IDETC-CIE 2024 | International Design Engineering Technical Conferences, August 25-28, 2024

Tuesday August 27th, 11:00am - 12:20pm

Prof. Donald Margolis
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of California

Keynote Title: Low Order Modeling of Vehicle Dynamics Incorporating Actuators for Understanding, Design, and Control of System Behavior

Abstract: Fundamental vehicle dynamics is very well understood thanks to people like William Milliken for which this award is named. Over the decades, tire models have been developed that are used in conjunction with multi-degree-of-freedom vehicle models resulting in very sophisticated commercial programs for simulating and displaying vehicle response. Car companies even refer to these programs as the “real” vehicle. The problem with these programs is that they are not very useful for design. In fact, the vehicle pretty much already exists in order to determine the parameters needed for the program inputs.

In the past 20 years active control of vehicle dynamics has become practical. For active control we need sensors, signal processing, control algorithms and philosophies, and actuators. The actuators are typically electro-mechanical, electro-hydraulic, or perhaps electro-pneumatic meaning that we will probably control an electrical signal in order to produce a force or torque on the vehicle. In order to incorporate such multi-energy domain devices into vehicle models one needs a modeling procedure that allows, first, the modeling of such devices and, second, the incorporation of these actuator models into the vehicle system model. The end result would be a low order model that allows realistic controller development along with actuator specifications, power requirements and more.

Bond graph modeling is a perfect candidate for such multi-energy domain modeling. Some background will be given on bond graph modeling along with its application to several vehicle systems.

Biography: Donald Margolis received his BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1967 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He did his graduate work at MIT, receiving an MS, ME, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1972. Upon graduation from MIT, Dr. Margolis joined the faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Davis where he is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Professor Margolis is an expert in the area of physical system modeling and control of engineering systems. He is a principal developer of the bond graph modeling method for interacting multi-energy domain systems. These have come to be called "mechatronic" systems. He is co-author of the most comprehensive text in this area of modeling, titled System Dynamics: Modeling, Simulation, and Control of Mechatronic Systems, published by Wiley and sons of NY. This book is in its 5th edition. He is also co-author of the text Engineering Applications of Dynamics. This book is also published by Wiley and sons.

Professor Margolis has done research and development in the general area of physical system understanding with particular application to vibration control and vehicle dynamics and control. He has published over 150 articles in these areas and holds several patents for devices that required in depth physical system understanding for their invention. Professor Margolis is a Fellow of ASME and the Director of the Hyundai Center of Excellence in Vehicle Dynamic Systems and Control.

Professor Margolis is a teacher, researcher, and consultant to industry and national laboratories throughout the US, Asia, and Europe.

Tuesday August 27th: 11:00am - 12:20pm

Mr. Ken Leisenring
Chief Engineer, Powertrain Calibration
Ford Motor Company

Presentation Title: Democratizing Optimization and Anomaly Detection in Product Development

Abstract: This conversation addresses the challenge of creating robust optimization and anomaly detection systems for product development. We aim to achieve optimal solutions that are resistant to noise and variability, while ensuring these solutions can be demonstrably proven as correct. The ultimate goal is to create a system capable of replicating the decision-making process of expert engineers, eliminating human error, and enabling continuous operation. To address these needs, the tactical objectives include advanced optimization algorithms, anomaly detection, and the development of synthetic sensors and models. Strategically, there is a recognition that many advanced capabilities have not yet been democratized for use directly by product development engineers. This focus on leveraging readily available solutions would allow us to address a wider range of problems and support a larger user base, rather than solely focusing on solving the most complex challenges. This involves creating tools that can be widely used by engineers to achieve repeatable and predictable results, without relying solely on AI experts for large-scale implementation.

Biography: Ken Leisenring is Chief Engineer, Vehicle Propulsion Systems Engineering at Ford Motor Company. He is an accomplished engineering professional with a strong foundation in mechatronics, holding degrees in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University. Ken has extensive experience in powertrain calibration, controls, emissions, on-board diagnostics, fuel economy, and new technology development. His leadership has driven successful projects related to Ford launches of EcoBoost engines, gasoline particulate filters, tri-metal catalysts, and adaptive cruise control. Ken is known for developing strategic visions and innovative approaches, consistently pushing the boundaries of automotive technology and driving efficiency.

Monday, August 26th, 10:50am - 12:10pm

Dr. Michael Grieves
Executive Director and Chief Scientist
Digital Twin Institute

Title: Digital Twins - The Underlying Premise of Product Lifecycle Management

Abstract: From its introduction in 2002, Digital Twins have been the underlying premise for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). This year's conference is highlighting "emerging technologies that impact critical engineering issues of product design and development, manufacturing, and the management and integration of information systems throughout the product life-cycle". Dr. Grieves, who originated the concept of Digital Twin and authored the seminal book on PLM, will present his perspectives of Digital Twins, their types, technologies, and use throughout the product lifecycle, and their evolution as intelligent and interoperable entities with AI into platforms and metaverses.

Biography: Dr. Michael Grieves is an internationally renowned expert on digital twins, a concept he originated, and Product lifecycle Management (PLM) a discipline he wrote the seminal book for. Dr. Grieves has over five decades of executive, board, and technical experience in both global and entrepreneurial technology and manufacturing companies. He has consulted and done research at some of the top global organizations (NASA, Boeing, GM, Unilever) and has served as a senior executive and board member at both Fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurial organizations.

Academically, he has had appointments and has done research and/or taught at the University of Michigan, Purdue University, and University of Iowa. Dr. Grieves has a BS Computer Engineering from Michigan State, and MBA from Oakland University, and his doctorate from Case Western Reserve University.

Tuesday, August 27th, 9:20am - 10:40am

Mr. Mike Molnar
NIST / Manufacturing USA

The Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) serves as the headquarters for the interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office to coordinate Manufacturing USA, a network of manufacturing innovation institutes across the country that brings together industry, academia, and the public sector to advance American manufacturing.

Keynote Title: Convening Ecosystems for U.S. Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing

Abstract: Manufacturing USA exists to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing through large-scale public-private collaboration on technology, supply chain, and workforce development. The institutes in the Manufacturing USA network convene business competitors, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to test applications of new technology, create new products, reduce cost, and risk, and enable the manufacturing workforce with the skills of the future. This keynote will highlight two new manufacturing institute opportunities that further help improving our way of life, strengthen our economy, ensure our national security, all while empowering the current and next generation.

The Manufacturing USA network is operated by the interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, which is headquartered in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in the Department of Commerce. The office operates in partnership with the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Departments of Education, Agriculture, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Labor.

Biography: Mike Molnar is the founding director of the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, the interagency team responsible for the Manufacturing USA program. Mike also leads the NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing and serves as co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council, Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing – the team responsible for the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing.

Prior to joining federal service in 2011 Mike had a successful industry career, including 25 years leading manufacturing and technology development at Cummins, a U.S. based global company that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines and power generation products. Midcareer he served as the first Manufacturing Policy Fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He earned a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, and an Executive MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, Certified Manufacturing Engineer, and was elected a Fellow of SME and a Fellow and Honorary Member of ASME.

Monday, August 26th, 4:10pm - 5:50pm

Speakers:
Dr. Robert Wendrich, Rawshaping Technology RBSO
Dr. Krishna Kaipa, Old Dominion University
Marc Halpern, Gartner

Description: The CIE ScienceTec Buzz (STB) summit serves as a pivotal gathering within the IDETC-CIE (DED) community, aimed at fostering collaboration, communication, and breakthrough thinking in design, innovation and engineering. It provides a unique forum for participants to share not only scientific and technological ideas but also creative and unconventional concepts. The summit encourages the exploration of wild and crazy ideas, recognizing that such ideas often lead to innovation and novel pathways.

One of the key objectives of STB is to facilitate research collaboration, recognizing that collaboration drives innovation and the generation of new ideas. By bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, STB aims to spark serendipitous events and enrich discovery. Through open and encouraging discussions, participants have the opportunity to present complex issues and high-stakes ideas in a supportive and welcoming environment.

STB serves as a platform for participants to lean forward and convey their thinking rapidly, engaging with others who offer diverse perspectives and insights. Whether in physical or virtual settings, the summit encourages interdisciplinary dialogue, transference and collaboration, recognizing that breakthroughs often emerge at the intersection of different fields.

In general, the CIE STB summit plays a crucial role in fostering connections, sharing innovative ideas, and exploring unconventional approaches in design and engineering. By creating a space for open dialogue, engagement and collaboration, STB aims to inspire participants to push the boundaries of what is possible and drive forward transformative research endeavors and creation of novel perspectives.

The STB summit is not only about collaboration and innovation, but also about engaging and educating participants, particularly students, faculty, industry (leaders, partners), government and researchers from academic institutes (nationally and internationally), to spur creativity and innovation in design and engineering education. It seeks to redirect and rethink educational curricula to align with the needs of the age of hybrid learning and sustainability. Involving public / citizens science and research would be a recommendation for next editions.

For students, faculty, and researchers, the summit offers opportunities to explore new pedagogical and educational approaches and conceptual models that foster entrepreneurship, collaboration, and innovation. It emphasizes creating rich learning environments where students can actively create, collaborate, and innovate, preparing them for the challenges of the future.

Transparency, equity, and uninhibited sharing of ideas and resources are central to the STB summit's ethos. It aims to enhance community cohesion and foster empathic understanding within the IDETC-CIE context and environment. All participants are encouraged to actively participate or simply observe and listen, ensuring that everyone feels included, respected and valued.

Overall, the STB summit is designed to generate new thinking and identify future directions for education and scientific research in design engineering (e.g., innovation, technology, sustainability, biodiversity, biophilia, renewables, transitions, space exploration). By fostering collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity, it aims to drive forward progress in the field and prepare the next generation of thinkers and creators.

Presentation Style PK explanation

Tuesday August 27th: 2:20pm - 4:00pm

Title: VES for Human-robot Collaboration – Understanding, Communication, and Trust between Humans and Robots

Moderators:
Yunbo Zhang, Rochester Institute of Technology
Marco Rossoni, Politecnico Milano

Description: Modern manufacturing systems are expected to evolve into highly automated and intelligent systems for handling complex tasks. However, certain manual operations persist on the shop floor that are either impractical or unattainable without human involvement. Industry 5.0 has emerged as a practical approach that complements the existing Industry 4.0 paradigm by emphasizing the transition toward sustainable, human-centric, and resilient manufacturing. Human-robot collaboration (HRC) is considered pivotal in this transition, wherein robots collaborate with human partners to automate physically demanding tasks and integrate humans' high-level cognition and decision-making. Unfortunately, current HRC methods have seen limited deployment in industries, facing challenges related to understanding, communication, building trust between humans and robots, effective interfaces, task division, allocation, and optimization. There are several specific research questions to ask: How should the interfaces and interactions be designed to support human operators in communicating with robots effectively, efficiently, and intuitively? How should trust between humans and robots be built and the safety of humans be ensured? How should human operators' high-level decision-making ability be leveraged to improve the efficiency and flexibility of the HRC? How should Artificial Intelligence (AI) be designed to improve robots' cognitive abilities so that they are able to understand human operators' intentions and learn from human partners?

Objectives: The objective of this panel is to bring together a group of experts in robotics, manufacturing, computer science, ergonomics and human factors, human-computer interaction, social sciences in engineering, and digital technologies for a cross-disciplinary discussion on the past, present, and future of Human-robot Collaboration in virtual environments, with an emphasis on understanding, communication, and trust. The panel discussion will explore: The panel discussion will explore: (1) where we stand in HRC research regarding understanding, communication, and trust between humans and robots; (2) what the challenges are and what the potential key enablers might be; (3) what intellectual challenges lie ahead; and (4) what steps we, as researchers, should take to investigate this exciting avenue.

Panelists

Dr. Satyandra K. Gupta
GrayMatter Robotics &
University of Southern California

Biography: Dr. Satyandra K. Gupta holds Smith International Professorship in the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California and serves as the Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing. He is also Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at GrayMatter Robotics. His research interests are physics-informed artificial intelligence, computational foundations for decision-making, and human-centered automation. He works on applications related to Manufacturing Automation and Robotics. He has published more than five hundred technical articles in journals, conference proceedings, and edited books. He also holds sixteen US patents. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Solid Modeling Association (SMA), and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). He is a former editor-in-chief of the ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering. He has received numerous honors and awards for his scholarly contributions. Representative examples include a Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research in 2000, Robert W. Galvin Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from SME in 2001, a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation in 2001, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2001, Invention of the Year Award at the University of Maryland in 2007, Kos Ishii-Toshiba Award from ASME in 2011, Excellence in Research Award from ASME Computers and Information in Engineering Division in 2013, Distinguished Alumnus Award from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 2014, ASME Design Automation Award in 2021, and Distinguished Alumni Award from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 2022. He has also received eleven best paper awards at international conferences. He serves as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute and a member of the National Materials and Manufacturing Board (NMMB).

Dr. Irene Fassi
CNR-STIIMA

Biography: Dr. Irene Fassi is a distinguished Mechanical Engineer with a Ph.D. in Technologies and Manufacturing Systems (2001). She serves as the Research Director at CNR-STIIMA and has led the MEDIS research group at CNR since 2003, specializing in micro-robotics and micro-manufacturing. Dr. Fassi has held significant roles, including membership on the Board of Directors for SIRI (Italian Robotics and Automation Association) and AITeM (Italian Association of Manufacturing Technologies) from 2017 to 2021. She contributes to academia as a member of the Doctoral Board for the Ph.D. program in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (DRIMI) at the University of Brescia (UniBS) and acts as an external evaluator for doctoral theses at various universities globally. Additionally, Dr. Fassi serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Brescia and the Polytechnic University of Milan, teaching advanced production systems, robotics, and biomechanics. Her international experience includes visiting research positions at the University of Florida, USA, and Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Dr. Fassi has coordinated or managed over 40 research projects funded at regional, national, and European levels. She chaired the ASME DED Technical Committee on Micro and Nanosystems (2016-17) and presided over the Executive Committee of the International Institution of Micro Manufacturing (I2M2) in 2020-21. Dr. Fassi is an active member of scientific committees and has chaired numerous international conferences in micro-manufacturing, microsystems, and robotics. She has been part of expert panels for evaluating and monitoring research projects for major international and national agencies, including the European Commission, REA, Eurostars, ANR, MiSE, and MIUR. She is the co-author of over 180 publications in international conferences and journals, four books, and holds three patents as of February 2021.

Dr. Chih-Hsing Chu
National Tsing Hua University

Biography: Dr. Chih-Hsing Chu attended National Taiwan University and received his B.S. and M.S. from Department of Mechanical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Automation, University of California at Berkeley, USA. His past work experiences include Web Applications Engineer at RedSpark, an Autodesk Venture, USA, Research Intern at DaimlerBenz AG, Germany, and Visiting Researcher at the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL), RWTH Aachen, Germany. Prior to joining National Tsing Hua University, he was on the faculty of Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, Virginia Tech, USA. He was an invited scholar at CREDITS Center, Sungkunkwan University, Korea, during the summer of 2005. In 2007, Dr. Chu became the first IE faculty member in Taiwan to win Dr. Ta-You Wu Memorial Award, National Science Council. He has published more than 130 research papers and presently on the editorial board of IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (IEEE-TASE), International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing (IJPEM). He is also serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Asian Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering (formerly Journal of the Chinese Institute of Industrial Engineers, JCIIE). His research interests include collaborative engineering, human-centric design, sustainable design, and CAD/CAM/PLM. He is a Member of the ASME, IEEE and PDMA.

Tuesday, August 27th, 4:20pm - 6:00pm

50th Anniversary Signature Event: Panel - Successes, Aspirations and Opportunities for Design Automation

Host/Chair: Souma Chowdhury, University at Buffalo

Duration: 100 minutes

Format: 10 min presentation by each panelist with 3 slides each covering the following 3 points

Looking back over the past 50 years, an example of a major success in Design Automation – related to collective research milestone, educational innovation or industry adoption/tech-translation.
An example of a critical overarching technical challenge to be addressed in Design Automation over the next decade or so.
An example of an impending socio-economic problem or problem affecting the quality of life of many, where Design Automation can play a central role in solving it.

Question & Answer from Audience

Panelists

Carolyn Seepersad
Georgia Institute of Technology

Carolyn Conner Seepersad is the Woodruff Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technoloy. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. Her research interests include design for additive manufacturing, simulation-based design of materials and structures, and process innovation in additive manufacturing. She is a member of the organizing committee of the annual Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium and a member of SME's Additive Manufacturing Technical Leadership Committee. She is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed conference and journal publications.

Prof. Kristina Shea
ETH Zurich

Prof. Kristina Shea is a Full Professor for Engineering Design and Computing in Mechanical and Processing Engineering at ETH Zürich since 2012. Her lab’s research combines engineering design, computation and fabrication to design and prototype creative engineering systems with new functionalities that help to achieve sustainable development goals. Current research topics include computational design, design for Additive Manufacturing (AM), multi-material AM and 4D printing as well as new research in development engineering. Her lab investigates a wide variety of application areas across a number of industries including consumer products, space, automotive, built environment and biomedical. Kristina Shea graduated in Mechanical Engineering (BS 1993; MS 1995; PhD 1997) from Carnegie Mellon University. She has held academic positions at EPFL (Switzerland) where she was a post-doc, University of Cambridge (UK) where she was a tenured Lecturer (Assistant Professor) and TU München (Germany) where she was a tenured Associate Professor. She is a Fellow of ASME and member of the Design Society.

Vadim Shapiro
International Computer Science Institute

Vadim Shapiro is the Co-Founder & CTO of Intact Solutions, providing advanced modeling and simulation solutions for generative design and advanced manufacturing. He is also a Distinguished Research Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, CA and Bernard A. and Frances M. Weideman Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Shapiro holds Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and in Computer Science from NYU, MS in Computer Science from UCLA, as well as MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. Prior to his academic career he was on research staff at the General Motors R&D Center. He is Fellow of ASME, and his technical contributions have been recognized by a number of awards, including the ASME Design Automation Award, and the Pierre Bézier Award. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Computer-Aided Design (Elsevier) journal.

Shapour Azarm
University of Maryland

Shapour Azarm received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He then joined the University of Maryland, College Park, where he is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering. His research interest is centered on design optimization of engineered systems. His current research is focused on (i) predictive maintenance of unmanned systems using machine learning and optimization techniques, (ii) multi-objective robust optimization under uncertainty, (iii) reduced-order modeling with applications in additive manufacturing and reliability-based optimization, and (iv) multi-vehicle routing considering multiple recharging stations and vehicle failure. He is a Senior Advisor of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, was Editor-in-Chief of ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, and served as associate editor, guest editor and editorial board member of many other journals. He is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the ASME Technical Committee on Publications and Communications. In the past, he served as Chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division, Chair of the ASME Design Automation Committee, Conference and Paper Review Chair of the ASME Design Automation Conference. He has received the Procter & Gamble paper awards, ASME/Ford Best Paper Award, ASME Design Automation Award, ASME Robert E. Abbott Award, and ASME Machine Design Award. He is a Fellow and Life Member of the ASME.

Yan Fu
Ford Motor Company

Dr. Yan Fu is the Senior Director of Strategy and Enterprise Analytics at Ford Motor Company, where she leads the development of data-driven solutions for strategic decision-making. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Gen AI, machine learning, and optimization, her team enhances profitability, ensures regulatory compliance, and supports key initiatives such as electrification. A prolific innovator, Dr. Fu holds 7 US patents and has authored over 150 publications. Her distinguished career at Ford has earned her numerous accolades, including the SAE Henry Ford II Distinguished Award, three Henry Ford Technology Awards, and the Women of Color STEM DTX Conference Technology All-Star Award. Dr. Fu is a Fellow of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Tuesday, August 27th, 11:00am - 12:20pm

Dr. Kathryn Jablokow
Deputy Division Director
Division for Research, Innovation, Synergies, and Education
Directorate for Geosciences
National Science Foundation

Presentation Title: Extreme Design and the Perfect Lifecycle

Abstract: Extreme Design (XD) is an emerging field of design research that is, by its nature, focused on exceptional situations and conditions, from designing for extreme environments to designing systems of extremely high complexity to designing for situations of extreme disruption. One aim of Extreme Design is to reveal new design principles, methods, processes, and tools by looking at extreme variations within a given context, and then to transfer those results back to the non-extreme parts of that same context—or to a different context altogether. Extreme Design is more than simply considering extreme users, which may shift a particular product into new territory, but which may not change the deeper design principles themselves. Done right, Extreme Design should keep us connected to the normal while we consider the highly unusual, so the pathway remains complete. Similarly, when we design for manufacturing and lifecycle, we are thinking about the end even as we think about the beginning, questioning every design decision on the basis of its anticipated downstream effects and maintaining a clear sustainable path from planning to prototyping to production to maintenance. In this presentation, we will consider how the search for extreme design principles and the search for the perfect integration of design and manufacturing can inform and challenge each other and our creativity as engineers.

Biography: Dr. Jablokow's professional experience spans academia and the public sector. In her 34 years at Penn State University, she has served as an educator, researcher, and administrator at multiple campuses. Dr. Jablokow has built a highly successful research program that spans the engineering design domain, from robotics and manufacturing to design cognition, design education, and high performance engineering design teams. Her funding sources include NSF and other Federal agencies, as well as industry, and she is the recipient of many teaching and research honors and awards, including ASME Fellow and the ASME Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Design Educator Award. Dr. Jablokow served as Program Director for the Engineering Design and Systems Engineering (EDSE) program at the National Science Foundation (2019-2024), where she guided the design research community in new directions while overseeing a $40M portfolio of projects. Dr. Jablokow's service has extended across multiple professional organizations, including ASME, ASEE, IEEE, and the Design Society. She served as an ASME ABET Accreditation Evaluator for Mechanical Engineering programs (2000-2008), as well as Chair of ASME’s Technology and Society Division (2009-11). In 2023, Dr. Jablokow was elected to the ASME Board of Governors and serves as Board Liaison to the Committee on Sustainability. Dr. Jablokow earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University, and an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

See Session Flyer

Wednesday, August 28th, 8:00am - 9:40am

In this panel presentation, we will hear from academic faculty and industry professionals discussing their experiences with unique design challenges that cannot be fully addressed by design theory or system engineering practices alone. This panel is comprised of those with experience in academia, private industry, and on federally funded projects. Each panelist will provide insight into specific challenges faced within these various contexts and will describe their efforts to address them. Topics may include biologically inspired design, developments in computer-aided design tools, how personnel and project scale impact process, or how the context of stakeholders constrains the design space. Ultimately, this panel serves as a call to action for systems engineering and design theory researchers to address these contemporary challenges.

Panelists:

Dr. Astrid Layton is an assistant professor and Donna Walker Faculty Fellow at Texas A&M University in the Mechanical Engineering department. She served on ASME's DTM technical committee from 2020-23 and is currently an Associate Editor for ASME's Journal of Mechanical Design. She is the recipient of several awards, including a 2024 NSF CAREER Award from the EDSE program and a 2021 ASME IDETC-CIE best paper award in SEIKM. Her research focuses on the use of biological ecosystems as inspiration for achieving sustainability and resilience in the design of complex human systems and systems of systems.

Matthew Mueller is the manager of Education Innovation at PTC where he is the product manager for Onshape's education features and leads academic research collaborations. He completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University where his research focused on engineering education. His current research focuses on how CAD can be used to understand and improve design.

Diarny Fernandes is a mechanical engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory working on the Dragonfly mission as part of NASA's New Frontiers program. He earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and is completing a second master's degree in space systems engineering at Johns Hopkins. Diarny is the lead engineer on the Dragonfly thermal development test module (DTM), which is a full-scale thermal model of the Dragonfly lander for thermal design testing and analysis.

Tuesday, August 27th, 2:20pm - 4:00pm

Interagency Working Group (IAWG) on Engineering Complex Systems: Discussion on Crosscutting Topics

The IAWG on Engineering Complex Systems will present an overview of this multi-government agency working group and its’ efforts to identify and address cross-cutting engineering complex systems that can impact governmental engineering operations. Additionally, the IAWG will present and discuss three specific topics that have been targeted for inter-agency collaboration to identify best practices and lessons learned. Those identified topics are: Certifying Additively Manufactured Parts, Supply Chain Risk Reduction Approaches during Acquisition and Digital Twins to Predict Failure.

Moderators

Anna-Maria R. McGowan, Ph.D.
NASA ST
Agency Senior Engineer for Complex Systems Design

Dr. Kathryn Jablokow
Deputy Division Director
Division for Research, Innovation, Synergies, and Education
Directorate for Geosciences
National Science Foundation

Panelists

Kent T. Jones
Assistant Deputy Administrator,
Systems Engineering and Integration, Defense Programs
National Nuclear Security Administration
Department of Energy

Mr. Kent T. Jones, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Assistant Deputy Administrator for Systems Engineering and Integration, Defense Programs, at the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. He is responsible for the development and integration of policies, processes, requirements, plans, and SE&I assessments within NNSA's Defense Programs. He is also responsible for providing direct systems engineering and acquisition program management support for Defense Program's designated enhanced management portfolio, which includes weapons life extension, enabling science, infrastructure, and warhead sustainment activities.

Kerry D. Wilson
Director, Systems Engineering and Standards Division
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) Directorate

Kerry D. Wilson currently holds the position of Director within the Systems Engineering and Standards Division, which operates under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate. In this capacity, Mr. Wilson assumes the pivotal role of overseeing the development, promotion, and facilitation of a comprehensive systems engineering process throughout the DHS.

Joseph Pellicciotti
Chief Engineer
NASA

Joseph Pellicciotti was named NASA's Chief Engineer in April 2023. In this role, he provides policy direction, oversight, and assessment for the agency's engineering communities and serves as a principal advisor to the NASA administrator and other senior officials on matters pertaining to the technical readiness and execution of agency programs and projects.

Vijay Srinivasan
Senior Advisor, NIST

Dr. Vijay Srinivasan is a Senior Advisor in the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards Technology. He leads several standardization activities related to manufacturing both nationally and internationally. He chairs the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO/TC 213. His current research interests include coordinate metrology, digital twins, biotechnology, and biomanufacturing. He is a Fellow of ASME and AAAS.

Dr. Daniel G. Linzell, P.E., F.ASCE, F.SEI
Division Director, CMMI Division, Engineering Directorate
National Science Foundation

Dr. Daniel G. Linzell, P.E., F.ASCE, F.SEI is the Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs and the Leslie D. Martin Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). He is currently on loan to the National Science Foundation where he is Directing the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG). CMMI’s annual budget is approximately $240M and the Division is charged with advancing the future of manufacturing, the design of innovative materials and building technologies, infrastructure resilience and sustainability, and tools and systems for decision-making, robotics and controls.

From August of 2013 to September of 2018, Dr. Linzell was the Voelte-Keegan Professor and Chair of UNLs Department of Civil Engineering. He was an Assistant, Associate and the inaugural John A. and Harriette K. Shaw Professor of Civil Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University from 1999-2013.

Tuesday, August 27th, 4:20pm - 6:00pm

Presentation Title: Us as One: Leading Teams and Exploring Space Together

Diana Trujillo
Flight Director
NASA's Johnson Space Center

Presentation Title: Us as One: Leading Teams and Exploring Space Together

Abstract: The space exploration industry is changing and growing at a faster pace than ever before. A new generation of space engineers and teams now find ourselves evolving the way we approach challenges from what can we do next? to what is the right thing to do now? More than ever before, we are a species in motion, with human spaceflight and robotic missions expanding our understanding of the unknown at an unprecedented rate, pushing us to ask over and over again, are we doing the right thing?

As missions become more complex and time becomes more precious, explorers around the world find ourselves trying to figure out how to effectively lead multidisciplinary teams in the unknown environment of space, where the scope of the problem is an ever-evolving story. In this keynote, NASA Flight Director Diana Trujillo will share what she has learned about leading multidisciplinary teams at the cutting edge of exploration on the surface of Mars (the Curiosity, Perseverance, Ingenuity robotic mission) and in Low Earth Orbit (International Space Station).

Biography: Diana Trujillo is a Flight Director at NASA's Johnson Space Center near Houston, TX. As the 108th Flight Director in NASA's history—and the first born in a Spanish-speaking country—Trujillo is one of a small cadre who lead the Mission Control Center during all of NASA's human spaceflight missions, including ongoing operations of the International Space Station, the Artemis missions returning humans to the Moon and onward to Mars, and key flights of the Dragon, Cygnus, and Starliner orbital vehicles.

Prior to her current position, Trujillo played a key role in three landmark robotic missions to Mars: Curiosity and Perseverance, the most advanced Mars rovers ever built; and Ingenuity, the first helicopter to fly on another planet. Over the course of fourteen years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, she held a number of leadership roles on those missions, including Flight Director, Mission Lead, Deputy Project System Engineer, Deputy Team Chief of Engineering, and Robotic Arm Science phase lead.

Born and raised in Colombia, Trujillo immigrated to the United States at the age of 17 to pursue what she had been told was an impossible dream: working for NASA. She enrolled in English as a Second Language courses, working full-time to support her studies at Miami-Dade Community College, where her academic performance provided her the opportunity to earn a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, with additional studies at the University of Florida. While an undergrad, Trujillo also participated in the NASA Academy at Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA's premiere leadership training and research program for graduate and undergraduate students.

After graduating, she worked at Orbital Sciences Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman), helping the company win a $170 million contract from NASA to develop the Cygnus cargo spacecraft -- a vehicle that has now successfully conducted twenty missions to resupply the International Space Station.

In addition to her technical roles at JPL, Trujillo also created and hosted #JuntosPerseveramos, NASA's first ever Spanish-language live broadcast of a major mission milestone. The #JuntosPerseveramosprogram was viewed live by millions in the United States, and was broadcast on television throughout Latin America.

Trujillo has previously served on the non-profit boards of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and the Children's Center at Caltech. She is also a passionate advocate for diversity in STEM, having pushed for more inclusion of the Latinx community in venues ranging from the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics to the educational program Plaza Sésamo (Sesame Street).

In 2017, Trujillo was named one of "Los 22 Más," the 22 Colombians who best represent Colombia and all Colombians in the USA. In 2021, she was honored with the Cruz de Boyacá and named a Comendador of the Orden de Boyacá by the President of Colombia, the highest honors Colombia awards to civilians.

Trujillo lives near Houston, TX with her husband and their two children.

Tuesday, August 27th, 8:10am - 9:10am

Shaurya Prakash
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The Ohio State University

Keynote Title: Improving Cancer Diagnostics through Innovative Micro- and Nanosystems

Abstract: Cancer continues to be a challenging disease to diagnose early and treat, despite the many advances enabled since the establishment of the National Cancer Institute, which has seen well over $40B investment by the US federal government alone. To advance the science and technology for enabling better care and provide earlier diagnosis, our lab has focused on developing technologies that rely on both microelectromechanical (MEMS) technologies and microfluidics. In this talk, I will share our team's work in developing a unique impedance mapping system that can potentially allow real-time imaging of tissues to determine surgical margins. The impedance mapping system showed the need for rapid fluid analysis and allowed our creative team to consider developing microfluidic tools for potential point-of-care diagnostics through biomarker identification and use of liquid biopsies. I will close this talk by describing an emerging, blood-vessel-on-chip technology from our group that tackles the fundamental question in cancer biology for how tumors grow and how this technology can transcend disease boundaries and potentially be applied to pathologies beyond cancer.

Biography: Shaurya Prakash graduated with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007. Following his brief stint as an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, he joined the faculty in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State University in 2009. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). At Ohio State, he directs the Microsystems and Nanosystems Laboratory, where his team develops novel technologies for applications in healthcare for cancer, wound healing, and infectious disease; and in water purification. He is also a co-director for Ohio State's Infectious Diseases Institute focusing on Microbial Communities. Therefore, his group addresses fundamental scientific questions towards enabling new technologies that solve problems critical to modern societal needs. Prof. Prakash has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, holds multiple patents, and has authored a book titled, Nanofluidics and Microfluidics: Systems and Applications. He is an Associate Editor for Microfluidics and Nanofluidics and Scientific Reports, both part of the SpringerNature journal collection. His multi-disciplinary research is funded by diverse government and industry sponsors.

Monday, August 26th, 10:50am - 12:10pm

Dr. Diann Brei
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan

Presentation Title:Smart Technology Design in a Transformative World

Abstract: All around us our world is undergoing rapid transformative technological change, from energy to mobility to health sectors. To meet volatile needs, there is a growing demand for integrative thinking. Integrative thinking is systematically integrating disparate disciplines to effectively tackle complex engineering problems. For decades, the field of Smart Materials and Structures has fostered an integrative mindset – it is in our DNA. While emerging technologies based upon smart materials hold many benefits for industry, it has been a long journey to transition research advancements into real products. The field of smart materials and structures is viewed as "enabling" or "emerging" spanning either a) new markets where the products are first generation without a clear application and there is an absence of design models present so empirical developmental methods must be employed, or b) developing markets where there are a few guiding models/methods but the products are not optimized and not reaching their full commercial potential. Even though the fundamental science is present, the technology and industrial infrastructure is limited. Specifically, there are little workable design models and tools, engineering data related to material uniformity/reliability and the effect of environmental factors, and use history. Most importantly, the workforce is unfamiliar with the field and how to incorporate and utilize the distinct responses of smart materials to provide competitive products with unique properties. There needs to be a clearer path to transition all the progress made during the past twenty-five years of research into fruitful commercial products, especially within high-volume, low-cost markets. This talk will discuss these efforts from a technological design and development perspective with application examples from several industries such as 1) Medical industry with Liftware spoon to counteract hand tremor and FDA fast track MENDD treatment for bowel growth, and 2) Automotive industry with Soft Adaptive Structures for deployable interior and exterior features in autonomous vehicles. The importance of collaborative, synergistic mission-driven relationships spanning from basic research to device design into system integration will be highlighted as crucial for successful transition from emerging smart material research of today to competitive commercial products of tomorrow. Highlighting several integrative smart systems from the past to the future, this talk is designed to provoke a conversation within the community with the hopes to inspire the advocacy of integrative thinking beyond our field to empower solutions to the most pressing problems of today.

Biography: Dr. Diann Brei is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD (1993) in Mechanical Engineering and her BSE (1988) in Computer Systems Engineering (1988) from Arizona State University. She served at University of Michigan in the past as Chair of the Integrative Systems + Design Division, Mechanical Engineering Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education and as the Director of the Design Science Graduate Program. She was the co-director of the General Motors/University of Michigan Smart Materials and Structures Collaborative Research Laboratory (SMS CRL) for close to two decades with a range of projects focused on smart material maturity, product innovation utilizing smart materials, mechamatronic design tools leading teams of academic and industrial experts with thrust in Multi-functional Interactive Knits, NeuroTech, Multi-functional Active System Technologies and The Technology Incubator.

Her research is focused on the underling design science for device innovation using smart materials. Her smart material architectural models along with her multi-domain, multi-stage design methods have set the foundation for a successful translational research and development paradigm adopted by industries in the automotive, medical and aerospace sectors. This has led to transformative technological approaches for emerging products based upon smart materials and structures. She has written over 125 referred journal and conference publications. Apart from her publications, she has 29 patents, several with exclusive licenses. Dr. Brei who is an ASME Fellow and AIAA Associate Fellow, has been an active leader in the design and smart materials/structures community recognized by the ASME Machine Design Award, ASME Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Award, SPIE Lifetime Achievement Award SSM and the ASME Distinguished Service Award.

Tuesday, August 27th, 4:20pm - 6:00pm

Sunil K. Agrawal, Ph.D., Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine Columbia University

Keynote Title: Rehabilitation Robotics: Improving Everyday Human Functions

Abstract: Neural disorders, old age, and traumatic brain injury limit activities of daily living. Robotics can be used in novel ways to characterize human neuromuscular responses and retrain human functions. Columbia University Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory designs innovative mechanisms/robotics with these goals and performs scientific studies to improve human functions such as standing, walking, stairclimbing, trunk control, head turning, and others. Human experiments have targeted individuals with stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, ALS, and elderly subjects. The talk will provide an overview of these robotic technologies and scientific studies performed with them to demonstrate strong potential of rehabilitation robotics to improve human functions and quality of life of people.

Biography: Sunil Agrawal received a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1990. He is currently a Professor and Director of Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory at Columbia University, located both in engineering and medical campuses of the university. Dr. Agrawal has published more than 500 journal and conference papers, 19 U.S. patents, and 3 books. He is a Fellow of the ASME and AIMBE. His honors include a NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowship from the White House in 1994, a Bessel Prize from Germany in 2003, and a Humboldt US Senior Scientist Award in 2007. He is a recipient of 2016 Machine Design Award from ASME for “seminal contributions to design of robotic exoskeletons for gait training of stroke patients” and 2016 Mechanisms and Robotics Award from the ASME for “cumulative contributions and being an international leading figure in mechanical design and robotics”. He is a 2023 recipient of a Paintal Chair from Indian National Science Academy. He was a Plenary Speaker at the 2024 IEEE International Conference in Robotics and Automation in Yokohama. He has successfully directed 40+ PhD student theses and has received Best Paper awards in ASME and IEEE sponsored robotics conferences. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Wearable Technologies published by Cambridge University Press. He organized the IEEE BioRob 2020 conference in New York City and served as its conference chair.

More Info:
• Website
• Google Scholar Page

Tuesday, August 27th, 2:20pm - 4:00pm

Kaushik Jayaram
Assistant Professor, Robotics
Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Colorado Boulder

Presentation Title: Shape Morphing Insect-scale Origami Robots for Locomotion in Cluttered Terrain

Abstract: Animals such as mice, cockroaches and spiders have the remarkable ability to maneuver through challenging cluttered natural terrain and have been inspiration for adaptable legged robotic systems. Recent biological research further indicates that body reorientation along pathways of minimal energy is a key factor influencing such locomotion. We propose to extend this idea by hypothesizing that body compliance of soft bodied animals and robots might be an alternate yet effective locomotion strategy to squeeze through cluttered obstacles. We present some early results related to the above using Compliant Legged Autonomous Robotic Insect (CLARI), our novel, insect-scale, origami-based quadrupedal robot. While the distributed compliance of such soft-legged robots enables them to explore complex environments, their gait design, control, and motion planning is often challenging due to a large number of unactuated/underactuated degrees of freedom. Towards addressing this issue, we present a geometric motion planning framework for autonomous, closed kinematic chain articulated systems that is computationally effective and has a promising potential for onboard and real-time gait generation.

Biography: Dr. Kaushik Jayaram is presently an Assistant Professor in Robotics at the Paul M Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Previously, he was a post-doctoral scholar in Prof. Rob Wood's Microrobotics lab at Harvard University. He obtained his doctoral degree in Integrative Biology in 2015 from the University of California Berkeley mentored by Prof. Bob Full and undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2009, with interdisciplinary research experiences at the University of Bielefeld, Germany, and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Jayaram's research combines biology and robotics to, uncover the principles of robustness that make animals successful at locomotion in natural environments, and, in turn, inspire the design of the next generation of novel robots for effective real-world operation. His work has been published in a number of prestigious journals and gained significant popular media attention. Besides academic research, Dr. Jayaram’s group is actively involved in several outreach activities that strive toward achieving diversity, equity and inclusivity in STEM.

Inigo Sanz-Pena, PhD
Department of Mechanical Engineering
City College of New York CUNY

Presentation Title: Personalized Design in Wearable Assistive Devices through Additive Manufacturing

Abstract: Personalizing wearable assistive devices is essential to improve comfort and user acceptance of assistive technologies to fulfill the expected outcomes. Furthermore, the implementation of sensors required to control and monitor the assistance can affect the human-robot interface and increase the robot's payload, reducing the efficiency and diminishing the purpose of assistive devices. This talk focuses on the development of personalizing the mechanical design of wearable assistive robots and orthotics with embedded sensing capabilities for healthcare applications to increase biofeedback monitoring capabilities and improve the quality of life. The implementation of sensitive metamaterials in the components of biomechatronic devices is investigated using additive manufacturing and computational design using lattice structures to reduce the boundaries between mechanics and electronics.

Biography: Dr. Inigo Sanz-Pena is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The City College of New York CUNY. His research in biomimetic wearable assistive robots investigates embedded sensing using additive manufacturing and metamaterials, involving experimental gait biomechanics and computational design using lattice structures. Before joining CCNY, he held postdoctoral research appointments at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Imperial College London. He received his Ph.D. with from Universidad de La Rioja, Spain, in collaboration with New York University (NYU), and was a research associate at the NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital.

Debkalpa Goswami, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University

Presentation Title: Multimodal Implantable Soft Robotic Actuators for Enhanced Drug Delivery

Abstract: Soft robotics is an emerging sub-specialty of robotics that uses soft and/or compliant materials, instead of rigid links, for the design, control, and fabrication of actuators and robots. In contrast to rigid-bodied robots built from metals, ceramics and hard plastics, the compliance of soft robots makes them inherently safe when working in close contact with humans. The growing field of soft robotics provides an ideal opportunity for the development of implantable devices due to the constituent materials of these actuators possessing mechanical properties comparable to that of biological tissue. Soft robotic devices are pushing the boundaries of robotics in accomplishing tasks that are out of the reach of traditional rigid body systems.

Fibrous capsule formation, and its effect on molecular transport, can be detrimental to the long-term efficacy of implantable drug delivery devices, especially when precise spatial and temporal control is necessary for safe and effective therapy delivery. In this talk, I will describe an implantable soft robotic platform that can overcome the diffusional barrier of the fibrous capsule to achieve enhanced transport of small and macromolecular therapy using multiple synergistic strategies. Using this platform, small amplitude dynamic actuation applied to subcutaneous tissue in mice leads to a downstream functional effect: enhanced passive transport of insulin (a model macromolecule) and glycemic control. Furthermore, rapid actuation of the platform at the time of drug delivery can accelerate transport via convective fluid flow and overcome diffusional limitations caused by the fibrous capsule. This soft actuatable platform has potential clinical utility for mediating and overcoming the host fibrotic response, leading to enhanced delivery of drug therapy for a variety of indications, such as diabetes.

Biography: Debkalpa Goswami is an Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He also serves as the Director of Biomechanics of the Cleveland Clinic's Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center. Debkalpa received his Ph.D. from Purdue University and completed postdoctoral training in Medical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has held full-time research positions at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and the University of Bremen, Germany, before starting as a faculty at Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve in 2023. His research group combines soft robotics, 3D printing, biosensing tools, and computational modeling to build advanced physical and digital biomechanical models of disease.

Monday, August 26th, 4:10pm - 5:50pm

Join us to learn about the various career paths of professionals who work in the field applying principles of acoustics, sound, and vibrations (signal processing, cavitation, ultrasound, vibration mitigation to mechanical systems, etc.). They will share how they got to where they are today, their current research efforts, and discuss problems facing the worlds regarding acoustics, hearing health, and more!

This panel is intended for students, early career engineers, and those looking to learn more about industry practitioners and their day-to-day work. The panel will also discuss challenges that they currently face and the future of their fields.

Goal: Introduce students, ECEs, and other professionals to experiences and challenges faced by engineers working across various industries, all fundamentally related to acoustics and sound!

MODERATOR
Jackie Sharp
Mechatronics Section Supervisor
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Jackie Sharp is a current Mechatronics Section Supervisor at JHUAPL, working in the Research and Exploratory Development Department. She received a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering with a focus in photoacoustic devices. Jackie conducted research as a graduate student researcher developing a project Hearing for Health (known as LiDIA), which is a device that allows patients to both be tested for hearing loss and provides hearing amplification tools in real time. After graduating with an M.S., Jackie began her work as a mechanical design and analysis engineer at APL, working to design, build and test everything from software defined radio housings to robots to wearables.

PANELIST
Dr. Jingsen Ma
Vice President
DYNAFLOW

Dr. Jingsen Ma received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Xiangtan University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Process Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Science. During graduate school, Dr. Ma worked developing a macro-scale particle model to study particle clustering in suspension flows which integrated smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and other similar models for fluids, along with a discrete element model for solid particles. He continued as a postdoctoral research associate at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He began his work at DYNAFLOW, Inc., creating a multi-scale numerical framework for cavitating bubbly flows, by combining level set method for macro-scale gas/liquid interfaces and Lagrangian discrete bubble model for micro-scale dispersed bubbles, among other research. He is currently serving as VP of DYNAFLOW and is passionate about ultrasonic cavitation based medical technology research.

PANELIST
Dr. Cliston Cole
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Morgan State University

Dr. Cliston Cole received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Tuskegee University, and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is an Assistant Professor for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Morgan State University. His research interests include speech perception, cybersecurity, digital signal processing, secure communications, and artificial intelligence. His research focuses on improving network security in complex systems and networks. Dr. Cole brings a combined 15 years of experience in the defense industry, academia, technology companies, and US government agencies.

PANELIST
Dr. Stephanie Konarski
Acoustic Modeler
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Dr. Stephanie Konarski works as an acoustic modeler at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Her current work involves modeling and simulation for underwater acoustics applications. Prior to working at JHUAPL, she spent four years working at the US Naval Research Laboratory specializing in structural acoustics, acoustic and elastic metamaterials, and additive manufacturing. Dr. Konarski earned her PhD and Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and her Bachelors of Science in Applied Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology. Her graduate research was done at the Applied Research Laboratories at UT and focused on homogenization and acoustic propagation modeling of nonlinear, acoustic metamaterials.

Tuesday, August 27th, 9:20am - 10:40am

Jiong Tang
Pratt & Whitney Professor
School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering
University of Connecticut

Keynote Title:Engineering of Vibratory Systems Through Piezoelectric Circuitry: the 4th Dimension Exploration

Abstract: Piezoelectric transducers feature two-way electromechanical coupling that can seamless join the mechanical and electrical domains together. One can directly integrate circuitry elements to piezoelectric transducers embedded in the host structure to favorably alter the structural dynamic behaviors for control, sensing, and system identification purposes. In this talk, the concept of piezoelectric circuitry is briefly reviewed first, followed by illustrative examples in passive and active vibration controls in which the challenges and progresses of mechatronic design and synthesis schemes are highlighted. Subsequently, the utilization of piezoelectric circuitry for active interrogation of structural damage identification through impedance measurement is presented in detail, which features two fronts of explorations. From the algorithmic aspect, a multi-objective optimization framework is formulated that can adequately utilize the measurement information to facilitate diagnosis. From the measurement circuitry aspect, it is demonstrated that the tunability of the piezoelectric circuitry can effectively narrow down the search results of damage identification.

Biography: Jiong Tang is the Pratt & Whitney Professor in School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Connecticut. Dr. Tang's principal teaching and research interests are in the general areas of dynamics and vibrations, control, sensing and automation. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Applied Mechanics from Fudan University, China, in 1989 and 1992, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 2001. Prior to joining UConn in 2002, he worked in GE Research Center as a research engineer. Dr. Tang has studied a series of research subjects including smart materials, motion and vibration controls, sensing and signal processing, design optimization, computational intelligence, and modeling and analysis of multi-physics systems and processes. Dr. Tang's research has been supported extensively by federal agencies including NSF, DOD, NASA, DOT etc, and by industries.

Wednesday, August 28th, 8:00am - 9:40am

Dr. Serife Tol
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Keynote Title: Harnessing Structural Periodicity for Wave Control Toward Sensing, Harvesting, and Space Applications

Abstract: The study of structural periodicity in engineered materials, such as metamaterials, phononic crystals, and metasurfaces, has opened new frontiers in wave control. Our research group explores the fundamental principles and advanced techniques for harnessing structural periodicity to manipulate wave propagation for diverse applications in sensing, energy harvesting, and space technology. By leveraging the unique properties of these periodic structures, we demonstrate how they can be used to enhance ultrasonic sensing and nondestructive testing, improve the efficiency of energy harvesters, and develop innovative solutions for space applications. The first part of my talk will focus on gradient index phononic crystal (GRIN-PC) lenses conforming pipe-like structures. Conformal GRIN-PC lenses are designed by tailoring unit cell geometry according to a specific refractive index profile. We explore the focusing of multi-mode guided waves at the desired locations (i.e. sensor nodes) along the pipe structure to address the attenuation problem in long-range pipelines. Then, I will explain how we exploit the negative refraction property of phononic crystals for designing a super lens. Unlike GRIN-PC lenses, which have at least minimum wavelength resolution as their natural limit, negative refraction-based PC lenses can potentially overcome the diffraction limit, which is highly favorable in medical imaging or other applications requiring localized wave intensity in areas smaller than a square wavelength. The second part of my talk will deal with reconfigurable metasurfaces for full wavefront control with an emphasis on energy harvesting of low frequency elastic waves. We fully analyze and design the elastic metasurfaces by tailoring the phase gradient of individual unit structures for different wave functions and present theoretical findings along with experimental validation. The last part of my talk will highlight the potential of metamaterials in space applications, such as novel in-space manufacturable extended solar arrays and antennas with high precision and mass efficiency.

Biography: Dr. Serife Tol is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor. She earned her Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2017, following her M.S. (2012) and B.S. (2009) degrees from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey. Between 2009 and 2012, she worked as a Test and Analysis Engineer in the Defense Systems Technologies Business Sector at ASELSAN (Turkey, Ankara). Prior to her appointment at UM in 2018, she was a visiting scholar in the Civil and Materials Engineering Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Tol’s research interests centered around advanced smart materials and dynamical systems with a particular focus on phononic crystals, metamaterials, and metasurfaces. Her interdisciplinary research spans applications in energy harvesting, sensing, vibration mitigation, waveguiding, and space designs. She has developed a robust research program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Energy (DoE), and the Department of Defense Office of Naval Research (ONR). To date, Dr. Tol has successfully secured over $2.5 million in research funding for her program. She also received 2023 John F. Ullrich Education Excellence Award which recognizes sustained excellence in curricular development, instruction, and guidance at all levels, impacting the experience of undergraduate and graduate students.

Prof. Donald Margolis
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of California

Mr. Ken Leisenring
Chief Engineer, Powertrain Calibration
Ford Motor Company