Currently Active Grants

Funded External Research Grants to the Washkewicz College of Engineering

Award Title: Modification of the curriculum of the BSCS Program

Sponsor: Northeastern University
Prime Sponsor: Pivotal Ventures
PI: Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, Dean & Professor, Washkewicz College of Engineering
Period: 05/20/2024 - 05/20/2025
Total Anticipated Award: $350,469

Award Title: Collaborative Research: SEI: Creating a Lasting LEGACY - Scaling a Peer-learning Community Model to Provide AP CS Preparation and Career Awareness for Black Young Women

Sponsor: NSF
PI: Dr. Rebecca Odom-Bartel, Assistant Professor Department of Teacher Education, Courtesy appointment, Department of Computer Science
Co-PI: Dr. Chansu Yu, Professor, Eectrical and Computer Engineering
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Award Date: 05/16/2024
Period:  05/15/2024 - 04/30/2028

 

Award Title: Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Capture Pollutant Data During Highway Construction

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Transportation
PI: Dr. Mehdi Rahmati, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Co-PIs: Drs. Emmanuel Kidando and Josiah Sam Owusu-Danquah, Assistant Professors, Civil Environmental Engineering Department
Period: 04/02/2024 - 04/02/2025
Total Anticipated Award: $100,000

 

Award Title: Bringing Robot Assistants into the Homes of People with Cervical SCI

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Higher Education  
PI: Dr. Eric M Schearer, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Period: 01/01/2024 - 06/30/2024
Total Anticipated Award: $500,000

 

Award Title: Expanding Ohio Manufacturing Digitization Securely at Scale

Sponsor: U.S. Economic Development Administration
PI: Dr. Jerzy Sawicki, Senior Advisor to the Provost, Endowed Chair & Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Period: 11/01/2023 - 10/31/2026
Award Amount: $1,801,370

 

Award Title: Determining the Effectiveness of Commercial Vehicle Safety Alerts

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Transportation
PI: Dr. Emmanuel Kikando, Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Period: 07/01/2023 - 06/30/2025
Award Amount: $200,635

 

Award Title: CRII: CNS: A Systematic Multi-Task Learning Framework for Improving Deep Learning Efficiency on Edge Platforms

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Dr. Tianyun Zhang, Computer Science
Award Period: 06/01/2023 - 05/31/2025
Award Amount: $174,233

 

Award Title: Wireless mechano-electrical stimulation of pudendal nerve using piezoelectric platform for stress urinary incontinence

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
PI: Dr. Metin Uz, Chemical & Biomedical Engineering
Award Period: 04/01/2023 - 03/31/2028
Award Amount: $2,339,409

 

Award Title: Thermodynamics of Multi-Domain Power Networks: Principles for Optimization and Control with Applications to Turboelectric Systems

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Dr. Hanz Richter, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 01/01/2023 - 12/31/2025
Award Amount: $399,617

 

Award Title: "Snow and Ice Training Enhancement with ODOT Customized Simulator"

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Transportation
PI: Dr. Hongkai Yu, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Co-PI: Dr. Jacqueline Jenkins, Civil Engineering
Subcontractor: The JFL Solutions LLC
Award Period: 08/12/2022 to 08/12/2024
Amount: $400,018

 

Award Title "Expand QISE: Track 1: RLQSC: Reinforcement Learning for the Optimal Design of Programmable Quantum Sensor Circuit"

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Dr. Sathish Kumar, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Award Period: 09/01/2022 to 08/31/2025
Amount: $799,985

Award Title: Investigation on the Effects of Applying Ultrasonic Vibrations on Thermoset- and Thermoplastic-based Composites with a Focus on Improving the Installation of Thread Forming/Tapping Fasteners

Sponsor: ATF, Inc.
PI: Dr. Saeed Farahani, Mechanical Engineering   
Award Period: 03/01/2022 – 10/31/2022   
Amount: $60,521

Award Title: CAREER: Elucidating the Synergistic Nanoscale and Carbohydrate Interactions of Glyconanomaterials with Bacterial Proteins, Toxins, and Cells

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Dr. Geyou Ao, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering   
Award Period: 06/01/2022 – 05/31/2027   
Amount: $609,147

 

Award Title: Wireless Sensing-based User Identification and Privacy Preserving

Sponsor: GE Lighting
PI: Dr. Zicheng Chi, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science   
Award Period: 01/01/2022 – 12/31/2022   
Amount: $25,000

 

Award Title: Deep Learning and Computer Vision for Upgraded Science and Engineering at NSLS-II

Sponsor: Brookhaven National Laboratory
PI: Dr. Hongkai Yu, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science   
Award Period: 01/26/2022 – 02/28/2023   
Amount: $49,365

 

Award Title: Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning for Smart Home

Sponsor: GE Lighting (Savant)
PI: Dr. Sathish Kumar, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science   
Award Period: 01/01/2022 – 12/31/2022   
Amount: $20,296

 

Award Title: SBIR Phase I:Wearable Fabric Sensor for Monitoring Hydration

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (via RooSense LLC)
PI: Dr. Chelsea Monty-Bromer, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering   
Award Period: 08/16/2021 - 08/15/2022   
Amount: $14,276

Award Title: SBIR: Novel Test Kit for Detection of Microbial Corrosion in Petroleum Systems

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (via MIC Monitor DB Corrolytics)
PI: Dr. Chelsea Monty-Bromer, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering   
Award Period: 08/16/2021 - 08/15/2022   
Amount: $61,099

Award Title: Rewriting the Redox Paradigm: Dynamic Hydrology Shapes Nutrient and Element Transformations in a Great Lakes Costal Estuary

Sponsor: Department of Energy (via Kent State University)
PI: Dr. Chelsea Monty-Bromer, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering   
Award Period: 09/01/2021 - 08/31/2023   
Amount: $57,531

Award Title: CIF21DIBBS: EI: VIFI:Virtual Information-Fabric Infrastructure (VIFI) for Data-Driven Decisions from Distributed Data

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (via the University of North Carolina-Charlotte)
PI: Dr. Yongxin Tao, Mechanical Engineering   
Award Period: 08/08/2019 - 09/30/2022   
Amount: $112,239

Award Title: Spurious Grain Formation in Alloys Directionally Solidified on the Space Station due to Marangoni Convection

Sponsor: National Aeronautics and Space Administration   
PI: Dr. Surendra Tewari, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering    
Award Period: 02/25/2020 - 02/24/2022   
Amount: $199,998

Award Title: I-Corps

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (through the University of Akron)
PI: Dr. Srinivas Allena, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Award Period: 06/04/2021 – 12/31/2021   
Amount: $2,500

 

Award Title: FGF and hyaluronan-mediated alterations in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metabolism of RPE cells in Sorsby Fundus Dystrophy

Sponsor: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
PI: Dr. Chandra Kothapalli, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Award Period: 06/01/2021 – 03/31/2022   
Amount: $6,683

 

Award Title: State of Ohio Scholarships and Fellowship

Sponsor: Ohio Space Grant Consortium
PI: Dr. Wei Zhang, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2022   
Amount: $27,500

 

Award Title: Collaborative Research: SWIFT: Effective Spectrum Coexistence Among Active, Semi-passive, and Passive IoT Devices

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Dr. Zicheng Chi, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Award Period: 10/01/2021 - 09/30/2024   
Amount: $349,999

 

Award Title: Rapidect Research

Sponsor: Rapidect (via CSU Research Corporation)
PI: Dr. Siu-Tung Yau, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Award Period: 08/25/2021 - 08/24/2022   
Amount: $5,000

Award Title: Improving the Retention Rate of Undergraduate Women in Engineering

Sponsor: Engineering Information Foundation
PI: Dr. Brian Davis, Washkewicz College of Engineering
Award Period: 09/01/2021 - 08/31/2022   
Amount: $24,973

Award Title: Real-Time Multi-Objective Automotive Control Optimization

Sponsor: Ford Motor Company
PI: Dr. Mehdi Rahmati, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Award Period: 03/18/2019 - 08/31/2022   
Amount: $49,954 (total $149,919 previous part awarded to Dr. Dan Simon, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science who has since retired)

Award Title: Ultrasound-Activated Shape Memory Lengthening Device

Sponsor: National Science Foundation 
PI: Dr. Josiah Owusu-Danquah, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Award Period: 06/01/2021 - 11/30/2021   
Amount: $50,000

Award Title: Establishing Liquid Crystals of Boron Nitride Nanotubes for Aligned Assemblies

Sponsor: National Science Foundation 
PI: Dr. Geyou Ao, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Award Period: 07/01/2021 - 06/30/2024   
Amount: $353,903

Award Title: Wearable Motion Capture Compression Sleeve

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Higher Education (through Ohio State University)  
PI: Dr. Antonie van den Bogert, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 05/01/2021 - 11/20/2021   
Amount: $12,500

 

Award Title: Ohio Space Grant Consortium Internship (Spring 2021)

Sponsor: Ohio Space Grant Consortium (through NASA)
PI: Dr. Wei Zhang, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 05/16/2021 - 12/23/2021   
Amount: $16,300

Award Title: Fundamentals of Strengthening Mechanisms in Carbon nanotube (CNT)/ Graphene Nanoplatelet (GNP) reinforced Metal Matrix Composites for Aerospace Structural Applications

Sponsor: Air Force Office of Scientific Research
PI: Dr. Tushar Borkar, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 07/01/2019 - 06/30/2022   
Amount: $216,645

 

Award Title: Collaborative Proposal: Glial Scar Morphology Informed Tunable Biomimetic Platforms for Spinal Cord Injury Repair

Sponsor: National Science Foundation 
PI: Dr. Chandra Kothapalli, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Award Period: 05/01/2021 - 05/31/2024   
Amount: $299,991

 

Award Title: Investigating the Effect of Processing Parameters on Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of 316 SS Fabricated via Binder Jet Followed by Forging

Sponsor: Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation
PI: Dr. Tushar Borkar, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 06/01/2021 - 05/31/2022   
Amount: $9,967

 

Award Title: Transdisciplinary Cybersecurity Education for Law and Engineering Students

Sponsor: National Science Foundation 
PI: Dr. Chansu Yu, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Co-PIs: Prof. Brian Edward Ray, College of Law, Dr. Debbie Jackson, Teacher Education, and Dr. Sathish Kumar, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Award Period: 05/01/2021 - 04/30/2024
Amount: $397,82

 

Award Title: Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at Cuyahoga Community College

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (through Cuyahoga Community College)  
PI: Dr. Jorge Gatica, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Award Period: 08/01/2020 - 07/31/2025   
Amount: $199,467

 

Award Title: Assistive Robotics and Functional Electrical Stimulation: A Synergistic Combination to Reanimate Paralyzed Arms

Sponsor: National Science Foundation  
PI: Dr. Eric Schearer, Mechanical Engineering; Co-PIs: Dr. Antonie van den Bogert, Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Debbie Jackson, Teacher Education
Award Period: 04/15/2021 - 03/31/2024   
Amount: $315,986

Award Title: Innovation Corps National Innovation Network Teams Program

Sponsor: National Science Foundation
PI: Dr. Prabaha Sikder, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 03/01/2021 - 08/31/2021   
Amount: $50,000

Award Title: New Metallic Materials in Energy Applications

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (through the University of Akron)
PI: Dr. Tushar Borkar, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 12/05/2020 - 12/05/2021   
Amount: $2,500

Award Title: Evaluation of Oxidation-Resistant Coatings on Forging Billets

Sponsor: Advanced Technology International
PI: Dr. Tushar Borkar, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 01/20/2021 - 09/28/2023   
Amount: $699,397

Award Title: Cleveland IoT Collaborative - Phase III

Sponsor: Cleveland Foundation (through Case Western Reserve University)
PI: Dr. Nigamanth Sridhar, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Award Period: 10/01/2020 - 09/01/2022   
Amount: $1,335,660

Award Title: Reproducibility in Simulation-Based Prediction of Natural Knee Mechanics

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (through Washington State University)  
PI: Dr. Antonie van den Bogert, Mechanical Engineering
Award Period: 07/01/2020 - 06/30/2021   
Amount: $97,872

Award Title: RE@CSU - Rehabilitation Engineering at Cleveland State University

Sponsor: National Science Foundation  
PI: Dr. Eric Schearer, Mechanical Engineering; Co-PI: Dr. Debbie Jackson, Teacher Education
Award Period: 03/01/2021 - 02/29/2024   
Amount: $450,022

Award Title: Rockport Ready Mix Tuition Support

Sponsor: Rockport Ready Mix, Inc. (through the Cleveland State University Research Corporation)  
PI: Dr. Srinivas Allena, Civil and Environmental Engineering    
Award Period: 02/01/2020 - 07/31/2021   
Amount: $14,167

Award Title: Developing an Individualized, Integrative, and Progressive Electronics Laboratory Course

Sponsor: Ohio Space Grant Consortium  
PI: Dr. Chansu Yu, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science    
Award Period: 01/01/2021 - 10/19/2021   
Amount: $5,000

Award Title: NCHRP Highway IDEA proposal

Sponsor: National Academy of Science (through Old Dominion University)  
PI: Dr. Hongkai Yu, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science    
Award Period: 01/01/2021 - 12/31/2021   
Amount: $48,627

Award Title: Ohio Space Grant Consortium Internship 

Sponsor: Ohio Space Grant Consortium  
PI: Dr. Wei Zhang, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 05/16/2020 - 05/31/2021   
Amount: $13,040

Award Title: Type II: The University of Akron I-Corps Site - Extendable Bone Plate

Sponsor: National Science Foundation   
PI: Dr. Josiah Owusu-Danquah, Civil and Environmental Engineering    
Award Period: 10/02/2020 - 2/28/2021   
Amount: $2,500

 

Award Title: Type II: The University of Akron I-Corps Site - Electroactive and Live Muscle Construct

Sponsor: National Science Foundation   
PI: Dr. Prabaha Sikder, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 10/02/2020 - 2/28/2021   
Amount: $2,500

 

Award Title: Type II: The University of Akron I-Corps Site - Walktive/Walking Aids with Compliant Support

Sponsor: National Science Foundation   
PI: Dr. Hanz Richter, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 10/02/2020 - 2/28/2021   
Amount: $2,500

 

Award Title: State of Ohio Scholarships and Fellowship 

Sponsor: Ohio Space Grant Consortium   
PI: Dr. Wei Zhang, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 10/01/2020 - 12/31/2021   
Amount: $27,000

 

Award Title: Flow Physics of Transient Rooftop Vortices at High Reynolds Numbers to Mitigate Wind Hazards 

Sponsor: Ohio Space Grant Consortium   
PI: Dr. Wei Zhang, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 09/01/2020 - 08/31/2021   
Amount: $5,000

 

Award Title: Assured Digital Microelectronics Education & Training Ecosystem (ADMETE) 

Sponsor: Air Force Office of Scientific Research (via Youngstown State University)  
PI: Dr. Lili Dong, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science    
Award Period: 10/03/2020 - 10/02/2021   
Amount: $40,000 (total anticipated $140,000)

 

Award Title: Establishing Linkage to Care

Sponsor: Cuyahoga County Department of Health 
PI: Dr. Miyuki Tedor, Criminology Anthropology & Sociology; Co-PIs: Dr. Sathish Kumar, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science; Dr. Patricia Stoddard Dare, Social Work  
Award Period: 09/01/2020 - 08/31/2021   
Amount: $234,043

 

Award Title: Advanced District Energy Controls for Improved Efficiency and Resilience

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy (via Paragon Robotics LLC)
PI: Dr. Yongxin Tao, Mechanical Engineering   
Award Period: 09/01/2020 - 11/30/2021   
Amount: $119,070 (total anticipated $256,905)

 

Award Title: Pillar and Perfusion Well Plate Platforms for Reproducible Organoid Culture from iPSC

Sponsor: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences - National Institutes of Health (through Bioprinting Laboratories, Inc.)
PI: Dr. Moo-Yeal Lee, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering    
Award Period: 07/15/2020 - 06/30/2021   
Amount: $105,000

 

Award Title: Entrepreneurial Manufacturer Digitization Support (EMDiS) Center of Excellence 

Sponsor: U.S. Economic Development Administration   
PI: Dr. Jerzy Sawicki, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 09/15/2020 - 09/14/2023   
Amount: $600,000

 

Award Title: Detecting Arch Instability in Charcot Neuropathy 

Sponsor: Innovative Scientific Solutions Inc - National Institutes of Health   
PI: Dr. Brian Davis, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 08/19/2020 - 07/31/2021   
Amount: $75,000

 

Award Title: Reimaging Co-operative Learning and Working 

Sponsor: Fenn Educational Fund - Cleveland Foundation   
PI: Sandra English, Washkewicz College of Engineering    
Award Period: 08/01/2020 - 07/31/2022   
Amount: $149,413

Award Title: Controlling Functional Reaching with Eye and Head Movments of People with High Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries 

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Higher Education   
PI: Dr. Eric Schearer, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 06/09/2020 - 06/30/2022   
Amount: $249,569

 

Award Title: Collaborative Research: IRES Track I: US-Korea Collaboration on Biomimicry and Bio-Inspired Fluid Flows (IRES-BIOFLOW) 

Sponsor: National Science Foundation   
PI: Dr. Wei Zhang, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 06/03/2020 - 08/31/2023   
Amount: $194,998

 

Award Title: CAREER: Flow Physics of Transient Rooftop Vortices and Bio-Inspired Flow Control to Mitigate Wind Hazards 

Sponsor: National Science Foundation   
PI: Dr. Wei Zhang, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 03/01/2020 - 02/28/2025   
Amount: $$650,249

 

Award Title: Secure Data Logging and Processing with Blockchain and Machine Learning 

Sponsor: National Energy Technology Laboratoty of the U.S. Department of Energy (via Florida International University)   
PI: Dr. Wenbing Zhao, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science    
Award Period: 09/01/2019 - 08/31/2022   
Amount: $180,000

 

Award Title: CAREER: Caregiver Teaching of Neuroprostheseses Functional Reading: Educating Empathetic Engineers to Create Solutions for High Tetroplegia 

Sponsor: National Science Foundation   
PI: Dr. Eric Schearer, Mechanical Engineering    
Award Period: 07/01/2018 - 06/30/2023   
Amount: $549,996

 

Award Title: Collaborative Research: Design and Development of a Multifunctional Nanoplatform for Augmented Elastic Matrix Repair 

Sponsor: National Science Foundation   
PI: Dr. Chandra Kothapalli, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering    
Award Period: 10/01/2019 - 09/30/2022   
Amount: $299,872

 

Award Title: Engineered Organic Color Centers for Profiling Protein-Carbohydrate Recognition 

Sponsor: National Science Foundation 
PI: Dr. Geyou Ao, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering    
Award Period: 07/01/2019 - 06/30/2022   
Amount: $346,889