Dr. Fengxia Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Harvesting Kinetic Energy from Piezoelectric Material
Piezoelectricity, or the energy created by mechanical stress in certain solid substances, is a potential source of green energy that may help alleviate world energy stress. Harvesting usable energy from kinetic energy and other sources is a special interest of Dr. Fengxia Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Funded by the National Science Foundation’s Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grants in Engineering (BRIGE), Wang is designing a novel piezoelectric generator for vehicle shock absorbers. Her goal is to design a shock absorber with good vibration suppression as well as high energy recovery efficiency that will maximize the energy transferred from the piezoelectric device to a rechargeable battery. In addition to supporting Wang’s research in piezoelectric material, the NSF BRIGE is encouraging Wang’s mentorship of underrepresented groups in engineering. BRIGE awards enable junior faculty to integrate diversity and broadening
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SIUE Research and Creative Activities / Fall 2013
participation strategies in their engineering research, education, and innovation activities. Wang will use the award to recruit undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups into the field of energy regeneration. She also plans to develop a new technology demonstration course with the SIUE STEM Center for East St. Louis area high schools and the Upward Bound program. Wang serves as faculty advisor for the Cougar Baja team, a group of students who design and construct a Baja vehicle every year for collegiate competition. Wang plans to use the award to recruit underrepresented students to the team and test a future iteration of the team’s Baja vehicle.