Around the Quad

An engineer will take the helm

Trustees pick Minnesota’s Eric Kaler to lead CWRU

Eric W. Kaler’s

accomplishments as president of the University of Minnesota helped convince university trustees he was the person to lead Case Western Reserve. But Sunniva Collins, MS ’91, PhD ’95, is equally impressed with his technical skills.

Collins, the president of the Case Alumni Association, likes that the incoming president earned his bachelor’s degree at Cal Tech, attained a fistful of patents and did research as a chemical engineer.

“I really think he’s going to bring a different approach to things,” said Collins, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Case School of Engineering. “Engineers, they’re basically asking, ‘What’s possible?’ Anything we can think of, we can build. I think he’s going to be good for the Case School of Engineering as well as the university.”

Kaler is scheduled to begin his new job July 1, replacing Barbara Snyder, who left CWRU in September after 13 impactful years to lead the Association of American Universities.

He’ll assume command at a challenging time. CWRU, like other research universities, has seen a drop in international enrollment — an important source of talent and tuition — while the pandemic has upended campus life and tightened budgets.

Kaler, 64, led Minnesota’s flagship public university from 2011 to 2019 before stepping down to join the chemical engineering department. He told The Daily, CWRU’s online news source, that he never intended to leave Minnesota, but grew more and more intrigued with CWRU as he interacted with the search committee.

“There is a tremendous fit,” he said, noting his work in elevating research, collaborating with hospital systems and encouraging entrepreneurship. “Once I looked, I got more excited… [and thought] I’m really made for this job.”

In addition to earning 10 patents, Kaler has published more than 200 peerreviewed papers and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He and his wife, Karen, have two adult sons — Charlie and Sam — and a 4-year-old granddaughter, Ophelia.

Innovators with impact

The National Academy of Inventors adds more Case talent

In recent months, Case saw three of its researchers elected to the 2020 class of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.

The honorees are Anant Madabhushi, the Donnell Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Scott Bruder, an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering, and Umut Gurkan, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

The academy recognized the trio as innovators whose work has made an impact on the quality of life, economic development and welfare of society.

Madabhushi, PhD, director of the university's Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics, was named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. His work with predictive analytics has expanded the scope and impact of medical imaging and precision medicine. One of the most prolific inventors at CWRU, he holds 60 patents and more are pending. “This is really a testimony to the amazing work ongoing by our students, postdocs and scientists at the center,” he said upon receiving the honor. “We are pushing the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can do for precision medicine.”

Bruder, PhD ’90, MD, was also named a fellow in the academy. He was previously part of the faculty at the CWRU School of Medicine and now runs his own consulting firm. The former chief medical and scientific officer for Stryker, Bruder earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Gurkan, PhD, was named a senior member of the academy, a step below fellow. The honor recognizes his promise as an inventor. Five of Gurkan’s patents have been licensed or commercialized by four companies.

“Almost every one of his patents has led to a big commercial play,” observed Joseph Jankowski, CWRU’s Chief Innovation Officer. “When he makes something, it’s really cool.”

The trio joins nine other academy members with CWRU connections, including three engineers: P. Hunter Peckham, MS ’68, PhD ’72, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of biomedical engineering; Jeffrey Duerk, PhD ’87, former Dean of the Case School of Engineering; and incoming CWRU President Eric Kaler.

Physics for all

The Theory Girls want to welcome you to physics like you rarely see it

As a science, physics challenges some create an environment where everyone of the greatest minds. But that doesn’t feels welcome.” mean it can’t be accessible, friendly and The Theory Girls began in June 2019, — dare they say it — fun. when five of the women — Johnson, Erin

That’s the theory behind the Theory Blauvelt, Delilah Gates, Shruti Paranjape Girls, six young physicists — including a and Hazel Mak — met at the TASI physics Case researcher and alumna — who want conference in Colorado. All either hold us to see physics in a whole new light. doctorates in physics or are working

Their passion for physics radiates toward them. from their colorful website, theorygirls. Johnson shared the encounter with her com, which throws out mottos like, “Sci- Case colleague, Klaountia Pasmatsiou. ence is for everyone!” And it pervades It did not take long for a mission to take their podcasts, where they laugh along shape, aided by the pair’s organizing skills. with experts as they ponder the origins In 2017, Johnson and Pasmatsiou orgaof the universe, divulge their fondness nized the Women’s March on Cleveland, for neutrinos and share strategies for which drew 15,000 people downtown. succeeding in a guy’s domain. Pasmatsiou, an international student

“As women in high-energy theoretical from Greece, is a graduate student in the physics, we’re really in the minority,” said Physics Department of CWRU. Johnson is Laura Johnson, PhD ’20, who earned doing post doctorate work at ETH Zurich her doctorate in physics in the College in Switzerland, researching Einstein’s of Arts and Sciences. “But we also want theory of gravity. to build a friendlier community for The pandemic slowed the group’s everyone. This field is kind of known activities, she said, but the Theory Girls for being intimidating. We just want to have big plans for the new year. They hope

Laura Johnson and Klaountia Pasmatsiou at the Women's March on Cleveland. to incorporate as a non-profit, which would allow them to raise money and begin to pay the people who maintain their website and produce their podcasts.

“Right now we’re just doing this in our spare time,” she said. “But it would be nice to be able to keep it going and do it more often.”

Building smarter robots

To build robots that can walk and lift and react in life-like fashion, scientists believe we need to know more about how animals make decisions. The National Science Foundation is relying upon Case roboticist Roger Quinn and neuroscientist Hillel Chiel to find out. The Case researchers will lead a five-year, $8 million NSF research project that will explore animal decision-making and apply those neural insights to building smarter cyborgs. It’s part of a $50 million, multi-university effort called NeuroNex Network, which aims to discern how brain power allows animals to interact with the world around them.

Case researchers take lead role in national effort to breathe life into cyborgs “The most important questions in The pair will examine how the nervous neuroscience are so complex they require system in animals coordinates and controls large teams of researchers with comple- interactions with the environment. They mentary expertise,” Joanne Tornow, NSF’s call their project NeuroNex: Communicaassistant director for biological sciences, tion, Coordination and Control in said in a news release announcing the Neuromechanical Systems (C3NS). project in August. “Most roboticists try to solve problems Quinn and Chiel, longtime collabora- with optimization, or with basic design tors, will bring special expertise to solutions,” Quinn told The Daily, CWRU’s the quest. online news source. “But what I’ve wanted Quinn is the Arthur P. Arm- to know is: How do animals solve these ington Professor of Engineering problems? It’s a different way of approachin the Department of Mechani- ing the problem and there’s an animal that cal and Aerospace Engineering. has solved just about every engineering He’s the founder and director of problem ever.” the Biorobotics Complex at the Case Venkataramanan Balakrishnan, the School of Engineering and a pioneer of Charles H. Phipps Dean of the Case biologically inspired robotics. School of Engineering, said the project will Chiel is a professor of biology, neuro- enhance Case’s reputation in an emerging sciences and biomedical engineering in the field: “We’re the lead. This is something to College of Arts and Sciences. be very, very proud of,” he said.

arounD the QuaD Polymer power

U.S. Army turns to Case for lightweight, high-performance protection

To shield its soldiers from bullets and shrapnel, the U.S. Army needs body armor that is strong, light and economical. That’s a materials science challenge — and that falls into Case’s sweet spot.

This summer, the Army awarded millions to a five-year project led by the Case School of Engineering to research new manufacturing approaches for lightweight, high-performance materials. Its initial investment of $5.4 million could grow to $11 million if the promise of the technology pans out.

The project will be led by researchers in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering and includes a trio of industry partners, including Case spinoff PolymerPlus, a Cleveland-area startup that specializes in advanced polymer processing.

The team will collaborate with staff at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Command’s Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, which is looking to tap into a Case expertise.

The Case School of Engineering is home to the nation’s first stand-alone polymer department, founded in 1963 by Distinguished University Professor Eric Baer. Baer also established CLiPS, the Center for Layered Polymeric Systems, which pioneered nanolayered films to build high-performance materials.

It’s that science that attracted the Army, which is looking for a cheaper alternative to materials such as Kevlar, according to department chair Gary Wnek, PhD, the Joseph F. Toot Jr. Professor of Engineering.

“The army thinks our processing capabilities have great promise,” Wnek said. “We certainly have a tall order. There is a lot of pressure to deliver. But we intend to rise to the challenge.”

Plans call for researchers to manufacture and test small runs of new polymer compositions in the Kent Hale Smith Building. They’ll then turn to PolymerPlus to scale up manufacturing.

PolymerPlus was co-founded in 2010 by Baer and former students Michael Ponting, PhD ’10, and Deepak Langhe, PhD ’12. The company was recently acquired by Texas-based Peak Nanosystems, which is expanding local production capabilities.

Army scientists are intrigued.

“Case Western Reserve University and PolymerPlus can continuously manufacture complex combinations of materials into unique structures that are difficult to generate even with sophisticated laboratory techniques,” Joseph Lenhart, chief of the Polymers Branch at the Army lab, said in a statement. “We see tremendous opportunities for improving the performance of protective systems and weapons,” he added. “Longer term, we are excited about the applications we have not even imagined.”

Solid idea

With a new and unusual lab, Case hopes to become a leader in concrete innovations poured into the mix). The Case School of Engineering is positioning itself to play a leading role in a new era of concrete research and innovation. With the support of the Case Alumni Association, the school is adding Ohio’s first universi-

You might think we know all there is ty-based concrete lab to the Department to know about concrete, the world’s most of Civil and Environmental Engineering. popular man-made building material, The school broke ground in the fall on which has been around since the Roman a $900,000 lab complex located on the first Empire. Not a chance. floor of the Bingham Building, next door

Researchers continue to tinker with to the Structures Lab. The twin labs will the recipe as they envision concrete help Case train the next generation of that can float, bend and even mend its building engineers. own cracks (thanks to micro-organisms “There’s a lot of potential,” said department chair Xiong “Bill” Yu, PhD. “We think we can transform the manufacturing process for concrete.” The first phase of the lab, which will include spaces for designing, mixing, curing and testing concrete, is scheduled to open in mid-March. Phase two will add classrooms and other enhancements. The entire new lab space was made possible through several grants and generous alumni support. Yu hopes to leverage the lab to form industry partnerships with companies with major concrete operations. “Concrete is such an essential material,” he said. “This will be a major facility that will drive our research in an important domain.”