Research & Innovation in Engineering

The University of Arizona recently highlighted an assistant professor’s research of thermal spacecraft shields.

Erica L. Corral, Ph.D., has received both an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program Award and an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award. Her research focuses on “new materials for spacecraft coatings that can withstand the super hot environments encountered in space missions.”

Dean of the UA College of Engineering, Dr. Jeff Goldberg (AZ A ’79), said, “This is a very significant award for the College of Engineering and the department of materials science and engineering because this is the first NSF Career award to a faculty member in this department since it was established in 1985.” Read full story

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The New York Times is reporting that the University of California campuses in San Francisco and Berkeley have received a pledge from Andrew S. Grove, NY H ’60, for a new “joint master’s degree program aimed at so-called translational medicine.”

Dr. Grove said in a statement, “What we have learned from decades of rapid development of information technology is that the key is relentless focus on ‘better, faster, cheater’ – in everything. The best results are achieved through the cooperative efforts of different disciplines, all aimed at the same objective.”

Read the article here, for more from Dr. Grove and on translational medicine

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A news release from the University of Buffalo (UB), gives details of research done by the Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering Department to determine “if a fast, new construction method (of bridges) results in bridges strong enough to withstand seismic activity.

The project is being funded by the Federal Highway Administration and “was the largest earthquake (simulated or otherwise) to hit a bridge constructed using the rapid and cost-effective method called Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC).”

The article updates the current results of the seismic tests and discusses the potential benefits to bridge construction in seismic areas, if the ABC bridges prove resilient.

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