. We don’t want a self-driving car to learn to avoid running into people by doing that many times.”

When it comes to human-robot interaction, the research group is interested in dialog-based and augmented reality (AR)-based systems. Dialog systems help robots estimate a human’s mental state, and AR systems visualize a robot’s mental state for human decision-making, Zhang says. Long-term, he would like to see more research on the creation of transparent and trustworthy AI systems, and the use of this technology to improve the lives of physically challenged and elderly people.

“I’d like to see robots outside labs more, and see people and robots work with each other in human-inhabited environments. I’d like to see a robot being able to make sense of its own behaviors,” he says.

This spring, she received a $588,608 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to explore how to control multiple nanosized objects using electric fields. Fully realized nanobots are still a way off; scientists first need to develop and fabricate small-scale actuators, sensors and communication devices, a necessary step for automation.

“I want to precisely, efficiently and automatically control and manipulate as many of these tiny particles as possible so that I can use them to assemble different functional nanodevices, interconnects and other useful components in various applications,” she says.

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—Kaiyan Yu

YONG WANG

CURBING INDIA’S TRAFFIC DANGERS

“ As drones get cheaper, everybody’s trying to come up with new ways of utilizing them …”

—Yong Wang

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very year around the world, about 1.3 million people die in traffic fatalities, and millions more suffer nonfatal injuries that lead to long-term disability.

India ranks first in the number of road accident deaths, accounting for around 10% of the global total. Worldwide, 90% of casualties happen in developing countries where the laws of the road may be seen as merely inconvenient suggestions.

And among all the states in India, Tamil Nadu — located at the southeastern tip of the country — reports the highest number of road accidents.

Not coincidentally, when Binghamton University and Watson College established a collaborative Center of Excellence in 2019 with the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu, they focued on autonomous vehicle research.

For Indians, finding a safer way to navigate the streets is a matter of life and death.

Through the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE), Assistant Professor of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Yong Wang is working with VIT Professor P. Shunmuga Perumal on ways to overcome the challenges, which include inconsistent lane markings; lack of traffic lights and pedestrian crossings; and the unique mix of trucks, cars, two- and three-wheeled vehicles, bicycles and autorickshaws. Researchers drove around Vellore and collected video that could be analyzed using a deep-learning algorithm.

“By combining an object detection network and a lane detection network with a system that ties everything together, we came up with eight different road scenarios corresponding to a different command to the vehicle control system,” Wang says.

Above: Assistant Professor Kaiyan Yu is working on robotics projects both large and microscopic; Below: Assistant Professor Yong Wang in his lab.

Wang has other ideas he’s exploring. One industry-sponsored project would check warehouse inventory after hours with indoor drones. Another would fly drones above parking areas to monitor open spots and report to drivers on a smartphone app. He also advised a senior project group using drones to check solar panels (see page 17).

“As drones get cheaper, everybody’s trying to come up with new ways of utilizing them, not only for videos but maybe for prescription or grocery delivery,” he says. Drone regulation is the next step so that they don’t interfere with airports and military bases: “Technology is moving much faster than the policy-making process, but I think the policies will gradually catch up.”

JONATHAN COHEN

“ Robots can work with humans, interacting and collaborating with them.”

Yu also explores larger-scale problems, such as the dangers of driving on icy roads. Using a scaleddown car, she’s developing an algorithm that can detect slippery road surfaces and prevent skidding. And then there is the surface crack repair robot, which glides over a road surface to detect and repair cracks without human guidance.

Some people may fear that a robotic future could lead to job losses, she acknowledges. Instead, she points to the positives: Robots will be able to tackle repetitive and dangerous work, freeing human beings to engage in more meaningful pursuits.

“I hope that robots can benefit human beings.

They can actually create new job opportunities, since robots need to be designed and maintained,” she says. “Robots will be more perceptive and dexterous. Robots can work with humans, interacting and collaborating with them.”

| M A C H I N E S T H AT T H I N K |

YU “DAVID” LIU

SAFETY THROUGH SOFTWARE

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rofessor of Computer Science Yu “David” Liu wants to make autonomous systems safer, and that means a deep look into the software that drives them.

Without software, a car or drone is simply a collection of metal and plastic. Programs such as autopilot make the decisions that drive the vehicle, from where it’s headed to how fast it’s going and what obstacles lie in its path.

Because of this, safety must become a major part of software design for autonomous systems.

Otherwise, consequences could be catastrophic and expensive: a self-driving car that can’t detect a building, for example, or a drone falling from the sky in a crowded area. Routinely deployed in challenging terrain, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) may be difficult to reclaim if they fail to return on their own.

“We are developing programming tools so that an autopilot program can be developed in a ‘safeby-design’ manner. We also study how existing programs written for autonomous systems can be

verified and/or tested,” he says.

Much of the research in autonomous systems is algorithm-centric, focused on designing decision-making procedures for navigation or the detection of obstacles. Another direction is a systems-centric view, which looks at energy efficiency, performance, programmability, timeliness and machine learning capability, as well as safety. In 2011, Liu received a $479,391 NSF CAREER Award to explore “greener” software for both large-scale data centers as well as personal devices such as laptops and smartphones.

He would also like to see more research on the intersection of the field with laws, regulations and public policies.

“This is an emerging area for computer scientists and social scientists to collaborate in. For example, it will be exciting to see what regulations can be automatically enforced and verified by the software developed for autonomous systems,” he says. “Data collected from operating autonomous systems may offer insight to policymakers through machine learning, so that regulations are data-driven.”

“ This is an emerging area for computer scientists and social scientists …”

—Yu “David” Liu

Associate Professor Yu “David” Liu discusses ideas in his lab with students Jeffery Eymer, center, and David Fletcher.

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| M A C H I N E S T H AT T H I N K |

SUNG HOON CHUNG

GETTING THERE FASTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLY

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ike most travelers, you program your self-driving car to reach your destination as quickly as possible. The problem: Everyone else is doing the same thing, potentially creating traffic tie-ups on well-traveled roads. Plus, your car is electric and will need to recharge somewhere along the way. How will you — or your smart car — know which roads to take?

That’s where Assistant Professor of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Sung Hoon Chung comes in. His research centers on complex, large-scale problems involving multiple agents and limited resources over time, using mathematical optimization to address conditions of uncertainty.

“If drivers want to reduce their travel time, it may not be optimal to choose the shortest path.

From the systems perspective, what you want to do is minimize the total travel time of all the users,” Chung explains.

“ We focus on how we can optimally manage the use of the drones and trucks …”

—Sung Hoon Chung

That involves changing the behavior of individuals to optimize the system. For example, a heavily traveled road might institute higher tolls during rush hour, reducing congestion and leading thrifty travelers to pick other routes.

Reducing congestion also reduces the possibility of crashes, Chung acknowledges. But there’s a sweet spot when it comes to pricing: If the toll is too low or too high, it won’t be as effective in reducing congestion, because too few or too many people would choose other roads.

Systems science analyzes these complex factors and how they interact. Coupled with autonomous systems and tools such as mathematical optimization, data mining and machine learning, scientists can solve logistical problems in real time — adjusting tolls or rerouting vehicles, for example.

Ultimately, Chung’s research may help pave the way for smart cities, in which resources are automatically adjusted to sustainably and efficiently meet the community’s needs.

A few years ago, Chung studied the optimal placement of charging stations for electric cars, one of the major obstacles to the widespread adoption of this technology. He focused on how to find the optimal locations for charging stations that could accommodate limited budgets and long-term plans. It could be a game-changer, and so too could be his most recent line of research: autonomous delivery drones, which could be used for a wide range of applications, including the delivery of crucial medicines to disaster areas.

The drones would be based on trucks — also in motion — where they would return after making deliveries to recharge, and then return to the skies for another round. Ultimately, such delivery systems could reduce the number of vehicles on the ground, relieving traffic congestion while making the same number of deliveries as traditional methods.

“We focus on how we can optimally manage the use of the drones and trucks, and move their optimal routes to minimize flight time,” he says.

“It’s very similar to the electric car research because drones also use batteries and have limited range, so they can’t be used for very long missions.”

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JONATHAN COHEN

Assistant Professor Sung Hoon Chung calculates optimum routes for autonomous vehicles.

Capstone projects show students’ skills

VECTEEZY.COM

Before earning diplomas, many Watson College undergraduates need to complete senior capstone projects addressing realworld challenges. Here are projects from each Watson department this academic year (except computer science, which doesn’t have a capstone requirement).

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BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING ADVISOR AMMAR ABDO (LECTURER); STUDENTS GEENA BOASI, DANIELLE CARUCCI, ALI CHEEMA, VANESSA SERNA VILLA, AMY TANG (ALL BME), DYLAN MACEJKO (CS)

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Above: Seniors Ali Cheema, Vanessa Serna Villa, Geena Boasi, Danielle Carucci, Amy Tang and Dylan Macejko work at the Engineering Building’s Fabrication Lab on their capstone project to build a better bladder sensor.

Right: At the Fabrication Lab, from left, Dillon Kane, Brion Byfield, Faith Curtis and Eric Fillingham show their senior project that will allow a dog to turn on a light for a veteran who has PTSD issues at night.

JONATHAN COHEN

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s common as urinary incontinence is, there aren’t many easy-to-use or financially feasible products available for people dealing with the condition to detect when their bladder nears maximum capacity.

“This is an issue we plan to resolve,” says Serna Villa, the team leader.

Tasked with developing a bladder sensor that can seamlessly send results via Bluetooth to a mobile device, Serna Villa’s team has had the help of recent Watson graduates who attempted the project during the 2020-21 school year.

“The previous team has been very helpful. We’ve been able to learn from its members’ trial and error while building off of their experience,” she says.

The sensor the team designed uses electrodes that stick to a patient’s abdomen like a Band-Aid. The electrodes are connected to an electrical component that patients choose to wear on a belt clip or a wrap that goes around their waists.

“It was important that we let the patient decide what option was more comfortable for them,” Serna Villa says.

Another key component is making the sensor universally applicable by ensuring the Bluetooth technology is compatible with all popular mobile devices, including iOS and Android.

Serna Villa says her proudest moment came when the team settled on its design: “We sat down for a few hours and went through the process of making those final decisions. And afterward, we were like, ‘Wow, we’re actually creating this.’”

Most importantly, she’s excited about making a product that has the potential to help people.

“We read testimonies from patients who deal with this issue, and it’s something that so many people struggle with,” she says. “We hope to help them. This project is the very essence of biomedical engineering.” — Allen Wengert

| FROM CLASSROOM TO REAL WO RLD |

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING ADVISOR MEGHANA JAIN (LECTURER); STUDENTS FAITH CURTIS (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING), DILLON KANE (COMPUTER ENGINEERING), ERIC FILLINGHAM, BRION BYFIELD (BME)

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ogs don’t need hands to lend a hand.

Sometimes, a nose will suffice.

This student group wanted to help a Binghamton-area military veteran by creating a light-control device that a service dog could operate. The dog would use its nose to turn the light on when sensing its owner was having a PTSD-induced dream.

“Our client requested that this light control device be able to produce a few different colors and intensities of light, be portable, have two light-activation modes and be able to utilize wall or battery power,” Kane says.

Dogs aren’t always a soft touch, so the light had to be durable enough that it wouldn’t be damaged or moved by a quick-acting canine. A lampshade was out of play for this reason. What resulted is a small — less than 100 cubic inches — rectangular

prism with a push-button for the dog on one side and a toggle switch for the human on the other.

The top of the prism has a cover so the light isn’t as harsh when looking directly at it.

Kane says the biggest challenge his group Service dog Chesty helps a local veteran with PTSD. faced wasn’t related to design or obtaining parts; it was the limited contact he and his peers had with their client.

“Because she has PTSD, we wanted to respect her space and not overwhelm her with crowded Zoom meetings,” he says. “We only had communication with her through one of our industry mentors. We were afraid having two levels of communication would cause significant delays, but once the communication method was set up, things went very smoothly.”

The project was sponsored by BAE Systems’ Tech Power: Innovating for Impact program, which pairs engineering students with employee mentors to design technology solutions for the veteran community.

During the fall semester, the group built a prototype that should be very close to the final design. Winter recess was used for more research into materials and further design refinement.

“We look forward to presenting the prototype to our client to get feedback and seeing how well the device works when the service dog interacts with it,” Kane says. — Steve Seepersaud

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| F R O M C L ASSR O O M TO RE A L WO RLD |

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Left: A team including mechanical engineering students, from left, Brian Lineback, Ilan Bregman and Marwan Gomaa, and electrical engineering students Xiaofei Li and Daniel Coladangelo are building an unmanned radio-controlled plane that can deliver vaccine components.

Right: SSIE students, from left, Raj Persad, Will Florio, Jenna-Marie Gaston and Daniel Fee show the drone they will use for their senior project, which involves inspection of solar panels from the air.

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hile some senior projects allow students to let their imaginations run wild, others require that very specific criteria be met. Team leader Daniel Coladangelo says the specifics have allowed his team project to take off.

“The biggest challenge is often where to get started, but it can be easier to make decisions when you have constraints,” he says. “You’re able to design around those constraints rather than coming up with your own.”

Coladangelo’s team is tasked with designing and building an unmanned radio-controlled (RC) airplane that can deliver vaccine components, working under the strict guidelines for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) 26th annual Design, Build, Fly competition.

The rules require that a third of the team’s members are not seniors, which is why two juniors were recruited. Another requirement limits the plane’s takeoff distance to only 25 feet.

While Coladangelo didn’t have previous experience with RC

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planes, the amount of 3D printing involved with building the aircraft is what got him interested in this challenge. He says the team’s concept went through many changes during the design process.

“The design we initially went with was too heavy and too big,” he says. “To get the plane to take off within 25 feet, it needs to be as light as possible. Reducing weight has been one of the toughest challenges.”

For advice, the group has consulted with the Binghamton Aeros, a local club of RC enthusiasts. They’ve also turned to the electrical engineering major on the team, Xiaofei Li, to help build the electrical circuits needed for the plane.

Coladangelo says the senior project has been a rewarding experience.

“It’s the culmination of everything we’ve done for four years,” he says. “It brings together all of the skills we’ve learned to achieve an end goal.” — Allen Wengert

JONATHAN COHEN

ADVISORS KIRILL ZAYCHIK (LECTURER), ASSISTANT PROFESSOR PU ZHANG; STUDENTS ILAN BREGMAN, DANIEL COLADANGELO, MARWAN GOMAA, BRIAN LINEBACK (SENIOR ME), BAIYINA RICHARDSON (JUNIOR ME), XIAOFEI LI (JUNIOR EE)

SYSTEMS SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING FACULTY ADVISORS ASSISTANT PROFESSORS YONG WANG AND SOONGEOL KWON; STUDENTS DANIEL FEE, WILLIAM FLORIO, JENNA-MARIE GASTON, RAJESH PERSAD (ALL SSIE)

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he SSIE project focuses on designing a drone inspection system for solar-energy equipment using software to remotely inspect the quality of solar panels using thermal imaging.

The team created a Python-based machinelearning model that accurately predicts the health of a solar panel in real time. A drone attached with a color and thermal camera flies over solar panels, takes videos and uses machine-learning algorithms to analyze the images and identify which solar panels need repair.

The SSIE team hopes to produce a fully automated system that will assist independent and commercial energy producers with the solar-panel maintenance process.

By the end of fall 2021, the team successfully created a preliminary machine-learning model and tested it on existing images of solar panels to identify their condition.

“Since the project is heavily focused on coding, there was a bit of a learning curve before we got the ball rolling,” Fee says.

“As industrial and systems engineering majors, we don’t have courses that dive into the algorithms and topics covered in this project. However, we’ve all managed to work together effectively and make significant progress.”

Despite the challenging coding involved, which was not previously included in their coursework, the SSIE team was able to work together to master Python. In the spring, they created a working system to test on different solar panels.

“As a sustainability engineering minor, I am enjoying contributing to the use and improvement of a renewable energy source,” Gaston says. “As we’re seeing with an increased change in climate, the use of solar panels will only become more prevalent, so I really enjoyed working with my team in creating this foundation.” — Laura DeLuca ’21 binghamton.edu/watson

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Bette r testing F O R

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Biomedical professor’s research receives $2.4 million in NIH funding

By Chris Kocher

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M ■

ore than 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed each year with solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). These abnormalities in the lungs, often found during routine X-rays or CT scans, are isolated groups of cells up to 3 centimeters in size.

Many SPNs are benign, but figuring out which ones are malignant isn’t easy. One method is to scan patients again in three to six months so the nodules can be rechecked. If it looks like they’ve grown or changed, there’s a risk they could be a malignant lesion and cancer cells already are traveling through the bloodstream to other parts of the patient’s body.

Another method is to perform tissue biopsies, but those can be painful and difficult to accomplish because the nodules are relatively tiny. Missing the target and taking surrounding healthy cells instead can lead to misdiagnosis.

Assistant Professor Yuan Wan from Watson College’s Department of Biomedical Engineering wants to develop a faster, less painful way to diagnose malignant SPNs. In 2021, he received a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with the possibility of two years’ additional funding pending initial results.

The funding is through the NIH’s prestigious MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) Award program. Established in 1986, the MERIT program supports both experienced researchers as well as early-stage investigators such as Wan who are in the first 10 years of their careers. Awards through the program are known as R37 awards.

Wan hopes to reduce detection time so patients would know within a week whether their SPNs

should be removed. The method would analyze extracellular vesicles, which are small sacs of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids that cells secrete for intercellular communication.

Under Wan’s vision, a patient would give blood, and the vesicles would be extracted from the plasma and enriched using specially designed microfluidic devices.

“If we can collect these vesicles and use a very high-sensitivity detection technology,” he says, “we probably can tell if there is some abnormal information from the extracellular vesicles and give a diagnosis about whether it’s a tumor or just benign based on the mutation information.”

In a collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, the effectiveness of these new tests would be judged against tissue samples collected from patients with SPNs. “In cancer diagnoses right now, tissue samples are still the gold standard, so when you develop any new technology, you always need to compare with the tissue sample,” Wan says. “In this experiment, we’re going to collect the samples from patients with malignant tumors as well as normal tissue samples and benign SPN samples as negative controls. We will extract the DNA from the tumor sample and the normal sample, and then use a 565-gene panel to learn about mutation evolution in cancer progression, look at the mutation pattern and find out the mutation hallmarks of malignant SPNs.” From there, Wan would zero in on 60 or fewer gene mutations that are telltale signs of malignancy and develop a commercial version of the test for use by medical providers. His ambition

is also to help doctors better analyze CT scans of malignant nodules using machine learning instead of relying on their own eyes.

“In a pilot study, we collected 3,000 images and trained the program to tell the difference between potentially cancerous ones and benign ones,” he says. “Eventually, we would expand the sample size to train the program to improve the diagnosis with sensitivity and specificity. In the future, once a red flag is raised by the intelligent program, doctors will suggest that patients take the extracellular vesicles-based test for further diagnosis.”

Before earning his PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, Wan graduated from medical school in China,

“ In a pilot study, we collected 3,000 images and trained the program to tell the difference between potentially cancerous ones and benign ones.”

but he found the pace it required to be daunting: “In China, being a doctor is not an easy job. In one morning, a doctor can see probably 20 to 30 patients — it is super busy. So that’s why after graduation I went into biomedical engineering.”

Having medical training gives Wan better insight into patients’ needs. Developing a less painful method for assessing SPNs and potentially other types of cancer offers a more compassionate form of care.

He also stresses the importance of detection: “If doctors identify nodules as malignant early enough and they remove the lung section, patients have a five-year overall survival rate of more than 95%, possibly even reaching 100%.”

—Yuan Wan

JONATHAN COHEN, BURT MYERS (ILLUSTRATION)

A NEW WAY TO DIAGNOSE SOLITARY PULMONARY NODULES CURRENT METHOD:

PROFESSOR WAN’S PROPOSED NEW METHOD:

Whether they are malignant or benign is hard to determine just by a scan. Biopsies can be painful and the nodules hard to reach.

Assistant Professor Yuan Wan’s method would draw blood and test extracellular vesicles, which cells secrete for communication.

The vesicles would be analyzed for abnormalities that could tell doctors whether SPNs are malignant tumors.

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| A LU M N U S S P OT L I G H T |

Shaping the future of semiconductor manufacturing

By Chris Kocher

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s the senior vice president for manufacturing operations at Texas Instruments (TI), Mohammad Yunus, MS ’00, oversees the company’s semiconductor production around the world. That global reach includes wafer fabrication, assembly and testing across 15 worldwide internal manufacturing sites, external manufacturing and product distribution.

When he was an industrial engineering graduate student at Binghamton University, Yunus worked at first with corporate partners through the Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR) and Professor Robert Emerson, then-chair of the Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Department. He later did similar collaborations as part of the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) under Distinguished Professor Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari (now Watson College’s dean).

Those experiences “ Binghamton has been really kind, helped to shape his generous and it’s just generally career at TI, where he has climbed the great people. You can’t find a lot corporate ladder of places like that in the world.” since leaving Bing—Mohammad Yunus hamton University.

What attracted you to Binghamton and Watson College?

It definitely was not the cold weather!

With Dr. Hari and his program, it was not just about getting a master’s degree. Along with getting an education, we were working with industry partners to solve real-world problems.

Additionally, Binghamton and the industrial engineering program were generous in providing me with a full scholarship. I could not have afforded going to school without that.

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Why does industrial engineering appeal to you?

Manufacturing is an important part of growing any economy in the world, and it involves working with technology and with people.

Obviously, every job in today’s world is heavily technology-focused and, to varying degrees, people-focused as well. With industrial engineering, though, you have a unique mix of making technology more efficient but also working with people and helping them make things better.

Are there specific lessons you learned here that continue to influence your thinking?

Yes, definitely. Dr. Hari understood his responsibility to educate students, but he was so committed to making Watson’s industrial partners successful. He would work really hard, and he expected his students to work hard. He’d be the first person on campus, and many days the last person to leave campus. Through that experience, I learned the importance of working hard no matter what job you do.

Although he had high expectations, he cared for students and not only wanted to make sure that we got a good education but that we were coping with this new environment, especially the international students. He would never sit down and chat with you just about your campus life, but through his own unique way, he made sure that we were doing well. If there was anything he could do to help us, he’d always be there.

Something else that I find all great leaders have is that he would be the first to say there’s something he didn’t know and ask questions to learn more — he wouldn’t pretend to be an expert in everything. That philosophy helped him to pivot his program to where industry needs were.

You have spent more than two decades at Texas Instruments. What makes the company special?

It’s the culture and the values. TI has been around for over 85 years. There are very few technology companies that have been around for that long and have gone through multiple transition points. We started as an instrument company for oil exploration, and since then, we’ve innovated, we’ve pivoted, we’ve remained relevant and we’ve continued to contribute to technology advancement.

It is our passion at TI to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. Our people-centric approach reflects the strong value system that we have, and we always strive to be a good citizen in the communities where we operate. TI also provides great opportunities for personal development, and we have a strong diversity of people from all backgrounds, faiths and cultures.

I’ve never thought of leaving TI, honestly — it’s been an incredible ride. I continue to learn every day.

Your current role has a huge mandate within TI. How do you wrap your arms around all of it?

PROVIDED

We have manufacturing operations around the world, but over the last two years, I have not been able to visit any of those outside of the U.S. Luckily, we have great leaders running each one of our sites, and they make it easy for me.

Yunus

You continue to have close ties with Binghamton and Watson College.

Why is that important to you?

Dr. Hari, Binghamton and Watson College have played an extremely important role in my development and personal growth. I have a lot of gratitude for the professors and the support structure I had in Binghamton that helped me to go into the real world and start my career. I also learned a lot about America, coming from India as I did.

Binghamton has been really kind, generous and it’s just generally great people. You can’t find a lot of places like that in the world. binghamton.edu/watson

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Professor named ASME fellow

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he American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has named Professor SB Park (Department of Mechanical Engineering) a fellow in appreciation for his research and contributions in the area of electronics packaging over the past three decades.

As director of Binghamton University’s Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC), Park and his team have made key discoveries as consumers expect smaller and more powerful devices.

Park says he hopes the honor brings more attention to Watson College research: “It is a meaningful recognition, and also a way of promoting my ideas and my University’s research to the wider world.”

Three faculty members earn CAREER Awards Assistant Professor Seunghee Shin (Computer Science) received $500,000 to research his ideas for improving the speed and reliability of cloud computing using SmartNIC technology.

Shin

Yu

Zhang

During the 2021-22 academic year, the National Science Foundation recognized three assistant professors at Watson College with CAREER Awards, which provide funding to researchers early in their academic careers.

Assistant Professor Kaiyan Yu (Mechanical Engineering) was awarded $588,608 to investigate the large-scale manipulation of nano-sized objects using an electric field, which could lead to new materials, drug-delivery and medical devices, and electronics.

Assistant Professor Pu Zhang (ME) received $565,337 for his research into the electro-mechanical behaviors of liquid metal fiber network composites, which could benefit the flexible electronics industry and other applications.

Professors promoted to distinguished ranks This spring, SUNY promoted three Watson College professors to distinguished ranks.

Weiyi Meng, chair of the Department of Computer Science, was elevated to distinguished service professor for his record of serving his profession; for his aid to colleagues in academia, especially on-campus and across the SUNY system; and for moving forward the field of computer science.

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Khasawneh

Meng

Ye

Kaiming Ye, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, was named distinguished professor for his pioneering work in advanced biomanufacturing, including human islet organoid development from pluripotent stem cells.

JONATHAN COHEN

Mohammad Khasawneh, chair of the Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, was named distinguished professor for his career of systems engineering research to transform healthcare systems so they produce better patient outcomes at lower costs.

AWARD W I N N E RS

Alumnus appointed to Maryland state Senate

The 2021 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor Awards for Excellence (which recognize consistently superior professional achievement) included several for Watson College: Excellence in Professional Service for Bob Mess (computing staff); Excellence in Teaching for Steven Moore (computer science); Excellence in Faculty Service for Ping Yang (computer science); and Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities for Sha Jin (biomedical engineering) and Mohammad Khasawneh (chair of systems science and industrial engineering). Associate Dean Peter Partell also won the University Award for Excellence in International Education.

Ron Watson, MS ’92, PhD ’99, was appointed a Maryland state senator by Gov. Larry Hogan in August 2021.

A 14-year U.S. Army veteran, he is president of Watson Management Corp., which provides consulting services to the Department of Defense and other agencies.

In the state Senate, he represents the 23rd District, which includes the Town of Upper Marlboro and a third of the City of Bowie, as well as Maryland’s oldest historically black college, Bowie State University. He previously served in Maryland’s House of Delegates and on the Prince George’s County School Board.

Three Watson College alumni won Bearcats of the Last Decade (BOLD) 10 Under 10 Awards as part of Homecoming 2021.

• Louis R. Alerte ’10, MS ‘13, earned a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and a bachelor of science degree in integrated neuroscience from Binghamton. He is the global intelligence business leader at Johnson & Johnson.

• Christina Arbor ’12 received her degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in sustainable engineering.

She works as an estimator for Turner Construction Co. in New York City.

• Devan Tracy ’13 majored in mechanical engineering with a minor in sustainable engineering. She is the Smart Buildings and Go Green associate manager for the Rotary and Mission Systems division of Lockheed Martin in Owego.

Seven Watson College students won Graduate Student Excellence Awards in Research for fall 2021: Melissa Mendoza and Stephanie Zhang (biomedical engineering); Xiang Deng (computer science); Shan Wang (materials science and engineering); Xianhu Sun and Preeth Sivakumar (mechanical engineering); and Yue Zhou (systems science and industrial engineering).

PROVIDED CASEY STAFF (GILL)

Guru Madhavan, MBA ’07, PhD ’09, the Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and senior director of programs of the National Academy of Engineering, received the IEEE-USA George F. McClure Citation of Honor for outstanding leadership in advancing engineering professionalism through public policy, programs and engagement.

Emeritus Bartle Professor George Catalano was awarded the 2021 Constellation Prize, which honors engineers in the U.S. who have used their training to promote social justice, human rights, peace and environmental protection.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, left, and State Sen. Ron Watson

Alumna appointed to lead U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Attorney Kathi Vidal ’90, the managing partner for law firm Winston & Strawn’s Silicon Valley office, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Vidal has led high-profile patent, intellectual property and trade-secrets disputes for major companies. Her experience covers semiconductors, telecommunication, circuits and systems, computers, software, internet applications, medical devices and consumer products.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Binghamton, she earned her master’s degree at Syracuse University in 1992 and worked for five years as a systems and software design engineer with General Electric (which later became Martin Marietta, then Lockheed Martin). She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1996.

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NSF grant to fund 24 cybersecurity scholarships A $3.5 million grant will fund new scholarships for two dozen students who plan to join the workforce as cybersecurity professionals.

The National Science Foundation’s CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program is designed to recruit and train the next generation of information technology experts and security managers to meet the needs of federal, state, local and tribal governments.

At Binghamton, the SFS program will be overseen by faculty from the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, led by Associate Professor Ping Yang.

Yang

“Building teams of cybersecurity professionals with a variety of skill sets brings different voices and perspectives to the table, which can help to improve our defense against a wider range of cyber threats,” says Yang, who is the director of the Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (CIAC).

| N E W FA C U LT Y |

Meet Mohammad Younis

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ounis was a Watson College faculty member from 2004–13, and taught at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) from 2013–21.

What’s it like to return to Binghamton?

For my family and me, Binghamton has always been our home, and that is why we stayed connected with the area, the people and the University through the years during our overseas spell. When we decided to move back, it felt like returning home after a long trip.

What’s been the biggest change while you were gone?

The expansion of the campus at the new engineering complex looked astonishing to us. To see this growth in the buildings, facilities and people in that complex in less than a decade is truly amazing.

What’s the biggest difference between teaching in Saudi Arabia versus the U.S.?

Obviously where I was, KAUST, you get to see a different pool of people of different cultural backgrounds. Binghamton itself is known to be very diverse, so it was interesting to see another example of a diverse campus but with more influences from Europe, the East and the Middle East.

Mohammad

Younis

PROFESSOR, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PhD: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Dehao

Liu

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PhD: Georgia Institute of Technology

Luis

Rocha GEORGE J. KLIR PROFESSOR, SYSTEMS SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING PhD: Binghamton University ’97

What did you miss most about Binghamton and Watson College?

Chao “Amanda”

The family environment. Despite the college’s growth, it has been nice for me to see that the college kept its warm family feeling, where everyone feels connected and knows everyone. People here are very supportive and welcoming. Yes, the weather here is much colder than where I came from, but the warm feelings of being surrounded by nice, energetic people is unique and rarely found elsewhere.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SYSTEMS SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING PhD: Pennsylvania State University

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YOU CAN HELP WATSON SHAPE THE FUTURE

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n less than four decades, the world has transformed at a lightning pace. So has the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science. Since its founding in 1983, Watson has rapidly grown into a hub of innovation, helping to power Binghamton University’s rise through academic rankings.

Amid this tremendous progress, a challenge remains: How to keep up with the constant expansion of knowledge and the data that drives this breakneck pace?

Watson needs — today more than ever — to shape engineers, computer scientists and applied scientists who can develop solutions and take leadership roles in the grand challenges facing the world.

“ Watson College is emblematic of Binghamton University’s rapid evolution and penchant for innovation. We are aiming even higher, to become the best public engineering school in the nation. Your investment in EXCELERATE is an investment in our outstanding students and faculty. Your support drives our success.”

“ Watson students are impressive. I give because Binghamton serves a very diverse community facing many challenges to complete a college education. It’s the opportunity many students need to make a difference.”

Be part of EXCELERATE Binghamton Join us in shaping the University and the engineering college of tomorrow.

An exceptional education — grounded in discovery and innovation, taught by extraordinary faculty, fueled by students eager to learn — is who we are.

Your support ensures: Faculty at the forefront of knowledge in a fast-changing world Innovative teaching that inspires and shapes students’ lives Opportunities for superbly qualified students, even those with extreme funding gaps April 9 was the launch of the most ambitious fundraising campaign in Binghamton’s history. You can help Watson College invest in the programs and people that will shape our field for decades to come.

How far and how fast we go … all depends on you. excelerate.binghamton.edu #FastForwardBing

— Binghamton University Foundation Board Development Committee Chair Geraldine MacDonald ’68, MS ’73, LittD ’17

— Watson College Dean and Distinguished Professor Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari

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Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Binghamton, NY Permit No. 61 Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science

JONATHAN COHEN

PO Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000

E-Week 2022 Above, 9-year-old Robert Kinzer drives a supercar simulator with help from mechanical engineering major Nick Balasco. Top right, Natalie Winans of Vestal helps her twin daughters Sydney and Madison, 8, build towers out of pasta and marshmallows. Below, Jeffrey Spring and his granddaughter Charlotte Horan, 4, learn about 3D printing from Eduardo Gomez of the Rover Team. Right, 8-year-old Peyton Musok shows off his tetrahedral.

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