Faculty Briefs

A Bridge to the Future

Joseph Robert Yost, PhD, PE, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was part of an international team that designed and built a 10-meter glass bridge on display at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York through Sept. 1.

Built from 124 individual hollow glass units, the aptly named Glass Bridge is the work of Dr. Yost and fellow principal investigators Masoud Akbarzadeh, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania; Damon Bolhassani, PhD, of the City College of New York; and Jens Schneider, PhD, of the Technische Universität Wien (Vienna). Glass Bridge marks the team’s second project built using modular assembly of hollow glass units, following Tortuca, an award-winning proof-of-concept prototype.

“I think we’ve done something unique in our use of material, structural form and construction methodology,” Dr. Yost says. “Our collaboration will continue beyond Glass Bridge to further improve and expand the use of this novel combination of architectural, engineering and artistic technologies.”

Top-Notch

Seven Villanova Engineering faculty members were recognized as among the top 2% of cited scientists worldwide, as reported in the fall by Stanford University and Elsevier in their annual rankings. Moeness Amin, PhD, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Sylvie Lorente, PhD, the William M. Brown ’84, ’87 Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering; and Mojtaba Vaezi, PhD, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, were each among the most cited researchers globally for 2023, according to the rankings.

Additionally, Dr. Amin and Dr. Lorente were recognized for career citations, along with Hashem Ashrafiuon, PhD, professor of Mechanical Engineering; Jens Karlsson, PhD, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering; Bijan Mobasseri, PhD, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Ahmad Hoorfar, PhD, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Dedicated Leadership

Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association–Greater Philadelphia (CBA-GP) honored Zuyi (Jacky) Huang, PhD, associate professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, in February with its Dedicated Leadership Award. An international organization biopharmaceutical innovation, knowledge exchange and professional networking, CBA-GP recognized Dr. Huang for his pivotal role in organizing events that inspire industry-academic partnerships, bolstering CBA-GP’s regional presence and driving its rapid growth.

Initiating Research

Two assistant professors of Civil and Environmental Engineering received their first solo grants from the National Science Foundation. Arash Tavakoli, PhD, received a $200,000 Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) award to support his research on the impact of pedestrian infrastructure on human well-being, particularly perceived stress caused by insufficient pathways. Dr. Tavakoli joined the department in fall 2023. Kelly Good, PhD, PE, ’09 CE, similarly, received a $200,000 ERI grant to advance her research on drinking water treatment and to develop regulations and monitoring practices aimed at enhancing public health protection. A Villanova Engineering alumna, Dr. Good joined the department’s permanent faculty in fall 2022 after three years as a visiting assistant teaching professor.