Awards

Undergraduate Researchers Shine at the AIChE Annual Student Conference

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We are proud to celebrate the incredible achievements of our undergraduate students at this year’s American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Student Conference. 

Joseph Choi
🥈2nd Place – Computing, Simulation, and Process Control III
Advisor: Prof. Matthew Stuber, PhD
Poster Title: “Automatic Generation of Reduced-Space Models for Faster Global Optimization in Julia”

Nathaniel Rodney
🥉3rd Place – Food, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology II
Advisor: Wendy W.K. Mok (UConn Health)
Poster Title: “Riboswitch Engineering: Tracking Levofloxacin Accumulation and Oxidative Damage in Single Cells Using Biosensors”

Mehr Chhatre
🥉3rd Place – Environmental Science and Engineering I
Advisor: Prof. Leslie Shor
Poster Title: “Modulation of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Toxicity to Soil Protists via Co-Exposure with Microplastics”

Special Recognition to All Our Student Presenters:
Aislin Robb
Advisor: Prof. Yongku Cho
Poster Title: “Protein 14-3-3 Expression on Yeast Surface Display”

Sanjana Srinivas
Advisor: Prof. Kelly Burke
Poster Title: “Thiol-Functionalized Silk Biomaterials, a Study of Two Different Synthetic Routes”

Katelynn Horvath
Advisor: Prof. Yongku Cho
Poster Title: “Engineering Binding Affinity of Yth to m6A-RNA Leveraging Yeast Surface Display and Next-Generation Sequencing for Comprehensive Mutant Library Analysis”

Their hard work and commitment to research excellence continue to inspire us. Congratulations to all our students on their outstanding accomplishments! 

Erik Ammermann Wins the AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical, and Bioengineering Division Student Oral Presentation Award

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Congratulations to our graduate student Erik Ammermann for winning the Food, Pharmaceutical, and Bioengineering Division Student Oral Presentation Award at the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting!

Erik is a PhD student in our department working with Professor Yongku Cho to advance the understanding of tau phosphorylation in Alzheimer’s disease. Elevated levels of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) are linked to disease progression, but current methods to study these modifications are insufficient. Erik is tackling this challenge by developing a groundbreaking method to produce full-length human tau with genetically defined phosphoserine sites in engineered E. coli.

Well done, Erik! We’re excited to see what’s next. 

Read more on Erik’s work in the Technical Program.

Water Research Foundation Awards Top Honor to McCutcheon

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The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has honored Professor Jeff McCutcheon with its top recognition: the Paul L. Busch Award. Dr. McCutcheon and his lab have developed a groundbreaking additive manufacturing approach to produce thin-film water treatment membranes. This method, based on electrohydrodynamic spray processing, enables customization of membrane chemistry and performance—capabilities that traditional manufacturing techniques cannot achieve.

The Paul L. Busch Award celebrates individuals conducting innovative research in water quality and the water environment, focusing on those who transform discoveries into practical solutions. Dr. McCutcheon’s work represents a bold step forward in addressing complex water contamination challenges through tailored, next-generation membrane technology.

Read more on UConn Today and the Water Research Foundation Press Release.

 

Burkey Elected as American Institute of Chemical Engineers Fellow

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Congratulations to Professor Dan Burkey on being elected as an American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Fellow — AIChE’s highest grade of membership, achieved only through election by the AIChE Board of Directors. This prestigious recognition highlights Dr. Burkey’s long-term excellence in chemical engineering, impactful service to the profession, and dedication to advancing education and diversity.

Over the years, Dr. Burkey has made remarkable contributions, including:

  • Research: Innovating in game-based education for process safety and engineering ethics, with 50+ publications and numerous awards, including the 2020 AIChE Education Division Innovation Award, the 2022 William H. Corcoran Award from the Chemical Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and the 2023 David Himmelblau Award for Innovations in Computer-Based Chemical Engineering Education of the AIChE Computing & Systems Technology Division.
  • Education Leadership: Growing UConn College of Engineering enrollment to nearly 4,000 students, tripling female enrollment, and developing transformative programs like the Undergraduate Teaching, Mentoring, and Leadership Program and a new Ph.D. in Engineering Education. 
  • Service: Spearheading the AIChE Education Division’s Future Faculty Mentoring Program, which has supported 200+ mentees and placed alumni in faculty roles at over 50 institutions worldwide.

Dr. Burkey’s leadership and commitment to engineering education have made a lasting impact on students, colleagues, and the chemical engineering profession. We are honored to celebrate this incredible achievement and thanking Dr. Burkey for his continued efforts to inspire and elevate the next generation of engineers.

Read more on UConn Today.

Alumni Michael Jones Receives the 2024 Scientific Achievement Award by the International System Safety Society

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Our alumni Michael Jones, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Scientific Achievement Award by the International System Safety Society (ISSS). This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to system safety through research and development.

Mike has been recognized for his work on the design and development of novel passive propagation resistant (PPR) lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, the integration of PPR Li-ion batteries with Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs), and integration of PPR Li-ion powered UUVs with U.S. submarine platforms. This award underscores the global impact of Mike’s work. Last year, the award went to a team of engineers at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe. This year, Mike is being honored as an individual, reflecting his substantial contributions to advancing system safety.

Mike is currently pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Rhode Island (URI) while working as an Engineering Task Lead at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport (NUWC). His research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and is part of the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT), a collaborative effort involving URI, University of Connecticut, the Navy, and other partners.

We are incredibly proud of Mike and the contributions he continues to make in this field. His work is a powerful reminder of how knowledge and innovation can drive real-world impact.

Cho Awarded $500,000 for Groundbreaking Neurodegenerative Disease Research at Tauopathy Challenge Workshop

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Young ChoWe’re thrilled to announce that Dr. Yongku Cho and his collaborator Dr. Jesse Rinehart from Yale University School of Medicine have been awarded $500,000 at the Tauopathy Challenge Workshop to investigate post-translational modifications in tau protein aggregates. These chemical changes, found in patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Frontotemporal Dementias (FTDs), may increase tau aggregation and toxicity, both of which are critical contributors to these neurodegenerative diseases.

Funded by the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, CurePSP, Alzheimer’s Association, and the Aging Mind Foundation, the workshop took place in Chicago, bringing together leading neuroscience researchers from around the world to address critical knowledge gaps in tau pathology and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. With no current treatments available for PSP and FTDs—both of which severely impact quality of life—collaborative research like this is essential in advancing our understanding and treatment of these conditions.

Dr. Cho and Dr. Rinehart’s research will explore whether specific chemical changes in tau proteins make them more prone to aggregation and toxicity, a hypothesis that has yet to be conclusively tested. If successful, their findings could open new avenues for treatments, offering hope to those affected by these debilitating diseases.

Read more on the Rainwater Charitable Foundation.

Nicole Beauregard Awarded the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Graduate Student Fellowship

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We are thrilled to announce that our graduate student, Nicole Beauregard, has been awarded the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Graduate Student Fellowship. She will be working on integrating machine learning with evolutionary algorithms for the rapid discovery of high-performing metal-organic frameworks for gas adsorption.

Nicole also recently won the Faculty Choice Award for Best Student Talk at the 4th Women in STEM Frontiers in Research Expo (WiSFiRE) at University of Connecticut.

We are incredibly proud of Nicole’s achievements and look forward to seeing the impact of her work.

Read more on the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium.

2024 Teaching Fellow Announced

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We are proud to announce Britney Russell as the 2024 Teaching Fellow of our Department! She will have the exciting opportunity to develop innovative teaching materials and course formats that will enhance our undergraduate core curriculum.

We are confident that her accomplishment marks the beginning of a journey filled with even greater achievements ahead.

 

 

2024 Research Excellence Awards Announced

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We are proud to announce Hasan Nikkhah, Laron Burrows, and Henry Sokol as the winners of the 2024 Research Excellence Awards! Their pioneering research and unwavering commitment to scientific advancement have earned them this well-deserved recognition.

Well done to our graduate students, whose accomplishments mark the beginning of a journey filled with even greater achievements ahead.

 

 

Laurencin Inducted at the Plastics Hall of Fame Ceremony

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Warmest congratulations to Professor Cato Laurencin on his remarkable achievement of being inducted into the prestigious Plastics Hall of Fame. This honor recognizes his pioneering contributions to the field of regenerative engineering, where he has revolutionized the use of polymeric materials in developing cutting-edge medical devices, biologics, and pharmaceuticals. Prof. Laurencin’s groundbreaking work has transcended traditional boundaries, improving the lives of countless individuals worldwide.

Prof. Laurencin’s remarkable achievements have garnered significant acclaim, including the prestigious National Institute of Health Director’s Pioneer Research Grant Award and the National Science Foundation’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Award. His innovative use of polymeric materials for tissue regeneration, drug delivery systems, and other medical applications has established him as a leader in the field. Prof. Laurencin is also the first engineer-scientist-surgeon to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors.

Read more on UConn Today.