Yang earns First Place Award from Sigma Xi Northeast Regional Conference

Lei Yang (Ph.D. candidate co-supervised by Professors Brian Sheldon and Thomas Webster) received the First Place Undergraduate and Graduate Student Poster Award at the Sigma Xi Northeast Regional Conference in New Haven, CT for his contribution: "The Role of Substrate Topography in Mediating Osteoblast Functions: Experiments and Modeling."

Here is a short interview with Lei Yang:

How does participating in conferences such as Sigma Xi impact your Brown Engineering experience?
(Lei) Sigma Xi is one of the oldest and most famed scientific societies, attending this conference is not only a honor but also a great opportunity to meet the top students and researchers in the New England region. It's also a good opportunity to showcase the cutting-edge research led by Brown Engineering faculty and students.

What is the impact of your research?
(Lei) It was the best poster presentation during a conference that I have ever attended so far, because I obtained so many new ideas and comments related to my project. The conference was very well organized, and each participant had many chances to talk to most of the professors and students. I received a lot useful comments on the methodology and techniques I used for my study, and surprisingly, many of them were from the people outside of my research field. So I think I also benefited from the multi-disciplinary atmosphere of the conference.

What degree are you seeking and when will you graduate? What do you hope to do with your degree?
(Lei) I am seeking PhD in Engineering and will graduate in May 2011. I want to become faculty in Materials Science after my PhD.

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Video: Dr. Thomas Webster - Orthopedic Biofilms

Professor Thomas Webster appeared in a documentary film on implant infection called "Getting Back on Their Feet II" by Richard Longland which was just released.

The film was produced by the Arthroplasty Patient Foundation (Richard Longland, the founder) and explores biofilms and their contribution to medical device failures and related chronic health issues.

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Prof. Sheldon and Webster appear in cover story

Brian Sheldon, Thomas Webster, and Lei Yang appeared as the cover story for the American Ceramic Society Bulletin. It is entitled " Nanophase Ceramics for Improved Drug Delivery: Current Opportunities and Challenges."

After more than a decade of research and development, nanotechnology has reshaped the traditional thinking (or lack thereof) of using ceramics for drug delivery. Although drug delivery has been a polymer- dominated field, the blossoming of nanotechnology means that ceramic materials are now showing much promise for numerous drug delivery applications.

Typically, nanotechnology is defined as the use of materials and systems whose structures and components exhibit novel and significantly changed properties when control is gained at the nanoscale (specifically, <100 nm or <10–7 m).1 For ceramics, this means fabricating ceramics whose grain or particle
sizes are within the range of 1 nm to 100 nm).

Nanophase ceramics already have been widely used in a broad spectrum of biomedical applications, and now drug delivery is one of the fastest emerging and developing arenas for nanoceramics, drawing increasing attention over the past few years.

Read more of the story at this link:
http://ceramics.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/03_10_cover-story.pdf

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Commencement 2010 Photos

We enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the Commencement and Reunion 2010 with returning Engineering Alumni at our reception on Friday afternoon.  Rod Clifton shared news that just hours earlier the Corporation had approved the School of Engineering (Effective July 1, 2010).  We also had an opportunity to share a sneak peak of the Glutton for Punishment production of our Edible Car Competition last fall.
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624065916187/

The 2010 Program in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship graduates celebrated with the faculty and their families at the Saturday morning brunch.
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624190276882/

Then we had the opportunity to welcome a new Brown Engineering Alumni Medalist (BEAM), Ares Rosakis, PhD to our distinguished list of graduates.
Pictured above (left to right): Rod Clifton, Ares Rosakis, Ben Freund, and Wei Yang
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624065910123/

The weekend was capped off as we distributed 87 engineering diplomas at our undergraduate ceremony.
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624190247360/

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Brown University establishes School of Engineering

Brown University has transformed its Division of Engineering into the Brown School of Engineering.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - The Corporation of Brown University has approved transformation of the University's Division of Engineering into the Brown School of Engineering, effective July 1. The Corporation took that action at its spring business meeting Friday, May 28, 2010. The University's faculty had voted its approval of the proposal on April 6.

"Today's monumental scientific and societal challenges depend greatly upon engineering know-how for advances in biology, medicine, clean energy and nanotechnology," Brown President Ruth J. Simmons said. "The Corporation's approval of a School of Engineering underscores our commitment to maintain and enhance the engineering curriculum and research activities that attract the brightest students and the highest caliber faculty."

Many recent studies, including a 2008 report from the National Academy of Sciences, note that a comprehensive and coordinated effort is urgently needed to bolster the nation's competitiveness and pre-eminence in the physical sciences. A school of engineering will support the University's continued recruitment of outstanding faculty and students and its strategy of building on existing strengths in energy and the environment, biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, photonics, solid mechanics, and the mechanical behavior of materials.

Developing engineering as a school has been a work in progress for more than a decade. The idea received strong support from President Simmons, whose Plan for Academic Enrichment has expanded research and faculty across the University. A team of engineering faculty led by Rodney Clifton, the Rush C. Hawkins University Professor of Engineering and interim dean of engineering, presented a School of Engineering proposal to the Provost's office in December 2008. Clifton will continue as interim dean until a founding dean is named.

"We are grateful to the administration, the faculty and the Corporation for supporting our proposal," Clifton said. "By establishing a School, Brown has taken a big step toward raising its historic and renowned engineering program to a new level. This action ensures that Brown engineering will play a significant role in addressing the science and technology challenges that our society faces and will remain competitive nationally and internationally."

"The University community is grateful to Dean Clifton for shepherding the School of Engineering proposal to its successful vote today," Brown Provost David Kertzer said.

The School of Engineering expects to increase its share of external funding for research through faculty growth in areas of national importance and by expanding collaborative efforts with colleagues throughout the University.

"The federal funding agencies are increasingly interested in applied and translational research, the type of scientific investigation that helps solve societal problems," said Clyde Briant, vice president for research and professor of engineering. "Having a strong engineering school at Brown will undoubtedly help our faculty and students compete effectively for federal research dollars and contribute to solving challenging problems."

Engineering is the No. 1 area of academic interest expressed by members of the Class of 2014, who will matriculate this fall. The Division of Engineering currently has 437 undergraduate students and 178 graduate students, taught by 40 full-time, tenure-track faculty. Engineering is one of the most popular concentrations at Brown, with 140 students in the Class of 2013 pursuing it as a concentration.

Established in 1847, the undergraduate engineering program at the University is the oldest in the Ivy League and the third oldest civilian engineering program in the country, preceded only by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1824) and Union College (1845). In 1916, the departments of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering were merged into one Division of Engineering with a common core of basic engineering courses. This model has been preserved, ensuring that faculty and students engage in an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to engineering.

[Photos show students working on final semester projects including a solar cell and light powered car]

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Chemical Engineering undergraduate student Aminy Ostfeld honored with a Tau Beta Pi Scholarship

The Tau Beta Pi Fellowship Board announced the selection of 102 Scholars from 389 applicants for senior- year study in the 2010-11 academic year. Scholarships were awarded to members on the competitive bases of scholarship, campus leadership, and service, and promise of contributions to the engineering profession, with consideration given to economic need and academic commitment. We are pleased that Brown Chemical Engineering student, Aminy Ostfeld was honored with one of these scholarships.

Here is a biography statement written by Aminy:

Since I was young, I have been passionate about environmental sustainability, and I have hoped to devote my life's work to solving some of the many environmental problems plaguing our world today. After coming to college I realized I wanted to study renewable energy generation, and since knowledge of both chemistry and engineering principles is essential for research in this field, I decided to concentrate in chemical engineering. I have recently begun a research project to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells, a subject I find so fun and important that I plan to continue working on it for the foreseeable future. Through Brown's engineering program, I have already learned skills useful for this area of research. I'm sure these skills, and those I learn in the remainder of my Brown experience, will come in handy for graduate study and my career.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to study engineering at Brown and participate in Tau Beta Pi. Membership has helped me share my excitement about engineering and research with others, through outreach presentations at local high schools as well as interaction with other Brown engineering students. I believe the organization's support, including this scholarship, will help me realize my dream of becoming a successful engineer.

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FSAE car team places 38th in Michigan

The Formula SAE team recently returned from Michigan where they competed in the annual May race.  FSAE is a student car design competition organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

You are welcome to stop by the Barus and Holley patio to congratulate the team on their hard work on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 from 12 to 2pm.

This year's Formula SAE car team placement was:
Overall 38th
Design: T-15th
Presentation: 46th
Cost: 23rd
Endurance: 35th
Fuel Economy: 2nd
(Note: Did not compete in autocross, accel, and skid pad)
For more info visit:http://www.sae.org/students/fsae2010results.pdf

(Click the photo to the right to see more photos)

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