Pitt Swanson School of Engineering

Alcosan is preparing to deal with one of Pittsburgh's most intractable problems — massive stormwater runoff — and deliver cleaner water and rivers. But the tight time frame and scope of work is also a challenge.

A new study led by the University of Pittsburgh reveals the atomic-scale friction of a single tungsten asperity, or rougher edge, in real-time, using electron microscopy for the first time to demonstrate atomic motion. The research, conducted by two Swanson School of Engineering groups, was just published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

The University of Pittsburgh is developing a pool-type materials testing facility to accelerate advanced nuclear technologies.

Two Swanson School of Engineering programs that aim to foster University research on such transportation projects as the soundness of bridges, road safety and landslide prevention are now under the direction of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation veteran Joseph J. Szczur.

Carla Ng, an assistant professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, said revised standards set this year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggest most public drinking water will have excessive levels of the chemical present.

“We always tell the story of Western Pennsylvania as a story of metal production — and it is — but the reality is that this economy was always built on innovation,” said Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “At one time this was the materials science capital of the world. I like to believe we’re not creating a new future but reinventing and strengthening that core ability. As a university, that’s what we’re here for.”

Joe Szczur, a former Pennsylvania Department of Transportation district executive for Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties, will head the Center for Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure and the Impactful Resilient Infrastructure Science and Engineering program.

Eric J. Beckman, PhD, a chemical engineer and co-director emeritus of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh says green can be read by the average consumer and chemist alike as meaning any number of things: made from plants, gentle on skin, biodegradable, concentrated so it requires less water, or energy-efficient. But some of these marketing messages aren’t necessarily true.

About a decade ago, “out of the blue,” the company that built Pitt’s facility in East Windsor, New Jersey, offered to provide solar panels to generate green electricity for the terminal, taking advantage of a state incentive program. “From there, we really sat down to think about, how can we really take advantage of this strategy on a much grander scale?” So Pitt Ohio started working with the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. “That was where we really started having discussions about the shortfalls and the shortcomings of the grid system, and what’s coming in a few years, to be able to play a longer-term strategy, that would be workable with what is available from the grid — and what’s not going to be available from the grid. So that led us down a different pathway.”

As the technical lead of the microreactor project at one of the United States government’s preeminent nuclear research labs, Idaho National Lab, alumnus Yasir Arafat BSChE '11 is a nuclear engineer leading development of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project at Idaho National Laboratory.

“It's a little bit of an emergency now that we need to stop using these chemicals because they're so persistent,” noted Carla Ng, Pitt assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and a recognized expert on PFAS. “I think a lot of water utilities right now with this announcement are scrambling to think: how in the world are we going to get down to those levels when these contaminants are already so pervasive in the environment?”

"It is of critical importance to develop alternative strategies for the management of produced water that would reduce the overall cost, allow recovery of valuable resources, and reduce the environmental footprint of this industry," explained the researchers. "Right now, the industry is not being presented with financially feasible options. This project proves that those options can and do exist."

Kappas’ career at the Pittsburgh-based paint, coatings and specialty materials manufacturer began 35 years ago and included 15 years working in various manufacturing roles, including as a plant manager. She also worked in human resources, supply chain management, and in environmental, health and safety roles with the company, and she said all of these roles have helped prepare her to lead PPG’s global sustainability efforts.

Engineers use catalysts in a wide range of applications, from food processing to chemical manufacture. Hence, developing effective, environmentally friendly catalysts is a priority. A new study headed by the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering might lead to the development of new, long-lasting catalysts made of tungsten oxide and similar materials.

The acquisition of Pittsburgh-based ALung Technologies Inc. earlier this month by LivaNova didn't come out of nowhere. That's because employees of ALung and TandemLife, an O'Hara Township company LivaNova acquired in 2018, have known each other for years, coming out of the UPMC and University of Pittsburgh life sciences ecosystem.

LaScola grew up in Pittsburgh, where the U.S. Steel Corp. was headquartered. So when they sent an engineering-centric program to her high school, it encouraged students like her who had a penchant for math and science to pursue engineering by providing job shadowing opportunities and more. Now Kim Needy is dean of the University of Arkansas College of Engineering, a position that she has had since November 2020. She is the first female in the role.

Inhee Lee, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, is part of a team designing a tracking platform that could be fastened to monarch butterflies to convey data about their location during their three-month migration south.

“Generating hydrogen from natural gas can actually be quite efficient,” said Götz Veser, Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. “Over the next 10 or 20 years, making hydrogen in an efficient way from fossil resources might be the way to reduce (our) carbon footprint faster and lower than with renewable technologies.”

Chemical engineering PhD students Becca Segel and Priscilla Prem have big aspirations for fighting climate change with batteries. Those plans got supercharged last week when the team won first place in the Randall Family Big Idea Competition, taking home a $25,000 prize and lots of momentum for their company.

Brewster has kept himself busy during his time at Pitt, studying environmental science with minors in environmental engineering and studio arts and certificates in geographic information systems and sustainability.

Grant noted Schuster’s strong track record of developing and executing strategies to structure and achieve significant, sustainable growth, which will lead AIChE to its next phase. “Darlene personifies the values and integrity that are essential as the next leader of AIChE. I want to express my special thanks to the search committee for their commitment and hard work in this process,” added Grant.

Garrett Sisk, the club’s president and junior majoring in environmental engineering, said his first memories of birdwatching go back to elementary school. His grandmother gave him his very first bird feeder which sparked a passion that has followed him through college and beyond.

The partnership will see the MLB gaining an equity stake in the company that develops mobile-based hitting and throwing technology for baseball and softball players. Diamond Kinetics, will also become the new “Trusted Youth Development Platform of Major League Baseball.” The company was co-founded by William "Buddy" Clark, professor of mechanical engineering and materials science.

For University of Pittsburgh alumna and McKeesport native Allison Howard, the materials used on our skin and hair while asleep are just as important as the materials used in our waking hours. Howard launched Nollapelli, an online startup company dedicated to distributing bedding designed to protect skin and hair, in 2019. She says she began familiarizing herself with the bedding industry in 2017 after noticing the effects traditional bedding had on her skin and hair.