Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ENGINEERING
University of Arizona College of Engineering Progress Report 2011
ARIZONA
R E S E A R C H P O R T F O L I O , P H I L O S O P H Y, E D U C A T I O N
Research Portfolio
The Colleges 120 faculty members conduct research in four general areas that reflect the strategic needs of Arizona and the world: sustainability; biomedical; aerospace, defense and autonomous systems; and signals, sensors and systems. Our research portfolio includes more than 100 funded projects, and research expenditures have increased during the past five years. In fiscal year 2010 we had expenditures of more than $25 million and awards of more than $33 million. We support more than 200 graduate research assistants and have hundreds of undergraduates and high school interns in our laboratories. Involving students in research is a key part of our recruiting strategy and a strength
2
PROGRESS REPORT 2011 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
of the College. By any measure, the research future of the College is extremely bright.
Research Philosophy
We have transformed our research philosophy during the last three years and it is now a key part of the Colleges new strategic plan. We continue to strive to solve important problems relative to our region and to the nation, but as problems become more difficult they invariably require engineering ideas from different disciplines. It is imperative, therefore, that we attack with a broad array of skills and talent. Compared to a decade ago, we now have far more team research projects and multiinvestigator, large-dollar programs. To support our faculty in this change,
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
The hardest part of producing this progress report was deciding which projects to include. We decided to emphasize the idea of progress and highlight our newest faculty members, our newest funded projects, and projects that go to the heart of our four research areas. In this report you will see faculty of all ranks, but in all cases you will see research that is critical to improving the quality of life. From solving water and energy issues to ensure sustainable long-term growth in the Southwest, to understanding cell organization so we can determine how tissue grows and is repaired, to expanding our horizons in space travel, to detecting and correcting errors in data storage and communication we work on important problems. Jeff Goldberg
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
This program gives graduate students a greater understanding of their own work, and improves their teaching abilities while sparking kids interest in engineering. The idea is for graduate students to invigorate the junior high and high school curricula by bringing their research related to water and energy engineered systems directly to the classroom, Ogden said.
BIO5 Institute
Several of these chemicals have been linked to abnormalities in fish and there is growing concern about the implications for public health. In waterscarce regions of the world, including Arizona, water reuse is essential for sustainability, and Snyders research is recognized as a critical component of water reuse projects. Snyders research on emerging contaminants and sustainable engineered systems for water reuse will play an important role in the planning and design of sustainable cities. Considering the far reaching consequences of climate change and burgeoning human pollution and urban density, the demand for clean, sustainable water will continue to escalate, Snyder said.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PROGRESS REPORT 2011
Snyders research focus is on the fate, transport, and treatment of what are known as emerging contaminants, such as endocrine-disrupting compounds, perchlorate, nanoparticles, and pharmaceuticals.
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
line. They are, he said, economic cost, environmental cost which includes energy consumption and greenhouse gas production and social costs, or social acceptability. The research group will work with the City of Tucson, Pima County and Global Water, a private water provider. Lanseys model proposes decentralized, distributed water treatment plants to ameliorate the prodigious amount of energy required, and greenhouse gases emitted, to move the vast volumes of water around the city between consumers and treatment plants. Lanseys group will look at where to locate these decentralized plants, and investigate how to make such systems reliable, and how to ensure that the water being served is of the appropriate quality. Were going to show whats cost effective at what scale, Lansey said.
Treatment for High-growth Water-scarce Regions which will ultimately produce a computer model for water managers who are grappling with the problem of using less energy while meeting increased demand for water. Lansey defines the research project has having three goals, or three costs, what he describes as a triple bottom
sensing observations. Sorooshians recent work has explored the effects of ocean ecology on maritime clouds and has shown which regions of the planet may be most susceptible to suppression of rainfall as a result of aerosol pollution. These aerosols, which influence critical environmental parameters such as visibility, remain poorly understood owing to their complex nature, measurement limitations and the difficulty in untangling aerosol effects from meteorology, Sorooshian said.
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Sorooshian is one of only 17 scientists chosen nationally by the Office of Naval Research to receive a Young Investigators Program grant. He is using the grant to design and build instrumentation to measure interactions between atmospheric water and aerosols.
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
health effects on underground miners of biodiesel emissions; investigating airborne dust on the Navajo Nation; creating gaming simulations for mine safety training; developing fiber optic real-time sensing technologies for rock stress and air quality parameters in underground mines; and building data warehouses on sustainability metrics and social impacts of mining.
drainage using sulfate-reducing bacteria that generate sulfides to precipitate heavy metals with the potential for reuse. His team is researching the treatment of uranium in groundwater based on the biological reduction of soluble hexavalent uranium to insolubleminerals. Fields group has also discovered how to harness bacteria to oxidize toxic arsenic in situ in groundwater to immobile forms without relying on oxygen, which is difficult to supply to the subsurface. New areas of funded research include toxicity and environmental fate of engineered nanomaterials, and the Department of Defense announced recently that it is planning to award $1 million to Fields team to explore the biodegradation of new explosivematerials.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PROGRESS REPORT 2011
as acid mine drainage, and uranium and arsenic pollution. He is developing passive (low management, low cost) treatment systems for treating acid mine
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Professor Jennifer Barton is also assistant director of the BIO5 Institute, chair of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, and a member of the Arizona Cancer Center
working under a $2.4 million NIH grant to use novel holographic techniques to assess ovarian health. The advantage of holography is that it can be used to simultaneously image multiple depths, leading to shorter imaging times and fewer artifacts from breathing and surgeon movement.
conventional surgery. The test bed developed by Rozenblit and his team uses sensor-based tracking to collect and aggregate data about laparoscopic instruments and how they are being used. Effective training and assessment of surgical skills are essential if the dangers of laparoscopies are to be avoided. Experienced surgeons currently conduct training and assessment, but using fuzzy logic to emulate clinical judgment, Rozenblit and his team are developing a computer model that measures and scores laparoscopic skills more consistently. A second manipulator under construction will evaluate bilateral surgical instrumentation, and evaluate suturing skills of project participants, from novices to experts.
manipulator for computer-assisted surgical training and performance measurement of laparoscopies. In this type of procedure, surgeons do not get the same visual and tactile feedback they rely on when conducting
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Cardiovascular Research Program in the UA College of Medicine. We are studying biological processes related to muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy, Wong said. We are also exploring neurodegeneration. Wongs research project is seeking the answer to a crucial question in tissue regeneration: How do the cells of a tissue know how to organize into structures that are much bigger thanthemselves? This project will investigate the fundamental rules of cells that collectively drive complex tissue architectures, Wong said. His research will look at how individual cells know what they are supposed to do without a central coordinator or a blueprint. We aim to study, understand, and control how nature builds complex tissue, he said.
stimulating damaged tissues to repair themselves, or replacing them with engineered tissues when the body cannot heal itself, Wong said. We will be able to explore extremely challenging research problems that may produce important medical advances. Wong is working with professor Carol Gregorio, director of the Molecular
pulses are fired into biological tissue. Some of the delivered energy is absorbed and converted into heat, leading to transient thermoelastic expansion and thus wideband ultrasonic emission. Transducers then detect the ultrasonic waves, which are used to form images.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PROGRESS REPORT 2011
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
inside the tubules, and the metallization process starts there. By properly timing the copper salt cycle, copper forms only inside the microtubules, resulting in tiny insulated wires. One of the key breakthroughs was finding a biologically benign deposition process that wouldnt harm microtubule function or structure. This process was developed by professor Srini Raghavan and his students in the department of materials science and engineering. In addition to their use in connecting molecule-size circuit elements, microtubule-based nanowires might be used to extract current from solar cells that mimic photosynthesis, Deymier said. These plant-like photo cells include light-sensitive plant proteins that capture photons and produce electrons. Nanowires could be used to channel these electrons to the outside world.
proteins called microtubules. The key component of this patent is the ability to deposit copper inside the nonconducting microtubules to make tiny insulated wires. The key is to metalize the inside of the microtubules before the outside, Deymier said. Histidine, which has a strong affinity for copper, forms naturally
detects the stiffness and, therefore, infers the intraocular pressure. In addition to screening for glaucoma, which can lead to blindness if left untreated, the device corrects some problems with the current procedure, and can be used to measure drainage of intraocular fluid. Eye pressure varies over a 24-hour cycle, Enikov said. So it could be low at the doctors office and three hours later it might be high. With only a single test, the doctor might miss the problem. Having the ability to take more frequent
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Professor Eniko Enikov is director of the Advanced Micro and Nanosystems Laboratory
tests can lead to earlier detection in some cases. Current glaucoma tests dont work on some patients. If a patient had cataract surgery ... the cornea sometimes thickens, Enikov said. The corneas structure is different but our test remains accurate because its applied to the entire eyeball.
A E R O S PA C E , D E F E N S E , A U T O N O M O U S S Y S T E M S
protection, so Corral is investigating the oxidation of multilayer and composite ceramic coatings. Corral uses thermal analysis equipment and a thermal test facility that can duplicate hypersonic flight heat-flux environments, which enable her to study the oxidation kinetics and thermal shock of her coatings.
the billion-dollar Osiris-Rex mission to launch in 2016 and bring back a pristine asteroid sample in 2023. Myriad onboard systems plus structural and communications needs all translate into a space missions delta-V budget, and Furfaro and his team construct what-if simulations to optimize mission
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
plans and spacecraft designs, and search for the most efficient trajectory that uses the least propellant to reach the target planet or asteroid. Furfaro, in conjunction with Raytheon Missile Systems, is refining a tool to calculate delta-V called the Mission Design Trajectory Optimization Program, which analyzes complex one-way and round-trip missions that include gravity assists, deep space maneuvers, extended stays at intermediate bodies, orbit insertions and escapes, and asteroid landings. Furfaro is also part of UAs Lunar Greenhouse Project, which aims to support astronauts by growing food while providing fresh water and oxygen, and he is working with Moon Express, a group of private investors and scientists who plan to send a lander to the moon in 2014.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PROGRESS REPORT 2011
A E R O S PA C E , D E F E N S E , A U T O N O M O U S S Y S T E M S
during the past 20 years or so. As a result, theoretical tools for analysis, design, and simulation of hybrid control systems are in the early stages of development. We are developing a toolbox for simulation of such systems, to make them more designer- and user-friendly, he said. We hope that this toolbox will eventually become part of a commercial simulation product.
can go virtually unnoticed. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research is funding Shkarayevs research into the aerodynamic design of an MAV capable of aggressive vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). The aerodynamics
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
of fixed-wing VTOL MAVs, which use contra-rotating motors and propellers, are complex, and much of Shkarayevs research focuses on rapid pitching, the swift transition between hovering and level flight modes. He has conducted extensive wind-tunnel aerodynamic research aimed at improving autonomous execution of rapid-pitching maneuvers, and has built and flown fully autonomous VTOL MAVs. With a wingspan of only 10 inches, the speed of Shkarayevs MAVs ranges from 0 (hover) to 30 mph. The aircraft can transition from hover to high-speed level flight in one second. Historically, pilot discomfort has been a barrier to development of these aircraft, Shkarayev said. This makes MAVs an attractive technical solution.
A E R O S PA C E , D E F E N S E , A U T O N O M O U S S Y S T E M S
At the fundamental level, Fasels research focuses on how fluid dynamics phenomena influence the efficiency and safety of vehicles in the air, on land, or under water. His research in computational fluid dynamics requires massive computer simulations that are only possible with the nations most powerful supercomputers at the
Department of Defense, NASA and Department of Energy. These agencies annually provide Fasel millions of hours of computing time to conduct his research. Fasel validates the computer simulations with measurements obtained in wind tunnel, water tunnel and free flight experiments. One of Fasels specialties is studying laminar-turbulent transition, which has a profound effect on the safety and performance of space flight vehicles. This research may lead to innovative separation and transition control concepts that could result in vehicles that can travel faster and farther at reduced cost. His research is funded by AFOSR, ONR, NASA and NSF. His interest in fluid dynamics and sustainable engineering underpins his recent research into solar chimney power plants, horizontal axis wind turbines, and tidal power plants.
want to investigate certain situations and environments, and then learn from those investigations so they can make increasingly smarter choices about where to go and what to investigate next. We have rovers, boats, and soon blimps on the UA campus ready to test, said Fink.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PROGRESS REPORT 2011
11
in many communications standards. A new decoding algorithm for LDPC codes recently developed at UA by Vasi has led to industry licensing the technology, and patents are pending to meet the growing demand for it. The belief propagation algorithm used to interpret current error-correction codes is prone to abrupt drops in performance. Vasi describes it as
arguably one of the most important problems in coding theory, and has discovered how to do error correction that outperforms and is simpler than belief propagation. The development of these new algorithms has taken years of research using new theoretical tools. Vasi said his discovery opens up a plethora of beautiful theoretical problems. The National Science Foundation agrees, and is funding this and other research. Vasics more recent work includes development of error-correction systems for nano-scale fault-tolerant memories. He has demonstrated that efficient error control is possible even if error correction decoders are made of faulty components that make errors in other words, if the device responsible for correcting errors, in the process of correction, makes errors.
Molecular Engineering
Linda Powers research spans starving plague bacteria, growing stem cells, and catching transient optical data.
Adipose tissue is a valuable source of stem cells for regenerative medicine, but purifying therapeutic quantities of stem cells requires costly antibodies. Instead of antibodies, Powers, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is using small molecules tethered to magnetic beads for affinity purification of stem cells, stripping away the endothelial cells and fibroblasts that can cause undesirable mechanical tissue properties. Pathogenic bacteria, such as plaguecausing Yersinia pestis, get nutritional
12
PROGRESS REPORT 2011 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
iron from their hosts, so Powers is developing molecules that block iron uptake by Y. pestis. This work constitutes a radically different approach to the development of antibacterial drugs, Powers said. Starve the bacterial cells by iron deprivation. There is no method to sequentially collect time-resolved fluorescence measurements in real time upon excitation by a single pulse, which makes it difficult to collect fluorescence data on transient or unstable processes. Powers answer is to capture
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
photons in a photomultiplier tube and convert the signal to an electrical current. This system uses a very high speed operational amplifier, high speed analogto-digital converter, field programmable gate array, and a high speed digital signal processor, Powers said.
Professor Richard Ziolkowski is the Litton Industries John M. Leonis Distinguished Professor
Ziolkowski said. Now weve made predictions that we also can potentially create those electrically small antennas with a wide frequency bandwidth. That would break through a barrier thats existed since the 1880s when Heinrich Hertz transmitted his first radio signals, and would shrink communications systems to sizes that seemed unimaginable only a few years ago.
experiments conducted in virtual reality environments, including evacuation behavior during a terrorist bomb attack, pedestrian behavior in a shopping mall, evacuation behavior in a factory fire, and error detection and resolution in a complex manufacturing facility. The human behavior observed during a simulated bomb attack allows law enforcement and homeland security personnel to conduct what-if analyses of evacuation management decisions, such as where to deploy troops or officers and whether to guide or restrict crowd movement, and to determine evacuation times and potential casualties. Sons simulator also allows factory designers to conduct what-if analyses that optimize factory layouts for productivity, safety and security.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PROGRESS REPORT 2011
Sons group has developed a belief-desireintention framework that integrates behavioral models from engineering, psychology and economics. The framework derives its realism by reverseengineering actual human behavior in
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
13
This approach involves performing certain sensor processing optically, before electronic sampling, rather than via standard post-processing of the sampled data. Doing so results in sensor systems with revolutionary performance and physical characteristics, Gehm said. Recently, LENS has started a second research thrust into the rapid fabrication of volumetric terahertz optical components. The lab is equipped with a rapid-prototyping machine that can be used to easily fabricate complicated optical components that are either impossible or extremely expensive to acquire by traditional methods. We are investigating how this technology can be modified and expanded to increase the range of possible components, Gehm said.
large imaging arrays, and adaptive spectroscopy for rapid chemical detection. As the name suggests, the primary research activity in LENS is the invention, design, construction, and testing of novel optical sensor systems. Our efforts can best be described as computational sensing, Gehm said.
L. Schrader
Biomedical Engineering
HEAD:
All contents 2011 Arizona Board of Regents. All rights reserved. The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University prohibits discrimination in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation and is committed to maintaining an environment free from sexual harassment and retaliation. Produced by UA College of Engineering Communications, PO Box 210072, Tucson, AZ 85721-0072. Telephone: 520.621.3754. Email: pnb@email.arizona.edu.
14
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
need to spend on budgetary issues or institutional requirements, a stronger emphasis can be placed on technical aspects of the proposal. The College has also initiated a formal process open to all faculty for building concerted, sustained efforts that span UA colleges and other universities. The Engineering Forums and Research Initiatives (Arizona) or EFRI-A process is modeled after internal NSF procedures that have led to significant increases in funding at the federal level. In 2010-2011, more than 90 percent of the faculty participated in 12 EFRI-A forums. These teams are now competing at the national level for major research centers, and several groups have received awards of more than $1million within the past year.
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
15
AEROSPACE BIOMEDICAL BIOSYSTEMS CHEMICAL CIVIL COMPUTER ELECTRICAL ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT MATERIALS MECHANICAL MINING OPTICAL SYSTEMS
www. e ng i n e e ri n g .a ri z o n a .e d u