Stevens Institute of Technology is happy to announce the launching of their new Inventiveness, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Blog! As a part of the Research Enterprise website, ICE blog will highlight innovative research and educational opportunities within the University.

The goal of ICE blog is to provide an in-depth look at some of the unique research being done by our faculty, complete with media, professor and student insights. Many of the research projects that our faculty study are on the leading edge of technology innovation; our students are surrounded by incredible learning opportunities and gain critical experience for a successful career.

The first submission in the ICE blog will focus on Tissue Engineering. Led by Professors Xiaojun Yu and Hongjun Wang, the application of nanotechnology to improve upon biomedical implants (scaffolds) that function as a bridge upon which new cells can grow in the case of trauma, skin grafting, bone and nerve regeneration, will dramatically reduce patient recovery times. With global reach that includes the potential to reduce health care costs while improving care, Tissue Engineering is a hot topic, and Stevens researchers are on the forefront of development.

We will be featuring a new research topic periodically, so be sure to visit us, and check back soon for the next installment of ICE blog!

For more information please contact:

Doug Fabrizio
Web Content Manager
Edwin A. Stevens Hall
Room 413
Phone: 201.216.8910
Fax: 201.216.8909

dfabrizi@stevens.edu

Professor Henry Du, Director of the Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Department at Stevens Institute of Technology has received a significant NSF grant for his research entitled “Core-to-Cladding-to-Core Mode Coupling and Recoupling in Photonic Crystal Fiber with Long Period Gratings for Resonance Laser Absorption Spectroscopy.” Working with Dr. Dennis Trevor of OFS Laboratories in Somerset, NJ, this project holds the promise of radically changing conventional fiber optic-based sensing approaches with significantly improved sensitivity at reduced system complexity and cost.

This research will provide a foundation for the practical manipulation of novel fiber-optic sensing schemes. The potential impact is enormous, and successful completion could usher in a new sensing paradigm that fundamentally transforms the conventional fiber-optic evanescent field sensing approach.

This project will serve as an excellent opportunity for the training of doctoral students, provide valuable experiences for high school teachers and students in a frontier research area, and thanks to the university-industry partnership under NSF’s Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI), the research to market transfer utilization period is greatly enhanced.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Henry Du
Professor & Director
McLean Building
Room 103A
Phone: 201.216.5262
Fax: 201.216.8306

hdu@stevens.edu

Professor Matthew Libera, of the Chemical Engineering & Materials Science department, and his team at Stevens have received significant NSF funding for the application of a cryo-scanning electron microscope (SEM) to measure soft-materials morphology at high spatial resolution.

SEMs enable the study of material surfaces between 20 to 500,000 times magnifications, and provide innovative features to overcome the problems of specimen charging and chemical damage.

State-of-the-art SEMs at Stevens will enable researchers to measure soft-materials morphology and make important new discoveries ranging from new ways to deliver drugs, make hip and knee implants more infection resistant, to helping heal major bone fractures. There are already over ten projects at Stevens which will benefit from the acquisition of this new technology.

“This new MRI grant affirms the continuing support of the NSF for the excellent work of Prof. Libera and his colleagues. The state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope to be purchased with the support will greatly enhance our research capabilities cutting cross many disciplines on campus.” Professor Henry Du, Director Chemical Engineering & Materials Science.

In addition to serving the Stevens research community, the new SEM will provide opportunities for outreach and education through the collaborative activities with the Stevens Center for Innovative Engineering and Science Education and the Project SEED program of the American Chemical Society. Housed in a central user facility with a history of successful multidisciplinary training, this is assured to be an excellent way to educate the community and create interest in Science and Engineering disciplines.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Matthew Libera
Professor
Burchard Building
Room B-010
Phone: 201.216.5259
Fax: 201.216.8306

mlibera@stevens.edu

At the November Forum sponsored by Shell Global Solutions, Inc. for the American Institute for Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting, Dr. Dilhan Kalyon will receive the 2008 Thomas Baron Award in fluid/particle systems.

This award recognizes an individual's outstanding scientific/technical accomplishment which has made a significant impact in the field of fluid-particle systems or in a related field with potential for cross-fertilization. Selection criteria include:

1. An outstanding contribution advancing fluid-particle systems, or a related field.
2. The awardee is invited to deliver a Plenary Lecture at an AIChE Annual Meeting session.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Dilhan Kalyon
Institute Professor & Director of Highly Filled Materials Institute
McLean Building
Room 401
Phone: 201.216.8225
dkalyon@stevens.edu

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) picked six to study biomass conversion technology and awarded Stevens Institute of Technology with a $1 million grant to support research and development into biomass conversion technologies. The grant was one of six awarded by the DoE to various higher-education institutions to develop their advanced biofuels projects. In total, the DOE will invest up to $4.4 million in these university projects for their research into how non-food feedstocks can be transformed into advanced biofuels.

The universities are required to invest an additional 20% of their own funding, which brings the entire investment into these six projects to $5.7 million. Stevens will receive its $1 million over the course of three years. The project will be led and executed by the New Jersey Center for MicroChemical Systems (NJCMCS) in partnership with BASF Catalysts LLC.

Professor Adeniyi Lawal's research project, Dual Layer Monolith ATR of Pyrolysis Oil for Distributed Synthesis Gas Production, plans to evaluate and demonstrate a novel microchannel reactor to reform pyrolysis oil into synthesis gas. The project intends to use the reactor and precisely controlled operating conditions to produce a high yield of synthesis gas using reduced energy.

For more information please contact:

Professor Adeniyi Lawal
Professor and Program Director
Burchard
Room 427
Phone: 201.216.8241
Fax: 201.216.8306

alawal@stevens.edu