USF Envision Magazine Spring 2018

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the University of South Florida College of Engineering Issue 15 - June 2018

College of Engineering hosts U.S. Air Force “Science and Technology 2030” Event Researchers from universities in Southeastern U.S. share innovative ideas to help shape U.S. Air Force future capabilities Page 3

Institute of Applied Engineering A new organization dedicated to creating innovative technologies.

Page 8

Ensuring a Smooth Ride on Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering Launches New Major in Cybersecurity

Faculty undertake testing of the Skyway Bridge’s shock absorbers.

First of its kind at USF.

Page 13

Page 44

Message from the Dean The 2017-2018 academic year has been extremely active and included many first-time events that increased our reach and

June 2018

impact in the community.

Envision is produced by The College is on the rise with more students, more faculty, a

the College of Engineering at the

new department, two new undergraduate degree programs, a

University of South Florida.

Editor: Writers:

newly formed Academy of Distinguished Engineering Educators, invitation to the prestigious Grand Challenges Scholar Program

Janet Gillis MSM ‘00 Randolph Fillmore

of the National Academy of Engineering, and a new research Institute. Our ever-growing student population now stands at over 7,000. In May, we held

Janet Gillis

the largest Induction into the Profession ceremony ever. We had to split the ceremony into

two separate concurrent ceremonies, so there would be enough room for family and guests.

Gabrielle Pata

Brad Stager

The ceremonies were broadcast on Facebook Live for those who could not attend or just want

Photography:

Roger Cox

ceremony.

Gabrielle Pata

to enjoy the ceremony afterwards. Head to the College’s Facebook page to see the spring

Brad Stager

We are active participants in Tampa’s quest to attract technology-based companies to the

Ryan Wakefield

Chen Wang

area. In support of Tampa’s growing technology sector, the College was a Silver Sponsor for

(Sweet Lighting Photography) Designed by:

Ryan Wakefield

the Synapse Innovation Summit—an all-encompassing, interactive, and flexible conference designed to build, facilitate, and reveal the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Florida. Computer Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Marvin Andujar and his students set up a booth and wowed the more than 3,000 attendees with brain drones!

MISSION STATEMENT

Over the past year, the College has made great progress in advancing the Institute of Applied

To profoundly shape and impact lives through

Engineering, a not-for-profit organization chartered with providing engineering solutions to

the steadfast pursuit of world-class engineering

Department of Defense and other government and industry partners. To learn more about the

research, education, and innovation.

Institute, read the story on page 8.

To be removed from our mailing list or for more information, contact:

Janet Gillis Communications and Marketing Officer College of Engineering University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Ave. ENB 118 Tampa, FL 33620

www.usf.edu/engineering

The College was also instrumental in helping to bring the U.S. Air Force and its mission to “invent the future for 2030 and beyond” by serving as the host university for a technical forum. The U.S. Air Force’s “Science and Technology 2030” (S&T 2030) technical forum offered academic researchers from the Southeastern United States who attended the forum with an opportunity to present their ideas and innovative technologies in six critical areas to aid the U.S. Air Force in improving national defense.

Last year the College launched our Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering.

The program brought in their inaugural class in the Fall of 2017. These students averaged over a 4.36 high school grade point average and ACT math scores averaged 31 out of 36 and SAT math scores average 724 out of 800. The incoming students were predominantly female (57%). On a similar note, our Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity major was recently launched with our inaugural class in the Spring 2018. This new program was created to meet the growing demand for cybersecurity expertise in Florida and in the nation in partnership with the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, the College of Arts and Sciences, Muma College of Business, and the College of Business at USF-SM. This issue is full of student success, cutting-edge research and outstanding faculty and new initiatives that prove the College of Engineering is an integral and vital partner with the Tampa Bay area.

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Envision Magazine

Robert H. Bishop, Ph.D., P.E. Dean, College of Engineering

College of Engineering hosts U.S. Air Force “Science and Technology 2030” Event

By Randolph Fillmore

Researchers from universities in Southeastern U.S. share innovative ideas to help shape U.S. Air Force future capabilities In an effort to help the U.S. Air Force in its mission to “invent

of Engineering Dean Robert H. Bishop, and Eric Forsyth,

the future for 2030 and beyond” the University of South

director of the College of Engineering’s new Institute for

Florida and the USF College of Engineering hosted a technical

Applied Engineering, who initially reached out to the AFRL

forum for the U.S. Air Force’s “Science and Technology 2030”

and helped bring the S&T 2030 forum to USF.

(S&T 2030) initiative held April 25 and 26 on the Tampa campus at C.W. Bill Young Hall. Managed by the Air Force

Provost Wilcox told the gathering that USF was delighted to

Research Laboratory (AFRL) (www.afresearchlab.com/2030),

host the conference and workshops and noted that USF was a

headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio,

“young, agile, innovatively driven global research university”

the S&T 2030 technical forum offered academic researchers

well-positioned and eager to assist the AFRL. “To USF’s

who attended the USF forum the opportunity to present their

advantage,” said Wilcox,” we have the flexibility and freedom

ideas and innovative technologies in six critical areas to aid

to work across our 13 colleges and disciplines.” He cited USF’s

the U.S. Air Force in improving national defense.

Center for Cyber Security as an example of a cooperative effort involving five colleges.

The 152 conference participants from around the southeastern U.S. were welcomed to USF by Dr. Ralph

College of Engineering Dean Robert Bishop echoed

Wilcox, USF provost and executive vice president, College

Wilcox’s welcome and told attendees that the USF College Continued on next page

Envision Magazine

3

Dean Robert H. Bishop delivers opening remarks at the AFRL welcome session.

and see how we can make them part of our

enrollment by 30% in the last five years

research portfolio.”

to 7,000 and increased its faculty by 40 percent.

The year 2030 became a target, according to Stone, as it takes about 12 years for

“We look forward to building this new

innovations at the bench to come to

relationship with the AFRL and continue

fruition at the flight line. Anything that

with our already strong relationship with

they can do to accelerate travel along that

the U.S. Special Operations Command

pathway to reality is a plus.

(USSOCOM), which provides us an opportunity to offer our students real world

Having the Air Force listen to innovative

experience with a mission,” said Bishop.

ideas from academic researchers in the southeastern U.S. was the impetus behind

Dr. Morley Stone, AFRL’s Chief Technology

Forsyth’s quest to bring S&T 2030 to

Officer and the primary science and

USF. Forsyth, who retired after 26 years

technology advisor to the AFRL, told

of USAF service as an engineer and

attendees that the Air Force’s S&T 2030

program manager, came to USF to build

forums are part of a “listening tour,”

and facilitate better collaboration between

scouting innovative ideas. The effort, he

academia and the Air Force.

explained, is a part of the initiative and challenge announced by Secretary of the

“I worked closely with universities during

Air Force Heather Wilson in September

my Air Force career,” explained Forsyth.

2017 to update the Air Force’s science and

“When the Secretary of the Air Force

technology strategy for the year 2030.

announced this initiative, I told the AFRL

In response, AFRL has embarked on a

that USF would be very happy to help

yearlong study to discover innovative new

facilitate the S&T 2030 forum in the

research and explore how to put the best

southeast.”

ideas into the development pipeline.

Brian McJilton, the Air Force program lead “We’re here to listen,” Stone told

for S&T 2030 said, “Eric carried the ball

participants. “We want to hear about your

and put a lot of work into this.”

ideas and your early and applied research 4

Envision Magazine

Photos: Ryan Wakefield

of Engineering has increased student

Dr. Norma Alcantar discusses her idea submission during the AFRL closing session.

USF ROTC cadets pose with General “Hap” Arnold and Dr. Theodore Von Karman cutouts.

forum. The smaller workshops with the forum, featuring 82 presentations on innovative technologies offered by scientists and engineers from both academia and industry, focused on six technology areas: Global Precision Strike; Command and Control; Enhancing the Performance of Airmen; Air, Space and Cyberspace Superiority; Global Integrated Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; and Rapid Global Mobility.

After a plenary session, participants met in morning and afternoon workshops where those with innovative technologies - both on the ‘drawing board” or in prototype models – could Dr. Morley Stone, Chief Technology Officer, of the Air Force Research Lab speaks.

present their ideas under the appropriate rubric. After the brief presentations, each topical workshop broke into smaller discussion

USF was the second stop on the university

groups to evaluate and further review the

tour after the first technical forum held at the

technologies presented.

University of Nebraska in March. The listening tour will stop at four other major research

Among the AFRL staff based at Wright-

universities in other U.S. regions before

Patterson Air Force Base helping to conduct

September when their report to the Secretary

the S&T 2030 technical forum were two USF

of the Air Force is due.

College of Engineering alums, Colonel Douglas S. Martin, who earned his BS in Electrical

In many ways, hosting S&T 2030 was the

Engineering at USF in 1989, and who now

first big task of USF’s new Institute for

serves as Mobilization Assistant to the AFRL

Applied Engineering, which aims at helping

Commander, and Colonel Philip Preen, who

COE faculty and students develop and apply

received his BS in Electrical Engineering

their innovative ideas. The Institute - in the

from USF in 1990 and MS in Environmental

planning stages for some time - will be a reality

Engineering in 1999, is Director, Human

by next fall, with Forsyth at the helm.

Systems Integration Directorate for the 711th Human Performance Wing at AFRL.

Researchers from 60 universities across the Southeastern U.S. were invited to the technical

“Our mission is to take the lead in discovery,

USF engineering students present their work at the Collider event.

Continued on next page

Envision Magazine

5

development and integration of

everyone healthy for the long-term,”

“We are so pleased we were selected

warfighting technologies for our

said Preen, who helped facilitate

as the host of the Air Force S&T

air, space and cyberspace force,”

the workshop on “Command and

2030 Workshop on the USF campus

explained Martin, a Lakeland,

Control.”

and I was amazed to witness first-

Florida native who helped facilitate

hand the high level of intellectual

the “Air, Space and Cyberspace”

The forum closed with a plenary

firepower of faculty and industry

workshop.

session in which representatives from

focused on addressing challenging

the workshop groups took the floor

technical problems facing the U.S.

Preen, who ran track and cross-

to inform forum attendees about

Air Force and the nation. It was a

country while at USF, works in

stand out technologies presented in

very creative day.”

human systems engineering. One

their groups.

of his goals, he said, is to make

Workshop participants and the Air

technologies used by personnel

“This is an especially exciting

Force contingent from AFRL were

more ergonomically friendly to help

time for USF and the College of

assisted throughout the conference

reduce injuries and wear and tear on

Engineering as we continue to

by cadets from USF’s Air Force

those carrying out important tasks.

increase our research footprint and

Reserve Officer Training Corps

“Not everything is about artificial

impact across a broad spectrum of

(AFROTC).

intelligence - we want to keep

global challenges,” said Dean Bishop.

Patients Benefit from Mobile Medical Testing

By Brad Stager New medical testing technology developed by the College

performed in a doctor’s office during a routine visit.

of Engineering’s Innovative Biomedical Instruments and Systems (IBIS) lab may improve diagnosis of diseases and

“For this particular project we are trying to make biomedical

treatment outcomes for patients by making it easier

testing available at the point of care,” says Pyayt. “The last

for them to have some tests performed by using a smartphone.

thing sick people want to do is go to 10 different places for testing. They would like to go to the doctor and if possible, have all the

The IBIS lab, directed by Chemical

biomedical tests done right there. This

and Biomedical Engineering Assistant

would make life so much easier.”

Professor Anna Pyayt, leverages photonics, nanotechnology, bioimaging and

Mobile ELISA uses RGB (red, green, blue)

microfluidics toward research that could

color analysis of test-sample images taken

improve imaging, diagnosing and treating diseases.

by the phone to detect antigens indicative of medical conditions such as Lyme disease or HIV. It can also determine levels of hormones

The Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent

such as progesterone, which is related to female

Assay (ELISA) is one of the most

fertility and also some cancers.

common and useful diagnostic tools available to doctors because of its

Pyayt says greater convenience of follow-up

ability to detect antibodies or antigens.

testing could yield better health outcomes for

Pyayt and her IBIS team have created a mobile version of ELISA that can save time and money.

patients, especially those with conditions that can make daily living a challenge in itself.

According to Pyayt, instead of needing to schedule a separate

“The test can be done promptly, so there is no delay and there

appointment at a testing facility, an ELISA test could be

is a lot of prior evidence showing that point-of-care testing

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Envision Magazine

Mobile ELISA performs medical testing in the doctor’s office.

is beneficial in patients with heart problems.” Pyayt

Pyayt, who earned her dual PhD in electrical

adds that the principle of sooner is better than later

engineering and nanotechnology from the University

applies in a medical situation.

of Washington, is well known in her field for using nanotechnology to improve imaging. She has also

“In general, if you can provide tests faster and you

developed with researchers from Microsoft the

can start treatment sooner, the outcome for the

telescopic pixel, touted as a more efficient alternative

patient is so much better.”

to liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology because it can transmit up to three times as much backlight as

According to Pyayt, advances like Mobile ELISA are

existing LCDs.

part of a changing environment in the medical field.

In Pyayt’s invention, each pixel is made of two “Mobile health is one of the major trends right now.

micromirrors, one of them stationary and the

It’s part of the bigger Internet of Things. When

other is subject to modification by the application

instruments start connecting to the Internet, they

of electrostatic force (the attraction or repelling

become smaller, portable and easier to use,” she says.

occurring between particles that are caused by their electric charges). The mirror subject to change can

Less expensive operating costs is one of the reasons

then stop or focus light on the stationary mirror,

the use of mobile medical technology is increasing,

depending on the amount of applied voltage.

says Pyayt, who adds it’s also an area where biomedical innovation is happening.

Pyayt and her IBIS team are refining Mobile ELISA and hope to ultimately improve it to the point where

“Traditional instruments used in large biomedical

it can be marketed for home use to provide greater

labs haven’t changed much, they’re still based on

benefits to patients.

technology that has become old.”

“We’re really trying to make it simple and trying to In contrast, the Mobile ELISA smartphone module

save patients’ time.”

costs about $40 to manufacture using 3D printing and inexpensive microcontrollers.

Envision Magazine

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Eric Forsyth, Director of the USF Institute for Applied Engineering (IAE).

USF’s new Institute for Applied Engineering to work closely with SOCOM at MacDill AFB USF’s ‘core competencies’ to make a difference in helping make the nation safer

By Randolph Fillmore The USF College of Engineering (COE)

and industry for a long time, but

the United States Special Operations

wants to help make the nation safer and

perhaps not in the most concerted and

Command (USSOCOM) (http://www.

stronger, says Eric Forsyth, a retired

comprehensive way.”

socom.mil/) at MacDill Air Force Base

U.S. Air Force Colonel with USF’s new

in Tampa, are the bedrock for the

Institute for Applied Engineering (IAE),

The new IAE will be working in a

an organization devoted to creating

more concerted way with the DoD,

innovative technologies.

promises Forsyth, and he easily spells

A recent on-campus event put IAE on

out those USF core competencies -

the new technology “map” and also

“Other research universities have

autonomous systems; cyber security;

placed some USF researchers in the

programs or centers to translate

human performance enhancement

spotlight.

engineering research into practical

technologies; energy and transportation

solutions for difficult problems,”

infrastructure systems; and supporting

Through the efforts of Forsyth and

explains Forsyth. “But what sets USF

capabilities including data analytics

Dean Robert H. Bishop, the COE was

apart are our core competencies and

and advanced manufacturing. Those

the driving force behind bringing

the fact that we have been working

core competencies, and the links

the U.S. Air Force Research Lab

with our local defense establishment

already existing between the COE and

(AFRL) to campus last month for the

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Envision Magazine

Institute.

“Science and Technology 2030.” S&T

City, was created more than two years

communications ‘cube satellites’ at

2030, a workshop through which

ago under a Partnership Intermediary

SOFWERX.

attending researchers from throughout

Agreement between the Doolittle

the southeastern U.S. explained to

Institute (http://defensewerx.org/)

“These juniors and seniors, from a wide

representatives of the AFRL how their

and USSOCOM. The IAE/SOFWERX

variety of colleges and universities are

innovative technologies might help the

linkage aims at reducing the time and

able to gain real work experience in a

U.S. Air Force’s goal of reshaping its

cost for getting innovations from design,

dynamic environment addressing real

technology by the year 2030, was a big

to prototype, to final product. The goal

world, highly impactful problems,”

success.

is to get the technology into the hands of

explains Sanders. “Internships are

the warfighter faster.

granted in the following disciplines:

“USSOCOM Science & Technology

Graphic Design, Data Analytics,

Directorate appreciated the opportunity

Tim Baxter, director of USF/SOFWERX

Mechanical Engineering, Computer

to co-facilitate several of the workshops

Operations, said that IAE will be the

Science, Business, Electrical

at the S&T 2030 event,” says Lisa R.

‘easy button’ for USF and USSOCOM

Engineering, Physics, and Robotics.”

Sanders, Director, Science & Technology,

collaborations. According to Baxter,

A ground station at SOFWERX will

Special Operations Forces Acquisition,

a recently retired U.S. Army Special

allow the USF student interns to

Technology & Logistics. “We are looking

Forces Colonel who worked for many

communicate with satellites overhead.

forward to receiving and reviewing the

years at USSOCOM, the links between

The students are taking the aluminum-

submissions that are being gathered by

USF, SOFWERX, and USSOCOM at

cased cube satellites from design,

the Air Force at https://afresearchlab.

MacDill Air Force Base were forged by

through prototype, to final product.

com to leverage concepts which have the

Dean Bishop, who wanted to see USF

Perhaps appropriate for having been

potential to address Special Operations

researchers and USF interns work more

fashioned in Ybor City, the cube

Forces specific capability objectives.”

closely with USSOCOM.

satellites are about the size of a small cigar box. Soon, says Baxter, they will

The conference and workshop attracted

“Proximity really means something,” says

be circling miles above the Earth and

152 participants from around the

Baxter, noting the close proximity of

sending data back to their Ybor City

Southeastern U.S.

SOFWERX in Ybor, to MacDill AFB just

birthplace.

a few miles south, and to USF just to the “’S&T 2030 was a great event,” says

north. “In the future, USF hopes to lead

“USSOCOM buys launch space on

Dean Bishop. “Several USF researchers

a consortium of universities working

various platforms,” says Baxter. “The

were among those who presented their

with USSOCOM. The collaboration is a

satellites will be launched into orbit

innovative ideas. We really appreciate

win/win for both USF and USSOCOM.”

later this year.”

their efforts and hope that their ideas

“We are excited about the potential

are now a step closer to being realities.

opportunities that might arise with the

“As we get closer to opening IAE, we’ll

I am also very pleased that our existing

formation of USF Institute for Applied

be continuing to identify researchers

partnership with USSOCOM and

Engineering,” says Sanders. “As the

with innovative ideas and technologies

SOFWERX enabled us to work quickly

institute becomes established we look

and building our business plan,”

and effectively together to host the S&T

forward to clarifying areas of common

explains Forsyth, who sees the launch of

2030 event.”

interest, and developing opportunities of

the nonprofit IAE as similar to that of

mutual benefit to USF, USSOCOM, and

any start-up company.

IAE’s mission and partners An important mission for IAE will be finding solutions to the challenges and problems faced by the warfighter. A crucial link to achieving that mission’s goal is found in an organization called “SOFWERX” (https://www.sofwerx. org/). SOFWERX, located in Ybor

the institute.”

IAE expects to be “open for business” According to Sanders, USF facilitates

shortly before the start of the fall

an academic internship program in

semester.

coordination with their SOFWERX collaboration enterprise. The interns

“In the meantime, we’ll continue

play a big role at SOFWERX and,

scouting out initial projects and working

currently, a USF College of Engineering

ever closer with SOFWERX and

PhD student and six engineering

USSOCOM,” he concludes.

undergrads are building three Envision Magazine

9

Creating a Taste for Inventiveness

Photos: Chen Wang | Sweet Lighting Photography

By Brad Stager

A

mong the ingredients to be included

to all college undergraduates to work on

in a recipe for successfully turning an

projects. It’s made possible because of the

idea into something usable would be a

financial support of Mini-Circuits, a global

space in which to make things. Thomas Edison

manufacturer and supplier of RF/microwave

lit up the world with the light bulb thanks to

components and systems, and the Gloria and

research conducted in his workshop on the

Harvey Kaylie Foundation. Mini-Circuits’

grounds of his Fort Myers estate and Steve

support of the College was recognized in 2017

Jobs brought forth the Apple computer from

with the Corporate Impact Award.

his parents’ Los Altos, California garage.

Students have access to tools ranging from Undergraduate engineering students at

screwdrivers to rapid prototyping essentials

USF likewise have such a place, called a

such as laser cutters, computer numerical

“makerspace” in today’s engineering parlance,

control (CNC) mills, 3D scanners, oscilloscopes

that is complete with high-tech tools and

and more. Requirements to use the equipment

classes on using them, enabling students to

include completing training on the specific

make small physical objects produced by a 3D

technology as well as lab orientation and safety

printer to create customized printed circuit

prerequisites. There’s WiFi and Ethernet

boards with a laser cutter.

connectivity, compressed air and electrical power drops as well as large-screen monitors

Located on the ground floor of the Glenn A.

for collaborative viewing. The furnishings are

Burdick Engineering II building, the Mini-

casual and comfortable, suitable for a safe

Circuits Design for X Laboratory is available

semi-industrial environment.

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Envision Magazine

What might seem like a 4,000 square-foot slice of Silicon Valley on the Gulf Coast is a resource outfitted and designed above all to ensure student success.

Director Ken Christensen says the Design for X Laboratory is intended to support many of the concepts and lessons undergraduates are learning, outside of the classroom.

“They come in because they enjoy it and they have access to things they’ve never had.” Christensen adds that up to 250 students a day use the lab.

Senior Jair Garcia visits the lab often to catch up on his electrical engineering coursework, develop

skills like soldering and find out

other students.”

what other people are working on.

The lab is also a favorite meeting “I’m glad the space is available for

place for organizations such as

students to use freely to work on

the Mechanical Electrical and

assignments and invent,” he says.

Computer Hub (MECH), which

“It’s a great place to interact with

brings students together to work on projects and conduct research, and X-Labs (unrelated to Design for X Lab) which has launched high-altitude balloons and is well known for its collection of Tesla coils, a few of which can be seen around the space. Faculty also use the lab for class instruction in course areas spanning the college’s curriculum, from environmental engineering to bioelectronics.

That transdisciplinary capacity of the facility is exemplified by the Mini-Circuits Design for X Laboratories Design and Build contest, which is held each fall and spring semester. The contest requires students to create an engineering artifact that “solves a real problem and is potentially marketable,” according to the lab website (eng.usf.edu/dfx).

All undergraduate students in good academic standing in the college are eligible to compete

Continued on next page

Envision Magazine 11

Photo: Ryan Wakefield

These vases were created on an FDM 3D printer. Each vase took 3 hours to print comprising 1250 layers and made from biodegradable corn based plastic. as individuals or in teams. Students

including Kiran Shila, Alejandro Robles,

from a drone via a spooled cable system

document their projects in five-minute

Eric Valentino and Charlie Curtiss.

and has wheels so it can be remotely

videos, with judging performed by a

They developed a working prototype of

operated and travel across a tall surface

faculty and students. Mini-Circuits

an imaging and detection technology

to a rope that has already been lowered

sponsors the contest which awards cash

device known as Through Wall Imaging

and looped around a solid object. The

prizes to the winners. According to

Radar Prototype (TWIRP). Shila, an

rope is then secured in place by using

Senior Lab Manager Michael Celestin,

electrical engineering senior, describes

two microserver-actuated links to sweep

the benefits of competing in the contest

TWIRP in the project video as a

it into a carabiner (a coupling link with

are more than financial.

“frequency modulated continuous wave

a safety closure), closing the loop.

radar” that broadcasts a “chirp,” with the

Besides Golabek, the HexaClimber

“When you give students an opportunity

reflected return signal being received by

team members include Nicole A.

to work on a project or cause, it

TWIRP and the differences analyzed to

Wieczorkowski, Ryan Ziegenfus and Bill

advances their career and gives them

distinguish objects and people behind

Conover.

a good project for their portfolio,”

walls, something that can be useful in

says Celestin, who is also the college’s

emergency situations like searching for

Coyt Barringer, an electrical

senior research engineer. Celestin

people in a collapsed building.

engineering senior, was awarded third

adds the lab recognizes many of the

place for his flip clock that uses four

students are encountering some of the

“Our group thought that not only would

numerical displays consisting of seven

technology for the first time and that it’s

it be an excellent engineering challenge,

micromagnets each to indicate the

important to support the acquisition of

but an exciting humanitarian endeavor

passage of time. He designed his own

technical skills to make good use of their

to develop this device and publish our

circuit board to control the clock. “It’s a

creativity.

findings,” Shila says.

nice little project to take to interviews and show,” Barringer says in the video

“An integral part of being an engineer is

A grappling hook module for drones

to make things.”

was the second-place winner. It

he produced for his entry.

was developed by a team of senior

While there are plenty of resources

The winners from the inaugural, fall

mechanical engineering students in

that the College’s makerspace provides

2017 round of competition presented a

the capstone design class. The purpose,

students, there are also intangible

variety of projects that showcase what

according to Jeffrey Golabek who

motivational benefits according to

can be accomplished with the lab’s

presented the project’s video, is to

Golabek of the HexaClimber team. “The

resources.

“essentially turn a drone into a flying

Design for X Laboratory really kindled

grappling hook, allowing you to climb

my love for rapid prototyping, inventing

First place was awarded to a team

buildings and other stable structures”

and robotics, which has helped me

of electrical engineering students

without a ladder. The module is lowered

pursue my degree with gusto,” he says.

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Envision Magazine

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge that crosses Tampa Bay connecting Pinellas and Manatee counties.

College of Engineering Helps Ensure a Smooth Ride on the Sunshine Skyway

O

By Brad Stager

ne image broadcast viewers

abruptly at cloud level during the

Civil and Environmental

are sure to see when the

ascent. But one thing travelers and

Engineering Professor Gray Mullins

Tampa Bay area hosts

the people who maintain the bridge

says the shock absorbers used inside

major televised events, like a Super

won’t have to worry about is damage

the Skyway are not much different

Bowl, is of the Sunshine Skyway

or bridge failure caused by wind-

than the ones used by some of the

Bridge spanning the water between

induced vibrations of the 84 steel

vehicles traveling on it.

Manatee and Pinellas counties.

cables holding up the bridge.

Officially called the Bob Graham

That’s because researchers at the

on a semi or concrete mixing truck.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge (after the

College of Engineering have taken

They’re about as heavy duty as you’ll

former Florida Governor and U.S.

on the task of testing samples of

find in any application.”

Senator), its 4.14-mile, four-lane

the 504 heavy-duty shock absorbers

roadbed rises to 193 feet above

that are part of a system designed

And whether a shock absorber

Tampa Bay, providing expansive

to counter vibration of the cables

is smoothing out the ride for an

views and for some drivers, a

which, under certain conditions,

18-wheeler or keeping stay-cable

white-knuckle experience while

could lead to harmonic forces strong

vibrations in check, the same

approaching the bridge’s highest

enough to damage the steel and

engineering principle applies,

point, which can look like it stops

concrete bridge.

according to Mullins.

“They’re something that would be

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Envision Magazine 13

and apply a representative velocity of stroke and then measure the resulting force,” Mullins says. Each shock absorber is tested at four progressively higher stroke velocities.

One of the first things he and a team of graduate students had to do was find a way to increase the capabilities of their equipment in order to perform the testing.

That included building and installing a displacement multiplier, essentially two 4” I-beams, to increase by five times the amount of stroke velocity that could be applied to the shock absorbers. Mullins expresses appreciation to the college’s onsite machine shop for its help in the exacting Dr. Gray Mullins tests a shock absorber.

process of producing the hardware needed to upgrade the test system.

“We have probably the best machine shop in a 50-mile radius right next to us, our

“The faster the movement a shock absorber experiences

machine shop is phenomenal.”

the more restriction it applies, and they call that damping. If the vibrations get crazy, these will calm it

In the first round of tests, the Florida Department of

down.”

Transportation (FDOT) provided 15, or three percent of the Skyway’s shock absorbers as well as testing

With the four groups of cables fanning out from its

parameters. Test results were provided to FDOT for

two towers, the 30-year-old Skyway is what is known

review. Mullins says he expects testing of the shock

as a harp-design cable-stayed bridge. Mullins says the

absorbers to continue as part of the bridge’s overall

musical instrument analogy is appropriate in terms of

preventive maintenance program.

safety as well as design.

“Periodic testing is important. Just like the inspections “When the wind blows on these cables, they’re like long

for cracks, rust and other things, making sure these

guitar strings - very, very thick and heavy guitar strings.

shocks function correctly is our primary objective.”

When the wind hits them, and if the wind speed is just right, they can start to vibrate,” says Mullins.

Mullins adds that conducting the tests is a good opportunity for the College to help out.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, other factors such as wind direction and rainfall intensity

“This is a landmark structure, Tampa Bay is known

also affect the cables, which are connected to the shock

because of the Skyway Bridge so for us it’s an honor to

absorbers by struts extending beneath the road into the

provide this service to the community.”

bridge’s hollow interior.

Constructing the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway bridge The testing takes place in a structural engineering lab at

cost $244 million and was opened to traffic on April 20,

the college, using one of the computer-controlled high-

1987. It replaces the original bridge that was damaged

force axial/torsional test systems capable of applying

when the MV Summit Venture collided with one of its

550-thousand pounds of force.

piers on May 9, 1980, killing 35 people.

“Our charge was to put these shocks into our machine

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Photos: Ryan Wakefield

Dr. Jonathan Gaines officiates the Bulls-EYE Battlebot competition.

Mentoring Program Helps Students Keep EYE on the Future

By Brad Stager

G

iving Tampa Bay area middle school students a chance to consider what studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) could lead to is the idea behind the Bulls Engineering Youth Experience (BullsEYE) mentoring program, a five-week introduction to engineering held at the College of Engineering during the summer.

As many engineers will tell you, realizing how technology could be their way to a fulfilling and rewarding career was an important step in choosing the field. Getting to such an understanding is sometimes easier when someone shares their personal experiences

and according to Dr. Jonathan Gaines, creator and director of Bulls-EYE, forming that kind of connection is an important part of the program.

“It really is all about relationship building,” says Gaines, who is also an Instructor II in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Gaines adds that the methodical application of STEM principles facilitates building relationships between Bulls-EYE participants.

“We use the engineering design process as the foundation for that.”

About three dozen middle school students from communities in a 15-mile radius around the USF Tampa campus and about half-as-many engineering Continued on next page

Envision Magazine 15

undergraduates team up to work on projects that combine robotics, earth science, environmental engineering and sensor technology to explore the world around them. In the process, they learn skills such as 3D printing and rapid prototyping. Gaines says projects are developed to be a learning process for the USF mentors as well as their middle school mentees.

“The undergraduates go into the experiments with a little bit of exposure to what they’re about but not as experts by any means.

That’s done intentionally because I want to build a relationship that’s based on reciprocity.”

Gaines also says that the mentors learn lessons they don’t always have a chance to learn in a classroom, especially when it comes to working with middle school students, such as dealing with conflict as well as time management.

“

We spend just as much time focusing on technical skills as we do interpersonal skills and the building of strong relationships.

- Jonathan Gaines, PhD “We spend just as much time focusing on technical skills as we do interpersonal skills and the building of strong relationships.”

One Bulls-EYE participant who says she’s benefited from the program is fourth-year chemical engineering student Kristin Ball, who began as a mentor and has

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Bulls-EYE mentor, Sabrina Gonzalez, helps a student from Turner/Bartels K-8 School. assumed leadership roles as well.

“I can definitely say I have gained effective leadership and management skills and really learned how to self-manage myself and my work and definitely troubleshooting because when things go wrong you have to quickly find a solution, something that works.”

Ball, who aspires to a career in biomedical engineering and is considering earning her medical degree as well as a PhD, says being able to relate and respond to a wide range of people, from middle school students to adults, representing different communities and cultures is essential.

“Our mission is to serve underrepresented youth in the Tampa Bay community, but in reality we welcome anybody who wants to learn about STEM,” says Ball. “It’s a really great outlet for the children to still learn during the summer, in a safe place where they can be themselves.”

Bulls-EYE mentors earn $10 an hour to work in the program, but according to Ball, get paid-back with more than just money.

“You will get the chance to experience just a glimpse of what it feels like to be on top of the world because of something you did or contributed in showing the next generation that just like us, they can achieve what they want.” Ball also encourages other engineering undergraduates to consider becoming a mentor.

“When you join the Bulls-EYE program, you really do make a difference.”

Bulls-EYE is based on a program Gaines developed at Virginia Tech where he earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering. The program’s inaugural summer at USF was in 2015 when Motorola Solutions Foundation provided a $50,000 Innovation Generation grant to study robotics. NASA funded the following two years for environmental science-related projects that incorporated robotics

and remote sensing. A $450,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will underwrite the next three years of BullsEYE. The increased funding will enable the free-of-charge program to hire more undergraduates to mentor a larger group of potential engineers.

According to Gaines, Bulls-EYE will increase the number of middle school students participating from 30 to 40 with an increase in mentors to maintain a two-to-one ratio between the two groups, which he says helps foster moments of discovery and support.

“With the smaller ratio they’re able to really spend time with the undergraduate student and ask really targeted questions; they can ask them about their classes, but even more so, ‘What’s your life like?’ I think it really helps the kids get a realistic picture and be able to relate to somebody

that is an engineering student and the mentors can make that connection much more effectively than I can.” Gaines also says Bulls-EYE mentors will be more active by participating in public STEM events like the College’s Engineering Expo and visiting Tampa Bay area middle schools.

The NSF grant is titled “Engineering Youth Experience for Promoting Relationships, Identity Development, and Empowerment,” (EYE PRIDE) and funding is part of the foundation’s Broadening Participation in Engineering Program under the Division of Engineering Education and Centers. According to the NSF award announcement, it will also bring a new research element to the program to

The NSF progam is in collaboration with Co-PI’s Dr. Tonisha Lane and Dr. Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic in the USF College of Education and will also invite pre-service teachers to participate in the program.

“Engineering identity has been looked at recently as one of the primary things that drives someone to pursue a career in engineering,” says Gaines, who adds that the daily routine of the Bulls-EYE program will remain the same.

To learn more about the Bulls-EYE program you can visit online at bullseye.eng.usf.edu, send an email to bullseyementoring@gmail.com or call (813) 974-5578.

“assess the impact of the project’s STEM interventions on engineering identity.”

https://youtu.be/DA4Q4E-EPjU

Bulls-EYE mentor, Gerardo Sanchez, assists a student from Turner/Bartels K-8 School.

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Envision Magazine 17

Research Grant Aims to Ensure Economic and Social Prosperity of Coastal Communities

Research Grant Aims to Ensure Economic and Social Prosperity of Coastal Communities

By Brad Stager Forty percent of the world’s 7.6 billion people now live within 100 kilometers of a coast. In the U.S., coastal counties have the highest population densities and also house 39% of the U.S. population.

Furthermore, nitrogen pollution and rising sea levels from changes in climate are widely observed in coastal areas.

These and other adverse environmental impacts are linked to human activities and unfortunately result in decreased economic and social well-being of coastal residents and visitors.

Training the next generation of problem solvers and developing solutions for these 18

Envision Magazine

adverse outcomes of human activity in coastal areas is the focus of educators and researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of the Virgin Islands. They will use a $2.5 million National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to develop ways of ensuring the sustainability of coastal communities and essential resources such as food, energy and water.

The project is expected to train over 100 graduate students from USF and UVI, representing diverse fields of study such as environmental and civil engineering, anthropology and marine sciences. The

multidisciplinary nature of the project is intended to develop workforce STEM capabilities that promote innovative solutions to problems arising from population growth and intensive changes in land use along coastlines.

The project will train a new generation of globally competent practitioners and scholars with interdisciplinary skills to address increasingly complex problems related to management of food, water, and energy. Outcomes from the research will not only help close the nutrient loop determine how to safely recover valuable resources from wastewater to

reduce energy and freshwater demands while also supporting food production, but also investigate reusing treated wastewater to provide cooling water for local energy production or water and fertilizers to support local food production.

Besides the academic relationships involved, the project seeks to build community connections that take into account local environmental, economic, and sociocultural considerations as well as engineering infrastructure requirements. The researchers apply the term “systems thinking,” to their approach because it considers an impacted coastal community as a whole system rather than isolated parts.

“I think the strength of this grant is the partnerships we’re building,” says USF Professor Maya Trotz, who is the principal investigator for the project. “It captures the purpose of the grant.” Trotz earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University, and is also a faculty leader with USF’s National Center for Nutrient Management of Aging Infrastructure.

She has conducted research in areas such as sustainability, ecotourism and water quality during her tenure at the College of Engineering.

One aspect of the grant that co-principal investigator Qiong Zhang points out is that students and researchers will have to figure a lot of things out for themselves as part of the creative solution-finding process.

“The training program is not like a traditional training program,” says Zhang, who is an Associate Professor in the USF Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “Students will have to apply whole systems thinking to define the problems they will be facing.”

And when the research teams are confronted with a problem, there will be plenty of perspectives to consider, according to co-principal investigator Sarina Ergas.

“The idea of having these teams of anthropology students and marine science and engineering students being able to bring the interdisciplinary focus on these Florida and Caribbean coastal

issues, I think that’s a major strength of the program,” says Ergas who is a USF Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor. “It brings people together people that have different ways of looking at problems and can provide more holistic solutions.”

USF Anthropology Department Chair and Professor David Himmelgreen is a faculty mentor with the project. He’s contributed to other engineering-related projects in the past and says the experience has been worthwhile.

“One thing that really attracted me to this, was this idea of cross-training between social scientists and engineers,” he says. “My engineers learn how to do some anthropology and anthropologists learn how to do a little bit of engineering and that’s the kind of training we definitely need today to address this complex issue.”

Parsing the cultural and social influences in a community-based research setting calls for a trained anthropologist and co-principal investigator Rebecca Zarger is happy to contribute her skills and knowledge to the project.

“To me the most exciting thing about this project is the focus on community engagement, collaboration and partnership with colleagues, students and people living in coastal communities that are already being affected by things like sea level rise, extractive industries and tourism that may not have their best interests in mind,” says Zarger, who is an associate professor in USF’s Department of Anthropology. Zarger also cites the relationship between USF and UVI as exemplifying the approach the researchers are taking toward their project.

“The past record that’s already been established by faculty and students through the NSF PIRE (Partnerships for International Research and Education) is a great foundation for building an even stronger partnership with our collaborators and showing students through that collaboration how to addresses these linked issues of providing healthy food water and energy.”

Sennai Habtes is a Research Assistant Professor of Biological Oceanography at UVI who is

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Envision Magazine 19

collaborating with the USF researchers, many of whom have previously conducted research with UVI and benefit from his on-the-ground knowledge of the Caribbean region.

“We’re building on the existing collaboration with USF that brings a lot of experience in areas that UVI doesn’t particularly have to stakeholders and sectors of our community that don’t usually interact with academia,” says Habtes, whose research emphasis is on marine ecosystems. “The training that we’re doing for students is truly global.

We’re having our students participate in field sites throughout this part of the world not simply by integrating them into classroom activities but getting them to partner on research activities.” Habtes

adds that such place-based education is an important part of developing systems thinking practices.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor James Mihelcic is a co-principal investigator for the project who has worked with UVI faculty and students and values the contributions they make to joint endeavors such as research projects and a dual-degree program.

“It’s a very important relationship for our college,” he says. “The partnership with UVI is not new.”

over the grant’s five-year funding period.

“One of the more unique aspects is actually engaging with the utilities in the different locations and not only showing a way to engage with research and academia for utilities but also improving their ways of connecting with the communities that they serve.”

Trotz also cites the wide range of expertise brought together for the project and likens it to “building an ecosystem to support food, energy and water that uses everybody’s capabilities in the best way possible.”

While much of the project’s work will take place in locations familiar to some members of the research team, Trotz says there are new dimensions to be explored

Dr. Sylvia Thomas Receives USF’s Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Faculty Research Award Dr. Sylvia Wilson Thomas, associate professor of electrical engineering and former assistant dean in the College of Engineering is USF’s Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Faculty Research Award recipient.

Dr. Thomas focuses her research and teaching efforts on advanced materials for alternative energy sources, sustainable environments, aerospace and bio-applications from the micro to nano scale. She explores the synthesis and device integration of inorganic and organic thin films and microfibers.

“The WLP Faculty Research Award will propel my work into the realm of fabricating proto-type devices to provide clean drinking water to poverty-stricken/developing 20

Envision Magazine

communities and alternative materials for treating regenerative diseases, both of which disproportionately impact women and young girls,” Dr. Thomas said.

In addition to her inspiring work as a researcher, she is a motivational speaker and consultant for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, continued/graduate education, K-12 efforts, career transitioning, mentoring and professional development. She also serves on the inaugural Board of Directors for Black Girls Code as an advocate for women in engineering, and leads the Advanced Materials Bio and Integration Research laboratory at USF.

View Dr. Silvia Thomas’ Award Video: https://bit.ly/2IeUTec

Calvin Hardie, Capital Projects Manager for the City of Tampa, briefs Sustainable Transportation graduate students during field data collection on the Morgan Street corridor.

Taking a Walk on the Safe Side

By Brad Stager

O

ne of the most dangerous things you can do in Florida is take a walk.

Whether you enjoy strolling alongside a country road lush with palmetto scrub and oak trees, need to dash across eight lanes of city traffic or are training for longevity with a jog around a suburban cul-de-sac, the chances of becoming a pedestrian fatality in Florida are among the highest in the United States according to a report published by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).

The report was released earlier this year and ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia by determining the traffic death rate per 100,000 residents. In the report’s 2017

rankings, Florida placed fifth with 1.44 deaths per 100,000 residents.

The 303 total number of pedestrian fatalities was the second highest among states in 2017, following California which had 352. In Hillsborough County, home to USF’s Tampa campus, 50 pedestrians and 12 bicyclists were killed in 2017.

Numbers like that are evidence that many of the region’s roadways are not fully serving the public’s transportation needs, says Kristine Williams, who is the Planning and Corridor Management Program Director at the Center for Urban Transportation Research. She also teaches transportation-related classes at USF. “There’s a real need to rethink our streetscape. We need to design

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Envision Magazine 21

Cause of Crashes on Morgan Street

Figure: Pedestrian and bicycle crashes from 2005-2016

Negligence 9%

Source: Hillsborough MPO crash data

streets for all users, of all ages and abilities and particularly in a downtown (Tampa) environment like Morgan St.” Students in Williams’ spring 2017 Sustainable Transportation class considered as a project how the prevailing approach to street design, which optimizes the movement of vehicular traffic, could be improved upon. Funding for the project came from the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which conducts regional transportation planning for the county.

The city of Tampa is a member of the MPO and had identified Morgan St. as needing pedestrianfriendly upgrades according to Williams.

“Morgan St. is what the City of Tampa has designated as a special pedestrian-priority street,” she says. “They want to see pedestrians given greater priority in the design.”

According to Williams, the transportation planners were interested in concepts embodied by the “complete streets” design approach. Williams attributes the complete streets concept to the nonprofit advocacy group Smart Growth America (SGA) which works with government officials, developers and community organizations to guide public policy toward what it calls “smart growth.”

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When it comes to transportation, SGA tells visitors to its website that “A Complete Streets approach integrates people and place in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of our transportation networks.”

Undertaking the project provided the students with valuable lessons they wouldn’t learn in a classroom setting, such as prioritizing options when confronted with limitations, says Williams.

“It gives the students hands-on experience with evaluating the street; looking at the challenges and tradeoffs. You only have so much right-of-way to work with, so you can’t put everything everywhere.”

Students evaluated existing traffic patterns, including traffic volume counts, along the onemile stretch of Morgan St., from Tyler St. to Channelside Dr, that was the focus of the project.

It is a four-lane undivided corridor linking Tampa’s downtown business center with the Channelside District and has an average annual daily traffic (AADT) count of fewer than 5,000 vehicles with a posted speed limit of 30 miles-per-hour on its 55 to 60-foot wide roadway.

The class produced three design concepts by teams of students whose goals were to enhance safety for all modes of travel, improve accessibility

3 crashes

1 crash

and mobility for all modes and increase economic vitality environmental quality and livability of the corridor. Elevating the status of walking and bicycling as viable travel modes was also a priority.

piezoelectric technology into the roadbed to convert traffic vibrations to electricity.

Permeable pavement to direct rainwater into the ground and reduce runoff was also recommended.

Among the design suggestions in the proposal submitted by Group 1 were for Morgan St. to be two-lane, twodirection street with 10-foot travel lanes and removing on-street parking near intersections to improve visibility and safety. The team’s members - Prudvhi Kadiyala (team leader), Sudha Kamma and Arpita Hridaynath Meher - also designed maximum separation for pedestrians from traffic by having parking and bike lanes between the sidewalk and roadway. As for the high-speed inbound traffic from the Selmon Expressway,

Ashok Sampath, leader of Group 2, says he enjoyed applying the transportation principles he studied to help solve problems.

Group 1 suggested traffic signal adjustments and warning signs. Other enhancements include incorporating

parking and bicycle lanes but also adding an additional buffer of plants, such as flowers. Management of rainwater would be accomplished with permeable sidewalk pavers, tree trenches and gutter inlets.

Solar panels would power street lighting.

“I had so much fun learning new things about complete streets design and planning, and it was a great opportunity to collaborate with engineers and planners from public and private organizations.�

Group Three also reduced directional travel lanes to two, but also made considerable use of alternating left-turn lanes as an addition. Members Vanessa Adame (leader) Abhinav Madadi, Sagar Janakbhai Patel and Mingyu Xue also recommend using parklets, which are areas about the size of a few parking spaces that are reserved for public seating and possibly art and plants.

Like Group 1, Sampath and his teammates Manvitha Rajalingola and

All of the groups made extensive use of various protected intersection design

Mohammed Asif Sirajuddin, proposed reducing traffic lanes from four to two and separating pedestrians from them with

enhancements such as widening sidewalks, increasing use and size of pedestrian refuge islands and separating

Kristine Williams and the spring 2017 Sustainable Transportation class.

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Envision Magazine 23

13’ Sidewalk

3’ 3’ 6’ 7’ 10’ 10’ 7’ 6’ Bikeway Parking Drive lane Drive lane Parking Bikeway lane lane 54’ Curb-to-Curb

13’

Sidewalk

Approx. 80' Right-of-Way (Varies) Group 2 proposal for improving the Morgan Street corridor.

bike lanes with medians, curb extensions and bulbouts. Using solar luminescent pavement for bike lanes to highlight them during darkness was another unanimous choice among the groups.

The students presented their proposals to a panel of experts for evaluation that included government officials, academics and community transportation advocates as part of the grading process. The proposals were then presented to the city of Tampa and MPO which accepted them for consideration.

Williams says the suggestions for Morgan St. are appropriate

COLLEGE NEWS

Synapse Innovation Summit The College was a Silver Sponsor for the Synapse Innovation Summit in March.

Dean Bishop and Jamie Chilton presented a workshop on Accessing the University Talent Pipeline. Jose Zayas-Castro was a panelist on the main stage discussing tech transfer and keeping talent in the Tampa Bay area by having jobs for them.

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but it’s important to keep in mind that what works in one location may not be applicable to another.

“This idea of a complete street is going to look different in different contexts. A Fowler Ave. or State Road 60 complete street is going to be different from Morgan St. downtown.”

Williams adds that projects like this can benefit everyone involved.

“It’s important to give students real world experience and help communities achieve their goals.”

Photo: Ryan Wakefield

USF System President Judy Genshaft and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn sign the Smart Cities Initiative.

USF and City of Tampa Official Partners in Smart Cities Initiative University of South Florida (USF) System President, Judy Genshaft, and The City of Tampa Mayor, Bob Buckhorn, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on March 20, that signifies their willingness to work together to implement technologies that will improve the lives of its citizens and create a more effective and efficient government.

“Every great city, every great urban area, has a research university. And a research university is a part of every big urban area,” Genshaft said.

The Smart Cities MOU states that through this partnership the city hopes to showcase itself as a vibrant, innovative and sustainable community through

new technologies and methods created through its partnership with USF and more specifically through the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) on the Tampa campus.

Lack of public transportation and severe traffic congestion is one of the most significant obstacles Tampa faces in attracting new start-ups and businesses along with corresponding workforce.

“To realize that it’s not just about roads, it’s about finding solutions.

Transportation is a problem, and the solution isn’t more roads. It’s using smarter grids and using the talent at USF and moving it to real-world application,” said Mayor Buckhorn.

Dr. Robert Bertini, Professor and Director of CUTR along with Jean Duncan, Tampa Director of Transportation and Stormwater Services, will serve as the representatives between USF and the city.

The signing was symbolic as the agreement has already been executed and USF graduate students are already working with the city to protect against cyber attacks on its traffic system, including traffic signals and bridges.

Future projects could include traffic sensors and autonomous vehicles.

For more information visit the College of Engineering’s Facebook site to see the recorded event.

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Photos: Chen Wang | Sweet Lighting Photography

Mr. Alfred Schiff, president of Schiff and Associates, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr. Seng Sun, ‘93, founder and CEO of SunView Software, received the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

Ms. Marcia Alvarado, ’09 MCE, Structural Project Manager for TRC Worldwide Engineering, received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

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Mr. Alan Brannan, Chief Engineer of CAE USA, Inc., received the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award.

Ms. Dolores Gooding, ’76, ’76 MSE, retired faculty, College of Engineering, received a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Engineering Alum, Franz Mantini, ’87, ’91 MSEM, performed a musical selection on the piano.

Engineering Honors

The family of the Honorable Robert Wallace, III, ’74, founder and president of Environmental Engineering Associates, Inc., accepted a posthumous Distinguished Alumni Award.

Six alumni and three friends of the College of Engineering received Engineering Excellence Awards during a program and celebration on April 14, 2018, at The Straz Center for the Performing Arts. The sold-out event was hosted by Dean Robert Bishop and USF Provost Dr. Ralph Wilcox. Mark Schriener, WUSF Public Media, was the master of ceremonies.

Presented by Dr. Sandra Pettit, ’94, ’10 MCHE, ’14 PhD, faculty, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, received a Distinguished Alumni Award.

As part of the table decorations a 3-D printed vase was created on an FDM 3-D printer in the college’s MINI-CIRCUITS Design for X Laboratory. The vase took 8 hours to print and it comprises 1,250 layers. It’s made from a corn-based plastic that is biodegradable.

Gerry Chasse, Vice President of Teco Energy and People’s Gas, accepted the Corporate Impact Award on behalf of TECO, an energy Emera Company.

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Photos: Roger Cox

Bullarney 2018: An Extravaganza for a Cause

By Brad Stager

A

s certain as spring break and the returnmigration of snow birds, for the past 22 years the University of South Florida Engineering Alumni Society (EAS) has brought together alumni, faculty and friends of the College for its annual Bullarney celebration. This year’s event was March 24 at the USF Gibbons Alumni Center and raised funds so the EAS can continue to provide scholarships and grants for College students, ensuring they can make the most of the educational opportunities available to them.

Bullarney has evolved over the years since its inception and early observances, with the name losing a hyphen (originally Bull-Arney) and “traditions” such as auctioning a chance to deliver a foamy pie to the Dean’s face being supplanted by silent auctions and games of chance and skill.

Bullarney 2018 chair Robert Andrew says one thing that stays the same is the alumni society’s commitment to helping USF engineering students.

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“We give out scholarships and travel grants to undergraduate and graduate students so they can present their research at conferences.” Andrew adds that anyone who graduates from the College of Engineering is considered to be a member of EAS, and that the organization wants to involve as many of the 8,0009,000 alumni in the Tampa Bay area as possible in its offering of special events and networking opportunities.

“A lot of people graduate here and don’t have much interaction and we’re trying to change that,” says Andrew.

Among those involved in this year’s edition of Bullarney, called “Bullarney Extravaganza,” were alumni who supported the event through sponsorships or donations of goods produced by their businesses.

Corporate sponsors ranged from major corporations like international phosphate producer The Mosaic Company to recent startups like Kinney Engineering, a civil engineering company based in St. Petersburg

and operated by alumni Stephanie and Jason Kinney. According to Jason Kinney, the couple supported EAS during their time in the corporate world and plan to continue doing so as they embark on their entrepreneurial endeavor.

“When we started our company, we wanted to maintain that focus,” he says. Stephanie Kinney also serves on the EAS social committee.

Among the many alumni who lent their talents to Bullarney were Harry Helmrich who served cups of the Cranium Coffee blend he roasts with business partner and alumnus Thomas Miller, Leslie and Chris Johnson who shared some of the craft beer they produce at Six Ten Brewing and the musical duo of Kat Baumack and Nicole Christiansen provided a soundtrack of contemporary and original music for attendees to enjoy.

There were also volunteers staffing the skill games like Giant Jenga and Ladder Golf.

Among them was William Pendergraft, who graduated last year with a BSME and is using his EAS membership to network with established professionals and sums up his aspirations succinctly: “I want to innovate,” he says.

Frank Wyche, an alumnus attending Bullarney who turned his BS of Civil Engineering into an environmental engineering career, says his undergraduate research experience helped him learn about “the human side of engineering,” and that the rewards have gone beyond having a steady job.

“I’ve been able to do work I believe in doing.”

According to the EAS website, over the past two decades it has raised “over $500,000 to support student scholarships, educational programs, conference grants and more.”

You can learn more about the EAS and its activities by visiting its Facebook page, USF Engineering Alumni Society.

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Photos: Ryan Wakefield

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Engineering Expo Celebrates the World of STEM

By Brad Stager

S

ince it’s inaugural event in 1973, the USF Engineering Expo has become an annual two-day celebration of all-things STEM that connects kids with technology.

Each year about 10,000 Tampa Bay area K-12 students descend upon the College of Engineering to experience what happens when classroom lessons and scientific principles are brought to life with demonstrations of sparking Tesla Coils, robots, 3D printers, exploding ping pong balls and fiery feats. Safety equipment and observers were on hand to ensure a mishap-free event February 16 and 17.

Engineering Expo is organized and run by undergraduate students who take care of everything from creating an Expo app to ensuring parking spaces for school buses.

Engineering Expo President Sydney Luzier has worked a variety of the event’s jobs in previous years and says there’s a lot to see and do with 60 exhibitors, including 45 USF student organizations, eager to share their knowledge and interests to achieve a common goal.

“I love to see all these kids get excited about STEM.” Smiles, countdowns and cheers were abundant throughout the event’s grounds and lecture halls, including those of students from HOPE Ranch Learning Academy campus in Hudson. HOPE lead middle school teacher Tim Lewis says Engineering Expo provides opportunities not available at most schools.

“I don’t have the funding to bring in a Tesla Coil. It shows them the hands-on environment and that this is something they can attain.”

Engineering students are used to solving problems, and one of them at Expo is generating enthusiasm in young audiences. In the case of the USF chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) the challenge was what to do with a pile of cornstarch, according to AIChE volunteer Samantha Chanthalima, a sophomore studying chemical engineering.

“How can we make this not boring?” The answer is PIFF, a fire-breathing dragon cut-out, that illustrates with a brief, billow-of-a-fireball what happens when you combine air, a blow torch and fuel such as powder food products.

There were plenty of ways to play with fire, but also to Photos: Sandra Roa learn about the variety of professional fields engineering encompasses with events like the Balsa bridge competition and campus organizations letting kids who maybe never considered studying technology and pursuing a STEM career about the diverse opportunities available to them.

College of Engineering graduates were well-represented among off-campus exhibitors, such as Sarah Studt, who graduated with a BSME in 2014 and staffed a table sponsored by The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) that wowed youthful bystanders with thermogenic (heat-sensitive) slime that changes color along with its temperature.

“It’s important to try to engage with them and get them excited,” says Studt.

There was also the opportunity for Expo visitors to learn the latest about America’s space exploration plans straight from a team representing NASA. Wayne Saxer of the Kennedy Space Center outreach office was joined by others from NASA who showed off hardware like a parachute used for recovery of the Orion capsule and Space Launch System (SLS) that will take human explorers beyond the moon.

“It makes it tangible for people who don’t get out to the Space Coast how we affect their lives,” says Saxer.

Each Engineering Expo has a theme and this year’s focus of “Sustainability and Engineering the Future,” was selected to show you can improve and change the world through engineering,” says Luzier, who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

You can learn more about Engineering Expo by visiting its website at expo.eng.usf.

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Kaitlin Lostroscio Spent Winter Break at Johnson Space Center As part of her NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship, mechanical engineering graduate student Kaitlin Lostroscio, spent the break between fall and spring semesters at Johnson Space Center (JSC) collecting biomechanics data on a test subject using an exercise device while connected to the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) simulating micro-g conditions. This research will help develop countermeasures that will allow astronauts to stay healthy during long-term exploration missions. Her faculty advisor, Dr. Stephanie Carey, spent a few days touring JSC, presenting USF capabilities and research and helping with the data collection. Dr. Carey was also able to try out the ARGOS system and learned about the latest NASA research and technology, which she will share with students during her Bioastronautics course. Les Quiocho, a senior robotics

Dr. Carey and Kaitlin Lostroscio (L) setting up for biomechanical testing using the MED-2 at Johnson Space Center.

engineer at JSC and Kaitlin’s NASA Research Collaborator, hosted the Visiting Technologist Experience.

Kaitlin and Dr. Carey returned to Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Jan. 2018 to test the MED-2 (Miniature Exercise Device) with an added seated row. The biomechanics and possible benefits to astronauts need to be tested on Earth before the design changes are implemented for use on the International Space Station. Kaitlin also presented her study titled, “Kinematic Information from MED-2 Parabolic Flight Campaign,” at the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop. Kaitlin shared her experiences at NASA thus far with students in Dr. Carey’s Bioastronautics class inspiring them to participate in internships. Quiocho and Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, an associate professor at USF’s College of Medicine and a crew member on NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 22 expedition.

Dr. Carey experiencing simulated lunar gravity on the ARGOS (Active Response Gravity Offload System).

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Photo taken from a drone in front of the Blue Origin Manufacturing Facility.

COLLEGe NEWS

Students from Dr. Stephanie Carey’s Bioastronautics course visited Kennedy Space Center. The students enjoyed a private tour organized by chemical engineering alum Bob Mott ’85, and current grad student Brittany Mott, teaching assistant for the course. The students visited the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility, Materials and Processes Labs and Advanced Life Support and Habitation Systems labs.

Mechanical engineering alum, Tyler Isaacs, ’15, arranged for a tour of Blue Origin’s manufacturing facility and launch complex that is preparing for the design and launch of the New Glenn rocket that will carry people and payloads routinely to Earth orbit.

Engineering Day Working in close association with Hillsborough

engineering program. USF Admissions provided

County School District, The College hosted 150

application and scholarship information and CUTR

IB, AP students and 30 STEM teachers during

students played the Transportation Millionaire

Engineering Day. Approximately 70 volunteers

game during lunch. Building on this success the

– students, staff and faculty – helped to support

COE will continue to expand connections into

this event. The high school students were an

two or three other nearby county school districts

enthusiastic group of mostly juniors and seniors,

(Manatee, Pinellas, or Pasco) for the 2018-19

and we hope this will lead them to join the USF

academic year.

Envision Magazine 33

From left: Keylon Moraldo, Olivia Huegal, Katerina Quinn, Karon Washington, Kyle Lamothe, Donovan Pink, Rachel Reinhardt, Subhrajyoti Pradhan, and Adityesh Satam

USF ESTEAM Reaches Out and Inspires Elementary to High School Students

By Gabrielle Pata

E

STEAM is a subsidiary entity of the University of South Florida College of Engineering that aims to be a sustained business platform that inspires, mentors and tutors in concepts of Science, Technology, Engineering, Artistic Design and Mathematics for low socioeconomic 3-12 grade students in the community. It is a student-led coalition supported by its partners, USF and Hillsborough County Schools.

Founding President Kyle Lamothe describes ESTEAM as an outreach initiative to reach kids who otherwise would not have an opportunity to learn about these subjects, and to encourage them to pursue these types of careers.

He describes Science, Technology, 34

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Engineering, Artistic Design and Mathematics as important majors that can level the field for kids who come from poor backgrounds.

“If they realize they have an interest in these things and if they really apply themselves, they can pursue these careers and get out of poverty,” Lamothe says.

“Also, America is falling behind the global standard for tech and science, and as it’s projected right now, we won’t have enough people to fulfill the jobs that are available because no one has the education to know how to do the work that’s required.”

As an engineer from a low-income family himself, Lamothe has experienced how

From left: Arsenii Zhdanov and Kyle Lamothe pursuing a major in engineering has leveled the playing field for him, and how much can be learned by getting involved in the industry.

“Our main focus is to inspire kids because it could really help them, but we are also answering a call to action because our country really needs them too,” he says.

The group is composed of 12 dedicated members who are involved in administration, executive tasks, outreach, delegation, emailing, marketing and lesson plan development. They participated in various activities and events throughout the 2017-2018 academic year.

Photo: Ryan Wakefield

“We had a huge participation in the Great American Teach-In, which actually inspired more people to get involved with ESTEAM in the beginning,” Lamothe says. “We took seven students to four different schools to showcase what we each found interesting about these subject areas.”

The members attended Engineering Expo at USF in February to showcase all of the lesson plans they had developed up to that point. Their lesson plans include making baking soda volcanoes, shooting off rockets, making ice cream in a bag, teaching about 3D-print design and creating mouse-trap cars. All lesson plans are put on a template to hand off to schools, teachers and parents who wish to recreate the activities with their kids.

The group also visited the Joshua House, a local orphanage in Lutz, Florida.

“This was our main outreach of the year,” Lamothe says. “We showcased all of our lesson plans to the kids there, and we got a lot of great feedback as most of the kids really enjoyed it.”

Member Arsenii Zhdanov, who has been a key player in developing lectures and lesson plans on 3D modeling, recalls the visit to the Joshua House as being his strongest memory in ESTEAM. “I was not ready for that kind of environment with so many kids from broken, difficult backgrounds,” Zhdanov says. “I’m grateful that ESTEAM is able to reach kids like this and spend some time with them.”

There are several new projects coming up for ESTEAM in the 2018-2019 school year. The group is excited to participate in STEM Fair and STEM

Family nights, which is a monthly get together sponsored by Moffitt Cancer Center.

So far, the entity has been primarily involved with middle school students, but it hopes to reach out to more high school students in the future to help them with Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and preparing them for college.

Lamothe reveals the group is particularly excited to work with Garland V. Stewart Middle Magnet School.

“The week before our finals week, we got to go to Stewart Middle School and showcase our rocket plan, and they liked it so much that they want us to continue to showcase lesson plans and participate in STEAM days there during the coming fall, spring and perhaps summer too,” he says.

One of ESTEAM’s members is currently working on developing a First-Generation Committee aimed at helping freshmen who are already in the University system to get established and find ways through school. The committee’s goal is to put together a team of kids whom the College of Engineering will support and ensure have the resources they need to be successful.

“I was a first-generation student and although I did well in college, I could’ve done better if I didn’t have to worry about finances or paying my way through school,” Lamothe explains. “I didn’t realize how many scholarships, grants and study abroad opportunities there were, so I’m glad we’re going to coach kids through this process; plus it also means the scope of ESTEAM is increasing to being helpful in more areas.”

Members of ESTEAM also benefit from being involved. Zhdanov is a PhD student who saw ESTEAM as an opportunity to grow his teaching skills and apply himself while continuing to learn. He has had the opportunity to create and showcase his lesson plans on 3D modeling and designing with a 3D printer, and will be in charge of the tutoring section of ESTEAM starting in fall 2018.

“I have gained experience in teaching, organization, management and mentorship, which are all important and beneficial for my career because I plan to become a professor,” Zhdanov says.

Lamothe first had the vision for ESTEAM about two years ago when he thought about the lack of STEMrelated education he got in elementary, middle and high school. He talked about his idea to everyone he knew until he found a group of people with the same interest in investing time and effort into fulfilling the goal. Lamothe is a 2018 graduate and is handing off the entity to a new president, but he will always be left with the memory of inspiring students through his idea for a program that came to fruition.

“I will never forget the most rewarding moment when I was at the front of a classroom sharing what I love about engineering, when a student wrote me a note and told me to read it after I left,” Lamothe says. “The note said ‘I love what you guys do, I thank you so much for coming to my school, I want to be an engineer just like you when I grow up.’”

Envision Magazine 35

A Partnership Yielding Results

By Brad Stager

C

ollege of Engineering students are gaining real-world problem-solving experience thanks to strong working relationships with local public utilities.

That experience comes in many forms, such as capstone design classes that work with municipal agencies to improve local infrastructure and internships bringing students into the workday world of engineers.

A university-utility collaborative partnership with Hillsborough County Public Utilities also brings students to the county’s Northwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility (NRWRF) where they conduct research that could reduce the amount of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) and potential pathogens released into the environment.

Civil & Environmental Engineering professors Sarina Ergas Jeffrey Cunningham, Qiong Zhang and Andres Tejada-Martinez and Chemical & Biomedical Engineering professors Aydin Sunol, Babu Joseph and John Kuhn have students who are benefitting from the partnership, which was recently highlighted in a Water Environment Federation (WEF) publication surveying such collaborations from across the country. Ergas says the College’s relationship with Hillsborough County is longstanding and expansive, ranging from tours of county facilities to collaborating on research and that the relationship’s inclusion in the WEF report is noteworthy.

“It really shows the very broad range of different aspects of our partnership as well as how it fits in with similar kinds of partnerships at other universities.”

The WEF report examines the structure and operation of nine university - utility partnerships, which range from facilitating independent study coursework and internships to mobilizing a team of academic and utility 36

Envision Magazine

professionals to tackle regional water issues, such as increasing potable water supplies in the American Southwest.

Promoting research in areas like wastewater treatment is a goal the College and Hillsborough County’s utility share. The county has provided a trailer and a covered concrete pad to accommodate student pilot projects at the NRWRF. There’s also a pipeline to tap into the more than ten million gallons of wastewater flowing into the treatment facility daily, containing as PhD student Michelle Henderson says, “anything that goes down a drain in a home or business,” while drawing a sample of the gritty black liquid.

Through the pilot project, USF students are studying better ways of treating wastewater on a small scale. Known as Hybrid Adsorption Biological Treatment Systems (HABiTS) for decentralized wastewater treatment, the students are working to improve upon the prevailing septic tank model, which collects wastewater and treats it primarily for solids before releasing it into a drain field.

Henderson says the research is important because of the prevalence of septic tank systems in Florida. According to the Florida Department of Health, there are 2.6 million septic systems treating about 30 percent of the state’s wastewater. The agency also notes that the Sunshine State accounts for 12 percent of such systems, known in the industry as Onsite Sewage Treatment Disposal Systems (OSTDS), in the United States.

The HABiTS pilot project is part of a $2.5 million EPA funded Center for Reinventing Aging Infrastructure for Nutrient Management (RAINMgmt). Dr. James Mihelcic is the PI of the EPA Center and Dr. Ergas leads Thrust II, which focuses on Sustainable Management of Diffuse Sources of Nutrients, such as OSTDS.

Having the resources made available to them at the wastewater treatment facility provides an opportunity to make the most of those grant dollars by moving the research from the laboratory to a field environment.

The pilot includes a 500-gallon septic tank to hold the effluent, which settles into layers of solids at the bottom, a clear liquid in the middle with fats, oils and grease floating on top. Henderson says that while the middle layer of water may look clean it still contains a lot of nitrogen.

“The septic tank is effective at reducing the amount of solids, but in this water there’s a lot of ammonia. We can’t see it but we know it’s present.”

The goal of Henderson and the other students who work on the project is to remove as much nitrogen from the treated water as possible. While the air we breathe is about 78 percent nitrogen, too much nitrogen in water from fertilizer

runoff or leaching of septic drain fields can cause nutrient pollution and fuel algae growth beyond an ecosystem’s capacity, causing damage to water quality and aquatic life.

The relatively clear septic tank effluent is treated in a two-stage process. In the first stage ammonia is converted to nitrate by nitrifying bacteria. In the second stage nitrate is converted to nitrogen gas. The goal of the project is to develop systems that are as easy for the homeowner to operate and maintain as conventional septic systems. The HABiTS process uses low cost media materials, such as clinoptilolite, oyster shells, sulfur pellets and tire chips. Clinoptilolite is commonly added to kitty litter to adsorb ammonia.

By including it in our bioreactors, ammonia is adsorbed when water use in the home is high - for example in the morning when everyone is showering and washing dishes. The ammonia can then be degraded by the bacteria when water use in the home is low - such as at night when everyone is sleeping. According to

Henderson, HABiTS removes 80 percent of the wastewater nitrogen.

Consisting of several yards of PVC pipe, a few large plastic holding tanks, a small electric pump and natural media, the project illustrates the feasibility of providing a low-impact, decentralized solution to wastewater treatment.

“We’re trying to do everything passively,” says masters of environmental engineering student Amulya Miriyala.

“We’re not trying to use a lot of external energy or chemicals. We’re trying to make everything as natural and biological as possible.”

According to Henderson, using a low-tech approach to nitrogen removal can help motivate consumers to ultimately adopt improved onsite wastewater disposal methods as existing septic systems age and need replacements.

“We should be excited about this,” she says. “We’re treating this wastewater and

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Envision Magazine 37

it’s simple; there’s minimal inputs for the homeowner after they install the system.”

Henderson says the next step is to further improve the treated wastewater quality so it can be reused for irrigation, one of the largest uses of water.

Working on the pilot project at the NRWRF is also an opportunity for students to benefit from the experience of wastewater professionals working in the field there.

“They’ve been really helpful in giving us tips about treating wastewater and helping troubleshoot any problems we’ve had,” says Henderson.

Treatment facility manager Kevin Grant says the staff is happy and that even though the size and scale of the treatment facility and the HABiTS project are vastly different, the goals are aligned.

“Anything we can do to serve the public and help protect the

health and welfare of the citizens, that’s what we do.”

According to Ergas, who earned her PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Davis, the working relationship between the College and the Hillsborough County Public Utilities department has grown over the years and provided benefits to both parties. Students are researching reclaiming water, energy and nutrients from wastewater and municipal solid waste at facilities across Hillsborough County, which also supports their efforts with samples, data, general assistance and funding for several projects. For its part, Ergas says USF has provided technical expertise for the county, which can also point to the partnership as an example of its community outreach and engagement.

“We have a longstanding relationship with the county with a shared mission of research and service. We’re able to enhance our teaching, carry out research and improve life in the county while helping Hillsborough County improve operations and designs.”

2018 Eminent Scholars Lecture Series The College of Engineering hosts an Eminent Scholars Lecture Series each spring on the Tampa campus. This lecture series brings prominent scholars and speakers in their field of expertise from universities across the country to stimulate the students toward thoughtful consideration of matters of great national and international significance.

Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, Ph.D.

Lance Collins, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Engineering

Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering

University of California-Davis

Cornell University

“Toward Simulation-Based Design of

“A new campus in New York City focused

Particle Handling Processes”

on digital technology for the 21st century”

Wayne Clough, Ph.D.

Julia Ross, Ph.D.

Secretary Emeritus of the

Paul and Dorothea Torgersen

Smithsonian Intitution

Dean of Engineering

President Emeritus of the

Virginia Tech

Georgia Institute of Technology

“Our World is Changing ... Are We?”

“Is Climate Change a Science Problem or an Engineering Problem?”

Justin Schwartz, Ph.D. Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering Penn State University “Redefining Engineering in the Modern Age” 38

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www.usf.edu/engineering/about/eminent-scholar.aspx

CSE students and staff attended the Grace Hopper Conference in Orlando.

Women in Computer Science and Engineering (WICSE) Provides the Minority in Engineering With Support and Tools to Succeed

By Gabrielle Pata

W

ICSE is a student organization focused on gathering female students who are majoring, or interested, in computer science or engineering, and cybersecurity and information technology to provide support, career guidance, opportunities to discuss relevant topics and social outings. Dr. Jing Wang, instructor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and faculty advisor of the organization, describes it as an important support group.

“Our chapter at USF gives female students, undergraduate and graduate, an environment to talk about their challenges and how it feels to be a minority in the engineering field,” Wang says.

Taleah Bogle, WICSE’s treasurer and upcoming president for 2018-2019, can attest to feeling like a minority in the engineering major as she recalls memories from the first WICSE meeting she attended. She joined early in 2017 after attending a workshop on programming language.

in programming made her feel more comfortable. As treasurer, she got to network and meet many women in the field, while also making important decisions on how to help WICSE’s members.

“I remember the atmosphere of the meeting being very laid back with a lot of women present,” Bogle says. “Often times, in my engineering classes, I can count less than 10 women in attendance in comparison to the larger number of men, which could be intimidating and sometimes made me feel out of place.”

Bogle says that going to the WICSE meetings and seeing that there were other women studying and interested

As president, Bogle wants to continue to spread the word about WICSE so more students can experience the comforting feeling she felt during her first meeting.

“I intend to help incoming women in IT and computer science feel like they belong and give them the tools they need to succeed,” she says.

Wang also encourages all students with an interest in computer science and engineering (CSE) to consider joining WICSE. “There is no membership fee, so if they register and sign up to our

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organization, they can come to our events for free,” she says. “I would also like to note that we welcome both female and male students – it’s very important that male students support this effort as well.”

Wang helped form WICSE five years ago. The CSE department chair asked if she was interested in starting a student organization for their female students.

Wang got one of her graduate student T.A.s on board to be the president, and the organization soon developed into a small group. Two years later, they applied to make it an official student organization and quickly expanded to become a group that currently has 238 members.

training solutions for making flying safer.

Members also get to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, which is the world’s largest gathering of women technologists.

During the 2017 conference, WICSE members listened and learned from keynote speakers, attended technical

Now, members of WICSE are provided many opportunities to attend workshops and conferences, socialize and participate in mentoring programs.

WICSE offers weekly career workshops and technical workshops. During career workshops, companies visit and talk about the kind of career opportunities they have for the students. The technical workshops provide students the opportunity to get critiques on their resumes and tips on how to prepare for interviews. Workshops are hosted by local companies such as Accusoft, FairWarning, JP Morgan & Chase and CITI Group.

Wang is in charge of the Industry Mentoring program, which is when mentors from local technology companies come to have a luncheon and small group mentoring session with the students. She says that students are often recruited through this program, which is collaborated with CAE, a global company with offices in Tampa, that provides

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Dr. Jing Wang and professional workshops, traversed through career fair and interviewed with companies.

“We sent a big group of about 18 to 20 students and some faculty members to the Grace Hopper conference last semester,” Wang says. “It’s an interesting event for female students to gather to get to know each other and be in an environment that focuses on fostering female engineers and female computer scientists.”

Bogle says her favorite memories with WICSE involve the community outreach

program, called WICSEKids, where members visit local schools ranging from elementary to high school to promote STEM education, awareness and computing. The goal is to encourage young girls to consider these majors.

“We went to a local middle school for ‘The Great American Teach-In’ where a few of us spoke to the students about different careers within computer science and I.T. to show them how much technology is involved in their daily activities,” Bogle says. “It was a wonderful experience showing the students how much they can do with that degree and that they aren’t just limited to programming.”

When WICSE starts back up in the fall semester of 2018, Bogle plans to have a new Peer Mentorship program in place for new and existing members. She hopes the program will give older students the chance to share their experience and give advice to younger students who are just coming into the major or that are still adjusting in order to guide them in the right direction.

Bogle also plans to launch a WICSE Boot Camp, which will help members build their technical skills to become more appealing to recruiters.

Enhancing Reality via Artificial Intelligence

By Brad Stager

I

t can seem like there’s nothing more real these days than artificial intelligence; the ability of technology to acquire, process and use information in much the same way we use our natural intelligence to make sense of the world and respond with decisions. Algorithms and neural networks created by engineers make machines educable and put smart cars on our roads, Internet-connected refrigerators in our kitchens and disembodied personal assistants with names like Alexa and Siri in our lives.

With the term “powered by AI” becoming as ubiquitous a commercial catch-phrase as “all natural ingredients,” clearly identifying institutional leaders and innovators in the field from those trading on the technology’s marketing cachet is not always easy. According to Professor and Computer Science and Engineering Chair Sudeep Sarkar, the teaching and research conducted at the College of Engineering is distinguishing itself among artificial intelligence researchers.

“We have lots of AI research going on and people in our research community know us,” says Sarkar, who has been investigating the AI-related fields of computer vision, image processing,

and pattern recognition since his graduate studies. Sarkar received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University before coming to USF in 1993.

The AI areas of focus at the College are expansive and transdisciplinary, with computer science research projects that range from parsing social media for meaningful data to mining vast amounts of digital imagery for geographical information.

How smart technology and people interact is the focus of the Social Computing Research (SCoRe) lab. Directed by Associate Professor Sriram Chellappan, the SCoRe lab conducts research about that relationship between humans and machines, especially in terms of health, information privacy and security considerations. Projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) include Activity Recognition from Wearable Devices for Healthcare which “designs algorithmic techniques for classifying complex human activities from wearable devices emplaced on multiple external locations in the human body,” according to the SCoRe website. Chellappan is also the principal investigator for an NSF grant to research ways of mining data from social media use by adolescents to develop non-intrusive Continued on next page

Envision Magazine 41

and privacy preserving methods of detecting cyberbullying as well as several security-related projects funded by defense and intelligence agencies.

diagnoses and could be of interest to law enforcement.

Licato’s research has attracted the support of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), twice receiving funding through the AFOSR Young Investigator Program (YIP), an achievement that Sarkar says is noteworthy. “They actually renewed his grant and he got it twice; nobody gets it twice.”

Using AI to process digital imagery in meaningful ways has historically attracted a lot of research interest for its potential value in improving security of facilities through biometrics such as facial and gait recognition, as well as medical applications of image analysis and tissue classification, especially in cases of burns, bedsores and cancer. The department’s work in image analysis and classification recently yielded a patent from the U.S. Department of Commerce to a USF research team that includes Computer Science and Engineering professors Dmitry Goldgof and Lawrence Hall, as well as Robert Gillies of the Center of Excellence in Cancer Imaging and Technology at Moffitt Cancer Center. The patent is for “Systems and methods for diagnosing tumors in a subject by performing a quantitative analysis of texture-based features of a tumor object in a radiological image.” The invention is part of long-term ongoing collaboration between department and Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute on advanced computational approaches to cancer screening and diagnosis.

Going beyond quantitative analysis and reasoning to research the emotional aspects of Artificial Intelligence is what interests Assistant Professor Shaun Canavan who is a member of the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition group. His research involves using multimodal data collection methods, such as imagery and 4D facial data, to analyze and classify human emotions. Canavan recently received an unrestricted grant and promotional credit from Amazon Web Services (AWS) as part of its Machine Learning Research Program. Advanced methods of human emotion analysis have the potential to improve medical

Recognizing visual patterns may seem like looking for a needle in a haystack when it comes to finding the right algorithm to perform those kinds of AI operations, but Sarkar and two postdoctoral researchers, Rodrigo Minetto and Mauricio Pamplona Segundo, used 12 algorithms to identify places and landscape features around the globe from a database of more than one million images and related metadata. The project, called Hydra, was in response to an international AI research competition sponsored by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) to automate classification of imagery

Pursuing the goal of better decision-making through AI leads Assistant Professor John Licato and his Advancing Machine and Human Reasoning (AMHR) team to ask questions like “How can artificial intelligence make people better reasoners,” and “How can AI help us reason better?” That line of inquiry, as expressed on the AMHR homepage, runs through areas of interest such as cognitive science, computational psychology, philosophy of mind and machine learning to knowledge that may result in ways to improve the reasoning of AI-infused technology.

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for applications in areas such as land use and emergency disaster responses. The USF team placed third out of nearly 70 competitors. Sarkar says the algorithms the teams produced are of great interest to the competition’s sponsor.

The growth in AI-related goods and services means opportunity for students entering the field, according to Sarkar, who says he gets a lot of phone calls from industry recruiters about their needs.

“IARPA is like the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) of the intelligence community,” said Sarkar. Tracking the movement of information on social media platforms is the basis for a $1.7 million transdisciplinary project between CSE and DARPA called “Modeling Information Diffusion Processes with Deep Learning Algorithms.”

“I’ve had calls from startup companies in other parts of the country who want to move to Tampa and they’re asking me how they can get students; so there’s a surge going on in the tech world that’s drawing companies here.”

In an email announcing the grant, Sarkar says the research examines a subject that hasn’t received much attention and could help promote beneficial aspects of social media.

“Understanding how various types of information spread in diverse environments can help spot and address the spread of incorrect information, with proven consequences to areas such as population health, emergency response, and economics.”

The project is part of the government agency’s Computational Simulation of Online Social Behavior (SocialSim) program, which seeks to accurately simulate online social behavior through computer modeling.

The grant combines the analytical power of computer science with the reasoning and context that the social sciences provide.

Representing those two disciplines are Computer Science and Engineering Professor Anda Iamnitchi, who is the primary investigator for the grant and her collaborators, Distinguished University Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Lawrence Hall and Distinguished University Professor of Sociology John Skvoretz.

According to Hall, who has been a long-time proponent of AI research, the project could offer a variety of insights into online behavior and the day-to-day world.

The CSE department is responding to the industry trend by hiring faculty with interests in AI such as Licato and Canavan, who each came to the College in fall 2017.

As AI technology continues to grow in capability and prevalence in the things we use, Sarkar says ethical considerations need to be part of the process and that the department is updating its ethics course. “We want our students to understand that we cannot just be a technologist because AI is affecting many different aspects of human life.” He adds that while there is a need to consider the implications of artificial intelligence, the benefits are substantial.

“AI technologies that are being worked on will make life more comfortable for all of us.”

“

AI technologies that are being worked on will make life more comfortable for all of us.

- Sudeep Sarkar, PhD

“You may predict who the influencers are for particular types of interactions. For example, AI via clustering has the possibility of grouping data in ways that are informative. So, you may find all people who ride bicycle brands X and Y and belong to a group who change out their tires in a few months after purchase. This would tell you something about the bikes,” said Hall.

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New Major in Cybersecurity will Help Secure the Cyber Realm

By Brad Stager The prevalence of computers in society has brought great ease to modern living by putting just about anyone or anything within reach of our keyboard-tapping fingertips. But that also means information traveling on the Internet is within reach of criminals whose online tactics range from sending emails promising deposits of enticing sums of money into your bank account to coordinated efforts that access sensitive information or harm vital infrastructure like electrical power facilities.

Knowing the threats that exist is just the first step in countering them. After that it becomes a matter of who to call on to solve a problem like blocking existing vulnerabilities to hackers.

According to Computer Science and Engineering Professor and Chair Sudeep Sarkar there are not enough people who can effectively respond to cyber threats.

“Securing the cyber world is a huge problem and there is a tremendous shortage of technical talent,” he says.

To help fill the need for a trained cybersecurity workforce, a new 44

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major in cybersecurity in the College of Engineering is teaching students how to achieve online security and protect digital assets whether it involves personal bank records, state secrets, or critical national infrastructures.

The major is the first of its kind at USF. Some universities have cybersecurity concentrations within another major such as computer science or information technology, according to Sarkar.

“Nationally, we are at the forefront of creating a cybersecurity program,” said Sarkar.

About 40 students enrolled when the first semester of the new undergraduate program began this spring and those students are likely to readily find work in the field after graduating.

U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics project a 28-percent increase in the number of cybersecurity jobs between 2016 - 2026 and the Florida Center for Cybersecurity reports in The State of Cybersecurity in Florida that employers were trying to fill 12,641 cybersecurity jobs between October 2016 and September 2017, as the Sunshine State is apparently a favorite online destination

for cybercriminals. The FBI’s 2016 Internet Report ranks Florida third in terms of money lost ($88 million) by residents to cyber criminals.

“There is a lot of need for cybersecurity professionals in Florida,” says Sarkar.

The high demand for cybersecurity workers and a limited supply of them means that graduates going into the field earn high salaries performing a variety of jobs. The median annual salary for information security analysts in 2017 was $95,510, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

One characteristic of online crime is that it often exploits human behavior, such as curiosity about what clicking on a link in an email might lead to.

Sarkar says that is why the curriculum will be a “technically-rooted interdisciplinary program” crossing academic boundaries to address the technical, personal, and societal dimensions related to cybersecurity.

“It’s a very collaborative program. There will be courses in business the students will take and courses in ethics and policy as well. There will be technical depth and also breadth because cybersecurity is a problem that requires understanding human elements as well as how humans interact with technology.”

Sriram Chellappan, an accomplished cybersecurity professor in the department, has led a team of cybersecurity experts to develop the curriculum, guided by recommendations from the U.S. National Cyber Education Project and ABET Cybersecurity Accreditation Guidelines, along with input from outside consultants.

the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (FC2 ) located on the USF Tampa campus, collaborating on research and sharing faculty. Sarkar says the new program is another opportunity to work with the center, which is state-funded to promote education and workforce training in the field as well as conduct research.

“FC2 is supporting us in this effort,” says Sarkar.

FC2 offers interdisciplinary master’s degrees and graduate certificates in cybersecurity through USF Innovative Education (InEd).

Word is spreading that the cybersecurity profession provides an opportunity to do meaningful and interesting work with plenty of high-salary jobs available to choose from. Sarkar says he has seen evidence of that among students.

“There’s a lot of interest. We had an information session and the room was full, a lot of students showed up,” according to Professor Ken Christensen, associate chair for undergraduate affairs. College alumni are also hearing about the new major and are interested.

“They are approaching me to comment on the program and expressing ideas about what needs to be part of the curriculum,” he says. “They have needs and they know what kind of technical skills they would really love to have. The local industry is really excited about it.”

Prospective students interested in learning more about the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity can contact Christensen at 813-974-4761 or christen@cse.usf.edu.

While the major is new, the department has long been involved in cybersecurity research through cutting-edge, high-impact, externally funded research conducted by Professors Xinming (Simon) Ou, Jay Ligatti, Yao Liu, Sriram Chellappan, Robert Karam, and Mehran Kermani.

There are also other cybersecurity researchers in other departments at USF, who might teach specialized courses in the program in the future.

The department also has a strong relationship with Envision Magazine 45

Forging New Materials for Nano Scientists to Use

By Brad Stager

I

t’s about a three-hour drive from Camilla Coletti’s hometown of Marsciano, Italy to the Tuscan city of Pisa, where she is an independent principal investigator and directs the 2D Materials Engineering research line at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), but the journey she took to get there included earning her PhD in electrical engineering at USF’s Tampa campus.

“The time I spent at USF was instrumental for my whole career,” says Coletti. “It gave me the best platform to start my career and if I wasn’t there, I

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think none of this would have happened.”

What has happened is that today, Coletti is recognized as a leading researcher of ways to use the atomically thin, strongerthan-steel carbon material known as graphene. Besides being durable (200 times the strength of steel), graphene is flexible and can be used as conductor of heat and electricity. Applications include use in electronics, communications, renewable energy and in healthcare, the area that sparked Coletti’s initial interest in graphene.

“She wanted to work on something new and novel,” says Electrical Engineering Professor Stephen Saddow, who recruited Coletti as a PhD student after meeting her through a colleague, Professor Andrea Scorzoni, from the Università degli Studi di Perugia.

One of the initiatives emerging in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the time was biomedicine, which Coletti took an interest in. Saddow says her commitment to excellence in the work she produced was noteworthy. “She would never accept mediocrity and wanted to

work on a topic of high significance that was also challenging and novel.”

graphene, a carbon material that had always existed in nature but was unnoticed until 2004.

Saddow and his team of graduate students, including Coletti, were looking for ways to utilize silicon carbide’s compatibility as a bodyfriendly material for applications like bone replacement implants and biosensing devices.

Using tools like chemical vapor deposition (CVD), Coletti’s investigation of how silicon carbide interfaces with the bio-realm yielded promising results for the material’s potential value.

Saddow says he and Coletti got their first look at graphene in 2005 while Coletti was subjecting silicon carbide samples to high heat and low pressure, when they noticed the formation of a thin film on the surface. This observation was made at the Max-Planck Institute (MPI) for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany, where Saddow was a visiting professor researching silicon carbide surfaces. He regularly brings his doctoral students to foreign laboratories to increase their research perspective and prepare them for a future in research.

According to Coletti, a large part of her graduate experience was developing technical skills that would empower her research interests well into her career.

“When I was at USF I learned the basis of materials’ synthesis through chemical vapor deposition, which were instrumental for my entire career. Also, I was given the wonderful opportunity to choose a subject of research I was passionate about. I decided to direct my research on a cutting edge topic such as biointerfaces, which taught me the importance of studying interface properties, something I still do on a daily basis.”

Coletti’s work in developing biomedical materials helped provide a direction for Saddow’s research team.

“She confirmed that silicon carbide was compatible with many different cell lines,” says Saddow. “That launched the effort of my group, which has been going quite strong ever since, into using silicon carbide for biomedical devices.”

According to Saddow, advances in the manufacturing and application of biomedical devices like neural implants and in-vivo sensors can be directly attributed to Coletti’ groundbreaking research.

Just before Coletti began working on her PhD at USF in 2005, researchers at Manchester University in England became aware of

“We realized that the carbon film had a 2D lattice symmetry that we later learned relates to graphene, which has a honeycomb geometry.”

According to Saddow, the significance of that carbon film became apparent when his research group attended a 2006 silicon carbide symposium at the Material Research Society (MRS) spring meeting and graphene was a hot topic among attendees.

After earning her doctoral degree in electrical engineering in 2007 with the dissertation: “Silicon Carbide Biocompatibility, Surface Control and Electronic Cellular Interaction for Biosensing Applications” Coletti returned to the Max-Planck Institute on an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship, working in the group of Prof. Ulrich Starke.

There, she entirely dedicated her research to the synthesis of graphene on SiC and made significant contributions to the graphene field by implementing ways to tailor graphene electronic properties. Also, at MPI she got to work with the Nobel laureate for the discovery of the integer quantum Hall effect: Klaus von Klitzing.

“It was quite natural to move to the topic of graphene, which you can directly grow from silicon carbide. The opportunities this material was showing to hold, already at those early times, were impressive. Also, I was lucky to

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Envision Magazine 47

work on graphene when the research community was still small, before the 2010 Nobel assignment, and each meeting was an incredibly stimulating source of new ideas.” she says.

Coletti says graphene’s utility and commercialization are poised to blossom because advances in manufacturing large quantities of it to meet industrial demand are being developed.

In 2011, Coletti joined IIT in a senior postdoctoral position, becoming a

“We can grow very high-quality graphene over a very large area.” Coletti adds

researcher there in 2014 and entering the tenure track as an independent principal investigator in 2016.

that besides biomedical uses, graphene has great potential for uses in the telecommunications industry.

As the coordinator of IIT’s 2D Materials Engineering group, Coletti is focused on synthesizing and manipulating twodimensional materials to create highly efficient and flexible technology. Her group creates atomic-scale Van der Waals heterostructures, created from layers of 2D materials to form hybrids with new properties.

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Since 2013, she has been actively involved in the largest European initiative dedicated to graphene, the Graphene Flagship. In the next two years she will receive funding of nearly $1 million euros.

“In the Flagship I’m leading the effort on a number of projects. We have observed that by coating electrical

copper cables (commonly used for electricity transmission in households and building installations) with a single layer of graphene we have a sensible increase in conductivity, which allows the manufacturer to use less of expensive copper. Also, we are aiming at demonstrating that it is possible to realize graphene-based transceivers for faster data transmission in 5G technology.”

Coletti has also become something of an ambassador for nanomaterials by presenting her research group’s work in public and professional forums.

Spreading the gospel of graphene is an important part of what she does because of the need to attract talent and funding, and Coletti often finds herself in the company of scientists working in fields at the other end of the scientific spectrum,

such as speaking at a forum that included astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti who has orbited Earth aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Coletti says a view of the Universe such as that afforded by the ISS is one thing that led her to a life of science.

“As a kid I was always fascinated with science, my dream was to be an astronomer and study the immensely big. Now I find myself studying a material where particles move in a relativistic fashion; you can have a glimpse of the foundations of our universe by studying graphene.”

Many of Coletti’s presentations on graphene and 2D materials are viewable on YouTube with subtitles in other languages available. There’s also a video invitation from Coletti to attend Graphene Week 2018, September 10-14 in San Sebastian, Spain. Graphene Week is a showcase event to connect researchers and academics with representatives from industries with a stake in the material’s use. It is organized

by Graphene Flagship to foster European innovation.

helping the next generation of materials and biomedical researchers at USF, such as PhD student Evans Bernardin. His journey toward a degree in biomedical engineering included a recent trip to work with Coletti in Pisa.

“I’m continuing with that work she’s started by fabricating silicon carbide neural probes,” says Bernardin.

“There’s kind of a legacy there that makes me very proud,” says Saddow.

As for Coletti, who conducts her work in the heart of an Italian landscape that has been the cradle of Western Civilization’s Renaissance and scientific discovery, she is pleased to be part of USF’s global community.

“You have to make your own research with passion and if you do it in a nice environment like USF where you have the fortune to meet a lot of people in an international community, you’re already on the right track.”

According to Coletti, being at the fore of a promising technology adds another dimension to work and to her personal life, which has changed since she was a graduate student at USF. “It’s a lot of travel,” says Coletti, who is married to fellow IIT researcher Valerio Voliani, who works in nanotechnology for health, and is the mother of their two children, five-year-old daughter Elettra and three-year-old son Ludovico.

While it has been more than a decade since Coletti received her PhD in Electrical Engineering at USF, she still has connections with the College.

“We still collaborate,” says Saddow. That collaboration includes developing advanced neural implants for the brain and also

Envision Magazine 49

Military Vet Becomes PhD Graduate with a Passion For Learning and Giving Back

By Gabrielle Pata

S

amuel Perez, retired military veteran, just received his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of South Florida in May. He has used the skills he learned during

Politecnico Loyola high school in the Dominican Republic where students trained in four different areas of technology.

his 21 years and three months in the military to succeed in his pursuit of higher education.

“It was a five-year high school program where you come out with two years of college credits,” he explains. “It was rigorous and prepared me for continuing my education in electrical engineering in the U.S., where I felt I would have a better shot at higher quality education.”

Perez joined the military in 1988, and waited 11 months to get into basic training in 1989. He arrived in the United States from the Dominican Republic after graduating from high school in 1988, immediately knew he wanted to join the military, and talked to recruiters about joining the U.S. Air Force.

“I heard they offered money for school so you could get a good education; I also wanted to serve the country I was coming into right away,” Perez said.

“Joining the military helped me as an immigrant trying to transition and integrate into American society more easily. I had a unique opportunity to make a contribution while continuing my education in a way that otherwise might never have been possible.”

From a young age, Perez took an interest in science, technology and math. He read scientific encyclopedia sets, watched science documentaries and followed NASA. He decided to attend Instituto

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Perez completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while in the military. He received his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Nebraska while based at Offutt Air Force Base (AFB) in Omaha. There, he was a clinical instructor for students who joined the military as medical assistants, while doubling as a college student taking one or two courses at a time.

“After that, I applied to MacDill AFB in Tampa, because I knew the University of South Florida was nearby with strong masters and PhD programs in the College of Engineering,” Perez said.

He arrived in Tampa in June 2004 and started school at USF in August 2004 and received his master’s degree in 2010, which he describes as a pivotal year in his life.

“Three things happened within the span of a few months during 2010: I graduated with my master’s degree, I retired from the military, and I was accepted into the PhD program at USF,” he says.

When it came time for his PhD research, dissertation and defense, Perez chose to focus on a biomedical topic as his area of study, as he wanted to translate the medical training received in the military into his research. Working with his advisor, Dr. Sylvia Thomas, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, he miniaturized and integrated a notched turbine small enough to be inserted into the human body to harvest energy for patients who require it. It is unlike other batterypowered implantable medical devices currently used for the same purpose. “Our research could potentially revolutionize the manufacture and use of implantable medical devices by reducing the cost burden to healthcare providers, the insurance industry, and patients,” says Perez. “It might eventually help reduce the risk of repeated surgeries to patients who have been implanted with these lifesaving devices.”

As a component of his PhD program and encouraged by his advisor, he participated in the NSF I-Corps program, which provides entrepreneurial training for

Photo: Gabrielle Pata

Samuel Perez, PhD

graduate students. According to Perez, “it was an eye-opening experience unlike any other, because the program [I-Corps] forces you to connect with real-world experts in the field to investigate how your research fits in the industry.”

achieve their educational goals,” he says.

“This gave me even more passion for my education because each time I attained a higher level of training and education, I was also able to help others achieve higher goals and objectives.”

Perez attributes his academic success partly to his own drive and determination, but also to the USAF. He says the Air Force incentivizes people to go to school, by funding it and providing encouragement. Perez was grateful that the military also gave him the opportunity to share his passion for education with fellow military members.

He also says the military instilled in him a skill set and mindset that helped him complete his PhD. It helped give him focus and helped him understand that there is an optimal process to everything you do.

“I became a tutor for airmen that struggled in chemistry, math, physics and science, so I got to help other airmen also

“Military processes are very structured; my service taught me how to develop a plan so that everything you pursue has a purpose, plan of action and goal that is iterated for continuous improvement,” Perez says. “I also learned the value of

being flexible and adaptable to meet the unexpected, regardless of any chaos going on around you.”

He took what he learned and applied it within his research group, the Advanced Materials Bio and Integration (AMBIR) laboratory under Dr. Thomas. He joined her lab because working alone on his PhD did not feel right after being in the military where he worked in groups and trained younger military students. He uses the same philosophy and motivating attitude refined in the military to mentor graduate students and undergraduates in the lab. According to Perez, “I could’ve isolated myself working on the research, but the military really prepared me for pursuing goals as a team.”

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Perez describes balancing family and education as the biggest challenge. He is grateful for the support of his wife and daughters. Throughout his military career and doctoral program, he made it a priority to maintain the strong family bond he has developed not only at home, but also at his local church Templo La Hermosa in Valrico, where he is also a family counselor and personal coach.

Now that he has earned a PhD, Perez has ideas in mind for what he would like to pursue going forward. He is considering staying in academia to teach including at a community college, university or joining a governmental agency.

“I would love to give back to the military, government and society by helping veterans obtain their education and prepare them to enter the STEM workforce,” he says. “I feel like I owe it to our

Perez was able to earn his degree with financial support from the military tuition assistance, the GI Bill, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Minority Ph.D. Program at USF, and the Department of Electrical Engineering where he served as a TA. He is grateful for his research advisor Sylvia Thomas, his dissertation committee, Bernard Batson, director of Diversity Programs within the College, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and most importantly, the support of his family, and the grace of God in his life. He thanks his wife, Dorka, and daughters, Shania and Chenella, for their endless encouragement, love and support.

“I have definitely learned throughout the years that it takes a village to accomplish great things – you can’t do it alone,” Perez says.

country for all those years of support, training and preparation.”

Faculty Accolades Engineering E-Textbook Initiative

New Faculty Fellows

Dr. Kyle Reed, Dr. David Murphy, Dr. Rebecca Cai and Dr. Michael Celestin have piloted and adopted the Engineering E-textbook Initiative in the Fall 2017 semester to combat the high prices of engineering textbooks. Monica Metz-Wiseman (USF Libraries) piloted this initiative with our College. Students pay only

Dr. Clifford Henderson professor and chair of ChBME was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He also received the 2018 USF Outstanding

$45 for the E-textbook, and have perpetual rights to the online version of the textbook while at USF and after graduation.

Faculty Award.

Dr. Sarina Ergas, professor CEE, was selected as a 2017 Fellow AEESP (Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors).

Dr. Lawrence Hall, distinguished university professor CSE, was elected Fellow of AIMBE (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering).

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Dr. Tom Weller, professor and chair EE, was named Fellow IEEE (Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers).

Dr. Robert Frisina, distinguished university professor BME, was selected as a Fellow in the 2017 Class for the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Dr. David Eddins, professor BME, was elected Fellow of AIMBE (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering).

Dr. Gray Mullins was promoted to the Fellow grade of the American Society

Dr. James Mihelcic received the Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education (E4) award from American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

Dr. Dmitry B. Goldgof, professor and vice chair in the Computer Science and Engineering Department, received the Outstanding Research Achievement Award.

Dr. Lawrence Hall of the USF Department of Computer Science and Engineering, was recently selected as a recipient of the IEEE SMC Joseph G. Wohl Outstanding Career Award, established in 1991.

Dr. Sudeep Sarkar was selected as a recipient of the William R. Jones Outstanding Mentor Award by the Florida Education Fund.

of Civil Engineers.

Faculty Awards and Recognitions Dr. Norma Alcantar received a 2017 USF Outstanding Faculty Award and a 2017 Core Fulbright Scholar Award.

She also received a 2018 Jewish National Fund Fellowship.

Dr. Jay Ligatti, a professor at the USF Department of Computer Science and Engineering, was selected to receive the Excellence in Innovation Award from USF Research & Innovation.

Dr. Adriana Iamnitchi and Dr. Yao Liu, both professors in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, have been selected to receive a Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award from the Research Council at USF Research & Innovation.

Dr. Babu Joseph received a USF Outstanding Faculty Award.

Dr. Bill Lee was elected a Diplomate of the International Board of Forensic Engineering Sciences.

Dr. Rangachar Kasturi was awarded the IAPR/ ICDAR Achievement Award.

Dr. Anna Pyayt received a University of South Florida Excellence in Innovation Award for 2017. Pyayt also was invited to participate in the Technology Showcase for the U.S. Congress in 2017.

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EE Distinguished Professor Dr. Richard Gitlin was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr. Gitlin was also named to the James Madison High School (Brooklyn, NY) Wall of Distinction that includes other notables such as Carol King, Bernie Sanders, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Dr. Selcuk Kose received the USF Outstanding Researcher Award. Dr. Kose also received his third Cisco Research Award and was invited to present his research in the Cisco Research Center System and Platform Dr. Autar Kaw (ME) was awarded 2017-2018 ASEE Ralph Coats Roe Award in March 2018.

Dr. David Murphy (ME) was awarded the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program 2017 Early-Career Research and Science Policy Fellowship in August 2017.

Faculty Research Awards Learning to walk again after a stroke can be difficult. Dr. Kyle Reed’s (ME) Gait Enhancing Mobile Shoe—created on a 3D printer—is known as the GEM Shoe. It recently completed clinical trials. The work was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NIH NICHD award #R21HD066200), Moterum LLC, and the Florida High Tech Corridor.

Dr. Daniel Yeh (CEE) and his research team recently shipped and installed a NEW Generator to South Africa. NEW Generator recycles water for toilet flushing which cuts down on demand and also provides nutrients for fertilizing local gardens. This research is funded through a $1.4M Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant.

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Dr. David Murphy (ME) received a 2017 Early Career Research Fellowship from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Dr. Maya Trotz (CEE) is the PI on a $2.5M NSF grant over five years for “Collaborative Research: NRT-INFEWS: Systems Training for Research on Geography-based Coastal Food Energy Water Systems (STRONG-CFEWS).”

Dr. Tom Weller and Dr. Jing Wang (EE) were recently awarded a $360,000 NSF GOALI with industry partner MTron of Orlando. The aim of the project is to investigate packaging technologies for high frequency microelectronic circuits that will provide critical performance enhancements for next generation wireless systems.

Dr. John Licato (CSE) was awarded the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator’s Program award, a grant of $450K over three years.

Dr. Andres Tejada-Martinez (CEE) has been awarded a $1M grant from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) for a project titled “Turbulent Vertical Mixing and the Formation of Oil Particle Aggregates (OPAs): LES, Measurements and Modeling”. The goal of the project is to investigate numerically and through laboratory and field measurements how turbulence in inner shelves induced by winds, waves, tides and surface heat fluxes promotes mixing of oil and sediments leading to the generation of OPAs. Dr. Anda Iamnitchi (PI) and Dr. Larry Hall (both with CSE) received a $1.7M DARPA grant to examine how fast and in what ways different kinds of information travel through online social media. They are collaborating with College of Arts and Science sociology professor, Dr.John Skvoretz.

Dr. Alfredo Weitzenfeld (CSE) received a $1M collaborative NSF grant with the University of Arizona. RI: Medium: Collaborative Reasearch: Experimental and Robotics Investigations of Multi-Scale Spatial Memory Consolidation in Complex Environments.

An interdisciplinary team from CSE (Dr. Srinivas Katkoori and Mr. Rajeev Joshi) and College of Nursing (Dr. Hsiao-Lan Wang) have been awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) ICorps grant for $50K to evaluate market viability for PAfitMe service technology.

Dr. Jonathan Gaines (ME) received a $450,000 National Science Foundation award entitled “Engineering Youth Experience for Promoting Relationships, Identity Development, and Empowerment” (August 2017).

The Department of Energy funded a new $630,000 project titled “ATE Collaboration Outreach and Engagement Project” for which Dr. Richard Gilbert (ChBME) is a co-PI.

An innovator in his field, Assistant Professor Shaun Canavan (CSE) has been awarded an unrestricted $50,000 grant and $100,000 AWS promotional credit from Amazon’s AWS Learning Machine Research Program.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $224,417 STTR Phase I Grant, “Microscope-based Technology For Automatic Brain Cell Counts Using Unbiased Methods,” to Stereology Resource Center, Inc. under the direction of Drs. Peter Mouton (PI) and Dmitry Goldgof. Dr. Goldgof, professor and vice chair for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, will be collaborating with Dr. Mouton to research the use of microscopic technology to count brain cells.

Student Accolades Ilia Bautista Adames (EE), Jorge Calabria (CEE), Earnest Hansley (Computer Science and Engineering), Emma Lopez-Ponnada (CEE) received McKnight Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Awards.

Willie McClinton (CSE) and Matlock Mennu (ME) were both awarded 2017 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) at the National Institute of Technology and Standards (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. Chemical & Biomedical Engineering The AIChE Student Chapter was awarded the AIChE Outstanding Student Chapter Award for a 6th consecutive year.

The USF AIChE Chem-E-Car team placed in the top five teams at the 2018 Southeastern Regional Conference Chem-E-Car Competition.

Molly Skinner was selected as a National Finalist for Society of Women Engineers 2017 Technical Poster Competition, was the winner of the USF Research Colloquium-Excellence in Research Award, and also was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship to participate in the “IRES: Call Me Glober-Underrepresented Undergraduate Bioengineering Research in Singapore,” program for Summer 2018.

Erica Dasi (CEE) was awarded a GEM PhD Fellowship by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and received Honorable Mention Recognition from the Ford Foundation Fellowship Competition. She also won the Roy W. Likins Scholarship awarded by the American Waterworks Association (AWWA) Florida Section.

Jakin Delony, a ChBME Ph.D. student received a USF University Graduate Fellowship.

CSE undergrad Joshua Pericles is one of only 61 2017 Tillman Military Scholars.

Computer Science & Engineering

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Rekha Govindaraj received the 2016-17 Provost’s TA award in the STEM.

Doctoral student Yuan Wang won prestigious Transportation Research Board (TRB) award.

Osniel Quintana, a junior in CSE is a 2017 Goldwater Honorable Mention.

Electrical Engineering

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Envision Magazine 55

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA 4202 E. Fowler Ave. ENB 118 Tampa, FL 33620

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

TAMPA, FL PERMIT #257

Student Accolades continued Electrical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

MSEE student Sayed Abdullah Sadat awarded the 2017 Golden Bull Award.

Justin Nussbaum received Innovation Crossroads post-doctoral

Mohamed Mounir Abdin, EE doctoral student awarded the prestigious IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S)

fellowship (April 2018).

Amber Gatto won the 10th Annual Graduate Student Research

Graduate Fellowship for 2018.

Symposium (March 2018).

EE undergraduate students Charles Curtiss and Kiran Shila received

Ehsan Arabi: Finalist in the 2018 AIAA GNC Conference Graduate

the 2017 Professor Rudy Henning endowed scholarship.

Student Paper Competition (November 2017).

Evans Bernardin, EE PhD Student, received a BMES Career

Francesca Moloney awarded the American Solar Energy Society

Development Award.

John and Barbara Yellott Award for 2017 (September 2017).

Longfei Wang, an EE PhD student, was awarded the Chih Foundation

Sophia Abraham (ME) was awarded a 2018 Summer Undergraduate

Research and Publication Award.

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Research Fellowships (SURF) at the National Institute of Technology and Standards (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD.