2019 News Archive

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Our 2019 Story

From building tigers to dominating tennis courts and opening the AI Institute, 2019 has been a year to remember. Take a look back with us at the story of our year in the CEC.

Transforming the materials discovery process through AI

Using artificial intelligence and high-throughput screening, Jochen Lauterbach has identified and filed patents for three new ammonia decomposition catalysts in the past year. These patents reflect the most significant progress made researching this reaction in the past 30 years.

Travis Knight: Is There a Future for Nuclear Energy in America? The Ever-Changing Field and His Journey Through It

Travis Knight discusses his winding journey through the field of nuclear energy, what the future of nuclear looks like in America, and why he thinks it is important for the country's safety and well-being.

Kidane's research improves safety and efficiency of military equipment

Through a three-year grant from the United States Army, Addis Kidane is looking to decrease the weight and improve the safety of military equipment by researching shock mitigation and impact loading through optimized cellular materials.

A tiger built to burn

Building a wooden tiger just to burn it down days before the South Carolina - Clemson football game is nothing new. But, the look, feel and process of building this year's tiger is.

Amit Sheth: Should We Be Worried About Artificial Intelligence? The New AI Institute and Choosing Grad Students

Amit Sheth discusses what "turning big data into smart data" means, ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, and what he looks for in potential graduate students.

Donor Spotlight: How a vending machine inspired the next generation of philanthropy in the Schwartz family

Elmer Schwartz was so much more than just a favorite instructor among students. He had a passion for making sure all students could complete their dream of a college education.

CEC grad student receives national scholarship for nuclear research

Sobhan Patnaik received the American Nuclear Society's 2019 James F. Schumer Scholarship for his research on the cracking behavior of light water reactor fuel pellets under transient temperature conditions.

CEC welcomes six new faculty members

Meet our six new faculty members.

College of Engineering and Computing celebrates alumni accomplishments during Homecoming 2019

The College of Engineering and Computing welcomed back more than 200 alumni and friends during the first weekend of November to celebrate the past, embrace the future and reconnect with classmates.

From California to South Carolina: the growth of the 'Berkeley Mafia'

Through battery simulation methods he learned from his mentor and passed down to his students, Ralph White has created a family tree that includes members in the country's top universities and private companies.

Caicedo leads project to promote independent living in older adults

Juan Caicedo will lead a group of researchers studying how floor vibrations can be used in estimating gait parameters. The goal of this study is to remotely connect health professionals with older adults to help them live independently, for a longer period of time, using non-wearable technology.

Matolak working with NASA to improve aviation communications

David Matolak is leading a $4M research project for NASA designed to create safer and more efficient communications in aviation.

Banerjee receives structural health monitoring Person of the Year Award

Sourav Banerjee has received the Structural Health Monitoring Person of the Year Award from the Structural Health Monitoring international journal for his "outstanding" contributions to the field.

John Monnier: Working in Industry, Bimetallic Catalysts, and Researching Until He Dies

John Monnier discusses his time working in industry, his groundbreaking research in bimetallic catalysts that resulted from it, and what he plans to do for the rest of his life.

Alumni Spotlight: Kayla Kasprak

Kayla Kasprak stood in front of a packed room of more than 650 people during the 2019 Grace Hopper celebration presenting on a topic close to her heart, but little did she know that it would be a small meeting over nachos and wings that would mean the most to CEC students.

Alumni Spotlight: How Lisa Muzekari is breaking down barriers for female engineers

Lisa Muzekari is the first female shareholder in the 73-year history of Thomas & Hutton and was named one of the 2019 Women of Influence by the Columbia Business Report.

Top engineering researcher Zdeněk Bažant speaks to CEC students and faculty

Internationally acclaimed researcher Zdeněk P. Bažant spoke to the College of Engineering and Computing's students and faculty Tuesday about his theories regarding quasibrittle materials and failure probability of engineering structures.

Downey looks to lead 'new field' of real-time state estimation

When President Donald Trump signed executive order 13859, he opened the door for increased federal funding in the field of AI and made possible Austin Downey's first step into the emerging field of real-time state estimations.

Nicole Berge: Hydrothermal Carbonization, Working with Trash, and Making Energy from Waste

Nicole Berge discusses her research on hydrothermal carbonization, what it is like working with trash, and how waste can be used as an energy source.

Faculty mentorship leads Swiney to NASA

A phone call from Associate Professor Ramy Harik led Jackson Swiney to the NASA internship program, solidified his passion for the aerospace field and ensured his future plans to enter the field after he graduates this May.

Mike Sutton: Starting a Company, Digital Image Correlation, and the Power of Perseverance

Mike Sutton discusses starting the company Correlated Solutions, inventing digital image correlation, and the power of perseverance.

Bridge to Doctorate program at UofSC supports minorities in STEM

Twelve minority students will receive funding to participate in STEM-based doctoral degree programs at the University of South Carolina as part of a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Extra effort pushes UofSC students to victory at international competition

Thirty teams from countries and universities across the world had been accepted to eITT 2019. And while their ideas were innovative, exciting and complex, no other team had a working prototype to show their idea in action like the team from South Carolina.

Roger Dougal: The History of Our Energy Grid, The Argument for a DC Energy Renaissance, and Sailing

Roger Dougal discusses the energy grid in the United States, the case for changing to direct current energy, and his past as a ranked sailor in America.

UofSC researcher leads discussion on Science DMZs

Integrated Information Technology (IIT) Professor Jorge Crichigno is quickly becoming a leader in big data transfer technology as he leads discussion on Science Demilitarized Zones, or Science DMZs, at the University of South Carolina.

Centrifuge research helping strengthen SC infrastructure

After Hurricane Katrina first-hand in 2005, Inthuorn Sasanakul has devoted her research to preventing a similar disaster in South Carolina. With the use of a centrifuge and earthquake shaker, her research is making South Carolina's infrastructure capable of withstanding even the worst natural disasters.

Alumni Spotlight: Taking the leap, changing lives

Laura Boccanfuso describes her start-up, Van Robotics, as a leap of faith that challenged her and her family, but it was a passion for helping the most vulnerable of students that guaranteed she'd land comfortably on her feet.

Engineering professor believes in the power of nuclear energy

Travis Knight sees many benefits to nuclear energy, including a well-paying field for the graduates of his University of South Carolina nuclear energy program and an economic driver for the state.

Engineering Cocky's magic cart

While the tradition of Cocky's magic box stays the same, his cart has received a 21st century update. College of Engineering and Computing graduate student Dillon Lindsay, working with his senior design project team and the UofSC athletic department, helped create a motorized entrance for Cocky.

Ramy Harik: Composite Manufacturing, Automated Fiber Placement, and the Pressure of Excellence

Ramy Harik discusses the field of automated fiber placement, the pressure of being a leading researcher, and the opportunities provided to his students.

NSF grant will 'SPUR' academic success

The CEC has received nearly $1 million in funding through a grant from the National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Program (S-STEM). The grant will be used to implement programs that increase graduation rates of high-achieving, low-income students in undergraduate engineering and computing degree programs.

Students graduate from 'McNAIR Junior Fellows' undergraduate research program

With more than 6,000 research hours under their belt, 22 University of South Carolina engineering students became McNAIR Junior Fellows (MJF) this summer. The group represents the top undergraduate students in the College of Engineering and Computing, nearly one-third of which are women.

Haerens pushes beyond the classroom barrier

A traditional engineering student can be pictured around academics and research. Nicholas Haerens isn't that student. From orientation to study abroad to researching building vibrations as a 2018 Magellan Scholar, he has done it all outside the classroom.

UofSC forms a university-wide institute of Artificial Intelligence

The University of South Carolina is launching a new artificial intelligence (AI) institute that will leverage the comprehensive nature of the university to advance state-of-the-art AI applications in many fields

Promoting cyber security research

The University of South Carolina College of Engineering and Computing and the Medical University of South Carolina hosted the 33rd annual IFIP WG 11.3 Conference on Data and Applications Security and Privacy, known as DBSec 2019, at the Mills House in Charleston, SC July 15-17, 2019.

Student creates custom 3D printed drone through MJF Program

You can 3D print anything, even a drone. That's exactly what senior mechanical engineering student Andrew Re did. Over the past several months, senior mechanical engineering student Andrew Re created a custom research drone.

Austin Downey wins SCoer grant for 2019

The $500 grant will allow Downey to incorporate open educational resources into his classroom and explore innovative new pedagogical practices, saving his students significant sums of money.

Addis Kidane is heading home

As a Fulbright Scholar, Addis Kidane and his family are headed to Ethiopia to continue his research on composite materials.

Episode 2. Ben Schooley: Foster Care Apps, Helping Cancer Survivors Through Alexa, and Data Security

Ben Schooley discusses the effect his innovative apps will have on South Carolina's foster system, elderly cancer survivors, and the field of health care.

Forged through fire and smoke

CEC Young Alumni Board member Olga Agafonova has launched two apps and her career from the skills she learned as a computer science student.

Batteries, Emissions, and the Solution to Your Phone Battery Troubles

Innovation on Main's host Abe Danaher is joined by UofSC chemical engineering Professor Bill Mustain to talk about the future of batteries.

MHIT program works to help high school athletes and families across South Carolina

Students in the MHIT program are getting hands-on experience by working on projects that directly impact South Carolina citizens. Along with these benefits that the program is bringing to the local community, it is also preparing its students for future jobs in the booming healthcare industry.

Introducing the Innovation on Main podcast

The UofSC College of Engineering and Computing is bringing their most innovative thinkers, accomplished leaders, and brightest ideas straight to your ears. Starting this July, the college is sponsoring your soon-to-be favorite outlet for everything engineering and computing. Welcome to the start of the Innovation on Main podcast - we hope you enjoy!

Weidner to receive prestigious mid-career award

John Weidner, the chair of the University of South Carolina's chemical engineering department, will receive the Carl Wagner Memorial Award from The Electrochemical Society in Atlanta this fall.

2019 Breakthrough Award Winners

Three CEC faculty members were named 2019 Breakthrough Award Winners. Read more about their research.

Innovation Think Tank team headed to Germany

Kevin Gagnon, Jack Gabel and Meredith Noble will be presenting their idea for a stroke identification app at the Siemens Healthineers Innovation Think Tank's annual external exhibition.

A successful year in the books

Pooyan Jamshidi's first year at UofSC went exactly according to plan. He developed a machine learning systems course from scratch and redesigned an artificial intelligence course. Now, in his second year, he is excited to see how his expertise can help disciplines across campus.

One on one advising leads Uline to win 2019 Ada B. Thomas Award

Back in 2013, Mark Uline helped propose a new system of block advisement, which gave students the opportunity to be advised by a faculty member of their choice. This led to him receiving the 2019 Ada B. Thomas Award.

Adventures with Andrew #1: A brief introduction

This summer, our communications team will be following McNair Junior Fellow Andrew Anderson as he progresses through his research on carbon fiber thermo plastics. In this first edition, we acquaint you with Andrew's interests, goals and dreams.

Students take Maymester to Thailand

Led by Chemical Engineering Research Professor Sirivatch Shimpalee, students enrolled in ENCP 460 traveled across Thailand and learned about sustainability development in the country. Throughout their two weeks there, students were also immersed in Thailand's history and culture.

A lighthouse in the night

Melissa Moss' path to becoming the director of the biomedical engineering program was anything but usual. But, now that she has reached this precipice of success and found herself in a position of influence, Moss feels a responsibility to help young girls who, like her, realize they have a passion for math and science.

Senior Capstone Project Spotlight: Pathfinder

Electrical engineering students have developed technology to help people who are visually impaired and workers in low visibility environments as part of their Senior Capstone Design Project.

UofSC and Clemson team-up with SCDOT for more efficient bridge assessments

Paul Ziehl, the associate dean for research at the University of South Carolina College of Engineering and Computing, is the principal investigator on a research project that is using drones and robots to help identify a more efficient, cost-effective method to assist the South Carolina Department of Transportation in assessing the state's 9,401 bridges.

Senior Capstone Design Project Spotlight: Curiosity makes a move at South Carolina State Museum

Senior Capstone Design Team "Martians" designed and created an interactive 1:8 scale model of the Curiosity Mars Rover that will become part of an exhibit at the South Carolina State Museum opening on May 25.

Plastic and pollution beware

Through his research on underwater robots and autonomous boats called jetyaks, Ioannis Rekleitis sees a way to improve water quality and create more resilient coral reefs.

McNair Junior Fellows Research Program begins

As the orientation meeting for the McNair Junior Fellows Research Program began, Ramy Harik whipped a whiteboard marker out of his pocket, scribbled on the table beside him, and exclaimed - to much laughter - that this was his favorite part of the classroom. No, he is not an aspiring artist. But with that doodle and the comradery it sparked, Harik set the tone for what he hopes will be a supportive community of researchers for the rest of the summer.

2019 ASPIRE Grants awarded to CEC researchers

Thirteen CEC faculty members are among those awarded grants through ASPIRE, the signature competitive internal grant program of the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Mir receives UofSC 2019 Outstanding Thesis Award

Fariha Mir, a doctoral student in the College of Engineering and Computing, received the University of South Carolina's 2019 Outstanding Thesis Award for her master's thesis on acoustic noise filtering and energy harvesting using acousto-elastic metamaterials.

Ingrid Martins finds support and fans in ITT faculty

Ingrid Martins is the No. 4 ranked women's singles tennis player in the country and the UofSC program's first SEC Player of the Year. But it was the support she received from integrated information technology faculty in the College of Engineering and Computing that helped make this success on the court possible.

Tech Spotlight: Roadmap to a less congested information highway

Jorge Crichigno's research shows that like interstates that allow cars to bypass cities and avoid stoplights, the need is growing for scientists to share and transfer data - sometimes petabytes of it - to other scientists without being slowed down by routine cyber traffic. This is the basis for a Science DMZ.

3, 2, 1... GO!

Sam Dauchert stood in front of five teams and a hoard of onlookers as a garnet and black race track snaked around his legs and circled the packed room. Dauchert, a doctoral student and the class' instructor, raised his hands high, motioning three times for the room to quiet down. As raucous laughter shrunk to whispers, he laid out the rules for this year's annual top gun car race

4 Biomedical Engineering alumni receive NSF GRFP awards

The College of Engineering and Computing has four biomedical engineering spring 2018 graduates selected to the National Science Foundation's 2019 Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The students - Heather Struckman, Shrusti Patel, Colman Moore and Samantha Stewart - are among 2,050 graduate students from institutions across the U.S. awarded for their research excellence.

Mulliken gives life as a Be The Match donor

Entering the second semester of junior year, most students are focused on grades, internships, future careers, or some combination of the three. But for Josh Mulliken, a computer information systems major in the CEC, his main focus was saving a life.

15 students win Outstanding Senior Awards

The College of Engineering and Computing recognized 15 undergraduate seniors with Outstanding Senior Awards. The award recipients were recommended by faculty members and selected based on their academic excellence, undergraduate research participation and active involvement in the college or university community.

UofSC opens Innovation Think Tank Lab in partnership with Siemens Healthineers

The University of South Carolina opened its Innovation Think Tank Lab in downtown Columbia in collaboration with Siemens Healthineers. The space will be an innovation hub where participants including researchers, faculty members, and students can think outside the box to solve issues in healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, and information technology.

The light at the end of the tunnel

Ehsan Jabbarzadeh can see where the future of engineering will be, and it's exactly where his interests lie: the mesh point between science and business. Through the entrepreneurial engineering master's program he began, he hopes the CEC's students can learn this, too.

Soccer balls, new beds and teamwork: How EWB's trip to Ecuador was about more than just water

UofSC's Engineers Without Borders worked for 10 days repairing pipes that supplied a small village in Ecuador with its drinking water. But it was the relationship that the volunteers built with the community that EWB's members will remember best.

O'Kane receives 2019 Distinguished Research Service Award

Jason O'Kane, a professor in the College of Engineering and Computing and the director of the Center for Computational Robotics, received the Office of Research's 2019 Distinguished Research Service Award for his continued service to UofSC as a reviewer of research.

Tiny pore, huge impact

With a two-year $250,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Chang Liu is assembling a research team of four graduate and post-doc students to create and miniaturize a test that can detect TB antigens in the blood using nanopore technology.

Rub-a-dub-dub, robots in the tub

Rubber ducks tumbled like a tidal wave in a bathtub. But, in the College of Engineering and Computing Wednesday afternoon, there was no water, there were no bathtubs, and there were no humans moving the little ducks. Instead, as part of the college's VEX event, it was robots who moved these ducks around as middle-schoolers from across the state displayed their engineering potential.

Professor Gatzke receives 2019 Garnet Apple Award

Just before Ed Gatzke had the chance to begin his modeling and simulation of biomedical systems class Wednesday morning, he was surprised with balloons and one of the University of South Carolina's most prestigious awards - the Garnet Apple Award for teaching innovation.

Filling the technology, innovation gap

The University of South Carolina has created a master's degree in technology innovation and entrepreneurial engineering that is a collaboration between the College of Engineering and Computing and the Darla Moore School of Business.

K-12 students invited to Engineers Week Open House

To kick off Engineers Week (E-Week), the CEC is opening its doors for a one-day open house event geared toward kindergarten through 12th grade students on Feb. 16.

College of Engineering and Computing