This year’s Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research winners are:

J. Todd Hastings: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

J. Todd Hastings’ diverse research areas, which span from nano‐fabrication techniques to medical sensor technologies, have made him an outstanding faculty member who demonstrates excellence in his research.

Hastings is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award as well as a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award. He has secured over $4.2 million dollars in funded projects as principal investigator. Hastings has led 13 awards as principal investigator and collaborated on many others. His recent Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant on Development of an Electron‐Beam based Instrument to Study Nanoscale Processes in Liquids has the goal to construct and validate an entirely new instrument that enables imaging and fabrication of nanostructures using electron‐beams in liquids. This $1.2 million research project will permit new investigations into nano-fabrication with new materials that could not be used in previous methods, and the new technique aims for lower cost, more stable and less toxic reactants. The technique has the opportunity to create new devices that will impact energy, communication, computing and medicine.

Hastings’ research also reaches into the medical arena. His research into intraocular pressure sensors for glaucoma patients has developed a simple sensor that can be implanted into the eye, which can be read externally to provide accurate pressure readings. This result of this research will help patients monitor and control their glaucoma, a disease that is the number one cause of irreversible blindness.

J. Zach Hilt: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering

Since arriving at the University of Kentucky in 2004, Zach Hilt, William T. Bryan Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, has established a thriving and highly-active research program oriented towards the rational design and development of innovative biomaterials and nanocomposites with applications for remote actuation, drug delivery and as biosensors. A highly valued and energetic collaborator, Hilt has forged substantive interactions with faculty in biomedical engineering, chemistry, medicine and pharmaceutical sciences, and has played a leading role in a number of multi-investigator interdisciplinary research efforts, including the National Science Foundation supported Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs.

The focus of Hilt’s research is the intelligent design and novel application of biomaterials and nanocomposites based on hydrogel systems. He has completed an extensive series of studies focused on the formulation of hydrogel nanocomposites tailored for remote actuation via inclusion of magnetic nanoparticles. These materials can be activated via application of an external magnetic field, leading to controlled outcomes specific to drug delivery, enzymatic activity and microfluidic valve and sensor actuation. Hilt has supported his activities through a diverse base of external funding, including a recent commercialization grant from Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation.

While making important contributions to graduate research at UK, Hilt has also been a leading advocate in the college for undergraduate research. Since joining the UK faculty, he has served as research advisor to 58 undergraduate students on formal research projects.

Ruigang Yang: Department of Computer Science

In just under 10 years since arriving at the University of Kentucky, Ruigang Yang has amassed a sterling record of research productivity and impact and become one of the top young leaders in the field of 3D modeling and sensing.

Professor Yang’s research is concentrated on the acquisition and visualization of real-world objects and events, namely graphics and vision. His recent contributions include a method to separate bounced light and remove inter-reflections in photometric setups, an image-based reconstruction framework to derive models of water streams from real scenes captured by stereoscopic video and a new method for real-time formatting (identification and separation of foreground/background as in the “green screen” used by weather forecasters). Professor Yang’s most recent NSF grant is based on a framework his group developed to estimate body pose configurations from a single depth map, which achieves significantly higher accuracy than previous state-of-the-art methods. He is considered a key contributor to the success of the Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments (Vis Center) and, according to Google Scholar, his work has been cited more than 3,000 times.

In the past three years, Professor Yang has been awarded three new NSF grants as the Primary Investigator for a total of $2.3 million, one of which was a highly competitive Major Research Infrastructure grant of $1 million. He is also a Co-PI on three other grants that total $2.5 million. In the nearly 10 years he has been at UK, Professor Yang has averaged approximately $470,000/year in new funding as PI.

Dibakar Bhattacharyya: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering

For nearly half a century, Dibakar “DB” Bhattacharyya, University Alumni Professor of Chemical Engineering, has produced outstanding research achievements in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. As a result, he is internationally known as a chemical engineering educator and researcher as well as a recognized leader in the field of membrane science.

In his recent work, DB has extended his fundamental membrane research to develop new functionalized membranes and nanostructured materials for enzyme catalysis, ultra-high capacity metal capture and other environmental and bio-based applications. He has focused on the integration of knowledge from the life sciences to create novel membranes with stimuli-responsive properties, and has exploited nanosynthesis approaches for the generation of unique layer-by-layer assemblies for enzyme immobilization in membrane structures. In addition, DB has been a pioneer in the application of green synthesis techniques for membrane functionalization, leading to new membrane supports for a range of water remediation applications. During his fall 2012 sabbatical DB was in residence at Sepro Membranes, Inc. in Oceanside, Calif., leading translational efforts to incorporate his recent discoveries into membrane modules for industrial water treatment.

DB´s high research productivity is evident in a number of core metrics. He has procured approximately $2 million in direct research funding over the last five years, and has been an integral member of a number of important multi-disciplinary efforts. Without question, Dibakar Bhattacharyya has sustained excellence in research that has and will continue to have lasting impact on the field of membrane science.

David Puleo: Center for Biomedical Engineering

David Puleo, director of the University of Kentucky Center for Biomedical Engineering, is an internationally recognized authority in biomedical engineering. He is a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and has served as assistant and associate editor as well as on the editorial boards of several international journals.

Puleo’s research endeavors have made contributions in cutting-edge areas of cell-biomaterial interactions, biomaterials engineering and cellular/molecular engineering. Much of his work involves novel chemical and topographical modification of biomaterial surfaces and controlled release of chemical compounds to induce cell functions pertinent to new tissue formation. Applications of his research include promoting bone formation around orthopedic and dental implants, healing of large, infected bone defects, augmentation of alveolar bone and regeneration of growth plate.

In addition to serving as principal investigator of numerous grants, Puleo has exhibited a high capacity for bringing researchers from a variety of disciplines to win grant awards from funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Whitaker Foundation, Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation and industry partners. He has supervised and co-supervised more than 40 Ph.D. and master’s graduate students, five medical students, five orthopedic surgery residents during their research rotations and more than 30 undergraduate students. In 2010 and 2013 Puleo received the Faculty Teaching Award from the Center for Biomedical Engineering.

Colleagues and collaborators endorse Puleo’s research as of the highest caliber, characterized by innovative approaches, meticulous execution and an ability to recognize key questions and problems, redirect his work and explore new challenging research areas.

This year’s Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service winners are:

Donald Colliver: Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Donald Colliver has dedicated the majority of his career to service roles within the engineering profession as well as within the University of Kentucky College of Engineering.

Colliver currently serves as associate director of the Kentucky Industrial Assessment Center (KIAC) as well as associate director of UK’s Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK). Colliver has been instrumental in arranging and performing industrial energy assessments for KIAC and passes his knowledge on to students working with him. With PEIK, Colliver was solely responsible for developing the Engineering Experiences course in which PEIK interns were exposed to power and energy industries through weekly tours.

Colliver has been a member of the National Engineers Week Steering Committee since 2002 and also contributes service to the Commonwealth as a member of the Technical Working Group for the Kentucky Climate Action Plan Council. Since 2009, he has served as a board member of the Kentucky Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship, to which he was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear as the representative from higher education.

One of Colliver’s most significant service activities occurred in 2008-2010 when he served as faculty advisor for the UK team entry in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. His responsibilities included spearheading the team, writing the application, raising funds, forming the team and overseeing construction. The team’s effort was rewarded with a top 10 finish in the 2009 competition. He has reprised his role as faculty advisor for the 2013 UK Solar Decathlon Team.

David Silverstein: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering

David Silverstein joined the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering as an assistant professor at the Paducah Campus in 1999. During his time at Paducah, Silverstein has been a leader in university and professional service; this service, along with his numerous scholarly accomplishments, has been a key factor in establishing the national profile of the Paducah program. In 2012, he was named director of the Paducah Campus.

Upon his arrival, Silverstein was tasked with building an independent student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) for the Paducah Campus. From the beginning, Silverstein established a tradition of professional dedication and outreach among the Paducah students that has led to the chapter receiving an Outstanding Student Chapter Award 11 years in a row—every year since its inception. In recognition of his outstanding achievements as chapter advisor, Silverstein received the national AIChE Outstanding Student Chapter Advisor Award in 2009.

Silverstein’s professional service record encompasses sustained and important contributions to the educational programming activities of the AIChE and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). In AIChE, he has occupied a number of leadership roles that ultimately led to the establishment of the AIChE Education Division in 2009. Starting in 2003, Silverstein served as vice chair and chair of the Undergraduate Education Committee, vice chair and chair of the Education Group, and finally as founding chair of the Education Division (2009-2011). In 2011, he was the recipient of the national Herb Epstein Award for outstanding service in technical programming.

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The following winners were announced during the presentation of awards that followed Mr. Polston’s keynote address:

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Frank Woeste Award: Kaitlyn Braun

Outstanding BAE Junior: Matt Fogle

Outstanding BAE Senior: Zeb Vance

Outstanding BAE Teacher: Czarena Crofcheck

Chemical Engineering

AIChE Outstanding Senior Member: Nick Winquist

AIChE Outstanding Junior Member: Lindsay Gray

Omega Chi Epsilon Outstanding Senior Member: David Spencer

Outstanding Junior: Brianna Smith

Outstanding Senior: David Spencer

Outstanding Teacher: Doug Kalika

Civil Engineering

Outstanding Junior: Admin Husic

Outstanding Senior: Allie Perkins

Outstanding University Scholar: Davis Huston

Outstanding Graduate Student: Gabe Dadi

Outstanding Faculty: Brad Davis

College of Engineering Awards

Lou Takacs Engineering Cooperative Education Award: Paul Varnado

College of Engineering Alumni Association Awards

Engineering Alumni Association Leadership Scholarship: Alex Wade

Engineering Alumni Association Senior Leadership Award: Kathryn Gardner

Computer Science

Outstanding Academic Performance: Bradley Elliot/Alex Williams

ACM Outstanding Teacher: Judy Goldsmith

ACM Outstanding Teaching Assistant: R. Paul Mihail/Ismail Abumuhfouz

Thaddeus B. Curtz Memorial Scholarship: Ting Gu

Graduate Center for Biomedical Engineering

Outstanding Teacher: David Puleo

Outstanding Graduate Student: Ran Cheng

Electrical and Computer Engineering

H. Alex Romanowitz Memorial Award: Chris Garnick

Outstanding ECE Senior: Matt Davis

Outstanding ECE Teacher: Stephen Gedney

Robert L. Cosgriff Award: Jason Rexroat

Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding ECE Junior: Charlie Miles

Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding ECE Graduate Student Award: Sean Hamlet

Materials Engineering

ASM International Bluegrass Chapter Scholarships: Wilson Rice, Amber Gay

Outstanding Junior: Cory Parker

Outstanding Senior: William Martin

Outstanding Teacher: Fuqian Yang

Mechanical Engineering

ASME Bluegrass Section Outstanding Scholar: Robert Burgess

Pi Tau Sigma Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Sophomore: Andrew Casciato

Outstanding Junior: Andrew Wilder

Outstanding Senior: Tyler Flynn

Outstanding Graduate Student: Xin Hua

ASME Outstanding Faculty Award: Jesse Hoagg

Outstanding Teaching Award – Lecturer Series: Christine Goble

Mining Engineering

Outstanding Junior: Austin Brock

Outstanding Senior: David Norton

Outstanding Teacher: G.T. Lineberry

Henry Mason Lutes Award for Excellence in Engineering Education: Judy Goldsmith

Tau Beta Pi Awards

Most Outstanding Senior: Adrianne Shearer

Most Outstanding Graduate Student: Stacy Schal

Most Outstanding Staff: Robyn Morefield

Most Outstanding Professor: Jimmy Fox

Outstanding Teacher in Paducah: Jeff Seay

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In May of 2011, Jeff Seay, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Kentucky at Paducah, led a group of students to a design competition sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency called People, Prosperity and the Planet in Washington D.C. At the National Sustainable Design Expo where the group displayed their designs for biodiesel production, Seay was approached by Isaac Zama, a representative of the African Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (ACREST), a technology center located in the West African country of Cameroon. Zama said that for the last several years, ACREST has been working with student design groups at American universities to develop new technologies. From high-efficiency cooking stoves to a hydroelectric power generating station at the facility, student groups were working with technicians to create low-cost, sustainable technologies that improve the quality of life of the people of Cameroon.

At that time, a group of students from Purdue University had visited Cameroon and produced what they termed a “basic utility vehicle”—a three-wheeled farm cart built from junked car parts, lumber, sheet metal and piping, yet containing a diesel engine. The vehicle was cheap enough that it could be manufactured at the ACREST site and sold inexpensively to local villagers. Zama’s question to Seay and his group was: “Can you build something that will produce biodiesel for the basic utility vehicles and generators in Cameroon?”

Perhaps that sounds like a minor challenge for a chemical engineering professor and a group of students who were talented enough to compete at a national design competition in Washington D.C., but Zama’s proposal contained unique design requirements.

First, the biodiesel processor could not cost more than $100 in U.S. currency to produce. Essentially, the materials to be used would be similar to those in the basic utility vehicles—junked parts, discarded oil drums and scrap metal. Second, the device could not contain any electronics, a wrinkle that eliminated the normal way engineers make biodiesel—using precise temperature controls, a circulating pump and instrumentation. Third, the group would need to produce the biodiesel from indigenous oils, such as palm and jatropha oil.

Suddenly, Zama’s challenge became a lot more interesting.

Nonetheless, Seay agreed and he and his students began working on a prototype with the intent of reassembling it in Cameroon the following spring.

“For us, it was fundamental engineering,” said Seay. “It was exciting to work on something we knew people were waiting for.”

The team, consisting of Seay and seven undergraduate students, worked throughout the year and eventually settled on a design that incorporated a double-boiler system and a car radiator as a reflux condenser and was fueled by charcoal.

“It is a lot like melting chocolate, only we used local oils, wood ash and wood alcohol,” said Bradley Butler, one of the mechanical engineering students who helped with the design. “Because we couldn’t use a mechanical pump, we controlled the temperature of the substances so they would interact.”

The group departed on May 7 for Paris en route to Douala, Cameroon. Not a single student on the team had ever traveled internationally prior to the trip; however, concerns about strenuous travel demands and culture shock were tempered by the knowledge that 10 days was not much time to reassemble their prototype, incorporate design changes and train ACREST’s technicians on how to use and reproduce it.

After spending the night in Douala, the team was glad to trade the stifling urban heat for the cool of the mountains. In addition, meals featuring traditional American fare mitigated some of the unfamiliarity that goes with visiting a new country.

“The weather and the food were awesome,” said Seay. “The students enjoyed the village and because there was so much to learn and accomplish, the students didn’t have time to sit around and think of home.”

According to chemical engineering student Christina Willett, the largest cultural difference didn’t come from the kitchens, but the intersections.

“The biggest shock I experienced was the lack of traffic laws. It seemed like everyone was just playing chicken with each other,” she recalled. “And, of course, the fact that very few people spoke English so it was very difficult to communicate.”

Despite being 6,500 miles from Paducah and visiting a different continent for the first time, once in ACREST’s technology center, the team’s engineering instincts took over. While touring the facility, technicians demonstrated one of their recent innovations—a higher efficiency cook stove. Seay said the cooking stove was a game changer.

“When we saw the cook stove, a light bulb went off. We all looked at each other and saw a different way we could design our processor.  It led us to redesign what we originally had in mind.”

Design changes were also needed when the team discovered the palm oil they were planning to use is actually a food source for the locals, used to make a dish called “yellow sauce.” While they were able to use palm oil and successfully convert it to biodiesel, Seay and the students decided it made more economic sense to search for another kind of oil. The solution came in the form of castor oil.

“Castor beans grow wild in that region and no one eats them. They also grow in land that isn’t suitable for farming, so we are looking at obtaining castor oil and working on the chemistry to convert castor oil to biodiesel.”

So how does Seay and his team plan to test the viability of castor oil, given that they left their prototype with ACREST?

“We’re going to have to recreate our prototype right here in Paducah,” Seay grinned. “What we develop has to be able to be manufactured in Cameroon or they won’t be able to use it.”

When asked if future visits to ACREST are in the works, Seay left no doubt.

“We’re definitely planning to go back. We have applied for another People, Prosperity and the Planet grant and will be presenting once again in Washington D.C. where the top groups earn $90,000 in funding. That would give us plenty of options for partnering with ACREST on this project as well as others.”

For now, the team feels good about its accomplishments and the students appreciate the way their education allows them to address some of the world’s greatest challenges.

“I am very proud of the work we accomplished while we were there, and I am going to really miss some of the friends we made while in Bangang,” said Willett.

Zachary Watson agreed and perhaps best summarized the intent and success of the trip.

“The good thing about being an engineer is that when you see a problem, you can do something about it.”

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• David Silverstein, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Paducah Program
• Emily Dotson, Gender and Women’s Studies

Dean Lester also announced that the following individuals were named as finalists for this year’s awards:

• Jeffrey Ashley, Lecturer of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• James Fox, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering
• Andy Dastidar, Teaching Assistant, College of Engineering
• Brian Grabbatin, Teaching Assistant, Chemical and Materials Engineering
• Nicholas Mattei, Teaching Assistant, Computer Science.

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But it’s also the stuff of science. A group of local high school students is converting vegetable oil into diesel fuel.

Watch the video to see an experiment that starts where the cooking stops.

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Andrea Ramsey with Dr. Jeffrey Seay

Chemical and materials engineering students Luke Richardson from the Paducah campus and Andrea Ramsey from the Lexington campus traveled to Hangzhou, China with Dr. Jeffrey Seay to attend the Second International Symposium of Sustainable Chemical Product and Process Engineering. Both students participated at the conference by presenting posters detailing the results of their undergraduate research projects. Ramsey won the Best Undergraduate Research Award for the student poster competition. Her research, “Development of Multidisciplinary Region Specific Economic Models for Integrated Biorefining” was co-authored with Sumesh Sukumara and supervised by Dr. Jeffrey Seay.

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