Casey Bate: Next generation castings – Integrating 3D sand-printing for revamping Pennsylvania foundries

PI: Guha Manogharan, Penn State University

Casey Bate completed his bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering in May 2017, graduating magna cum laude from Rowan University with honors. Bate has been with the SHAPE Lab since December of 2017, and is focusing his research on the area of 3D sand-printed molds for metal casting applications. His SHAPE Lab work includes designing 3DSP molds, reduced turbulence in gating system designs for 3D Sand-Printing, and fluid dynamic comparisons of potential metal analogs for aluminum casting research. He aims that his research will be beneficial to part quality and performance in the automotive, aerospace, and naval fields.

Emeka Chikelu: Enhancing surface area and sensor sensitivity through electrospinning

PI: Caroline Schauer, Drexel University

Emeka Chikelu is a full-time Ph.D. student in the biomedical engineering program at Drexel University. He earned his bachelor of science in electrical engineering from University of Lagos, Nigeria, and his master of science in biomedical engineering from University of Cincinnati (UC) in 2016. Since 2017, Chikelu has worked with the research and development team at Lia Diagnostics Inc., a company that has developed the first water-dispersible and 100% biodegradable, FDA-cleared, at-home pregnancy test kit. He currently holds a teaching fellowship with Drexel’s College of Engineering while working on his doctoral thesis on the electrospinning of natural polymers with applications in tissue engineering and wound-healing. 

Jackson Craig: Next generation castings – Integrating 3D sand-printing for revamping Pennsylvania foundries

PI: Guha Manogharan, Penn State University

Jackson Craig is from Chicora, PA in Butler County. He graduated from Butler Senior High School in 2017. Craig studied machine technologies at Butler County Area Vocational Technical School while he was in high school. Craig worked for Swank Construction Company, LLC in the summer of 2018. Swank is a highway and bridge construction company headquartered in New Kensington, PA in Westmoreland County. Craig is a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering at Penn State Behrend.

Yasmin Daukoru: A new approach to optimize the performance of linepipe steels using novel high temperature processing

PI: Calizto Isaac Garcia, University of Pittsburgh

Yasmin Daukoru is a senior materials science and engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh. She is pursuing a concentration in ferrous physical metallurgy, and works as a research assistant with the Ferrous Metallurgy Group, characterizing HSLA, dual-phase, and complex-phase steels. Daukoru is an officer of the University of Pittsburgh’s Material Advantage Student Chapter. Upon graduation, she intends to work in the steel industry. 

Nicholas Dodds: Adapting Additive Manufacturing Technologies for Orthotics and Prosthetics

PI: Won Joo, Robert Morris University

Nicholas Dodds is currently studying biomedical and mechanical engineering as an undergraduate at Robert Morris University. Dodd's research interests are centered around the research and development of next generation prosthetics and orthopedic medical devices. He is an active member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and the RMU Men's Volleyball team. He has been on the Dean's List every semester and is the proud recipient of David E. Vandeveer Memorial Award and Dean's Scholar Award.  

Elizabeth Gaughan: Next generation castings – Integrating 3D sand-printing for revamping Pennsylvania foundries

PI: Guha Manogharan, Penn State University

Beth Gaughan is from Greensburg, PA in Westmoreland County. She graduated from Hempfield Area High School in 2002. Gaughan graduated with honors from Seton Hill University with bachelor's of science and arts degree in graphic design in 2008. She is currently a senior majoring in mechanical engineering at Penn State Behrend.

Jianzhe Gu: Second Skin: Additive manufacturing of hybrid self-healing sensors and actuators

PI: Lining Yao, Carnegie Mellon University

Jianzhe Gu is an Ph.D. candidate in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, which is part of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science. He is interested in using computational tools to help model, simulate and design the physical world, currently focusing on geometry, morphing mechanism and 4D-printing related subjects.

Alejandro Gutierrez-Perez: Advanced laboratory cryogen delivery and management system

PI: Jonathan Spanier, Drexel University

Alejandro Gutierrez-Perez is an undergraduate mechanical engineering student and research assistant in materials science and engineering at Drexel University. During his time in Jonathan Spanier's Mesoscale Materials Laboratory, Gutierrez-Perez has co-authored two papers focusing on the quantitative analysis of optical and thermophysical properties for thin film perovskites. Currently, he is also the thermal engineer for the NASA funded CuPID cube satellite and is president and creator of the Drexel Calligraphy Club.

Austin Hankey: Next generation castings – Integrating 3D sand-printing for revamping Pennsylvania foundries

PI: Guha Manogharan, Penn State University

Austin Hankey is from Ford City, PA in Armstrong County. He graduated from Lenape Technical School in 2017. Austin specialized in precision machining at Lenape. Hankey was an engineering intern for Donsco, Inc. in the summer of 2018. Donsco is a full service iron foundry in Wrightsville, PA in York County. He is currently a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering at Penn State Behrend. 

Christie Hasbrouck: Next generation castings – Integrating 3D sand-printing for revamping Pennsylvania foundries

PI: Guha Manogharan, Penn State University

Christie Hasbrouck graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science honors in mechanical engineering from Trine University, and a minor in metallurgical engineering. In 2018, she completed a master of science in mechanical engineering from Colorado School of Mines. At Mines, she spent a year working in the Center for Welding, Joining, and Coatings Research on a Rolls-Royce sponsored project to investigate laser brazing of silicon carbide for aerospace applications. She is in her first year of Ph.D. program in industrial and manufacturing engineering at Penn State University Park.

Jaehyuk Jo: Hydride-dehydride powder manufacturing intensification by up-cycling of machining chips

PI: Jörg M.K. Wiezorek, University of Pittsburgh

Jaehyuk Jo is a full-time Ph.D. student in the mechanical engineering and materials science department at the University of Pittsburgh. He obtained his masters of science and bachelor of science degrees in materials science and engineering from Sejong University, South Korea. For his master of science degree, he performed research on mechanical and electrical behavior of Ag-Cu eutectic alloys. For his PhD degree from Pitt, he has engaged with materials engineering research aimed at the fabrication of nano-structure enhanced Mn-Al base materials for superior rare-earth-element-free permanent magnets via machining related SPD processing and thermomechanical treatments. He had his research presented at the MS&T conference series.

Katerina Kimes: Enabling highly complex tungsten carbide parts via binder jet 3D printing

PI: Markus Chmielus, University of Pittsburgh

A first-year graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, Katerina Kimes is working towards her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering. She received her bachelor of science from Pitt in 2017 and throughout her undergraduate career, Kimes worked in the Chmielus Advanced Manufacturing and Magnetic Materials (AM3) Lab on projects involving the additive manufacturing of functional materials. After a semester as a Contamination Control Engineer intern at NASA Langley, she returned to the Chmielus AM3 lab where she is currently pursuing research in the additive manufacturing of structural materials with a focus on binder jet printing methods.

Siyuan Liu: Second Skin: Additive manufacturing of hybrid self-healing sensors and actuators

PI: Lining Yao, Carnegie Mellon University

Siyuan Liu is in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University as a full-time Ph.D. student. He received his bachelor of science from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China in 2012, and his master of science from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014. Currently, he is working on his doctoral thesis on self-healing, mechanically robust, and multifunctional composites of supramolecules and carbon nanotubes.

Cheri McChesney: Improving the additive manufacturing process of custom orthotics and prosthetics

PI: Won Joo, Robert Morris University

Cheri McChesney is in the School of Engineering, Math, and Science at Robert Morris University, and is studying engineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering. McChesney previously studied enhanced spectral computed tomography of cartilage using contrast agent CA4+ as an NSF-funded REU student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Chan Lab. McChesney plans to graduate in May 2020. 

Vignesh Perumal: Aerospace parts advanced manufacturing

PI: Antonios Kontsos, Drexel

Vignesh Perumal is a full-time Ph.D. student in the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department at Drexel University. He completed a bachelor’s degree from University of Mumbai in India, and his professional experience includes his work as a design engineer for two years with hands-on experience of special purpose machines from concept to prototyping and manufacturing. He also was a CAE Analyst for new product development. He enrolled in and gained his master of science  from Drexel University. Now, he is continuing his research experience at Drexel University, and focusing on advanced manufacturing.

Titus Reed: Additive manufacturing of functionally graded medical devices

PI: Mary Frecker, Penn State University

Titus Reed is a Ph.D. student at Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Material Science and Engineering. Reed received his bachelor of science from the University of Wyoming in Chemical engineering. He spent eight years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear-trained submarine officer. Reed's research focuses on improving additive manufacturing of metals.

Yong Ren: Applying machine learning to improve build quality of laser-based additive manufacturing

PI: Qian Wang, Penn State University

Yong Ren is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Penn State University. He received his master's degree in mechanical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2015, and his bachelor's also in mechanical engineering from Central South University in 2012. Before coming to Penn State in 2018, he worked as a software engineer at Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology. His doctoral thesis is on modeling of laser-based additive manufacturing processes.

Pierangeli Rodriguez De Vecchis: Enabling highly complex tungsten carbide parts via binder jet 3D printing

PI: Markus Chmielus, University of Pittsburgh

Pierangeli Rodriguez De Vecchis is a junior undergraduate student in the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been working in Markus Chmielus' lab for two years on binder jet 3D printing (NJ3DP) with different metal alloy powders, including printing optimization, sintering conditions, microstructural analysis, and mechanical testing. She has received an ASM award (PCEAS 2017-2018) and she has co-authored two papers on BJ3DP of Ni-Mn-Ga and Co-Cr samples. She is a member of Materials Advantage and its related preeminent societies (ACerS, AIST, ASM, TMS).

Anthony Ruffino: Advanced laboratory cryogen delivery and management system

PI: Jonathan Spanier, Drexel

Anthony Ruffino is a full-time physics Ph.D. student at Drexel University. He received his B.S. in Physics from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2015, and his M.S. from Drexel University in 2018. Currently, he is working on his doctoral thesis in the Drexel University Mesoscale Materials Laboratory, studying the field-dependent interactions of low-dimensional electron systems at complex oxide interfaces.

Gregoria Solis: A new approach to optimize the performance of linepipe steels using novel high temperature processing

PI: Calizto Isaac Garcia, University of Pittsburgh

Gregorio Solis is in the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department at the University of Pittsburgh as a full-time Ph.D. student. He received his B.S. from Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico, and his M.S. from University of Pittsburgh in 2010. After almost five years of holding a teaching position at his alma mater, he was awarded a PRODEP scholarship and a Roberto Rocca fellowship to pursue doctoral studies. Currently, he is working on his doctoral thesis on high temperature thermomechanical processing of Nb-bearing HSLA linepipe steels. He is a member of the Ferrous Physical Metallurgy Group.

Sajedehalsadat Yazdanparast: Bone marrow aspirate concentrate procedures in the clinic: Cell population profile correlation to patient outcomes

PI: Sabrina Jedlicka, Lehigh University

Sajedeh-Sadat Yazdanparast is a Ph.D. candidate of bioengineering at Lehigh University. She received her B.S. in Food Science and Technology from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Iran, and her M.Sc. in Food Biotechnology from University of Tehran, Iran. She has been a teaching assistant for several courses and labs at Lehigh, and got an honorable mention for best TA of the year in 2017. She was, additionally, honored to receive the Rossin Doctoral Fellow in 2017. She did research on transmembrane proteins for three years and she is currently doing research on characterization of secreted exosomes from human mesenchymal stem cells.