It’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end of 2024 and are about to welcome 2025. Amid the excitement of the holiday season and preparations for the spring semester, this is a fitting moment to reflect on and celebrate the many recent successes in the School of Engineering.
In this issue, you’ll read about many of these achievements, including a $4.4 million award to Dr. Paul C. Lynch, associate professor of industrial engineering, and Dr. Mark Rubeo, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, to support innovative new workforce training in metal-casting and machining.
A few additional highlights:
• The Penn State Behrend team earned the school its nineteenth consecutive first-place finish in the SPE Blow Molding Student Design Competition.
• Our Cast in Steel team took first place for their technical report on designing and manufacturing a Halligan bar.
• Greg Simon, vice president of engineering at Google and a ’95 graduate of the Electrical Engineering program, delivered the keynote address at the Fasenmyer Conference, where we celebrated sixty-seven senior design capstone projects. We look forward to even more success in 2025. Our students will continue to excel in their careers, internships, and competitions, and our faculty will again deliver top-notch teaching while conducting innovative Open Lab research. To truly appreciate the impact of the School of Engineering, we invite you to visit us. We are proud of what we do and would love to share it with you.
IN BRIEF
$5M GIFT ENDOWS DIRECTORSHIP OF SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
New giving by Dave Meehl, a retired financial officer who worked at accounting firms, food companies, and Lakeshore Community Services, will provide $5 million to Penn State Behrend’s schools of Engineering and Science.
A $3 million gift will establish Behrend’s first school directorship: The James R. Meehl Director of the School of Engineering. The gift is named for Meehl’s late father, who worked at and later owned Eureka Electrical Products, the oldest continuously operated company in Erie County.
An additional $2 million estate commitment will provide ongoing support in Behrend’s School of Engineering and School of Science.
“We appreciate the vision and commitment that shaped these gifts,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “The new Meehl directorship, in particular, elevates both the School of Engineering and its leadership. It positions us to do even more with the academic and research programs that already distinguish Penn State Behrend as a leader in engineering and innovation.”
The funding will be used to purchase equipment and expand research and teaching labs in Burke Center and the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center.
“This will help us recruit and retain high-performing faculty members and support them in the early years of their careers, as they develop their preliminary research and begin to bring in external research funding,” said Tim Kurzweg, director of the School of Engineering. He will be the first to hold the Meehl directorship title.
TUNE IN TO BEHREND TALKS, CHANCELLOR-HOSTED PODCAST
Behrend Talks is a podcast featuring a variety of guests talking about topics key to the growth and success of the Erie region and beyond. Hosted by Penn State Behrend Chancellor Ralph Ford, the talks cover everything from managing inflation to artificial intelligence and its impact on cybersecurity to navigating the college enrollment process. Find past episodes at behrendtalks.buzzsprout.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dr. Tim Kurzweg tpk103@psu.edu
ON THE COVER: Jon DeMarco, executive director of Presque Isle Partnership, a nonprofit partner to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources at Presque Isle State Park, worked with Behrend School of Engineering students on three senior design capstone projects, including a smartphone application.
From left: Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor; Dave Meehl; and Dr. Tim Kurzweg, James R. Meehl Director of the School of Engineering
ALUMNA’S SPACEX CAREER TALK DRAWS A CROWD
⊳ Dr. Tim Kurzweg, James R. Meehl Director of the School of Engineering; Julia Cecchetti ’20; and Melanie Ford, director of Youth Education Outreach and associate teaching professor of computer science and software engineering.
The School of Engineering welcomed alumna Julia Cecchetti, a 2020 Mechanical Engineering graduate, back to campus last fall to talk about her career with SpaceX, where she is a propulsion development engineer working on the company’s Raptor engine.
To the surprise of no one who knew Cecchetti at Behrend, her career has skyrocketed (pun intended) along with her joy and enthusiasm for her chosen field. She is a recipient of the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal for her work on the Dragon Draco thrusters; the medal is given for significant performance by an individual during the first ten years of their career in support of the NASA mission.
Cecchetti’s talk was informative, funny, and well-attended by students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community members.
BEHREND AT NATIONAL PLASTICS SHOW
This past spring, Behrend faculty and staff attended the National Plastics Show (NPS) in Orlando, Florida, where they were able to connect with more than 100 alumni of the college. The largest plastics trade show in the United States, NPS features more than 2,000 exhibitors and more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space focusing on plastics, innovation, and sustainability.
At the show, Behrend gave out injection molded tongs that were developed as a part of a senior design project undertaken by students in the Plastics Engineering Technology program. A team of students designed the part and the mold, with the goal of molding the first half of the tongs and the over-molded assembly in the same shot. The mold was built by toolmakers at Behrend. The tongs, sponsored by Behrend’s Plastics Training Academy, were a popular giveaway and conversation starter.
While in town for NPS, Behrend hosted an alumni event for PLET majors and had more than 130 attendees!
GOOGLE ENGINEER SERVES AS FASENMYER KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Greg Simon, vice president of engineering for Google, was the keynote speaker at the School of Engineering’s 2024 Fasenmyer Engineering Design Conference this past spring.
Simon earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State Behrend in 1995 and a master’s in Electrical Engineering from University Park in 1997.
He has had a ground-breaking career, creating the web browser for the Apple Newton while still in graduate school, helping to design and launch BMW’s iPod interface, and working as the software technical lead for webOS at Palm before joining Google’s Chrome team in 2011. Now, as Google’s vice president of engineering, he focuses on core operating systems.
The Plastics Training Academy at Penn State Behrend offers a variety of short-term, hands-on injection molding training workshops and seminars. Learn more at behrend.psu.edu/plastics.
Greg Simon, vice president of engineering for Google.
IN BRIEF
ENGINEERED FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY
Student members of Penn State Behrend’s Society of Automotive Engineers Club once again competed in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas competition, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this spring. Club members work together throughout the academic year to design and build a high-efficiency, single-seater internal combustion engine vehicle. The objective of the competition is to build a car that achieves the maximum fuel economy possible. Behrend’s vehicle reached 275.3 miles per gallon.
CONSIDERING GRADUATE SCHOOL?
Penn State Behrend’s Master of Manufacturing Management (M.M.M.) degree builds skills in engineering, business, and quality. The degree can be pursued full-time or part-time, as classes are primarily online, with two on-campus visits per semester for hands-on, experiential learning.
Offered jointly by the School of Engineering and the Black School of Business, the M.M.M. program provides students with insights from all angles of manufacturing management. For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu/mmm.
BEHREND WINS A GOLD
Penn State Behrend students took first place in the Technical Report category in this spring’s Cast in Steel Competition.
The Steel Founders’ Society of America organizes the annual college engineering competition to celebrate the physical properties and imaginative uses of steel. More than thirty universities and forty teams competed in this year’s event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This year’s challenge was to cast or forge a Halligan bar—a forcible entry tool used by firefighters. Each bar manufactured by the student teams was put through a series of tests by firefighters in a live presentation. Teams were also required to create a project video and technical report documenting the design and manufacturing process.
IN MEMORIAM
The School of Engineering is sad to report the loss of Dr. Dipo Onipede, associate professor of mechanical engineering, who died January 9. He was 63.
Onipede earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia University and a doctorate from UCLA. He joined the School of Engineering as a faculty member in 2003 and also recently served as associate director of academics for the school.
He was highly engaged as a professor, adviser, and mentor, guiding many students in their academic studies and providing counsel to other faculty members as well. He was known for his calm, kind, and gentle nature.
Onipede is survived by his wife, Selin; daughter, Yeshim; and son, Kerem.
In his honor, the School of Engineering established the Dr. Dipo Onipede Memorial Fund to create a scholarship that will exist in perpetuity at Behrend.
“This is a wonderful way to honor our friend, colleague, and mentor, and we thank all who contributed,” said Chancellor Ralph Ford. “Anyone who knew Dipo knows what a fitting tribute this scholarship is to his memory.”
If you’d like to contribute, visit raise.psu.edu/DipoMemorial or contact Kelly Kemmet at klk48@psu.edu or 814-898-6668.
FACULTY & STAFF NEWS
The School of Engineering welcomed two new assistant professors of electrical and computer engineering: Dr. Azeemuddin Syed and Dr. Hussin Ketout. The school also added two administrative support assistants: Lillian Vandervort and Kayla Majewski.
HONORS
Dr. Omar Ashour, professor of industrial engineering, was selected to participate in the Penn State Emerging Academic Leaders Program during the Fall 2024 term. Dr. Ihab Ragai, professor of engineering, is serving as the 2024-2025 president of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution. He also received the 2024 Dedicated Service Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
SELECTED RESEARCH AWARDS
Dr. Gamini Mendis, assistant professor of engineering, was awarded $491,000 by UHV Technologies for his proposal “Low-Cost Modular System for Collecting and Recycling Consumer Batteries Using Artificial Intelligence.” He was also awarded $385,000 by the National Science Foundation for his collaborative proposal with Duke University on “Quantifying and Predicting Impacts of Plastic Additives Across Levels of Biological and Social Organization.” Dr. Xiaoshi Zhang, assistant professor of plastics engineering technology, and Brian A. Young, associate professor of engineering, were awarded $36,000 by Sasol North America to study Sasol Fischer-Tropsch additives for injection molding. Nick Vitelli, a lecturer in plastics engineering technology, was awarded $110,000 from Maa’va Inc. for the Development of Process Technology for High Volume Production of Carbon Capture Polymers.
FACULTY STAFF AWARDS 2023-24
The following were recognized with school awards: Dr. Ihab Ragai, professor of engineering, Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Kyeiwaa Asare-Yeboah, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, Excellence in Research. Dean Lewis, assistant teaching professor of mechanical engineering, Excellence in Service. Dr. Naseem Ibrahim, associate professor of computer science and software engineering, Excellence in Advising. Dr. Abdallah Abdallah, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, Excellence in Outreach. Chris Bartlett, machinist, Staff Excellence.
OTHER SCHOOL NEWS
Ed Evans, associate teaching professor of mechanical engineering technology, was named associate director of academics. Dr. Omar Ashour, professor of industrial engineering, was named associate director for research.
▲ Cast in Steel Technical Report winners, from left, Julia Sank, Dan Tanaskovic, Chris Annear, and Jacob Bailey, pose with one of the competition judges, center.
The late Dr. Dipo Onipede, associate professor of mechanical engineering.
INNOVATING FOR A BETTER PARK
Three senior design teams come through for Presque Isle Partnership
Presque Isle State Park in Erie is one of Pennsylvania’s most popular state parks, attracting 4 million visitors a year. The 3,200-acre peninsula stretches into Lake Erie and offers seven miles of sandy beaches, boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling, birding, and more.
While it might seem hard to improve on, Presque Isle Partnership, an official nonprofit partner to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) at Presque Isle, is committed to doing just that.
The partnership hosts fundraising events and generates private support to fund projects that enhance the park, including mobility mats and beach wheelchairs, lifeguard stations, playgrounds, and more.
The partnership receives a lot of support from the community, businesses, donors, and its large network of volunteers. This year, it added a new working partner to its list: Penn State Behrend’s School of Engineering.
The organization sponsored three senior design capstone projects, challenging Behrend students to design a mobile application for the park, as well as a lighting display and alternative power solution for the annual Presque Isle Lights winter event.
Jon DeMarco, executive director of Presque Isle Partnership, wasn’t sure what to expect but said he was impressed from the first meeting.
“The students in each group were very thorough from the start, making sure that they understood the deliverables and the parameters they had to work within,” he said. “From a client perspective, they were on top of it. They were focused, and they knew what their goals were.”
When working with real clients, like DeMarco, students get not only engineering experience but an opportunity to refine other important skills, like teamwork, communication, time management, and more.
“They were proactive in communicating, which was really important to me,” he said. “There was never a time when I had to seek an update. They kept me up to speed.”
PROJECT NO. 1 – MOBILE APPLICATION
Team members: Quincy Nguyen, Max Smith, Eric Petika, Collin Myers
The challenge: Develop a smartphone application for Presque Isle Partnership to enhance the visitor experience, provide navigation, and provide a way to send out important alerts.
The result: Students came up with an engaging cross-platform application called “MyPI.” The application includes an interactive map with filters to customize the experience, an events calendar, a food truck locator, FAQs, and the ability to get directions to a location at the park from their current location.
The sponsor’s response: “They did a really great job,” DeMarco said. “It looked great, worked well, and included everything I asked for, and then some. There is a little refining that needs to take place before we launch the app, though. I really wanted to get it out in front of people this year, but summer came quickly. We decided not to rush it out, but to take our time and tweak it after our busy season.”
PROJECT NO. 2 – LIGHTING DISPLAY
Team members: Joseph Cyrilla, Cole Roberto, Connor Rossey, Mark Sedlak
The challenge: Create a large lighting display for the partnership’s annual holiday lights drive-through event at the park. The display had to be programmable/versatile; easily put together and taken apart; able to withstand Erie’s worst winter weather; and sturdy yet lightweight and compact for storage reasons.
The result: In the researching phase of the project, students came across a commercially available product—a programmable LED matrix that looks like a curtain of hanging lights—that fulfilled many of the project’s requirements. The team then developed a tent-frame structure and bracing system to hold the 10-foot-by-10-foot matrix that required no external tools and weighed just 3 pounds.
The sponsor’s response: “The matrix was a great idea because we can connect to it using Bluetooth and project full-color images, messages, and more,” DeMarco said. “The curtain of lights will work well because it will allow winter winds to flow through the display, and it won’t blow over.”
PROJECT NO. 3 – ALTERNATIVE POWER SOLUTION
Team members: Dominic Yeso, Anthony Roberto, Owen Flisnik
The challenge: Come up with an environmentally friendly, portable power source that does not rely on gas or electric and can be communicated with remotely for the Presque Isle Lights winter event. It needed to be self-contained, air-tight and weatherproof, and light enough for two people to handle.
“If I placed this power station at Perry Monument, I wanted a way to check the power level and turn it off remotely without having to drive there at 8 p.m. in the middle of a snowstorm,” DeMarco said.
The result: Students started with an insulated plastic picnic cooler with a handle and wheels, which they filled with components to achieve the client’s needs, including a 12-volt rechargeable battery and solar charger, a temperature/humidity regulation system, and a remote communication system via cell phone. They were careful to construct it in such a way that components could be easily replaced, if needed. It weighed in at just 90 pounds.
The sponsor’s response: “What they created has enough power to be on for a week, which is pretty huge for us as what we use now is a small battery pack that will only power a couple of light displays for a few days,” DeMarco said. “It is clean and quiet and sustainably built. I could see us using a dozen of these on the park.”
FINAL REFLECTIONS
“Working with Behrend students on these projects was a really great experience,” DeMarco said. “I think they were excited to do something for Presque Isle, a peaceful place to exercise mind, body, and spirit, a place that means so much to so many people.”
PROJECT NO. 1
PROJECT NO. 2
$4.4 MILLION INVESTMENT METALS-BASED OUTREACH
Researchers at Behrend and University Park will lead the Department
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) and the Department of Defense will invest $4.4 million in metalsbased workforce development programs at Penn State’s Behrend and University Park campuses. The program will help strengthen the U.S. metal casting and forging industries.
The three-year initiative—the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning program, or METAL—is an effort to address a shortage of skilled labor in the manufacturing sector. Nearly one-fourth of the manufacturing workforce is aged 55 years or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2030, more than two million manufacturing jobs will be unfilled, according to the Manufacturing Institute.
That lack of skilled workers is a concern for the Department of Defense, which relies heavily on cast and forged equipment. The department has identified a need for at least 122,000 missioncritical manufacturing personnel by 2028.
“The foundational building blocks for all manufacturing start with metal,” said Joannie Harmon, vice president of workforce development at IACMI. “Fostering development of an industrial-base workforce and ensuring the right skill sets are available—from skilled trades on the shop floor through doctoral-level engineering capabilities in a research setting—is vital to national security.”
Dr. Paul C. Lynch, associate professor of industrial engineering and a faculty member in the Master of Manufacturing Management program at Behrend, will lead the METAL program at Penn State. As a member of the project’s steering committee, he will work with University colleagues to develop metals-focused manufacturing teaching programs, including:
• Workshops and outreach events for K-12 students
• Hands-on manufacturing “boot camps” for students 18 and older
• Certificate and apprenticeship programs
• An online curriculum in metal manufacturing
Dr. Mark Rubeo, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Behrend, will assist with the metals-manufacturing teaching programs. He also will provide guidance on postprocessing techniques for castings and forgings and their effects on material microstructures and mechanical properties.
Two faculty members in the College of Engineering at University Park also will contribute to the effort. Dr. Robert Voigt,
“The ultimate goal is to position the Pennsylvania metals industry to be competitive in both the national and international marketplaces, and to keep familysustaining jobs here in the United States, including here in the Erie region.”
— Dr. Paul C. Lynch, associate professor of industrial engineering
The Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning, or METAL, initiative will include public workshops, like this program presented at Behrend’s annual STEAM Fair.
WILL EXPAND PROGRAMS
of Defense-supported initiative
a professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, will assist with the teaching programs, with an emphasis on apprenticeship and potential certificate programs. Dr. Guha Manogharan, the Emmert H. Bashore Faculty Development Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and co-director of CIMP-3D, will develop digital manufacturing modules, including 3D sand-printing and AR/VR learning programs.
Researchers at the University of Tennessee will work collaboratively with the Penn State team, providing additional support. Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to creating career pathways for low-wage workers, will help to develop the apprenticeship programs.
The METAL program will directly support Behrend’s Project RESOLVE, a ten-year regional effort to shift the metal manufacturing, plastics, and transportation industries to a circular economic model that reduces pollution in and near the region’s freshwater resources, including Lake Erie. A planned Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness will include labs for metal casting and additive manufacturing — an innovation “sandbox” where University researchers and industry partners can test new techniques.
“We want to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in metal manufacturing,” Lynch said. “The ultimate goal is to position the Pennsylvania metals industry to be competitive in both the national and international marketplaces, and to keep familysustaining jobs here in the United States, including here in the Erie region.”
CARNIVAL IN MINIATURE
EET alumnus turns passion into retirement gig
As a young man, Richard Schmiedecke ’72 would spend a week every year working at a summer carnival near his home in Pittsburgh. Those few weeks kicked off a lifelong fascination with carnival rides.
“I’ve always been interested in carnival rides and how they are designed to be taken apart, racked, and driven over the road to the next stop,” he said.
Now, after a thirty-year career as an electrical design engineer, first at Proctor & Gamble then at Folgers Coffee, Schmiedecke, who graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, has a hobby that combines his skill set with his interests—designing and building miniature operable carnival ride models.
“I retired in 2002 and had a lot more time to do things,” he said. “I had always been a model maker, so I started hand carving parts that I would then cast in plastic to build the carnival ride models.”
Eight years later, he got his first 3D printer, which allowed him to streamline the process, designing the parts and then printing them.
His first creations were static, but he wanted them to move like the real rides. This is where his career working with control systems using programmable logic controllers came in. He knew just how to bring life to his models using microcomputers and DC motors.
Today, he owns his own small business—Carnivalkits LLC— designing and selling kits, parts, and sometimes complete models for other collectors who share his enthusiasm for carnival rides. See some of his models in action at youtube. com/carnivalkitmaker.
A CHALLENGE THE ROBOTICS
CLUB COULD NOT REFUSE
Imagine you are an artist who creates flying machines— large installation pieces that bring lobbies and public spaces to life. Picture big, kinetic sculptures made from copper, brass, and glass with motorized parts that whir, move, and catch light on geometric slices of glass, mesmerizing all who pass by. Now, think back to the 1970s, before the internet and cell phones when artists had to sell their work in person. How would you fit a 14-foot installation piece on an airplane to New York City or San Francisco?
Perhaps you would build a miniature replica. Something that encapsulated the essence of your work but would still fit under the airplane seat in front of you.
That’s why Erie artists David Seitzinger and John Vahanian created Joe the Box, a miniature (7 inch by 7 inch by 14 inch) version of their large installation pieces, like the Lighter than Air Paper Factory sculpture commissioned by the former Hammermill Paper Company (founded by the Behrend family) that now hangs in Burke Center.
“Photographs just don’t tell the story of our work,” Seitzinger said in a 1978 public television interview posted on YouTube. “You really have to see it in action.”
However, lugging an enormous piece of fragile artwork was not only impractical but impossible.
“We needed something we could pick up with two hands and set down and operate,” Vahanian said. “Something small that would hopefully convince people they should commission a larger piece.”
So, the artists created Joe the Box, a model and working piece of art that was, in the artists’ words, fickle.
“It comes up and does something different every time,” Vahanian quipped in the television interview.
Fifty years later, Joe the Box, which had been purchased by a Vahanian family member, wasn’t coming up at all. They tried to have it repaired and asked Vahanian to fix it. He no longer had the tools or equipment to do so, but he reasoned the School of Engineering at Penn State Behrend might.
In October of 2022, he reached out to Dean Lewis, assistant teaching professor of mechanical engineering, to see if Joe the Box might be a potential senior design project.
While the sculpture didn’t fit the parameters for a senior design project, Lewis had another idea: Given the complicated motorization mechanisms, maybe the Behrend Robotics Club could restore it.
“A few robotics club members and I met with Mr. Lewis to see and learn more about it,” said Adam Sacherich, a Mechanical Engineering senior.
“We decided as a club that it would be an exciting project to work on.”
Engineering News talked with Sacherich to learn more.
How would you describe the Joe the Box art piece?
From the outside, it looks like a simple brass box. However, once a button near the base of the box is pressed, the top of the box opens, and a spinning glass globe raises from the inside. As the globe spins, multiple arms extend and retract while moving up and down. Once the globe spins for about a minute, it returns to the brass box and the lid closes behind it.
What was wrong with the piece?
The glass globe would not rise, and the top of the brass box wouldn’t slide open. Additionally, the wires were unplugged and mislabeled from a previous attempt to fix the piece.
What interested the Robotics Club in taking on this project?
The club was intrigued for a few reasons:
1. Its mechanical nature perfectly aligned with the club’s interests.
2. The parts originally used on this project were old and custommade. This meant replacement parts could not be easily sourced. Instead, the club would have to design a way to use new parts on this project. This was an interesting challenge.
3. We were fascinated by the simplicity of the electronics in the piece. Even though it has complicated timing requirements to prevent all the parts from colliding, there’s not a single computer chip. Instead, a washing machine timing box controls the motion. We wanted to fix the piece while maintaining its unique control system.
⊳ Joe the Box, a mechanical work of art, intrigued members of the Robotics Club, who spent three semesters repairing it.
▲ Lighter Than Air Paper Factory, a kinetic sculpture by David Seitzinger and John Vahanian, was commissioned in the 1970s for the Behrend family’s Hammermill Paper Co. In 2011, the piece was refurbished and hung in the Burke Center’s Clark Café.
$100K GRANT FUNDS STUDY OF MICROPLASTICS
The American Chemistry Council has awarded $100,000 to researchers at Behrend, where a team of polymer scientists is exploring the lower limits of microplastics and their potential impact in the environment.
The study may help scientists better isolate and identify various plastics that are found in the environment. That would help manufacturers better understand how polymers behave as they degrade—and how other materials might minimize the risk to plant and animal life.
“We’re trying to take a step back and look at this from a different perspective,” said Dr. Xiaoshi Zhang, an assistant professor of plastics engineering technology at Behrend and the lead researcher on the study. “We want to start by developing scientific approaches to understanding how plastics behave and how we can reliably detect them.”
As they degrade, plastics often break into smaller pieces that can be difficult to detect.
“First of all, they’re small,” Zhang said. “They also get mixed in with organic matter, minerals, and glass. ... Some people are very eager to jump to the conclusion that it’s plastic. The truth is, we don’t always know. We don’t have the right tests and processes in place.”
Researchers typically use a tedious process, but in a materials lab at Behrend, Zhang is testing a different method. Using an environmental scanning electron microscope and atomic-force microscopy, he can magnify the surface of a physical sample by up to one million times, seeing details as small as one nanometer.
“The hard part is being able to identify it as one plastic and not another,” Zhang said. “That’s the expertise we can bring to this. We know the properties of plastics pretty well.”
What was the club’s challenge?
We needed to design a new mechanism for raising the globe, design a new system to open the top of the box, and figure out where all the wires needed to be plugged into. All of this needed to be done without changing the piece’s appearance or adding any modern control electronics.
How did members troubleshoot the project?
It was a lot of trial and error. We would 3D print a replacement part, test fit it, redesign it, and then repeat the process until we created functional parts.
How long did it take to fix Joe the Box?
The project turned out to be more complex than it initially appeared, so it took about three semesters to figure it out. We accepted the project in October of 2022 and completed it in December of 2023. When it was finally operational, what were the club members’ reactions?
We were all very happy. It had taken more time and effort than we anticipated, but seeing it finally run without issue made it all worthwhile. Everyone liked the piece, so we were happy to restore it. All the club members helped, but students heavily involved included myself, David Konkol, Alan Everett, Adam Robertson, and Ben Hollerman.
Dr. Alicyn Rhoades, vice chancellor and associate dean for research and graduate studies, is assisting with the grant. Two researchers at the Energy and Environmental Sustainability Laboratories at University Park also are providing input: Dr. Hlengilizwe Nyoni, an assistant research professor, and Dr. Maxwell Wetherington, an assistant research professor of molecular spectroscopy.
The study also aligns with Behrend’s Project RESOLVE, a regional strategy for shifting the plastics, metal-casting, and transportation industries to a circular economic model that addresses plastic pollution in and near Lake Erie. A planned Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness will provide new labs and resources for Behrend researchers who study polymer science.
▲ This image from the environmental scanning electron microscope shows plastic spheres at 100 nanometers. Researchers are using the microscope to study the lower limits of microplastics.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE
Hannah Olanrewaju, ’24
“I chose to pursue Mechanical Engineering because it allows me to combine my academic strengths with my creativity through a broad study of topics and applications. The variety of skills I have learned allow for career flexibility, which gives me the opportunity to better explore my interests.”
Hannah Olanrewaju, who graduated in May
Meet more Class of 2024 standout seniors at behrendblog.com.
LEE RECEIVES ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
HanBin Lee ’14 , a Mechanical Engineering graduate, was recently honored as one of eleven Penn State Alumni Achievement Award recipients. He is the first Korean person to receive the award, which recognizes alumni thirty-five years of age and younger for outstanding professional accomplishments.
Lee is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Seoul Robotics, a South Koreabased company that offers solutions for self-driving vehicles. The company uses patented 3D-sensing technology to move vehicles without human intervention or sensors on the vehicle.
While serving in the South Korean army from 2014 to 2016, Lee was introduced to Light Detection and Ranging, or lidar, which uses light pulses to accurately represent an environment. He founded an online artificialintelligence study group, where he met
the future co-founders of Seoul Robotics. Together, they developed a software system for self-driving cars that relies on data from lidar sensors.
Today, the business employs seventy people across four continents. Lee and his team work with more than 100 companies, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo.
HanBin Lee ’14, Penn State Alumni Achievement Award recipient.
