University of New Haven
TCoE
Trends
Newsletter of the Tagliatela College of Engineering,
University of New Haven
Winter 2024
Senators Blumenthal and Murphy
Pull Off a Cybersecurity Funding Coup
Thanks to the efforts of U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Christopher Murphy, the Connecticut Institute of Technology (CIT) at the University’s Tagliatela College of Engineering has received a generous injection of federal funds to further its efforts to keep the country safe from cyber attacks. The grants total over half a million dollars.
The congressionally directed grants came in two phases: $218,000 in 2022, promptly followed by $326,000 in 2023. The money will be used for the purchase of equipment and technology, the training of students on them, and the salary of a lab manager for two years to set up and run the equipment and provide support.
Every position that goes unfilled in the cybersecurity job market is a vulnerability in the cyber protection ecosystem, and the demand for talent far exceeds the supply. As of 2021, 3.5 million cybersecurity positions globally were unfilled, and this talent shortfall directly impacts all consumers that touch cyberspace. These grants will help educate a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce to meet the growing national demand outlined in the Federal Cybersecurity Strategic Plan."
New Frontier for Cyber Criminals
Navigating the online world has become riskier, evolving beyond the familiar threats of cyber data breaches. Financial institutions, email accounts, and even government databases have fallen victim to hacks, making headlines globally. The rise of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has introduced a new frontier for cyber criminals, expanding the potential for harm.
While BCI and AI offer benefits, such as aiding communication for the disabled and improving medical diagnoses, they also open the door to physical harm. BCI allows users to control external devices through the brain, while AI can manipulate outcomes. Imagine a scenario where a BCI breach steers a wheelchair user into traffic or an AI attack directs an automobile to cause harm.
A recent discussion between Senator Blumenthal and Bibek Upadhayay, a Ph.D. candidate in Engineering and Applied Science at the University of New Haven, focused on adversarial attacks on BCI. Upadhayay's research, supported by grants, explores the potential injurious impact of cyber breaches on users and applications.
The University of New Haven, strategically located near industries in need of cybersecurity talent, serves as an ideal hub for innovation and solutions. Recognized by the National Security Agency, it stands as the only institution in Connecticut designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations and is the cybersecurity training site for the Connecticut National Guard. The university's commitment to excellence is evident in its students' success in regional & national cyber competitions, outperforming schools with larger cybersecurity enrollments. Dean Harichandran emphasizes the broader impact of grants, contributing to a well-trained cybersecurity workforce not only in Connecticut but across the nation. Gratitude is expressed to Senators Blumenthal & Murphy for their assistance in this endeavor.
Student News
The summer of ’23 saw Tagliatela College of Engineering undergraduate students take home over a third of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF). Five of the 13 fellowships awarded went to TCoE majors, who spent a good part of the season immersed in hot projects under the guidance of their faculty mentors.
Justin Caron ’24
Chemical Engineering major
studied how mechanical compression affects the collective migration of cancer cells. Collective cell migration is the coordinated movement of a group of cells and plays a crucial role not only in development, wound healing, and tissue regeneration but also in cancer metastasis. At the outset, it was not clear how compression affects those processes, but using a traditional 3D transwell migration assay, Caron was able to study the effects of compression stress on cancer cell migration. He found that compression could, indeed, promote cancer cell migration. His work was performed under the guidance of Dr. Shue Wang.
Hayat Khan ’25
Chemistry major
Hayat Khan ’25, a Chemistry major, worked on developing a novel class of biopolymer-based nanoparticles for cancer treatment while being mentored by Dr. Hao Sun. Their proposed nanoparticle has a core-shell structure consisting of a glycogen core and a polydopamine shell that is able to convert near infrared (NIR) light into heat energy to ablate cancer cells. Hayat, under, Sun’s supervision, synthesized the nanoparticles and studied the photo-thermal effects of these novel materials.
Cody John Velikaneye ’24
Chemical Engineering major
Dr. Huan Gu guided Velikaneye in exploring the potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) in degrading plastic waste, particularly with a newly developed plastic, polyolefin. PAO1's biofilm breaks down polymer-based plastics into single-chain carbon rings, offering a faster, environmentally friendly disposal method. Velikaneye found that the synthesized polyolefin biodegrades six times faster than traditional plastics like low-density polyethylene.
Gianna Cologna ’25, ’26
Forensic Science major and future M.S. in Chemistry
Cologna conducted five dozen experiments over ten weeks for the project "Synthesis of a Library of Dibenzo-Azocine-Diones for High-Throughput Screening," exploring novel structures in medicinal chemistry. Under Dr. Pier Cirillo's direction, Cologna organized and presented findings to the University community, leading to nomination for the prestigious Bucknall Family Undergraduate Research Award and subsequent selection as the recipient from a competitive pool.
Bryan Cadavos ‘ 23
was intensely interested in knowing whether amines — high-pH (basic) compounds that easily become aerosolized when reacting with low-pH (acid) substances, such as oxalic acid — are toxic to mammalian cells. Because the structure of amines is similar to that of ammonia’s, Cadavos compared the effects of methylamine oxalate and ammonium oxalate on cells. The results of his experiments showed that, depending on concentration, amine compounds are more toxic to mammals that ammonia compounds. Cadavos was co-advised by Dr. Shue Wang and Dr. Chong Qiu.
TCoE Student Named a Future Leader
in Chemical Engineering at Research Symposium
Dr. Hao Sun
Sun has secured three grants in less than a year for his research on biomass-degradable polymer materials aimed at recyclability. The American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund granted $55,000 in October 2022 to support Sun's efforts to design polymers that can depolymerize into their original monomers, potentially transforming plastic waste into reusable materials, thus improving environmental landscapes and reducing pollution.
Faculty News
Dr. Hao Sun (Cont'd)
In April 2023, Sun received a grant from the NASA Connecticut Space Consortium to enhance recyclable polymers' resistance to ionizing radiation, crucial for spacecraft and satellite durability and astronaut protection. The grant also supports Sun's mentorship of students who will analyze data, write research papers, and present findings at conferences, fostering the next generation of researchers.
Dr. Hao Sun (Cont'd)
In July 2023, Sun secured a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, fueling advancements in his polymer research. Alongside depolymerization studies, Sun will investigate acid-degradable polymers from biomass-derived monomers for potential industrial use. As founder of the university's Advanced Polymer Research Lab, Sun anticipates leveraging the grants to advance both research and STEM education, with the potential to attract further funding opportunities, including Department of Energy grants.
Dr. Dequan Xiao
Dr. Dequan Xiao, alongside Drs. Zhaohui Tong and Guanghui Lan from Georgia Tech Research Corporation, received an $800,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). NIFA supports programs addressing national and global challenges, including sustainable bioenergy and bio-based industrial products production, aligning with the team's objectives.
Dr. Dequan Xiao (Cont'd)
Their grant-winning proposal, "Data-Driven Chemo Selective Lignin Valorization Process to Biochemicals and Aviation Fuel," aligns with the Biorefining and Biomanufacturing program. Xiao's role involves utilizing an AI-driven catalyst design method, based on his theory of inverse molecular design, to convert low-cost lignin polymers into monomers efficiently. These monomers can then be utilized to synthesize bioplastics and liquid fuels, potentially mitigating the impact of rising oil and chemical prices and supply-chain volatility.
Dr. Dequan Xiao (Cont'd)
Xiao secured a second grant as co-PI, a $360,000 subaward from a $1M Department of Energy grant in collaboration with Dr. Bin Yang at Washington State University. Titled “Developing a New Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier Technology for Hydrogen Storage in Sustainable Aviation Fuels — Lignin Jet Fuel,” the project explores lignin-based jet fuel as a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC), offering a safe method for hydrogen storage. This addresses the challenge of safely storing highly combustible hydrogen for potential use in automobiles, where direct storage of compressed hydrogen gas is not feasible.
Dr. Dequan Xiao (Cont'd)
Dr. Yang at Washington State University will supply the lignin fuel for the project, where Dr. Xiao will develop an AI-driven catalyst approach based on his inverse molecular design theory for safe hydrogen release in automobiles. The dehydrogenated LOHC can be rehydrogenated back into lignin jet fuel, offering a promising avenue for hydrogen fuel usage with minimal CO2 emissions, ultimately leading to cleaner air.
Dr. Tirthankar Ghosh
18 years of experience in cybersecurity education and research is studded with high-profile work in the areas of network anomaly in industrial control systems, autonomous vehicle security, network threat detection and mitigation, and adversary behavior analysis. He has received and managed grants that total multi-millions of dollars from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency/Department of Defense, the Office of Naval Research, state governments, and the private sector and has established several funded research labs on university campuses.
As a sought-after speaker, he authored "Security by Practice: Exercises in Network Security and Information Assurance." Joining UNew Haven in 2023, Dr. Ghosh assumed the roles of Connecticut Institute of Technology director and chair.
Dr. Adrian Rusu
With 20 years in higher education, Dr. Rusu excelled at Rowan University, receiving Excellence in Research and Innovation Awards. As Fairfield University's department chair, he expanded computing offerings, launched interdisciplinary programs, and achieved ABET accreditation for the Computer Science program. His collaborations secured $2 million+ for teaching and research. Renowned for software engineering, information visualization, and an entrepreneurial mindset, Dr. Rusu seamlessly integrates knowledge across diverse domains.
New Chairs in the Faculty Lounge
Two new faculty members have just taken a chair at the University of New Haven.
Tirthankar Ghosh is now the new Elder Family Chair of Computer Science and Cybersecurity, while Adrian Rusu has filled the Alice E. and Michael J. Fischer Teaching Chair in Computer Science.
Dr. Huan Gu
KEEN, short for Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network, advocates for an entrepreneurial mindset and business acumen among engineers. It emphasizes skills such as recognizing opportunities, researching markets, developing business models, and articulating engineering solutions in economic terms. Since 2011, the Tagliatela College of Engineering has been collaborating with KEEN. Gu, recipient of the Engineering Unleashed Fellowship, receives $10,000 and a year to incorporate Problem-Solving Sessions (PSS) into the curriculum. Gu encountered PSS during a 2023 Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development Workshop.
Author Deepak Chopra said, “Instead of thinking outside the box, get rid of the box.” To an engineer that’s second nature when solving problems. But problem-solving still requires intensive practice in an engineer’s formative educational years.
Dr. Huan Gu didn’t think her students were getting enough of that. Two classes per week, 75 minutes apiece, were wall-to-wall knowledge assimilation. But thanks to the KEEN Fellowship she was just awarded, Gu will be able to give her students a chance to explore and stretch their innate passion for coming up with solutions.
Dr. Huan Gu (Cont'd)
Gu had previously tested PSS sessions with a group of ten Chemical Engineering students and found that they significantly enhanced the students’ problem-solving capacity. The KEEN award will allow her to expand the sessions to 30 more students, including those in the Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and General Engineering programs.
Timilehin Oluwole ’24, ’25 M.S.
Chemical Engineering Major
One of only 24 students selected nationwide to participate in the Fifth Annual Research Symposium at North Carolina State University.
The Symposium brings together the brightest, most gifted undergraduate researchers in the U.S. to present their work and to be recognized for their achievements and leadership potential in the fields of chemical and biomolecular engineering. Adding to the high for Oluwole? The other 23 students in attendance were culled from the nation’s top-tier research universities — the elite R1s. She saw them, matched them, and went home a respected colleague.
Oluwole presented her 2022 SURF project “Determining the Oil Content of Seaweed Native to Connecticut for Biofuel Production” in which she and her faculty mentor Assistant Professor Kristine Horvat “drilled” for oil and extracted it from rockweed, sea cellophane, and mini sea lettuce. The oil-time winner, they concluded, was sea cellophane.
Why We Love TCoE Students, Reason #137: Preferring to Work on a Research Project Than Have Fun at the Beach
Alumni News
A Springboard to an Endowed Professorship
Konstantine C. Lambrakis
Plans for an Endowed Professorship in mechanical engineering have gathered strength thanks to a generous bequest from a TCoE alumnus. The donor, who wished to remain unnamed, specifically earmarked the funds for the Mechanical Engineering program.
Although by remaining anonymous the donor declined posthumous plaudits, the professorship will have name recognition anyway — someone else’s name. It will be called the Lambrakis Professorship in Mechanical Engineering, honoring the former professor, chair, and Dean of Engineering, Konstantine C. Lambrakis.
In his twelve years as dean, Lambrakis generated tremendous growth in the number of faculty hired, students enrolled, and programs offered. A man of encyclopedic general knowledge and remarkable teaching ability — particularly in thermal sciences — he was widely recognized for his pioneering work in negative shock waves.
The college intends to leverage this new professorship to hire a prominent leader and scholar as the next chair of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
Thanks to a grateful alum with an inclination for modesty, a mechanical engineering torch is well on the way to being passed. However, more funding is needed to make the position truly meaningful and attractive. Therefore, the college is inviting those who benefitted from Professor Lambrakis’s tutelage or held him in high regard to contribute to this professorship. Contributions can be made online or by contacting James Barone:
Diversity: Three New Advisory Board Members Broaden the Spectrum of Professional Expertise
The TCoE’s Professional Advisory Board has welcomed three leading lights from the fields of space exploration, power generation, and industrial automation.
As manager of their Lunar Vertex (LVx) project, she is accountable to NASA for the management of cost, schedules, subcontracts, staff, and technical resources for all mission elements. LVx is the first mission of NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon. Her impressive career includes previous roles as Program Director for Orbital Sciences Corporation — Space Systems Group, Chief Engineer for the California Institute of Technology NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Lead Engineer for Rockwell International’s Rocketdyne Division.
Currently Vice President of Projects for Avangrid Networks, he leads a team of more than 300 management and engineering resources and is responsible for the execution of the company’s major gas, electrical transmission, distribution, and substation infrastructure projects. Prior to Avangrid, he was director of United Illuminating’s Transmission and Distribution Operations and Maintenance and served seven years as an electrician for the U.S. Navy.
As director of a Project Management Office for Rockwell Automation in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, he is in charge of the $1.1 billion Safety, Sensing, and Industrial Components business operations unit. So far, he has committed 16 years of his mission to Rockwell, where his other positions included Director of Operations and Security. Before Rockwell, he exercised his outstanding management talents at Emerson Electric and Brunswick Corporation. Last summer Geof retired from Rockwell.
TAGLIATELA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
University of New Haven
300 Boston Post Road, West Haven, CT 06516
203.932.7168 | www.newhaven.edu/engineering
The Tagliatela College of Engineering has been ranked in the top tier of undergraduate engineering programs nationwide by U.S. News & World Report.
Skilled Grantsmanship Sets Off Chain Reactions in the Chemistry Program
The chemistry program at Tagliatela College of Engineering, despite being perceived as a pure science, is a robust part of the college's engineering offerings. Areas like polymer and computational chemistry blur the lines between pure and applied science.
Two chemistry faculty members have made the most of that fact, and they’re doing it by exercising their considerable talent for obtaining external grants.
KEEN Fellowship Will Fortify Students’ Problem-Solving Skills
offers courses that typically do not make an appearance in traditional M.S. in Chemical Engineering curricula. The program seamlessly integrates the study of theoretical/computational chemical engineering with courses in systems engineering and chemical, biomolecular, and energy systems. Graduates emerge with the skills and knowledge to lead projects requiring knowledge of systems engineering and complex chemistry, biomolecular, and energy systems and computational methods.
M.S. in Chemical Engineering
A new M.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Construction Engineering and Management are giving those with bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering or civil engineering something that every job seeker wants: more leverage.
Along with expertise in the engineering discipline of their undergraduate major, holders of the new master’s degrees will possess an additional skillset that opens doors that were locked — or not even part of the job landscape — for those holding bachelor’s degrees or conventional master’s degrees.
New Master’s Programs Expand the Wheelhouse for Civil & Chemical Engineers
— a STEM program — is proving to be a veritable magnet for civil engineering graduates, who have a passion for seeing designs become solid realities. The new program prepares students to be expert construction engineers and managers by instilling advanced managerial skills needed to bring a project to successful completion. It’s a business mindset that’s designed to live in concert with the engineer’s native creativity and problem-solving abilities. The in-demand graduate of this program combines a solid understanding of civil engineering principles and design with a full understanding of the interlocking realities of planning, estimating, scheduling, safety regulations, risk management, and sustainability issues.
M.S. in Construction Engineering and Management
Ann Cox ’83
Deputy Project Manager Learn More About Ann
This event is a highly selective national symposium for undergraduate researchers in chemical and biomolecular engineering, and I feel honored to be named as an awardee. I was able to meet with intelligent and exceptional students from across the U.S. This was a great experience for me!” -Timilehin Oluwole
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Learn More About Dr. Tirthankar Ghosh
Learn More About Dr. Adrian Rusu
James Cole, MBA ’08
VP of Projects Learn More About James
Geof Storms ’87
Director, Program Management Learn More About Geof
Online Contribution
Email James Your Contribution
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A Springboard to an Endowed Professorship