Awards

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

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

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

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

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.

2024 Outstanding Graduate TA Awards Announced

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024 Outstanding Graduate TA Awards!

Amir Shahbazi, Heejeong Ryu, and Nicole Beauregard have shown exemplary commitment, innovation, and passion in their roles as Teaching Assistants. Their contributions have significantly enriched the learning experience for students and inspired their peers.

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

Engineering Students Share Yearlong Research Projects During Senior Design Demo Day

With the semester coming to a close, our senior design teams presented their projects to judges. The final day of the semester was a celebration, and it's with great pride that we announce the top-placing teams from judging on Senior Design Demonstration Day!

🥇 1st Place
Team 4: "Spirit of Sobriety: Engineering the Essence of Non-Alcoholic Brews"
👥 Members: Kanisha Desai, Cameron Hubbard, Ethan Krouskup, Hailey Tam
🎓 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Pascal
🔗Watch the video presentation on College of Engineering Senior Design Website.

🥈 2nd Place
Team 2: "Design and Optimization of a Multi-Effect Desalination Unit Integrated with a Gas Turbine Plant"
👥 Members: David Gan, Katelyn Honegger, Alanna Smith, Wasif Zaman
🎓 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Burcu Beykal
🔗Watch the video presentation on College of Engineering Senior Design Website.

🥉 3rd Place
Team 5: "Redefining How to Process a Body Wash: Creating a More Efficient and Agile Supply Chain"
👥 Members: Samantha Miel, Aadil Shahzad, Megan Shiring, Matthew Silver
🏢 Sponsor: Unilever
🎓 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anson Ma
🔗Watch the video presentation on College of Engineering Senior Design Website.

Read more on UConn Today.

McCutcheon Awarded the Inaugural North American Membrane Society Permeance Prize

Warmest congratulations to Professor Jeffrey McCutcheon for being selected as the recipient of the inaugural North American Membrane Society (NAMS) Permeance Prize! This prestigious award recognizes mid-career faculty for their exceptional contributions to the field of membrane science and technology. 

Read more on Professor McCutcheon’s journey on UConn Today.

American Chemical Society Holds Symposium in Honor of Professor Laurencin

Dr. Cato LaurencinThe American Chemical Society held the Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success Symposium on March 19th in honor of Dr. Cato T. Laurencin for his transformative work in regenerative engineering. The Hach Award acknowledges remarkable entrepreneurs who innovate and introduce novel products, services, companies, or industries using chemistry’s transformative potential to enhance lives and bolster economic growth.

Recognized as one of the top engineers also by AIChE, Dr. Laurencin’s contributions to bone regeneration and bioceramic implants have earned him prestigious awards, including the William Grimes Award and the Priestly Medal.

Read more on UConn Today

Bollas Selected for the Prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award

Warmest congratulations to Prof. George Bollas who has been selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for 2024-2025. The Fulbright Program is devoted to increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Association is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program. The presidentially appointed 12-member Board of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar program is responsible for supervising the Fulbright Program worldwide and approving the selection of all Fulbright recipients.

In this Program, Prof. Bollas will investigate the end-to-end feasibility of ammonia as a fuel for the difficult-to-decarbonize transportation sectors, from the production energy and carbon footprint to its conversion and utilization. A key focus of his work will be to promote a novel method, invented recently with his Ph.D. student Laron Burrows, that leverages chemical loops of metal nitrides, hydrides, and imides for ammonia synthesis at atmospheric pressure in separate steps. A second focus area of Prof. Bollas’ work will be on ammonia cracking and power generation in fuel cells.

This scholarship will support a research partnership with the Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI) of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH).

Wei Ruan Wins 3rd Place in the 10th Annual Graduate Poster Competition

Wei Ruan

Warmest congratulations to Wei Ruan who won the 1st place Award in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and the 3rd place award at the College of Engineering with her work on “High Throughput Fabrication of Thin Electrocaloric Materials Films Enabled by Additive Manufacturing” at the 10th Annual College of Engineering Poster Competition.

 

Read more on the Graduate Programs.