Science & Technology

Chenyang Lu, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, has received the Outstanding Technical Achievement and Leadership Award from the IEEE Technical Community on Real-Time Systems. Lu is internationally renowned for work in cyber-physical and real-time systems.

A team of researchers led by Young-Shin Jun at the McKelvey School of Engineering analyzed how light breaks down polystyrene, the plastic from which packing peanuts and disposable utensils are made. They found that small plastic particles interact with neighboring substances more easily than previously thought, including with things like heavy metals and organic contaminants.

A team of researchers, led by Rohit Pappu at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, focused on defining the features of condensate boundaries. They found that within condensates — molecular communities that make up the building blocks of life — the molecules’ organization resembles the hub-and-spoke structure of airports.

Ganesh Chelluboyina, a doctoral student at the McKelvey School of Engineering, received a 2023 Quad Fellowship. Chelluboyina studies light-absorbing aerosols, particularly organic aerosols that result from wildfires.

Jessica Wagenseil, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, plans to take a closer look at the mechanics on smooth muscle cells in the aortic wall with a four-year $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Results may help to identify new drug strategies.

Christopher Gill, a professor at the McKelvey School of Engineering, has been named a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery for his contributions to the field.

Yixin Chen, a professor of computer science and engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, has been named an IEEE Fellow in the Class of 2023.

Fangqiong Ling at the McKelvey School of Engineering and Likai Chen in Arts & Sciences developed a machine learning model that uses the assortment of microbes found in wastewater to tease out how many individual people they represent. Their study was published in PLOS Computational Biology.

Abhinav Jha, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, wants to use novel imaging to better understand how people absorb radiation therapy. His team won a four-year $2.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for the study, which aims to guide treatment decisions.

Donald Snyder, a senior professor of electrical and systems engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, died Nov. 21 of complications of gastrointestinal cancer. He was 87. A memorial service is planned for April.