Newsletter Page 5 Pages 6-8 Page 9 Fall 2016 Alumni Profi le New Faculty Student Research MAEJohn A. Mellowes Nelly Andarawis-Puri Tim Lannin, Ph.D. Greg Bewley Guy Hoff man

BREAKING THE RULES TO ENGINEER ROBOTS Page ₄ MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

MAE administration, a new and improved Surgery (HSS) in New York. Guy Hoff man Upson Lounge (which we could never do designs new robots to collaborate with without), and a few classrooms. The second people. Greg Bewley is an expert in ex- fl oor will house the MAE teaching labs, in- perimental fl uid dynamics, and will work cluding the Taylor Design Studio. Overall, with a variety of experiments including the we are immensely excited about the new Warhaft wind tunnel. Moreover, speaking space, and what it means for the students of the latt er, Professor Zellman Warhaft re- and faculty and future of the Sibley School. tired this year after 39 years on the faculty. You’ll fi nd a few pictures and details on Zellman provided passion about a wide pages 17-19. Please stop by as you can to variety of topics, from fl uids to energy to see our progress or keep tabs through this climate to peace studies; we look forward link: htt p://www.engineering.cornell.edu/ to his continued work with us. And fi nally, about/upson-hall-renovation.cfm we are sorry to report that Professor Tob de While our world-class faculty excel at Boer passed away. Tob led an amazingly research in many ways, they also continue balanced life between research, education, Dear Sibley School Alumni and Friends: to strive to be the best educators. This past family, and activities such as cross-country elcome to the (al- year, we have seen many faculty continue skiing and triathlons. We will miss him. most complete) new to innovate with their teaching. A group of We also highlight Rob Shepherd and home of the Sibley faculty re-thought the Solid Mechanics se- his unique Organic Robotics Laboratory School! After sever- ries to both integrate experiential learning (ORL), which is growing and making broad al years of planning, and use modern teaching methodologies; impact in multiple communities; Rob was construction started the highlight is the revamped ENGR 2020 also a recent recipient of an AFOSR Young onW Upson Hall fl oors 3-5 in May of 2015, course, based partially on the fl ipped class- Investigator award. Similarly, Ankur Singh and we have been living in the zone since room concept by Meredith Silberstein and won an NSF CAREER award. Olivier Des- then. I must say this was not without chal- Hadas Ritz . Mason Peck, Dmitry Savran- jardins led a team that won a new $7.5M lenges, since most of the construction was sky, and Dani Selva created a new two- ONR MURI project on multiphysics con- in the fl oors over our head and some days course space systems sequence. Mason also trol of spray formation and dispersion. You the dust, fumes or fi nal piping installation announced at the White House Astrono- will fi nd a list of other notable faculty ac- led faculty and staff to work elsewhere. We my night with President Obama, a new complishments later in the newslett er. even had our windows boarded up all year. CubeSat program for high school students. Our alumni spotlight this year is John Finally, in August of 2016, most faculty, A number of faculty worked with Engineer- A. Mellowes, ’60, B.M.E. ’61, who followed their research labs, Ph.D. students, M.Eng. ing Communications to create a novel pilot both his father and grandfather in studying students, and a few staff members moved class which partners with our sophomore at Cornell. John worked most of his life in- to the upper fl oors. While there is still work design course; the same concepts are then cluding as CEO, for Charter Manufactur- to be done, the new space is tremendous. re-emphasized in courses later in the junior ing, a fourth generation, family-owned and Not only are the research labs state-of-the and senior years to improve students’ abil- operated producer of steel bar, rod, wire, art, but there is a lot of common space at ity to take communications directly into and wire parts in Milwaukee. John and the corner “bump outs” which students are their next steps. Rebecca Barthelmie creat- his wife Linda created an endowment for already using for collaborative discussions ed and delivered a new, hands-on course the John A. Mellowes ’60 Professorship in or simply a coff ee. at the Black Oak Wind Farm Community Mechanical Engineering, which I am im- We have one year left on the project. using an Engaged Cornell award. Rajesh mensely honored to have been named as The MAE administration has moved to the Bhaskaran delivered a MOOC based on the the fi rst. fi rst fl oor of Rhodes, which will be our tem- simulation work he leads with the Swan- The newslett er includes updates from porary headquarters until our fi nal move son Lab. With over 25,000 participants, it reunion, project teams and a profi le of one in August 2017. The construction team is was the largest MOOC from Cornell. More of our Ph.D. students, Tim Lannin. Please currently cleaning out the lower fl oors; details on the MOOC and Rajesh are on keep in touch with us about your news and luckily, most of the electrical and ductwork page 3. successes through the Alumni link off our was installed in its fi nal position and thus On the faculty front, we welcomed website or simply a quick email to mae_ this phase should be quicker. In the end, three new professors. Their profi les are on [email protected]. We look forward the basement will house the project teams pages 6-8. Nelly Andarawis-Puri works to hearing from you. Warm regards,...... with expanded space, the expanded Rap- on the biomechanics of tendons and liga- id Prototyping Lab, and the Emerson Ma- ments, and she will help enhance our col- chine Shop. The fi rst fl oor will house the laborations with the Hospital of Special Mark Campbell......

2 | MAE Magazine MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE ON ENGINEERING SIMULATIONS

n June 2016 the Sibley School of- with commercial FEA/CFD software use fered its fi rst Massive Open Online and industry know-how. This helps stu- Course, or MOOC. This free online dents move beyond mere butt on pushing course was developed and taught and connects what they do in the software by Dr. Rajesh Bhaskaran, senior to fundamental math and physics.” The lecturer and Swanson Director of course was six-weeks long and drew con- IEngineering Simulation. It was entitled tent from fi ve MAE courses, presenting a “A hands-on introduction to engineering uniform approach across solid mechanics, Rajesh Bhaskaran, Sr. Lecturer and Swanson Director of Engineering Simulation simulations” and was off ered at edX.org, a fl uid dynamics and heat transfer. popular MOOC platform. The course did Video lectures covered the math and sation with Dr. Bhaskaran, Mr. Sadhwani not off er Cornell credit but interested par- physics background as well as steps in the described how he developed the ANSYS ticipants can obtain a verifi ed certifi cate of ANSYS interface. Most videos were around model from the real application by making 5 minutes long and assumptions and simplifi cations and how were recorded in a to interpret the ANSYS results. The stu- self-recording studio dents greatly appreciated hearing directly which consisted of a from an industry expert as they were work- computer att ached to ing with the tool. a camera and tablet. Over 25,000 people from 167 countries The camera record- registered for the course. Of these, around ed Dr. Bhaskaran 9,000 people were active with nearly 1,600 speaking or writing. completing the course. The education- The tablet served as al background of the participants varied an electronic chalk- from a high school degree or less to a Ph.D. board with which Due to popular demand, the MOOC will Dr. Bhaskaran was relaunch on edX in the latt er part of 2016 able to write freehand as a self-paced course which students can Using a tablet and stylus, Dr. Bhaskaran writes on over PowerPoint® and start and end at any time. Dr. Bhaskaran is a virtual blackboard in a video lecture. ANSYS. This set-up excited about the future prospects of this completion for a nominal fee. The MOOC overlays the “chalkboard” PowerPoint and initiative. “This will change my teaching was an initiative of the Swanson Engineer- ANSYS so that one can seamlessly com- by helping me fl ip the classroom. With lec- ing Simulation program which supports bine these modalities of instruction. The tures online, I can use class time to help stu- the integration of simulation tools into online lectures were rated as exceeding dents complete homework and apply their MAE courses. The Swanson program was expectations by nearly 80% of the students. knowledge. I see this as an opportunity to established through a gift from Dr. John A. Assessment consisted of “check your un- move from lecturing to mentoring in the Swanson, B.S. ’61, M.Eng. ’63, ME. derstanding” questions (which followed classroom.” The course taught students the big selected lecture videos) ideas in fi nite-element analysis (FEA) and and homework assignments computational fl uid dynamics (CFD) as where students solved new well as how to apply them to solve prac- problems using ANSYS. tical engineering problems using ANSYS®, One of the modules— a commercial software package. All par- analysis of a bolted fl ange ticipants had access to a free download joint—was developed in col- of ANSYS Student. Bhaskaran says, “By laboration with Mr. Andy combining two disruptive technologies— Sadhwani, an aerospace online learning and physics-based simu- engineer at SpaceX, who lations —I was able to break the rules and uses ANSYS-based simula- create a new kind of course that seamlessly tions in his design work. In A sample result from the bolted fl ange module developed with integrates fundamental math and physics a recorded Skype conver- industry expert Mr. Andy Sadhwani.

3 | MAE Magazine FACULTY PROFILE/ RESEARCH

BREAKING THE RULES TO ENGINEER ROBOTS

goals on synthetically mimicking the abili- example of a morphing wing, Shepherd ties of an octopus, large leaps can be made and co-workers are molding wings out in the capabilities of robots in general. of elastomeric foam that can change their Some of the results of this work are highly shape. The next steps are to incorporate stretchable displays and very non-octopus optoelectronic sensors for feedback control like robotic systems like orthotic gloves and sensing of the dynamic pressure states and heart-like pumps. of their local environment. In order Robert Shepherd, Assistant Professor to achieve this goal, Shepherd rofessor Robert Shepherd and co-workers heads the Organic Ro- are cointegrat- botics Laboratory (ORL), ing stretchable where his group of MAE networks of sen- and MSE students are sors, actuators, focused on creating new displays using Pmachines, materials, and manufactur- advanced man- ing processes with the goal of making ufacturing tech- robots more lifelike. His primary meth- niques such as Ph.D. students Ben Mac Murray (left) and Shuo Li (Right) work on soft actuators, sensors, and displays for biomedical robotic devices like Ventricular Assist Devices od for achieving this goal is soft materi- replica molding for ailing hearts or prosthetic interfaces for human hand replacements. al chemistry: elastomeric polymers that and 3-D print- feel like our own skin and muscle. ing, and advanced materials such as trans- At Cornell University, Shepherd is Most organisms have sensory net- parent and stretchable optoelectronic sys- enjoying collaborations with many faculty works that feel their environment and tems. For example, one of their inventions who are bringing this work to the next lev- allow them to make intelligent decisions is a glove that can be worn to assist in tasks el: intelligent systems that can process sen- about how to adapt to them for reproduc- such as grasping everyday objects. sory information and use it for advanced tion and survival. One of the most impres- Recently, Shepherd was awarded an mobility and manipulation tasks. Across sive feats of adaptability in nature is seen in Air Force Young Investigator Award to use departments, Shepherd is also improving an octopus, where their entirely soft bodies these new sensors and actuators for mor- the material properties and manufactur- dramatically change shape and color for phing wings that can change their plan- ing of these soft robots with nanoparticle camoufl age and display. By sett ing ORL’s form area and angle of att ack. As a fi rst chemistry and new synthetic chemistries.

A multicolor stretchable display that A wearable orthotic glove that assists A heart shaped pump composed of A morphing wing for microaerial can also sense touch. in grasping. elastomeric foam actuators. vehicles composed of elastomeric foam actuators.

4 | MAE Magazine AlumniPROFILE

which employs a workforce of over Engineering, named in honor of John’s 2,000. Annual sales for Charter Manu- late father, established in 1990; and the facturing are $1.3 billion. Mr. Mellowes John A. Mellowes ’60 Professorship in served as Chairman and CEO from 1980 Mechanical Engineering, established in to 2013 before passing the leadership 2014 in honor of John’s 75th birthday. to his sons—Charles, M.B.A. JGSM ‘96, now Chairman of the Board and Executive V.P. of Business Devel- “I WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED opment and John W. who is the IN MACHINERY AND LIKED Chief Executive Officer. Mellowes also serves as a BIG MACHINES. MY DAD member of the Board of Directors DID A GOOD JOB, THROUGH for the Milwaukee School of En- OSMOSIS PERHAPS, gineering. He was a member of OF GETTING ME REALLY the Metro Milwaukee Associa- tion of Commerce and the Great- INTERESTED IN WORKING IN ohn A. Mellowes graduat- er Milwaukee Committee and is a THE FAMILY BUSINESS” ed from Cornell University member of the World Presidents’ with a B.M.E. in Mechanical Organization. He was honored by the John and his wife Linda reside in Engineering. He was named Harvard Business School Club of Wis- Milwaukee, Wisconsin and are very Entrepreneur of the Year in consin as the 2014 Wisconsin Business committed to their community. Linda 1987 along with his grandfa- Leader of the Year. The award hon- has long been a tireless community vol- Jther—Alfred Mellowes (class of 1906), ors business leaders for their impact unteer leader and a prodigious fund- and his father—Charles N. Mellowes through their company’s performance raiser in the Milwaukee area where her (class of 1933). Following graduation, as well as the impact the company and efforts have benefitted countless non- he served 3 years in the U.S. Navy as its leader have had through community profits. They have two sons and eight a Lieutenant (jg). In 1965, following in and civic involvement. grandchildren. John’s special interests his father’s footsteps, Mellowes joined There are two professorships gift- include railroads, golf, U.S. History, Charter Manufacturing. He states, “I ed to Cornell by the Mellowes. The and European History. had two professors at Cornell that fur- Charles N. Mellowes Professorship in thered my interest in Materials Science, Jack Moynihan and Joe Jeffries. It was this heightened interest that helped drive me into steel making at Charter.” Charter is a fourth generation, fam- ily-owned and operated producer of steel bar, rod, wire, and wire parts. He was named Chairman and Chief Execu- tive of Charter Manufacturing at a time when the American steel industry was in a major meltdown. It was 1980, and the collapse resulted in the closure of mills and the loss of thousands of jobs. Not long after, however, the Mequon, Wisconsin based company regained its footing and continued with growth that has resulted in its becoming one of the nation’s largest specialty steel manu- facturers with 12 plant locations in the U.S., China and United Kingdom, and Charles Mellowes, John A. Mellowes, Linda Mellowes, and John W. Mellowes

5 | MAE Magazine WELCOME NEW FACULTY

Nelly Andarawis-Puri For such common injuries, not much After Columbia, Andarawis-Puri Assistant Professor is known about some basic questions. Re- earned her Ph.D. with Soslowsky at the searchers don’t know the mechanisms for University of Pennsylvania. “He is a giant how ECM damage accumulates in tendons; in the fi eld of tendon bio-mechanics and he they don’t know how larger ECM defor- has been a great mentor to me. My Ph.D. mations are translated into cell signals in was focused very much on the mechanics tendon healing and degeneration; and they of tendons in the rotator cuff of the shoul- don’t know how to promote restoration of der.” This work positioned her well to then tendon and joint function. Andarawis-Puri move into clinical applications of what is working to answer all of these questions. she had learned. Andarawis-Puri land- Andarawis-Puri moved from Cairo, ed a postdoctoral position with Flatow at Egypt to the United States when she was Mount Sinai. “He is one of the top shoulder nine years old. She picked up English very surgeons in the world and I learned a lot quickly and became enamored with lan- from working with him. My time with Dr. guages—so much so that through high Flatow provided the basis for my current school she assumed she would major in research at Cornell.” linguistics once she got to college. “But Tendon injuries and tendon surgery then I got to Columbia and discovered both leave scar tissue that is mechanically By: Chris Dawson, Cornell Engineering biomedical engineering,” says Andaraw- inferior to tendon tissue. Andarawis-Puri elly Andarawis-Puri’s is-Puri. “My undergrad experience with hopes her work will have immediate appli- work in tendon research biomedical engineering was eye-opening cations in the treatment of tendon injuries. is in the sweet spot where and I went all in. I knew early on I want- Left to its own devices, an injured tendon basic mechanics and clin- ed to continue and get a Ph.D. and go into will repair itself, but when it does, the re- ical relevance overlap academia.” paired area is just not as good as it was completely. Andaraw- For Andarawis-Puri, the subject mat- before the injury. One focus of Andaraw- Nis-Puri is a Clare Booth Luce Assistant ter of biomedical engineering was fully is-Puri’s research is how to promote regen- Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace engaging, but there was also the quality of erative healing—healing that is scar-free Engineering and a Nancy and Peter Meinig the people she met and worked with. “It al- and restores original tissue properties. Family Investigator in Life Sciences in the ways comes back to the people for me;” she Andarawis-Puri is an assistant profes- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace says, “People are what make the experi- sor in a school of engineering rather than Engineering at Cornell, and looks at the ence.” Professor Clark Hung at Columbia, in a university research hospital because, role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the Dr. Louis Soslowsky at the University of at heart, she takes an engineering approach tendon in injuries and in healing. Pennsylvania, and Dr. Evan Flatow at the to the problem of tendon injury and patho- Tendons are tough bands of connective Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai gensis. She has adopted a multidisciplinary tissue that transmit forces from the muscle Hospital have all served as mentors and in- approach that incorporates biomechanics, to the bone. Tendons and muscles work to- spiration to Andarawis-Puri. biology, imaging, and mathematical mod- gether to move bones. The eling and Cornell Engineering provides hamstring and the Achil- the ideal sett ing for this approach. “When les tendon are the most I was invited to visit and check out the de- well-known, but tendons partment I honestly wasn’t really looking also help move your eyes (A) Organ culture system to move,” says Andarawis-Puri. (ocular tendons), your to investigate defect fi ll-in “But then I got here and met the jaw (masseter tendons), outside of the systemic people and I was really taken environment. The red and your toes (lumbrical Arrow shows a cultured with the department. It is full tendons). Injuries to ten- tendon. (B) After 28 days of impressive, accomplished dons are notorious among in culture, normal healer people who are also really nice. tendons do not fi ll in the athletes for both the pain defect, but regenerative This is a perfect place for me to they cause and the tenac- healers fi ll in the defect continue my work.” ity with which they hang with well organized and aligned matrix. on.

6 | MAE Magazine Gregory Bewley spoon, for how long does the chaos in the Assistant Professor cup persist? If we model the initial pertur- bation as a sinusoidal variation in the veloc- ity of the fl uid, we fi nd from the equations reg Bewley joins the of the motion that its amplitude decays ex- same Sibley School from ponentially. This is in some sense fast, but which he graduated in the time constant is typically long—much the year 2000. As an un- longer than what we observe. In the case dergraduate he designed of the coff ee, the prediction is some min- and built composite utes—too long. What happens is that the Gacoustic guitars and composite wings for a perturbation is usually not stable. The fl ow sailboat among other things, all the while breaks up and complicated, evolving spa- developing an interest in fl uid mechanics. tial structures emerge. This is turbulence, He carried this interest to Yale University, and it is very eff ective at draining energy where he was awarded a Ph.D. for discov- from the disturbances. The coff ee quiets ering how to observe experimentally the down in seconds, not minutes. However, quantized vortex dynamics of turbulent su- we are still unable to predict how quickly perfl uid helium. He continued his work on turbulence in a fl uid decays, even in the pates and disappears, but how quickly and superfl uid turbulence at the University of idealized case where the motions are statis- can we regulate it? In large part, Bewley’s Maryland, until an opportunity to return to tically homogeneous and isotropic. This is work is to make phenomena such as these classical fl uid mechanics research carried startling and calls for careful investigation. accessible to controlled experimentation him across the ocean to the Max Planck In- While the specifi c question of how quickly through the invention of new devices and stitute for Dynamics and Self-Organization turbulence decays may seem specialized, it techniques. What underlies his work is a in Gött ingen, Germany. In Germany, Bew- invites the mind into the world of inquiry search for simple, innovative designs lead- ley developed methods to reveal the basic that makes up turbulence research. ing to new perspectives on fundamental structure and dynamics of turbulence, and At the Sibley School, Bewley’s work questions. also learned to appreciate the life that aris- continues to focus on turbulence, on its es in the interaction between turbulence intrinsic properties as well as its role in and bodies that tumble through it. various environmental sett ings. In clouds, The intrigue of turbulence is that it is turbulence causes droplets to collide, but ubiquitous and essential, and yet seems how often, and how violently? In super- resistant to explanation. Consider the un- fl uid helium, it causes quantized vortices steady wake produced by drawing a spoon to reconnect, but under what conditions? through coff ee in a cup. After removing the Left to itself, the turbulence quickly dissi-

On the left is a picture of quantized vortices decorated with frozen hydrogen particles a few microns in diameter. The dynamics of such vortices might explain the glitches observed in the rotation of neutron stars. On the right is a reconstruction of the trajectories of 20 micron water droplets that underwent slinging motions in a turbulent fl ow. These types of motions can lead to violent collisions between the droplets, and to rain.

7 | MAE Magazine WELCOME NEW FACULTY

Guy Hoffman tion and imperfection is a radical idea. interests includes the structure of joint ac- Assistant Professor Hoff man has joined the faculty at tivities between humans and robots; hu- Cornell because, in his words, “My work man-robot teamwork and collaboration; is very interdisciplinary and Cornell has robotic personal companions; non-anthro- hired some amazing robotics people across pomorphic robot design; computational a wide range of fi elds. In fact, there is no models for embodied cognition; robot mu- other university I can think of that has this sic and theater performance; and robot im- many researchers specifi cally working on provisation. human-robot interaction. Importantly to Hoff man sees a future where humans me, Cornell is also not just an engineering and robots will fi nd themselves working school. It is a great liberal arts university together on tasks that require cooperation. with a strong intellectual environment in He has been working with psychologists, the humanities, social sciences, and de- among others, to create a behavioral model sign.” It helps that the newly renovated of what humans would look for in a good Upson Hall has a dedicated Robotics Cen- robotic companion. “Surprisingly, people ter on the top fl oor. are not always happy with a robotic team- Hoff man grew up in Germany and Is- mate who is entirely rigid and predictable,” rael and then came to the United States af- says Hoff man. “People value fl exibility, ter earning his master’s degree in computer even in a robot. It can be delightful to be science from Tel Aviv University in 2000. surprised.” One major question Hoff man After stints in fi lm production, cell phone will need to answer is ‘how does a robot network technology, data visualization, balance initiative and fl exibility with reli- By: Chris Dawson, Cornell Engineering and animation, Hoff man applied to a Ph.D. ability?’ program in Cynthia Breazeal’s Personal When describing the type of graduate f Guy Hoff man is successful in his Robots group at the MIT Media Lab. He student he would like in his lab, Hoff man research, he just might redefi ne the was accepted and began to focus on robot says that there is no single profi le he is word “robotic.” Hoff man, Assis- movement and robot-human interactions. looking for. “I see myself as an educator as tant Professor and a Mills Family “After working on a humanoid robot, I felt much as I am a researcher. You can teach Faculty Fellow in the Sibley School strongly that a robot does not have to look any skill, but you can’t teach curiosity and of Mechanical and Aerospace Engi- like a human to make a good companion,” passion—these are the essential ingredi- Ineering, works in the fi eld of human-robot says Hoff man. “Merely the way a robot ents for any grad student. I am looking for interaction. During his popular TED Talk, moves can make humans develop strong students who always strive to push their Hoff man said to the audience, “Some- emotions toward it.” own boundaries of comfort.” where in your future there will be robots in The robots Hoff man is most interested When Hoff man is not thinking about your life. And those robots should be more in are the ones that will be in our houses human-robot interactions he enjoys run- fl uent, more engaging, more graceful” than and offi ces rather than the sort currently ning, drawing and cooking. the robots of today. found on factory fl oors. His list of research Hoff man has studied computer anima- tion and acting in addition to computer sci- ence and human-robot interaction. Robots that interact closely with humans should be “less like chess players and more like A wearable robotic forearm stage actors or musicians,” he says. “They developed by graduate student should know how to closely mesh with hu- Vighnesh Vatsal to evaluate how people interact with robots that mans, be able to take chances and impro- are attached to and controlled by vise. Maybe they even need to be able to their body. make mistakes.” Given that for many years the big selling point for robots has been their ability to perform tasks quickly, cor- rectly, and predictably, robot improvisa-

8 | MAE Magazine STUDENT HIGHLIGHT/ RESEARCH

Tim Lannin MAE Ph.D. Student ancer can devastate lives, and pancreatic cancer is particularly problem- atic because it is often detected only after it has spread from the primary tumor site. Cancer cells often appear in the bloodstream of cancer patients when their cancer is in the process of spreading. It is unknown if these circulating tumor cells are the cells that form the secondary tumors, but regardless, building devices to capture these cells can aid doctors and re- Csearchers. For example, capture and analysis of the cells can help measure the severity of a patient’s disease, assess eff ectiveness of the patient’s chemotherapy, and personalize chemotherapy treatment. These circulating cancer cells are exceedingly rare, numbering about 1-100 per mil- liliter of blood, compared to 1 billion blood cells. If even a small fraction of blood cells are accidentally captured, then the analysis of the captured cells could be compromised. Thus, capturing a large enough sample of cancer cells to do an analysis, but reducing the accidental capture of contaminating blood cells to acceptable levels is a huge engineering challenge. I am working to improve these circulating tumor cell capture devices. Current devices used to capture cancer cells rely on protein chemistry. Cancer cells originat- ing from a tumor are coated with diff erent types of surface proteins than those that coat blood cells. Taking advantage of this diff erence we can design devices whose surfaces are coated with proteins that are very sticky to the cancer cells, but not very sticky to blood cells. These devices work well for some patients, but recent research has shown that the circulating tumor cells of some patients have lost high levels of their sticky surface proteins, making them harder to cap- ture for analysis. My work is in applying electric fi elds in order to enhance the capture of these hard-to-get cancer cells. A cell’s membrane acts like a capacitor and the cytoplasm inside the cell acts like a resistor so if AC electric fi elds are applied to cells, the resulting forces depend on the frequency. It turns out that blood cells and cancer cells have diff erent electrical properties, so there is a window of frequencies in which cancer cells are att racted to the electrodes in a device, whereas blood cells are pushed away from the electrodes. I measured cancer cell and blood cell electrical properties with my device, confi rming that a window exists to enhance separation of cancer cells from blood cells based on cells’ electrical properties.

Lannin was part of Professor Brian Kirby’s research group at Cornell and has now joined the Mechanical Engineering faculty at Lafayett e College.

Device used to measure cancer cell electrical properties.

9 | MAE Magazine AlumniNOTES

Passing of Cornell Professor and He was also involved with student Chih-Kung Lee: cycling record-holder, projects such as designing the world’s fast- TAM; Ph.D. 1987 P.C. Tobias de Boer [1930-2016] est bicycle with Professor Al George in a From Cornell to Cornell project to break the human pow- Economic Minister By: Francis Moon, Professor Emeritus, M.S. ered vehicles land speed record. A 1979 Taiwan ’64, Ph.D. ‘67 photo shows Tob huddled over an aero- Chih-Kung Lee, other- dynamically shaped canopy on a bicycle. wise known as “CK” to fellow graduates Professor de Boer was born in Leiden, [Engineering Quarterly 1979 No.2] In 1978 from Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in Netherlands in 1930 and arrived at Cornell Tob had set a national cycling record at the the late 1980’s, has been appointed Minister in 1964 in the Graduate School of Aeronau- age of 48 by riding 448 miles in 24 hours. of Economic Aff airs of the Republic of Chi- tical Engineering [GSAE] as an assistant In sports Tob was very competitive and he na in Taiwan. He was born in Taipei in 1959 professor. Bill Sears had just fi nished his envisioned extending his endurance record and came to study engineering mechanics directorship and Ed Resler had taken over with clever engineering design. As former at Cornell after receiving his B.S. degree as head of GSAE. Tob’s area of interest was Director Al George has said, “his research in Civil Engineering at National Taiwan the physics of shock waves in fl uids. His was way ahead of its time.” His interests University [NTU]. In 1983 CK studied dy- fi rst course was Advanced Kinetic Theory broadened to combustion and engine phys- namics in the “Moon Lab” under Professor of Fluids. The 1960’s were exciting times ics, including the study of ion propulsion Emeritus Francis Moon. CK earned both an in fl uid mechanics especially since Presi- and hydrogen fuel automobiles. M.S. and Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied dent Kennedy had put the U.S. on a path Tob de Boer served as Associate Direc- Mechanics. Fellow graduates of the time to the Moon and space sciences was all the tor of the Undergraduate Program most of will remember CK as a friendly engaging 1982-1991, taking time out for a sabbatical student with an infectious laugh, interested in 1985-86 and to serve as Acting Director of in mechanics, physics and chaos theory. He the Sibley School in Fall ‘88. He was also the was awarded a U.S. patent along with advi- school parliamentarian and he knew ‘Rob- sor Moon for his Cornell research work in ert’s Rules’ cold. electromechanical sensors. He held a pres- In later years his research encom- tigious IBM Fellowship while a student at passed hydrogen engines, cryocoolers and Cornell. Stirling engines, but always approaching In 1987, Dr. Lee was hired by the IBM these machines from thermodynamic and Almaden Research Center in San Jose and mathematical modeling and basic princi- worked on magnetic disc drives and op- ples of physics. toelectronic devices. He received an IBM Outside Upson Hall, Tob had many in- Outstanding Achievement award for his terests especially in sports, including long work. In 1994 CK returned to his alma distance running, cycling, cross-country mater in Taipei as a faculty member in the skiing, rowing and swimming. He and his National Taiwan University, Institute of wife Joan, as well as their daughters, were Applied Mechanics, founded by Cornell outstanding athletes. Tob was active in the TAM faculty Yih-Hsing Pao. Dr. Lee, along Cascadilla Rowing Club. He personally with another TAM grad Pei-Zen Chang, groomed many of the cross-country skiing founded the Nano-Bio-MEMS research trails in Hammond Hill State Forest and group at NTU. Chih-Kung Lee has had a headed the Nordic Ski Club. very distinguished career in Taiwan and Many former Sibley School students served as Executive Vice President of the Industrial Technology Research Institute in rage. In the 1966 Aero School log book 30 will remember his lectures in introductory Taiwan and other governmental advisory students and researchers are listed. In 1966 Thermodynamics and in his retirement he positions. He received many awards for his Professor de Boer was assigned advisor to taught freshman mathematics. Professor de research including a Gold Medal Prize in students, William Condit, N. Hubbard, P.R. Boer died on May 2 after an extended ill- 2012 from the World Genius Convention. Grimwood, R. Kinsinger, and researchers ness. In June there was a memorial service Dr. Lee serves as Minister of Economic Af- Arnold Frohn and R.A. Johnson, with for Tob de Boer where many of his friends fairs under Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen, whom Tob would co-author his fi rst Cor- and colleagues paid tribute to his memory. M.S. Law ‘80, who is also a Cornell Grad- nell research papers. uate.

10 | MAE Magazine HONORS AND AWARDS FACULTY

Recognized as the Named Sibley College Named John F. Carr Clare Boothe Luce Professor of Me- Professor of Mechani- Assistant Professor of chanical Engineering cal Engineering eff ective Mechanical and eff ective November 1, November 1, 2015. Aerospace Engineering, 2015. Erickson also re- Cornell University. Professor David cieved a 2016 Academic Professor Andy Assistant Professor Erickson Ruina Nelly Andarawis- Venture Fund Award Puri for the From C02 to Fuel proposal from the Atkinson Center. Cornell received $611k Engineering Learning Atkinson Center’s for Erikson’s ‘FeverPhone’ research. & Research Faculty 2016 Academic Fellow; 3M Non-Ten- Venture Fund Award Atkinson Center’s ured Faculty Award; for the Power in the Wind 2016 Academic 2016 Academic Venture proposal. Barthelmie Venture Fund Award Assistant Professor Fund Award for the Robert Shepherd Professor Rebecca was also awarded an for the Imagining Energy New Tech for an Ancient Barthelmie Engaged Cornell Cur- Transitions proposal. Food proposal from the Atkinson Center; riculum Grant to develop a new course. Professor Emeritus and winner of a campus-wide faculty She holds the title Affi liate Professor in the Albert George philosophical debate (Liferaft) sponsored Wind Energy Department of the Danish by Logos, the Undergraduate Journal of Technical University. Named Mills Family Philosophy. Faculty Fellow of Me- chanical and Aerospace Hetényi Award for Reappointed as the Engineering, Cornell best research paper pub- S.C. Thomas Sze University. lished in Experimental Director of the Sibley Assistant Professor Mechanics. School of Mechanical Guy Hoffman and Aerospace Engi- Assistant Professor Meredith Silberstein Professor Mark neering for a two-year Promoted to Full Pro- Campbell term starting July 1, fessor eff ective July 1, National Science 2016. 2016. He also received Foundation CAREER the Cornell College of Award. Singh received Engineering Advising Junior Award of the the 2015 Biomaterials Professor Brian Award and the 2015 International Confer- Outstanding Paper Kirby Research Award. ence on Multiphase Assistant Professor Award at the 10th Ankur Singh Flows. The Department World Biomaterials Awarded the John of Defense (DoD) will Congress in Montreal. Swanson ’61 ME Ex- Associate Professor support a spray project cellence in Teaching Scientifi c and Tech- Olivier Desjardins led by Desjardins with a Award in honor of nological Achieve- grant of up to $7.5 his mother, Dorothy ment Award from the million over fi ve years. Associate Professor G. Swanson, Cornell Environmental Protec- Mason Peck University. tion Agency. Associate Professor Max Zhang

11 | MAE Magazine HONORS AND AWARDS STUDENTS The Sibley School congratulates Kellen McCormick: the 2016 graduates and those who contributed to the Mechanical and “To me, Cornell was a place Aerospace Engineering community. where I could learn from the bright, passionate faculty and students, and also get a 2016 Senior Class chance to pass that on as a teaching assistant. Speaker: Lauren Tweel, Cornell was a place where I could work hard B.S. ME ‘16 without it ever feeling like work. Cornell was Cornell Chapter of the American Society of fi lming a joke commercial for a class at 3 a.m. Mechanical Engineers Executive Board Members “I was truly honored to have and not regrett ing a moment, or assembling 2015-16. Adam Matrab is fi fth from the right. been chosen to represent the a car at 4 a.m. with a smile on my face from Adam Matrab: senior class at the Mechanical Engineering the Baja banter. Five years ago, Cornell was “During my time at Cornell I’ve had the graduation ceremony. I was thrilled to be able just a dream, and today, I still can’t believe it privilege to work with amazing students and to shed light on what a tight-knit, supportive, wasn’t.” faculty on interesting projects. I’ve also had and fostering class we had become and to be the opportunity to grow and develop my skills able to thank everyone who created such an un- Thomas J. and Joan T. Kelly Prize: as an engineer and as a person, which I’ll carry forgett able four years-advisors, professors, and Awarded to a graduate student displaying for the rest of my life.” above all, classmates. My fellow classmates excellence in aerospace engineering, as inspired me, challenged me, and supported me demonstrated through coursework or an Emma Clair Thomson: throughout my four years at Cornell Engineer- innovative design project. ing and I honestly know I would not have been Award Recipient: Jesse Miller, M.Eng. ME “My time at Cornell provided able to come this far without them.” ‘16: “A Directionally Stable Robotic Sail- me with an immeasurably boat: Concept and Simulations.” Research valuable experience in the Outstanding Achievement Award: This with Professor Andy Ruina. mechanical engineering award is presented to a graduating student discipline both in and out of the classroom. who has achieved the highest academic Outstanding Senior Award: This award Only at Cornell is one able to join and excel in standing in the Master of Engineering is presented to two undergraduate stu- an impressive variety of project teams, allowing Program. dents who have exemplifi ed strong leader- one to apply what is taught in class in addition Award Recipient: Jesse Miller, M.Eng. ME ship skills, raising awareness of the Cornell to gaining exposure to new material. Being able ‘16 chapter of ASME through outreach, social to lead a project team also provides hands-on and professional activities. experience in managing a multi-disciplinary Award Recipients: Leslie Cheng, B.S. ME group of students, which is something that I “Long lasting friendships, ‘16; Jason Flahie, B.S. ME ‘16 carry with me after graduating.” a desire to keep learning, Walter Werring Excellence Prize: took some classes too” Bart Conta Prize in Energy and the Recognizes talented and dedicated under- Environment: Awarded for best work on graduates who have enhanced the Cornell a research or design project dealing with community, excelling in a manner befi tt ing energy and the environment. the reputation of the Sibley School. The Sibley Prizes: The Sibley Prizes Award Recipients: Sean Hidaka,M.Eng. Award Recipients: Corinne Elizabeth were established in 1884 for the two se- ME ‘16: “Operating Solar PV and Ice Lippe, B.S. ME ‘16; Adam Matrab, B.S. ME niors with the highest scholastic averages. Storage in Post-Net-Metering Hawaii.” ‘16; Emma Clair Thomson, B.S. ME ‘16 Award Recipients: Do Hyun Chung, B.S. Research with Professor K. Max Zhang. ME ‘16; Kellen McCormick, B.S. ME ‘16

12 | MAE Magazine MAENEWS AND SPOTLIGHTS

Alexandra N. Thompson, B.S. ME ‘16; Frank O. Ellenwood Prize: Awarded to CUAir takes 2nd place Daniel Wilentz , B.S. ME ‘16: “Passive undergraduate students with the highest in the 14th Annual Associ- Acoustic Detection of Bird Strikes on Wind GPA in heat and power courses. ation of Unmanned Vehicle Turbine Blades.” Research with Professor Award Recipients: Peter Chen, B.S. ME Systems International Rebecca Barthelmie. ‘16; Do Hyun Chung B.S. ME ‘16; Corinne (AUVSI) Student Unmanned Air Systems Elizabeth Lippe, B.S. ME ‘16 Competition held in Patuxent River, Alexandra N. Thompson: MD on June 15-20, 2016. (htt p://www. “Cornell provided me with the incredible Sibley School Class of 2016 Senior mae.cornell.edu/news/spotlights.cfm?s_ opportunity to become part of a world of amaz- Video and Slide Creators: Chelsea id=628&page=1) ing, driven, and gifted professors, lecturers, Sidrane, B.S. ME ‘16; Alexandra N. Thomp- and fellow students. Through electives and son, B.S. ME ‘16 Blast off! 4-H youth research, I was able to explore and deepen my program attendees interest in wind energy, from the underlying 7 engineering seniors launch rockets from physics to its impact on its surroundings. The honored as 2016 Cornell slope: The 4-H research fostered an even broader passion about Merrill Presidential Youth Development program brought energy production. I am very thankful to have Scholars: Seven Cornell together teens from across New York State received the Bart Conta Prize in Energy and Engineering students spent a portion of to explore STEM on Cornell’s campus. the Environment.“ Senior Week celebrating not only their (htt p://ithacavoice.com/2016/06/bird-plane- own accomplishments, but also celebrating no-rocket/) H.D. Block Teaching Prize: Awarded the educators who inspired them to be “An End-To-End System to a Ph.D. candidate, recognizing their the scholars they are today. (htt p://www. for Accomplishing dedication and excellence as a teaching mae.cornell.edu/news/index.cfm?news_ Tasks with Modular Ro- assistant in Engineering Mathematics and id=95136&news_back=) bots” by Gangyuan (Jim) Engineering Mechanics Jing, Tarik Tosun, Mark Yim, and Award Recipient: Lauren Lazarus, Ph.D. MAE student Robert Professor Hadas Kress-Gazit won best TAM ‘16 Chiodi awarded a ND- systems paper, best student paper, and “My time at Cornell has SEG fellowship, for his was a fi nalist for best paper at Robotics: allowed me to grow in both demonstrated ability and Science and Systems 2016. It was the only research and teaching, and special aptitude for advanced training in paper nominated in all three award catego- to bett er understand my science and engineering. (htt ps://ndseg. ries. (htt p://www.roboticsconference.org/ strengths and interests asee.org/ndseg_fellows/2016_awardees) awards.html) moving forward. To me, the H.D. Block Teaching Prize represents an appre- Elise Yang, B.S. ME Ithaca High CubeSat ciation of the connections between engineering ’16, received the Co- team’s concept to get and mathematics, and of the need to communi- op Student of the year a shot at space along cate clearly to various levels of expertise. I feel award—others receive with Professor Mason fortunate to be recognized for this important Distinguished Honors. (htt p://auth.cengr. Peck. A team from Ithaca High School is aspect of my time at Cornell.” commonspotcloud.com/mae/upload/Coop- among three winners in the recent Cornell awards2014_2015.pdf) CubeSat satellite contest. (htt p://www. Sibley School Excellence in Graduate news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/06/ithaca- Teaching Assistant Prize: Awarded to MAE student Paula high-cubesat-teams-concept-get-shot- a Ph.D. candidate, recognizing dedication Doubrawa has been space) and excellence as a teaching assistant for selected for a 2016 Sibley School courses. Geophysical Fluid Dynam- Professors Mason Peck Award Recipient: Edward Bonnevie, M.S. ics Fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic and Rob Shepherd ME ‘16 Institution this summer. Congratulations along with their team Paula! (htt p://www.whoi.edu/main/sum- join NASA 360 to discuss mer-student-fellowship) and design a bio-inspired soft robotic rover. (htt ps://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/ podcasting/nasa360/index.html)

13 | MAE Magazine MAENEWS AND SPOTLIGHTS

2016 Academic Ven- by the Steering Committ ee to complete On the cover of Advanced ture Fund Awards given the project. (htt p://www.mae.cornell.edu/ Materials, Prof. Shepherd to 4 MAE faculty an- news/index.cfm?news_id=94971&news_ and lab members present nounced by the Atkinson back=) a metal-elastomer-foam Center for a Sustainable Future. (htt p:// composite that can be formed in three di- www.acsf.cornell.edu/Assets/ACSF/docs/ Cornellians to advise mensions. (htt p://www.mae.cornell.edu/ grants/2016 AVF Selections-Final.pdf) Starshot exploring news/index.cfm?news_id=94929&news_ Alpha Centauri: Cor- back=) Cornell, ADC tackling nell faculty and alumni a rescue ropes issue are helping to advise Breakthrough ‘Function after failure’ for U.S. Navy copters: Starshot—a $100 million research and in bone translates to Researchers from Cornell engineering project. (htt p://www.news. engineering strategy: and Advanced Design Consulting, Inc. cornell.edu/stories/2016/04/cornellians-ad- A study reveals that the of Lansing are partnering to develop a vise-starshot-exploring-alpha-centauri) material heterogeneity of cancellous bone new system, replacing the current steel prevents cracks from propagating. (htt p:// cables. (htt p://www.news.cornell.edu/ Max Zhang helps sus- www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/02/ stories/2016/09/cornell-adc-tackling-res- tainable communities function-after-failure-bone-translates-engi- cue-ropes-issue-us-navy-copters) grow greener: From neering-strategy) studying smog along A fascinating and Beijing’s streets to improving how U.S. Singh Lab’s research on unique take on social interstate highways clear the exhaust, immune organs makes domestic robots—Vyo: to electrifying New York City parking top 100 stories of 2015’s Vyo is “a personal assis- spaces, engineer Max Zhang literally adds “The Year in Science” tant serving as a centralized interface for verdancy to vibrant communities. (htt p:// issue of Discover Magazine! Check out smart home devices.” (htt p://spectrum. www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/04/ #63. (htt p://discovermagazine.com/2016/ ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/ max-zhang-helps-sustainable-communi- janfeb?page=2) vyo-robotic-smart-home-assistant) ties-grow-greener) Professor Zhang qouted Tiny “chipsat” space- Engineering Simulation by Bloomberg News. Brazil craft set for fi rst fl ight: MOOC teaches pro Olympics Misses First Nature details a set of skills: Cornell’s newest Deadline for Clean Ener- micro spacecrafts devel- MOOC (Massive Open gy. (htt p://www.bloomberg.com/news/ oped by Mason Peck, Associate Professor. Online Course) will give thousands of stu- articles/2015-12-09/brazil-olympics-misses- (htt p://www.nature.com/news/tiny-chip- dents worldwide an opportunity to learn fi rst-deadline-for-clean-energy) sat-spacecraft-set-for-fi rst-fl ight-1.20006) skills regularly taught to the university’s engineering students on campus. (htt p:// Anton van Zanten, Ph.D. ’73 (MAE) 6 Ph.D. students learn www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/03/ has been awarded the 2016 European to commercialize their engineering-simulation-mooc-teach- Inventor Award from the European Patent research: Six doctoral es-pro-skills) Offi ce. (htt p://www.automotiveworld. students will spend the com/news-releases/retired-bosch-associ- summer and fall semesters exploring Light-up skin stretches ate-anton-van-zanten-honored-lifes-work/) the potential to turn their research into a boundaries of robotics: NutriPhone dials in business. (htt p://www.news.cornell.edu/ A Cornell team led by fast, affordable health stories/2016/05/6-phd-students-learn-com- Assistant Professor Rob care: NutriPhone®, a new mercialize-their-research) Shepherd and graduate student Bryan smartphone app to moni- Peele has developed an electroluminescent Tompkins County Ener- tor users’ nutrition, blood and stress, was “skin” that stretches to more than six gy Roadmap accepted developed at Cornell’s Atkinson Center for times its original size while still emitt ing by the County Legis- a Sustainable Future. (htt p://www.news. light. (htt p://www.news.cornell.edu/ lature:: Professor Max cornell.edu/stories/2015/12/nutriphone-di- stories/2016/03/light-skin-stretches-bound- Zhang was hired in 2014 als-fast-aff ordable-health-care) aries-robotics)

14 | MAE Magazine MAENEWS AND SPOTLIGHTS

Engineering Society New atlas could help chance to last longer without replacement founded in honor of wind energy sweep parts. (htt p://academicminute.org/2016/05/ Ephrahim Garcia: across Great Lakes by chris-hernandez-cornell-universi- Cornell Engineering has compiling meteorological ty-bones-reveal-new-engineering-secret/) announced the formation of the Ephrahim wind data. Cornell scientists have assem- Garcia Engineering Society in honor bled the fi rst full observational wind atlas Cornell Engineering stu- of Ephrahim Garcia, Professor (MAE), of the Great Lakes in hopes of developing dent project team com- who passed away in 2014. (htt p://www. wind energy in the region. (htt p://www. petitions update: 100+ engineering.cornell.edu/research/faculty/ news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/09/new-at- students took to the road EphrahimGarciaEngineeringSociety/index. las-could-help-wind-energy-sweep-across- in May and returned with various suc- cfm) great-lakes) cesses! (htt p://www.mae.cornell.edu/mae/ news/spotlights.cfm?s_id=607&page=1) MAE team wins design Affi nito-Stewart grants competition from Soft support to 12 women Fighting lymphoma Robotics Toolkit with their faculty: Twelve Cornell in three dimensions: soft wheel robot. (htt p:// women assistant profes- Professor Singh is part of a softroboticstoolkit.com/announcing-win- sors have been awarded research grants team taking a three dimen- ners-2015-design-competition) by the Affi nito-Stewart Grants Program sional approach to lymphoma—literally. to advance research necessary to obtain (htt ps://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/ Foam heart could pump tenure. (htt p://www.news.cornell.edu/ articles/bioengineering/fi ghting-lympho- inside you just like stories/2015/08/affi nito-stewart-grants-sup- ma-in-three-dimensions) the real thing: Diff erent port-12-women-faculty) materials being tested Morphing metal could by MAE’s Prof. Shepherd and his team. Savransky savors role create shapeshifting (htt p://news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/10/ in major exoplanet dis- robots: Scientists at Cor- porous-material-holds-promise-prosthet- covery: Dmitry Savransky nell University have de- ics-robots) is passionate about his veloped a metal-foam compound that can role in fi nding 51 Eridani b, an extrasolar change shape then reform itself into a rigid Sibley School recog- planet —planets found outside of our structure. (htt p://news.discovery.com/ nizes AIAA executive own solar system—about 100 light-years tech/robotics/morphing-metal-could-cre- board members: Execu- away. (htt p://www.news.cornell.edu/ ate-shapeshifting-robots-160321.htm) tive board members have stories/2015/08/savransky-savors-role-ma- shown exemplary leadership qualities. jor-exoplanet-discovery) Two Mechanical (htt p://www.mae.cornell.edu/mae/news/ Engineering students spotlights.cfm?s_id=619&page=1) Engineering project selected as 2015-16 teams exemplify alumni Frank and Rosa Rhodes Passion and engi- support: A quarter of Scholarship recipients: The Sibley neering combine for all undergraduate engi- School of Mechanical and Aerospace fi rst-time entrepreneur: neering students participate on project Engineering Community congratulates Rev Hardware Accelerator teams. Alumni routinely comment on the Zachary Bialik, B.S. ME ’17, and Asta alumna wins Student Business of the Year. value of team participation. (htt p://www. (Yan) Li, B.S. ME ’17. (htt p://www.mae. (htt p://www.mae.cornell.edu/mae/news/ mae.cornell.edu/news/index.cfm?news_ cornell.edu/mae/news/spotlights.cfm?s_ spotlights.cfm?s_id=611&page=1) id=93721&news_back=news%5Farchive) id=568&page=2)

MAE Ph.D. student and Bones reveal new team won the Grand engineering secret: Dr. Prize & 1st Place in the Vi- Hernandez delves into sualization in the Data Science Hackathon. how bones heal themselves (htt p://www.mae.cornell.edu/mae/news/ and return to their original function, which spotlights.cfm?s_id=593&page=2) could give machines in faraway places a

15 | MAE Magazine Barb McGaughn Barton, Ed Barton, Chick Ver Valen Philip Jones, Hilary Diekow, Andy Malcolm Jack Howell, Elliott Siff, Marlene Siff

Stacey Cowan, Jeff Lux, Madeline Lux, Chris Peterson, Dana Lindquist, Gretchen Paul Schnabel

Adam Maher, Molly and Kelly Maher

Jack Thompson, Paul Hujing Scott Gold, Al George MAE Director Mark Campbell welcomes group

The Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Reunion June 11-12, 2016

16 | MAE Magazine THE NEW UPSON HALL

ornell University’s Sibley School has been at the forefront of re- search and applications in mechanical and aerospace engineer- ing for 150 years. Research has evolved in many ways since the times of Hiram Sibley, and in order to continue to lead in the 21st century, the Sibley School needed a 21st century facility. Upson Hall, home to the Sibley School, was built in 1956. CIt served admirably for 60 years. Understanding that the continuous develop- ment of technology shapes the future, Upson Hall is being completely updated, top to bott om and walls to wires. When it is complete in summer 2017, the $63 million renovation will guarantee that the mechanical and aerospace engineers at Cornell remain at the forefront of innovations in fi elds as diverse as medical technology and space exploration. The new Upson Hall will have a state-of-the-art Robotics Facility, an entire fl oor devoted to the wildly successful Student Project Teams that have been a hallmark of Cornell Engineering for many years, seven collaboration spaces de- signed to encourage the cross-pollination of ideas, specialized hybrid research areas—including a drop tower and a wind tunnel, and many features designed to enhance the visual façade while greatly increasing the energy effi ciency of the building. Upson Hall will truly be a 21st century home for the Sibley School to continue to create the technology of the future.

Artistic rendering of the future Upson Hall (Hoy Road). Beginning of Upson Hall exterior renovations.

Upson Hall exterior renovations on Aug. 13, 2015. Upson Hall exterior renovations on Sept. 20, 2016.

17 | MAE Magazine THE NEW UPSON HALL

Upson Hall 4th fl oor B-wing Upson Hall 3rd fl oor B-wing Upson Hall 3rd fl oor B-wing Oct. 15, 2015. Oct. 30, 2015. Oct. 4, 2016.

BREAKING THE RULES TO ENGINEER UPSON HALL

Temporary exterior walkway to Duffi eld and Upson Halls.

Upson Hall demo Farewell to Upson lounge Sept. 8, 2015. July 12, 2016.

Upson Hall 4th fl oor interior bump-out Upson Hall 4th fl oor interior bump-out Upson Hall 4th fl oor conference room Sept. 29, 2015. Oct. 4, 2016. Oct. 4, 2016.

18 | MAE Magazine SUPPORTMAE Giving and Support

Upson Hall exterior (Engineering Quad) Sept. 1, 2015.

Artistic rendering of the future Upson Hall (Engineering Quad).

ave Heller, B.S. ME ‘81, has been a loyal supporter Funding Opportunities of the Student Project Teams for more than 15 years. As an undergraduate, Dave and his teammates were here are numerous funding opportunities fortunate to work closely with Professor Al George to support the renovation of Upson Hall, to test and optimize a bicycle built inside of a wing ranging from spaces supporting the 1000+ as part of the World Human Powered Speed Com- students on project teams, to experiential Dpetition. He fondly recalls, “We did not win the competition, but the classroooms, to state-of-the-art collaborative lessons and the memories of riding our winged bicycle up and down research labs. A focus on maximizing func- the runway at Ithaca Airport before sunrise remain with me to this Ttional space and energy effi ciency for current needs and an- day.” ticipating future uses complete this dynamic project. When Dave learned about the Upson renova- Select Funding Opportunities tion and that the Student Project Teams are gett ing a • Student Project Team Pod Engine space of more than 24,000 Build Room—$50,000 square feet, he and his • Student Project Team Pod Design wife Gayle jumped at the and Build Areas (8)—$100,000 each chance to make a gift to • CAD/CAM Student Project Team support the construction. Dave Heller with Swanson Director of Engineering Student Project Why do we give fi nancial Teams Rebecca Macdonald, alumni, and Engineering students in NYC Lab—$100,000 support to student teams? (July 2016). • State-of-the-Art MAE Classrooms “Because Student Project Teams help students to develop the problem solv- —$150,000 – $250,000 ing skills needed to become well-rounded, eff ective engineers. Few things are • Student Collaboration Lounges—$300,000 as gratifying as coming back to Cornell and talking to the students working • Various Faculty Research Labs—$100,000 – $500,000 on Student Project Teams. Their work and accomplishments are truly im- pressive. Student teams teach engineering problem-solving and industrial • Rooftop Skyline Research and Testing Lab—$1,000,000 creativity as a collaborative, not an individual, eff ort. When reviewing an application as an employer, the student who has design and management For more information, please contact: experience gained from working as a part of a team stands head and shoulders Laurence Drozd at [email protected] -(607) 254-7126 or above the other candidates”. Debra Hurley at [email protected] -(607) 255-1789. Dave is CEO of Heller Industries in Florham Park, New Jersey.

19 | MAE Magazine Nonprofi t Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cornell University

Cornell University 105 Upson Hall Ithaca, NY 14853

Fall 2016 Photography: Brenda Smith University Photography The Cornell MAE newsletter is published by Virginia McAuley the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aero- Laura Houghton space Engineering at Cornell University

Printer: Director: MidState Printing Mark Campbell Syracuse, NY

Editors: © 2016 Cornell University Laura Houghton Virginia McAuley Cornell Engineering Communications Layout & Design: ON THE COVER Laura Houghton BREAKING RULES to engineer ROBOTS “Professor Rob Shepherd uses an infrared camera to measure the thermal gradient of a Cornell University melting metal-rubber composite foam. Justin Sibley School of Mechanical and Choi (Undergraduate) and Mandy Wong (for- Aerospace Engineering mer M.Eng.) demonstrate the extensibility 105 Upson Hall of the composite material when the metal Ithaca, NY 14853 has been melted into a liquid at 62°C.” www.mae.cornell.edu