Magazine Fall 2020

BIOMOLECULAR WEAPONS FOR FIGHTING COVID-19 Years before coronavirus was a pandemic, Professor Susan Daniel was already looking for ways to defeat it. PAGE 18 Cornell EngineeringCornellEngineering Magazine MagazineCONTENTS Fall 2020

CONTEFall 2020NTS FEATURES DESIGNINGDESIGNING NY’S FIRST NY’S STATEWIDE FIRS ‘INTERNETT OFS THINGS’TATEWIDE ‘INTERNET OF THINGS’ By Eric Laine 14 CORNELLCORNE ENGINEERINGLL ENGINE 2030 EANDRING BEYOND 2030 AND BEYOND By Syl Kacapyr 22

YOUR GIFT CAN HELP ADDRESS SOCIETY’S GRAND YOUR GIFT CAN HELP ADDRESS COVERCOVE R CHALLENGESSOCIETY’S GRAND CHALLENGES BIOMOLECULARBIOMOLECULAR WEAPONS Novel approaches are needed to address one of the world’s most important challenges, climate change. FORWE FIGHTINGAPONS That’s why a very special friend of Cornell Engineering is defying conventional thought and including the FOR FIGHTING college in her estate plans to establish the Climate Change Solutions Program. COVID-19COVID-19 She knows that Cornell Engineering’s student and faculty research takes holistic, systems approaches to By Chris Woolston climate change solutions. Moreover, students gain real-world experience deploying renewable energy 18 through Cornell’s living laboratory, where campus buildings, utilities, people and transit systems serve as a platform for demonstrating new technologies. The Climate Change Solutions Program will incentivize student involvement in the work needed to address climate change. Through her visionary program, students will receive stipends to pursue internships or research opportunities with non-profits, for-profits and startup organizations. This involvement will POWERFULPOWE RFULDESIGN SOFTWARE DESIGN BRINGS SOFT STUDENTWARE IDEAS encourage work during their time at Cornell as well as motivate students to choose careers focused on TO LIFE solving climate change. BRINGS STUDENT IDEAS TO LIFE By Jackie Swift Our friend has chosen to remain anonymous for now. When asked why create the program at Cornell 27 Engineering, she said “My husband and I have felt strongly that the two most important issues facing society in the 21st century are equitable access to high quality education for all, regardless of income, and real-world solutions to climate change. By funding the Climate Change Solutions Program, we hope to help underserved students to work on solutions to climate change, improving upon both issues. We are delighted that Cornell has shaped this initiative to meet our objectives.” DEPARTMENTS

NEWS AWARDS ALUMNI CONTACT: PROFILE Office of Trusts, Estates, and Gift Planning—Cayuga Society GREG 130 E Seneca Street, Suite 400, Ithaca, NY 14850 GALVIN Phone: 1-800-481-1865 Email: [email protected] 2 30 32

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CORNELL ENGINEERING LIQUID CRYSTALS GIVE RED BLOOD CELLS MAGAZINE MECHANICAL SQUEEZE

ISSN 1081-3978 n some diseases, such as individual cells’ mechanical biological systems, like origins of disease, and you Volume 23, Number 2 sickle cell anemia and properties. The process mammalian cells. want to understand the effects Fall 2020 I malaria, the elasticity also illuminates minuscule The research team found of biological agents on cells, Cornell Engineering and mechanical properties differences between cells that, surprisingly, the red you have to consider that not Magazine is published of red blood cells are within a large population as blood cells folded in different every cell is the same as the by the Cornell University College of Engineering compromised. Scientists each cell reacts to the same ways and displayed varying one next to it.” hoping to understand these strain or force, revealing just degrees of stiffness. Although An imaging process was Dean Lynden Archer diseases can take heart: how diverse the cells are. the cells look alike before being used to analyze thousands of Joseph Silbert Dean Researchers led by Nicholas Liquid crystals flow like a placed into the liquid crystal, red blood cells within minutes, of Engineering Abbott, a Tisch University liquid but have the internal the liquid crystal reveals them collecting data on the overall Associate Dean Professor in the Smith School organization and long-range to be highly variable in their population and individual for Administration of Chemical and Biomolecular atomic order of a solid crystal. mechanical properties. cells simultaneously. The Erin Mulrooney Engineering, created a way of As synthetic materials, “There’s a lot of method can also be applied The Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Executive Editor using synthetic liquid crystals they have the potential to heterogeneity within the to other cell types, and to Dawn S. McWilliams to squeeze red blood cells provide new functions when population,” Abbott said. “If differentiate between healthy Director 140 polymerase chain reaction Marketing and Communications and gain new insight into interacting with complex you want to understand the and diseased cells. tests performed at the College EPIDEMIOLOGICAL Editor of Veterinary Medicine. Syl Kacapyr MODEL INFORMS To proactively identify cases Marketing and Communications across campus, Cornell is ALGORITHM BOOSTS EFFICIENCY, NUTRITION CORNELL’S FALL Graphic Design testing everyone in the social Robert Kurcoba circles of people infected with Graphic Designer FOR FOOD BANK OPS SEMESTER Marketing and Communications the virus, in addition to those ornell systems engineers efficiently, based upon pantry Said Gao: “We hope our boosting nutrition and policies eveloped by Cornell instruction was conducted who meet the definition of Printer examined data from a requests, demonstrated research is used as a baseline to help people at risk for engineers, the remotely. In that scenario, close contacts. The aggressive Cornell Print Shop C busy New York state a 7.73% improvement in model for food banks hunger.” D approach, known as adaptive epidemiological model Cornell would have had no Photography food bank and, using a new efficiency from 2018 to 2019, improving practices and used by university leadership authority to mandate testing testing, has already identified All photos by University algorithm, found ways to compared to standard food cases in a recently discovered Photography, to make decisions about or restrict students’ behavior. Robyn Wishna, unless better distribute and allocate bank allocation practices. Their reactivating and operating Now, students living on-or-off cluster that would have otherwise indicated. food, and elevate nutrition calculations also showed a On the Web campus are subject to follow otherwise gone undetected. campus amid the coronavirus Editorial and among its patrons in the 3% improvement in nutrition Cornell Engineering Magazine has a Website, with videos, Web pandemic is receiving national public health guidelines and The modeling and testing Business Offices process. using a wider variety of food, extras, and the latest news. Come see what’s happening and attention as Cornell continues a requirement to comply efforts have received national 252 Carpenter Hall Faisal Alkaabneh, Ph.D. Alkaabneh said. sign up for digital delivery. to limit the virus’s spread. with a testing program, also attention from publications Ithaca, NY 14853-2201 ’20, Cornell’s first doctoral Most food banks face multi- Wall Street Journal phone 607 255-6095 www.engineering.cornell.edu/magazine The modeling has been led developed by Frazier. such as the fax 607 255-9606 graduate in systems dimensional complexities, as Washington Post by Peter Frazier, associate Undergraduate students and the . e-mail cornell_engr_mag@ engineering, and his adviser, they coordinate several food cornell.edu professor in Operations are required to be tested Frazier has been quoted Oliver Gao, professor of categories to distribute finite Research and Information twice weekly, while graduate in media outlets such as Visit Cornell Engineering civil and environmental resources such as canned Bloomberg News Inside Engineering, who determined students, faculty and staff and Magazine online at engineering, reviewed data of goods, fresh produce, meats Higher Ed, and was featured www.engineering.cornell.edu/ before the fall semester began are tested once per week, all magazine the Food Bank of the Southern and dairy. that two to 10 times more with the goal of identifying on ABC’s “Good Morning Tier, which serves six counties “One pound of beef is America.” © 2020 people could be infected with infected individuals and Cornell Engineering Magazine in upstate New York. In 2019, not the same as a pound COVID-19 during a semester quickly isolating them. In Operations Research and Printed on recycled paper. the food bank distributed 10.9 of vegetables or a pound conducted entirely online, with order to test 5,000-7,000 Information Engineering million meals to about 21,700 of bread,” Alkaabneh said. significantly higher numbers Cornellians daily, a ‘pooled faculty members Shane people each week. Nearly “It’s so challenging from a becoming seriously ill. testing’ approach is used, in Henderson and David 19% of its patrons are seniors mathematical perspective. facebook.com/ www.youtube.com/ CornellEngineering That’s because surveys which samples of COVID-19 Shmoys, along with several and about 41% are children, When you have more than CornellEng indicated a large percentage tests are grouped together and students, played supporting according to the group’s data. one similar dimension, @CornellEng www.instagram.com/ of Cornell students planned analyzed collectively. Using roles in developing the The algorithm Gao and his the problem becomes CornellEng to return to off-campus this approach, 4,900 samples modeling. team used to determine how to exponentially more difficult to http://bit.ly/1LukNq1 housing in Ithaca even if all can be processed using just allocate several food categories solve.”

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METAL-ION BREAKTHROUGH LEADS TO NEW TECHNIQUE COULD ENABLE BETTER CUSTOM BIOMATERIALS CERAMIC FABRICATION

eramic structures filled to make things that you just experiment and assessed technology. She has acquired with tiny macroscopic couldn’t make with a mold the flame stability inside the a high-density ceramic C pores play an or other traditional ceramic porous structure. The samples, lithography printer for her important role in industrial manufacturing methods,” said both made from the same lab—the first on campus—and and biomedical products, Sobhani. resin-ceramic mix, produced said she is looking forward to but they’re also notoriously As a proof of concept, dramatically different results collaborating with researchers difficult to fabricate. A Cornell Sobhani fabricated two due to their distinct porous who have innovative ideas for researcher may have an samples of alumina porous structure designs. everything from energy and answer, as a manufacturing ceramics, with different Sobhani’s future research will thermal-management systems technique she’s developing pore geometries. She and also focus on identifying new to biomedical applications. has introduced a new level of her colleagues then studied applications that can take full precision to porous ceramic the samples in a combustion advantage of the fabrication materials, opening a new realm of possibilities for their application. The technique—created by Sadaf Sobhani, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering— uses a combination of computational modeling, The elasticity of a biodegradable, metal-ion elastomer is demonstrated. The first-of-its-kind material, developed by Cornell engineers, can be used to porous structure design repair skin, blood vessels and other soft tissue. and 3D printing to precisely customize the porous network. esigning elastomers—a Engineering, and postdoctoral it can yield a wide range of ‘This material is amazing,’” Digital light processing type of polymer with associate Ying Chen wanted mechanical properties—such Wang said. “There’s so much lithography is a type of D rubber-like properties— to incorporate copper into as stiffness and toughness—as you can do with just this 3D printing that, unlike is a laborious process that their graft because of its role well as biomedical properties. one simple design. Using other ceramic 3D-printing yields a product with limited in inducing angiogenesis—the For example, a polymer’s many different types of metal techniques that deposit versatility. But Cornell process by which new blood copper ions could be replaced ions, one polymer can turn material across a build engineers have developed a vessels grow from existing with zinc, or a combination into eight, nine, 10 different platform, projects light new framework that makes ones. of copper and zinc could be elastomers.” patterns onto layers of a elastomer design a modular Chen’s key breakthrough used—a tandem that is present Now that the framework photocurable resin. The process, allowing for the was crosslinking her polymer in an important enzyme for has published in the journal resin then solidifies where mixing and matching of with copper ions using fighting human aging. Advanced Materials, Chen is it has been exposed to light, different metals with a single chelating ligands—molecules As proof of concept, Chen focusing her research on the retaining the pattern projected polymer. that tightly bind a metal ion engineered six unique copper elastomer graft and onto each layer. The framework was using two or more bonds. elastomers using one polymer its ability to repair blood Sobhani uses lithography conceived when researchers While chelation bonds are and six different metals, and vessels and heart tissue. In with a ceramic-loaded resin. from Cornell’s Biofoundry considered to be of moderate then made a seventh elastomer the meantime, she hopes Once the resin has been treated Lab sought to create an elastic strength in chemistry, using a calcium-magnesium other engineers will use by blue light, the ceramic vascular graft that could elastomers have many mix. It was the first time her platform to create new particles remain suspended help repair heart tissue using crosslinking molecules, so a anyone had demonstrated materials for improving soft where the resin has solidified. copper. Yadong Wang, the multitude of chelating ligands a biodegradable metal-ion tissue reconstruction and The printed object is then McAdam Family Foundation can work together to form a elastomer—let alone seven of regeneration. placed into a series of furnaces An artist’s rendering of fluid strategically guided through a ceramic structure’s pores. Using a manufacturing Professor of Cardiac Assist strong molecule. them. that burn off the resin and cure technique researched by Cornell’s Sadaf Sobhani, tailored porous structures hold new opportunities for Technology in the Meinig And because one ligand “When Ying showed me the remaining ceramic. applications in thermofluidic systems. School of Biomedical can bind multiple metal ions, what she had done, I said, “The technique enables you

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hydrocarbons. reactions and how to rationally ENGINEERED BACTERIA CHURN OUT CANCER “We’d like to develop design a better one. We see it catalytic materials with as a bridge to enzymes, where BIOMARKERS features that mimic natural the atoms are assembled in a enzymes,” said Jin Suntivich, precise way to enable highly ity the glycan. These microorganisms—namely E. cousins, and they have capable of replicating the associate professor of materials selective catalysis.” complex sugar molecules coli bacteria—and engineering important implications in MUC1 structure, we’re P science and engineering. Said Robinson: “Material are attached to 80% of them to explore the complex the development of new hopeful that this could provide “Because our cluster has only scientists and chemical the proteins in the human process of glycosylation and therapeutic treatments for glycoprotein reagents that 13 copper atoms, the tunability scientists have been trying body, making them an the functional role that protein- diseases such as breast cancer. could be leveraged to discover is more controllable than a to mimic these complex essential ingredient of life. linked glycans play in health When a cell turns cancerous, antibodies or employed nanoparticle with hundreds hierarchical structures in the But this process, known and disease. it expresses certain biomarkers, directly as immunotherapies, or thousands of atoms. With lab, and we think we finally as glycosylation, has been Previously, DeLisa’s team including abnormally all of which could help in the this higher level of control, have something that nobody somewhat overshadowed by used a similar cell glyco- glycosylated surface proteins, fight against certain types of we can think about building else has seen, and that we flashier biomolecular processes engineering approach that indicate the presence cancer.” the clusters in a systematic can build off of for future such as transcription and to produce one of the of cancer. DeLisa’s group Both O-linked and N-linked The nanocluster core, shown here, connects to two copper caps fitted manner. This can help reveal research.” with special binding molecules, known as ligands, that are angled like translation. most common types of equipped E. coli with the glycans have also been how each atom participates in propeller blades. “Glycosylation is absolutely glycoproteins—those with machinery to produce such discovered in one of the essential for life on this glycan structures linked to proteins, including one that surface proteins of the SARS- planet. And yet, we still the amino acid asparagine, closely resembled a prominent CoV-2 virus, which causes know relatively little about or N-linked. Now the cancer biomarker, mucin 1 COVID-19. DeLisa is hopeful SMILE: ATOMIC IMAGING FINDS ROOT OF it,” said Matthew DeLisa, the researchers have turned their (MUC1). his group’s method of bacterial William L. Lewis Professor attention to another abundant “The glycosylated version of cell glyco-engineering will TOOTH DECAY of Engineering in the Smith glycoprotein, namely O-linked, MUC1 is one of the highest- open the door for creating collaboration between tiny chemical flaws in the but when you put it in the composition by measuring School of Chemical and in which glycans are attached priority target antigens for glycosylated versions of this researchers from Cornell, fundamental building blocks electron microscope, it’s how much energy is lost when Biomolecular Engineering. to the oxygen atom of serine cancer therapy. It’s been S-protein that could lead A Northwestern University of our teeth. The findings very sensitive to the electron the electrons interact with the “We need new tools to or threonine amino acids of a very challenging to develop to therapeutic antibodies and University of Virginia could help scientists prevent beam,” said Lena Kourkoutis, atoms. advance the field forward.” protein. therapies against this target,” against the coronavirus, or combined complementary or possibly reverse tooth associate professor in applied By combining their DeLisa’s lab has created these The O-linked glycans said DeLisa. “But by having the development of a subunit imaging techniques to decay. and engineering physics. “So complementary techniques, very tools by commandeering are more structurally a biosynthetic tool like the vaccine. explore the atomic structure “Enamel is mechanically compared to the crystalline the researchers were able to simple, single-celled diverse than their N-linked one we’ve created that is of human enamel, exposing a very, very strong material, materials that you find in image an enamel crystallite electronics, for example, you and its hydroxylapatite atomic can only put a fraction of the lattice. But all was not crystal number of electrons into an clear: The lattice contained RESEARCHERS CREATE NANOCLUSTERS THAT enamel crystal. Normally, dark distortions—caused by MIMIC BIOMOLECULES pushing down to the atomic two nanometric layers with scale means you have to magnesium, as well as sodium, iological systems come at different length scales. The said Robinson. “This work clockwise and the other put more electrons into the fluoride and carbonate ion B in all shapes, sizes and clusters provide a platform could provide a fundamental counterclockwise (or left- material. But if it damages the impurities near the core of the structures. Some of these for developing new catalytic understanding of how handed and right-handed), material before you get the crystal. structures, such as those found properties that extend beyond biosystems like proteins all connecting to a core. The information out, then you’re Additional modeling in DNA, RNA and proteins, what traditional materials can assemble themselves to copper clusters are bridged lost.” confirmed the irregularities are formed through complex offer. create secondary structural with sulfur, and have a mixed Cornell researchers at are a source of strain in the molecular interactions that “Just to be able to create organization, and it gives us an oxidation state, which makes PARADIM (Platform for crystallite. Paradoxically, these are not easily duplicated by inorganic clusters and opportunity to start creating them more active in chemical the Accelerated Realization, irregularities and the enamel’s inorganic materials. precisely locate the atomic something that could imitate a reactions. Analysis and Discovery of core-shell architecture may A research team led by positions is a relatively new natural living system.” The clusters’ flexible, Interface Materials), a National also play a role in reinforcing Richard Robinson, associate area because inorganic clusters The nanoclusters have adaptive nature makes them Science Foundation-supported the enamel, making it more professor of materials science don’t easily assemble into three levels of organization potential candidates for user facility, have advanced resilient. and engineering, discovered organized crystals like organic with an interlocking, chiral metabolic and enzymatic a form of low-temperature The researchers say the a way to bind and stack molecules do. When we did design. Two copper caps are processes, as well as electron microscopy that can findings could lead to new nanoscale clusters of copper get these to assemble, what fitted with special binding accelerating chemical reactions image the atomic structure of treatments for strengthening molecules that can self- we found was this strange, molecules, known as ligands, through catalysis. For example, radiation-sensitive samples. enamel and combating assemble and mimic these hierarchical organization that that are angled like propeller they may be able to reduce Enamel is made up of tightly bunched, oblong crystals that are about The technique can also safely cavities. complex biosystem structures was completely unexpected,” blades, with one set tilting carbon dioxide to alcohols and 1,000 times smaller in width than a human hair. map a sample’s chemical

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an all-perovskite tandem intensive. Perovskite cells can $7.2M GRANT FUNDS EXPLORATORY configuration, according to the be recycled more easily. researchers, offers an energy Adopting materials RESEARCH INTO EARTH SOURCE HEAT payback on the investment and processing steps to ornell has secured a U.S. Cornell-owned property, will determined, but Tester and extraction will take about in just four months. “That’s make perovskite solar cell C Department of Energy complete the testing necessary other project leaders estimate three months; laboratory and a reduction by a factor of 4.5, manufacturing scalable is grant, expected to total to verify geological conditions that it will take up to a year computational analyses of and that’s very substantial,” also critical to developing about $7.2 million, which will deep under campus, according to establish detailed drilling materials and data will take You said. sustainable tandem solar cells, fund exploratory research—in to Jefferson Tester, the David plans and permitting. The another 18 months. But solar panels don’t last You said. the form of a 2-mile-deep Croll Sesquicentennial Fellow actual drilling and sample forever. After decades of “Perovskite cells are borehole—to help verify the and Professor in the Smith service, silicon solar panels promising, with a great feasibility of using a novel School of Chemical and become less efficient and potential to become cheaper, geothermal energy system to Biomolecular Engineering, must be retired. And as in more energy-efficient, scalable heat its campus buildings. chief ESH scientist and the manufacturing phase, and longer lasting,” You said. Earth Source Heat (ESH) has principal investigator for the breaking down silicon “Solar energy’s future needs to A solar cell made with perovskite, shown here, show promise as an been part of Cornell’s Climate research borehole. panels for recycling is energy be sustainable.” energy-efficient, scalable and longer-lasting way to create solar panels. Action Plan since 2009 as a “The DOE’s support puts potential means of moving us on path to demonstrate toward carbon neutrality on geothermal’s potential as a campus by eliminating fossil major, sustainable source of SCIENTISTS TRACK PLANT DISEASES RIDING fuels for campus heating. ESH clean, decarbonized energy ACROSS GLOBE WITH DUST is an ambitious proposal to that the region and much of NASA’s Release of Research heat most buildings on the the country urgently need in Opportunities in Space and Ithaca campus using a deep order to transform the way Earth Science Interdisciplinary geothermal system that would we heat our communities and Science grant is for three years, draw thermal energy stored cities,” Tester said. “The Earth which will allow the team to deep within the Earth. Source Heat project will also lay the foundation for a global The project would help demonstrate the feasibility surveillance system to assess eliminate Cornell’s carbon of seasonal thermal storage risk and track and potentially footprint while demonstrating to increase the performance Sedimentary rock layers and corresponding temperatures Cornell prevent the global spread of a geothermal technology that and lifetime of geothermal researchers expect to find within a two-mile-deep exploratory borehole, plant diseases. may be applicable in much of reservoirs.” to be drilled on Cornell-owned property. Researchers hope to validate If the origins and landing the northern United States. The project will be subject to optimal conditions for the proposed Earth Source Heat geothermal spots of specific pathogens can The research borehole, to an environmental review and system within the Trenton-Balck River (TBR), Galway-Potsdam (GP), be better predicted, farmers be 4 inches in diameter in its a permitting process. Basement Contact Zone (BCZ) or deep Crystalline Basement (CB) can be advised on how to deepest section and located on Its start date is to be layers. avoid practices that would increase its spread, such as those that kick up dust from PEROVSKITE MINERAL SUPPORTS SOLAR- NASA remote sensing satellites will help Cornell University faculty members Katie Gold, assistant farm fields, and perhaps grow professor of plant pathology, and Natalie Mahowald, professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences, study the less susceptible crops where effects of soilborne plant pathogens which can travel in dust clouds from Africa to the Western Hemisphere. ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY such dust falls. andem solar cells that when it comes to overall J. Zak Professor in Energy and heat, and leaving a large t the end of June, the expertise in remote sensing, spores have been found in “It’s just a fascinating combine different light- environmental impact. Systems Engineering in the of carbon footprint. A largest dust cloud ever climate and earth system dust samples that travel on combination of cross- T absorbing materials are a In addition to offering a Smith School of Chemical and Perovskite need less observed by satellites computer modeling, plant intercontinental winds. The disciplinary work that’s relatively new and promising faster return on the initial Biomolecular Engineering. processing, and much less of crossed the Atlantic from the pathology and genomics to team will use Earth-observing going to allow us to address development for cheaply energy investment than Producing perovskite-only the heat or pressure, during Sahara in North Africa to the better understand how plant satellites to identify areas of things that no one has been and efficiently converting silicon-based solar panels, tandem solar cells leaves the fabrication of solar panels, Americas. Undoubtedly, that pathogens that travel the globe potential disease and track able to address before,” light into electricity, and now all-perovskite solar cells a smaller carbon footprint You said. cloud carried plant pathogens with dust particles might put plumes of dust that traverse said co-investigator Natalie a Cornell study finds that mitigate climate change than silicon or perovskite- Silicon photovoltaics require that hitched rides with dust crops at risk, especially in the globe. They will also Mahowald, the Irving these tandems—particularly because they consume less silicon tandem solar cells. You an expensive initial energy particles. places where people struggle use earth system modeling Porter Church Professor in tandems made from a class energy in the manufacturing described making silicon- outlay, and the best ones A multidisciplinary, Cornell- to eat. to predict how regions will Engineering in Earth and of materials known as process, according to research only cells for solar panels as takes about 18 months to get led team of scientists has It’s well documented that change over time and how Atmospheric Sciences and perovskites—can outperform conducted by Fengqi You, an energy-intensive process, a return on that investment. been selected for a $750,000 plant pathogens in the soil that may influence disease an expert in atmospheric state-of-the-art silicon cells the Roxanne E. and Michael requiring extreme pressure A solar cell wafer with NASA grant to combine their become airborne; infectious dispersal with dust. modeling.

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CLIMATE CHANGE FORCES FARMERS TO PICK LOW YIELDS OR INSTABILITY limate change will leave conducted by Patrick Reed, $4 billion a year. operations and prioritizes the some farmers with a the Joseph C. Ford Professor The research team sought allocation of water among C difficult conundrum, of Engineering in Civil and to quantify climate change’s different sectors within the according to a new study by Environmental Engineering. direct and indirect effects Yakima River Basin. researchers from Cornell and The study examined on irrigated agriculture in The team found that higher Washington State University: the Yakima River Basin the basin. Researchers also water stress and temperatures either risk more revenue in Washington, where a wanted to know if drought- led to lower crop yield, as volatility or live with a more complex combination of snow, resistant crop varieties could anticipated, said Keyvan predictable decrease in crop reservoirs and water rights help recover productivity Malek, a postdoctoral yields. controls the availability of during times of drought. researcher in Reed’s group As water shortages and irrigation water. That water Reed’s group built on prior and lead author of the study. higher temperatures drive dictates the success of some research at Washington State “However, the models show down crop yields in regions of the largest producers of University that developed that year-to-year variability that depend heavily on wheat, corn, potatoes, pears, a modeling platform in expected crop yields goes seasonal snow, the choice to cherries, grapes, apples and connecting crop growth and down because the difference use more drought-tolerant hops in the U.S. With proper development, land-surface between the best and worst crop varieties comes at a snowfall and melt, total hydrology and river-system case yields is reduced,” cost, according to model agricultural productivity in processes. The model said Malek. “While this is projections detailed in a study the basin can reach more than framework simulates dam not a positive result, year- Various components of the PediaFlow infant heart-assist device. to-year fluctuations in crop yield revenue are strongly important in how crop INFANT HEART-ASSIST DEVICE GETS NEW LIFE insurance programs balance revenue fluctuations.” WITH $4.7M GRANT The team then used its fter being defunded by a Implantation of the device— abrupt end when the partner of Kansas, who had taken model to explore the potential A company with rights to about the size of a AA was acquired by a company a position at a Washington, of new drought-tolerant its intellectual property, battery—can potentially with no interest in pediatric D.C., law firm following his crop varieties, which are development of a pediatric rehabilitate an infant’s heart heart pumps. The project was retirement from the Senate. expected to improve annual heart-assist device has been by stimulating recovery of the shelved and the government Dole arranged an introduction yields under climate change. revived at Cornell with the muscle. grant money that had been to intellectual property The results showed that help of a $4.7 million grant The system also includes funding it was returned. lawyers from the firm; by although those varieties could from the U.S. Department of a battery-operated external Antaki did some research November 2018, Antaki had significantly improve the Defense. control unit and peripherals into the Bayh-Dole Act, which won the right to develop the average yield, farmers could Development and preclinical for diagnostics and allows federal contractors PediaFlow. also experience much higher validation of the PediaFlow maintenance. who acquire ownership The grant awarded by the revenue volatility from crop heart-assist system will be led Antaki began work on of inventions made with U.S. Department of Defense’s production. by James Antaki, the Susan K. the device in 2002, when federal funding to retain Peer Reviewed Medical The researchers argue McAdam Professor of Heart the National Institutes of that ownership. Two large Research Partnership is that the best outcomes for Assist Technology at Cornell’s Health (NIH) issued a call government contracts from the allowing Antaki to reassemble crop yield and revenue Meinig School of Biomedical for proposals for pediatric NIH had made the PediaFlow the team of collaborators that volatility must be through a Engineering. circulatory support because device possible, yet a private designed the PediaFlow’s simultaneous improvement PediaFlow is an alternative none existed at the time. corporation had acquired the original prototypes. in crop varieties—for to a heart transplant for infants By 2013, Antaki had found license for the technology for Said Antaki: “It is a new example, by preserving with congenital heart failure. a commercial partner for the purpose of preventing lease on life for this device for agrobiodiversity—and in The device is based on the PediaFlow, as required by the anyone from developing it children who have no other water systems, such as world’s smallest magnetically NIH, and was ready to move further. alternative.” through improvements in levitated rotodynamic blood the device into the next phase In March 2016, Antaki wrote water-governing institutions pump, which was invented of development. to the act’s sponsor, former and infrastructure. by Antaki and colleagues. But the research came to an Republican Sen. Robert Dole The Roza Irrigation District within the Yakima River Basin in Washington state.

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$1.5M GIFT LAUNCHES COLLINS $5M GIFT ESTABLISHES FELLOWSHIP SUPPORTING DUFFIELD FAMILY CORNELL DIVERSITY PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP ornell Engineering has established the Lance R. $5 million gift from David A. Duffield ’62, MBA ’64, to supports companion animal welfare and promotes no-kill C Collins Fellowship, created to support engineering A the College of Engineering has established the Duffield animal shelters across the country, including Maddie’s Shelter graduate students from traditionally underrepresented Family Cornell Promise Scholarship, providing financial Medicine Program at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine. populations, and to honor Lance R. Collins, who for 10 years assistance to undergraduate engineering students in response Among other honors, Duffield was named Cornell was the Joseph Silbert Dean of the College of Engineering. to the COVID-19 pandemic. Entrepreneur of the Year in 1996 and received the Cornell Alumni of Cornell Engineering raised $1.5 million to fund the The gift is the largest single contribution to the Cornell Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. fellowship. Members of the Engineering College Council were Promise initiative, which upholds Cornell’s founding instrumental in the success of the effort, including council chair commitment of “an institution where any person can find Elissa Sterry ’79, M.Eng. ’80. instruction in any study,” by addressing the ability of Cornell “The council is honored to have worked closely with Dean students and their families to afford an education despite Collins in his tireless effort to make Cornell Engineering a financial hardships brought by the pandemic. leader in diversity and inclusion,” said Sterry. “This fund will “Cornell has been important to me and my companies, and contribute to ensuring his legacy lives on.” the Cornell Promise initiative gave me the chance to say thank When his second five-year term as dean of Cornell you,” said Duffield, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is Engineering ended June 30, Collins became the inaugural the founder of six companies, including two successful public vice president and executive director of Virginia Tech’s new software firms, PeopleSoft and Workday. Innovation Campus. He is currently the chairman of Workday and founder/CEO The first African American dean at Cornell, Collins prioritized of Ridgeline, an enterprise software company building products diversifying the College of Engineering’s faculty and student for investment managers. Both Workday and Ridgeline recruit body. He more than doubled the proportion of undergraduate from Cornell Engineering on a regular basis. students from underrepresented communities, from 8% to 19%, Duffield’s fund will provide 200 term scholarships that will and increased the enrollment of undergraduate women from be disbursed over the next three academic years and will help 33% to 50%, while keeping graduation rates and average GPA the College of Engineering meet the dramatically expanding equal among genders. financial needs of students. The college had budgeted $36 For his work on diversity, Collins received the inaugural million for student aid in the 2020-21 academic year, but that Mosaic Medal of Distinction in 2017 from Cornell Mosaic—an Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of Virginia Tech’s number is now expected to reach more than $50 million. alumni organization founded to increase engagement from Innovation Campus “Dave has played an outsize role in strengthening the College alumni of all backgrounds—and the 2018 Edward Bouchet of Engineering as a place that shapes the leaders and innovators Legacy Award from Howard University and Yale University, of tomorrow,” said Cornell President Martha E. Pollack. “We which recognizes educators and advocates who promote as the Commercialization Fellowship and the Scale-Up and are incredibly fortunate to have someone who immediately diversity and inclusion. Prototyping Awards. recognizes what Cornell Engineering needs and is willing to “Cornell’s diversity efforts lead the nation,” Collins said, “and Jami Joyner, director of Diversity Programs in Engineering at step forward to make it happen.” I am incredibly proud of the fact that the engineering alumni Cornell, and José F. Martínez, associate dean for diversity and “Solving the grand engineering challenges of our time chose this way to recognize my contribution to those efforts. academic affairs at Cornell Engineering, will play a large role in requires educating every talented student, regardless of I look forward to meeting the fellowship awardees in the creating the qualification and application process for the Collins financial circumstance,” said Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert future and offering my services as a mentor to those who are Fellowship. Dean of Engineering. “Dave’s support comes at a critical interested. This is a legacy that I will cherish forever.” “The Collins Fellowship reaffirms Cornell’s founding moment for the next generation of engineers and problem In addition to his success diversifying the student body and principle of ‘… any person… any study’ as it further fortifies solvers, and I am grateful for his leadership.” faculty of the college, Collins led one of the largest capital Cornell Engineering’s commitment to institutionalizing access, One of the College of Engineering’s most successful alumni, campaigns in Cornell Engineering’s history, and helped secure inclusion and excellence across STEM disciplines,” Joyner said. Duffield’s support for nearly three decades enabled the its two largest gifts, which established the Nancy E. and “This fellowship is a beautiful way to culminate Lance’s 10- construction and ongoing maintenance of Duffield Hall, which Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and the year effort to make Cornell Engineering one of the most diverse, houses some of the world’s most sophisticated research and Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular elite engineering schools in the nation, Martínez said. “The teaching facilities for nanoscale science and engineering. He Engineering. Collins also prioritized experiential learning Lance R. Collins fellows will further strengthen an outstanding also funded the Workday Atrium in Gates Hall and Workday within the college, launching the Engineering Leadership cohort of Sloan, Colman, GEM and other graduate fellows in Labs in Phillips, Rhodes and Sage Halls. David A. Duffield ’62, MBA ’64, chairman of Workday Program and developing new entrepreneurship initiatives, such engineering.” Duffield and his wife Cheryl founded Maddie’s Fund, which and CEO of Ridgeline

Page 12 Page 13 12 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 13 Max Zhang, Stephen Wicker, professor of mechanical and professor of electrical and aerospace engineering computer engineering DESIGNINGDE NY’SSIGNI FIRSTNG STATEWIDE NY’S ‘INTERNETFIRST OF THINGS’ By Eric Laine STATEWIDEBy Eric Laine ‘INTERNET OF THINGS’ The ‘internet of things’ (IoT) is an ever-growing catalogue of devices designed tohe connect ‘internet to of an things’ array (IoT)of available is an ever services.-growing Refrigerators, catalogue companies to invest in remote areas, citing high installation costs understand local needs to have real impact.” of devices designed to connect to an array of available and a lack of customers. Communities will be able to take advantage of this “ WE HAVE TO MAKE thermometers, doorbells and cameras have become services. Refrigerators, thermometers, doorbells and Led by Max Zhang, professor of mechanical and aerospace infrastructure even in areas with poor broadband coverage. TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE IN data collection points for home users looking to automate shopping cameras have become data collection points for home engineering (MAE), and Stephen Wicker, professor of electrical Multitudes of low-cost sensors can connect to a single gateway lists or monitor energy usage. A WAY THAT OTHERS WILL Tusers looking to automate shopping lists or monitor energy and computer engineering (ECE), Cornell researchers are using LPWAN. Only the gateway, which could be miles away usage. teaming up to bridge the digital divide in New York by from the sensors, is connected directly to the internet. ADOPT IT AND GET THE MOST Businesses and municipalities in urban and suburban designing the nation’s first statewide IoT public infrastructure. “It opens up many more opportunities,” Zhang said. “If OUT OF IT. WE’RE TRYING areas have been quick to see the benefits of collecting data Collaborating with community partners in each county through each device had to be internet connected, that really limits us from individual sensors networked into a new kind of public Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), the team will set up in terms of power, cost and range, especially for rural areas. TO IMPROVE MUNICIPAL infrastructure. They monitor and optimize industrial equipment, networks based on low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) Even if you don’t have internet, you still can have your devices INFRASTRUCTURE IN RURAL water and heating systems, automobile fleets and traffic lights, technology, a form of low-frequency radio. The National Science connected.” taking advantage of ubiquitous internet connectivity and Foundation has funded the effort with a $1.5 million grant. The broader effort started three years ago with a single COMMUNITIES THROUGH reliable signal strength. Designing and deploying the network across the state gateway and antenna mounted on the roof of the CCE-Tompkins TELECOMMUNICATIONS IoT can play a vital role in rural economic development as may not be the biggest challenge. The team will need to show County building, providing LPWAN coverage to the city of an enabler of a wide range of applications such as automated communities how they can benefit from this new public Ithaca. To demonstrate the concept, Zhang led a team that used TECHNOLOGY, BUT WE HAVE crop, soil, and livestock monitoring, smart water irrigation infrastructure and inspire the next generation of engineers to do the public network to gather data from sensors monitoring TO UNDERSTAND LOCAL control and community health indicator monitoring. Rural the same. pollutants in wood smoke and measuring building energy NEEDS TO HAVE REAL areas, however, have been unable to capitalize on the efficiencies “We have to make technology available in a way that others efficiency. In 2018, Zhang and Wicker received an award from promised by the internet of things due to historically poor will adopt it and get the most out of it,” said Wicker. “We’re the Academic Venture Fund of Cornell’s Atkinson Center for IMPACT.” cellular connections and general lack of broadband access. This trying to improve municipal infrastructure in rural communities Sustainability to start collaborating on LPWAN research. — Stephen Wicker digital divide results from the reluctance of telecommunication through telecommunications technology, but we have to “Tompkins County is our first pilot, but we want to try a

Page 14 Page 14 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 15 15 few other different places to see, if we deploy this and come up with some applications or solutions, whether people will use it or like it,” Zhang explained. “Hopefully that will generate valuable lessons for us before we present a plan to cover the entire state.” Planning public IoT networks requires a detailed level of design, precise placement and sizing with respect to both bandwidth and coverage. David Shmoys, the Laibe/Acheson Professor of Business Management and Leadership Studies in the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering (ORIE), joined the team to focus on optimization. Alex Coy ’21 is an undergraduate in ECE working on students will learn how to develop IoT-based technological “Optimization models studied in ORIE provide the means the team, primarily in radio frequency and embedded device solutions and how to communicate about the responsible use to balance cost with coverage and resilience in these networks, research. “We provide efficient user interfaces so that our of IoT technology to create positive societal impact. The Cornell and investigate algorithms that find near-optimal solutions for audiences can understand important trends in the data,” he said, Engineering Information Technology Service Group is providing these models,” Shmoys said. “Our research aims to transform “and possible steps to conserve energy, improve air quality, or support to the efforts. these tools, building on advances in data science, and provide otherwise help the Earth.” Cornell’s Office of Engagement Initiatives, whose mission designs at much greater scales and finer degrees of resolution Navin Ramsaroop ’21, an undergraduate in computer is to support community-engaged learning, is another partner in that allow for greater resilience and robustness.” science, has been a researcher in the group for six semesters. He the project. Ashlee McGandy, online education initiative content Rural communities provide opportunities for developing said the ultimate goal of his group is to help lower electricity strategist, said: “We’ve directly supported the IoT work in two new networked technologies which can leapfrog traditional usage across New York state by measuring usage in buildings, ways: through a supplemental grant that allowed the Atkinson wired broadband. The project is using a co-design process analyzing readings, and providing actionable advice on how to team to add undergraduates to the research team, and through between academic researchers and community partners, which lower power consumption. “Our project also gathers many other an Engaged Curriculum Grant to help develop the introductory will create living laboratories for research, education and metrics,” he said, “such as air quality readings, temperature and IoT course.” community engagement. Zhang and Wicker have received humidity, giving us the ability to connect and compare buildings “The whole idea of IoT is so broad that there’s not a single letters of collaboration from every county, but they know simply Alex Coy ‘21, Engaged IoT hardware lead, assembling IoT-enabled throughout New York using numerous metrics, and accurately person who can handle this,” Zhang said about the multi- building the infrastructure is not sufficient. To have a real impact energy and environmental measuring devices. identify any anomalies building managers might find useful to disciplinary collaboration. “That’s why having Steve with on life in rural communities, people have to use it. know about.” wireless communication, data security and privacy expertise, “We can’t assume we know everything,” Zhang said. “We to address those needs is a major part of the project. Lee Rodriguez set the project team’s immediate goals. “Before combined with my application-oriented approach will give have to work with communities and find out what will be the Humphreys, professor in the Department of Communication, the end of this academic year,” he said, “we are hoping to a much broader, much more comprehensive view at the appropriate applications. That’s really the most exciting piece.” joined the team to help this effort, Wicker explained. further expand our building electricity metering project and our introductory level.” Understanding what communities need and As a social scientist, Humphreys is concerned with how woodsmoke measurement and alert system project throughout Wicker agrees. “Years ago, we [in ECE] used to share communicating how they could use a public IoT infrastructure people’s prior experiences shape their motivations to use tech New York state to provide more users with real-time building courses that focused on microcontroller-based applications innovations. Her research will help to integrate the needs of energy performance and local air quality data.” because that’s a natural thing for mechanical engineering. This users into the design of the networks, and then analyze the Wicker and Zhang are also working to expand interest in a is the first time we’ll actually have a course that’s co-taught impact of these networks on organizations and communities public IoT infrastructure by creating Cornell’s first introductory between an ECE and an MAE professor, actually trying to once implemented. IoT course, in which students will engage with community blend communication technology with real applications and “When we design and implement new IoT technologies for partners to tackle social, economic and environmental problems infrastructure. It’s a great opportunity and a model for future organizations and communities, it’s important to realize how using the technology. In conjunction with the NSF effort, engagement.” their expectations can and should shape the implementation of these networks,” Humphreys said. “Rural technology innovation, development and adoption are an exciting area of both technological and social research because they have received far less attention than urban technology.” The outreach efforts include a new engineering student project team—Cornell Engaged IoT—which has been working directly with organizations in Tompkins County to utilize the IoT infrastructure. The broad scope of the work requires collaborators in a range of fields, from understanding the physical factors of energy and environmental monitoring, to designing the devices and sensors as well as the software dashboards. Alfredo Rodriguez, Ph.D. candidate in MAE, is leading the Engaged IoT team which is currently providing users with a feedback system for energy efficiency in buildings and local air quality data. “This project requires expertise in many disciplines in order to make a meaningful impact toward bridging the digital divide,” he said. The project team is supported by the Alfredo Rodriguez, Ph.D. student and Engaged IoT project lead, Shen Fund for Social Impact, created by David Shen ’89 to collaborates with building managers to ensure the safe and proper address significant social challenges through novel engineering Navin Ramsaroop ‘21, Engaged IoT software lead, presenting IoT device users with real-time data visualization and recommendations to installation of IoT metering equipment. solutions. improve energy efficiency.

Page 17 page 16 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 17 16 Years before the novel coronavirus turned into a global pandemic, Susan BIOMOLECULAR Daniel was alreadyears befor lookinge the fornovel ways cor toonavir defeatus it.turned Daniel, into a professora global pandemic, Susan Daniel was already looking for ways in Cornell’s Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and to defeat it. Daniel, a professor in Cornell’s Robert WEAPONS Biomolecular Engineering, had created models of the host membrane Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular to gain new insights into the virus SARS-CoV. Now referred Engineering,Y had created models of the host membrane to FOR to informally as SARS-CoV-1, the virus is a precursor and close gain new insights into the virus SARS-CoV. Now referred to relativeinformally of the asnew SARS-CoV coronavirus,-1, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a pr ecursoror SARS and 2. close By Chris Woolston FIGHTING relative of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 or SARS 2. A dangerous virus in its own right, SARS 1 infected more COVID-19 than 8,000 people around the world in an outbreak in 2002 and 2003. That particular outbreak has long faded, but Daniel was intrigued by this virus and wanted to know exactly how it enters its host’s cells, a crucial step toward infection. The work was scientifically interesting—these viruses have a lot of tricks—but the arrival of the novel coronavirus suddenly put her work at the center of a global crisis. “Never has my research been so relevant VID-19 to the world,” she says. The new virus wasn’t a complete surprise, says Tiffany Tang, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Daniel’s lab. She notes that Members of the Daniel Research Team work in their Olin Hall new strains of coronavirus tend to emerge every decade or so, laboratory. and the latest version was overdue. “When we heard there was a new virus in December, we figured it was about time,” she

WEAPONS says. Of course, nobody could have anticipated the new virus’s a new sense of urgency, Daniel and her team are collaborating CO devastating spread. “Part of me is still in shock over the impact,” with other Cornell researchers to expand their coronavirus she says. studies in an effort that blends engineering with virology and The novel coronavirus is far more contagious and deadly data science. “Understanding virus infection requires people of than its predecessor, but the two viruses also share much in all different expertise coming together,” she says. “It’s truly an common. The strains look alike under a microscope—picture interdisciplinary effort.” tiny spheres bristling with spikes—and the similarities go deep Discovering coronavirus’s vulnerability down into the genome. By studying SARS 1, Daniel was learning much about unique features of coronaviruses that would help Much of the work in Daniel’s lab looks at the spiky her understand SARS 2, even before it emerged. projections—appropriately called spike proteins—that give “It was an easy pivot,” she says. “We could essentially coronaviruses their tell-tale appearance. These pointy proteins deploy all of the techniques that we were already using.” With reach out to grab nearby cells (Daniel calls it “harpooning”), the “ UNDERSTANDING VIRUS INFECTION REQUIRES PEOPLE OF ALL DIFFERENT EXPERTISE COMING TOGETHER. IT’S TRULY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY EFFORT.” — Professor Susan Daniel OR FIGHTING Members of the Daniel Research Team, from left: Miya Bidon, Ph.D. student; Tiffany Tang, Ph.D. student; and

BIOMOLECULAR F Susan Daniel, professor. Page 19

Page 18 18 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 19 first step towards an infection. Once the spikes have snagged a about calcium and spike proteins is correct, those drugs at the In another line of investigation, Daniel and team are the infection mechanisms of SARS 1, Daniel had to move cell, the virus can deliver its genetic payload, essentially turning right concentrations in the right patients could slow or even looking at the interaction between spike proteins and antibodies slightly beyond her comfort zone to a more clinical world of cell the infected cell into a virus factory. If there was a way to stop prevent infection of the novel coronavirus. produced by the immune system. So far, they’ve managed to cultures and animal studies. She embraced the challenge. “If I these spike proteins from doing their job, the virus would be As a first test of the hypothesis, Daniel and her team have show that mere fragments of the spike protein were enough to were to focus solely on the technology that I developed, I’d be essentially disarmed. “If the virus doesn’t fuse with the cell, the been studying the effects of calcium-blocking drugs on lung trigger the production of antibodies in mice. What’s more, some missing the bigger picture,” she says. “As an engineer, my role genome is never transferred, and the infection doesn’t proceed,” cells and kidney cells that are exposed to the new coronavirus in of those antibodies seemed to zone in on the fusion peptides is bringing my toolbox to the field of virology, and then to help she says. the laboratory. The findings are not yet published, but Daniel is of invading viruses. In a sense, the immune system seems to synthesize the information from all inputs to better understand Daniel and her team believe they may have identified already excited. “We’ve had phenomenal results,” she says. “In be targeting the same parts of virus that scientists have in their these viruses.” a potential vulnerability in the spike proteins. Studies of the some cases, we’ve had undetectable levels of infection.” own sights. Understanding how nature fends off coronaviruses The ongoing collaborations with Whittaker, Abbott and original SARS 1 virus showed that the spikes depend on the could offer important insights for researchers who are trying to other researchers have been a great experience, says Miya Bidon, mineral calcium to effectively do their job. As Daniel explains, Turning to big data, nature accomplish the same goal, Daniel says. a third-year Ph.D. student in Daniel’s lab. “We’re learning all calcium ions fit neatly within a particular region of the spike Daniel is quick to point out that there’s a huge gulf Rising to the challenge sorts of different techniques,” she says. Bidon continues to that controls the harpooning process. That extra fortification between showing that drugs work in a petri dish and showing work on her original project—studying fusion peptides in SARS seems to help make the spike tips strong and rigid, qualities that they work in real patients. For that reason, she cautions After building her career on bioengineering techniques, 1—but like everyone else, she has also turned her attention that are important for attaching to a cell. Without calcium, the that it’s far too soon for people to take such medicines for the including the cell-free membranes that she developed to study to SARS 2, too. Among other things, she’s participating in the spikes tend to be floppy, potentially making it more difficult purpose of fighting or preventing coronavirus infection. As a cell studies of calcium-blocking drugs. The arrival of the new for the virus to infect a cell. In theory, reducing calcium levels next step, she’s hoping to build on ongoing collaborations with coronavirus brought new energy and urgency to the lab, she at the point of virus entry could stop infections before they other Cornell researchers to test the theory in more realistic says. While other labs temporarily shut down in April because start. Daniel and colleagues discussed the role of calcium in models. “I would love to team up with researchers in the clinic of the pandemic, the Daniel lab earned an “essential research” Antiviral coronavirus infection in a paper published online in and veterinary school to see how this treatment works in mice designation and reopened after a two-week hiatus. Research in April 6, 2020. and guinea pigs,” she says. “The importance of the work is clear to everyone, even When the new virus first arrived on the scene, Cornell There may be another way to test the possible effects of people who never set foot in a lab. My friends and family ask me researchers knew where they wanted to look. Daniel—along calcium-blocking drugs on COVID-19 infection. Daniel notes a lot of questions about it,” Bidon says. “It’s really exciting.” with her frequent collaborators Gary Whittaker, professor of that many people already take such drugs for other conditions. virology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Nicholas By mining data in medical records, it might be possible to find Abbott, the Tisch University Professor of chemical and out of if those patients are any less likely than others to succumb biomolecular engineering—received a $200,000 “rapid” grant to the infection. The comparison would be complicated by from the National Science Foundation in April to study the the fact that people taking the drugs are by definition already spike proteins of the new virus. The team brings different skills somewhat unhealthy. But if there’s any benefit to calcium- and viewpoints. Whittaker’s lab had been studying the spike blocking drugs, the numbers should tell the story. “We’ll need to proteins in coronaviruses, including varieties that infect dogs, turn to someone with the right computational toolbox to tease cats, pigs and horses. Abbott’s lab studies a type of interaction— that out,” she says, “Luckily, we know some great people down called a hydrophobic interaction—that coronaviruses use to at Weill Cornell Medicine.” harpoon cells. The researchers are paying particularly close attention to the section of the protein, called the fusion peptide, that actually initiates a process called membrane fusion, where the host and viral surfaces merge, forming an opening where the genome escapes into the cell. After comparing the sequences for the fusion peptides in SARS 1 and SARS 2, they quickly realized that this novel threat was in many ways surprisingly familiar. “They are nearly an identical match,” Daniel says. “And because we knew that calcium was crucial for SARS 1 entry, we posited that SARS 2 would require it too.” If the new coronavirus really does need calcium to infect a cell, an arsenal of FDA-approved calcium-blocking drugs could potentially be called into action. The drugs, often prescribed to treat high blood pressure and heart issues, work by reducing the concentration of calcium ions around the cell. If Daniel’s theory “ NEVER HAS MY The coronavirus attaches to the host cell by way of the RESEARCH BEEN spike protein, which binds to a specific receptor on the host cell’s surface. The spike protein also contains parts that SO RELEVANT TO facilitate the fusion of the viral membrane with the host THE WORLD” cell membrane to deliver the viral genome inside the cell. — Professor Susan Daniel Susan Daniel, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering Page 20 20 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING |Page 21 21 What could one of the world’s most prestigious engineering colleges look like CORNELL a decade from now? Cornell Engineering’s Lynden A. Archer, ENGINEERING Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering new leader details his vision.

2030 AND BEYONDBy Syl Kacapyr

The Second Industrial Revolution forever changed the world at the turn of the 20th century,he Second and Industrial at the center Revolution of it all forwereever the changed engineers exactly that same sort of turning point again, a Fourth Industrial “ WE BUILT THIS FANTASTIC who conceivedthe oneworld technological at the turn ofadvance the 20th after century another., and at the Revolution, when data, information science, machine learning Those advancescenter dramatically of it all wer changede the engineers the way who products conceived were one and bioengineering are bringing technology into every aspect of INSTITUTION AT A TIME WHEN manufactured,technological information advance was communicated, after another .and Those people advances and life.” Tdramatically changed the way products were manufactured, A century and a half after Cornell Engineering’s founding, goods were transported. IT WAS NEEDED AND WE ARE information was communicated, and people and goods were the college finds itself immersed in developing the people, AT EXACTLY THAT SAME TIME transported. programs and innovations that will drive this latest revolution, At the time, Cornell Engineering was making its own mark and with an opportunity to again play a leadership role in AGAIN, A FOURTH INDUSTRIAL on the world. Robert Henry Thurston, a renowned inventor solving society’s grand challenges. and educator who became director of what was then the Sibley “Access to massive amounts of data and the tools to use REVOLUTION, WHEN DATA, College of Mechanical Engineering and the Mechanic Arts in such data are what’s going to define our age. We are then INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1885, transformed engineering from a shop-based, practical obliged to think about the role of Cornell Engineering in profession into one based on scientific design and academic influencing the direction and pace of change,” said Archer, who AND MACHINE LEARNING ARE training. It was this educational vision that put Cornell’s described the opportunity as a call to service for all faculty, engineering program on the map and enabled its faculty and students, alumni and staff to reimagine the college and how it BRINGING TECHNOLOGY INTO students to have greater impact on the world. will have a lasting impact on the decades to come. “We built this fantastic institution at a time when it was “It is clear “Itthat tois get clear from thathere to to there, get Cornell from Engineering here to willther neede, Cornellto excel in what it is already good EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE.” at— knowledge creation and dissemination— and must also quickly develop mastery of new domains needed,” said Lynden Archer, who became the Joseph Silbert - translatingEngineering research discoverieswill need into to commercial excel in practice, what expanding it is alr opportunity,eady good and developingat— — Dean Lynden Archer Dean of Engineering earlier this year, “and we are arguably at peopleknowledge to reach their crgreatesteation potential," and dissemination—Archer said. and must also quickly Page 22 Page 23 22 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 23 "How do we build a comparable infrastructure of Most Influential Scientific Minds” list compiled by Thompson inspired to excellence, lifting us all.” carried with him during his 20-year career at Cornell, in which buildings and people and Reuters, and in 2019 he was named one of the most influential Archer also hopes star faculty can champion Cornell’s he has mentored more than 40 Ph.D., 20 masters, and 2,000 pedagogies researchers of the decade by Web of Science. campus as a ‘living laboratory,’ where buildings, utilities, and undergraduate students. that But just because Archer is a decorated researcher, doesn’t transit systems serve as a platform for translating research into “I think that is an important legacy that we’ve got to allow us to continue the outstanding mean he wants to tell others how they should be running their demonstrated technologies with real-world impact. preserve and strengthen,” said Archer, who added that one tradition laboratories, in fact, quite the opposite. As Cornell Engineering’s Examples include the Lake Source Cooling system that way to do this is through endowed faculty positions specifically of leadership defined schools and departments think about how they will position transports water from the depths of nearby Cayuga Lake to focused on teaching. He points out that among the nearly by our predecessors?"themselves for leadership in their fields, Archer is taking a sustainably cool all buildings on campus, and more recently, 200 full-time faculty in Cornell Engineering, only three such asked decidedly bottom-up approach to planning strategy. It begins by the Earth Source Heat project led by Jefferson Tester, professor positions exist, and only one recognizes a member of the Archer, who plans to spend challenging departments to define what constitutes excellence of chemical and biomolecular engineer and David Croll faculty—Michael Duncan, the Raymond G. Thorpe Teaching his first year in research, teaching and technology translation in their specific Sesquicentennial Fellow. The project proposes heating most Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. in office working with others domains, and then by asking what investments are required to buildings on campus using a novel, deep-geothermal system. Archer hopes to expand teaching-focused appointments to formulate achieve such excellence. Another example is the ongoing work to prevent the spread to one or two per department over the next decade, although a new “One of the only rigorously philosophical aspects to my of COVID-19 on campus, modeled by Peter Frazier, associate he is still examining how the initiative could be structured for strategic vision for the college. leadership style stems from a deep belief that to lead is to serve, professor of operations research and information engineering. maximum impact. This vision and the people I serve are the departments and students they The approach has been a hallmark of Cornell’s plan to keep “The intention is to create a cohort of faculty who excel will be built around four educate,” said Archer, “and so this entire exercise of strategic campus operational and can be applied elsewhere to scale up as teachers, who bring creativity to developing content and maindevelop pillars: planning is about me learning and formulating a strategy that testing efforts. defining teaching spaces that facilitate learning, and who are strengthmastery is rooted in the aspirations of the departments and completely committed to mentoring faculty to make us more effective in research, ofteaching new guided by their priorities.” Teaching Excellence teachers,” said Archer. domains—excellence, Part of that strategy will be to invest in the college’s Archer points to the work of Kathy Dimiduk, director of the research translatingtranslation, infrastructure by modernizing its buildings and laboratories. Much of Archer’s passion for science and education stems James McCormick Family Teaching Excellence Institute, who research discoveriesand The recent reconstruction of Upson Hall, along with renovations from his experience growing up in the South American nation collaborates with faculty in developing new teaching methods, into commerciala renewed focus to Kimball, Olin and Weill halls, serve as a model for future improving course design, and modernizing teaching spaces for on collaboration, of Guyana. His interest in materials science derives from one of practice, expandingparticularly projects. the country’s largest exports at the time—an ore used to make improving student learning. opportunity, and developingbetween Another key element involves investments in faculty—to aluminum—and some of his first experiments were conducted “The institute and Kathy are good examples of the long- the college people to reach their grandeatest Cornell’s recognize, nurture and reward excellence in research, and at a young age when a tip from a chemistry book led him to term impacts even small investments can have in improving potential,” Archer said. two New to strategically hire new faculty who can bridge engineering improve his mother’s livestock using brewer’s yeast as a feed the quality of the education we provide,” said Archer, who also York City campuses. “How do we build a comparable disciplines by uniting researchers across the college, campus and supplement. points to the work of the Engineering Leadership Program to infrastructure of buildings and people university. But it was Archer’s experience as an 18-year-old high- illustrate the influence creativity in engineering education can and pedagogies that allow us to continue “The idea is to recruit superstars—people who are vetted school teacher in Guyana that greatly influenced his philosophy have. the outstanding tradition of leadership defined not just for their ability to be intellectual leaders, but who can on the importance of teaching. The expectations of engineers have grown considerably by our predecessors?” asked Archer, who plans bring other faculty together in areas where Cornell Engineering “I’m still in touch with some of the students I taught and over the past few decades, and many are now expected to start to spend his first year in office working with others has emergent technical strength, to win large multi-investigator an enduring lesson is that if you go beyond the call Page 25 to formulate a new strategic vision for the college. This grant proposals that will accelerate our rise to national of duty and do something that is selfless, it uplifts vision will be built around four main pillars: strength prominence in these areas,” said Archer. students in a way that you could never imagine,” in research, teaching excellence, research translation, and a A recent example of how success in recruiting talented said Archer. “It is remarkable what stories my renewed focus on collaboration, particularly between the college researchers can lead to new opportunities is that set by the students tell about their 18-year-old teacher, and Cornell’s two New York City campuses. recruitment of Debdeep Jena and Huili Grace Xing in 2015 from even 30 years later.” Integrated within each pillar is a focus on leveraging the University of Notre Dame. As professors in both the School Archer said it’s Cornell’s the college’s success in recruiting populations traditionally of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department reputation for combined excellence underrepresented in engineering—particularly women, of Materials Science and Engineering, the two researchers were in research and teaching that minorities and first-generation students—to develop a climate of attracted to Cornell because of Duffield Hall’s world-class first attracted him to the true belonging in which students are able to thrive. infrastructure for nanoscience research and by the university’s Ivy League university, “This is our time,” said Archer, “to add enduring values to deep tradition of collaborative research. and it’s a value he has this college that we all love.” As established researchers with leadership skills, Jena and Xing have been key members of PARADIM—a $25 million Strength in Research National Science Foundation research platform—and founders of the Air Force Research Laboratory Cornell Center for Epitaxial Archer joined the Cornell faculty in 2000 and established Solutions—a $3 million center uniting researchers who aim to a research group broadly considered a leader in the materials discover the atomic secrets of beta-gallium oxide, a promising physics of organic polymers and their composites with inorganic new material that has piqued the interest of engineers for its nanomaterials. Inspired by a call from the National Science potential to allow electronic devices to handle dramatically more Foundation for functional nanomaterials, he discovered a novel power. type of nanoscale organic hybrid material that combines the “Once we recruit outstanding faculty to the college and give best of its organic polymer and inorganic particle components them the recourses they need, they not only allow us to rapidly to enable access to low-cost, but high-energy batteries that use add strength in priority areas, but also help define the culture of metals as anodes. excellence required to sustain such strength,” said Archer. “The A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Archer hope is that more junior faculty and perhaps even the senior has the distinction of being named four times to the “World’s faculty colleagues participating in their successes will then be

Page24 24| FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 25 or manage a company, among other leadership functions. The multidisciplinary centers with Weill Cornell Medicine. In 2015, Engineering Leadership Program—run by Erica Dawson, the Uli Wiesner, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Materials Science Nancy and Bob Selander Director and professor of practice— and Engineering, stressed collaboration as key to the successful helps prepare students for this future through classes, launch of the MSKCC-Cornell Center for Translation of Cancer seminars, and a leadership certificate program, all of which Nanomedicines—a $10 million center he co-directs with Michelle teach professional skills such as working in diverse teams, Bradbury, director of intraoperative imaging at Memorial Sloan communication, decision making, managing conflict, ethics, Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and associate professor of networking and organizational culture, among other topics. radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. “As former director of the Smith School, I had opportunities And in 2016, researchers from the College of Engineering and to meet alumni at a range of career points. This provided a Weill Cornell Medicine announced the Center on the Physics of useful distillation of thought about what is most valuable in Cancer Metabolism—led by Claudia Fischbach, the Stanley Bryer terms of what we teach,” said Archer. “It is remarkable how 1946 Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Dr. Lewis Cantley, often the ‘I wish I learned this or that while at Cornell’ intersect the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer with the sorts of instruction the Engineering Leadership Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Program provides.” And while Archer sees more opportunity for Ithaca-Weill Archer aims to expand the leadership program so that it’s partnerships, he describes Cornell Engineering’s relationship with deeply integrated into the experience of all Cornell Engineering Cornell Tech, which officially opened its Roosevelt Island campus students. He also hopes to expand Diversity Programs in in 2017, as full of largely unrealized promise. While Cornell Engineering, which facilitates the development of faculty and Engineering does have two non-computer-science master’s students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in degree programs based on the tech campus, Archer points to engineering. Cornell Tech’s Urban Tech Hub as a prime example of untapped “With the college’s most recent class at 51% women and potential for impactful collaboration. 24% underrepresented minorities, one has to begin to ask, how The Urban Tech Hub is Cornell Tech’s academic umbrella do we begin to transform the college so that these students are for the emerging study of how to make cities and urban spaces able to thrive at Cornell and beyond?” said Archer. livable and efficient, encompassing civil engineering, electrical and computational engineering, sustainability, transportation, The Cornell Mars Rover student project team. One Cornell Engineering policy and the social sciences, among other areas of study. “Recruitment of good faculty and graduate students is POWERFUL DESIGN SOFTWARE BRINGS STUDENT IDEAS TO LIFE At the dawn of the Second Industrial Revolution, when essential for activating these partnerships,” said Archer, “and Cornell’s founder, Ezra Cornell, famously proclaimed his vision if we’re able to develop programming that leads to deep for the university as a place for “…any person…any study,” he engagement between the two campuses, I predict that when one POWERFUL DESIGN articulated what was a radical idea at the time—a university thinks of Cornell Engineering, opportunities in New York City with few academic boundaries, in which faculty and students won’t be an afterthought. We’ll have departments that are closely would have the freedom to pursue their intellectual interests. connected with Cornell Tech and Weill Cornell Medicine in More the 150 years later, that founding principle has meaningful ways.” SOFTWARE BRINGS endured. Uniting researchers and programs across schools and “Exciting advances in science and engineering always campuses is just one way Archer said he will monitor progress appear to happen at the intersection of fields,” said Archer, who towards his goal of expanding Cornell Engineering’s influence added that Cornell Engineering must build upon the success of during his tenure as dean. In the end, “my success is really STUDENTBy Jackie Swift IDEAS TO the university’s Radical Collaboration initiative—which aims about the success of the people who I serve,” said Archer, who to foster collaboration between colleges—and the One Cornell explained this means developing a collective vision for the campaign—which aims to strengthen ties between Cornell’s college that amounts to more than just building upon existing various campuses. Archer is particularly focused on identifying achievements. LIFE Ronald Heisser, graduate student in mechanical and aerospace engineering, opportunities that will leverage the strengths of Cornell “We’re dreaming together and making a plan from the onald Heisser, graduate student in mechanical and design element of the software, and he was back to thinking Engineering with Cornell Tech and Weill Cornell Medicine, both bottom up to play our part in the emergent Fourth Industrial wants to changeaerospace the way engineering, car chassis wants are designed.to change Ratherthe way car about that chassis again. of which are based in New York City. Revolution,” said Archer. “That is the part I’m most excited than metal partschassis welded are designed. and screwed Rather together, than metal he reasons, parts welded Generative design allows engineers to create dozens of Archer argues that the division between Cornell about.” why not echoand the scr wayewed bones, together muscles,, he reasons, and tendons why not work echo the design variations with a few clicks of a button. By defining Engineering in Ithaca and its presence in New York City remains andRway use bones, organic muscles, shapes and connected tendons workby cables? and use Instead organic of shapesthe a project’s size, weight, materials and budget, among other too visible to the outside world. He views a push to strengthen frontconnected end crumbling by cables? in aInstead collision, of thea car front with end this cr flexibleumbling chassis in a constraints, users supply the software’s artificial intelligence those ties as a way to spark creative, interdisciplinary research, designcollision, should a car spread with this out flexiblethe force chassis of the impactdesign shouldand protect spread algorithms with a set of specifications to work with. In return, and to enhance recruiting efforts. As many researchers will “THIS IS OUR TIME itsout human the for occupantsce of the impact better. and protect its human occupants users receive design proposals optimized for their goals. profess, Cornell’s interdisciplinary nature is what attracted them better. “My initial idea didn’t even involve generative design,” to the university, Archer included. TO ADD ENDURING Heisser came up with the idea for a flexible chassis as part he says. “But I thought it would play into the concept because “I moved to Cornell because I saw an emerging knowledge of his Ph.D. work in theoretical and applied mechanics but generative design is partially about making structures gap in the electrochemistry field that required access to world- VALUES TO THIS later decided to set it aside to work on other projects. Then he lightweight. So if I can make these organic shapes that I’m class collaborators interested in polymer physics, materials received an invitation from Autodesk, an international software connecting with cables more lightweight, the car will have less engineering and fluid dynamics,” said Archer. “I’ve benefitted COLLEGE THAT WE design company that has partnered with Cornell, to attend mass. If you get into an accident, then it’s a lighter structure immensely from this culture of collaboration developed by my an informational meeting about the company’s Fusion 360 undergoing impact, so there will be less kinetic energy to predecessors.” ALL LOVE.” software. When Heisser met with Autodesk representatives, transfer to the driver.” In recent years, Cornell engineers have had success building — Dean Lynden Archer they suggested he come up with ways to use the generative Page 27

Page26 | 26FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 27 has offered students the chance to design and build a fully- arms when they’re moving around doesn’t tip the whole thing autonomous rover to send to the annual University Rover over or cause steering problems.” Challenge competition hosted by the Mars Society. Draikiwicz Cornell Cup works closely with Autodesk representatives, and fellow team members Stephanie Terhaar ‘22 and Mikayla who often visit the lab. A few years ago Autodesk suggested Lahr ‘23 were responsible for designing the suspension for the that the students come up with ways to use generative design 2019-20 rover, named Argos. on their robots, and Zeller MacLean and her team mates saw “We started the design cycle by analyzing the previous the problem with the arm weight as the perfect application for year’s system, and we identified it as being very heavy and over the software. “Generative design is really good at only putting spec,” Draikiwicz remembers. “So our driving goal behind the material in the places where it’s needed,” she says. “Optimizing suspension design for Argos was to lighten it. There’s a lot of for less material equals a lighter robot arm.” ways you could do that, but we ultimately chose to manufacture At the same time, the students wanted to ensure that the generative design linkages.” lighter arm still maintained its strength. Team member Samuel Draikiwicz and the other suspension team members—along Lemma ‘20 took the lead in using generative design for the task. with Vicky Hsu ‘21, a member of the drivetrain sub team—spent “He used the software to inform the most important structural time getting up to speed on generative design before applying it locations where we actually needed to have pieces of material,” to the rover. “To use generative design right, you have to get all Zeller MacLean says. “He took the original design and ran a your loading conditions correct, so we actually conducted some generative design study on it and ended up with a 3D model rough accelerometer experiments to get ballpark numbers,” of what was important to keep in and what we could take out. Draikiwicz says. Then he was able to project that down to a 2D sketch.” Once the team had the loading conditions, they input them into the program. “Fusion 360 gave us a design for the main Design and manufacturing suspension arm,” Draikiwicz continues. “It took us a while to simplified Left: Part of the Cornell Mars Rover’s robotic arm was optimized for computer numerical control machining, thanks to an alternate design tailor it to something we could machine in-house, but our end developed using Autodesk software. Right: Vicky Hsu ’21 and Chris Draikiwicz ’21, members of the Cornell Mars Rover student project team. deliverable was actually two designs. One was a simplified 2D The side plates for C1C0’s arm are water jet cut, Zeller geometry version, which we made in November of 2019. But we of courses and projects, as do students in the College of Art, MacLean explains, which means essentially cutting holes out of Innovation drives Autodesk- also had an organic-shaped, 3D suspension linkage that we had Architecture and Planning, and those studying business and a big sheet of metal. Lemma carried out that manufacturing task, Cornell partnership ready to go for machining in March.” entrepreneurship. Faculty also teach using Autodesk tools in a as well, by superimposing the generative design 2D projection Unfortunately, the temporary lock-down of the Ithaca variety of undergraduate and graduate classes. onto a sheet of metal plate. “It helped him figure out where to Fusion 360 software subscriptions, which include Cornell campus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant make cuts,” Zeller MacLean says. “It’s informed the overall generative design capabilities, are available to Cornell students Mars Rover modified that the students weren’t able to make the organic version. shape of all the structural portions on the stronger of our two like Heisser, as well as to faculty, as part of the Autodesk- They did utilize the first 2D version however. “We were able to robotic arms.” Cornell partnership first initiated in 2013. At that time, Autodesk save .8 kilograms across our 50-kilogram rover, which is pretty These days, Autodesk is emphasizing Fusion 360, a Heisser echoes that experience. He had a rough idea of donated software to Cornell valued at $51.4 million, among the significant in terms of mass savings,” Draikiwicz says. “The 3D single platform that unifies design, engineering, electronics what he wanted for his flexible chassis, he says. “I just sketched largest in-kind donations in the university’s history. “Cornell design that I didn’t get a chance to machine would have shaved and manufacturing. As part of their outreach to the Cornell where I wanted stuff to go,” he explains. “When it came down was on a targeted list of schools that we wanted to build a better a further .2 kilograms. If you’re looking at our big goal of cutting community, company representatives regularly visit labs and to actually making the parts, when it came to designing the relationship with,” explains Amy Bunszel ‘89, Autodesk senior mass, all those one-tenths of a kilogram matter.” extend invitations to students to take part in informational structure itself, the software just took care of that for me. In so vice president, Architecture, Engineering and Construction meetings like the one Heisser attended. many ways it simplifies the design process.” Design Solutions Group. “A huge number of entrepreneurs have A robot’s reach That was how Chris Draikiwicz ‘21, mechanical and Hearing about Cornell students’ real-life experiences with come out of Cornell, and the university’s way of thinking about aerospace engineering senior and member of the suspension generative design is music to Bunszel’s ears over at Autodesk. innovation and entrepreneurship aligned with ours and spoke Reducing mass was also one of the main concerns of team for Cornell Mars Rover, first heard about the benefits of “These students are our future customers, and their feedback is to us. We were also drawn to Cornell’s emphasis on diversity Cornell Cup team members who decided to use Fusion 360 generative design. Since 2010, the Cornell Mars Rover program really important to us,” she says. “Making sure our products are in the STEM fields and the priority given to interdisciplinary generative design capabilities to lighten the arms of their relevant to the next generation is a priority.” education.” robot known as C1C0 (pronounced Kee-ko). As the hosts of Bunszel knows first-hand the type of education students Cornell Cup, a nationwide, embedded systems competition, the receive at the university. A startup founder with a B.S. from Cornell team doesn’t compete, but they do engage in an overall Cornell in electrical and computer engineering, she is just education and awareness campaign aimed at children and teens, one of many Autodesk leaders who are also Cornell alumni. and C1C0 serves as their ambassador. That connection goes back to the early 1990s when Autodesk “We’ve heard from a lot of engineers on our team and in purchased Ithaca Software, a company based on a 3D graphics the College of Engineering in general that the robots they grew system created at Cornell. At that time Ithaca Software founder up seeing depicted in the media made them think that STEM Carl Bass ‘83, joined Autodesk and went on to hold a number of fields are interesting,” says Natalia Zeller MacLean ‘21, senior positions there, including president and chief executive officer. in mechanical and aerospace engineering, overall Cornell Cup “With so many of our leaders coming from Cornell, we were team leader, and leader of the Cornell Cup mechanical systems really excited to be able to support the university’s students and division. “We wanted to make a robot which can provide that the whole education curriculum with our software,” Bunszel kind of inspiration, but in real life. C1C0 shows kids that you says. can make a cool robot that actually works in the real world.” Autodesk products have evolved since that first software C1C0 looks like R2D2 from the Star Wars franchise, except gift, and Cornell has continued to benefit from the partnership. it has arms, and is actually autonomous. “Obviously, that R2D2 Students in mechanical, manufacturing, chemical, civil and shape is not meant to have arms,” Zeller MacLean says. “That Graduate student Ronald Heisser prototypes part of a vehicle chassis. biomedical engineering use Autodesk software for a broad range The Cornell Cup team showcases its C1C0 robot at Maker Faire 2017. means it’s really important for us to make sure the weight of the Credit: Michael Suguitan.

Page28 | 28FALL 2020 Page 29 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 29 AWARDS AND HONORS

Christina Delimitrou, assistant professor and Peter McMahon, assistant professor (AEP), was the John and Norma Balen Sesquicentennial named a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, a program that supports Faculty Fellow (ECE), was named this year’s TCCA Young outstanding early-career researchers through mentorship, a Computer Architect by the IEEE Computer Society, recognizing global network, professional skills development, and $100,000 her outstanding research contributions to the field of computer in unrestricted research support for two years. CIFAR’s architecture. community of fellows includes 20 Nobel laureates and more than 400 researchers from 22 countries. Louis Derry, professor (EAS), was elected a fellow of the Geological Society of America, an honor that recognizes Patrick Reed, the Joseph C. Ford Professor (CEE), Lynden Archer Ilana Brito ChristinaChris Delimitroutina Delimitrou LouisLouis Derry Derry KathyKath Dimiduky Dimiduk exceptional members of the geoscience community. Derry’s won the top 2020 Gold Medal prize in the global “Humies” research includes studying biogeochemical processes at competition hosted by the Association for Computing multiple time scales. His recent work includes elemental Machinery Special Interest Group in Genetic and Evolutionary speciation and cycling in soil-plant-water systems, and the role Optimization, awarded for the top evolutionary algorithm of atmospheric deposition, among other projects. derived breakthrough that exceeds prior human benchmarks. Reed’s research determined the right combination of factors Kathy Dimiduk, director of the McCormick that would enable a four-satellite constellation to maintain Teaching Excellence Institute (MTEI), Hadas nearly continuous 24/7 coverage of almost every point on Ritz, senior lecturer (MAE), Orlay DeJesus Santa, Earth. MTEI coordinator, and Lesa Carter, MTEI service professional, had their paper, “Mid-semester Course Meredith Silberstein, associate professor (MAE), Feedback Surveys Extend the Reach of an Engineering Teaching received a 2020 DARPA Young Faculty Award for her proposal HadasHadas Ritz Ritz JeffJef Mosesf Moses TraciTraci Nathans-Kelly Nathans-Kelly SilviaSilvia Ferrari Ferrari Ziv GoldfeldZiv Goldf eld Center,” sweep the 2020 Section Best Paper Awards at the “Theory and Realization of Bioinspired Polyelectrolyte-Based American Society for Engineering Education St. Lawrence Soft Matter Circuits,” which will lead to a new approach Section Conference, winning both the Best Diversity Paper for ionic circuit design that will capitalize on the intrinsic Award and the Best Paper Award. properties of soft matter.

Rick Evans, director of the Engineering Fengqi You, the Roxanne E. and Michael J. Zak Communications Program, Jeff Moses, assistant Professor (CBE), was selected for recognition by the journal professor (AEP), and Traci Nathans-Kelly, senior Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research in its 2020 Excellence lecturer, received the “DELOS” Best Paper Award at ASEE in Review Awards, his fifth consecutive year of recognition. 2020 in the Division of Experimentation and Laboratory- The journal used more than 6,000 reviewers during the last 12 Oriented Studies. The paper is titled “Developing Best months, but only 35 were selected for the number, quality and PeterPeter McMahon McMahon PatrickPatric Reedk Reed MeredithMeredith Silberstein Silberstein FengqiFengqi You You ZhiruZhiru Zhang Zhang Practices for Teaching Scientific Documentation: Toward a timeliness of their reviews. He also won the Young Investigator Better Understanding of How Lab Notebooks Contribute Award for Innovations in Green Process Engineering from the to Knowledge-Building in Engineering Design and American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The award was SCHOOL AND DEPARTMENT Experimentation.” given for You’s outstanding research in system engineering ABBREVIATIONS analysis of product life cycles and sustainable engineering. Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Silvia Ferrari, the John Brancaccio Professor AEP – Applied and Engineering Physics Engineering (CBE), was featured on the Wikipedia (MAE), was elected an Associate Fellow for the Class of 2021 Zhiru Zhang, associate professor (ECE), received BEE – Biological and Environmental in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a $50,000 award from Facebook Research for his proposal Engineering homepage on June 2 as part of the website’s “Did You Know” BME – Biomedical Engineering series. The entry read: “Did you know that in 2016, Scientific a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. titled “Algorithm-Systems Co-Optimization for Near-Data CBE – Chemical and Biomolecular American listed one of Lynden Archer’s discoveries among their Ferrari is the director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Systems Graph Learning.” The project aims to improve the efficiency of Engineering top-10 ‘world changing ideas’ for that year?” and Control and director of the Veho Institute for vehicle machine learning on graphs, which are being adopted in a new CEE – Civil and Environmental Engineering intelligence. generation of recommender systems. CS – Computer Science Ilana Brito, assistant professor and Mong Family EAS – Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow (BME), received Ziv Goldfeld, assistant professor (ECE), received ECE – Electrical and Computer Engineering an Accelerator Award from the Lupus Research Alliance and an IBM 2020 University Award, which is intended to promote MSE – Materials Science and Engineering sponsoring partner Bristol Myers Squibb for her work looking curriculum innovation to stimulate growth in disciplines and MAE – Mechanical and Aerospace at the specific effects of bacteria in the gut on the immune geographies that are strategic to IBM. Goldfeld received the Awards and honors received from May to October, 2020. Engineering award for the theoretical machine learning research he is doing Honors received outside of this timeframe appear online. ORIE – Operations Research and system of lupus patients. This research will help identify new Information Engineering markers of lupus that could serve as targets for treatment and jointly with collaborators from the IBM-MIT Watson AI Lab. possibly diagnosis.

Page 30 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING |31 31 ALUMNIALUMNI PROFILE

GREG GALVIN, M.S. ’82,

PH.D. ’84, MBA ’93 The COVID-19 MDx Assay is a biomolecular analyzer that can detect COVID-19 using genetic material from a respiratory sample. Credit: Nancy J. Parisi. ALUMNUSALUMNUS COMPANY COMP RAMPSANY UP PRODUCTION RAMPS OF UP RAPID By Syl KacapyrCOVID-19 TEST By Syl Kacapyr marks. Comparative data released by on Cornell technology. However, Galvin it’s still a Cornell creation.” PRODUCTION OF RAPID COVID-19 TEST the FDA in September show that of 58 said that doesn’t mean it’s not a Cornell- Galvin is a former member of the With 22,000 pounds of assembly line equipment molecular assays compared, Rheonix’s inspired company. Cornell University Board of Trustees and ith 22,000 pounds of of its fully-automated, same-day test The technology needed to produce a scored the fourth highest in its ability to “Rheonix is an example of the also serves on the advisory councils for sitting outside hisassembly company line equipment for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus test was so similar, Rheonix detect a small amount of viral material in much, much greater number of Cornell Engineering and the Department headquarters, Gregsitting Galvin,outside hisM.S. COVID-19. Since February, Rheonix had a working prototype in February, just a given sample. startup businesses that are created by of Materials Science and Engineering. He ’82, Ph.D. ’84, companyMBA ’93, headquarters, quips that has grown from 50 to 125 employees three weeks after the CDC published the “We were very pleased to see the Cornellians that don’t necessarily use is a frequent speaker on campus and has WGreg Galvin, M.S. ’82, Ph.D. ’84, MBA ’93, and doubled most of its manufacturing virus’s genetic sequence. Galvin said it results,” said Galvin. “We knew our Cornell intellectual property,” said created a graduate fellowship to support he forgot to factor the global pandemic quips that he forgot to factor the global equipment. It is now installing an was just a matter of altering the system test was very sensitive, but what really Galvin. “The university is fostering a engineering students. In 2014, he was intopandemic his business into his plans business for plans this for this automated assembly line to meet the to detect a different genetic target—a surprised me out of that data was how lot more entrepreneurial activity than named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year. year.year. national demand for rapid testing. business move that not only made sense wide the disparity between the different just the number of startups that use Galvin is also the proud father of three Galvin is the founder and CEO of The simple-to-use diagnostic system financially, but also virtuously. tests actually is. I really didn’t expect the Cornell technology. Whether it’s Cornell Cornellians, Thomas ENG’19, Kristen Rheonix, an Ithaca-based biotechnology consists of the Rheonix COVID-19 MDx “The sense of urgency was apparent tests to be that different.” intellectual property or a Cornell alum, A&S’21 and Andrew ENG’23. company that is ramping up production Assay, a biomolecular analyzer that and the need was personal for everyone While Rheonix ramps up production detects genetic material from a person’s at the company,” said Galvin. “But also of its COVID-19 assay, it will also be respiratory sample. Up to 24 assays can this ability to develop a product, put it seeking FDA approval of a newly be processed at once after being loaded out in our local community and create developed assay that can target four into the Encompass MDx workstation, immediate benefits, I think it really viruses at once: influenza A, influenza which does not require a technician or helped motivate people.” B, respiratory syncytial virus, and advanced knowledge to operate. Among the first organizations to COVID-19. Production of the assay and receive the test were Cayuga Health “The physical symptoms of workstation has mostly been at the mercy in Ithaca and United Health Services COVID and the flu are very similar, of a crippled supply chain, according to in Binghamton, New York. The assays so distinguishing between the two Galvin, but Rheonix has been meeting enabled Cayuga Health to open one of diseases is clinically important because as much of the demand as possible ever the first drive-through testing stations in the treatment protocols are completely since the FDA authorized emergency use the state. With the recent installation of different for them,” said Galvin. of their assay in April. additional Rheonix instruments health Amid all the success of Rheonix, Rheonix’s early entry into the officials say they can now process around Galvin reflected on his time at Cornell coronavirus testing market came as up to 2,000 samples per day while and his education’s influence on the the company was already seeking FDA providing same- or next-day results. company. Unlike Kionix—a manufacturer Greg Galvin, M.S. ’82, Ph.D. ’84, MBA ’93, approval of a similar assay for rapid When it comes to the accuracy of of microelectromechanical systems sold founder and CEO of Rheonix. testing of sexually transmitted infections. rapid testing, Rheonix is scoring high by Galvin in 2009—Rheonix is not based A Rheonix employee uses the Encompass MDx workstation. Credit: Nancy J. Parisi.

Page 32 Page 33 32 | FALL 2020 CORNELL ENGINEERING | 33 Cornell Engineering NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE Cornell Engineering Magazine 252 Carpenter Hall PAID Ithaca, NY 14853-2201 Cornell University

CORNELL ENGINEERING 2030 AND BEYOND:CORNE PAGE 22LL ENGINEERING 2030 AND BEYOND PAGE 22

What could one of the world’s most prestigious engineering colleges look like a decade from now? Cornell Engineering’s new leader details his vision.